hello from San Fran - arrived here this morning at about 8.30am - earlier than when I left (that date line and all) - left SYD at 2.30pm on Australia Day - as the hostie on QF said on arrival - don't expect any Australia Day wishes here! I will be very brief as it is already past 1a.m. and I aint doing this too much on my first day! I managed a pretty good sleep on the 13 hr flight over - how come you say? - well getting an entire centre row of 4 seats all to myself about 3 rows from the back - I unrolled myself into that and wrapped myself in a blanket and headed off for blanket bay as soon as the plane was airborne - no useless QF meals ... read more

I was awake before 9 for a change without an alarm so was at breakfast at 9.30. It was already starting a little with the light rain. Altho Marienplatz was closer for the Ubahn, and likely thru heavier Sat. morning shopper traffic, decided on a slighty longer walk back past my previous Pension to the Ubahn station which I already know, in terms of end of line names etc, just in case times were tight. This was not the case and I was at Hauptbahnof at 11.00 for the 11.17 Railjet which was sitting there waiting. Started writing this there having been thru Salzburg already, next stop Linz. NOW in Vienna and got to my hotel about 4.30pm. Mucked around posting last blog then finally out towards the Stephansdom and the Museum District. The main normal ... read more

I said yesterday that "have booked myself to Munich on a fast train tomorrow" - well that 10.54 and arr. 14.05 - you certainly pay for the speed - save 40mins and it costs you 93.50E incl. a reserve fee for teh "quiet zone" (i.e. no mobiles) - which proved to be in the nose cone, except it was the very tail end of the ICE train - whose speed on the screen I saw in the foyer I never saw as better than 160kmh - pathetic! I wanted to get to Munich ASAP so that better chance of getting hotel organised etc. At the Hotel Elbe last night in F'furt- which was big double room for 50E which was pretty good inc. breakfast - but had to pay 2.50E for wifi - and as it ... read more

skipped a night there in St Goar - it turned out there was wifi at the hotel but I was somewhat worn out after my big eat-a-drink-a-thon at the Mansion on the Hill and decided to try and catch up on some missing sleep/sheep - some hope. Back in time to Koblenz, which is a major ferry hop on/off point. It was from there I was to go upstream on the Rhein to Sankt (St) Goar - right bank going up, with St Goarhausen on the opposite left bank. The off season for ferry times starts from 3 Oct so we are well into that and only 3 a day and they do not go all the way. So it was the 2pm one for me. I walked down town earlier and man, they seem to ... read more

on the morning of 11 Oct. this is a short pictureless blog cos I can't be bothered feeding the craven masses all the time! I have ended up spending 3 nights in Dusseldorf. The reasons have been very personal, due to the loss of my father's brother, Uncle Gordon, here in a Lancaster bomber on 23 April 1944. I was able to visit where his plane allegedly came down and eat at a very good Italian restaurant only a 100m. or so from there. The weather has been absolutely glorious here - blue skies and no cloud altho general forecast temps are plummeting overnight and otherwise - about 4 deg. in a week so Winter is def. on the way. However with this kind of weather who can care? So much better than grey old Amsterdam. ... read more