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We're fun loving Floridians infected with the travel bug and a need to see the world and it's many cultures. Combined we've been to over 40 countries and can't wait to add a few more this trip. We're currently bound for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland - Taking an RV through some of Western Europes most beautiful areas not to mention trekking to the mecca of beer guzzling - Munich's Oktoberfest. Drop us a line and maybe our paths will cross in some foreign land. Happy Travels!John and Kamrin
Travel Blog Posts
June 10th 2005
Tim Tam Slam - I recently introduced Kamrin to the Tim Tam Slam. This Aussie tradition goes like this. Get a hot beverage of your choice - coffee, latte or hot chocolate and then open up a bag of Tim Tams. These cookies are made of two chocolate biscuits filled with chocolate moose and then dipped in chocolate. By themselves they are pretty sinful but incorporating them into the slam takes it far beyond the point of repentance. To perform the perfect slam the ‘Slammer’ takes a bite from opposite corners of the Tim Tam, holds the Tim Tam in their mouth and uses it as a straw to suck up the hot beverage. As the hot coffee hits the biscuits and chocolate filling the whole things turns into a molten mass of yummy goodness. And ... read more
June 9th 2005
Daintree Thursday morning we headed north along Cook’s Highway a winding coastal road that meanders through the beautiful palm strewn tropical ecosystems of North Queensland. We took a slight detour to the sleepy tourist town of Port Douglas. There was a gorgeous little church there with a huge window at the ocean side in giving the parishioners a breath taking view of the eye-catching vista’s of Port Douglas. The streets were lined with boutique shops and mom and pop tucker shops. We snapped a few photos grabbed a smoothie and were on our way again. Our destination was Cape Tribulation, named by the intrepid explorer Captain Cook on his first journey along Australia’s coast in the 1800’s. Cook here discovered that he had been cornered in a cul-de-sac of reefs and had no way to continue ... read more
June 8th 2005
After checking into our hotel in Cairns Kamrin and I went downstairs and utilized our meal ticket at PJ Obrien’s Irish Pub. What a stroke of luck. Our hotel just happened to be located directly above the best Irish pub in Cairns and the rate for the room included a a meal ticket for PJ’s. We had a pint and some Irish stew at an outside table and took in the Queensland evening. After enjoying our first Pint on Aussie Soil we headed towards the Esplanade, Cairns water-side park. A short stroll down the Esplanade found us walking up the steps of the Chapel Bar and Grille to meet Stuart and Kim. Stuart is a mate of mine from my time in Townsville. He is currently working as an attorney, but I made his acquaintance back ... read more
June 7th 2005
We're here! Believe it or not, after 24+ hours of non stop travelling Kamrin and I are on terra firma in Australia. Picked up the rental car and headed into downtown Cairns. Not too tired and no worse for wear. We're meeting up with an old mate of mine from my time in Townsville tonight for a pint or two and then off tomorrow to the north. Port Douglas and the Daintree rain forest. More to come later. Love ya 'Heaps' as the Aussies would say. ... read more
October 6th 2004
Leaving Las Vegas It took us a while to get all the cylinders firing this morning. Another dreary day in Munich but perfect weather to usher us into the Alps with its clear sunny skies and the drier grade “A” air. After three days of sausage and beer we are ready for some high altitude hikes and healthier food and beverage choices. Don’t get me wrong friends Oktoberfest goes down as a Mt. Everest experience, every other party in the future will feel like a kindergarten cupcake fest with a clown, but you have to leave Las Vegas eventually before it swallows you whole. We headed south out of town with our eyes set on the famous village of Ober-Ammergau. The village is a mecca for site seers. The townsfolk have half-timbered homes with white stucco ... read more
October 5th 2004
Oktoberfest. Eins, zwei, drei, …… Suffa! (One, two, three ……. Chug) Although we did have a nice tour of the Deuches Museum this morning with all of it’s ships and plains, as well as taking a pious journey to St. Luke’s Cathedral, by far the most significant event of the day was the Oktoberfest. En route I stopped in a subway WC to change into my Bavarian outfit. Decked out in Lederhosen, a white button up shirt, long green socks and an official felt cap - looked the part but I didn’t quite feel it yet. It felt like every eye was on me wondering what train this embarrassment of a tourist emerged from and how quickly can we get this chunder head back to where he came from. A centuries long tradition, the Wiesen (Oktoberfest) ... read more
October 5th 2004
Backroads Germany We left the Rothenburg campsite after showering and battening down the hatches for the next stretch of our voyage. Today we would be following the “Romantic Road” which connects several small picturesque villages via a winding 2 lane road through Bavaria’s lush farm land. From the road we could see beyond the patchwork of fields and streams to quaint little villages each with their own church in the center surrounded by the 50 or so homes of its inhabitants. Often the road would cut right through the middle of town giving us a close up view of the bustling shops and cafes. The more rural cities seemed almost disserted as everyone was already out in the fields at work, while one or two larger towns had busy city centers. We took a few unintended ... read more
October 5th 2004
Getting Medieval! We arose very early this morning so that we could pack the RV with our groceries, tidy up the hose and drive Daniel to the train station so she could head into Stuttgart for her Monday classes. We packed the fridge and the drawers with good food, loaded up in the RV and off we raced like a heard of turtles through Karsbad’s tiny streets. In the pre-dawn darkness the already narrow thoroughfares seemed down right constricting, particularly as semi trucks came whizzing by. Danieala was like “Wow you are pretty good at this - I mean I would be freaking out driving like this.” And with her riding shot gun I think we were both a little anxious. We dropped her off with only a minute to spare before her train came and ... read more
October 5th 2004
Making tourists of the locals. We both slept in till noon today, clocking some much needed rest. We awoke to find Daniela with her paper for school completed and the accompanying presentation almost finished, therefore freeing her up to spend the day with us. We had a nice lunch of several types of bread, cheese, deli meats, salad and jam, along with a nice cup of coffee it made for a fine start to our first full day in Germany. After some discussion and Daniela text messaging some friends on her mobile phone we made a decision to head over to a small village in France for the day. Germans, like Australians, send text messages on their mobile phones more often than calling each other. Unlike the States, where you have a contract for so many ... read more
October 5th 2004
Safe and Sound. What a Blitzkrieg! But we are now at my friend Daniela’s beautiful home in the small village of Karlsbad. We arrived in Frankfurt with no airplane dramas and took a taxi to the RV depot 15 minutes from the airport. In a cool coincidence it turned out that the gentleman who rented us the RV owns a home in Central Florida and knows all the cities and attractions. What are the chances? We had a good time with this fellow and he gave us the grand tour trusty stead. With all the buttons and levers he showed me it will be a miracle if I can keep this baby running the whole trip. The RV was way more advanced than we had anticipated and we both kept smiling at each other like a16 ... read more
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