Unseren letzten Tag auf Cuba beginnen wir mit einem kräftigen Frühstück und, nach dem Packen, legen wir uns noch einmal für ein paar Stunden an den Strand, um uns langsam zu verabschieden, und ein letztes Bad im Meer. Noch ein schnellens Mittagessen, denn schon um 2 Uhr werden wir vom Taxi nach Havanna abgeholt. Die Taxifahrt verläuft problemlos, bis auf den Schluss, denn wie sich herausstellt finden sich auch die Taxifahrer ohne Hinweisschilder nicht zurecht. Nach 3-maligem Nachfragen und einer kurzen Geisterfahrt auf der Autobahn, kommen wir doch gesund am Flughafen an. Noch schnell Rum im Duty Free eingekauft und jetzt [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yeahhhhh!!!! Everything's packed and I'm as ready as I can get... I'm almost sure I forgot something essential but I guess I'll not notice something's missing until I need it and that's going to be far far away... *thinkthinkthink* Well, my pets are taken care of, even my mexican red-knee-tarantula has host parents for the next few weeks... I don't have to worry about food rotting away in the fridge or turning off the lights, electricity, the gas or anything else (viva la living with your parents!!!) and I even tidied up my room properly *pattingmyselfontheshoulder*... Still, I've got a nagging [View Full Entry]

---

---

Gah, I'm going completely nuts... Today I tried out 4 different suitcases and after packing and unpacking and packing and un... I finally found the best one and weighed it... It was TOO heavy!!!!! So unpacking it was again and getting rid of unnecessary ballast. My heart is bleeding... I have to leave behind loads of grand clothes...Some essentials like an additional towel and most terrible,some pairs of SHOES have to stay behind as well... *sob* And after all those sacrifices it was still too heavy! Finally I ended up weighing HAIRDRYERS!!!!!! and packing the lighter one... I weighed hairdryers... I [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hiah!!! Still home... Counting days...and planning my farewell party!!! If you go, go with a bang and with style! I've also started making a list of what to pack and of what there's still left to do before my departure... But mainly I'm just lying around, my nose in a book, soaking in every English word that could come in handy in Australia. My mum's driving me nuts, telling everyone how crazed out she is about me going off all by me onesie (as Cpt. Jack Sparrow would call it)... Though I've got to say that I'm starting to show nerves [View Full Entry]

---

---

Can´t get away from the heat on the first and long bicycle travel day in Lower Austria. But camping by the Danube allows us to take a welcome relief dip in the river after setting up camp. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The prettiest part of the Lower Austrian Danube is the wine growing area, the Wachau. We cycled into a pleasant bit of rain which kept the temperature comfortable through the afternoon. Stayed indoors in Melk with a 2 bedroom apartment on the Danube rented from a Glenn Clark look alike who did not give us a receipt for our payment. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The train ride to North Burgenland took us two transfers to do as the service is mostly one train car. North Burgenland had several train routes which have a one car service which we were often stopping for on the next two days. The train conductors on our trip to Mattersburg (formerly Mattersdorf) were very friendly and helpful. If you like friendly people, go to Burgenland. Friendliness can have its drawbacks as we were very hungry in Jennersdorf having waited to near 2 p.m. to have lunch and the lunch specials always end at 2 p.m. An older guy enthusiastically [View Full Entry]

---

---

This was not a school trip, and more like a 'sign up and go to Wachau valley trip' but it was good none the less. We started by going to Melk Abby (actually... I should start with the typical). It was a foggy morn, and I decided to go with my mates to Wachau (a region in Austria), where I had an unexpected amount of fun. First we went to the abby of Melk, one of the monestaries of Austria. Melk was formerly a peaceful medieval monestary, donated by the Babenburgs, but which fell into the hands of the Habsburgs, and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Danielle and I decided that we needed a few days away from the deserts and dust of Dubai. After visiting a couple websites detailing what the southwestern part of Austria had to offer, we chose Villach for the first three days of our vacation to be followed by two days in Vienna. October 5th we flew Emirates from Dubai to Vienna (excellent service and product - Don't know how we'll be able to travel on any other carrier) and picked-up a rental car. The drive from Vienna Airport is not complicated as the A2 is connected to the airport by a [View Full Entry]

---

---

I'm an American and so I don't celebrate Fasching or Fastnacht or Karneval or whatever they call it in the German speaking world. I don't even really know what it is, what it stands for, or why people feel compelled to wear weird costumes on a Rosenmontag or a Faschingdienstag, but whatever. I went to Amstetten where an American friend of mine lives for a fasching party and for a ball. But the ball isn't really important; balls happen all the time in this land der Bergen. Fasching happens but once a year. John, the friend of mine, and I went [View Full Entry]

---

---