Cairo, Aswan, Crusing the River Nile, Luxor - Egypt

24 Jan - 1 Feb 09

Travelling to Egypt has been a dream of mine since I studied it in high school. We decided to celebrate my b'day there.

We flew in after work on a Friday night (approx 5 hrs from London) there were 8 people on our flight that were on the same tour, 7 of which were aussies. Day 1 we started the tour with a city tour of Cairo, visiting the Citadel of Saladin, the coptic quarter, as well as going to the Egyptian museum where our lessons on ancient Egypt started. Tutankhamen treasures were the highlight which was amazing.

Day 2 was the pyramids tour at Giza plateau. The pyramids were fascinating, such structures without modern technology. We also visited Saqqara, the first pyramid and we went inside the chamber of the 2nd pyramids. Overnight train to Aswan.Day 3 morning was spent lazing by the pool. After lunch we went to see the dam Nasser, of which Lake Nasser was the by product. The Nile caused flooding every year, and the dam is used to regulate this. Philae temple dedicated to the goddess Isis was on an island on the Nile. Evening Aswan markets where we picked up pepper, saffron and some cotton scarves.

Day 4 early morning flight to Abu Simbel, a temple carved out of the mountainous rocks.
The temple was dedicated to King Ramses and one for his favourite wife Nefertiti.
Midday we were back at the hotel to prepare for our felucca trip. Afternoon sailed on the river Nile! Yes on the same river that were depicted in the bible! Evening we docked the felucca in front of a Nubian house.Day 5 all day sailing, with a stop for a quick dip in the Nile. We sailed with the current but against the wind. Early evening, the current was so weak, oars came out, and we all chipped in to help the crew get to our docking point for the night. Bonfire along the sandy shores, and star gazing at the million of stars I've never seen before.

Day 6 overnight on the felucca was cold! But waking up to the glistening water was worth it. After breakkie, bus picked us up to Kom Ombo, where we saw the Egyptian calendar. We then headed to Edfu temple in Luxor. Edfu is the most preserved temple with some parts of the temple where the colours still remains. Checked into our hotel for a much needed shower, then off to see Luxor temple and group dinner where we ordered silver pendants with our names in hieroglyphics.Day 7 busy day with Valley of the Kings where we visited the tombs of King Ramses 1st, 4th and 9th, we also saw the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun. Valley of the queens wasn't as spectacular. The heat was beating down on us, and this was their winter! We also visited the Deir El-Bahri temple built and dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut.

Karnak temple was our last temple with obelisk (one fallen over) and lots of pillars.
Overnight train back to CairoDay 8 morning was checking out Cairo city, not that impressive, and the dust from the desert makes everything looks dirty. Afternoon we had a tour to the perfumery. Flowers are crushed and the liquids are put in ceramic jars, and these jars dug into the sands of the deserts for 3 months which all the liquids are extracted out of the jars and what is left is the flower essence oil. By mixing the various oils, different fragrances are formed. We make out cool waters, J'dore, Chanel 5. I bought the ancient essence of lotus flower, a light sweet essence. We then headed off to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar (a 14th century market)

Day 9 We farewelled our tour group and headed back to London.. One of the best trips we've done!

Matty's Xmas and New Year visit

Dec-Jan 09

Matty enters Year 11 in 2009, so thought it would be great to have him over for Xmas and NY. Also, being a spring chicken he should be able to handle the cold!
We organised a brief trip to give him a taste of Europe, starting off with Milan in Italy. Matty was blown away at the Duomo, just in the sheer size and the history behind it. He also got to try our favorite Osteria in Milan with authentic Italian pastas and pizzas. We spent 3 days in Milan and then flew to Germany to spend Xmas with Joe's family. For us, Xmas is always about family. Whilst we were there, we visited Cologne Catheral, it wasn't as impressive as the last time we saw it, maybe because we've seen so many larger and more grand catherals. Xmas was a great time to catch up with Joe's aunts/uncles and cousins.
After Xmas we headed off to Brussels in Belgium. Matty was impressed with how the architecture, culture and language changes as we move through each country. After visiting all the touristy sites, we ate ourselves silly, trying their waffles, mussels, yummy frites, hot chocolate…

We then caught the Eurostar back to London to spend a few days to do the washing and prepare for our next trip. On New Years day, we hopped onto the Eurostar again and headed for Paris. You cannot visit Europe without stopping via Paris. We did the tour guide thing and showed Matty the Eiffel tower, Arc De Triomph, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Lourve and the list goes on. We introduced Matty to French cuisine which he liked…
The temperature dropped down to -7 degrees one night when we went out to view the Eiffel tower … it was COLD! Bbbrrrr…. To Matty's delight it snowed in the morning, first time Matty saw snow!

It was such a delight to spend quality time with my little baby brother… he's grown up into a thoughtful, intelligent young man… what a proud sister I am!

Bremen Christmas Market - Germany

29-30 Nov 08

We went to Bremen to see and experience a true German Christmas market, and Bremen certainly did not disappoint.
Bremen home to the world famous Town Musicians ( a tale by the famous Brother Grimm) with most of it's attraction based around the Marktplatz (Market square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the city's Town Hall and the Roland statue, which are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. This was the setting for the Christmas market, boasting over 100 stalls, selling everything from Glühwein (mulled wine), bratwursts, steak sandwiches, Christmas tree ornaments, ginger breads, teas, coffee's and everything else relating to Christmas.
With the majority of the stalls based around the Market Square, we didn't have to go very far to try out all the bratwurst, steak sandwiches and Glühwein our stomach could handle, and that was all we ate the whole weekend. We also visited the district of Schnoor, which is Bremen's oldest district, which is a maze of lanes lined with little 15th and 16th century houses. Most were converted to small shops selling to the tourists, things made locally, or gifts from Bremen.
Bremen was a nice suprise for us, we enjoyed it a lot more than we thought we would, mainly because of the atmosphere. the cold winter Christmas, keeping ourselves warm drinking mulled wine and eat German food.

As expected from German efficiency, getting in and out of the city to the airport was effortless, which rounded off a perfect trip.

Alicante - Spain

7-9 Nov 08

We went on another weekend trip this time to Alicante, located on the east coast of Spain. For the English, Spain is a destination to go soak up some sun and escape the gloomy English weather.
We visited the Castell de Santa Barbara, built in 400 BC, which is a fort located high on the hill which overlooks the bay and the provincial capital.
Iglesia de Santa María (Church of Santa María) is another site we visited, and the city's oldest church which was built around the 14th century.

The rest of the time was spent exploring the maze of small streets and the main Esplanade, which hosts a seaside market selling souvenirs and clothes.
Food in Spain was relatively cheap and grate value, and we enjoyed a lunch at a traditional Spanish restaurant. Between the both of us, we had a Paella, fish soup, fish, and a meat plate, and to wash it all down, some local Spanish wine.

We enjoyed our trip to Alicante after soaking up the sun and warmth, we were ready to return to the freezing windy conditions of London.

Siem Reap - Angkor Wat - Cambodia

In October 2008 we went back to Sydney to visit family and friends. On our return trip to London, we stopped by Siem Reap, Cambodia for 3 days to visit one of the most amazing temples in the world, Angkor Wat. We wanted to see this place sooner rather than later, because due to unregulated tourism, where tourists are able to climb on monuments and temples, we feel in many years to come, some sites may be lost.

Siem Reaps popularity as a tourist destination stemmed from Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat's feature in the movie called Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. The Cambodians have even gone as far as renaming a popular local bar drink, effectionately calling it the Angelina Jolie drink.
Cambodia is still a relatively cheap country for tourism, and no where can you hire a personal guide, a car with a driver for USD $50 a day to take you around.

During out 3 days in Siem Reap, we visited approximately 13 temples, 2 terraces (Elephant and Leper King), and the most famous sites Angkor Thom, and Angkor Wat. We also visited Tonle Sap lake, which is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia, and visited the floating village. The floating village is basically a cluster of families, both Cambodian and Vietnamese, living permanently on the water in colourful house boats.
On our tour, we sampled quite a few traditional Cambodian/Khmer cuisines, and although we ate at more expensive restuarants in order not to get sick, the food was simple, yummy and very similar to Vietnamese food. Monk fish curry for example is a local favorite, recommended by our guide.

In Siem Reap, at times it was a little sad to see the extent of poverty, mainly through the country side. People lived in very simple homes, with minimal facilities, only surviving by working on the land. Children as young as 5 out working, trying to sell souveniers and anything they can to tourist to earn money for their family. Drive 15 minutes from the city centre, and there were no paved roads, just mud roads, even the road between Siem Reap city centre to their most famous attraction, Angkor Wat was mud.
Cambodia is in the tropics and so the trip at times was a little uncomfortable due to the heat and humidity, luckily though having and air conditioned car provided a welcome relief from the unforgiving elements.

However we still enjoyed our time there, seeing the sites, feasting on the food, and coming in contact with the local people. Cambodia is definately a must see for the adventurous traveller.

Verona & Lake Garda (sep 08)

Our fellow travelling friends recommended Verona, so we were off again… and seeing as it’s an Italian town, we didn’t hesitate. Lake Garda was very close by (less than 20km) so we started our trip visiting the small towns of the lake. Desenzando Del Garda was our first stop… there was a Harley Davidson motorbike festival on, and the small town was filled with motorcyclists enthusiast! They are friendly giants and are so passionate about the mortobikes.. we caught the ferry across to the peninsula Sirmione… it’s this small strip of land that goes up in the middle of the lake for a few kms. We went up to castle to get a great view of the lake and town. Lake Garda is lot less touristy than Lake Como, it’s where the Italian goes for their time off. We took a bus trip ride to Presciera, and then train to Verona.Verona itself is lovely, big enough to see things like the colosseum and Juliet’s (as in Romeo and Juliet) but small enough to make it feel so authentic. The river than runs through the middle of the town is so clean, and the weekend we happen to be there, there was a games festival on, so each corner we turned, there was a different local games. The town was buzzing with a good atmosphere and the fantastic weather (not to mention the FANTASTIC food) made our weekend away yet another memorable one.

Aix-En-Provence - France

After seeing so many big European cities, the charm of small towns, cobbled streets, a more local feel was what we were after. My search leads me to Aix-en-Provence, a town filled with water fountains, the gateway to the Provence region, with lavender fields and known for its Muscat wine.We flew into Marseille which we were familiar with and then caught a bus to Aix-en-Provence. We love the old town, the aroma of fresh breads and pastries, the vintage looking biscuits and sweet store, the cafes and boutique shops. The town is filled with water fountains, I think over 40! They are great landmarks to meet friends. The streets were lined with chestnut trees (not edible ones though). The weekend was a lazy one, strolling through the old markets, eating local delicacies, and enjoying an opera singer practise in the old cathedral. A perfect weekend away.

Pisa, Berlin & Paris

After Joe went back to London to work, my parents and I continued our mini Europe tour. We caught the train from Florence to Pisa. Seeing as Joe and I recently went to Pisa (May08) I still remembered my way around. Our friends recommended a great restaurant, excellent Italian food at local prices! The pizza came out piping hot, and pasta was so tasty! My parents were very pleased! We had gelato on our way back to the hotel, and it was a wonderful time, spending quality time with my parents in the middle of Italy!

The following morning, we went to see the leaning tower and the surroundings, then jumped on a plane to Berlin. My parents were amazed how quickly we can hop from one country to the next! Berlin is so different from the towns in Italy, a lot more modern, most buildings were ruined from WW2. My dad enjoyed reading about the war at the Reichstag, and what’s left of the Berlin wall. Checkpoint Charlie was another spot, it made you realise this all happened not so long ago. A visit to the German city is not complete without trying out all the wurst aka as sausages! Our favourite is the curry wurst (it’s just a sausage sprinkled with curry powder and a delicious tomato based sauce).After a gruelling week of walking and sightseeing we headed back to London for a rest, and also see the sights of London. It happened to be a lovely day! (very odd) we visited tower of London, Borough Markets and walked along the South bank. My parents enjoyed the entertainment along the south bank and the relaxed atmosphere.Sunday morning, we jumped onto the Eurostar, and in 2 hours and 20mins found ourselves in the middle of Paris. One of my dad’s friend who he hasn’t seen for 34 years met us and took us to Versaille, residence of King Louis 15^th (I think).. We also did all the touristy stuff, highlight was the night tour. It really is the most romantic city in the world! After 4 days in Paris, we headed back to London, and completed last minute shopping and prepared for my parents departure. Although a short Europe trip, we packed in a lot!