A Wee Year End Update

Hello Reader(s)!

I do hope that this festive time of year finds you celebrating something worth celebrating, regardless of your personal belief system. For those in the Northern hemisphere, I hope you have found some place warm during these cold, long nights. For those in the South, please remember to wear sunblock and not get too burnt.

After a very nice Christmas of drinking and eating in Newcastle, I'm back in the great gravity well that is London and its surrounds, facing the last few days of the year 2011 - a year which I am very sad to wave farewell and bid adieu to.

It has, all tolled and tallied, been a very fine year. Along with my many accomplishments of travel and personal growth, I have given life to something I had not expected. This blog; a repository for my photos and thoughts on my travels; a memoir that I hope to pore over in the years to come; a journal to inform my mother of my various movements has unexpectedly been read and enjoyed by a random handful of strangers on the internet.

To those lovely few who have read and enjoyed my words, I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart, as it is you that have inspired me to keep writing and sharing and improving. I hope that you will bear with me as I plod along with stories of my continued adventures, as I hope there will be at least another 40 years of them to come.

I'd also like to especially thank my tireless photographer and travel companion, Kristen, who takes the majority of photographs which I then play around with and pass off as my own. She now has a brand new, second hand DSLR camera to play around with, so I'm hoping the quality of shots should improve with time and practice.

In the new year, I resolve to also improve in my writing and photo processing skills and even put together a few more videos of my travels. I will also try to increase the frequency of my updates as I'm still working through my Prague trip at the moment.

I'll leave it there, but please remember, your suggestions and comments are always welcome and can only help me in my continual quest for improvement.

Prague - Day Three - Kutna Hora

Having conquered most of Prague, we chose to use our third day invading the outlying village of Kutna Hora. This involved going down to the main train station and attempting to figure out the timetables, followed by an apprehensive trip through the crumbling ex-soviet countryside in trains that grew smaller and smaller. I do like to make it sound rather more intrepid than it really was, but our eventual arrival after stepping off our tiny train onto the railway tracks outside a small shed that passed for the station was further from modern civilisation that I have been in quite a while.

[caption id="attachment_1006" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A beautiful synagogue we passed on the way to the station"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Arrival at Kutna Hora"][/caption]

Despite its crumbling outskirts, Kutna Hora is a rather lovely and functional little town with a long and colourful history and some very friendly and accommodating locals. When we eventually found our way into the information centre we were given a friendly run-down of all the best places to see. Thus armed, we stepped out to have lunch in an old and atmospheric beer hall.

[caption id="attachment_1008" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The lovely and cosy beer hall"][/caption]

 

The reason for the almost deserted streets of the town became obvious as we realised they must all be sheltering in the warm of gorgeous pubs like this one. I was served up a very generous plate of assorted meat and Kristen had a very sufficient meal of wild boar in plum sauce. You would think we would be getting sick of these meat-heavy meals by now, but I shouldn't need to remind anyone how cold it was outside.

[caption id="attachment_1009" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Wild boar in prune sauce"][/caption]

Fortified against the chill, we strode along past the old silver mines to a cathedral towering over the river valley below. The inside of the cathedral was beautiful, but also very grim in a way that I felt befit central Europe. The whole place was a bit of a medieval boom town as it sat upon one of the richest sources of silver at the time.

[caption id="attachment_1010" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Looking down the valley"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1011" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The statue lined boulevard leading to the cathedral"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1012" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A wide shot of the cathedral"][/caption]

One of the main and most exciting reasons for our visit was the see the bone chapel, or ossuary in the North side of Kutna Hora. Inside of the small chapel are the remains of some 40,000 people, their bones piled into pyramids and crafted into a chandelier, a coat of arms and various ornaments around the room. It was unlike anything that I have ever seen before, which it makes it worth the entire trip to the Czech Republic on its own for me!

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The bone chapel"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A coat of arms. I love the bird pecking the skull."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="I was in absolute awe"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A chalice of bones"][/caption]

Following our triumphant return to Prague, we settled in for dinner at a restaurant dedicated to World War 2 (from all the WW2 paraphernalia all over the walls) and had pork. More delicious, wonderful, amazing pork.

[caption id="attachment_1017" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Leaving to go back to Prague"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Another satisfying meal"][/caption]

Prague - Day Two

We arose to meet our second day in Prague after a long and refreshing sleep in our warm apartment. To wake ourselves up, we took a stroll up the nearby Vyšehrad, which is a very formidable fortress to the South of town with high walls affording a tremendous view.

[caption id="attachment_984" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="That's me surveying my Kingdom from on high"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_985" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Kristen blocking the view"][/caption]

We then caught the tram into town and got off at Wenceslas Square, which is lined with French themed art nouveau buildings. Here we stopped by one of the slightly suspicious looking street food stands.

[caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The scary food stand"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_987" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The French art nouveau façades"][/caption]

The stands offer an array of fried foods and local sausages for rock bottom prices. They're not actually too bad if you're in a hurry and just want something simple to chow on, but the Xmas markets provide better at this time of year.

[caption id="attachment_988" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Marzipan at the Xmas markets"][/caption]

We had a bit of a wander around the old town, stopping every 50 metres to marvel at some other amazing building. When we arrived at the Old Town Square in the daylight, we stood and marvelled at the astronomical clock and saw the people in the tower at the top. What better way to see the town than climb up a big tower in the centre with a 360 view? Right, so up we went.

[caption id="attachment_989" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The Old Town Square"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_990" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="From the top of the clock tower. These two towers are uneven."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_991" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Looking down on the Xmas market"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_992" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Looking from the tower to the Prague Castle"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_993" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Looking back up at the clock tower"][/caption]

 

Following this, we wandered into the Jewish area, where more fantastic buildings awaited us. A few days later when we did the free tour of Prague, we learned a lot about the tragic history of this area and the Jews there.

[caption id="attachment_994" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="One of the synagogues in the Jewish quarter"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_995" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The Jewish Cemetery"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_996" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A statue based on Franz Kafka's Beetle"][/caption]

As the sun started to set, we crossed the Charles bridge with its beautiful statues - It's one of the essential and unmissable features of Prague. By the time we got to the end, we were spent from our day of walking and so retreated back along the riverside home.

[caption id="attachment_997" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Charles IV I assume"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_998" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="One of the statues on the Charles Bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_999" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="On the Charles Bridge, the figure is polished by tourists rubbing it"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1000" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="More statues on the Charles Bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1001" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Me rubbing the dog, which is apparently unlucky. Oops."][/caption]

For dinner, we went 5 minutes down the road to Restaurace Pod Slavínem which has a small selection of beers, but the menu is exhaustive. We asked the waiter if 1.5kg of pork knuckle would be enough for two, and it most certainly was. When the monstrosity arrived, it was everything I had ever hoped for. I should mention that I'm never considering my personal health when tackling a dish; the only thing that matters is the flavour. This meal had such a simple but effective charm to it and it rates as one of the best things I've ever tasted.

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The pork knuckle"][/caption]

We managed to find some room for dessert as well - why not, when the final bill was less than £15?

[caption id="attachment_1003" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="OK, that was a little more than we expected."][/caption]

Prague - Day One

It turned out on hindsight that neither Kristen nor I could figure out what were were doing in the Czech Republic. This was after we had been there a couple of days, and were presently sitting in a café eating cake.

"So whose idea was this?"

Neither of us had an answer. I was the one who booked a week of paid leave at the end of November and then jumped on http://www.kayak.co.uk/explore/ and just kinda threw a figurative dart at the map. Any which way you look at it, we somehow found ourselves in Prague at the beginning of Winter.

Of course, the process of arriving was the same old process we have become used to by now: awake at 4am after a last minute rush to pack bags; several dodgy night bus changes to Victoria station; train ride to Gatwick in the pre-dawn bleariness and finally, a painful and sluggish walk through security and onto a plane. It would have been hard for me to imagine a year ago, but this process has lost the glow of excitement and become routine.

When, two hours later, the plane swoops over the Czech countryside and touches down in Prague there's a moment where you just look over and say "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Stepping out of the bubble that is the Easyjet plane, one suddenly enters the world of the international airport terminal and things steadily get more and more foreign until you're standing at a taxi stand, bewildered and trying to figure out how you're going to get to your accommodation given your absolute inability to read any signs.

Luckily for us, our very kind host was waiting at the airport with a car to take us off to our apartment. The apartment which we paid £100 for 6 nights. I'm not even kidding when I say that's cheaper that my rent in London. Our landlord was pretty amazing too as he sat us down for half an hour and showed us all the best places to visit on a map.

It was about 1pm when we finally bundled up as warm as we could and ventured out of the airlock. The day was chilly, but clear and sunny so we took a brisk walk into town from our position South of the city and through Charles Square, turning left there towards the Vlatva river, to continue our walk along there. I do very much love cities and their rivers; it's a very European observation after growing up in seaside New Zealand where cities were founded without need for a river to supply them with water. London has its Thames, Paris its Seine, Rome its Tiber.

[caption id="attachment_821" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The new dance hall building"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_833" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Panorama of the Vltava River"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_822" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The riverside buildings"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_823" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Some of the façades are beautiful and run down, but a lot is being done to repair and preserve now"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_824" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="It was a stunningly clear day, but very cold."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_825" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="Street art is the new expression in Europe"][/caption]

Anyhow, by this stage we hadn't eaten yet and our stomach wouldn't let us continue without immediate appeasement so we stumbled into the Café Louvre. This was a very loosely French themed café with a long history and I have to say I highly recommend it. At this point we ran into our first "cultural encounter" which are moments when the tourist is suddenly faced with interacting instead of merely observing. Hilarity and embarrassment often follow quickly after.

In Prague, one does not wait to be seated. Just walk in, find a place (even at an occupied table) and squeeze in. Menus are brought to the table and then often bread. You will have to pay for the bread if you eat it - it'll cost you about £1 so don't cry about it. Eateries often allow smoking - as a casual smoker I am VERY fond of this, but I guess non-smokers despise it. Oh yeah, and the food is really cheap so I just rounded up to the nearest 100Kc for a tip. And that is the single most helpful paragraph you'll read on Prague.

So what did I eat? A traditional dish of beef in thick gravy with cream and cranberry and a dense boiled dumpling bread. Kristen had rosemary and garlic marinated pork tenderloin with ham dumplings and apple cabbage. This was a very delicious meal and after all we had heard about Czech food being terrible, it was a surprise and a steal too, with the final bill of less that £16 including drinks.

[caption id="attachment_826" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="This is a traditional dish - svíčková na smetaně"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_827" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The dumplings and garlic pork. So full of flavour!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_828" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The Café Louvre"][/caption]

Thoroughly satisfied, we walked up the river further to the Old Town where we found the Xmas market in the gorgeous square. We could resist gorging ourselves on the Old Prague ham which was being cooked over hot coals and the mulled wine was delicious. The fond memories of the year before in Cologne came back to me and I wonder how I'll ever appreciate Xmas without a Germanic market to visit.

[caption id="attachment_830" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The Old Town market"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_831" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="The Old Prague piggy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_832" align="aligncenter" width="620" caption="A kind of sweet pastry called Trdelník"][/caption]

As it was getting late after our meandering around, we walked back home and ducked into a bakery and a supermarket to stock up on unbelievable cheap snacks and cakes.

The "I'm still alive" update

I just want to say a quick few things to bump my blog back to life and explain my absense from talking about my exciting and action packed existence.

Firstly, I'm still alive, I'm still kicking and I'm still having a grand time in London and abroad. After my last updates about Rome, I took on the very time consuming creative project of backing up all of my travel photos into picasa. I didn't realise just how many photos Kristen and I had taken over the last year. Not only am I uploading them all, I'm writing notes and thoughts on each one and sharing them with my Google Plus friends. Of course, the rewards of doing this are certainly worth the cost in time to me, as this is another very solid backup in case something were to happen to my laptop or removable HDD (ie fire of thievery).

So what have I been up to apart from staring at all my photos and organising them into neat little boxes? Well, my good friend from high school (via University and the UC Davis) is doing his post-doctorate in Oxford, which means I get to see him for the first time in forever on the other side of the world from our native New Zealand.  It's so great to reconnect with a friend like that and suddenly find that you've both matured and appreciate travel and music and food and all those great things in life.

Aside from that, my personal invasion of Europe has been extended to a trip to Prague which was freezing cold, exhausting and undeniably brilliant. That was last week and I'm still trying to get my life back into order and catch up with with the work I left behind in London. Soon you will be able to look forward to my thoughts and feelings about Prague (and I certainly expanded my mind quite a bit there).

Additionally - Christmas is looming, with the stress and the rush to get presents and the travel up to be with Kristen's family and the freezing cold and everything else that this season entails. It's this time of year that I will really miss my family back in NZ as it's going to be the second Christmas away. I really do miss sitting outside in the sun on an Xmas day and having a champagne breakfast then BBQ and a few cold beers.

Perhaps soon it will snow here in England and I'll get over my winter blues and frolic in the snow.

Anyway, goodbye for now and I shall resume the scheduled programming anon. (assuming I am not too busy frolicking in the snow).

Rome - Day 5

At last I am getting around to completing my blog about Rome, after a delay which I attribute to my sudden need to organise and backup my entire travel photo collection, as well as my difficulties in remembering exactly where we went on this haphazard wander through the streets and churches of Rome. If I have forgotten the names of places, it's only because I didn't think to write them down at the time.

Anyhow, we began our day by hunting out the local supermarket, which was quite close to the hotel. We quite like to make time to check out supermarkets wherever we go, as each country has a different attitude towards them and it's interesting to see the differences. For example, some countries use them as their sole source of food (UK), whereas others eschew supermarkets altogether in favour of butchers and bakers and fishmongers (France) and other still rely solely on markets (Morocco).

I don't think Italians rely solely on supermarkets, but it was a very nice surprise to see a rather well stocked bakery and meats section, where they had a freshly cooked porchetta. We bought some, along with a few other interesting local treats (to take back to London with us) and we made sandwiches for our breakfast. The pork was amazing succulent and delicious.



We found a nice spot in front of the Santa Maria Maggiore to devour our breakfast and then made our way over to the Termini station to catch the Metro to the Ottaviano stop.

One thing I've realised about travelling is that if you stumble across a nice place once, it's worth going back before you leave - there are so many places around Europe that I get cravings for all the time. It is one of the perils of travel. So we went back to the nice 'stand up' café near the Vatican for a coffee.

Thus, set up for the day, we wandered down through St Peter's Square and then down the street that leads directly away from it, heading towards the Castel Sant'Angelo. We were waylaid by Santa Maria in Traspontina halfway down the street.

If you allow yourself to go into every church, chapel and basilica in Rome, you'll never get anywhere as there are more packed into the city than is remotely reasonable. To me, each is a serene and gaudy museum and art gallery, dedicated to some unfathomable image or icon that I don't understand with people wandering around inside performing rituals that I don't quite understand. I mean, I have heard of Catholicism and know a few key symbols, but I do find its mysteries and intricacies unfathomable.







We soon continued on our way and entered the Castel Sant'Angelo, which is an old fortification built on top of an even older tomb from the Roman times. It is joined to the Vatican by means of tunnels which allowed the Pope to escape the Basilica and take refuge in the fortified castle.



From the top of the castle there are impressive views of the city.



Afterwards we headed across the river on the Ponte Sant'Angelo.





This left us in the central part of town, where we wandered through every church and chapel we came across and did some shopping.









Sometime after midday we sat down at a café to rest our legs and prepare for the rest of the day, when a clown appeared on the street and started harassing the people going about their business. It's quite normal to see musicians and people trying to sell stupid pieces of tourist junk that no one really wants, but this was the first time on our travels that we were actually solidly entertained by a street performer. He snuck up behind people, stole their possessions, squirted people and just generally made a nuisance  of himself.

After this we saw more churches, etc.









One thing that I always regret doing is ordering anything McDonald's, which is usually because enough time has elapsed for me to forget how bland and awful the food is. But, it can be interesting to see how they try to assimilate local cuisine into their menu. So we tried the 'Vivace', which was really rather average.



We made our way leisurely towards the Trastavere next, hoping to find a nice local restaurant for dinner. We stumbled across the Santa Maria in Trastavere basilica, which has a stunning golden ceiling and columns pilfered from various ancient temples, as well as some of the most intricate medieval mosaic work I've ever seen.







We had dinner at a place in the Trastavere which was a wee bit touristy, I guess. Still the food was better than average and we enjoyed it. Kristen had the Ravioli starter and I had a risotto. For mains, I had the oxtail stew, Roman style and Kristen had the steak.









And this concludes our trip to Rome. The following day we were whisked away by plane back to London.