I could put in all my latest photos of Oslo, but you'd just be looking at photos of the police station, Australian consulate, train station and banks. Not very exciting, but that's my life today. I'll use a spare moment to continue the plant-fest of my journey (now I'm sure you're all dying ot see the insdie of the Australian consulate...). Too bad, I like plants, deal with it... hehehe Next blog, the Leiden Hortus, where the tulip was first introduced to Europe... [View Full Entry]

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I swear I'll write one day, when my brain gets back to normal. I think it's entered a summer hibernation or something. If you write me an email, stick to monosyllabic words, please.... So, the photos - this batch are of the world famous Hortus of Leiden, where Carolius Clusius established the tulip in Europe, kickstarting the tulip craze that sent many broke, but ultimately gave everyone the illusion that tulips are actually Dutch (they are from the Turkish region, incidentally). Lots of plants (pretty much nothing but), and a few euphorbias for good luck... [View Full Entry]

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After finding an only moderately-outrageously priced internet cafe (after being absolutely violated when being charged for the cd burning elsewhere), I can finally put some photos on the blogs. It will be a bit of an assortment covering the last few weeks in the Nethlerlands - Delft, the Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden etc, maybe a bit more of de Hortus in Amsterdam, then whatever photos I've taken in Oslo (very few). Enjoy all, I'm just lucky to still have my camera! The plant names will follow later - they're in my notepad back at the hostel... [View Full Entry]

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hahahaha, don't worry people, everything's okay. Was camping on Langøyene Island in the Oslo fjord when some scumbag decided to take my passport, creadit card and plane tickets from my (locked) bag. But this eventuated in being escaorted by boat across the harbour by two gorgeous men in uniform to cancel my card, and then escorted by police car to my hostel, so it's all good. The only downside is that the consulate is closed until Monday, so I'll go back to the campsite until Monday morning and then return to town and try to organise a new passport and ticket. [View Full Entry]

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More photos, probably only of interest to planty nerd types like myself... May have to wait a week or two for de Hortus pics, as no uploading facilities in Delft. [View Full Entry]

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More photos. [View Full Entry]

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Just a lot of photos. Not in a literate mood at the moment, so will withhold the descriptions for a later date. Just enjoy the photos for now .... [View Full Entry]

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I'm gettin a little ahead of myself. Time to put in my photos of Madrid, my one-night stand city, so to speak (not literally). Pretty much all the photos are of or in Retiro Gardens, very popular and right in the heart of Madrid. The weather was a sunny 30C and there were people out on the streets ALL night ( I heard them from my dorm room). [View Full Entry]

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Hello to everyone from not-so-sunny Europe! Apparently it's summer here now, but you wouldn't know it. I was looking forward to finally having a birthday with sunshine and warmth, but alas! it was not to be. It's about 12C today, colder than it normally is in Melbourne at this time of year! I spent my big day walking the streets of Amsterdam, and making my way to the Hortus Botanicus, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. It has a lot of history, other than that linked to the tulip, and is hundreds of years old. It has a [View Full Entry]

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Only two days left of the South American extravaganza. Quito seems to be filled with gringos stopping by to see the equator (I can´t think of many other things they´d be here to see). Spent last night in Baños, soaking in a hot spring pool at night underneath a waterfall, chatting with two people I had met the day before at a hostel in Cuenca. Baños is highly recommended; I wish I had more time there now. Cuenca was a nice enough place - the ecuadorian equivalent of peruvian Arequipa (lots of old colonial buildings, lots of people), before that I [View Full Entry]

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