Travelling Mills

Berlin to Munchen - AUTOBAHN BABY!!!

2007-02-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

... So after a couple of quick drinks with the girls it was bed time, back to our ridiculously over priced hostel. Right in the city, so i suppose it's the old saying of, "Location Location".

We tried to get an early start out of Berlin to Munich, so we left about 9am and we were greeted by quite possibly the girliest car in the lot (A Volkswagon Fox), but for 60 euro/per day, we weren't complaining. Some rough directions and a map and we were on our way, by the way i was designated driver, Jim was too scared to drive on the Autobahn.

Now if you have always wanted to go fast - like me - and like pushing the limits of your motor vehicle... You can!!! The Autobahn's around Germany have no speed limit. AWESOME. I got that little VDub up to 180km/h... It just wouldn't go any faster, even after throwing out the spare tyre and taking off the air filter... Lies, sorry.

It was about 8 hours of driving with a couple of stops for petrol and snacks... Mmm snacks... The scariest thing about driving that fast is overtaking slower cars and knowing that there are Porches, Audi's, BMW's and even Ferrari's trying to overtake you. They must've been going 220kmh plus. They come up in your review mirror so, so fast.

Ok, upon arrival into Munich James and I realised we had no where to stay... Hmmm... And Mills also realised that he had failed once again to top up his Cash Passport. When will i learn? What a dooosh! So we drove around looking for an internet cafe... Jackpot, found one on the side of the road, but alas no carparks. I drove up around the block to find these gates to what looked like an old school or something and but a sign inside in German reading "Auchtung, das automobielens locht van upun... actually that's not what it said, but i though ah, no worries we are only gonna be 15mins. 1hour and a bit later we mosied back to the car to find the gates were locked and the car, oh yes, trapped inside. D'oh!

I'm pretty sure now that the translation for that sign was, "Warning this is private property and the gates will be locked at 8pm".

"James do you have your swiss army knife, I'm pretty sure i can unbolt these bolts and free open the gates", said Mills. They were rusted to the ground. So were the other gates about 100m up the road, Curses! But that didn't stop me having a crack. i'm pretty sure i even had a go at picking the lock. I'd seen enough action movies, and plus, there is a little bit of MacGuyver in all of us. Looked like we were gonna spend the night in the car inside a lot which now was becoming a pretty spooky in the dark.

But as good fortune would have it, James and I had been having a bit lately, I noticed that on the other side of the compound there was some building work being done. Jackpot, they had some temporary fencing in place which i quickly cut (swiss army knife) and moved the fence to make our exit. James piss bolted back to the car like a little girl, half shouting - incase he was heard - to hurry up. OK, so we had an exit but there were poles blocking the path. Who's to say we couldn't drive through this garden and through those shrubs and trees. Ah, i would never have tried that in my car, that's for sure.

We sped out of there like we the cops were hot on our heels, which i'm sure James thought, because he made me go back to pick his bandaid that had come off during the daring escape. Fool. Excuse me while i digress...

The previous day, we had gone to the hospital in Athens. James had a complaint about a piece of glass stuck in his foot. Now i have had plenty of splinters in my time, which should've automatically given me clearance to dig in with my toe nail clippers and get out the glass. But, he decided it best to put his faith and his heel, in the hands of the Greek medical system.

On a stinkin hot day, we arrived after quick train ride to the main hospital about midday. Were pointed to the Emergencies part, only to be told the "Emergency room is only open from 2pm"... What the? What if there is an emergency? It's all Greek to me... haha, pardon the pun.

So we waited and finally got let it. I have never seen anything like it. Security was tighter than Revolver at 2am on a Saturday night. If you didn't get stretchered in from the ambulance, which nearly ran everybody over in the line out the front, you had to wait your turn and plead your case. Terrible.

Anyway Jim got the glass out and was stiched up by who he still claims as the hottest young doctors he has ever seen. Maybe that's why the line was so big? ... That was where the bandaid came from...

Back to Munich and yes, i drove back and picked up the Bandaid, in case the cops found it and matched his DNA.

More to come...

IOS, Athens, and Berlin... What a City.

2007-02-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

The morning had arrived that Jim and I would leave behind us the "Island of Dreams", and venture forth to the mainland to figure out a way to get to the Oktoberfest in Munchen.

It had been a hellish final night. If i can remember correctly, consuming continued till the very wee hours. I awoke in an unfamilar room to Jim shouting that we had 20 mins to get to the boat. A very quick run and pack job was needed and succeeded. We said our goodbyes and shed a tear or two (... It was very dusty that day).

The boat ride was long and hard without the hang over cure of the beach, so i tried to sleep it off. I remember after just getting off the boat and walking to the closet McDonald's, i mentioned to my new found friend James that we had pretty much been consuming for a month straight. "What if sober Rob doesn't get along with sober James?" I asked. His reply simple and straight forward, "We just go have a drink." Excellent.

So after some very terrible Micky D's - which i can still feel in my stomach - Sarah (Cool english chick, Melrose resident and Fun Pub worker) James and I jumped in a cab and started looking for accomodation. The cabby had a place - as most do - but it was way too expensive. Luckily the Irish girls who had been at Ios had done their homework and found us a place not too far from the Acropolis right in the centre of town. Stop it.

Quiet night in after dinner and a walk through the narrow streets of the old town in Athens. Sarah and I walked to the Acropolis in the morning, and may i say, so worth the walk... Just amazing views... Apparently the Centre of Ancient Greece, on top of a a hill which looks out over the valley which is Athens (Picture to come). The museum is pretty interesting as well, lots of ancient artifacts.

Sarah left that afternoon (back to study in Edinburgh), so we took her to the train station. Walking out of the train station we saw a camera crew and a very, very attractive reporter. So knowing that we spoke zero Greek apart from the word "Malaka" (which i'm still not a hundred percent sure what that means), we asked if we could be on Star TV. We just had to say how great Greece was, Mission accomplished. If only it were that easy to get on Australian TV.

Two things you should do while in Athens... Go to the Acropolis, and go to the travel agent to book yourself out of there. Not much else going on, and i found that it was quite a dirty city.

With flights to Munich through the roof and the lack of days to get there a huge factor to cancel out trains. We decided to stop off in Berlin and catch a train down from there.

It was an early flight the next morning so Jim and I decided to rough it at the airport that night, and no Jim you cannot sleep in my sleeping bag. I flipped through the travel book and found that there was a bike tour (fattyrebiketours.com) in Berlin that left at 10am, excellent, that gave us half an hour to get to the spot from the airport the next morning.

A half hour stop off in Thessaloniki and onto Berlin where we arrived a little later than scheduled. So we Frantically tried to find the right bus and get to the "Bike on Time". Fortunately the bus stop was right outside the giant TV Tower at Alexanderplatz (the bike shop). Sorted.

Probably one of the best things i did while travelling. The tour was not only informative but it was a great way to see the city. Our tour guide was a dude from the States who had plenty of knowledge on Berlin history, and the World Wars. I had been reading a couple of novels set around the time of WWII, so it was cool to actually be there, above Hitler's bunker, the Parliment building, and all the buildings still covered in soot and dust from the bombings years before. You could even see bullet holes in some of the old outposts in West Berlin. A tad eerie...

After purchasing my Fat Tyre Bike Tours T-Shirt and a piece of the Berlin Wall it was off to the train station. Thinking that the max price would be about 30 euro each for a train ticket, James and I were shocked and appalled to be informed that the price was 80 euro each. How does get nicked sound? An idea popped into my head and i headed around the corner to Europcar. Why not just drive down Jim? Done and done. The car was 60 euro to hire and a bonus feature was that if we couldn't find accomodation in Munich we could always just sleep in the car. Sorted.

Still on a bit of a budget, that night we went for a walk through town and found a small bar and had a chat with some local German girls... James just had to tell them i was some sort of Australian celeb. Idiot. Bit embarrasing for Mills...

To be continued...

More Pics

2006-12-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Just The Doff and I splashing about in the Far Out Resort.

The RE-HAB Crew when i first started working.
Go Team!!!
It changed every two days though... except for the bar staff. Love you guys.

Hmmm. My first shift. Happy to work as security? You decide...

Some girl had been getting photos taken n the same spot... Basically this was a piss take.
But that is the main town in the back ground. I am just outside Fun Pub. Losing pool, again. Not so fun.

Sunset, outside the Far Out Village and the Meltimi watersports tent. Ahh memories..

Pics... Finally!!!

2006-12-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Just some of the donkeys in Santorini... GO DONKEY!!!

Our beautiful Tour Guide and Boat for the day...

Both Amazing.

The most clapped Sunset in the world... Judge for yourself. It was quite nice.

The aftermath of the famous "Slammer Bar" SLAMMER!!!

Some kid is going to be so upset Doff. Just because you couldn't be bothered walking home. tsk tsk tsk.

IOS!!! PARTY PARTY PARTY! 4 Days to 4 Weeks...Part 1

2006-11-26T20:46:00.000-08:00

Got off the boat with Mick at Port in Ios (another glorious day of about 30 degrees) and we were once again greeted with lots of people claiming they had the best deal for us... We kept walking. I had heard from my travels not to stay at the Far Out Village but party down there during the day, so we opted for a ride back to town and accomadation set up by Mikalis (Legend bloke, who's parents owned a couple of Resorts in Ios. Oh and the massive tattoo on his back of "TYSON", not the boxer but his bloody big german shepard, very scary), at a place called IOS FANTASY. 1 room, three beds, couldn't go wrong considering The Doff was enroute as we set up the transaction for the next couple of days stay.

Ios unlike Santorini is a much smaller island and therefore everything is in close proximity, which Mick and I found to be brilliant. Plenty of cheap take out places and restaurants all scattered through town, (which is a beautiful landscape, the main road disects the two hills which is highly populated with Nightclubs, Bars, and Plenty of shops and Hotels/Hostels... check out http://www.sjholt.com/gallery.html for some shots done my mate Sam).

The pub was a two min walk in fact we were right behind what was to become our favourite bar, FUN PUB. That's where we met a very angry 'Doff Man', who claimed he had almost not made it to Ios, the girls had booked him a ticket to the 'Paros' (another island), because they wanted to relax and not party. "Not Party?!" was The Doff mans remark, and he swiftly got himself a replacement ticket to Ios to meet up with Mick and I. Excellent choice.

After a couple of Lagers and a few games of pool, we headed back to the room, but The Doff bumped into a mate and we got chatting, apparently all her new friends worked on the island in the clubs so we would have no trouble in getting free booze. STOP IT!!!

After a quick snooze in the arvo we headed back to the Fun Pub to start the Big Sesh... I recognised my mate Ainsley who i hadn't seen in ages there and from then on, our group of three (Doff, Mick and I) became about 15. They had all been on the island for about 3 months already working, Ainsley now looking for another job, (she was on job 9, having just been fired for incorrect tshirt folding at a clothes store) had the night off. Party time.

I could go on now about that night and how it left me with a shattered elbow (Ains included), but basically it was just a big drink fest... This trend continued for a couple of days and then The Doff and I said goodbye to Mick who was heading back to London to pack and say goodbye for his return home to Australia (he had done two years, well done son).

Now as i said before, Far Out Village was a great place to Party during the day, and yes, it certainly lived up to its reputation. Essentially it was a camping site slash Hostel, but mostly tents. And i can recommend never sleep there. Mosquitos and the sun comes up pretty early there, so your tent is like a sauna. But it's cheap, so each to their own. I preferred our place in town (1euro 40 for the bus one way or a twenty minute walk, down the "donkey trail"). Most days in Ios the first week were spent lounging by the pool or on the crazy water sports rides on the beach (http://www.meltemiwatersports.com/). Tube rides, wakeboarding, another massive inflatable mattress that flys up in the air behind the boat. Awesome.

Anyway, on about day 6, (The Doff and I had planned to stay just four days and keep travellin) i was offered a job at "Re-Hab" (The Doff and I were actually play fighting out the front), so i took the offer and started the next day. Working on the beach for two hours painting peoples bodies with fluro colours, was hardly tough work. And 25 euro a night, is not bad money, it covers your accomodation, plus drinks are free at the club too, so you are basically not making money, but not losing money. I highly recommend it. A great way to holiday.

My first shift was pretty boring, Nicholas (30 something Swede), my boss, told me i was to work the floor as security. What? I know i've got massive pipes, but i seriously could't fight myself out of a wet paper bag. Ah well, I just did a lot of walking around and chatting. The Doff kept coming in with his new mates and knocking back several shots. The kid can drink.

Slammer Bar was a bit of a favourite in Ios. They served up a shot of an extremely undesirable concoction which you sculled - whilst wearing a helmet - and then they smash you over the head with either a fire extinguisher or a mallet, and sometimes even a crate. hence Slammer Bar. We met up with Bakes (Lagos buddy) one night, and found him wearing a dress and midriff top. I needn't go on. But didn't he have great legs. haha.

Another integral part of the Doff and I's daily routine was not only the beach but, a pool game or two. On one occaision, a challenge was put forward from two of the "Shooters" boys (Shooters was another great bar, everything from pop to rock to dance, probably the only bar that changed their music around frequently), Xavi and Glenn. We were to play for the FUN PUB CLASSIC. A Battle between Melbourne and Sydney. Good and Evil if you will. At 3-1, we had it in the bag, one more win for victory, but The Doff... He was on Vodka/cranberry number 5 i think and it was all down hill. We lost the next 3 games and the Cup.

It probably wasn't until after the Doff left that i really felt comfortable with myself... Totally away from Home and everyone i knew. Not that the Doff and I didn't have an absolute cracker of a time ("Pump It" Jaeger Bombs still a favourite), but i just found a new dimension to me, not Bruce or "Millsy", but me, the Millsy that i know inside. And from that i had the best month of my life... I met some killer people.

I continued to work at Re-Hab (Yes work Nick!) and they even stiched me up one night and got me to dance on the bar, which almost all the bar staff did without hesitation (Nicky No Shoes, you da best), but once i was up there... Miss Vanity starts blaring through the speakers. So i did a very impromptu performance, all to the delight of my boss.

Oh and speaking of performance, Matt the english bartender at RE-HAB, did a flames show/juggling act almost everynight at about 2am. Brilliant. This guy has talent, and quite a good singer as well, which i found down at the best place on the island, a place called Harmony. It is a restaurant right on the cliff of the main beach, perfect for relaxing in the giant hammocks out the front, or listening to some great tunes from the varying acts. Plus the food is to die for, Nicholas' brother is the chef (Meat balls supreme), and they also had a couple of open mic nights. That's where i heard Matt sing. Brilliant. Thanks Splatty for playing guitar for me, legend. Harmony was a favourite for all the workers i think.

There is so much that happened in Ios, so i am just gonna put down the ones that really stand out for me... and the ones i can remember...

- The Doff kick starting a 50cc to get home late one night from the beach
- The Pirate Ship to the other side of the island with my new mates
- Numerous Flaming Lamborgini's - thanks Xavi
- Johnny's Story about the Japanese Delicacy
- Tara's story about the evil Gnome her friends saw and captured in Amsterdam
- Cheese's antics in and out of Melrose Place (apartments, where i spent the last week and a half, sorry Josh about your bed)
- Beach Volleyball competition
- Dodging Rent at one place
- The latest Movies at Fun Pub after a big night, oh and the chicken pasta there... mmmm
- Meeting Crazy Irish girls
- A canoe Safari to a remoter place on the island, and another wicked cliff jump
- "The Square" Cheese, Jim Bob, Nick, My partners in crime.

From a tourist point of view, It is the best place i had been... apparently a week before i arrived, it was the Italian holidays, and there is often trouble started by the boys getting a little full on with the some of the girls in the clubs. Often roudy and pumped up obviously from their World Cup win (If i hear them sing the remix to White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" one more time i think i would've punched someone, often went through my mind), i thought they were harmless and in many cases, top blokes.

The night life in Ios was my sorta atmosphere, different music at different clubs, Flames and Super Fly both favourites of mine. Plenty of Rockin tunes and lots of dancing on the benches. And who could forget Voodoo.

It was probably my love of Ios and live music that made me dislike Mykonos so much... I went there for two days with some girlfriends, and really didn't enjoy myself at all. The music and the different Party times to Ios really threw me. During the day, every Club on Paradise Beach played the same doof doof music and then the first club at night time doesn't get busy till about 3am... What the?

So back to Ios and back to work for Mills and into the regular routine of beach, eat, sleep, go to Sunrise, and then work. Sunrise was a hostel that has a great pool area where you can purchase a bottle of vodka for 9euro, bargain and some mixes for about 2euro as well. They supply the glasses and the ice. You do the drinking. An excellent way to start the night.

Now The beer fest in Munich was approaching quite quickly so Jim and I decided to get out of Ios and get to Athens and work out how to get from the south of Greece to Germany in about 5 days...

Next episode, Leaving Ios, Athens, The Acropolis, Berlin, and the Autobahn to Munich.
P.S Make sure you put Ios in your travel itinery... And to all those who i met, I miss you. I look forward to catching up with you all real soon. Wherever that may be...

Back to London... and then out to the Greek Islands

2006-09-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

Ok so back to London, and coming in unannounced, i stopped off at the florist to surprise auntie Lol... She is the best...

So in those five days, i caught up with Tommy boy (whom i met in Lagos), a great kid with a passion to be an Aussie, we helped him with several Aussie-isms... and he was quick to greet the Doff and I with an Absa-fruitin-lutely...

Found out that the Mambo store in Fulham was having a sale and everything was 5quid... So we bought up big... everything from t-shirts to jumpers and pants... Awesome...

Met up with my cousins again and we had a little pub crawl through Parsons Green and Fulham... I think i may even move back to this area... It has terrific night life. We ended up at the Wilton, which is the pub where my Auntie runs kareoke... Yes i did... and so did all the boys as well... Terrific night...

The next day, being totally sick of my hair, it was time for a cut, and i mean a cut... the boys brought out the clippers and i gave myself a number 4... No more worries, just had to remember to put sun cream on the head when i went to the Greek islands, which was next on the agenda...

Met up with my mate Mick at the train station and headed to Gatwick Airport, check-in opened at 4am for our flight to Athens, so Mick and I set up camp (with my new sleeping bag purchased the day before, excellent) and slept... Some very grumpy Virgin hostess' woke us up, so we moved to the check in line... and we waited... and waited... and waited... and waited...

For about 2hours to check in... There had been a massive Terrorist Attack foiled by British Intelligence. Peroxide bombs were what we were to learn the next day... Apparently all other airports had been closed down that day but flights out of Gatwick were still allowed, yessss!!! But for Mick, who couldn't even carry his magazine on board, or me, my book!? And the line to get through security, the length of the entire airport... ridiculous... i thought everyone was getting a body cavity search... I was wrong, but everyone was almost down to their knickers before they went through... and certainly no water bottles were getting through!

Another three hours wait at the boarding gate, obviously bag checks were extensive down stairs, and we were away...

Because of the delay, our trip to the Acropolis had to postponed indefinitely, Mick and I caught the night ferry to Santorini... Not something i would ever recommend... First class does certainly not mean "First Class"... This was the longest journey and the boat stopped off at every single island on the way... and everytime there was this horrendous sound and then the announcement!!! AHHHHH!!!!! I just wanted to sleep! The longest day of my life!

Having booked no accomodation, again, we just decided to go with the guy holding the Anna Hostel sign... excellent choice as it turns out. Although Mick had just purchased a gyros (greek kebab) for me and the driver was absolutely adament that i was not getting on his bus with the kebab... "NO FOOD ON THE BUS!!!" were his words, kinda like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I was scared. Not a great start with the locals...

Met a great guy from Canada named Steve who explained that his job was a travel researcher, the envy of every Traveller, to get paid to travel. I hated him instantly. no just kidding... He was a great guy... So the first day was just relaxing on the beach and having a couple of beers back at the resort up the road... i love a good pool and a beer in the sun.

That night we made Pimms (kind of an English Sangria, but no red wine, it was on sale duty free, i couldn't resist), a great drop... we bought the fruit and even found some mint (thanks big steve). Had a great night and then booked in for the pirate ship tour the next day...

18 Euro for a full day guided tour to see the sites of Santorini... The best money ever spent... Found out that Santorini is actually a dormant Volcano (that would explain the black beaches) that erupted years before creating its shape... and even felt the warmth of the volcano itself when our tour guide Maria dug deep into the dirt... very cool...

We swam from the boat to the hot springs, and i even put the mud on my face, meant to be very good for the skin... my face was yellow for a while, and so are my shorts now.

There were a couple of highlights from that day, the oppotunity to ride "TWO DONKEYS"! oh yeah, i did it twice. My first one was quite possibly a relative of Makaybe Diva, just kept pushing the whole way up the hill, had chamions blood in her. And then there was the sunset in Oia... i filmed the whole thing and will put it up on You Tube as soon as i get my laptop... It was breath taking... I can imagine a lot of men proposing to their girlfriends here... I was right up the top of this cocktail bar with some new friends...

Bought a beautiful picture from Oia, which i cannot wait to put on the wall next to all my other little purchases from around europe...

Missed the tour bus back to Perissa, but it was ok, so did many others... Got back on the public transport, left my sunglasses on the bus... AHHHH!!! Gotta stop losing things.

The next day headed to Ios with Mick to meet up with the Doff and the rest of the gang...

Next Chapter... The Doff is not happy and Ios becomes home for almost a month...

Probably would've liked to have stayed another day in Santorini as well... but i had a brilliant time there.

Ios next

Mills

Madrid and beyond... oh and The Doff tragedy

2006-09-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, The Doff and I made to Madrid and awaited the girls to arrive... I hadn't booked any accomodation, again, yes again, but luckily for me (and i had been quite lucky) they had a bed for me... The hostel wasn't anything flashy but the location in the city was prime...

The city itself is wonderful, old school buildings with amazing (there's is that word again) achitechture...

I read somewhere in my travel book about a market they had every Sunday, so we all went down and checked it out... I have never seen a market so big with so much diversity of stuff... Everything you would expect to find, ie Jewellery, brick-a-brack plus well, actually maybe it was just big and i was just taken aback... The worst thing was though, no food stalls... i am going to go back there and sell kebabs, icecreams or anything really, i reckon i would make a killing. But anyway, it definitely worth a look, but eat before you go.

Most of the time was spent strolling through the city, just taking in the sites... Kelly's day trip was excellent and she was a terrific tour guide... Contiki i can pass on her details. We went all around Madrid to the famous park, and down to the main train station... Which looked like a giant aircraft hanger and which had, wait for it, turtles in all the ponds... i love turtles... i think i am going to get me one.

The photos will be up shortly from Madrid, which includes a very beautiful sunset... On our last night in Madrid, we picnicked in a park and watched the sunset and played music... Met up with some peeps who i had met on my travels and had a crazy evening... Applez i hope you have recovered.

I flew out early the next morning to Amsterdam which almost seemed impossible at the time i got home... but managed to get my stuff together, get in a cab and get to the airport... brilliant.

Came into a small problem when i boarded and checked in my bag for my book, and low and behold here was Doff Mans passport!!! I had told him not to put it in there cause i would forget. And yes i did... i quickly jumped up and ran to the airhostess and told her the situation. She assured me the passport would be left at Lost And Found and The Doff could come and get it that day... which was excellent because he flew out at 6pm to Croatia...

This is where things get a little pear shaped... i landed in Amsterdam with 12 hours to kill and headed straight to the internet cafe to inform The Doff of the predicament... he seemed to be well too aware...

Long story short... After several attempts of persuading security that he had to get to lost and found (which was past customs), The Doff decided to rush through... Not a wise move... So after being removed from the airport in hysterics, The Doff pleading his case with every person he met, eventually made it to the Aussie Embassy the next day (sleepless night at the airport) to sign up for a new passport... The Airline eventually found his passport and he booked a another flight and eventually made it to Croatia... Well Done Doff Man, i hope you have learnt a valuable lesson... never leave your stuff with Mills.

Ok back to Mills, and my huge day in Amsterdam... After dealing with the Doff i decided to go for a bit of a wander, the beer tour at the Heiniken Factory was top priority, so i hollered a bicycle taxi and he took me to where the action was...

I highly recommend the tour and i made some new American friends who were only too eager to keep the spirit of the tour going at one of the surrounding pubs... Heiniken brings people together... after that bar we headed to the famous cafes of Amsterdam... nuff said...

The bus ride was interesting and so was the flight...

I was headed to Oslo to meet up with Grunter... ok so the last email i had received said he was going to pick me up from the airport... after about 20mins of waiting and trying to call his phone, i decided this probably wasn't going to happen. Awwww... I was ok and spent the night at the airport because it was too late to find a hostel... Airports are a great place for free accomodation... and much safer and warmer than the street. Write that down.

I spent the next day at the internet Cafe updating the blog and trying to get a hold of Grunter... i was later to find out that his flight had come in late and then he went straight to the harbour to jump on a boat and sail away for a week... That would've been lovely. So that night i was sitting at a table by myself when i thought, "The hell with this sitting alone feeling sorry for myself, i'm gonna go meet some people!" So i did, i met some lovely ladies who filled me in on the hot spots of Oslo and then i followed my ears to the sounds of this terrific blues music.. The lead singer sounded like the lead singer from The Commitments... Brilliant...

Although it cost about 250kruna (30 bucksAUS) to get in, the music and the vibe were well worth it... oh and beers cost about 10AUS for a pint... not cheap there...

I also met my very first Music Therapist, i didn't even know there was such a position, but after listening to the work, i was very impressed...

Kept strolling and partied with some randoms i met on the street to finish off my night...

The Viking Museum was something i really wanted to see, so i did just that... once again photos to come... Quite interesting... A quick nap in the park recharged my batteries and i had a crazy thought of travelling down the eastern side of Europe to meet back up with the group in Athens...

Good idea... but once again, better to plan these things ahead. Flights throught the roof, so i rang the old man, explained what had happened and he booked me a flight back to London...

To be continued...

Oh and Norway was the most stunning people in the world... Even better than Perth girls...

Photos

2006-09-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

First Name... Tall
Last Name... Well i think you can read it...

One of the biggest stadiums in the world...
Barcelona... An interesting fact is that they are the only footbal club to never have sponsor on their jersey.

Massive... holds 110,000 Catalunians

One of the famous buildings in the Guadi buildings...
See like drip castles mixd with Hansel and Gretel.

Water Fall in Nice at the top of the hill... tough walk in the sun, but definitely worth it...

This dude was at it all day in Cannes making this... I jumped on it...

Sorry Avid readers of "The Blog"

2006-09-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Too all readers of the "The Blog", I am terribly sorry for the lack of attention i have given you in the past month or so...

i could've made up some story about being in Tibet with the Dalai Lahma and his merry monks and therefore had no internet access but alas, this is not true and i have just been a tad lazy... ok very lazy...

Now for people who know me, will know that i have an appalling memory (i still blame the beatings i received at a young age from my brothers for this) so that is why i take my camera everywhere with me, and i can remember places and people i have met...

All well and good in theory until your camera, breaks or gets too much sand in it... who would've thought digital cameras and Sangria didn't mix?

Ok so i will tell you all i am back in London now and looking for work and a place to stay... And over the next week or so, you will get the tales from Madrid - Amsterdam - Oslo - London - Athens - The Greek Islands - Athens - Berlin - Munich - Salzburg - and finally London...

photos will come and i promise some killer pics...

but it does take time... so please.. bear with me...

Speak soon

Rob

PS Jaeger may have been the reason for my lack of attention to detail... just kidding

LAGOS, OH MY GOSH!!!

2006-08-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Where to begin...?

The train rocked in and basically a dude was there to meet every young backpacker as soon as we stepped onto the platform... Headed to quite possibly the best Hostel ever, Carlos House (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/CarlosHouse-Lagos-12301 check it out for future trips), amazing views and great people, who know everything there is to know about the night life, travel information, and the best places of interest. A huge thankyou to Carlos, Artur, and Little Kat for an amazing stay... The Roof top Balcony, the three kitchens and that little landing outside the window which i read my book and played guitar most afternoons was the bomb. What started as 5 nights, turned into 10...

Everynight we would have pre drinks on the balcony and then out to Inside Out (Go and see Mick) for a couple of cheeky ones, including the world famous "fish bowl" and then hit up all the other clubs in town. Three Monkeys, Whites Bar (fluro lights down stairs, bit hot but always loads of fun) Grand Cafe (to finish off the night) And Joe's Garage (rock music and some massive podiums) were my favourites.

Lagos as a city is an maze of charming little cobble stone streets, not too dissimilar to Santiago, but smaller and some great restaurants, with both beaches only walking distance from the old town. I think we spent most days just relaxing at potato beach (closest to town), playing skims with the world cup ball. Skims is probably the best game ever invented... apart from knocking out the occaisional toddler or it smacking the face of an unsuspecting tourist, the game became
a staple in the Lagos routine. And everyone wanted in.

At Potato Beach, there was a rock formation that that you could jump off, i reckon 15m high, I told The Doff to make sure the coast was clear and Cowabunga and some profanities on the way down and i hit, hard. It is seriously one of the best rushes ever. But once was enough.

On one of the first nights there they had a dance party on the beach. i decided against it, 20 euro just to get in and no real good DJ's headlining... Really wish i had've been there when Groove Armada played, bout two weeks after... Seems they have these parties quite regularly around summer.

Met some killer lads from England, and have since caught up with them, well Tommy boy, and even did a little bit of FEESSHING (Fishing!). My self and The Doff had been threating for weeks, we had seen many a "HOT SPOT" whilst on our travellings but never had the rods or tackle to get amongst it. We got to do both, check out the wicked rock formations (Portugals very own 12 Apostle look-a-likes), and have a crack at taking on the beasts from the deep of the Mediterranean.

The Doff was on fire early with three mackeral and Mills was battling until, as if in a movie, with his last cast, pulled in the biggest fish of the day, a moon fish the size of tennis racket head. Wicked. unfortunately for new found mate Matt, he did not catch anything, and nor did George, but he slept (well passed out) early on... Everyone else had a terrific outing and G cooked up the feast back at the Hostel bacony. Word going around, was the batter was a bit average, but who can complain to free feed. I chose to stick to my no fish policy.

Woke up on the beach about 10 o'clock on the last morning, with, you guessed it no wallet, some cheeky bugger had swapped my wallet for a brochure, or maybe i traded it with him... hmmm probably the first one. so back at the Hostel cancelling cards and trying to work out how to pay for the room for me and The Doff (sorry the Doff and I), as he had lost his wallet too. Going through my backpack i found a spare travellex card, wicked, and got the cash out to pay for the room, and then had to rush to the train station, a 20min approx walk. Now in Lagos the beach is separated by a river that flows back into the port, and unfortunately there is only one foot bridge that crosses it, and it was a draw bridge to let the boats underneath. Now the whole time we stayed in Lagos, we never had one boat pass under, this time with minutes only before the train left, Three Freakin Boats went under... The Doff and I bolted as soon as that bridge went down. Made the train and got some free pizza off a guy when we sat down... Today was looking up from the disastrous start.

Oh and by the way, we met some great guys from Perth on the last couple of days and i decided to, whilst having a couple of pints at Shakers, to book a couple of flights from Madrid to Amsterdam, and then Amsterdam to Oslo to meet up with Grunter. That story will come to a bad ending later in the blog... stay tuned.

So in conclusion, Lagos, Amazing i love you and met some great people.

Walked up to the Lighthouse and had some home made sandwiches with old mate Maple and Danielle on the rocks looking down into the Grottoes. I highly recommend it.

Kinda wished i had've done the booze cruise (a day out on a boat, all you can drink) which we heard about, but there is a good chance i will be returning to Lagos very very soon...

Speak soon

Madrid next up

Across Spain with almost no dramas

2006-08-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

So a short stay in Pamplona, and a long drive to the West Side of Spain to a little town called Santiago... Now that long drive, all done by Kelly, hey, we offered to drive some of the way, but she insisted (insurance reasons though), but i think the combination of a little fatigue and the tight streets of the spanish towns and the fact that she was drving a left hand drive car for the first time, all contributed to the car going up the gutter and the need of a quick stop and change of the front right tyre.

Now in most cars that i know, the spare tyre is identical to the other four already on the car... oh no, not in the European "Seat", the spare was half the thickness which meant we could only travel at 80km/hr which meant we wouldn't make it to Santiago in time to make our check in... We checked the Europcar guide and found one close by, and after explaining the situation, they gave us a new car and we were on our way again... The Doff has to be congratulated with his knowledge of the spanish language too.

Now I hadn't organised any accomodation in Santiago, but the lucky streak continued as i found a place just across the road the guys... and it was cheap too... just a room and a shared bathroom...

Now that night in Santiago there was a huge concert in the square outside the massive and gothic looking Church of Santiago... The new Spanish Idol, "Rosa" hit the stage with a six piece band and two dancers, she was amazing... although most songs were in Spanish, she is such a good singer, and the best thing about music is, it still moves you, regardless of the language...

So after a couple of big nights out, i woke up in the street one morning, i just couldn't walk the extra km to my room, it was up hill... checking i had everything with me... tick, i went back and grabbed the Doff to head to our favourite Kebab Shop... Now this guy can make a kebab in under 15 seconds for only 3 euro... THE BEST!!!

The nightlife was really cool in Santiago, the streets of the old city all surround the magnificent church so you can never get too lost, and there were bars scattered throughout, and always live bands or music playing everywhere you went.

The main thing Santiago is known for is the the church and pilgrimage people walk (30days) from the Spanish and France border ever year to the church... I met a dude with one arm who had done it, and he said he wasn't even religious, it was just something he wanted to do. nice... 30days without a shower... i have gone 3 days... but that includes swimming in the ocean... so that's kind of a shower...

Next stop on the tour was Lisbon, a long train ride down the coast and into Portugal, another language i was yet to master... I recommend trying to pick up Portugese though, that's what they speak in South America alot of the time... very valuable assest to have.

Photos to come...

photos

2006-08-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

The view from the waterfall in Nice... Nice

A quick little massage in Barcelona... is that guy wearing socks behind me? What the? Must go with his sandals...

The guns

2006-08-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

"I don't know if you noticed, i did over a thousand"...

Those beers were mighty large... and you gotta drink em, cause nobody likes a warm beer.

The Ipod goes missing... AHHH!!! A guitar purchase is the obvious next move

2006-08-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

The Night we left Barcelona was actually the night of the World Cup Final... And the song, that had been hauting me the whole of my trip, "My Hips Don't Lie" Shakira, was performed that night... by the sexy Columbian and WyClef at the Stadium... It seems i could not escape the song or those hips...

We had to leave at half time, which was a bit of a bummer, but, hey, Aussies were out, and i didn't think much of the French after the dog poo incident and well, the Italians, although leaving a good impression while i was there, i was still upset with "the dive" in the 94th minute episode...

So off we trotted... A long long train ride where i didn't really get that much sleep, but it seems in the time that i had fallen asleep someone had come along and pinched my speaker case which contained my Ipod... BRILLIANT... i didn't notice until later on when we were on the beach... We couldn't check in till after 3 and it was only 8 in the morning... The beach was calling, so we slept there for a good 4 hours, when i woke to about 200 hundred school kids (7-8 year olds) just absolutely running a muck... WHY?
The funniest part was The Doff had fallen asleep with his runners still on... here is a a great pic...
check the hands...
So we checked in later in the afternoon, and headed out for dinner... i am a bit sketchy, on the exact events of San Sebastian, but i will tell you what were the highlights...

Apart from the beautiful scenery, San Sebastian has two main beaches, divided by a river that flows through the old, cobble stone street, town... It has an old castle up on the hill with a huge statue of Jesus at the tip... It's worth the walk...

On one of the nights, Bob Dylan played a beach concert to about 60,000 screaming fans... i think old Bob, as much as a song writing legend as he is, he is certainly past it... But the encore of "All Along The Watchtower" was certainly the best part of the show... I think soon after me and Doff we swimming in a pool that was on the beach... Why not hey?

There was a pontoon, about 200m swim from the shore of the main beach which had a slide for kids and a 3m high diving board... very very cool. Except for the fact that i am a terrible swimmer... but i was determined to get out there and dive off that board... Lucky i went out there with Kell, she is a fully qualified life saver... I made it there, but refused to do it ever again... Damn swimming is hard work.

I filed a report of the missing Ipod and speakers at the Police station with another half dozen or so saddened individuals, and decided i still needed music. The next obvious thing was to buy a guitar... 60€uro.. A bargain... have been playing ever since...

Met some really cool guys and girls from the states and spent a couple of nights with them and even had some of famous Spanish Paella... Mmm Paella... so good, it's rice with vegetables and chicken, but so so tasty.

Kell had organised a car for us to drive to Pamplona the next day, we had to leave at like five, to get there for the running, and after driving the wrong way for a bit, some great directions, from a taxi driver, my spanish still needs alot of work, once again, hand gestures and pointing came in to play... but we managed to get on our way and follow all the signs to Pamps...

Now was The Doff and Myself ready to run...

HELL NO!!! After hearing stories of one American who is now in a wheelchair from the first day of running... and with the Doff's foot and my lack of balls, we decided to watch the action from the Arena...

A lesson i have learnt is to always play by the rules whilst in the ring... you may tap the bulls and run in front (if you are crazy!) but never, never hold onto the bulls horns... This one guy i saw did that, and after he had let go and the bull ran off, every Spaniard in the place came and kicked the crap out of him... Not cool... but they are the rules...

I filmed prety much the whole thing and can't wait to get home and edit up the "best hits", so many dudes just got hammered!!! Loved it... and also loved being in the stands...

We kinda stood out in our civvies, so we bought some clothes to fit in with the customary red and white outfits that covered the small city streets. After purchasing our "Pamps Get-up" for the day, and in serious need of rest we headed back to the car with a quick stop off for some food and drink for a picnic in the park... It was wonderful... As soon as our bellies were full of chicken and ham rolls we all passed out and when we woke it was almost time for the big show of the Bulls vs Matador's in the Arena (which we had purchased tickets for prior, always a good idea).

The girls were not so keen but "When in Pamps" as they say, we headed in with our bucket full of beer and Sangria... Now sangria is a top drink to be consumed in copious amounts but at these events it seems, the only reason the Spaniards buy the Sangria is to throw it at the crowd... Kind of a Throwing beer up at the cricket when the mexican wave goes around... But not only do they thrwo Sangira but, prawn heads... oh yeah... prawn heads... i took a couple in the shoulder and the head and then retreated to the alcoves...

The whole spectacle of the Matador vs the Bulls was really a bit of a disapointment to me, the bull just doesn't have a chance... and by the time the Head Matador comes out the Bull has already been stabbed several times and has two spears hanging out its shoulders... The bull is clearly knackered (and i mean tired not de-bullocked)...

The tight sparkly outfits (very KAK, bedazzlered up to the Max) cracked me up and so did the mannerisms of the Matador's, but they are the kings of that domain and are looked upon as such by the people... So respect to the lads.

We left that night and slept on a beach somewhere between Pamplona and Santiago (our next destination)... The Doff and I were awoken in the early hours by a tractor that was combing the beach about 20metres from us... we bolted up the beach but had to wait till he finished before we could rest up again.

More to come..... Santiago, no not San Diego which is Latin for a.... never mind

2006-08-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Oh yeah, it's impressive..."
The Forum, Roma

"You're coming with me!!!" In a park in Nice...

"I don't if you noticed, but i did over a thousand"
Those beers in Germany are HUGE!!!

Singing with Mara and the Crazy DJ at the Beach club outside of Roma...

Barcelona: Gorgeous Girls, Gaudy, and hmmm, G, G, think Mills, and Garbage Bags...

2006-08-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

I arrived in the morning and it wasn't long before i spotted the Doff (my mate Matt)... He headed me straight to the ticket office to buy a ticket to San Sebastian, apparently we were headed there in three days time... I didn't complain... i liked the fact that there was sort of a plan for the next couple of weeks... Less brain power that way.

So after checking in, thanks Doff for organising my first nights accomodation... My very first proper hostel.. yes there was a moment to be had. Awwww. The Centric Point Hostel... and the Doff and I were quick to notice a pub crawl that was on that night... What better way to catch up then over a couple of frothies... Agreed!

The Magna Doodle was out in force that night and many were amazed and the simplicity and effciency of drink ordering at all the loud and packed night spots in Barcelona... Go Doodle. Thankyou once again Cleo for popping that into the show bag. Brilliant.

The first couple, actualy all of the pubs, are always pretty crap, but you get some free drinks and meet heaps of people... I do not recommend doing a pub crawl i9f you have already got a wicked hostel and or mates you are with.

The next day, the gang and myself were meant to all go to the Barcelona Football Stadium... Hmmm i didn't make it back to the hostel until after they left... But was all good, cause, Trev (south African dude we had met the night before) was keen to go check it out too...

Woah what a stadium... If you are a lover of Sport, it is a must, a fantastically well put together, do it yourself tour... The team has had quite a history and Trev was a wicked inclusion, he knew so much about soccer (sorry football) that i nearly paid him at the end for all his info...

Spent the next couple of days just baking on the beach with Kell, Beck, The Doff and new found friend (friend of Kelly's), Jay... Or Jayasuria as I call him now... he went from Geezer to Paki in three days... i have never seen english skin tan like that...
Same with the Doff... He went Black!!! In all the shops they keep speaking to him in Spanish... hahaha.

The beaches are beautiful in Bar'sa, and with massages on offer and the bloke that walks up and down the beach shouting, "vairdy cold beer my fren?" (very cold beer my friend?) every 5 mins, it has got its own little charm... Plus the guys that spin a massive board full of stacked donuts on their heads. I wanna know what came first... The spinning board or the donuts? Maybe he was getting enough tips for just spinning the board? Or maybe he needed a more creative way of selling the donuts... i will never know... But yes he was entertaining and the donuts were tasty...

Played kick ups (hackey sack with football) on the beach with some fellow backpackers, some of these guys are just freaks... Jay set me a task of six, still struggling...

Went to the Park designed by legendary architect Gaudy and that is definitely a site worth seeing... if i can sort of explain that its almost a cross between a drip castle and the gingerbread house from Hansel (so hot right now) and Gretel. I don't know where he came up with these designs but there are plenty of buildings scattered through the city... but make the journey to the park... It's Crazy!!! And you get a killer view of Barcelona...

Speaking of views... We went to an awesome, although a bit expensive, club up in the hills, which had about three levels and an outside garden... Very classy, and mostly locals which is always a good sign of a good club... apparently, Sydney rumour.

As for the garbage bag referencein the title... i knida misplaced my ticket for San Sebastian... On the last day... while at the Gaudy park, i realised that maybe i may have thrown out my ticket with the rest of the rubbsih i had accumulated the last couple of weeks... so whilst milling over the situation with the Doff at a McDonalds (i have only eaten it three times), i decided luck had perviously been in my favour and that i was feeling lucky today...

Sure enough... the bag had been replaced in my dorm, and i foudn the cleaning lady and she told me, in spanish, but with the help of some hand gestures, she handed me the rubber gloves and showed me the bag of rubbish... and yes... the ticket was there... lucky mills continues.. something has to go wrong soon...

Got on the train that night to San Sebastian... a long, long journey across Spain...

Oh also went to the olympic Stadium and surroundings the last day there too, but not really worth mentioning... Nice views, but nothing much exciting... i was busting for the toilet for a long time, and ended up stopping the clock at 62 seconds...

Speak soon

more photos

2006-08-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

This was taken in San Sebastian...
Just one of the many things i love about Europe, just random bands, sorry orchestra's playing in the streets... A May Zing!

And the best Kebab shop, that i have found on the trip thus far, was about 20 m to the left of frame... It got a 9.5 out of 10.

Finished another book... Do not read this... I only bought it cause it was in english and had Gemini on the front... Lesson learnt... Never judge a book by its cover. Nah it wasn't too bad.

We had a quick stop off in Porto so we went and checked out the town centre... There were guys, playing some form of Water Polo/Soccer in this pool in the middle of the Square...

Wicked.. The Doff looks on in amazement

The monument to the Discoverers and Great Navigators of Portugal...

This is in Belem, Lisbon

The detail on the carvings are quite unbelievable... We do not have anything like this in Melbourne...

Just a World Cup Memory

That's at Mucich Airport with a Bloke named...

"Cuddles".. WE fit in quite well with all the greats of the game i think...

dog poo... plastic bags people, you get them everytime you shop!!!

2006-08-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

i heard a terrible story from my friend while she was in Nice...

There are so many dogs (i don't mean wild dogs, but dogs being walked by their owners) in Nice and all of France, that there is inevitably going to be a mass amount of dog poo to collected... but for some strange reason the POOPER SCOOPER hasn't made it's way there yet.. Or the notion of picking up the poop with a plastic bag and disposing of it thoughtfully...

hmmm.... The story goes that while my friend was trying to take a photo of some beautifully lit sidestreet one day in nice, she walked backwards to get a better shot, slipped on some poo and landed in it...

Sure its funny, but if there is no camera or CCTV to capture the greatness that is someone falling in poo, it still makes me sick to think that i may one day be that person who falls in the poo...

So if you have any relatives in France or anywhere in the world... please... Spread the word that poo, is not a good thing on the sidewalk... or on your shoe... or on your back for that matter.

The French and The Spanish

2006-08-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

With a little bit of sleep and some food i grabbed from the supermarket in Milan i was raring to take on the sites and sounds of Nice... I made my way to the tourist office and found myself chatting to a couple of young (18, 19) who i thought were both American, but no one was German/American and the other Canadian... turns out they were staying at the same hostel as me and we ended up spending that day together at the beach...

I told them of my dramas with cash and what not and said that i would be sweet as soon as i went to the bank to take out money from my credit card... well, dramatic pause... the last money to come off my credit card put it top the max and i couldnt withdraw any more money until it had been topped up plus i couldnt acces any other money until wenesday from my tracellex card...

With the help of Franny, and Amy (a massive thankyou to you both, you are beautiful girls and your parents should be proud, for not accepting candy, but for helping a young backpacker in desperate need), who spotted me some cash, both on extreme budgets as well mind you, for a couple of days... They even paid for my train ticket to Cannes for the day... The beach is GOLD i tells ya in Cannes... The water sparkles with gold and so does the beach... just perfect...

...After a couple of tanning on the beach by day and nights singing songs with some crazy Norwegiens, also on the beach, i took the girls out to dinner and repayed the money plus interest i owed...

...Franny a massive music fan, gave me heaps of music to look up when i get home, and i showed her some aussie bands on my ipod... We have a new Butler Trio Fan to spread the word....

I have to say that those girls were completely an odd couple (and i don't mean lesbian, grow up), they had met in high school when they had both moved to Florida and were almost complete opposites in everyway except their big hearts and good nature.... Amy a, a lovely (the best word to describe her) country girl, and a bright young, author, who would never say a bad word about anyone, and Franny a bit of a punk rocking rebel... It was brilliant and made me smile everyday... although they live in completely different places in the world, they were the best of friends and will be forever...

I said goodbye to the girls as they headed for France on the Wednesday and my train didn't leave until later that night so i musted up all my energy and climbed up to the waterfall that had been looming over the old city of Nice everyday... it was well worth the walk... the views were second to none and it helped burn some excess kilos that i seem to have gained...

That night was the one of the semi Finals for the World Cup, i can't remember what game, but i do remember our train being delayed because someone had jumped in front of the track about 4km up the way... hmmm nasty....

So not knowing when the train would leave i decided i would risk it and get some supplies for the trip... there wre plenty of American travellers on board and collected a small shopping list... yes, there was alcohol on the list.

Sprinting like i was running the 400m relay, promising myself not to drop the batton (well shopping bag). and i made it back with a couple of minutes spare.. actually no, i ran back twice... haha...

Barcelona and a familar face the next day... The doff

Photos

2006-08-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of the beautiful waters and the Island of Dubrovnich, in Croatia...

We kayaked around the island for my birthday...

BRILLIANT

The walls of the old city and the back drop.. superb... looking back, that is a little gay that stance though...

The Colleseum... Damn that church... on the tour we found out that they were the ones who took all the Marble from this great wonder, and then have been fixing it up, and putting the churches name all through it... I just don't get it.

Venice... beautiful one day, tragic the next.

2006-08-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Met a fantastic Brazillian lady who let me tag along with her to her hostel when i arrived in Venice... It was 38degrees and the back pack felt 20kilos heavier than usual... but after a quick stroll through the beautiful, well not streets, but canals, we found the hostel but no luck for Mills... The man was nice enough to point me in the direction of a pension up the road which worked out super.

The guy that ran the place had his own restaurant and was quite a character... very Italian, his hand were, his english excellent. I had a couple of drinks with some Aussie girls i met at the restaurant that night, and we went up to the square to watch some of the World Cup... Great night had by all.

Everything was going smoothly until the next day when i realised i couldn't get any cash out of the ATM because i had left it too late to transfer money... And the train stations were only taking cash... Ahhh dilemma so after lining up for 45 mins the first time i decided i would come back later, and in the mean time see some of the glorious sites Venice had to offer...

I grabbed some pizza (massive piece 1.50 euro), and sat myself down in front of this church where a lady, on violin was accompaning a man playing "Wonderful Tonight" on a flamenco guitar... That was a beautiful moment... it is one of my favourite songs... so there, everything happens for a reason...

With no cash, and no idea what to do in Venice, i went to the tourist office and asked the stupidist question ever... "hello, i have no money, what can i do here in Venice"... she handed me a pamphlet, shook her head in disgust and pointed to the door... hmmm, lesson learnt... i just kept walking... spent a good hour in Piazza San Marco just writing in my journal and doing some people watching... after another stroll around (saw some amazing sites along the way), went back to the station to find out that the over night train that i wanted to Barcelona was booked out... SHATTERED!!!

So i booked the next one which was at 5am and thought i could just stay awake all night, or just sleep at the station. I had seen heaps of people do it.

Oh one thing i forgot was that, i didnt have any more cash to pay for another nites accomodation either... i had found some Kuna (from Croatia) to make the payment of 45 euro for the last night. hmmm....

So with the last 10 euro what did i do... i bought an icecream and then had a beer... But if i had never have have had that beer, i would never have met the Italian guys who introduced me to their friend, who later offered me a place to stay that night... Lucky lucky Mills.. And the girls had turtles in their house... REAL TURTLES, little baby ones but they were so cool.

So everything worked out and the next day was Sunday.. only one more day, so i thought, before i could get some cash out...

got the train to Milan was there for only two hours and then onto Nice...

YEAH BABY this is TRAVELLING... No money and one week to meet your friends... cool

Some new pics... old, but new for you...

2006-08-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

That is the subway in Munich, it was absolutely jam packed with Aussie and Brazilian fans... a sea of yellow and green.. And the boys who we hung with during the big game!!!!

If you look closely you can see that, yes, we were on top the leader board for Group F for the first round... Timeless

Huge 60m squared screen at the munich FAN FEST
This was Italy vs USA

The ovens in Dachau used for burning thousands of bodies after they had been gassed to death during 1933-1945, under the Nazi regime... Scary, scary stuff

WE WAS ROBBED!!!

2006-07-31T03:27:00.000-07:00

WE all saw it... Lucas Neil´s sliding tackle... NO WHERE NEAR HIM!!!

Ah well, we made it that far...

We found a plaza with heaps of little bars and may i say the best sandwhich shop i have ever been in, like Subway, but gourmet, and real food. So after having my T-Riffic chicken shnitzel sanga and tucking into a couple of cheeky ones before the game started, we nestled into the small pub with a stack of I Tais and an hand full of Aussies...

I actually couldnt watch the penalty... i walked outside the pub when Totti lined up... i heard the screams and new that our World Cup was over... No tears... for me, but Em was balling (sorry Em)...

That night, walking the streets, still dressed in our green and gold (very proud Aussies we were), was similar to Chapel St on a Saturday nite... I think every car had some sort of doof doof and they just kept beeping their horns!!! I think we were gracious in defeat, and decided to lay low, it was a quiet evening and we found a small bar...

One thing to look out for is the guys selling roses all over Europe... I cant work out how these guys make a living... I think maybe they would sell, two or three a night... all for what 5 euro take home... doesnt add up... I was told to wait till the end of the night and buy the whole bunch for like 6 euro... i didnt, i had no one to give them too... awwww.

Did the Colleseum tour the next day and walked through the Forum to the Mussolinis Palace... Truly a spectacular day... And something i recommend everyone to do, just once...

It started at a small cafe, a stones throw from the Colleseum, and while eating our grub (i say grub, cause it was a bit av'), a lady came in claiming she was about to faint... So an ambulance rocks up and this is the part i love... The ambulance officer, is smoking... Obviously being educated enough to know the dangers of smoking, and dealing with sick people every day, never mind, he was in absolutely no rush to get to this woman until he had finished his smoke... That is Italian, that is Europe. Love it.

The next day was a scorcher and Luka had promised to take us down to the beach... About 30 mins away... He showed me where he had come off his motorbike at about 150km/hr... massive scars...

The wind was blowing a gale but we managed to make the most it and spent the day just getting some rays and having a dip.

I walked around town that night, eating proper pizza and found some massive italian concert in this square twice the size of Federation Square, and saw some wicked Opera singers... they love em over there.

Oh another thing, whilst trying to find a cab the nite before, i hollered down a BMW 7 series, thinking it might have been a private taxi... We hopped in and he told us, he was just a guy on the way home from work... he was headed the same way as us and agreed to give us a lift... Stop It!!! Random. Never underestimate the kindness of strangers... But never take candy from them... ok?!

Later That night we went to one of the beach clubs, which was pretty much a resort with deck chairs and heaps of little pagola's scattered around this pool... cost us i think 10 euro to get in, with a free drink, and every drink was 10 euro after that... not great for the thrifty back packer but it was "the place to be"... very stand off-ish crowd at the start, almost like a high school dance, girls to one side, boys to the other. So i hit up the dance floor with some killer Aussie moves, the sprinkler, the lawn mower, and may have even chucked in a reverse park later on...

Once the DJ sparked up, this girl, started singing along with the house beats... Very cool... It was her first night there and she was the bomb... She even let me sing a couple of tunes with her... We had that place rocking!!! Such a wicked night, good times had by all.

Off to Venice the next day... And may i say a big thankyou to Em and Nic, my big sisters, They made sure i had my bags with me and my shoes tied tight, and that i wouldn't get into a fight. It was a Saturday if i can remember and i had just put some more cash on my travel card... Note to everyone, it takes two BUSINESS DAYS for money to be transferred onto the card... Lucky EM lent me some cashola, or i woulda been up the preverbial creek without a paddle when i got to Venice...

So i gave them all a hug and a kiss (european style of course), told Luka he was a "teste di cartzo" (sorry in joke) for the last time, and jumped on board the train to the city of love... would i find love here? Accomodation was higher on the priority list... Good bye Roma and bye to my travelling buddies... Thankyou for everything...

The next time i would see a familiar face would be in Barcelona when i would meet up with my Mate Doff and some of his girlfriends... Wicked... that was a week from now...

The adventure continues...

Roma.... well just a teaser

2006-07-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Roma!!!

When Em, told me to watch out for Gypsy's at the central Train Station in Roma, i was thinking, what the hell is a gypsy, and what are they going to do?

Well... My first gypsy spotting was right up in my face, we were sitting out the front of the station, minding our own business when an old lady, say 60, walks up with a child attached to her sagging bussom (it had drooped to new levels i had never ever seen, not even on the discovery channel) and asked for some money... Now im all for street performers and crazy antics, and dont even mind public breast feeding... but this was something else... Em grabbed my hand and said, "Dont you dare give her money"... but i was actually reaching for my video camera... got a great shot... youtube it when i get home... haha.

My new found italian buddy, Luka, picked us up (gracìe) and we went to our pension, which was in a great spot... Walking distance from the Colleseum...

Em wanted to take us out for dinner to her favourite spot in town that night, which was right near the Pantheon... what a site to see. i love Roma were my first thoughts after walking through the old cobble stone (hmmm maybe not cobble stone but they're old and have much history to them) streets and alley ways... There were so many little cafes, bars and restaurants, im glad we had Em and Luka as tour guides... we went and saw the Tivoli Fountain that night, which is just a spectacular work of art... and speaking of fountains there are fountains every where in Rome... And you can drink out of all of them. Obviously no Water Restrictions in place there.

Saw the Spanish steps that night and then headed back home for a quiet nite in... after all the Aussies were playing Italy the next nite!!!

Gotta run

Speak soon

Millswah

Now it was the night of the Italy vs Australia final, so after settling in and getting our Australian gear on, we headed down to

A sick little Robbie, but managed to soldier on

2006-07-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

It was a long bus trip up to Split and for some reason we messed up the times for the bus so we would not be catching the ferry to Hvar that night...

But all worked out well, Australia was playing Croatia that night and we managed to get some wicked accommodation (thanks Ems parents for the hook up) at this Croatia couples Place... I love Pensions.

That night we found a square right in the middle of the old city that had a projector screen set up and about 200 CroatÂSs... Flares went off when the Croatian national anthem started and they all sang but Jamie, Em, Nic and I stood proud in defiance in our Australian Socceroos guernseys...Ohh yes, and we sang loud and proud.

I remember the bartender telling me to not shout out abuse for dodgy calls that went CroatiaÂ´s way, he was fearing for my life. When half time came, and after several anI i mean, several, dirty looks from some very scary looking Croats, we decided it might be best to go find a bar with some more Aussies. After all, it is their national sport and they are quite patriotic.

WE found a place down on the water, it was like a pokie venue, (won some Kuna later on which was nice), it was easy to spot the Green And Gold out from the distance...

The game although not a win, a draw was enough to take us to the next round... why am i telling you this, of course you already know it, but to see the joy on my fellow AUstralians faces, was magical. I can only imagine, what it wouldve been like at the game, or even back home. Did Johnny announce a public holiday?

A slight amount of fear struck us, when some rowdy Croatians, obviously unhappy with the result started throwing bottles into the crowd. hmmm nice. time to move inside. After chaos had settled we ventured out to find a bar, to celebrate the win. I should not have done this. after feeling ill for a couple of days, the drinking session, although small, was the straw that broke the camels back...

I got bear sick (bear is a term i picked up a couple of days ago from some English guys, you will hear more about them in time, the term means "very", or "extremely"), and for the next week, i didnt drink... Thank you so much to Ems Dad, who is a chemist, and had some antibiotics on him... LEGEND! Caught the ferry to Hvar and spent the next 3 nights there... just amazing... I was told to go check out a place called Campe Dium, i did, and it was pretty much like one of those toffee sydney bars... well thats the impression i got. but it was very glamorous and maybe i wouldve liked it better if i could talk, and didnt have a fever. The magna doodle was a great help.

In Hvar, which is an island off croatia, you can take either hire your own boat or get a ferry to one of the islands for real cheap, and go exploring... such a beautiful place. I had the best steak of my life (sorry Corey, the pepper steak at the Leveson is a very close 2nd) on one of the islands. I made good use of the lilos, we had purchased for a bed for the ferry to Italy the next day, and lay out in this little cove, trying to escape the massive wasps that were there. I may have a slight phobia of wasps, its something about there unpredictability and their irratic movement, and their sting. They just freak me a little.

Unfortunately my camera went bung for a little while so have no photos of Hvar or much of Croatia but for some reason it just started working again we got into Rome... I tell you what, that was some serious trravelling that day... From Hvar to Split, to Ancona, then the long train ride to Roma (Rome, but i like it as Roma)... I think it was like 20hours all up... massive.

Gotta run..

Speak soon

Wah