Our last few days in London have been filled with catching up with good friends, enjoying the range of international food on offer (maybe too much roast duck) and buying a few odds and ends...
The pics say it all for this entry! Goodbye UK, hello Japan.
/ Thames for lunch/ Primark clothes fitting- insane!/ Best fish and chips with Simon/ So many bogan aussies in London it feels like Sydney.
London starting to get very busy in the lead up to the Queens Jube. We are leaving the day before (great timing) but the streets are busy and they are running out of things, like ice!
The city is really getting into the spirit of it. News outlets are analyzing the cost of the public holidays versus the economic stimulation from tourism. Rach would love to change our tix to stay for it.
Still very hot here, pushing 30. Amazing how much hotter it seems here with less open space and buildings made to keep the warmth in. The parks though are deliciously cool with lush green lawns and leafy trees.
So things we love in London: multiculturalism, food- down the road from the best duck in town, walking a lot again without a car- they are a hassle here, their public transport and for Trav LOVE their wine scene (50 year old Ch. Margaux and 60 year old Pauillac on the Enomatic sampler for 20 quid).
But we still cant get over how grubby people are in their own home (take your rubbish with you!) and the pushy people in the street are still here even with the sunshine...
Pub near our digs in the spirit of things/ council art/ in Kensington Park/ Selfridges window display
We almost got everything in to our bags, almost.... The concierge at our London hotel has given us the look of 'oh shit these are heavy'.
Sad to return the Pug to it's home in London. Amazingly scratch free;) A French man took it away as soon as we finished the paperwork. We both had the feeling 'what are you doing with our car!'.
We will miss her amazingly wide turning circle, diesel rattle, but jokes aside we will miss all the great times we shared on the road.
Bloody hot in London today. The city is a beautiful place when the sun is out. Our holiday has come full circle.
Even though we have longer left on our journey than most people would take in a year it feels like we are on our way home.
Pic: 13500 miles in 4 months
By fluke Rach booked us in at the Royal Adelaide- hotel that is.
Making our way slowly back to London, we are in the very propper Windsor (with Eton next door) to check out the queen's sometimes digs.
Forgot how much they like their baked potatoes and sauce here. Enjoyed a chili spud for lunch, while we pondered how to get 3 cubic metres of crap in to four suitcases and a backpack. Bring the bin.
Walked over the Thames to the royal college town of Eton. We saw all these people in matching tuxedos and wondered where the wedding was.
Turned out it was their school uniform, and the teachers had the addition of a white bow tie. Would suck to be the bottom of the class here.
Her flag is up! Rach hopes to spot the Queen @ Windsor/ beefeaters
A big day of Shakespeare in Stratford after a great play last night.
The very contemporary take on King John had a lot of music and spitting. We think there is a correlation between acting skills and saliva production, i.e. the more you have the better. Modern costumes, music and casting (especially the bastard as a female) underscored the timelessness of his stories.
Visited the birthplace of the man himself, and also his son-in-law's house, and his neighbors house, and his graveyard. Missed out on going to his wife's childhood home because it was sold out. Not really, but we thinks we covered the main bits..
After Rach lost her last bag of mixed lollies in Brighton we have been on the lookout ever since. Jackpot: 3 types of cola bottles, 2 types of chocolate mice and Junior Mints.
Off to another show tonight, Richard III. Hopefully Trav lasts longer than last night, he was about to doze off in the final scene.
Piccies- First day in shorts; pasty (in the son-in-laws garden)/ Lollies/ Give the guy a break Juliet!/ Inside Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Left our great digs in Bath and set out for Shakespeare country with a few stops on the way.
First, some big stones you may not have heard of, Stonehenge. The view from the street was almost as good as the view we paid 8 quid each for. However, the free audio guide was riveting.
We were particularly excited that over 90 different types of lichen have been discovered on the stones (to date). Maybe they will discover more lichen species in the future...
After our big rock experience we thought we might be able to dodge the entry fee at Warrick castle by peering through the fence. It was not to be, greeted by a 12 foot stone wall. Still, we will save our castle £'s for Windsor.
27 degrees on our arrival in Stratford-upon-Avon. It seems topless with track suit pants is the way to go on a warm spring day. We are struggling with our winter heavy wardrobe. Shopping??
Picked up some last minute tix to see some classic Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre tonight. Fill you in tomorrow :)
Pics- Sarcasm aside, Stonehenge was amazing/ Over 90 lichen and one ladybug/ A weak point in the Warwick fences gives us a glimpse of a pair of peacocks
Rach can now cross 'world record' off of her bucket list. We arrived in the very pretty city of Bath the day before the torch relay and a world record attempt for the biggest human Olympic rings.
With Guinness on hand, we broke the record by 100 people. Or at least 'unofficially' at this stage.
The local mayor and his wife (next to us in the black ring) explained that turning out for this type of thing was something that the poms do best. We are now wondering if we can claim our English leg as a tax deduction...
Watching the Olympic torch relay pass through the town was great, even if the tradition was upstaged by sponsor floats with megaphones. It is big business.
It wasn't all Olympics. The roman bath ruins in the centre of town were well worth a visit. We then refreshed with a swim and a sauna at the modern spa. The rooftop mineral spring pool with glass walls overlooking the old city was a great place to end the day.
My first world record attempt/ 1st century roman baths/ Olympic torch arrives
Rach made productive small talk with the Sth African concierge and scored a room upgrade. The floors run on all types of angles which means when you take a shower you have an unbalanced feeling- like at sea. The upgrade gave us a view of Brighton beach. Score!
We have been in and out of around 100 hotels in our time away, and have only been upgraded 4 times- a small success rate despite our best efforts. We still do not know the trick to scoring an upgrade, but the quick way to a downgrade is to complain that the person who had the room before you was a chain smoker.
Rocky beach... again!/ some Newforest locals/ Salisbury Cathedral
On our way to the ferry at Calais we stopped for lunch at the same roadhouse (with 3 course menu) where we had our first official french meal.
It was nice to feel that our french had progressed to at least the level of 'restaurant'. After traveling through Europe the prices seemed much more reasonable than when we first arrived too; Switzerland and Sweden make everything else look cheap.
Sadly, it was made very clear to us that our time was up on the continent by a couple of French customs officials at the ferry border crossing.
When we entered France by ferry/car we were not given a passport stamp. Being the holiday hoarders that we are we were a little upset by this.
In our 'restaurant' french we asked the frenchie customs offcials for a stamp. They closed their window, had a chat behind mirrored glass, and then barked at us 'you have 3 months, no more!'. They thought we wanted another visa, we just wanted a petit souvenir.
No stamp, but the British border guard 10 metres ahead grilled us on our travel plans through Europe including exact dates. We did not need another British stamp, but he gave us one for 6 months.
Spent our first day back across the ditch trying to get tomtom to work. Apparently all the wine and cheese was not good for her either. Dinner at Jamie's Italian in Brighton made the stress all seem worth it.
Only 4 weeks to go now, starting to feel like we are returning home tomorrow.
Rationing the polenta chips @Jamie's/ Brighton Pier
Visited the Versailles satellite town of Buc-ZI. Did not know what ZI stood for prior to our visit but the room rate looked good. Turns out it stands for 'Zone Industriel'. Ah.
Visited the park near our hotel, Versailles, and was awed by
its grandeur and perfection.
Rows of trees made in to giant hedged paths, fountains dancing to music and a gorgeous lake full of people in row boats. Royal for a day.
Slightly warn out, we spent our last night in the Shengen area in our hotel room.
With luggage all around, a vintage blanc des blancs champagne, Comte and poulet rotie (even roast chicken sounds better in France!) was a great last supper.
Versailles x 2/ trashy French mag with champagne
Stayed with our new friends in a beautiful champagne village outside of Reims.
Visited Taittinger in Reims, amazing chalk cellars, like the inside of a pyramid. Avenue des Champagne in Epernay lined up the big brands in their palatial head offices and traditonal cellars.
Visited a few of the smaller grower champagne houses. Their wares are much more affordable (ie half), genuine, and they are generous with their time. We received some great advice- if you get to champagne see one of the big brand cellars, then head to the villages to see what it is really all about.
We went outside of the square a little and visited Caverne du Dragon (cave of the dragon). An ex subterranean limestone quarry was used and renovated by the French and the Germans during WW1 as an army base and transport tunnel.
It was amazing to learn about just how long it takes to clean up the aftermath of war- they are still finding live shells and grenades this day.
Cellars @ Taittinger/ a lonely poppy in the carpark at the war museum/ Rach on top of the 'ladies way' at Caverne du Dragon
Took a small sojourn through Luxembourg to fill the pug with fuel with all the petrol guzzling beemers and mercs. The Lux have very low tax on gas and smokes. Almost 30 cents cheaper.
Stayed in the Unesco (yes another) town of Trier- the oldest in Germany. Did not expect to arrive at such a funky hotel- glitter walls with bitumen floor in the lift. The 60's green bathroom almost works again.
We are still loving fried and flavorsome german food. We visited the same little pub for dinner 3 nights straight; sauerkraut with mash, fried potatoes and dumplings with bacon and apple sauce.
Visited some interesting ruins- you can walk through them, even in the underground tunnels. An interesting history of rulers, private owners and wars meant that it had many lives and renos.
Explored the Saar, Ruwer and Middle Mosel. It is amazing how much the wines change across these regions, and sites within each one. They make the most of south facing slopes (for sunshine) here- some so steep that when approached front on look like a wall.
Wine tasting in a palace/ under the ruins/ Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel- so steep!
After a busy week across three countries it was back to Dijon to hang out with our Aussie mates again. Great friends, amazing food plus some play time with the kids.
D gave us a local's tour of the city, including 'rubbing the owl' (what is left of it). Rach caught a movie in French while Trav did more Burgundy wine tasting. Watching Hulk (the 'reboot' with Ed Norton) with the kids was a great night in, and lots of eating and meal planning was just like the good olds. Perfect mini break :)
Thanks DJBA for sharing your home with us. We will miss you all a lot!
Pics- use your left hand for good luck/ yup, barbie time/ bogan Trav at the 'brocante' school car boot sale.
Took a slight detour on our way back in to France by stopping at the Black Forest spa town of Baden-Baden. They must say it twice because it is at least twice as relaxing as you expect.
We took a most indulgent trip to a traditional roman spa palace called Friedrichsbad. All it costs is 33€ and your clothes!
We slowly worked our way through 17 stages of baths, spas, saunas, showers all powered by the natural mineral spring under the building. We had opted for the all over scrub too (well worth it). It is the height of luxury.
To give you an idea of how relaxing it was, Trav started snoring in the resting room. Yes, there is a 'resting room' and it is one mans job to wrap you up and tuck you in fresh linen and a blanket.
For us there is a real sweet spot of travel destinations on the borders of France, Germany and down in to Switzerland. These friendly people really know how to live.
Good enough for Mark Twain/ An image from the Friedrichsbad brochure- a palace!/ Polished and rested
We had a big itinerary planned for this week, but after a few days in Alsace we decided to take it slow.
In France eating is important. In Germany being full is important. In Alsace they subscribe to the latter but have a touch more sophistication (and price) than over the German border.
Had a great meal in a kitschy little restaurant in Colmar (alsace) last night that was booked out since our arrival. See braised pork below...
Today we got to know the local vineyards a little more at Albert Mann. Their rieslings we're the stars, and once again the sweeties made us both go wow.
Stopped by a life sized village of dolls houses in Riquewihr. At a linen store we tried on our best French to discuss the health ailments that come from local cuisine. The town rests at the foot of a hill of vines. Linen and vines- a great fit for Rach and Trav.
Nice hock/ vines meet the pretty town/ perhaps we can convince them to expand in to Oz?
Hotel upgrade- yeah! Made the Swiss hotel bill easier to swallow.
Visited Interlaken, most famous for taking a trip to the highest train station in Europe. We didn't take the train to the top of Jungfrau- even with a discount it costs 4 nights accommodation.
Us being us, we took the cheap option (also scored a free spoon today by using a voucher from the hotel-yeah!) and rode a mini funicular to a third of the 4000 odd metre height to try and score a view across the valley.
The clouds opened up for a few moments to see 'the top of Europe'. Jungfrau and it's neighbors cut the sky while US fighter jets cut the sound barrier. We had a great local dried meat platter including local red deer.
It is so clean here- everyone takes a lot of pride in keeping it that way. So much so, there is a local tv ad which takes the piss- local men singing while they Hoover the jetty.
Harder Kulm 1350m/ What goes up... 800m
in 8 minutes/ Tulips outside our digs
You cant help but feel a little like Hansel and Gretel in this most picturesque little town. France meets Germany in Colmar.
Colorful old buildings leaning on each other with exposed sub structures, canals and tiny little street lamps that bring out all the unique lines and shapes.
Dinner at a local 'wistub' was fantastic. 'Choucroute' (warm sauerkraut, steamed potato, 5 kinds of pork) matched spicy local gewurztraminer well. Being able to buy any wine on the list in a small pitcher offers great flexibility, you can buy exactly the desired quantity and they probably sell more wine too.
Tasting at Zind Humbrecht was very special. Rach said 'mmm gewurztraminer' when she caught her first whiff of what is the worlds prettiest and most distinctive variety when in the hands of the right maker.
The 'selection de grains noble' (botrytis) Pinot Gris with over 400g of residual sugar felt heavy in the glass. With 4 percent alcohol, it was rich, surprisingly balanced and had a clean finish that lasts for days.
Our gourmet day lifted a notch with GF chip sambos. On public holidays in Alsace even the servos shut down. Thank god for Maccas fries.
Dinner at Wistub Brenner/ canal in Colmar/ new friends @ Zind Humbrecht
