Until recently Nasik was well known for its grapes - but mostly table grapes. Slowly the vineyards in Nasik have been experimenting with Wine-grapes and the result is fabulous. Nasik has steadily improved its reputation as a wine lovers paradise. The closest vineyards/winery to the city is Sula Wines. Its a great spot for a day picnic. You can visit their website www.sulawines.com and make reservation for the winery tour. Usually you do not need a reservation as every hour they have a tour. Varietals planted include Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Zinfandel. Duri [View Full Entry]

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I couldn’t believe that these were my last few days in Brisbane. My return flight to Amsterdam was on Monday morning…so flatmates and me decided that I should leave Australia with a bang. So for my last weekend in Australia we all decided to go to Stradbroke for the weekend. It was a perfect end for a wonderful stay in Australia. Stradbroke is an Island located just off of Brisbane. The island is a designated national park - nice forest and great beaches. There are many wonderful diving spots off the island…and there are whale watching trips in certain seasons. [View Full Entry]

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These have been great 3 months - my colleagues were wonderful, and my flatmates fabulous! Every morning I looked forward to go to my office and then every evening I looked forward to come home. Best of both worlds! I am gonna miss QUT, 2 O’Connell st, South bank, Brisbane and my friends! It was just like yesterday… when Kerry picked me up from the airport, Ben told me where the supermarket is, and Dominique guided me around QUT campus. Time goes by too fast when you are having a great time. Luca and Giuseppe left at the beginning of [View Full Entry]

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Its more than 2 months I have been in the 'Land down under.' Its about time I begin my much touted travelblog. Summarizing the last 2 months in simple words - JUST FABULOUS... Great colleagues & wonderful flatmates + hot weather & minimum clothing + cool beer & refreshing wine + white beaches & blue water + fresh air & laidback attitudes = FUN TIMES! Can't ask for anything more, except that Zsofi could be here. Australia is a great place for young couples - great private beaches, lot of nature, easily accessible and affordable! As you all know, I will [View Full Entry]

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The first month was kinda slow - the university was empty because of the student break, but since the first week of February the campus is teeming with students and so is our apartment. Last month, almost half of the rooms were empty…but now all rooms full. I made some really great friends with Luca and Francesca from Italy… Alex, Jana and Sabrina from Germany…and of course you already know Giuseppe and Ben! Everyone just clicked - We are a group!!! We eat together every night - drink, watch movie, play Frisbee or soccer or just talk every night. If [View Full Entry]

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Just returned from my New Zealand trip - had a fabulous time there. Met my Dutch colleagues, went Quad (4 x 4) biking in the mountains, bungyed from the Auckland bridge and touched the water. New Zealand is rightly called the ‘adventure capital of the world.’ Whichever adventure sports you are interested in can be done here. I found New Zealand the most backpacker friendly country - good value for money, nature, mountains, water… I flew into Wellington, drove north from Wellington to Auckland and flew out of Auckland back to Brisbane. 10 days went by pretty fast - but in [View Full Entry]

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This weekend me and my flatmates went for surfing. Living in Brisbane, we have no excuse for not surfing. Few of the World's best surf spots are right around Brisbane - Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast. We decided to go to Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast) for the weekend. Neither of us know how to surf. I have tried surfing couple of times in the Netherlands - but its safe to classify me as a beginer. My friends Luca (Italy) and Gisseppe (Swiss) have never surfed before. We took the train down to the Surfers paradise (SP) saturday morning and headed straight [View Full Entry]

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