HOMEWARD BOUND - VIA BANGKOK

Ross, Warren and I made the wise decision to break up the horrendous flight back to Sydney by staying in Bangkok for 3 nights. We stayed at the 5 star "The Davis Hotel' in sukhumvit 88. It was so exclusive that the taxi driver and the 10 people he pulled over to ask didn't know where it was!!! We started to panic as we drove into downtown Bangkok where pretty boys like warren would have been snapped up and sold in a second. Thank Buddha for flash packing Ross and his blackberry and we were soon ushered into air conditioned bliss.

Our first day of sightseeing was a battle of wills - between Ross jumping into the closest Tuk Tuk for any price and warren haggling up a storm! The drivers are crafty buggers who will stop at nothing to get you to shop in there stores. The temperature in the city was almost unbearable and we were soft after 2 years in England - sweating up a storm after 2 minutes outside.

We visited many temples including The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew- the gold reclining Buddha. To reach the next monument we had to pass through a busy local market selling pigs ears and other stinky ingredients - we looked down and saw that the only thing between us and the raging river was a unstable wooden boards!!. We were weaving through this market and were completely lost until we rounded a corner and stumbled upon a lady having a bath! Were were very apologetic and thankful as she calmly pointed us in the right direction!! We then caught the ferry to Wat Arun and climbed this very steep 82m high monument where both Ross and Warren got a cramp - so funny

We had some great nights out one in particular we found ourselves in an expats bar surrounded by aging men and working ladies - they must have a six sense for money however as they completely ignored Warren and Ross!! We danced to a local 'Black Eye Peas' tribute band and almost had to pinch ourselves when they broke in to a full 8 minute rendition of Queens Bohemian Rhapsody!!

We spent some time shopping in the many market places the city is known for. We went to the Saun Lum night bazaar - a series of stalls on wooden planks covered loosely by many tarps - and got caught in a tropical rainstorm!! The heaviest rain I have ever seen bucketed down completely saturating us in minutes - the flood waters rose quickly to ankle height and the cockroaches ran for higher ground! We decided to wait out the rain and so continued shopping, an hour later when the shops closed and the rain continued we rain out to try and hail a cab - ever the opportunists the cab drivers doubled the price and dropped us off looking like drowned rats to our luxury hotel - very funny night!!!

GOODBYE LONDON

We intended to stay 6 months but after 2 years the time has come to leave London. England quickly felt like home and we made some really good friends that we will miss. Favourite memories are DJ mix offs at Ross's, Button Down Discos at KOKOS, Saturday's at Topshop, summer days in Regents Park and pushing past lost tourists on the underground!!

Living in the UK gave us the opportunity to travel around Europe and have amazing experiences and to witness different cultures. Warren and I have discovered much about each other both from traveling and living in a 3m x 3m "studio" Warren is the master of the map while Amanda can ask for vegetarian food in over 10 languages!!!

We will always remember our 2 years in London but are very excited to begin the next stage of our lives - in SYDNEY!!

DUBLIN - Easter long weekend

The Easter long weekend in March was a perfect opportunity to visit Ireland. We flew to the Green Isles and soon discovered why it is so green - It was very windy and rainy!!!

The city was very vibrant with many great shopping streets and the fun Temple Bar region with many bars, cafes and restaurants. We visited the Guinness Storehouse which was good however as Warren and I hate Guinness the free pint was not such a bonus!!

We went on a day trip to Northern Ireland, our tour guide was a typical Irishman who liked to serenade us with local folk songs during our ride. Starting in Belfast we then drove to the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge on the north coast. Its was a beautiful coastline and you could actually see Scotland!! Next stop was the Giants Causeway - a natural rock formation that appears like many hexagonal pillars. Legend has it that a giant built a path from Ireland to Scotland so he could reach a beautiful princess and bring her back! The last stop was Derry - a walled city that was the centre of the troubles years ago - it had a few shady characters and some beautiful murals of peace on the sides of apartment blocks.

We had a very relaxing weekend and got to see a great Irish city and some beautiful scenery.

SWITZERLAND

After spending just over 2 weeks in Germany we headed south to Switzerland - first stop Zürich. We stayed in Niederdorf. Trendy shops, pubs and bars line the narrow winding streets of this, the most popular part of the Old Town. Zürich is famous for being set on the beautiful Lake Zürich, for the Grossmünster Church with its twin spires and the impressive Fraumunster Church with the world famous stained glass windows and St. Peter's Church with The biggest church clock face in Europe.

We walked along the lake shore on a sunny day and it was busy with skaters, bathers, jewelry vendors and street artists. We ate dinner in an authentic Swiss restaurant dinning on Rossti - fried shredded potatoes covered with cheese, eggs and tomatoes.

Next stop was Interlaken, the holiday resort in the heart of the Swiss alps, situated between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz and at the foot the famous trio of peaks, the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. We decided to spice up our holiday by going Canyon Jumping. We were picked up in a beat up Combie by a dred locked gnarly dude called Ziggi who drove us up the winding mountain roads at incredible speeds. When we reached the top we had to walk up an icy path to reach our jump point. 85 meters high we had to just step off the platform - Elise and I were scared to death but Warren jumped off head first with no fear!! It was a major adrenalin rush!!

The next day we returned to the mountain, Warren hired a snowboard while Elise and I set off with skis - 2 trains and a funicular later we reached the slopes. There were no blue runs for beginners so we hit the Green. As it was Elise's first time on skis she had a bumpy start and on one slope collected me and almost set us both of the cliff!!! Warren and I loved the fast slopes and the difficult runs while Elise discovered the fine wine list of the mountain top cafe!!

Geneva was the final stop before returning to London. Geneva is the home of the united nations and lies just on the Swiss side of the Swiss/French border and French is the main language The main highlight was the Jet d'eau -Originally a simple security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory, this water fountain has, over the years, grown to be the symbol of Geneva propelling 500 liters of water per second to a height of 140 meters at a speed of 200 km per hour.

We spent our time playing a giant chess set in a park surrounded by many locals and sipping delicious hot Swiss chocolate amongst chic ladies in posh cafes!

Schloss Neuschwanstein (Fairytale Castle)

As a day trip from Munich we joined a tour to visit the famous German Castle Neuschwanstein. We reached the base of the mountain and were able to walk on the frozen lake then started the steep climb up to the castle. The castle was magnificant and the views from the top was beautiful.

The guide proved his worth when he took us over a barrier and up to a look out for some fantastic photos (bloody slippery ice however!!!)

Munich

We were excited and ready at get back to a big city. Munich has a cosmopolitan feel and the two best vegetarian restaurants that I have been to!! We checked out the giant cu cu clock (although 25 minutes of bells and chimes were too much!!) The lure of the beer halls was too much for Elise so we popped in around 2pm. As you can see we got the biggest steins on offer and were not allowed to leave until they were gone. 2 hours and 3 phone numbers later (it would seem 2 Aussie girls with steins is too much for the average German to resist!) we stood up to go. Big mistake as the beer finally hit warren he stumbled in to the nearest souvenir store and swung out 10 minutes later 120 euros lighter!!! Drinks at 2, drunk by 4 and hungover by 7!!!!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg is a town completely preserved from the middle ages. It is surrounded by a stone wall that you can walk on.All the houses and shops are original with wooden beams and brightly coloured which gives the town a historic feel. We spent our days walking around the town and down to the famous double bridge.

The local speciality is 'Schneeballen' or snowballs - which are balls of sweet dough dipped in cinnamon or chocolate. As for the town itself everything shut downs at 6pm and as we arrived at 7 it mad for very hungry tummy's!!! Our hotel was an utter delight with 500 year old beams studded with wooden nails and a cosy breakfast room - the only problem was one shower and one toilet for all the guests!!! Two nights here was a good chance to relax and get ready for Munich!!!

Bamberg

Bamberg is one of Germany's most beautiful cities. Set on two rivers the city has many bright historic buildings in perfect condition alongside the many bridges. We spent sunny mornings sipping hot chocolates in street side cafes and explored the cobble stone streets. We tasted local delicacies in a quintessential German restaurant. Wonderful Christmas themed souvenirs stores emptied our wallets and warren enjoyed tasting the local beers (80 brewers in the vicinity!!)

Dresden

Dresden is know as the 'Florence of the North' despite the fact that the allied forces leveled it in 1945 (sorry!!) It was a beautiful city restored to its best with imposing cathedral, churches palaces and a beautiful city centre. We acquired tickets to the Green Vault - the treasure trove of the Saxon Kings with rooms dedicated to Bronze, Silver, Crystal, Gold and then the jewels!!!

Warren discovered the best kebab shop in Germany and we went twice!!! Dresden is known for its night life and we found a sleek cocktail bar. The waitress didn't speak english and translated everything we said into "triples" Needles to say we flew home and then ran riot around the hostel with very interesting photo evidence!!!

Germany and Switzerland - 1st stop berlin

February 2008 Elise came back to London to spend 3 weeks traveling with us. Our 1st stop was Berlin. A really cool city with big bar and restaurant areas and of course very cool clubs. We spent our days checking out the landmarks such as the Reichstag and Brandenburger Gate, visiting the Holocaust Memorial and Check Point Charlie. Another highlight was finally seeing the bust of Nefertiti which we have been excited about since our Egypt holiday in 2006.

We went to the Friedrichshain district for delicious meals and then went down a dingy alley to a dark car park to join the line outside an apparently empty derelict warehouse. Inside was a postindustrial techno-electro club - Berghain/Panoramabar. This club was 3 levels of concrete, speakers and DJ's - very cool!!. Elise and Warren owned the podiums and fought off half naked men to claim the best dance location!!!

A weekend in the country

One Saturday in January we set off in a hired car for a drive in the South West English country side. Our first stop was the pretty little village of Winchester. It had Tudor buildings an old market and most importantly lovely cafes! We past an Otter and Owl park and could not resist stopping. The otters were funny but everyone else was asleep!!! We made our way to the sea and almost go blown in!! There were crazy surfers in full body wetsuits trying to surf but it was completely flat!! As it got dark we found ourselves in the village of Dorchester. We found a nice B&B pub to stay in and enjoyed a stroll around town and a delicious Italian dinner.

The next morning we slowly made our way back to London stopping at Bournemouth to walk on the pier and play in an arcade. We past through the New Forrest where horses run free and graze next to the road and without warning cross it!!

We stopped in a picturesque town called Beaulieu. It literally had a post office, corner store and a pub!!! We had a relaxed lunch and drink before heading home. It was a lovely relaxing weekend through the beautiful English country side.