Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Final Day 41 - 5th May Hong Kong to Melbourne & Home!

Day 41-

As we sit in HK airport waiting to board our flight home, its nice to reflect that while we were excited to go on this adventure 40 days ago, weve had an awesome time but its also nice to be excited to be going back home to all that we know and love.

-We have had 9 flights involving- 60 hours in the air
-Visited 8 countries
-Sat in airports for 30 hours
-Cruised the Rhine
-Coached Belgium, Luxembourg & the Netherlands
-Walked the streets of Hans Christian Andersons town
-Stood in front of epic monuments from Hitlers time and before
-Took a pilgrimage to Gallipoli on a once in a lifetime commemoration
-Stood at the Menin Gate & listened to the Last Post at dusk
-Been along many of the roads of many wars - this is Europes history
-Cruised Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong - a very different lifestyle to what we know
-Drunk a fair whack of local beers & wines
-Eaten many different cultures foods
-Had great flights EXCEPT for Turkey
-Lost one ipad
-Bought another ipad with the airlines compensation!

But most of all - we have had a ball! Now home....

Days 38, 39 & 40 (lost a day flying?)2nd- 4 thApril Hong Kong

Day 38-39

It was easy flight time to Frankfurt in just over an hour, but I had bad pain with my ears and sinuses blocked, have been like this for a few days as still so many people coughing everywhere at this time of year. Landed at Frankfurt and what an airport (after flying through some really interesting clouds that were all black!)

We have never seen anywhere so massive and the girl at the Hilton told us that when the new terminal 3 goes in, it will have its own subway system! You could easily live in one of the many pavilions at and in between the other 2 terminals, they are miles apart.

Checked in to the Hilton, a very nice upmarket transit hotel which is huge in its own right- got in about 10.30pm and into bed, throat is really sore after using nose drops, so will go hunt out some throat lozenges tomorrow. Notice that less people here speak english whereas Berlin and Copenhagen especially- they are all bi lingual at least.

We got up this am and had a nice brekky then walked and got the shuttle bus to our terminal, just as well we left early as the distances are huge. Found our terminal and checked in then went in hunt of the tax free office to get receipts stamped for stuff we had bought that we could claim. Went to two different offices to do that then into the lounge to wait for our flight. Graeme had got taken off at immigration, he had to go into an office to get his camera gear checked, so I waited till he got back then we were off. Was really worried about my sinuses etc as am so blocked up but it was ok in the end and I chewed gum and didnt try and clear my ears once we got up in the air. Its an 11 hour flight and very comfortable with Cathay, weve been impressed with them.

We both tried to sleep as it was an early afternoon flight and we have changed time zones a few times, but were both awake for a few hours. We will lose the night with the flight and 6 hour jump in time, so wanted to get a bit of shut eye. Managed two hours but have got used to being sleep deprived, especially after the two days at Gallipoli! Really good flight though and enjoyed The Hobbit - battle of the five armies. Graeme watched Taken 3 which he said had a really good twist at the end.

Landed at 7am and were picked up by the transfer for the Intercontinental Grand Standford in Kowloon. Was some sort of mix up with what the agent had booked? As we had booked a full harbourview room since it is our last stop, but were put in a side view room. They gave us that room anyway to shower and have a rest in till they sorted it out is the hotel is really full. Had to give them a little rev up later then we were given a lovely room on the 12 th floor. Caught a couple of hours sleep then out in a taxi to the 'ladies market' which has everything in it from technology to bags and lots of 'genuine' fake watches! The stall holders all call out to you but are much less aggressive than at the grand bazaar in Istanbul. The humidity was 'uber high and we were literally ringing wet - clothes, hair and skin, yet you dont feel faint. So many people everywhere with noise, heat, sounds and smells...great to visit.


Things are really cheap here But the taxi driver had said to barter and it was easy compared to Turkey. Got stuff for the kids and a Mc D's icecream for us, them taxied back to the hotel. They are very service orientated here, opening doors for you, give you cards with the hotel name on to give to the taxi drivers etc. its funny all the taxis are red clapped out -stick shift toyotas, that they drive like they are racing!
Had showers again then downstairs for a drink and dinner in the upmarket Chinese restaurant.
It was all very adventurous, but subtle in the flavours at the same time. Tired out now and ready for a proper nights sleep!













Day 40-

Today we were booked on a tour of Hong Kong Island with a dinner cruise. We were picked up and taken to the touristy places, up Victoria Peak on the old tram to view the city, very smoggy but thats normal apparently. The guide said that in HK it goes really overboard with tourist shops, so they have all these floor levels at places like Victoria Peak, G LG UG UG1 LG1 etc with shops after shops!

Then back down in the bus on a very windy road - the traffic is pretty horrendous everywhere and you spend a lot of your day sitting in it. We also spent a little while at a small market and went for a sanpan ride in the Aberdeen fishing village which is surrounded by high rises now. Kinda weird having the old and new side by side. The water was full of rubbish though.

By the time we arrived at 7.30pm for the ferry ride, we were all feeling very car sick as the driver had driven the mini bus pretty much all day in 2nd gear, surging the accelerator up and down continuously while swerving on the windy roads. With my sinuses I just managed not to throw up in his bus! He was terrible. The ferry is a 8 mins ride - the tour director said it is getting shorter and shorter as they re- claim the harbour over the years. Then onto the dinner cruise - it was SO crap! Terrible food, 2/3s empty with a karaoke out of tune singer and a keyboard. It pretty much summed up the whole day of very cheesy and commercial but at least we got to see the sights. Met a nice English girl Fiona on our tour though and we went up the top deck and made our own fun in my unicorn onesie!! It was one of those days you will look back on and laugh " remember that tour we did in HK?!'

We said our goodbyes then went back to our hotel, got in at about 10.30pm and into bed, lucky we packed before we left this am as we are up at 6am for our flight home tomorrow. The Intercontinental Grand Standford has been great here, very nice. We have booked our car transfer through them tomorrow as it so much easier.

Saturday, May 02, 2015

Days 36 & 37, 30th April - 1 st May Berlin - Frankfurt

Day 36-

We got up this morning and had breakfast, then caught a taxi over to the start of our Hidden Berlin tour. There's construction and roadworks absolutely everywhere here and consequently the taxi got stuck in long queues by the Brandenburg Gate, seeing us 5 mins late- lucky we had left early. I rang the tour company supplied ph number to let them know, but it didnt go anywhere?! Anyhow turned out we were the only people booked today so we got a private tour with a lovely Italian guide Valentina. She has a masters in art history and is really passionate, married a German and has remained in Berlin.

It turned out to be a 4 hour walking tour, which is fine but would have been good if we had been told as we were a bit cold, but stopped to buy a couple of things and were all good to go!
She took as to too many things to write about now, but there's the old, the new, the renovated, then the pulled down and re-renovated!
But still there are huge bullet holes everywhere in the building walls as a reminder of what has gone before during the war. The Jewish quarter is painfully obvious, where there was a school next to the remains of a retirement home, alongside a cemetery which was later desecrated by the Nazis.
There is also a bronze monument called 'the trains to life, the trains to death' where 2 sets of statues depict the German Jewish children were sent to Britain in 1938. The trains to life were the richer children who later returned alive (only to find their parents gone and dead). The other statue - trains to death, came for the remaining children in 1940- where the children were sent on trains, to the camps and ultimately their deaths.

I related to this in some ways as my father as a 2 or 3 year old English child, was sent away from his mother (& a father away fighting in the war) from London during the time of bombings- twice. Leaving his mother and being sent to billet families who were complete strangers. If I recall correctly he remembers the tag on his coat with his details, the same as the German children in the statues we saw today, who were sent to Britain. He was lucky enough to come back both times but with memories of loneliness as any wee boy would, in this awful situation.

As bad as the Nazis were in WW II, the Russians who invaded after this were just as evil and they sent the men to slave labour camps in Russia, with very few returning alive and the women and children were left to fend for themselves. These women had no help so they cleaned up the rubble and used the old bricks to make concrete and rebuilt their houses. Sadly now, investors have bought many of these houses and these people, some still alive and very elderly are being told they have to leave the houses they built with their bare hands. Berliners are understandably very angry about this. It is also blowing the house prices though the roof, as foreign investors buy in and over inflate property prices.

Valentina also took us to the only surviving Jewish bakery, still owned by the same family. She bought us the traditional 'Berliners' which are like round doughnuts with a sugary icing and they are filled with overflowing jam jelly - the were so light and fresh! We took these and sat with her in a garden square which had a memorial to show how being marched away to the camps, looked to the children when the Germans came to take away the Jews ( and charged each person young or old, to actually be taken away- a cost of 8 marks per adult and 3 per child.)
We visited the square where the Nazis burned 20,000 books during crystal nights & smashed the windows of Jewish owned shops. The square has a memorial in the ground with a empty library where you can see the sculpture of many empty bookshelves.















We walked also past many museums and the houses where theres a definite difference between the old and poorer east side of Berlin and the more powerful and affluent west Berlin - this is pre 1989 when the wall came down. Also passed Angela Merkels apartment, the German chancellor. It has secret service and guards posted 24/7 as she apparently prefers to live here, amongst the people.












After this we walked to where the Berlin wall used to be. It was in fact a series of 4 walls of various heights, with spikes and barbed wire in between. We climbed a tower which gave a good view over the top. The nearest wall is the original and it is all very sobering.


We said goodbye to the guide after this and walked a distance then caught a cab back to the hotel, beautifully ahead of the pouring rain that came after. We were pretty tired so got room service for the first time- it came on its own table! Hot baths and I begin the writing marathon- oh for a european keyboard which I find easier to use than the glass one!





















Day 37-

Our last day exploring! We caught a taxi today over to the Reichtstag as Graeme has this and the Brandenburg Gate on his tick list. Today in europe it is 'May Day' which is a public holiday so all the shops are shut. But the plus side is that there is no pressure cooker huge traffic jams everywhere or people rushing to work today. It was a carnival atmosphere at the monuments, which are all quite a way from the middle of Berlin city. It was great, a sunny day, all the bright green leaves out on the rows of trees, music, food and relaxed people. We soaked up the atmosphere, Graeme with a german hotdog thingee and I had a banana and nutella crepe. Then we got a beer and went and sat where a band was playing great music. There is no rubbish here as there is a recycling incentive of 25-50c per cup or plastic bottle, so everyone picks them up. A lot of smokers though, as is everywhere pretty much in europe.



Next we wandered to the Brandenburg gate and the holocaust memorial, along with seeing a large section of the Berlin wall which has been left along with a wall of information and photos. Then we walked to checkpoint Charlie which is really corny, with men dressed up as soldiers and you get photos with them.

Caught a taxi back to opposite our hotel where there is this amazing Italian restaurant called Vapiano (there is also one in Melbourne). You are given a credit card and you go and choose which pasta you want, order it and they cook it fresh in front of you. They have water baths to cook the fresh pasta and pull the herbs off the plants right there....it is so fresh and delicious. You take the card up at the end and they read the swiped orders off and you pay then, saves on waiters!
Went to the hotel and got our bags and another taxi out to Tegel airport which is quite small. Waited about 40 mins till they opened the check ins and are now waiting to fly to frankfurt for the night, staying at the Hilton onsite before we leave for Hong kong - which is 11 hours. What a great time its been :-)



Friday, May 01, 2015

Days 34-35 28 & 29 April Copenhagen, Denmark

Day 34-

Good sleeps in the lovely soft beds again - we have slept so much since the 48 hours at Gallipoli, then the long day in the airport in Istanbul the day before. We both have had crook tummies, so sleep has been good! We got up and walked and walked here today.

We did a walking tour all around Copenhagen, I've noticed there are bridges all over Europe which have the 'love locks' on them. -nice.

Then got a canal ride around the city which was interesting. got a authentic waffle cone ice cream today, yum-mee. Haven't tasted a Danish cone as fresh as that before and the snow free was delicious and not fatty tasting.

Then we went back to Nyhaven where the cafe strip is and had lovely hot soup for lunch. We didn't have dinner last night and neither of us are particularly hungry tonight, so we aren't going to go out for dinner tonight as we are fine.

We went shopping in the pedestrian strips as well today. It is expensive in some places but there are still shops with good prices. It was a freezing wind today, so need to keep warm, although we haven't bought a lot this trip.

The cream house in the photos is where Hans Christian Anderson lived. Apparently he moved to Nyhavn as he wanted to be a top ballet dancer, but when he didn't make the grade, he started writing? We also went past the Little Mermaid statue which is very famous here and must have had significance to a couple in the boat as he proposed to her there which was very sweet ( she accepted and cried!)


I got an email from Turkish Airlines today saying my iPad hasn't been found. It's a pity I was a good girl and had put the airplane mode on as we could have traced it via gps or at least wiped it remotely if we couldnt get it back. But airplane mode puts it out of action. It's such a bugger as all my photos and immigration info etc is on there. Luckily the photos are also on Graeme's iPad, as the 2 are linked via airdrop, so I haven't lost all of them.
We re-packed our bags tonight for our flight to Berlin tomorrow morning. It's only an hours flight.

Days 35-

We have really enjoyed Copenhagen, I am surprised at just how much I did as I hadn't given it any thought before coming, but the Danes really appeal to my ethos of being kind, helpful and fair. Also, everyone speaks English as well as Danish and all the signs, menus etc are dual languages which makes it really easy. They are really lovely people whether young or old. Definitely want to come back again on a tour of some kind.

We got up early this morning as we want to go and have a final check at lost and found at the airport for my iPad. Had breakfast and got a taxi no problems. Checked re my iPad, 10 have been handed in since we flew over the 26th - apparently it's common, but mine wasn't one of them. Also checked with the police site as they suggested but no go. Looks as though someone has kept it but I was given the email address of all things lost and found at their eventual resting place if they are handed in anywhere. But as we leave today, we aren't holding out hope now. Graeme had a look at the iPad air2's in duty free and decided to get one as they are on special and my Turkish airlines compensation for getting bumped ( and what started all this!) pays for the new one. Can't get a keyboard yet though as they are Swedish!!

No problems with check in today - what a difference when it all runs smoothly instead of spending all day and evening waiting! Our flight is only 1 hour today, which is good cos the seats were pretty snug. The guy next to us spilt his coffee all down the front of his pants and I learnt some swear words in Danish - poor guy!

Landed and easy getting through when you are in EU countries as there is no immigration. Got a taxi into town to our hotel which is pretty impressive - The Swissotel, even has a doorman! We are way up high with a view over the city and floor to ceiling windows which is great. Worth the 20 euro upgrade and we could get in at 12 pm.

We went out walking for the afternoon. In the 3 or 4 weeks since we were in Germany, it has warmed up 15 C and all the leaves are coming out fully on the trees. Today is a beautiful calm day and it is lovely in the sun. We walked past the zoo and the aquarium and into the famous Tiergarten, which is a lovely riverside walkway with a large beer garden in the middle, by the zoo. It was filled with people at 3 pm all relaxing. Hamilton would so benefit from places like this along the river. Saw more of the 'lovelocks' on the fence too, nice. Graeme drooled over the German sausages too.


Wandered back for Graeme to have a siesta then we are going to go out for dinner for the first time in 3 nights now our tummies feel better!

Saw a really war damaged church today too, you could see bullet holes everywhere in the base.