http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/gazemms/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from gazemms en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:12:12 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:12:12 +0000 After leaving the UK for the last time we soon found ourselves back in drizzly old Auckland. We were exhausted after a 26 hour flight from London via Hong Kong but it felt flippin fantastic to be back home. It was a weird feeling which was to stick around with us for the next couple of weeks as we readjusted to life back in NZ. I think it was a mixture of relief at the fact that we were back ho http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Invercargill/blog-427295.html It was raining in London when we got back from Venice but we werenrsquot too worried about it as we had a busy time in front of us before we headed away again the next morning on our English Summer Road Trip. We went straight from Gatwick to Simon and Annarsquos flat where we dropped off the pack we had been carrying and headed round to our old flat to pick up some of the other stuff we had http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-427291.html While flying Ryanair does save you some money it also means that you have to travel miles before you even get to the airport. To fly out of Paris we had to catch a bus from the central city and travel about an hour north to the town of Beauvais. The airport was about the size of Queenstownrsquos and with a steady stream of flights coming and going the check in hall and departure lounge was pa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-427289.html The end of the school year in the UK came about in the second to last week of July. This meant that Emma was out of work and with me already playing the part of unemployed bum it meant that we had a lot of free time on our hands. It also meant that we no longer had any income so our dreams of a two month long road trip around Europe finishing at Oktoberfest in Munich could no longer be real http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-427288.html Just a couple of weeks after our Easter trip to Manchester and Liverpool it was time for another long weekend with the May Day Bank Holiday. For this long weekend we had organised a trip to Amsterdam with a few friends. It was another early start to get to Heathrow for an early flight to Amsterdam so as to get as much time in Amsterdam as we could. The flight over the English Channel to Amsterd http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-418231.html When the Easter break rolled around this year we were still recovering financially from our trip home and the road trip through Ireland. As such we had decided that we couldn't afford to do any trips away but instead would try and do a small overnight trip somewhere in England that we hadn't been. As the break got nearer and we became more and more jealous at everybody else who had planned a tr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-Manchester/Manchester/blog-418220.html This is another big one so I donrsquot expect anyone to read it. I think this is now more about us having our own record of the trip than it is for keeping you all entertained so we wonrsquot be offended if you want to just look at the pictures. There are plenty of them too and they tell the story enough. After Singapore we made a quick two night stop in London before heading off again t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-389007.html Hi allBecause we checked in so late for our flight we could only get seats on opposite sides of the isle from each other which was no big deal. However when we went to board we were asked by the cabin crew if I would mind swapping seats with another passenger who was sitting along way from her partner who I would have been beside. They had assumed I was on my own but I informed them that I was http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/Little-India/blog-388731.html So when we left you last time we had just boarded NZ1 for the 12 hour flight into Auckland. Irsquom not sure if it was because earlier that day we had endured the worst flight we had ever been on or whether Air NZrsquos long haul service is just really good but that flight was and still is the best flight wersquove ever had. The leg room in the 747 was very generous and the seats were t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Invercargill/blog-388469.html New York NewYorkAnd here it is. Our final and largest entry on our USCanada trip is the one and only New York City. While we've tried to make the most of our trip to North America by enjoying trips to several of the large important cities in this part of the world there is no hiding the fact that this trip was mainly all about our final destination. And we definitely saved the best until http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-York/New-York/Manhattan/blog-378051.html GreetingsThis bus ride from Washington to Philadelphia was more like what yoursquod expect a Greyhound bus to be like. The bus was full with mainly young African American people traveling the freeways for a variety of reasons. There was a group of dudes down the back of the bus who had been bussing for 46 hours or something ridiculous like that. They had boarded the bus in Houston Texas and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/blog-375666.html Hi AgainDespite the snow and the below freezing temperatures the small army of snow clearing trucks at the airport had kept the runways open and the planes on time. The same couldn't be said for our connection destination though and as a result of ground delays at New York's Le Guardia Airport we weren't able to take off from Toronto until we'd been giving a landing time in NY. We finally got a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/District-of-Columbia/Washington/blog-369862.html GreetingsWe boarded the train in Ottawa ready for a four hour trip through to Toronto. While waiting in the station we had heard an announcement over the PA saying that the next train from Toronto was two hours behind schedule so before we left we already had an inkling that we were going to be stuck on the train longer than expected. We eventually arrived in Toronto 7 hours after we left Ottaw http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-365601.html YoWhen we got on the train the last morning in Montreal it was bitterly cold and threatening to snow. By the time we disembarked in Ottawa 2 and a bit hours later there was snow covering the ground and the temperature was even colder. Not that it bothered us really we were just excited about all the snow. We jumped on the bus into the city centre and guessed what stop to get off at which as http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Ottawa/blog-360638.html Hello AgainOur last blog was about our first stop on this trip the city of Boston. We really enjoyed Boston but were itching to get back into Canada our home for the year back in 2007. Our point of entry in to Canada would be Montreal well just below it. Montreal is close enough to Boston that its not really worth flying but unfortunately doesnrsquot have direct access via rail. So that http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Quebec/Montreal/blog-360266.html Hello again.As we mentioned in our last blog wersquove left the UK temporarily for a bit of a look around the northeastern United States and Canada. Irsquom sure some of you will be a little puzzled as to why we would want to spend all our hard earned holiday money on a trip back to North America where we have already spent a year in 2007 when in reality it is probably easier and cheaper to http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Massachusetts/Boston/blog-354842.html Wow 3 months sure is a long time between blogs. So long in fact that since the last post we made we have quit our London jobs moved out of our London flat and temporarily left the UK on a tour around the northeastern US and Canada. But before we start the series of blogs covering our US trip there are a few more UK stories to update you on first.Annarsquos parents were over for a visit to L http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Acton/blog-352549.html Bonjour Its been two months since we last blogged and lucky for all of you guys I have pretty much forgotten most of what has gone on over that period so hopefully this will be a short one. However there are 133 pictures there so I'm sure I can use them to jog my memory somewhat.The first lot of pictures are of our day trip to Hastings and Battle. Hastings is a little seaside holiday town on the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-318311.html HeiWell we just got back from an excursion to Scandinavia so we've got a few new photos to share with you all.As some of you will know I am a very keen motorsport fan especially rallying. For years I have followed the WRC World Rally Championship although if I'm being honest I've lost a little bit of interest in it in the last year or two. However for years I have dreamed of going to Rally http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/Uusimaa/Helsinki/blog-308950.html Hello again. Time for some more pictures and words.This edition of our blog features details of our visits to London's 4 big sporting grounds.Firstly we went to Lords to watch the 4th day of the 1st cricket test between NZ and England. I remember sitting up late one night by myself back in our flat in Dunedin during the last test match NZ played at Lords during the 2004 tour and thinking 'Wow http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Acton/blog-292077.html