Don't do Paris on your own!

That's just my suggestion anyway. I can see why Paris is so romantic. You can't avoid it. I haven't even thought about anything remotely romantic and moments just keep getting thrown at you. These are my moments of romance in Paris. Walking out of a metro station and seeing it snowing. It's a moment that you just want to turn to some beautiful French lady and kiss her. It's just such a pretty time of year and simply beautiful! Another being at the Eiffel Tower on the hour at night, thousands of light bulbs go off for 5 minutes. It's cold and it's the perfect moment to wrap your arms around the one you love and just watch it. It's just another moment of just sheer beauty. There are a lot of moments on this trip that i think other people would enjoy and moments would be good to share. But, Paris just throws romantic moments at you time after time. I love it but it does get a bit lonely. Walking the Champs Élysées at night, Arc De Triomphe lit up, the whole street lit with christmas lights, markets open, delicious food everywhere. It just has that romantic aura, so many couples out too. I know my time will come, but this place is something special. I know romance has changed over the years, and it seems to be dying a slow death in Australia. And it's a generation things too. On my last afternoon at the Cinque Terre, the sunset old couple were there, but a young couple sat at another bench. Old couple, mans arm around his wife, young couple, they both get their phones out...... I'm a bit of an old romantic and i value the courting period. Opening doors, pulling chairs out, giving the window seat up. I know a woman can do it on her own, but these subtle things are symbolic and they have been instilled in my by my mum. And i know she's proud of the son she has raised. Straight out of the dumpster! Thanks for getting me out ma!

Day one in Paris was going to be a day of getting lost. It turned out to be a well oiled day of getting things done and sights ticked off. I headed to the department store that i had been advised by my cab driver the night before. It was called FNAC, i nearly said bless you. It is hard even to find out how they spell things, their alphabet is similar but the pronunciation is quite different. I had been warned by many about the French arrogance to people who speak English. So i just don't answer, they eventually pick up you don't speak french. But I am still in Italian mode. I only have one more day in Paris so the French translator has had it easy. The camera that i would like would cost €1989, a bit out of my price range. First trip was to the end of the Champs Élysées where you will find Concorde, and a ferris wheel. There you could see the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe and the Louvre. I decided to head to the Louvre, little to no line at all. I managed to see the all the masterpieces, and came across a few paintings that really stood out and told a story. I rarely find paintings that hit me emotionally, but with these few i could really feel what the painter was trying to portray. That was pretty awesome. There are a lot of cool things, nice paintings, but only a few impressed me. And looking at Venus De Milo all i could think of was Homer Simpson grabbing the gummi Venus off the babysitters ass. Hmmm gummi Venus. I was there for a few hours before heading to Notre Dame. I think i have seen too many massive cathedrals of late, it was impressive, but it's stacked up against the Duomo in Florence and St Peters Basilica in Vatican City. Next on my list was the Eiffel Tower, but i wanted to visit it at night. Luckily for me I arrived at 9:50pm, and i was sure something happened on the hour at night. So i walked to a good position, set up my little camera, come on little camera! 

Wow, beautiful, gorgeous and another moment of single romance! At that point when all the little lights go off sparkling on the Eiffel Tower there is a big awwwww from everyone, even me. Oops don't forget to get some photos! Sometimes photos can ruin a moment, but over time i have realised sometimes are meant to be taken in. And without my proper camera most moments for the rest of this trip will be taken in more than they would have previously. I have taken a lot less pictures since my creative powers are somewhat diminished by my little camera. I can't see the shot as clear throughout the viewfinder (it's a LCD viewfinder) so everything you look for in a photo you can't really see it. If i use the screen you tend to a) lose battery power quickly and, b) lose your horizons, crooked photos and monuments not exactly where you want them. When you have a good camera up to your eye you see everything. Everywhere I've been i have wanted to give it the beauty as I see it, and i feel a bit sad i can't do that anymore. I realize how important a good camera is to me. And I'm glad i did bring a back up camera. Even though i can't get what i want. It feels a bit of a waste to be here and not give it the beautiful justice it deserves. I'm not the best photographer, but I'm not getting what i want with my photos and it's very frustrating. The little camera is very good for what it is and if someone wants a little ultra zoom camera then I'd highly suggest it. Colours are great. 

Today was a pretty cruisey day. Went to the Arc De Triomphe up close today and walked down the Champs Élysées. This is where the final stage of the Tour De France is run, they do about a handful of laps of the city before the big and most prestigious sprint finish i think in cycling. I can see why they stick to the curb! I went up the Eiffel Tower, walked up to the second level, then had to take the elevator the rest of the way. Some people are so unfit, they look fit but they are huffy and puffing. Mind you I'm the stair master after St Peters and the Cinque Terre! The remaining steps to the top were closed so the lift was the only way to the top. Im not afraid of heights, i can lean on windows of the Sydney tower, stand of the edge of Mt Vesuvius and peer over the Eiffel Tower but the lift certainly gave me a bot of vertigo, as you see the world drop from you. So not afraid of heights, but not a fan of falling. You know those dreams where your falling and you wake up just before you hit the ground, what a rush! Loved the tower of terror, but the giant drop can get fucked, did it once, swore the whole way down, like Homer's falling into the black hole in 3D, crap crap crap crap....... But i used the f word! A beautiful view of a beautiful city, and bloody cold too! Bit of a romantic moment up there too, i could see the couples around me soaking it in. I was happy for them, it's something special up there. If you can tackle a few stairs do the walk up, you'll probably get up quicker! The line for the elevator is very long and this is nearly winter so it's not even tourist season. Next up was me trying to find the catacombs...... I knew where it was on the map. But i couldn't find it. I did arrive after 4pm so it was closed, but i found the cemetery near it. I thought that was it the catacombs! I was wondering why i was told not to wear my best shoes???! Yesterday was a late start due to being up till 3am the last few nights trying to organise the following weeks ahead. 

I think my only regret is that i have missed out on places everywhere i have gone. I cut Vienna and Prague from the original trip plan. There is only so much you can see in the time you give it. And the major cities i have given them three days and i know I've missed heaps of things, but i always see what i am interested in first then advice from friends and family. I want to see the Pantheon, this is where Marie Curie is resting. I'll take my level five radiation suit, cause that little lady was packing some heat! I would like to see the Catacombs and the Sacré Cœur. I'm sure many Parisians have missed out some of their local sights too. Without my camera and without a special lady, i feel my time in Paris could end a day early. I'm going to miss Euro Disney too, not to mention the palace of Versailles. If i did leave Paris tonight i could see the Race of Champions in Dusseldorf tomorrow night. I know all the women reading this would give a massive sigh to that! It's hard to explain what its like without my trusty camera in my bag, on my arm or up to my eye. It's just like the paintings in the Louvre, some really tell a story, some are just paintings of stuff. My photos now feel like they are just tourist shots, i don't have that creative control. I'm still trying, but i can't feel these photos.

Tonight i headed back to the Champs Élysées for the markets they have there. I caught a glimpse of them last night and i thought I'd try them again tonight. The Champs was lit up all the way down to the Arc. I'd just be repeating the stunning, gorgeous, beautiful and romantics comments i have made numerous times. There was nothing that grabbed me, and markets are mainly for women. I had a big fight with someone about markets. Its not my thing, but I'm happy to do what you really want to do. I'm happy that you're happy. Wasn't enough. I did spot one thing that took my fancy, a hot waffle with melted chocolate drizzled over it! It was pretty damn good, and messy. The best kind of chocolate! I have acquired an addiction to I think they are called zanimos??? We used to have them back home, but like all good things they bugger off! Like pineapple liquorice. They are made by Cadbury and are like McDonalds cookies but one side dipped in chocolate! Fukin yum! I'll need a shipment back home or a patch. I still have a very varied eating schedule and quite often forget to eat until 4-5pm, too much to do. An apple in the morning does the trick! Pink lady's are in season over here! 

There are so many moments here that are making me smile even without my camera. Buskers playing music that reminds you of good times. Smells that make you want to eat. And an aura in the city that makes you want to fall in love again.

Monte Carlo - F1 - a life long passion

Another beautiful day with blue skies all around. I was up late last night booking a car for my road trip with stegglés from Bath, checking with my insurance if the camera will be covered and looking at what kind of camera I am willing to pay for as a replacement. I don't think i could theoretically live without an SLR. Won't be going as big or professional, but the features on some of the new exceed what i have now. I'm looking at a 5D Mark II. Not as quick as my old one, bit simpler and half the frames per second. So that is what I'm looking at, just looking. If i can find one for €1900 in Paris I'll probably get one. Tomorrow will be my getting lost in Paris so there is time. I'll try and organize a tour of the Louvre for Saturday or Sunday, if the weather will be rainy or snowy I'd rather be inside. Right now I'm on my first high speed train from Nice to Paris. I think the high speed part will kick in after Toulon.

Last night i arrived in Ventimiglia a little town on the edge of the Italian/French border. I had some idea where i had to go. Most train stations will have a street map when you exit, this one didn't. All of the other places I've been i had google maps screen grabbed and saved on both my ipad and iphone. Since i hadn't booked this part of the accommodation until i was well into the trip. It was 11:45pm and there is no one around. I had a hunch where my accommodation was, but thanks for someones unsecured internet i managed to log in to google maps and find out exactly where it was. And for once, I was heading in the right direction. Got to the street, and walked all the way to the beach because there was no signs anywhere. The beach and the water looked beautiful, i don't know what was so well lit up at nigh, but all i was thinking that Monaco is a meandering 25min train ride from where i was. I found the place it is having outside renovations so it was covered by scaffolding (hence why i couldn't see any signs). I know where i will be staying when i see the Monaco F1 GP!

You couldn't wipe the smile off my face as i was heading into Monte Carlo, this is my favourite F1 track. The one i always check in my diary even before i think about my Melbourne trip. It has remained unchanged really since they started racing there. Unlike all of the new tracks being made which are massive man made tracks with long straights, big gravel traps and they are all really safe. Monaco, it's tight, twisty and has a lot of elevation changes. Every driver in the race will brush the barrier at one point of another. 

I've had a nap and as i write this I'm speeding across the French countryside. It's pouring outside, i visited the bar for some water and a big bolt of lightning stuck outside, European storm number six, or pronounced in french sees. It's really hard to switch your brain off from Italian. That has been really hard, i do know a bit of French like Italian, but i have gotten used to the italian words, and it has been automatic. I've been getting used to what people are generally saying to me, and what i words i need to listen out for at the station, at the end i didn't need the English translations, i knew numbers, platform and whether a train was running late just by the announcements Italian. I was surprised how much i did actually pick up, mind you i tried italian as much as i could until i was stuck, then came the hand gestures, Italians are fluent in hand gestures. And now it's all in French. Nearly two weeks in Italy, and i'm happy to move on, i would like to re-visit Florence, do more Cinque Terre and actually see the see the Amalfi Coast. Sicily and the east coast would be good too, but I'm very happy with what I've seen learnt and experienced. I believe everyone else makes better Italian food than Italians, that's my honest opinion. The best lasagne other than mine of course is one i had in Melbourne at the casino, best pizza was in Cairns. And no one beats grandmas mince and macaroni!

Getting back to Monaco. This year Mark Webber accomplished one of his dreams in F1 and that was to win the Monaco GP and he did it this year, he dominated it. And today as I walked out of the train station, turn one, Ste Devote. But before i went on the track walk of MY dreams, where the bloody hell is the baggage drop off? So i'm walking in every direction to find an area or even information on where i could find one. After failed messages i went back and found an (i) sign, but then after heading up to the platform no more signs, you have to guess. No wonder i couldn't see anything when i got off the train, thought i had a woman look ;-) haha! I saw a sign at the information desk, no lockers here. So I asked where? Nice! Oh your kidding. I had missed the previous train by 5 mins so i had 25 mins to fill in before the next one. I was going to Nice after Monaco because i am catching the train to Paris from Nice. It ended up taking an hour and a half out of my time in Monaco, so i was initially disappointed that I'd miss out on time there. But i did everything I wanted to in the three hours i got to spend there. Most track walks i have done take about an hour, hour and a half. This one took 45 mins. It's a small track in length, they do 72 laps in the race and still don't get to do a proper grand prix distance (300km).

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This is my time about Monaco and F in general, i will probably talk crap so if you can't be bothered scroll down
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Why do i love this race track so much? So many reasons, it may have been the first race I'd ever seen on TV, it has so much history, you have to be good to win, you have to be switched on for nearly two hours racing through this barrier clad street circuit. It's the flash of F1, there are multi million dollar boats everywhere, probably three or four times as many as there were today. The races at Monaco are generally not great for 'racing' and passing, but there is always drama. The drivers say with about 10 laps to go the walls feel closer and closer with every lap. If you make a mistake, you're out of the race, and the crash is going to be expensive. The photos and TV do not do this place justice, and i love it even more after being there. The streets are tighter, corners are longer, sharper and the elevation changes are massive and you really can't see that on TV. It's my ultimate dream in life to be an accredited photographer at the Monaco F1 grand prix. First corner, there is always a crash. It gets tight on exit and you always think you can push that bit more. But the wall always wins. Can you tell i love this place?! Then it's uphill, very steep, they blast up it it goes a bit left a bit right then at the top a long and very tight left hander, this is where Fernando Alonso crashed in qualifying this year, you can still see the tyre marks. On your right is the Monte Carlo casino, hence the corner being called casino square. This is where Monaco gets tricky, you have a blind right hander that drops away suddenly then a short blip of a straight, you swerve to the right to avoid a dip that will damage the underneath of the car if you go straight. I had always wondered why and how bad it actually is, and it's pretty severe. There is a restaurant gazebo on that area, as with a lot of the track it is covered by businesses. But i know this place like the back of my hand. Down from that little blip and i mean blip, you're straight into a right hand hairpin, it opens a tiny bit on exit before the slowest corner, the left hand hairpin, most famous hairpin in F1. The turning circle in F1 cars are terrible and the specification of cars they take to Monaco are completely different to nearly all other F1 tracks. Different steering is required just for this one hairpin. Why call it a hairpin, well next time you have a hairpin (not clip) look at the shape ;-) I'd love a shot of Mark Webber going around this hairpin on my wall from his win this year! One year, one of the cars had a massive Steinmetz diamond encrusted in the nose of the car, they crashed at this hairpin, the $60,000 diamond was never seen again. The fun doesn't stop there, you have two sharp right handers, and both you are on the throttle a small amount, brake, turn, throttle, brake, turn, then into the tunnel! The tunnel is a full throttle right hander, and I've played this on PS2 it gets sharp towards the end but wow does it get sharp! It's better lit than i thought it would be, still dark, but they improved the lighting a few years ago. Many drivers have crashed in here, the best one was Alonso???????
???????
 who was trying to pass a slower, lapped car in the tunnel he went offline and the car smashed into the wall, sparks and pieces everywhere and as his car skidded out of the tunnel his car was pointing towards the driver he had tried to pass and gave him the finger as he was still crashing! Love it! All drivers pretty much take the same line into corners (they all know the quickest way around) and as they travel in the same line and dirt, debris or bits of tyre that wear off (called marbles) will be just off that racing line, so if they are going around a driver off line they aren't driving on rubbered up racetrack but on the marbles, and it's like driving on marbles, as soon as they get offline they are going in the wall. You need to be precise with everything in Monaco, i think that's why i love it. I love F1 because of the immense attention to detail, everything is tested, re-tested, sculpted for maximum aero efficiency, the drivers have to have that attention to detail in their diets, their training and their driving. They like their mechanics have to analyze mountains of data to see how they can best set up the car to go fast, and how to be the fastest guy and win races. Just a little thing on what they can change, tyre pressure, ride heights, suspension, adjustable front wing, brake bias, roll bars, gear ratios, engine mapping, fuel mix, they have a menu on their steering wheel to go through data, split times and toggle through different settings in the electronics oh and for this year they had the f-duct no not fuck duct, it stalled air over the rear wing and created less aerodynamic drag and in effect higher top speed. Ferrari drivers would place there hand over the duct (yep, driving one handed) to make it work, McLaren (inventor of the f-duct), their drivers would push their knees on the duct to make their duct work. There is so much more about what they can change, but i have already crapped way too much and only two thirds through the track. It's always great to be passionate about your subject when you're taking photos! Out of the tunnel, bang, bright sun light, the cars then drop two stories on exit and a slight kink to the right and into the chicane, left-right and far more severe than i had first thought, and there isn't much room! Jenson Button had a massive crash here a few years ago. The cars get really light on exit since they drop so much and all the inertia is going forward but they have that kink that really unsettled the car. From there it's a short straight along the marina, probably drop a gear for the left hander, again tighter than i thought, bit more of a straight part. Fisichella had a engine blow there one year, so much smoke and no one could see, cars crashed everywhere! Then onto my favourite part, the swimming pool section, yes there is a swimming pool there and they drive around it. The great thing about the entry to swimming pool is they are flying and it's a slight left right, but you have to have big balls to go through there flat a few years ago. One photographer Darren Heath explained Michael Schumacher would be 1cm close to the barriers on entry and 1cm away from the barriers on exit during qualifying. The F1 cars on TV bounce through there and change direction with such grace, no body roll like a V8 Supercar. Now they have opened up the entry and exit of the corner so it's not so tight to the barriers and full throttle is easy for todays F1 drivers. Then heavy braking into another chicane right left, many drivers have pushed too hard and crashed here, Kimi Raikkonen took off his front wheel in qualifying there. All of these moments just rush through me when I'm at different points of the track. Next is another short blip before Rascasse the second last right hand corner, Schumacher 'parked' it there a few years ago in attempt to screw everyones lap time. And this year with about 5 laps to go, Webber is coming up on two slower lapped cars who were fighting, i think Mark was lapping them for the second or third time. Lotus and HRT cars played leap frog right in front of Mark. My heart skipped a beat when i saw that. This was the area where Schumacher thought he had nailed Alonso on the final lap under safety car, and so did everyone until the FIA clarified the rules after the race, caught a few people very smart people out. Then the last corner a very tight corner where it drops away slightly, and quite often the cars get very sideways on exit. The track is very busy, even the straight isn't straight. There is no time for rest or complacency at Monaco. 

Apparently drivers have a heart rate over 140 bpm for the entire race. An F1 journalist and ex-pat Peter Windsor drove a Toyota F1 car, he said you get strapped in, they ask can you breathe? Yes, so they tighten it. You are actually sitting on your lower back, each gear change is like a punch in the kidneys. As you reach top speed your helmet tries to lift your head off your neck, and braking is the most severe, some tracks can get 5G just with braking alone. Now your legs and arms get battered by the cockpit, you pull up to 5G with cornering and braking. Your visibility is poor at best, you are low to the ground probably 70cm from the ground and you have two fat wheels blocking your vision. You can't even see the nose and front wing of the car. You have to drive fast, even in the rain, you have to push against the cars aerodynamic forces, G forces, heat! In Malaysia it can get up to 50 degrees in the cockpit, then they have fireproof thermals, balaclava, gloves, shoes, race suit and the helmet, don't forget the Malaysian humidity! The only airflow is from the top of the cockpit, a driver might undo the top velcro part of the suit to let some air in. A driver can lose over 5 litres of fluids in a grand prix. Then you have to concentrate for up to two hours driving at your maximum controlling the car, talking to your engineers, changing settings on your steering wheel. At some tracks drivers are known to make brake bias changes (more brake pressure to the front or rear brakes) every lap, then the thousand of gear changes in the race. I can appreciate how good these guys are. I know why they get paid so much!


Back in the day of old school F1 there wasn't that many barriers and guys would crash into the harbour, many would lose their life. F1 hasn't lost a driver since 1994 Ayrton Senna at Imola, San Marino. There has been track marshals who have been killed more recently through flying cars and debris. Motorsport is dangerous, taking photos at motorsport is very dangerous. Even this year Mark Webber ran into the back of a slower car who braked 80m before Mark did the lap before and the flipped upside down and flew into the air, luckily there was no pedestrian overpass at that part of the track, he landed upside down, but with the strength of F1 cars now he walked away unharmed and no one was hurt. I cannot understand excessive speeding or road racing on public roads, racing is for the race track, leave it there. If you are running late, tell someone before you get in the car that you might be late. This has been a public address.......

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F1 talk finished, passionate about something huh
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At the end of the track walk, I noticed the palace that i had been advised to check out. I knew it was up somewhere, but right at the end of the lap, there it is. Sweet, saves time looking for it! It was a great view and I'm sure the usually massive luxury boats that litter the marina were dwarfed today by Cunard's Queen Elizabeth cruise liner. The view was great, you can see everything and the other side of Monaco, the lesser known side, maybe it was a French side because they had cannons pointed in that direction! Yeah frenchys. Take that! There was a few souvenir shops up there too! You wouldn't think a palace would have several cafés and souvenir shops. I found a little pizza shop right near the swimming pool corners. It was by far the messiest pizza i had ever had, the property values of Monte Carlo dropped severely when i was sitting on the marinas edge, eating my pizza with it just dripping down my hands. Was good, but, messy, messy, messy. I couldn't find a camera store in Monaco, i did find one in Nice but they were more general consumer based. So ill have to try Paris tomorrow. Nearly there now. I'll be arriving at about 11:30pm. Book a tour or two tonight, shower and bed. Im so bloody tired, maybe a sleep in tomorrow!

From France uhaw haw haw

P.S. French women are beautiful, many of them need a pie though! The European smoking epidemic continues too, no point wearing cologne as soon as i walk out straight into a smoke haze of several smokers, oh cmon!

P.P.S. Great to hear a good start to the ashes!  
    

Shit happens

As i open the two doors to my room a big blue sky awaits my trek. My leg feels 95% better and the Cinque Terre is waiting for me. It's a bit cool and it's going to get colder as i head further north, Monaco will be decent but Paris and everything after will be back to brrr cold. Thermals are all washed and ready!

The Cinque Terre is a series of hiking trails that wind up and down hills and you can access all of the little villages in between. Lately the area has had some heavy rain and they had closed the majority of the trails. I knew this the previous day and i had hoped that it was still accessible, but it wasn't. I believe there is a 9km hike on one of the trails. The train took me to Riomaggiore, the first of the towns on the Cinque. This is the only trail that is open, it's a measly 900 metres and took bugger all time to finish.  It was wide and accommodating and hardly the challenge i had prepared myself for. The worst part of my entire trip happened while i was doing this tiny excursion. I was trying to take a picture of these little port holes the shadows etc, bit arsty. When I looked at my picture there was a big black line running diagonally across my screen. Hmm my first thought was sensor damage from the sunset shots I did, i have heard that direct sun exposure to the sensor can damage it. Took another shot, it was still there. I detached the lens from the camera to see if it was a lens issue, like one of the aperture blades not folding in properly....nope. Put the lens back on, took another shot, it was fine. Oh thank God, Jebus, Oprah Winfrey. Three shots later it's back. There is a function on my camera that locks the mirror and shutter curtain up so you can manually clean the sensor. Newer models now clean the sensor automatically. The reason you need to clean the sensor is that every time you change your lens any dust (dust anyone) that may be on the lens will fall onto the sensor and create spots on your photos. That is because the tiny dust spots are blocking the light from hitting the sensor. I took the lens off, selected the sensor cleaning function and checked out the damage. And damage there was. The shutter curtain was damaged and creased, basically fucked! Now with a camera like mine this is how it works. When you look through the camera you can see the image p, with the help of a mirror and when you actually take the photo you cannot see anything, the viewfinder goes black. I'll briefly tell you why. When you press the photo taking button (shutter release) the mirror which is at a 45 degree angle flips up to block your sight but it's to let the image you were looking at make it's way to the sensor. But there is another obstacle in the way of the image before it makes it's way to the sensor, the shutter curtain. It's basically like a compact fan that retracts and folds into itself and the side of the camera. These things happen very quickly. That is why they are called SLRs single lens reflex. I don't know how the curtain got damaged, and why it happened now but it has a crease and it will not go back inside the camera unless it's pushed back inside. So that's what i did, i grabbed a lens cloth so my finger didn't hit the sensor (very expensive part) and pushed it back up, it went up then when i took another shot it stayed down again. Opened it again, and noticed that there was some residue and a scratch that must've come from the lens cloth. So my 8 year old camera had finally packed it in, it's given me so much joy and so much expense over the years. I was so guttered, the Cinque Terre is such a beautiful place and i didn't have the right equipment to capture it. I still had my little canon sx1 in my bag so i always had back up, and luckily the batteries lasted the rest of the day. I have seen it in my bag turned on many times as something must've bumped it on. So i wasn't expecting it to have lasted the day. I don't know what to do. I have five lenses, many memory cards and accessories for my canon. Is this some kind of sign that i should give it up? I have just re-ignited my passion for photography and this has happened. Two options, well three. But a new camera, one not as expensive but something so i don't waste this passion and lenses, two sell everything when I get home or keep using my little camera and get the big camera fixed when i get home, but it's already 8yrs old...... I'll have to look online and see what i can get for my money. Paris might make a nice camera sale soon. I wanted to yell at the top of my voice, nothing g-rated either! Would have got a great echo too. Accept the things you cannot change as i say. 

Back to the Cinque Terre. The views from the two towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola were stunning. I found several no Cinque Terre paths that led to some great little spots. Beautiful cliff faces littered with houses, the gorgeous water and it has such a charm to it. Now I'm carrying the back up camera so little exposure changes are difficult and it's just not giving me the finesse i like when I'm shooting, but at least I'm getting shots. And is that one died, i had my phone! After finishing the emotional 900 metre walk to Manarola i decided to get the train to Monterosso. The second last town before my town of Levanto. I had overheard someone say it was the most beautiful, so skip Corniglia,Vernazza and head straight there. I found a little path that was open so i headed in that direction. It was steep narrow and had minor landslides along the way. After the first trail i had noticed that the normal path from Manarola to Corniglia had two massive landslides, from the top of the hill to the sea. Now i understand why the trails were closed!! A damn good reason! There was a little sign that had Monterosso back, Vernazza up. I had a train to catch in over an hour and luckily that particular train went through Vernazza, so up i went. At this point I'd like to point out i was in two minds about this. The trek was extreme, really tight, really steep, slippery and a good workout. Saw some very cool things along the way. Hopefully I managed to get the shots right on the little camera. It took me about 50 minutes to get to the top of this climb from the train station. This was the time to turn back if I didn't think I'd make the train. i had 50 minutes until the train i needed to catch back to my hotel so i can get my bag out and not be charged another night. At the top i couldn't make out if there was a town in the valley below. It was heavy terrain, but i thought how far can it be, it's downhill so that will make it easier. I was bounding down steps, walking along narrow ridges and keeping to what seemed to be a footpath, it had the white and red lines which meant this was a path, and you came across man made steps for a while so I'm on a path. Ok, now just cause a heap of people before you have walked in that direction doesn't mean they knew where they were going. And this was not the time to get lost. I had jumped down paths, fought through prickly bastard trees (i think that is their latin name) and slipped and slided my way to the area i like to call, realization area. I could hear a waterfall and the ocean. Couldn't see much through the trees canopies, not even a hint of part of a roof, wall, boat....bugger again. There is no town in this valley. So i had to make my way back up the hill that i had mainly slid down. And now i have 40 mins before my train goes without me. No reception on my phone to call the manager and tell him I'm a bit lost but I'll be there eventually. So I have to high tale it back up this slippery shitty prickly area. Just have to remember the way I came down...... Yeah you guessed it, took a wrong turn, didn't recognize anything. See when you descend you don't look backwards to see what it tools like from the other side, or you'll slip and you will get hurt especially in these areas. I had a map but it's not in any detail. All I was thinking is go up, there was man made brick walls so the path will be here. But where i went down there was a path but the red and white stripes and man made steps ended ages ago. Remember just because someone else has gone that way doesn't mean they knew where they were going. Found a somewhat of a clearing, got up there and the next part was all prickly bushes everywhere, like rose thorns but with no pretty flowers. Luckily i had long sleeve shirt and long pants, tucked my hands into my sleeves and pushed through it, ah dammit (it's like when radioactive man says "the goggles, they do nothing") it helps that hey aren't digging into my skin but they are digging into my pants and shirt and scratching the hell out of me. But this was too hard, this wasn't the way i came through. It took 10 minutes to fight my way back out and find the right path. Precious minutes lost, and energy lost. For a split second in the prickly ass shitty area (new name) i thought I'm not going to get out of this. But i jumped back down a few levels and found the route I had taken on the way down. Got back up the to top very quickly, keeping my head down to avoid getting thorns across my face (cant make it any better but sure can make it worse) jumping, pulling myself up with tree roots, some secure rocks and some not so.
I was exhausted, i had only an apple for breakfast, good one too and it was now 3:15, i knew i would make it now, it was a matter of watching every step and concentrating on deep breathing because everything was lethargic and legs were getting a bit lactic acidy. But i made it, thankfully. And it was a good workout! Made it back to the apartment which my room was called the Audrey Hepburn room! All pink, and pictures of Audrey Hepburn! Felt like such a princess. Got my bags, paid the manager and headed to the beach for one more Italian sunset!! I had all my bags with me and just plonked on a park bench. The same old couple from yesterday were there, so cute and looks like a tradition a great tradition. It's the simple things in life, especially with the one you love. I want to and will make my own life that simple. I could spend a lot more time here, there is so much more to explore. Loved it!

Off to Ventimiglia for the night, it's right next to the Monte Carlo Italian border, the perfect start off place for my venture in to the principality tomorrow. I'll walk my favourite F1 track that our own Mark Webber won this year (by a mile i might add), and then the afternoon train to Paris. Hmm better touch up on my french. 

Bonsoir
   

700km, four storms and one special moment.

Bongiorno from Salerno. The weathers mixed and plans well......just didn't happen. Didn't really have a plan C until it was too late. But I'll indulge the original plan which was to hire a scooter from Salerno and steer it around the tint and twisty streets of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento before catching a train to a designated shit hole of Ladispoli. I googled Salerno scooter hire, well nothing. The only place in Italy that doesn't hire scooters. They had some in the nearby town so i thought I'd hit the streets see if there is a scooter hire place there without a website in Salerno if not, just walk to the next town. It look manageable on maps so i tried. After and hour of walking and a dead end/sheer cliff faces you can't walk to the next town. I did get to see the shipping harbour and all of the containers! Yay! As i was walking I was pilfering unsecured wireless internet searching again, checking maps again. Nothing. While i was walking i did have it hail on me. It was the weakest hail I'd ever seen, not car denting cricket ball sized stuff we get back home! I didn't even realize it until they were bouncing off the ground, oh hail.

Salerno is quite a pretty place, but is just really a port and a train station to connect to the Amalfi Coast. And if i had a brain in gear i could have taken the bus to Amalfi and either walked around or got a scooter there. But i only realized they had buses to Amalfi at about 2pm, my train to the shit hole was at 5:45. I asked the information lady how long does it take to get to Amalfi? One hour, hmm ok got a ticket and a timetable and the bus would be here in 5mins. Hmm bus actually takes 1hr 15mins, leaving me 15mins to see Amalfi, and get on the 4pm bus back, rush to the hotel get my bag out of storage and back to the train station. So i went back she gave me my money and i just sat down and started to people watch, to play this you need people. As opposed to last night there is not a lot of people out in Salerno during the day. So i decided I better have pizza!

I took a train to a little town called Ladispoli, it's just north of Rome and a great kick off point for the next days travels to Pisa, La Spezia and Levanto on the Cinque Terre. It took about half an hour to get to the hotel from the train station, and let's just say that it was the only place i haven't felt safe. I was getting dingy looks from a lot of people, though i don't think its a touristy type town, so they've probably never seen someone carrying their life on their backs! Over 30kg, but the legs still manages. I saw a "lady" well female, spit on the sidewalk. Im not a fan of spitting in public let alone on the sidewalk, guys or girls. Sometimes your sick and have to get rid of it, but do it discreetly. Got to the hotel, wifi and phone service, check. Walk inside the room, nothing. Stand in the doorway, wifi, walk 2m out, phone service. Ahh bugger it! I wanted to book Paris accom and train travel to Bath and accom Bath for the first night before i see Gina! I hadn't eaten since the pizza in Salerno and according to the hotel in Ladispoli (shithole) the restaurant closes at 10:30pm, good i have half hour. I go and see my little dude at reception, nope they closed at 10pm. I could have said the sign says 10:30, but I'm too tired, just make sure to eat as soon as i can, which ended up being 24 hours after my last meal. Stomach made heaps of noises, but nothing was open and had no time until my train from Pisa > La Spezia was cancelled. The best thing about Ladispoli was the wake up call. Just before my phone alarm went off, BANG! BANG! I know that sound! I lay back with a big smile, no it's not a fat-a-gram running to my door........thunderstorm! My second in Europe and if it woke me up earlier i could have got some shots. It was a very powerful, and a lot of ground strikes, and they just pulsed and pulsed, beautiful! Noise was fantastic! I managed to to get three more storms though out the day. The last one in Levanto i managed to find a little cover and shot away. It kinda died in the ass when i got set up but in the 90mins i was there i got a couple of good ones. I taunt the storm when I'm shooting them, "c'mon, c'mooooon, now......now!" "nothing like gold coast storms" even asked Thor out for some help, and bang! Cheers Thor! 

My train from to Pisa was about half hour late so i only had an hour to get in get some shots and get back on the train.Pisa isn't much but the grounds that surrounds it is very nice one. They must have relaid the grass after the summer tourists, so it looked in great condition. But keep of the grass. What, just cause I'm black you're telling me off keep off the grass! I also did think the leaning tower was going to be a bit bigger. But it was there and so were everyone doing the exact same pose, trying to look like they are trying to hold it up, i tried to demonstrate the severity of the lean by getting it lined up with street poles and the Duomo they have there.

La Spezia, now to the Cinque Terre, i thought I'll get a quick hike in the arvo before sunset. Ok multiple things went against me. The cancelled train in Pisa made me 35mins later, the majority of the hiking trails are closed due to the amount of rain they have had recently making the trails very slippery (yeah bit devastated about that one) and an on coming storm, but that one was ok in my books (get the camera ready). As the train is winding through the towns i looked out to the ocean, something strange was going on that i hadn't seen before, I'd seen it in videos but never witnessed it in person. Water spouts, or water based tornadoes. And a day after writing about the love of natural weather and it's extremes! The only problem i had was that there was so many tunnels so i couldn't be sure of what i was seeing. I got the Levanto, i could see only one left, couldn't get a photo, so i stood with my backpacks on, standing on a bench fully zoomed in on my little canon. I filmed about 15 secs of it, very cool. Unfortunately after i checked in and when i got to the beach that big black cloud that caused those water spouts had disappeared. As i surveyed the area for the new storm coming over the hills i saw two old people sitting in a chair, his arm over her keeping them close, they were here to see the sunset, and it was one of the most beautiful sunsets. I wonder how many times they had done that. It was a really sweet moment that one day I hope to have with my lucky lady, whoever she is. I couldn't help but try and get them in my shots or incorporate them without disturbing them. It was such a warm moment and a gorgeous sunset just as a storm front was coming it. I'm not a hugely emotional man but that moment really hit me. I felt lonely, but i could feel the love from these two old people. It put a lump in my throat and eyes even welled up. These moments in life are the greatest, you never take them for granted. Sometimes people forget about the small stuff that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. It was a really sweet moment and i was glad i was there to see and experience it as a third person. It started to rain just after the sun dipped under the horizon like a perfect cue, ok, suns gone, start rain. It got pretty heavy and storm was in full swing, but the lightning wasn't impressive or breaking the clouds, so i went in search for some shops to get some aqua and apples for tomorrows little hike! Pink lady score (my fav apples)! By that time the storm had kicked up a notch and it was time to grab everything and find a sheltered spot and start shooting. I loved it, being cold, there with my camera and my favorite tv channel, storm tv! Every 30mins i was going to pack up, then boom! Ok i'll keep going. It always like that with storms, i have been out for 3 hours before! So today was good, four storm, i shot one, saw Pisa, ate pizza for dinner and witnessed a beautiful moment with the perfect setting! Walking tomorrow, sleep on the French Italian border, Monaco Thursday and Paris Thursday night. 

Not long left now. 

Arrivederci Roma

Walking around rome can be tricky as in any big city and planning your route the previous day has been very important to getting to my organized tours of the Vatican and the Colosseum or originally called Flavian Amphitheatre. Again another beautiful day the heart of Italy. Well for about an hour at least. Rain again. This time it was a good old thunder storm, my first european thunderstorm, i didn't get any photos of it since i was actually inside the colosseum when the lightning started. But as we were walking through the top level a great big crack of thunder was heard. And i was thinking when the colosseum was being built they had a strong belief of paganism, they believed in multiple gods, made sacrifices etc. And it wasn't until i think mid 300AD was Christianity made legal by Constantine. To be on a pagan site and have the god of thunder/lightning Thor giving us a show was pretty cool. Or you could simply say, it's shit, it's raining. Since the majority of the city is pretty flat you can see the weather coming in so i was prepared to get wet.

The tour of the colosseum is okay, i think you should use it if you want to get in without standing in line for a fair while. I did get other facts about it so it wasn't bad or terrible but the language and translation can get a bit tricky. Our guide was an architect and she spoke excellent english though her concept of up and down was a bit skewed. The common women sat on the sixth level, and she explained it a few times that they had to go down (while pointing up) to the sixth level to sit. And she related a lot of what they didn't have in those days compared to what we have now. For example, ticketing for the colosseum. They had a pottery ticket that had entrance number (there were 80 of them), then the level and seat number. It could hold 50,000 people, it ran everyday. And yes Cam the tickets were free! But i feel our guide did expand too much on certain points like the ticketing, making examples that they didn't have the internet to get tickets or printers to print the tickets. Really, You don't say! Surely they had google! I'm apparently a barbarian too, since i have facial hair I wouldn't be a traditional roman I'd be a barbarian. Move aside Conan, it's Luca the Barbarian!  Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between in 69AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under emperor Titus. The site continued to be used for battles into the 6th century
The shows, and i use the shows terms loosely, were noon till 3pm public executions, then Gladiatorial battles from 3pm onwards. And to be saved it was a closed fist with a thumb tucked into the fist, and if the emperor decided for you to be killed it was a thumbs up, contrary to most beliefs. All gladiators were slaves and some were women too. And if there was a very good gladiator they were given a wooden sword as a symbol that they can retire. She did make a few references to gladiator the movie a few times. Apparently it was quite accurate though the time was about 100 years off. There isn't a lot to see or to photograph, but your walking on ancient ruins, nearly 2000 years old. Earthquakes have damaged some of the the outside wall and time has eroded what was a wooden floor which was covered by sand. The information from the guide showed that sand was used to hide trap door and secret passage ways to always keep the fight, or execution exciting for the public. Animals were trained to slowly kill the prisoner instead of a quick kill which would be pointless for putting on a show (I was told of that part of animal training on the Pompeii tour where they trained animals there). She pointed out how the trap doors worked, and also touched on the reasons and styles of executions. It wasn't like Sachsenhausen where they made something up for you, you actually did something wrong! There are plenty of multi-lingual signage around so you will still learn a lot by just turning up and going in there. But I'd strongly suggest doing a tour of both the Vatican and the Colosseum the to get some interesting information and to jump the queues.  
BTW. Rain rain.....piss off!

Next up is Naples and a tour of Mt Vesuvius and the ancient ruins of Pompeii and then onto Salerno for the night. 

Now ever since i was in school i have always been fascinated with volcanoes and today i was able to walk around the crater of an active volcano Mt Vesuvius and see the devastation it cause in 79AD in the town of Pompeii. It wasn't lava or (using your best Dr Evil voice) magma that killed the people, it was the pyroclastic ash that suffocated and entombed them. We were picked up in Naples, and the first thing i saw outside the train station in Naples (Napoli) was a dead body. Yup, dead. Had a sheet over him and a section of the walkway taped off. Hmm not a good start in the home of the Mafia! The area we had to wait for the mini bus was very dirty, and had piles and piles of rubbish just sitting next to over flowing skip bins. Later on i was told that they rubbish bin drivers have been on a strike for a while. Pretty grosse. What i have found out about the Italian government from the tour guides i have had is that they are more concerned with the playboy lifestyle and are not concerned with saving ancient ruins or fixing bad roads. Our guide was great we had about 8 Americans, and a couple of Brits and the only Australian who doesn't drink ;-) I told them I am a great Australian myth, and they can go home and tell their family and friends that they met the only sober Aussie! I know I'm not the only one but they couldn't believe that I didn't drink and i was still having fun! Back to Pompeii, they have running fountains every street, and the opening of the fountains was a mouth surrounded by a head and the head was one of the gods, that was your street sign, it'd be cool living on Thor, where do you live? Thor! It sounded much funnier in my head. As i learnt the day before everything is related to status, sitting in the amphitheater, midday baths (like a siesta), taxes and housing. And i learnt where the term plebes (common people) came from. I have heard people call people plebes but never knew where it came from. We walked in to a ancient brothel and above the rooms they had fresco painting above the doors depicting positions or acts of carnal pleasures. When we exited our guide described that the pictures were like a menu, choose a girl and choose what you wanted to do from the pictures. They had condoms made from animal intestines and used a vinegar swabs as a disinfectant. The average marriage was basically organized by families and though divorces were allowed they were uncommon, just like now each gets half. And the women would have male slaves to help around the house, and HELP AROUND THE HOUSE!! Wink wink! So infidelity wasn't uncommon or frowned upon, it happened all the time. Mind you marriages back then were more of a contract than love. Once again the god of sun Apollo helped us out with heaps on good weather, it did get a bit windy, rainy and cold on Vesuvius but it was spitting, the wind was really pelting it into you. But it lasted 5 mins and came just as soon as it left. There was a temple there for Apollo and his twin sister Artemis who is the goddess of the moon. It's a really lovely place and our guide did a great job, his enthusiasm was infectious and makes history interesting and fun. A long way away from Australia's 200+ years of history. We had pizza (included in the tour) and then headed to Mt Vesuvius. The roads were very twisty and tight all the way up to the national park entrance of Vesuvius. Nature called and I'm glad it did, i managed to use the strangest port-a-loo I have ever seen. There is no water, you do your business (luckily mine was a number one) then you crank the handle, very similar to and old pokies machine, i thought it would pump water into the bowl but it fact it rotated the metal conveyer belt! In hope that your business would slide off! Ha! Luckily i had some hand sanitizers as well. Since there was no water either. The walk was really nice. You get a great view of the bay of Naples and Sorrento and you can even see Isle of Capri, and the water looked so blue. The Vesuvius part was just a walk, our tour guide let's us go by ourselves, which was great cause i could fly up to the crater (leg feeling a bit better and the excitement of an active volcano numbs all pain) and walk around, which you can only get half way and then the path is closed off. The other side of the path is quite a way off from the edge of the volcano so you would just get an easterly and boring view. So no loss. The weather changed very quickly and it got cold and the steam coming out of the crater just increased which made it very cool and i was hoping for a rumble! 

Wild nature intrigues me. Storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes just make every sense so heightened and the hairs stick up on the back of your neck! I felt the Newcastle earthquake when i was visiting in Gosford and my grandma thought i was running around the house! I loved it. When the gold coast had a grade 3 cyclone brush our coastline, i was down the beach nearly everyday (mum thought i was crazy, well still does) watching the skies and watching the waves erode the beach away. It's just something beautiful that no one can control. I love standing taking photos of storms, i love the unpredictable nature of lightning and the risk is always worth it!

I'm in Salerno tonight, the streets are alive with a lot of activity, i think it's market night and heaps of christmas decorations lining the streets. There is thousands walking the streets and it's just such a calm, laid back atmosphere. I wanted to take my camera back output i need to rest my leg if it's going to get better. 

Tomorrow the Amalfi Coast, and a train trip halfway to Pisa. Next day travel to Pisa, take a photo, then onto La Spezia and stay on the Cinque Terra. Monaco and Paris before meeting my friends in Cologne!

Buonanotte

Ciao Roma! Part 1

Roma! I'm in Rome! Haha freaking Rome! 

It's hard to put into words the history that is around.  Thousands of years of history. Of course all places in the world have millions of years of history. But this is in your face, this is living history. Ruins or as Stewie Griffin would say, rueeeens. They are everywhere and it's interesting to see how much real estate is taken up by preserving so much history. It's really great to see a city that has preserved so much of history. I guess here big stuff in history actually happened. 

My first day here was a day to get lost, i do this pretty much everywhere and i do a great job of getting lost. I managed to get lost and find such places like the Trevi Fountain, Museum Of Art & Culture, Trajan Column, Santa Maria Basillica, Piazza Della Republica and literally stumbled across the Colosseum. The only problem I have with Rome is the city layout. Most cities you can look at a map, or pretty much guess your way around. Most layouts are squares, rectangles, triangles even. Not Rome, it's just a big mess. That is great that it's not the norm, you don't want everything the same. I hate planned living and exact housing estates with no personality and everything is just the same. But it so hard to get your bearings on a map. I'm gunna blame the map for this one. Oh, and streets change name halfway down itself? Hmm yeah that took hours out of my life. Let me indulge the story of how i got home last night!

It was about 3:30, pouring down with rain, i think i was asked by about 48 gypsies if i wanted to buy an umbrella. I am soaked to the core and yeah now i want an umbrella, dick head! They didn't follow or pander you about it, they could somehow tell that it was a no sale. Some did actually realize that the sales pitch was a bit lost on the tourist who's hat is dripping in front of his eyes! Wet and seen as much as i can see for one day of getting lost i headed back tot he hotel. On my way back to the hotel, i took the general direction towards the hotel. It would be easy to switch data roaming on my phone and check out the direction from google maps but my phone bill was excessive at the moment (texts are fine in Italy since they have "3" here and the same with the UK). I had a map that the hotel distributes to the guests, but the problem was that advertising covers up some of the street names, and funnily enough these are the street names i was looking for. The problem being also on the map is the monuments are facing in the wrong direction (for printing purposes only). So I'm at the arts and culture museum looking out at the balcony i spot the colosseum, wait that's not the colusseum.... Just some ruins. Look around a tiny bit more, ahh there it is, big difference! Ok ill head there next. Check the map, back right hand corner of the museum goes straight to the colusseum....... It doesn't. It's actually the opposite direction. That's when the penny drops that the pictures are for landmark purposes only! Ok, where's a bathroom. I never thought i could hold on for so long. I thought I'd have to get a peg to stop any possible flow. I envy that women can seem to hold it a long time! I ended up going down some streets that basically went in a circle, four lefts and you're back where you started! I found a police station, must be the main one, cause it was massive. I went in hope that a) they could understand what i was saying and, b) they knew where one was. A) didn't turn out so good. I heard the officer speaking english to a Japanese couple so i thought great, asked him if he spoke english, out of courtesy, yes. Do you know where a toilet is? No, no, police station. He than starts to push me towards the door. Toilet, i had seen signs and toilet seemed the same word in both languages (or all signs were accommodating to English speaking people). No police station. He points to his badge. Yes, yes i understand. Then he asks me why? Why? Why? I tilt my head, why? I need to use the bathroom (and i press down on my bladder) ahh yes, just down on the right!! Grazie, grazie mille! Best pee ever!

When you are really lost you don't even know where you are near, so you have street names and you are looking through a map from the Vatican to near my hotel and all the streets in between. Just to put that in perspective it took me an hour to walk to the Vatican, and i wasn't dawdling. So heaps of little streets, back alleys and of course advertising hiding the street names i was looking for made getting lost really easy. But i found the colusseum, just as the heavy rain had started. No issue since i organized to do a tour of the Vatican and Colosseum while I'm here. I just really wanted to catch a glimpse of it first.

As you can tell I've gone off on another tangent, don't worry i will get back to why it took 3hours to get home, and you've wad so much I'll try and explain it in less that how long it took! So it had been about 45 minutes, then 1 hour then 2 hours of walking and i should be close. The rain and this incessant pain in my right leg wasn't helping (dunno what is causing the pain but it's in the same area as shin splints but it's  muscular, the muscle that helps you lift our toes). My map was drenched, it was dark and i couldn't make anything out anymore. My spirits weren't dampened at all, i had good weather all morning and this was Rome telling me it's time to relex, and get back to the hotel. When i get back to the hotel! I tried to find anything in the area that was familiar. Had a feeling i was close, just because of the housing, street layout was a bit more suburbany i suppose. And today i found out how close i was. I was literally 5 minutes from my hotel. That night, yes night by now, i managed to spot a map at a bus stop that actually has a you are here spot and my intersecting street was just around the two right corners. I double checked the direction of the map with the intersection, just to make sure i was going to take the proper two rights. I did check, and at this point I'm glad I'm alone, a woman would have killed me by now! But i laughed because i was actually close. Off i headed in the maps direction, two rights...... Hmm this is certainly not familiar, WTF Rome! I even checked the direction with the streets intersections..... So after a half an hour the scenery changed and i wasn't in Kansas anymore. I gave up, came across a taxi rank and hopped in! Best €6.30 I've ever spent!

After having a nice hot shower i went to explore the local restaurants.... And after 30 mins of searching, there isn't any. The hotel has some food at their bar, so that will do. Lasagne alla bolognese por favor. The barman is great, doesn't speak english that well, well not to me, seems good when he speaks to other people, but i think he wants me to use more Italian since i know a few more phrases. I sit down he gives me the remote, of course i find football, so I'm even better in his books! The lasagne was pretty good, not as good as mine of course ;-) it was funny as i sat down i heard the freezer open and the microwave turn on...... Ahhh authentic Italian cuisine! But it was better than the lasagne i had tonight in a restaurant and the lasagne i had at Lake Garda. Had a great phone call from Trina, making sure i was okay, i should have said something about my leg! But it was great to here someones voice. Thanks Treen! Early start tomorrow, Vatican City, the smallest country/principality in the world! Not Monte Carlo! 

I woke up feeling fresh, 5 hours and I'm fine to function, though a nap is probably going to be imminent around 5ish. And funnily enough, it did at 5! I had plotted my route to the Vatican city and the meeting point of the tour. The tour included the Vatican museum and the Sistine chapel! I'm glad i had a tour, one to skip the line but also to learn a whole lot more than i ever would have! I learned a heap about the start of christianity and the first pope. The few popes afterwards and their influence on the area and the landscape. Very interesting. I'm not a religious person, i will not hide that. My heart believes in a higher power, not that it controls us, or our fate, we control that. But it's a belief, like all religion is. My head doesn't agree will beliefs, it deals with facts and understanding. I do believe and practice just being a good decent person, respecting each person of their different beliefs, cultures and backgrounds. And i expect the same. I understand why the vast majority of populations around the world have a belief in one way shape or form, but it's all the same message in the end. It's like saying thank you, it is said in so many different ways but means the same thing. Grazie, merci, danke, thank you, takk, obrigado, gracias.

Now into the museum you go through security, remember you are actually going into another country, though going into Vatican city on the other side is free of metal detectors. But the museum also asked for me to check my bag, was too big, ha how many time have a heard that..... Sorry backpack! I guess they don't want people spinning around and knocking thousands of years of history on the ground. The museum is beautiful, a lot of little bits of artifacts that are hundreds if not thousands of years old. Some of the highlights are some of the sculptures, amazing detail and human form, women aren't done too well, they are as muscular as the men but they have boobs and longer hair. We all know most women have a bit more waist than men, not all but some. The baths, especially Nero's big ass bath! When we are standing in the courtyard we go through what we will see in the Sistine chapel. You are not allowed to talk or take photos inside so we go through the layout in detail before we get inside. Normally i'm a little annoyed that a lot of people come so far to see this and they cant have a photo to show anyone who may never see it, but this time I'm okay with that. My photos wouldn't be able to do it justice with tourists around and I'm not going to put some lovely photo of Michelangelo's work shoved in my backpack! Some japanese company bought the rights a few years back for 100million so they have every right to want to make sure that their investment is secure. It's stunning, amazing piece of work, it took longer to restore it than it did to paint it, and more people did the restoration! Just some small background on the roof of the Sistine chapel, was painted by Michelangelo who was actually a sculpture. Raphael a famous painter at the time, wanted to get rid of Michelangelo so he would be the only famous artist getting all of the work. So he told the pope i think it was Julius II to get Michelangelo to do it. He said no, i'm a sculpture not a painter. Nero said if i ask you, you have to do it. He then threatened Michelangelo with war on his home of Florence. He agreed to paint it, not really knowing the (fresco) technique of how to paint on plaster. He tried and pieces of the roof started to fall off, so he bailed back to Florence. Julius was pissed and sent letters and ended up getting the Swiss guards to bring him back. After a small meeting Michelangelo agreed to do it (apparently with the imprint of the pope's fist on his face). So he hired someone to teach him the fresco technique. After the first three panels he fired them and did the rest on his own. He was a bit of a dark character who had a humorous side painting enemies as demons (in the last judgement paining also in the Sistine) and also painting god mooning aimed at Julius for making him do it! And he did it standing up on scaffolding looking straight up, not on his back like it has been depicted in the movies.  What was really impressive as was the last judgement, it really tells a story! The pope at the time asked him to paint it, but he knew the pope was old and not well and soon to die, so he said he'd do some sketches (because he was working on another project) and then he would never have to do it. That Pope died, but he didn't destroy the sketches, the new pope found them and got Michelangelo to do it anyway. The detail is phenomenal as is everything in there, but its just so wow, the whole room, well more of a wooooooooooooow! My English isn't good enough to explain how good this place is. And in one of the paintings that Raphael did (the one with great minds like Aristotle, Pythagorus, Plato etc) he even put Michelangelo in it after seeing the Sistine chapel. Which would have been a big thing since he tried to ruin his reputation by advising the pope to hire him to do something he wasn't trained to do. In all the place was magical, i wonder if the pope just walks around and just marvels at all that surrounds him. And just in general around the halls of the museum, the roofs that have been painted look like they have been carved, but they are flat. One of the drapes/massive cloth/tapestry i don't know exactly what it was but, Jesus' eyes follow you and so does the tablet that he is standing on.

From there i headed to St Paul's Basillica. Probably doesn't have the external detail say as the Duomo in Florence but inside it's massive, gorgeous, awe inspiring and even some minstrels were practicing on the balcony so it gave a real buzz to the place. Not like the minstrels that were in Monty Python's Holy Grail. I even managed to walk up the 600 stared to the top area of the dome. Sorry Pete, if you wanna go to the top you'll have to walk sideways, your shoulders aren't going to fit in those corridors, and tiny stairwells! If you're really badly claustrophobic forget this part of the Vatican! Take the lift half way up, and be happy. If you wanna conquer it have a crack! Or go caving beforehand! A long day, my leg is still very sore but a good massage certainly helps! Colosseum tomorrow, then Naples for a Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius tour.

Hope everyone back home is happy and healthy! 

First days in Italy! Beauty and shitty weather!

Firstly, Italy. You should be my new home! In my first few hours i saw 4 men carrying roses, and they didn't look guilty. Romance is something i believe in and it's great to see it elsewhere!! Rarely have a seen a guy on the gold coast buy flowers. Push bikes everywhere, being ridden by young and old alike. It feels right and it looks great this place.

Lake Garda! What's will i remember you for? Unfortunately rain. A lot of rain. And when you sell a rain protector for a bag, it better keep the rain out, stupid kathmandu! You sold me a piece of shit! Walking the streets with my camera and tripod last night. It got me invigorated for the next few weeks ahead. I'm far from ready to go home. I have more to do and more to see. A lot more!

Let's go through today, woke up mice and early, ready to check out and go to Venice. Got to reception at 6:50 giving myself time to slowly walk to the station to catch the 7:37 am train. But when i get to reception no one is there!? Ok breakfast is being served at 7:30, so someone will be here at 7am. Hmm lady walks in, staff member, not too good at English, i soon find out she's here to set up breakfast. So i go down to ask her what time is check out, on the website it says anytime before 11am. She replies sette medza. Right, seven something, check my phrasebook, half past seven. Ok, pull out the phrasebook out again. They have my passport, so i find, posso avere il mio passporto, per favore. And i added sette medza, train!! I will call receptionist. Ahh, goodo, he'll be 2 mins. At first he couldn't find my passport, and i manage to check out at 7:15, google maps says it takes 22mins to walk to the station. And it's raining. These kinds of things can get you down, i love the rain, i love being in the rain, but i don't like my bag with my cameras, iPad, iPhone, train tickets and passport getting wet, that's why i purchased a waterproof bag cover but it failed miserably. I could have used my ninja powers and speed to swat away all the rain drops, and there was a lot of rain. I managed to beat google maps by 7 minutes, and while walking I did notice that I'm very sore from all of the alpine walking I did in Zermatt. The pain got worse as the day wore on. And also as the day wore on, i was getting wetter and wetter. I did take a poncho (thanks mum) but i used it to cover my bag with all of the important stuff inside. I fed the bag straps through the arm hole! Very Macgyver of me!

Not the best day but you can't have perfect weather for your whole trip!

That afternoon i headed to Florence. I don't know if I've mentioned the trains and how good they are. I would hate to be doing the airport thing, it's a lot of screwing around, checking in, going through security waiting to board, and then waiting for your bags at your destination. But also most airports are not close to the city centre. Trains you hop on, hop off, you manage your own bags and border security check your passports while your seated on the train. You can do the overnight thing to get to where you want go or travel short distances during the day to see some of the country side. In Florence i stayed in a B&B and it was right in the heart of the city. I could have walked but my google maps wasn't 100% clear and i had to get there on time ,so i took a cab, €7 and we drove past the Duomo and a few piazzas, and i soon realized why Frankie loved this place so much! From the accommodation it was 5 mins to Duomo, 5 mins to the river/canal (ARNO) and 20 mins to Piazzale Michelangelo, with churches and massive beautiful buildings scattered everywhere! The guy who runs the B&B, Roberto is very welcoming and very happy that I'm there on time. You have to nominate what time you get there someone turns up, let's you in etc. Really lovely guy, very accommodating and helpful. The shower was a bit pathetic, and i really wanted a good one after being in wet clothes since the morning. I managed to walk around most of the town during the night, missed out on the amazing view of Piazzale Michelangelo at night, but i gave it about an hour today. I think i did ok with the photos, i could have been walking around all day taking photos of alleys, buildings, incredibly meticulous artwork and detail on some of the buildings. And for fun i took a great shot of the green David and the ultimate T-Bag! Hilarious!

I did get an interesting text from 3 mobile, this international roaming stuff is a bit ridiculous. I went to check on the website the prices for evereything while i was in Malaysia, that page that has the prices requires flag to read it, with my ipad and iphone they cannot read flash media so i couldn't actually find out the exact prices. It's been great to be in contact but, eeeep it's been a bit pricey! So please email me unless it's urgent or if you don't want a response. I check my emails in the morning and at night which is about 6pm and 8am Qld time. Most places I'm staying at have WI-FI so i will get back to you pretty soon. 

Right now i'm on my way to Roma, and four nights in what I've been told an amazing city. I'll try an organize a last minute tour, just to jump the queues and get some good information on some of these ancient sites. An easy night tonight, a good sleep, book some more accommodation for La Spezia and Paris, then off to the land of nod! 

Still sober but no longer a virgin traveller. But it's my first time, so be gentle! 

Just a few thoughts

What am i going to when i get home? That i don't know. Of course I'll be back to work, but i want and i need a change. Over here I've realised some important things about me. For a long time i can remember i have had this thought that I'm someone who will be self sufficient, i know no matter what i can function on my own. This trip has re-enforced that thought but has made me realize that my life wouldn't be the same without my friends and family who have instilled this confidence, (sometimes it's been misconstrued as arrogance, but i don't think I'm better than anyone else), but i know in myself that yes i can do whatever i want. I think before i have been in my comfort zone and not willing to try anything outside the box. How more outside the box can you get, this morning i asked for my passport because i had a 7:30 train to catch in italian. And she understood. 

I have always thought of myself (prepare for the hangover quote) as a one man wolf pack. Since becoming single earlier in the year i have focussed on getting my confidence back, getting back into shape, trying new things, new foods and being generally a happy person. Work is work, I'm not in a position to change the place for the greater good, i can do my job to the best of my ability everyday, and they pay me to do so. I like my work, i have a great job and i get to work with a few really down to earth good people. This year has been massive, playing sport again and having numerous crushes, some serious, some not so. I have had some major ups and downs, and right now I'm in Europe. At the start of 2010 i would have never thought i'd be where I am right now. I'd hoped eventually to travel, but I'm so happy that it's now, I'm doing it now. At the start of the year i was with someone to whom i loved dearly and i thought we'd be together forever, as you think that when you're with someone. Somethings in life just don't work out the way you'd hoped. I think i bounced back pretty quick, and it helped understanding why it didn't work and the support of some friends who weren't afraid to say the truth. Another of life's lessons learnt. I have a greater understanding of what i want, and what is really important to me. But right now I'm in Italy on my way to Venice, that's pretty important! So much has happened in this crazy year, and there is a month and a half left, what next?  

The Swiss Alps!

And everything goes to plan! Arrived in Zermatt an hour ahead of schedule, but still arrived in the dark. The one thing i love about this little town is there are no cars, they have streets and the taxis/transfers/police all have little electric buggies, even the occasional golf cart. As you would've already read, and if your just starting to read, you've missed a bit, but I'm sure you can catch up, I'll wait......

I think my weather luck is staying with me, but the wet weather in awaiting me in Italy, according to weather reports. Before the big day in Zermatt weather said for the day I'm there it was going to be raining and snowing, not the best conditions for a scenic helicopter flight. As the song says, "always take the weather with you." so I did i hope no one was mad. Zermatt is a little bit chilly and opposed to norway I think I'm over the freezing part of my trip, and i was only cold cold when i was on the boat searching for killer whales, my feet and hands were very cold. The fact that you are standing or sitting for 3-4 hours doesn't help. So the thermals will get a rest for the next few weeks, maybe Cologne, Brussels or Amsterdam i might need them. And of course when I'm back in the UK when it officially winter. Temps in Italy are high teens low twenties, so i might have to break out a t-shirt!

Sunday morning arrives, I've been really tried lately so getting out of bed was very hard today, but i knew that i had to call Air Zermatt first thing to see how their day was looking and to see if I could get on flight that has a spare seat. I had emailed them twice before the day to see if there was any pre-bookings and to get my hopes up, but i didn't get a response. Check their website grab their number. Which i have been putting the country code at the start of the number but it keeps coming up cannot reach that number in four languages! But since I'm in the country and using their cellular network there is no need. Duh! I also needed to check plan B, the cable cars up to ski fields next to the Matterhorn. 9:30 i called Air Zermatt, great success, i have a flight leaving in at 10am. I need to get to the start of the town in 20 mins, remember i am in bed still :-/ so, grab all possible camera gear, grab batteries off their chargers, make sure I've formatted all memory cards, oh and get dressed, would be a bit chilly on the willy in just shorts!

The helicopter flight, wow, amazing, beautiful, shön, bella, beau, stunning, breathtaking..... You get the point. I knew this would be a really cool thing to do if all plans fell into place in Zermatt. And this time they did, i didn't get lost (hard to with only one real street). It cost 210 Swiss francs (CHF) and the CHF is very close to our value, mind you the price of goods is a bit more. The flight was for 20mins and it seemed like a lot longer. The pilot was very helpful and informative, speaking Italian and french for the other passengers and also pointing some things out for me too, even though i was snapping away and not saying much. I got dibs on the front seat too! Should have yelled shotgun! I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying but i could get an understanding of words and hand gestures got to stick the go pro on the side panel, and I don't know how the footage looks for that or the cogwheel cause my iPad doesn't support that video format, so ill have to wait until i get home. He warned me that the footage might be a bit shaky but i pressed my leg up against it to try and minimize the pretty severe vibration that you could feel in the chopper. I would have loved for the guy who buckled us up to say in his best Arnie impersonation........GET IN THE CHOPPER! That would've been hilarious! We first flew away from the town for noise reasons, and headed over the peaks that line Zermatt. Bank left and head towards this awe inspiring natural marvel.  The Matterhorn at 4,477.54 metres was the last of the great climbs in the alps to be conquered. It was conquered in 1865 by Edward Whymper finally conquered the summit on his eighth attempt. But it was tarnished with tragedy when after reaching the summit four of the party fell to the Matterhorn glacier. He also pointed out the popular route that they took in 1865 to reach the summit, the north-east Hörnli ridge is the most popular ridge used to reach the top. Apparently it's not that difficult, yeah in a helicopter its not! He also informed us that you need to plot your accent in advance and make sure you stick to it and not change your mind. Thats when climbers get in trouble. Over 500 climbers have died between 1865 and 1995. To change your mind halfway up isn't easy and you cant go back down a bit to alter your attack.  So I'll need to plan my accent very carefully next time im here! Haha, so many reasons why that's not going to happen. You could even see a small cabin on the edge of the preferred route up to the summit. Wouldn't want to be a sleep walker! It such a beautiful mountain, and if you could have a favourite mountain the Matterhorn would be mine. There is just something about it. It's shape, the terrain, the stories or the fact it has a relation to chocolate, and yes i did buy a toblerone! But I'll be careful, you don't want one of those sharp edges hitting the roof of your mouth!   
We hovered behind the Matterhorn and he pointed out the border of Switzerland and Italy. Some of the bigger peaks in the area like the second largest in the alps Monte Rosa at 4634 metres and in the distance you could see Mount Blanc in France at 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft) it's the largest mountain in the alps. And these were proper mountains, not what we have back home. He also showed us three glaciers, two were on the right hand side so i didn't get a shot but i did get one on my side. He prepared me for the gorgeous view coming back into Zermatt, the valley of the town, surrounded by mountains and the Matterhorn in the background, the centre piece, brilliant. That was worth every Franc! 

Afterwards, it was just after 10am, now what am i going to to. I had a date too....... With the TV, F1 last race. I have my priorities people. It was disappointing for Mark Webber not getting the championship, but he has had a great year. I'm not going to talk about it more or else i would re-cap the whole year and you'd be reading until i get back! Most of you would fall asleep if you hadn't already! So i had three and a half hours to kill, i was craving a vanilla milkshake, couldn't find one so I just kept walking. I had water, still no breakfast but i was buzzing from my flight. I took the Matterhorn trail and just kept walking. It had no distance to it or really a map, but i wanted to walk and discover. It's probably the first time I've ever been at real altitude and i could tell after about 15 minutes, the walk up was steeper than Neuschwanstein castle path and you get so exhausted so quickly. It only take 15-20secs before you're off again. And as soon as i ditched my big jacket i could walk for ages. You can really feel your heart pumping away trying to get that oxygen around your body. I didn't get to the end, i don't even know where the end was? I walked for about an hour and a half and for me that was plenty, i had a good workout, but I'm ready to eat! The decent was much much quicker and no stopping, air gets better and your almost jogging down. It's funny on the way down there are couples stranded on the paths, I'm not being sexist but the men were always standing and the women sitting on the various benches, mind you it just keeps going, if i had a packed lunch and more water id have seen the end, however far it was. On the way up there was a guy running up! He must be in training, apparently they have a Matterhorn marathon!!!

Kept my F1 watching pizza eating tradition. It was okay, they don't put cheese on the top (so the toppings fall off)  i think the no cheese on top policy is for presentation and it must also be why they don't cut their pizzas. The evening i just chilled out, organising my photos and watching some Italian tv. Get me prepared for what is to come! And in the middle of the night my sleep was disturbed at 2:50am, luckily it was Jodie, got to speak to DV, Dad (Cam) and a surprise cameo my Kyles! Great to hear from everyone. I know you don't like phone calls JP but i really appreciate it! I went back to sleep with a big smile after hearing from my friends. Slept for another hour and then back onto the train to Brig, Brescia and Desenzano Del Garda! 

Right now I'm in Italy, we've (the train and I) just left Milano train station heading to Brescia, then from there to Lake Garda, it's pretty grey and windy out there so obviously the weather didn't follow me, but I'll see that sun again soon! I have already used more Italiano in the few hours i have been here than German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland put together. But i knew more Italian in the first place. Nearly two weeks here. I still woke up with a big smile, because I'm in EUROPE! 

Swiss beauty!

Lucerne, Luzern. How every you want to spell it, it's very pretty town. Pretty small with a lot of Swiss flags, well everything has a white cross on a red background. And yup it's expensive. I knew that Switzerland and Norway were going to be quite pricey, but Switzerland, you are something else. I've done as the Swiss do, i ate pastries, don't ask me what was in it, I'd prefer not to know, but it was delicious. My hotel catch phrase is we have the best pizza in town, we'll see about that! Not the cheapest in town and not the dearest. But it was pretty good, not as good as mine or the pizza i had in London! And what's with not cutting them?! They were big and I exhaled them no problems! As vie said to a few friends, i have been really busqy trying to see as much as i can and sometimes i completely forget to eat. Not until i get back in the room does my stomach make one hell of a noise! I have lost a tiny bit if weight, but nothing alarming, my stomach isn't shrinking, drinking plenty of evain, yeah I know it's naive spelled backwards. It's cheap! 

The weather for my first day in Luzern (that's what the signs here say so ill go with that spelling) was pretty bloody grey and wet. So my PLAN! Well it was to see Mt Pilatus, but the weather had other plans. The great thing is the mountain has a webcam, so i could check if it was looking good...... The grey wall was back! 

So when god gives you lemons, make lemonade. The city/town is quite small, the focal point is the lake, funnily enough called Lake Luzern. The water is crystal clear, swans, duck, and even a few seagulls. There are plenty of churches, flags and on the weekend people. I managed to walk around the majority of the town on Friday, i didn't take a map, just pointed in a direction and go from there. Not many signs are in English, and Switzerland has three languages, all depending on how close you are to the neighboring country. So they speak German, French and Italian (60%, 30%, 10%). Now that would be a great place for a child to be raised in, three languages and they'd learn English at school as well! I have learnt a key phrase in German, sprechen sie englisch?! Haha and thankfully most of them say yes! I love when you get people trying to sell you something, i use the line.....English? Nein. They can they just don't want to waste their time, foreigners aren't their target market. So i got some decent photographs with the weather, again it was quite good to me once i got out and down to the streets, light to no rain. I even found this battlements wall they have in the city. I thought it'd be cool to walk around it, it's no great wall of china. There are information boards everywhere but it's all in German. Luzern is a much better signed and street mapped area than Innsbruck was that's for sure. So the battlements wall, walking along it and i was hoping that there was on of the towers open, but didn't like my chances. First one nope, second one, mmm no door, wait a minute, there was a door open, score! It was a tunnel that goes under the wall and then up to the tower. Well there was a heap of stair welcoming me when i got there, steep to. Strange to see no one else was up the top. Took some nice photos of the city from above, got my oxygen ready for the decent :-P As i get half way down a worker is heading up, finds me and then tells me no one is supposed to be up here, ha! Apparently they close the wall off to the locals/tourists in winter, he had opened it, went back to his van to get something and i managed to get in and up without him knowing! SCORE! He asked me to please close the door on the way out, so he doesn't get any more visitors. Fine by me, always love an exclusive. Well winter exclusive. As i have said previously, everything happens for a reason, if i went up to Mt Pilatus, or even if I didn't arrive when that door was open, i would have missed the chance to go up there and see the 'grey' beauty of Luzern from above. 

Since I'm getting old and i want to get some night shots of Luzern since i knew what was around and where the cool landmarks were. I needed a nap! It's the age thing! It was a beautiful clear night, stars shining, the moon was on the horizon and the forecast for tomorrow was perfect weather, bring on Mt Pilatus! The shots came out pretty good, not my best night work, but the best of what the city could give me. One thing I've noticed in Luzern is it seems a national pastime to smoke, from the teenagers to the very old. So many people. The women have beautiful eyes but most of them smoke! Most of the population has strong features, and don't be alarmed the kids over here fuss with their hair just as much as ours! Speaking of hair, i decided to cut corners with my genes and shave my head. I don't know what number, 6mm is what is says on my beard trimmer comb. I wont be seeing anyone i know for about 3 weeks, so if it looks shite, it will grow back. But it looks better than expected. And i'm not over here to experience the european female culture *wink* *wink* so it prepares me mentally for the balding years ahead. I know i'm going bald, hell both my granddads were bald and my Nan is going that way too, so my chances were slim to nothing. So now I'm a handsome fuzz ball! Still got the beard though.

Saturday, first thing, open the curtains, wow perfect blue skies. Run down stairs and have some breakfast, then get ready to hit the mountain (haha don't have to do my hair) so it's going to be train to Alpnestad, cogwheel up to Pilatus, cable car to Kriens, then bus from Kriens back to Luzern. The mountain has a few legends, one about a young man falling into a cave where dragons were hibernating, they didn't mind his presence and he had no food so he copied them by licking the rock that they lick. When winter ended they took off and helped him get out of the cave. Roughly. The other legend is that the mountain had heavy thunderstorms and flooding and came to the conclusion that it was haunted by something supernatural. Towns people and visitors were forbidden on the mountain. They believed every Good Friday, Pontuis Pilate former roman emperor would come down to the lake to wash the blood off his hands. The towns people went to the mountain and confronted the supernatural beings, nothing happened so they believed from their actions the curse had been lifted!    

I grabbed the Go Pro and chucked it on the side of the cogwheel railway (pilatus bahn)  It's the first time I've used it properly and you will soon know if it was a success or gobshite! Apparently it is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world?! My idea was to have the video camera out at the level of the horizon and just show the scenery dropping away and the intense angle we are going up. I probably chose the wrong side to put the camera, but i knew closer to the summit i would get a great shot of the mass of mountains from up high. The other people on the cogwheel were intrigued by what i was doing. And it was a great test. That suction cup mount worked perfectly! So i think it will be in it's element when i drive the Nurburgring on the 29th of November! The summit was a perfect view, the weather was perfect too! You'll see the photos and understand just how gorgeous Mt Pilatus and the surrounding area is. The cable car was a very relaxing and private way to decend back down to the town of Kriens. I could have been sitting there completely naked on the way down, no one would have known or could have done anything about it! But alas i didn't!

After getting back to my hotel, grab my bags and head to the next destination, Zermatt and the famous Matterhorn. The Simpsons took it off with the Murderhorn, homer tried to climb it using power sauce bars. But you'll know the Matterhorn from your dangerous Swiss chocolate Toblerone, the logo is that of the Matterhorn. And can you get toblerone in zermatt? You sure can, and in so many different ways! Actually my hotel had a mini toblerone on my pillow. Skiing 300 days of the year. I won't be, i do enjoy skiing, but i have many more weeks of travelling to do. Try and organise a helicopter flight tomorrow, so fingers crossed! If not cable car it up and get some great shots of an international landmark, and on the other side of the Matterhorn is.....Italy! And monday lunch time I'll be there!  

I still wake up every morning and can't believe I'm here!      

A crazy 24 hours!

After the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial tour i went to put my other bag in my locker at the main train station in Berlin, Berlin hauptbahnhoff. And the plan was to just stroll around the city eat some dinner before my train deparure at 9pm. But  my plans aren't always the  best to go from, there is always something that's waiting to screw it up. And in the last 24 hours I've had a couple of things go a bit screwy.. So i go to put my second bag in the locker with my other bag. But yiu can only open it once then that's it. I'm glad i didn't forget anything the first time i closed it. I didn't want to pay another €5 to hold my bags for 5 hours, ill just sit with it. Hmm is it me or do i seem to attract the drunks and people who smell like pee?! Yeah no the same person, different people and different cities! So there i sat, waiting, always changing seats around the station so as to not be seen in the same location by unwanted piss pant drunks. Just like Surfers Paradise! It was a long wait, should've paid the €5 and be done with it, but it had been an expensive day so i thought best to save the pennies. I know I'll grab my iPad and tap away my thoughts after Sachsenhausen, why is my screen on a slideshow, but it's been locked, how, why? Ahh 11% battery left! So i people watched. The women are pretty, no obesity epidemic here. Still in a city so a lack of smiles, and no Trina i wasn't creeping them out and making them run, i can do that at home! Haha! The men had plan, and walk like they have somewhere extremely important to go. A lot of people have little LED lights and they were checking the bins, it was quite frequent too!? Maybe recycling fanatics? Or people trying to make money from collecting stuff? Meh i dunno! I did pop into maccas, my first time on the trip, there wasn't much else unless i wanted baked goods. And i craved a cheeseburger. Had a lovely elderly German man sit at my table and show me photos of his wife.........she looked about 20, he was easily in his mid late 60's and walked with a cane and had a very bad limp. Really nice guy. The overnight train from berlin to munich was the second i have taken in Europe and on my schedule it will be the last. I think it's a great idea to travel and sleep at night, you can take pictures from a moving train or bus but they are poor quality, then you have reflection of cabin lights and foreground is moving. The good thing is you get your sleep and get to your next destination. Only downsize is no shower, as a kid I dodged showering, but now i have to have one at least before bed. There is a sink and a power point in the cabin, genuinely they have a few face washers soap and some bottled water. I give myself a  good scrub of the smelly parts, especially the feet! Then i hit the  pillow, i can just fit in the bed, and a good night sleep is always on the cards. 

So Munich. I had to wait about two hours for my neuschwanstein castle tour. It's a 10 hour tour with a lot of walking up hills and 4 hours of traveling to get to the nearest town Füssen. I was a bit hesitant when our guide turned up, no not because he was South African but he looked like Joachim Phoenix, the new scraggy haired crazy bearded one. He would win a look a like contest even with Joachim Phoenix present. The other thing that made me unsure is he was on his mobile asking questions like, is the bus going to be there like before, can we do this translation. Apparently i found out later that he hadn't done the tours in a while. He went through the outside story of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his castle. I'll do it briefly so you don't have to read as much aaa yesterday! He was thrown into the position of King when he was 18, he wasn't really fit for it and didn't seem to like the stress of it all, so he decided to create a fairytale series of castles. Now Neuschwanstein wasn't actually finished, only about 1/3 of it had been completed. The building itself was nearly completed but the rooms on the inside weren't. Building was put to a halt when the king died mysteriously at the age of 40. The other members of the royal family had his throne taken off him, because he was spending the royal fortune building four castles, and he was a bit of a looney. He basically built a fair tale castle so that he could escape the real burden of being King. He created this fantasy land, his bed was extravagant, made of wood and on the roof of it was steeples of famous churches. He had an artificial cave (grotto) a throne room, his own little chapel. It was ridiculous, everything had painting depicting different operas from his favourite writer Richard Wagner. He even dedicated the castle to the works of Wagner. I can understand why they thought he was a nutter. But the building had electricity, running warm water and central heating system and this was in 1869 when the work began. He loved swans and had five life size swans in the building, and they were used as dehumidifiers! It was opened for the paying public six months after King Ludwig II's death. It's believed that the castle has had well over 60 million visitors. Unfortunately you can't take photos inside, apparently it would hurt poster sales, ya damn right i would! It was impressive inside and with only a third of the building complete the tour didn't last long. Not wanting food at the expensive cafe or dodgy souvenirs I can get around the place and take some photos. So up to Mary's bridge to grab some shots, trying all different angles. The diminishing light on the foreground made them a little bit dark and it wasn't as impressive in photos as it was in person. I tried, but if you expose your photo more trying to get detail of things in the shade you then leave the rest of your photo over exposed, and the white castle just glows and no detail is recognizable. Luckily as well the castle wasn't going under any real refurbishments as i have seen with other photos scaffolding all the way up one side kinda ruins it's grandeur. Underneath the bridge there was a beautiful gorge and waterfalls all the way back down, i took some shots from the bridge thinking i may not get time. But since i blew past the cafe and gifts i had time only hands, and it turned out i needed it! I know some tours walk down there, and by the looks of my group I wasn't sure they'd be up for it. I also kinda skipped past good photo points after the tour to get to the bridge with plenty of time to snap away there. As i had pretty much every angle covered, i decided to re-visit those skipped points. The sun was lower making them even better so i was happy with my choice. Other members of my group were telling me to slow down so they didn't have to rush, bloody slow ass kiwis! The guide saw me coming down and said that the gorge is actually open, go down and get some shots down there. So again like an excited kid with another chance at doing some photography that wasn't planned, bit like the luge photos in Hunderfossen! He said he'd take the group down there when they are done with the bridge, so if i get lost they'll be down there eventually. I ran down those steps nearly coming a cropper once or twice, got down to the gorge and the water looked amazing (there's that word again). The only problem i had was no tripod, if you want good running water shots you need a photo with about half a second shutter speed, and i can't hold a camera dead still for half a second! So i have tri-gloves and tri-beanie. I would rest my camera on a nearby rock and place my beanie or gloves  underneath to keep it stable. I have the camera on a 2 second timer so my hand c owing off the camera wouldn't create shake. Climbs some rocks, got my feet in the water (thanks waterproof boots) a great little work out, i felt like Bear Gryls except i didn't eat any insects! I slipped at one point, foot went in, and camera started to slide in to, pffft forget the foot, grabbed it just in time! 

After the cattle tour, time to get to my hotel. Walked in, mmm nope since you didn't show by 6:00pm we have sold your room to someone else. WHAT! Quick phone call to Stephan to see if he can find accom in Munich. Just for one night before heading to Innsbruck in the morning. They had internet too in the hotel so i looked online, €300 for one night! Apparently there was a fair/convention thing going on in Munich. Ok, think. Why not go to Innsbruck, there is a train in an hour and accom is much cheaper and available. It'll save me money, didn't need to book a seat on the train and i won't have to get up early to get the early train to Innsbruck! Stephan had found some cheap backpackers but i had made my mind up and backpackers aren't on my agenda with some expensive camera gear! So off to Innsbruck, got underground train luck, one turned up just as i got to the platform. It's 9:04 and I'm heading to Austria, the birth country of Arnold Schwarzenegger (I learnt to spell that at a very young age). I rang a few places that Stephan (my tourist info line 24/7) had looked up for me in Innsbruck. The first two were fully booked so i went for the only number i grabbed while i was on the internet at my failed hotel in Munich. Grand Hotel Europa! I knew it was going to be pricey since it was 5 stars ;-) but i am well under budget, and after the screw around in Munich, the waiting around in Berlin for 6 hours, sleeping in a train and not showering since Berlin, it was time for a bit of extravagance. I called them, yup they have spare rooms. I turn up, looking like a backpacker. Can i grab a room? No sir, we are completely booked. What? Huh? I just spoke to someone 30mins ago and you had heaps of rooms. One single room one night. Oh yes ahhhh we do have a room available. Ooooh i was gunna jump that table if he didn't like the looks of me and turned me away, bit of a pretty woman moment. So got into my room, dumped everything and went in search of some food, it's probably about 11:30 by this time. Concierge pointed me to a restaurant that is open until 4am. Good food, well priced too! Got back to the hotel, pampered up, shaved, trimmed the beard, had a nice long hot shower. They had moisturiser which i had been meaning to get, this cold dry weather isn't a nice feel! So before going to bed a felt like a king, not as flash as King Ludwig II, but a travelling king! 

Innsbruck is another beautiful town, loves it's extreme sports. Innsbruck is like a little hidden place that is just surrounded by massive mountains. Not far from the Italian border, not far from the German border. I went there to see the Bergisel ski jump and have some lunch in the ski jump cafe. As I traipsed my way up there and go tot the front gate........ Closed! Your kidding! It was a bloody big hike up there too. Oh well i had more time to discover Innsbruck. As the day wore on the clouds over the mountains start to dissipate. When i first looked at them, i was like oh yeah, they aren't as big as i thought, they don't even have any snow on them........holy shit! You know when you look up at something and you think that's it, i did that, then i saw a small gap in the cloud, whoa! Massive, i had to look up about another 40 degrees to get it all in. That cloud was hiding a lot of big mountains. So i'm glad i got to see how big the Austrian alps were in Innsbruck. I would definitely go back again and explore the snow fields and bobsled activities in winter! 

Now i'm in the train from Innsbruck to Zurich, the scenery once again is simply beautiful. There have been many times where i have been tempted to pull the emergency hand brake to get a photo, the countryside of Austria is really romantic, snow one side, green hills on the other. Very cool little cottages with their fireplaces going and smoke coming out their chimneys. And of course cows! From Zurich i go straight to Luzern or Lucern depends on where you read. Not to be confused with Lausanne also in Switzerland. 

I'm here now and my hotel in really close to the lake and main railway. Again my PLAN is to go up the steepest mountain cogwheel railway up to Mt Pilatus. Might stick the Go Pro on it to get a cool aspect as I go up! Time for some in house clothes washing. 

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