German Alpine Road part 2: Salzburg, Hitler's Eagles Nest, Konigssee, Munich

On the road again, in the trusty Citroen, we headed to Salzburg.

We took the cable car up to the top of the hill which is home to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Unfortunately the day was quite foggy, so the view out over the town wasn't what it could have been. However it was still an interesting visit, with an abundance of medieval weapons, and historical stories (none of which I can remember now).

We also took time to wander around the picturesque cobbled streets, with their ornate façades, clocks and shop signs. Then off we went in search of some dinner, tracking down a little pub called Bärenwirt Seit 1663. Here we were presented with a veritable feast: the largest dumplings I've ever seen, and copious amounts of pork - naturally all accompanied by fantastic beer served in ceramic steins.

Soon the large table near us filled up with what appeared to be a work celebration of some sort. To great fanfare, a large wooden barrel of beer was brought out and tapped right there and then. A great little pub - highly recommended!

We popped over the border to Germany to Bad Reichenhall (cheaper accommodation), before setting out for Hitler's Eagles Nest the following day. I was surprised by quite how commercial this site has become. You queue for giant elevators transporting you up the mountain and suddenly you find yourself in a busy restaurant which was once a retreat for Hitler and his guests. The location was pretty amazing though, right on the border of Austria and Germany and, being so high up, you felt like you were on the top of the world. Unfortunately much of the presumably fantastic view was shrouded in fog again.

A short drive away was Königssee (translated as 'the King's lake' I believe). Surrounded by huge mountains on all sides, with incredibly clear water, the lake was stunning. No motor boats are allowed, meaning it was also very peaceful. As per tradition, once our electric-powered boat was in the middle of the lake, one of the crew took out a trumpet and played a few notes, showing off the echo off the mountains.

We hopped off on the first stop and explored around the little church and paths, before heading for a bite to eat, at the 'restaurant' of the one person with a license to fish on the lake. Here there was a simple wooden building and sheds filled with smoked fish dangling everywhere. We each ordered a fish, a piece of simple rye bread, and a beer. Simple, but packed full of flavour and delicious! A nice end to our trip.

We made our way to Munich, where Kylie and I were catching our flight from, leaving James and Susie to continue their road trip adventure. Before we left, we had time to stop off at a great brewery on the outskirts of Munich, and enjoy some great beer and pretzels. I believe it was Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Germany's oldest brewery, and conveniently close to the airport.

German Alpine Road part 1: Budapest, Vienna

In September 2014 we flew over to Budapest to join NZ friends James and Susie for part of their European road trip.

The weather in Budapest was amazingly balmy and we enjoyed strolling around this compact city. We wandered alongside the Danube, looking at the vast Parliament buildings, and taking in the Shoes on the Danube Memorial, shoes fashioned of steel in memory of the Jews who were shot into the river during World War II.

We also visited the Jewish Quarter, and saw the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The details inside the synagogue were stunning.

We clamboured up the hill to the Fisherman's Bastion, and took in the fantastic views across the city.

Before leaving Budapest, we made sure to visit one of the famous public thermal baths. We chose the Széchenyi Baths, and spent a long time bobbing about in the water. The building housing the baths was stunning - the essence of opulence.

After a couple of days there, we hit the road, headed for Austria and then through to Munich along the incredibly picturesque German Alpine Road. Next stop: Vienna!

The apartment we were staying at in Vienna had bicycles we could use. So the first afternoon we were there, off we headed on the bikes, on a scenic route into town alongside a canal. Unfortunately they were in various states of disrepair and it actually proved to be a bit more challenging than expected. Nevertheless, we had a good time on our wee adventure and managed to get a feel for the city, as well as enjoying some local beer and some massive schnitzel.

Undeterred by our experience, we decided to book a bike tour of the city, and spent a morning cycling around and learning a bit about Viennese history, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and marvelling at the impressive architecture around the city, both modern buildings, like those by the famous Hundertwasser, and distinctly older historical buidings.

Vienna has quite a reputation for its café culture, where, in many cases it's still perfectly acceptable to smoke inside café. So we made sure to check out one of the traditional, and rather opulent, options in town, where we also tried Austria's famous Sachertorte, a orangey chocolate cake.

While in Vienna, we also visited Riesenrad, the famous ferris wheel featured in the The Third Man film. The wooden compartments felt rather rickety but did offer great views over the theme park below, and part of the city.

There certainly seemed to be quite a lot of wealth in Vienna, but I also felt like something about it, a certain artistic streak, or edginess, reminded me of Berlin.

After Vienna, we continued on our journey through Austria. During the trip through to Salzburg we enjoyed watching the gentle green hills and very stereotypically Bavarian houses roll past. En route, we also chanced upon an amazing abbey, I believe it was the Melk Abbey. We managed to sneak a peek through a side door and the interior was simply stunning - I don't think I've ever seen such extravagance.

Our next stop was the rather wealthy Salzburg...

London summer lovin'

I've said it more than once, but London really is like a different world in the summer. People are noticeably happier, you can really make the most of all the wonderful parks and markets, and the evenings are long - making it seem as though there are so many more hours in the day.

The summer of 2014 was a stunner. I remember many a weekday evening or weekend day spent enjoying the sun on our roof terrace, normally around the bbq.

Unfortunately in many ways London is not built for warm weather, and neither commuting nor working in AC-free offices was much fun!

Here's a few photos from that time.

Days in Dublin

In June 2014, we went visited Dublin for a couple of days. First impressions were great as we were greeted by the most friendly border control worker I've ever come across. This theme continued during our stay, coming across very accommodating and helpful people.

We visited The Little Museum of Dublin, being led through this history of this fascinating city by a knowledgeable guide. Having not learnt that much about the history of Ireland before, I found it all really interesting - the bits I could understand that is, as I struggled a little with the guide's accent from time to time. The Kilmainham Gaol offered another interesting glimpse into Dublin's history.

Taking a break in the grounds of Trinity College

During out time there, we naturally had to visit the home of one of the city's most famous exports, Guinness. The Guinness factory was quite fun, with a bit of history, and a free pint at the end. Something that has stuck with me to this day was being taught how to drink a Guinness 'properly.' Placebo effect perhaps, but it really did seem to taste that much better in Ireland itself, and drunk using the proper technique.

The reason we were in Dublin at that specific time was to go along to a Jack White concert, one of Kylie's favourite artists. Unfortunately the weather turned on us a bit and it was decidedly damp, but nevertheless enjoyable.

All in all we found Dublin to be really nice place to go for a few days - easy to get around, lovely people, and some great food as well.

Turkey, continued: May 2014

Our next stop in Turkey was Selçuk, from where we would visit the Greek ruins on Ephesus, or Efes in Turkish.

After the hustle and bustle of Istanbul, Selçuk seemed decidedly tranquil. It's nestled in a valley, with blue hills rising up all around. Strolling along the streets, there were oranges hanging from the trees, and the smell of jasmine on the breeze. An impressive fortress looks down upon the town, and we enjoyed views of this and all around the valley from the rooftop restaurant at our hotel.

Efes is just a short drive from Selçuk, so we went on the afternoon we arrived. I don't think either of were expecting something so vast. With a main path running alongside the ruins of former buildings, you can imagine how the city must have once looked. and many parts of the ruins themselves are quite intact, such as the library and a huge amphitheatre. It's nice that you also have the possibility of walking right up to everything.

It was in Efes that we started to notice the abundance of cats in Turkey. They were lounging about all throughout Efes, and all seemed to be in relatively good condition.

We soon hit the road again, and en route we managed to stop off in Pamukkale, the town famed for its travertines - naturally formed terraces formed by minerals in the flowing water, and its hot springs. Provided you take your shoes off, you can walk right on a path to the terraces, wading through the milky blue coloured pools of water, and enjoying the stunning view from the top. I couldn't help thinking that the pink and white terraces in New Zealand must have once looked something like this.

Later that day we arrived into Fethiye, on the Aegean coast. From Fethiye itself, one of the main attractions is Öludeniz: picture postcard Turkey, with deep blue sea and long strip of beach stretching to a headland. As it turns out, this area is quite the destination for British holidaymakers and retirees. It was very strange wandering down the street and seeing sandwich boards advertising things like 'British bacon' 'PG Tips.' The area is also well known for paragliding, and from down on the beach you can see the brightly coloured gliders circling and landing one after the other. So we thought we'd give it a try ourselves.

We were picked up early the next morning for our adventure. I started to get quite nervous when our rickety van kept climbing and climbing at quite a speed up a narrow and not too stable road, but by this stage, no possibility of backing out! As newbies, we were paired up with instructors and were suddenly standing on an extraordinarily steep hillside, and being told to run towards the edge. The wind picked us up and away we were. After the initial adrenaline of running off the side of the cliff, the ride down itself was actually quite peaceful, although I still clung nervously to the handles/straps all the way down - which is actually quite a long time. We were also lucky enough to have some a beautiful sunny day, so the views really were breathtaking.

Our next stop was Kaş, a small coastal town further south. The afternoon we arrived the weather was stunning and we enjoyed a beer in the sun, looking forward to the next few days of scuba diving. Unfortunately a big storm blew in that night and the weather for the rest of our stay was pretty off and on. The diving was also quite disappointing, as there just didn't seem to be many fish, or much of anything to see there, despite us having read it was a good spot for diving. The bad weather didn't help our enjoyment of it either. So after our first day, we ended up cancelling our second day. 

Kaş is a really cute wee town, hills curving around a harbour and rocky outcrops to swim from, and winding stone streets, where you're actually not pestered in the slightest by shop owners trying to sell their wares. In bad weather however, we quickly exhausted most things to see. I would recommend going back, but not in May, when the weather is quite unpredictable - the locals recommended September is a good time to visit.

We tried another couple of delicious dishes in Kaş. One was manti - a pasta, similar in size and shape to ravioli, however it wasn't filled, and it came served with a garlicky yoghurt sauce with a bit of rich tomato sauce on top. Delicious, but gave you terrible breath! The other was lahmucan: similar to a pizza, but with mince on top. It doesn't sound appetising, but it was perfectly seasoned and super tasty.

Manti

From Kaş, we just had one last stop before flying back to London - this time in Antalya. Antalya is a bit of a resort town, with casinos aplenty. We even saw tourist cruises around the harbour, in ships fully decked out in pirate regalia. It's quite a big city and did quite a few interesting things to see, but didn't particularly appeal as a holiday destination.

In Antalya we again noticed an abundance of cats roaming around, apparently strays, but in very good condition. We then came across a cat house in a park. It seems the stray cats are really taken care of here. 

Local cat house :) 

Our time in Turkey had come to an end. It was an enjoyable trip, although would have been more so with better weather. We also had some great food, although at the end, it felt like we had subsisted on meat and bread, and were glad to get back some normalcy at home.