Until next time...

Our adventure over the past year and a bit has been one that has opened our eyes to a sample of the many different cultures and experiences the world has to offer. 

We have taught, trekked, snow boarded, talked in many languages (and failing this, played charades), trialed all modes of transport, ran with bulls, spent nights in hospitals, felt snow on Christmas Day, cried tears for loss of life, kissed the lucky stone, rejoiced at receiving sparkling jewellery, lazed on countless beaches, drank steins until our hearts were content, shared the sadness of not being home, surfed beside a desert, danced in the highlands, excitedly embraced family, laughed until our insides hurt.... 

Even though we have now returned home, the memories we now have will far outweigh the possessions we collected. We look forward to adding to these memories in the coming years to further enjoy, understand and experience what people and countries have to offer.... including Australia.

Thankyou for being part of our journey!

Vitamins in Vietnam

Our very last stop. Boy, does time fly... and what a way to go out in style. A 2 week pit stop in South East Asia led us to Vietnam, a country with rich history, hilarious people and delicious food!

Hanoi

We started in Hanoi, northern Vietnam with the intention to do the typical ‘north to south’ adventure many travellers embark on. To say that the streets are hectic is an understatement, with so many scooters, motorbikes, bikes and the occasional car zipping in and out of the tiny winding streets.

Highlight: eating BBQed frog on a skewer at a dingy corner eatery on our first night.

Sapa

After a bumpy but pleasant overnight train, we arrived in semi touristy Sapa, not far from the Chinese border – ready for a few days of ‘hard’ hiking. Ready in our waterproof jackets, boots and with hydration packs, we were ready to meet our guide – expecting a muscular, fit, worldy operator. Instead, we were greeted by Khu, an 18 year old local who was 4 months pregnant! Great times though and would highly recommend her to anyone... As the heavens had opened in the days prior to our walk, the terrain was muddy and slippery, but beautiful nonetheless. We passed endless rice fields, secluded river banks and learnt a thing or two about being self sustainable. We were also fortunate enough to sleep in homestays for 2 nights, both very unique. One night joined by a dozen or so other travellers, sharing experiences and a cuisine to die for, and the other flying solo, eating dinner with the family (who spoke no English) and being poured rice wine after rice wine by the father. Did we mention he had been to a wedding that day and was slightly intoxicated – he may have even pulled out an old school music DVD and delivered on the dance moves!!

Highlight: The amazing scenery and of course, the crazy homestay Dad!

Halong Bay

After returning on the overnight train to Hanoi at 4.00am, we set off again at 8.00am to Halong Bay for a night on a junk boat. The 150km bus rise took just short of 4 hours (hmm, explains the roads...) but we made it on to the boat just in time for lunch. I wish we could paint a picture of seclusion, but we were one of at least 50 wooden boats on the same route as us... Despite this, the whole bay was pretty cool. There are over 1900 islands in this UNESCO World Heritage site, beautiful but hopefully preserved in the future. After an afternoon on the boat and a visit to a cave, we were treated to dinner and a few drinks while chatting to fellow travellers – such a great opportunity to share stories! The following day was a tad rushed, with a morning on the boat and again the mammoth mini bus ride back. Quick but fun.

Highlight: Sitting outside on the boat admiring the different shapes and sizes of the countless islands.

Hoi an

Now, I am not going to beat around the bush – the sleeper bus from Hanoi to Hoian was pretty bad. An experience to say the least. Cramped, bumpy, sleepless, broke down for 2 hours at 6.00am, you get the drift. But after almost 24 hours we made it to Hoi an, and it was well worth it.

So, after a crazy start to Vietnam, we were looking forward to staying in the one place for 3 nights. Hoi an, although again relatively touristy, is well known for its tailors and restaurants. And yes we ate extremely well, and got a jacket each made (and a dress for Bee), even though we were already just over our 60kg luggage limit... who said we couldn’t layer up on the plane! Note: Kimmy – bad; Thong Phi – great! So eating and getting fitted took a large percentage of our time, but we were happy just wandering and exploring. Oh, experimental cooking class, relaxing massage, amazing bike ride... lots of rain, topped off a great few days in Central Vietnam.

Highlight: the cooking class was pretty cool – flipping rice pancakes, rolling spring rolls, simmering fish claypots... hungry anyone?

Ho Chi Minh

Heading further south to our final destination in HCM or Saigon, we learnt after the last sleeper bus experience and booked a last minute flight – much more convenient! 2 major thoughts when we got there: we are so close to home now, and, this city is pretty overdeveloped compared to those in the north. Nonetheless, we had an afternoon of wandering around the crazy city: the intense Binh Tanh market (‘Buy from me’), wandering the streets, induldging in dumplings and finally, the War Remnants Museum. This museum was brilliant, and painted a really interesting and engaging picture of the Vietnam War. A touching afternoon. The next day we embarked on a boat trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Again, very insightful and interesting – whereby we were told about the structure of the tunnels, shown ‘fake’ entrances and also traps and weapons and also had the opportunity to squeeze our way through a section of tunnels (which had already been widen for Western bodies!). It is just fascinating that something so complex could be built and maintained, and used so effectively by the Vietnamese. After the long bus ride back, we grabbed our gear and taxied out to the airport KL bound. One more sleep at the Tune Hotel, then back on home soil...

Rockin’ in Moroc

Our first steps into Africa were in the streets of Casablanca where we had a few days to kill before our tour started that would take us in and around the most popular destinations of Morocco. Searing heat, glaring eyes and interesting smells were the first greetings for the lucky couple. After seeing so much of mainland Europe we were after a vastly different cultural experience and it looked like Morocco would produce. After the usual tour group introductions including our older and seemingly subdued tour leader Ahmed, we hit the road for our week long road trip.

Mosques, palaces, dance parties (Moroccan style), tasty tagines and spices were the main cultural experiences of the first few days with Bee being paraded like a queen on a human carried chair at one stage (not to mention King Gerard was lucky enough to be selected to have one Queen Bee but also a Queen Argentinean... at the same time!). The Medina in Fez was an initial highlight – a web of streets and walkways with displays and demonstrations on everything Moroccan, from leather production to carpet and clothing colouring and weaving. It was amazing. Another pleasant surprise was the dry humour and knowledge of tour leader Ahmed. Gerard turned into his whipping boy and demonstration king who at one point was taken advantage of and inadverantly tasted soup when it should have been honey! A great man who we struck up a great friendship with.

After passing through the Low Atlas Mountains, we took in Erfoud where our love for fossilised plates was struck up (we spent the next week looking and negotiating for the right price...). An amazing sunset on the highest dunes in Morocco after an average Jeep ride but great camel ride for Bee was a true highlight of the trip. To see these massive dunes get closer and closer with a full stomach of spicy Moroccan soup bouncing around in your stomach is a welcome sight! The oasis that followed us after we arrived in the Atlas Mountains was also quite a sight in a deserted and barren land. To see a little bit of green in the form of date palms was an amazing sight that we didn’t get sick of... Todra Gorge and the Kasbahs were also high up on the list of places and things visited in addition to the drive to our final destination of Marrakesh which took in some sights that remind you of life on Mars and a mountain pass over 2100m high.... Although I’ve never been to Mars. Maybe.

And so, our tour came to an end in the buzzing activity of Marrakesh. Crowded, bustling, cheap food and plenty of tourists. Not exactly our experience of Morocco so far...

After the hustle of Marrakesh it was time for some relax and what better way to knock relax over than a week in a Moroccan fishing village – Taghazout just north of Agadir. Apartment and a chauffeur driven car booked (in the form of Ahmed) it was time to hit the waves. Only issue was we didn’t have any money, the apartment was being barricaded by the ‘minder’ who was refusing to leave and there was no ATM in the village... Cue Chris - the hard working Irishman (about 70 by the way) who happened to own and run the apartments. In between talks about Ireland, reminders of who we were, Paradise (truly by name and nature) and hash we had somehow killed three hours. Our room was ready. Ohh, no hot water. Whoops. Ahh, it just all works out! After a nice wash down with some boiled water on the stove it was time for some cous cous – a treat for all who were staying at the apartments, all troubles forgotten.

The next week was spent dodging camels, horses, goats and rubbish on the sand and also being beaten up by Panorama Beach with Gerard losing his watch and ending day one with a black eye. The food in Taghazout was amazing all week, and for less than $2 a feed we still had some cash to splurge so it was off to ‘Paradise’ for a day’s retreat. A good break from the beach, Paradise was a valley that included a stream and natural rock pool / slide formed in an oasis. Besides catching some rays and jumping off the cliffs into the pools, the little turtles and eating a tagine in a hippy’s hut were definite reminders that we were in paradise without a worry in the world.

Sad to leave Morocco really, an amazing place!

Primary jobs in Paris

It is hard to believe that after about 16 months away, we have not really done the ‘Paris thing’ yet. Oh well, save the best for last (or nearly last!). After a couple of weeks living the Moroccan life, boy did Paris feel like half a world away, not to mention 15 degrees colder!! And the hot shower was soooo good!

We had 3 days to do our thing, and spent the first day with our sightseeing hats on, maps in hand. Walking along the Siene, we weren’t sure which way to look... the surrounding buildings were beautiful. After checking out the Notre Dame, we joined the long, snaked queue to enter the Louvre. The line moved quite quickly and before we knew it we were wandering the galleries and of course, snapping the Mona Lisa. You could spend weeks in there! Hunger prevailed and we pushed on, wandering the streets and just, well, being all Parisian like! Oh, and the Eiffel Tour at night – how many photos can you take?! Pretty spectacular, even when you almost step on a rat and can’t find a hot chocolate anywhere close by.... Another highlight was watching the Rugby World Cup final at the live site near Hotel De Ville. The three Kiwi’s right in the middle of the French mass had the last laugh!

We were lucky enough to have a job interview each on Skype while in Paris (although you wouldn’t believe this was the only place where we did not have internet access, why couldn’t it be a couple of days earlier while we were relaxing in semi remote Morocco, I mean really!). Anyways, it always works out so we ‘borrowed’ the Wifi from the nearby Ibis hotel, and after a test run the day before we were set. Needless to say, we spent some precious Paris time preparing, as we were far from in work mode, however we got the jobs in the end and had a reason to celebrate! Thanks Paris, it was a pleasure!

Interesting Italy

One destination we were really looking forward to in Italia... and we had a pretty full on itinerary! With a few days to spare prior to the much anticipated arrival of Mom & Dad Brick (which we were thrilled at as it had been over a year since we had seen each other), we started in Naples.

Why you ask? Naples is, well, to put it nicely... a hole. But the pizza was amazing! Lucky were there for all of one night, sleeping at ‘6 small rooms’ (located in a dingy alley way), enough time to gobble down a pizza at ‘Pizzeria Di Matteo’ and catch some z’s before our Italy experience really got started.

Despite some minor confusion on the train, resulting in us missing our stop and having to back track, we found our accommodation just outside of Sorrento. We had such a lovely walk in to the city centre, and although touristy we knew we were on a good thing. With a few hours to spare in the afternoon (but with very little time in the scheme of things), we hopped on bus to Positano, in order to get a small taste of the Amalfi Coast. What a lovely little town, boy were we camera happy with snaps of the view, the ocean, the view, the buildings, the view.... you get the point! Very much looking forward to coming back and exploring more of what the Amalfi Coast has to offer.

Next on the itinerary – the charming island of Capri. It was decided we would spend our only full day exploring this beautiful island, and what brilliant weather for it! After the ferry over, we had the water bottles and walking shoes ready... luck because the amount of steps just to get the Capri town from the Port is enough to make anyone’s butt outshine that of Pippa Middleton....

Capri must’s:

• Walk to the ruins of Villa Jovis, high on a cliff overlooking the ocean

• Wander the tiny, winding streets of Anacapri

• Treat yourself to lemonade ice-cream, sooo good!

• Wander up and down the via Krupp, a steep, snaking path that gets the heart rate moving!

• Take a costal walk to see the Faraglioni and the Arc Naturale... very beautiful!

Although we had little time, and decided against the Blue Grotto, an attraction Capri is so famous for, Capri was definitely one of our Italian highlights...

Welcome to J&J Brick and welcome to Rome! After meeting the travellers and starting the gasbagging over a kebab, we thought we should also start the sightseeing. And where would any true tourist begin? The Colosseum. And I must say, I am not sure if the phenomenal structure itself is more impressive, or the fact that the city is so built up so closely around it. Nonetheless we joined the crowds in the heat, strolled around, happy snapped and even tackled the Roman Forum straight afterwards. It is fair to say that the pasta and wine back at our apartment were well earned that night!

The following day, in true tourist form, we made a ‘bee’-line (or is it v-line) to the Vatican. There is not much to be said about how amazing and over the top and extravagant the whole interior is, and that is even before entering the Sistine Chapel. Wow-factor. Wow. And a heap of people.... A tough life we lead, taking in only a small percentage of the many imposing sights of Rome; the Trevi Fountain, Sant Angelo bridge, St.Peter’s Basilica (probably the best Bee had even seen, sorry Gerard!), Piazza Navona – the list goes on... Oh how could we forget the small Church of “Immacolata Concezione” with its 3000 monk bones and skulls, used to make decorative patterns in its rooms. Very interesting... Rome = 7/10.

An afternoon and evening in Florence was spend strolling the beautiful streets (as opposed to waiting in line to see the statue of David – next time Michelangelo). The massive Duomo and unique Ponte Viichio bridge clear stand outs. And the gelato, now a staple in the diet, naturally.

Cinque Terre – wow. We had heard such amazing things about the villages of Cinque Terre and we were not the least bit disappointed. Which was great, as so far Italy had been good, but not breathtaking. The four if us stayed in a town just outside of La Spezia, the largest town south of the Cinque Terre region. Trains were very easily accessible between the villages, as was a pretty challenging walking track (any walking would be challenging in 30C heat, sun bearing down on Gerard’s forehead!). Oh, Riomaggiore and Manarola would have to be our favourites, if we had to pick!

Let us sum it up for you in a few words: endless sea views, winding streets, colourful buildings, cliff top walking, tasty gelato, swimming of the rocks, pizza at sunset. What more could you ask for?

So coming of such a high for a couple of days, we were back on the train via Florence and headed direction Venice, our last Italy stop. Obviously Venice is one of the most talked about cities in the world we were finally about to see what all the fuss was about. First word that comes to mind – Enchanting.

Now we could go on about the endless canals (some so small you could not even imagine a gondola squeezing through), the endless bridges (the Rio Alto bridge is worth mentioning, very impressive) and the endless masks (wow).... but we won’t. It was just so user friendly, jumping on and off the water taxi’s, strolling around the footpaths and over canals and just taking in the beautiful city. A trip out to the glass blowing island and purchasing fresh salmon from the market ticked off both souvenirs and dinner, not to mention getting lost in the maze of canals and streets in the evening time which led us to find a funky bar (sorry, can’t tell you where it is!)

Our Venetian adventure rounded off our whole Italian experience and also meant it was time to sadly say ‘see you in two months’ to J&J, as were going our separate ways. Paris for them, Morocco for us... Bring it on!

Oktoberfest II

Being one year older and wiser and after last year’s shenanigans, the phrase for 2011 was pace. It was great to have large crew together this year to discuss old times and simply enjoy each others’ company. Oktoberfest will be up there with San Fermin as ‘do not miss’ festivals in any European conversations.

I’m not sure we have really seen much of England yet...

After realising that we hadn’t seen enough of the UK to make a fair overall judgement, our last two weeks was spent exploring the country areas. The adventure in Gerard was calling and so a three day, 100km trek was quickly put together taking in part of the Great South West Walk from Weymouth to Exmouth. With tent, camping gear, food, boiler and the trusty compass packed it was time for some ‘individual pursuits.’ The walk was tough to say the least and thank god for Ipods and Ministry of Sound is all I can say. Pumping through gale force winds and showers on the first day from West Fleet to Lyme Regis was a tough welcoming. This 50km stretch took in some delightful scenery including the longest sandbank I’ve ever seen in Chesil Beach – it never seemed to end! The variety of the terrains of the walk, scenery of the Jurassic Coast cliffs and fresh seafood experience (especially the Lyme Bay crab) was glorious.

The second and third days took in about 25km on each day but proved to be more challenging due to the constant changes in altitude. I’ll tell you what, everything just works out. I was one hill from defeat at 6.30pm when the sun was setting, 25kg on my back was feeling like I was carrying a horse and I didn’t have a campsite in sight. It was looking like a night of sleeping it rough! Darryn to the rescue. A fellow walking his dog tells me to take his lead and after a good yarn leads me to a remote caravan park. It gets better. After setting up the tent (fairly shattered by now) an old fellow, Charlie, comes over with the offer of a cup of tea (‘because it looks like you could do with one’). I will be forever grateful for the Earl of Grey. After a morning trek through some jungle like conditions out of Sidmouth, the last day was a day of much the same, great scenery, great food and lots of ‘holiday parks.’ I don’t know how you can holiday in a park with 1000 other fellow Chavs but each to their own. I suppose the lovely beaches get them through.....Oops. All in all it was a great challenge and a very worthwhile expedition.

The expeditions didn’t stop here though. As we’d already conquered Wales’ highest peak, Mt. Snowdon, it was time to do England’s highest peak, Scafell Pyke (this leaves Ben Nevis but we know we’ll be back to Scotland!). Scafell Pyke lies in the Lake District of England and has some of the best mountains and lakes in the UK in addition to little villages. The pictures tell our story!

P, P, Pretty Prague

What a beautiful, oh I mean, pretty city to put the smiles back on our faces after some sad goodbyes. We arrived on the train from Austria in to the Czech delight and found our bed (not bad, not bad – a small plug for the Czech Inn Hostel). We were lucky enough to arrive just in time for the 6.00pm entertainment that the much talked about clock tower had to offer... a tad overrated but nice, oh and quite funny to see all the tourists with their cameras at the ready!!

Speaking of lucky, we also had timed our visit to the Czech capital to absolute perfection – Teychney was in town! It was so nice to have a beer and a meal (even if we were charged for margarine, bread, salt, sauce... you name it) with a wonderful chick – and what an infectious laugh!

The remainder of our time in Prague was spent strolling the streets, skipping out on a walking tour (boy was that guy frustrating), watching the AFL at our hostel (GO CATS!) and ended with a visit to the Prague Castle. Ok but not a must do... Thanks Praha!

Ahoy again in Austria

Our second home for over a year would say so long after many great memories. On the agenda for the last visit (for this trip) was some quality time in Hans and Gerty’s shack just outside of Vienna in Ollersbach, a nice couple day trek through the Wachau and of course Hans’s 75th birthday celebration.

The days spent lounging, dining and talking in fluent German and English were so very relaxing and exactly what we needed. Wasp collection counting was a particular interest with Hans and Gerty’s collector, obviously being of a higher quality red apple juice, out smarting the wasps on numerous occasions, just edging out Bee and Gerard’s collector on the less potent green apple juice. Talking about juice, the farms in Austria put on a great local spread for about two or three weeks a year for the locals lucky enough to be in the know how. Cider flows and fresh ham of every variety is available during this time at the actually place of production, that just happens to land itself on top of a hill (mound in Austrian terms) with a sunset view to go blind for. A visit to delightful Erlauf ‘See’ (lake in German), Mariazell (one of the most famous churches in Austria) and numerous villages in the Ollersbach region capped off a great few days.

A particular highlight of this trip was Hans’ birthday celebrated in true Austrian style with a family gathering at a wine festival - bringing in some of the best food Austria has to offer. Schnitzel wasn’t the choice this time, but after the ‘soft sausage’ it will be top of the list for the next visit... It was great to meet and see so many of the clan and share stories of travel and life at home on a fantastic afternoon.

Last on the list was two day trek through a region made famous for ‘housing’ Richard the Lionheart in his time in exile (be it for a couple months, it still happened!) – the Wachau. Durnstein itself was the starting point and after a quick bite and load of supplies it was off to climb some mountains that towered over the Danube river. A great couple of days, but relief was finishing, partly because of the feet but partly because we wanted to get back to Vienna to spend some more time with Hans and Gerty before our final goodbyes for 2011... Sob sob!!

Buda & Pest

We arrived in the Hungarian capital in search of a comfy bed, some local goulash and perhaps a beer or two, and we were not disappointed. We stayed at a wonderful hostel located in the heart of the city, a perfect base for exploring the city and indulging in the cheap tucker.

A walking tour (although not the best one we have ever been on) took us through the streets of both Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube. It was just so nice wandering around the streets... tagging along, taking photos – not a care in the world!

Major highlights: Fisherman’s Bastion, Castle Hill, Parliament and the lovely dinner at a beautiful local restaurant. Oh and an afternoon relaxing at the world famous Szechenyi Thermal Spa and Pools – pure bliss!!

Downfalls: trying to get the head around the Hungarian Forint after using the Pound and Euro. How can 20,000 only equate to about $6???

On to the train and off to Wien....

'Lovely' Liverpool

After the freedom of travelling around in a little jet car, we came smack down to earth with a visit to Liverpool. Lowest rate of recycling, top levels of unemployment and truancy were just some of the figures that hit you in head in the Liverpool Museum, this is after scrambling over the crowds adoring the section (75%) on the rivallry between Liverpool and Everton... Manchester, Liverpool similar basket really and if I were biblical I’d sent them down the river as well. Highlight of this part of Liverpool was visiting an Aunty and Uncle in Chester, a cute little town just out of Liverpool (mind you she loved the town because so many buildings over a couple of hundred years old were covered in black and white).

Not to dampen our spirits, was the fact that we thought we had a nice little apartment all to ourselves for the night, until some loud noises reverberated at 10.30pm up the stairs and turned our apartment into a six bed hostel... At first sceptical at these noisy Aussies who had taken the last train out of London, this was a warm welcome to the weekend of festivities that was ahead. B (a male with dreads to his rear and the loudest voice from the South, but hilarious), sidekick one (intellectually challenged Aussie miner, recently split from girlfriend) and sidekick two (Aussie girl, ‘stuck in London’) came crashing through the door.

The next three hours of shenanigans was immense. A summary:

• Sidekick one – broke up with girlfriend, planned trip around to Europe with mates, one mate turned up.

• One mate who turned up (B) came from Indonesia where he works as a link between locals and the mines, illegally. An Aussie working in Indonesia, ILLEGALLY!

• Sidekick one booked accommodation for B and him for 10 nights at Oktoberfest @ 100 Euro a night - each. B not happy.

• Sidekick two has allegedly been picked up by more girls than guys in London..... discussion ensues.

Bed 2am. Next day to rain we awake and welcome in the trip to Creamfields.... In slosh and mud up to the ankles, the next two days of camping, dancing, sloshing and sleeping were enjoyable to say the least.... Next stop Budapest for recovery and a much needed shower!

Ducking to Biarritz for an afternoon dip

Absolutely beautiful. A lazy days trip from San Seb. Tres bien! Enough said.

Viva Espana & G'day Portugal!

Barcelona was the last stop before freedom again in the form of a car. Nice city beaches and parks were had as well as a few too many Mojitos! All in all I think a little bit of wee was coming out of both of us as a result of our excitement of being on the open roads again, as although ‘Barca’ was nice we didn’t think it was as good as it is cracked up to be... Horses for courses. Maybe it was because we didn’t get to see the main sight - Elephant Man. Google it if you are over 18 and don’t know what we’re talking about...

Booking - check. Licence – check. Car - Car. Oh sorry we don’t have a car for you. Just the words we wanted to hear before we drove around the coast of Spain and Portugal! We were offered a little van that had the logo of the rental company to be fair but we’re not in the 1940s.... Sure enough after a few dirty looks and questions about using their phone a car was lined up. Literally we got the car I think we were supposed to get but the cheeky little Spaniard wanted to give us a dud. Anyway Citroen c3 Picasso was away, the black beauty.

Stop one was Valencia to clearly do what Webber couldn’t and win the Grand Prix. However, the navigator clearly passed macronavigation but not micronavigation. As we rolled into Valencia do we know how to get to our accommodation? Two hours later and feeling dizzy we finally find our accommodation on one of these roads that crosses a highway. One side hotel, other side – the Bronx. We took the other side. Anyway it wasn’t to be our last time lost in Valencia. Number two on the list (and number two in every Spanish city) was to check out the old city. They are always filled with a plentiful supply of cerveza (or gunea in Basque) and delicious tapas (or Pintox in Basque). Great stuff.

Beach time was next on the list and a visit of an old Moorish Castle (the Moors being Muslims who ruled in Spain and Portugal for nearly 500 years – interesting fact) was in the way - Alacante. Post the castle visit was a nice couple hundred kilometre drive to Mojacar. From the outset we aimed to stay away from the tourist haunts such as Costa del Sol and did we ever. Mojacar was the Spanish equivalent of the Greek Islands – only this time we were the only ‘whites’. Party time on the beach and we should have stayed longer!

A one night stop in a mystery campsite (although we were pleasantly surprised!) was required due to navigator and driver fatigue whilst driving through the desert. Numerous secluded beaches were enjoyed as well as Bee trying her best to tease a bull by posing in nothing but her swimwear in front of one! The road was hit again to Cadiz the home of surfing. Ahh windsurfing. If we had of thought about this a bit more we would have realised that for windsurfing you need wind. And wind and lounging on the beach don’t mix! When I say wind I don’t just mean a light breeze. I mean wind turbines rotating fully in about one second. So after staying in the Spanish version of Nimbin we were rescheduling our bookings forward a night or two...

Seville. Hot. 44 degrees but it is amazing how clean and beautiful they can keep a city where you would think that it would be barren and lifeless. Deserved our two night stay as the Alcazar, Plaza Espana and the Cathedral were as grand and exquisite as we have seen (except for Madrid).

Portugal, finally and did it live up to what we needed and expected! South coast of Portugal was amazing. The rock formations surrounding the beaches were grand and something that we don’t often enjoy with the long white sandy beaches of Oz. Hate to harp on it but days spent snorkelling (yep they paid for themself in Greece – value buy) , beaching and swimming were in order and we truly wished we had weeks on end down in the South. Accommodation was at Pera for Gerard’s birthday and let’s just say we celebrated in style!

The other town we stayed at in Portugal was at Lagos which raised the tourist flag a little but none the less we found ourselves a beach where we had to climb down a ladder made from drift wood, then lower ourselves down the rest of the decline (Uluru style) with a rope. Well worth it when there were only about five other people on the beach...Mind you this was after we had just walked past a nice little nudist beach and caught a perv, peering through the bushes in the cliffs above!

Sad to leave would be an understatement but Sintra was calling. Mind you it was on a Portuguese national holiday so things were a little busy. Another Moorish fort was calling as well as age old gardens. All this aside the highlight still had to be the The Sintra Palace Hostel that put on a great dinner for all there. A great way to get to know fellow travellers and have a crack at the English ones who were there!

North of Portugal was next on the map and Rio Alto near Viana do Castelo was a nice get away for a few days. This time instead of being surrounded by tourists it was surrounding by farm land namely lettuce which was a pleasant delight as it once again brought home how few tourists visit this area. Surfing was on the cards and glad to say the rust is slowly flaking off... The dilemma came ‘where to next?’ Well as Gerard had already sampled the delights of San Sebastian he decided it would be well worth the 800km drive but not before a stopover in Vittoria.

Best way to describe old mate who owned the caravan park we stayed at in Vittoria would be an uncle who cracks the jokes. Difference is this guy is 80 and Spanish. After a good night on the town sampling some Pintxos, it was time for an early morning slog. After 30 minutes of churning it out I returned to the campsite only to be told in Spanish by this fellow to go and run it again! If I had some breathe I would have laughed too like all the others sitting down for breaky! Finally we reached San Seb and I think Bee can explain her feelings of relief that we had not driven all this way for nothing!

Very cruisy and easy going place, is San Seb! It was again such a relief to have 4 whole nights in the one place and just relax and put the feet up.... well, for a little while anyway! We spent some quality time at the beach, strolling around the streets and finally cracking the watermelon that Gerard HAD to buy a week earlier (because “we will definitely eat it!”). Gerard, having been here already and practically a local, had the good knowledge on the Pintxos – boy was he right! He was also right about the camping grounds, spacious, clean and a delight to have stayed there despite the hilly road there (meaning a lot of bus rides back and forth, and also some exercise at 3.00am). Two other highlights included our mammoth 16km walk into town via said hills and up to the statue overlooking the city and also the Fiesta which we timed well, meaning fireworks over the beach and street performers. Good times!

And our final stop Bilbao or Bilbo for the locals. Gerard has already delved into Bilbao on his first trip here but little did we know that there was another Fiesta in Bilbao. Can we just say, no one does a Fiesta like the Spanish. Rock focussed music, fishing demonstrations and buskers were the points of attention. However it was the token at the frog game which stole our attention. Contestants stand about three metres from a stone frog and try to trow tokens into its mouth. At the end of each person’s turn of throwing about five tokens the announcer tells their score. You guessed it – zero. Pretty much every time! Finally we experienced a bull fight and let’s just say it was eye-opening and while traditional not exactly a sport we’ll follow intently...

A Greek Salad and Gyros in the Greek Islands

After such a ‘stressful’ time in London, relaxation was a must and where better to achieve that than in the Greek Islands with Jamie and Melissa - our Autumn House counterparts....

First stop, Santorini. A great, cheap hostel (best value in the accommodation stakes by far – less than 10GBP per night each, pool, clean rooms... cannot go wrong!). We pretty much spent our days there lounging on the black sandy beaches, sipping cocktails, eating gyros and swimming in the pool. Oh, the day trip to the volcanic islands and mud springs with the whole London crew was also a nice touch – not to mention zooming around the island on quad bikes, now that was awesome! Pretty sure Bee was a super driver – may have reached 50km/h... watch out!! Highlight of Santorini: Sunset at the winery. Breathtaking!

Ios it is... and camping in 35C heat... Hmmmm. We were set for a few sleepless nights on the so called ‘party island’. The Far Out Camping Village where we stayed was pretty cool, with a big pool party scene and the beach right across the road. Again, we spent our days by the pool, dozing and reading. Nights out in Thira, the main town. Have you heard of a Flaming Lamborghini Only at Flames? Special mention to Rapha and Mitch! Very cool atmosphere....

After a 3 hour ferry journey we were at our last Greek Island destination, Mykonos. After bussing and hiking in to town, trying to get to our accommodation – we figure out they were waiting for us at the Port the whole time, we finally made it to Platys Gialos beach. Mykonos has such a very cool vibe, the beaches are amazing – Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise... Mykonos Town also is beautiful, all white buildings and amazing sunset views. It was really nice to spend the last few days relaxing, if we weren’t already!!

We took the high speed ferry to Athens where we had 2 days to explore the city. Now we had heard mixed reviews about the ancient city, but overall it was very nice. Not exactly pretty, not fake, just it is what it is. And that is hot! After not doing much for 10 days it was good to put the walking shoes on and go... What visit to Athens is complete without venturing to the The Acropolis and the Parthenon, and it was pretty impressive. Other sites also taken in: The Temple of Zeus, The Agora, Olympic Stadium, The Library of Hadrian, the list goes on... Loved Greece!

It’s time to say goodbye to London

The last few months in London were spent organising travel ventures, furiously booking flights and hostels, tying up loose ends and discussing the road ahead...

Oh, we did however manage to squeeze in visits to the much acclaimed Royal Ascot races (if you call trudging around in the general admin tent, still muddy and balancing your bag, drink, tickets and form guide highly regarded – then that was us). A super day, that aside. No winners.

Wimbledon was also an event high on our to-do list and although we were not hard core by camping out the night for tickets, we did arrive there at 6.00am and stood in line for 5 hours. Believe it or not but the time flew by (caffeine and some old backyard cricket with a wooden pale bat did help). What a great day, full of tradition, strawberries and cream, Pimms and oh, some fine tennis too. Great get to line up for ‘second hand’ tickets while in there too – Bernard Tomic will be a fine player!

We had such an amazing time in London, mixed experiences with teaching but overall a massive learning opportunity and were very grateful for the time we had. Always something to do, somewhere to go and fun to be had. Oh, and the charity store downstairs from us was also very grateful for pretty much all the possessions we had in our Autumn House pad... Now it is literally only the clothes on our back.

Bye London, been a pleasure and let the next 3 months begin....

Family Reunion in Torino!!

Bee was lucky enough to have her parents in the same hemisphere again – attending an archery event in Turin – a perfect excuse to duck over to Italy for the weekend... It was so wonderful to see Bee’s parents and grandparents again, who also flew in from Vienna. Now, to say that Bee just made it would be an understatement – yes there is a story...

So the alarm was set for 2.30am Friday morning. It failed to go off and Bee awoke at 4.30. STRESS! She had obviously missed her 3.30am bus to Stansted and now was on a race against the clock to make her 6.20am flight. A taxi to Liverpool Street, and the Stanstead express train – arrival at the airport at 6.00am. Stress, run, frantic, just made it to the gate when they were calling ‘Flight Closed’. 10 seconds later and it would have been all over..... Phew!

Anyways, now in Turin – lots of dinners out (pizza and pasta, red wine, Tiramisu, gelato, who can complain?). It was nice to take it easy for a few days and check out the sites – The Royal Palace, Cathedrals, Museums – nice city but nothing super special.

It was the company that made it very special...

Running (hiding) for your life in Pamplona

Well, Jamie’s 30th called for a boy’s weekend and a week of relaxation. Yeah right. Bilbao was the first port of call and it wasn’t long before the first beers were being poured – more than anything to cool down. As we timed it the glorious Guggenheim was about the only attraction open – sure enough it was another Spanish holiday. This didn’t last long as art, according to this museum, is an annoying cube of lights that surges at random intervals. If this is art I could have just laid on my bed and paid someone to flick the lights on and off! Anyway we fell into a nice little plaza near our one night old hostel and needless to say that was the start of a night on the hunt for a bar showing the Haye v Klitshco heavyweight fight. Ten bars later and exhausted from our marathon charades effort (trying to explain what we wanted without the bar owner thinking Jamie and I were actually fighting each other) none other than a fellow name Jose would come to our rescue...

San Sebastian was next on the list as the prelude to Pamlona – sun, surf and a few quiet beers were on the men. After spending the morning travelling, dehydrated from the previous night’s activities and in searing heat we got to within 20 metres of the campsite only to be told it was a caravan park and didn’t have any tents. So we turned back to board the bus into town. Sure enough 2 hours later we were back at the same place and committed never to listening to an Aussie again.

Tuesday – it was time. Bus to Pamplona. Enter campsite. Sorry tent city. Anyway, stage was set for Wednesday opening day. It didn’t disappoint. If you could have a stampede without anyone getting seriously hurt, this was it. You literally had to boost yourself a foot above everyone else’s head to get a taste of fresh air; partly due to the sheer number of people in the square, partly due to the engulfing fumes of sangria drying off the previously white and now drenched pink costumes. At 12.oopm the honoraries did their thing, the people held their red scarves and San Fermin was started. Lost, yes - but it doesn’t matter it’s San Fermin, everyone is a friend.

Next day, it was up at 4.30am and on the bus ready to do what we came for. After all those unlucky enough to be selected (no shoe laces, cameras, orange hair etc) were booted it was firecracker time at 8.ooam and the bulls were on the loose. Blink and you miss it. Hug the wall and get to know someone. That was my mindset. Elation is running into the arena in one piece. No scratches – check.

Finally it was time to see the bull run from a different point of view. Bags packed for the 24 hour trip to Turin via Santander and Milan for an Airport sleep, a stop is called for to watch the run from the stands. It gave an amazing and such a different view of the spectacle – once done, no second thoughts will creep in... San Fermin has it all, great people, awesome street parties, excitement and who can forget those patriotic Americans chanting U-S-A.... Ahh Spain.

Snowdonia – Walk like you mean it...

So then it dawned on us that we actually hadn’t done anything overtly active while overseas (the laziness of London Life kicking in!) – so a last minute camping/trekking weekend was organised. Wales and Mount Snowdon was just the doctor ordered! Backpacks -check, tent – check, walking gear – check! The weekend weather was forecast for rain, but as seasoned adventure travellers (hahaha) we were embracing it with open arms!!

So we set off on Friday evening and caught the train to Bangor, right on the foot of Mount Snowdon. The last bus of the night took us to our place of rest right next to a lovely flowing creek in the town of Tregarth. After a good night’s sleep and an early rise we were ready to tackle the might of Snowdon, the highest in Wales. We began walking in the slight rain on the Miner’s Path, one of most tricky paths (of course) and took in our beautiful surroundings. After a couple of hours of slogging away we were at the top – and couldn’t see five metres in front of us it was that misty! Wow, had we walked all that way for nothing? Not to mention, it was freezing! What more could you want than a nice cup of tea and a massive Welsh Oggie to warm yourself up on the top of the mountain? Then, just like we were in a film, the clouds cleared and the sun shone – giving us the most spectacular view of the lakes below and surrounding mountains! Needless to say, the cameras came straight out and we started snapping!!

What goes up, must come down. And let me say it was much easier coming down than clampering up.... The Llanberis Path took us to, funnily enough, Llanberis, where we were camping for the night. Gerard romantically took Bee on a small row boat on the lake as a reward for her effort on the trek but Bee may have upstaged him on the rowing side of things – sorry! After a hard day walking, we were so exhausted and struggled to keep our eyes open while eating dinner outside by the lake. Even a beer didn’t help..... straight to sleep! A special mention to Frank Brick for carrying 20kg mammoth pack up the mountain (was at least 30kg) – well done. You’re a true star.

The next morning we had organised to go Coasteering with a local adventure company. Now, this is when the real rain started to hit, but with the nature of our morning program, it didn’t matter – we were getting wet regardless! For those of you not up with the lingo, Coasteering pretty much just means clambering and climbing along rocks and cliff edges right on the coast – then jumping in to the water from small rock ledges (the highest was approx a 7m jump). Donning wet suits, helmets and jackets we set off with our instructor (yes, we were the only ones going) and jumped straight in the water... brrr it was COLD! After a while the temperature didn’t bother and we were climbing and jumping and climbing – it was actually a lot of fun! And no, Bee was not anxious at all!!!

A train home and a good night’s sleep again – wow we had satisfied our active pursuits for, lets say, another little while! I am tired....

A wee trip to Scotland – Aye!

The May half term holidays also saw one week of Scottish bliss – rolling green hills, spunky kilts and the ‘delicious’ Haggis – this trip had a lot of expectations! Not to mention, Gerard’s brother James was joining us... the Brick boys on the loose!

Our journey started in Edinburgh, a much talked about city. Interestingly, this beautiful city was built up vertically over the years, making the tall buildings and cobblestone streets weave in and out of one another. Highlights included the Edinburgh Castle perched on the hill (overlooking the whole city), The Royal Mile - the stretch between the castle and the official Scottish residence of the Queen) and of course the endless pubs and drinking locations.

Our Macbackpackers Tour of Scotland introduced us first to our tour leader – Ewan. What a legend. A typical Scot, donning kilt and with long hair and bushy beard, Ewan had exactly the right balance of humour, endless knowledge and Scottish Charm! He would have to be one of the funniest people we have ever met!

A wee run down of our Scotland trip:

• Gerard taking a dip in the freezing Loch Ness – fair to say ‘Nessy’ didn’t make a guest appearance.

• The ruins on Duntulm Castle –we picked the windiest day we have ever experienced to climb around the ruins, also perched high on the cliffs overlooking the ocean!

• The quiet village of Ullapool – fish and chips, yum!

• Isle of Skye – despite the rainy and misty weather, we still managed to take in the sites of Kilt Rock and Portree.

• Eilean Donan Castle & the Dunkeld Cathedral – both very old but beautifully preserved and maintained.

• Scottish dancing at the Skipinnish Ceilidh House – wow, what a workout! Lots of fun, clapping and partner swinging!

• Fairy Glen and Hope Hangs Branches – both very beautiful and mysterious hidden places, known to bring good luck and hide the elusive Scottish Fairies.

• James getting turned down after three hours of negotiations with a Frenchwoman.

A visit to Scotland was high on the priority list and it did not disappoint. If only we had more time.... sigh!

Berlin - "Hitting the Wall"

Of course we needed to escape the Royal Wedding madness and what better way to do that than to duck over to Berlin, a much anticipated mini-break. It did not fail to disappoint. Berlin itself isn’t exactly what you would call pretty (the Jay-Z song about the concrete jungle was actually written about Berlin), however we were instantly drawn to the uber-cool vibe, rich history and of course German Beer.

A free walking tour (always a must when you first reach a new destination – not only can you get your bearings but you are always introduced to the highlights) gave the Autumn House roomies a snap shot of what makes this city so unique. Checkpoint Charlie, The Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, Brandenburg Gate, the site of Hitler’s bunker (you need a great imagination), Reichstag, to mention just a few. It is so amazing and so true that Berlin is still such a new city and still building itself! Also highly recommended was the ‘Alternative Tour’– definitely something that did not disappoint. It was very cool to see another side of Berlin; from Tacheles, a large old warehouse turned art gallery taken over by squatters and covered in graffiti, walls and walls of street art by truly gifted artists - to secret, hidden cafes and cinemas. The political and social messages left on the Eastside Gallery (a 1.5km section of the Berlin Wall, whereby 109 artists were invited to leave their unique mark on the wall) was very cool – but obviously left you with strong messages at the same time....

Sachsenhausen concentration camp was another sombre and thought provoking experience. Approximately 30km outside of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was not only prominent during the Nazi regime but also once the Soviets had gained power, used as a ‘special camp’. The amount of information, artefacts and knowledge gained made this visit a really rewarding one.

On a lighter note, the nightlife of Berlin had much to live up to. Our visit also coincided with May Day celebrations (strangely protests by day, but massive street parties by night), paving the way for boogying on the street... These festivities, teamed with good bars and pubs, even better beer and of course the amazing night kebabs (Gerard did not eat one Bratwurst!) ensured lots of laughs and fun!