Go the Aussies!!!!!

Trying to find a place that actually showed the Oz match was hell, but we finally managed it. With hearts in our throats, we watched Australia make history in Rome, Italy.

Go the Aussies!

When Right Feels Wrong

Cruising around Italy in a hire car sounds like a whole bunch of fun. Burnouts in carparks, 120kph in reverse... a hire car is the chance to do all the things that you would never do to your own car. These were all the things we planned to do until we discovered that driving in Europe is no walk in the park: there are just so many strange traffic signs in a foreign language, the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car, and most of all, the crazy Italians drive on the wrong side of the road. On top of all this, the local drivers and hordes of motorbike riders are all nuts. Speed limits are a thing of the past in this neck of the woods. It has been a bit of a laugh though, cruising around Italy (well, Venice and Tuscany anyway) in our brand new Fiat Punto.

Venice was beautiful. We spent a day and a half wandering through the canal lined streets, soaking up the unusual city. It was awesome. It is a very nice place to just go and get lost in. We visited Murano, where venetian glass gets made. It was all very beautiful, but hideously expensive. Andrea had to get a smack on the bottom after throwing a tanty as it was all well out of our price range. We spent one night watching the Italians play the Yanks in the soccer. It was a good night, as Venice is full of Italians (well durr) and Americans. It was a good night out. Go the Aussies.



After we left Venice, we cruised around Northern Italy. Tuscany was just spectacular. Rolling hills, castles, vineyards and medieval towns all combined to create a marvellous landscape. Dennis has RSI in his right finger after giving the camera a workout. We cruised through towns where it felt as though time had stopped. Nonnos sat outside coffee shops watching life go by while the nonnas sat in the park gossiping and chatting. It is too hard to put into words. Just beautiful.

Florence, Pisa, Pompeii and Rome are our next targets. Stay tuned for more adventures from your favourite duo.

Yo-de-lay-he-heeee

For a small country, Austria has given a lot of amazing things to the world. Take for example the word 'Wiener', schnitzels and the classic 'Sound of Music'. We couldn't just go past a country who has done so much for the world - we stopped to pay homage in Salzburg. Our time in Salzburg was well spent sampling all of these Austrian delights.

The word 'Wiener' appears everywhere. Although it means 'Vienna' in Deutsch, Dennis couldn't help but giggle at every turn. He was in heaven. Poor Andrea!

The home of the 'Wiener' Schnitzel did not live up to the expected perfomance. After salivating for an entire day in anticipation, the experience was less than satisfactory. So the verdict is in, the Southern Cross Hotel in Broken Hill still holds the title for the World's Best Ever Schnitty! Go the Aussies!

The film 'The Sound of Music' made Salzburg famous by showing three hours of amazing scenery punctuated with entertaining fits of song. The snow capped Alps, green and yellow daffodil meadows blowing in the wind, and green pine forests were spectacular. It was like a Norsca commercial, but better ;) We admired the views from atop the Salzburg Fortress, which dominates the skyline of the town.

We also visited the largest beer garden in the world and sampled its steins. They definitely did the trick.



At the moment, we are in Verona, Italy: the home of Romeo and Juliet. We have just spent the day roaming the streets and visiting Juliet's balcony and tomb as well as other sights. If this is what Italy is all about, we are excited. The landscape and the vibe are just awesome, as is the coffee. We will be renting a car and travelling around Northern Italy for the next week! From what we have already seen and heard, Italy is full of crazy drivers, so fingers crossed.

Czech Republic

Next stop: Germany


Germans are strange people, and Germany is a strange country. It is a very regimented and efficient country. Imagine a place where people refuse to jaywalk (even at 6pm on a Sunday afternoon!), line up for buses and trains (what the?), and even give you the right change (time and time again) even when you obviously overpay because you have no idea of the new currency you're encountering. All this comes from people who drink like fish and have very liberal attitudes towards just about any taboo. Weird. But cool. That's Germany.


We spent a hectic 5 days in Berlin. Dennis wanted culture, Andrea wanted German food and soccer. We got both. We visited many museums and saw many beautiful paintings and sculptures, some from as early as the 10th century. We also attempted to visit more modern attractions too, like the World Cup stadium. Some hours of walking and a tiny navigational glitch from Dennis (ie, going to the wrong stadium!) saw us arrive at a tiny little concrete complex covered in graffitti and surrounded by a shabby, old park. Needless to say that our adventure was not fruitful, but gave us a good laugh anyway. In our five days, we walked so much that we ached. We also visited Sachsenhausen Concentration camp. It was the first German concencentration camp built in 1936 and was used as a model for all the rest that were to follow. It gave us an insight into the attrocities of WWII. It's a chilling reminder that this only happened 50 years ago.

Who woulda thunk it? But we are now in the Czech Republic! We started out in the capital city of Prague. It's a relaxed, old city with magnificent architecture. It was a beautiful experience to wander along the river and through the warren of medieval laneways. Apart from the multitudes of tour groups, the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. We spent a few days just roaming the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. It was in the town square in Prague that we watched Germany win their first world cup match. Go the Aussies!!!



From there, we went to a tiny little town (you can walk from one side to the other in 10 minutes) called Cesky Krumlov. What an amazing place. So far in our travels, this place is the pick of the lot. This is pure Europe, with a real princess castle, tiny cobbled streets, a stream that loops around the town, tiny little stone bridges and plenty of good eating and drinking. Even though there are tour groups here too, the atmosphere is not spoiled. This is the place to come when you don't want to have much to do except soak in the sun, relax and fall in love again. We are sadly leaving Cesky Krumlov tomorrow, back into the frantic life of backpacking - unsure of our next destination and where we'll be sleeping tomorrow night.

Shcortland (a.k.a. Scotland)

Well, as you can see, we have decided to continue our travels and not settle into the 9 to 5 grind. It's tough work travelling through a European summer, but hey, someone's gotta do it.

London was a cool two weeks. Literally cool. Apparently summer was happening somewhere in the northern hemisphere. Obviously someone forgot to tell London. We saw a half hour block of sunshine, where the entire London population of the city managed to strip down to their singlets and shorts in what appeared to be a bizarre ritual of a sun worship cult. And it seriously wasn't that warm. Weird! Apart from the weather though, London was very funky and trendy and we enjoyed our time there. We did the touristy thing (National Gallery, Big Ben and Parliament House, National Museum, Westminster Abbey, the Thames, the London Eye etc...) So, after two weeks of searching for work, working and getting set up, we decided to pull the plug and start travelling.


Because of the World Cup coming up, tickets to Berlin were hard to find. Tired of cramping Gonzalo's style, we decided to see part of the UK while waiting for our turn to fly. It seemed like Scotland was the place to be, so off we went. In three days we have visited Edinburgh and Glasgow. Scotland is very beautiful and picturesque. Although it's even colder than London, it's not raining and we are really enjoying exploring the old cities and castles. Castles are way cool! This country is definitely on our 'Must Return To' list.


Tomorrow we travel to London again to catch our flight to Berlin. See you in Germany! Go the Aussies!

Congratulations to Mick and Mimi, who are now the new parents of a beautiful, healthy, little girl: Alice Eve Cook. We love you and sorry we couldn't be there.