ZURICH held many little surprises for us when we arrived, not least of all catching up with Chris and Gwen and enjoying their great hospitality. The weather was another little 'surprise'....it was rubbish and we thought that we were going to miss out on our opportunity to experience Mount Rigi.
Mount Rigi, deep in the Swiss Alps and situated on the shores of Lake Lucerne is the home of the Vitznau-Rigi railway and cable car. The scenic location of Mount Rigi, made it an ideal place to construct a railway from Vitznau, on the shores of Lake Lucerne, to a point close to its summit. The railways goes up to a height of 1954m (6410ft) above sea-level. The train ride up offers some of the most amazing views of the Swiss Alps ever and left us all awe struck with its natural beauty.
Something to do with the altitude, but yodeling (or at least attempts) were heard from all over the hills....high on the hills. There was even an appearence from a lonely goat! What a perfect setting!
Pictures will be posted soon as we get to one that doesn't opperate (or attempt to) Windows Vista!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Schnitzel and "Weiner Art"
Traveling by train is pleasant, but stressful when changing with 4 minutes between arrival and the next departure! We took a train from Prague to Frankfurt at 6am. We arrived 8 hours later and were greeted by Gunda's smiling face (a family friend of Shannon's)! Gunda took us to visit a church built in the early 9th century, and we looked around a medieval city with beautiful gardens run by current day Monks.
The next day after a restful morning and an amazing German breakfast, we took the train into town with Gunda. We had a quick look around the city and were then met by Joni and Adam who had arrived from London. With the group now all present, Gunda presented her tour guide flag and showed us proudly around the sights of Frankfurt. In honor of the 4th of July, we went home and BBQ'd a massive meal of traditional German meats! Fun and laughter with a game of cards lasting long into the evening.....guess who won? (hint:SG)
Wine was on the mind for our last day in the Frankfurt region. We set a course for one of the many wine districts along the Rhine River. After visiting Niederwalddenkmal, a massive statue commerating the victims of the Thirty Year War, we stopped at Kloster Eberbach, a monastery and wine shop! Monks again came up with the goods....amazing how they have their fingers in everything! After a wine tasting, and buying 8 bottles for later, we visited the impressive monastery.
Next stop Zurich - Thank you so much Gunda for all your knowledge and hospitality!
The next day after a restful morning and an amazing German breakfast, we took the train into town with Gunda. We had a quick look around the city and were then met by Joni and Adam who had arrived from London. With the group now all present, Gunda presented her tour guide flag and showed us proudly around the sights of Frankfurt. In honor of the 4th of July, we went home and BBQ'd a massive meal of traditional German meats! Fun and laughter with a game of cards lasting long into the evening.....guess who won? (hint:SG)
Wine was on the mind for our last day in the Frankfurt region. We set a course for one of the many wine districts along the Rhine River. After visiting Niederwalddenkmal, a massive statue commerating the victims of the Thirty Year War, we stopped at Kloster Eberbach, a monastery and wine shop! Monks again came up with the goods....amazing how they have their fingers in everything! After a wine tasting, and buying 8 bottles for later, we visited the impressive monastery.
Next stop Zurich - Thank you so much Gunda for all your knowledge and hospitality!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Even MJ Liked A Little Crack!
In a serious tribute to the King of Pop, we couldn't help but giggle at 1 of the 4 faithful mourners in Prague's Old Town Square. Long live Wacko Jacko!!!BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.
Old Man Prague
Saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts in Copenhagen, we embarked on the Eastern European segment of our holiday.
FACT - European Airports (outside of the UK) work with true German efficiency- 2 minutes in line + no worry about weight = no fuss awesomeness! Asia and the mighty UK have a few things to learn from their European brethren!
After some very poor transit directions from the tourist information lady, we found Susan's (a previous colleague) apartment. It is truly nice to have our own space to spread out and remove everything from our bags....thanks Susan!
English isn't widely spoken in Prague. Playing charades with friends and learning the art of cross language communication in school, have come in handy when we have been to the supermarket and tried to explain things that we need. Craig has even had to resort to his German when ordering a beer....Leicht!
We met up with Steph & Doddy (colleagues from Manila) and our very knowledegable tour guides, Doddy and Shannon, walked us up and around the amazing Prague Castle, St. Vitus Catherdral and across the Charles Bridge. After all that culture and old buildings, what more is there to do than to top it off at the Tourture Museum...OUCH, you dont want the saw treatment! To cap off an awesome day, Mexican was on the menu - located in Prague's equivalent of Burgos street! Dodgy, yes.... but good food!
Susan lives on a hill that surrounds and overlooks the city. This makes it a perfect location for a park and a beer garden. Spectacular views and nice beer were a perfect end to a Sunday of being lazy!
We were interested in going to the contemporary museum, so we tried on Monday, but it was closed all day...surely Wednesday it would be open. Nope...technical difficulties (apparently) shut the museum until 3pm. Too late for the explorers so we settled for the National History Museum. Prague seemed to be a little against us on our last day with the museum being shut and the water level too high on the river for a boat tour. Oh well, next time!
Tomorrow morning we catch a train to Deutschland.
So long Prague!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Home of Hans Christian Andersen
Holy cow we have made it far in life! Here in Copenhagen we have seen the home of the famous fairy tale author who as written such greats as The Emporer's New Suit and The Princess and the Pea as well as seen THE REAL Little Mermaid. Life doesn't get much better folks :)
In Copenhagen we stayed with a lovely couple who took us under their wing and took care of us as if we were one of their own. During a short layover from Stockholm, Craig's friend Ben decided to ditch his plane to London and come hang with us again in Denmark. We were plesantly surprised by his low key demnor after all the shananigans in Sweden! We had a great time touring the city and catching up with some of Ben's old work friends. It was here we heard the sad news of Michael Jackson's death, although......tears are definately not shed by all of us. Boo PYT RIP :(
Sailing, Stockholm Style.
After Dublin we flew to Stockholm, Sweden to meet up with the Craig's friends from Germany (Ben, Richie and Harmen) and the boys from the Volvo Ocean Race. The leg had been sailing from Marstrand, Sweden and when they finally arrived (after damaging the boat on rocks) we were there to greet them. Craig took a ferry out to meet the yacht as it crossed the finish line and sailed into port with Daryl's (Craig's brother) team, Telefonica Blue. Because of Daryl's involvement, we were able to gain access to the race village and get to see the boat up close and even go aboard. Having no idea who Shannon was rubbing shoulders with, she was shocked to learn about the various Olympic medals won and the high profile of these sailors.
'Holy crap, I had no idea what a big deal this was!'- Shannon
'I have probably just seen some of the most famous people in sailing, but have no idea who the f*&% they are!' - Ben
To cater to the sailing public, 2 inport races are held with points counting towards the overall positions. We were lucky enough to be on a spectator boat to watch Telefonica Blue win the day. Back on dry land, we were in the front row for the prizegiving and spraying of champagne. We were joined by Craig's cousin Viv and Daryl's girlfriend Jess. The celebrations carried on long into the evening!
The following day is all about the sponsors - taking them out sailing and showing the public how these boats work. While Shannon went out sight seeing with Viv, Craig pushed his way onto Telefonica Blue for a series of races and spent the day grinding....a job usually reserved for massive guys who are big and strong....a very worthy replacement! Out of 7 boats we won 2 out of the 3 races, again winning the day! These boats are truly amazing, they sail faster than the wind in most situations!
Stockholm was a great place to relax and hang out with friends and family. Next stop Copenhagen.....
Check out the boats - www.volvooceanrace.org
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Dublin town
Roadie nubmer 1 done and the rental car - as rubbish as it was - rerturned without damage; always a bonus! Linda collected us from the airport and it was straight to the highest point in Ireland that you can enjoy a Guinness. This little pub was something of an icon in Ireland and many famous people (Kings, PM's and celebs) had visited and enjoyed a pint of the 'black gold'. Being slightly 'under the weather', one was all that we could handle and met Gwenno and went for dinner at another pub! Aside from their day jobs, Linda and Gwenno know some surprisingly little known facts about the city and acted as fantastic tour guides....they even knew where a massive kiwi burger joint was. Dublin wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Guinness factory....so as tourists, we felt like we had to. It was much like other tours, but quite hands-on and interactive....including tasting beer! At the end of the tour, you reach the Gravity Bar and there sample a fine pint of the bitter beer. Shannon made friends with a very talkative lady, a dull man and there bored grandson! After 4 seconds convincing, the grandson (who was 18) was walking round collecting the undrunk pints and drinking them himself, much to grandpa's joy and grandma's disgust. One more stop on the culture tour was Trinity College. Just time for a quick walk around the gardens and then back on to watch Linda play Galic football....well at least thats what we thought, the other team didn't turn up! So what more to do, but have a few beers at the clubhouse and then sample some of Dublin's nightlife attractions. Dublin was nice and it was awesome to catch up with Linda and Gwenno again! Thanks ladies!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"Isn't it great to be alive" ~Lady in yellow and black dress
Our last night in Galway turned into our most awesome night yet! Walking home from dinner we stopped into a pub where we heard live music coming from inside. We stopped in for a beer and sat beside a group of 4 older gentleman having dinner and a pint. As one beer turned into three, the 4 men were joined by two birds and this is where the fun began! Before we knew it, the bar was PACKED and to our surprise it was like Geriatrics Gone Wild! We were the youngest people in there by at least 25 years and we have never seen such party animals! There was flirting, butt slapping, dancing and drinking....just what everyone needs on a mellow Sunday evening. By the end of the night we had made some new friends and discovered Ireland truly is the happiest place on earth!!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Ireland is Rockin'!
We have arrived in Galway Ireland today and had a really nice drive along the coast....bloody hell, there are some rocks in this country! We will be driving back to Dublin tomorrow to meet up with some friends we used to teach with at ISM, we can only imagine the trouble we will get up to there!
The flight from the Philippines was long. Joni, Adam, Steph and Doddy were all on the same flight so that helped to ease the pain a little. When we finally arrived to London, Shannon's cousin Lisa meet us at the airport. We were beat but tried hard to stay awake and spend some time with the kids when they arrived home from school. We made it until about 8:30 PM :) We spent the next day hanging around London with Lisa and the kids (she let them play hooky...YIPPEE!). Later in the day we met up with Craig's friends, Mike and Hayley, for a beer. From there Shannon went to see the Lion King with her family while Craig met up with more of his friends for some evening beers. Friday morning came way too quickly and we flew to Dublin from Gatwick Airport.....what a shithole airport that is!!! We picked up a car and drove to Kilkenny. There is a really nice castle and park, so we just hung out in the grounds for a bit and then had a beer and some dinner in a little pub. The most exciting part was going to the Blarney Castle and making out with the stone! We now are forever blessed with eloquence and will never be at a loss for words (at last a cure!!!) We then made it to Limerick which must be the home of the skanky outfits! Everyone was up to their armpits in neon and I am pretty sure I got sea sick from all the fast moving colors! Next we drove past 'Shannon' in hopes to get our hands on a t-shirt but unfortunately the town barely exists. We saw a couple road signs and posed for a picture or two but that was about it. Boo......
As I am sure you can sense the re-occurring theme....we are off to have a beer. Cheers!!!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Travel Itinerary
So.....this is the plan!
10 June - Fly Manila to London - Doddy, Steph, Joni, Adam and Kerrie are all on our flight! Staying with Lisa and family (Shannon's cousin)
12 June - Fly London to Dublin - travel to Kilkenny, Limerick, Enis, Galway and then to Dublin to stay with Linda and see Gwenno (ex-teachers from Manila)
18 June - Fly Dublin to Stockholm - Volvo Ocean Race stopover there. Meet up with Daryl, Jess, Regan and the boys....plus cousin Viv!
23 June - Fly Stockholm to Copenhagen - saying with Sabina's (colleague) friends.
26 June - Fly Copenhagen to Prague - Looking forward to this one!
02 July - Training Prague to Frankfurt - Training it through the Czech and German countryside.
03 July - Meet Adam and Joni in Frankfurt.
05 July - Drive Frankfurt to Zurich - Driving through the black forest and catching up with Chris, Gwen, Lisa and James in Zurich.
07 July - Drive Zurich to Munich - driving through Austria so Shannon can yodel in the alps like Maria!
10 July - Drive Munich to Dresden - war time Germany!
11 July - Drive Dresden to Berlin - feet either side of the wall (brick line now)
13 July - Fly Berlin to Barcelona
17 July - Fly Barcelona to Rome
21 July - Rome to Florence
23 July - Florence to Cinque Terre
25 July - Cinque Terre to Florence
26 July - Florence to Venice
27 July - SHANNON'S BIRTHDAY!
28 July - Fly Venice to London - staying with Richie (German mate)
31 July - Fly London to Manila - Holiday OVER :(
So thats about it....lots of traveling, but we are really looking forward to it.
10 June - Fly Manila to London - Doddy, Steph, Joni, Adam and Kerrie are all on our flight! Staying with Lisa and family (Shannon's cousin)
12 June - Fly London to Dublin - travel to Kilkenny, Limerick, Enis, Galway and then to Dublin to stay with Linda and see Gwenno (ex-teachers from Manila)
18 June - Fly Dublin to Stockholm - Volvo Ocean Race stopover there. Meet up with Daryl, Jess, Regan and the boys....plus cousin Viv!
23 June - Fly Stockholm to Copenhagen - saying with Sabina's (colleague) friends.
26 June - Fly Copenhagen to Prague - Looking forward to this one!
02 July - Training Prague to Frankfurt - Training it through the Czech and German countryside.
03 July - Meet Adam and Joni in Frankfurt.
05 July - Drive Frankfurt to Zurich - Driving through the black forest and catching up with Chris, Gwen, Lisa and James in Zurich.
07 July - Drive Zurich to Munich - driving through Austria so Shannon can yodel in the alps like Maria!
10 July - Drive Munich to Dresden - war time Germany!
11 July - Drive Dresden to Berlin - feet either side of the wall (brick line now)
13 July - Fly Berlin to Barcelona
17 July - Fly Barcelona to Rome
21 July - Rome to Florence
23 July - Florence to Cinque Terre
25 July - Cinque Terre to Florence
26 July - Florence to Venice
27 July - SHANNON'S BIRTHDAY!
28 July - Fly Venice to London - staying with Richie (German mate)
31 July - Fly London to Manila - Holiday OVER :(
So thats about it....lots of traveling, but we are really looking forward to it.
School is out!
Finally Friday has arrived and we are out of school for the summer....that just means Shannon's masters course and then we are out of here. Signing out of school is always a little bit of a mission...it is like being back at school. You need to gather signatures from all departments/libraries/textbook center etc and then plead your case to the principal when you (most likely your kids) have lost something. Nothing says power like a signature to withhold your pay! It might actually be about time to get out of Manila. For the last week there has been rubbish weather and that only causes the stress levels to rise while riding a motorbike. Does make for some awesome storms and walls of water running down the street.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Excitment Is Building!
As school winds down and we get closer to the end of the year, our European vacation is becoming a reality. With only 1 week left of school, and 4 days of a masters class to accomplish all we have left to do is pack our bags! Packing is always a nightmare and Craig is only allowing for one bag each, which is fine when all you need is board shorts and a t-shirt....some of us are a bit more complicated than that!
We plan to update this as often as we can, but vow not to let it take over our vacation (sorry mums). Please suffer through our poor writing skills and laugh at our lackluster attempts at humor....this will truly be an adventure for all of us!!!
Love,
Craig and Shannon
We plan to update this as often as we can, but vow not to let it take over our vacation (sorry mums). Please suffer through our poor writing skills and laugh at our lackluster attempts at humor....this will truly be an adventure for all of us!!!
Love,
Craig and Shannon
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