Nervous, who said I was nervous? I jumped out of the van without my jumper. The only reason he did not take off was that I told him that someone had left their glasses behind. When he brought the glasses out he also came out with the jumper, phew. Then to the check in counter. I was planning in the whole backpack being stuffed into a big plastic bag routine. But no, I had to somehow stuff my sleeping bag into one of my bags, in the middle of the airport. I must have looked like I was for the world wrestling federation the way I was pounding that bag. Then I boarded the plane that was very full. The flight was, as you would expect very long, but that is the price we pay for living down under.
I landed at Vienna very early local time and whisked my way through customs and immigration, through the doors to my waiting Zuzana. We bundled ourselves in the car and headed for Czech. The weather far from what I expected of a European summer. Looked pretty much the same as it did in winter, only a little warmer. As we go through Slovakia on the way to Brno, we were stopped by the border guard and he had so have a look in my bag, why I don't know. But I was not about to argue with a man who had a gun strapped to his waist.
We got to the hotel at around 9 ish and the room was not ready yet. We had been dropped off at this penzion so we had to walk to the shopping centre that was about 10 minutes away. There is nothing like walking 15 minutes in the drizzle after taking 28 hours to get somewhere. We walked around and waited until the room was ready, had a coffee trying to stay alert. We got the call after a while and they even came and picked us up. After a nice long shower the rest of the day was dedicated to chilling out ; )
Woke up nice and early and had a traditional Czech Breaky, before Honza picked us up at midday. Now it was time to go and say hello to the rest of Zuz's family. This was a fairly relaxing day, with some wonderful food thrown in as well. Nice big lunch and dinner. We also had to shop for our trip to Paris with Jana and Honza, so off to the Supermarket we went. Definitely put the Super in market. It was quite large. As we were planing on leaving at 2 in the morning an early afternoon slash night was called for.
Up at 1:30am and today was going to make any of my previous trek van days look like a trip to the local supermarket. Our destination was Paris. All of 3 countries away. On the freeway and go west was the call. We passed the G.P track at Brno, cruised around the outskirts of Prague under a full moon and off to the border. Then like that we were in Germany. We kept driving and before we knew it we were at Nuremberg. Time for a driver change. Now it was time for Zuz to burn up the Tarmac. The funny thing was that I seemed to have more leg room in the back of the car. We drove past Hokenheim as well. It would have been nice to stop at a few of these circuits and take a car for belt around them.
We hit France at about 11:00am and Honza sat back in the captains seat. As the highway to Paris is a fairly hefty toll way a decision was made to go the "Freeway". We got to see a fair bit of the country side of France. The little villages and rural areas. Very distinguishable for Germany where everything seemed to be so neat and tidy where everything seemed to have its little place in life. As it took us near on 4 hours to do 200km due to these cute towns and lots of slow going roundabouts it was deemed the "tollway" would suit our purposes a little better. In the end, after driving through the middle of Paris we found our hotel at 7:30. As you could imagine after spending 22 odd hours in a plane then 17 performing contortionism in a car I was pretty much travelled out.
Next drama was to find a spot for the car to sleep. To cut a long story short let me just say that we finally had a win and arrived for dinner at 11:00pm. Not that this is a strange thing in Paris. There was a candle on the table so what other way to end the day.
We woke mid morning ready to take on Paris. One slight problem, rain. Not to worry, we would make this the museum day. We walked about 20 minutes to the Louvre. I caught my first glimpse of "The tower", wohoo. It seemed to be fatter then it seems in the photos. I suppose that is why people go and see the world. Everything looks different for different people. On the way we stopped of at the St Germain church. Apparently it used to be used as a barn. Oh Kay. It was a very beautiful church. The louvre was quite majestic from the outside with it glass Pyramids and fountains. We walked over to line up. Looked at the sign and I remembered that the Louvre was closed on Tuesdays. You guessed it, Tuesday. Now it was time to devise a plan B. Lets walk up the main drag, you know the one, Champs Elyseses. We first had to walk through the Tui lories garden, and through the Place de la concord. Where they had a 3200 year old monument from Egypt. But first a few little words caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Chocolate Crepe, well I could not go any further without sampling some of the fine French culture. Oh my god, it was delicious. Sometimes you get the feeling that some things are best left undiscovered. Just like the Clam chowder in San Francisco, no matter how hard you try you can never get it tasting as good back home.
Then we started walking up the long hill towards the Arc de triumph. The down side was that it huge and it did not look too far away. We passed many snazzy shops on the way. The Arc, not just intent on being a very big landmark also poses as on one the most traitorous roundabouts I have ever seen. At a guess it would have been 6 lanes wide with no lines.
After doing the tourist photo shoot with the Arc our next stop was the big daddy of the all. The Eiffel Tower. On the hoof again and down towards the river Seine. By this time we were a bit peckish so lunch was called. Zuz and I wanted to go to the top, but you could only walk to the 2nd level. Bummer, we had to take the lift as this is the only way to the top. Up we went, all 317 meters of it. Once we got there we though we were going to get blown off. If we had launched a paper aeroplane it would have probably made it back to Germany. Took lots of photos and walked around in amazement of the city. Obviously the view was incredible. I shook my head when I saw from where we had come and I also tried to find where the meteor hit in Armageddon. No success there. Another useless bit of info that I found out was that Sydney was approximately 16962 kms that way, cool.
We walked back up to the Arc as we wanted to go up for the sunset. So under the road and up the first of many tight spiral stair case we went. I am sure I felt dizzy as I hit the top. The view for up here was also very impressive, maybe more so as the tower was part of the landscape. The fact that 12 or so road all came in to meet at this central point also added to the grandeur. You would think that this roundabout would be a smash repairer wet dream, but during the time we were up there, not one incident. Lots of horns and screaming French people, but no fender benders. Even the sun put on a beautiful show for us. Another lovely sunset logged in to the memory banks.
Now it was time to head back to the hotel, with one small detour. We walked back towards to Louvre, looking even more splendid in her night time attire. It was time for the main event. So out came the ring and out popped or should I say stumbled the question. To my relief a yes was heard.
We made it back to the hotel dragging the feet. After about 20 kms of walking we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow.
Again we woke mid morning, as seems to be the Parisian way. Walked down the road to get some fresh croissants for breakfast. The smell was one that surly can not be described. We walked over to see if we could find a hunchback at the good old Notre Dame. It was very large and the detail that was use in the construction was so fine and incredible. No wonder it took so long to build it. Like they say. They don't make em like they used to. Inside it was just as amazing as outside. The size of the stained windows were big enough to drive a double decker bus through them. There was a great deal of history and telling of biblical stories inside the cathedral.
After being amazed we went to this little place next door, down stairs. It is called the "Crypte du Parvis". It is a living archaeological site from the early days of Paris. It taught the history of the city and stories of its life. Some of the stone work that had been uncovered and was on show was from the first century. Now that is old, no matter where you come from. Extremely educational. I though I was going on holidays, not back to school : )
Next stop was yet another church. This one was called the Ste Chapel. As it was in the palace we had to go through the whole X-ray, metal detector thingy. They even charged 30ff to get in. We walked into this little room with a few windows that I must say was not 3 francs worth, let alone 30. Then we saw the arrow on the wall pointing up another spiral set of stairs. What awaited us at the top was inspirational. It was the large tall naive of the chapel. The walls were all made from stained glass. You could hear peoples jaws hit the ground as the entered the room. I think we got off alright trading 30 ff for this. The way the room lit up when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds would surpass the most vivid of imaginations.
Now if you think that was enough for the day, not quite. It was time for the big kahuna. To the Louvre. Other then hitting a small snag on the way. This time it was Chocolate and coconut crepes. You though I would have learnt by now, but no. Now the taste buds have the rest of my life knowing they have reached their pinnacle. It was all down hill from there. So back to the Louvre. Rocking in after 3 saved us some dough and was not too much of a drama as it was open until late. This place is huge and would take many a full day to see it properly. We saw lots of painting and statues. But I was here to see the Mona Lisa. As we neared the room it was like a fireworks display. The large crowd and flashes going off left right and centre made it look like a frenzy from the paparazzi. So we had a quick look and a quick snap of the happy chick and went on our way. After seeing some more fine art I decided to go back and enjoy the Mona Lisa. So in I went, found my way tho the front and just stood there for 3 or 4 minutes and appreciated the moment. If I was going to come 16962 kms to see this them I though I had earned the right to linger a little longer. After going up to se the Rembrandts we moved our interest to the Egyptian section of the museum. They even have mummified hawks and cats. Even though we were knackered it was astounding. Definitely a place that I would not have liked to spend the night.
We ended up leaving at around 9:00 and dragged our legs off for some pizza hear the hotel at around 10:00. Yes we managed to get a wee bit lost. On the bright side we saw that little extra piece of Paris. Although 10 o'clock sounds late but this is the norm in this vibrant city. The restaurants are packed at this time of night. All the tables out on the footpaths are full of feeding onlookers. Just sitting there watching the life that is Paris go by. After that we sat in an outdoor cafe until midnight having hot chocolate with Jana and Honza.
Today the weather had turned a little on the wet side again. On today's agenda was the area of Montmarte. This issued us with our biggest challenge yet. The Metro. We tried to make it easy on ourselves and found a station that would give us a direct line. But we had to find that station. On the way we managed to stumble across the St Eustache church. The one with the large head outside in the courtyard. This was a bonus we had not planned for. Inside the place was enormous. ?In my humble opinion I think it was one of the nicest we saw. It had a certain atmosphere and ambience that was different from the rest. Did I saw how big it was. It makes you wonder how they built it. No aid of a crane of large lifting devices. Makes us look pretty lame nowadays.
Ten off to the subway. In fact we walked straight past it before doing a little circle work and returning. Bloody tourists : )
After buying the tokens and having the lady explain the system to Jana (in French), a friendly Parisian informed us that the lady behind the counter was not feeding us any bullshit. How kind of her. We jumped on the next train to get us to the big white church on the hill. The Basillique du Sacré Coeur. The only thing between us and the church was a huge flight of stairs. So up we went. Half way up we realised how humid it was. We went inside to have a look. The church was nice, but after all the gothic stuff we had seen it looked a little plane. But the outside was quite nice. A lot of people around and there was a good view of the city to be had as well.
We went down another flight of step, the ones next to the inclined railway. Then realised that Montmarte was up near the top of the stairs we had just come down. Up we went and headed down to the square. The first thing that entered my mind was "Jacksons square in New Orleans." I suppose this was actually here first though. It was very similar. Artists just hanging out making sketches and painting prints. Cafes surrounding and in the middle of the square.
After this is was time to say farewell to Jana and Honza at the Metro station. We were now heading for the cemetery. We were off to see Jim Morrison. On the way we passed Chopin and a few other famous people. Some of the crypts were like small houses.
After this we had to double time it over to the bus ticket agency. For some reason we decided to walk. Well it is the best way to see a city. Off we went past the Bastile, over the river and into the ticket office to buy our bus tickets to London. 10:30 to 6:30, an overnight bus. We were very happy at that so we walked back past the Notre Dame and sat down on the bank of the Seine and watched the evening drift by. We also took this opportunity to check our e-mails. The only problem was that French keyboards are all arse about, no qwerty here. So only very short e-mails sent from here.
Then back to our hotel. Must admit it was not 5 star, maybe not even 1. It was called the "Hotel de Fez". We managed to get a room with a bathroom so that was cool. It was nice and cheap. As long as you did not want to run a spirit level across the floor you would have been alright. The only problem with an undulating floor is that is it real easy to rip a nice piece of skin from you toes. Well that is my excuse and I am sticking to it : ) All in all I must say I have fond memories of the hotel and would stay there anytime.
Today was our last day in Paris. We had to pack our bags so we could throw them on our backs. We stashed our bags in the hotel foyer and took to the streets of Paris again. The city itself is very beautiful. Nearly all the building are of a decent age and very beautiful. You could see a building that would be a flagship in any other city. In Paris it is just another building. Then you add to that the atmosphere and the attitude of the place.
So back to the day. We walked (or hobbled) up to see the Pompidou building. A very modern building that you really have to see to believe. All the pipes are on the outside. Time for some shopping. Postcards, souvenirs and cotton wool for someone's toe. We still had a bit to see so we took a casual stroll down to the Luxemburg gardens. They were very nice and oh so typically French. A beautiful palace in the middle of the gardens. As It was a beautiful day and we had run ourselves ragged over the past several days we pulled up a patch of grass and just relaxed for about 3 hours. I may have even caught some Z's.
After recharging we took to more sightseeing. We walked down to the Pantheon. It was a nice big old church. So how many churches was that. In saying that they were all very beautiful. Well we had started the day in relaxation mode we thought we would continue. We pulled into this café near the Notre Dame and enjoyed a nice coffee. It was time for a bit of work. Writing postcard to all areas of the planet. It was also fun just sitting there watching the people drift on by. It seemed all too easy to slip into the Paris way of life. I can't wait to return.
Now we had to tackle the metro for one final time to get to the bus station. Other than the station being full of real "friendly" people and the stand up dunnies, we managed to get on the bus with little dramas. As usual busses are not the best place to try and get comfortable and sleep. Especially when they drag you off halfway to inspect the bags and give the usual 20 immigration questions before going through the Chunnel.
We hit Victoria Station at 6:00am and walked around trying to find some form of bearings. As we had very little sleep under our belts, thoughts turned to tonight’s accommodation. Rang a few hostels, but no answer. I suppose it was very early Saturday morning. Luckily we managed to stash our bags and go adventuring. Somehow we were full of energy, must have been the travellers juice. Strolling past Westminster Cathedral and on up to visit the Queen. There we were standing outside the gates of Buck palace, with no body around at all. We could see the funny-hatted guards in the distance. They would not open the gates for us. After a quick piccy we headed across St James park with all the squirrels towards West Minster abbey. It was not open yet so we strolled up to see Big Ben and the houses of parliament, basically over the road. By now we had seen dozens of cabs and double decker busses, but it was here that we spotted our first sign of English Blue sky.
As it was now past opening time, we headed back to inspect Westminster Abbey. We hopped on the tour as you do. Built in 10?? something, it is basically a cemetery/memorial for real famous people (mainly kings and queens) with a roof on it. Oh yeah it also holds the coronation chair. As you would expect it looked real old and not very pretty. In saying that the tour was great. Very interesting and most educational.
Now it was time to ask the map. It was like playing a game of Monopoly with all the familiar names. So like the game we headed for Whitehall. We managed to time it well enough to see the changing of the horse guards. Not real exciting but full of pomp and ceremony. Continuing on through Waterloo place. We stopped in at the tourist info looking for a bed. They could have set us up in a Hostel for 40 pound a night, or they did have this special of a 4 star hotel for 50 pound a night for 2 nights. Gee lets just think about this for a sec. Yep we will take it, the hotel. Now with digs for the night we ambled through Piccadilly Circus and Leister Square. Unfortunately for lunch I forgot we were in Britain and had a Whopper, so if I ever turn into a mad cow….Next stop was Trafalgar Square where we met up with sixty thousand pigeons. They were everywhere as was evidence of their existence. There was even the odd fool covered in birds. We just amused ourselves scaring them with umbrellas.
As our travellers adrenaline was wearing off we decided to get on the tube to retrieve our backpacks. It was a long hard slog from the station to the Hotel. Very swish as we walked into the ritzy foyer with our packs and tents hanging off our backs. We checked in and the lady said lift on the left, but the stairs are there if you want the exercise. The sign on the wall also stated the room rates, 155 pounds a night. Our room was very nice, the bed covering 2 postcodes and a huge bath to heal our travel weary bodies with.
After a good sleep we got off to a late start. Our legs still a bit sore as we were not used to the backpacks. It was a short walk to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, then over the famous Themes to see St Paul’s Cathedral. As it was Sunday everything was shut and I mean everything. As we enjoyed the gardens of St Paul’s the Bells were really going off. The atmosphere was very tranquil. Next stop on the map was to go down and see the Tower bridge passing the also famous London Bridge as we went. Luckily for us it was not falling down. We walked around the tower of London and thought this is a nice old fort, but decided the 11 and a half pounds for entry was incentive to admire it from the outside.
Finding ourselves at a light rail station we decided to go and look at Greenwich. A very pretty and quaint part of London, we walked through the markets and up the hill to the Royal Observatory. Unfortunately we only had 30 minutes to look through. It was fascinating. Saw the Clock for the world (GMT) that my watch was only 7 second behind. A 24-hour analogue clock that had been on display since 1862. A GPS unit in the museum displayed 00,00,00.176, yes very close to the line. The meridian was marked on the courtyard so yes I had to straddle the line that separates what is east and west. We also had a good view of the Millennium dome from up there as well.
Back down to Greenwich to take on some traditional Fish and chips. All greasy and chokers full of vinegar. Not bad at all. After organising our rendezvous for the next day it was back to the comfort of the hotel.
Today was a travel day. We were off to Manchester to meet some friends of mine, Adam and Gordon from NWE Trek. So the packs were lifted back onto the back and took on the tube like locals and found Victoria station with ease. We bought our tickets and waited around. A fairly uneventful trip. Other than the argument between a passenger and the driver about bringing food onto the bus. I thought it was going to get physical. We hit Manchester at 17:10. Not too bad but we were supposed to meet Adam in a pub at 17:00. We looked for the Yates bar but alas there was none to be found. As we were dropped off in a street and not a bus station things were not looking too good.
After phoning for help and getting answering machines we looked for a map. After vaguely remembering the street Adam talked about we realised we were a fair way from where we should be. Time for double timing through the streets packs and all and there it was, Yates wine lodge. We got inside all 45 minutes late, and no Adam. Doh!! We sat down and had a beer to devise a plan B. After 3 or 4 mouthfuls of lager Adam walked in and told us that the bus station is no longer at Cholten St. In the end all turned out well. We jumped in the car and headed to the Northern side of Manchester past the stadium for the Commonwealth games. This area was beautiful. Far from what I expected just 20 minutes out of the city. Very green and the evening light made for wonderful scenery.
After a little rest we went out for dinner and a few drinks with friends of Adams at this place called “The Church”. A lovely little pub next to an old church. We learnt about the local tradition of “Rushcarts”. Tried a local ale called a shaftbender and it was not too foul. It aided in falling asleep after the night was done.
The plan for today was to catch up with Gordon and to pick up Louise from the airport and get ready for our trip to Scotland. We had a bit of a sleep in and Adam took us for a drive up to Oldham to look around. After a supply run, as we liked it so much we went back to the church for lunch.
As we were eating lunch Gordon rang to say Louise was stuck in Seattle as the plane hit the WTC. We were all watching in the pub as the first tower fell. We decided to get out and get our minds elsewhere. We toured around the local villages walking past some of the many locks and canals. There were some wild blackberries that we managed to harvest along a canal. The area was beautiful and real old worldly, although the mood was very sombre.
After spending the arvo watching the news, we all headed down to Castlemaine to meet Gordon and have dinner. It was very quiet in this lovely downtown area. Swapping our bags over we said our thanks to Adam. We passed the Man United stadium and just had to stop for the photo. Once arriving at Gordon’s, he showed us some photos of Scotland and trek photos. Even showing us a bit of Braveheart to get us in the spirit.
We got up and consumed a lot of toast for breaky and packed the car. As Louise was still in Seattle, it was unfortunately only going to be the 3 of us. First stop was up to Blackpool to do a car swap. The gods were not too kind as it was pissing down as we hit Blackpool. A bit of a shame as it would have been nice to explore a bit. The image that entered my mind was that it looks like Vegas on the beach. Nice tower and a roller coaster I would have killed to ride. Maybe next time.
Now we had a bigger car and we were off to Scotland. We stopped just after the border to collect some souvenirs. Our next port of call was Stirling, arriving in the late afternoon. Our hostel was beautiful. It looked more like a mini castle, wonderful. Shortly after meeting Gordon’s mate Kenny we took a quick walk up to Stirling castle. Then it was time to sample some Scottish hospitality in a couple of pubs, finally finishing in of all places a Czech pub after dinner in a pizza place. It was a great night with tonnes of laughing.
First thing was to go back up to the castle and take a few pics, before heading to the Wallace Monument. A huge monument on the top of a hill. Yet another extremely informative and educational experience. They also had a sword used by big William on display. It was huge. I am sure I would have had dramas just carrying it to the battle, let alone yield it with force. We climbed those numerous small spiral stairs to the top of the monument to be greeted with a splendid view of Stirling and its surrounds, which was the site of a few key victories by the Scots. Namely Stirling and Bannockburn.
Next stop was Ft William, which is next to the biggest hill in the U.K Ben Nevis. But along we managed to stop at a kilt maker on the banks of Loch Loman. The pressure was put on me to try one on, but I politely declined. Further down the track we drove through Glen Coe. We stopped at the visitors centre and watched yet another interesting film, on the Slaughter of Glen Coe (1692). The scenery around this area was incredible. No words or photos could do it justice.
The campground in Ft William was our accommodation tonight, which was as close to a 5 star campground as I have seen. After setting up tents we drove up to Glen Nevis and took the sights of a Highland Cooo (cow). We put on the hiking boots and walked up a creek and through a gorge, then all of a sudden we came around the corner into this huge open field with a stunning waterfall at the other end. Amazing stuff, we walked across this field and got to a 3 wire rope that crossed the creek. OK, I got half way across and that was it, I wimped out and turned around. After soaking up the view we had to hurry back before sunset. A fine meal was had before a shower and bed …..in a tent, Oh yeah.
Waking up to a beautiful misty morning we packed up the tents and headed into town for some breaky. On advice Zuz and I bought some waterproof jackets that would hold up to the Scottish conditions. So to the bus station where we gave our many thanks to the G-Man. It was just such a shame that things did not go to the grand plan. Boarding the bus and onward to Inverness. We drove past Loch Ness. It is huge. No wonder no one has found Nessy yet. There were also heaps of places to stop and look at, but we were not to know. Maybe next time, no, next time for sure.
On arrival to Inverness we rang the youth hostel. Next step was finding it. On went the packs and walked up to the hostel in the rain. There was only one U-turn but I swear it was the maps fault : ) But Zuz was happy “I’ve got waterproofs!!”. It did not take long for that investment to pay off. We spent the arvo walking around Inverness, located on the River Ness. Looking at the castle, albeit not the biggest castle in the land and a few nice churches and a beautiful Old hotel that was covered in flowering foliage. It also had one of the nicest Mc Donald’s I have seen, but I suppose we were in Scotland.
With our packs on our back we walked back into town and bought our train ticket to the Kyle of Lochalsh, which is the gateway to the Isle of Skye. The weather was still a bit iffy but the train trip was very scenic. Not really what I expected of the highlands. It was very bare, but in the same way stunningly beautiful. After travelling on busses the train was a very comfy way to go. Lots of room although it is a little more costly.
We arrived at the Kyle of Lochalsh with no firm plans. After a bit of discussion, rock-scissor-paper and a few tosses of a coin a decision was made. We decided to head to Portree as everything stops on a Sunday. So when the bus arrived, away we went. Over the bridge and on to the Isle of Skye.
More amazing scenery. Like Vancouver island, but without any substantial vegetation. There were sheep everywhere and little bays and inlets supplemented to the grandness of the place. At Portree we decided to spoil ourselves and try B+B. The tourist office said “Closed for Lunch”. So when in Rome…..Into a café for a table for 4, us and our packs. As we were planning an early bus on Monday we chose somewhere central to the town at 40 pound a night. As we were walking to the B&B it started to hail, but only for 45 seconds. You gotta love Scottish weather.
We were shown to our room, just enough room for the bags and no swinging cats tonight. We went exploring and found a little medieval lookout on top of a hill that looks like some sort of sporting ground. Then down to the harbour to look at all the boats in the harbour and the beautifully coloured houses along the shore. Introduced ourselves to some huge seagulls and had a bite to eat. Then it was back to the room to relax and we managed to really get into the opera that was on the TV.
When the big dude rested on the 7th day well I will tell you that Portree really followed suit. You could have carked it and they would not have found you until Monday. We walked up to a servo in a vein hope of getting transport ending up unsuccessful. As they say these things happen for a reason. We decided to do the walk that we did yesterday and go a little further around the bay. By this stage we had learnt how to deal with the weather. When it rained you ran for the shelter of a tree and waited 3 or 4 minutes. By then it had stopped and you continued on your merry way. So we continued around the bay and discovered a fish farm and more amazing scenery. The track then veered away from the bay and up a steep muddy slope, which a mountain goat would have loved. Up the top we had great views and was very pretty in its own right. Having the choice of left or right, we took the later option. This sent us trudging through a moor that was covered in water. And I was mistaken that water did follow the laws or gravity. We pointed to a small summit and headed for it and were rewarded with great views on Portree and its surrounds.
Then we bush bashed or could I say walked on water. It seemed as though we were following some sort of track. Our feet were soaked along with half of our jeans. Coming across a small creek, I don’t know why we doubled back to get around it but we did. Finally we got back down and walked through the town and through some miracle we grabbed a paper and an ice cream. As we were walking around we saw a fellow traveller get off the bus from UIG, the same German dude that we caught the train from Inverness with, small world. Then it was off to the pub for an early dinner and a relaxing evening.
An early start to catch the bus after another wonderful home cooked full Scottish breakfast. The view from the table was to die for, overlooking the bay. The weather was at it’s best. Nice blue skies. This could be why it is call the Isle of Skye. We shelled out 15 quid to get the bus to Armidale with our German Friend. Driving through the rest of Skye was just as good as what we had come to expect from this wonderful place. We have to come back to this place, preferably with a car. Then it was a 20 minute 5 pound ride on the ferry to the little town of Malig.
It was not very hard to find the train station as it was a very small town. The train trip to Edinborough cost another 60 pounds, but as it will soon be discovered it was well worth it. As we walked out of the station house we eyed off a set of scales and could not resist. My pack came in at 25 kgs, but Zuz’s with the kitchen sink tipped the scales at a whopping 31 Kg. Ouch ! The scenery on this trip proved we had save the best to last. The train even stopped at the real pretty bits and when a group of Stags were prancing over a hill near the tracks. The guard even showed us how to pull down the window so we could get a clear shot. Glen Finnin was heavenly, unfortunate that we did not get there at close quarters.
Through Glasgow and onto Edinborough and looking for a bed for the night. The preferred place had not doubles so we ended up with a room at the Belford Hotel. It was off our map so they gave directions over the phone. Not very good and she said a 15 minute walk. So with our 55 kgs we walked as you do, for what seem like 25 minutes. This was after we tried to find the bus station, Why I don’t know. Then I thought I had made a wrong turn so we turned back, steam and all. As we now had a bigger map we decided to call again. We were almost on the right track but 15 minutes my arse. It was an old converted church and the room was ok other than the loo that took 40 minutes to fill up.
After cooling down our minds and bodies we took a stroll back into the city on dusk. For some silly reason we did not take the camera, but we got to enjoy the sunset anyway. Stopped off for a $30 pizza at the pizza hut, then tried a Bounty Mc Flurry (not too bad) before returning to the “church” for sleep. Sleep would have been good but the bed was the squeakiest bed I have ever seen, if I would have farted I am sure it would have squeaked.
Got up after not the greatest sleep. Stashed the bags in the hostel and did pretty much the same walk as we did last night, today doing the full length of the Royal Mile. All the way down to the Holyroid palace and the new parliament building being built. Then back up the Royal Mile to the castle. There were plenty of nice buildings along the way. We passed the occasional person carrying fragrant fish and chips but we were unable to find the source. Ended up eating a stuffed spud and as we were eating it next to the castle we were scared shitless by the 1 o’clock gun. Not the best noise in the current climate.
So we decided to tour the castle and they provided us with a CD informative Audio guide. It was cool. Just put in the number of the area/exhibit and listen and learn. Several hours of this sent us into information overload, but we did learn some really cool stuff. I would need another diary to write all the stuff we learnt about Scotland over the week. The most impressive sight was the canon they call Mons Megs. Its balls were 18 inches in diameter. A hit from one of those suckers would leave you seriously fubar. The oldest building in the castle was from about 1200 give or take. This was also the location of the Scottish crown jewels and the destiny stone, which works together with the coronation chair we saw a week ago. The views on the city were awesome. Probably why they put the castle here so many years ago.
Back down the Royal mile and Zuz had a craving for fish and chips. We finally found the source and went in. Somehow Zuz ended up on her knees begging for the fish and chips as she had no more money left on her. The dude was real funny and dished out the huge pieces into the paper wrapping. It was delicious, beautiful fish, Yummy. As we were beat we sat in Starbucks for an hour and admired the castle. Then it was back to the hostel to pickup our own 18 inch cannonballs and lug them to the bus station some 1.? Km away, stopping to take some photos of dusk on the way. We had a full bus, but at least we had enough leg room. Three stops later we were back in London at Victoria station.
We dumped the weights in left luggage and went to explore the world. First we needed breakfast . We spied a Maccas and thought we were set. Well, our search for the worst McDonalds employee was over. I think it was beyond their abilities to say “would you like fries with that?” Very ironic calling it fast food when she was the only one serving and the line was 12 long. It was around peak hour and we looked at the tube and it really looked like that scene from Crocodile Dundee. Due to the crowd and being unable to get a travel card until 9:30 we decided to take shanks pony up to Westminster and you guessed it, in the rain. We then got our ticket and went down to the tower of London, breaking the umbrella on the way. But don’t worry, we did not leave a faithful fallen comrade behind. We carried it home to rest in piece.
So we paid the 11 pound ransom to go into the tower of London. As it was raining today there were no Yeoman tours and the CD apparatus was 3 pound. What a job, does that mean these dudes work only 30 days a year : ) Considering we did Edinburgh castle yesterday the Scots were already way in front on points. We just walked around and looked at a lot of stuff that had been destroyed, rebuilt or remodelled. But saying that, this place would have been an awesome sight in its heydays of the 1570’s. The famous ravens were huge. You could have put them on the front gate as bouncers. The highlight for me was the armoury in the white tower. The selection and number of weapons was immense. There was also a suit of armour worn by Henry the eighth. All I can say is poor horse. He obviously had an inflated opinion of himself when you look at the size of his ”lower” protection. But what intelligent servant who likes their head joined to his neck would say “Don’t you think that is a little large your Majesty?” Talking about large, we saw the crown jewels and the world’s biggest diamond, all 530 carrats. There was gold, diamond and other gems from arseholes to breakfast. Could have ended world hunger there and then. I must say I did take a liking to one of the swords. It would have looked great at home. As you would expect there was a great deal of history around from the courtyard where all the beheading took place to the living quarters of King Edward. Very educational.
From all that learning we were pretty tired and went up to Leister Square to eat lunch and chill out watching the Poms go about their business until it was time to head back to Victoria station and get on the bus to Prague. Luckily it was nice and empty and we were able to try and catch up on some much needed z’s.
After arriving at Prague bus station and stashing our bags we jumped on the Metro to go and meet Katka. Finally we found her and headed into the city. We stopped for lunch at this little pub on Wenceslas Square, which was full of locals. We then headed to the Old Town square and the last time I saw this was in winter and you could have counted the number of people on 2 peoples hands. This time it was absolutely chokers full of tourists. Way too many.
We had 100 pounds left over and wanted to get some Czech currency. Sounds simple eh? The problem we had was that they were Scottish notes, the same notes we were using in London. We had to go to 5 or 6 banks before we could get our hands on some Korunas. With that task completed we walked through the sea of tourists at the Astrological clock, being abused by some short woman as I was passing through as she could not see the clock. Gee, sorry for eating my greens lady. We stopped a little further on and watched the clock tick over to the hour. Then we crossed the river over famous Charles bridge and walked up to the Petrin tower, via the cable car up the hill. We climbed the tight clockwise 290 steps of the tower to enjoy the splendid views of Prague.
Then it was down the stairs, down the hill over the bridge and up to the station to pick up our bags for a 50 minute train trip to Kolin, where Katka lived. We thought we were sweet scoring a cabin, until the ticket holders came in. So we sat there in the corridor and watched them drink their rum for the trip. Once arriving at Kolin we ate a little dinner, in translation it comes out as “Drowned people”. But don’t worry it was just a name for a form of pickled sausages. But they are really nice. The best part was yet to come. After sleeping on busses for the past 2 nights a bed was a most welcome relief.
Not he best of days today, woke up feeling pretty bad and the legs were a bit sensitive and tingly, basically telling me that maybe I had pushed the body a little too hard. So we headed back to Brno on the train, getting a seat this time. The plan was to get to the campground tonight but the arvo was spent resting and mostly sleeping.
Today we were going for a family get together and good old Pig roast. As Jana and Honza slept in we hitched a ride out to the campground. Luckily as it took 2 hours to drive to our destination, would have been a loooong train ride. After sussing out the cabins we decided to pitch the good old tent.
After this it was time to delve into the pig that had been roasting on a spit for the majority of the day. It was delicious. I tried another form of home made rocket fuel, Calvados. It is made by distilling apples. Not too bad but still pretty rough. Then we decided to partake another Czech tradition, Mushroom picking. Firstly I took a crash course in mushroom picking 101. Lines underneath are no good, spots are ok, except…….. In the end I was very confused and none the wiser. Then someone came up with “All mushrooms are edible…………….some just once”. We ended up with tonnes of mushies. We continued into the depth of the night, lots or singing music playing eating and of course drinking.
So what do you have for breakfast after a pig roast? Pork soup, yummy. After packing up we jumped in the car to visit a castle, Helfstyn. A nice old castle with a kick arse catapult parked out the front. This castle, or Hrad in Czech holds large blacksmith festivals each year. The tour was very interesting and blacksmith art was displayed all throughout the castle. There was even a solo blacky practising his craft. It looked the piece in an old place like this. The castle was build in the 12th century, so it was getting a bit of a touch up. Once finished with all the artworks it will look grand.
Into the car and back to the Brno, along the way passing heaps of fruit trees along the side of the road. Apples, pears, plums and cherries, hundreds of them. With all this free fruit and mushrooms, who needs the supermarket? At home we tried to make our packs as light as possible for the next weeks travels around Czech. We also took the time to run the in-laws through the Scotland trip. A fly on the wall could have been mistaken that we were from the Scottish tourism agency.
After breakfast we headed to the bus station with our much lighter packs. On a bus to Telc, via a nice and windy drive. Through lots of nice little villages, putting some on the list for next time. We disembarked at Telc bus stop, basically a small car park and walked down to the historic world heritage square. The weather was bright and sunny and the square was colourful and stunning. And the buildings were a nice and bright colour different from its neighbour. We finally found a nice little private room for our accommodation. It was more like an apartment, on the square for $35 a night including a feed in the morning.
We then explored further a field and walked around the square, then around the town and through the large park. In all, a beautiful little town with a lot of character, with the arcades and bells chiming from the church. The bad thing was that we only had B&W film in the camera to capture this rich colourful scenery.
We took off to explore the grounds of the chateau. It was very neat and tidy so we decided to wait around for a tour. Understandably it was in Czech, but had a set of English papers for it. It is hard to remember which rooms were in which Hrad (Castle)/Zamek (Chateau) as they do not let you take any photos. Maybe that’s why, so you come back : ) If I remember correctly the armoury was very good, even though it was small.
Then we walked more around the town, this time around the lakes. Saw a weird but nice site. White swans flying around. It just looked kind of wrong, naa they should be black : ) Took in a sports store and wondered at the price of the ice skates, so cheap. Hmmm.
A nice lunch with too much garlic, I will have to get used to it and it was onto the bus. We were heading for the town of Cesky Krumlov and had to change busses at Ceske Budejovice, where we were trying to rustle up some digs for the night on the phone without much luck. This old dude overhead us and gave us a number to try. We rang and hooked up and onto the bus more relieved we went. We got off at our stop, as did the old dude. We jumped onto another bus and he gave us directions and pointed us in the right direction. The lady at the pension was lovely, and very helpful.
We walked down a big hill to Cesky krumlov. This town also has a world heritage area. We were able to walk through the castle/chateau grounds which was stunning. Then down and across the river. Zuz commented “Does this place have a square?” and 10 meters later, sure enough we walk into it. After a feed and a drink we ended up catching a taxi home to avoid that large hill, and I am sure we ended up going the long way.
Firstly we headed down to the town to check our email. Now we know where all the Aussies that come to Czech gather. More Aussies than in London, well not quite that many. The assistant in the internet café was even shocked when Zuz asked a question in Czech. After e-mailing we walked up to see the bears in the moat around the castle and booked 2 tours. One in Czech and one in English, the latter being double the price. The first tour was really good and the guide did a good job with limited English, even throwing in a joke or two. But the Czech dude’s “threw his head at a bullet” had Zuz and only Zuz laughing as well. The first tour of the castle was definitely the best. Basically more beautifully decorated and furnished rooms to browse through. They also told the stories of the local families the Rozenburgs and the Swartzenburgs. Stories of white lady ghosts and women bearing 16 children. Along with women burning in fires, accidental and deliberate shootings. We could go on all night if I was to tell all the stories. It was yet another very educational few days, so we ate in a restaurant from the 1500’s for dinner after touring the gardens and ended up walking back to our pension. The hill was not that bad after all.
Our planned trip today was to go and see Rozenburg castle. We said farewell to our lovely hostess and went on our way to the train station. Upon asking for the tickets something was a miss. Oops someone had made a mistake, we were supposed to catch the bus. DOH!! So then we decided to walk down to the bus station and get back to C.B. On the way we stopped at the bus stop that we arrived at to read the time tables. No busses to C.B so we walked to the main station. After asking really nicely to the phone the information operator finally picked up (see it pays to be nice). Now having connections to Hluboka we had 7 minutes to get to the station. Jogging for a bus or train yet again and making it with minutes to spare. Off to C.B, first stop……the one we had been at no more than 15 minutes prior that said no busses to C.B. And we had the ability to read the timetables. Lucky us eh?
Then onto another bus to Hluboka, carrying our bags up a nice big hill to the Chateau. But I will tell you it was well worth it. The dude who renovated this n the 1600’s had a fixation with Windsor castle in the old dart. Tried to make one for himself, well in looks anyway. After a refreshing ice-cream we ended up doing the grand tour in Czech. It was amazing. The best I have seen so far. The detail on the wooden walls and ceilings was incredible. They obviously don’t make them like this any more. The armoury was also splendid. Lucky I could not take any photos, as I would have picked off 3 rolls for sure. Down to the town for lunch. I ordered lasagne, but received a meaty soup : ) Then back on a bus to C.B. As we managed to get some accommodation in Plzen and an early bus from Hluboka we had a bit of time to spare. We stashed our bags at the station and headed for the town square, being the home of the original Budweiser beer. The Czech version defecating all over its American counterpart.
We took in the surround of the square and saw the black tower. Light from the low sun made the place look a treat. Another very pretty town. Our time was up so back to the station, catching the train to Plzen. Home of another famous Czech beer Pilsner Urquell. We had to catch a tram to our room and got off at what we thought was the correct stop. After a quick phone call we realised it was not. Eventually we arrived at the student dorm for some sleep.
As today was a “new” public holiday, we did not know what to expect. Stashing our bags at the station with a clerk who you would have thought would have broken in half when carrying our bags. Then a hearty supermarket breakfast of rum balls and chocolate. Ah the life on the road : ) Next stop of course was the mina square. It was very open, cobblestone and asphalt. Umm, very quiet as well. Eventually decided to climb the spire of the church, all 103 m of it. A wonderful view. Looked around and saluted the brewery for Zuz’s grandfather. Down to street level and looked through a synagogue, funny hat and all. It was time for lunch and I saw a kebab van and thought why not. Well hindsight is a wonderful thing and I could give you seven reasons not to. It was thick Turkish bread, with cabbage a heap of powdered spices and basically tasted like crap. Oh and the warm beer did not help either. After that hit the bin, something nicer. Ended up with a pigeon disguised as a chicken. Plzen must have used all of its talent in making its beer, and a dam fine job they do too.
Back on the train up to Zuz’s grandparents after being complemented on her English, by an English teacher. Zuz’s granddad picked us up and took us home, where a nice meal and many photos were waiting.
We started the day with breaky and went shopping for the evening. We visited Zuz’s great grandmother and when we got there the in-laws were there. After a bit of a chat we all left. Lunch was had and a lot of zuz’s family began to arrive for her grandmother’s birthday celebrations. Plenty of food, sweet and drinks were consumed. Met plenty of the extended family and a good time was had by all. Starting to understand Czech a little more so that made it more fun for me. Basically a relaxing family day.
This morning we went to the zoo and meet some more of the family. Walking around the zoo, yakking and feeding the seals. Also seeing Horny moose, pigs, zubr, bears and birds. Back for lunch and developing a new motto “Kava, kakat, pohoda : )” Arrived back home in Brno and we got ready to go ad meet up with Zuzy’s friend Lucka. Zuzka could not make it but it was fun to meet Lucka. All be it a little too short. We shared some laughs and drinks. Beam was on sale so I had a few. A glass of coke and a nip of bourbon in another glass is how they serve it. Weird, but still tasted as good.
Basically a relaxation day, other than the stress of asking the in-laws for Zuz’s hand. Had been practicing for a while and still could not get it right. In the end we decided on ‘Data me ya za zenu’ ‘Prosim, prosim, smutne kokum’ ‘to bela fushka’ How hard does that seem? Caught the tram into town to put some films in for developing and to buy a nice bottle of bubbly and flowers. There were also some people doing an archaeological dig in the middle of the city next to the church. Digging up bones and stuff. Had a chat, very interesting.
Then time came for the stressful question. I stumbled my way through it and it ended up with dad saying sit down, I have some questions. Oh boy. It all went off without a hitch and the ok was given, Phew.
Ended up ripping my bag as I was putting too much stuff in there. Then it was time to say farewell before heading for the train station in the early arvo. Finally getting our tickets, we made it onto the train with minutes to spare. It was a nice ride until we hit Slovakia and the guard told us we should have changed trains in Czech and our tickets did not cover Slovakia. So after paying in Crowns and Deutschmarks we had to get off at Bratislava, change currency and by tickets back to the border. In the end we made it to Vienna after nice sunset train ride.
Now the hard part, getting to our penzion. We knew where it was on the map and I had some cryptic clues as to where to go. In the end we had to use the force and got on the tram and hoped to hell it was the right one. We got off the tram 3 times to check our bearings. With intense studying of the map I had broke the code to the transport system. From then on it was plane sailing. We got our room with a private shower, a shower box in the corner of the room. Not quite a dump, but not far off it. Out we went looking for a bite to eat and the only time you need a maccas, they close it down 2 days before you need it. Ended up with overly priced coffee and brownies. Oh well, we walked back to the dump and hit the sack.
Woke up feeling kinda uhh because of the room. We rang to find a room near the airport and said 2400 schillings (about $400au), dinner and breaky included. As I had come in under budget and wanted us to have a very nice last night I said OK to the fright of Zuz. So we packed our bags and took off. First stop, the Aussie embassy to get some questions answered about our application. In the end the lady said it should be knocked over by November. You could have knocked me over with a feather with that news.
Now the business was done, time for pleasure and seeing the sights. There are some very nice building, but were a little dirty and the atmosphere was not really there. Maybe we were not in the mood for sightseeing. The city has great potential though. One thing I must say is that the pigeons are great shots. Managed to get Zuz on the bottom of her foot. We headed back to get the bags and take off to the airport. The hotel was 100m from the departure hall, we checked in relaxed and kicked back. The mini bar was prohibitive. Who in their right mind would pay $7 for a can of coke? The complementary dinner was quite nice. It even included a ‘free’ glass of wine.
Not much to say. Very foggy. I hate airports. Took off an hour and a half late, but landed on time. To prove it is a small world I even saw a bloke from work on the plane as well. I had a spare seat next to me and watched some good movies. So, there ended the trip.