David's Journal Day 1 - 26 Mar 03 I had a good flight over and arrived in Rome about 6 in the morning. By the time I got out and arrived in the hotel it was about 8.30. I was not allowed to check in to the hotel, so I left my bag there and went walking. It was very quite in the morning, so I got to walk every where without any one around which was nice. I then went to the Colosseo as it opened around 9.00 FANTASTIC! I took a tour like the rest of the crowed, but it was worth it, as looking at stone walls is not that exciting unless some explains the history first. As I was touring the place I met a girl called Regina. She is from the US and now lives in Japan. We planned to catch up that night at 7.00. I then went to a few other places and toured around till about 2.00 which was when I could check in to the hotel. Then I rested and prepared to go out for the night. We met up at a local church S Maria in Trastev. S Maria is lovely. Then we went out for a dinner where I had a pizza of course. I did not go home till about one in the morning! She is off to Spain today. I love travel already! Day 2 - 27 Mar 03 Today after waking up late (8.00) I then went back to S Maria during the day time. I took so photos. I then went to a local cafe and had a slice of pizza. Now I am here just to update my photos on my web page. Day 3 - 28 Mar 03 Got up early at 7:00am. Had breakfast then walked to the Vaticano. Lined up and waited for about 20min, but then got into the Musei Vaticani. (10E). Walked the rooms of great art and sculptures. Then saw the Sistine Chapel. I thought it would be bigger for some reason, but it is a wonderful sight. I did see one young guy get thrown out as he took a photo. So unfortunately I do not have any of it inside. Then I walked to St Peter's (San Pietro). This has to be my favorite place so far. The scale of this place is amazing. It is also free which surprised me. Day 4 - 29 Mar 03 This has been a quite day. I have just paid for my train ticket to Naples, and now I am online trying to book a hotel/hostel. So far not much luck, but I am sure once I arrive at the station, there should be something. Day 5 - 30 Mar 03 Now I am in Naples. I got here by train. It took about two hours to travel. I then got the metro. The train trip was okay. I am now going to walk the town for a while then get some thing to eat. Naples so far look like a great town. Day 6 - 31 Mar 03 I walked the town yesterday and came a cross a live fun fair along the water edge. It was a great sea of people with bikes, people, and stalls. I loved it. It then walked to Castel Dell ovo e golfo. This is a castle on a island that reaches out into the sea of the Gulf of Naples. The last Roman emperor died here. It is a beautiful building. Then I walked to the Pizza Del Plebiscito (city square). From there I entered the Palazzo Reale Di capodimonte. This an old home that housed the King and Queen of the town. Today I visited Pompei. This is an amazing site. The most amazing of them all definitely has to be the Villa of Mysteries. This is the best preserved building in the whole area. It is decorated with frescoes that are beautiful. I walked with a Korean man that I met at the hostel for about 5 hours. Your definitely get your life?s walking done here in Italy I can assure you. It was the first time I got the metro then one of the local trains. I found it fairly easy even with a non-speaking English Korean in a foreign place. Day 7 - 1st Apr 03 Last night I was able to talk at a normal English pace for the first time in a week! I met an English guy and an Irishman who stayed in the same hostel room as me. The Korean guy left me and came back with a few beers under his belt, but he fell asleep almost right away which was good. The English guy Steve is heading back to the UK today, and the Irish guy (don't know his name now) is heading back to Rome. I left early to head back to Roma. I metroed my way back to the main Naples station. I then paid for my ticket at one of the electronic machines at the station floor. I missed my train by one minute. The trains do leave EXACTLY on time. So after a bit of a panic, I then just got onto the next train available. I then got the train back (aprox 2hrs). The cost was interestingly cheaper going back than it was to get to Naples. 22,21E. rather than 66 E going to Naples from Roma termini. Tonight I am meeting up with Regena again. So far it has been an email trail that has organized this, so I hope it all works out. I am sure it will. Well I did meet up with Regina. We found a lovely B&B in Trasevere. We found it after talking to a local internet cafe. We had a lovely pizza meal in Trasevere. Day 8 - 2 Apr 03 After taking Regina to the station I caught a train to Assisi. It took about 2 hours with one train. I walked to the hostel (45min). It is a lovely place. I was a bit tired as I had no sleep the night before, so I just crashed. The next morning after breakfast I headed into Assisi. This is a lovely town on a hillside. Of course St. Francis was born and died here, and I did see his tomb at the Basilica. There are about 10 churches in this small town all with St. Francis shrines. The central nave has frescoes of the saint and of his life which is nice. In the Cathedral of st. rufino, there is the baptismal font where St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized. After about three hours then the tourists arrived in buses, so I left. I then walked into Francis (local town) to see the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This is where St. Francis had his favorite church. The church had a church inside of a church. The smaller church has frescos depicting the granting of the "great pardon" on the tiny facade of the Portiuncola, a work by G.F. Overbeck in 1829. Day 10 - 4 Apr 03 Woke up by screaming kids! There many that stayed at the hostel last night and so my night sleep was not the best. However, I got up early and took a train to Foligno. There I caught a public bus to Montefalco. This took about 20 min. No one spoken English, so buying the ticket and riding there was fun. Once I arrived in Montefalco, I then was put onto another smaller bus. The reason for this is that Montefalco is a small walled city, and the smaller buses are can only just fit through the archways. I bought myself a jacket for 25E. I needed this as my smaller jacket was just not warm enough any more as the weather is changing. I even tried to get a hair cut at the local barber, but he refused saying that I just did not need one now (well that is what I thought he meant in Italian). I then walked the small town for about 2 hours, took some photos, then headed back to Foligno. Once at Foligano, I then caught the wrong train. I started heading back to Rome. Luckily I asked and got off at the nearest station. My gut feeling told me that it was wrong, when I saw signs on the parallel highway pointing in the other direction. Any way, I then got the train to Perugia. This is not the best of towns (so far). It is very industrial as such, so I will only stay one night. Getting to the hostel was fun. I had a local map with a mark of where the hostel was. No one could help me as they could not speak any English. Eventually I went to a local store, where a young girl (28 maybe) took me to a near by store, to try to help me. Between 4 people and a few laughs of trying to communicate, one of the girls offered me a lift. So the three of us packed into her Mini (new one) and headed to the hostel. She refused to take any money. This was a really nice thing for them to do, as walking it would have taken about an hour I would have guessed. So tonight it is Pizza again for dinner ;-) Day 11 - 5 Apr 03 Today I left Perugia as early as possible. I then caught a train to Arezzo, then to Chiusi, then caught a buss to Siena. The bus ride over there was wonderful. The country side is green and hilly and in the distance you can see show topped mountains. It was if some one mowed the lawn over every hill. I walked to the hostel, which took about an hour. I thought it was only 200meters from the bus station, how wrong I was. Any way I now have a bed for the night. You would not believe it, as I was walking the streets of Siena, I came across a pub named the Aussie pub! I had to have a drink of course. I met some English guys and there girlfriends. As I was Australian, I even got a free shot from behind the bar. I was told that I was the only Australian that had visited the bar in ages, normally its the Americans. Then I found this internet cafe which allowed me to update my photos on the web. I then headed back after doing some clothes washing. I found an Chinese restaurant at the edge of town. The only reason why I looked for this type of restaurant was they cooked MEAT! So far my diet has been Pasta, Pizza, Bread... I think I may bet a yeast infection or some thing from all the doe I am eating! (only joking) Day 12 - 6 Apr 03 Last night I met another American guy who was my hostel room mate. He spoke English, so of course we talked for ages. It is nice some times to chat without having to slow down. This morning after breakfast we headed into the town of Siena. The first thing we did is walk to a fantastic Gothic church not far from the center of the town. This is an amazing building (Duomo). The walls are all bricked in black and white. Also the mosaics on the floor were very different to any other I have seen so far. Most churches I have visited have mosaics that are really colorful made up of small tiles. These were mosaics of marble colored in large areas of battle scenes and of death. Then across the road was a museum called the Santa Maria Della Scala. This was an old hospital that is now a museum. It even had its own church about 3 floors down in the ground. It was a maze of tunnels below the main hospital area. This area is now museum for artifacts of the city. Some were amazing. It is just nice to see so of these works of art preserved so well. Then after buying a spoon (as I have been doing in most of the nice places) we had lunch. Then we had a gelato of pistachio and melon. I had a lovely pasta with 3 cheeses yum! Then we walked around the local parkland. After that we headed to the Palazzo Pubblico Il Campo. This is the town square. It is an open space where people from the whole town congregate on a Sunday just to sit in the sun. We were there for at least an hour, just taking in the sun. In front of where we were sitting was the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico. For about 5E we climbed it to the top. Wow what a few. It is a view I will never forget that is for sure. You could see for miles. (Check out the photos). He is now heading back to Rome as that is where his living now as he studies communications. He is there till May, so there is a good chance that I will catch up with him before I head off to the UK. Now I think I will just find a local super market to sort of some food for dinner, and head back. It has been a great day but I will sleep well. Day 13- 7 Apr 03 Today I headed to Lucca. This is a small fortified town north of Piza. To get here I had to catch three trains. One to Firenze, then Piza, then Lucca. I have traveled all day and am really tied. However I have just had a dinner with another US guy Jeff. He is staying at the hostel. He is a Dr. studying diabeties research. We walked the small town, and around the wall that surrounds it. The pizza was lovely. Day 14 - 8 Apr 03 First thing after breakfast Jeff and I headed for Firenze (Florence). We got there about 10am. One of the first things we did was climb the Plazza de Duomo. This is the 4th largest church in Europe. The view was great. The whole building is very gothic. To get in however we had to line up for about 1.5hrs. That I did not like. There are too many tourist! After lunch in a small cafe, we walked the town. The place is not that large, at least the touristy areas any way. But the crowds! I like the country side so much better. I would hate to be here in the Summer. The for about 3 hours we lined up for the Uffizi Gallery. Now this was a very long wait but well worth it. It contains some of the worlds best loved Renaissance paintings. Paintings like Botticelli's Birth of Venus. There were paintings from Michelangelo, Raphael etc. it was an amazing place. I then headed back to Lucca. After my first spaghetti dish at the hostel (lovely) it was straight to bed. Day 15 - 9 Apr 03 Well in the morning I headed off to Pisa. I only stayed long enough to take a photo of the leaning tower. I is a busy town, but there is not much else to see. I then headed to La Spezia. I walked to the local tourist office who gave me a list of B&Bs and hostels etc. I was not going to stay in La Spezia, but I just needed some options. It turned out that this was the best thing I did. I headed to Manarola (sea side town), but when I got there, I rang about 8 hotels / flats / hostel etc, but they were all full up. I really felt desperate now. I was even going to pay for a 3 star hotel, but that was booked out. So I headed back to La Spezia, where I found a lovely B&B. The people who own this place are lovely. I have been able to do my washing as well all for E26. The bed is enormous! I found a local cafe, where I had some dinner, and then straight to bed. Day 16 - 10 Apr 03 Today is raining. It is the first bit of decent rain that I have had in all this trip so far. It has had one benefit that the crowds are down. I got a daily train pass 5.40E for Cinque Terre (5 small towns near the water on the top part of Italy-West). Cinque Terre is a tourist site, but it is also protected as well as the environment is a "mankind's world heritage" site. It is a national park. The treasure is that it is man made landscaped steep terraces sloping down to the sea. Held up by over 7000km of dry stone walling, cleverly built without any kind of cement, they are cultivated as vineyards that reach down to almost the sea shore. The 5 villages all hang on the side of the mountain and they are fairly un-spoilt. I walked the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola (20 min) called Via dell' Amore. This is a famous walk that cuts the coast line. Then I spent the day traveling up and down the land visiting all the five sites. The rain made it hard, but I did love the sites. I now have another spoon to add to my collection! Now I am heading back to a warm shower and some good rest. Day 17 - 11 Apr 03 After leaving the lovely B&B, I headed by train to Genova. Once I arrived I used a local travel agent to book a ship to Barcelona. It costs E133. It will be an 18hr trip by ship. I did this for two reasons. Firstly that I have never been on a ship before, and secondly I just wanted to now reach Spain. So my next entry will be from Spain I guess! Day 18 - 12 Apr 03 Well here I am in Spain! I am in Barcelona. I took the 18hr ship across, and I am so glad that I got a room on board. There were 1000 kids all in the 'seating area' all smoking and watching 4 Italian/Spanish movies all in one room. That is where I would have ended up if I paid for a seat. I know it was half the price, but at least I was able to have a shower, sleep and listen to a radio. The trip was fairly smooth, and the ship was nice. But like most things once I was on it for about an hour, the fun was over, and I just wanted to get off. Once I arrived which was about 3:30pm, I then walked to the main part of town. There is a main road called 'Rbla'. At one end you have a column tower which as a statue of Columbus on the top, and the other end of the strip there is the 'Placa de Catalunya' (square). In between there are a heap of people all watching, listening, and eating. There are stalls of normal touristy stuff, but as you walk towards the square there are more stalls selling live things like pets. There are people standing as statues every where (spray painted silver). I walked this strip about 4 times till I found the hostel I am staying at. There were no problems with rooms, only that the first hostels I looked at you would not even put a cat! Just by asking through other hostels, I found a great looking one, that is clean and safe. That is one thing about Barcelona, it is a city center, and pick pockets are every where. However my first impression of Barcelona is that I love it. It is busy, full of life and there is live music along the streets. I know that I will want to see this town for the next few days any way. Tonight I will get some dinner at some local cafe, and then maybe even find some music some where. I am sure there will be some thing like that here. Day 19 - 13 Apr 03 Last night would have to have been the loudest in any hostel. There was no lock out time, so people were coming and going till about 3am! I did wake so many times, but I did also get some sort of rest which was good. Tonight I have moved to another room, which is full of Australian's. They seem like a nice bunch, so I should get a better night in. I walked the town and visited the Picasso museum. I did not know that Picasso did pottery! I then rang Regina to wish her a happy birthday. It is great how from a phone box in Barcelona you can ring Japan. I was very happy to hear her voice. I then had my first Spanish omelet. It was nothing to rave about. Especially as I see the cook put it into the microwave for 30 seconds ;-) Now it is back to the hostel I guess for a hopefully peaceful sleep. I will look at the map tonight to work out where I will go next. Day 20 - 14 Apr 03 Well I had a look at the map and I think I want to go to Zaragoza. It is a town about half way between Barcelona and Madrid. I want to go there to be in the country side a bit more. One girl that was in the hostel room was heading the same way, so went to the train station together. She is from America (Kelly). When we got to the station I bought a train ticket on one of the machines. We then waited for about two hours, only to realize that we were waiting for the wrong train. I bought an express ticket thinking that it would be quicker, but there are three types of trains here in Spain. The Express, The Regional Express, Regional. The Express is what we lined up for, but you have needed to have paid in advance and booked to get on that train, as it was booked. Any way, eventually we got on to the Regional Express to Zaragoza another two or so hours later. The train was full, and we had to stand up for about 40 minutes till people started getting off, then we could sit down. The train ride was about 4 hours. It traveled through the country side. Some of the sites were lovely. There were villages on mountain sides in the middle of no where. There were farm land for miles and mountains and rivers all around. It was just worth paying 18.50E just for the ride. Eventually we arrived about 8.00pm. We walked to town. It was the first time I used my Lonely Planet guide book maps to find the local hostel. We found one in the center of town right opposite the town square and a lovely church called the Basilica De Ntra. Sra. Del Pilar. I will go there tomorrow. Kelly and I were guided to a pub for dinner by the hostel owner. It was nice inside. There were all old farm equipment on the walls hanging up all around. I had some beef cutlets.. mmm.. and some house wine (1E a glass). Then it was time for bed. But just before we reached the hostel we heard all this banging of drums. It is holy week here and there is a parade on the street with heaps of people about. It was about midnight now. They were in procession with a statue of Jesus. They were marching the statue back into the entry of the church. There were drums being played by people with tall hats with a veil over there faces. These hats were black, red and white and green. I have no idea what it meant, but it did look a bit freaky. There are two other Australian girls here at the hostel from Queensland (small world). Day 21 - 15 Apr 03 After a good night sleep, I woke up to rain. I walked to the Basilica in the morning so see inside and there was a mass on. There were some choir boys singing which was nice. I only was there for about 10 minutes, and then headed back to the hostel. It was raining hard so there was not much else to do apart from catch a bus to the train station and organize a train ticket for Kelly to Paris. There will be a train strike tomorrow, so I will stay one more day. I bought my ticket to Madrid, using my Spanish phrase book. It worked surprisingly. After Kelly left, I then caught the bus back into town. I then visited the Basilica so spend more time there. It is lovely inside. Day 22 - 16 Apr 03 I moved rooms today in the hostel as the first one was needed for some one else. I paid for one more night (23E). Well after a good coffee ("single coffee" - must mean short black in Spanish, because this is what I got) and a croissant (first real pastry since being here) I headed to the travel agent. I then bought my ticket to Japan at the local travel agent. The agent was really nice. I then emailed Regina and Mum and Dad and Michael the details. I then rang my UK bank to do a money transfer to my Aussie bank, worked a charm. Then I went to a local shopping center. Well that is what I guess you would call it. I had only three items with me in my hand as I lined up. Every one else in the line had at least 30! It took about 20 minutes to get to the check out. There was only one girl serving and you could see that she had enough that day ;-) After eating the lunch out in the sun in the main square, I then walked to the La Seo church. This had some amazing brickwork on the outside of the church. After a little rest, I then came out to the main square again to use one of the free internet machines. It allows you to access the internet for 10min for free, but this time the machines were down so I had to go to an internet cafe. It is not really expensive here only 1.5E per hour. Most charge at least 5E. There are some TV cameras set up in the main square tonight, so there must be some action going on later. It is holy week, so I guess it will be some sort of religious festival. Tomorrow I get a train to Madrid. Well I was right about a religious festival. The procession started down the main street, and ended up in the main square. It started at 12 midnight and went for an hour. There were people everywhere. I was lucky to have lined up early as the crowds ended up four deep to see the show. The show that was being telecasted on TV was the meeting of Mary and Jesus statues in the main square. Mary?s statue carriers were all dressed in black with veils on there faces and wearing pointy hats, and Jesus carriers were all in purple. The final scene looked spectacular with the square filled with people (black and purple) all beating drums and the two beautiful statues in the middle. I then when to bed. Day 23 - 17 Apr 03 Don?t you just hate it when you wake up to a startling thought. Well that happened to me this morning. I woke up thinking that my train ticket was maybe for 2.30am and not 2.30pm as I was expecting. I was right! I forgot that in Spain the 12 hour clock is used quite often on the tickets. So of course I missed it (20 or so Euros loss). So I left in a hurry thinking that I could just get the next train. I did get the bus number 22 (which goes to the station), only that it went in the opposite direction of the round route, so it took about 20 minutes longer! My luck started on a good note this morning. Then once I bought another ticket, which of course had to be a first class ticket as that was the only one left (32E) the train was then delayed an hour! It was a full moon last night, so I wonder if that had any thing to do with it. But once I was on the train it was a great ride. It was just like a plane, even with a TV and radio. Only that the TV movie they were playing was in Spanish which was ashame. But once at Madrid, I then phoned a hostel. They had room, so I got the metro to the closest stop. The metro system here in Madrid is excellent. But once out of the station it took about 40 minutes of walking streets and asking people to find the hostel, as I did not have a map of this area. I just expected that the metro stations would have a map on arrival. My assumption was wrong of course. I am staying in an "Emergency hostel room", which really is not a room at all. This place used to be a school I think, so the room is just a classroom with beds in it. It is clean and cheap so I think it is fine. I now have a map so I may head into the city for a bit to eat then a hot shower (I hope it is hot) and then to bed. Day 24 - 18 Apr 03 I headed into the city last night. There a couple of things that are definitely different to other parts of Spain. One thing is that the bus drivers are extra helpful, he even wanted to get out the bus to show me the way almost. Also that the bus?s have the right of way. We nearly crushed three cars, but that is OK as it is a bus doing it. The cars did not even honk there horns amazingly. Thirdly that Madrid is big! It is like any other city, but as the guide book said, the city will "grow on you", and I can see that happening. The hostel was great. I had a good night sleep and a hot shower in the morning. I will be staying here for at least the next two days any way. I even got a nice surprise as the owner over charged by 3E as I was in the "emergency room", so that paid for at least some of dinner any way. Today I will head back into the town. The guide book suggests a walking tour, so I will follow that guide and we will see what happens. Well I have only walked half the tour today. Starting at Pueerta de Sol, the official city center. Then I walked all day between churches, 17th century ayuntamiento (town hall), city parks and of course the Palacio Real (royal palace). Then I had lunch at a cafe, where I had a large mango shake (yummy) and some pasta. Tomorrow if it does not rain I will finish the rest of the walking tour. So far it has been a fairly cheap day as nothing has cost me apart from the metro bus ticket (1.1E into the city). It is great how you can travel a major city, and just enjoy most things from the outside or they are free to enter. Day 25 - 19 Apr 03 I caught the bus then metro to the city park. It was a lovely walk. I think I was there for about 2 hours just walking amongst the trees and the waterfalls. There is even a big lake in the middle, where small boats are taken out by tourists. I then went to the Museo Thyssen Bornemisza. This would have to be the best museum I have ever been to. The museum has three levels. Starting in to the 1300's to the ground level which is modern art. As the guide book said it is a great art lesson as you get to see all periods of art. I spent at least 3 hours just on the first level only (oldest). There were works of art from all famous painters as well as some unknowns. I did have an audio guide (which I recommend for any visitor) which taught me a lot. Things like gold in paintings shows both wealth as well as holiness. Paintings have layers by light, horizontal levels as well as overlapping. "Cubein art" is where a painting is broken down into squares (some times clearly, other times not). I have visited many museums so far, but this was the most educational. I am sure for any art buff they would know all that, but for me it was well worth the 10E (audio inc). I then caught a bus home. I found out that there is a bull fight tomorrow, so I will have to do what every one says that they would like to do whilst here in Spain (well almost every one) and go to one. Day 26 - 20 Apr 03 Today was a late start. I deliberately rested till about lunch time. Just for the heck of it. Then I got the bus then metro to Atocha. From there I walked to the Museo Del Prado. It is free on Sundays and this is one reason why I went there. There were some great paintings there but most were Spanish art. I did stay for about an hour. Then I got the metro to Ventas. This is where the bull fighting Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Vetas is. The arena is quite large and it was about 1/3rd full by the time it started. I was surprised that the bulls where really killed in front of us as the crowds cheered. To actually see it happen is some thing else. I knew that this went on, but actually see it was a bit disturbing. However after the 6th bull you knew the routine and it as by that stage just a show. What I did not know till today that the red cape only comes out with the person who actually kills the bull. There are other things that go on before the kill, like the spear throwing, knife throwing and then the sword. The poor animal is teased till death. I have now see a bull fight, but I don't think I will go again. I just don't see it as entertainment. However I did meet some Australian's there (they were the only ones with beers in there hands!). Well there is no hostel open in Toledo till May, so I will have to find some other kind of arrangement there I guess. That is my plan for tomorrow. Day 27 - 21 Apr 03 Well just as I thought I was going to head to bed, some English girls walked into the hostel. They saw on a names list that there was an Australian at the hostel (some one that spoke English) and asked who it was. I answered and then we caught up. They were both with a Spanish guy Uli who lives in Valencia. He drove them to Madrid for the day. Being English, they asked if I wanted to go into town for a drink. I have not had a drink and a dance since being here, so I said OK. It ended up a fun night. We found two bars where there was some music. On the way to one of the bars we came across another Australian. So he joined us for most of the night as well. I cannot believe that his parents are from the central coast as well. He is from Brisbane. By the time we got back it was only about 2 hours till breakfast time (7:30am). I did sleep that time, as well as was able to get up for a shower. I left the girls who were heading into town for the day and got a train to Toledo. I will surely catch up with them when I am back in the UK, they were a lot of fun. The train ride to Toledo was only an hour. From the photos on the internet I saw before I can, it was nothing like I expected. I expected a quite hillside fortified town. When I got there, it was busy with tourist and traffic every where. Any way once inside the walled part of the city I found a hostel. Well it really is a two star hotel and this is why I am paying 30E a night. This is the most I have ever paid for a stay. But like it said in the guide book, Toledo is expensive (tourists). Toledo is a pretty city though. The central cathedral Primada de Toledo is amazing. It is 2E to get in. I was there for at least an hour. I then found a shop to buy some fruit and juice for a snack. Then I found a hair dresser. It is the first time I have had my hair cut since my travels. It was fun trying to explain in Spanish what I wanted done. Any way it turned out alright as there is still hair on my head! I then headed back to the hostel for a decent rest. I needed it as I had no sleep the night before. Day 28 - 22 Apr 03 I slept in for the first time in ages. I was nice to get up around 10:30am. I then walked to the information center to find out where the internet cafe was. There is always one in town. This one is above a mobile phone shop. You would never know it was here unless you asked. I will try to see as much of the town today before the tourist arrive. It is amazing how long a line can get outside a MacDonald?s! (I have only been once to MacDonald?s since my travels - I am proud of myself, and that is because nothing else was open). I found myself an Irish bar. The owner was Irish who spoke Spanish. This was a first for me. Day 29 - 23 Apr 03 After checking out I caught a bus back to Madrid. I could have waited for the train but that would have been another 2.5hrs wait. The bus ride took exactly one hour. Then I took the metro into the center of the city. I tried about 5 hostels, all booked out. One guy wanted to charge me E30 then he went to E25 and then he said if I would look at it, it could get cheaper. I guess it was a hole if I could barter like that without even seeing it. I did eventually find one place that at E18 right in the heart of Sol. It is small, but who cares, I only need a shower and a bed. I did over hear some other Australians where there, and that they got there bag stolen. They lost every thing. Amazingly she said "oh well... there is nothing we can do about it" and said that she just had to get a new passport and move on. One of her friends lost a $200 leather jacket as well and her phone. I guess you just have to be careful traveling. Last night was a bit noisy though. I heard every thing from a lady practicing live opera singing to dance music. I even heard some one trying to cut a piece of pipe which was really loud. Eventually all were asleep, and I had a good night sleep. Day 30 - 24 Apr 03 I then paid, left my bag there to walk the town for a bit. I rang British airways to change my flight from Rome to London, as I would have been in Japan then. When that was done I found the internet cafe I am in now. I will not sleep tonight, as my flight is really early in the morning. I will just head for the airport and wait for most of today I think. I just cannot afford to miss it. I am so looking forward to this now, seeing both Regina as well as Japan once again! Day 31 - 25 Apr 03 I just waited in the airport for most of today. Then I caught my flight to Frankfurt then on to Osaka. Day 32 - 26 Apr 03 I arrived early this morning in Osaka. After clearing customs which did not take long, I met Regina at the airport. We got a shuttle bus to her home. The bus trip took about 30 min. Regina's home is very nice. It is very Japanese. Day 33 - 27 Apr 03 After a late start we headed into town. We met up with Tiziana Bertinotti, a great friend of Regina?s here in Japan. We had a lovely lunch together. After that I had a Green Tea ice cream for the first time. It was great. Then we just walked the city to Din Din town to do some electronic shopping. I bought some digital camera memory for my camera so now I can do some panoramic photos. After that we found this free internet cafe which is where we are at now. Just by chance both Michael and mum and dad were on-line. I used MSN messenger to do internet chat with them. It was the first time also that Regina had the chance to meet them (virtually any way). We talked for about an hour. It was nice for Regina to have met them. Day 34 - 28 Apr 03 Today was quite, we just stayed at home. At 2am we ate pancakes! Day 35 - 29 Apr 03 We woke up early to head towards Minoh. This is a area of the city where the locals go to relax and see a lovely waterfall. Regina dropped me off at a masseuse in Minoh town for the best ever massage that I have ever had in my lifetime. It went for 30min but felt like it had taken all the stress away of a lifetime. Regina just went to get some photos of Rome back. We met up and then walked towards the water fall. The lovely walk took about 1hr. On the way we had lunch and an ice cream. After that we came back into Osaka to update my internet site at the free internet cafe. Day 36 - 30 Apr 03 Today is raining. It has been all day. Regina went to work today. Regina is a school counselor for children. She will be working today till Friday. So I have had the chance to venture into Osaka by myself for the first time. Getting the train was easy. But when I got out at Umeda I got a little lost. I walked around the station outside to find a building that I recognized. I must have just walked out the wrong exit firstly as I could not find any thing I new so found the information desk. Luckily the lady spoke English. I was directed to the right exit and I found the internet cafe. I think today I won't do too much and tomorrow head out of the city for a train ride when the sun is out. Day 37 - 1 May 03 Today Regina went to work so I caught the train to Nara. It took about 2 hours to get there. To get was a bit of a task as I have never traveled the train by myself that far here in Japan. But the people here are so friendly that I did not have too much of a trouble getting to Nara. The trains here are so clean. Even the train conductors bow to the passengers as they enter a carriage as well as leave it which is nice. Nara was Japans first real capital. Until the 7th century, however, Japan had no permanent capital, as native Shinto taboos concerning death stipulated that the capital be moved with the passing of each emperor. The practice died out under the influence of Buddhism, and the Taika reforms of 646, when the entire country came under imperial control. The temple Todai- Ji is Nara's star attraction. Todai-ji's Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha) is the largest wooden building in the world. The current statue stands 16m high and consists of 437 tonnes of bronze and 130kg of gold. Over the centuries the statue took quite a beating from earth-quakes and fires, losing its head a couple of times in the process (note the slight difference in colour between the head and the body in the photos). From the Nigatsu-do halls you get a great view of the city. The parklands contain a great many deer?s. There were not too many non-Japanese tourist there but I did come across another Australian couple that had sailed from Melbourne to Japan on a sailing boat. Nara is a world heritage site. Day 38 - 2 May 03 Today I had the chance to visit Regina at her school. I have met some of her friends and I have had the chance to use the computers in the computer lab. My first impression is that the school is so clean and large. I did not also expect to see so many English speaking staff members. For some reason I thought that Regina would be one of the only person here that could speak English. It is great that I have the chance to see where she works. In the evening Regina and I saw an elementary talent show and a high school production of "the breakfast club" at Osaka International School. There is a lot of talent at the school that is for sure. Afterwards we had our first dinner date at Regina's favorite Italian restaurant, Adomani. We walked through the bamboo trail on the way home which was nice. Day 39 - 3 May 03 We stayed in the bed until about 12:00, but got up to make pancakes...smile and then ran down to catch a bus up into the mountains towards Yano. The area was a refuge for Christians. We ate at a wonderful thatch roof restaurant and watched the talent show that was organized by Ruka's family (Ruka family runs the place). Then we had to hitch it to my friends house for dinner since we missed the last bus. This was a fun and the people were so nice. We had to take a photo of them. We had dinner at Terri and Hwei Driskill's house. Koko Kondo, Regina's Japanese friend who survived the bomb in Hiroshima, was there. She was 8 months old when the bomb dropped and her family lived 1.1 kilometers from the epicenter. Koko Kondo had some great stories to tell. She had even been on the US show "this is your life" to meet the actual pilot that dropped the bomb. This change her life as well as her opionion of the US. Koko now travels the world telling her story and what an amazing story it is. She was the only child of her age to survive. John and Hatsumi Searle were present as was Elsa Connelly. The dinner was really lovely and I do appreciate there gesture. Day 40 - 4 May 03 We made french toast for breakfast. We then went to Shinsaibashi to meet Tiziana Bertonoti and Ceri Griffith for dinner. We had Mexican at the restaurant that Regina has her last birthday. Roberto Alva and his girlfriend showed up to join us and afterwards we went to Karioke. You have to do Karioke in Japan don't you. Day 41 - 5 May 03 We went to Hiro Cafe to have some coffee and scones before heading off to Kyoto. Kyoto in 794 had become Heiankyo, the capital of Japan. We caught a bus into town. The whole town is still preserved as it was in the past (well just out side the main city any way). It was one of the only cities in Japan to not get bombed during the war, so everything looks and is original. There are a couple of tourists there which makes it a busy town, but it is lovely. One of the first places we visited was the Chishaku-in home. It was lovely with one of the nicest gardens I have seen. It was so quiet. It would be lovely to see during the cherry blossom time I would imagine. We had lunch in a park where we had fed some of the birds, then we went to the Zen Temple (Kenninji). The main building of the complex has a wonderful mosaic of two dragons and a gold alter with a buddah. Then we went to Gion which is famous for Geisha. I actually took some photos of some which was lucky. They do look amazing in there outfits. Kyoto has some amazing temples. Day 42 - 6 May 03 Today Regina is back at work, so I headed back into town. I have just bought a lens for my digital camera. I wanted to get a zoom lens, but I don't want to spend 16K Yen on a lens. After the internet cafe, I will go back home. Day 43 - 7 May 03 Regina was at school again today. I came in about 3pm to talk to two kids about careers. I had talked to them about my experiences and my suggestions. What was meant to take half and hour took and hour which was good. It has started to rain today. I think it will for the next few days at least any way. I have been very lucky with the weather lately, so the rain just makes a new change. Tonight Regina and I will spend it at home and we will watch "Willie Wanka and the Chocolate Factory" on video. Day 44 - 8 May 03 Today it rained really hard. Regina attempted twice to get to school by catching a taxi, but she got soaked the first time. Water poured out of her shoes when she came home. I on the other hand just stayed at home for a peaceful day of reading a book. When Regina came home we stayed up till 1am talking which was nice. Day 45 - 9 May 03 After Regina did some personal business in the morning we he had the chance to go to Kobe. We went up on a cable car up into the mountains to a look-out. It was called Naro biki herb garden. We had tea actually in the green house. There were no crowds there as it was a Friday, but I am sure during the weekend it would be crowded. After walking the herb gardens we got the cable car down and headed for home. Tonight's dinner is at a Chinese restaurant. Day 46 - 10 May 03 For lunch Regina took me to a Sushi restaurant. Regina often goes to this restaurant as they make her vegitarian sushi there. After that we did some shopping. Regina bought a lamp shade for her bedroom and I bought some zip bags for my backpack. We then walked home to prepare for tonights dinner. Regina had invited her friends over for a dinner. It was lovely. There were about 8 of us and they all stayed till late. Regina is a great cook. Day 47 - 11 May 03 As it is my last day in Japan, Regina and I just had some quite time at home together. It was nice. We played some board games and watch some videos. Regina was able to book the hostel in Madrid for me (speaking Spanish) Day 48 - 12 May 03 I got up early to catch the taxi to the airport. It was sad to leave Regina behind. I really had such a great time in Japan, but I know in only 6 weeks I will be seeing her again in Rome! I can´t wait. I flew to Frankfurt and then onto Madrid. The meto took me to the bus station, where I caught the bus to the hostel. I have been here before, and it is one of the best I have visited. Day 49 - 13 May 03 Today I will spend the day at the hostel. I have booked accomodation for Valencia for tomorrow night. I will make my way there early tomorrow. I have just met another Australian woman. The poor thing had "just one of those days" where nothing worked. The phone card that she had did not work, the internet crashed as she tryed to book online a hostel and the telephone number she rang just rang out. Any way I was able to help her and suggest a few places for her to visit. She was very grateful. It is nice how we are able to help others. She really needed for me today. Today she will head off to Zaragoza. She saw my pictures online and was impressed. I hope she travels well today. Day 50 - 14 May 03 I am up eary today so I can have breakfast and leave for Valencia as early as possible. Regina is just finalising the details of our US trip, but so far it looks as all is going to plan. I just can't wait to meet her parents and family now. The bus to Valencia took about 4 hours! It was a nice journey though. It was airconditioned and confortable. I even got to watch a movie. After I arrived at the bus station, I walked to the main shopping center. There I was able to ask at an information desk how to find the hostel I needed. The girl at the information desk did not have a spare map, so I had to photo copy hers. This cost about $1AUD. I think that I get ripped off some times as I am a tourist ;-) Any way I was able to use the map to get to the hostel. It is clean and quite (well at least so far any way). I am here for two nights, but after that I may head into the country side to meet some of Reginas friends. I walked around for a bit and bought a local map at a newstand. From there I was able to find the train station. Out side were some girls dressed in yellow with a big "I" on there chests so I thought why not ask them. They were very helpful but spoke hardly any english, so there was a lot of hand guestures and pointing to get what I needed across. But they did understand me and now I am in an internet cafe updating my web page once again. I really will try to use my phrase book more as using English does not allow me to practice my Spanish. I really want to learn Spanish. Last night I was in a room for four people. Lucky for me there was only one other guy there. He was from Switzerland. Michael and I went into the town for a dinner. I was not that hungry, but it was good company. We ended up having a paella. You have to have a paella here in Valencia. To be honest, it was not the best one that I have ever had, but at least it filled me up. There was a football match on TV, and that is why the room was filled with people. It was the semi final for Madrid and Italy. Day 51 - 15 May 03 Just walked the town today, but most of the day was to booked the flight to see Michael this summer. To be honest there is not a great deal to see. I just cant wait now. Day 52 - 16 May 03 Michael (my room mate in the hostel) and I decided to go to Alicante together. So we caught the bus. It tool about 3.5hrs but the ride was OK. Once there we organised a hostel. It was only 17.5E per night with a private bathroom which is nice. It was about lunch time now, so we had lunch at the "real club de regatas" opposite the million dollar boats. Pizza was the order of the day. It was lovely. We then walked the beach to the end. There we some sites to see on the beach including some lovely topless women ;-). Then on the way back we caught the lift up to the top of the Monte Benacantil mountain to the see the Castillo Santa Barara. This is the castle that over looks the sea side and the city. I was happy to see that there were not many tourists there and that we had a fairly cloudless sky, so we could see for miles. I took some great photos. Michael and I then did some shopping on the way home so we could have some dinner. In the late afternoon (9:00pm) Michael and I were able to meet Christina. Christina was the lady that Regina lived with some time ago when she was living in Alicante (4 months). Christina is a great. We met her in the bus station and from there she showed us the town. There is an old part to the town and this is where we spent most of our time. We walked to the top of the mountain where there was a great view of the town. Christina had the fortune that Michael was with me, as he spoke Spanish. Michael had just did a 6 week course in Spanish, and I can promise you that it has motivated me to learn it. If he can do it, so can I. Christina left us after we walked back down to go home. We plan to meet up tomorrow at 10:00am to go to Altea. Day 53 - 17 May 03 Christina met us at the bus station at 10:00am but unfortunately could not go to Altea today with us as she had to go to Madrid for the day. But Michael and I caught the bus there. It took about 1.5hrs to get there. It has a beach like Alicante but it also has a Mosk at the top of the hill. We walked to the top of the hill after we had lunch at a local cafe on the water edge. Took some photos and then headed back to the bus station to get the bus back. We had to get a local bus back to Benidorm first to get the express back to Alicante. This took ages and the local bus went all over the city! Once we got back we did some shopping then we prepared to hit the beach. The beach was a mass of people where people had to fight for a square space. It was great though just to lay in the sun for about 2 hours and do nothing. We plan to stay one more day as it is such a great town. Day 54 - 18 May 03 Today will be a beach day! I plan to just sit on the beach and catch some rays. Life is good, but it is even better with Regina! I made it to the beach and got a real good tan. In the evening Michael and I had dinner at home, but went out for an ice cream and a few beers (great diet). I bought a ticket to Granada at the bus station for tomorrow. Day 55 - 19 May 03 Arrived in Granada at about 2.30pm. It was about a 5.5hr bus ride through some of the most beautiful country side I have seen in Spain. It was so green and you could see the highest mountian in Spain with snow on the top. I have only just got to the hostel. The information center was really helpful and I will now tour the city to see if I can study here (Spanish). Day 56 - 20 May 03 I have decided not to study here in Granada, for two main reasons. One) The course I want to study starts in a weeks time, so I would have to stay here for a week before the course even started. Secondly) Time. I think if I study before the US trip, I will not get to see the rest of Spain that I want to see as well as Portugal. I got up early to make my way to the most popular tourist attraction here in Granada the Almambra. This is a what the Lonely Planet guide describes as "one of the greatest accomplishments of Islamic art and breathtaking. Much has been written about its fortress, palace, patios and gardens, but nothing can really prepare you for what you will see.". How true this is. It is a wonderful Alhambra´s fortress, dating from the 11th to the 13th centuries. The views from the tops of the towers are great and the gardens are wonderful. I was able just to wonder around for half the day amongst the rose gardens and inside the Palacio Nazaries (Nasrid Palace). The photos do not do it justice. There were a lot of tourist that arrived by bus, but that is to be expected at a place like this. I truely recommend a visit to Granada if you ever get to Spain. Day 57 - 21 May 03 Today has just been a relaxing day. I just did some emailing and some web page updates. I spoke with Regina on the phone. She is soon off to Thailand to build houses with some of her school children! I was able to web Chat with Michael as well. Day 68 - 22 May 03 This morning I rang mum and dad. Mum was only home as dad was still at work. It was nice to talk with her. This weekend is mum and dads 30th wedding anniversary. I caught the bus to Cordoba this morning. It only took 2.5hrs. Once settled in the hostel, I walked to the main attraction of the town, the Mezquita - which – after several centuries of additions and enlargements – became one of the largest in all of Islam. From the outside it looks like a normal church, until you walk inside. You are supprised by columns of red and white bricks that support the first level ceiling. Then in the center of the church is the second church that the catholics built. This has a much higher ceiling and is decorated like any other catholic church. It is an interesting contrast. Day 69 - 23 May 03 Again I caught the bus to Sevilla. It was only 1.5hrs away. I was able to find a hostel right away which was good. I was lucky as there was a football match here last night, and most of the places were booked out. I am paying 26E for the night, which is more than I usually pay, but at least I have a shower and a room for the night. I then was able to use a phone to change my flight from Rome to London to a later date. This gives me now the option of leaving from Portugal to go to London directly, or from Switzerland (if I go there). My first impression of Sevilla is that it is busy, but has a good atmosphere. It is a bit like Madrid in some ways. I will just walk the town tonight, and find a restaurant for dinner some where. Day 70 - 24 May 03 I moved this morning to another hostel. There was nothing wrong with the other, only that this hostel is a lot cheaper. It was about an hour walk away. I did not expect this as on the map it looked a whole lot closer. Any way I have got to do some walking already today which is good. I will be here for another two days. Last night I did find a restaurant in the city which served good food. It was nice just to sit amongst the people just watching them go by. There currently is a lot of speaches going on at the moment in the main squares as it is election time here. It is interesting how much is done for the media. They are telecasting the speaches and all the people are given flags to wave and flashy toys and roses. They all wave them about for the cameras. I have seen on TV last night other speaches of other areas, and they just look as flash as the local ones. There was even a bull flight on TV last night. I am sure it would never be shown on Australian TV that is for sure. There was a Canadian guy and a New Zeland guy in my room. The Canadian guy was with two other Australians, so we all went into the local town for a beer. Then after a few the New Zeland guy and I went into Seville main town to find a few bars there, but we where there only for a short while as most had finished (2am). Day 70 - 25 May 03 Today the New Zeland guy and I (Richard) went into Seville again. As it is Sunday the main cathedral is free to enter. Seville's immense cathedral, one of the biggest in the world, was built on the site of Muslim Seville's main mosque between 1401 and 1507. One highlight of the cathedral's lavish interior is Christopher Columbus' supposed tomb inside the south door. So we went there and to the Alcazar. Seville's alcácazar; (Muslim-era fortress), the hideout of Muslim and Christian royalty for many centuries, was begun in AD 913. After lunch we headed back to the hostel. Richard and the rest are heading back into town for a bull fight. I have seen one, so I will not join them. Day 71 - 26 May 03 I got up about 5:30am this morning to get the first bus to Tavira. I had to change buses just after the border, but apart from that it was an easy ride. I found as soon as I arrived a lot of English tourist walking around, so it was easy to find the information desk. They were very helpful and I found my hostel straight away. With a map in hand I walked most of the city after I had put my bag down. It is a fairly small city, but it is lovely. There is of course a castle, but what is nice is that the town is broken in two by a river. You can smell the salty air. As you can see by the photos most of the buildings are white and the sky was blue, so it was a nice day to walk. Tomorrow I think I will hire a push bike, and hike to some of the local towns near by. My first impression of Portugal is that I like it. It is clean and friendly, and so far most people speak english which is good as the Portugese is so different to Spanish which I was only just getting used too. Day 72 - 27 May 03 Today was adventure day! Early this morning I hired a bike. I rode the bike for most if not all the day. I don't know how many kilometers I rode, but I know that my bum could recon 1000! Any way my first stop was Moinhos da Rocha. Here there was a waterfall. It was quite nice, and I was able to refill my water bottle, because by that stage it was nearly empty. It was a real hot day today, and the hills made it even hotter. After lunch by the water, I then adventured west to a town called Santa Catarina de Fonte do Bispo. Here was a Renaissance style (16th century) church. I must have rode my bike up the biggest hill to get to this church, but it was closed! Open 9:30am tomorrow morning (ahhh!). Any way it gave me the chance to have a stop and a drink. I met some English people that have lived in the area for 9 years. After a rest I then headed south. Here was meant to be a small town called Estiramantens which was a typical Algarvean village. It was noted in the tourist guide that there were attractive chimneys on the houses. I found the houses, but it was not worth my while I can assure you to see two houses with nice chimneys! Any way I then headed for the beach. The closest one was Barril. To get to the beach you need (for 1E) to catch a train to the shore as there is marsh land between the main land and the beach. There were a lot of tourist there. It was a nice beach, but I am so lucky in Australia let me say that. Then I rode back to town. The bike only cost me 5E and I feel very fit because of the ride, so it was a worthwhile day. Tavira is a great town and I would recommend it to any one who was in the area. Day 73 - 28 May 03 I caught the train this time to Lagos. It was cheap only about 5E. I had to stop at Fargo to change trains and that took a while as I had to wait for about two hours. But the train ride was clean and smooth. Once I reached Lagos I walked to the information center in town how directed me to the hostel. Once my bags were in I walked the water edge. I went to the local shopping center where I bought some fruit for lunch. I ate it on the water edge. The town has one big boat marina that meets the sea. The sandy beaches are small, but they look nice with the tall rocky edge surrounding them. Tonight in town there is some traditional Fado interpreted by many Fado sinners. It should be a good show as I have not really heard Fado yet. Day 74 - 29 May 03 I had to wait at the bus station for at least 2.5hrs this morning waiting for a bus to Cabo De S Vicente ("The end of the world" - Europe´s most south-westly point). The bus ride took about an hour, but was only able to take me to Sagres (a town near by). From there I had to catch another bus to the Cape. The local bus time table is only for tourist to make out that buses do come and go to an area, but the times are guesswork! The Cape was fairly blowy. It even became over cast. I met two American girls on the bus out to the cape. Anne and Christine. They were nice. Anne is studying her Spanish masters in Madrid, and Christine her friend was visiting her (works in the US). We all were able to get to the cape, but getting back was a bit of an effort as there were no buses after 1 O´clock (not untill 5pm any way). So I asked a local German tour group bus is we could get a lift back to Sargres. They did. It was funny really. When in Sagres I took some photos, and the three of us had lunch at a restaurant where Camels were the theme. Pizza was the meal. After lunch we headed back to town. I got a hair cut and then had a shower and rested before going out into the town at about 8:30pm. I met up with the girls and we had Swiss. I don't think I have had it before. It was lovely. Day 75 - 30 May 03 After check-out I caught the train to Portimao. It only cost about 1E to travel about 30min on the train. Transport in Portugal is so much cheaper than in Spain or Italy. I then walked to find the information center. I was directed in so many directions for a while, but eventually I got there. They were very helpful. I am able to use the internet at the library for free which is good. I then had to walk to the hostel which was about 40min away. But it is cheap and quiet which is good. Day 76 - 31 May 03 Today I caught the bus to Monchique. It is about an hour away. The quiet highland town of Monchique, is amongst the wooded slopes of the Serra de Monchique. I hiked through thick forest to Fóia, the 'rooftop' of the Algarve. The panoramic views from the top are terrific. It was a 7.5km walk up hill but well worth it. After some lunch I walked/ran down the hill as I wanted to get the bus back to Portimao. I ran as the next one was a 5 hour wait. Once in town I did some internet surfing and then went back to the hostel. I think I will move on from here tomorrow. Day 77 - 1 June 03 I caught the bus from Portimao to Evora today. It took about 5 hours. I met some Americans on the bus who where also going to Evora. They were from the east cost of the US and were here on a holiday for about two weeks. Eventually I got to the town and fortunately the information center was open on a Sunday, as they directed me to the hostel. I would have found it hard to find otherwise I would have thought. Any way it is a lovely hostel. It is situated right in the heart of this walled city. After checking in I met this english guy (in my room). We hit the town for a dinner (I was so hungry as I missed breakfast). We headed out about 8:30pm, but it was early. We came across a local who I asked where we could get a drink. Amazingly he said follow us (he was with two other girls). He was to take us all around the town to find a restaurant and bar. He was so nice. He had studied in the town (I.T.) and was showing his friends (the two girls) around the town. He wanted us to go to his favourite restarant, but it was closed. Eventally we found a restarant. I have to say it had to have been the best meal I have had in a long time. And fairly cheap as well. For a bottle of wine, a meat dish, ontray all for about 20E. It was so tastey. We had a lovely local wine called Monty .. some thing (I cannot remember), but it was really good. After dinner the English guy and I just found a bar for a couple of drinks before bed. Day 78 - 2 June 03 The Enlgish guy had to leave the hostel early as he had to head off to Lisbon for the day. he had to do this as the night before I got to the hostel, another Australian had stolen is passport etc. The poor guy. It was is first realy OS trip as well. Any way these things happen I guess. He is going to study at Cambridge University when he gets back. Chemical Engineering. I am sure that we will catch up some where along my way in the future. Today I think I will do the touristy things here in the town. I is a lovely town. Day 80 - 3 June 03 I have checked out from the hostel this morning. I will catch the bus towards Lisbon today. I had an email from the English guy this morning, so there is a good chance we will catch up in the city some time soon. It is only about a 2 hour bus ride to the city so it is not too bad. Regina rang me this morning. It was her last day in Thailand. She has had a great time there and from what she has told me, and experience that she will never forget. It is great to do things like that in your life time. Day 81 - 4th June 03 Well there was only myself and another lady traveling to Lisbon on the bus. I got off at Almanda. Almanda is just across the river from Lisbon city. It was the usual chore of finding the hostel, but eventually I found it. Of course it had to be on the top of a hill again! Any way the hostel was OK but nothing special. It did have however a great view of the city, especially at night from across the river. Day 82 - 5th June 03 But as soon as I had breakfast I headed to Lisbon by train then metro. From what I can see it is a great city, and I expect to be here for at least two days or so. Andrew (English guy) has moved on from here, but I am sure we will catch up again soon. I have booked the hostel for only one night, as I have seen most of the town today. To be honest it is not the best looking city in the world. I mean my impressions are that it is just like any other big city I guess. But you have to come to Lisbon if you are to travel Portugal I guess. To be honest, in the past few days I am starting to get tied of hostels and churches and momuments. I think I may even head to the UK earlier to catch up with some friends and family for a while, before Regina and I spend the summer together. That I am looking forward too that is for sure, but now it is my 82nd day of travel and I think that I just want to settle some where for a while. After a few more towns I will see. Day 83 - 6th June 03 Well I only stayed one night in Lisbon. It really is just a big city with nothing really special about it that I could see. So I decided to head out to Sintra. Now what a contrast. I love this town. It is very green and hilly. The old town is set amongst the trees which is nice. I met up with an American/French guy (Fred) and Argentina (Carlos). They both spoke Enlglish and we stayed in the same hostel room. As a group we walked to two main attractions of the town, Palacio National da Pena and the Moorish Castle. Both were extremely good. The palace itself is picturesque with a real Renaissance feel. The interior was filled with worldly artifacts. We spent at least three hours there. Then we walked through the parkland of the estate down to a lovely pond. From there we walked up hill again to the Morrish Castle. It sits amongst the highest hill of the city. It really was windy, but the view was great. You could see as far as the coast and all the way to Lisbon. Dinner was back at the hostel. Day 84 - 7th June 03 Yesterday I booked a flight to the UK and so this morning I caught the train back to Lisbon. I then caught the bus to the airport from the main train station. I experienced some thing strange on the bus ride over. I payed 1E to get to the airport, but I accidently got on the wrong side of the road at the bus station so the bus was going around his route the wrong way for me. I ended up a the end of his route and had to get off. Wait 1 minute then get back on the same bus to catch it to the airport and I also had to pay another 1E. Crazy! Any way I eventually caught a flight back to Madrid then onto London Heathrow. I had to run around at Madrid airport to get my connecting ticket orgainsed and back in Lisbon they only issued me one seat ticket to Madrid only and I had to get another one for Madrid London. Eventually I got to London and Kevin (Uncle) picked me up at the airport. We drove around Richmond and the surround areas for a while before we ended up at his new home. I stayed there whilst Kevin went back to his apartment. I had the house to myself. Day 84 - 8th June 03 At around 10:00am I walked to Kevin's car yard. Along the way I stopped off at a park and just looked around the area as such to take some photos etc. When I got to the car yard I was able to use the internet to update my web site. It is a good thing as I was able to update some photos etc. which I had not been able to so for a while. Then Kevin and I headed into Richmond to look at computers. He is thinking of getting one while I am around. Then we had lunch in a local cafe before I went home. Day 85 - 9th June 03 Today I caught the train to Lloyd Doyle. It was great to see some of my old work mates. Not much has changed only the technology of the machines I guess. I then caught the train to Walton On Thames. It has been a while since I was last there. I did some basic shopping and then caught the bus home. Day 86 - 10th June 03 Today was an easy day. Kevin met me later in the day and we drove around Richmond park for a while. I will have to take Regina there for sure. Then in the evening I helped move Kevin into his new home. There as not much really but it did take a couple of hours. I was glad to help. Day 87 - 11th June 03 This morning I met Kevin at his car yard. Then we drove to his second home to help move what was left. After we did that I just came back to the car yard. So far England has been at a very different pace tot he rest of the trip so far. I am happy to just slow down for a while. Day 88 - 12th June 03 Today I bought a Virgin mobile charge card for my mobile phone. It only cost £10. So now I have a local mobile number which is better for the people trying to contact me locally and from abroad. After speaking with Regina for about an hour on the phone, I then did some shopping. I made up a lunch and then walked along the river for a good three hours. It was nice just to walk in the sun. There were heaps of people about just doing the same thing. Some people payed £1 for a deck chair to sit in the sun and watch the ducks like I was. Kevin moved in last night and had his first night in his new home. Day 89 - 13th June 03 Kevin brought me his push bike today. So now I have some transport which is good. I then rode the bike around Richmond park. It took at least 2hours. It was really nice to just ride in the sun. After which, I then went shopping for the basics and then headed home. Day 90 - 14th June 03 Today at around lunch time I met up with Mark Barnett and old English friend of mine. I was able to just swim in his pool, have a few beers and just catch some rays of sunshine for most of the afternoon. It has really been a nice day. This afternoon both of us are heading off to one of Marks friends houses for a bbq. We were going to go around 3pm but now it is a lot later than that now, so I don't know what we will find when we get there. Mark has just shown me some of his computer work. He designs web pages for some of his customers. I am impressed. Mark has had his company for about a year now so it is good to see that he is doing well for himself. Mark and his girlfriend live in a lovely cottage not too far from Heathrow. It is green and has some lovely gardens. The pool is edged by roses and a flower garden. Well after a tour of the home I think now we are off to the party. I am now back from the party. It was a lovely night. After a great bbq we ended up listening to two live guitar players and singers. It was a nice way to finish the night. Even Jinney (singer) gave me a CD of hers. I have not had the chance to hear it yet, but I am sure it will be nice. Day 91 - 15th June 03 When I got home I rang Bob Kidwell. It is a lovely sunny day, so we decided to go for a swim in a local lake. Bob picked me up from Richmond. Kevin and I biked around the Richmond area till Bob turned up. Bob drove me to his home where I met Petra. We all went out for a drive to the local lake for a swim. It was unusual to see a sandy beach around the lake. Bob had some of his old school mates there, so there were about 5 of us in the end. After a swim and a lay in the sun, we headed to the local pub for a meal and a drink. On sunday pubs close at 11.30pm so we finished then. It ended up a great night. I stayed at Bob Kidwell's house that night. Day 92 - 16th June 03 About 10.00am Bob dropped me off at the train station so I could get back to Richmond. I woke up a cold. I think there may be some bugs in the water. So when I got home I really just slept most of the day so I could recover. Day 93 - 17th June 03 After speaking with Regina, I caught the train to Lloyd Doyle to pick up my air tickets to the US. Today it rained today for the first time in ages. So again because of my cold I stayed at home to recover. I just don't want a cold for the US. Day 94 - 18th June 03 Kevin ordered a laptop today via the phone. It was a Dell machine. Kevin has never bought a PC before and now would like one for his home/work. He also set up a cable service as well so he can use the internet with some speed. He wanted a laptop to give him mobility. Now that is done, I think I will just walk home. Day 95 - 19th June 03 Caught up with friends from my old work Lloyd Doyle. It was great to see almost every one that I worked with before. We went to a but in Esher - the bear, and then we had a dinner next door at a Italian restaurant. That night Mark Barnet dropped Bob and I off at Bobs house. I stayed the night at Bob Kidwells. Day 96 - 20th June 03 At around lunch time Bob dropped me back to Kevins house. Kevin bought some home kitchen goods. I now can heat up some food! So I went shopping. It was great to have some hot food again! Day 97 - 21st June 03 I did not do much today only went shopping and bought Kevin a beginners guide to windows XP book. His machine should arive soon, and I thought he may need this as a learning reference. Day 98 - 22nd June 03 I met Kevin in Richmond (biked it) at a local pub (The white cross). Some of his mates were there. Not far away in a local park there was a music festival going on, so we rode over on our bikes. There would have been about 1000 people there I would have guessed. A lot of Kevins mates were there, so it ended up a good evening. Then we headed to a pub for a drink before I biked it home. I have no idea what time Kevin got in but it was late. Day 99 - 23rd June 03 I rang mum and dad for a quick chat. They are doing well which is great. I then rode over to Kevins work to catch up on some emails and update my web page. I think Kevin and I will go for a bike ride this afternoon. Day 100 - 24th June 03 Kevin's computer arrived, so I spent some time this morning setting it up. I like the machine very much. I am not able to connect it to the internet just yet as the modem has not arrived yet, but it should be here tomorrow. At around 4pm, Kevin and I went for a drive to Sandown race track. There they have a horse track as well as a ski ramp as well as go-carts. The view from the top of the hill was great. Then we met up with one of Kevins mates and her daughter. We went out for a pizza. Tom the little boy was such a character. We then went to see her horse on a local farm. It was a great afternoon. When Kevin and I got back, I just started to show Kevin how to use the computer. Day 101 - 25th June 03 Today the modem arrived, so now Kevin is connected to the internet for the first time from home. Broadband is so fast and easy to install. Regina just rang me to say that she is going out with Koko for a dinner. I only have two days left before I am off to the US! Day 102 - 26th June 03 Kevin now has bluetooth for his computer. This means that he can use his laptop any where now. I have yet to test it, but it should be OK. He is thinking of a digital camera as well, so he has all the mod cons now. This morning I was just internet surfing. Day 103 - 27th June 03 It is my last night in the UK. Kevin was at work today. I just stayed at home today and packed my bag ready for tomorrow morning. I am going out tonight with Bob, Petra and Andy for drinks, but I won't be out too late as I have to get up early (8:00am). It has been really nice to be back in England and just having the time to not keep moving. Kevin has been great. I really have to thank him for letting me stay at his home. It has been great to catch up with some good friends and I have had a good time. Day 104 - 28th June 03 I arrived in the USA today! I came off the plane to be greeted by Regina's mum and dad at the airport with a sign that said "Limo for David Power". It was great to meet them. We had to wait for Regina to get off her flight, so we decided to go to a cafe as we had 3 hours to wait. It was the first time I had the chance to talk for a while with Reginas parents and they were lovely. Holly (Regina's sister-in-law) also turned up at the airport to greet myself and Regina. Regina arrived on time. To see her and her smile was lovely. After collecting our bags we headed back to Regina's parents home. The area and there home is lovely. Typical American style, big and with no fences. The garden is massive and needs a ride on lawn mover to mow it! Chi-chi and Matchka the cats greeted me at the door. Mr Studzinski took me on a tour of the home. When we got to the basement (his little home) I was impressed by his electronic toys, TV and computer and all(One day ;-) ). Later that evening we had a great dinner which Mrs Studzinski made. Day 105 - 29th June 03 Perkins was breakfast! Perkins is a 24hr diner where I had 5 pancakes and an orange juice! Food is a major part of the US way here. It tasted great. When we got home Regina's dad showed me his Harley. What a machine! Regina had a rest whilst I helped Mr Studzinski on his computer. Day 106 - 30th June 03 Regina's mum drove Regina and I to the local RTA. She had to organise her drivers license. At around lunch time Holly and Dan (Regina's brother) came over for lunch. We cooked up a storm. Dan is a chef and the ribs were fantastic! Regina's brother is a real nice guy. I have now met the whole family. After lunch, Holly and Dan dropped Regina and I off at the car hire place. We picked up a car and drove to their home. It was about an hour and a half away. It is also in a lovely area. They are doing up an home. The house is large and they have done a great job so far. We later went out for an ice-cream before we had some sleep. Day 107 - 1st July 03 Today was a lazy day. Dan and Holly were on holiday, so we had the day together. We first drove to one of Holly's friends house to see there new dog. Then we went to a golf driving range to hit a couple of balls. I have not done that for ages. Then as it was so hot we drove to an ice-cream place for a ice-cream. When we got home we rested for a while before Dan cooked up a fantastic dinner. Day 108 - 2nd July 03 Regina and I had breakfast with Dan and Holly and their friend Jason at Mastoris (Diner). Then we drove to see Regina's great aunty, Veronica. We had steak and hogie sandwiches for lunch. Listened to some great family stories. On the way home, we stopped by a nature preserve. As we continued to eat our way through America, we decided to go to a local farm to have home made ice-cream. Yummy! Then we dropped the hire car off and the car hire company dropped us off back home. Mrs Studzinski cooked up a wonderful kielbsa for dinner. Regina bought me the movie Shrek which the whole family watched together. Day 109 - 3rd July 03 Making an early start to the day, we got up early to drive to West Virgina. It took about 8 hours. West Virgina is where Regina's grandmother lives and where Regina's mother grew up. We stayed at Regina's grandmothers home which is located on a golf course. Family members arrived during the afternoon. Day 110 - 4th July 03 Today is the 4th of JULY!! It is a family tradition to play golf. So the men went out onto the course (drove to) for a game. I was very honored to play as it is taken very seriously by all members. I did not have the best game ever, but it was a heap of fun, and it gave me the chance to meet the family. At around 3 O'clock we headed back home for a great bbq. When it became dark, the whole family moved out onto the golf course to watch the fireworks that were set off at the golf country club. Day 111 - 5th July 03 Today was the day for the house championship. This is a very serious and competitive match. This tradition has been going on for about 10 years. I got up early to practice as my first hit of the ball made all the difference as every one was going to watch me hit that ball. I did OK. I played better than yesterday. The match became a playoff at the end, but Danny (Regina's brother) won in the end. Day 112 - 6th July 03 Regina and I just hung around the house today. The men went out for another game of golf. Day 113 - 7th July 03 Early today, we left to head back home to Pennsylvania. It rained a little on the way home, but now it is really sunny. This evening the family and I are going to watch the movie Baraka. This is an arty movie with world scenes put to music. Day 114 - 8th July 03 Regina and I drove to her grandmothers in Delaware. It only took us about 2.5hrs in our great car. I also met Don (grandmothers partner). As a group we went to a lovely Italian restaurant for dinner. I was so full! We came home and we watched family videos (Regina as a young girl). Day 115 - 9th July 03 Grandmother made her famous blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then we headed off to see Regina's friends in Baltimore. Mary beth and Russ and Aidan. Mary beth was an old college friend. It was her birthday so we had a lovely cooked dinner at home with a bottle of wine. For desert we had a great coconut cake. Day 116 - 10th July 03 We had an early start to head to an acupuncturist. I have never been to one before, so I took up the opportunity to have a go. Regina had been to this lady before. It took about 2 hours! I feel a whole lot better for it. After which we then drove to a natural food store to pick up some goods. When we got home Regina made me lunch. We then relaxed listening to music and looking at old photos. Day 117 - 11th July 03 It took us about 5 hours to drive to Pittsburgh from Regina's mum and dad's home. Both Regina and I drove. On the way we dropped into some rest stops for a quick break. When we arrived at Pittsburgh we met up with David and Sielke, Christian and Naomi. Sielke is one of Regina's good friends from college days. Christian and Naomi are their children. The whole family have been wonderful. Christian and I played in there garden for a while, while Regina and Sielke made some dinner. Regina and I walked to a local look out to take some photos. After dinner Sielke, Regina and myself went into town. David looked after the kids. There was a great water display that changed with music in the center of the waterfront. The waterfront is a little like Darling harbour with shops and food stalls and dance clubs etc. all along the strip. Regina and I had an ice-cream. Day 118 - 12th July 03 It was about 10:00am when Regina and I drove into the "strip" of Pittsburgh. This is an area where there are market stalls and fresh food stalls all on display. It was great just to be able to walk amongst the locals. For lunch Regina took me to one of her old haunts. Regina had studied in Pittsburgh before. Then we went to a chocolate stalls. It was great to see so much chocolate. After which we then went out to a look out that over looked the whole city. By the time we got back to David and Sielke's house I was exhausted. So I rested till dinner. Day 119 - 128 July 22nd Regina and I have driven down to a place called Blowing Rock in North Carolina. We are spending about 10 days here. Regina is studying Yoga here with her teacher Diane Long. It is a lovely old town with a lot of "local" shops that sell local ice-cream etc. So every night that is our treat. All our meals have been cooked at home. To be honest I have not missed meat (yet any way) as the food has been great. It has been nice just to walk around the park lands and lakes that dot the area. There is a peace to this place. I can see why Regina loves this place so much. We only have another three days here before we meet with Regina's family for there Summer holiday (in the mountains of West Virgina.) Regina studies for about an hour a day, and I have just read books and vegged about. Sauna's in the evening have been great as well. The local surroundings are lovely. There are 360deg views of mountains and green. Nature is very close. I have even had the chance to have some private Yoga lessons (5 min) just to sample the art. I am sure we will be back here again in the not too distant future. Day 132 - 4th August 03 Well I know that I am skipping through my diary, but we have been moving so much and we have found it hard to get access to a computer. In short however my map will tell you that we have traveled over 2000 miles! After we left blowing rock, Regina and I drove to West Virgina. Danny and Holly, Mr and Mrs Studzinski and ourselves had a log cabbin in the mountains for a week. It was a time to relax and unwind. Also it gave us the chance to meet up with the rest of the family who also had cabbins. Most of the family had there own cabbin and we would meet up at night time for dinner as a group. We saw deer and there were some bears around, but I saw none. The house was really nice, and the log fires were great. We played games and just hung around. Most of the guys played golf during the day. I just read books. It was a real treat. After the vacation there, Dan and Holly drove home. The rest of the Studzinski family and I then drove to Regina's grandmothers home. We then spent the night there before we attended the wedding for Bob and Michelle (Family relatives). It was my first USA wedding. There were not that many difference to an Australian wedding. The celebrations went off without a hitch, and the food was great. I caught the garder and Regina caught the flowers... I wonder what that should mean. It was not a set up ;-) Now after about a 9 hour drive home, I am now just checking my emails, before Regina and I head to the airport again. We are off to the UK now. This trip is fantastic! Day 138 - 10th August 03 After arriving in the UK, Regina and I got a hire car from Enterprise car rental. The car was small and did not have air conditioning, but it drove to Wales within 4.5hrs. Our first stop was in Ammanford. This is in the south of Wales near the Breacon National Parkland. The B&B was located on a sheep farm at the edge of the National Park. In the evening we went to the local pub, where they made us a quick dinner (as we were to late for the main stuff). But it was nice just to relax and have a beer with good company. The next morning we went to a local castle. It was purched on top of a hill, with sheep guarding it. The views were spectacular from the top. The castle also had a cave which I entered with a borrowed tourch. On the way out Regina bought a local woolen blanket, and we had ice-cream for lunch. That evening we drove to an estate where we stayed for the night. The estate was built in the 17th century. It was picture perfect. It even had it's own waterfall in the back garden. We enjoyed walking around that day and afterwards we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner in the local town. This was our first Indian dinner together. Regina called her dad later that evening to congratulate him upon his retirement. After 35 years of factory work, he now has all the time in the world to himself. On the third day in Wales, we drove to an asshram. This is an Indian temple complex in the middle of the country side. This place was recommended to us by Diane. It was not quite as we expected as it was under construction, so we drove on to Llandovery. Llandovery is a small town that had a great character about it. We immediately decided to stay there for the night. The local information center helped us with recommending a B&B close by which was really great. That evening was dinner at the local hotel and the food was excellent. Also we walked the town a bit and even rested at the castle grounds (overlook the town), before heading back to the B&B. The drive home back to Richmond London seemed to not take as long, as I was not as tired this time. We stayed at Kevin's that night. Kevin helped me drop the hire car off before we walked the town of Richmond for a bit. Dinner was Thai. Early next morning (3.3am) Regina and I caught a cab to the airport to head off to Denmark Copenhagen to see Michael. It was a bit of an adventure getting the flight though, as we turned up to the wrong terminal (miss print on our ticket), as well as the train between terminals got stuck inside the tunnel. But eventually we arrived in Copehagen. Regina met Michael for the first time. Michael was there to greet us, with flags in his hands (USA, Australia, Denmark). Regina was a little nervous meeting him, but after a few minutes all was well. After a short bus ride to Michael's flat in town, I just crashed in bed for 3hours. Regina and Michael biked around the city on pushbikes.