Prague

We got into the main train station and were met by Jon Rybak (highschool friend) who took us by the local metro system to his humble abode that he shares with Suzi, his far better half. They have a very spacious apartment which just happened to have a spare room whilst we visited. Bonus, and always a welcome treat for us hostel goers. That night we went to a nearby traditional Cheque pub for some hearty stuff. The next day Rhi and I set out in amongst the city streets, browsing the local cafe's shops and sites. We walked over the popular tourist bridge, past the John Lennon inspired art wall and up and through the palace complex.

Shortly after on a neighbouring hill we enjoyed the beer garden overlooking the city with John. We then met up with Suzi for a Bagel Bar dinner. The next morning we had a lazy start and then the four of us went to a famous monastery/brewery for a holy beverage. Nothing much else eventuated so we went home via a supermarket and I cooked up a spag bog for our last meal with the guys before heading off on the train the next morning. Thanks a bunch guys for your great hospitality.    

Mainz

My brother from another mother (Andrew Van Leeuwen who I hadn't seen in 18 months) appeared on the platform as we dismounted the train and walked us to his and Anne's apartment and settled us in before we did a quick walking tour of the immediate town/village of Mainz. We settled in that night with a good traditional German dinner cooked up by Andy and then wondered to one of the several locals for what they call a Vier-Tower (Beer-5litre long tube complete with tap), and a cheeky pretzel. The following morning we got a more detailed tour of Mainz and the surrounding area including the brand spanking new football stadium of the local team. Impressive stuff. THat night we went to an outdoor screening of the German v Greece Euro final, along with 1000 or so passionate locals. They weren't disappointed with an easy 4-1 win. The next day we took it easy and decided to rekindle our healthy appetite for competition by firing up the Fifa and squaring off several times. Beers in hand and quality banter took us back a couple years. We lucked out with the timing of our visit as one of Mainz big street festivals was kicking off for the whole weekend and we enjoyed it by drinking and eating in the streets on the Friday night. Like nothing you will ever see in Australia. The village street setup of these old European towns are made for festivals and the locals more than embrace it. The next day Andy and I travelled to a nearby town for a soccer tournament that he was playing in. Again, WOW!! The canteen spread was seriously impressive complete with your Sausage (wurst) and a bun with mustard and sauce. Wash that (them) down with quality German ale(s), and then reward yourself for supporting the event by indulging in some of the many sweet bakery offerings. All that and live sport to watch and I was more than happy with the Saturday progress. Andy's team however didn't progress far other than to give the metre drinking competition a fair crack. Imagine a metre long wooden contraption that holds 10ish sizeable ale's easily carried by one person. The winning team of this side competition is obviously that which goes back to the bar for the most of these. So you can imagine by the end of the day the more serious half of competitors are fighting it out sober for the football honours whilst the other half struggle to stay conscious on the sidelines. Great day out in the sun! The next day we slept in a bit after another night at the festival and then went out hunting for my culinary friend from my 2011 Octoberfest experience. A 'port knuckle' is your own personal little roast pork with amazing gravy and an abundance of shinny crackle. We sat in the main street of Mainz and devoured what was our first meal of the day. The day only got better with a bit of sport (formula 1) in one of the local pubs. From there we heading to a nearby area where Anne's wonderful parents live. We walked to a cool little traditional eatery where, apparently I "just had to get the pork schnitzel'. Andrew later commented that I had done my part in wiping out a entire breed of swine that day.

The following day I turned 25! After a slow start to the day we packed up a picnic and drove out in to the nearby wine region. It is a beautiful town that the guys live in, made more spectacular by the surrounding areas. The main waterway slices throughout the rolling green, grape vine draped hills. We pulled in at one the guys favourite restaurants and enjoyed  a seriously awesome meal washed down by one of Andy's more arse'y vino selections. As if that spoiling wasn't enough! It continued as Rhi later cooked up one of her famous Thai spreads and then we went out for the closing night of the festival (fireworks over the water and all!) and said our goodbyes to the great crew Andy and Anne have got in Mainz. The next morning the guys dropped us off at the train station (after picking up my birthday present from the local post office. Thanks Mum!). Big thanks to Andy, Anne and your extended German family for a great time.

Amsterdam

We rolled in off the train and weaved through a couple small streets and canals to our hostel. We settled into what turned out to be an all male (12 in total) dorm which pleased Rhi immensely. We went out and grabbed a bite before finding a pub to watch some euro soccer. Before retiring for the day we did the obligatory walk throughout the red-light district neighbouring our accommodation. For those that haven't seen it with their own eyes , the street windows are full of scantly clad females winking, yelling and pointing in your direction in a quick fire attempt to get you to succumb to their sexy charm and plastic tits. As a couple, Rhi and I strolled these streets like emotionless horse judges exchanging fair feedback for these desperate fillies. "She doesn't look that interesting whilst she's texting away on her phone", "Oh look at the bed and bathroom setup she has equipped herself with" and "Obviously a promotion for these girls is to get a street level window" were kind of remarks we went with.

The next day we got out and checked out Anne Frank's prior residence which was interesting and what would be the start of our second world war overload. Later that day we checked out the sex museum which was a handy contrast from Anne's joint and put a smile back on our face before another handy meal in the form a decent meat pie ('PieMinister' - look it up if you visit) complete with 'deadorse'. That lined the stomach for a couple froths accompanying another big euro match at the pubski.

The following day we hired some bikes and rode a good distance though parks, canals, markets and cool new warehouse type real estate developments. One of my favourite days yet in Europe I thought as we rode next to the canals, sun beaming down, stopping for some great Italian food and micro brewery jars. As I touched on in Ghent, I have discovered a love for canals. When they're done well waterways can define a city and they have sure done that to this place! I can see why all the artists flocked to the beautiful areas of this city. All in all Amsterdam has some tacky (red-light) and commercialized (central) areas that aren't so good but if you get on a bike and out into the burbs you can soon see the massive charm that the parks, independent shops and eateries and canals bring to the table.

Rotterdam

Again only a small train trip took us further North into the Netherlands and we rolled into Rotterdam in the early PM. A quick taxi took us to the door of Rhiannon's cousin Kate's house where she lives with her dutchy husband David and their 7 month old Olivia. She welcomed us in and set us up with a great room in their awesome 3 level apartment. The next 3 hours or so were full of coffee and tea as Rhi and Kate caught up on years of family goss and developments. Later in the evening we met David who returned home from his day job as a genuine rocket scientist. The next day Kate showed us around there lovely suburb whilst David went off and measured into space without using light… That evening they had some friends from back in Canberra over for a very handy lasagne dinner. On the weekend we went for a sizeable walk though the large local parkland that was in the middle of preparations for a annual equestrian event. The smell of horse shit remains, and I guess always will, a smell of home. After that we sat down at a local pub and David and Kate introduced us to the great dutch food delicacies and frothies. Before we knew it our stay here was over and we were sad to leave after a relaxing couple days of entertaining the very cool little rascal Olivia. Thankyou very much for your first class accommodation guys!

Belgium

Brussels
We rolled into the European capital after a simple 3 hour train ride. A quick tram into the centre of town and pretty much to the door of our hostel. We were told by the hostel staff that an annual street picnic was on so we naturally strolled into a nearby supermarket and grabbed some biscies and hummus. The Belgium people are different… We found a thousand strong crowd making themselves at home on the main road in town. The local coppers had shut off all four roads into the biggest intersection and the masses spread out their rugs, unfolded the card tables and chairs and delved into their bulging picnic baskets. All afternoon the roads remain closed and the Brussels community just chill out on the main road.

 After spending an hour or so with the locals we trekked off in amongst the city streets, taking in the hidden gems in the form of shops, cafe's and well placed wall art on former boring walls. Eventually we located the famous waffle outlet and ordered two regular setups (icing sugar only) and they didn't disappoint. To add insult to injury we ordered the 2nd most famous dish in these parts no longer than 20 minutes later. Belgian's to this day will tell you they came up with the fries idea before the French; they sell you cone shaped cardboard full of beautiful chips covered in your choice of 10+ sauces. Although assaulting the arteries, they are amazing on the taste buds.

During the evenings we cooked and enjoyed the French Open finals and Euro soccer qualifiers before retiring to our private room on the top floor of the hostel exuding a lofty sought of feel, complete with bath and skyline windows.

Ghent
A quick train ride up to the city of Ghent. Arriving around midday we caught the tram 5 minutes out of town to our hostel. Not just any accommodation, but a barge hostel floating on one of the stunning canals that glide though the city. Very cool setup they have on the boat with great facilities, comfy little private and chill out rooms and everything is eco friendly! After checking in we headed out into some average weather but a very 'well worth it' city. We have to recommend the 'Use It' maps that we discovered back in Brussels. They seem to be a non-for-profit travel agency that produce very cool maps for many European cities and small drop in centres run by volunteers that dish out info about the cities/transport as well as free tea and coffee. Look them up! This cool map took us to some great little gems including cafe's, bars, parks and a very interesting psych museum that took us through the history of mental healthcare along with a neighbouring art gallery full of works done by people with mental health illnesses. Art…. one thing that these unfortunately blessed people can match any other human in. Seems to be a platform for all.

After a morning at the psych museum we trammed back into town and discovered the best waffle I have consumed to date. "Halves" we suggest and agree on. Before walking 50 metres and finishing the first we were on our way back for another. It seems to be a simple batter with what looks to be brown sugar balls mashed in randomly. After being in the waffle'er for a minute or so, what comes out is nothing short of perfection!! Later that day we referred back to our map which suggested a traditional, local eatery for dinner so off we went after the standard afternoon guts-up. It didn't disappoint and with full bellies we jumped into a little pub to watch the Germans take on the Dutch in the Euro soccer. Really recommend a visit to Ghent, obe of my fav's.

Paris

We dropped the car off at the Southside airport and then taxi'ed the rest of the way to our hostel up in the Northside of Paris. Settled in and then went for the customary post-arrive wander around the area which included lots of cool, smaller streets with a bohemian feel. After this we stepped it up a notch and trained it into the city and walked our way towards the Eiffel tower. A beautiful clear night made for a great visit and top notch photos and the sun went down and the tower lite up.

The next day Rhi and I headed inwards for a free city tour, whilst Jane made the trip down to Roland Garos to introduce herself to the French Open. Our city tour covered all the important inner city stuff including the Louvre and Champs Elysees. During the afternoon we explored the massive Louvre. This is a place you cannot do in one go... Well if your right into your art. There are so many wings of this building all converging on the impressive glass pyramid centre piece. If your not right into old (mainly religious...<j-bomb on the cross>) paintings this is how you visit the Louvre. Make your way though the sculpture displays as they have some variety and then find you way to 'moaning lisa'. Hate to wreck it for you but she aint that special in my simple opinion. The 4 by 4 metre painting everyone turns their back to as they whip out their camera, phone or ipad to catch lisa moaning is far more impressive. From there you grab the gallery guide and find you way to the piece de resistance!! Gabrielle d’Éstrées and her Sister in a Bath, c. 1595, oil on panel! To me art is something that ascetically creates a reaction and this masterpiece does just that. Also by making your way to this painting, coincidentally you pass a number of good boob pieces from throughout the ages. If I ever get some more free time in Paris one day I will be publishing a book called 'The Boobs of the Louvre'. Now you cant tell me that wouldn't sit well on a coffee table.

The next morning I seriously pissed off the hostel overnight hack when I awoke at 6am for the footy. It was well worth it though as Freo beat the tigers in a ripper at the 'G'. Rhi and I set off that morning for the catacombs (mass graves underground) and then for a walk up the Champs Elysees which is a busy street, to say the least. That night Rhi grabbed a ticket to the Moulin Rouge whilst I wondered the entertaining streets. The next morning we said goodbye to Jane as she headed off to what would be a 2 day mens final and we jumped on a train north to Belgium.

Road to Paris

We trained and bussed up to the small town of Perpignan just North of the Spanish, French border. From here we picked up our 4 door Fiat and jumped on the nearest autostrada. We had a lot of road to cover and three separate truck crashes made it a long day in the car, but this gave us a chance to talk Jane's ear off about all happenings back home. Eventually we pulled into our chateau accommodation and lugged our bags up to what must of been the top floor. We hurried out for some dinner, arriving at the local country restaurant just in time for some seriously good food. In the morning we walked the green grounds surrounding the chateau snapping some handy picks. We grabbed a map off the lovely property hosts and headed out into the wine region. It didn't disappoint and we were lucky to get a sunny day in amongst two wet days so we loaded up on picnic goodies and then weaved through the rolling, bright green hills. After stopping for breath taking pics and a wine tasting we found a good picnic spot and enjoyed the local food and wine under the sun. A great day driving around some of the better countryside in the world!

We set of the next day with a smaller drive to Dijon. We dropped the bags off and then went in to check out the little town. It gave off a very old, villagey feel and we enjoyed its shops and general street happenings as well as our own attempts to communicate with the locals. We ducked home for some tennis on the TV and rest before driving back into town for a pasta feed. The next day we got back on the autostrada for the final trek into one of the Paris airports.

Barcelona

We luckily got a cheap easy flight from Palma up to Barca and enjoyed the quick transit. After checking into our central hostel we got straight out in amongst the city that promised so much from fellow traveler feedback. Within about 20 minutes it was already impressing us. We stumbled into this little cafe where the bar was covered in 30 odd different tapas all with a kebab style stick stuck through them all. Less than $2AUD each we sampled a few. I discovered my perfect pastry! It was a small square sandwich made of puff pastry and in the middle looked like just custard. That was enough to grab my attention but when I bit into it and discovered the golden syrup bonus I could barely finish before grabbing another off the bar.

 We spent the afternoon wandering the small streets throughout the old gothic part of the city and the famous Rambles down to the floating harbour complete with brand new shopping centre and movie theatre. The next day we trekked up to Gaudi's park with nice views of the complete city and also jumped on and off a city tour, learning a bit more about the dark past (and economic present) of spain. The one that shocked us most is that the unemployment for 18-25 year olds is more than 50%. Continuing in the history of the mad architect we walked through town to his famous, still unfinished church. An amazing structure as you can see from the photos with a lot going on in the exterior decorative design. Later that evening we checked out a cool city bar and got to know Alice, a fellow hostel dweller from Southern England.

The next day I headed out to the airport to pick up the little sister who was fairly exhausted after a storm ridden flight and suffering from a cold. A quick dinner with her before she passed out for some much needed rest. The next morning we started weaving our way through the city highlights with Jane. All in all a great city that lived up to the hype. 

Palma

After an afternoon in Valencia walking the streets, drinking in the square and enjoying some Paella we got on an overnight boat over to Majorca Island off the eastern Spanish coast. This was not the most pleasant of transports we had experienced. On these large ships you can choose a room or just a standard bus style seat. Unfortunately these seats that we booked didn't recline and it was a crap nights sleep. A bit dazed, we jumped in a cab and fell into the nice hotel I had booked for our stay. The hotel overlooked the city bay, full of expensive boats lining the waterside and up to the expressive castle in the city centre. We walked the city in the arvo before dinner back at the hotel. Palma is actually quite a large city and the island itself is also rather extensive. We were woken by a knock at the door and Rhi enjoyed her birthday breakfast in bed.

 We then went and rented a little car and headed 60km's out of town along the coast passed Rafa Nadal's home town and to one of the more well known beaches. We spent the day soaking up the sun, beautiful clear blue water and boobs! This was our first real European beach experience. Lets just say they (being people of both sex and all ages) don't favour bathers so much. After a shower back at the hotel we headed into town looking for a birthday feast. We found a very cool place called 'Taste' (I think its a chain so look out for it if your in Spain). This is your tapas set up with a very long yummy menu. We over-ordered and pigged out as much as our recovering stomachs would allow. The next day we lazed by the pool and checked out the local retail offerings.

Fes

A full day of travel bought us North up to Fes, and to another very cool Riad. The host of the house was great and he walked us through the winding streets to a favourite eatery of his. The large TV in our room made it movie night after that. Out and about we headed into the skinny, loud, colourful, crowded streets in search of nothing in particular. Morocco character continued to prevent us from blinking as we strolled past chickens being beheaded, decapitated camel heads, stray kittens and shops full of great bargains.

We found the very handy cafe (clock cafe) in amongst the streets and enjoyed some westernised food after being a little tajined out. We worked our way up to a great view of the city after lunch an then pretty much packed it in for the day. It was cooking lessons planned for the next day so after breakfast, out we went with Yousif into the streets. Ordered a fresh (still alive) chook and then went hunting for the complementary fruit, veg and spices. Eventually we returned to the Riad and into mum's kitchen. Chicken and Lamb tajines were on the menu along with a traditional Moroccan soup and salad. We watched on as some of the more colourful spices you have ever seen were added to the brothing brilliance. The two of us sat and slowly consumed as much of the spread as we could. Later that evening after a dodgy fruit salad or water Rhi fell in and we ended up staying in Fes for another 2 uneventful days and Rhi recovered and eventually made our way north.

Essaouira

We caught a three hour bus West to this small, walled town and got a usual man+trailer deliver us and our luggage to the riad we were staying. A bloody nice one at that! Four stories of pinks and purples in this a beautiful (if not slightly feminine) maintained building complete with lazy chairs, hammocks and our top floor suite (pic-above right). This cute little town reminded me, in areas of Fremantle and had the restaurants and hippie market shops to boot. We strolled around soaking up the salt air and handy wood crafts by day, enjoyed lemon chicken tagines at sunset and retreated to the royal purple riad by evening for tea in comfy chairs and hammocks. A very pleasant town indeed.

Marrakech

Well from the comfortable high twenties we flew and in the blistering forty plus did we land. Marrakech airport reminded me of Perth's (in a word.. shed) and the atmosphere reminded me of landing in Broome. We got the dodgy taxi to the border of the town and from there a boy pulling a homemade trailer transported our bags to our riad's front door. We settled in, loaded up on a bottle of water each and headed for the main square close by. This was a shock to the system. The large square in the evening hosts a market full of restaurants, all temporarily set up for tourists convenience. Having said this the odd shop were popular with locals. As the sheer mass of people did in Turkey, the level of harassment in Morocco shocked us. Every restaurant in the market (round 120 in total) have a marketing 'genius' out the front mentally and sometimes physically coercing you to their seats. Even after eating I gestured towards my extending stomach only to cop "you so skinny. we fatten you up. please sit down". The general strategy is "where you from" soon to be followed by either "g'day mate", "crikey ay", or "summer heights high!". Don't be afraid to be brash in pushing these muppets aside. Especially if you have already eaten. Having said this we did have a handy eat in this square for about $5AUD for the both of us. Earlier in the same square we strolled along and as you do when you travel, panning around 180 degrees focusing at about 30-40 metres ahead of you. You wont do this in Morocco for long. Suddenly I saw an aesthetically challenged male Moroccan heading at a speed in my direction with a scabby monkey on his shoulder. This monkey was not happy, and why would he/she be, chained to a boss. I noticed it attempting (and succeeding) in biting the man on the side of the face. Anyway he threw it in my direction and I naturally gestured 'fuck off' in universal body language. He then tried to throw it on Rhi's shoulder and the monkey reached out, grabbing her shirt. At the same time (seconds after) I focused in on about 10m ahead of us. Three jet black cobra's sitting up paying serious attention to their flute playing dictator. My brain was ticking over at a rate rarely accomplished on a one year hiatus. So your pre warned before you go. Its a tad full on at first!

 

Rhi getting some natural skin care

 
This being said, you get use to it. I must also warn all future visitors of the scammers, which is every local! Love them to bits and their country is beautiful but give them a chance and they'll demand cash. For example, if you take a picture of the monkeys/snakes from even a safe distance of say twenty metres a man will promptly appear at your side, hand open pronouncing "snake. photo. you pay!". This applies to a lot of photo taking. I took a pic of a group of young (>10years) up and coming soccer players, only to be swamped by them demanding remuneration for their modelling prowess. Another common scam is for someone to give you directions and then ask for cash. Easiest way we got around this is to ask shop keepers so they cant leave their premises. So this may not sound like such a great place, but thats just it. Its hot, the locals are full on but it makes for a place chock full of character. The shops are fantastic, and if you are a budding barterer you can do quite well in amongst the mazing souks. Souks are the streets of the city that are lined with shops and that you will get lost in. Its almost like the whole city is a marketplace and you loose all sense of direction. We checked out a couple palaces and famous Riad's but to tell you the truth, as a westerner the whole city is a sightseeing experience in itself.