http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/elke/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from elke en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:19:00 +0000 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:19:00 +0000 photos will be added when I'm back in CanadaWe're in Ireland. Conor's homeland. Home also to rain and all things green. Conor's parents met us in Rosslare where our ferry docked after crossing both the English channel and the St. George channel in the Irish Sea. It's been a nice change of pace being able to relax yet still see the country a bit with the help of Conor's parents. We've been stayi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Tipperary/Tipperary/blog-316846.html Once we left the beauty of Cinque Terre unfortunately things got less pretty for us. We headed to Milano hoping to get a night train to Barcelona but being so deep into summer the train was full. Spain is the bottleneck of Europe as there are only two ways to get in by train one on the west coast and one on the east. If you don't get bookings early enough then you just won't get on the tra http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/blog-312065.html Right along the Lingurian Sea lies five colourful villages set into the cliffs they call it Cinque Terre. Our first day in Cinque Terre we decided to hike across the five villages. We started at Riomaggore the most Northern village and hiked along the coast but after the temperature felt like 40 degrees we stopped at the fourth village Vernazza for a swim. We liked it so much that we staye http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Liguria/Cinque-Terre/blog-311737.html We arrived in Naples in the dark of night where it gave off a feel of being very creepy sketchy and dirty. In the bright light of morning the feeling hadn't changed. Naples is a dirty city where everything is coated with graffiti the subways the trains and walls everywhere. I mean no space left to graffiti. It's a city where if you hear someone running behind you you immediately grab your c http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Campania/Naples/blog-306267.html We spent the day in the Vatican City guarded by the Swiss gaurds with its own postal service money laws and population of about 800 it is the smallest country in the world. With its own power it is not subject to anyoneanything else it can operate as it sees fit. We were determined not to take a tour because they can hold you back and you just feel silly following someone waving a co http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Vatican-City/Vatican-City/blog-306260.html Picture this the sun is setting as you walk across the Tiber River on a bridge that's been there for over 1500 years you hear a man playing saxophone in the background hoping for some generous hands you're feeling full with gelato and you smell the Tiber a potpourri of seaweed and outhouse you see old Roman ruins everywhere you look so common that most aren't even labelled and best of a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-306103.html Ciao We took a train from Interlaken to Milano and after having been kicked out of our seats twice because we had no reservations it wasn't required but there was no way of knowing which seats were reserved so we sat in the corridor for 4 hours we finally arrived on the island of Venice. Venice itself is made up of 118 islands which are divided into 6 districts all connected by bridges. You http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-304296.html From the lowlands of the Netherlands to the mountainous terrain of Switzerland we've made enough money to continue our journey.We left Amsterdam early on the 15th toward Lille France where we were first able to use our Eurorail passes which Conor's sister helped us purchase from back in Toronto and sent to us in Amsterdam you can't buy them in Europe otherwise citizens would just get the same http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/Interlaken/blog-303204.html Bonjour a tous Our first Euro excursion took us to Paris for the weekend. Three days off of work was exchanged for three days in Paris with Parisian people doing Parisian things with their Parisian friends. It was beautiful. Andre his friend Conor and I left for Paris on Thursday evening and arrived around 12pm. We took a quick drive around the city the Arc de Triomphe Eiffel Tower L'Opera http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-283810.html After six months of travelling we have made it to our final Continent. Europe. Our flight from Beijing to Amsterdam had a stop over in Moscow. Our Russian flight was filled with fun times with the Russians next to us having shots of Vodka that slithered down in an awful way for me but must have been great for the three Russians as they shared a few litres. We were also lucky enough to be the on http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-277453.html After a typical Chinese Drive to the Beijing Airport the ever impressive yet frightening road gamble we made it. We were on our way to Chongqing the mountain city where no one speaks english. This has turned out to be both a struggle and a blessing. A struggle as our Taxi driver had no idea where our hostel was despite giving him the directions in pinyin as well as with characters. We http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Chongqing/Chongqing/blog-277319.html Hey guys The air is smoggy thus my snot is black and you can always hear someone horking in the background but I'm so glad to be here exploring this foreign place. So I brushed my teeth on the Great Wall the other day. Prior to arriving at the Jin Sha Ling section of the Great Wall approx. 3 hours drive outside of Beijing we stopped at both a copper pottery factory that used to serve only http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-267703.html Hey guys After a much needed nap once reaching our hotel in Beijing I woke up to the sounds of foreign tongues on the other side of the door and incessant honking outside. China is the closest I've been to being a true foreigner aside from being in the Dominican Republic. Every sign is in a languange that I can't even begin to understand the people look at Conor and I like we are these rare http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-267690.html Hey guys After our awesome time in the center of Australia we boarded the Ghan a train named after the Afghans and their camels who were one of the first to forge their way from Adelaide to Darwin to take us across country to Adelaide in South Australia. Going an average speed of only 85kmhr Conor and I thought the train would pick up speed at some point but it never did. After some nice http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/blog-265402.html Hey guys We finally reached the middle of Australia only to be met with hot dry weather and approximately 1 billion flies. It feels so good to be travelling again. Alice Springs has a population of about 23000 people but I think most of them spend their time inside because it's so hot. It's the driest place in Australia in terms of lakes and rivers etc. as there are none but is actually th http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-264917.html Hey guys After spending a couple of days in Airlie Beach trying to keep ourselves occupied with books and the lagoon it was finally time to begin our tour on 'Camira' the worlds fastest Catamaran. This 26m vessel took us from Airlie through the North and South Molle Islands around Whitsunday Island past Hamilton Island and back. We stopped for a quick snorkel at the Reef but after Fiji this wa http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-261818.html Hey guys Well the time has come to spend all the VERY hard earned cash we've saved on the Gold Coast we're on the road again. We picked up our campervan earlier than we had anticipated due to a massive falling out with our crazy landlord who was actually unfathomably crazy. A long story but it ends with us picking up our van early and thus living in it whilst working...I guess i should make http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-259809.html Hey guys I apologize for such a delayed entry but Conor and I have started working on the Gold Coast of Australia which leaves us with little to update. I will however bring all of you through our travels since my last entry Since leaving our relaxation that was Byron Bay we arrived in Surfers Paradise staying at a hostel in Southport for three nights. This time was enough for us to find a p http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Gold-Coast/blog-229739.html Hey guys Finally warmth. Finally time in the Australian Sun. It was difficult to leave New Zealand knowing that there is so much more for us to see but I was ready for a change and ready to explore somewhere different. We landed in Sydney only to be surprised that all big cities are in fact not the same. Sydney is wonderful. It's full of green and open spaces lots for the eye to follow http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Byron-Bay/blog-220313.html Hey guys I want to apologize for my lack of diligence toward the travel blog these last few days but there hasn't been much opportunity or events. Finished in Kaikoura we were on our way to less nauseating locations and off to say goodbye to Good Ole Betsy After driving over 5000km we had gotten to know her really well she was a part of us we were a team. But it was time to step outs http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Christchurch/blog-218620.html