http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/chrisj/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from chrisj en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:35:58 +0000 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:35:58 +0000 Its hard to believe but today I am typing this blog entry from my home in Dee Why. Incredibly five weeks has flown by so quickly and tomorrow I am faced with the prospect of going back to work.On Thursday night I went out for dinner with Paul and Mark a kind of farewell I guess. We went to Cte at Tower Bridge. Dinner was disappointing and so too the service but it was nice to go out with my br http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-438100.html The nice lady presenting the weather declared that there was ldquo...autumnal...rdquo weather on the way. Autumnal indeed Rain and wind greeted me on my return to England following 30 consecutive days of sunshine throughout Europe . I was only boasting yesterday that I had had sunshine every day of my holiday however today it is bloody awfulI really enjoyed my time in Ireland. Ballybunion m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Kent/blog-436849.html Ballybunion was once a very popular seaside resort with Irish families until the late 1960's. Thousands were attracted to its sandy beaches its busy main street filled with pubs for the adults and fun parlours for the kids. However when cheap package holidays to Mediterranean resorts became trendy the Irish holiday became less attractive. Better weather more interesting food and a sophisticat http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Kerry/blog-435655.html I have left the translucent waters and the summerlike heat of Sardinia. I am now back in London for 24 hours before taking a flight with our friends Ryanair to County Kerry in Ireland. Yes I did criticise Ryanair in an earlier blog and I will not fly with them again after this flight. I'd actually booked this ticket with a couple of months ago and it flys in to Kerry Airport which is about 30 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Southwark/blog-435105.html I arrived in Sardinia on Friday after a train ride from Barcelona to Madrid and a flight with Ryanair from Madrid to Sardinia. The train was incredibly comfortable breakfast and a movie was provided and the service very special. Ryanair from Madrid was a different story. I had previously sworn never to fly Ryanair again however I had no choice this time and again it lived up to my extremely low http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-434215.html Its Wednesday and the week is flying. I went to bed on Tuesday night feeling relaxed and comfortable. The airconditioning in the apartment has been a bonus and although the heat and humidity was still pretty high late into the evening I could enjoy the cool air at home. That was until the power blew in the apartment I woke up in darkness not because it was early but because the power was out. I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/blog-433318.html Tuesday morning and its a pinch and a punch for the first of the month as I go in search for some casuelas.For the first time I have really felt the humidity as I wandered through el Born in the Barrio Gotico . In summer it is always hot in the old part of town as the heat gets trapped in the narrow streets however the humidity must be at record levels you could almost feel steam rising in fro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/blog-432975.html I've now been in Barcelona for more than 24 hours and so far its been as enjoyable as I expected it would be. The weather has been warm though more humid than I would have liked the city full of energy and the food so far has not disappointed. Renting an apartment was probably a very wise decision on reflection. My apartment is large clean and very central and with the flexibility to sleep http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/blog-432612.html If you had asked my opinion of Prague less than 72 hours ago I would have told you it was a trashy run down and overcrowded city. The famous Charles Bridge is jammed with tourists musicians and street sellers and is definitely best avoided. Even the Old Town Square feels as tired as it is old and that's nearly 1000 years of spanned timeWhilst there is undoubted charm in the narrow cobblesto http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-432144.html I was awake early this morning after a reasonable sleep. Being in the roof of the hotel means it attracts the heat of the day and it stayed hot until at least 2am. Breakfast in the hotel was passable though the staff were far from friendly. Not that they were nasty it was more that they found if difficult to muster a smile. Having witnessed the crowds of the evening before I decided to head off http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/Old-Town/blog-431853.html I arrive at Berlinrsquos Hauptbahnhof train station the largest crossing station in Europe in plenty of time for my train journey from Berlin to Prague. The trip takes just over four hours and it gives me a chance to write another blog entry.The old portly German gentleman rolled his eyes and his wife smiled as I arrive in the first class carriage of the train. It was obvious to him that ther http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/Old-Town/blog-431763.html After my roadside conversation with the Armani shirtselling guy I headed towards the Bendler Block a memorial to German Resistance during the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Although the exhibition is totally in German it was still a very moving experience. Claus Graf von Stauffenberg who was the driving force behind the assassination attempt was executed following the failed attempt. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-431367.html This morning started normally enough I had breakfast in the hotel before heading up the Kurfrstendamm and towards Tiergarten in search of the German Resistance Memorial Exhibition. Along the way a man pulled over in a late model black mercedes asking for directions to the autobahn when I said that I didnt know and I wasnt a local he asked where I was from and I told him Australia.He threw out http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-431307.html Perhaps I chose the wrong day to eat at Marjellchen a traditional East Prussian restaurant with old fashioned furniture and jovial hosts in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin about a 20 minute walk from the hotel.It was a hot day here and it was much warmer inside the restaurant than out in the street. The larger than life owners who obviously enjoy their food served up a delicious dinner h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-431144.html I felt particularly energetic yesterday having enjoyed the buffet breakfast of the Hotel Concorde and so I chose to walk the four kilometres from my hotel to the Brandenberg Gate. Berlin must be one of the flattest cities I have ever visited and it is very popular with cyclists. I wandered through Tiergarten both the name of the borough and the beautiful park in Berlin but had to be careful not t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-431241.html I arrived in Berlin lunchtime Monday the weather was hot and sunny and the local smiles were all genuine as I walked through Tegel Airport and grabbed a cab to my Hotel The Hotel Concorde which is just off the Kurfrstendamm Berlin's major shopping strip.I think the Hotel Concorde was a great choice. It is probably a touch corporate but a level or two above the Hilton Riverside in London a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Berlin/Berlin/blog-431133.html On Friday I left London and headed out to spend the weekend with my great pals Sally and Michael Allsopp. Mick and Sal have been living in England for more than four years it could be five and have spent the last 15 months or so in Maidstone Kent.On Saturday we decided to take a trip out into the Kent countryside and on my brother's recommendation we headed off for Penshurst in search of the fam http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Kent/blog-430829.html The glitteringly white tables and modern curved chairs are the first things that catch my eye at Ottolenghi in Islington. My friend Mai is a big fan of this Israeli chef and so she booked a table for us at this hugely popular establishment. I have never heard of him but was always keen to try new food. The restaurant in Upper Street Islington seats about 50 people and serves small portions o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Islington/blog-430827.html I have to confess that I have been a little slack in keeping my blog up to date over the last few days though rest assured good habits are about to returnSo where were weOk so yes I was planning on visiting Tate Modern with my brother and then in the evening going dancing with my friend Mai in Brick Lane.Its Thursday and Paul and I head off to Tate Modern to see the Futurism Exhibition . Filipp http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Southwark/blog-430819.html With some time on our hands prior to Wednesday night dinner Paul Mark and myself undertook some beer tasting. Hall Woodhouse in Dorset brew traditional bottled ales as well as a number seasonal beers. Mark and Paul's friends James and Ben returned from Dorset with a selection and tonight we put the amber ales through their paces. The first beer we tasted was the light and tasty England Gold http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-429642.html