Pete & Bernie
Pete & Bernie got married in October 2010 and decided to turn their honeymoon into a 6-month travelling odyssey across the globe extending to three continents, North America, South America and Europe. Their travels begin in New York City to experience their first ever White Christmas. Pete Bernie
Travel Blog Posts
June 4th 2011
Tirana, Albania’s capital, is a loud, dusty city. After a 16-hour overnight bus trip from Athens we contemplated exploring this city until we stepped foot off the bus and were immediately hustled by a number of Albanians. We hadn’t even picked up our luggage off the bus or decided whether we were going to stay or head towards the Montenegrin border further north before one guy was already on his mobile calling his mate to tell me in English over the phone that the cab fare to the train station would cost 5 euro. His insistence and unwillingness of the others around us to answer our questions made me want to get the hell out of there - fast. I thought Istanbul’s unscrupulous merchants were dodgy, but Albanians take hustling to a whole new level which ... read more
May 25th 2011
In Greece, I’m anything but Australian. “Spanish?” “Russian?” “Italian?” “French?” even “Greek?” Unlike my husband I look Mediterranean. When I explain my heritage is Croatian and not greek they are still pleased that they were ‘close’? I think Greeks just like to show-off their immaculate ability to speak at least six European languages. One Taxi driver, for example, preceded to give Pete and I a linguistics lesson, explaining how the English language is made up of more than 6000 Greek words. Our journey in Greece began with a walking tour of the largest Dodecanese island, Rhodes, about ten miles from Turkey after arriving by a hydrofoil. Greek Island #1 – Rhodes We walked along the Street of Knights and explored the Palace of the Grand Master, a UNESCO world heritage site. A medieval city, Rhodes in ... read more
May 7th 2011
I don’t think I could handle another dose of cucumber, tomato, olives and feta cheese. We’ve certainly had our fair share. It’s a typical breakfast served every day in Turkey with your choice of either traditional herbal tea or instant coffee. ‘Nescafe’ is not something g I’d drink back home, but it seems to be a favourite here (or at least with foreigners) as you find it everywhere on the menu! However, having said all that, Turkey is a food-lover’s paradise. Dried fruit, nuts, spices, Baclava, Doner and Testi kebaps, pide, Gozleme, rice, yoghurt, Kofte meatballs, double-chocolate magnums! You name it, Turkey makes it! Food is plentiful and breakfasts are generous. Cheese in turkey is soft, moist and more tasty than in Greece. Olives too, are served in large quantities compared to a measly 3 or ... read more
April 5th 2011
We've rented a car with our good friend Matty to head 10hours south towards Toronto. Within an hour of crossing the Quebec and Ontario state border, the outside temperature has escalated to double digits, increasing from 2 to 13 degrees celcius! Fields and rivers are no longer covered in ice and we are no longer driving through snow. North to South spans a whopping 1730km, but the drive is nostly flat country surrounded by lakes and forests. I wonder where there skiing takes place as i see no mountains? The scenery is unspectacular and i am yet to hear Bryan Adams' hit song, 'Cuts like a Knife' on the car radio. Apparantly, Ontario is home to Bryan Adams and on any given Ontario road trip, you'll hear his song 7 times. Well 7 nights in Canada, ... read more
April 3rd 2011
Quebec City is quite simply, STUNNING! It took us only one day to explore this walled city (a 10sqkm radius divided into an upper and lower part), but you lose yourself here for what seems longer than a day admiring its beauty and sophistication. The city is surrounded by picture-perfect buildings and architecture. It is charmed by cobbled-stone streets and it is decorated by soft, falling snow (even if you visit in Spring!) Like other travellers, I've seen countless European cities, but visiting Quebec City did not leave me fatigued. The most captivating and impressive landmark, is hands-down the castle-style Le Chateau Frontenac hotel, built in 1983. Apparently, it's the world's most photographed hotel. UNESCO has proclaimed this entire Old Town a World Heritage Site and for a good reason. The 403 year-old city also boasts ... read more
Montreal, a university & cultural city
Published: June 5th 2011North America » Canada » Quebec » Montréal » Old Montréal
March 31st 2011
Montreal is a blend of old world charm and new world style. The old world charm comes from its 300 years of English and French history, while its 'new world style' is reflected in the rich tapestry of ethnic communities, multicultural food, music and arts. It is the largest bilingual city on the North continent. From the cobbled stone streets lined with quaint cafes and trend setting galleries and nightlife, Montreal is dynamic and almost as diverse as Sydney. It's certainly a university town. One of the highlights during our stay there, was stumbling across a peaceful student protest over hikes in university fees. More than 3000 students across several surrounding universities gathered to protest against a $600 increase in fees over the next 5 years. It was amusing to witness the huge affair it had ... read more
Argentina, a land of plenty
Published: February 7th 2011South America » Argentina » Santa Cruz » El Chaltén
February 7th 2011
Having heard so much about Argentinean steak we were keen to try one as soon as we had crossed the border into Los Antiguos. We found a nice restaurant and I had a steak which was delicious after the somewhat bland food of Chile, but nothing to write home about in terms of size or quality. Being such a small place, it was a bit difficult to find accommodation so we settled on some dorms. We were fortunate that our bus driver for the next leg of the trip was staying at the same place so we didn’t have to go far to catch the bus the next day. But we were unfortunate to have to share the dorms with a group of noisy Israelis arriving at 2am! With dorms, you expect some noise as people ... read more
January 30th 2011
The further south you head, the more you find infrequent public transport. This time we are stuck in Chaiten, a small volcanic town of only 8 streets buried in ash, no telefoniocas, no hot water and nothing to do. There are 2 restaurants which don't sell cafe con leche and 3 mini markets, where i go to buy my powdered milk to add to instant coffee (im desperate) and yet they still charge you the price of a cappuccino. Chaiten is meant to be a beautiful tourist town surrounded by a long coastline and national parks, yet i feel i'm in a prison unable to escape for another 2 nights as the only 1 bus that leaves and enters town doesn't depart Thursdays! We luck out again. Due to the volcanic activity and uncertainty we don't ... read more
January 23rd 2011
La viva el Chile! Is it possible for Chileans to become any nicer? A copper miner from Calama offered us a hitch in his ute to the airport at no charge (he laughed when i asked him how much). At the airport, a policeman negotiated with SKY air a discounted airfare for us when we had difficulties booking the same flight online. Apparantly, you need to own a Chilean credit card; and a lady in queue behind me offered to pay my shortfall when i had the wrong change to use the 'bano' (it costs 25 cents to use the rest rooms in Santiago). Drivers give way at Pedestrian crossings (it's the reverse in Peru & Bolivia), taxi drivers willingly become tour guides as well, customer service is delivered with a smile and bus drivers don't ... read more
Bolivia, a world unto itself
Published: January 29th 2011South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni
January 17th 2011
The air is thinner. It's harder to breathe. It's cold. Welcome to Bolivia, La Paz - the highest city in the world. I'm acclimitised to the altitude now, but this city is still dizzying in every respect. Homes are tightly built towards the sky on eroding, narrow mountains. It defies gravity. I have no idea how 1.5 million people live here or how the masses of buses get through the irregularly-shaped streets and the grid-lock traffic. This city is frenetic compared to it's little brother Cusco in Peru, and to top it off, I was greeted by an attempted bag-snatcher! I was more impressed with Bolivia 3 hours earlier, when we had arrived at the border, left stranded by our Peruvian bus driver. (Expect to be left 8km short of your destination if you intend on ... read more
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