January

It was still pretty cold when we arrived back in London so we didn’t get up to too much in the first part of January. We went for a visit to Alexandra Palace, expecting it to be a Palace but when we got there it turned out it was in fact more of an events centre which had been built in the 1800s and had since fallen on hard times. It was the North London equivalent of the Crystal Palace, which had unfortunately burnt to the ground many years ago. Run down is a bit of an understatement for Alexandra Palace but it was still nice to get out on a cold winter’s day and see somewhere new.

We managed to catch up with Robin and Mary in Belsize Park for lunch. It was good seeing them and finding out their plans with a wee baby on the way. Robin had been running like a madman too with his aim to tackle the Berlin marathon later in the year.

January is of course the month of Jess’ birthday, however Marcus hardly even got to see Jess on her actual birthday. This was because it happened to coincide with Kate’s Hen’s party and Jess had decided she would enjoy Kate’s party and then have her own party the next day. After some Japanese and dancing in Shoreditch before coming home in surprisingly good shape. The next day we wandered around to the Lord Clyde pub on Essex Road for pub lunch and drinks with friends. We had been there once before and had a nice meal, but this time was excellent. The service was good, the food was good, the drinks were good and the company was good. We spent all afternoon there but eventually had to leave as Marcus was taking Jess out to see We Will Rock You!, a musical featuring the songs of Queen by Ben Elton and Bryan May. The plot was wafer thin but it was all still very entertaining and you couldn’t help but sing along a bit to one Queen song after another.

Our flatmate Andy is from Manchester, and he had managed to get us some new couches for our flat, the old ones having passed their best before dates some time ago. Unfortunately the new couches were in Manchester, so Marcus and Jess hired a van and drove up to Manchester for the weekend. Andy’s mum Wendy put them up with accommodation, which was a good deal for her because she got to have the couches moved out of her garage. After dropping the van off at her place we got the train into Manchester and went for a wander around. Manchester is an odd place. The centre of the city got blown to bits by an IRA bomb in the mid 90’s so it has all been rebuilt in a modern style, whereas the area surrounding it is a bit more run down and older. It is not really a place for site seeing. Manchester is more about what is the latest cool thing on the scene. We checked out an alternative market, a bit like James Smiths Market in Wellington, only much bigger. Wandered around the town centre. Had some local ale and then treated ourselves to a very nice Chinese Meal at Manchester’s mini China Town, renowned for good Chinese food and it didn’t disappoint. The next day we drove back to London with the couches secured in the back of the van and set up the lounge with its brand new furniture.

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Aalborg, Germany & Salzburg

Our longest trip so far started with an early finish at work and a trip on the tube out to Heathrow. Heathrow was pretty busy at the time and there had been snow during the day in London but we got away on time without too much fuss on our flight to Copenhagen. Turns out we were pretty lucky because by the following morning Heathrow airport (along with many others in the UK) was closed due to snow and didn’t open again for a number of days. Copenhagen airport was covered in snow so our flight from Copenhagen airport to Aalborg was a bit delayed bit delayed but after they sprayed down the planes we were away and landed in Aalborg, making our way by taxi through the falling snow to eventually arrived at Ann’s apartment before making it off to bed somewhat later than originally planned.

If we thought the snow was going to let up overnight there was no chance. After a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes (with winter spices) prepared by Ann we suited ourselves up in all of our winter gear so that Ann could take us on a tour of the town she currently called home. Ann’s apartment was near the Fiord so she took us down through the knee deep snow to the edge of the Fiord where we saw people’s boats frozen into place at the marina. The snow was still coming down pretty heavy and the wind was blowing around so we had to make sure our scarves were up to the task of keeping the cold out of our faces. Aalborg is a relatively small city, not much bigger than Lower Hutt, so the city centre was relatively compact. It being Christmas time, there was a traditional Danish Christmas Market for us to visit (the first of many markets on this holiday.) There were rides for the kids and food and drink for the adults as well as all of the typical stuff to buy. No sign of Santa Klaus today though. Ann also took us around the building where her doctor resides, which also happens to be a historical Aalborg building complete with swan motifs. We carried on through the town, checking out some of the local shops and then stopped for lunch at a quaint little café. We left Ann to do some shopping after lunch and went to check out some historical ruins of a monastery. Now these ruins had been built over by the middle of the town so there was no chance of being able to view them from the surface. How had they gotten around this problem? They just built the museum underground. You pay 2 Euro, you enter an elevator standing non-descriptively on a street and in true Get Smart style you are down in the museum where you can show yourself around. After that we want for a wander around the shopping mall to warm ourselves up a little. Aalborg used to be a very industrial town, but over time the industry has closed down and left a number of large warehouse spaces which the citizens of Aalborg have put to use as exhibition spaces, climbing walls and other such things. Ann took us around Nordkraft where we saw all that sort of thing in an old steel factory. Then we went down to the Fiord again where Ann took us around a building which had been designed by Jorn Utzon (the guy who designed the Sydney Opera House). Again it was a combination restaurant, art and conference space. By this time it was very dark and had been a long day so we made our way into the centre of town again where Ann took us to a nice French restaurant (past the notorious Jomfru Ane Gade) where we had a leisurely tasty steak dinner and Marcus sampled some of the local Aquavit.

The next morning we arose and made our way down to the bus stop which took us to the outskirts of town to Lindholm Hoje which is the site of the world’s largest Viking cemetery and museum. The snow as even thicker out that way but we trudged through determined to get there. We stopped and talked to the Viking sheep along the way before discovering that we were the only people crazy enough to head out in the thick snow to the museum. We basically had the whole place to ourselves. It was pretty interesting, talking all about Vikings and the area and all of the archaeological finds that have been had in relation to them. Then we tramped back outside again to have a look at the Viking cemetery. We did have to use our imagination a little bit because the cemetery itself was covered two feet and snow so you had to watch were you were walking but you could see depressions around where the graves were all marked by stones. The local boys decided it was much more fun to use the hills around the graves as slopes for their sleds and skis. We managed to find the right bus back to Aalborg where we had a last look around the town and made our way back to Ann’s place where she had prepared us a nice roast dinner. After filling ourselves it was an early night to bed.

The next day we bid thanks to our host and headed off to get the plane to Berlin. More snow delays meant it took us a bit longer than we had planned but we made it to Berlin only a couple of ours late and managed to find the correct bus which took us all the way to our hostel. Berlin felt even colder than Aalborg had so we were thankful of the easy find. It was across the road from Berlin’s original main train station, although now only the front wall of it is left. The hostel was huge, having been built inside an old convent, with a big communal area on the ground floor and lots of bedrooms upstairs. We got very familiar with the main train station as Marcus spent some time remedying his leaving the train tickets for the rest of the trip back in London but it all got sorted and we made our way back to the hostel which was just down the road from our next Christmas Market at the Potzdamer Platz. This one was even more Christmassy than the one in Aalborg with lights and stalls and all manner of things for you to buy. A bratwurst and gluhwein for dinner followed by Schneeballen and we were happy. The cold meant it wasn’t a late night though so we head back to the hostel and curled up nice and warm in our beds.

It was no warmer the next day, but we didn’t let that deter us. We made our way into East Berlin to the platz the site of another Christmas market. This one was even bigger than the last one. We wandered around, indulged in some of the food and generally got into the Christmas spirit. Jess had heard Berlin was a good city for shopping and her London bought boots just weren’t cutting it in the snows of Denmark and Germany, so she made her way around many a shoe store looking for boots that fit and looked the part. After checking out the stores, while Marcus kept himself amused checking out the neighbourhoods around them she finally found a pair that she liked. After much walking (ironically) we were knackered so it was time for another early night.

Our last day in Berlin was dedicated to checking out the sites (at least as many as you fit into one day). Our hostel was very close to where the wall had been so we found a section of the original wall which was still standing before checking out the Gestapo museum. It was a very heavy exhibition but done in such a way that you really got a feeling for how some people had suffered under Nazi rule. We crossed over Checkpoint Charlie, which without all the wall etc around it just felt a bit weird, and then carried on down through the old government centre. We stumbled across another Christmas Market, this time in the Heugonaut district. It therefore had a decidedly French feel to it with classy Christmas decorations and treats. We carried on up to Bebelplatz, the site of Hitlers infamous book burning and then made our way back down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate, the spiritual centre of what is Berlin. A quick trip across to the German Parliament and then back via the Jewish Memorial. Hundreds of stone blocks of varying heights which take up a whole square. Just nearby, with no signs other than a tiny plaque is a car park which is also the site of the bunker where Hitler was holed up when he committed suicide towards the end of the war. Considering the German’s are so prepared to face their horrendous past it seems odd that you could pass this site without even knowing it was there. Nice though. Wouldn’t want it becoming a shrine. After warming up ourselves again at the hostel we made our way out via the S-Bahn to another stretch of the wall, this time across the river called the East Side Gallery. This stretch is much larger than the one we had previously visited and has been decorated with all sorts of murals depicting various things, but many along the theme of unity. We made our way back to the hostel where we found a nearby restaurant that met all of our food and drink needs before tucking ourselves up in bed with a day well spent.

It was an early rise the next morning before heading off on the bus to the train station to cash in the first of those tickets we had spent the afternoon re-acquiring. We shared a table with an elderly German couple who didn’t speak a word of English but were happy to share their cake with us nonetheless. We arrived in Nuremberg just after lunch time and made our way to our funky little hotel, which was a cool old building with an Elk theme. It was then off to one of the events we had been looking forward to the most the Nurembergerweinachtsmarkt (yes, another Christmas Market, but this time the biggest and best.) We were hungry after our long train trip so found ourselves some Nurembergbratwurst and tucked in, senf and all. Very tasty and that kept us going as we travelled the various red and white striped stalls throughout the market (jammed in with all the other tourists too). We continued into some of the side markets where we checked out the Krippen (Nativity scenes) before making our way back to main market for the arrival of the Christkind. In Bavaria Santa Claus (locally known as the Weinachtsmann) isn’t the one who brings the presents to the children, rather it is the Christkind who comes around bringing her Christmas cheer. It is complicated, but essentially it is Catholic vs Protestant thing, with the Christkind being the Catholic. As the darkness came on we wandered further up the market into the food area and through town to check out all the lights. It was the last night that the market was open as it closed mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve, the next day. Turns out one of the best places in the area for getting authentic local food was the hotel in which we were staying so we enjoyed having wurst and schnitzel downstairs washed down with a big glass of Kitzmann (the beer from the town closest to where Marcus lived in Germany in 1996-1997.)

The next day was Christmas eve. It had warmed up considerably since our time in Aalborg and Berlin. This made it more comfortable as we wandered around the streets of Nuremberg, exploring the town. We went to have a look at the Burg, but unfortunately it was closed so we had to settle for having a look around outside. It was still nice to wander the streets and check out all the pretty houses and buildings. We made a last trip back to market to pick up all sorts of goodies. We didn’t want to be going hungry on Christmas. Once we were done there was no risk of that. After about 1pm the town started looking a bit empty, with shops closing up and all the locals heading home to see their families. It became a case of zombie tourists looking around for things to do. Us included. Unfortunately the warmer weather also meant that all of the snow had dried up so the chances of a white Christmas were starting to look slim. However, as the afternoon wore on and after coming across a random nativity scene with animals (real ones) all standing around looking cold, the snow started coming down and boy did it come down. It was making up for lost time and by the time we got back to the hotel there was a good couple of inches on the ground. Would it be there tomorrow though? These good little boys and girls made sure that they had an early night, even though in Germany everyone stays up till midnight and celebrates then.

We awoke on Christmas morning to discover the snow had continued through the night and it didn’t look like it was going to let up any time soon either so there was now a good foot of snow everywhere. After opening our presents we were pleased to see that there was still food at the hotel for breakfast and after some general lazing around decided to go for a wander through the snow. The streets were largely empty (other than the odd zombie tourist) and the shops were all looking very shut. We were worried it might be Pizza Hutt or McDonalds for Christmas dinner. No worries because it was Christmas, as proper as Christmas can get, no spray on snow here. After an obligatory afternoon snooze we went for another walk on the off chance that we would find some food, and as luck would have it we found an authentic German restaurant serving authentic German cuisine, and not just German, but Frankish (the region we were staying in). We got stuck into our Knodel, Duck, Deer and Kraut all washed down with a big Stein of Tucher and we couldn’t have been happier.

After our successful Christmas Day we were on the train again on Boxing Day, this time to Munich. We had in mind the train we were going to take but arrived early at the station so thought we would try our luck with another one. This did not prove to the best plan in the world as although our train was going to Munich the weather was so cold that halfway through the trip the wheels froze up and we ended up having to take a train back before swapping onto another way. At least we weren’t in the UK because it sounded like nothing was working there. We arrived in Munich and dropped our bags at the hostel (which luckily wasn’t far) before heading off down the main street to see what was going on. We stopped in at the St Michael's Church which is an old gothic church which houses the remains of King Ludwig II (the mad one who built all the castles and his relatives. It was pretty cold again so we made sure to stop in at one of the many beer halls surrounding the Marienplatz. We then continued on past the end of the main part of town and up towards the Maximillianeum, a large semi-circular building which houses the Bavarian Parliament. It was by this stage getting late and colder so we made our way back to the hostel for an early night.

The next morning we were up early again for a trip around the town some more. We started with a visit to the Frauenkirche, with its onion shaped domes and all manner of people buried inside. We stopped in quickly to St Peterskirche which has a notorious square where the devil stamped and left his mark. We didn’t climb the tower because we had to head outside to get a spot to see the world famous Glockenspiel. Much like the clock in Prague we were left feeling under whelmed but took photos and a video all the same. With that behind us we hunted around Munich for more to do and decided to pay a visit to the Residenz, a huge palace situated right in the middle of Munich. Just walking around you wouldn’t even realise it was there. Depending on whether you go morning or afternoon depends on what part of the palace you get to see. We spent a couple of hours wandering around getting a feel for how Bavarian royalty had lived it up over the years and eventually entered into decline. After all that history and walking we were ready for something to eat. One of the most famous places in Munich is of course the Hofbrauhaus, a massive beer hall famous for various things, including being the founding place of the Nazi party. Marcus had had an average experience the first time he had been, and a better experience the second so it was agreed that they would give it a go. The place is huge, with room after room filled with patrons downing their steins. After eventually finding a table we ordered ourselves some beers. Jess had the big beer and Marcus had the REALLY big beer. After slowly making our way through a few beers and some wurst, kraut and lebekase the sun was set and it was time for us to waddle our way back to the hostel.

We slept in a bit the next morning and having satisfied ourselves that we didn’t have anything more we wanted to see in central Munich we jumped on a train out to Dachau the site of a former Nazi concentration camp just outside of Munich. Marcus had been there before but it was still a grim visit for both of us through the cramped living conditions and reading about all the atrocities which had been committed there. This wasn’t as bad as the extermination camp at Auschwitz but it was still pretty horrifying to think what terrible things people can do to each other, and this was only 60 years ago, within living memory. After spending several hours there that was enough for one day and we made our way back to the hostel for a bite to eat and a lazy afternoon at another beer hall.

We woke a bit tired the next day after bed bugs attacks and noisy neighbours through the night, but we still made it with plenty of time for our train to Fussen, so called because it sits at the feet (or “Fussen”) of the mountains. The snow had been falling thick here, but luckily had eased by the time we arrived. It was really nice to be in a small town again, and a pretty one, if not a little bit touristy. We went for a wander around the old town, checking out the pretty painted buildings and parks. We thought we were stopping in an authentic local restaurant, however it turned out it was an “authentic medieval” local restaurant, complete with costumed waiters and axes on the walls. Our food was filling, if not a little bit messier than we had planned. After another trip around the town we made our way back to our lodgings. We call it lodgings because it was more of a Bed and Breakfast than a hostel and the room we were in had probably been a hallway at some stage. Handy to be able to get from your bed to the shower in one step though…

The next day we set off on the main reason why we had come to Fussen. We jumped on the local bus which took us up into the mountains a bit to visit the sites of the Mad King of Bavaria, Ludwig II’s castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Hohenschwangau is the familial home of Ludwig II’s ancestors and the place he grew up. It is situated on one side of the valley with a beautiful lake in between. The place was teeming with tourists but we managed to get our tickets and make it up to the gold coloured Hohenschwangau in time for our tour where we learned the history of the family and saw all of their furniture set out in each of the rooms and saw things like the secret passages and majestic murals. We then had some time to kill where we hiked our way up the steep road to the other side of the valley to see Neuschwanstein, the inspiration for the Disneyland Castle. We were tempted to succumb to the urge to jump on one of the horse and carts going up the hill but at tourist prices we managed to restrain ourselves. We had seen Neuschwanstein at a distances from the other side of the valley, but unfortunately by the time we got up to it the cloud had rolled in and we could barely see the wall in front of us, let alone the towers and spires above us. It was a bit like Lantau Island all over again. However, we were there and we still enjoyed the tour of the castle where they explained that it was barely ¼ finished due to Ludwig II having spent all of his family’s money and then being declared insane and taken away before dying in mysterious circumstances the following day. The rooms he had completed were certainly grandiose though with plenty of gold and amazing murals and tapestries all over the inside of the rooms we did see. They were largely based on the theme of Wagner’s operas. Ludwig II was a big fan and friend of Wagner. Having had enough castle time we finished the day thinking that perhaps a fresco in the ceiling of the living room wasn’t such a bad idea after all…

It was New Years Eve the next day and so we were back on the train again to Munich, but this time we didn’t stop there. We changed trains and crossed the border into Austria for a visit to Salzburg. The first time we had gone back to a country that we had already visited on this trip. If the many people on the train carrying crates of beer was anything to go by we weren’t the only ones planning on spending New Years in Salzburg either. After getting a bit lost on the way to our hotel we managed to find it and then had a wander around town thinking perhaps we should have booked somewhere to have dinner. Eventually we did find somewhere that was overpriced but at least it filled our bellies (and emptied our wallets…) before wandering across the river into the Altstadt to have a wander around and see what was going on for New Years. Although it was very cold the Gluhwein kept us going and it was good to see that there was a free concert which had been put on as well. There were markets and food stalls and overall a nice mellow evening was being had by everyone. It was good fun checking out what was going on and see how the locals see in the New Year. We managed to stay up until midnight and a local girl we got talking to told us that once New Years rolls around it was tradition to Waltz together. A bit posher than Auld Lang Sine. Our waltz was a bit pitiful, but at least we tried and nobody tried to tell us what to do like when we did dance lessons before getting married. After finshing our waltz and wandering around some more we managed to negotiate our way through the other New Year’s tradition, random fireworks being set off in the street, and made it back to our hotel with all of our eyes intact.

The last day our trip was spent having a look at the old town by daylight. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart so we thought it only fitting to take in some of the local Mozart attractions. We were staying just down the road from the house Mozart had lived in as an adult. It was now a museum which featured details of his music and aspects of his life. It was pretty cool for us non-musos to see the different parts of his music and how they interacted with his life at the time. It was certainly a spacious place that he had lived. It was then across the river and into Mozart’s birth house. The place his parents had lived when he was born. Again, pretty spacious. They were not exactly poor. This was the more popular attraction so much time was spent trying to fight other visitors just to see the exhibits which consisted of music, as well as things like combs and clothing and instruments. Marcus had had fond memories of last time he had been in Salzburg in 1997 when he visited the Burg (fort) on the hill above the town. Accordingly he took Jess up there again so that she could also have fond memories. Alas the quality of the Burg has deteriorated significantly in the 15 years since the last visit. What was originally a guided tour is now an audioguide tower where you have to go around with a group. You can’t even go at your own pace. This means that all 20 people in the group are all trying to look at the same thing at the same time. The quality of the audioguide is not exactly top notch either. Suffice to say, Burg is definitely not a must see anymore. After the disappointment of the Burg we needed something to cheer our spirits. We were in Austria so cake and coffee really were obligatory. We managed to find a place that served all manner of cakes including something we had been dying for all trip, Apfel Strudel. This, luckily, did not disappoint. We had our fill and tummies full wandered back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. With our last night on the trip it was time for one last dinner out. We headed our early to avoid disappointment and managed to find a place serving authentic Austrian cuisine. It was heaving with patrons but the were able to fit us in on a table shared with a few others. A hearty dinner with some more kraut, knodel and pork shoulders left us very full. Marcus did his best speaking to the neighbouring people who were there with their grandson from Germany (he thinks) and we finished our holiday satisfied.

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November/December

Guy Fawkes (or Bonfire Night) is celebrated in London at the start of November with a series of big fireworks displays around the city. With the assistance of George we managed to get ourselves onto a river cruise from which to watch the fireworks. We met with our friends at Westminster pier not quite sure which of many boats was ours. However, after some trial and error we made it onto the correct one and managed to stoke out a good (but chilly) possie on the top deck. The boat trundled its way past a lit up Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as well as Battersea Power Station till we reached Battersea Park. They even fed us along the way. We were certainly pleased of our spot when the fireworks started as we had a virtually unobscured view of what was going on. Even better than the residents of Chelsea on the opposite shore. The boat then slowly made its way back up the river to drop us off, sufficiently impressed but also sufficiently cold to need to head home and defrost ourselves.

It was also time to say goodbye to another pair of flatmates. This time it was Lauren and Jeremy who were heading back to Australia. Moving in to replace them were Andy and Camille who were the people we had taken the room from when we had first moved into the flat. Things had come full circle for them.

November was when we made our first trip to a London Club (yes we are lame). It was Proud Camden which is in the old stables at Camden Lock. Pretentious doesn't begin to describe it, but that was OK because we were celebrating Kate and Tree's 30th birthdays in 50s style. Jess was looking sweet in pink and white stripey dress and Marcus was looking cool with his slicked back hair. The place was packed but it was good to catch up with everyone. We wondered what was happening when the woman with a snake showed up but the party continued well into the night.

We also made it back out to the O2 Centre in Greenwich. This time to see one of the biggest acts of the moment, Gorillaz. The members of the band are cartoon characters but unlike previous times the band has toured, this time they actually had all the people out on stage singing and playing. There were loads of guests, some we had heard of and some we had not. Little Dragon was one of the better ones and although De La Soul were an hour and a half late they made their presence known when they did show up and jumped around the stage full of energy. Not the best concert we have been to but was still a good night out.

We managed to score ourselves tickets to a special screening of the latest Harry Potter movie at the Imax. We weren't sure why it was special but when we got there there were people dressed up in all the wizarding gear including what appeared to be professional actors as Hagrid and Professor McGonagal. It was good to see what all the Imax fuss was about too.

We lost even more flatmates in November with our kiwi flatties Bex and Riki finishing up their Visas and heading back to NZ. A traditional last meal at Ziloufs was in order as well as having some people around for some, surprisingly, subdued drinks.

By December the cold weather had well and truly set in again but that didn't stop us heading down to Borough Market. Still as delightful and tasty as it was last time we wandered around picking up various delicacies so that we could cook them up for a flat Christmas dinner. As nobody was actually going to be around on actual Christmas we had to settle for having it at the start of the month but in typical fashion we ate (far too much), drank and were merry as well as hanging tinsel and decorations around the flat. It was also a good way to get to know our new flatmates, with the flat having basically changed completely in the previous month.

More Christmas celebration was in order with a trip after to work to Winter Wonderland, in Hyde Park with Ian and Amy. It was pretty darn cold so we made the most of the mulled wine and the bratwurst (and the giant singing tree?) before beating a hasty retreat back to the flat.

Snow arrived in London towards the middle of December. It caused massive trouble for travellers with Heathrow and many of the other airports and train routes being closed for days. Luckily we got out the night before it all went down, on our biggest trip yet. This time to Denmark, Germany and Austria....

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https://picasaweb.google.com/JessicaLMcMillan/December2010

Vienna

It was a city new to both of us for our next trip to the continent. This time Vienna, the romantic capital of Austria. We arrived early on Friday morning, as the city was just awakening so things were looking pretty quiet. We hadn't done much research on this one so just decided to go for a wander through the city. It was like other European cities but you could tell everything was grander with more money. The buildings were big and well kept, the streets were clean and the people were well dressed. There was plenty of fur around and Marcus had to work hard to keep Jess away from it. In the main square Marcus introduced Jess to Leberkase. We also checked out the beautiful grounds of the Hofburg and parks surrounding it, including a meeting with Mozart and a Woodpecker. We continued our meandearing around the Ring Road, which surrounds the inner city of Vienna, checking out more of the grand state buildings and churches before wandering back into town for a sit down at one of the many cake and coffee houses for some very tasty baked delights. After all of that walking we put our feet up for a while before venturing out after dark to find somewhere to eat, where we indulged in Wiener Schnitzel, Pork, Sauerkraut and Knodel. After making a token effort to walk dinner off we wandered back to our cozy hotel for a good sleep. It was at this point we decided this was not going to be one of those holidays where you lose weight...

We arose early the next monring and after a tasty breakfast made our way to the Stadtpark with its manicured gardens and water features. After meeting up with Strauss we wandered down past the Palais Schwarzenberg till we reached our planned destination, the Naschmarkt. It is situated over the top of a canal and is a combination of food stall markets, restaurants and a flea market. The place was bustling with people so we stopped for some Viennese tea. We then took our time checking out the produce, pastries, meat and other things in the food market and the general random goings on in the flea market. We then wandered back to the main part of town to get something which Jess had been looking forward to since we arrived. The Sacher Tort. The Sacher Tort is a special rich chocolate cake that originates from the Hotel Sacher in the middle of Vienna, a bit like the Ritz in London. We took our seats beneath the sparkling chandelier and proceeded to order our Viennese Tea and Coffee and a slice of Sacher Tort each. It certainly was a rich tasty chocolate cake. Not one for every day consumption though. After heading back to the hotel to put our feet up again we changed our clothes and head back out again, this time taking the Tram out to to the Volksoper (People's Opera House) (we couldn't quite stretch the budget to go to the Staatoper (State Opera House.) After finding a surprisingly excellent pre-opera restaurant (where everything else around was a takeaway) we sat back to enjoy the opera of "Rusalka" by Dvorak. We weren't 100% sure what was going on all the time but in general terms water nymph falls in love with prince but has to give up being nymph to be human and spend time with the prince who eventually falls for someone else. If you have seen the Little Mermaid you know the general story. It was a modern take on an old story but the sets were amazing and the performers did an excellent (if not sometimes confusing) job. We were defintely more cultured for the experience.

The next day we made our way out on the train to Schloss Schonbrunn, a palace similar to Versailles and the historical home of the Austrian royal family. It was full of the standard opulence we had come to expect from touring around these grand palaces. However, as always it was the gardens which were really amazing. It was autumn so there were colourful leaves falling everywhere. The fountains (although not really working) were all very grand with all sorts of crazy carvings in them. The gardens at the back head uphill so when you get to the top you get a great view over the gardens and out into the suburbs of Vienna. There was also a proper hedge maze, with high hedges and twists and turns. We had some fun finding our way through that and the smaller hedge mazes nearby (for the kids...) We slowly made our way back to the main city, checked out of our hotel and then wandered around the city for one last evening. The Staatsoper is still accessable, even if you can't afford a ticket, because they broadcast what is happening inside onto a giant screen outside for all and sundry to enjoy. We made our last visit for some cake and coffee with just enough time to get out to the airport and back to London again.

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September & October - London & Leeds

We decided to keep it a bit more local for the rest of September. Following on from Notting Hill Carnival there is also the Thames Festival which has stalls and shows and all sorts of things all the way down South Bank. Good chance for us to start at Tower Bridge and leisurely wander our way down South Bank taking in music and food and performances. This all culminates in a parade which runs from Blackfriars, up the riverbank and then across the river and down South Bank again. It had been a long day by the time the parade came around so we had a glimpse of what was going on and then slowly made our way home through the crowds.

We also tried to get one of our old Wellington pastimes up and running again, the pub quiz. We made a few trips to the Tufnell Park tavern but Monday nights weren't working for us so this unfortunately died a death, maybe to be resurrected again one day...although we did manage to make it to the Tufnell Park Tavern in October for non quiz fun too. It was Amy's birthday and considering it is only across the road from their flat it was a perfect venue for a birthday dinner with all the usual suspects.

There continued to be museums in London which we hadn't yet made it to so we decided to remedy that a little more with a visit to the Science Museum. Not sure if it was just us having a bad day but we just weren't that interested in the exhibits as hard as we tried to be. I guess science just isn't our thing.

Another birthday we made it to in October was down in south London. This time we were celebrating Forrest's 30th birthday. Was great to catch up with him, Fagan, Monique and all the rest of their crowd. The KFC pie as a substitute for a cake went down a treat too.

By October the sun is still out but it is definitely colder. Still good weather for walking though so we made our way eastward along Regents Canal past Victoria park and all the way to Docklands with a stop at the Roman Road along the way. The Roman Road is in Tower Hamlets and is an old trading route but other than the sign telling you you are at Roman Road you wouldn't think it was different to any other road in London. Canal walking is good though. That is definitely something we will miss when the time comes to leave London.

Although the weather was starting to get a bit colder as we got into October we still decided to make our way out to Leeds Castle (in Kent...nowhere near Leeds), which was supposed to be the most beautiful castle in England. After getting the train from Victoria and a small bus to get there we were certainly impressed with its classical turrets and with a lake surrounding it. A look around the inside was more like being in a stately home than a castle, but that is because it has been lived in till relatively recently and can still be rented out for weddings and other occasions. We also took a look around the grounds of the castle, complete with beautiful manicured gardens, an aviary with all manor of exotic birds (although the Kea were hiding) and a hedge maze. This one was a proper hedge maze. Much better than what we had experienced at Hampton Court and it actually took us quite a long time to get through it. Once you made it to the exit you went underground into a cave grotto. Scary for kids but fun for the adults too.

In October (somewhat later than initially planned) Tom and Gini arrived back in London before making their way slowly back to NZ. We managed to catch them one night during their hectic schedule for a dinner of beautiful fish followed by cocktails at Ziloufs. Bon Voyage our travelling friends.

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https://picasaweb.google.com/JessicaLMcMillan/October2010

Naples & the Amalfi Coast

Our next Summer trip was to catch up with Tom and Gini while they were on their van tour around Europe.  We thought we would make a long weekend out of it so spent a couple of days in Naples seeing the sites before meeting up with tang in their Smurf Van and heading to Amalfi Coast. To be honest we weren't expecting much from Naples as we heard it was rather dirty and didn't have much going for it except inventing pizza.  We arrived at our hostel late on Friday night feeling rather tired.  After discovering how to get inside our hostel (buttons and buzzers and stairs and confusion...) we were pleasantly surprised with our room; it even had a kitchen and lounge area. Ahhh low budget luxury.  We were tired and hungry so weren't up for much of an adventure that night so the hostel man ordered us a pizza for our first taste of Naples pizza -Magherita and it was delicious and cheap. Yum!

The next day we awoke more refreshed and wanting to get some history in we headed to Pompeii. After some help from the locals about which train we should have been on (as opposed to the one we were actually on) we arrived at the site of the buried city of Pompeii.We were amazed in the size of the ruins and spent a good few hours wondering around. It was very different from what we had seen in Greece where over time the buildings had become ruined and run down. This was an instant event where the volcano had erupted and buried the entire city. Much of it is still to be excavated. You get a much better feel for what it would have been like to live in the city because you are walking around in the city, going into people's houses and seeing the places where they would have spent their life. The plaster cast of the victims frozen in time were very moving. After a good look around Pompeii we headed back to Naples for a look around. We stopped for some local Pizza although were very confused about what we were ordering and weren't particularly impressed when it turned out to be Margherita (yum) with Tuna (yuck.) The heat prevented us moving to quickly and we needed to stop for some yummy lemon slushy and beer on the way but we got a good look around the central part of Naples where the shops and tourist attractions are located.  That evening we headed out to an authentic Italian restaurant and had tasty bruschetta, pasta and a lemon dessert. After a full on day we then headed back to our hostel to put our weary feet up.

The next day we headed off to the fancy island of Capri (Capri Pants to Marcus).  We didn't see much more than Italian X-Factor (sleep time) on the ferry ride but once we arrived in Capri we could instantly see why it was such a tourist destination. It is stunning. After deciding that the cable car queue was too long and that it wasn't worth while waiting for a  bus to arrive we headed up the hill on foot. The walk wasn't too bad -  would be a lot easier if we were coming direct from NZ as London has taught us to struggle with even the slightest hill. That took us into the main town of Capri, up the top of the hill. It was tight streets for pedestrians only decked out with boutique shops, cafes and trinket shops for all the tourists, and they had certainly come. You couldn't move one way or the other without getting caught up in a guided tour. However, we made our way through the throngs (with a gelato along the way) and came out at the east end of town where it opened up a bit more and was a bit higher up too. The view at the top was definitely worth the trip. We then wandered around the other side of the hill through a garden where there was a film crew shooting a movie we think. Not surprising with the scenery up there. They were all speaking Italian though so not sure what was really going on. Through the other side of the park we reached the south coast where we were up for more stunning sea views. There were plenty of boats down on the water too showing that many of the rich visitors travel by their own boats to the island. We wandered down Via Krupp which was a crazy winding road down the steep hill to the water. After checking our watches we decided not to wander along the whole of the south coast, instead heading back up Via Krupp and through the town again to jump on the next Ferry back to Naples. It was then a rush back to our hostel to get our bags and then down to the main train station where we met up with Tom and Gini in their van (although somewhat later than we had planned.) Tom managed to navigate his way through the Naples traffic (I think the rules are drive wherever you feel like it) to get us out around the Bay towards our next destination, the Amalfi Coast. It was good to catch up with a browner (and in Tom's case hairier) Tom and Gini and hear jealously about how their travels had been going so far. Tom aided by the TomTom managed to guide us to the camp site, situated pretty near the end of the Amalfi peninsula in Nerano. After setting up camp we rewarded ourselves with a Birra Moretti and did some research into how we would spend the rest of our time around Amalfi. Tom and Gini treated us to a dinner of cheese, tomatoes, olives, basil and olive oil followed by pasta. Mamma Mia! After helping Tom and Gini with their Chianti it was time for bed in the spare room (or tent).



We arose at a leisurely hour the next day and wandered down to the beach by the camping ground to catch some rays. The place was jam packed with people and you could certainly tell the ones who had just arrived from London, with their white skin....After tackling some with jellyfish in the water we decided we were better off on land. We found the local bus and then (wondering how it would fit around the windy roads) made our way across to the resort town of Sorrento. Sorrento is one of those towns which was once pretty, and still is in parts, but sometimes you have to look under all of the tacky tourist paraphernalia to find that prettiness. We found a place to sit down for a nice seafood lunch and then went for a wander around the local streets. Tom and Gini got distracted by the cameo shop so we went and wandered around the town some more by ourselves, checking out a local wedding at the church and admiring the view out to the see. Sorrento town is on a cliff above the sea but you can also wander down to the beaches, which we did after Tom and Gini selected a suitable cameo broach. Unfortunately they were all private pay beaches and as the day well past lunchtime we decided it wasn't worth spending the money to go and sit on them. There was a little public beach which we went for a splash around on but with the sun descending over the horizon we decided it was time to return to the camping ground. After another stellar camping ground dinner from Tom and Gini and some sangria and limoncello it was happily back to bed again.


 
Our final day in Amalfi was spent with Tom piloting Smurfy along the winding narrow roads along the coast. The landscape is breathtaking. Like being in a James Bond movie (if James Bond drove a campervan). You have steep cliffs up on the left of you with house perched all over them and steep cliffs down on the right of you to the sea, with little beaches scattered along the way. It was very picturesque. We obviously weren't the only ones who thought so, as there was plenty of traffic to stop you travelling too quickly. We stopped for a laze on the beach out the beautiful town of Minori where we caught the last Mediterranean sun and sea that we were likely to see for a while. We also managed to find a pasta restaurant that specialised in ravioli. We can comfortably say that that was the best ravioli we have ever had. Satiated we climbed back into the van where Tom and Gini drove us to the airport to return to London and then proceeded on their way to the ferry in Croatia.

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August - Parties and Opera

After farewelling Jess' parents in Athens when we returned to London we were up for a few parties. Paul Zubkov who has been living in Germany for the past few years was visiting London and invited us out for a few drinks at Tiger Tiger bar.  Although we weren't impressed with the bar (think central London pretentious) it was great catching up with him and also with Forrest who we didn't know who had moved to London and couldn't believe it when we told him we had been living there for 18 months already. The night moved on to Wahaca for some yummy mexican food and then as it was a Monday we headed home to sleep.

Another regualar event in London is the Notting Hill carnival. It is where all the West Indian communities get together and have a massive street party. The day didn't turn out quite as planned but we still got to have some rum punch and goat curry before the rain poured down. We were rather unprepared so after sheltering under some trees we spotted a stand selling umbrella's and bought an appropriately theme Jamican umbrella. We then headed to have a look at the parade the costumes were amazing and the young girls had a much better spirit than us braving it in the rain. The carnival has a bad repuation for being hijacked by young gangs and the shops and houses were all heavily boarded up but we didn't see anyone causing any problems. Just hordes of people having some fund and enjoying the reggae. After having a wander around and a bit of a dance we headed back to the local bar (Zilouf's) for some more rum.

It had been a while since our last flat party this time from Jeremy's suggestion the theme was Spartacus. With leaf directions painted gold and finally getting the hang of tying togas, so we weren't being inappropriate, we were ready to party! It was typical of our Upper Street parties and Jess enjoyed catching up with Abbie and Andrew from work - even though it took a lot of convinicing to get them into costume!



It was also Emma's Birthday in August and this year she decided to have a girls night at the school disco - dress up compulsory! Jess headed over in school uniform to Emma's flat and was getting a few weird looks on the tube but she wasn't concerned.  After a few drinks there they headed to the disco which is held in an actual school hall in Great Portland Street. It brought back a lot of memories but luckily this school disco had a bar. We were surprised about how young the other people there looked as who would want to go to a school disco party if you had just finished school? We had a great night busting some moves.

On a quieter note we also thought it would be good to go to see something from the BBC Proms. They Proms are a series of classical music concerts sponsored by the BBC.  We decided to head off to the Hansel and Gretel Opera with Robin and Mary at the Royal Albert Hall.  It was a good night out and the Opera was much easier to follow since we knew the story line. Who would have thought we were so cultured?

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