Farnsborough Airshow
Ok so we went back down to London and this time we stayed with our friends Phill and Bron and their lovely wee daughter. This was the weekend we went to the Farnsborough airshow which is ever 2 years and one of he biggest in the world! So Saturday rolled around and Katherine, Phil, Meaghann, Phill and I all piled into the car and were off to the airshow. We finally arrived after some traffic and had to get a bus from the carpark (rugby pitch) to the airshow. It was Amazing!!! There were so many aircraft there I was in heaven! We saw spitfires flying, Catalinas, the Red arrows which were amazing. I think the most amazing flying display was when the new Airbus A380 took to the skies. This thing can do really steep banks and can fly so slow that it seems it is suspended in the sky. For such a big aircraft it can do so much stuff which just blows your mind. We also saw displays from the new Eurofighter, Apache,
Tilt Rotor aircraft and also a Vulcan bomber which they said would never fly again. We finally got home after a long and enjoyable day and we rested well that night. The next day we were off to Legoland in Windsor which was soooo cool they had some great rides and we got very wet and you get so cold when you are wet in the English summer. They had different cities from around Europe all done in lego and it was quite amazing. Phil and I also had to buy some lego and a great day was had by all.
The Edinburgh Festival
The weekend after Farnsborough the Edinburgh Festivals kicked off. We were planning on spending quite a few nights out and seeing heaps of shows. The festival was amazing and we saw some great comedians and some not so great comedians. We went to the Ballet, a play and I don’t really know what genre it would fit in but we saw the Bangkok Lady Boys which was really good and entertaining but also quite disturbing at the same time. We also got to meet Frank Woodley in the street which was very cool.
Jacobite Steam Train and the Highlands
Ok so by this stage Katherine’s sister was with us and after spending 4 nights in a row at the festival it was time to take her up to the Highlands of Scotland. We drove upto Fort William and had a fantastic Indian meal the night we arrived. The accommodation was nice but the lady that ran it was a bit off putting. Put it this way we arrived late on Friday night and asked if it was ok that we parked or car underneath the washing line she said it was fine and we didn’t have to move it. The next day we went out (will tell you in a sec) and when we arrive back she was very peeved off at us that our car was parked under the washing line as she had to put a tarp over our car so her washing didn’t get dirty and our car wasn’t facing the right way. Anyway enough of her. So on the Saturday we took the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig it is one of the best train journeys in the world. You might remember the viaduct from such films as Harry Potter. That’s right we went on the Harry Potter train! It was a great journey and we glad that we did it. We had a great time up in Mallaig and climbed to the top of a hill above the town and looked over towards the Isles of Skye, Rum and Eigg. The train trip back was nice. The next day we had a mammoth drive ahead of us. We decided to drive up to Loch Ness and go to Urquhart castle. Anita did find Nessie and on the way back the scenery was beautiful as all the heather was out and the hills were covered in purple. We stop off at the highest distillery in Scotland and had a wee dram to warm us up….ok so I might have had to finishes the girls drams off but I was very warm afterwards anyway.
Paris
Well we finally booked a flight to visit Paris and what a trip we had. We got the train into town after we got in (not all that cheap but cheaper than a cab) and dropped off our stuff at our tiny tiny hotel that was a bit dodgy but in a great location about a 15min to the Eifel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. We first off we went to a newsagent to get a museum pass for €30 which gave us access to everything except for basically the Eifel Tower and the Moulin Rouge. So first stop was the amazing ad unbelievably large Musee Louve. So we quickly saw the Mona Lisa, Wing Victory and the Venus de Milo, we also saw some amazing stuff from Egypt and Mesopotamia. After that we had our first French meal and it was great. We then continued to go to Musee d’Orsay and saw paintings from Monet, Van Gough and Renoir to name a few we then moved on to Musee Rodin and saw the famous statue, the thinker. We then moved onto Napoleon’s Tomb which was amazing we saw his tomb and church and also the hat and coat he wore in battle. Next to tick off the list was the Eifel Tower which we went to and met some Canadian’s there quite random although we did have our hockey jerseys on which may have helped. We then climbed up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe back to climb the Eifel tower at night and look over Paris and that was day 1 complete. Day 2 started with some lovely pastries for breakfast then we went to the Musee Picasso and saw some of his famous work which was very interesting. When then moved onto the Notre Dame and saw the famous flying buttresses the stained glassed windows and the wonderful architecture. When then went down to some of the underground section on the Notre Dame and saw the ancient city walls and settlements. We then skipped a 2hr line and walked straight into the St Chappell chapel and saw the amazing 14th century stained glass windows. We then walked some markets went to the Pantheon and had a wonderful dinner before we headed to the Moulin Rouge a see a show. The show was sooo worth going to and would highly recommend going to see a show. It was better than any of us expected we really enjoyed it. We had a great flight back and just make sure that you buy a ticket for the train back to the airport.
Edinburgh Festival Final Night
Just before we left for Australia it was the final night of the festival where they was a huge fireworks display to live music help in the Princes street gardens with the castle as a back drop. The fireworks lasted about 1 hour and it was amazing being so close to the fireworks. It was kinda funny having our big camera and a tripod. We had a local tell everyone to give us room as we were “professional” photographers. So we got some great photos.
Australian Holiday
September saw us go back to Australia for the first time since we left down under. I must admit it is a bit weird going to Australia for a holiday but hey now we know how everyone feels when they come to the land of Oz. So our first stop on the way was Hong Kong, it took us a long time to get there. First we had to fly to London then Helsinki and then to Hong Kong. The flights were not good at all. The seats were hard and for a frills airline you get no pack so no eye shades etc. which really sucks when you are seated near the toilets and the lights stay on the whole trip! Needless to say we were very tired by the time we got to Hong Kong. All of our bags arrived except for my guitar but it kind of worked out alright as it came the next day and was at the airport for us to pick up when we left HK. We arrived at our hotel after a bus trip from the Airport and it was very nice with a nice view. Anyway after we had a wee sleep we caught up with one of Katherine’s friends from work who just happened to be in Hong Kong while we were there and she is a local. So she showed us around and took us to a few of the local markets which were really good. She also took us to a Dim Sum for lunch which was awesome! We had steamed bbq pork buns, dun tart and chicken feet and tried some new stuff including fish stomach…..interesting. Later that night we saw the Hong Kong Island light show where the whole island is in lights to music. The next day we got some more bargins at the markets and later that evening we went up to the Summit on top of HK Island via the train. We had a lovely meal a Bubba Gump looking over the island and Kowloon lighting the night sky which was lovely. We then went back to the airport to board our Qantas flight back to Brisbane. The best flight of the whole trip was our flight back to Brisbane it was the only airline where we got a vanity kit with eye mask for sleeping…..priceless.
After arriving in Brisbane we were met by Katherine parents, my parents, Lindsay and the kids. It was great when we came through the doors and the kids ran up to meet us. After our wonderful welcoming I went and picked up our dog Gator it was so great to see him and have some time around him. The next 6 days were very busy seeing our friends and family and running errands to make sure we could come back to Scotland. After Brisbane we flew down to Adelaide for a wedding for a couple of days and see my grandma for her birthday. We had a great time and it was a wonderful wedding. It was on the banks of a lake and the reception was in a 100yr old shearing shed. We had a fantastic time in Australia and it was great to catch up with everyone.
Well we left Adelaide and heading back to the UK only to stop off in KL for 3 nights before getting back to the grind. We arrived in KL and were told that a limo was waiting for us and we were whisked away to our hotel. We were welcomed and were directed to the 32nd floor to a private check-in. We paid a bit extra for the Traders club and it was so worth it. We had a larger room with our own lounge room and had a view that over looked the Petronas Towers. Every morning we got a free breakfast which included cold stuff, hot stuff and an egg bar. We could then grab some bottles of water for the day, each afternoon we got a free afternoon session with drinks and food and then there was 2hrs of free cocktails each night (as much as you want) with food to boot. KL was amazing we went to the markets and got some great bargains, went up the KL Tower and got a great view of KL at night. We went out to the Royal Selangor factory which was actually really really interesting and so some of the original money from Malaysia. We also went out to the Batu caves which is a huge Hindu worshiping site made from Limestone caves. There were 262 steps up to the top and we were absolutely stuffed by the time we got up there. I didn’t really help that it was about 35 odd degrees. There were all these monkeys everywhere and some started to eye Katherine down but soon moved along once someone gave them all this food. We had a great afternoon back at the hotel for cocktail hour before heading out to the airport and getting our flight back to the UK.
Oban, Mull, Staffa and Iona
Arrived back in Edinburgh on Thursday, back to Work on Friday and that night we drove up to Oban with some of Katherine’s uni friends. We stayed in a lovely wee B&B just outside Oban. The next day we went down to Oban docks and then caught the ferry to Mull, once we got to Mull we caught a bus to take us down to the ferry on the other side of the isle. We coarded a wee boat about 15 people and made our way out to the Isle of Staffa the boat was rockin’ and rollin’ all over the place and we where very lucky that the boat could make moor. We explored the isle and it has a magnificent cave on the isle called Fingal’s Cave. It is made from the same mysterious stuff that made the Giant’s Causway in Northern Ireland. It is amazing and was the inspiration for Felix Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. Our boat then dropped us off at Iona and we had about 1.5hr to explore it we went to the famous Iona abbey and saw where St. Columbus planted his first church. It is a very spiritual place and we would have loved to have spent more time there. We then made our way back to Oban. We had a great meal that night in the oldest pub in Oban. The next day we went to the distillery and had our first try of cask strength Whiskey, it was smooooth. We then went to see some ancient stone circles near Oban on the way back through the Highlands to Edinburgh.
Ávila, Segovia and Madrid – España
Another week another country, so we headed on down to Spain for the weekend and as soon as we got in on Friday night we grabbed the car and headed to our hotel for the night. It was on the north side of town a bit out so we stayed in a 4* hotel which was lovely and cheap. The next day we jumped in the car early and headed off towards Avila didn’t take too long on the motorway but the toll to use the road was €7.50! anyway we got to Avila and it is an amazing town with probably the best city walls in Europe they are hundreds of years old (started in the 11th century) and are still in immaculate condition. We went into the cathedral which was beautiful and also walked along the top of the walls. The walls just keep on going and going and going. Anyway after Avila we headed to Segovia and this is one of our fav towns in Spain. It is a tiny town with a massive cathedral, an Alcazar (castle) and a Roman aqueduct that was built in the 2nd-1st century BC, oh and it is still in use bringing water to the town from 18miles away! The streets in the town are so small that in some cases they have carved out a bit in the wall so the side mirrors on cars can fit through. Our hotel was amazing on the edge of the town (which is so small you can walk everywhere) and looked out to the Spanish countryside and we could also see the Alcazar. We went up to the cathedral and looked through this amazing building it is huge and very very ornate and pretty. After cathedral we went down towards the aqueduct and stopped in a bar for a drink and chorizo, we then moved onto the aqueduct and saw this amazing structure and the best thing is it is over 2000 yrs old and is still in use. That afternoon we took a lovely stroll around the outside of the town and saw a wonderful sunset. That night we went to the Jose Maria the most famous restaurant in Segovia for local food, I had a traditional Chocinillo which is roasted suckling piglet; Katherine got a leg of lamb literally. They both were amazing!!!! Later that night we went walked around the town and enjoyed a long lie in. Then next day we went to the Alcazar in the morning and later in the day we went to Madrid the long way over the mountains very windy. We found our hotel and then it took us a while to find a place to park as none of the hotels have parking no it is a nightmare. Anyway we found our way, dumped our stuff and started to have a look around town. We went to the old Plaza Mayor and had a look around the old city. That evening we had a nice dinner and hit the sack. The next day we took a guided tour around the old city which was really good and we learnt a lot about Madrid like it was founded by Arabs etc. We continued a look around the town and saw of all things a guy playing the wine glasses. Before we left to go back to the UK we went to the palace and have a look around. It was so lavish and we saw the Strata Varian quartet which was great to see. After that we quickly headed back to the Airport and back to Scotland.
Oktoberfest – Munich
Weekend after Spain we were off to the world famous Oktoberfest in Munich where we caught up with Katherine’s brother. First stop was our B&B which was in this guys flat a couple of stops from central station. First stop was the rat house and to grab a Brezel and some sausages. I think I made a record that day of 5 sausages in 5 hours. We then west to Oktoberfest which is like the ekka for big kids it was awesome. We had a few steins of beer and some great Schnapps great food and a great time. We went to a few beer gardens and to the Carousal bar which has been at the Oktoberfest for over 100 yrs. We met some great Germans and had a few drinks which them. All the locals wear the traditional dress and it is great we actually felt a little bit out of it not wearing the Lederhosen and the other kit. Anyway the next day we walked around town and went to the largest technology museum and saw some amazing things from mini brick factories to hand crafted glass ornaments being made to some of the aircraft used in World War 2 including a V1 and V2 rocket. It was really really good. That night we went on a Beer Challenge and met some great people from all round the world including Canadian, Americans and some lovely Mexican girls. We had a great night and I’m sure we will stay friends with the people for a long time. It was a really really fun night with Beer, Jagermeister and karaoke. The next day we went out to Fussen and visited the Hohenschwangau castle and the fairytale castle Neuschwanstein. The guy that built Neuschwanstein was an absolute nutter King Ludwig II. The castle was never finished and is absolutely amazing. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone that is going but if you ever go to Europe or Germany you HAVE to go it is amazing!!!!!
Anyway tomorrow morning we are off to Amsterdam so stay tuned…I know I keep saying this but I’m going to keep this updated more than I currently have been over the past few post. I hope you are all well and look forward to hearing from you all soon.
Dan
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