More 2010 excitement!

Well here I am sitting exactly where I was sitting 6 and a half weeks ago when I worked out how to do my first travel blog. We have just hit the Business Club Lounge in KL after a 10 hour flight from Istanbul. Three hours to wait till our next and final flight - KL to Sydney. This will be our 9th flight - we are a bit over airports!
Had the most wonderful time in Greece.

Spent a week in a gorgeous little village, Koutouloufari, about 30kms east of Heraklion, the capital of Crete. We had been to Crete 8 years ago when we did our Greek Island Cruise, but by the time the cruise got to Crete we were totally buggered and decided to stay on the ship and lie by the pool. Our week there this time was glorious. It was all a little stressful when we first arrived as the 'streets' through these little villages are hardly wide enough for one car and they are supposedly 2 way. All was well though once we found the place and were told where to park. The main street of the village was just one Taverna after another so the choice of Restaurants each night was pretty difficult. We had a great time at Mezes the second day we were there and actually spent over 4 hours there over a Meze meal and got to know the owners, Chris and Alex nad their sons, Nicos and Pele as well. We ended up going back there agin twice during the week. The people in every place were so friendly - all treated us like family.
Apart from eating nad drinking we did do abit of sight seeing while on Crete as well - it is a very big island, much bigger thna we thought, so we weren't bale to see as much as we would have liked, but we did make the effort on 3 days. Ventured out to Dikteon Andro to see the cave where Zeus was born. Apparently his mother Rea was annoyed with the husband (that happens) so she took off and had baby Zeus in this remote cave. Well, I must say thta she must have been in a much better state physically than I am - and she was 9 months pregnant! It was about 1000 (seriously) rocky 'steps' up to the cave and then over 200 steps down into it - of course one had to do the 200 steps back up as well! We were offered a donkey for the walk up the 1000 steps but I decided against it - I think I would have alarmed the donkey with my screams! By the time we got back to the car I was totally stuffed!!! I think Rea probably used her godly powers and flew!

On the same day we went into Heraklion and visited the Knossos Palace, which dates back to 6000 and something BC!!! Just amazing to think about it! They have Grecian Urns there thta are 4000 years old. Crete was the centre of Minoan civilisation so there are reminders of this all over hte place. Of course the Knossos Palace is the best one.

Koutouloufari is quite close to the seaside town of Hersonissos, which is a very popular tourist destinatiion - lots of swanky hotels there. We spent a few hours lying on the beach - really weird as all the beaches are set up with lounges nad umbrellas and wooden walkways but you have to pay to lie there. I thought it was great - much more comfy than lying on the sand! Well worth the 3 euros! Col and I are thinking of introducing it in Australia - strtaing wiht Tugun when we move there - would be a good little money maker!

After our week on Crete we caught the fast ferry over to Santorini - incredible place. We stayed right on the caldera - the views are just breathtaking! The weather turned hte last day we were there. Apparently it only rains 2 or 3 times a year and we were there for one of them! We were luicky though to have a magnificent day the day before.

I'll try and put some last photos up too while I'm here!

Hope you've found my holiday tales interesting and just a little bit entertaining!

Till next holiday......

Weird travelling form Berlin as this really was travelling into the old Eastern Bloc - where we'd never been before. Dresden was lovely - such a beautiful city that has been totally restored after being so decimated in 1945. We had time for an evening round trip on a bus when we arrived which was a little annoying since we had the English recording with the German loudly in the background. We enjoyed a couple of drinks and a meal in the Munzgasse before heading off to a Burgerfest in another part of town.

(We had noted this when we were on the bus tour!) The anniversary of 20 years of German Unity is tomorrow so festivals and celebrations are happening everywhere. The food stalls seemed to go forever - what a shame we had already eaten!
We spent the following morning seeing what we couldn't see last night - ie the Frauenkirche and the Zwinger Palace, and then headed off in the direction of Prague.
=It didn't take tto long for the raod situation tochange once we had entered the Czech Republic. A bit sad really - the place just hasn't been looked after the way Western European countires have been.==They don't have anything like Autobahns of course, but thye do have expressways - it just seems that they would prefer you to drive through the villages. We'd just get going along on an expressway and there would be a 20 or 30km detour!

We arrived in Prague about 5pm at our apartment on Spanelska (Spanish St apparently). The owner, Senad, met us there to show us what's what and to give us some very useful info re restaurants, public transport and car parking etc. It is in a very convenient locaton, just behind the Museum and Wenceslas Square. Its also much bigger than the other places we have stayed - we actually have a bedroom - but no TV, which is weird. Col misses it but I can't see the point really - we don't really understand any of it anyway!!! Col actually watched Rambo in German last night - but then again, he'll watch anything! This our third IKEA place too - Europeans seem to have a real penchant for everything IKEA - not just furniture, but crockery, cutlery, manchester - the whole place.

The following morning we walked the whole length of Wenceslas Square, looking for Wenceslas Square! We actually went into the tourist office to ask - we were on it!! Silly name - its a road not a square! Someone obviously did some bad translating years (100's) ago! Of course we then wandered into the old square and installed ourselves in one of the gorgeous cafes facing hte cobblestoned square and sat and people watched over lunch and abottle of champagne! We were in Prague for 3 days and managed to do this at several cafes on the old square. While we were there we also had a ride in a horse drawn carriage - very special. The draught horses are so gorgeous and just walk amongst the traffic once they leave the old town. Wandered up to the castle (lots of steps!) and back down to the old town via Charles Bridge - a lovely pedestrian bridge where there are all sorts of stalls, musicians, displays, artists, statues - you could spend an hour walking over it, just soaking up the atmposphere.

We left Prague Wedneday morning and drove to Cesky Krumlov, the most enchanting, litlle mediaeval town imaginable. It was just magic! A photo opportunity at every turn. There was afair amount of stress when we first arrived as it is a total pedestrian zone unless you live there - we sorted out in the end after being given advice by the lovely Jana who runs the Pension where we stayed. It was right in the thick of it, in an incredibly narrow and steep laneway just off the main square. Thurday morning we spent a few more hours negotiationg the cobblestoned laneways, little bridges and gorgeous shops before taking off for our overnight accommodation in Moosburg an der Isar - close to Munich airport in preparation for our early flight to Athens tomorrow morning.

At present we are sitting in our room on board the Palace of Knossos - a big ferry which is leaving at 10pm to take us to Crete. About to go up to the lounge for a bottle of wine - whta else can we do?

Not sure whether we'll have internet at the place we are staying in Crete, but hopefully I'll be able to get somewhere to post some photos to get up to date.

Till then......

==Well, we've been in Berlin for 4 nights and are just about ready to drive to Dresden. Col has gone to pick up the car, giving me a chance to update my blog. Berlin has been fun although we could have done with an extra day to see everything we wanted to. Trouble was that when we arrived we were totally stuffed after a week of Paris and having to get up at 4.45am to get to Orly airport for our flight. Thus, what should have been half a sightseeing day when we got here turned into an unpack, lunch, grocery shop, time for a lie down day instead. We just needed to stop for a bit.

Our apartment has been good - very central to everything. Only a kilometre walk through the Tiergarten to Kurfurstendamm, 300 metres to a supermarket, across ther oad form the SBahn and 300 metres to the UBahn - very convenient. Of course it hasn't had the old world charm of our place in paris, but then none of Berlin does, being totally destroyed during WWII as it was. We have been in a 1950's built highrise, surrounded by similar buildings built at the time for an architectural exhibition to show the world that Berlin was getting its act together rebuilding after the war. It has a brilliant view of the city scape, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche, the Fernsehturm, the massive dome of Berlin Cathedral and the newly built buildings of Potsdamer Platz.

We have spent most of our sightseeing time here delving agin into Berlin's past - the rise and fall of Hitler, the events thta led up to the building of the wall in 1961 and the terrible ramifications that its existence had on the whole of Berlin. We spent almost three hours at the Topography of Terror, an open air museum type display of historical facts etc erected right along a remaining section of wall. We're not usually big on museums but this was so interesting. Yesterday we returned to Checkpoint Charlie after 29 years - how different thta was! We still remember 29 years ago the scary feeling thta we had when attempting to do a day visit to East Berlin from there, and being questioned by the Soviet guards - we changed our minds and retreated to the security of West Berlin. We spent over 2 hours in the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (a musum devoted to everything to do with the wall, including details of escape attempts and related tragic deaths) as we had done in 1981, but it is about 3 times the size now!

At the beginning of our Berlin stay we took the obligatory sightseeing bus around the city to get our bearings and just to get a feel for the place - this is always a good idea we think. We had a 24 hour pass which was good.

Of course in between our sightseeing we have also spent a good deal of time sitting in cafes over a glass or two of wine and sampling the speciality of Berlin - Berliner Currywurst - so yum! One could live on German sausages! With German mustard of course. We have been lucky too to have the Giraffe Kneipe/Restaurant below our building which has been very convenient for breakfasts and the odd dinner. I assume its called Giraffe because of our proxility here to the zoo!

It's been surprisingly cold, so we have had to have a little shopping trip and purchase some warmer clothes. Shock/horror - I bought aponcho and legwarmers! Apparently they are back in fashion! Did I miss something last winter or is it next winter's fashion?

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the reunifiaction of Germany so there was all sorts of merriment and festivities happening at the Brandenburg Gtae last night when we were there - the Germans really know how to party! We were a little annoyed thoughas this meant that once again we were not able to walk through the Brandenburg Gate - not to worry - at least this time we could walk around it!

Better finish this off now - my driver will be here soon and we are making one last visit to the 'Giraffe' for a late breakfast!

PS I am so proud of my German ability - I have been able to communicate quite well with the locals - as long as they don't speak too fast!

After our day of culture yesterday decided on a more historical day today. Visited the Catacombes - an underground cemetry set up in the 18th century to solve Paris' overflowing cemetries problem. After going down 153 steps (spiral staircase) there are literally 2 kms of neatly stacked skulls and bones - the remains of millions of Parisians - all pretty spooky really, but interesting! The 87 steps back to the surface were a killer!

After that ghoulish experience went to see the Church of St Germain de Pres, oldest church in Paris, then crossed the road to have lunch and a bottle of wine at the Cafe de Deux Magots - favourite haunt of such literary and philosophical greats as Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Simone de Beauvoir. Its where they came to think, talk and write. We sat, thought, drank and ate - does that count? We were hoping something might rub off on us but who knows? It was lovely just sitting and watching as you do in Europe.

Had a big night out at the Moulin Rouge. Went first to Montmartre for a 4 course meal - lots of fun and very good entertainment supplied by a very funny piano player. Went from there, in the pouring rain to wait in yet another queue for the show. Were finally convinced to buy a dodgy umbrella! After a very lengthy and wet wait finally got into the Moulin Rouge for the 11pm show which actaully started at 11.45pm! It was a great show, but so late! We were stuffed!

Today (I am finally up to date!) we have finished our time in Paris by doing the necessary visit to the Arc de Triomphe, having lunch on the Champs Elysees and picking up some last minute souvenirs!

Now, time to pack - we are leaving for the airport at 5.30am - bound for Berlin!

Au Revoir Paris!

=======We spent the whole day last Friday visiting the Palace of Versailles. This was definitely on our list of things to do, since we were turned away at the big golden gates 29 years ago, because the President was in residence - another typically Dunn holiday occurrence! Upon arriving we actually wondered whether being turned away wasn't such abad thing! The queue to get in was out of this world. We joined what we thought was a ridiculously long queue and after standing in it for about 15 minutes, wondered what the people in the queue next to us were queuing for since they were standing facing in the opposite direction. I went off to investigate and found that it was all the same queue - it was just 3 times as long as we had anticipated! We have since found that the French simply like to see people queuing!
Versailles of course was magnificent once we actually got in and looked around, although even that was difficult with the number of poeple in every room. Have a look at the photo of me in the Hall of Mirrors - its a bit like 'Where's Wally?" The room was used by Louis XIV for balls etc and at 73 metres long and 12 metres wide, it could hold around 1000 people - looked like they were all there the other day! ==We had bought a 2 day museum pass for Friday and Saturday so Saturday was our 'day of doing things cultural'. We began with Notre Dame, decided the queue was too long so walked on to Sainte Chapelle, where we decided the queue was too long so walked to the metro station and made our way to Musee D'Orsay, where once again there was a lengthy queue, but thought at that stage we'd better resign ourselves to having to queue! Apart from the art works the building itself was worth a visit since the museum has actually been converted from the old Paris/Orleans Railway Station with massive ornate clock and magnificent glass roof.=====
From D'Orsay we walked on to L'Orangerie - another queue - but not quite so long here! This would be our favourite museum experience - it houses Monet's waterlily paintings which really are a sight to see. Very impressive Impressionist paintings - clever?

By this time it was time to return to St Chapelle - surprise, surprise - the queue was even longer than before - we waited for about 45 minutes before the powers that be finally decided to let the museum pass holders in. So crazy - took us about 15 minutes to look through it - beautiful church with stunning stained glass windows but we don't need to linger long - they should have an express line!

Hightailed it back to Notre Dame, joined a queue which was at least moving and got in in no time at all! A mass was beginning just as we entered so it was all very solemn and meaningful, despite the hundreds of tourists moving about as well! The sound of the women singing was incredible - mighty acoustics in a cathedral that size! Awesome to think that it is 800 years old.

Forgot the Conciergerie - no queue! This was originally a palace from the 14th century but became Paris' main prison during the revolution, housing such people as Marie Antoinette, while awaiting the guilotine. I don't know why there was no queue - we found it very interesting!