kristyandpeter

So we flew into Phalaborwa from Johannesburg. On the smallest pane I have ever seen in my life. This had propellers for christ’s sake… And it only had 25 passengers at maximum capacity. Very scary indeed but a lot of fun. Phalaborwa is a small little mining town on the edge of the Kruger National Park, Africa’s largest and the ultimate place to see the big 5. Lion, elephant, buffalo, cheetah and Rhino. We were planning to stay a little over a week in a cozy guest house only 2 kms from the gate. We arrived and were very warmly greeted by our hosts, Helmut and Linnette. They were so lovely, catering to our every need along with providing us with the knowledge and information relating to our stay. Helmut, suggested that we stay a couple ... read more

Egypt has always been my number one place to visit in the world and I am so glad we decided to go regardless of the travel advise from the government. As well as achieving that life long dream of visiting the pyramids and learning about the ancient history of the place, it was also a cultural eye opener like no other country we have visited before. Believe me when I say that you may not ever get the same experience anywhere else in the world. It really is unique in itself. So with Egypt being a third world country we had certain ideas about what it may be like, but no amount of research can really prepare you for the things you see whist you are there. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few selected ... read more

So here we are in Greece and I must say I was a little apprehensive at first knowing that the country is in the worst economic crisis but we have had absolutely no troubles at all… Without sounding insensitive, it has really benefited us as a tourist. The exchange rates to the euro are amazing as it is, without the prices in Greece being at rock bottom. And where do I start?! Greece, well it really is one of those hidden treasures, nestled by the Mediterranean Sea and filled with history, culture and great food… It has everything you could ever want in a holiday destination. We started by exploring Athens on foot, including the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and Parthenon. The Acropolis is magic, a well preserved ancient citadel on the rocky edge of a ... read more

Our first taste of Italy did not disappoint. Milan is not that well known as a tourist hub being only the fourth most popular by tourist numbers. But we thoroughly enjoyed our time spent here. Being centrally located a few stops from the center of Milan we enjoyed our trips through the Metro from our accommodation. The Metro in Milan is very well designed, very similar to the Paris metro in terms of convenience and price. Milan is best known for being the designers and shoppers paradise of the world. When I say shopper’s paradise I mean at the top end of the market where a handbag can set you back a couple of $1000.00. Milan is also well known as the place where the painting by Da Vinci The last supper is situated. Now the ... read more

Arriving into Paris we were immediately astounded about how crowded it was. Locals have to fight their way through the endless lines of crowds that seem to hijack every bit of footpath there is. Welcome to Paris. Paris is an unbelievably beautiful city with amazing monuments, buildings and cobblestoned roads. The place is very similar to London but the French really know how to jazz up their buildings. The grand and petite palaces that are located close to the Arc de triumph make Buckingham palace look like a dive. They are so spectacular. We visited the most famous museum in the world (formally in the movie DaVinci Code) The Louvre, which holds the most famous painting of all the time, The Mona Lisa. It was very beautiful but the crowds to see it were crazy and ... read more

So Amsterdam has been wonderful... Initially we were a little intimidated by the liberty and freedom of the city but overall this is what we came to love. The city itself can be categorized into a lot of things. Most people just see it as a city that inhabits a lot of pot heads through their legalization of marijuana in coffee shops and prostitution through its red light districts but to us it was so much more than that. The city has a lot of history behind it. Being the capital of The Netherlands you would expect an urban, modern concrete jungle complete with a huge skyline but it couldn't be further from reality. It is so incredibly beautiful with canals of water spreading throughout (I think it’s something like 100kms worth) and its 17th century ... read more

We have had such a wonderful time in Bavaria. We got to spend some time with my Aunty Andrea, Harry and cousins which I haven't seen for 10 odd years... When we arrived we were met at the airport and driven down to the small countryside village of Geltendorf, about an hour from the city. We had the most AMAZING week. We travelled around the countryside on the back of a motorbike, rode the auto barn at 200kms per hour (whoa, bloody scary if you ask me) spent some time exploring Munich and its unique souvenir shops with handmade crafts and old antiques (I just LOVE their Coo Coo clocks), and of course visited a flea market in which Peter bought a beautiful old beer stein and some old notes (from when Germany had Marks rather ... read more

Good old London. This is our gateway to Europe. And what a couple of weeks it has been. Public transport was pretty good I must say. Very easy to understand (although when a bunch of asian tourists asked Kristy for directions she accidently sent them in the total opposite direction, was really funny), and if you buy this oyster smart card its relatively cheap. We purchased a 7 day pass and it worked out to be about $7.90 each person per day. Not too bad when you think of getting out of Sydney airport by train. You nearly have to take out a personal loan. There is so much to do in London and with so little time here we did our best to do them all. Now when people say it is expensive here well ... read more

So visiting Canada has been an experience. Athough Toronto and Montreal are in the same country, they could not be further apart in likeness. Toronto being a very multicultural city is very urban and almost 'hippie' in ways. With alot of quirky boutiques, outdoor restaurants and street entertainers. Reminded us alot of Melbourne, especially with its use of streetcars. We took a nice cruise over to Toronto Island where we had a lovely picnic, explored its parks and its infamous 'clothing optional' beaches :) Rode to the top of the CN tower (formally the worlds largest) and checked out its cool museums and Casa Loma castle. We hung out at the St Lawrence and Kensington markets, full of beautiful fresh foods, old antiques and thrift shops. Oh Oh and street meat, hot dog stands with all ... read more

New york was probably a combination of some of the cities in the USA that we have already been to. It is very expensive compared to other american cities. Public transport cost us a packet. Accomodation was so expensive that we had to stay an hour away, in New Jersey. And I must say although it was clean and cheap, probably the dodgiest area ever. We couldn't even go out for dinner where we were staying so we got delivery most nights. lol. But we made the most of our time. We did the broadway thing by seeing Kristy's favourite muscial Chicago. It was really good. We also made our way on a harbour cruise to the statue of liberty whilst passing the skylines of Manhattan and Brooklyn. We visted Wall street, the Brooklyn bridge, climbed ... read more