Oops, I forgot a couple of things in my last blog, yeah you thought it was long enough. You probably still haven't finished it! So lets go back to the future...... (insert your own theme music)
Back to Brussels and one of the most beautiful Christmas sights i have ever seen, and may ever see! They have a massive cathedral there, and it was 6 or 8pm and there is a Christmas tree in the centre of Brussels. A beautiful blue tree with a big black spot on the tree in the shape of a heart....... Awwww, but thats not it. Stephan asked me to take a shot of it from a certain angle so you could see the heart at a good angle, just as i took a shot the light turned off and started to sparkle like the Eiffel Tower. Dammit didn't get the shot. Then some Christmas music started playing, and the cathedrals light went off. Now this was the most beautiful Christmas moment i have ever seen. A projector from somewhere was projecting a 15 minute long Christmas themed animation on the face of the cathedral. The cathedral is massive, and the projection was spot on with all windows lined up and the entire building used in every seen. There was Christmas carols throughout, and everything that was displayed just put a childish smile on everyones face. I can't believe i forgot to put this in the last blog. They had penguins sliding around, candy canes falling, Santa and his reindeers silhouette flying across the cathedral. It's really hard to explain how i felt. I felt i was a kid again. My neck was arched up to the building and mouth wide open with a big I can't believe how cool this is smile on my face. As i've said before it feels like Christmas here and I don't want to leave! And once again our timing was lucky and stumbled across something beautiful and really impressive technically!
My next adventure that slipped my mind comes from my last day in Köln and one of their famous pubs. Alena and Stephan wanted to take me to a German 'brewery' and try a non-alcoholic beer. Most people are aware that i don't drink alcohol, hence the "sober" in my blog title. The brewery was packed and very loud. One of the workers was barging through everyone so i gave him room to get past and he just barged into me. I leaned into him after he pushed into the wall, for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. He then pushed me further against the wall and started going off his nut at me. Haha I had no idea what he was saying, he needs a fucking attitude adjustment, the grumpy old fuck. The place was huge, and the workers keep supplying you with beer as soon as your glass is half full, or empty (however you feel). Unless you say no, they will keep getting you beer. And the bill racks up quite quickly otherwise. Now i have tried everything that everyone has thrown at me. Even a non-alcoholic beer. I tried a beer when i was a kid, and spat it out. It tasted terrible, and i was hoping that the non-alcoholic beer didn't taste the same. It didn't, but it didn't taste very nice. It's Alena's favourite drink, but i really didn't like it. Tried a chai latte earlier in the day and didn't like that either. Can't hurt trying. So that was my german pub adventure.
Now back to something a bit more recent....
My morning in Bath was nice. But this day was about seeing an old friend who i haven't seen in about 5 years, and that is way to long. But so is waiting until you're 28 before you go on your first overseas trip. A lot has changed, so many things have happened in both our lives, but when i saw her, it was like i said goodbye to her yesterday. She looks just as beautiful as the last time I saw her, the same smile, the same eyes, it's like she hasn't aged at all. Beautiful is her nickname, along with VAG or G'eye'NA. Her name is Gina, a kiwi, a former co-worker and best friend. We used to hang out, she played indoor soccer with our team and we used to go dancing at rose and crown until the wee hoirs of the morning.. Yeah me dancing.....such a groover! And here we are in Bath some 16,000+ klms away for our home countries catching up like old times. I got to meet her partner Kelly. She is great and they are a great couple. They compliment each other so well. We walked around the markets and the town. It's such a quaint town with some great stores and some interesting things to see and do. We went to the roman baths and checked out the old buildings back when the Romans were prevalent in the area. It was a really interesting place. The architects of the time were genius, the way they constructed rooms and had the floors and room heated through a series of furnaces that were under the floors but channeled warm air under walkways and We were looking for a place to have a drink and get inside since Gina was getting a bit cold. We found a bar/buffet restaurant. Had a drink and saw the buffet, it was massive and covered everything we liked as well as a chocolate fountain! It was earlyish and not really dinner time, but we were going to stay there and dig into that buffet. We sat there for about three hours and made the most of it. The food was great, and the company was great as well.
Our next day involved a further though quick exploration of Bath, then into the car (which just fit my backpack) and off to Stonehenge. The drive was pretty straight forward and Stonehenge is right on a main road. We paid and went in. The main path around it was closed and we only could walk on the path straight beside it which was really cool. I don't know what they are, why they are there, but it's really something to see. It was overcast and foggy which gave it a mysterious feel to the place. You can see it from the road, but I think it was about £6 or something and it's nice to get close. Kelly has a cool Sony digital camera that does motion panorama (one shot and you sweep the camera over the area you want in the panoramic shot and it makes one image. Fuji make something similar which i had tried back home and it's a very cool little function. But it's fuji so the rest of it is shite! From there it's time to go to Newquay and back home to Gina and Kelly's place. It's a great place with a very cool loft/bedroom. I'm on the couch tonight, and i couldn't care. I can sleep on anything and always get a good sleep in. I did manage to watch some family guy in English which was good for a change. I did weigh myself when i had a shower and I tip the scales at 13 stone or 83.4kg. The lightest i have been since school! But i feel great, and the walking around everywhere has been heaps of fun.
Tuesday, a road trip with Gina. It's funny having Gina drive me around everywhere when it used to be the opposite when she was back in Australia. She's a good little driver too. Her plan is to see the coastline of Cornwall. Newquay is a bit of a surfy town and seems to be a place where you settle down, like a sea change type place. Most of the places we did visit are little fishing towns along the southwest coast of the UK. Our first steps are where the giants stepped, Bedruthan Steps. After re-capping everything that i have seen down in this part of the UK so far, this was my favourite place. Rugged steep cliff faces, scattered rock formations (where the giants stepped) and still a sprinkling of snow on the shaded areas. It reminds me of picture i have seen along the great ocean road and the 12 apostles. There was no wind, and the sea was very calm, but still cold at 1 degree. It was a great first location to be there with Gina. We are really silly together, we do and say some silly things. A lot of the roads were closed due to accidents and roadworks so getting to places proved to be difficult, but so much like me, Gina guesses the driving direction, we were never lost and we always got to our destinations. We headed to St Agnes (not principal skinners mother) but a lovely headlands with boats sitting on the sand as the tide was "well out!" It gave it a deserted fishing town feel which was very cool. Apparently all of these small towns are packed in summer, and they would be a great little warm location with a slightly busy buzz about it. But I'm here in the cold and no where near a busy town or mammoth crowd to fight off. The sun doesn't rise in the sky here it just sits above the horizon making it always feel like it's a lot later than what it is. And since it doesn't get up high shadows are long and it just doesn't warm up. Not far from St Agnes is one of many tin mines, but this one had an amazing view and with perfect getting lost and taking a wrong turn delay we made it with about 10mins before the sunset, so we got some beautiful shots, some cool shots and just fun shots too! It was really pretty and the perfect ending to a great day of sight seeing around the surfy towns and bays of Newquay.
Day two in Newquay is another road trip this time it wasn't blighted by road closures or car accidents. It was straight forward, well kinda. We do like to take the scenic route, get lost and come across some very cute towns that even Gina hasn't come across, so it was a great exploration day. We started in the famous St Ives. It was a bit windier which makes the already cold weather even colder, the wind penetrates you like an unwanted prison inmate! The tide is out again and its such a pretty location. The houses that hug the coastline, and the architecture is the same for he majority of the houses. Its like townhouse after townhouse and there is no gaps, there is no personal space so you'd better like your neighbors! Along the roads we a driving across a patchwork quilt of green pastures and farms. Tin mines litter the countryside, as well as the random new school windmills. It's good to see clean energy being used, and i wish it was more encouraged back home. Through the tight lanes and streets we check out St Michael's Mount. There is two ways to make it to St
Michael's Mount and that is walk over to it or catch the ferry (aqua duck type vehicle). For us the tide was out and the walk was windy and bitterly cold but like all trying journeys the end result was certainly worth it. It's such a cool novelty to be able to walk across to this castle where most times the area is quite flooded. Our sight seeing stop was Lands End. The very end of the UK. Im glad we had time to get down there, and the great things is that everything is so close to Newquay. Major cities are very cool for history and the massive and grand landmarks, but there is something very unique and enjoyable about these gorgeous little towns that the normal citizens come for a holiday in the warmer months. Most back packers miss the little things but this is something really cool and it's a great place to catch up with an amazing friend. We took some photos of the landscape and the end of the UK, along with the famous sign post Lands End, with John O'Groats (the opposite end of the UK) some 874 miles away. In late 2001 Mark Webber rode his bike from John O'Groats to Lands End for a cancer charity, he did it with a F1 journalist and along the way his F1 future was decided, the next year he was to make his debut as a F1 driver! I still remember the pic of him standing in front of the sign at the completion of his ride. This trip Mark didn't break anything!!! I wanted to get a shot in front of the sign, but it was roped off..... Went to walk around the other side, hmm a wall.... You won't believe it, there is a guy sitting there. I couldn't believe it, on a blisteringly cold day, some guy is sitting there in a hut waiting to take a photo of you with the sign, for only £7.95! Fuck that mate! It's a fucking sign! As i walked away i was yelling out, you won't get a free photo when you come to sea world buddy! Besides the obvious everyone finds a way to make a buck, it got me thinking. Was this guys legit, or was he like the parking attendant who turned up to work for 20 odd years collecting money for the parking at a zoo, one day he didn't turn up. The zoo rang the council, he doesn't work for us we thought he worked for you. Turns out he's been getting people to pay for free parking and has now retired and kept all the money!
Its so nice to see the countryside and somethings people miss when they travel abroad. There is a lot that i have missed but i'm happy with what i have achieved, and there is more to achieve! It's a great feeling and it feels like I'm relaxing from all of the running around and city jumping I've done. Soon enough i'll be home with my wonderful family for Christmas. And i have two days of xmas shopping when i get home!!!
Good night, hope everyone is well :)
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