mattylee

A Taste of Wine-country Jeff and I headed down out of the Blue Mountains via a slightly different path than usual. Thanks mainly to a GPS system with a passion for backroads, and a concept of exploring the most random niches wherever we go, we turned off the highway and went down a small road which splits two National Parks from each other. Essentially we were cleaving a path right between two pristine wildernesses; what better way to begin exploring Australia. Just getting down off the plateau was an adventure in itself as the road twisted and turned like a curled snake on its way downwards. Each turn afforded a view out over the valley below and for the first time on this trip I felt as though I was truly out in the middle of ... read more

Pre-emptive Saffa It was ten o’clock in the evening, I was at home, I’d had a beer or two. I was just watching an old TV show with a friend when the phone rang, and I picked up to a very up-front South African man. After a few brief pleasantries he got straight to the business of my security briefing and proceeded to inform me of the myriad ways in which I was likely to get blackmailed, arrested, kidnapped, or shot on my upcoming “adventure” (including a warning to not get into any elevator with a woman… because she will strip naked, good, and accuse you of raping her, bad). I use the word adventure here as it puts a good spin on the concept, after all, being positive is much preferred over being a realist. ... read more

Prologue The international airport outside of Abu Dhabi is, in itself, the perfect metaphor for that city. When I first arrived and my travel weary self emerged into that sparkling edifice - a shimmering technicolour place that somehow resembles both a flowering lotus and a Turkish bath - I remember thinking that I would need to dedicate some serious time to explore the building upon my departure. After all, this was the United Arab Emirates; a country renowned for it’s dizzying excesses of architectural one-upmanship. However, as I now sit in the self same airport one week later, I am saddened to report that the airport has nothing left to offer; there is that one sparkling opening ceremony when you arrive, but there is scarcely even a second room to explore! Quite literally, this is a ... read more

Sweeping Across Eastern Europe I really do hate rushing through places, but unfortunately that is what I had to do after leaving Budapest. My last day in Hungary was pretty much a blur: I took a train out to a small town in the countryside that is supposed to remain true to the traditional Hungarian way of life, and, to my delight it did actually seem very authentic apart from the plethora of naff stores lining the streets (akin to most tourist towns across the globe). After a couple of hours wandering up and down the cobbled lanes in the sunshine, and after what I must admit was a pretty oversized meal even for me, I then took the train back to Budapest, the subway to my friend’s house, picked up my stuff, took the subway ... read more

Schnitzels and Museums I got off the train in the early hours of the morning, well, early for me. After leaving Valence it had been one long and boring train after another as I passed across France, Germany and finally down into Switzerland, the only highlight of which was the half hour I spent wandering the quiet streets in front of the Strasbourg train station. Strasbourg is probably a beautiful city, it certainly has an interesting history, but it really didn’t strike me as memorable from my viewpoint - a cold and nearly deserted street full of empty kebab shops and the odd Japanese tourist, just like many boring lower class suburbs around the world, only with a gigantic glass and very modernist train station dominating one end of the road. Vienna, on the other hand, ... read more