http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Lou Fitzgerald/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Lou Fitzgerald en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 11:04:49 BST Fri, 16 May 2008 11:04:49 BST Rupesh And Lou In Oz 18th December16th January 2008First of all Rupesh was never coming to Australia he was coming to Spiderland. Let's just say he's not a great lover of spiders of any shape or size Just to give you an idea of his fear we had just booked our tickets to Melbourne in September and were walking home from the tube station when he exclaimed look at that bad boy When Rup http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/blog-237108.html Hong Kong Macau 28th November2nd December 2007I was very excited to be leaving London knowing I was on the way home to Summer in Melbourne. It was also nice knowing that in 2 weeks time Rupesh would be joining me on his first trip to Australia. Most of my family had no idea I was coming home least of all mum. The morning of the day I was to leave London I was on MSN Messenger to mum. I h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-228002.html Portugal 22nd Nov 26th Nov 2007Rupesh and I spent almost 5 days on a road trip exploring Portugal. We basically covered a small loop beginning and ending in Lisbon.LisbonRupesh was impressed with our Fiat Punto that we picked up from Lisbon airport. I was more impressed that we made it in to central Lisbon and to our hostel without getting lost The hostel had only been open for 3 weeks and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/blog-221610.html Turkey 23rd Oct 19th Nov 2007On the 22nd of October I finished working in Barking East London at the Community Rehabilitation Service as did Bern and Elizabeth. It's certainly not ideal having 3 locums running a service Our working holiday visas were soon to expire. Unfortunately we didn't have any new staff to hand over to which was very disappointing for us but more so for our patients http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/blog-221609.html Back in the UK 20th July 22nd October 2007After our last stop in Greece we returned to London and Mum went to Spain for 10 days and I started work in Peterborough. For the next 6 weeks I worked in Critical Care on a respiratory ward. Back to nurses accommodation Only this time I had the penthouse suite on the 7th floorThere is always lots happening and the weekends always seem to fill up http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/blog-208609.html Greece 13th 19th July 2007Visa requirements continue to be very strict While in Greece it was a requirement to eat gyros souvlaki greek salad and greek yoghurt What else can you do but follow the customs of the country you are in at the timeAthensWe spent 2 days in Plaka in central Athens. The Acropolis just happened to be closed for those 2 days due to security staff striking. Jus http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Thessaly/Meteora/blog-199612.html Italy 24th June 13th July 2007From Austria we crossed in to Italy and spent the next 2 and half weeks exploring this amazing country.As you can probably tell it's still all about the food Visa requirements for Italy are very strict. It is a requirement to have at least 1 gelati per dayWe didn't get off to a very good start in Italy. Very soon after crossing the border we stopped to use http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/blog-199611.html Austria 19th 24th June 2007From Germany we continued our road trip driving across the boarder in to Austria.InnsbruckWe were surrounded by mountains as we got closer to Innsbruck. Such beautiful countryside. Innsbruck is where Swarovski Crystal is made so we paid a visit to the museum called Kristallwelten. The museum was really well done however mum had great difficulty restraining hersel http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/blog-199610.html Germany 12th 19th June 2007This was just the beginning of our 5 week Western Europe Trip through Germany Austria Italy Greece and featured Me My Mum Bernadette Elizabeth Tom The Tesco Tent Bern Elizabeth's tent which cost 15 pounds and was very mishapen by the end of the trip. It was farewelled in Santorini never to return to London. Sammy The Salewa Tent definitely not from http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/blog-199608.html Paris Mumrsquos 10 Challenges 5th8th June 2007For Mothers Day last year I gave mum a voucher which Jessica put together for me and it said that I would take her to Paris for the weekend when she came out to see me. The voucher had a picture of the Eiffel Tower in the background and listed 10 challenges that she must complete while in Paris.In true lsquoMum Stylersquo all 10 challenge http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/-le-de-France/Paris/blog-192641.html UK Trip8th May 4th June 2007 Mum and I had a couple of days in London before taking off again for our trip around the UK and Ireland. We spent some time in Harrods and rode their Egyptian escalators valued at 20 million pounds My nieces and nephews will be happy as mum did a bit of shopping at Hamleys multilevel toy store on Regent Street. We also made it to the changing of the guards http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/blog-172355.html From La Tania to the French Riviera 11th April 7th May 2007 Mum and I left London to start a road trip through the middle of France to the French Alps to spend a week in La Tania where I had worked and to then travel back to London with Bern and Elizabeth via the South of France. London to Dover to Calais to Reims A very long day of travelling after catching the train to Dover the ferry t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/blog-167660.html London 5th 10th April 2007 I met mum at Heathrow Airport on Good Friday. Rupesh and I were holding up two signs one that said ldquoMumrdquo and the other ldquoBlack Forrest Chocolate Wanted Hererdquo It was great to see her and the chocolate Mum and I then went and sat by the Thames in Richmond and she had her first Pimms and lemonade a drink she said she hadnrsquot had in ove http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-166128.html La Tania Corcheval December 2006 April 2007After leaving ldquosunnyrdquo Peterborough at the start of December I headed to La Tania in the French Alps with Bernadette and Elizabeth to begin a ski season as chalet hosts. It was a sad farewell to Rupesh who I had started seeing over the past month and a half but he promised to come and visitChalet ChristineI was working in Chalet Christ http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Rh-ne-Alpes/blog-122775.html Peterborough The Peak District 23rd October 1st December 2006London 13th22nd OctoberIt was great to spend 3 weeks in Melbourne catching up with family and friends but it was time for me to head back to London on the 12th of October to start working and travelling again. Such a terribly hard life I didnrsquot seem to be able to get a locum position while I was still in Melbourne and i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Cambridgeshire/Peterborough/blog-105422.html Hawaii 11th 17th September 2006San Francisco to Honolulu to Kona Hawai'iThe Big Island Spencer Beach ParkHappy 26th Birthday Bern and Elizabeth and just for your birthday I'm taking you both to Hawaii and I'm coming too Very high security alerts flying in the States on September 11. We were no longer able to carry liquids on the plane due to problems at Heathrow in the last month http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Big-Island/Kailua-Kona/blog-91679.html Road Trip Through California Arizona Utah Nevada 17th August 10th September 2006Vancouver to San Francisco Hostel International San Francisco Downtown CaliforniaThere was certainly some very strange looking low lying cloud as we flew down to San Francisco. The cloud appeared to be hugging the coastline. Spent the day exploring the city. Caught a cable car up a very steep street and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-91656.html Road Trip Through the Canadian Rockies More 6th 16th August 2006Toronto to Vancouver to Revelstoke Lake Williamson CampgroundAn early morning flight out of Toronto to Vancouver. After picking up a car at the airport we headed for Revelstoke. It was certainly a very scenic drive with snow on the mountaintops.Revelstoke to Yoho NP Takakkaw FallsDrove up to Mt. Revelstoke. Spectacular m http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Lake-Louise/blog-90970.html Toronto Around 1st5th August 2006After Amsterdam we had a day in which we turned Bern's flat in London in to a Chinese laundry It was also then that I realised how much stuff I had accumulated since arriving in London seven months ago. I have left quite a substantial bag plus a smaller bag and my bike in a garage in Marble Arch central London. I can officially no longer carry all my bel http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-90504.html Amsterdam Bike Ride 25th30th July 2006Bike Events UK a bit like Bicycle Victoria organised a week long bike ride through The Netherlands and Holland. Bern Elizabeth and I were rather pleased to read that the highest point in The Netherlands was only 312 metres and this was not on our route. It was not going to be a very hilly bike ride and this was a good thing when there hadn't been muc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-78768.html