Hi all,
We are currently on the train from Berlin to Prague. Berlin was very enjoyable.
After catching the plane from Paris (and sitting next to the only other Aussie on the Plane besides us four) we caught a bus to our hotel in the Charlottenburg area of Berlin.
Charlottenburg was a lovely area with some very expensive shops (but I managed to keep Kristin away from these!) and splendid tree-lined avenues.
Once we settled in we went for a walk, our first “tourist” site was the KaiserWilhelm Gedachtnis Kirche, This was a church that had been bombed in 1945 and only the tower part remains.
Next, we walked through the Tiergarten (giant Berlin park), pass the Zoo to the Siegessaule (the Victory Column). The column had a (very) long spiral staircase, which led to a lookout platform had great 360 degree views of Berlin. From here we walked pass the Chancellor’s residence, by accident and then onto the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Tor.
We then head back to the hotel, through the Tiergarten, stopping for a drink in the square near the Europa Centre. All up the walk was about 12 km!! We went out for dinner – souvlakis and beers in the park.
Tuesday was a whole new holiday experience for us. We hired bikes. Berlin is very flat, the name means boggy marsh. We all enjoyed a different form of touring around a city. In total we rode about 45 km and saw the following: Victory Column, Tiergarten, Brandenburg Tor, Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, remains of the Berlin Wall, Museum area, East Side Gallery, Schloss Charlottenburg, Rathaus area and lots, lots, more. After a small rest, we went out for dinner and again had Doner Kebabs and drinks.
Cheers for now! All pics have been posted.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Paris Day 6 & 7
Saturday started with meeting up with Mike (who we met from the Turkey trip earlier in the year). By coincidence he was staying at a hostel(called The Peace and Love) 150m from our apartment.
We started the day by catching the metro to the George Pompidou Centre. A modern building, built inside out, we went to the top and got a good view of Paris.(see photos).
Next, we wandered down towards Notre Dame, going pass a concert, where had some lunch. from here we walked along the Rive Gauche (left bank of The Seine) until the Musee d'Orsay.
We fulfilled our cultural obligations for the day by going inside, and we were careful not to confuse the Monets with the Manets. There were also some other famous works, including Whistler's Mother (a portrait in grey and black), Van Gogh's, Rodin sculptures, Renoir, etc... but after 2 to 3 hours we had all had enough!
From here we continued along the river passing the National Assembely, then across the bridge to the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. We crossed the Champs Elysees, checking if all was ready for the cycling tomorrow, and headed north. By accident we walked pass the French President's residence and through the richest part of Paris I think. We finally bumped into the Madeleine.
Here we caught the metro home as a beer around here was about 7 euro!
In the evening, we ate Indian food and had a few Kingfishers to wash it down. After that we decided to have a last drink at a corner cafe/bar - ended paying 7.20 euro (about $12) for a single beer!!!!
On Sunday, we met up with Mike and 2 other young Adelaide boys, Mark and Nathan, that shared Mike's hostel room. Mark and Nathan were two-thirds of the way through a fun-filled European vacation and were having the time of their lives. (I think partying was higher on the list than sight-seeing!)
We all had lunch on the lawns in front of The Hotel des Invalides, which for the young lads consisted of 4 or 5 cans of beer! Kept cold by packs of frozen vegies!
At about 3:00 pm we headed to the Champs Elysees to watch the cycling. It was packed! We picked a spot where you could see a big video screen, about 100 m from the finish, but it was limited viewing, lots of people brought their step ladders! The atmosphere was fantastic and a real buzz. The Caravanne of sponsors went by for an hour, but no freebies! Finally the cyclists arrived and flashed pass us 8 times up and down the Champs Elysees. We were about 50m behind the podium for the presentations. A great spectacle and enjoyable day.
After an early night, we headed to Berlin Monday morning.
More on that soon, au revoir. (I'm trying to upload photos daily - so keep an eye out!)
We started the day by catching the metro to the George Pompidou Centre. A modern building, built inside out, we went to the top and got a good view of Paris.(see photos).
Next, we wandered down towards Notre Dame, going pass a concert, where had some lunch. from here we walked along the Rive Gauche (left bank of The Seine) until the Musee d'Orsay.
We fulfilled our cultural obligations for the day by going inside, and we were careful not to confuse the Monets with the Manets. There were also some other famous works, including Whistler's Mother (a portrait in grey and black), Van Gogh's, Rodin sculptures, Renoir, etc... but after 2 to 3 hours we had all had enough!
From here we continued along the river passing the National Assembely, then across the bridge to the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. We crossed the Champs Elysees, checking if all was ready for the cycling tomorrow, and headed north. By accident we walked pass the French President's residence and through the richest part of Paris I think. We finally bumped into the Madeleine.
Here we caught the metro home as a beer around here was about 7 euro!
In the evening, we ate Indian food and had a few Kingfishers to wash it down. After that we decided to have a last drink at a corner cafe/bar - ended paying 7.20 euro (about $12) for a single beer!!!!
On Sunday, we met up with Mike and 2 other young Adelaide boys, Mark and Nathan, that shared Mike's hostel room. Mark and Nathan were two-thirds of the way through a fun-filled European vacation and were having the time of their lives. (I think partying was higher on the list than sight-seeing!)
We all had lunch on the lawns in front of The Hotel des Invalides, which for the young lads consisted of 4 or 5 cans of beer! Kept cold by packs of frozen vegies!
At about 3:00 pm we headed to the Champs Elysees to watch the cycling. It was packed! We picked a spot where you could see a big video screen, about 100 m from the finish, but it was limited viewing, lots of people brought their step ladders! The atmosphere was fantastic and a real buzz. The Caravanne of sponsors went by for an hour, but no freebies! Finally the cyclists arrived and flashed pass us 8 times up and down the Champs Elysees. We were about 50m behind the podium for the presentations. A great spectacle and enjoyable day.
After an early night, we headed to Berlin Monday morning.
More on that soon, au revoir. (I'm trying to upload photos daily - so keep an eye out!)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Paris Days 4 & 5
Hi all,
we are having a great time in Paris. On Thursday, we walked to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, along the canal and went via L'Republique monument (they really know how to build monuments and memorials here!). At the cemetery, we saw the graves of Chopin, Jim Morrison, Edif Piaf, Oscar wilde and many more.
From the cemetery we caught the metro into town and walked down from the Bourse to the Louvre. We went inside and it wasn't just the magnificient art works that impressed me, but the building itself is something else! We pushed against the hundreds to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa (Da Vinci could have made it bigger!!!!). The other great art pieces we saw were: The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Raft of Medusa, The Club Footed Boy, Venus de Milo (and about 5 million othe sculptures) and many other wonderful works. The Napolean III apartments were amazing.
After all this we had a quiet evening back at the apartment!
On Friday, we started by catching the Metro to La Sorbonne. the Sorbonne was an interesting enough building but we were pleasantly surprised when we ran into the Pantheon. It is truly a magnificient building - once a church but now a National monument. Under the Pantheon, in the Crypt are the tombs of the famous French (mainly republicans and a few othe noteworthies.
From the Pantheon, we headed to the Jardin Du Luxembourg, where there is a palace (now I think the Senate building), lovely gardens and the Medici fountain.
Next on the agenda, we walked (sounds like too much walking to me!) to the Hotel des Invalides. In the church is Napoleans Tomb, and a few other famous French people. The whole building for the hospital is massive and is located in a very central place of Paris.
We decided from here to walk to the Ecole Militaire (Military School) and then have another look at the Eiffel Tower and have a late lunch on the lawns. The skies started to get grey so we decided we would cross the river and look at the Tower from the other side. Half way across the bridge it started pissing down, so we seeked cover under the bridge (Pont d'lena).
The view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocodero side is probably the best. It was getting late in the day so we headed back to our apartment.
In the evening, Andy and Kristin went for a nice stroll along the canal at La Villette. Very romantic!! We had a quick drink with our neighbour, Julian, who happened to be a wine merchant (who could speak really good English) and he gave us a taste of a fantastic red wine they were drinking - sensational!
That's all for now, great win to the Pies! All pics are on the web, and today we are off to see more of wonderful Paris and the tomorrow we'll be on the Champs Elysees watching the finish of the Le Tour de France!
Au Revoir,
we are having a great time in Paris. On Thursday, we walked to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, along the canal and went via L'Republique monument (they really know how to build monuments and memorials here!). At the cemetery, we saw the graves of Chopin, Jim Morrison, Edif Piaf, Oscar wilde and many more.
From the cemetery we caught the metro into town and walked down from the Bourse to the Louvre. We went inside and it wasn't just the magnificient art works that impressed me, but the building itself is something else! We pushed against the hundreds to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa (Da Vinci could have made it bigger!!!!). The other great art pieces we saw were: The Wedding Feast at Cana, The Raft of Medusa, The Club Footed Boy, Venus de Milo (and about 5 million othe sculptures) and many other wonderful works. The Napolean III apartments were amazing.
After all this we had a quiet evening back at the apartment!
On Friday, we started by catching the Metro to La Sorbonne. the Sorbonne was an interesting enough building but we were pleasantly surprised when we ran into the Pantheon. It is truly a magnificient building - once a church but now a National monument. Under the Pantheon, in the Crypt are the tombs of the famous French (mainly republicans and a few othe noteworthies.
From the Pantheon, we headed to the Jardin Du Luxembourg, where there is a palace (now I think the Senate building), lovely gardens and the Medici fountain.
Next on the agenda, we walked (sounds like too much walking to me!) to the Hotel des Invalides. In the church is Napoleans Tomb, and a few other famous French people. The whole building for the hospital is massive and is located in a very central place of Paris.
We decided from here to walk to the Ecole Militaire (Military School) and then have another look at the Eiffel Tower and have a late lunch on the lawns. The skies started to get grey so we decided we would cross the river and look at the Tower from the other side. Half way across the bridge it started pissing down, so we seeked cover under the bridge (Pont d'lena).
The view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocodero side is probably the best. It was getting late in the day so we headed back to our apartment.
In the evening, Andy and Kristin went for a nice stroll along the canal at La Villette. Very romantic!! We had a quick drink with our neighbour, Julian, who happened to be a wine merchant (who could speak really good English) and he gave us a taste of a fantastic red wine they were drinking - sensational!
That's all for now, great win to the Pies! All pics are on the web, and today we are off to see more of wonderful Paris and the tomorrow we'll be on the Champs Elysees watching the finish of the Le Tour de France!
Au Revoir,
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Last Week- Races, Manchester and Paris Days 1,2 and 3
Hi all,
We are in Paris, but I thought I'd better write something leading up to Paris first.
Last week was the last week of school until early September (it is going to take something disastrous to wipe the smile of my face!). The highlight (and lowlight) of the last week was the School trip to go Paintballing. I went with both Declan and Billy and about 45 kids and 5 staff. It was quite enjoyable, except for the student who put a couple of marbles in with the paintballs. They would have killed someone if he wasn't caught!
On Saturday I went to Newbury races (about 2 hour drive) on a bus trip and got home about midnight - enjoyable day but paid for it the next day. The races were of a good standard and betting wise I left the track 8 pounds up. From the race track we went to Chepstow and"invaded" a club, where there were lots of drinks and singing - the highlight being "Down Under" and "Waltzing Matilda".
Sunday morning, we drove to Manchester to meet Linda and Doug, who had flown in from Melbourne on the way to Scotland. We had a lovely lunch at the hotel where they were staying - Midlands Hotel, afterwards we had a little wander around the city and then headed home. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day. On they way home we went via Old Trafford and the the new football stadium of Manchester United.
Early Monday morning we caught a plane from Cardiff to Paris and arrived at our Apartment at about 1:00 pm. After settling in we went for a walk to Sacre Coeur. It has magnificent views over Paris and the mosaic (sorry, no photos) inside the cathedral is worth the visit.
From Sacre Coeur, we walked to the Moulin Rouge and then back to our apartment. That evening Tania and Jeff Cornish come over and we had lots of fun drinking, laughing and generally being silly!
Tuesday morning was very slow but we walked into the heart of Paris, where we saw the Louvre, La Seine, Notre Dame and the Bastille, by this stage Kristin and Andy (to a small degree) were spent, so we caught the Metro home for a kip. Tuesday evening we went to the Eiffel Tower, where we met Tania and Jeff for drinks and had our dinner on the lawns (there may have been a drink or two,... Tan, Jeff, Kristin and the boys at about 10 pm climbed the first 2 levels of the tower (about 700 steps), while Andy minded the bags and gear. We also had a bit of fun buying trinkets and more beers from the Somalian touts! We arrived home about 1 am.
Wednesday, we caught the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, did the tourist things and then wandered down the Champs Elysees back to the Louvre. What a fantastic avenue and everywhere you looked you can see some of the most wonderful building and landmarks that Paris has to offer.
It is late Wednesday afternoon, and we are back in our apartment having a quiet beer watching the Tour de France (pity about Cadel not doing well! - I'll have a word to him on Sunday!) and are expecting Tania and Jeff over for a good-bye drink (they leave tomorrow morning).
Au revoir for now.
PS all the pics are going up each day.
We are in Paris, but I thought I'd better write something leading up to Paris first.
Last week was the last week of school until early September (it is going to take something disastrous to wipe the smile of my face!). The highlight (and lowlight) of the last week was the School trip to go Paintballing. I went with both Declan and Billy and about 45 kids and 5 staff. It was quite enjoyable, except for the student who put a couple of marbles in with the paintballs. They would have killed someone if he wasn't caught!
On Saturday I went to Newbury races (about 2 hour drive) on a bus trip and got home about midnight - enjoyable day but paid for it the next day. The races were of a good standard and betting wise I left the track 8 pounds up. From the race track we went to Chepstow and"invaded" a club, where there were lots of drinks and singing - the highlight being "Down Under" and "Waltzing Matilda".
Sunday morning, we drove to Manchester to meet Linda and Doug, who had flown in from Melbourne on the way to Scotland. We had a lovely lunch at the hotel where they were staying - Midlands Hotel, afterwards we had a little wander around the city and then headed home. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day. On they way home we went via Old Trafford and the the new football stadium of Manchester United.
Early Monday morning we caught a plane from Cardiff to Paris and arrived at our Apartment at about 1:00 pm. After settling in we went for a walk to Sacre Coeur. It has magnificent views over Paris and the mosaic (sorry, no photos) inside the cathedral is worth the visit.
From Sacre Coeur, we walked to the Moulin Rouge and then back to our apartment. That evening Tania and Jeff Cornish come over and we had lots of fun drinking, laughing and generally being silly!
Tuesday morning was very slow but we walked into the heart of Paris, where we saw the Louvre, La Seine, Notre Dame and the Bastille, by this stage Kristin and Andy (to a small degree) were spent, so we caught the Metro home for a kip. Tuesday evening we went to the Eiffel Tower, where we met Tania and Jeff for drinks and had our dinner on the lawns (there may have been a drink or two,... Tan, Jeff, Kristin and the boys at about 10 pm climbed the first 2 levels of the tower (about 700 steps), while Andy minded the bags and gear. We also had a bit of fun buying trinkets and more beers from the Somalian touts! We arrived home about 1 am.
Wednesday, we caught the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, did the tourist things and then wandered down the Champs Elysees back to the Louvre. What a fantastic avenue and everywhere you looked you can see some of the most wonderful building and landmarks that Paris has to offer.
It is late Wednesday afternoon, and we are back in our apartment having a quiet beer watching the Tour de France (pity about Cadel not doing well! - I'll have a word to him on Sunday!) and are expecting Tania and Jeff over for a good-bye drink (they leave tomorrow morning).
Au revoir for now.
PS all the pics are going up each day.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Stratford-upon-Avon, Castles and Cricket
Hi all,
Been a very busy week (9 days). It started last Saturday, when all 5 of us went to Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a very pretty little town with lots of tourists. We first dropped in at Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife) house and then into the town itself. We wandered around and saw the sights of Stratford-upon-Avon. From here we headed to Warwick, where we had lunch in the park. From Warwick we drove through Kenilworth then off to Hereford. Hereford had a nice Cathedral and was a typical British town. From Hereford we started to head back to Cardiff via Hay-on-Wye and Brecon.
Sunday morning, Andy and Declan took Lucy to Caerphilly Castle and Castle Coch.
Lucy left for Amsterdam on Monday and then went to Brussels and Brugge and by the time you read this she will be on her way to Milan and returning to Cardiff on Thursday evening.
Andy played skittles again on Tuesday and had his best round so far: 33 (25 is considered par)
The rest of the week was cricket, cricket, cricket! The first Ashes test was in Cardiff. The boys went on Day 1 and was very enjoyable. On Day 4 we all went and had a very good day even though the last session was washed out (ultimately this cost Australia the test!). We have just arrived home from Day 5 - a fantastic day's cricket - unfortunately Monty Panesar and James Anderson somehow held us out for 11 overs. The English (& Welsh) crowd were carrying on like they had won the test, but the signs look good for the Aussies for the rest of the series.
Anyhow last week of school for the academic year and then 6 weeks off - Whoopee! All pics have been posted on the Web Albums,
Cheers,
Andy
PS Another good win for the Pies!! (Any sponsors for a return trip home, if we make the GF?)
Been a very busy week (9 days). It started last Saturday, when all 5 of us went to Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a very pretty little town with lots of tourists. We first dropped in at Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife) house and then into the town itself. We wandered around and saw the sights of Stratford-upon-Avon. From here we headed to Warwick, where we had lunch in the park. From Warwick we drove through Kenilworth then off to Hereford. Hereford had a nice Cathedral and was a typical British town. From Hereford we started to head back to Cardiff via Hay-on-Wye and Brecon.
Sunday morning, Andy and Declan took Lucy to Caerphilly Castle and Castle Coch.
Lucy left for Amsterdam on Monday and then went to Brussels and Brugge and by the time you read this she will be on her way to Milan and returning to Cardiff on Thursday evening.
Andy played skittles again on Tuesday and had his best round so far: 33 (25 is considered par)
The rest of the week was cricket, cricket, cricket! The first Ashes test was in Cardiff. The boys went on Day 1 and was very enjoyable. On Day 4 we all went and had a very good day even though the last session was washed out (ultimately this cost Australia the test!). We have just arrived home from Day 5 - a fantastic day's cricket - unfortunately Monty Panesar and James Anderson somehow held us out for 11 overs. The English (& Welsh) crowd were carrying on like they had won the test, but the signs look good for the Aussies for the rest of the series.
Anyhow last week of school for the academic year and then 6 weeks off - Whoopee! All pics have been posted on the Web Albums,
Cheers,
Andy
PS Another good win for the Pies!! (Any sponsors for a return trip home, if we make the GF?)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wimbledon, Skittles and Cricket
Hi all,
Kristin and Lucy went to London last Sunday and the boys "batched" it for a few days. The highlight of the trip was the visit to Wimbledon - a 3 hour wait in the queue - but Kristin is still talking about it! They sat on "Henman Hill" or is that now "Murray Mound" and watched Lleyton win and then Murray play the first game under the roof.
Kristin and Lucy went to London last Sunday and the boys "batched" it for a few days. The highlight of the trip was the visit to Wimbledon - a 3 hour wait in the queue - but Kristin is still talking about it! They sat on "Henman Hill" or is that now "Murray Mound" and watched Lleyton win and then Murray play the first game under the roof.
Lucy has got her new passport and will start travelling again next week - Amsterdam is probably the first stop.
Andy played his fourth game of Skittles this week. I am playing in a team with Sarah's father
and brother. The expression, "its not all beer and skittles" is certainly not apt for skittles, because that all it is! Anyhow we have won 3 of the 4 games that I played in. Our only loss was to an all female team, who's youngest member was about 60! Personally I have scored 13 (terrible), 18 (better), 23 (even better) and 28 (respectable) - I don't think there is much more room for improvement, but certainly for more beers!
During the week the staff at Michaelston played a cricket match (20/20) against another staff of a local high school. We were a couple short, so Billy and Declan.jpg)
played also. They both did very well, Billy 40 n.o. and Declan took 3 wickets. Andy ended up with a sore knee again!! As well as hitting some big 6's.
This weekend we may go for a drive to Stratford-Upon-Avon (Will Shakespeare) and looking forward to the Ashes Test match next week in Cardiff. We are going Days 1, 4 & 5.
Cheers,
Andy
PS Great win to the Pies!! All Photos on the Web albums.
Andy played his fourth game of Skittles this week. I am playing in a team with Sarah's father
and brother. The expression, "its not all beer and skittles" is certainly not apt for skittles, because that all it is! Anyhow we have won 3 of the 4 games that I played in. Our only loss was to an all female team, who's youngest member was about 60! Personally I have scored 13 (terrible), 18 (better), 23 (even better) and 28 (respectable) - I don't think there is much more room for improvement, but certainly for more beers!During the week the staff at Michaelston played a cricket match (20/20) against another staff of a local high school. We were a couple short, so Billy and Declan
played also. They both did very well, Billy 40 n.o. and Declan took 3 wickets. Andy ended up with a sore knee again!! As well as hitting some big 6's.This weekend we may go for a drive to Stratford-Upon-Avon (Will Shakespeare) and looking forward to the Ashes Test match next week in Cardiff. We are going Days 1, 4 & 5.
Cheers,
Andy
PS Great win to the Pies!! All Photos on the Web albums.
PPS It appears Murray is now no longer British but just Scottish!!!
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