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......

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...

GUTE BESSERUNG!!!!!