Europe 2009

in summary

2009-07-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

Where we went and where we stayed

2009-07-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

For the most part we traveled by train and stayed in apartments. The aim was to book places that were near the city centre, but not too close, had an internet connection, and a washing machine!

For the most part that worked out ok . . . . . . .

Here is a map of the trip

View Europe in a larger map

London Hotel - Umi Hotel

The location was great - right near Kensington Gardens (94 & 148 buses). The hotel was a bit average for the price and the breakfast was SHOCKING! We had 4 breakfasts there - I had the fruit salad 3 times, I'm pretty sure all were from the same stock made at least 3 days earlier!

For some reason at the time of booking I didn't think internet or washing machines were important, so this place didn't have either included. I think you could use the internet in the foyer for about £3 for 15 minutes (or something equally extravagant!)

Wien Apartment - Belvedere

The location information on the website is for the office, not the actual apartments, although they are quite close to each other. The apartment we stayed in did not feature in any of the photos, but was quite similar and of good quality. We did request an apartment with a washing machine, however this did not work out. Also - there is no internet, but we knew that when we booked.

Praha Apartment - Marys

Great apartment, great location. Away from the main city, but surrounded by loads of good bars and restaurants - especially Pasticka - fabulous steak!
The internet stopped working for a couple of days, but once we reported the fault, they fixed it quite quickly. We went out for dinner on the first night with the washing machine loaded - when we got back 2 hours later the washing machine was STILL going - perhaps not that unusual for a front loader. Unfortunately, a sock had become jammed in the door and the temperature was up too high so everything was a darker shade of gray when the cycle finally finished!

Berlin Apartment

Again, this apartment was in a great location, just north of Berlin Mitte, and surrounded by loads of bars and restaurants. We went in search of traditional German fare and found AlpenStueck - the restaurant was great, the service fantastic, the traditional fare - ok, but overall brilliant! The menus were in German only, but the staff were happy to translate!

The apartment was run by a couple of dudes who had either an internet radio station or were music producers, and had an office on the floor above the apartment. The internet connection was great, but the advertised washing machine was no where to be seen. Apparently, the washing machine room was broken into, so if we wanted to bring our washing up to their office they would do it for us . . . . . needless to say, we didn't take a pile of our dirty undies up for them to wash!

Paris Apartment - Residences Paris

This was the first apartment we booked, so making sure we had the internet or a washing machine wasn't high on my list of priorities. The location was fantastic and it was definitely worth paying extra for the location. The internet connection was good, but only allowed one device connected at a time - so 2 iPhones and a netbook were never going to play well! There was a laundromat 2 doors down, which was perfect - popped the washing on and went in search of breakfast croissants and pain o chocolat.

Arles - Gite

I debated for ages about booking this place. On Google maps it looked pretty close to the train line but the reviews all said "very peaceful". Turns out it was VERY close to the train line - at times it was kinda like we were in a New York movie with the subway barreling past the apartment window! This is a bit of an exaggeration, but the trains were a bit annoying on occasion, and the bugs meant we couldn't have the door or windows open.

Oh yeah - and it was down a secluded dirt road just around the corner from a larger-ish looking penitentiary!

The website said laundry machine, there was laundry power and pegs in the cupboard, but no washing machine!!! The owners didn't speak English so we never got around to asking - just crossed our fingers and hoped there would be a washing machine in Barcelona (and Reid started recycling his undies!)

Barcelona - Friendly Rentals

This apartment was FANTASTIC! High speed internet, a washing machine, a full kitchen, air conditioning, and on Google street view was still under development - so BRAND NEW!

Plus the location was amazing - heaps of bars, restaurants, and great shops on our street, plus not too far from the city. We arrived on 23 June - the day before Sant Joan's day. All night there were celebrations and fireworks. 24 June (Sant Joan's day) was a public holiday - both days all the shops and restaurants were closed so we were pretty hard pressed to find much to eat!!

space invaders

2009-07-08T04:57:00.000-07:00

www.space-invaders.com

London

Covent Garden

Paris (home of the Invader)

Apparently this space invader was only added the day before this picture was taken!
middle of the day "some guy" rocks up in white workman suit, lays out cones, pops up a ladder, applies the tiles, and off he goes!

the Louvre

Avignon (south of France)

Barcelona

Barcelona (Gaudi)

2009-07-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

For full size images see the Picasa web album

Park Güell (designed by Gaudi, was indented to be a self contained suburb)

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catlunya (with outdoor escalators for anyone too lazy to walk up the stairs - my excuse, it was really hot!!)

The Sagrada Familia

Designed by Gaudi, under construction since 1882, and expected to be completed by 2030!

Apparently this building is nicknamed the torpedo!

In case you've forgotten the F stands for FRIED!

Arc de Triomf

Another Gaudi design - Casa Batllo

South of France

2009-07-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

To see full size photos go to the Picasa web album

Arles

By the river

Place de la Republique

Theatre Antique (1st century BC - although by the time they have finished the reconstruction it will all be pretty much 21 century AD)

Roman Amphitheatre (90 AD). Again under refurb, although this time they seem to have preserved the outside and just added stadium seating onto the inside.

View from the top of the Amphitheatre

Saint Remy de Provence

van Gogh lived in Saint Remy for a while and the area inspired many of this paintings . . . . . .

I can definitely see the resemblance!

Les Antiques

Avignon

Palais des Papes (with increasing civil unrest in Rome the Pope up'd sticks and moved from the Vatican to Avignon!)

Pont d'Avignon - does NOT span the entire river!!!

Sunset

Nice

Cassis

Field of sunflowers - just outside Arles

Paris

2009-07-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

To see the photos in full screen go to the Picasa web album

The Louvre

Happy to see some sun finally - it had been pretty cold up until now!

Sacre Coeur

View of the Eiffel Tower from Montmartre

Nothing stops progress. They have built a bridge over the Montmartre cemetery. Some of the tombstones only just fit!

Notre Dame (in the rain)

Notre Dame - close up

Notre Dame - inside

Eiffel Tower - at night (and in the rain)

Champs Elysees - red and white lights

Eiffel Tower - light show. On the hour ever hour 20 000 flash bulbs sparkle for 10 minutes all over the tower.

Centre Pompidou

Notre Dame (again, this time in the sun)

Notre Dame - from the back

Jardin du Luxembourg

Sacre Coeur - from the Musee d'Orsay

Statue on top of the Musee d'Orsay

With the exchange rate at about AU$1 = 0.55 Euro, this coke cost about AU$6

van Gogh - starry night @ the Musee d'Orsay

Hotel des Invalides

Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Berlin - art/sculpture

2009-06-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

It rained one of the days we were in Berlin so we spent the day on Museumsinsel (Museum Island)

For one low price we went to the Bode Museum, Pergamonmuseum, and Altes (old) Museum, AND the price included audio guides that were actually really interesting and informative!

A saint (Peter or maybe Paul)

Rape of the Sabine (they think - the artist didn't leave any notes!).
Also - who makes a statue about someone getting raped!!

Apparently not sexual!

Voted most ugly

Voted most creepy

Muscleman!

Boo! (Immanuel Kant)

What do you get someone who has everything - statue of a girl clipping her toe nails!

Growl! I am important!
Can't remember who this dude is - but he thought that an angry face made him look more powerful

Zeus

Nefertiti (1350BC)

Jesus on the cross

Voted most hilarious

Defeat of Nazi's and the new controlling powers of Germany and Berlin

Concentration Camps

Berlin - Ampelmann

2009-06-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

The pedestrian crossing symbol - originally from East Germany is so popular is has it's own souvenir shop, restaurant, website, and online shop!!!

Berlin

2009-06-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

To see the photos in full screen go to the Picasa web album

Statue of an old dude . . . .

Siegessäule (commemerates Prussian victories over Demark, Austria, and France from 1864 - 1871 - also centre of Berlin's major celebrations inlcuding the Love Parade and New Year)

View from the Siegessäule

Soviet Statue (Written on the side: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the struggle against the German facist invaders for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union")

Brandenburger Tor (City Gate)

Brandenburger Tor close up

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe)

How good does this pizza look!! AWESOME
Vapiano Pasta Pizza Bar

Sculpture: Mother with Dean Son at the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse)

Berliner Dom (cathedral) & Fernsehturm

A berliner and latte (Germany definitely not known for coffee!!)

Pergamonmuseum

Pergamon Alter (170-159 BC). The museum isn't big enough to hold the complete alter so only one third is on display.

Mosaic - top effort!!!

Really tall and old pillars

Roman Market Gate of Miletus - 29 meters wide and 17 meters tall (120 AD)

Gate of Ishtar - from the reigh of King Nebuchadnezzar (605-565 BC)

Close up of Prayer Niche from the Maidân Mosque

The Berlin Wall

Memorial for Günter Litfin - the first person shot dead by East German guards while trying to escape into West Berlin

Part of the remaining wall at the Invalidenfriedhof (Invalids' Cemetery). Headstones were removed so not to impair the sightlines of the border guards.

Watchtower

Part of the wall at Postdamer Platz

Prague

2009-06-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

To see the photos in full screen go to the Picasa web album

The Astronomical Clock - Old Town Square (parts dating back to 1410)

Astronomical Clock close ups

View from the hop of the Town Hall

Church of Our Lady before Týn

Close up of Church of Our Lady before Týn

Prague Castle

St Vitus's Cathedral @ Prague Castle

Inside St Vitus's Cathedral

Dalibor Tower @ Prague Castle
Contains torture equipment (CIA could learn a trick or two)

The Jewish Museum

Pinkas Synagogue (the names of 80 000 Jews killed during the Holocaust are written on the walls of the Synagogue)

Old Jewish Cemetery
12 000 tombstones and 100 000 bodies are buried in the tiny space (up to 12 levels deep)

The Old New Synagogue (apparently a fine example of Gothic style - at $13 to get in we decided against it)

The exchange rate was a killer so we ate at our apartments some nights. We bought what we thought was peppercorns plus pepper grinder. Turns out it was just peppercorns, no grinder! The old 2 teaspoons trick did the job - just took a little while to crush each corn individually!

Statue . . . . .

For pedestrians

Apparently midday in Czech doesn't mean 12 noon

Lunch on the train from Prague to Berlin . . . . . . . . mmm looks . . . . . tasty?

Vienna

2009-06-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

To see the photos in full screen go to the Picasa web album

Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral) in Stephansplatz in the centre of Vienna. Apparently always under repair

Jesuitenkirche (1627)

Statue of Mozart at Burggarten

Kunsthistorisches (Fine Arts) Museum - the Naturhistorisches (Natural History Museum) is the same size faces the Fine Arts museum.

Neue Berg - one portion of the Hofburg (houses the Nationalbibliothek - National Library)
From the balcony in the centre Hitler gave his triumphal declaration of Austria's incorporation in the Third Reich.

Parlament (Parliament)

Rathaus (Town Hall)

Vienna is the city of ice cream. I am sure there are more ice cream shops and people eating ice cream in Vienna than there is in all of Italy - the home of the gelato!!

View from back of Belvedere (Oberes Belvedere & Osterreichische Galerie - Austrian Gallery)

View from front of Belvedere

Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace)

Gloriette (at Schönbrunn)

View of Schönbrunn from Gloriette

Summernight Concert Schönbrunn. While we were at the palace the Weiner Philharmonic Orchestra was rehearsing for a series of free summer night concerts. I thought they were pretty good - although the conductor reprimanded them every 2 minutes, so maybe they have a bit more to rehearse!

Sachertorte at Cafe Sacher Wien/Sacher Hotel

At the Opera - Eugene (Yevgény) Onégin by Tchaikovsky (definitely felt like pretty woman! so captivated!!! love/romance/tragedy/deception AND the dude in our box yelled out "bravo" - everything an opera should be)

100ml glass of champers - 6 euro ($12) each thank you very much!

Vienna - funny things

2009-06-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to say anything about this one

No kangaroos in Austria

Fish and Chips from Burger King (Hungry Jacks)

There is a whole series of these images - they have heaps of others for the elderly and disabled!

I don't even know what this means!! I'm pretty sure the child is pulling away from the adult.
No bikes or kidnapping small children???

The horses have ear hats

Petrol Station

london

2009-06-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

We spent most of our time in London catching up with people so not much in the way of sightseeing - so here are just a few pics

New war memorial - for animals

We went to Hyde Park Corner to check out the New Zealand War Memorial

Didn't have time to watch the changing of the guard but did catch the dudes on the march

Also - new memorial for the Queen Mother

Old favourite - St Paul's

Embankment

Back at the Bush

2009-06-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

After almost 24 hours of travelling we arrived in London at 6am - too early to check into a hotel we dumped our stuff and went for a wander back to Shepherd's Bush.

Most is just the same:

Pennard Road and Sterne Street - our old places

and the old kebab shop - or for me a cone of salt and vinegar chips

Although a whole lot has changed!!!! There is a brand spanking new tube station AND and overland station

Also - a fancy pants new shopping centre. It was all a bit weird walking into a shopping centre a whole lot jet lagged and in desperate need of a shower and seeing Tiffany, De Beers, Prada, and Versace stores! Where have I been transported to - where did Shepherds Bush go??

Then there was this crazy new apartment complex across from our old flat on Sterne Street

Finally (this isn't really about Shepherds Bush) but McDonalds is green and EVERYONE is riding push bikes, and without helmets!! Lunatic Londoners!