All the things I forgot

There are so many things I forgot to mention on the blog that happened during our trip.

In Lisbon we were offered hash, as they call it, 9 times. We were counting. Richard was offended that they thought we were the sort of people who would buy the stuff. What! Do we look like druggies! With lack of sleep and lack of clean clothes, maybe we do.

Also, in Lisbon, there was an art display of sorts called the cow parade.
See the website: http://www.cowparade.com/

Richard thought he was going crazy because the cows kept moving. Eventually we did catch people moving them around at night. Here are some pics of Richard's favourite cows, he became obsessed with them!

Corinth & Loutraki - Greece - 8th September 2006

Today we give Loutraki a try. The Lonely Planet book advises not to bother suggesting that Loutraki is tacky but we decide to give it a go.



Loutraki is a seaside town located 4 km North East of Corinth. It is largely a tourist town, and is well-kown in Greece for its vast natural springs. The name itself, Loutraki derives from the Greek word for Spring. Within Greece, Loutraki is also famous for its spring water, which is bottled and sold widely.

MAP OF PELOPONNESE - WE TRAVELLED TO LOUTRAKI, CORINTH, CORINTH CANAL, KALAVRITA, RIO AND NAFPLION







It turns out to be a nice little place, Richard manages to fit in a swim and we have lunch at Goodys. I wish there was a Goodys in Australia. It is fast food chain in Greece and the food is good



Loutraki is Greece's major producer of bottled mineral water and also home to Greece's biggest casino. We didn't go to the Casino as it was a few kilometres out of town.

Diakofto, Rio, Diakofto, Kalavryta, Corinth - Greece -7th September 2006 -

Today poor Richard had a hang over.

In the morning we made our way to the town of Rio to see the Rion Bridge.



It was similar to the Westgate, so no big deal. However the highlight of Rio was the Taj Mahal Cafe. It was about half an acre in size decked out in India style furniture. We stayed and enjoyed ice chocolates & cake.



We return to Diakofto by train to catch the cog rail system through to Kalaryta. The train took us through the Vouraikos Gorge. In Kalaryta we ate lunch at a Tavern and went to the site where on 13/12/1943 the Nazis killed all male inhabitants of Kalavryta over the age 15 as punishment for resistant activity. A total of 1436 were killed. The Nazis also set fire to the town. I'm sure they are not welcome back.



By the time we got to Corinth we had spent over 5 hours on the train. Both of us were tired and could not be bothered doing the next 2 hours via Athens to Pireaus. So we stayed the night in Corinth. Corinth is a plain town but the cake stores are open 24 hours a day. The cakes in Corinth are really nice too!

Nafplio, Corinth Canal, Diakofto - Greece - 6th September 2006

Today we took a taxi up to the Palamidi Fortress in Nafplio. There are 999 steps to get up there. After 6 weeks of climbing steps I no longer feel the need to exert myself!!!! We went down the 999 steps and watched other crazy tourists climb them!



We take the bus to the famous Corinth Canal. The Corinth Canal is a canal connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnesian peninsula from the Greek mainland and therefore effectively making the former an island. The canal is 6.3 km in length and was built between 1881 and 1893. It saves the 400 km long journey around the Peloponnesus for smaller ships, but since it is only 21 m wide, it is too narrow for modern ocean freighters. The canal is nowadays mostly used by tourist ships; 11,000 ships per year travel through the waterway. The low water depth of the canal is 8 meters.

All the photos of it look breathtaking but it is in the middle of no where. It is small place with some road side cafes. A major highway goes over the canal.



We catch a taxi back to the station and catch a train to Diakofto. For dinner we go to a Tavern recommended by the manager of our hotel/pension. At the tavern they take us out to the kitchen, show us what they have cooked for us to eat. No menu. No special requests here. God only knows how many times the food in the pots had been reheated. Food poisoning anyone? I refused to eat there. Richard told the Tavern owners I was too picky. We left on my insistence and ate at another tavern where Richard drank all the wine and got drunk.

Nafplio - Greece - 5th September 2006

Today it is out of the big brother house!!! I say that because there are so many people coming and going from Muma's house. She has a German couple turning up next week to stay. I don't know how she keeps up.

We catch a train to Athens, then a train to a station near Corinth, then a bus to Nafplio. This is a very pretty town and it was the first capital of Greece before Athens. All the houses are Venetian style. Nafplio is very similar to Venice and Lisbon and very unlike a Greek town or city.



There are three Fortresses here - the Palamidi Fortress, the Akronafplia Fortress and Bourtzi Fortress.

Today we explore the town and Rich takes a swim. The fish in the water are huge and bite so poor old Rich didn't enjoy his swim.

28th August to 4th September 2006 - Pireaus

We are currently back at the port of Athens, Pireaus enjoying our down time. Feel free to send emails and comments on the blog as I am checking them daily at the moment. We are eating, drinking and enjoying ourselves too much!

PIC OF PIREAUS TRAIN STATION



PIREAUS BY THE BAY



On Saturday 2nd of September we will be going out to dinner to celebrate our marriage with all the greek relatives.

On Tuesday 5th of September we are going backpacking to explore the Peloponese for a couple of days. This will include Nafplio. Richard's friend Harry has told me this is his favourite place in Greece so I am looking forward to it. Then we will be going to Diakofto to take the cog railway up to Kalavryta to see the Vouraikos Gorge.

Poros Island - Greece 9th August to 27th August 2006

9th August - Poor Richard is running errands for his Mamma while I am in a air conditioned internet cafe updating my blog ;-)

From the 10th of August to 27th of August we spent on the Island of Poros swimming, eating, sleeping and catching up with Richard's relatives. Richard got to hire his motorbike which made him happy.





From Poros we got the opportunity twice to visit the mainland (Peloponnese) where I got to walk on a crater of a inactive volcano which involved a bit of rock climbing. We had the best steak and chips that night at a little tavern in a local village. So cheap 5 euro. We also got to visit a waterfall called Devil's Bridge. Photos to come.

8th August 2006 - GREECE!!!!!!!!!!

Our wake up call is at 4am. I don't like the early starts but I can make an exception for this one as we are leaving Venice to go to Greece.

We fly Lufthansa (spelling, sorry) and I am so impressed. We had a stop over in Munich for 30 minutes but our plane was delayed. arrrrhhhhggg! I cannot believe all the delays we have experienced. Anyway I was impressed because we got a tarmac transfer which involves a little van taking us quickly from one plane to another. I think I was on German soil for a total of 30 seconds.

We are finally in Greece!!!!!! I am so happy. Richard's parents took us out for dinner. It was the best meal I have had in weeks.

Venice -Italy - 6th and 7th of August 2006

Venice is beautiful. There are a large amount of tourists here for such a small area but it is still very enjoyable.







My favourite area of Venice is Saint Mark's Square which includes the Basilica of Saint Mark and Ducal Palace. I could spend hours just looking at the detail of the Basilica.

We bought lots of presents for family here as there is so many beautiful things. I could take suitcases of the stuff home if I could carry it all.

4th, 5th & 6th August 2006 - Rome

On the 4th we left Lisbon for Rome. A day in transit which involves getting up, packing, catching a bus, checking in at the airport, customs, waiting, waiting, getting on plane, plane on ground for 1 hour and delayed because another passenger had to be escorted off. Nearly all our flights have been delayed. Very frustrating!!!!!! At this point Richard and I have had more than enought of flying but the show must go on.

In the evening I saw pretty much all the sights except the Colosseum and the Vatican. My favourite would have to be the Trevi Fountain.





And I don't understand what the big deal is about the Spanish Steps, it seems to be a meeting place for young people - It reminds me a bit of the steps of Flinders Street Station.



5th of August - Saw all the sights of Rome by day including the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain again, the Piazza del Popolo, the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona with it's fountains, markets and street buskers. After lots of walking we soaked our feet in a fountain at the Piazza Venezia. It felt sooo nice! I don't think it's allowed (feet in fountain) but we did it anyway.









The food in Rome is really average. The pizza is really poor. The take-away pizzas at Pizza Hut in Australia are better. That says a lot. The only real exception is the ice cream. It is sooo good!!! I wish I had one now!

We are staying at Hotel Everest. The people running the hotel are a little strange.

6th of August

Get one more look at Rome. Today was spagetti / pasta for lunch and that was really average too. Everything is really expensive in Italy. We are counting down the days till we get to Greece and eat lots of yummy food!

Another plane trip, this time to Venice

Sintra - Portugal - 3rd August 2006

I loved Sintra. It was so nice. It is a bit like the Dandenongs/ Cockatoo area in Melbourne. We walked all the way up to the Castle and watched the bus loads of tourists go past us. Believe it or not I was happy to walk but Richard did a lot of complaining.






The Castelo dos Mouros is perched on the slopes of the Serra so it was quite a walk up hill. It looks a bit like The Great Wall of China without all the fog. The views were great. Here's a photo.



After all that walking we treated ourselves to a traditional Portuguese meal.

After siesta in the evening we went for a walk in search of more cakes! I have to mention a street performer in Lisbon. He plays the accordene (sorry spelling) while his little dog holds a small bucket in it's mouth where tourists place money. We feel so sorry for this little dog because he is there all day in the heat and his master is not very good at playing. We can hear him playing from our hotel room, it's bad. But the dog is very cute, poor little thing.

Lisbon, Estoril - Portugal - 2nd August 2006

Today we explore what remains of The Castlo de Sao Jorge. It nothing special but the views from the castle are excellent



Later we caught a train to Estoril / Cascais so Richard could go swimming. The weather here is wonderful. High 20s, not too hot, not a cloud in the sky.



While Richard was swimming I sat in the shade where a lovely African / Portuguese boy named Slyvester tried to pick me up. He was 22 and very cute. Richard had competition!!!! Unfortunately when Richard returned from his swim, the poor boy got embarassed and disappeared. Richard thinks I led Slyverster on because I did not tell him I was married. My defense was that it never came up in the conversation and I wear a wedding ring, isn't that enough?

Also had a look at the biggest Casino in Europe which is located at Estoril / Cascais.

In the evening we went to a park (don't have the name or pictures on hand, I will update later. Within the park we could see the world's longest bridge which is 14kms long.

Lisbon - Portugal - 1st August 2006

We are finally in Europe! Customs in Portugal are so polite!

Air Portugal is so much nicer to fly with than Air Canada



We arrive in Lisbon nice and early in the morning. By this stage I have not slept in over 24 hours. Crying children are making it almost impossible to sleep on any of the flights we have been on. We cannot check into our hotel until 12pm so we spend the morning roaming around Lisbon.

PIC OF ME ON OUR HOTEL BALCONY IN LISBON



We take Tram No 28 up, down and around. Lisbon is full of little streets, all cobble stoned. We can see the Castelo de Sao Jorge (A castle) in the distance. I especially love the The Elevador de Santa Justa and the facade of the Se, the city's cathedral. The ticket for the bus we got from the airport to Lisbon allows us to use public transport and ride up and down on the Elevador all day. This is really good value for money.

PIC OF TRAM 28



PIC OF ELEVADOR DE SANTA JUSTA



PIC VIEW OF LISBON FROM TOP OF ELEVADOR



After siesta we take a tram and go to see Torre de Belem, a beacon for navigators and a symbol of Portuguese navel power.

And the cakes in Portugal are so good! Richard has admitted that they may be better than Greek cakes....Ha...the Greeks don't always do it better!

Leaving New York - USA - 31 July 2006

Wake up and watch some American TV - the Tyra Banks show. Pack and take one last look at the streets of New York before we make our way to Newark Airport. New York has 3 airports, unfortunately we didn't get to use JFK. Newark airport has this unique light rail system to take you to your terminal. The carriages look like little bubbles.



US Customs arrrhhhhhh........ They are just so rude and despite the fact they speak english, I can't understand them. The lady (if you could call her that!) at customs told me to take my shoes off and I could not understand her. So she just starts yelling and screaming at me. A fellow passenager explained to me what I had to do. Shoes have to go through the xray scanner because of the incident a couple of years ago where they intercepted someone with explosives / a bomb in their shoes.

We walked 94 blocks of NY - 30th July 2006

We walked all the way from 31st Street up 5th Avenue via Central Park to 125th Street in Harlem. Yes we walked 94 blocks!!!!!!!!

It is Sunday morning and I cannot believe all the people who are going for a run or a jog. It is like there is some sort of triathalon going on but it is just a normal Sunday for a New Yorker in Central Park.

PIC OF CENTRAL PARK



VIEW FROM CENTRAL PARK



We walked cautiously through Harlem (high crime / non tourist area) but there was no need to as it was a friendly and colouful place. Lots of illegally copied CDs and DVDs here.

PIC OF HARLEM



We caught the subway back to 34th Street where we did some window shopping in 5th Avenue. Richard let me buy a bag in Macys. It is just a tourist bag with Macys written on it. I have never seen so many handbags in all my life. Walked past Saks on 5th Avenue. Gee with the prices no wonder Wiona Ryder did a bit of shoplifting there!!



We had a siesta again in the afernoon ad walking 94 blocks takes a lot out of a person!!!!

In the evening we went for another walk through little Italy. I like.

I notice some of the prices at the restaurants during our walk. One place wanted $50 (USD) for a porterhouse steak. On top of this you have to pay taxes and tip so you would have been up for $65 USD or $80 Australia for a steak!!!!!!

No wonder we have been dining at McDonalds!!!!!

29th July 2006 New York

We arrive in New York early in the morning. We are unable to check into our hotel until 3pm. Our hotel is located at Hearld Square almost on the corner of 31st Street and 5th Avenue. Good hotel - highly recommend it.

We walked down 5th Avenue. There was a farmers market on as it was a Saturday. We had the most yummy apple. I think after all of the crap food that Air Canada had served anything else would taste superb! We had spinesh pie for lunch from another market.

New York has some nice parks. Lots of little sqirrels, they are so cute. And they have enclosed areas for dogs or dog parks as seen in Sex and the City. Remember when Charlotte bought a dog with the intention of picking up men when she visited the dog park? Well there were lots of young single girls with dogs in these dog parks/runs. These areas were a bit smelly and not one bit glamorous!



We had a look at Ground Zero where the twin towers once were. It was a little errie as there was a street performer playing Amazing Grace on his recorder (flute). It is a huge area that is now without buildings, it's bigger than the MCG.



We also caught the Statton Island Ferry (for free!!) out to see the Statute of Liberty.





Then we caught the subway back to our hotel for a well deserved siesta. The subway is terrible. Dirty and hot. Believe it or not our public transport in Melbourne is better. We were sometimes stuck 15 minutes in that subway waiting for a train. It was terrible. No wonder the girls from SATC only ever caught cabs!!!!!

In the evening we checked out Times Sqaure.








It was Saturday night so the whole place was packed and it was hard to move. I enjoyed this and thought it was an amazing experience. I noticed there was a lot of garbage on the streets and rats. Yes there are plenty of rats in New York. It is dirty and not nearly as glamourous as it is made out to be in TV and movies.