You can't get away from graffiti no matter where in the world you are. We saw our fair share of it from the train as we sped from Geneva to Zürich - riding a train is of course the perfect place to see it. In-between the graffiti we passed through beautiful countryside and numerous tunnels, some quite long, on a journey which took us just under three hours. Apart from the graffiti a couple of things we've noticed is how many more people in Europe smoke when compared to Australians. Also how messy Europeans are - they seem to think that [View Full Entry]

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After eleven years of practise parades, finally, in its 12th year, Geneva welcomed the honeymooners with a parade around the lake! Interestingly inbetween every four or five floats was a bar float where you could buy drinks - there will be a few sore heads tomorrow!! Yes, Geneva is in party mood now that we're here although the weather hasn't been quite so kind to us - showers inbetween the sunshine. Before the parade started we did some exploration of Geneva and went shopping - but this time I bought something for myself not Grace, Rupert & the rest of the [View Full Entry]

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Back in Madrid - our five day tour of Spain over - having been on the road for quite a few hours traveling from place to place we have overtaken many truck drivers. Sitting in the coach we were at the same level as the driver's cabs - noticing that most of them are in the cabins on their own made me ponder on the 'loneliness of the long distance driver'. All day, most days - not a job I envy! But I'm getting ahead of myself - before we arrived in Madrid we spent a few hours on a guided [View Full Entry]

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Well that was Kev's comment during our tour earlier today. We're now resting for an hour before its time to get ready to attend a Flamenco dance concert. At the present time (4pm) its about 39 degrees Celcius although, unlike Sydney's heat, there is no humidity. In fact its quite pleasant although who I am to talk like that since I'm now sitting in an air-conditioned hotel room! Ok, what did we see on our Seville tour? First stop the Jardines de Murillo lined with gently swaying palm trees and boasting beautiful tiled benches, sculptures and fountains that integrate perfectly into [View Full Entry]

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'Very enjoyable' was Kev's take on our night of Flamenco and I'll second that! Such proud, sensual dancing and the way both the men and women move their bodies is a joy to watch. The following day we left Seville and were driven the 250 kms to Granada for yet another Spanish adventure. No sooner were we settled into the Hotel Carmen (which is not only a girl's name and an opera but it's also a Spanish word for house) than we went off to see some of the sights. Walked up to the area around the cathedral - outisde of [View Full Entry]

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On the reccomodation of our tour guide who farewelled us at our Madrid hotel we set off for Plaza Mayor once we'd settled in. A pleasant walk it took us about 20 minutes - buskers serenading us all along the way. Their talents ranged from mediocre to excellent - one string quartet in particular wouldn't have been out of place performing at the Sydney Opera House. Plaza Mayor was a huge square with a statue at its centre and what looked like apartments surrounding it. True to form the sun shone out of a clear blue sky! A young man offered [View Full Entry]

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The plane was late leaving Copenhagen so by the time we got to Barcelona there was only really time to get ourselves sorted at our hotel room and then go out for a wander to find somewhere to eat. We ended up in a Pizzeria served by a friendly waiter who was from Cuba - the fun thing about travel is the people you meet. Enjoyed our little chat. The next morning it was off on a bus with other people - not doing our own thing for the next five days so it's quite a change for us! Everyone else [View Full Entry]

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Copenhagen greeted us with the usual beautiful weather we've come to expect since setting off on our trip! While it was sad to leave Holsted new adventures were in store, the first of which was an hour's boat ride on some of Copenhagen's canals - a great way to see the city! I can see why you loved Copenhagen so much Katherine!! The canal tour was not only enjoyable it also gave us some idea of what we wanted to have a look at in more depth, and whereabouts in the city centre it was to be found. Back on terra [View Full Entry]

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After four changes of trains we finally arrived in Holsted to be greeted at the railway station by Moses Hansen - our son-in-law Thomas's dad. At 'Pottemagerens Hus' into which they have recently moved we finally met Joy - Thomas's mum. As Joy couldn't make it to Katherine and Thomas's wedding in October 2006 it was a great pleasure for us to finally meet face to face. No sooner had Joy and Moses showed us around some of the house and garden when the Neilson family arrived - Maria, Lars and the kids Patrick, Amie & Jeanett. Six months ago the [View Full Entry]

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We are sitting here on the train traveling from Berlin to Hamburg - in first class which is all very snazzy. Kev's just discovered that Becks Green Lemon beer is being sold on the train. Sounds interesting doesn't it? Since leaving Berlin I've been giving the city even more thought so decided to add this PPS. At the time of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles after the Great War WILPF made the observation that the conditions for Germany merely laid the foundations for another world war. Some historians, though by no means all, have been in agreement with this [View Full Entry]

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