The Tales of a Pisspot and a Worrywort!

From bustling and energetic to ghost town and silence.

leaandray — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:14:00 GMT

Berlin is definately a place full of art, I may have said this already but after visiting the East Side Gallery, which is the largest preserved part of the original Berlin wall, it became even more apparent how art can reflect the feelings and political agendas of the time. The East Side Gallery was truely astonishing the art work revealed hidden messages and some rather obivious ones as well. We walked the entire length taking in all that we could in such a short amount of time and then it was on to explore what remained of the city.

Since it is summer in Europe, snowing at home in Canberra apparently, the days can get rather hot and walking around can become very tiring. We headed for our last stop of our time in Berlin - the Topography of Terror Museum. Now originally I had thought it would have had something to do with the natural landscape of Germany during the Nazi regime, although we were greeted with something entirely different. The focus of the museum was not natural landscape but rather man made buildings and the landscape they formed. The buildings in question were the main headquarters and Nazi operation points. We looked on many documents that recorded the terror of the Gestapo Headquarters, the SS, the Airforce and many others making up the central hub of the Nazi regime.

The museum had an interesting point of view and would have taken hours to read all the information. Our time in Berlin has definately been filled with Nazi information overload and it can get somewhat sombre, so instead of hanging around we headed off for some more amazing currywurst, some final happy snaps for my Berlin Bear collection and rested our weary legs in the amazing park overlooked by the Berlinadom. Berling has been an eye opening experience with some very talented homeless characters, a variety of street protests, a strong police presence and history, art and culture associated with almost every building.

We left Berlin satisfied with our stay and headed for the unknown at Dresden, unknown simply because I wasnt bothered reading up on what there is to do there. We arrived and it seemed like we had hit a ghost town, so rather than sit at the hostel and do nothing, we decided to get some sangria, snacks and head to the park to do nothing! We decided to venture out the following day to the old town of Dresden, we wandered along the river and found ourselves crossing a bridge into a completely different version of Dresden. On this side of the river there were hundreds of people, not to mention amozing buildings and museums galore. We checked out the museum of ceremonial weapons, some armour so intricate it makes you wonder how they did it in the 15th Century.

The procession of Princes, a massive tiled art peice on the side of a building was rather impressive, apart from the poor prince who only got to serve for less than a year. We headed back to the hostel, had some delicious soup on the way back and got ready to check out what is apparently a decent night life in Dresden. As we headed out it was obvious that this was the kind of town that picks up after dark, people filled the once empty cafes and resturants and the dance floors were always crowded. Dresden in the end, although very quite, was a nice stop to chill out for a bit and enjoy the once again prevalant street art. Off to our next stop and a whole other country ... Prague!!!

L&R

Graffiti, the cutural art of Berlin

leaandray — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:56:00 GMT

Berlin is a city that oozes history, sometimes not always the most happy of memories and some places can be down right depressing, one thing that seemed to be stock standard was the sheer amount of graffiti throughout the entire city. There was the typical graffiti tag style, then you had the very evocative slogans slashed across buildings and then there was the amazing art work on the sidewalks, entire lengths of the front and sides of buildings often 4+ levels up. The amount of what I like to call cultural art was simply astonishing, does anyone even care that it is there or is it an unwritten acceptance of the Berlin society.

Berlin truely is an interesting city, we spent the first day again on a free walking tour, we detoured on the way to see the Berlinadom, Museum Island (although we didnt actually visit any of the museums) and the absolutely dominating Brandenburg Gate. Our tour traced along the original path of the Berlin Wall firstly to the site of the Holocaust Memorial, an area of concrete blocks that undulates leaving you often disorientated and feeling a sense of something bigger looming over you until you rise up and slowly the blocks become smaller and smaller, finally seeping into the ground itself. Everyone has a different concept of what the memorial stands for and what it represents, naturally the artist has never told anyone of his intentions so I guess we may never know.

On a complete contrast our next stop was the site of Hitler's bunker, now flooded and buried under a not so impressive carpark, we stood at the place where a lot of hate was bred. We learnt that doing the salute or simply wearing or drawing a nazi symbol would quickly see yourself with a fine of 5000 Euros and a jail term. We stood at the centre of the Nazi headquarters and listened to stories of escape attempts at an original section of the Berlin Wall. Again not quite what I expected but very dominant all the same. We finished our tour at Checkpoint Charlie, which was simply a tourist trap and nothing like the original. We met up with a friend from home and it was nice to be staying at a home again rather than a hostel.

After a night of cheap beer and amazing falafal it was time to get out of Berlin for a day trip to the Sachesausen Concentration Camp. We spent the day exploring the site of what was originally a labour camp. We learnt that the main brick factory was staffed with the majority of inmates from this camp. As the camp was mostly demolished for its timber during a time of great cold, most of what remained were the foundations, the guard towers and the surrounding wall. We entered a recreated barrack where hundreds of people were living in cramped conditions and wandered around the old site of the prison.

The entire camp itself was huge and we headed for the smallest and probably the most dark section. A small bunker awaited us, below ground level it allowed for the sound of gunshots to be muted so as to not be heard by those in the camp. We also visited Barrack Z where the chilling remains of the buildings and rooms where inmates were deceived into thinking they were having a medical examination only to be led to a gas chamber or be shot whilst being 'measured' against the wall. The most shocking part was seeing the original ovens and although the camp served more as labour than extermination it was a truely sobering experience.

We drank our sorrows away on the Berlin Pub Crawl and spent the day recovering doing washing. With still a few days left in Berlin it is apparent that we have not even begun to scratch the surface of the quirky, buzzing city that is Berlin.

L&R

We are Amsterdamaged...

leaandray — Thu, 9 Aug 2012 01:27:00 GMT

After spending three days in the only part of the Netherlands we were destined to see I was glad I had only booked three nights! We checked in, soon realizing that due to the skinny stature of the buildings here there are no lifts, and we happened to be on the 3rd floor. We headed out into the crazy, crazy maze of canals that makes Amsterdam so pretty. Since you must look first for bicycles, then for trams, then for cars, crossing the roads was no easy effort!

As was apparent as we wandered around, Amsterdam is still very much about the sex industry, 'coffee' shops and museums of all manner of things. We found some dinner and headed out for the red light district which as imagined is full of girls in windows. We were introduced to Big Momma Alley, Posh Alley and everything in between. It was amazing how busy the area was with tourists and families and was definately a different experience.

We figured to get a true feeling of the place we would do a walking tour, yep free again. We saw a huge range of things from the largest bridge to the smallest house - 1.3m wide. The guide also took us to the famous squats which were painted and very evocative to its political art, all the time passing hundreds and hundreds of pushbikes (7 for every single person in Amsterdam). The houses here are on some crazy angles and unfortunatly due to a massive 3 hour line we missed Anne Franks house, maybe next time. While Boen went and got crazy on the pub crawl we had a few quite drinks and called it a night.

After a rather sluggish start to the day we adventured out to the Vondel Park where all manner of odd and interesting people were spending their day. Although the sun was refusing to make an appearance it was still nice to be enjoying the outdoors. We finished off our time in Amsterdam with the delicious Febos (food in a wall) and the compulsary entertainment at the Moulin Rouge - why everything of this nature is called this I have no idea. Boen got pulled up on stage to be drawn on and Ray had an epic dance off with the entertainer, I was in histerics by this stage.

It was going to be fun getting up at the crack of dawn to head off to Berlin and we arent looking forward to the 10 hour bus ride, I guess we have done longer. Amsterdam was definately an interesting city with so much happening it was hard to decide what to see in the time we were there. Hopefully 5 days in Berlin will allow us to do some more thorough exploring!

L&R

Belgian food delight!

leaandray — Mon, 6 Aug 2012 01:12:00 GMT

So it seemed that Bruges was going to be all about the culinary experience that is Belgium, Belgian waffles - amazing, especially with melted chocolate and whipped cream on top, next was a picnic in the park - cheese, salami, sangria and the delicious Belgian chocolate made for an interesting (and slightly drunken) afternoon, the finale was the mussels, steamed in a celery and white wine sauce - glad we tried them but not something I would go out of my way to find. To wash this all down was the rather unimpressive Belgian Beer, tart, sour and the kind of thing that makes you do that silly scrunched up face.

Bruges itself was an extremely little town composed pretty much of 2 main squares and lots of canals where we spent a lot of time wandering about aimlessly. Whilst walking to the square we did see a huge taxodermied (or however you want to describe it) tiger, yes tiger, on the back of a guy casually riding along on his pushbike, thats another thing, they love their pushbikes here! We saw lots of antique shops selling all manner of things in this very pretty city.

We undertook another free walking tour and saw some really amazing old buildings, where a little blue and white plaque would symbolize that the entire building was in its original state. We wandered past lots of locations for the In Bruges movie including this cute dog who just hangs his head out the window all day staring into the canal. We passed windmills and original parts of the wall gates and heaps of tourists on canal boats. The ancient fish market, the beer wall and the free concerts were the last stops.

A rather unsuccessful pub crawl and it was time to meet our Busabout bus for the first time. We got our passes, loaded our bags and were on our way to Amsterdam. We had our own earphone ports so the Smurfs and Russel Brand entertained us on our way!

L&R

And it begins!!!!!!!

leaandray — Sat, 4 Aug 2012 00:51:00 GMT

So we have finally hit Europe on our epic 2 month adventure! It felt great to have the bags back on, although mine is significantly heavier than anticipated, and it wasnt long until I was walking once again like the boy who doesnt want to go to his sisters ballet class as Ray would put it. We found the hostel easy enough, with all that practice in London the metro was a piece of cake.

We spent the first night wandering around visiting the Manneken Pis, as everyone says 'he is much smaller than I expected', ate the local dish of fries (deep fried twice) and mayo, and saw some amazing architecture in the Grand Place. The Grand Place held some amazing buildings especially the hotel that was meant to be bombed (it was the target and all) but remains standing to this day. As with most of the cities there were an abundance of beggars and after all this time it is still a hard sight to see.

Our second day started off with a trip to the Cantillon Brewery where it takes 3 years to brew one single bottle of beer (more like champagne than beer) which wasnt all that pleasant to taste. It was still pretty cool to see how this tiny brewery uses all original equipment for such a time consuming process. We again embarked on the Metro to see the Atomium, a massive blown up molecule of some sort of metal. Didnt climb up in it but it was still impressive to see close up.

The finale for our time in Brussels was a pub crawl, after our farewell in London I never thought I would want to hear those words again, but there we were waiting for the tour leader in the rain, bringing the group to a tiny 9 people, staff included. The €20 we spent was well worth it with all drinks included for the night, needless to say we were all not feeling the greatest the next morning. A quick look through the camera revealed Ray winning the drinking competition, a giant mojito and absenith shots. The train ride to Bruges is going to hurt!

L&R

Things that go bump in the night!

leaandray — Fri, 3 Aug 2012 05:29:00 GMT

We spent the first night back at Edinburgh at the pub our guide recommended on the Royal Mile. It was a decent pub and we even got to see the Olympic opening ceremony and a live band to top it off. We met up with some of the girls on the tour and proceeded to have a few beers before heading back to the hostel, tired after all the mountain climbing! Our hostel was a little out of the way but it was somewhere to rest our feet.

Even though we had seen a bit of Edinburgh there was still so much more to explore. For some crazy reason I decided we should climb up Arthurs Seat and have a picnic. Off we set with our supplies and a rough estimation of where this hill was located (and a rough idea of how steep it was). We reached the base and attempted to climb up a dodgy side path with some luck, cutting out a little of the road ahead. We wandered and wandered, my legs already exhausted and made it to a little clearing. As we looked around there was a little hill and a massive hill, much to my dismay it was indeed the Arthurs Seat and somewhat looked like a sheer face of a million steps...

A good hour or so later we had made it to the top, amazing views over the city and you could still hear the bagpipes! We settled in, when it promptly starting raining, we still enjoyed our sandwiches and fruit while admiring the 360° view. Walking down was almost as hard as walking up with its steep, steep step. Made it back to the hostel, half alive and in a desperate need for a nap!

We headed out for our last night in Scotland and yes we did try Haggis (deep fried balls of Haggis) and yes it was delicious and no I could not stomach the thought of it! Ray quite enjoyed them though. A few quick beers then it was time to meet up with some people from our tour at 10:30pm to begin out ghost tour.....

So this tour has had people pass out, scratched, bruised and so on, unfortunately for us no one in our group had anything happen to them. We went under the bridges to where people used to live in slums and to the graveyard where all the Harry Potter names were taken from the headstones. We finished in a Mausoleum, got a bit of a fright when someone jumped out, ok I admit it I screamed, Ray just yelled back at the guy, quite confusing for everyone involved! Edinburgh was a must see in my books. Headed back to London to wait for the epic beginning of our Summer in Europe!!!!

L&R

Waltzy, waltzy, waltzy, WALTZY!

leaandray — Thu, 2 Aug 2012 05:09:00 GMT

It was rather sad to be leaving the highlands and heading for Oban, flat land in Scotland doesnt have the same beauty as the mist covered mountains! Oban was quite a nice little seaside town, again with some amazing seafood and harbour views. We checked in, it was sunny, we left to go on an adventure to yet another castle, it was raining! We made it it a little castle that was almost completely overgrown with all manner of vines, even climbed up to the second level and admired the amazing views over the harbour.

Our kilt wearing tour guide-driver suggested we all head along to get our first taste of a traditional ceilidh. We didnt quite know what to expect and we arrived at a pub and night club to the sound of bagpipes and fiddles. We listened in amazement to the live band and even saw some highland dancing. It wasnt long until the band requested some volunteers to join in for the dance. Naturally Ray dragged me up on stage....

The ceilidh dance resulted in a lot of clap, clap, clap, stomp, stomp, stomp and even some twirls (which Ray made the most of) which had us tired and thirsty. We got dragged up for the second one which was far more confusing, grabbing hands running around in circles, hoping you made it back to your spot to grab your partners hands and skip through the middle while outrunning the people behind you! All very amusing! And to top it all off was the finale, boys on one side, girls on the other and a constant progress of linking arms and spinning on to the next person (reminded me somewhat of a country hoedown). Exhausted, and because the pub closed it was off to bed, walking home through the rain yet again!

The final leg of our tour took us past many many more castles, castles on lakes, in the mountains and ones in ruins. We learnt many, many more stories about the rebellions, mythical people and the highland clearances. Another gorgeous stop was at Glen Coe where we stood and marvelled at the 3 sisters, so tall and beautiful. We ate lunch at the Loch Lomond National Park stop where Ray proceeded to get us very lost and stumbling through the scrub hoping to get back to the bus in time! We stopped off to finally see a highland coo - Hamish (Scottish for James) and his girlfriend. Spent a while feeding Hamish and even ate some of the most delicious strawberries from a local farmer.

We passed St Conan Kirk and amazing little church built by one man for his mother and the final resting place for a teeny tiny bit of bone from Sir Robert the Bruce. The grand finale was definately Doune Castle where we could actually wander up and down the crazy spiral staircases, into the old bedchambers and even see the holes they used as toilets. The kitchen and great hall were big highlights even though we couldnt seem to find the elusive dungeons.

As you can probably tell this tour has been so jam packed Im glad I wrote most of it down! We also had the chance to see the Wallace Monument, Ben Nevis (although covered in clouds) and much, much more...

We can only hope to visit the Highlands once again, but for now its back off to Edinburgh.

L&R

Whatever you do DO NOT insult the Faeries!

leaandray — Wed, 1 Aug 2012 23:04:00 GMT

As I guessed Scotland did get better, we left Inverness and headed up the coast in search for the Isle of Skye. We drove past farming land full of Hairy Coos (cows), gorgeous lochs and mountains so so beautiful, Slioch being one of the nicest. Along the way we stopped off at a Clootie Well, where people dip their belongings in the stream and tie to the trees, these items then slowly decompose and as such removes the illness from the owner. We crossed Corrie Shalloch Gorge, one of the deepest glacial ones in the world (the crazy bridge was not to my liking).

This part of Scotland had absolutely stunning views up high and even found a beach with proper sand. We finished the day on the Isle of Skye, ate some amazing seafood and embarked on an adventure to a derelict castle and some otter watching in the bay.

We spent the next day exploring the amazing Isle, starting with a quick 7 second face dip in a faerie stream to lock in our good looks (the water also tasted delicious). Lunch in Portree then off to the secluded faerie glen, here insults such as hands in pockets, whistling, or swearing would bring you some great misfortune. In my case I did in fact insult the faeries and the drinking game at the end of the night did not treat me well. We hiked up the Currang Mountain revealing some of the best views I think I have ever seen, such serenity and fresh air is hard to come by!

We also stopped off at some 'kilt' cliffs, the Old Man Storr and drank from another faerie stream. As you can probably tell this tour has been jam packed with Scottish history, battles and legends including Bonnie Prince Charlie and the giants who fought and created the mountains on Skye. So much information I'm pretty sure I have forgotten a lot of it! Scotland definitely is living up to everything we could have expected and more (although Ray would prefer if everyone didn't go to bed so early!)

The next day we left the Isle of Skye and headed back down the coast to Oban.

L&R

Kilts, Bagpipes and Haggis!

leaandray — Wed, 1 Aug 2012 18:19:00 GMT

Our next journey began with a quick side trip to Scotland, and I might add that it was incredibly beautiful! It all started with a 5 hour train ride to Edinburgh, and leaving at stupid o'clock in the morning after our epic farewell did not go down so well, plus the motion sickness on the train, I never thought I would make it alive! At first Edinburgh seemed like any other big city, bustling people, shops galore and of course the tourists. As we soon found out that maps can be very deceiving and with no form of gradient we were met with a massive hill known as the Royal Mile. Now it has been a while since we have had to carry our backpacks and we were a tad out of shape (Ray would maintain that it was just me having issues walking like any normal human would).

Now 3 things soon became apparent - 1. Edinburgh was not a typical city with its ancient Gothic architecture and amazing little closes, 2. You can never predict the weather in Edinburgh, 1 minute it is hot and sunny next its raining and so on, 3. These streets/hills were soon going to be killing me! We wandered around admiring the history and found a typical touristy thing to do - The Real Mary King's Close. Now Edinburgh can be thought of as the creator of skyscrapers as the built their house up to 14 levels with only 3 people wide streets between, known as a close. Now what we got to see was an underground city that had been built over, with original houses and the tiny closes that were their sewage system (you definitely didn't want to be outside during the bucket throwing!)

The housing system of old Edinburgh was something else and certainly somewhere I would never have wanted to live. Its the history like this that makes traveling all that more special. Impressed with this amazing city we kept wandering, had a cheap dinner at the hostel and went to bed pretty early, the hangover finally subsiding.

The following day we were up nice and early to meet with our tour group, as we had purchased the tickets many months ago neither of us knew what was in store for us! Our bus arrived and our tour guide, in kilt and all, with long crazy curly hair (something that for some reason Ray seems to want to live up to) jumped off. We all piled on and off we went, past the castle, the birth place of Mr Bell, and some amazing scenery. We drove and drove learning many a story about ancient characters that all made Scotland the place it is today, we crossed the Forth of Firth and soon learned that our guide loved the word 'wee'.

As we passed some truly amazing scenery we realized that we were getting further and further away from the main cities and soon we were in forest. We visited the hermitage where they actually paid someone to live in a cave, although he has long since left. The we had our first taste of proper Scottish whiskey and a quick distillery tour. It was unusual to be on a bus for so long while learning and seeing so many things. It was also apparent that Scotland had many of the 'first', the 'biggest' and the 'oldest things in the world. We stopped off at a stone burial site, getting off the beaten track, a battlefield where the Jackobites were slaughtered, this time the traditional Highland Charge (the same concept as seen in Braveheart) did not work to their advantage.

Throughout the day we reached further and further into highlands and the scenery seemed to change every minute, it is such a beautiful place here. We had lunch in Ptilorchy, dinner in Inverness and even swam in the much bigger and colder than expected Loch Ness. We finished the night off with some local traditional Scottish music then off to bed, I'm sure that the rest of Scotland can only get better!!

L&R

A little bit of local hospitality

leaandray — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 03:24:00 GMT

Typical teachers overloading your brain till you cant rememeber a single thing they have said, so much information went in and out yesterday that I completely forgot our very special treat of visiting our tour guides home town, excited by the option to experience the local lifestyle! We stopped off on the side of the road on the way to examine the sheep's summer holiday houses and when we arrived into the tiny town we were met with smiles and waves from the "gossiping men". This was definately off the beaten track and not something you experience on your everyday tour. We found TJ's parents house and were once again greeted with such warmth and happiness.

The father of the household took us on a tour of thier humble home, their tiny bedroom and even smaller kitchen. We saw how they stored their perishable items in barrels half buried in the ground under the house, and TJ's mum's wedding box. We sat down for the most authentic of Turkish meals, all home made! We had goats cheese yoghurt, vine leaf packages, rice and chicken, not to mention the amazing rice pudding to top it off, our plates were bare! It was such a rewarding experience it makes me wish I could get off the beaten track more often and see the not so touristy side of things.

Our last educational tour was off to Ephesus and we were met with a young man fresh out of the Turkish military reserves and he certainly looked it! He took us to Virgin Mary's house where we had a sip of Holy Water and relished in the tranquility of the site. Then to the ancient ruins of Ephesus, as we realised that although the ruins looked tiny when we first got there but we soon realised that the site was massive! It was at Ephesus that we learned that Mr Big Bartlett was a truley a handsome boy! Our tour guide had taken a special liking to Mr Big Bartlett refering to him as handsome boy at every opportunity. It was if every time we turned around our tour guide was a close as innapropriate to Mr Big Bartlett (now known as Handsome Boy), staring lovingly into his eyes with every question directed straight at him with a longing look in anticipation and hope that his new found affection wouild inspire Handsome Boy to miracualsley come up with the right answer.

The whole infatuation was much to the amusement of all concerned (apart from Handsome Boy who was looking extremely concerned). We were reminded every 3 minutes that we were at "Ephesus III, remember Ephesus III, Ephesus I up there, here Ephesus III", if there was anything we took away from that whole day it was those words repeating over and over and over, I think I even heard them in my sleep! The site itself was truely amazing, the ruins, the reconstruction (although why anyone would want to do that in an Earthquake zone), and the memories were alot to take in.

More and more information was given to us and the more and more we began to tune out. A lot of the site is still buried and the uses of many of the rooms and buildings still remain unknown. The mystery of these places is definately worth the lengthy lessons and massive crowds. We found a hiding place in the glorious library but were soon found out, all of us sighed dreading hearing more! We were almost in histerics when our tour guide asked "Do you see Medusa, Medusa do you see?!" to which Handsome Boy replied "Yes! I see Medusa" to the response of our guide "That is not Medusa!" all in complete seriousness. By this stage we were ready to leave.

I think we ended up doing the slowly walk in the opposite direction and he may just follow, and we were finally free! Well free enough to jump back on the bus and head for the airport for our flight back to Istanbul. After more airport waiting and waiting and a ridiculus amount for a slice of pizza and we were back once more in the amazing Istanbul. An eventful bag snatch at the airport a missing cab driver, Turkish radio up as loud as it gets and we had arrived safe and sound. Slightly more out of the city centre we settled in for a quick bite to eat a cup of tea and a goodnight sleep! The Bartlett's were surviving well!

So now it comes to the point where I sadly write about our flight home! Buckling in to go back to London was not fun at all, knowing that we were leaving the sunshine and headed for drizzle rain and cold was just downright depressing! The boy Bartlett's sat together and Mrs Bartlett and I shared the middle seats. Handsome Boy was the first amusing act of the flight snorting in laughter at who knows what, then he took prize for second amusing act, it was at this stage that we learnt definately NOT to sit infront of him when there is a touch screen located on the back of your seat. Handsome Boy clearly didnt realise that there was a seat behind his television, and proceeded to use his finger to make sure the touch screen felt the wrath of the end of his finger. This I dare say would become anoying after a while, to add to the back of your seat being repeatedly tapped, Handsome Boy decided to have an arguement with his tray table that refused to go into the upright position, with some serious vigor it returned to its upright position, it was this point the man infront of Handsome Boy decided to turn around and give Handsome Boy a look that would shake the most certain of people, Handsome Boy however fluttered his eye lids and stammered ttthe ttray wwwoul nnt go uup, the man infront turned around and feeling bad for getting angry at this amazingly Handsome Boy put his seat into the upright position and stayed there for the remaining 5 hours of the flight. But the best was definately saved for last with Mrs Bartlett taking the third and final prize for amusing act of the flight. Let me set the scene:

You are on a plane, thousands of feet in the air, there are no spare seats the passengers are reading, sleeping, eating and doing other flight like things. Each person has their complimentary earphones on, flicking through the channels when suddenly...

Someone across the row starts laughing, just a quick snigger, you think nothing of it, and then there it is again, this time a little longer. You ignore it thinking that someone has had a fleeting moment of insanity and then laughter erupts from the row behind. You turn your head ever so slightly trying so very hard not to stare and find the laugher's companion bright red, clearly embarassed by the situation but still laughing along with first passenger who has now completely lost the plot. You cant help but to stiffle a giggle, the laughter is infectious and soon 3 rows are laughing all in time.

Needless to say that I was the companion now beet red and with sore sides! Funniest thing however is the fact that Mrs Bartlett had believed the whole time that everyone laughing were laughing with her becuase they just ALL happened to be watching the same show at the same spot just slightly delayed... I must say she definiately took the gold medal for that one :)

Other than that the flight was as usual, bit bumpy, again this was to my detriment but to the amusement of the Bartlett's. Arrived into Heathrow and couldnt help but feeling just slightly like we had arrived back home. The Turkish adventure was over, the sun was gone and it was straight back to work! Until the next time!

L&R

Lessons Learnt!

leaandray — Thu, 5 Jul 2012 02:34:00 GMT

After a sobering few days at the Gallipoli Penisular it was time for some education lessons from some very tough teachers. It felt like we were back in 3rd grade on a school excursion being dragged around while our teachers bored us with facts that we were never going to remember. First stop was the ancient ruins of Troy, and the compulsary climb up the artificial Trojan Horse. As you probably know by now heights arent really my thing although the Bartlett's seemed to enjoy it well enough. Note for the tourists out there who embark on the 'adventure' into the horse's belly... please dont keep entering something that only has a finite amount of space, you will not fit! Then it was off to explore the site, the ruins were quite overgrown somewhat dissapointing but once you got down into the walls it was hard not to be amazed!

Troy was mainly composed of walls, some grass, an entrance way and stunning views down to the marsh area that was essentially the downfall of the city. Who would have thought that mosquitos could cause such a problem! We saw the layers of the city spanning years and years and years as well as the destruction of explorers searching for treasure (my history teacher would have had a fit!). By this time I was definately feeling as though a pop quiz was awaiting us as we returned to the bus. Quick souvenir stop and we were back on the road cruising along to Pergamon and the Asklepion ruins.

We arrived at the base of the Pergamon site, staring high up to the Acropolis and looking down to the Gypsy houses positioned atop of ancient ruins that will probably forever remain unearthed. We met our next teacher at the entrance to the old hospital (apparently the 3rd ever one in the entire world) but somehow we were all much more enthralled by the heavy presence of military in a rather not well hidden secret tank base backing up on to the site. If you looked hard enough you could just make out the silent figures and their automatic weapons, best we not get too close then! We were ushered around past the horse holding pens, the sign that implied if you were dying that you cant come in (ironic considering it was a hospital), past the rooms that once held pharmacies and all kinds of wacky treatments as well as many symbols depicting a snake drinking milk.

The road ended at an ampitheatre and library, something to do with making patients feel better. And then apparently we were not paying attention to our teacher as he asked Mr Little Bartlett "am I boring you?", the answer to which was "sorry what?" Yep typical banter most often seen in classrooms! Almost wanted to beg him at that stage to let us do our own thing but he just kept going on and on. As we were leaving I came to the conclusion that this wasn't infact a hospital to treat people with injuries but could rather be the worlds first mental assylum. I come to this conclusion because of the following facts I learn't along the way:

1: You technically weren't allowed in if you were sick or dying;
2: There were entertainment areas (to get the patients minds off other things);
3: There was a walkway with holes in the roof so that people could whisper plesant things down as if the Gods were speaking;
4: There was a round building in which patients were made to run around until so exhausted they fell asleep - early form of Valium; and
5: There were spa baths everywhere.

Actually in that case it could have been the worlds first day spa and relaxation retreat, I guess we will never know. Although our teacher was adament that the evidence he had accumulated was rock solid, and that we werent paying attention as good students should. We settled down for the night in Izmir, celebrated a long day with our tour guide TJ, amazing chicken and meze platter, I guess I could get used to the Turkish fare, although we were all well and truely sick of hard boiled eggs by this stage!

L&R

A Time to Remember

leaandray — Wed, 4 Jul 2012 00:08:00 GMT

Lets just say last night I found out how to make sure everyone looks at you, half naked, flailing around in soap suds in the middle of a Turkish bath... simply just get up too quick a slip over in style! It certainly seemed very horrible at the time although I look back on it with hilarity and admiration that I didnt high tail it straight out of there. Our adventure to a Turkish Bath last night was definately eventful although a rather immature water fight started by none other than Mrs Bartlett was not high on my to do list haha. All in all it was an amazing experience and the bruise will be a lasting memory during the long bus ride destined for today.

It was an early morning start, this time the morning prayer was a nice wake up alarm, as we had a lot to fit in before joining our tour group. First stop, across the road to the Hagia Sofia Mosque. To be honest with you the Hagia Sofia Mosque is one of the most amazing constructions I have seen on our travels (I know there are plenty more ahead of us) but the winding ramps from level to level, the uncovered mosaics and just the magic of the place was breath taking, I am constanly amazed at the ability of populations to create such wonderful places with the bare essentials and wonder how we could possibly survive without them. We finished up there, grabbed an amazing kebab and waited and waited for our bus to arrive, worrying the whole time that the Bartlett's wouldnt like the tour.

Yet again we were stuck on a lengthy bus ride, cruising through the Turkey landscapes, the lego land buildings, deserted skyrise buildings in the middle of empty fields, wondering where the people were and where they could possibly be going to work. It was raining for a fair bit of the way, not a very good start to what would soon be us sitting outside in the cold for hours on end, fingers crossed it would soon come to a stop. We arrived at Eceabat, the local town of our tour guide TJ who we found out lives there for 6 months and spends the rest in Australia with his wife and daughter, he is certainly a long long way away. We put our bags down, grabbed our pre packed breakfasts, vegemite and all and jumped straight back on the bus for the ride to Gallipoli. We passed the Dardenelles, trenches and tonnes of war history, excited for the Dawn Service on ANZAC Day.

It was a quick walk past ANZAC Cove, geared up with our warmest clothes and sleeping bags, settled down in some seats to watch the sun set over one of the most special places in Turkey. Military bands, documentaries and the cries of "Chicken Kebap, Chicken Kebap" kept us entertained throughout the night. We didnt sleep much, it was far too cold and uncomfortable, I guess you just had to keep reminding yourself of what the soldiers were going through and that we really shouldnt complain. The darkness set in and it seemed like forever until the sun finally began to rise over the crest of the Sphinx, one of the most emotional and eerie moments I think we will ever experience. We sat and watched in silence as the Bugel played, remembering all those that fell at this very spot. Then it was a tough trek up Artillery Road (almost killed me) revealling some amazing views and the Australian service at the Lone Pine war graves site. We sat exhausted but enthralled by Gillard's speech, the choir, and a very emotional reading of words engraved on the gravestones. After a very emotional and draining day, ANZAC Day 2012 had come to an end, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest and Turkish dinner.

The next day was very hectic, kind of feeling like my head is going to explode with all the information that our tour guide has force fed us! We spent most of the day in absolute awe wandering through the Gallipoli Peninsular, in and out of numerous war graves each with their own atmospheres and memories, through original trenches, past Johnson's Jolly and spent ages staring out from the Nek at breathtaking views. For such a beautiful place it is so filled with memories of struggle, determination and pain, it was yet another very tiring and emotional day!

L&R

World's Worst Directions!

leaandray — Tue, 3 Jul 2012 23:43:00 GMT

The windows begin to shake, eyelids begin to open and ears need covering with hands, pillows, or just simply what ever is available. This phenomenon is known as the early morning call to prayer! Ok so maybe staying in such close to proximity to a mosque, well 3 of them, is not the best idea if you are wanting beauty sleep but the cultural experience is worth it, for the first few days at least. The morning prayer had us all up and ready to go far before any shops opened or even before our buffet breakfast was served. A traditional Turkish breakfast (tomato, cucumber, salami, devon, cheese, olives and hard boiled eggs) was met with amazing views of the Blue Mosque, sunshine and people starting their day. It really is nice to be on holiday again.

The Bartlett's and I headed off for a day of exploration, first stop was the Blue Mosque, absolutely stunning on the inside and out. Interested by the feet washing stations, the prayer halls and the intricate stained glass windows we thought this must be the best of the best. Kicked out for prayer time so off the the Grand Bazaar, a huge authentic market made up of some 4000+ shops and stalls, reminded me of Asia, typical haggling, repetative stock and brands for half the price. The heat and complication of the layout was enough to have us heading for the door, but which one?! It soon became apparent that we had definately NOT left the way we had entered and were soon walking what seemed like forever further and further and further into the winding streets surrounding the Grand Bazaar, were we ever going to get out!

Mr Big Bartlett (with map in hand) soon assured us we were on our way out of the chaotic maze! Took a while but we finally surfaced somewhere, no idea where, but close enough to another mosque to go and have a look see. Somehow we had climbed a massive hill (no wonder my legs felt like they were going to drop off) and could see for miles and miles the beautiful views of Istanbul and the Bosphorous. It seemed as though I had sat down for 1 minute before the Bartlett's had dragged me off again on an epic search for some ancient aqueduct. Again lost, we wandered aimlessly almost giving up hope, when a peanut stall appeared out of nowhere in the back alley we were walking down, with some sustanance (and the boy Bartlett's with some new clothes) hope was in sight. A quick pitstop (number 30 for the day) and I still haven't quite got the hang of a squat toilet! Then the aqueduct was in view. The road running through it kind of ruined the atmosphere but it was still an impressive construction. Mr Bartlett (with his map in hand) determined the next walking course, looked simple enough, down to the river, past the palace and back to our hotel...

Unfortunately I belive the map was not to scale and we sooned realised we had attempted more than our little legs could take. After a quick lunch stop with the locals and the beauty of the afternoon call to prayer and we had made it down to the river. Figured we needed a break so we sat back and relaxed on a fitting Bosphorous river tour. It was crazy to think that we could see Europe on our left and Asia on our right, not something you get to do every day and something that I will remember forever. After the cruise I decided to tempt fate and take the Bartlett's for a quick metro ride back to the hotel, almost lost them but we all arrived in one peice, a success if I do say so myself! The Bartlett's and I have decided to retire for a nap then to attack the last half of the day!

L&R

Mr Big Bartlett "I will not move to a more private room!"

leaandray — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 01:48:00 GMT

The Inlaws have come to visit and what better way to celebrate than to whisk them off to some foreign country, with squat toilets, crazy cats and a large language barrier. Turkey should be fun! If you want to know what it's like for a little old me to take 3 Bartlett's on holiday then here it is...

It was an early start off to the airport ready to get flying once again, it feels like it has been far far too long. Waiting for our flight to board is always the worst (especially at 6am) but it felt amazing to buckle in, seats upright and wait for take off. The flight to Istanbul, our first port of call, was relatively uneventful. I think 2 of the Bartlett's were still a bit jetlagged so it was all quite on the Western front! Touched down safely (after a very bumpy landing) in Istanbul with our visa payment in hand and the first glimpse of sun in what seems like forever. We joined the massive line to grab our visas and another stamp for the collection, next stop was off to our mystery hotel.

The cab ride was as usual, no seat belts, flying through crazy traffic and avoiding accidents by a whisker, yep we are definately on holiday! Our taxi driver was really friendly, practicing his English and assuring us that his way was the quickest. We sat there and made out what little of the conversation we could understand (something about soccer), made it to a pedestrian only area with our taxi man assuring us that our hotel was just 100m down the road. Great, there we are bags in tow in the middle of Istanbul, in the busiest tourist street, in stinking hot weather, right in the centre of a massive festival...

A 'lost' passport, a quick unpack/repack (more like emptying the whole contents of a suitcase, while the population of Istanbul, approx 1 million, stared in amazement and confusion with the addition of a homeless man who thought that someone was opening an all you can steal stall, meanwhile Mr Big Bartlett was standing there like a crazy man searching his front pockets, his side cargo pockets and every last nook and cranny of his suitcase, the contents of which were now covered in the filth of Istanbul's street. The only place he did not look before going on such a bizare display was his back pocket where his passport was located - you had to be there to believe it), 1km later and we had made it alive to our hotel. A quick nap and shower and the Bartlett's plus me were ready for the beginning of our Istanbul adventure.

As it was late afternoon by the time we got started we planned on it being just a quick walk around. We soon realised that we were staying right opposite the busy and bustling Hippodrome and that the location for all the activity and sights could not have been better. I'm sure it was because we were so close to everything and after wandering aimlessly (this is the best way) for hours (Mr Big Bartlett with map in hand), a bite of lunch, a taste of Turkish apple tea and after countless pit stops we had found some of the beauty that is Istanbul. Little Mosques, Big Mosques, ancient statues, walls and monuments, a cheap eat at a kebap shop and the first day of our Turkish adventure was over. It was good night and a well deserved rest for the Barlett's and me!

L&R

The best way to truely see a place is to look UP!

leaandray — Sat, 9 Jun 2012 01:12:00 GMT

Flash Back #4...

All of this remembering is starting to give me a headache, although reliving the memories and scanning through the photos is somewhat nice as well. This story takes us back to a lovely little trip with our buddies Matt and Ange to Bristol. As the title suggests, Bristol is definately one of those places that you must must must look up to realise the true beauty and the hidden secrets!

The wonderful gems of Bristol aren't the crazy homeless guy, the hostel above a 60's diner and bowling alley or the sheer amount of antique clothing shops but its the small, large and intricate street art that makes Bristol one of, if not my favourite UK city. Yes Banksy's art is amazing and stands for freedom of speech in wonderfully artistic way but I found myself admiring the unknown characters of the Bristol street art scene. The most amazing piece would have had to have been the woman with the baby, hiding away up high on the side of a block of flats. The sheer scale of it (more than 5 floors worth) really makes you wonder firstly how anyone would have gotten up there and secondly how it even managed to resemble the beautiful work it is.

The rest of Bristol is just as nice, a wonderful student nightlife, amazing architecture and boutique little stores you just wouldn't find in big cities. We decided to venture out to find the Clifton suspension bridge just on the outskirts of Bristol. It was a stunning view and a quick walk down into the Giant's Cave gave way to more breathtaking sights(although being that far underground made me a tad worried, as usual nothing worries Ray). After some quick jokes about me loosing my Australian accent - I'm adament I'm not! - it was off for a pub lunch, something that will never get old. Another awesome night out, although rather tired now, a quick round of bowling and some more late night kebabs and before we knew it our Bristol trip was over. It was back on the bus (If I had a dollar every time I have said that since we left home, I'd be rich!) and back to working life in London for the time being.

In the weeks since then we have donned the closest thing to cowboy boots for the International Country Music Festival, undertaken (somewhat unsucessfully) the 'Flaming Challenge', asked for the luck of the Irish on St Paddy's Day, celebrated Ray's birthday in style - red lipstick and all, and not to mention the countless 302 'lounge parties' that have been had.

London truely is stacking up to be one of the greatest adventures of our lifetime and it's not even close to being over!

L&R

Jingle Bells and The Beatiful Cold!

leaandray — Fri, 1 Jun 2012 22:52:00 GMT

Flash Back #3...

Now imagine being away from home for your very first Christmas (I know, I know it was 6 months ago), no parents, no traditional stockings and in this case no sun! Our first Christmas overseas was definately different, thanks to the amazing 302 crew it was actually pleasant eating a hot dinner, inside, with our Christmas hats on (not something you can usually enjoy on a 30+ degree day in Australia). We popped crackers as usual, played secret santa and waited for the snow... and waited and waited. New Years Eve came around and still no snow in sight! We sat in central London with our umbrellas and friends and watched the New Year arrive. No snow on Christmas and no snow for New Years, surely it will come one day soon!

To kick of 2012 was our adventure to Brighton, an early morning start meant arriving to the long stretch of 'beach' with not a single person in sight. We had our first touch of sun in far far too long and wondered how 1 grain of 'sand' could be bigger than your palm. We walked and walked in Brighton, took the amazing Undercliff walk to Rottingdean, saw the Kipling Gardens and finished the day off with iceskating beneath the Royal Pavillion's walls. The night was however not so nice, yes dinner and drinks were fine (the lobster and scallops were to die for), however our 'lovely' hostel buddies were a memory I would rather forget - talking till 5:00am and bringing back some unwanted guests. I guess we have been lucky so far on our travels with hostels, and Ray's statistic (1 in 10 people on your tour will annoy you in one way or another) strikes true!

Unfortunately (or fortunately in my case) the weather was not so nice in Brighton the following day, meaning although the Brighton Pier seems amazing at night with all its rides, bright lights, smell of fresh doughnuts and the sounds of countless children (and adults) having fun, it was just not safe to go on the rides, the weather was in my favour for once! A quick look around, back on the bus to London and then we were off to Cambridge the next weekend. At this stage the weather had turned and we were greeted on arrival with rain and freezing winds, yet we were still amazed at the sheer beauty of Cambridge. The tiny streets, the stunning colleges and the amount of bicycles zooming through the crowds. Checked into the cutest B&B and headed out to explore (the rain cant stop us!), finding a market place, eating fresh waffles, and joining up to a punting and ghost tour. The ghost tour revealled no ghosts, much to Ray's disappointment but it was still strangely informative, funny and the punting (flat bottom boat) was fun though freezing - still no snow! Im not so sure how we managed weekend after weekend galavanting through the British countryside.

It was time for a break until Waitangi Day (Kiwi's version of Australia Day) arrived in early Feb. We let our fellow Kiwi housemates dress us up as some 'famous' TV show characters - Shortland Street if anyone is wondering, and lead us on the biggest pub crawl in London. We joined the crowds, everyone knew our characters but they were met with a blank stare when they started quoting lines to us, I kindly replied 'I'm Australian, they dressed me' as I pointed to the remaining 302 crew. We walked and drank and walked some more, finishing in the notorious She Bu. We sat in a pub and wondered what the commotion was outside.... looked out the windows and there was SNOW! Falling down quite quickly although apparently wasn't looking like it would settle. As we left the pub at close we were amazed at the sheer amount of snow falling, this is what the cold was all worth for! Threw a few snow balls, made a few snow angels and found out soon enough that the tube refuses to run in such weather. Ok it lasted a few days before it turned into a black horrible sludge but was still beautiful all the same!

Now that its finally snowed, its time to bring on the warmer weather!!!!

L&R

We Can Still Be Tourists.

leaandray — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:33:00 GMT

Flash Back #2....

Although we are now technically residents of good old London town we still need to see all the endless supply of sights. Ok so we are still tourists in a way, and kept on sight seeing especially when Mitch and Megan, some dear friends from home visited us during their amazing Europe trip where we saw London Bridge (not really what we were expecting), the Tower of London (too expensive to go inside), walked across Tower Bridge and spent hours in the Imperial War Museum. Then it was time to say goodbye!

In the time since then we have spent countless days walking through, picnicing and feeding squirrels in any number of the hundred parks here. Hyde Park, St Jame's Park, Greenwich (Standing on opposite sides of the world) and Richmond to name a few. We have seen the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, The British Museum, Buckingham Palace, watched the Changing of the Horse Guards and had our picture taken in a Telephone Box (we couldnt help it).

London never ceases to amazing with the amount of things to see and do. In the months here we have only scratched the surface.

Wembley Stadium was our next stop to see the 4 Nations Final. The size and atmosphere of the stadium was impressive to say the least, the Mexican wave was definately a highlight! After what was an extremely entertaining game it was time to beat the crowds to the tube, exiting as winners!!! Although its no surprise it took us 4 times the time to get home than it did to get there with 40,000+ people heading for the same spot. Ray had the football fever so it was no surprise that we were soon headed to Leeds for the final!

Again back on a bus (they never seem to end) and off to Leeds, our first city in England other than London and the excitment in the bus for the final and Darren Lockyer's last ever game was insane! We checked into our hotel and headed out with our newly made friends, then we were all shuttled off to the big game, it was not long after that we realised our bus had left just a tad too late which had our group running for the stadium and the national anthems. We made it just before the kick off and it was apparent that our tour group of around 100 yellow and green clothed Australian supporters stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of red and white England supporters.

Our extremely outnumbered supporters were not scared of making a huge noise at every Australian try (I even think we made it onto the TV). And it wasnt long until we were triumphant... winners!!!, all of us feeling a sense of national pride. It was then out to the Leeds Walkabout (they pop up everywhere), good old Australian tunes and the beginning of a friendship with Matt and Ange! A very late night followed and I was glad that we had decided to stay an extra night (we felt the pain of those that had to get back on the bus to head back to London). After a nice sleep in it was time to explore Leeds!

First impression.... cold, foggy and all uphill! We walked and walked, visiting the canals and attempting to find the way to Kirkstall Abbey. Hopefully on the right bus off we went, arriving to find one of the most stunning structures so far, allowed to decay naturally, the fog only adding to the magic of the place. We studied the area, the main road of Leeds once went straight through the chapel and imagining what it would have been in it's former glory. Still amazed by the beauty of the place we headed back into town to catch a movie and have some dinner.

Not surpisingly Leeds still had more to offer and Ray took us to the Royal Armouries which boasts a huge range of weapons, and armour! Since we were up nice and early we had most of the museum to ourselves and time to admire the last remaining Elephant Armour in the world and a range of James Bonds weapon props. Once again we had spent a good chunk of the day looking at items of days long gone. It was time to return to our London home and back to the world of work.

L&R

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

leaandray — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:49:00 GMT

Ok so here we are back again after what seems like an eternity since our last entry! It has been almost 7 months so deciding where to begin and what to say it really rather quite difficult. Ok so flash back....

Sitting on a bus (yet again) after a week sightseeing around London, Ray can't sit still, the other passengers taking full advantage of the open bar (and somewhat limited toilet capactiy) while watching the sites pass us by - the white cliffs of Dover, the English Channel, France and Belgium. Yep the time for Oktoberfest has arrived!

We finally arrive in Munich in the early hours waiting for our turn to enter Thalkirchen, a sea of orange, green, red and mix match tents. This is our home for the next 5 days. With our tokens for the showers and our shop brought toilet paper we settled in, met up with our friend from home, first stop was the 100 club. This can only be described as a bunch of 'van' people who have travelled Europe in their vans finishing at Munich providing entertainment for the soon to be shocked crowds! 100 shots in 100 minutes is the goal, although most dont make it that far and the events went downhill fast (thats what raw food, bodily fluids and alcohol will do). We left soon after and headed back wishing the night would go fast so that we could begin the beerfest in the early hours.

Oktoberfest has arrived, Ray was like a kid the night before Christmas! Into town to line up, amazed by the huge beer halls, amusement rides, outfits and food. The wait was excruicating, the boys could hardly stand still and then it was time.... PROST! Steins kept coming, the waitresses had superhuman strength and the pork knuckle was to die for! After what was one of the best day/night of Rays life we headed back to our tents, rain, the temporary camp bar, bratwurst and schnitzel. The next day was remarkably similar and just as much fun! It was then off to Austria for the day where we explored Kitzbuhel and its beautiful snow. A very festive night followed out in the stunning Kirchdorf, our own private tour tent in the middle of nowhere, amazing live band and friends! A late night trip back to our now drenched tents and it was time to rest before our 18 hour bus trip back to London the following day.

It was here that our time in London began, we moved into our new home and became part of the 302 crew! It was finally time to unpack our bags, have a home cooked meal, watch TV and start the hunt for a job. We spent the most of our spare time taking in the extremes of London, the mass of pubs, the pint sized beers, the craze that is known as peak hour on the tube, the frustration of tube delays and just the sheer amount of people in one spot at any one time... things that arent nearly as annoying when you are a tourist. Our time in London is turning out to be the experience of a lifetime!

L&R

Can't Wait to Get Rid of Our Turtle Shells!

leaandray — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:36:00 GMT

We think it's time to have a quick backtrack! Our Spanish travels came to an end in Madrid, a bustling, beautiful and friendly city. We settled down for the last few days in Sol, and unknown to us the exact centre of Spain. No wonder we stood there questioning why so many people were taking a photo of a silly little sign on the ground. We figured 5 days in Madrid could get boring so we headed to the bus station to see if we could head to Toledo for the day.

A quick 2 hours and we were in one of the most stunning cities in Spain. We walked up its steep cobbled streets, got lost - this time not for fun - and jumped on a bus tour to see the sights of the city. Driving past the Cathedral, Alacazar and the train station it became clear that Toledo wasnt so small after all. On our way back after the tour Ray wanted to check out the torture exhibition, interestingly held in someones house. Then it was back on the bus back to Madrid.

The last couple of days in Madrid found us walking a long, long way past some of the most amazing buildings! We headed down to the beautiful gardens where we were amazed by the street performers, the crystal palace and ability to finally relax somewhere quiet. We spent the night with some fellow travellers down at the park, housing the most amazing temple, drinking sangria and enjoying the sunset.

The next day we decided that we should probably go on a free tour so that we could possibly learn something before we left. We ended up with an awesome tour guide who was funny, informative and taught us how to do a rather shitty version of the flamenco which went something like this: "pick the apple, eat the apple, throw the apple, and stomp on the apple". On the tour we saw the oldest resturant in the world (Guiness World Records verified), the spot of the most suicides, the grand palace, beautiful architecture, cathedrals and statues galore. We also had the most amazing doughnut sticks dipped in chocolate!

After our tour we spent the last of our Euros on a tapas tour and with full bellies it was off to bed for an early start to catch our plane to old London town. Its sad to think that our main chunk of travels are over. Its time to find jobs, a house, and hopefully not forget the amazing times and friends we have had the opportunity to enjoy! Although I must admit I am very keen to have my own bed, and to stop feeling like a turtle carrying my life around on my back (Ray says that Im slower than a turtle and complain a lot more) :)

Next stop Oktoberfest!

L&R

It´s Ibiza Time

leaandray — Wed, 7 Sep 2011 04:15:00 GMT

So with our food fighting over it was time to lay on a beach and let someone else do the leg work for us... or so we thought, we got to Ibiza 1 hour late which meant we missed our tour group and the free bus to the other side of the island, this wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't a 30€ taxi ride to where we needed to go, so we thought we would be productive and buy tickets to the club that we were going to with the group that night, when we got to the pub where every one was meeting we found out that there was a package through the tour company that got us cheaper tickets but it was too late... and that where the bad part finishes and now it was time to start drinking and having fun.

Lea and I sat with some fellow Australians all in varying states of moving to London, some were on their way, some on their way home and some already living there. We had a few drinks then some more and some more then the bar we were at did free Vodka Red Bull for 3 hours needless to say we came away from that with enough energy to sink a battle ship and were both quite drunk, we continued our night to a club called Space which was 6 rooms of different types of music ranging from fast paced techno to slow mellow reggae and somewhere in between there was a room playing random modern rock all together was a great club and a lot of fun was had by all, until the next morning when we had to wake up, after that much energy drink and vodka no one feels good, so with a splitting headache and a stomach that felt like it wanted to evacuate all its contents Lea and I decided we would go for a walk down the beach this was quite nice however we didn't realise that at 12pm we would be the only ones awake on the island however we were this didn't bother us though it was nice to have some quiet time. After a day trying to get over our hangovers and sitting on the beach we attempted to go out again starting off by going to see the sunset over the picturesque San Antonio bay we continued on to a bar where Lea and I lasted all of 2 drinks (that were free) until we decided that we needed to call it a night (mind you calling it a night at 2:00am).

After a much deserved sleep we woke to a lovely day the sun was shining the waves were crashing and the bikini tops were non existent (for everyone except Lea who is determined to remain completely covered the entire time... poor effort). We decided that today would best be spent once again on the beach, so we boarded a boat and headed to beach called Calla Blassa a lovely beach that used to be virtually deserted, that was until everyone realised it was deserted and decided to go there so consequently it was fucking packed... oh well, we were there for about 2 hours and then it was time to get ready to go drinking and partying again once again we headed out and once again we drank positively too much but had a lot of fun, bed time was in the wee hours of the morning which wouldn't have been too bad if we didn't need to check out of our hotel... we managed to make checkout by 3 minutes then we had to wait for 6 hours hung over for a boat off the island that hates my liver... in the end we made it out the other side alive, tired and due to the alcohol abuse a few less brain cells, but over all we were fine. If there is one thing we learnt about Ibiza, is that it is expensive! Not only are 330ml bottles of water in the clubs worth 7€ but they use salt water in the taps so you cant refill! Now to continue our journey at a bit of a slower pace.

R&L