Advertisement
Published: June 28th 2017
How sweet it tastes
Bronze in the daily comp day 2Happy New Year from Edinburgh, Scotland
Itâs been a while since I put pen to paper or should that
be fingers to the keyboard so grab a beer and sit back for a read.
When I last wrote we were in Alice waiting for Garry and
Kaylee to arrive for the Masters Games.
We had a great week together with them playing golf and
touring around Alice to check out some of Kayleeâs old haunts from her youth.
The Darts Comp was held in the Golf Clubrooms so we were privileged to witness
some fine looking athletes in their prime.
On the second day of the singles I managed a Bronze Medal
in the B Grade and then on the third day Caroline scored a Silver Medal in the
B Grade so a successful first Masters Games for both of us.
Once the games were over it was time to head back to
Brisbane to catch up with friends and relatives before we flew out to Scotland.
We travelled the 3200Kms in 5 days with overnight stops in rest areas on the
side of the road the first two nights then at Red Bank Camp Area and Calliope
Winners are grinners
Silver in the daily comp day 3 River for the last two both very pleasant areas alongside the water, itâs definitely
not the most enjoyable way to travel but we were on a mission.
Back in Brisbane we parked the van at Morrisâs shed and
stayed with Kate and Pete and their giant dog Boston all 1.5Kg of him. Managed
to catch up with a group of friends for a meal one night, spent some time with
Paddy and Dizy, had a round of golf with Terry and Marilyn and all of a sudden
we were on a flight to Scotland.
We arrived in Edinburgh on 6
th Nov after
enduring a 20 hour stopover in Abu Dhabi hence we were very tired and jet
lagged but extremely happy to see Nicole, Anthony and Aela again.
As expected itâs very cold here and after spending the
last 6 months in 30+ deg along the top of Aus 6 deg feels very very cold. Had
to do a run to the outlet shops to purchase a few extra warm clothes.
Now that we have been here for 2 months a 10 deg day with
sunshine feels like a pleasant day but you still need the thick coat,
Australia v Scotland
Wallabies scored a try in the last 30 sec to defeat Scotland 23 to 22 scarf,
beanie and gloves when you venture outdoors.
Living with a 2 year old is also very different to what
we are accustomed to, what a delightful little girl Aela is when she is happy
which is most of the time but my, am I glad I am not a parent of a toddler when
they are not happy or unwell.
On 12
th Nov I went to the Rugby Union with
Anthony and some of his work mates to see Australia defeat Scotland 23 to 22 at
Murrayfield Stadium, great atmosphere and a great result.
On 17
th November Cael Cyril was born into the Fitzgerald clan weighing 8lb 7oz
The little fellow has a cleft palate and unfortunately
has spent most of his time in hospital being fed via a tube as he cannot suck
properly. He is progressing well and hopefully will be home very soon allowing
the family to get into a more normal routine. We are really glad we are here to
help out during this difficult time.
Nicole and Anthony live in Danielâs house (Anthonyâs
Brother) which is ideally located just off Leith Walk. Itâs a 15 minute walk up
the hill
Cael
Aela holds Cael's hand for the first time into the centre of town which is very convenient for shopping and itâs
another 15 min walk to the Hospital. Besides walking into town and the hospital
we have done a few walks exploring the surrounds of Edinburgh. When Cael was
still down at Livingstone Hospital we visited The Kelpies with Aela. The
Kelpies are 36m high steel statues of horsesâ heads symbolising ancient
creatures and honouring the work of draft horses in the Falkirk area.
We enjoyed a tour of Edinburgh Castle on St Andrews day,
went to the Christmas Markets with Aela one day on the way to the hospital.
Have been to Aelaâs Gymnastics, Swimming and Nursery numerous times.
On 4
th Dec we flew to Frankfurt to start our
10 day Christmas Markets tour through Germany.
Well we thought Edinburgh was cold, Frankfurt was -6 deg
overnight with a daytime max of -2 deg, lucky we had acclimatised somewhat
before experiencing this. On the train next morning travelling to Wurzburg
where it was also -2 deg, booked into our hotel and headed out for the day all
rugged up. We walked about 20Km visiting the Kappele-Pilgramage Church,
Marienberg Fortress both atop very steep hills with
many steps then on to The
Residence once the home of the Prince Bishop who was powerful both religiously
and politically during the 1600 to 1700s. Much of the Residence was badly
damaged during WW2 but the main entrance and staircase was not. Amazing painted
ceiling and walls depicting the world as they knew it then. Some characters
appear to be statues but are just part of the optical illusion created by the
artist. Visited the Cathedral of St Kilian where construction began in 1040 was
burnt out in 1945 and restored in 1967. Walked through the Christmas Markets in
the evening and had a Bratwurst Sausage in a roll with a Mulled Wine.
Not a big fan of the mulled wine so havenât had one
since, the German creamy dark beers on the other hand go down very well.
Next morning we were on the train to Rothenberg ob der
Tauber, our hotel was inside the walls of the old city, and once again the
temperature was in the negative all day. We walked into the Market Square and
climbed the 200 steps to the top of the tower in the Town Hall for excellent
views over the
entire town. Walked along the top of the wall for 2.5Km and then
on the outside of the wall until we reached the Castle Gardens where the Castle
stood until it was demolished by an earthquake in 1356. Looked through the
Medieval Crime and Justice Museum where they had some interesting artefacts
including manuals on how to torture a suspect, during this time you could not
be punished for a crime until you had confessed so it was customary to be
tortured in order to gain a confession. Rothenburg is mostly unchanged from about
250 years ago, it was captured during the 30 year war and was then broke and
unable to afford any changes. About 40% was damaged during WW2, at the end of
the war the town appealed to the rest of the world to buy a part of the wall
which provided enough funds to rebuild it. They claim it is the most authentic
medieval town in existence. The Night Watchman tour started at 8pm and lasted
an hour in sub zero temp but was a great insight to the history of the town.
Next day we were off to Nuremberg via two trains the
second
being delayed by an hour, while waiting we started talking to an Italian
couple and ended up having coffee with Joseph and Luciano and travelling on to
Nuremberg with them. Once again our hotel was inside the wall for the old town.
Went on a 2 hour guided walk learning about the history of the town, visited
the Imperial Castle Nuremberg where from 1050 to 1571 all the emperors stayed
at some time during their reign, we also visited St Sebaldus Church. Most of
the town was flattened during the war and has been rebuilt mostly as it was
inside the old wall. Went to the Xmas markets then to the Nuremberg Bratwurst
Haus to have authentic Rotabratwurst (unique to Nuremberg) sausages with sauerkraut,
very nice and washed down with a couple of local beers.
Next day after a 2 hour delay we were on the train to
Munich where we stayed for 3 nights. Walked around the town taking in the Xmas
markets, Fruit and Veg Markets, the tower in Marien Platz and a few churches.
Went to the Hofbrau Haus for the roast pork knuckles and beer which had been
recommended by Nicole and Anthony, delicious and
the knuckles were good too.
Second day was a trip to Salzburg for the Sound of Music Tour. Toured the town
on the hop on hop off bus and visited the Fortress Hohensalzburg then we were
on the bus for the tour taking in all the locations around the town where
filming took place for the movie including a scenic drive to the church at
Mondsee where the wedding scene was filmed. One day was nowhere near enough
time to explore this beautiful old town. Third day was a bus trip to see
Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle with a stop at Oberammegau in
between. Both were built for King Ludwig II and were very opulent, he died in
suspicious circumstances before Neuschwanstein Castle was completed.
Heidelberg was our next stay were we visited the Xmas
markets, Heidelberg Castle which was first documented in the 1300s. Access to the
castle was via the Funicular railway which has been in operation since 1890. St
Peters Cathedral and the University Library were also magnificent old
buildings.
Last stay was in Frankfurt were we walked along the river
Main which is flanked by numerous museums, went up the Main Tower for
a view
across the city then strolled around the Altstadt and the Xmas markets. Then it
was back to Edinburgh the following day.
One day in each town was not long enough to see
everything we wanted but gave us a taste of what is out there. We walked all
day every day which was quite painful for me from the afternoon in Rothenburg,
I may have damaged the cartilage in the right side of my right knee or the extreme
cold weather has flared up some arthritis, guess I will have to try and find a
good radiologist to scan it when I get back to Brisbane. We really enjoyed the
tour despite the sub zero temperatures with Rothenberg and Salzburg being the
highlights.
Xmas eve Nicole and Anthony had organised a gift box with Xmas PJs and small treats.
Xmas day was very special with everyone in their Xmas PJs
and the excitement on Aelaâs face as she helped us open the presents in the
stockings before we settled in for a cooked breakfast.
After breakfast it was back to the lounge to even more
excitement as Aela opened all her presents. We were all very
spoilt, it was
refreshing to have a young one around for Xmas something we havenât had for
quite some time. Nicole and Anthony visited Cael in hospital in the afternoon
then we all sat down to a delicious meal in the evening. Daniel and Bec where
here for a week over xmas so we had another evening of present opening with
them a after they returned from Becâs parents.
Last Wednesday we went to Glasgow for the day by train where
we visited the Peopleâs Palace Museum in Glasgow Green, St Mungoâs Cathedral, the
Glasgow Necropolis, and a guided tour through the City Chambers built in the
1800s.
Last Friday we drove to Melrose on the Scottish Borders
and visited the Melrose Abbey Ruins then walked to the Chain Bridge then along
the river Tweed back through town. On the way home we stopped off at the
Leaderfoot Viaduct, Scotts View and Smailholm Tower built in the 1400s.
Anthony is back from his 2 week Skiing trip, on Sunday Kate will
arrive to spend a week here then she will fly to Barcelona with Caroline and
myself for 5 days then on to Madrid where Nicole will
meet up with us for 4
days then Kate will fly back to Australia, Nicole to Edinburgh and we will fly
to Italy and spend 10 days in Rome, Florence and Venice before heading back to
Edinburgh.
We have become accustomed to many things since arriving
here, like the stone buildings and stone fences, the names of the roads, the
way they park facing either direction and even the double parking but itâs hard
to get used to the speed limits. On a motorway itâs usually 70 MPH (112KPH) and
on open roads itâs 60MPH (96KPH) then in outer suburbia a dual lane road is
usually 40MPH (64KPH) and a single lane road is 30MPH (48KPH)
What I canât get used to is the speed limit in the city and surrounding suburbs
it is 20MPH, that is a mind numbing 32KPH â¦â¦.. REALLY !
I can picture the add, Car for Sale travelled 95000 Miles, Excellent Condition, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Gears like new only used for occasional Sunday drives by little old lady.
We had planned to head to Darwin after Easter this year
and spend 6 months there but plans are meant to be
changed. Kate and Pete are
expecting their first child in July so we will probably spend some time north
of Brisbane and be back in July to meet our 3
rd grandchild.
Hope this finds you all fit, well and enjoying life
Kym and Caroline
Advertisement
Tot: 0.248s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 8; qc: 41; dbt: 0.0627s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Alan and Lyn Bradley
non-member comment
Awesome stuff , great photo's , you've certainly seen some amazing things , continue enjoying . We have a heatwave here at the moment - widespread areas have been in the 40's for a few days & many bushfires in NSW .Cheers Alan & Lyn