Howdy guys and gals,
When we last left you, we headed back to our resort for one last farewell snorkel down on the beach, then retired to our room to pack. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the bus stop for our chariot back to Cairo. Because we had stayed on in Dahab after the rest of the group had moved on, we were taking a public bus back. This was, well.... an experience!! We were seated in the only pair of seats that did not have airconditioning.... but hey, there was a lovely piece of wood nailed over where our vent should have been so you cant complain!! Luckily we had my trusty fan that kept us cool for the duration of the journey. The bus ride took approx 10 hours, and during this time we had our passports checked more often than we did during our 7 weeks in europe!! I suppose its better to be safe than sorry... you never know what scallywags might have been on the bus with us!!
We made it to Cairo safe and sound and headed for our hotel. We were a little thrown off as it was not the same hotel we had stayed in the first time around in Cairo.... this time we were livin it up 5 STAR STYLE YEAH!!!!
After a relaxing night with some room service and a movie we were due to wake up the next morning raring to go and explore the wonders of the Egyptian museum.... but unfortunately our dear Arnoux had been struck down with a nasty case of the infamous Egyptian tummy!! This meant that the next 2 days were instead spent either in bed or running to the loo if you were Arnoux...or looking after Arnoux in between visits to the (5 star) pool if you were me. It was a bit of a shame that we didnt get to the museum, but these things do happen and you have to take the good with the bad!! Arnoux seems to be getting better now which is the main thing.
So tuesday night rolled around and it was time to head to the airport for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. Everything went without a hitch (although we were devastated to discover that Kenyan Airways do not have an inflight entertainment system...what is this world coming to!!! hahahaha) and we landed in Nairobi this morning. We head off on a 3 day safari of the Masai Mara national park tomorrow morning before starting our main 43 day tour of Africa on sunday. We were advised by our guide this afternoon that the migrations are on at the moment so it should be a particularly good time to be doing the game drives.... cant wait!! We made a stop at the supermarket this afternoon and picked up 2 boxes of pens to give to the local children as we find them (apparently thats what they want...money or pens) so we are ready to go!!!
We hope all is well, we will probably only be able to get to the internet once a week from here on, but we will do our best :-)
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Egypt continued....
Hi all,
When we last left you we were about to board our felucca for 2 days sailing on the mighty Nile river. Once we had sorted our group into 2 boats and sorted out food and beer stocks we were on our way. There was a nice breeze blowing so we made good time to our stop for the evening. After lunch on board cooked by our wonderful crew we headed off to a traditional Nubian house for an evening of drinks, laughter and sheesha!!
The next morning we were off sailing again. The whole day consisted of sailing, swimming, stop for lunch, sailing, swimming, etc etc. Eventually we reached our destination for the evening, where we were treated to a game of football that was being played on the banks of the river between 2 (very competitive) teams of locals. After some dinner on board our felucca we joined the others for a few drinks while we waited for the sun to go down. Once the sun had descended below the horizon the bonfire was lit!! The rest of the evening was spent receiving belly dancing lessons, and general merriment around the fire!
When we awoke the next day, the coach was waiting and we were back on the tourist trail. First stop was the Kom Ombo temple, which was a dedication to the gods Sobek (god of fertility and creator of the world) and Horus (the solar war god)..... sight of some incredible Egyptian history...and the grossest toilet in all history!!! From there it was off to the Edfu temple, also dedicated to the God Horus. From there it was back on the coach for the drive to Luxor. After a refreshing swim in the hotel pool it was off to dinner with the group before catching an early night.
The next morning we were up bright and early to try and avoid as much of the Luxor sun as possible. The day was jam packed full of action and historic sites up the wazoo!! First stop was the valley of the kings, home of the tomb of King Tut. Then off to the temple of Queen Hatshetsup. From what we were told (and Sherif would never lie to us), this lady was the first example of true girl power!! From there it was off to the valley of the Queens, as you might expect, not as grand as the valley of the Kings, but amazing none the less! After a brief stop back at the hotel to freshen up (it was already about 48 degrees) we set off to the largest worshipping site in the world, the Temple of Karnak. This place was truely awe inspiring. How they managed to build something of that size all those years ago I will never understand. By the time we reached the temple it was a whopping 52 degrees in the sun, no needless to say....we kept to the shade as much as possible!!! After stopping back at the hotel to collect our stuff it was on the road for the overnight bus trip to Dahab on the coast of the red sea. We were a little sceptical about spending 18 hours on a bus, but before we knew it we were seated in the restaurant of our home for the next 8 days eating our breakfast!! The rest of that day was spent by the pool, before heading into the town (in the local taxis....red jeeps) for an orientation of the area, and dinner with the group.
The following day we had our last activity with the group, a day of snorkelling at the magnificent blue hole. It was a tough day of fish spotting in the crystal clear water, with the occasional visit to the shore for a drink or a spot of lunch. On our way back to the hotel we even managed to pick up a few 'hitch hikers' (ie: they just climbed onto the back of our jeep).
When we awoke the next morning, we had 7 more days left at Dahab. This part of the trip was always planned as a 'battery recharge' before heading off to see the rest of Africa. As I type this we are at the end of that 7 days, and we are off back to Cairo in the morning for a couple of days before flying out to Nairobi. We wont bore you with a blow by blow account, but the last week has been spent sunbaking by the pool, swimming in the pool, wandering down to the beach, snorkelling around the incredible reefs that we have right on our front doorstep, making the occasional trip into the town centre to stock up on essentials like chocolate and coke, and generally just chilling out. I can confirm that the batteries are now fully recharged, and we cannot wait to get to Africa!!!
To see the photos of the above adventures, visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/EgyptCont
When we last left you we were about to board our felucca for 2 days sailing on the mighty Nile river. Once we had sorted our group into 2 boats and sorted out food and beer stocks we were on our way. There was a nice breeze blowing so we made good time to our stop for the evening. After lunch on board cooked by our wonderful crew we headed off to a traditional Nubian house for an evening of drinks, laughter and sheesha!!
The next morning we were off sailing again. The whole day consisted of sailing, swimming, stop for lunch, sailing, swimming, etc etc. Eventually we reached our destination for the evening, where we were treated to a game of football that was being played on the banks of the river between 2 (very competitive) teams of locals. After some dinner on board our felucca we joined the others for a few drinks while we waited for the sun to go down. Once the sun had descended below the horizon the bonfire was lit!! The rest of the evening was spent receiving belly dancing lessons, and general merriment around the fire!
When we awoke the next day, the coach was waiting and we were back on the tourist trail. First stop was the Kom Ombo temple, which was a dedication to the gods Sobek (god of fertility and creator of the world) and Horus (the solar war god)..... sight of some incredible Egyptian history...and the grossest toilet in all history!!! From there it was off to the Edfu temple, also dedicated to the God Horus. From there it was back on the coach for the drive to Luxor. After a refreshing swim in the hotel pool it was off to dinner with the group before catching an early night.
The next morning we were up bright and early to try and avoid as much of the Luxor sun as possible. The day was jam packed full of action and historic sites up the wazoo!! First stop was the valley of the kings, home of the tomb of King Tut. Then off to the temple of Queen Hatshetsup. From what we were told (and Sherif would never lie to us), this lady was the first example of true girl power!! From there it was off to the valley of the Queens, as you might expect, not as grand as the valley of the Kings, but amazing none the less! After a brief stop back at the hotel to freshen up (it was already about 48 degrees) we set off to the largest worshipping site in the world, the Temple of Karnak. This place was truely awe inspiring. How they managed to build something of that size all those years ago I will never understand. By the time we reached the temple it was a whopping 52 degrees in the sun, no needless to say....we kept to the shade as much as possible!!! After stopping back at the hotel to collect our stuff it was on the road for the overnight bus trip to Dahab on the coast of the red sea. We were a little sceptical about spending 18 hours on a bus, but before we knew it we were seated in the restaurant of our home for the next 8 days eating our breakfast!! The rest of that day was spent by the pool, before heading into the town (in the local taxis....red jeeps) for an orientation of the area, and dinner with the group.
The following day we had our last activity with the group, a day of snorkelling at the magnificent blue hole. It was a tough day of fish spotting in the crystal clear water, with the occasional visit to the shore for a drink or a spot of lunch. On our way back to the hotel we even managed to pick up a few 'hitch hikers' (ie: they just climbed onto the back of our jeep).
When we awoke the next morning, we had 7 more days left at Dahab. This part of the trip was always planned as a 'battery recharge' before heading off to see the rest of Africa. As I type this we are at the end of that 7 days, and we are off back to Cairo in the morning for a couple of days before flying out to Nairobi. We wont bore you with a blow by blow account, but the last week has been spent sunbaking by the pool, swimming in the pool, wandering down to the beach, snorkelling around the incredible reefs that we have right on our front doorstep, making the occasional trip into the town centre to stock up on essentials like chocolate and coke, and generally just chilling out. I can confirm that the batteries are now fully recharged, and we cannot wait to get to Africa!!!
To see the photos of the above adventures, visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/EgyptCont
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Berlin / Amsterdam / London - Egypt!!
Hi sports fans,
Well after we last left you we headed back to camp in Warsaw for some dinner, before joining the majority of our group in a spot of tenpin bowling. It was a team event, with total scores counting.... when our time was up (for some reason in that part of the world you pay for time as opposed to per game) our team was a measly 30 pins behind. However it must be noted that the opposition had completed all 10 frames, while our team was only half way through our 8th...so while technically we lost...it was a hollow victory for the other team!!
The next morning we boarded our faithful stead for the trip to Berlin. Upon arrival we did a driving tour with Robbie, before heading to camp for an early night in preparation for the following day. First up the next morning was something that we had been particularly looking forward to, a 3rd reich tour with a local guide. The guide was absolutely superb and we had a brilliant time exploring the history of Nazi Germany in the countries capital. The tour took us up until lunchtime, and once we had finished lunch we set out for what was one of the true highlights of our entire time away for Arnoux.... a trip to the world renowned Berlin zoo!! We spent about 7 hours exploring this massive place, seeing everything from baby Orangutan's to a vulture tearing apart a rat for dinner!! They even had Bison, which are extinct in the wild, as well as baby everythings since it was that time of the year... Arnoux was simply beside herself. Bianca and I were not even allowed a rest stop for fear of missing something!!! I must admit though we all had an excellent day, and it really does deserve its reputation as one of the worlds great zoos!!
After dinner with the group at a local restaurant we headed back to camp. There was not a lot of sleep had that night by at least one of us.... as the following morning we were headed to Amsterdam!!! The group has never packed up so quickly....admittedly I was running around helping people take their tents down, and generally making sure that things were done in an orderly fashion. It felt like the longest drive day ever, but eventually we arrived.... First stop was at a little shop outside of town for a clog making demonstration and a spot of cheese tasting.... the guy was a little strange to say the least, but we all made it out alive so no complaints here.
From there it was off to set up camp at the busiest campsite in the world!! Luckily we had a spot reserved for us so there was no problem there, and once everything was set up we could finally head into town. When we got there Robbie did a little walking tour of the city, Arnoux and I ran ahead to a coffeeshop, and met up with the rest of the bunch as they walked past...feeling much more relaxed for some reason.....
After a spot of dinner, which for Arnoux and I consisted of fries drowned in mayo, we headed off for an evening of 'cultural education'.... or a sex show as it is more commonly known. We had prime seats for the spectacle, and a couple of lads from our group even got on stage to lend a helping hand. Being the well behaved chap that I am I politely declined an invitation to join the second lady, so I let Grant have my seconds since he had spent the previous 3 weeks striking out with girls of every nationality you could possibly imagine!!!
Once our education had come to a close, a few of us decided to delay our ride back to camp in favour of a few more visits to the local coffeeshops, with a stroll through the red light district thrown in for good measure. Eventually it was time to retire, so we made our way back to central station for a tram back to camp.
The next day was a free day, so we spent the first part of it catching up on our souvenir / present shopping, as well as a few return trips to a coffeeshop or 2....just for a bit of variety. When lunchtime rolled around we met up with Bianca for a visit to the pancake bakery, which we had discovered on our previous trip sells the best pancakes on the planet!! They did not disappoint. From there we made a visit to the sex museum, which was also just as entertaining the second time around, before meeting up with the group for dinner. After dinner it was time for our farewell canal cruise. Thankfully the price of this cruise included all you could drink for the 90 minutes that we were on the water!! Needless to say once we returned to dry land, nobody was ready to head back to camp so we found a local bar and boogied the night away! You all would have been rather impressed with the performance put in by our beloved Arnoux...she was truely on fire..... dancing her little heart out, smiling non stop, and taking approximately 843 photos for everyone to remember the evening by... they certainly came in handy the next morning!!!
The packup the next morning had a rather sombre feel to it, the fact that it was our last day together had a tough one to swallow. Nevertheless we set off for Calais for our ferry to dover, and our drive back to London. We all said our goodbyes and most people managed to keep in the tears. Luckily a few of us were staying at the same hostel, so we got to sign off on our journey with a convincing pub quiz win in the hostel bar!!!
After 7 amazing weeks our europe adventure finally came to a close. It is impossible to pick one highlight, there were so, so, so many. All we can really say is that it was an experience that we will never ever forget, and Robbie, Jimmy, and Marissa / Mari / Marge...... if you are reading this, thank you so so much for everything. We truely could not have asked for a better crew, and we will always owe so much of our experience to you!! If anyone out there is thinking of doing a tour of europe, we can 150% reccommend Topdeck, they are awesome!!! www.topdecktours.co.uk
I SAY TOP, YOU SAY DECK!!
The next morning, we had to hit the bricks early, as we only had one full day in London, and we had plenty to sort out. But we managed to get it all done, sent all our souvenirs etc home, picked up a few things from Deanne and Davides place, paid a final visit to our wonderful travel agent Olivia to get our travel documents for Egypt and Africa, and caught up with most people that we needed to for one last goodbye.
The next day was departure day, and after lunch with Uncle Neil and Aunty Helen, we set off for Heathrow. The plane trip went without a hitch, and miraculously BA didnt lose our luggage. When we arrived in Cairo, the On the Go rep was there to meet us, and we set off for our hotel. We finally crawled into bed at 2.30am and Im pretty sure that we were both asleep before our heads even hit the pillow!!
The following morning was one that we had both been eagerly anticipating for a very very long time!! We paid a visit to the pyramids and the sphinx at Giza. Nothing can ever really prepare you for the sheer enormity of them. I mean, you know that they are big and impressive, but just how big and how incredibly impressive they are still takes your breath away!! Both Arnoux and I were not terribly excited about going inside, as the tunnels are rather a tight squeeze, but no way were we missing out, so we sucked it up and got on with it!! After we picked our jaws up off the sand, we headed for our next stop, the local Papyrus museum. It was a great oppourtunity to get some genuine Papyrus ( which is a type of paper made from the papyrus plant that is used as a canvas) instead of getting ripped off in the markets buying banana leaf versions. After a spot of lunch we set off again, this time to the tomb of Ptah-Hotep from 2400 BC. The detail of the carvings was truely amazing!! Given that it was about 40 degrees, I dont think that there was a single person in the group that wasnt delighted when we found out that our next stop was a resort where we could swim, drink beer and relax. You could actually swim right up to the bar and order your drink too, which I think is a facility that should be much more common in NZ.... just a thought. After a simply devine dinner at the resort restaurant, followed by a spot of sheesha, we headed for the train station to board our overnight train to Aswan. We both got a lot more sleep than we thought we might, it was actually pretty comfortable aside from the heat which is of course nobodys fault. When we arrived in Aswan we transferred to the hotel for a freshen up and some lunch before heading out again. After being presented with our free tshirts we set off for our first stop, the high dam of Aswan. This is the home of the largest artificial lake in the world, the Nasser...you learn something new everyday...I thought something like that would of been done by the bloody Americans!!
From there we jumped on board a boat for the short trip out to the Temple of Philae. This was impressive enough as it was, until we found out that they had completely relocated it in the 70s to avoid it being lost to the rising level of the lake!! After a breif stop at the Aswan markets, where we picked up a new bag for Arnoux to replace her pack that had given up that morning, it was back to the hotel for a well earned swim and some dinner.
This morning we have some free time to enjoy the sun, and most likely the pool, before we board our Felucca this afternoon for 2 days and 2 nights sailing on the mighty Nile river!!
For photos of the above adventures, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/BerlinAmsterdamLondonEgypt
Well after we last left you we headed back to camp in Warsaw for some dinner, before joining the majority of our group in a spot of tenpin bowling. It was a team event, with total scores counting.... when our time was up (for some reason in that part of the world you pay for time as opposed to per game) our team was a measly 30 pins behind. However it must be noted that the opposition had completed all 10 frames, while our team was only half way through our 8th...so while technically we lost...it was a hollow victory for the other team!!
The next morning we boarded our faithful stead for the trip to Berlin. Upon arrival we did a driving tour with Robbie, before heading to camp for an early night in preparation for the following day. First up the next morning was something that we had been particularly looking forward to, a 3rd reich tour with a local guide. The guide was absolutely superb and we had a brilliant time exploring the history of Nazi Germany in the countries capital. The tour took us up until lunchtime, and once we had finished lunch we set out for what was one of the true highlights of our entire time away for Arnoux.... a trip to the world renowned Berlin zoo!! We spent about 7 hours exploring this massive place, seeing everything from baby Orangutan's to a vulture tearing apart a rat for dinner!! They even had Bison, which are extinct in the wild, as well as baby everythings since it was that time of the year... Arnoux was simply beside herself. Bianca and I were not even allowed a rest stop for fear of missing something!!! I must admit though we all had an excellent day, and it really does deserve its reputation as one of the worlds great zoos!!
After dinner with the group at a local restaurant we headed back to camp. There was not a lot of sleep had that night by at least one of us.... as the following morning we were headed to Amsterdam!!! The group has never packed up so quickly....admittedly I was running around helping people take their tents down, and generally making sure that things were done in an orderly fashion. It felt like the longest drive day ever, but eventually we arrived.... First stop was at a little shop outside of town for a clog making demonstration and a spot of cheese tasting.... the guy was a little strange to say the least, but we all made it out alive so no complaints here.
From there it was off to set up camp at the busiest campsite in the world!! Luckily we had a spot reserved for us so there was no problem there, and once everything was set up we could finally head into town. When we got there Robbie did a little walking tour of the city, Arnoux and I ran ahead to a coffeeshop, and met up with the rest of the bunch as they walked past...feeling much more relaxed for some reason.....
After a spot of dinner, which for Arnoux and I consisted of fries drowned in mayo, we headed off for an evening of 'cultural education'.... or a sex show as it is more commonly known. We had prime seats for the spectacle, and a couple of lads from our group even got on stage to lend a helping hand. Being the well behaved chap that I am I politely declined an invitation to join the second lady, so I let Grant have my seconds since he had spent the previous 3 weeks striking out with girls of every nationality you could possibly imagine!!!
Once our education had come to a close, a few of us decided to delay our ride back to camp in favour of a few more visits to the local coffeeshops, with a stroll through the red light district thrown in for good measure. Eventually it was time to retire, so we made our way back to central station for a tram back to camp.
The next day was a free day, so we spent the first part of it catching up on our souvenir / present shopping, as well as a few return trips to a coffeeshop or 2....just for a bit of variety. When lunchtime rolled around we met up with Bianca for a visit to the pancake bakery, which we had discovered on our previous trip sells the best pancakes on the planet!! They did not disappoint. From there we made a visit to the sex museum, which was also just as entertaining the second time around, before meeting up with the group for dinner. After dinner it was time for our farewell canal cruise. Thankfully the price of this cruise included all you could drink for the 90 minutes that we were on the water!! Needless to say once we returned to dry land, nobody was ready to head back to camp so we found a local bar and boogied the night away! You all would have been rather impressed with the performance put in by our beloved Arnoux...she was truely on fire..... dancing her little heart out, smiling non stop, and taking approximately 843 photos for everyone to remember the evening by... they certainly came in handy the next morning!!!
The packup the next morning had a rather sombre feel to it, the fact that it was our last day together had a tough one to swallow. Nevertheless we set off for Calais for our ferry to dover, and our drive back to London. We all said our goodbyes and most people managed to keep in the tears. Luckily a few of us were staying at the same hostel, so we got to sign off on our journey with a convincing pub quiz win in the hostel bar!!!
After 7 amazing weeks our europe adventure finally came to a close. It is impossible to pick one highlight, there were so, so, so many. All we can really say is that it was an experience that we will never ever forget, and Robbie, Jimmy, and Marissa / Mari / Marge...... if you are reading this, thank you so so much for everything. We truely could not have asked for a better crew, and we will always owe so much of our experience to you!! If anyone out there is thinking of doing a tour of europe, we can 150% reccommend Topdeck, they are awesome!!! www.topdecktours.co.uk
I SAY TOP, YOU SAY DECK!!
The next morning, we had to hit the bricks early, as we only had one full day in London, and we had plenty to sort out. But we managed to get it all done, sent all our souvenirs etc home, picked up a few things from Deanne and Davides place, paid a final visit to our wonderful travel agent Olivia to get our travel documents for Egypt and Africa, and caught up with most people that we needed to for one last goodbye.
The next day was departure day, and after lunch with Uncle Neil and Aunty Helen, we set off for Heathrow. The plane trip went without a hitch, and miraculously BA didnt lose our luggage. When we arrived in Cairo, the On the Go rep was there to meet us, and we set off for our hotel. We finally crawled into bed at 2.30am and Im pretty sure that we were both asleep before our heads even hit the pillow!!
The following morning was one that we had both been eagerly anticipating for a very very long time!! We paid a visit to the pyramids and the sphinx at Giza. Nothing can ever really prepare you for the sheer enormity of them. I mean, you know that they are big and impressive, but just how big and how incredibly impressive they are still takes your breath away!! Both Arnoux and I were not terribly excited about going inside, as the tunnels are rather a tight squeeze, but no way were we missing out, so we sucked it up and got on with it!! After we picked our jaws up off the sand, we headed for our next stop, the local Papyrus museum. It was a great oppourtunity to get some genuine Papyrus ( which is a type of paper made from the papyrus plant that is used as a canvas) instead of getting ripped off in the markets buying banana leaf versions. After a spot of lunch we set off again, this time to the tomb of Ptah-Hotep from 2400 BC. The detail of the carvings was truely amazing!! Given that it was about 40 degrees, I dont think that there was a single person in the group that wasnt delighted when we found out that our next stop was a resort where we could swim, drink beer and relax. You could actually swim right up to the bar and order your drink too, which I think is a facility that should be much more common in NZ.... just a thought. After a simply devine dinner at the resort restaurant, followed by a spot of sheesha, we headed for the train station to board our overnight train to Aswan. We both got a lot more sleep than we thought we might, it was actually pretty comfortable aside from the heat which is of course nobodys fault. When we arrived in Aswan we transferred to the hotel for a freshen up and some lunch before heading out again. After being presented with our free tshirts we set off for our first stop, the high dam of Aswan. This is the home of the largest artificial lake in the world, the Nasser...you learn something new everyday...I thought something like that would of been done by the bloody Americans!!
From there we jumped on board a boat for the short trip out to the Temple of Philae. This was impressive enough as it was, until we found out that they had completely relocated it in the 70s to avoid it being lost to the rising level of the lake!! After a breif stop at the Aswan markets, where we picked up a new bag for Arnoux to replace her pack that had given up that morning, it was back to the hotel for a well earned swim and some dinner.
This morning we have some free time to enjoy the sun, and most likely the pool, before we board our Felucca this afternoon for 2 days and 2 nights sailing on the mighty Nile river!!
For photos of the above adventures, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/BerlinAmsterdamLondonEgypt
Saturday, 4 August 2007
Budapest / To Vienna via Bratislava / Prague / Krakow / Auschwitz / Warsaw
Hi guys and gals,
When we left you last time we were in Budapest about to head off to the Hungarian baths for a swim, however when we got there we discovered that they were going to charge us the equivalent of NZ$18 each just to have a swim.....it wasnt that bloody hot!!! So instead we went and did a bit of shopping, relaxed by the river, and I took some time out to get whipped by a local in a game of chess.... he does sit there all day beating people for 1 euro a game, so I didnt feel too bad that I was no match for him. After that it was off to a group dinner before getting a train back to camp, which gave us a chance to experience Budapest by night, which was awesome!!
The next morning we set sail for Vienna, Austria. Along the way we stopped off in Bratislava, Slovakia... just because we could. On the bus on the way we watched the movie 'Hostel', which is a horror story about 2 american backpackers who go to Bratislava, so Im surprised that anyone got off the coach, but we all survived, and the people were much nicer than you might expect after watching that movie.....who would have known that movies are not always accurate!!
When we arrived in Vienna we stopped off at the Schonbrunn palace before heading to camp. All that splendor and Arnoux could not get past the cute little squirrels...admittedly they did come right up to her...but still!! hahahahaha!! Once we had set up camp the group were headed for the Prater amusement park, but sadly I had come down with a doozy of a migraine, so I wasnt going anywhere, and Arnoux being the loving fiance that she is...stayed with me... apparently we didnt miss too much, and our darling Bianca brought us back some candy floss to help ease the pain!!
The next morning we opted for the drop off back at the Schonbrunn palace, where we saw an apple strudel making demonstration before heading for the labyrinth with a bunch of the others from the group, we can happily report that we were the first to find the centre... small victories are still sweet!! After that we jumped on the train back into the main centre and checked out the natural history museum and the Hofburg palace...sadly David Hasselhoff was nowhere to be seen....what a letdown!!
Next it was off to meet up with the group for the tour of the Schnaps museum. This was definately a highlight...the guy that was taking the tour was actually the latest generation from the Fischer family that owns and runs the schnaps mueusm/factory. He was hugely entertaining, knew his stuff, and most importantly, was the one providing the numerous shots of schnaps at the end of the tour!! We were supposed to get 3 shots each, but after the table was empty the shots just kept flowing!! It could have been a ploy to sell more t-shirts (which worked on Arnoux and I, we bought 1 each), but no one was complaining!!
Once we had finished there we stumbled off to dinner, before retiring to the campsite for a well earned beer!! The next morning we awoke to the sound of heavy rain on our tent roof.... it took 38 days but we finally had to take down our tent in the rain.... not so much fun, but everyone was in the same boat (actually, we could have done with a boat) so all you could really do was laugh and get on with it, and be thankful that it happened once we had perfected the art of taking the thing down, as opposed to the first morning, where we would have been mucking around like newborn foals!!
After we had dried off and had some brekkie under the heaven sent tarp that Jimmy had put up, it was off to Prague, the city where you pay 3 times as much for a 500ml bottle of water as you do for a 500ml beer.... excellent!! When we arrived we had a walking tour with Robbie, where Arnoux almost got left behind because she was too busy taking photos to realise that the group had moved on. We checked out the Hradcany castle, and got some wicked views of the city before heading down the hill to Charles bridge (which we sadly recognised instantly from the movie XXX), before making our way to the town square. After that it was off to Wenceslas Square, the home of the Velvet Revolution of 1989, and the cheapest, hugest hotdog you could possibly hope to get anywhere in 2007!! From there it was onto the train back to camp for dinner and a freshen up before getting right back on the train to take advantage of the almost criminally cheap nightlife in Prague!! Arnoux decided to stay at camp, since the next day was her birthday, and we all know how little she functions with the hangovers that she gets!! I would love to tell you what time I rolled back into camp...but I cant...but I can tell you that I love absinthe...I think...oh, and I did visit the largest nightclub in eastern europe, this I know because I have seen photos confirming that I was there!!
The next day was Arnouxs birthday, so after breakfast under the Happy Birthday banner that our beloved cook Marissa had put up, we set off into town. We started with a spot of shopping before meeting up with a few of the others for lunch, where Arnoux was presented with her first ever Chocolate-Brownie-Tower cake!! From there we headed for the Museum of Communism, which was an incredible, if slightly disturbing, story of the communist era in the Czech Republic. I enjoyed it so much I had to buy the book.... although Im not sure that the girls were too thrilled with constantly having to wait for me while I read each and every last word. Once we were done there we made our way to the Jewish Ghetto, which is an area that Hitler specifically left as a 'living musuem of an expired species'. Thankfully thats not what it ended up being, but there is an amazing cemetery there containing over 20,000 jews that were buried there between the 14th and 17th century. It was the only place jews could be buried in Prague at the time, so it it a long way above street level from where they had to take out the tombstones, put new bodies on top, then squeeze in new tombstones on the new 'surface' of the cemetery.
From there we headed back to the town square to meet up with about 9 others from our tour group for Arnouxs birthday dinner. It took us a while to find a place that would take 11 of us, but the one we found was definately worth the wait!! After dinner Arnoux and I headed back to Charles bridge to buy a print that we had seen earlier, before heading back to camp.
The next morning we boarded our trusty stead bound for Krakow. Once we had set up camp we had a free evening to relax, so after discovering that Transformers is not out in Poland for another 3 weeks, we got a few beers and had a chill out night in camp with the rest of the group. The next morning we boarded the local tram into the city, where we started the day with one of Robbies famous walking tours. From there we headed off to meet our local guide for the Schindlers list tour of the city. This included a Jewish Cynagogue that is still used today, as well as the old Jewish ghetto from WW2, and the factory that Oscar Schinder ran during the war, from where he was able to save over 1100 Jews from Nazi persecution. Once we had stopped for lunch to recharge the batteries, we jumped in a mini bus for the half hour ride out to the salt mines. We were not exactly sure what to expect but we had been told that it would be well worth our while...which it certainly was!! The tour took us over 130 metres underground into an entire city underneath a city!! As well as the numerous tunnels, winches etc etc that were essential to the mining of the salt, there are also loads and loads of statues, as well as 2 huge Cathedrals, and a restaurant... all underground!! It truely was absolutely incredible!!!
From there it was back to the mall over the road to check out what can only be described as the mother of all supermarkets!! We also picked up some dinner in the food court, and Kiwi Sam and I went halves in a bottle of vodka, which was (supposed) to last us a few nights.... so when we woke up the next morning with splitting headaches and an empty vodka bottle...we were left wondering what had gone wrong!! Nevertheless we picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off, for this day held a truely anticipated highlight of the whole tour.... a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camps.
We started off at the main camp, Auschwitz 1, which was originally army barracks and was chosen by the Germans for its remote location. For once I dont really know what to say... our guide was incredible, and the grave nature of the place that we were in was not lost on anyone...even Sacha the American was quiet the whole time, which is like watching monkeys use tools for the first time. The tour took us through a lot of the barracks, which have been set up as a museum. Obviously we did not take any photos inside, but needless to say it was an experience that does not need photos to be remembered. From there we headed to Aucshwitz 2, Birkenau, the largest of all the Nazi camps. There is honestly not much that either of us can think to write about such a place. It is something that has to be seen, but at the same time not a pleasant place to be.
Once our time at Auscwitz had come to an end, we boarded the coach for a very quiet trip to our next stop, Warsaw. Once we had set up camp we set out on a driving/walking tour of the city. Taking in a place that was almost completely flattened in WW2. The info that we were given was that 90% of the city was rubble, which makes what you see there today all the more impressive. We also had a chance to check out the Chopin monument... even if neither Arnoux or I have any idea what his music sounds like... arent we so very educated!! Hahahahaha!!
From there it was back to camp for dinner and a completely alchohol free evening. This morning we caught the bus into town, and we have spent the morning doing admin stuff like putting our photos onto DVD, and of course updating the website. From here we have no idea what we are up to be honest..... I guess we'll let you know next time :-)
We hope you are all well, and that the weather in NZ is getting better...
When we left you last time we were in Budapest about to head off to the Hungarian baths for a swim, however when we got there we discovered that they were going to charge us the equivalent of NZ$18 each just to have a swim.....it wasnt that bloody hot!!! So instead we went and did a bit of shopping, relaxed by the river, and I took some time out to get whipped by a local in a game of chess.... he does sit there all day beating people for 1 euro a game, so I didnt feel too bad that I was no match for him. After that it was off to a group dinner before getting a train back to camp, which gave us a chance to experience Budapest by night, which was awesome!!
The next morning we set sail for Vienna, Austria. Along the way we stopped off in Bratislava, Slovakia... just because we could. On the bus on the way we watched the movie 'Hostel', which is a horror story about 2 american backpackers who go to Bratislava, so Im surprised that anyone got off the coach, but we all survived, and the people were much nicer than you might expect after watching that movie.....who would have known that movies are not always accurate!!
When we arrived in Vienna we stopped off at the Schonbrunn palace before heading to camp. All that splendor and Arnoux could not get past the cute little squirrels...admittedly they did come right up to her...but still!! hahahahaha!! Once we had set up camp the group were headed for the Prater amusement park, but sadly I had come down with a doozy of a migraine, so I wasnt going anywhere, and Arnoux being the loving fiance that she is...stayed with me... apparently we didnt miss too much, and our darling Bianca brought us back some candy floss to help ease the pain!!
The next morning we opted for the drop off back at the Schonbrunn palace, where we saw an apple strudel making demonstration before heading for the labyrinth with a bunch of the others from the group, we can happily report that we were the first to find the centre... small victories are still sweet!! After that we jumped on the train back into the main centre and checked out the natural history museum and the Hofburg palace...sadly David Hasselhoff was nowhere to be seen....what a letdown!!
Next it was off to meet up with the group for the tour of the Schnaps museum. This was definately a highlight...the guy that was taking the tour was actually the latest generation from the Fischer family that owns and runs the schnaps mueusm/factory. He was hugely entertaining, knew his stuff, and most importantly, was the one providing the numerous shots of schnaps at the end of the tour!! We were supposed to get 3 shots each, but after the table was empty the shots just kept flowing!! It could have been a ploy to sell more t-shirts (which worked on Arnoux and I, we bought 1 each), but no one was complaining!!
Once we had finished there we stumbled off to dinner, before retiring to the campsite for a well earned beer!! The next morning we awoke to the sound of heavy rain on our tent roof.... it took 38 days but we finally had to take down our tent in the rain.... not so much fun, but everyone was in the same boat (actually, we could have done with a boat) so all you could really do was laugh and get on with it, and be thankful that it happened once we had perfected the art of taking the thing down, as opposed to the first morning, where we would have been mucking around like newborn foals!!
After we had dried off and had some brekkie under the heaven sent tarp that Jimmy had put up, it was off to Prague, the city where you pay 3 times as much for a 500ml bottle of water as you do for a 500ml beer.... excellent!! When we arrived we had a walking tour with Robbie, where Arnoux almost got left behind because she was too busy taking photos to realise that the group had moved on. We checked out the Hradcany castle, and got some wicked views of the city before heading down the hill to Charles bridge (which we sadly recognised instantly from the movie XXX), before making our way to the town square. After that it was off to Wenceslas Square, the home of the Velvet Revolution of 1989, and the cheapest, hugest hotdog you could possibly hope to get anywhere in 2007!! From there it was onto the train back to camp for dinner and a freshen up before getting right back on the train to take advantage of the almost criminally cheap nightlife in Prague!! Arnoux decided to stay at camp, since the next day was her birthday, and we all know how little she functions with the hangovers that she gets!! I would love to tell you what time I rolled back into camp...but I cant...but I can tell you that I love absinthe...I think...oh, and I did visit the largest nightclub in eastern europe, this I know because I have seen photos confirming that I was there!!
The next day was Arnouxs birthday, so after breakfast under the Happy Birthday banner that our beloved cook Marissa had put up, we set off into town. We started with a spot of shopping before meeting up with a few of the others for lunch, where Arnoux was presented with her first ever Chocolate-Brownie-Tower cake!! From there we headed for the Museum of Communism, which was an incredible, if slightly disturbing, story of the communist era in the Czech Republic. I enjoyed it so much I had to buy the book.... although Im not sure that the girls were too thrilled with constantly having to wait for me while I read each and every last word. Once we were done there we made our way to the Jewish Ghetto, which is an area that Hitler specifically left as a 'living musuem of an expired species'. Thankfully thats not what it ended up being, but there is an amazing cemetery there containing over 20,000 jews that were buried there between the 14th and 17th century. It was the only place jews could be buried in Prague at the time, so it it a long way above street level from where they had to take out the tombstones, put new bodies on top, then squeeze in new tombstones on the new 'surface' of the cemetery.
From there we headed back to the town square to meet up with about 9 others from our tour group for Arnouxs birthday dinner. It took us a while to find a place that would take 11 of us, but the one we found was definately worth the wait!! After dinner Arnoux and I headed back to Charles bridge to buy a print that we had seen earlier, before heading back to camp.
The next morning we boarded our trusty stead bound for Krakow. Once we had set up camp we had a free evening to relax, so after discovering that Transformers is not out in Poland for another 3 weeks, we got a few beers and had a chill out night in camp with the rest of the group. The next morning we boarded the local tram into the city, where we started the day with one of Robbies famous walking tours. From there we headed off to meet our local guide for the Schindlers list tour of the city. This included a Jewish Cynagogue that is still used today, as well as the old Jewish ghetto from WW2, and the factory that Oscar Schinder ran during the war, from where he was able to save over 1100 Jews from Nazi persecution. Once we had stopped for lunch to recharge the batteries, we jumped in a mini bus for the half hour ride out to the salt mines. We were not exactly sure what to expect but we had been told that it would be well worth our while...which it certainly was!! The tour took us over 130 metres underground into an entire city underneath a city!! As well as the numerous tunnels, winches etc etc that were essential to the mining of the salt, there are also loads and loads of statues, as well as 2 huge Cathedrals, and a restaurant... all underground!! It truely was absolutely incredible!!!
From there it was back to the mall over the road to check out what can only be described as the mother of all supermarkets!! We also picked up some dinner in the food court, and Kiwi Sam and I went halves in a bottle of vodka, which was (supposed) to last us a few nights.... so when we woke up the next morning with splitting headaches and an empty vodka bottle...we were left wondering what had gone wrong!! Nevertheless we picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off, for this day held a truely anticipated highlight of the whole tour.... a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camps.
We started off at the main camp, Auschwitz 1, which was originally army barracks and was chosen by the Germans for its remote location. For once I dont really know what to say... our guide was incredible, and the grave nature of the place that we were in was not lost on anyone...even Sacha the American was quiet the whole time, which is like watching monkeys use tools for the first time. The tour took us through a lot of the barracks, which have been set up as a museum. Obviously we did not take any photos inside, but needless to say it was an experience that does not need photos to be remembered. From there we headed to Aucshwitz 2, Birkenau, the largest of all the Nazi camps. There is honestly not much that either of us can think to write about such a place. It is something that has to be seen, but at the same time not a pleasant place to be.
Once our time at Auscwitz had come to an end, we boarded the coach for a very quiet trip to our next stop, Warsaw. Once we had set up camp we set out on a driving/walking tour of the city. Taking in a place that was almost completely flattened in WW2. The info that we were given was that 90% of the city was rubble, which makes what you see there today all the more impressive. We also had a chance to check out the Chopin monument... even if neither Arnoux or I have any idea what his music sounds like... arent we so very educated!! Hahahahaha!!
From there it was back to camp for dinner and a completely alchohol free evening. This morning we caught the bus into town, and we have spent the morning doing admin stuff like putting our photos onto DVD, and of course updating the website. From here we have no idea what we are up to be honest..... I guess we'll let you know next time :-)
We hope you are all well, and that the weather in NZ is getting better...
Photos - Budapest / To Vienna via Bratislava / Prague / Krakow / Auschwitz / Warsaw
Gettin my ass handed to me on a plate by one of the locals
The chain bridge (Budapest) by night
We did go there....briefly
Friendly squirrels
The Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna
A small percentage of the gardens at the back of Schonbrunn Palace
Mmmmm, apple strudel
Roll that strudel yeah!!!
The labyrinth at Schonbrunn
Where are we baby??
More of the gardens at Schonbrunn
The Ferrero Rocher sculpture, Vienna
Natural history museum, Vienna
Outside the natural history museum
The Hofburg Palace, Vienna
Mmmm, so many schnaps to choose from!!
I'll have the Absinthe thanks...to start with
Helping to guard the Hradcany Castle in Prague
With some help from Arnoux
Overlooking Prague
Total touristy shot in Prague
Copping a feel..... a bit cold but rock solid buns this guy!!
So you hold it like this in this country huh??
The Charles bridge, Prague
The town clock
A night out in Prague....hurray for cheap beer!!
Happy birthday Arnoux....here's a chocolate brownie cake!!
Lazy eye Arnoux at the Museum of Communism
The cemetery in the Jewish quarter, Prague
Birthday dinner for Arnoux
The Jewish Cznagogue, Krakow
You like my hat?
The Jewish cemetery, Krakow
One of the memorials to commemerate the thousands taken to Auschwitz from Krakow
Whats left of the wall of the Jewish Ghetto in Krakow
Schindlers factory, Krakow
Inside the factory
The salt mines just outside of Krakow
The underground Cathedral in the salt mines
The restaurant 130 metres down in the salt mines
Outside Auschwitz 1
The barracks of Auschwitz 1
Guard tower, Auschwitz 1
The entrance to Auschwitz 1, the sign says 'Work will set you free'
The blacked out the windows so that the prisoners couldnt see into the courtyard where the wall of death was situated
The 'Wall of death'
Between the fences
And again
Crematorium and gas chamber 1
Outside Auschwitz 1
The toilets at Auschwitz 2, Birkenau
The barracks at Birkenau
The railway into Birkenau
The end of the tracks
An overview of the tracks and unloading platform of Birkenau
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