Going for a Drive along a Great Ocean Road

We who live in Queensland had a long weekend. Because we love the Queen apparently, we got a second day off this year. Thank you Queenie.

Others would have argued we should have just come out and admitted it was to just mark the end of football season. With the end of both the NRL and the AFL it was a big weekend. Heck in Brisbane there was even the end to the Brisbane Festival going on. The big fireworks event for the year! I missed the fireworks.

So instead of thanking the queen, watching explosives, and sitting down to watch football I went for an extra long weekend in Melbourne. Took a few extra days, and a flight down south to see off a German friend Vanessa back home. Somehow I managed to go to Melbourne the weekend of the AFL Grand Final, and all I saw of it was the very wet parade the day before the match.

That was fine with me. I could miss one. After all I had a German leaving the country on the Sunday. And she needed to see the Great Ocean Road in her limited time in Victoria. So we went for a drive. A very, very long drive.

All that driving to just make it to the Apostles. After making a few stops throughout the day we only made the destination near sunset. The main thing is we made it. Did I mention it was a long drive?

Of course it wouldn't of been a drive along the Great Ocean Road without a stop for Koala spotting. Luckily they didn't drop onto the car. Although the trees were over the little back road we found at Kennett River.


And on the way back there was enough time to stop in at Geelong. Where 3 of 4 statues cheered our visit!

Standing on the SCG for a Sydney reunion.

Went to Sydney for the weekend as a result of friend Darren visiting for a training conference.

As a result we had somewhat of a reunion of a classic boys weekend away from years ago. You see Tony, Darren, Steve and I had a classic last minute long weekend years back. One where we booked last minute for a night in Sydney. So this time round it was only fitting to have another weekend with the same guys.

This time we didn't dine at The Rocks. We drank at the bar at the end of the Pier where the Sydney Dance Company is. And what a view it was.

And then we also did a very Australian thing to do. Went to the Sydney Cricket Ground. However it's football season not cricket season. So instead it was a game of the Sydney Swans as the main attraction. A fitting event for Darren considering his locality elsewhere these days.

We also didn't stay out until near sunrise. We're older and wiser now. We understand the consequences of staying out that long.

German Beer helped me finding my style

Final beer blog of the trip. I'm sure everyone finds beer more interesting as a drinking item... less so as a blog topic.

This entry I dedicate to German Beer.

I enjoy German beer.

Can't say I've really really over indulged on German Beer in recent history. But for me this is because I'm too busy enjoying the beer. I've not always in the past enjoyed beer.

German Beer has helped me find what I am after in a beer. And that is flavour. Australian beers (often lagers and bitters) I've never I've really responded to with a "wow that's a great beer". But in Germany I really discovered "wheat beers" with that taste of lemon. Or a taste of Coriander.

One rule I gained. I'll never say yes again to a really, really malty beer. I'm still traumatised. It was horrible, and non alcoholic also! I've forgotten the brand of it. But I'd remember it if I passed it in the street. It was so bad I left it on the table and bought another.

This trip introduced to me the concept associating these different beers with regions and style. Whether that be Altbier, Kölsch, or any Bavarian Beer it doesn't matter. They all had their own character. Some I like, others I hate.

At least I can now go to a bar to order beer and start to ask the bar staff about their beers in my quest to find a beer in a style I want to drink. Not just the beer which is on tap.

Thank you Germany for your beer. Please send a decent beer brewmaster to Australia.

Beer. The international language in Belgium

Before I made it into Belgium and Germany there were 3 days  in the UK. Enough time to try a drop at the local.

The week in France was dedicated to skiing. So I drank very little there. Too tired to drink beer most of the time. And I don't drink when skiing. Just in case you break a bone when skiing. You want the pain killers to work for you.

So that meant the next beer photos were from Brussels.

Jupiler was just the introduction. After that I remembered I'm in Belgium. They make good beer.

They make lots of beer.

Life was obviously good.

So then I started to see there were so many beer options available.

Something would have to give.

Then I came across this sign in a park in Brussels. The decision was made for me.

Whew, what a relief.

This meant I could focus on the beer. Without the need to go jogging. Holidaying in Belgium was much simpler from this point forward.

Don't let the fact that I was never a jogger before seeing the sign confuse you. I still gave up jogging.

The South African Trip. Telling the story in beer language.

Not everyone relates to travel in terms of what nature did you see.

For these other travelers I'd like to repeat the South African story in a language you may understand. Beer!

In South Africa I these beers were consumed. Some were consumed repeatedly.
While others just repeated on me.

And after Göttingen I was gone again

Alas all good things come to an end. And well my 6 weeks away from work had run it's course.

On my final full day in Germany I was off to Göttingen. Another fine choice made by my guide Lina.

This place is mainly known as a university town. However I better remember the place for 2 things.

1) The City Hall. The artwork on the walls was fantastic.
And
2) It was freezing that day. It snowed. In the middle of spring.

The city also allowed me to mark off another state of Germany in my visit. Not that we get to know the states of Germany so well.

After visiting Lina's sister who also lives in Göttingen we went for a drive. To nowhere it would have seemed, as we had no idea where we were going. Nor a map to help us. We were in search of a historical castle associated to the Brothers Grimm. Lina had visited there once before. Eventually after stopping to ask for directions we found our way. To the castle which was officially shut for the winter, but open if you just walked in.

And that ladies and gentlemen was it for the trip 2012. Awe!

The End.

Hercules lives in Kassel

Castles and Kassel

I had decided upon Kassel as a stop in Germany on the basis of it being described by former Couchsurfers, and my former flatmate Lina as a must. Lina was again my host and guide for my stay in Kassel. I can't thank Lina enough for her hospitality during this trip.

Kassel was literally the surprise package of Germany. Alas in saying this I need to identify that emphasis was on the word "package". Because in Kassel that's what they seemed to have focused on in the past. Let me explain.

Hecules i on a pedestal in Kassel

You see Williamshöhe Park, is the most important park and castle built on the side of a hill on the edge of Kassel. This Palace was the vision of Jerome Bonaparte, the other other brother of Napoleon. Jerome was appointed the King of the region by his more famous brother. During his time Jerome spent up big on partying and castles. Yes I had never heard of Jerome before either. And well after seeing the park I kind of now understand why this place has never been given the top billing as a site of significance outside of local tourism.

It seems that Kassel, or well the builders of the most important park of Kassel were somewhat oblivious to what they were designing, or just very clever comedians having a good ol' chuckle to themselves. It's not until you've seen a map, or started the accent to the top that you realise you're in one giant phallic symbol of a park. It seems Napoleon had a family secret. That secret being that his brother Jerome loved the penis!

Whether it was that he was gay, or he was just in loud and proud of his own anatomy we'll never really know. Don't need to know. But one thing for sure is that once you've had the first one pointed out, then that's all you see. Makes for a funny park walk when you realise you realise that you've just walked around a symbolic water feature with 2 wider symetrical ponds at the bottom, and were now walking uphill along a cascading straight water feature, towards a giant Hercules statue perched on the top of a hill. Innocent, yeah right!

Having mentioned all this, the park is absolutely stunning. The walk uphill, although it took away my breadth was worth every step. It is a place of beauty even in the cold winter. For anyone wanting to see a map of the park as a reference. Look here.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Bergpark_wilhelmshoehe_karte_1.jpg

Anyway that's not what Kassel was all about. There was a 2nd significant castle nearer to the centre of the city. Grand in size, and a magnificent in appearance. But with less phallic references.

That evening, Good Friday, was my last night of going out in Germany. Luckily with Kassel being Lina's old stomping ground we were able to find a great local pub with a few of her friends to sit and drink with. One last German Weissbier.

Dortmund Statues are sick!

Warning: this article contain graphic depictions of Soccer Ball Abuse.

I went on to travel from Dusseldorf to Dortmund. Partly because I was thinking I'd catch up with a former couchsurfer, and partly because I wanted to cover off the whole of the west side of Germany. Dortmund is afterall an important city.

Dortmund was very "new". Just like many of the cities on this side of Germany the allies in World War 2 didn't leave much in original condition. So my experience here was somewhat walking the streets enjoying Europe.

I tried to be cultured by going to the Dortmund U. Their Modern Art museum on the edge of downtown. However I struggled enjoying this outside of one or two exhibits. From there I followed the real culture of Dortmund, the Football. Everywhere you look, everywhere you walk, there was the Yellow and Black. Bumblebee's everywhere. This city was sure proud of it's football team. In the stores you could get everything Dortmund. I even saw Dortmund the dog food.

They even had a Football Museum to commemorate the club's success. So off to the Football stadium I was in search of this football culture.

Alas the visit was not as inspiring as the build up. Perhaps it was the colours. More likely it was the disturbed statue out the front calling me to action. Dortmund "Say no to the abuse of soccer balls by statues". I don't need to explain what I saw this statue doing to soccer balls. The photos below speak for themselves.

It left me wondering just how disturbed are these Dortmund statues. Getting away with such despicable acts to soccer balls. Alas I was too late to save these soccer balls.

But with my now highlighting the dangers of this statue, perhaps, just perhaps, other soccer balls can come out of hiding. I hope the authorities will act now to put this sick mythical statue away. Before more balls are punctured.

The du's and don'ts of Dusseldorf

The one rule of Dusseldorf I learnt to fit in with the locals was to say "I like Altbier. I don't like Kolch."

After trying the beer I was at least able to say this without lying through my teeth. Sorry Cologne I wasn't just baiting you in my previous post.

However another thing I learnt. Was if you actually play "Menu Russian Roulette" with the chef you'll probably lose. I ordered the "I'll eat what the chef puts in front of me" from the menu. The was whilst out at dinner with my couchsurfing host who had taken me out for the night to introduce me to Dusseldorf. Actually wasn't disappointed that much, although I do hate liverwurst. It was a fun item to see on the menu. It just proves that I don't enjoy all German food.

 

Dusseldorf is a nice city. It has it's old town centre, the Aldstadt, and all the new buildings. One thing I have taken away from this trip is that in WW2 we didn't miss much. Every city in this region was like 95% wiped out.

Anyway I spent a full day on foot again exploring. One other small highlight during the day. I found a small restaurant which had pork knuckle on the menu. The owner once realising I was "english" was so keen to get me in and eat at his restaurant. I was pleased he had an english menu. Even more so once I realised I had found a german dish I really do enjoy once in a while.