There and back again...

Hey Gang,

Well after Salzburg I took the train directly to Rome as someone I spoke to said that Venice wasn't worth visiting, that the canals were smelly and the food was only slightly better than La Porchetta.

After a few quick pics I then headed over to Barcelona, missing out on Monaco, and the south coast of France. Again, I took a few pics, took in some bull fighting and some Tapas and I was off on the train again.

I decided that I wasn't that interested in the Bordeaux region of France (after all - who really likes wine?) and journeyed straight to Paris, home of the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge and Jacques Cousteau. I ate a few croissants and drank Parisienne beer, which strangley only came in red or white varieties...

And... fortunately for me, Ben and Kath knew how much I was missing not seeing their newborn baby so, in a gesture of incredible sacrifice, they bought Poppy an airline ticket so that she could meet me in Rome and continue with me on my travels (which is why she is featured so heavily in this blog). Unfortunately the conversation was very limited so after we got to Paris we boarded the first flight home and arrived in sunny Melbourne.

Amazing as it was to take in Italy, Spain and France in a few short days and to have a travelling companion - I am glad I'm back!

P.S. As I was travelling so quickly I had to take my own toilet with me. Here's the model I used.

A bit warm on hot days, a bit cool on cold days, it proved very draughty and didn't provide much privacy...

Up to the Eagle's Nest

Since I'm in Salzburg and I've watched Band of Brothers, I took the tour that journeyed high in to the Bavarian Alps and in to the lair of the Fuhrer. Actually he hardly ever stayed here. It was a gift for his 50th birthday and unfortunately the only way to access it was by elevator (Hitler was claustrophobic) and it stood high on a peak overlooking the surrounding Alps and Salzburg below (Hitler was scared of heights). So he didn't visit it often and never stayed overnight.

Why it was important for the Americans to capture it is anyone's guess but then they did invade Iraq, invent Dr Pepper and make the film White Chicks...

The surrounding mountains are snowcapped but it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be.

Nice tour washed down with a Bavarian Ale...

P.S. I asked if Hitler's toilet was available for pictures but it has since been removed...

...with the Sound of Deano...

Salzburg is a very beautiful little town. It is surrounded by mountains and the views from any part of it are breathtaking.

Very close to here is the birth place of Hitler - and he was bad. Arnold Swarzenegger, born in Graz, which is about half way between Vienna and Salzburg - is good. Except in the Terminator - he played a baddie in that... but then in the second film he was a goodie... The last 2 movies were just bad, so I won't include them...

What was my point? Oh, yes. Salzburg. Birthplace of Mozart and one of the greatest films of all time. A film about religion, rebellion, romance, Nazis and music.

I always wanted to come here and do the tour and I wasn't disappointed. I went to all the locations either on the tour or travelling on foot.

Truly a rememberable day....

P.S. Sorry Stu - toilets look like ours...

Ohhh... Vienna...

With the sounds of Ultravox and Mozart blaring out of loudspeakers on every street corner, it's hard to ignore that I'm in Vienna. Very nice city, very clean, very big.

I was only stopping here on my way to Salzburg so I stayed one night and booked a very romantic tour (for one) down the Danube.

After a bus tour of some scenic villages, towns and castles, I made my way on to a big riverboat. As I cruised past castles perched high on peaks I downed a quick chardonnay or four.

I don't know why they call it the "blue" danube, it looks quite muddy - reminding me of the crystal clear waters of our own Yarra.

At the end of the river cruise we arrived at the huge monastery of Melk.

Stunning building and the artifacts, books, chapel and paintings are extraordinary. I then hopped back on the bus, caught my train and set off to the more mountainous region of Austria.

P.S. This is the toilet in my motel and without doubt one of my favourite models. The top of the bowl has a little pool of water resulting in zero stiction or splashback. Once flushed the water carries the waste down to the front of the bowl and away for ever.

No Buddha but plenty of Pests

Caught the overnight train down to Hungary. Was actually a better experience than I thought. Stayed in a motel that looked like it was modelled on Sex and the City - Blah!

There's a lot of beggars here, lots of people trying to scam you on the exchange rates, lots of girls trying to rob you blind on bar scams (helped a Yank who was going to pay $50 just for a Red Bull!). Stayed here a couple of nights and it pretty much drizzled the entire time - so no Segway tour. Did take a bus tour though and there are some sights to see - it's a pretty city when you get away from all the thieves, scammers and criminals.

I'm obviously generalising here - the lady at the Segway place was nice as was the hotel staff...

The great thing was that beer came in one litre steins and I got to try foie gras which was delicious!

P.S. For Stu - this was the toilet in my hotel. The little despenser on the left hand side is not toilet paper but plastics bags - for the disposal of feminine hygiene products...

Look at my Krakow

Arrived in Krakow after a lengthy train trip and despite a shaky start I have a really beautiful room overlooking a small square filled with cafe's.
The first day gave me an opportunity to catch up on some washing and have a look around (and drink some beer!). It has a lot of historical buildings but then, it's no Prague.
Headed off to Auschwitz and Birkenau today - sad, grim, depressing, macabre (just keep adding miserable adjectives). You can't help but feel touched by the terrible things that happened here, especially when you visit the gas chambers and see the Nazi mechanism that tried to wipe out an entire race.
Needless to say, I was constantly wiping my eyes...

P.S. Stu - these are pics of the toilets they used in the Birkenau death camp. I had to ask for special permission to take these photos inside the building.

Prague Number Twos

So just for Stu - I found these on my last day in Prague. The first is a special seat that's missing the bowl. According to the documentation the fetishist slides under and the seat and uses their mouth as the recipticle...
The second toilet should adopted in public bathrooms worldwide. Includes video!