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!

Belgium

The final leg... we were really looking forward to finishing on a high! We had high expectations of the old architecture, and of course the chocolate and beers!

 

Hans-sur-Lesse: The first stop on Belgium soil was a small village, not too far from Rochefort. We were welcomed by lovely old buildings, a lovely river and lovely countryside. The main attraction was the caves, highlighting the amazing rock formations made over millions and millions of years. The down fall, the tour was all in Dutch and we were the only English speakers! We were in that case quite lucky to be the tour guide’s little project and he was more than willing to translate most for us – a small taste of what it felt like to get special treatment!

Brussels: Simply strolling around the beautiful old city was enough to make the mouth drop in awe. Despite a slight ‘it has almost been two weeks and we have been confined to a small van together 24/7’ hiccup, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the main sites including Mannequin Piss, Royal Palace and of course Grand Place (which also made the perfect backdrop for beer tasting in the early evening). We were also very lucky to catch up with friend Klaus - holder of the key to secret bars, including the famous Delerium. The bars - one in a cave, one in an old theatre and one with a scary/witch type theme all would have been a mystery without him! Only in Brussels! We were also able to escape the van for one night and stayed on his couch, boy was it nice to have a soft mattress and not to have to wear thongs in the shower!

Waterloo & Ghent: A last minute decision to stop by the location of the famous Battle of Waterloo was one of Gerard’s better ideas. It provided us with another valuable opportunity to pay respects to past battles fought and appreciate the life we have today. Wow, was Napolean gutsy! We then tried to outrun the autobahn (never a good idea) and finally made it to Ghent were we stopped briefly for a picnic in the main park and a quick stroll through the main town. Again, beautiful and busy... it would have been nice to be able to spend more time there – next time!

Brugge: We arrived in Brugge and just flopped. The tiredness was starting to catch up with us, but after a lie down, an early dinner and an obvious beer we headed by foot into the city in the evening. It was lovely to see the old town as the sun was setting especially the ancient cathedrals and unique shape buildings. To top the night off we indulged in more beers and a waffle – an absolute must! The next day also saw more strolling, visiting Michelangelo’s ‘Madonna with child’, purchasing chocolate and eating fries! Tough life!

In regards to the coastal trip from Brugge to where we needed to catch the ferry let’s just say we really are spoilt in Australia!

The last night of our trip was spent in Dunkurque enjoying a delightful sea fresh meal at sunset and a loss of epic proportions in mini-golf from Bee – the ‘Ayers Rock’ beard was to stay!

So, departing words: The idea of opening up on the back roads and making our own way was the structure of trip we had envisaged as a highlight when planning our destinations. The freedom and experimenting we would need to do (not parking on a slope, ways to relieve oneself in the middle of the night, letting Bee drive) were all challenges we enjoyed. The people we met along the way, while not exactly aged related, were pleasant and friendly and we learnt a lot about other cultures on our travels.

For the record, 2994kms were travelled in the 13 days on the road, four boxes of cereal smashed, around 25 baguettes and three kilos of cheese consumed, 23 quality wines and beers tested, ‘less than 10 u-turns’ completed and a couple minutes of silence experienced. The price for still having a beautiful woman in the passenger seat – priceless!

Luxembourg

A good place to stop for cheap petrol. Travel time – 1 hour.