Scotland Road Trip

Friday 14th August was my last day at work. The next day, I flew into Edinburgh to embark on my journey. There were 5 of us on this trip and I was again the 5th wheel. The 6 day journey took us from Edinburgh > Dumbarton > Glasgow > Fort Williams > Isle of Skye > Loch Ness > Inverness > Dufftown > Aberdeen > Stirling > Edinburgh. Google journey can be viewed here

The landscape is beautiful like New Zealand but on a much bigger scale. We visited so many castles that I am actually having trouble with their names. I learned a new acronym from a local in Scotland also known as 'ABC'

Another
Bloody
Castle

That can also be translated into Another Bloody Cathedral.

We also visited 3 Whisky Distilleries; Glenfarclas, Macallan and Glenfiddich. Basically drank alot of whisky on this trip mainly because most do not get exported to other parts of the world. The tour of Glenfiddich was full of interesting information. Glenfiddich whiskey is distilled using only a single source of spring water from the Robbie Dhu spring. This process is so important to them that they purchased 1200 acres of land surrounding its nearby hills to ensure the spring water stays pure.

Stirling Castle is also a historic milestone of Scotland. Many important events are associated to Stirling Castle in some form of way. In 1297, William Wallace defeated the English for The Battle of Stirling Bridge. The castle was well built with numerous external walls. The displays by the castle curator gave you a sense of all of previous kings and made you feel as if you were living in the 12th/13th century.

While in Edinburgh, we were blessed with the presence of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The city was full of joy and excitment. The Architecture and vibrant city lead my eyes into a trance. There were so much to see but yet so little time. Early lights out as we flew off to Pisa the next morning.

Sam




Chilling at Isle of Skye








Loch Ness

Glenfiddich Distillery







Dunnottar Castle

Awesome Edinburgh

Portugal Road Trip

Winter is slowly approaching and it was time for another holiday. Eileen, Noel, Juno (Eileen's mate) and I set off on a mini road trip from Faro > Albufeira > Lagos > Lisbon. Google journey can be viewed here

Flying with Eileen always involves some kind of airport drama. When we were going through Passport Control at London Gatwick (returning from Krakow), the lady asked Eileen if she have had any trouble with her Work Visa, Eileen said 'No'. eeeegghhhh wrong answer, her visa actually got declined as she did not provide correct bank statements. So the Passport Control lady told her that it is an offence to lie, blah blah blah and Eileen told her she did not classify it as 'trouble'. But anyway, we had to wait an hour for her supervisor. What dramas!

We were all queueing up to go through the security gates when she noticed she had picked up Noel's NZ passport. He has dual citizenship (British and NZ) but he travelled into the UK with his British passport. That means, when we return to London, Passport Control will ask if he has an entry visa as there are no traces of a holidaying visa or entry visa on his NZ passport. Infact his NZ passport was blank! What a mess! Off they went to talk to immigration officers about their options. They were given the green light and 2hrs 40mins later, we were in Faro.

It was 1am by the time we got to the hotel but the night was still young so out we went to roam the streets. Alcohol was dirt cheap in Portugal, although not as cheap as Krakow but cheap enough to live like a king.The next morning we drove through the coastal beach town of Albufeira. The beach was beautiful but the town was flooded with tourist and mainly English tourist. It just makes the place feel dirty. You want to walk around the peaceful but all you hear are loud geezers. Meh, back on the road to our resort in Lagos. It was around 35 degrees with a few hours of 40’s. The golden beach with clear water was impressive. After 2 hours in the sun, it became unbearable. We then hired a boat around and within the coves. Portugal is very well known for its seafood. Every night, we would be eating some sort of fish and crustacean.

Lisbon also has a lively night life. The main city is built on the flats and everything else is elevated. If you feel fit, you can walk but locals generally take the trams or the Santa Justa Elevator. We decided to party at Bairro Alto; very well known for its bars, restaurants and fado music. This trip was all about drinking, eating, drinking and more eating.What an awesome country!

Colourful Albufeira - 5.3 MB
Lagos Cove - 3.7 MB

Sam




3am Pizza








Colourful marine in Albufeira









Lagos Coves








Partying in Bairro Alto







Morish Castle in Centro

Krakow, Poland

I have always wanted to visit Poland. There was never a particular City I wanted to visit but going to Poland was always a ‘must do’ on my list. I’m not sure why? I don’t speak Polish, know the history nor know what Pol’s eat but Poland has always been on my mind. Maybe it’s the ‘what ifs’. What if I enjoy the City? What if I like the Polish language? What if the people appeal to me so much that I would want to live there one day?

It was only Eileen and I on this trip. First trip was out to the Auschwitz Concentration Camps; the largest of Nazi Germany's camps. The place was Airy, soulless and with a feeling of enmity.
The number of deaths at this camp is known to be around 1.3 million and of that, 1.1 million were Jews. We were unable to take any photos inside mainly as a sign of respect. But obviously you will always have disrespectful tourist snapping away so they can show it off to their friends as a sense of achivement......

The gas chamber was gloomy, we learnt about how people were tricked into going into the gas chamber at their own will. The firing line, different torture methods were also explained.
It is hard to list everything, it is the kind of place that you really have to visit to understand the affliction.

Next stop was the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It was only in 1996 that mining was discontinued. The mine has a depth of 327 metres with paths exceeding 300km. We were only able to get as far as 135 metres though. Miners would live down there for years at a time and eating nothing but salt. They weren't allow to bring any kind of food down there as it may attract vermins. Numerous sculptures were also created by these miners. Their talent would make todays artist look like little school kids.

Deep inside the mines, an aura shines toward you as you approach St. Kinga's Chapel. Yes a chapel sculpted by miners! It is 18 metres wide, 10 metres high and stretches for 54 metres.
The surrounding walls are covered with historical and biblical carvings. Being in that room really makes you wonder 'What have I done with my life?'
There was so much to see. Check out this link for more information.

Even though Krakow is part of the European Union, they are still using their own currency. £1 = 5 polish zloty. Beer is 4 zloty, steak is 16 zloty. We ate and drank like Kings! The city is lively during the day with plenty of entertainment during the evenings. Yes, Krakow does have a past that we would like to forget but the city still radiates with joy. I will be back, oh yes........I will be back.

Sam




Eros Bendato Head








St. Mary's church from afar








Auschwitz








Auschwitz II/Birkenau








St. Kinga's Chapel

Windsor Castle

A beautiful day in the heatwave of London to make a trip out to Windsor Castle.
The castle is known to be the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. The Queen even lives here; check that out. Within the castle, stands Queen Mary's Doll House. This monstrous building is hardly for kids to play with. It stands over 2 metres high and with fully working electricity and plumbing; Imagine that!! Being able to flush the toilet and wash your hands!

The rest of Windsor was also very relaxing with restaurants, cafes, boutique shops topped off with a river running past the city. This is a place for the rich & famous.

There’s not much more I can say about Windsor. It is so close to London but not London; now that is a bonus. Off to Krakow in a few weeks so hopefully I will have more to share.

Castle Guards - 5.9 MB

Sam

Secured Area








Walls








More Walls








Crooked House

City of Lights – Paris

The beautiful Jacqui arrived at my work on Friday morning at 10am. After flying in from Cyprus and only having 1 hour sleep, she was pretty knackered. I took the rest of the day off work so she could rest up before we caught the Eurostar train to Paris.
11:30pm - we have finally arrived in the City of Lights. Not just in Paris but at the Eiffel Tower (pronounced e-fil) where we watched it glow and sparkle. After taking about 100 photos, it was time to get a late snack and hit the hay as the next few days were all go, we purchase a 2 day museum pass and 3 day hop on/off bus tour with river cruise. Clock out time 3am.

8am Saturday morning, all I could hear was a broken record playing ‘Get up, get up’ with the occasional ‘Get up Soh’; I guess it was time to get up. The weather was beautiful all weekend, a bit chilly in the morning but once the sun was at its peak, it was a beaut.
The first sight was Place de la Bastille where the July Column stands. Next was Museum Rodin to view the famous sculpture of The Thinker and The Kiss. Then it was off for an English tour at Museum d'Orsay which was originally a railway station/gallery and was fully converted into a museum in 1986 with paintings by Claude Monet, Édouard Manet and Alexandre Cabanel’s oil canvas of ‘The Birth of Venus’
Next stop; the gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. The 300 man queue was too long so Jacqui wanders to the empty exit, totally oblivious and walks in. Voila, no queues.
A quick stop for delicious ice-cream and it was off to the shopping and restaurant district of Champs-Élysées with a quick photo stop at Pont de la Concorde and Hittorff’s Fountain. Quick stop for dinner then it was down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées where the Arc de Triomphe emerges as the powerhouse. We climbed up 284 steps in the triumphal arch to view Paris from above including an astonishing view of the Eiffel. By the time we got back to the hotel and showered, it was 12:30am! What a day it has been, off we went to the bar for a quick drink and clocking out at 2am.

8am Sunday morning, the same broken record was again playing ‘Get up, get up……….Get up Soh’, day 2 here we come. The Louvre Museum was the first stop. The large glass and metal pyramids cannot be missed. Obviously the main attraction was Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa but it also included full range of paintings, sculptures, artefacts. One of my favourite was a sculpture titled 'Hermaphrodite Endormi'. I know what you are thinking 'What a sicko' you say. No, the sculpture was peaceful with fine detailing of her hair, sheets and cushion. For those that have never been to the Louvre, to give you an idea of how big it is, we spent 4 hours in there and we were actually rushing through most of it.

Quick break for Lunch, people watching, back to the hotel to get changed then it was back out to the Sacre Coeur Basilica. Unfortunately, we were unable to enter due to a service so we decided to climb it. Again Jacqui goes wandering off and finds the exit so off we went up the exit. Climbing the spiral stairs 83 metres up nearly made me throw up as it was very narrow. Since it was the exit, people were also coming down and basically telling us off as it was the only exit.
We tried to attend a show at Moulin Rouge but the next show was too late and we were already running out of time in Paris. Off for some fine dining and bottle of wine. Jacqui + wine + extra large crème brulee = 5 year old about to vomit. Dinner was going well until Jacqui decides to order the largest single serving of crème brulee I have ever seen. No human can finish this and not throw up, no no no not Jacqui, she was determined to finish the whole lot. On the way home, she was prancing around then “I feel sick” more prancing and more “I feel bad”. None the less, it was very entertaining for me. Another 2am clock out with Jacqui trying to throw up in the middle of the night.

8:30am Monday morning, ‘Get up, get up ……….Get up Soh’, aarrrgghhh Déjà vu all over again. Check out and race to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We climbed 695 steps to the second level, lift to the third level and another 15 steps to the observatory deck. This weekend is really making us fit. The view from 276 metres will never be the same after viewing Paris from the Eiffel. Standing in the cool breeze toasting our glass of €15 Rose Champagne. There is a moment and time for everything; I took Jacqui’s hand and got on one knee…………….she laughed, ah well moving along.
Lunch at Laduree which is the birth place of macaron. These tiny cakes with explosive flavours are to die for.
Eurostar back into London and passing out at 3:30am then getting up at 7am for work. I am spent.
Paris gallery can be viewed here

Eiffel at night - 3.1 MB
Museum d'Orsay - 4.6 MB
Notre Dame queue - 5.3 MB
Arc de Triomphe 1 - 4.8 MB
Arc de Triomphe 2 - 6.9 MB
Paris High Quality - 24.9 MB
Paris Low Quality - 9.6MB

Sam






Eiffel at night










Notre Dame Jax







The Kiss








Triumphal Arch








Pose








Trocadero from Eiffel

Dunny’s Birthday – Bristol

Another trip West, this time it was to celebrate the birthday of Chris Dunstan. The sun was out, steaks on the Barbie, chilled beers in hand; what a day! Then it was off to enjoy the night life of Bristol. First stop was a bar overlooking the Clifton suspension bridge. I had a moment here………………yes very gay but it was amazing just being there drinking Guinness. Second stop was a magic bar where you can enjoy a free magic show. After more beers, we went to a night club called Oceania. This place was huge and divided into 4 sections. R&B, Pop, Lounge and space cake music. The vibe was not there so off we went for a late night curry at 1am with slurred speech and everyone looking like a train wreck.
Next day was spent laying around at a park; playing Frisbee, football and throwing around a Nerf . We also managed to watch Middleborough vs West Ham at a pub. Middleborough lost and got relegated into the Champions league for next year. It was quite a funny sight watching grown men cry.
Back home in London now and relaxing before I’m off to Paris in 3 days. Jacqui from Brisbane is in Europe visiting family. So I couldn’t say no when she wanted to make a trip to Paris. Besides, I’m moving there in 3 months, yet in the 10 months I have been in London, I still have not made a trip there. Should be an amazing trip to the City of Lights.
Extended Bristol gallery can be viewed here

Rock Band Idol - 3.6 MB

Sam




Boys will be boys








6 pints and going strong








Wrecked!

Lake District

So for the long weekend break, we drove 5 hours North-West to the Lake District. The Lake District is kind of a big deal in England. It’s like the Lake Taupo of England. On the first day, we visited Wast Water; the water was calm & clear with rugged hills. The next day, we went on a cruise from Windermere to Ambleside. Ambleside is a small town known for its seafood. The Lake District is best known for its range of outdoor activities, due to the bad weather, we were unable to experience it fully. All and all, it was a peaceful weekend away from London with fresh air and extravagant surroundings.
Lake District gallery can be viewed here

Sam






Wast Water









Random town

Arsenal vs Chelsea – Wembley

If you haven’t been to a premiership football game, you haven’t lived. Eileen won tickets from a charity auction to the sold out FA Cup semi-finals between Arsenal Gunners and Chelsea Blues at Wembley Stadium. Being soaked in the ambience of 88,103 die hard fans is undiluted madness. Even the tube journey to the stadium was enjoyable. Fan’s chanting and singing to represent their colours. Words cannot describe this glorious occasion.
Chelsea 2 - Arsenal 1

FA Cup 1 – 3.8 MB
FA Cup 2 – 2.9 MB

Sam




The Crowd








The Gunners








The Blues








The Lineup








The Biznezz

Cornwall Easter

Greetings from London where we finally have sun!
Eileen, Noel and I spent Easter in Cornwall District. It is 5hrs drive South-West of London. We stayed in the City of Newquay where the locals are chilled out and laid back. The West coast probably has one of the best beaches in England. The first tourist attraction was the Holywell fun park where we raced karts and played mini-putt. The rental vehicle was probably the ugliest car I have ever seen in my life. It’s like a station wagon but not, like a mini-van but not, it also had uneven windows that didn’t flow. UGLY! Next was St Michael’s Mount which is a tiny, rocky Island with a medieval castle then it was onto Land’s End. This is the most Western part of England with beautiful rocky views. Every year, numerous people travel the 874 miles from Land’s End to John O'Groat; which is the most Northern tip of UK. Whether it is run, bike, drive or even unicycle. I’m a bit lazy to tell more about the trip as we covered so much; pics will be posted instead.
Oh the fish and chips in this region were brilliant. A famous seafood chef by the name of Rick Stein lives in Padstow which we also visited. Everything was fresh and pure. Over the long weekend, we drove about 800 miles.
I’m off to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley this weekend. Will be an experience of a lifetime.
I have again been denied access to upload videos to google, this has now been transferred to Microsoft SkyDrive.
Cornwall Gallery can be viewed here

Land’s End - 6.1 MB

Sam




Newquay Beach








Sunday Drive








Crappy Skoda








St Michael's Mount








Land's End








Bedruthan Steps - Too close for comfort







Minack Theatre








Padstow

Bruges x 2 and still loving it

Interconnector sent me to Bruges again for another week. This time it was wet and cold. I decided to stay on over the weekend and Noel made his way over from London. He arrived at 11:30pm and off we went club hopping. I think we managed to visit 6 clubs throughout the 3 hour session. The music was….how do you say it….’Eurotrash’. Trance, dance, happy hardcore playing over cheesy 1980’s pop songs. We also noticed that not many people drink in clubs. Picture 200 partygoers jammed in a small room and we would get served without waiting. Everyone was also drinking coke and fanta. I’m not sure if it’s because we are dealing with a global recession but it was just weird to see a room full of people and only a small handful drinking.

The next day was painful. We managed to get a lot of sights done over the weekend. We hiked up 366 steps in Belfry tower to view Bruges from above, went on the city bus tour, took a canal cruise, visited the basilica of the holy blood and walked everywhere and anyway in the city.

The smoking ban laws do not apply to small restaurants and bars in Belgium. It is actually quite revolting sitting in a small boutique bar and all of a sudden, someone decides to light up a cigarette. Since the bars are not very well ventilated, the smoke just lingers and drifts around the room. Yuck!
Updated photos from Bruges can be viewed here

Belfry Tower – 3.9 MB

Sam




View from above








Burg Square and Belfry








Canal cruise