http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Mapes and Cookie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Mapes and Cookie en-us Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:51:55 BST Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:51:55 BST Jess Cook just turned 24. Yay for Jess Cook She got a Nintendo DS from her parents for the long lonely trip between Salzburg and Graz. She already has 3 games what a nerd Sims 2 Fish Tycoon and Elite Beat Agents in German. Happy Birthday Jess Cook http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-326890.html We forgot to add the main photos to that last blog sorry. Check out Jess in love http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-322623.html 2808This blog is a little over due. On the 2nd of August we went to the Tennis Masters in Graz. It was a championship held for retired tennis players. We think its held each year and this year it was in Graz featuring the one and only Pat Rafter. We were pretty pumped before we even the house as you can see from the photos it was also just a few days before Andrews birthday and we manag http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-322502.html Some of my favourite quotes by Americans I overheard during our Italy holiday....these although hard to believe were said seriouslyMale approx 25yrs oldabout drinking taps throughout Italy running constantlyIn America man I only drink bottled water I won't drink it out of the tap. It is drinkable i just dont do it. But like here man the taps on the street run all the time. I feel like http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/blog-321956.html Day 8 We left Rome for Villa San Giovanni the toe of Italyrsquos boot at 7.45am and arrived at 2pm. For this part of the journey I hadnrsquot planned every detail like I had for the rest of the trip BIG MISTAKE Maybe a map would have helped. So we arrive at Villa San Giovanni and start to head for the ferry. I presumed that along the ramp to the ferry somewhere we would be able to purc http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/blog-321951.html Day 6 Big day planned. Made the most of our 8 Euro per night stay in Peter Pan by eating up big at the free breakfast then hit the road at 9.30am. We headed straight for the Colosseum and were super impressed. It is massive. Due to our mega tight budget we didnrsquot pay the 11 Euros each to get in but got a good look from the outside and the surrounding ruins. Hopefully we will go inside http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-321946.html Our latest adventure was awesome. We had the best time ever. We decided to get a pretty serious holiday in before uni starts in 3 weeks so decided to head for Italy. Jess planned for hours and hours to find the cheapest of everything hostels trains buses the works. Day 1We left for Venice via Villach the bottom of Austria a three hour train trip between each stop. When we hopped on the tra http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-321927.html On one of our frequent trips to Salzburg land Jess and I did a day's worth of sight seeing and came across many awesome things in one single day.We began with breakfast at IKEA the highlight and when leaving IKEA came across Salzburg's Battle of the Bands competition which was awesome. Jess and I sat in the sun for nearly three hours having a good laugh at the young Austrian rockstars looking http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Salzburg-State/Salzburg/blog-302210.html Well It has been a while since we last blogged We have been travelling between Graz and Salzburg a lot this last month organising visas houses Austrian insurance German translations applying for grants and undertaking a 2 week German course. Im very happy to tell you all that I now have a visa a house in Salzburg appropriate documents to live in Austria and my German is slightly better http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-302196.html Jess is still in full flight as a tourist.This guy is still in full flight as a nerd. http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Botswana/Ghanzi-District/blog-290085.html Howdy folks heres a few things we have been up to lately. The Euro Masters soccer tournament was held mainly in Austria this year so we got into the football fever as did most of the country. Unfortunately there were no games held in Graz but we got to watch the games at FanZones in the city centre and at pubs etc. But Austria didn't win any of their 3 matches and drew 1 game against Poland so http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-290063.html We got our silver thin coins from a lady who smelt like cats and went up to the laundry. There was no where for these precious coins to fit at all no matter how hard we rammed them into random 220V sockets so we chucked our stuff into the machines and hit the start button and it started so we were happy with that and kept our coins to give to the many beggers about town. We were super impressed b http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-279095.html All we want to do is our stupid washing and we cant. We have been back in Graz for 2 weeks used up every single item of clothing we own and cannot get the key to the laundry from the neighbour in the next building to finally do our washing.We have to go to the next building give them 30cents we get a special coin and a key then go to our top floor and use the washing machines up there.So we t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-278929.html Back in my hood chillin wit my home boyz I found myself a sweet pad and moved in 3 dayz ago. My house is great and my room is really nice I have the best view ever. I got heaps of furniture etc from the people who own it so I got lucky big time My lease is awesome and my rent is cheap for Austria. Registered with the town today and joined an Austrian bank which as a student involves no fee's http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-276580.html Sorry for the blog delay internet has not come easily lately. We took a train from Graz to Salzburg on the 7th of May to get to Jess' Dance Audition at S.E.A.D Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. Salzburg was surrounded by mountains and the relatively small town is boxed in by them some still with snow on them. The 1st day was an open day of classes with current and potential students whi http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Salzburg-State/Salzburg/blog-276573.html Hi dudesWe took a train from Vienna the day after Jess' dance audition to Graz. It was a very beautiful train ride lasting about 3 hours and went mainly through mountains and valleys. It was a sunny day but the mountains in the distance had snow covering their peaks. The countryside was how you would imagine old Austria to be pity Graz isnt.Our first impressions of Graz was that it was Austria http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Styria/Graz/blog-272122.html We made it to Vienna the bus trip was fine probably the most comfortable long distance trip we have done. Jess and I completed the whole XMen Trilogy on DVD on my IPod and spent a lot of time eating sleeping and watching the sights of the towns we passed by. We took a bus from London to Dover a ferry from Dover bottom of England to Calais in France then up to Brussels in Belgium which http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Austria/Vienna-State/Vienna/blog-270297.html This is the hometown of my Grandparents and my Mum. We caught the train up to Leeds approx 3 hours after a few days in London and were picked up at the trainstation by Muriel Grandma's cousin and her daughter Karen. We drove about 10 mins to get to Pudsey and it is a great little town. The housing looks very different to back home with most houses that look the size of one house being split http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/West-Yorkshire/Leeds/blog-270286.html LondonAfter our killer stopover in Dubai Andrew and I were exhausted. We picked up our bags and managed to navigate the 'tube' arriving in Walthamstow by about 9.30am. I had organised for us to stay with friends Caroline Jill and Jacqui for a couple of nights and we were to ring them when we arrived however no ones phones were connected. We decided to try find the house by ourselves and while http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-266494.html Dubai arrive 530am after a 7 hour flight from singapore. We have a connecting flight that is . . . . . 22 hours later. Death. Did i write that already in the last blog i cant remember. Probably because it was 22 HOURS AGOLuckily we got to leave the airport we actually got a 60 day visa so when supplies are running low we will come back here and stock up on their mega cheap duty free booze a http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-265432.html