http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Kymbolix/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Kymbolix en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:32:42 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:32:42 +0000 Today we do more planning for the time ahead. Tomorrow we will go to Turkey for the day then we leave to stay on Kastelorizo.Today I found this joint right next door to the hotel and looking over the beach and Turkish coast 100m from the water's edge with the best internet facilities yet. Inexpensive and real good equipment. It's called Patty's Lounge Bar Restaurant. The bar is also good and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Rhodes/blog-331872.html At 8 we meet a bus for the harbour of Rodos. Here we get on the 2 hour ferry to the Dodecanese island Symi. First stop for a look around is at Panormitis. Their museum here indicates the significance of their resistance to the Nazi regime during WW2. It's in a beautiful enclosed and protected harbour. We leave at midday for the main harbour of Symi in the north east of the island. This whole ar http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Rhodes/blog-331870.html Just can't say no to these enthusiastic young Americans. Today our guide is Sadie with the Fat Tires again. We walk 15 minutes from the hotel to meet at their headquarters. We ride through Paris I think it's good that it's Sunday morning. At the RER station we leap on with bikes and go to Versailles. Negotiating the traffic to the palace and grounds is more challenging and fun. After a lo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Versailles/blog-331863.html I just love the Paris metro. Getting anywhere is such a breeze. This morning we take it to Gare StLazarre to meet our group for the day. The Fat Tire Bicycle Company seem to be guided and organised by young expat Americans. Today it's Paul. We ride to the RER station and jump on with our bikes 4 to a carriage entrance to go to Vernon 45 minutes away. Once there we get off ride to the local http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-331859.html Today is really the first time we've come across a reliable internet connection. There is one in the hotel but is quite expensive and down every time I go to use it. The hotel Ialyssos Bay is recently refurbished completely rebuilt more like is very modern and luxurious. It's a one minute walk to the beach in case you can't stand fresh water such as in the waveless pool. The view out of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Rhodes/blog-330722.html Finally got away after changing our flight from last Saturday. Travel with MAS was pretty uneventful arrived in CDGParis after 24 hours in transit via K.L. Took the RER from the airport then after a coffee and a croissant we take a taxi from Gare du Nord. We arrive at the address on our hotel printout only to find it's a closed orthodontist even though Jo might have been glad of it i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-330720.html On Sunday we all meet at the other hotel for a breakfast again sponsored by JeanPaul and Janine who are as ever unbelievably hospitable. Afterwards some guests depart back to France and other parts while a number of us go with our hosts to stay in Lavey. Juliane and Ueli take us to Lavey les Bains which is a natural thermal pool system turned into an extensive playground for the steamed froze http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-East/blog-327112.html Today is why we are in Switzerland. The wedding of the century. Like a fairy tale. Friends and family from the four corners of Earth. After rain all the way from Denmark over the past week 777 turns on a sensational day good enough to go paragliding like some locals did. For me there was an unforgettable event unfolding. The activities in the castle were amazingly well organised. Juliane an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/blog-327096.html After about 14 hours on trains we arrived at Lausanne. An almost instantaneous leap across the platform and our connection is underway along the northern edge of Lake Leman Lake Geneva. We pass through Villeneuve Red Bull Acro Competitions will be here in a month or so on to Montreux past the beautiful Chateau Chillon on the banks of the lake and finally arrive in Aigle around 830am.Acros http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/Montreux/blog-245786.html Well it's been a long couple of days. What with the family from hell and their three little ones who rostered themselves to squeal cry demand fight and run down the aisle throughout the night it just made me realise how lucky I was. We were at least seated on the other side of the aircraft and I had kept my earplugs supplied by the Hotel in Heidelberg. In any case I resorted to watching ano http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-181919.html It was a long day and night left Les Jardins Eiffel at 845 am and finally took off at 1pm. I guess it takes a while to cover 13000 km.So we have the day in Singapore Starting out with a very civilised relax in the QANTAS lounge before we hit the city. Scheduled to move on at 11 tonight...Keep watching the space have a lot of gaps to fill in when we get home... http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-181349.html Final morning in Paris. Had beautiful weather yesterday at last Now heading for Charles De Gaulle for the long trip home be there Monday morning. Here it is Bastille Day http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-181070.html Wednesday evening we all caught the train for Heidelberg an easy trip. Got a cab to our hotel not expensive a short trip formula one driver. I guess this hotel is alongside a busy road as in spite of double glazed windows and roller shutters we each have a pair of earplugs beside the bed... We have arrived in time to find a Pizzeria near the hotel that opens until 11pm Jo hit it off wi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Baden-W-rttemberg/Heidelberg/blog-178011.html After a couple of days in Hannover we got in a nice tour between showers around the historic parts of the city. Especially dramatic was the setup in the old town hall of 4 models of the entire city of Hannover dating from about 1600. The last two were in the first half of the 20th century the 4th one being 1945. Shocking to see the contrast. The ancient churches that have been faithfully r http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Lower-Saxony/Hannover/blog-184915.html Well train travel really IS the way to go. Had two beautiful trains from Kobenhavn. The route went a different way than I expected and at one stage the train stopped shut down and seemed to have been evacuated of all but 2 or 3 pax. Then I noticed we were surrounded by large transports not a hijack but we had driven very long train on board a ship and for 45 minutes getting our sea legs all http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Lower-Saxony/Hannover/blog-176793.html Now we are at Hamburg railway station about to connect to Hannover expect to arrive about 11pm. All travelling well but a bit footsore after our day in Copenhagen.. I think a large rain mass is moving across central Europe there has been flooding in Britain. We managed to avoid it by going north from Oslo when we were in Norway. We had nice weather while Oslo had rain each day we were a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-176431.html This morning we went with Zoe on the tram to Frogner Park to see the gardens and numerous sculptures of Gustav Vigeland 18691945Soon we leave Helgesensgate for the port and get underway for Denmark overnight. We are due to arrive about 9am Copenhagen time. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Denmark/Region-Hovedstaden/Copenhagen/blog-175807.html It's been a day of reorganising and repacking so that all four of us are equipped for the journey through four more countries and so we are equipped for the Wedding of the Century. Chris and I walk around to the pizza shop opposite Sofienberg Park to fetch lunch. In the afternoon we all get a cab outside the apartment to take us to the ferry terminal for our overnight passage to Denmark. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Norway/Ostlandet/Oslo/blog-175809.html Today Chris went out doing outdoors stuff with friends rappelling etc. We all met up at Glen and Trine's place for dinner. Toby Alli Angas and Espen were there for a while. Then we had an amazing meal of local crabs and prawns. The crabs were a new exercise in dining. We stopped when Christer had finished the last of the prawns then topped it off with gateaux made by Trine during the day.C http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Norway/Ostlandet/Oslo/blog-175813.html Tonight we drove up to Skjetten to have dinner with Chris' dad David Merete Maiken and Sebastian. We had a lovely evening wth them until the sun was in decline each night it's about 1am... http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Norway/Ostlandet/Oslo/blog-175811.html