Chad Is Everywhere

After planning my trip and how many days here and there within the Western side of Germany I was planning my former flatmate Lina added in, "You should go to Essen for a day". So a lesson on Essen is what I had. I lived it up here. Stayed in a hotel as compared to the normal hostel stops I make when traveling normally. It was a good change. But alas I didn't know anyone in Essen. And it was Sunday night. No one goes out Sunday night in Essen. Then during the Monday I did a very cultural thing. I visited a historically listed mine site. Zollverien. The experience was somewhat lost on me as it's "Industrial history". Very cold feel. It's not natural beauty. It's not historical architecture. And well I now know it doesn't interest me. To me it was just a former coal mine site. Alas part the failure was me. Because I don't speak German. However the tourist information people in Essen didn't assist the situation. They suggested I go h...

I'm all for Cologne. And I'm a big fan of Chocolate. However Kölsch... they can keep the Kölsch. Sorry to all my Cologne friends but I really struggled with your local drop. It tasted of water, and very bubbly. My plan for Cologne with simple. Chocolate Museum and the Dom. Didn't need to know much more about Cologne. Alas it turned really cold when I got to Cologne so I rugged up as much as I could. And I thought it was supposed to be the middle of Spring! Implementing the plan for Cologne was also my strategy to warm up. Eat chocolate, and then climb the 520 stairs to the top of the Dom. The first part of the strategy worked fine. I found that if you just keep going to the girl at the chocolate fountain she'll just keep giving you more wafers dipped in chocolate. Not just any chocolate. This was the Lindt Chocolate Museum. By the time I left for destination 2 of my 2 stop Cologne tour I was on a sugar high and ready to go anywhere. Now, don't get me...

I was extremely happy to make it to Münster. I had just gone several days without seeing a familiar face, and well there was always that risk that my typing when I booked my rail ticket on the Dbahn was going to Munster. A lot of difference those little eyes above the u make. For future reference you write it by pressing "ALT" + "0252". Münster may seem an usual first stop for most when traveling to Germany. But I was there for a reason. To catch up with my former flatmate Lina. All through the planning stages of my trip I had been asking Lina questions, and then not sending any updates for days and weeks on end. So I guess she was fairly sure I was arriving. The best thing Lina did for me. She didn't recognise me immediately when I got to the station in Germany. Her reaction after realising it was me approaching her rapidly was "wow, you're so tanned". Yes I know tanning is bad etc. But for a really really white guy with Scottish-Anglo Saxon s...

Get the movie out. Get the movie out. That's all people keep telling me. No I not seen the movie. I look at the situation as being like a book reading purist. I decided to see Bruges for myself before watching it on DVD. Be it because as I've heard there's a lot of violence. And I didn't want to think everyone in Bruges is a hitman. Incidentally half my struggle in writing about my experience here was merely which spelling do I use. Apparently only us English and French use Bruges. The rest, including locals, use Brugge. I'm Australian, so I'll write it in both and decide I'm right either way. Anyway. Bruges. It is one of those must see cities of the world. I only spent 1 night there. When I get the chance I will go back and spend more time. It's that good. The streets are quaint. Cobblestone town centre with all nooks and crannies. The canals all through the city are very historical if not just overly touristy. Heck I took the canal boat ...

These are the easy instructions on how to get free chocolate in Brussels. Step 1 Carry a camera. Step 2 Walk into Chocolate shop. Then a sales assistant will likely be dashing for the free sample tray. At which point you need only say thank you as you browse and consider a purchase. Then there is a 3rd step. Repeat Step 2. I did it a lot. In fact I became a chocolate snob. If I didn't get a reaction from the sales assistant I'd walk. Brussels was great. I went for Beer and Chocolate. Found both of them. On top of this I found Belgium Waffles. Although I could hardly see my waffle under all the chocolate. Don't be concerned. It's okay. I also had fruit on the waffle which made it a healthy option. To help with digestion I topped it off at night with some sort of traditional Belgium Beer Stew for dinner. Between the chocolate stops I also found the time to explore what is a very historical and beautiful city. In addition to the historically and cu...

I really didn't think though the practicalities of what I was doing when I made the trip up. South Africa in summer, a few days in London, followed by a week of skiing. Hmmm... Needed Sleeping bag for Kruger tour. Ski gear for skiing. Heck I didn't even get smart about it. I could of probably asked Darren in London to take my ski gear to London with him. But no instead I lugged ski gear all through South Africa. Oh well. Finally after a whirlwind visit to London I was off to snow. To make the effort of carrying ski gear worthwhile. Megéve was the ski venue of choice this time around. A small skiing region on the French side of the France-Switzerland border. Next to Mont Blanc. For those not familiar with this ski resort shalt I just show you the photo of the pretty decorated tree in the town centre to give you a better understanding. Yes the tree is decorated with 3000 pieces of Swarofski Crystal apparently. Yes the town was absolutely loaded. Yes you really had to ...

In visiting London I stayed with my friend Darren. Heck Daz and I have a tradition of meeting up every time I make it to Europe. This time it was somewhat a home game for Daz. Not staying elsewhere. But it doesn't mean we didn't go elsewhere. We went to Brighton. He had friends there, and had never been to Brighton. So a short train journey for lunch and visit to Brighton Beach was put into motion. As Australians we all know that technically they don't have beaches in Britain. Either by "white sand" rule, or "it's not warm enough to be considered going to a beach" rule. Look those rules up if you want. Yes maybe I made them up. But it does explain why UK has so many residents in Bondi Beach. But I have proof. See these photos. This is their beach. Pebbles. And I'm not talking fine pebbles. And this is what they put on their beaches. Giant size Piers with traditional fairgrounds. Nice for tourists actually. Very nostalgic. Hence the pho...

Most of you may not realise, but I have a background in Professional Tennis. Yes admittedly that is I've been to the Australian Open and watched a finals match years ago. But still... However this time I was at Wimbledon, and had a post match press conference. Again admittedly I wasn't in the match. And well we're talking it being 9 months or so since the Wimbledon Final of 2011. The reporters were gone, so I organised a fellow tourist to use my camera to take a photo of the press conference for you all to see the proof. Admittedly the tour guide then asked me to stop my press conference and step aside for others. Alas my "tennis press conference career" cut short in my prime. So instead we continued on with the tour of the Wimbledon site.

No I wasn't admitted suddenly as a student. But I underestand with my brilliance that you may have been confused. I was a just a tourist. I did though get taken around Oxford by a mate Matt, a collegue at one of the colleges that makes up Oxford. He's a local now. A good guy to know. Can get you in places. Just as long as you look confident. I saw what I could in a few hours and had to move on.

Last stop on the South African leg of the trip was Cape Town. After so much road travel it was good to just experience a big city once again. After 7 years of promises I has finally made it to Cape Town. Visiting a long standing friend. Alas time constraints meant I did rush it though. Tabletop Mountain and Robben Island one day. And then a the Cape Peninsula tour the next. Tabletop Mountain was the first stop. It would hardly could of been any other way. The mountain provides an edge to any background photo of Cape Town. Heck it sure was a great sight to see from the hostel in the morning having arrived at night not realising it was just there. I took the easy option on the gondola for this trip up to the top. I didn't have the time nor energy for a climb up. My skill of finding a free walking tour came to the foreground. A free tour guide waiting at a sign as I walked past after already doing a loop. "Free Tour" you need only tell me once. So I used the guide ...