Travel Blog

A week of 30 degree weather in May?

Climate change isn't real.

redandblack wrote:A week of 30 degree weather in May?

Climate change isn't real.

Don't you start...

has been good drinking weather red
dont forget that can of BEER

blacky, I took a photo in Bucharest just for you.

A sign in English amongst all the Romanian signs.

The sign said:

'Beer O'Clock'

Just arrived in Brasov, lovely place. Tomorrow is their once a year Festival, I think the parade through the old town is everyone in soldiers' uniforms from centuries ago.

Now for a drink and a patisserie or three.

Hows the diet going

The belt is still fitting in the last notch, but I don't know how.

Can't stop, breakfast time.

redandblack wrote:The belt is still fitting in the last notch, but I don't know how.

Can't stop, breakfast time.

so how many notches have you marked on the belt ?














(not how many belt holes are on the belt)

It's the unexpected things that always make travel more interesting. We came to Brasov knowing it was a well known city with a medieval town, full of interest.

What we didn't know was that today is their once a year festival and parade.

So we're just back from watching the parade of riders wearing uniforms representing the centuries of soldiers, with magnificently decorated horses, all riding and occasionally charging down the old avenues, the crowds several people deep everywhere.

Good fun, especially after paying close attention to the many wine, cheese and other stalls set up everywhere. Great cheese from Moldavia, very good Romanian wines and some bottles of Oxford Landing!

Had to taste a fair bit to be polite. My Romanian has expanded now, but I'm still to try out 'poftits'.

I beg your pardon.

Now off to the Castles to see my old mate Vlad.

Dinner tonight at the local Romanian restaurant, it was great last night.

Seems like the Bloods are dominating, locally and in the State game.

redandblack wrote:

'poftits'

the English translation would be ''augementation'' i would think

Funny thing, travel.

Went to the amazing Peles Castle yesterday. Great from the outside, but we couldn't get in because of a ceremonial occasion.

Never mind, we just happened to see the King of Romania by chance.

Food's very good and I've had to try the national dessert (pasinas?) several times, so as not to be rude.

Tomorrow is our last day in Romania. You arrive in such a country not knowing what to expect and you leave with faith in human nature and an understanding that people are much the same wherever you go.

I have a faith, probably too trusting, that wherever we travel, the good in people will outshine the bad. So far, this trip has confirmed that in all ways and we've loved Romania. It's a place of history, of beauty, of wonderful architecture and tradition, but also of great things to see and good food and friendliness, and it's cheap.

Travel has also defined my political beliefs to some extent. I find it hard to sympathise with Australian couples earning $150,000, complaining how hard life is. They have no idea how lucky they are, compared to most of the rest of the world. In return, we often see more dignity and warmth and humanity from people with next to nothing.

Enough of that, though. Tomorrow, we get to see another UNESCO World Heritage site at Viscri, then on the train to Vienna and St Gilgen, near Salzburg. A different, more affluent, culture, but I'm looking forward to some Wurst for dinner, catching up with some clients who now live near there.

We'll leave Romania keen to come back, keener still to visit some of the neighbouring countries, such as Bulgaria and Moldovia.

I'm writing this in the Hotel Binder Bubi, Sighosoura; a weird name for a hotel, but one of the nicer hotels we've stayed at and a great restaurant, wonderful meal and wine for about $45 for two.

My Romanian hasn't improved much, but it didn't have to. We've survived Vlad's impaling and Dracula's home town, wonderful castles and forts and fortified churches, but most of all, as I said at the start, it's the people you meet that make a trip, whether it's a young Mexican girl couch surfer, or a rich American doing it in style and comfort.

In the end, there are nice people and dickheads, wherever you are and I've met a lot of nice people and the few dickheads can please themselves.

And so begins the 'soft' part of our trip. Getting to and around Romania, then back again, takes some effort and when there's only a few days left, it's nice to enjoy some pampering.

So, you go to Lake Bled and the Alp Pension. Lake Bled is impossibly pretty and the Alp Pension, a km or so away from the lake is my ideal 'pension'. I've just finished an outstanding home cooked 4 course meal, followed by some schnapps, for 15 or 20 Euro.

You hear someone speaking English at another table, introduce yourself and find it's an American, living in Munich, who just happened to grow up in Adelaide. So you retire to the bar for a gossip and realise Adelaide's a small place. You also introduce yourself to the table of bewildered German tourists at the next table, but finish up chatting happily, toasting each other.

So it's people, not just places, that make travel. Two days before had been in St Gilgen, Austria, for dinner with friends and the last day in Piran, Slovenia, a bit of a hidden secret, a magic place.

So, another day here, then back to Sirmione before heading home and the challenges of Adelaide life. The challenges? Well, keeping the redoubtable political posters at bay for one, coming to terms with the Bloods on the top of the table for another and finding time for all the things that make life great.

I went for a round the world trip in 1981
On returning, the first thing I noticed when being driven back home, is just how clean the streets and roads were in Adelaide

You get a deeper appreciation of just how good it is to live in the Lucky Country

Times have changed
In 1981 I had to read letters sent to me to find out the SANFL footy scores
And by the time I got the letters in where ever I was, it would be 1-2 rounds ago

But that was then , young blokes like Redandblack, when O/S , can these days follow scorelines at the second by the electronic gadgetisms of the current day

OS travel was considered dangerous when scrappy travelled - they still didn't realise that the earth wasn't flat

Know how you felt, Scrappy.

Finding a week old 'Australian' in a newsagent was a godsend in those days.

My first trip was hitchhiking around Europe, backpack and a tent.

Still backpack.

Bled, Slovenia and its lake is one of those places that transcends its picture postcard beauty to be a must-see place.

Add the best Pension I've ever stayed at in Europe and that's why we're in Bled for the second year in a row. This time, though, we ventured further in our 30 Euro rented car, a brand new Kia something or other and headed for the Vrsic(?) Pass, a 5,500 foot pass over the Jurian Alps, part setting, I think, for Farewell to Arms by Hemingway.

Fantastically beautiful rural and fast-flowing river country, then the high pass, before returning along the narrow, lovely dirt roads through the farms and villages.

It's hard to beat Slovenia.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=lake+bled+photos&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#biv=i%7C0%3Bd%7Cqf5LH6e2Hqpa_M%3A


Well worth clicking on, scroll to see more.

Today, back to Sirmione, Lake Garda, before flying back to Australia tomorrow, arriving Thursday night.

Best wishes to everyone on Talking Footy SA.

Back now and enjoying watching the Swans smashing Collingwood.

Flew Emirates this time and they were excellent.

The big question now: where to next?

Have you been to North and South America ?

Yes mate, but not much to South America.

My first big trip was long ago, by ship to the UK via Auckland, around Cape Horn, to Montevideo, Uruguay and then Rio de Janiero, Canary Islands and Lisbon.

As for North America, yes, I've driven extensively in all the western states, from Washington State, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. Also Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Also travelled across by train from San Francisco to New York, via Chicago. Love America, particularly the National Parks and the 'off the beaten track' places.

I've also been lucky enough to see a lot of Canada and Alaska.

At this stage, I think I'm heading for South America next year with some friends who live in San Diego, just starting discussions.

I was intending to get to the Galapagos Islands at one time
I never got there, something I surely regret now
RB , can you go there and give me a report ?

Or
Has anyone on TFSA ever been there ?

It would be great to hear of other posters' travels here. Stories, experiences, etc, whether Timbuktu or Tintinara.

Also, any intending travellers who have questions, post them here. I'm sure between us all, it's likely someone has been to where you're travelling and can give first hand advice.

Mrs HTWWW and I had our honeymoon on Norfolk Island 3 years ago. What a place!

Plus being the 'young' tourists (as opposed to all the old ones that escape the Australian summer) and going 24 games undefeated on the local (and only) pub's pool table, we didn't have to pay for a single drop of alcohol for the whole 12 days we were there. Everyone who knew of us wanted to shout us a drink wherever we went. We could not believe it!

We have also made some life-long friends as a result of our trip who we still keep in contact with to this day on a regular basis.

We have vowed to visit every 5 years. Bring on January 2015!

On a side note, we intend to visit Russia for the 2018 World Cup, regardless if Australia qualify or not. Can't wait for that either!

I was going to ask you what there was to do on Norfolk Island, HTWWW, but then I saw it was your honeymoon.