Munich, GERMANY

I arrived on Monday to another scorcher. It must be following me around Europe. But I no complain.
My last days in Edinburgh were great. We went out .. had fun .. did touristy things ... such as a ghost walk .. visited castles .. walked up arthur´s seat! I´ll say again Scotland was a fave part of the trip.
So far in Munich I have walked my feet off. I think I have almost visited every part of the old town. I´ve been to a beer garden and a trivia night in an Aussie pub. Today I went to yet another palace. The Nymphenburg. The gardens were great ... lots of shade.
Yesterday I took a train journey .. down to Austria. Innsbruck to be precise. I love this city (the architecture the people the atmosphere of the place) .. nestled in the Alps. Mind you the Alps lacked something this time around ... I wonder if it had anything to do with the Scottish Highlands! Hmmmm ....
Still got a lot to see and do ... take care.

PHOTO - name that car

PHOTO - Guess where I am?

Edinburgh, SCOTLAND

Scotland. Another destination that will forever be a fave of mine.
Have seen so many places. We did a driving tour of Scotland .. was a little strange being a passenger and not the driver but hey all part of the fun. Especially when one has to navigate and read the map. Didn't get us lost once .. I think.
I started off in Edinburgh. My friend Craig picked me up from the airport and there was a suprise waiting for me. The car we had for the week was to die for. And another thing to die for .. was the weather ... it was hot and sunny in Scotland! Something that I wasn't expecting. Did a quick walking tour of St Andrews. Lovely. Then just relaxed and went out for dinner later in the evenin. Tuesday started off with a trip to Dundee and ended up in Inverness. Along the way there was a visit to a distillery and the most spectacular views I have ever seen. I swear the sun does not set in these parts. It was way past middnight and still slightly light! Wednesday saw us leave Inverness and head along to the Isle of Skye. Saw a battlefield in Culloden where Bonnie Prince Charlie's army was defeated by the British. Then onto Loch Ness.. nessie and Urquhart castle. Arrived in Portree on the Isle of Skye late that evening. It was on this route that I was left totally and utterly amazed. The mountains. WOW! Switzerland can have it's Alps ... but these were in my opinion even better. Thursday we explored the Isle some more .. went on a wee walk down a steep hill then up another hill to reach a lighthouse. See one lighthouse you seen them all. Walk back was a killer but I survived somehow. We then headed out to Glasgow. Along the way we passed through Fort William where incidently Scotland showed it's true nature ... the rain. One hour later after a brief stop at a pub .. to get out of the rain .. we were on our way in sunshine again. Drove through another range of mountains ... which included Ben Nevis .. but the three sisters were the best. Glen Coe. Words cannot describe what I saw. Mountains covered by mist.
So now I am in Edinburgh .. gonna head out and do touristy things tomorrow .. should be a fun filled and long day. I am glad that everyone is enjoying the pics and travelogue .. hope all is well with you guys back home :)

Paris, FRANCE

Next stop Paris.
I arrived here on the 13th July .. day before Bastille Day. Was I in for some fun. Did a quick walkabout of where I was staying and then headed out into the greater metropolis. Paris will always be a fave city of mine. There is always something going on and new places to discover. Yes I ditched the map yet again. Familiar haunts came flooding back .. managed to get a few nice piccies by night as well ... mind you it doesn't get dark till round 10:30pm here.
After exploring Paris I decided to visit Versailles. Had never been there before. After seeing the grandeur and pomp of the palaces and gardens I can understand why there was a revolution. Not that I didn't enjoy Versailles .. I did.
Bastille Day was fantastic. Saw the parade on the Champs Elysees ... france's firepower and might in all its glory. When those planes flew overhead .. wow what a rush. And later that evening the fireworks display by the Tour Eiffel. Half a million people turned up for the display. I was one of them :)
OK now for another sporting event. What would a holiday be without a Grand Prix. On the sunday I took a train to Nevers and then hopped on a bus with other like minded people to Magny-Cours. The French GP awaited me. I caught up with a friend of mine .. who incidently works for Bridgestone. I was in the pit/paddock area for about an hour ... managed to snap a lot of great pics with nearly 3/4 of the grid. John should change jobs and become a photographer. Race was great. Seat amazing. View spectacular. A very enjoyable day all round. It was then back onto the train to Paris .. and pack the backpack for my next point of call ... wee Scotland.

Lourdes, FRANCE

OK so I am not right there at the moment, was there last week but it'll be easier to recount things this way.
Arrived in Lourdes after a train trip that involved one change .. from a fast train to the local version of the met .. it was delayed as well suprise suprise. Got there in the end .. that's what matters. Lourdes was everything I expected it to be and more. It was breathtaking. I really enjoyed spending time there .. very serene. A much needed break from the hustle and bustle of travelling. No miracle though. It was also the first time on this trip that I had to pull the jumper out of the bag. The Pyrenees can get prety clouded over and chilly.. chilly being 20ish.
Now what would a trip be without a sporting event. I managed to see a stage of the Tour de France. Another thing to cross off the to do list. I hadn't planned it .. I was just there at the right time in the right place .. well 30mins away by train .. in Pau. It wasn't cold here .. sunny weather all the way. The excitement in the town was pretty amazing. Got so many freebies .. no thanks to Skippy the kangaroo. I guess the french loved Skip. The race itself was amazing .. the crowds were fantastic. Simply loved it.

Mougins Le Haut, FRANCE

Bonjour!
Arrived in France on saturday from Hungary. Have been staying for the past few days with friends. It's really lovely here. The views are magnificent .. the beaches and the mountains ( southern alps). The weather has been good too ... hot! We watched the World Cup final last night, but it wasn't the result everyone wanted. So now I can say I haved watched matches in english polish german hungarian and french! Off to my next destination today, Lourdes.

PHOTOS - Krakow, POLAND

PHOTOS - Gdansk, POLAND

PHOTOS - Sopot, POLAND

Greetings from Budapest, HUNGARY

Arriving in Budapest by train from Wien, I looked at the train platform and thought what country have I arrived in .... India! There were masses of people everywhere. And the majority of them were trying to get onto our train. The handful of us who were disembarking, looked at each other, said our goodbyes and good lucks and prayers! and made our way off the train. The train was continuing its journey onto Belgrade. I managed to located my cousin Mark in the midst of all the chaos and we were on our way.
Budapest is totally different to any other city I have ever been to in Europe. The language for starters. "S" is pronounced like a "sh" .. "sz" pronounced like an "s" ... "e with a dash on top" is "ee" ... hehe! My brain is still on polish mode .. "sz" is "sh".
Backtracking a bit now. Krakow. Loved it. The atmosphere .. the people .. the architecture .. everything about it was amazing. Did a trip outside of the city too .. to Wieliczka. It's a salt mine. First mined in the middle ages .. and still operational to this very day. There are a few lovely additions to the mine .. namely the Chapel of Saint Kinga, where all the wall decorations, statues and other carvings are all made out of the salt.
From Krakow I journeyed to Wien. Spent a few days there as well, exploring old haunts and finding new ones. It's amazing what one can discover when they put away the map and take a wrong turn ....
That's it for now. Off to explore some more and maybe even relax in a heated mineral pool or two.

PHOTOS - Bydgoszcz

Bydgoszcz, POLAND

I guess the Ukranians didn't win the next match. But the Germans most certainly did.
Have had a fun week, yet again. Weather has been great, most days. Has been a bit cloudy the past 2 days.
Thursday ended up going to Sopot and Gdansk. Had a dip in the Baltic. Must say the water was a wee bit cold. Gdansk was gorgeous. Most of the old buildings in the Old Town have been restored to their former glory. So everything is bright and cheerful. Very Germanic style of architecture. Lots of nice amber jewellery too. The food ... especially gofry ... delicious.
Today I am off on another train adventure. Heading towards Krakow. So next time you hear from me will be from who knows where.
Take care.