Friday 8 October 2010

Highlight of a long drive - or not!

Jan, dies ist fuer Dich... die Hay Plains... NICHTS, da war absolut NICHTS zu sehen! :)



... und am naechsten Tag auf dem Weg von Mildura nach Adelaide... da gab's immer noch NICHTS!

Thursday 26 August 2010

Holidays!!! - Part 3

We arrived in Oberriet safe and sound despite spending six and a half hours on the famous Autobahn! Jan is an excellent driver and only indulged Jason once by reaching 180 kilometres but when we cruised at 150 kilometres it felt slower as other cars still went past! One of the myths of the Autobahn is that all of it is unlimited speed (there are limits in certain areas) but still we covered quite a lot of kilometres a lot faster that you would in Australia.
Oberriet is a lovely small place Jan lives at now and from his apartment windows you can see Austria and Liechtenstein but the thing that was capturing Jason was the plasma tv with 175 channels! Being in another country we explored the local supermarket on our first night and of course realised we now had Swiss Francs as a currency and no longer Euros.


That night we checked the weather forecast to see what we would do the next morning and after discovering it would be overcast locally Jan let us know Italy was only a few hours away! The morning greeted us with low clouds and refreshed from having home made pizza and watching the world cup on the massive TV the night before we jumped into the car to head to Lake Como in Italy. Upon nearing the Italian border we made our way up a steep windy descent and although it was summer there was snow in the Alps.
It was an ideal chance to jump out of the car to take some photos and also time to put on beanies and very warm jackets! We made our way back down to a sleepy Italian village where we could finally spend some euros and of course enjoy Italian coffees as the sun beamed down on us in this very peaceful scene. Continuing on the long windy roads towards our destination and a habit that was to develop throughout our stay begun.....Anja falling asleep in the back of the car. :)


The scenery as we got closer to the Lake was so green and surreal and the sun shone as we made it to Menaggio a very pretty town on the western side of Lake Como. From there we strolled along the lakeside watching the interesting locals and the yachts on the lake. Being in Italy it was impossible not to sit down and have a proper pizza which was indeed as good as expected although it made it hard to make room for the even more compulsory gelato but being seasoned travellers we made the sacrifice.
The town that lends it's name Lake Como which is obviously Como was where we made our way to that afternoon to wander the streets and the Cathedral of Como (Duomo) is huge and a very daunting and impressive church. Funnily as we sat down at a cafe we realised none of us really spoke Italian assuming they would all speak English so ordering was quite a bit of a laugh but somehow we made it.


Amusingly as we left Como it was only minutes to the Switzerland border as we went back a different way where the scenery was just as amazing and as we went back to the clouds it made it more unreal like. A lot of driving had been done over a couple of days but the changing scenery seen out the car windows had made it all very much worth it.
Understandably we took it a bit easier the next day but still we went to St Gallen in the morning which is home to the Unesco World Heritage listed Abbey of St Gall in the heart of the city. Inside on the day there was a service in a smaller part so that made it even more interesting than the normal tourist set up you encounter when you visit churches.

As you do we visited some stunning Switzerland scenery for lunch as Jan took us to a favourite spot of his called St Martin where you proceed up some suitably impressive windy roads to reach an idyllic destination. We sampled for the first time a very refreshing drink called Fassbrause which is literally 'keg brew', it is a non-alcoholic German drink made from natural fruit and spices and malt extract, traditionally stored in a keg. It came in a cool looking brown bottle and combine that with wurst and pommers frites and you can't go wrong!
Having two cameras is always a bonus as we couldn't get enough of the surrounds after lunch but we had to make our way back down again and it was a one way road for certain periods of time before it switched so time was of the essence.


In the afternoon England were playing in the World Cup in the last group game so we were able to go to where Jan works in Liechtenstein for what is referred to as a "public viewing". Simply translated it is where a large group of people gather to watch on big screens a sporting match such as a football game but this was of course very popular. It was in the capital of Vaduz that we took this in and Jason was disappointed to see no real borders as he crossed into his twenty second country visited. Still it was a unique experience as this German speaking country (the only one not to share a common border) all cheered on the English as there were a few shirts in the crowd. For the record England beat Slovenia 1-0 to go through to the next round but at the same time the USA made them come second in the group making the next game for the English very interesting and unexpected (read all about it in Part 4!).


Going back over the border (a simple bridge that marked the difference) it was only fifteen minutes before we got back to Jan's apartment. Tonight though was also the final group games for Australia and Germany so the plasma was able to be split screened as we watched both games simultaneously. Both teams won but the margins were not enough for Australia to not get knocked out so it was worked out that when we arrived in London the same day Germany would play England (read all about it in Part 4!) but we still had a few more days to enjoy Switzerland.


Mt Santis is 2502 metres above sea level and was to be our destination for today after we drove through Appenzell and checked out another very pretty town in this alpine region close to where Jan lives. We were greeted by some goats in the car park that strayed from the little farm at the base. A gondola took us up to the summit as we made our way through the clouds but it was sunny and not too cold up at the top. Swisscomm has a transmission tower there which adds to it and after some fun in the snow we wanted to have some lunch in the lovely cafe whilst we could spot very adventurous hikers making their way up. Unfortunately by the time we sat down the clouds had engulfed us but that made our surrounds even more interesting and very different. The descent down through the clouds in the gondola was also something you didn't do every day as well but we made it back to the bottom without any dramas as we watched in amazement a technician perched precariously on the area where the gondola changes it's angle.

 
Throughout the duration of our stay in Switzerland whenever we left Oberriet we drove past the Austrian border so in the afternoon we visited Feldkirch a medieval town dating back to the 12th century and it has buildings to prove it. It was also a chance for us to indulge in some grocery shopping as there are certain limits that can be taken over the borders (if they check you!).

The next day we were off to Zurich! Anja had been a few times before when she worked in the south of Germany so we had to visit an Australian bar called the Outback Lodge which she had frequented. It was quite different to other Australian bars as it was styled in an older way than most bars and it was quite an event to have an "imported" VB. We also took advantage of a boat cruise on Lake Zurich and this was one of those times it was to Jason's advantage he didn't understand the locals!
Many streets and lanes makes Zurich such an easy place to get lost in and we could have done just that but soon it was time to head back to Jan's for our final night. It is such a quiet beautiful spot in the world as is shown in the photo of a church in Oberriet above so it was very sad to leave as we made our way to London.
Luckily Jan agreed to drive us to our airport which is in "West" Munich about 100 kilometres west in a small place called Memmingen where a former army airport has been converted for small cheap airlines.
For budget reasons we had chosen to fly with Ryan Air a famous Irish low cost airline for our flight to Gatwick so it really shouldn't have been a surprise to arrive at 7am to see a bar full of English lads still drinking beer!
We farewelled Jan reluctantly but we hope to see him sooner than later back in Australia. Standing in the line to get through security at this tiny airport behind the English lads was certainly a memorable experience and it was also the only time we were asked to pull apart our camera. As we waited for our flight we still couldn't fathom why our boarding pass said seat 90 and 91 but once we saw everyone race onto the plane we did likewise to discover it was sit wherever you could!
No other major dramas occured as we headed together to the UK but we loved how they sold scratchies and phonecards. Soon we touched down at one of London's three airports which was forty five minutes out of London and massive.
It was a beautiful hot day as we jumped on the train to head into London.

To be continued.....

Friday 6 August 2010

Die GROSSflaeche!

 

 

    SCHNECKE!!!!

       
                
            
             
    DAAAANKE!!!

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Holidays!!! - Part 2

Finally we had arrived in Germany and after being away for three years Anja was definitely glad to see her family which was understandable. To see three familiar faces in Hans,Christa and Christina when we arrived in Hannover and to have some warm welcomes made the start of this part of our holidays even more special. Before this we had been away a week but now we were seeing family and friends which was obviously an intended highlight to our time away.
It may have been late in the evening when we arrived back at Wennigsen but we still had enough energy to enjoy some delicious chocolate! We awoke the next morning to have the first of many truly special breakfasts with Anja's parents and Jason had his first Brezen (Aussies like to call them pretzels) with Nutella!

Off to Hannover that afternoon to meet for the first time Anja's godson Mika and the wait was well worth it as he is a bubbly "cheeky monkey" for a one year old.It was also an ideal opportunity for Anja to catch up with her best friend Antje whilst Jason amused Mika and vice versa!


The next day was Mika's christening which had been delayed for our arrival and it was an unique service. Mika fell asleep just before the service and then when being christened was soaked with Anja in a litre of water but he didn't really complain!They even had a special lunch at another venue for family and friends for the "cheeky monkey" and we enjoyed being able to share the day with our unofficial nephew. Afterwards we hitched a lift with Anja's sister Christina back to Wennigsen as that night Germany was playing Australia in the football World Cup.
When we got back though we were greeted by Anja's parents Hans and Christa beckoning us to come quickly for a walk into the town centre without explanation but bring our cameras. So we made our way there and upon turning a corner into the main street there was a massive billboard personally greeting us! It was made even more funny as no-one knew where this had come from but after investigation we discovered the lovely culprit was Anja's friend Maren!


From the safety of the Platzek's lounge room we viewed Australia's 4-0 loss to Germany but luckily Jason couldn't really understand the commentators!The week was spent enjoying our time in Wennigsen and we did spend a day cycling in a nature park not far away followed by a round of mini golf.




Thursday though was Mika's first birthday so we were lucky enough to join him to celebrate. Also that day Matt from Brisbane arrived in Hannover to be one of only two guests to join us in our Wedding Parties in two hemispheres. The Friday morning before our Wedding Party Matt and Jason were asked to go into Wennigsen to get some supplies.So it was with amusement these two Aussie country lads managed to confuse the locals in the supermarket as we wandered the aisles. Also that day saw the arrival of Maren (our billboard culprit) from the south of Germany and with Matt we enjoyed the very quiet night life of Anja's hometown.
Saturday was the day of our Wedding Party and the weather gods weren't shining on us as we set up benches in the Platzek's garden.


We greeted some more friends Anja (Eggy Punch) and Alex from Munich who also made a special flight on the day. Which we really appreciated. It was a chance to enjoy good company and share our happiness from our wedding in Australia with Anja's family and friends. Just as were setting up for some delicious cake and coffee Anja's brother Jan arrived who had driven six and a half hours from Switzerland to join us.
Anja returned my favour from our Australian party to give a short speech to our small but special group and we were interrupted by Australia's next game in the World Cup but at least this time they weren't playing Germany!


The evening meal was delivered and we again feasted as we seemed to do throughout our holidays and remained indoors due to the inclement weather but I think everyone really enjoyed the day.
Sunday morning and of course the breakfast was a massive spread that both Matt and Jason couldn't fathom but both struggled through as there was too much choice! We spent the afternoon in Hannover and we sadly bid farewell to our visitors from the south of Germany but not before we had a yummy curry wurst with pommes frites (hot chips) at a pub watching in shock as the Kiwis drew with the Italians!



Before we knew it we stood on Monday morning at the train station saying goodbye to Matt, who would still have a few more months of travelling throughout Europe!

Also it was time for us to drive off with Jan to head to Switzerland for some more adventures!
It was all to start that day with a trip on the Autobahn at 180 kilometres an hour!

To be continued......

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Holidays!!! - Part 1

Well it may have been four and a half months from when we exchanged vows but finally we have just experienced a great five weeks away.

Leaving on June 4th we headed west to the most isolated capital city in the world being Perth. After a five hour flight, the first of many, we arrived to see that the airport was a bit of a distance from the actual CBD. Perth is highlighted by an abundance of cranes as this city is experiencing a building boom on the back of the thriving mining industry. Sadly this isn’t necessarily appealing to the eye when you view the skyline but I guess it is a sign of progress.


We spent a day down at Fremantle and visited the very cool Little Creatures brewery to sample a few lagers and enjoy the "different" feel of the locals and other visitors. The next day Anja discovered firsthand the greatness of the West Coast ocean water and beaches after we made it to Rottnest Island, a truly beautiful island populated by the very cute Quokkas. We even could hire bikes to get around but as always Jason had bike problems! The blue of the ocean on the west coast has to be seen to be believed.




After a short but eventful time in Western Australia’s capital city our next flights awaited us with Qantas where we flew five hours to Singapore then changed planes to take the next eleven hours of flying to Frankfurt. Excitedly we were able to indulge in a coffee and a "proper" German bread roll whilst we waited for our next much shorter two hour flight to Helsinki the "funky" capital of Finland.
As you can imagine we were two weary travellers upon arrival in a country neither of us had been and once we had navigated our way to our motel the best we could do was wander a little time before falling asleep pretty early! Being so far north was also very different as the sun rose before 4.30am and didn't really set till 11pm.


During our few days we explored Helsinki by foot and that really emphasised how "funky" Helsinki is. A visit to the really cool markets is compulsory for any visitor and it is where they serve REALLY strong coffee and also sell bear and reindeer meat in cans, we only tried the first! Also it is a must to step inside the magnificent Helsinki cathedral and we normally don’t take photos out of respect in churches but this was an exception.

We also took advantage of the proximity of Estonia to Finland and jumped on a ferry for a short ride to the capital Tallinn.
The Old City of Tallinn is a Unesco World Heritage Site and as you wander through you are very thankful that this is the case. We had to exchange 50 Euros and got 651 Kroons the local currency so we felt rich for a day! Arriving early was great as our first impression of the city square was uninterrupted by the large crowds that we were later to encounter. From our time in Helsinki we discovered that the cruise ships frequented these spots so we were joined by five ships later that day but the mix of people made the city even more interesting.


When in Rome do as the Romans they say, so we had a medieval lunch at a place called Olde Hansa where the local girls dress appropriately in clothes of the period and pose for countless photos with never ceasing smiles! Eating with your hands was optional but not one taken and the cinnamon beer was certainly an acquired taste. Loved our time in both of these new countries but I think we both were looking really forward to arriving in Germany to see Anja's family after such a long time away.

The actual day of our flight was a bit longer than we thought however. It was torrential rain in Helsinki on the day of departure so our flight was slightly delayed to Frankfurt but we eventually got going. After a hurried transfer of luggage so we could get on another flight to Hannover to our horror the forty five minute flight was delayed by an hour. Not all was lost though as the World Cup was on the TV at least.

Finally upon arrival in Hannover we were greeted by Anja's family with a great big Welcome sign and we made the train trip to nice and quiet Wennigsen!

To be continued...

Thursday 15 April 2010

Adelaide the City of Upgrades!

The Easter break arrived and these two travellers decided it was time to visit a very underrated Australian capital city! We left on Good Friday morning and after hearing of all the issues Qantas had been having recently we were quite relieved to arrive after a couple of hours in the most dry Australian state. As we flew over we could just see the barren land and after departing the plane we felt a great rise in temperature!
After approaching an elderly friendly volunteer we thought it a good idea to try the local buses so after a short wait we boarded a bus and made the trip through the suburbs into Adelaide city to our Hotel. One of the most mentioned things about Adelaide is that everything is only twenty minutes away, a fact we soon discovered to be completely true. Our bus driver even made sure that when we reached the stop to give us directions!

The Hotel room was a bit small and not as clean as we would have liked but we knew it would do the job as we had a lot planned for the weekend. A change of wardrobe into some shorts and thongs and we made our way to the historic Adelaide train station across the road from the Hotel in search of the tram to Glenelg Beach. To our surprise the helpful attendant suggested a day ticket would be cheaper and then made sure we knew how to use the ticketing system as we headed to the tram stop. The trams was one of the first of a few things that gave Adelaide a welcome European feel and although crowded the "twenty minute" journey to the most famous and busiest Adelaide beach was quiet alright.


Being Good Friday and also a beautiful warm day fish and chips was on the menu for lunch. For Jason of course that meant just chips! It was crowded as you can imagine but one of the staff checked with us to apologise and let us know it wouldn't be much longer (Adelaide citizens are super nice!) A nice walk along this clear white sand beach to digest lunch and allow Anja to find some more beautiful shells to add to her collection was very welcome. Although this beach is regarded as the busiest and most popular it was quite good crowd wise and browsing through the shops was no problems.

Another "twenty minute" tram trip back to the city and we got off at Victoria Square in the city to go for a walk around the city. We were amazed at the wide streets and loved going through the old university grounds to the parklands. It had such a lazy relaxed feel to such a big city (one million people) and we enjoyed a walk along the Torrens enjoying the sunset and the friendly Swans!

Being quite buggered after an early rise and a bit too much walking in our thongs (we seemed to go for miles and miles) we retired to our room to get some rest as we wanted to be up early the next day. It was about 9pm and to our bemusement we discovered our room backed onto Hindley St a notorious area of Adelaide for nightlife. Even being Good Friday there was loud music and by about 10.30pm a call was made to reception to see what we could do. A room change was made but after another five minutes we could really feel the base so a visit to reception resulted in an upgrade to a much bigger room and nicer facilities!

Saturday and the alarm snapped us out of our slumber at 6.30am but we were determined to be early for the famed Adelaide Central Markets. It was a bit chilly but only a few blocks away to Gouger St where we walked in to these indoor markets and straight away we saw a great butcher's shop. Plenty of cold meat stalls, cheese shops, bread shops and fruit and vegetable stands awaited us and these markets were even better than what we had been told.


Another highlight to this visit was a chance to meet with one of Anja's work colleagues from Adelaide Clare and her partner Scott for a coffee and an opportunity to hear from some locals a bit more about this city. We soon discovered they had a nice farm a little bit out of Adelaide and we accepted an invitation to visit on the Monday. After grabbing some supplies for our day ahead we headed to our car rental place in Hindley St. Understandably they were very busy but very nice and pleasant with us, sadly we had organised specifically an auto car but they got someone to drive from the airport to swap cars and....yep another upgrade!

So after a short battle with our GPS we brought from home a short drive through the sprawling suburbs Clare and Scott had recommended visiting Mt Lofty to check out the view. Approx 710 metres above sea level and the first thing you noticed getting out of the car was the fresh clean air so close to a major city. The dreaded paid parking sign was also evident but then to our amusement we realised two dollars was for the whole day! It would have been so easy to go on a hike for the rest of the day but there was so much we wanted to do so next door was Mt Lofty Botanic Garden.

A group of schoolkids were looking above when we arrived and a too rare sight of an active Koala greeted us. So active was it moving up and down it decided to relieve it's bladder but luckily we weren't targeted. Again there were so many walking tracks but next stop was to be Hahndorf! Adelaide was the first city and South Australian the first colony to be settled by free settlers and the Adelaide Hills home to Hahndorf and the Barossa Valley was heavily populated by German Lutheran settlers from Prussia from the 1830's.

So after arriving in Hahndorf and walking through this very popular town of course we discovered it had become a bit clichéd for tourists but still the history and feel to this place was great nonetheless. To our despair non bar served Radler which is German beer mixed with Lemonade and very refreshing. Hence we jumped back in the car for the short trip to Lobethal to a Bierhaus. Along the way we came past a chocolate factory but what we found was very similar to Europe you don't really go more than twenty kilometres between towns. This area is so close to Adelaide itself but so stunningly rural and remote.


After sampling ale at the Bierhaus we made our way back to Adelaide to go and visit a northern newer suburb of Adelaide called Mawson Lakes. It is no secret we have been looking at escaping the rat race of Sydney so it was with great interest we checked out this often advertised estate. Well it lacked a little bit of heart of the surrounding suburbs but I guess if anything that made it even more evident one of the greatest things about Adelaide is the culture that creeps up on you.

Sunday Morning and we had the luxury of the car so up early once more to hit the road and visit the most famous wine region of Australia - The Barossa Valley. Again driving out the wideness of the roads blew us away and it was once more to our surprise how close it was to Adelaide.

We headed towards the Barossa Valley and the first stop was Lyndoch, another very pretty small town that has a German heritage. A bakery there laid claim to being a bit German so we had a very healthy breakfast of cake (Bienenstich - like a sponge cake with crème and very yummy almonds) and it was so nice and quiet in a little park nearby.
 
After leaving Lyndoch we headed North and a stop at Gawler was on the agenda as Anja was a big fan of McLeod's Daughters and it was shot near there. After chatting to a lovely old bloke there and also to a nice friendly Scottish couple we discovered the pub that was in it was not that far away. It was about 11am when we walked into the renamed pub which was understandably deserted but the publican was quite hospital so we had a quiet soft drink in this true Aussie pub! 




Of then to Nuriootpa, another town in the picturesque valley and upon arriving there we saw a heritage Barossa Valley trail to take, we had been relying on our trusty GPS as well but everything was very well signposted. Tanunda seemed to be the gateway to the Barossa Valley and we passed very well known wineries like Penfolds and Jacobs Creek but Anja had found a nice little winery called Charles Melton. Can't think of anywhere better than this little place to have enjoyed a light vineyard lunch and we both sampled some nice red wine.

Being a little drowsy after such a nice relaxing lunch it wasn't hard to find another German bakery for the mandatory coffee and cake! All throughout this area we found remnants of the Lutheran settlement and that really added to the feel of this wonderful place. After a browse through the streets of Tanunda and making a purchase at Kaesler wines (ironically there was a RBT outside) with the fading light we headed back to Adelaide. This was of course the first day that daylight savings had finished but as always we found that it's never that far too drive and before we knew it we were back in the beautiful North Adelaide.

After having Thai the night before we felt it our duty to visit a restaurant called Outback Jack's specialising in Aussie Tucker as you can see: Aussie Tucker!

Even there we were blown away by the service (now remember in Australia tipping is not compulsory) so after eating and drinking way too much it was time to head back to the hotel to get to bed and be up and early for our final day. At checkout they even waived the parking fees so as we headed back on the road to go south (traffic is always quiet) to visit Victor Harbour.

As we drove out we were stunned to see how far out of the city the cycle ways were and this was representative of how well thought out the roads were for sharing. It was a little but cloudy this morning and when we arrived early to Victor Harbour the beauty of the area was probably not as dominant as other areas visited. Still we parked the hire car (no paid parking) and walked over to Granite Island which is home to 700 little penguins but were a little late to see them but it was a nice walk over the tramway and around the island.


We had a nice breakfast at an unassuming little cafe back in Victor Harbour and right on cue the sun lit up as we left to go along the coast via Port Elliott and Middleton to have lunch with Anja's work colleague Clare. Port Elliot had a bakery with a very long line winding out of it so it must have been good! A brief stop at Middleton Beach to watch the waves and we found with the aid of the GPS the glorious Amberley Fields Farm.

This 20 hectare piece of paradise is home to cattle, ducks, sheep, a cat, a dog and of course two really wonderful people Scott and Clare who invited us to their home which really was a personal highlight of our trip away. We were able to feed the animals and play fetch with the really cool dog Charlie and then had a great BBQ as we soaked in the magnificent view. I think Anja was in shock when sitting at the table we looked out to see some Kangaroos bounded through the outfields. Some home made jam was also a treat that Anja was able to take with her and the fact that this was only forty five minutes from Adelaide's CBD really stunned us both!


It was with real sadness we left and made our way back to Adelaide and the airport but again not a big drive! Upon dropping off the car we grabbed a coffee and some postcards before we jumped back onto the plane to Sydney. It wasn't long before we realised where we were going with other passenger's behaviour but we were both so grateful and happy to have spent some time in lovely Adelaide.

The whole weekend we seemed to be constantly going but that we did that was a true indication of how much fun we had. Somehow we only really touched briefly on what SA has to offer with also the Flinders ranges and Kangaroo Island two other destinations these travellers would love to see, who knows we may even call this city a home in the future??

Here are some more photos: Adelaide - Easter 2010

Saturday 27 March 2010

Jan war hier!

2.5 Jahre spaeter, nach einem sensationellen Neuseeland Urlaub und der Entdeckung der Schweiz: Jan besuchte Australien samt Schwesterherz und Ehemann!!!

Aufregende Wochen in Sydney, zig Echsen-Sichtungen, der heisseste Tag in den letzten 4 Jahren, super niederschlagsreiche Tage, eine nie zuvor erlebte Schwuele, diverse Biere und und und erwarteten ihn!

Wir konnten es nicht abwarten, dass er endlich landete und dann...

... eine SMS: Gelandet!
 40 Minuten zu frueh!!!!!

Kleine Panik machte sich breit... waren ein paar Minuten spaeter aufgebrochen als geplant... dennoch: wir schafften es rechtzeitig zum Flughafen!


Und ein erstes abwechslungsreiches Wochenende konnte beginnen.
Der erste volle Tag in Sydney wurde der heisseste Tag in den letzten 4 Jahren. Dennoch wir gaben uns nicht geschlagen und los ging's zum Bondi Beach (der wohl bekannteste Strand Sydneys). Von hier gings fuer 6 km an der Kueste entlang gen Coogee Beach. Wunderbare Meersicht mit kleinen Buchten koennen auch Sydneysiders in Urlaubstimmung versetzen. :)

Weiter gings am Sonntag mit einer Tour gen Blue Mountains. Je naeher wir unserem Ziel Wentworth Falls kamen um so schlechter wurde das Wetter. Regen, Nebel. Wir beschlossen unseren Plan umzustellen und zunaechst Katoomba und die 3 Sisters zu besuchen. Leider, leider wurde die Sicht nicht besser und anstatt einen atemberaubenden Canyon samt 3 Sisters zu sehen gabs nur eine weisse Nebelwand. :(


Aber wir sind ja flexibel. Also kurzerhand wieder ins Auto gesetzt und los gings nach Palm Beach im Norden Sydneys... Auto fahren macht schliesslich Spass! Angekommen in Palm Beach erwartete uns dann ein wenig Sonnenschein, Schwuele und eine kleine Klippe, die erklommen werden wollte.


Weiter ging es am naechsten Tag mit dem Royal National Park suedlich von Sydney. Dies war der erste Nationalpark in Australien und der zweite in der Welt (nach Yellowstone in den USA). Er umfasst 15300ha und bietet mehr als 100km an Wanderwegen entlang der Kueste oder durch den kuehleren Regenwald. Wir wollten einige der Straende erkundschaften: Gaerie, Wattamolla und Bundeena. Am Ende des Tages hatte ich eine wunderbare Muschelsammlung und 2 sonnengebraeunte hungrige Maenner...  also ab gings heim fuer ein wenig "tucker".

Leider mussten Jason und ich nach den ersten 4 Tagen wieder Arbeiten und Jan zog alleine los und erkundete die Umgebung.

Das naechste Wochenende stand unsere Australische Hochseitsparty an. Wir feierten mit Familie und Freunden und hatten einen wunderbaren Abend.

Schliesslich und endlich: Am 05.02.10 ging es mit Tiger Airways (billig, billger, am Billigsten) nach Melbourne und von dort mit nem Mietwagen die Great Ocean Road entlang, vorbei an den 12 Aposteln (die gar keine 12 mehr sind) bis nach Petersborough wo wir auf einem Campground uebernachteten.

Mit ca. einer Stunde Verspaetung landeten wir in Melbourne, um festzustellen, dass Tiger ein eigenes Terminal hat... leider weitab vom Schuss mit Marsch uebers Rollfeld. Noch nicht zuvor erlebt... und evtl. auch nicht noch mal erlebt in naher oder ferner Zukunft. :) Aber wir sind heile angekommen und das alleine zaehlt. Schnell holten wir das Auto ab und suchten unsere Unterkunft fuer die Nacht auf. Nach einer nicht ganz so ausgiebigen Nachtruhe ging es am naechsten Morgen in der frueh dann endlich Richtung Great Ocean Road.
Ein Strand war schoener als der andere, so wurde diverse Male gestoppt und der eine oder andere Strandspaziergang genossen. 



Wir beschlossen einen kleinen Abstecher zum Otway Lighthouse zu machen - und was fuer eine sensationelle Idee war das. Nie zuvor haben wir so viele Koalas in der Wildnis gesehen!

Weiter gings und wir kamen an den 12 Aposteln an - wie auch Hunderte andere Touristen. Geplagt von zahllosen Fliegen schauten wir uns um und genossen die Seeluft bevor wir zu unserem Nachtlager aufbrachen. Eingecheckt und unser nettes Cabin angeschaut ging es "downtown" Peterborough. Nach einem naeheren Blick auf's Menue des Pubs beschlossen wir den einheimischen Take Away Shop aufzusuchen. Dieser war nicht nur Imbiss (Burgers, Pommes, Pizzas...), nein er war auch gleichzeitig Postamt.
Nach dem Abendbrot gings kurz zum Bottle Shop fuer ein kuehles six pack und ab gings an den Strand einen super schoenen Sonnenuntergang geniessen.

Am naechsten Morgen fuhren wir noch ein bissl weiter auf der Great Ocean Road zu der Bay of Islands - empfohlen von den Campground Inhabern. Und JA - die hatten Recht, dies zu empfehlen. Eine wunderbare Kuestenlandschaft bot sich uns im Sonnenaufgang und wir hatten diese nahezu fuer uns alleine. Abgesehen von dem einen oder anderen Backpacker, die ihre Campervans auf den Parkplaetzen abgestellt hatten.

Und dann drehten wir um, um zurueck zum Otway National Park zu fahren und den "Otway Fly Free Top Walk" zu erkunden. Seantionell zwischen den Baeumen/Baumkronen zu gehen.
Danach haben wir dann noch eine kleine Wanderung auf eigene Faust unternommen - diese hat uns zu einem super schoenen Wassfall in der Wildnis gefuehrt.



Zurueck gings mit Tigers nach Sydney.

Waehrend Jason und ich wieder Arbeiten mussten machte Jan sich auf gen Norden.

Ein letztes gemeinsames Wochenende wurde mit einem Ausflug nach Newcastle verbracht. Wir veliessen Sydney in stroemenden Regen und kamen bei strahlendem Sonnenschein in Newcastle an. Keiner hatte mit diesem Wetterunterschied gerechnet... kein Wunder also das Jason und ich uns gleich mal einen Sonnenbrand im Nacken zuzogen...

Jan, vielen lieben Dank fuer Deinen Besuch!
Wir freuen uns schon auf unseren Gegenbesuch und naechstes Mal fahren wir vielleicht gemeinsam ueber die Nullarbor!

Ein paar mehr Fotos gibt's hier: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonandanja/sets/72157623598873220/detail/


Monday 8 March 2010

JUST MARRIED!


Well, as you can see:

We've finally done it!

When: 
16th January 2010 

Where:
McMahons Point, Sydney