2008 already?

Happy New Year to everyone! It's about that time right now in Australia (42 degrees I hear!) and all going to be happening soon in Edinburgh. It is cold and grey and I am not sure about the fate of the street party if the weather continues to go downhill. Having a great time back here but it no longer feels like "home" and that makes me want to come back to Australia even more. Still, though I have one more major leg in my journey which is Thailand. I fly out from London on the evening of the 2nd of January (staying with good friend Claire who I met at VaughanTown) and arrive the next day in Bangkok. Have a few days there then off to Pai in Northern Thailand for a weeks then down to the Andaman Coast. Sometime around the 1st of February I will have to leave and reenter the country as I won't be able to get a Visa due to having no time in London! So I'll be wasting a weekend by flying from Phuket-Singapore or somewhere similar then turning straight around to head back so i can get another 30 day Visa exemption stamp in my passport. Crazy rules, who needs them?

So I wish all the best for everyone in the new year and hope you are all happy and healthy. See you in 2008!

Merry Christmas!

Photo: On top of the Bell Tower in Valencia, Spain.

Although very aware that for most of you, Christmas is already over and you are kicking back on Boxing Day, or hanging out for the Stocktake Sales - right now it is Christmas Day in Madrid!

Staying with Marcos' family, last night we had a supper with 10 members of his family (lots of seafood, and yummy prawns) and today after a lazy morning people are coming back for Christmas lunch, which will probably be in a half an hour (around 4pm!) or so, so I must dash.

I hope you all have a great time over and around Christmas and am thinking of you. Family, friends, all the people I have met over my travels.


Leave me a comment if you still drop in on this page, lately only my everloving Jen seems to be the only one to be replying to my posts (which makes all this effort typing absolutely worth it). It takes no effort at all to click on the comments button below and would give me great joy if you do! I am surrounded by beautiful people here in Madrid but it is still so nice to hear from dear ones around this time of year.

Spain, Part 1

Caught the plane from Rome-Madrid. Everyone on the plan must have been hungry, by the time the food trolley rolled up to 18F there was no food left! They guy next to be in 18E nabbed the last packet of Pringles and offered them to me. Alas, I was stuck with my bottle of water and a rumbling tummy for the next few hours. A few hours later I was in Spain! No Passport control at the airport, so I walked straight through with no stamp in my passport, damn! Followed the directions Diana gave me to her train station, it was really easy and in no time I was with Marcos and Diana in SPAIN! Rest assured there were many exclamations from all of us "Lisa is in SPAIN!" Crazy. Stayed that weekend with Diana and Diana's family (who had visited Edinburgh before, beautiful family). Later that night we went for rationes, like tapas but in bigger portions. Our choices included patates bravas - potato with spicy tomato sauce, calamares - calimari, and orecheo(sp) - pigs ears!!! Now I can say I have tried them but they won't become a regular fixture on my plate...it's a texture thing. The bar we went to had a medieval theme and the tables had real tree stumps as bases. Weird. Also, you can sit at tables with a keg and beer tap all set up so you can pour your own Mahou and help yourself! Apparantly they measure how much you use after you've finished drinking so you can settle the bill.

We head back home after a few drinks and it is cold! There is also a really heavy fog which is baffling - I wasn't expecting this from Madrid at all! Apparantly the change came over that day and was the first day of "cold"...good timing Lisa!

Saturday I was greeted in the morning with Spanish muffins for breakfast - Magdalenas - Marcos loves these even more than Tesco chocolate muffins, which is a lot. Off we go into town and Marcos and Diana give me a grand walking tour of Madrid. Puerto Del Sol, the Heart of Spain (aka kilometre zero), the Royal Palace and Gardens, the Opera House, Gran Via and lots of other places I can't remember right now. The other photo with all the people is in he laneways leading to the Christmas markets, sooooo many people out this Saturday it was unbelievable.

Madrid has real pride of its art collections and I had planned on seeing the Prado or the Reina Sofia but it's a long weekend in Spain and lots of people have come to the capital - the lines for these places are crazy!

We have a yummy lunch, more walking and then time for a coffee stop. By this time, it's 7pm and time for me to head to my Tapas reception for VaughanTown...next post!

Venice-Rome

Although more "luxurious" (and expensive) I was more comfy on the sleeper train from Berlin-Krakow than i was on this one. The 4 person female only sleepers are lockable from the inside which makes me feel more comfy about the safety on this train. the ride is not very smooth and sometimes jolts us awake (really jolts us) and also, 2 ladies come into the cabin at a later station about 1.30am and chat etc. before going to sleep. Arrive 6.50am bleary eyed. head to the hostel which is a metro ride away, get crammed in to peak hour public transport and see people sleeping rough at the station. The hostel is more like a hotel, I'm in a 4 bed dorm with a young British couple and the boy's father. they have connections to Australia and the father had been to Adelaide earlier in the year so we chat a lot. I am relieved as my couchsurfing fell through in Rome I booked this place at the last minute and didn't have high hopes. I have a shower and a nap then head out about 10.30am, armed with my sunglasses (one of my simplest pleasures is being able to wear my sunnies, Scotland isn't a great place to indulge in that). Again, take a million photos, everywhere you turn you want to take a picture. It is so sunny I find a patch to lie down and soak up the rays for half an hour.

Met two girls from South Africa and spent the rest of he day with them, we all got along really well. One is studying medicine and they have 2 weeks in Italy before her break is over and she has to return to study in Johannesburg, Siena is next on their itinerary. We visit the Colosseum, Pantheon, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (picture), the Spanish Steps and Fontana di trevi. When we were in the Collesseum, I run into one of the girls who was on the Paddywagon tour in Ireland...small world. She is doing a Contiki tour at the moment and sounds like she is having lots of fun. Surreal moment, running into someone you know at the Collesseum!

At 6.30pm the SA girls and I separate so I can go home to pick up my jacket and we meet up again about 10pm for a few drinks in the Trastevere area. I love all the little bars and clubs but wish I knew more Italian to speak with the locals! Have a great night, again on Italian wine. Sleep soooo well that night as I must have walked 15 kilometres today (or it felt like).

The next day I head to the Vatican City, i'm too late to go to the museum and Sistine Chapel but that doesn't bother me. Hang out and look for the Pope but don't spot him. Again, another beautiful day, slightly colder but still sunny and clear blue skies. Have two gelatis today (!!!) one is Nutella flavour, my world is complete. After Vatican City I walk a few blocks to a lively food market in a residential area. Sadly it is starting to close by the time I get there and I wish I had a fridge so i could buy the yummy cheeses and meats to bring to Marcos and Diana in Spain. The rest of the afternoon I spend in Palazzo del Popolo, sitting next to a group of art students drawing the area (picture). When I did art at school we would draw pieces of fruit and bottles of Coke and erasers, these guys are spoilt!

Spend the night at the hostel bar, there is free pizza and hang out with a few Aussie travellers then later Holly and Dan (dormmates). They are a lovely couple and we chat for hours about nothing and it is great fun. They are waiting for their visas to come through so they can return to live in Australia for at least 3 years, in Maroubra. If all goes to plan they might be back there in about a month. They give me their address in Maroubra and I think next time I'm in Sydney I will definitely catch up with these guys.

It's now Friday morning and I'm at the internet cafe typing up all my nonsense...hope you're still reading! After this I will head to a cafe for a coffee and maybe another gelati and then start to head to the airport for my flight to Madrid. Spending 2 nights with Marcos and his family and can't wait to see Diana also. On Sunday morning I head to Avila which is where I will be for the following 5 nights at VaughanTown doing my spot of volunteering helping to teach English. Just a note there is no internet there, Wifi but no internet so I won't be checking my email or updating my mobile until after the 15th December most likely. See you then :)

Venice!

It was a toss up between Verona and Venice for me to see before rome. I kept changing my mind as I thought Venice would be so much nicer with someone to share it with. I am glad i ended up choosing Venice as I'm having a great time. When I get into the train station at 2pm it is so sunny I consider leaving my jacket with left luggage. I stay wise and keep it on though. i have the rest of the afternoon and evening before getting on the overnight train to rome at midnight. I'm getting a couchette as theives work on this route apprantly.

But before that, yes, that's right - I explore! I don't even bother with a map as I knew I'd get lost so instead just follow the yellow wall signs to San Marco. Take a million pictures, the scenery is intoxicating...as is the smell sometimes (not in a good way). I do hate to think what it would be like in summer with the heat and the crowds. Go to Castello and follow the Canale di San Marco to Lido while the sun sets. There is a beautiful park along the water and it's further up than a lot of tourists bother to venture...very rewarding. At Lido I catch the Vaporetto 1 (water bus) all the way down back near where the train station is. It takes an hour and is my cheat's gide to an expensive gondola. I dit right at the front and my hands freeze but the scenery makes up for it. The sun is down now but the buildings are all lit up and the place looks magical.

I spend my evening in Dorosduro, a place where students and locals go for bars and nightlife. the university is right here. I visit a church which is open where a choir is practising and i listen for a little while then head to Cafe Blu, a place I'd been recommended - and get lost. Find it eventually after finding out I'd been walking in the wrong direction for 10 minutes. It is here I am writing this entry, drinking a glass of Italian Red that's going down pretty darn well. A little bit before this I had the biggest slice of pizza (funghi, of course) which was yummy and cheap compared to the tourist areas. I'm putting my high school Italian to the test as well as lots of hand gestures...when in Rome(!!!)

PS - look at all that Nutella...Italians go crazy for a bit of Nutella. These jars were like the size of my head...bigger...that's a lot of Nutella...mmm Nutella. I no longer have Vegemite withdrawals because of Nutella.

Lucerne

Pictures coming soon!

3 trains from Nuremberg to Lucerne, it's an early start and I see the sunrise on the first train. Beautiful scenery...and then the train went to Switzerland. Breathtaking. Giant waterfalls on this side, mountains on the other, green, green, green and beautiful houses. The line from Zurich - Lucerne was especially lovely, I can't believe I am in a place as beautiful as this. Laura is my host, I am couchsurfing with her for 2 nights. She lives right in the middle of the city in a beautiful apartment, set up perfectly and she is so lovely. What a character, we chat for over an hour over a yummy cup of tea and then she has to do a bit of marking (she is a teacher, her students are around 11 years old), and also go to the basement to get her Chirstmas decorations, so I leave her to it so i can explore the city. I basically just wander around, window shop at all the gorgeous boutiques, jewellers and watches! Stroll along the water and there is a concert on the waterfront, put on by Coca Cola for Christmas time, some kind of Coke festival with a big red semi trailer as the centrepiece! There is a music stage and a famous Swiss band plays, as well as gospel singers and a pop star. Good fun and i got a free Coke. Now that's advertising!

During the day I wander up to the Old City Wall. There's a little bit of fog aorund so it hampers the view of the mountains but lovely nonetheless. i wish I had more time to check out the rest of the country, maybe even try to attempt to ski. Or not...other sites in the medieval city inlcude the Chapel Bridge (picture), water tower and the city squares. The lake running through the city is gorgeous and I have a picnic lunch looking out across the river.

In the evening Laura comes home from work and we hang out and chat before she goes to her dance class. i go out quickly as well to get some supplies for the train ride tomorrow and spend the last few franks I have. When i come back I have a shower and it is so nice to be able to take my time instead of getting frustrated at timer showers like the hostels have. When Laura returns from her dance class we chat some more (noticing a theme, she has no TV so there's nothing else to do and it's great!) and exchange bands we think the other might like. Great evening, I wish I could stay longer but Italy is beckoning!!!

The train ride the next morning is long but scenic, the mountains and ravines and even waterfalls make Switzerland one beautiful country. The train takes us past Lugano, and in Italy Como (wow). There is a sparkling blue sky and even heat from the sun coming through the window. What a lovely feeling!!!

the train from Milan-Venice is so crowded I have to sit on a pull out seat in the hallway. No wonder it is a 'recommended reservation' journey! Only 1 hour though and I nab a proper seat. Food trolley and passers by make for interesting contortions with bags and what not from me and all the other people sitting in the hallway.

Nuremberg

To break up the journey from Prague to Switzerland, I chose Nuremberg to stop overnight. Originally I had planned this for Munich but it was simpler connecting to and from Nuremberg. Jen, Cara, you'll be pleased to know i think there was an emo convention upon my arrival at the train station, I have never seen so many emos in my life, seriously hundreds! The emos over here are much better than Australian emos, they have better hair. My Chemical Romance or some crap band must have been playing Nuremberg that night perhaps. Seeing them puts me in a way better mood than I was in in Prague.

The hostel is standard, disappointing as i had stayed at the same hostel in Berlin and that had more character. Spent the afternoon and evening wandering around the town, despite the rain. The city was packed as the Christmas Market has just started and the one in Nuremberg is the biggest in Germany, possibly Europe. It spilled out across several squares and the connecting streets. There are trinkets and lots of delicate gifts but more importantly Bavarian food! Everyone has food or drink in their hand so I decide to join them. First I try Bratwurstl, little sausages i bread which are scrumptious. then after a while I have potato pancakes and apple sauce, served on a wafer. Can't remember what these are called. The people serving at this tent were all in singlets as working with litres of hot frying oil is probably a little warmer than being on the other side of the counter. Hillarious!

The sweet stalls had giant cookies, little cookies, gingerbread in all shapes and sizes and lots of Christmas Cake, so i get a small slice of that. One of the photos I have added is of a stall selling half a metre long hotdogs...yes, that is serious. I really wanted a photo of someone holding one but alas, felt too much like a stalker. Changing the subject, there are bands playing on the stage and the place has a great feeling to it. I'm really glad I came here, the city is gorgeous, totally Bavarian and the view from the Castle is worth the uphill walk. Over on one side of the city the houses look like the view from the glass elevator from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I just googled it and the place was Rothenberg, oh well, I was close!

Prague

On the train from Olomouc I have this overwhelming sense of sadness as we approach Prague. This time last year was the time when I had to face a lot of hurdles with my back injury and Bella dying. I dont want to make a big deal of things as it will only make me sadder and I have done a lot of things in between then and now which has made me so proud. My back is really good at the moment, but it sucks just being so aware of it all the time, how it's feeling etc etc. There are some times where it still stresses me out but it's certainly not holding me back from doing anything and I am so grateful of that.

Feelings wise, I still get a bit blue and of course homesick sometimes, but nowhere near like I was. Again, it's keeping active and keping my back healthy as I know if my back gets bad then my mood tends to tumble.

It sounds silly, but if anyone who is still reading this knew Bella, I'd love if you could post a message on here and tell me a story about her. It will make me laugh, God knew that dog gave me a lot of laughs, stealing food etc. I don't think I ever told Mum about the turkey roll incident one day where she jumped up on the kitchen counter and grabbed a turkey roll fresh from the oven. Five second rule, it was still good (and too expensive not to eat it!). Hi Mum!

Prague is lonely. It's the first bit of the trip where I havent befriended anyone. I think I am also on 'beautiful sights' overload. On Thursday night upon arrival at the hostel I was accosted by a group of young American students studying Spanish in Madrid. They are loud, anoying and drunk but I don't say no when they invite me to join them on the town. I last the tram trip into town nd about 10 minutes of them stumbling aorund. There are two kinda sobre ones so i let the know I'm going off on my own and I think they wish they could join. They'll be babysitting the other 6 all night.

I walk around for an hour or so before the cold gets to me and I head back to the hostel. It's got a great bar downstairs that's like a friends' living room. Lots of comfy chairs, good music. there's a good group of people there to chat with but most are leaving the next morning. I retire about 1 am, full of Kozel, one of Czech's favourite (cheap!) beers.

The next morning I get up to head to a walking tour of Prague. The guide is lovely but we spend 3 1/2 hours and only se part of the Jewish Town, the Main Sqare and Wenceslas Square. I didnt learn as much history as I did n the Berlin walk although our guide was more than happy to tell us all about going to a Czech university, the admissions process and so on. Why, I don't know as the group clearly weren't into it.

After the tour, I visit the Museum of Communism, conveniently locaed above McDonalds! It took 3 weeks after the fall of communism here for the first one to appear in Prague, amazing. It was done quite well to show what it was like living in communism but I would have liked more of an exploration into the Velvet Revolution and the toppling of Czecheslovakia's communist regime.

At 8pm I go to a concert in St Nicholas' Church in the main square. It goes for an hour and a group of 9 muscians play pieces from Mozart, Handel and Werner and finish with 'Still Night' (Silent Night). It is a beautiful (albeit it freezing!) church and it was a great atmosphere listening to this classical music.

Get lost walking to the tram to take me back to the hostel and the workers are putting up Christmas decorations in the street with the tram line so service is suspended for the evening. Get lost again trying to find an alternative tram, but eventually make it back to the hostel. Organise my Couchsurfing in Lucerne for Sunday and Monday nights and my train to Nuremberg the following day then go to bed. I know Prague is a beautiful place but I found it very solitary and also the main parts full of tacky souvenir shops.

Krakow - Olomouc (updated 7.12.07)

I took the overnight train to Krakow on Sunday night. During the day there was a Couchsurfing meeting where we were supposed to go iceskating but the outdoor rink was closed. Instead we drank Gluhwein (hot wine with spices) and chatted, there were about 15 of us all sitting around a long table in an wooden building as part of a Christmas market.

I head to the train station after this and the train ride is fine, except we arrive about an hour later than expected in Krakow. My couchette cabin is full but surprisingly comfy for such a cramped space with 6 people and luggage. Perhaps I was pschying myself up for it to be a lot worse..

Hostel I stay at is great, good choice again. Staff are so friendly and give me the rundown of the city. But first things first, it`s laundry day. I picked the right place to do it as its free here! As they have no dryer I spend the whole day lounging around the place as I have no trousers or socks to wear! Lucky this place is small, like an apartment, feel right at home in Krakow watching a big plasma tv and using the free internet. There is free brekky and free supper too, I am getting the vibe Krakow has a very competitive backpackers market.

Make friends with some other travellers, and we go to dinner at U Babici Maliny. My clothes are not dry yet so must head out all rugged up on top but wearing 3\4 length leggings and no socks! I wish I knew Polish for "its washing day" so I could make a sign and wear it on my head. Everyone takes so much pride in their appearance here I feel like a bit of a fool. Oh well! I had a massive meal, as did Alan the guy who came out to dinner and with our beers all together the meals only cost about 5 pounds each! Its suprisingly not that bad walking back in the snow with my shins uncovered but Im glad to get back to the warmth. We organise to go together to see Auschwitz the next day, early in the morning.

So, we get up at around 7.15 to have brekky and take the bus to Osweicim/Auschwitz, it takes about 90 minutes. We decide doing a guided tour and its a good decision, we take our time with the museum instead of just being rushed in and out. Of course the exhibits are shocking in Auschwitzs museum but we are more struck by the sheer siye of the second camp, Bikenau. At Auschwitz you got an insight into how the victims of the Nazis were treated, some sense of the people and thier lives before the troubles and a very good display on the Polish Resistance. There were rooms which held amazing amounts of peoples property inlcuding suitcases, shoes, glasses, hairbrushes and human hair. The human hair was kept by the Nazis to make into material.

Birkenau was not so much a museum but gave you a feeling of how awful the conditions were for the Jewish. Absolutely awful, it made us even more sombre walking the length of the camp with the railway with the gates of death at the top at one end and the crematoriums at the other, while it snowed hard. We were frozen and in many layers, the victims had no more than a pair of pyjamas, not even shoes. Their calorie intake was counted so that with the labour they performed, they would only live to see 3 or 4 months before expiring. We take a long, slow ride back to krakow. it wasnt a pleasant day but something I felt I needed to see. No amount of seeing will ever make me understand how the Nazis could do so many atrocious things to so many people. Never.

That evening about 5 of us from the hostel go out to dinner at a Georgian restaurant. Good to chat although the big tables are only in the smoking section - bars are one thing but smoking in restaurants I just find repulsive now. Get over it though and have a yummy chicken dish with rice and the best thing about Georgian food is that it comes with lots of sauces you can add to the dish.

Left the gang who were all heading back to the hostel but I needed to walk off some of that sauce! It's so pretty all lit up at night and people are having snowall fights in he park. The next morning I do a bit more sightseeing before I catch my train to Olomouc. I took a tour bus as I thought it would be quicker and easier than walking but it was a waste of time and I have never been so cold in my life sitting on the top of a bus while it is snowing in order to get some good pictures. Especially when we picked up speed (for some reason we went on a highway), the wind was like knives. I wasn't the only one suffering either, there were a group of Enlgish tourists as well (although I suffered more than them as I had to overhear their very bad jokes).

Onto Olomouc, in Moravia, Czech Republic. I have a few train changes and one completely baffles me. In Katowice after askin at the window what the next train transfer I have a young Polish guy comes up to me ad says thats what he was wanting to ask too, he's going to the same place. I have to get rid of my Polish loose change so say to him 'see you on the platform'. Thank God I did after spending about 20 minutes of not knowing what was going on he spots me and tells me the train is delayed. We chat for the next few hours on the train he's a medicine student on an Erasmus programme in Olomouc. It's his last year of study. I am Couchsurfing with Anna, a uni student as well and we find out that they both live in the same uni residence...small world!

After meeting up with Anna, we all take the tram back to the residence and get numbers to meet up again that night in town. I get freshened up nd we head out to dnner at 'Torture' restaurant which was quite funny, the food wasn't very good but it was like eating in a dungeon (hoping that was part of the theme). After that we head to the club where Anna's classmates are (they study Chinese). It's great fun and many drinks are consumed, mine includes Kofola, the Czech alternative to Coke! I think it's nice although it has a lot more flavour than coke and is not as fizzy. There are a few Slovakian students and I get the lowdown on why I should visit Bratislava. It was on my wishlist, but again some other time. Next time. there is a guy who smokes cigarillos but is convinced he is not a smoker and I rile him up a about it. there is also another guy who was obsessed with Scrubs and loves the fact I know it as it is not shown over here.

We stumble home at 2am, my plans for getting up early the next morning are foiled but I spend mid morning enjoying a crisp, clear blue sy and the sights of Olomouc. This includes the many fountains, the astrological clock and the Christmas market, where I buy some things and a potato pancake for lunch. I ignore the amount of oil it was fried in and it as delicious. My host Anna showed me a great time in Olomouc an I'm glad I made the stop off there before continuing to Prague. I got a great glimpse of Czech student life and saw another city I'd never heard of until a few days before but would now recommend to anyone who will listen!

Maastricht - Berlin.

Arrive in Maastricht late afternoon. Stay OK is a brand spanking new hostel which is great but it has zero character. There are 3 other girls in my dorm and later that evening one came with me for a big walk around the city. It's a very beautiful place, right down the bottom of the Netherlands...it's so beautiful I could imagine living here very happily.

The next morning I get up a bit earlier and walk around the city again to take some photos and see the city in the daylight. Beautiful sunrise. I go back to the hostel to have the yummiest and biggest brekky ever, before catching my train at 11am. Bad point, for about an hour before catching my train I was fruitlessly searching for an internet cafe with my big pack on my back. The library didn't open until half an hour before my train left so ended up going there to check my email then running to the train station, with 15.7 kgs (my life!) strapped to my back.

I have to catch 4 trains to Berlin, the first two are only short and on the last two I have company from one of my roomates from the night before. Anya is 20 and spent last year in America as an au pair and although is German speaks perfect english with an American accent. She came to Maastricht to find a flat as she is studying at university there in the new year. We chat the whole 6 hours to Berlin and she invites me to her town about 1 hour out of Berlin. Sadly, I don't go as there is way too much going on in Berlin!

Once in Berlin I'm straight to the hostel, it's again a great choice and I have a whole dorm all to myself on night 1. 7 requests for couch surfing here have all been denied - it's pretty tuough handling all these denials but people already have guests, are travelling or not able to host. Oh well!

I walk al day Friday from noon til 10pm. Come back to the hostel to relax, it's been a good, but LONG day exploring. In the afternoon I did a walking tour which went for just under 4 hours and took in Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Hitler's Bunker (well we stood on top of it), Luftwaffe HQ, the Holocaust Memorial, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin Wall, SS HQ, Checkpoint Charlie (even though it's all replica now and surrounded by souvenir shops), Bebelplatz and the book burning memorial, Museum Island and Gendamenmarkt. It was really good (for free! The guides work on tips...don't worry I gave him a few euro) but feel like I need to go back and visit a lot of these sites again, especially the Holocaust Memorial. After the tour I tried to get a last minute, cheap student ticket to the opera 'Aida' but alas, it's all sold out. I'll try for whatever's playing the next night. I wander around the city, stumble upon a few cool things but felt like I was missing something. This is the one city Jen and I need to visit together, and being there without her is just not as cool as it would be with her...can't wait to see you in Perth, my darl!

On Saturday I take an 'Alternative Berlin' walking tour. It's a good group of about 10 people (yesterday was over 25) and we all get along well. Again, the guide works on tips, but instead of seeing monuments and historical stuff we see things like street art, graffiti and the districts that make up Berlin. We use the public transport as well so we can get further out. Had lunch at Curry, cheap and filling German nosh. We visit a vintage shop called Colours where you buy clothing by the kilo! I finally found an awesome beanie and it was only 1 euro 20! I also bought a silk scarf for 1 euro, noice :)

Visited Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauerberg and Mitte. We visit Eastside Gallery, a 1.3 km stretch of the Berlin Wall (and climb it - see photo) but walk along it on the other side, so have it to ourselves instead of tussling with tourists on the other side! In summer the tour would have finished here at a daytime rave! Instead, we escape from the Berlin Wall by crawling under a fence at the end...it's all very funny and really interesting to be going around town with a local. Amazing sunset. Great diversion from seeing monuments and cathedrals (not that there's anything wrong with that).

End up at this place which I've forgotten the name of which is a famous space for artists. Have a beer here and finish the tour.

Oh, and we also broke into an abandoned building (seriously) and climbed up onto the roof. This is all part of the tour (and the guide has his lawyer on speed dial should anything happen. Apparantly we wouldn't get in trouble if we got spotted by the cops because there is no sign on this building saying "no trespassing".

I decide I need a bit of culture to make up for my breaking the law (this photo is my bemused face at the top of the building and the one above it is another Aussie making his entrance). I head to Opera House half an hour before performance. I nab a ticket for 12 euro but it's the state ballet tonight (Jerome Robbins 'Balletabend") and not opera. It was lovely although completely weird to go to such a beautiful building in a hoodie, jeans and sneakers. It's Berlin so no one cares, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Head back to the hostel and decide to call it a night but my dorm mates invite me out, I can't refuse. We leave the hostel at 1 am and head to Weekend, a club on the 12th floor of an office block overlooking Alexanderplatz. It's a crazy, Berlin nightclub and we dance until 5 am and then decide to go...and it's snowing outside! I feel giddy from the excitement of snow but that quickly disappears when I have to walk thorugh snow and slush in my 5 pound ballet flats with holes in the soles. They go in the bin on arrival at the hostel and my feet surprisingly defrost quickly.

What an amazing day that was! Graffiti, abandoned buildings, climbing the Wall, ballet, electronic music and snow. And that's just the main things I remember! I'm satisfied with my time here in Berlin and decide to head to Krakow a day earlier than planned.

Clearing the backlog of posts...a current update

Hi All,

Just a quick note to say my travels are going really well and so far I've been handling the last three days of snow...real snow!!!

Journey so far after Ireland has been Brussels, Brugges, Maastricht, Berlin, Krakow, Osweichiem (Auschwitz). Tomorrow I leave Krakow for Olomouc, then Prague, then after that it looks like Cesky Krumlov, Munich, Lucerne, Venice and Rome. I have bought a cheap flight from Rome to Madrid as i will be pushing it too much to travel overland to get there by 7 December in preparation for my english teaching.

By the way, yes, i am aware I am completely shunning France on this trip. How rude! No real reason why other than I'm just running out of time. I'll get there another time, perhaps when I am able to shop in Dior and wear high heels, Carrie Bradshaw style.

Until then I will be a dag doing silly poses like this (picture) on the side of the Berlin Wall where rave parties are held in the summer.

Slowly i will add photos and updates from my trip, over the last few days i've been clearing the backlog of older stories I've been wanting to share. Scroll down and happy reading!

Belgium

Monday 19 November

Up at 5.15am and a quick taxi to the Dublin airport. We are waiting on he tarmac for 1 hour before the plane takes off to arrive in Brussels. Brussels Chaleroi Airport is about 40 minutes away from the city centre so I jumped on the local bus to take me to the train station to christen my interrail ticket. Weird feeling to just get on a train and not have to pay for a ticket, ah the joy of prepaying!

Brussels Midi Station, I left my luggage here and walked into town. Saw Manneken Pis, Grand palace, Parc De Bruxelles to the Australian Embassy to vote in the federal election (see photo, yes it is the wrong way but I don't know what rotate is in Polish!). After 3 solid hours of walking, (no rain though grey skies) I treated myself to a Belgian waffle with hot melted chocolate on it. Amazing. Caled 'jolie' by a French boy wanting a light for his cig - I told him smoking was bad for his health.

Walked back to meet my Couch Surfing host Jemiro, just after 6pm. It is the first time I have been in a left hand drive car and it feels weird! Jemiro's place is just outside the city and he rents the second level of an older ladie's gorgeous flat - she is scared of living alone. the house is 4 levels and there are paintings al in the hallway and I assume all throughout the house - the women's father was a famous Flemish painter. I feel as though I am in Europe totally.

Jemiro and I get along great, he is such a polite, friendly, nice guy and gives me a great rundown of Belgian history - much more interesting hearing it this way than from some guidebook. We go for a ride around Brussels and he points out the European Parliament, Royal Palace and the Atomium (picture, also sideways), amongst other things. The Atomium is the weirdest thing Ive come across since travelling but I guess that's one of the quirks of Brussels.

We bought some vol au vents and made tea. Jemiro sneaked off and also bought some frites (fries) which we had talked about earlier. Had a great chat all through the night before retiring on the comfy couch.

The next day we head to the local bakery for a croissant and a chocolate croissant(!) for brekky. Jemiro drops me off at Centraal Station and I take a day trip to Brugges on the train. It's a beautiful medieval (I think?) city with a small, gorgeous layout. One of its main squares has Belgium's oldest Stadhuis (city hall). In the same square there is the Basilica of Holy Blood where a few drops of Jesus' coagulated blood is kept. Make of that what you want, the basilica was closed for lunch, when I arrived, as is most of the town until 1.30pm. I go for a big walk and fall in love with the little apartments and their lace curtains.

The begijnhof is home to a 13th century religious community of unmarried/widowed women, known in Belgium as Begijen. It has gorgeous grounds and you are welcome to wander through these in silence. I almost die when I go past the giant door to the church and it opens from the other side. Try expressing shock to the person on the other side when you can't go "Jesus, you scared the bloody hell out of me!". I think I did well. The place is lovely and it's good to know if I never get married, I can always head here and hang out with all the sisters who run this place.

In the evening, Jemiro met me back at the Centraal train station and we walked through a lot more sights including the Guild Park which around its perimeters has a statue representing each of the trades represented by a union at that time (a few hundred years ago???) ie baker, blacksmith. Didn't notice a nurse up there, I must get the RCN to do something to change that!

On the way to this we came across something SO strange, one of the universities was holding a night for its students, they line the streets and drink in a convoy of trucks and semi trailers which dispense the beer. Realy weird site and apparantly alumni come back and do it every ear. There were thousands of people there, i swear. Jemiro says it is the end of 'initiation' for the new students as they lead into exam time. An absolutely giant pissup, me thinks.

While we leave the students to continue debauchery in the streets, we head to Delirium Cafe, a bar with over 2000 beers on its menu. Jemiro thinks he does the right thing and orders for me a strawberry flavoured beer because "that's what the girls like". Not me, unfortunately, it's too sweet and I've had something like this in the past and not liked it. Oh well, 1 down at least 1999 to go.

Later, Sounds Jazz Club is where we meet up with two other local Couch Surfers (photo). Clare is originally from France and George from the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. Great company, food and of course music. The band playing was really "groovy" and the club had a really nice atmosphere, full of people. We shared a giant plate of pasta and lots of red wine as well.

Ireland. In all fairness, like, it's pretty beautiful...

Stories to accompany these pics coming soon!

Leaving Edinburgh

After returning from London on a Sunday night, I had only a few days left before leaving the flat to start travelling again on the Friday. Each night after work was filled with catching up with friends, going out, packing and reminiscing. I'd also like to add I had a massive cold which is still lingering, weeks later and involved me blowing my nose every 5 seconds. Seriously, not a good look. I moved out of my room for the new girl, Nat to move in on Wednesday and spent the next two nights dossing in my own apartment on the couch. Weird feeling! The new housemates seem cool and I'm sure will be happy in the next chapter of 53 (2f1) George IV Bridge. Diana and Marcos (picture) left on Wednesday to move back to Madrid, with bulging suitcases and smiles about going back to family, warmer weather and Marcos' beloved Spain. I will visit them in December and can't wait to hear how they are going and also to indulge in copious amounts of nutella crepes and chat.

My last day at the RCN was Thursday and I was spoilt rotten by the great colleagues I had come to know over the last seven months. I will miss in particular my "team" - Alan, Pat, Jilly and Aileen. They are a great bunch of people and I hope to keep in touch with them. On my last day we held the obligatory afternoon tea where we ate yummy cakes and chatted over cups of tea for a wee while. Alan (my boss) made a lovely speech which I really didn't expect and gave me a card signed by the office staff and a bag of goodies. I couldn't believe that they had gone to this amount of trouble for me. I'm going to list what I got because there were some really funky things in there, they'd had a good old brainstorm on what to get a travelling wilbury!
-Swiss army knife (which I christened about five minutes after receiving it by slicing my finger nicely...still have a little scar)
-A lipgloss in the shape of a Ferrero Rocher...mmm chocolate.
-An Edinburgh cosmetic bag, which now houses my first aid kit in my backpack.
-A hammock - thanks Jilly! I am so taking it with me to Thailand...there will be photographic evidence of its use.
-A gel handwarmer in the shape of a heart, it has a great saying about listening to your heart and not your head but I haven't got it with me right now.
-A hot water bottle with a knitted cover with hearts on it (are you sensing a theme here of my complaining about the cold?)
-I also got a considerable amount of Euros which helped my budget in Ireland no end and also saved me a trip to M&S to change pounds over.

Pat also gave me a silver necklace with an amber pendant. I think it looks great and was such a nice pick, very special. Pat sure does have an eye for great jewellery.

Lugging all this down to Bierex after work finished, we had a great crowd come down for dinner and drinks. I had my first Hot Toddie (whiskey, hot water, lemon, sugar and cloves) courtesy of Emma, I don't know if I'd rush to have another any time soon. It was good to have some laughs outside of work and again being spoilt rotten by my generous colleagues. this picture isn't from my farewell do but I think this picture of Jilly is hilarious. Did someone say 2 for 1???

Friday I spent packing, finishing last minute jobs and catching up with people. Nic met up with me for a pot of tea and a huge chat, we hadn't seen each other in ages and I am glad she's heading back to Australia over Christmas (she'd be on her way now!) and then back to Edinburgh a little bit into the new year to start a new job. I hope it's a lot more creative than her last one for her sake. Blast from the past, after tea with Nic I met up with Rachael, who I worked with back at Myer. We always talked about meeting up in the UK as she was going on a roadtrip with her cousin and Aunty around Britain...and we did! It was great to hear her stories about Contiki in Europe and how the roadtrip was going so far. She is going to live and work in the UK for the next year I think which is awesome, sad I won't be there to catch up with her again. We went to Monster Mash for a good, stodgy meal.

Soon enough it was time for me to leave to pick up my bags, say goodbye to the housemates and catch the bus with Noni to the airport to take off for Dublin. As usual, an uncouth Ryanair flight took place with rowdy, loud, disgusting drunk Brits. I loathe low cost flights on Friday nights, peace and quiet on the plane is out of the question. Post about Ireland coming soon!

Mum and Dad's visit

At the beginning of October Mum and Dad left for their first overseas adventure. And what an adventure it was - at the end of their trip they'd visited more countries than me!

After a few days in Singapore, they came straight to Edinburgh to see meeeee! I was very excited to see them and had been missing them so much - more than I ever thought I could. They arrived at the airport looking exhausted after a bloody long time stuck in aircrafts, and of course the first thing Mum pointed out was her flat hair - like mother like daughter, always on about the important stuff!

They were in Edinburgh for 7 nights but really only 5 days to sightsee. I stayed with them in the apartment they rented and we were very comfy on the fringe of the city. We had full on days doing lots of touristy stuff and seeing the sights.

My favourite part would probably be our visit to the Botanic Gardens, it was a lovely afternoon for a late picnic lunch and enjoying the surroundings. This was also Mum and Dad's first peek at squirrels which delighted Dad no end. The pidgeons were so well fed we were amazed they could even leave the ground to fly. Being Autumn, the gardens were alive with colour as the leaves have started to turn.

Amongst other things, we

-had dinner with briony at the Tower Restuarant at the royal museum. Dad ordered the yummiest white wine I'd ever tasted (it was German, that's as much as I can remember), and I had pidgeon as a starter. i finally got my revenge on my worst enemy over here!
-went to the Royal Yacht Brittania. The Queen has simple taste when it comes to decorating her boats!
-Holyrood Palace, the Royal residence in Edinburgh. The Queen was last here only a month before.
-Edinburgh Castle
-day trip to fishing village Anstruther and a few other towns in Fife. Spent the afternoon in St. Andrews, very nice.
-went to a scotch whisky exhibition and I now know the 5 steps to appreciating whisky:
1.Colour. Is your whisky light gold, bright copper or rich amber in colour?
2. Body. Does your whisky have a light, medium or fulll body?
3. Nose. Which aromas do you recognise when you nose your whisky - is it malty, smoky, fruity, chocolatey?
4. Palate. What characteristics do you notice on the palate - is it softly sweet, rich and fruity or peppery and spicy?
5. Finish. Does the flavour remain for a long time or does it disappear quickly?

It was great to show them around the place I've called home for the last little while and see the sights, but the best part was just relaxing with them at the apartment in the evenings. We'd just sit around and talk and nibble yummy things from Peckham's.

Here are some photos from Edinburgh:

After they toured Europe and Ireland, I took a few days off work to meet them in London before they went home. I caught the train up (down!) which was pleasant enough although halfway through the trip dad rang to tell me that the hotel Andy (their travel agent) had booked for us was like Fawlty Towers. It was certainly that and not a nice ending to the trip for them, more like a B&B than a hotel. We were that close to finding another nicer hotel but we ended up sticking it out and just having a laugh about the incidents that included:
-Reception that seemed baffled upon Mum and Dad's check in
-Weird staff
-Missing lightbulbs in the breakfast room
-An extra bed appearing in the room for no apparant reason
-A bathroom the size of a cupboard.
-The electricity mysteriously going off in our room one afternoon
-only 2 cups for tea/coffee, despite there being 3 of us (and beds for 4!)

That's London accommodation I suppose! On the bright side, it was a great location, right in Paddington and quiet at night.

On the second day in London it was Mum's birthday and as Mum and Dad's birthday presents for this year I bought us all tickets to go to the London Eye and a Thames River Cruise. We had a nice lunch and later in the evening I caught up with a mate of mine in London and saw Picadilly Circus all lit up at night. I went back to see Mum and Dad and drag them out to see it, so iconic.

The next day we did a bus tour around London and saw more sights, got tickets to the tower of London but arrived to late to enter. Got in touch with Jas Luteria, a family friend who's been living in London for a year and a half. We went to dinner that evening and it was really good to see her again.

Saturday was jam packed. We went back to the Tower of London to see amongst other things, the Crown Jewels. Amazing. not the sort of stuff you'd see down at Bevilles!

A small relax in the afternoon (that's when the electricity went off) and then off to a matinee performance of Les Miserables. We all admitted to nodding heads in the first act, but a Haagen-Daaz icecream at the interval perked us up and we all really loved it. The voices of the cast were so powerful and the theatre space so intimate, it was very moving.

Lots of yummy lunches and dinners, a little bit of shopping, bought cara's birthday present and time was up. We spent a few hours at Heathrow Airport together, Mum and I were absolute messes before they went through the gates but it won't be long until I'm home again.

London:

Scottish roadtrip. You pay in haggis at the toll booths...

On the long weekend in September, Cheryl, Noni and I hired a slek car to do some touring of what has become our home country. The Friday and Saturday nights are quiet, Noni and I watch Sex and the City again while Cheryl works. On Saturday evening after a completely lazy day I knew I needed to go for a walk otherwise I´d be as restless as anything all night! Great 2 hour walk, went down to the Water of Leith for the first time. It´s a stretch of water going through Edinburgh all the way down to the City of Leith (sister city Rio Di Janeiro. Hilarious.). beautiful scenery, many statues and footbridges along the way. I giggled as I watched a dog go fetch sticks from the water thrown by its owner. They both looked like they were having a great time. Edinburgh is raised on a hill from the water so when you walk under a bridge like the Dean Bridge, it´s a really lovely sight.

The next morning we woke up early and headed down to collect our rented car for the next two days. On Sunday the city branch of the rental company is closed so we headed to make our way down to the airport. Despite feeling a lot older these days, I take heart that I still have to pay a ýoung driver´surcharge. I suppose I should enjoy that while it lasts! Slight hitch, the lady behind the counter thinks to hire an automatic car you need to be at least 26. Having read the terms and conditions a million times before booking I know this is bull. She becomes adamentand rings a colleague who agrees with her. She talks us into getting a manual when another lady comes in and happily butts in to say the girl at the counter is wrong. And off we go!

It´s started raining now, and continues for most of the day, which means we do a lot of driving but not much sightseeing or getting out of the car to explore.

We head to Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen. I am surprised (and shocked at my assumptions) at how big these cities are. I laugh at how Aberdeen looks all one colour - grey! Our drive from Aberdeen to Inverness is a lot less fun for me as I announce I am feeling carsick. Feel gross for half an hour before pulling over and throwing up, do it all again a few towns after. Yuck! I am instantly reminded of when i was younger on trips to port Pirie and having to pull over on the side of the road...I would never be allowed to have an iced coffee at Port Wakefield for years!

We arrive at inverness around 8.30pm and quickly decide we are ready t settle down for the ngiht. It´s another half hour travelling beside Loch Ness before we find a nice, safe, carpark to stay in at Drumnadrochit (this could be misspelled). We are with a few other cars and there is a toilet block ajoining the tourist office that opens early the next morning. I´m still feeling crampy from being sick so am happy to listen and heryl and Noni chatter away. We retire about 11.30pm. I´ve scored the backseat of our Astra which is cosy but had to put up with the seatbelt buckles jutting into me all night. I´m also amayed my legs stayed in a folded position for 7 hours. It´s cold but my sleeping bag and slipper socks do the trick. It´s now 8.10 am, Iäve been up since 7.30am to go to the toilet, where I´m chatting to the cleaner - she´s quite a talker! She saw us rock up last night. I check to make sure we wouldn´t get in trouble for staying in a place with ´No Parking Overnight´signs. She said they had to put those up as they were having trouble with caravaners emptying their waste into the toilet blocks and the chemicals stuffing up the pipes. Mmm. The girls are still fast asleep in the front, npo doubt I´ll be the first to drive this morning!

Spend the day checking out Loch Ness and surrounds in the AM, then heading back to Edinburgh to return the car about 9pm. We drive along the Lochs and the scenery i beautiful, especially when the clouds break - we had amaying bits of sunshine coming out. it swapped from rainy to sunny all through the afternoon. Wish we have time to stop in all the little quaint towns along the way but we have a lot of ground to cover. We do make a stop at gorgeous Fort William where Cheryl shows us a place to have afternoon tea and scrummy strawberry scones with clotted cream. I don´t think Australians get clotted cream, in my opinion there´s just something weird about it. Could be the cream clogging my brain with fat, who knows...

After high tea, we took a walk along a creek that runs through the town, it´s a nice way to stretch our legs after being in the car so much.

back in the car we head through Loch Lomond National Park. It´s a fairly bland drive, the landscape doesn´t vary in this part as much as our drive earlier in the day. When our radio cuts out that doesn´t help the boredom either. Those not driving doze and awake to fighter jets letting off an almighty roar over our heads. It was like the Apocalyse coming and gave us a bit of excitement for the next half hour. A quick stp in Sitrling and we are back in Edinburgh, tired, smelly and looking forward to sleeping in a bed!

Looking back on this now I have left Scotland, I would have liked to have gotten off the route to do a little bit more exploring. This includes the West Coast and further up in the Highlands. Of course time didn´t allow for this, but it just means I´ll have to return to see it all again another time.

Final fringe recap

So, as you can tell i got a bit bored with typing up my blog over the last few months. It's all down on paper so slowly I will trough through it. I have a laptop to make use of over the next hour before I catch a train from Brussels to Maastrict so let's see how fast i can type on a European keyboard - apologies for the mistakes, especially if I put a 'q'where an 'a' should be.

Sunday 19 August 16.00 Umbrella Birds, WC.

Briony, Diana and Marcos and their visitor Marta finally listened to my continual cry of 'Go see Tom Tom Club'. While they went and saw that, I bought a ticket for WC. It had been sold out all week and I soon found out why...it's set in a portable loo. The audience of about 10 crammed into a toilet trailer and I sat, wedged next to a basin for the performance. It was 4 girls doing a sketch show playing lots of different characters and lots of lightening quick costume changes in the dressing rooms/shanty town set up just outside the toilets. Imaginitive writing.

After our performances finished, we all met up for a coffee afterward. I also went back to Spiegeltent lost property to see if my H&M scarf showed up but I think someone claimed it for themselves as it was not there. I also got a grand tour out the back of the Spiegeltent which was very interesting with VIP lounges and bars and lots of comfy couches in portable buildings.

On a side note, tonight was also a crepe night, much Nutella was consumed by all of us back at home. Mmm.


00.00 Ali McGregor's Late Night Variety Nite Night, Gilded Balloon, free tix.

The previous day I had entered an SMS competition one of the newspapers were running. I had wanted to win tickets to the last night of Silent Disco but instead won tickets to this show, which we had tickets to see later in the week. No bother as it is a variety show the guest lineup changes each night so we wouldn't see the same show twice. The room was all set up caberet style - small tables, candle light and great atmosphere. Ali hosted the night, sang a few songs, and was ably assisted by her comedy butler. this guy was an absolute hoot, and played his role of a bumbling, indifferent servant to the hilt. He even had his own spot where he hammered forks up his nose and also performed the 'sexy diablo'. Ah fringe. Other guests tonight included Andrew McClelland and Lawrence Leung.


Monday 20 August
00.00 Ali McGregor's Late Night Variety Nite Night, Gilded Balloon, 241, £5.50.

Gluttons for punishment or just a really good show? The latter tonight with our ticket proceeds going to an Angkor Wat orphanage. The difference with this show is that Ali got a bunch of performers to donate their time and instead of doing their usual act on stage, they sang a song of their choice, loosely based around the theme of 'lullabies at midnight'.

Stephen K Amos sang an African song by himself which his uncle sang to him when he was a child. Phil Nichol sang a song and played guitar, which he had written for his daughter. Adam Hills performed Clancy of the Overflow again and Geraldine Doogue and Casey Bernado also performed - they're the names I can remember.

Ali sang UNKLE'S Rabbit in Your Headlights, Sammy J sang (butchered) Crowded House. The finale could only belong to one group. Tripod did their AMAZING version of Radiohead's 'Paranoid Android'. Just three voices and an egg shaker have never made a more beautiful noise. Hundreds of pounds were raised and a beautiful sense of community was created that night - worth waiting up for.


August 21

9.15pm, Attempt 3.4 @ C Cubed (Royal Mile), 6.50pounds (no pound sign on this keyboard...the netherlands is just like home...le sigh!)

This was supposed to be a night off, but of course when an offer for a show comes up I take it. Just around the corner at a venue on the Royal Mile, Diana, marcos and Marta had tickets to a piece of theatre tonight. I didn't know anything about this piece and neither did they but i thought I'd go along and join them.

this was the craziest piece of theatre I've ever seen. Crazier than ''Killer Joe''! I didn't even udnerstand it as it was happening - let alone my Spanish friends with their language barrier. total weirdness. the cast greeted the audience as we entered the space to sit down, they were polite young English folk, getting changed into their work coveralls, hard hats and then the play began. They explained how they were going to build a city in 50 minutes, which they did by putting some sticky tape on the floor around them then reeling off a whole heap of lines like "a car travelling at 50 mph hit me head on. I died.'' andflicking on red and yellow lightbulbs when talking and if one of them stuffed up a line, they would turn all the lightbulbs off. A crazy audience member yelled at them throughout the play and then stormed off about two thirds of the way through. We think he was a part of the performance.

Pure craziness, but it made me think about the premise of the play for days after so it left a mark, even though we all left the performance going ''wtf!''


22 August, 00.00 Ali McGregor's Late Night Variety nite night (again!), 2 4 1 tickets, 5.50 each.

Tonight we were gluttons for punishment. And we struggled. By the third late night variety night nite Noni and I had heard Ali do her version of Creep on the harpischord one too many times. Plus, seeing a show at midnight required stamina we were fast running out of. I cannt remember the guests to be honest, except a guy from Tom Tom Club who did a flip off a tower with a goldfish in a cup. We ended up leaving a little before the show ended, eager to crawl into our bed for sleep before work the next morning and more fringe!


23 August, 5.45pm Andrew McClelland's Mix Tape, 8.50 pounds, Gilded Balloon.

A show I had missed at the Adelaide fringe, so I'd been looking forward to it for months. I must admit I had high hopes. I took my mate Nic along with me. The duo of Andrew McClelland and Lawrence Leung I had seen doing their 'Somewhat secret society show'' the year before and lvoed it. The geeky chic of Andrew solo and talking about music. How could it fail in my books? Festival fatigue, perhaps, both on his part and mine. His performance was shiny, happy, incredibly slick but I just wasn't laughing. Smiling yes, but not laughing. This show guides you through a mix tape Andrew put together and the story that follows is poignant and almost too genuine. Some songs featured include included work by Sigur Ros and The Postal Service. He dances, he sings, he pulls out dodgy record covers...a young Alan Brough? Definite possibility.


24 August

6.00pm, Ali McGregor´s Opera Burlesque, Gilded Balloon, about 6 pounds 241.

Big night, my first Couch Surfer arrives. Pierre is a journalist from France and stays with us for two nights on our couch in the lounge room. He had just enough time to join Briony, Marcos, Diana and me for our final Ali McGregor show, her Opera Burlesque. It would have been a nice introduction to the fringe for him. Ali and two other singers do a number of costume changes and songs, the harpischord reappears as a mix of pop songs and classical/opera is the order of the day.

After the first show, I took Pierre to the Spigelgarden for a few beers and watched a radio show being broadcast from a caravan which entertains the crowds between shows in the tent. Crazy 70s dancing out the front of the caravan takes place. Great atmosphere again tonight, have some random chats to peple and also get to perve at Bernard Curry again. Cant believe he is running the Spiegelgarden.

Pierre and I have dinner and chat to learn more about each other, he pointed out that although his english was very good he could never be an english reporter as they write completely different to the French! We meet back up with Noni and line up for Amos´final weekend chat show. The guests included Ali McGregor (thought we´d seen the last of her!!!), someone else I cant remember and Christian Slater. How funny is that? Apparantly him and Stephen did some theatre last year in London and he´s back in town so came on to do this show at the fringe only. Didn´t have anything that interesting to say, but it was a spinout just listening to him and Stepen chat like it was old times. He´s a lot...stouter than you think in real life.


25 August

12.00 midday ´This Show Belongs to Lionel Ritchie´, Arthurs Seat, free.

Pierre and I leg it up (literally zoomed up as we were running late, but so were some of the characters so that was alright) Arthurs Seat to see this beautiful space be turned into an official fringe venue. We are rewarded with a very windy, cold amphitheatre. It was great though, the show was just a mix of sketches from various fringe shows including someone who has changed his name by deed poll to Lionel Ritchie and wants to own everything in the world. Stickers were placed around the town on everything during the fringe ie. a sticker on a public telephone/bus stop/small children/library books saying ´this belongs to Lionel Ritchie´. He even made his own merchandise including pens, badges and tshirts. Does part of your birthday present make sense now Cara?

In the evening we head to a Salsa night with Briony´s friend Letticia and a friend of hers, as well as Marcos and Diana. It was a fun, sweaty night and I felt so sore he next day I could hardly walk. Climbing Arthur´s Seat then dancing the night away did my body lots of good and no good at the same time!

26 August

As Pierre departed, my second Couch Surfer Tarek arrived. he stayed with us for under 24 hours, it was a whirlwind trip to go sharkdiving in Fife he had come from London for. Great guy. Because we went to Fife we didn´t fit in a fringe show but in the evening the Couch Surfing community put on a film night at the Brass Monkey and we headed along to that. A few short films and a feature length film that was based in Edinburgh, made in the 80s but can´t remember what it´s called. It was quaint. The night was packed, the room had at least 50 people all squashed in on comfy cushions to watch the movies.


27 August

9.10pm Lawrence Leung Learns to breakdance, Assembly on George St. 10 pounds.

It is a Monday, and the last night of the Fringe Festival. Briony and I can barely be bothered going to see one final show but we make it out just in time to catch Aussie Lawrence´s show. It´s a corker. He tells such a good story and it was the perfect way to finish the fringe. We go to talk to him after the show but he is so busy bumping out so the next performer can bump in s we dont say much more than congratulations. He, like us looks utterly exhausted but happy at what we have achieved during this monster of a festival, the fringe.

Life resumes back to normal a few days later as the arts festival wraps up and there is a fireworks spectacular in Princes St Gardens. We see the fireworks from our bedroom window. they are not spectacular. Tumbleweeds now blow across the street where thousands of people walked 24/7 only a few days before. I can´t believe it´s over. Time for my bank balance to start growing again!

My ticket shrine (picture): no paint was harmed in the stickytaping of the tickets to the wall, I promise!

Edinburgh wins first prize

Go Edinburgh!

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1663202007

Despite it being decided by a television show, the locals are still proud to have Edinburgh named as the number 1 city to live and work in in the UK in 2007.

Now if only we can stop people from crapping in the streets we could turn this place into Utopia!

Ever wondered what my blog title is about?

As you can see, I've run out of steam on my fringe postings. I'll get round to it sooner or later.

Thought I'd take a departure from my normal "what have I been up to" blog to a wee wandering from my mind. I've had a moment of inspiration from my mindless temp job. I'm barely able to string a sentence together now so this should be a treat!

3rd October, 1998. This was the year I got my first passport and hopped on a plane to go to New Zealand on a student exchange. I can't believe I haven't been back yet and it's almost 10 years. My God. Anyway, I was in Year 10, mostly mucking around with friends I still have to this day in a green and fawn school uniform. I loved anything to do with music, had just started my obsession with Something for Kate and Triple J and live (underage!) gigs.

TV wise, it was all about the weekend. Friday nights were dedicated "Good News Week" watching, on the ABC, the national broadcaster. No secret I had a big crush on Paul McDermott, the host and I thought I was smart laughing along to the witty banter. Many nights out were spent trying to ring my brother/mother/father/dog if I didn't set the VCR to tape it. I would be devastated if I missed an episode (coincidentally, it was only before I left to go overseas this year that I finally chucked out all my tapes of Good News Week. Obsessed? Non.).

Late Friday and Saturday nights, nothing would satisfy me more than coming home and settling into the couch to watch Rage, the ABC's late night video music clip show until dawn. I'd have to be so quiet, having the tv up just barely audible to fool my parents into thinking I'd gone to bed. Friday nights I saw all the new music videos and Saturday nights guest programmers hosted Rage.

On this particular October Saturday evening, I settled in to watch Paul McDermott and Mikey Robins guest programme Rage. Some good songs, any I didn't like I pressed pause on the remote so I wouldn't have to watch them back on the VCR. About half way through the show, Billy Bragg's 1986 ode 'Greetings to the New Brunette' came on. I'd never heard it before but the cheery guitar at the beginning of the song drew me in. The images he used for his clip were taken from decades gone by, of people falling in love. I immediately put on my rose coloured glasses and got sucked into the song. How could you resist when a song sings:

I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo

I think this is hiliarious. Bragg's plays on words and phrases are gorgeous and so is the guitar in the song (courtesy with a little help from the great Johnny Marr). Another reason I'm so fond of it is because he is singing to a 'Shirley', who reminds me of course of my lovely Nanna - and it is also my Mum's middle name - what a nice personal touch to add for me, Billy.

Aside from the song, I've always liked the title. It's always stood out to me and when I came to naming my blog I instantly remembered this song.

You Tube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gozdCwvHK6M

Enjoy!

18 August

5.15pm 'Truckstop', The Zoo Southside, £5.

Rain. All. Day. Miserable. It's supposed to be high summer! My arse. Spend the whole day relaxing with Noni, we are all bundled up in jackets, scarves, hats and hoods. Coffee and tea breaks are long and plentiful, think we had morning tea and afternoon tea! We buy tickets to see a piece of theatre called Truckstop which was originally written in Dutch and has been translated, yet the characters are Dutch but speak English and the music is Dutch. Crazy, amateur theatre. The acter's performances are okay, a little stock standard raise my voice here, double take there, cough, fake cry. The play deals with disability, loneliness, relationships, trust and death. By the end of the play, all 3 characters are dead. Not exactly uplifting, life affirming theatre. The funniest thing was seeing the muck out afterward, I think they were running a bit late which meant they had less time to pack up and they needed to vacate the space so the next lot of performers could set up. They couldn't even wait for the audience to finish clapping before starting to pack up the set with a worried look on their faces, made funnier by one costumed in a fluffy dressing gown and flannelette pyjamas.


23.15 Stephen K. Amos - Weekend Chat Show, Gilded Balloon £5

Go home to dry off and relax before heading back out into the wet night. We have to lineup for this in the rain and the show is running late. This is Amos' blatent attempt at trying to pitch himself as an ace television variety show host and, as much as I love him, he fails. It was plain as day to see he had absolutely no interest in the guests that were on which got painful at the end. He should stick with stand up, that's for sure. Tripod were the house band, solid as always. Guests that I can remember were Faith Brown, kind of like an english Joan Rivers, but with a Dolly Partonesque figure. Her Fringe show is 'Boys in the Buff' and they performed a song from it which did indeed have boys in the buff. It was hilarious seeing Amos trying not to look interested in the bums on stage right in front of him. Next was a reviewer from one of the loal rags. She swore too much and was very brash but did have some good stories. She absolutely panned Christina Davies' stand up show (remember Christina Ballerina from Big Brother 1?) which made briony and I absolutely crack up.

17 August

11.15pm, Mitch Benn Music Club, Udderbelly Pasture, £10.
http://www.mitchbenn.com/

The poster for this looks fantastic and sraws me right in fromt Day1 of the festival. The special guests they get on the show are really good as I see the lineup on the boards at Bristo Square daily. I must admit I have high hopes. When I finally make time for this show, it's a really nerdy radio dj who has his own band and does musical parodies, click on the link to hear the kind of stuff I'm talking about. His voice is good, it's just all a bit too polished and sometimes seem forced. He knows when the funny lines come up and just expects the audience to double over. I end up leaving before the performance ends, it goes on far too long. My first walkout!

16 August

No shows today, but hanging out at Speigelgardens all night.

Thursday was my colleague Steinunn's last day working at the RCN. The following day her and her parnter Nick were driving to London to live and work their for just under a year before moving back to Steinunn's homeland, Iceland. We had a lovely afternoon tea for her in the office with lots of yummy scones and brownies from Lynda who does RCN's catering. After work, a good group of us walked up the Meadows and got a plum spot in the Speigelgarden. I nipped back home to get a warmer jacket before starting to indulge in ridiculously overpriced beer. We also saw Jilly for the first time in a few weeks since her wedding. She'd been on her honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and came back so tanned I just stared in awe for an hour or two! Steinunn will be much missed in the office, I think all of us would one day love to go and visit her in Iceland! In a strange twist, her leaving means I get to stay at the RCN for longer, as I was temping here while she took some leave. We ended up kicking on until after midnight, not bad considering almost all of us had work the next day!