So I left Aalborg via train, heading up to Hirtshals where the ferry to Norway left from. I arrived with plenty of time to spare so I grabbed a bite to eat. It was only later that I remembered that the class I had booked on the ferry “Catch Me If You Can” was a restaurant, not just a deck. Oh well, I still managed to fit in a nice dessert of chocolate cake and ice cream while on board. And more importantly, my table was at the very front of the ship…. Not that there was anything to see besides [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Tuesday morning I headed to Hamburg central train station and boarded my train to Copenhagen. The journey was nice, but uneventful. Total time was about 4 hours, but that was broken up by a 45 minute period where we had to leave the train. As it travels in the hull of the ferry, I guess it’s a safety issue. It was a perfect time for lunch and the ferry offered much more than the train did, so it was good. Arrived at Copenhagen station on time and, after grabbing some kroner, I took a taxi to the hotel. When I [View Full Entry]

---

---

So I arrived in Berlin. The first thing to impress me was the fleet of taxis waiting outside the airport - every one was a Mercedes. Sure, they’re made in Germany, but it’s not exactly what you expect. I still like London taxis best though. I reached my hotel and after a small nap I headed out for a quick look around my hotel. It seems the hotel was in the middle of a major shopping district, which has little appeal to me (especially with my already full suitcase!) I was a little surprised by a couple of the places - [View Full Entry]

---

---

We arrived in Istanbul after a long drive. I think it was about 8pm when we got there. Driving around the city was an experience - I am very glad I didn’t decide to drive myself this time around! The hotel looks very nice - it’s 5 stars and the foyer is very fancy. The rooms were nice and large, the bed huge and very comfortable, and I felt like I had finally got what I deserve! There were a couple of minor issues with the bathroom, but nothing major. Apparently the couple on the tour had a stinky bathroom, so [View Full Entry]

---

---

Troy and Gallipoli. Two names of great significance - one has been immortalised in the culture of western civilisation by an ancient Greek epic, the other has been burned into the psyche of the Australian and New Zealand nations. Visiting both in the same day is quite something, let me tell you. Troy was close to the hotel so we arrived after a short drive. We were the first group there, but our advantage was soon eroded by our guide talking and us asking questions. A couple of large groups overtook us, but still, it was fairly quiet. It was interesting [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well, what a few days! On Friday, I left my hotel in Athens in the morning to go to the airport. When I arrived, I couldn’t see my flight to Samos on the departures board, and sure enough, the flight was cancelled. They offered to put me on the standby list for the 6:30 flight, but that was doubtful as the flight was already overbooked by 2. It was no good anyway, as the ferry from Samos left at 5:00. So, after talking with my travel agent back in Australia, I booked a flight for 5:30am the next day, in case [View Full Entry]

---

---

I’m back in Athens now, so you will get 3 entries at once. Now, when I last wrote we had arrived at the hotel at Delphi. Dinner was at a hotel down the road and once again consisted of meat and rice. Not exactly the best example of Greek cuisine. The next morning we boarded the bus and headed to the nearby ruins. In ancient days this was a very holy site. The biggest draw for the site is the ancient oracle of Delphi. What I did not realise, however, was that they also held games here like the Olympics. They [View Full Entry]

---

---

Monday, and another early start. I was to be picked up 40 minutes later than Sunday, but as I had to pack everything, I was awake at the same time. This time, however, I had the breakfast room to myself and the tour company picked me up right on time. We continued on picking people up from various hotels, and I was a little worried as some of them had no luggage at all. What are they going to do for clothes for 4 days, I wondered. The mystery was solved when the bus pulled up and some of us were [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Sunday morning I woke early and headed down for breakfast at 6 o’clock. Expecting the breakfast room to be empty at that hour, I was quite surprised to find a large group of French eating. Later on, as I waited outside my hotel the same group came out to wait for something, presumably a tour. They left and I waited for my ride. They were 20 minutes late so I had begun worrying whether I had made a mistake or they had forgotten me. Eventually they arrived. After picking up more people at other hotels we headed down to Piraeus, [View Full Entry]

---

---

I’m in Athens…. No thanks to Olympic Airways. I woke up on Thursday thinking I would be having a nice leisurely day where all I had to do was head out to the airport, catch a flight to Athens and check into my hotel there. That’s what happened, but I thought it wouldn’t when I received a fax from my travel agent underneath my hotel door. Turns out Olympic was having a local strike (really local, only Thessaloniki as far as I can tell) and my flight was cancelled. After a minor panic and then some anger directed their way, I [View Full Entry]

---

---