June 2012
23 posts
2 tags
Thanks For The Memories!
So here I am. Sitting in Singapore Airport, just hours before boarding the final plane back into little old Adelaide.
What an adventure it’s been. Do I regret going? Not for a second. Do I want to travel more? You bet.
There are plenty of things I’d do differently though. One, I’d pack far less crap. I took a first aid kit for goodness sake. On a tour. Still can’t be...
1 tag
TOP 5 PLACES ON A LIAM ABROAD
Traveling across so many countries and cities for two months makes it very difficult to narrow it down to a top five. But here we go…
Switzerland was epic and the fact is at number five is an insult really. Amazing scenery, amazing differences to the rest of Europe, amazing cleanliness and a sense of freshness.
Austria. An adventure paradise. This place made me want to be fit, it...
Europe in a Nutshell
So as A Liam Abroad draws to a close, it’s time to look back at the Europe leg of the journey.
I went into this continent thinking that Italy, France and possibly Spain would be the countries with the most and the countries to be in. How wrong I was. Of course these countries are great with heaps to offer, but it was eastern Europe that really impressed me.
Dubrovnik was certainly...
2 tags
Time of my life
So what a journey it’s been. They say travel changes you. That has certainly been the case for me. It opens your eyes, removes you from your comfort zone. It’s unpredictable and it’s tiring.
Like everything in life, it didn’t all go to plan. But in proportion to the awesome bits of the trip, these small annoyances are just that, small.
I’ll wrap up Europe and...
1 tag
“Travel broadens the mind”
2 tags
Amsterdam
Final day of tour number two and you guessed it rain, rain, rain!
This meant that there was to be no canal rides. Which in pouring rain didn’t bother me too much. Although I feel I haven’t seen enough of the cultural part of the place. It did leave the day open for some exploring of the city though.
Hate to say it, but not really feeling any connection to Amsterdam. It’s...
2 tags
On the road again...
So today marks the final day on the road. The drive from the Rhine Valley in Germany to Amsterdam in the Netherlands is the final leg of my European adventure.
Our first stop allowed time for a sausage roll. It’s just not the same as a meat pie though which will be high on my to eat list as soon as I arrive home. That and Farmers Union Iced Coffee.
Anyway I’m getting ahead of...
2 tags
Back to Germany
So Switzerland will certainly be entering my top five countries on this trip. It’s getting a rather crowded top five now. Good on this country for being individual and doing things slightly differently to the rest of the world. Even if having completely different adapters for charging appliances is slightly annoying.
Heading back into Germany today as we continue to drive back up to the...
2 tags
Ain't no mountain high enough.
Rain rain go away. Another day and more rain, but in these parts of the world if it’s raining towards the bottom of a mountain, then it normally means snow on top. And that was certainly the case today.
I boarded a train up a mountain, which is a bit strange really. But a good concept. I believe it’s the worlds highest railway and is celebrating its 100th centenary this year.
...
2 tags
Tired? Stressed? You'll feel better in...
Back on the road and in for a big day of driving and tradition.
Three hours it took to arrive in yet another country. Lichtenstein is a small, yet nice country full of wonderful scenery and cleanliness. Another currency change which makes things a little annoying, but very much worth it. The main street almost backs onto a mountain which is unusual, but pretty cool.
Because it’s so small...
3 tags
Get wet or die trying
Woke up to the sound of pouring rain again today. It would have been a good day to be inside curled up with a good book and a wood fire.
Not to be however as it was onwards and upwards for a final morning in Austria before saying hello to a similar cultured country in Germany.
Drove through the pouring rain to a location where the last of the adventure activities in white water rafting was to...
2 tags
Flying high!
So as the final week of tour number two on my world wide adventure begins, it also marks the start of two days of adventure type activities.
It was straight into it this morning with a 25km mountain bike ride through the base of some of the mountains of Austria. I know I keep saying it but I can’t get over how stunning the scenery is. It was a foggy morning with light rain falling....
2 tags
faithfulsidekickweasley asked: I'm glad you liked Slovenia. Where are you heading next ? :)
2 tags
The hills are alive...
So where are we? Today saw me traveling through some magical countryside on the way to Austrian Tyrol.
First port of call was a very eerie one. We visited a concentration camp at Mauthausen which was so moving. A video showed just what the people placed here went through and how much they suffered before death. If they weren’t killed, the mental scars would last forever. What gets to me is...
2 tags
Vienna but not maximized Vienna.
Headed back into the city of Vienna today. Checked out the city from the bus. Lots of statues. Including those of Mozart and Strauss. Older buildings too, but surrounded by a fair proportion of modern ones as well.
It was a public holiday in Vienna today which saw us get caught up in a religious march and also meant all the shops were shut.
That was a bit disappointing because it limited...
2 tags
It's Austria not Australia.
Left Slovenia today. Really wouldn’t have minded another day here. Nonetheless it was time to head to Austria. About to closest to home I’ve been for a while. Get it, because Austria has similar letters to Australia… Haha.
Got informed that people come on holiday here thinking they will see kangaroos. Given the hostel that I am staying at is called Wombat’s Hostel, maybe...
2 tags
Slovenia. Where have you been all my life?
Every time I say Slovenia in my head I get the Lion King song ‘The Circle of Life’ stuck in my head. Anyway, that’s where we were headed today.
Before this trip, I knew nothing about this country, but what a place it turned out to be.
Left Zadar bright and early. Crap hostel behind it was straight onto the highway for country number… I’ve lost count.
Nothing...
2 tags
So long, farewell Croatia
Another travel day awaited today. Heading through Croatia to another city in this awesome country called Zadar.
Had a stop just across the border in Bosnia. Everything was dirt cheap. Apparently lots of Croatians do their shopping here. Easy to see why. Another country to tick off of the list. There is a 15 kilometre stretch of coastline and shops which is about the only thing worth looking at...
2 tags
Croatia, you're beautiful!
Hello from one of the nicest places on the planet, Dubrovnik.
Everything about this city is historic or quaint. From the wall which was built to protect the place to the blue oceans and hundred of boats that surround it.
Had the mandatory walking tour first up in the morning after a short walk of my own in the warm morning Croatian sun. Learnt some things about Croatian history, some of which...
3 tags
What a day..
Quite a busy day today so let’s get straight into it.
Waved goodbye to Albania this morning. This took quite a while though. The messy traffic that is this country made it impossible to get anywhere fast or at one point, anywhere at all.
Witnessed a heap of near miss head on collisions. Then a white van came within an inch of involving us in what would have been a nasty collision.
The...
2 tags
Culture Shock
So while Greece has been an adventure, it’s time to leave the ‘greasy’ gyros behind and continue the trip.
Early morning departure from Preveza headed for the somewhat interesting and basic country of Albania.
The service stops have gone from really great to okay to now almost non existent. We made it to the Albanian border where our passports were checked. A crafty...
May 2012
41 posts
2 tags
I'm on a boat! (Again)
Woke up feeling slightly better today. Careful not to jinx anything though.
The next couple of days see us begin to travel back up the other side of Europe along the eastern coast.
Waited around at a ferry port for what felt like forever this morning. Eventually the ferry arrived and left on time. They are pretty unpredictable though hence our early arrival at the port.
This ferry was small...
2 tags
Travel... Not for the faint hearted.
One thing you need to accept about travel is that each days is a new adventure and there will be surprises. Plenty of good times and unfortunately a number of not so good times too.
I haven’t really enjoyed Mykonos. From arriving at midnight and eating something that I’m still not quite sure what it was to being sick and run down, it hasn’t been a lot of fun.
Confined to my...
2 tags
Rest day
You can only go so hard for so long and I’ve reached a point in my trip where I need to stop, sit back and smell the roses. So to speak.
Luckily Mykonos is the perfect location for this. 3 days with very little planned.
Hence my blog today is not going to be ultra long.
I sat by the pool. Slept. Had Greek moussaka for lunch. Slept. And checked out the beach. That was pretty much my...
2 tags
Long day!
Another day in the big wide world. Time to check out all that Athens has to offer.
Tour of the Acropolis this morning. Way too many people. Could not move. People pushing everywhere. Apparently a couple of cruise ships are in town so that might explain it.
The site itself seemed to be under repair, which I found a little strange. Unless they are preserving it maybe, but looked more like they...
2 tags
My big fat Greek experience...
So spent the night on the ferry. Got about five hours sleep, which all things considered isn’t too bad.
There were some dodgy characters on this boat though. Several people kept walking up and down our aisle ready to pounce upon unattended bags. Seriously, the things people do for kicks. I wouldn’t want to spend any extra minutes on this boat, yet it appears these people’s...
2 tags
I'm on a boat!
So 3 weeks to go. Left bright eyed and bushy tailed from Rome bound for Greece via a ferry.
But first it was a chance to stop at Pompeii to relive some of the history of this town. Tour guides in my opinion need to have great sense of humour and be able to grasp the attention of an audience easily. Unfortunately these types of tour guides are rare. The one we had today though was excellent. Even...
2 tags
When in Rome...
Began a big day in Rome with a walking tour of the city. Photo opportunities with the Spanish Steps, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.
So hot. Roasting sun. Brutal. Still, better than rain when you’re sightseeing.
Decided then to have a bit of a look around the city. Had another gelato and hit the souvenir stores. Got lost (as usual) and walked around in the sun for ages. However we did...
2 tags
Rome certainly wasn't built in a day
The only good thing about getting up early at this time of the year in Europe is that the sun is already up so you don’t feel like the only one around. Leaving Florence today to head down to Italy’s capital Rome.
I’ve made the observation that despite the fact that it would take longer I’d much rather the bus go along some rural roads. This highway business isn’t...
2 tags
Florence!
Woke up and looked like rain. Turned out to be a pretty nice day.
Ventured into Florence today. Visited a leather factory and saw how they make the products. Poor cows. Everything was so expensive so apologies to all for the lack of gifts from here.
Then there was an attempt to find an Aussie bar to watch the state of origin match and cheer on my NSW Blues. Fail. Asked at an Irish bar where...
2 tags
Florence minus the machine.
The trip through the country of awesome food continues. Today the trip from Venice to Florence.
Spent most of the day on the road. Weird as services stop where no one really spoke English so made things a little difficult. Prerogative food in a different language is hard. Especially when it’s not within pointing distance.
Then it was off to Pisa to visit the most famous thing in the...
2 tags
Venice. Wet in more ways than one.
When you think of Venice, water is generally the first thing that comes to mind. But generally not coming from the sky.
Today was a wet way day in Venice. Soaked from head to toe. Forced to buy a cheap umbrella which failed to last the day.
Still though, water does belong in this city and the rain sort of added to its character. Just a shame that it had to be on a day I was there!
Tried to...
2 tags
Au revoir France! Bongiorno Italy!
Finally left France for the country of all things good food wise in Italy. This I’m looking forward to. Food, Vatican City, food, gondolas, food, and such a rich history to learn about.
Another long bus ride. lots of new countryside to see. We were actually a lot closer to the border of Italy than what I thought. My god the highways here are such good quality. Italians love their tunnels....
2 tags
Here are some thoughts on Europe so far...
Accidents on highways are never fun and we got the first taste of this this morning, One lane blocked means traffic chaos. Bit of a delay. Badly damaged car in the right hand lane.
Currently, I haven’t felt like things have been ultra different to back home. Of course there are major differences such as language and various cultural aspects, but not as many as I had pictured. I’ve...
2 tags
Nice (neese) is nice!
Interesting last day in the country of France. We visited a French perfumery in the morning. Didn’t do much for me. Overpowering smells and soap they’ve thought way too much about. Hand painted beaks? Is that really necessary? As long as the soap washes my hands, I’m happy..I’m such a guy.
Next up was a trip to the town of Nice. Smallish town located next to the ocean....
2 tags
Livin' la Vida Loca
Hello Spain. Bit warmer today on the European continent.
Started off the day with a city sightseeing tour. Great view of the city from the top of a hill.
Then visited the outside of La Sagrada Familia, which I must say is one of the more impressive buildings in the world I’ve seen. And I’ve seen quite a few buildings now. Trust me. This one is still not finished. Gaudi died...
2 tags
(h) ola!
Up early for the trip into Barcelona. It’s not dark for long in Europe at this time of the year. Sunsets are late and sunrises early.
It’s 10.51am and we’re a hour and a half or so from our first stop on this 9 hour drive. It amazes that most of the road we’ve been driving on so far is highway. Not how I’d pictured it. Trucks seem to play a big part in the...
2 tags
I'm a long way from Vegas
Woke up in a chateau to a beautiful French morning. Little crisp. But sunny with little wind. Went for a walk to clear the cobwebs. The local dog joined us, as did the crisp conditions.
Made it quite a way before breakfast. Past plenty of vineyards and a little church. Decent breakfast too. Nothing French about it, but hey it’s food and it’s good and after the past few days good food...
2 tags
France...
France. What a beautiful country. Excellent scenery. Picturesque landscape.
Today saw us drive from Paris to the Beaujolais wine region of France. Past a whole lot of chateaus. I felt like I was watching the Tour de France!
I especially enjoyed and want to take a picture of all the signs that say watch out for deer. I’m really in Europe now aren’t I?
Finally found another...
2 tags
Goooood morning Paris!
And what a day you’ve been. Started with a very Frenchy breakfast of strawberry flavored crepe. Yummo!
Then off to the one and only Eiffel Tower. This time to climb the beast. Cheaper and much more scenic if you do it by foot. So many stairs though. So many stairs. Over 600 to be precise
It was all so worth it though. Every minute was amazing. Simply just being here is amazing. Waited...
2 tags
Franklin and friends is in French!
So not gonna lie. Waking up in Paris is pretty awesome. Looked like it would be a decent day weather wise which is always a bonus.
First stop on the days itinerary was the Palace of Versailles. Pretty impressive sight. Why do we not build things like this in today’s modern world? The gold and reds. The massive paintings. High ceilings. It had it all.
The garden, while expensive to...
2 tags
2 tags
Merci!!
Bright eyed and busy tailed 5am start to begin what will be a whirlwind 37 days on the European continent.
First stop was passport control at the Dover Ferry Terminal located conveniently next to the white cliffs of Dover.
Then it was on the ferry and across the English channel bound for Paris. 90 minutes later we arrived. What was only a dream some months ago was now finally achieved. I was...
2 tags
Lon oh so not done
So it’s not everyday you can’t sleep and it’s partly because downstairs outside someone is yelling out HELP! HELP! I hate this hotel. Thank god I’m moving today.
Bit the bullet and had another big English breakfast this morning. Tried English coffee. Yeah marginally better than America. Maybe I’ll stick to tea. That seems big here!
It was raining again. Forgot to...
2 tags
I'm a Believer...
So my planned jam packed day was off to a shaky start with my alarm magically not going off which meant me sleeping until 11am. Oops. I think it was a blessing in disguise though. I needed sleep more than anything.
Once I hit the road or rather the tube, I had breakfast at Garfunkels restaurant. Sausage, bacon, eggs, mushroom, tomato, even chips! Went down really well.
Then off to the London...
2 tags
The Circle of Life
Alright. After my breakdown day yesterday in a dodgy little street near Arsenal where a terrible bout of homesickness set in, I’m pleased to report that today was much much better. Looking back it was Arsenal so maybe that explains it…
Started at midnight with the European couple in the hotel room room next door having sex. Gross.
Then it got good. Cause I slept. Jetlag is a...
2 tags
And finally... The rooms we all love..
Rest rooms. Been to a few on this trip, as you do. Seems like modern and no touch is the way to go these days. A fair proportion of the bathrooms that I visited you didn’t have to touch a thing. From self fishing toilets, to motion sensored soap dispensers and taps. Even paper towels requrired no effort.
I’m predicting that in a few years time, bathrooms will be the cleanest places...
2 tags
9/11
I don’t think Australia or the rest of the world for that matter realize what impact this event had on the United States of America.
It’s clear that things have changed since that day. Security is different and much more strict, which is a given. I mean. No shoes through security. The reason. A couple of years ago apparently someone tried to smuggle a shoe bomb through. You...
2 tags
And And you thought we were a sporting nation.
Again with sporting theme. I know, I know, you knew it was coming. Like at home, sport is a big part this culture. Every second person you pass on the street has a cap, beanie, t shirt, of their desired sporting team. And across a lot of codes. Baseball, basketball, ice hockey, I even caught a bit of the LA Galaxy soccer team on the tv. That’s who David Beckham has played for.
Every...
