Friday 10 June 2011

Flying!

I find it extremely interesting that when u put people on a plane for a long period of time they tend to get up in the aisles and exercise as if they are attending an 80's jazzersize class!

It is even more odd that people most likely to do this are those who look like they would lay on a couch for 7 hours without moving any muscles other than their jaw to crunch down on cheesy nachos!

Seriously people, sit down and maybe when you get off the plane join a gym and start eating less fat, that way you may prevent yourself from getting a blood clot when sitting on your fat arse watching tv. And that is all!!

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Thursday 9 June 2011

Time to go home

We are sitting at the airport waiting to board our plane. I'm looking forward to getting home, hopefully we have a good flight.

We have had a great trip. Once we are home I will do a bit of a summary of our time away and give some awards out, stay tuned for which city will win the best city award!!


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More physical Aimz!

Thought I best get in a few pushups whilst strolling the canals. Back into fitness squad on Tuesday so I thought I better get motivated!!

Beautiful tulips

What gorgeous tulips! My favourite flower. These were at the local flower market, only 8 euros for massive bunch!

Another beer!

Today the sun finally came out and we enjoyed a beer by a canal in Amsterdam. We took a canal cruise today too! Fab way to end our holiday.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

And so, another countdown begins

It is our last day of our trip tomorrow, I am not really counting Thursday or Friday because we leave early Thursday morning to head to the airport and will basically be traveling until Friday night.

Today we went out to see some windmills at Zaans Schanse. We had a great time wandering through the village and checking out the windmills, good for a photo or two although it was very cloudy today!

We got back to Amsterdam in the afternoon and decided to get some antipasto and cheese, all very super tasty and went down a treat with a bottle of wine!

Tomorrow we are going to head out for a canal cruise and a bit of souvenir shopping. Need to buy a tacky snow globe!

We have checked in online for our flights on Thursday and tomorrow we will get our bags all packed ready to head off bright & early.

For now though it is time to go to bed, it has been a long day. Look forward to getting some sleep, will be even better though when it is in our own comfy bed!! Goodnight!

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Tuesday 7 June 2011

More clog fun

Pete bought himself some clogs, shame they don't fit!

Windmills

We headed out to see the windmills today. Weather really left a bit to be desired but at least it was not raining!!

Indonesian feast, take 2

We decided to go back for more Indonesian tonight! Such an awesome meal!

Waiting for service

Check out this gorgeous customer who was waiting for service in the bar we were in!

Hmmmm what is Pete up to???

I turned my back for 2 seconds only to find Pete trying to sample some local goods!!

Monday 6 June 2011

Having clog fun!!

I enjoyed a nice sit in a clog just before it started to rain! Amsterdam weather is worse than Melbourne!! Oh well, might have to go to a museum or something??

Amsterdam, so nice to be back!

We arrived in Amsterdam on Saturday, we were greeted by the most amazing weather. We walked to our apartment from the station and the place was buzzing, people riding in boats on the canals, guys on bucks nights and a strange smell wafting from the coffee shops!

Our apartment is so lovely! It is an old canal house and we are on the bottom floor, it is sort of like a basement but we look out onto the street. There are tulips on the table and when you open the cupboards it smells like my Dutch grandmothers house! So homely!!

It has been 13 years for me and 15 years for Pete since we visited Amsterdam last. Not a lot appears to have changed and I feel quite at home here, it is such an easy city to walk around, however it is very busy, there are tourists everywhere!

This morning we woke to rain which was a shame after yesterday's glorious sun. We ventured out at 11am and eventually the rain stopped. We went for a coffee, yes a coffee, no indulging in green substances for us and I had a yummy piece of apple tart! Delicious!

We took heaps of photos around the canals, it is just so pretty!!

Tonight we had Thai food for dinner and last night we had a fabulous Indonesian meal. Yes, I know we should be having Dutch food but it is hard to find.

We are hoping tomorrow the weather will be clearer but we will have to edit and see. We have 3 more days and then it is off home for us!! Can't wait to see Mac!!

Sunday 5 June 2011

Hamburger

We arrived into Hamburg on a public holiday. In Germany a public holiday means a public holiday, no shops are open, thankfully restaurants and bars are open, but otherwise it was an odd day to arrive. There were not many people around the main streets but as we got further into the city there were more people around.

We could not check into our hotel until 2pm and when we did we got given a really dodgy room! Unfortunately due to the public holiday rooms in Hamburg were really limited and we chose this hotel as a bit of a last resort, having said that though, we paid $190 a night. The room they gave us had attic windows and was super hot, the windows barely closed and the Venetian blinds were all falling apart, there was also a utility cupboard in the room with some sort of electrical switchboard. The bathroom was sort of across a hall way, it was obvious we had been given a different room to what we paid for. We went to complain and got told we could move the next day. The next part of the story is probably a little horrible for me to include in my blog, but let's just say, we finally got given a different room. It was slightly better, however some mould spray might have been handy in the shower, certainly not to Merry Megsy's standard of cleanliness!!

We spent most of our time in Hamburg around the Harbour area, it is a nice city but quite industrial. We went up the church spire, the lift made me feel quite ill, it was very high!

We ventured into the red-light district known as the reeperbahn, let's just say that was interesting!

We enjoyed a last German meal last night, weiswurst & leberkasse! We had a few wheat beers too!

This morning we are on the train to Amsterdam. Our train is full of young girls heading off to play a hockey match, giggling and irritating! Thank god for iPods! We change trains in 2hrs so I'm sitting back listening to the Foo Fighters, always a good way to drown out the noise of small children!

Saturday 4 June 2011

Hamburg

We have had a nice couple of days in hamburg! Will be happy to head to Amsterdam tomorrow though, our final destination!! Hamburg is cool, but man, it is a bit shonky and derro! Lots of beggars and some seriously weird people!

Friday 3 June 2011

Schnitzel

In Lubeck we had a tasty schnitzel with asparagus. Asparagus is in season and is everywhere! I totally love it! Yummy!!!

Wheat beer

Pete enjoying a wheat beer. You will note I am drinking wine, I am struggling to drink beer, i am looking forward to some nice wine upon my return home!

Lubeck

This is the old gate to Lubeck. It was originally a walled city. The old gate is quite spectacular even though on closer inspection it looked like it was about to fall down!!

Funny puppy

Man, I have spent half my holiday laughing at dogs! God I love dogs!! This was hilarious, we went into a sports store and there was a lady shopping with her dog! Got to love Europe, dogs are totally treated as equals and can go anywhere. We went to a cafe yesterday and sat next to a lady and her two Jack Russell's, they were so gorgeous and well behaved!!

Loving Lubeck

After 6 nights in Berlin we are now in Lubeck. Berlin proved to be an interesting city, there was a lot to see & do. One of the things we did was visiting the Olympic stadium and also the Hackesher Markt which was a lovely area full of beer restaurants! There was a great vibe there and we had a ball watching a clown busker who imitated people who walked by our restaurant, he was so funny!!

Our apartment in Berlin was great, it was nice to cook some meals and sort of feel like a local! I love shopping in supermarkets when traveling, I love seeing the different produce, it is a real highlight.

We left Berlin early Tuesday morning. We caught the train to Lubeck which is a small town formerly surrounded by city walls. We arrived at about 11 am and the weather was superb!

We checked into our hotel and headed out dressed for summer weather but soon realized it was a bit chilly. We had a beer and soon it was raining!

The rain stayed around for the rest of the afternoon but thankfully today (Wednesday 1 June) it is sunny and gorgeous!!

Today has truly been one of the best days of our whole trip, it was sunny but not too hot & Lubeck is truly a beautiful place! We spent the day wandering around and taking heaps of photos. We spent a few hours sitting in a riverside restaurant drinking german beer and watching the world go by. A couple sat next to us with their pet dogs, it was so nice, they were such cute puppies!!

Tonight we had a delicious meal and a few drinks at a cellar restaurant. It was so quaint, there were little individual booths each with pictures highlighting different facts about Lubeck.

For dinner we had a pork schnitzel with asparagus and hollandsaise sauce, so divine!! Asparagus is in season and it is so tasty!!

We head off to Hamburg tomorrow, not long to go now, only 1 more week. I look forward to Amsterdam on Saturday. But for now, time for bed!

(sent 1 June, wifi in Germany is pathetic)