London To Sydney

Link to photos - Uluru, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs

2008-10-04T05:56:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/AustraliaUluruKingsCanyon#

Link to photos - Singapore

2008-10-04T05:43:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/Singapore#

Tashkent to Alice Springs - 22 Sep to 4 Oct

2008-10-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

22nd September 2008

Summary: even more frustrating day in Tashkent

Spent the night in a dorm at the train station, sharing with M+A. A and I had to take the kid-sized beds. Had to sleep diagonally and kept hitting my head against the wall every time I moved. In the morning M+A headed to Osh while we set off for the Chinese Embassy yet again. Got there 15 min before opening and added our names to the list. A decent sized crowd had already gathered but it didn't look too bad. Jeremy rocked up a few minutes after us. At opening time a few numbered tickets were handed out but progress was painfully slow, and agents with bags full of passports seemed to be slipping in and out. It became clear we were never going to make it in before closing time (3 hours later). The mob got angrier and yelled at the official who came out at closing time. I would have joined in too if I had a bigger vocab. G was unwell again so rested back at the hotel while I went for lunch. Started to work on Plan B in the afternoon - Darwin, Seoul, Maldives...???

Practicalities: Orzu hotel, room 24

Food: laughman noodles, bibambap

23rd September 2008

Summary: getting to know Tashkent quite well

Headed off to the Kyrgyz Embassy to get our visas, which we will only use if we get into China - 68 dead in a Kyrgyzstan airline crash recently so only want to travel overland through there...Despite getting there shortly after opening the guard put us on a list and told us to come back in the afternoon. Prospects of getting to China were vanishing (as we have to pass through Kyrgyzstan to get to China)...We insisted we needed a same day visa so had to submit the forms in in the morning. He eventually let us enter and of course there were no other customers in the office and our applications were taken immediately (plus double the normal fee for faster processing). Headed off to attempt to enjoy Tashkent, although G was still unwell. Wandered around Chorsu Bazaar - full of fruit, veg, meat etc. Developing a few favourites in Tashkent, in particular a cafe with cheap tea, baklava, free wifi and clean toilets. Spent a fair bit of the afternoon here. Went back to the Kyrgyz embassy to retrieve our Kyrgyz visas without any fuss. On Monday we had been told explicitly to turn up at midnight on Wednesday morning as they would start taking names for the list then. So we dressed warmly and rocked up at 11:30pm. To our horror they had already started taking names and we were only 35th and 36th on the list. Given they got through about 20 numbers on Monday hopes were fading fast...

Food: potato cakes, dried apricots, baklava, banana, hamburger, pasta

24th September 2008

Summary: end of the overland journey

Walked to the Chinese Embassy in silence, knowing that our chances were slim. We found out that the guards had started taking names and $30 bribes on Tuesday morning. The queue was moving faster than Monday so we were relatively hopeful, however a lot of "unlisted" people with sacks of passports seemed to be mysteriously getting in, and by noon it was basically just us 4 foreigners left waiting (to be fair I think some locals just gave up earlier than us). At 12:05pm our overland journey was pronounced dead as the guard shut the door. We were furious at the corruption, incompetence and lack of empathy (they could have processed us all in an extra 20 min) although relieved to at least have some certainty. We raced around to all the airline agencies looking for the soonest flight out of Tashkent, we didn't really care what the destination was, as long as it was in the right general direction. To offset the carbon brownie points we had accumulated in the last couple of months we booked 5 flights: Taskhent->Seoul->Singapore (2 day stopover)->Darwin (top of Australia)->Alice Springs (middle of Australia)->Uluru/Ayers Rock (rock near the middle of Australia). We will then resume our overland journey from Uluru to Sydney. The flights were reassuringly expensive (managed to avoid Uzbekistan Airways) - almost as much as our entire costs for the previous month.

Food: BLT, syrian restaurant - hummous, babaganoush, beef with prunes and apricots, chicken with cheese and mushrooms (and a smiley face)

25th September 2008

Summary: admin and evening flight to Seoul

Spent the day scraping together cash for our flights - Asiana Airlines would not take credit card so we needed over $2k in cash, they even asked for SOM (the local currency) but if you recall the largest note is 70c and we didn't have a bag big enough so we paid them in mostly USD. Also did some admin booking hotels etc for the next few nights of the trip. Our last ludicrous Central Asian experience was buying water at the airport (after emmigration to be fair) to find they did not accept their own currency. The plane was very comfortable and empty so we were able to lie down and get a bit of sleep.

Practicalities: 22:20-08:30 flight to Seoul on Asiana Airlines

Food: lentil soup, rice and chickpeas at our favourite cafe (with the free wifi), hamburgers at our favourite westernised cafe.

26th September 2008

Summary: Incheon Airport and flight to Singapore

Incheon Airport (Seoul) was such a massive contrast to Tashkent it was difficult to believe they were only separated by a 6 hr flight. Earth seems much smaller than before we embarked on this trip. Felt like we were back in the "real" world - sparkling and new, full of designer shops, free (and fast) internet terminals and wifi, coffee chains and plastic covered toilet seats (I am not saying these are all good things). Spent time on the internet planning more of our trip and did some shopping. While waiting to board there was an announcement apologising for a 10 minute delay in the boarding time - we love this place! Got a little sleep and arrived late in the evening in Singapore. It was nice to be somewhere familiar again (and clean, friendly, modern, English-speaking etc etc). The only cities so far on our trip we had previously visited were Paris and Rome.

Practicalities: 16:00-21:25 flight to Singapore on Asiana Airlines, Furama Riverfront, room 1737

Food: Gloria Jeans coffee and ramen noodles at the airport, room service of hamburger and spaghetti bolognese in singapore (better to stick to asian food)

27th September 2008

Summary: retail and food therapy in Singapore

We did most of our sightseeing with our tastebuds - refer to the food section for more information. Had a nice time catching up with Kaz and May. Also visited Florence (our contact at the camera store we frequent in Singapore) and splashed out on a digital SLR and some nice lenses.

Food: PS cafe - scrambled eggs, sausages, tomato, and corn and zucchini blinis with bacon, rocket and poached egg. Hainan chicken rice for dinner, sweetened tofu with gingko nuts and abaling (glutinous rice filled with peanut paste) for dessert.

28th September 2008

Summary: continuation of retail and food therapy

More of the same in Holland Village and Takashimaya. Went back to Kaz's place to chill out before the flight to Darwin. Singapore was hosting the world's first night time F1 race today. In the cab on the way to the airport we heard the deafening roar of the race cars and caught a glimpse of the crowds and even some cars whizzing past.

Practicalities: 2335-0600 Jetstar flight from Singapore to Darwin

Food: kaya toast with soft boiled eggs and tea with condensed milk, crab cooked in butter and white pepper, coconut juice.

29th September 2008

Summary: lots of flights to get to Uluru

Today was a big day as we ticked the box "Australian citizen returning to live in Australia" on our customs form. It felt strange to be in Australia but not Sydney - familiar yet I had never been there before. Had the usual long wait in the quarantine queue. Had another two flights to Alice Springs then Uluru, with good views the entire way, confirming that the NT (Northern Territory) is largely flat, red and deserted, with the odd dried salt seabed and straight road. Caught my first glimpse of the big rock as we landed. Quite amazing given the surrounding countryside was so flat. Picked up our hire car at the airport. We were too tired to do too much so went for a walk around the resort and did some laundry. We are staggered by the price of everything (hotels, groceries, restaurants, bars), not just relative to the dirt cheap countries we had been travelling through, but even compared to London. This might just be because one resort has a monopoly on Uluru (doesn't explain the prices at Darwin Airport though). Had a home-"cooked" meal for the first time since leaving Greece.

Practicalities: 1115-1315 Qantas flight from Darwin to Alice Springs, 1400-1500 Qantas flight from Alice Springs to Uluru, stayed at the Lost Camel Hotel, room 216.

Food: plane and lounge food, home-cooked salad with lettuce, carrot, red pepper/capsicum, tomato and 4 bean mix.

30th September 2008

Summary: walk around Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)

Slept in to recover from the flights, then headed off for a long walk (14km, 3-4 hrs) around the base of Uluru. Up close we could really appreciate how massive it was and explore the waterholes and gorges along the base. Didn't see any people at all away from the carparks. The climb was closed to to high winds (although the indigenous population requests you don't climb it at any time anyway). Had a quick rest at the visitor centre then drove to Kata Tjuta for a short walk (2.3km return) into Walpa Gorge. Stopped back at the rock to watch it change colour as the sun set.

Food: chicken sandwich, another home-cooked salad with salmon and corn.

1st October 2008

Summary: Valley of the Winds walk through Kata Tjuta, drive to Kings Canyon

Woke up early for sunrise at Uluru, then headed out for a longer walk (7.6km, 2.5hrs) around Kata Tjuta which was stunning. Had lunch back at the resort then set off for Kings Canyon (300 km). At Curtin Springs petrol station we enquired about the state of a unsealed road we were considering taking to Alice Springs - the lady replied "it's as rough as old sh!t", so guess we won't take it. After dinner on our porch we went to the pub where a live band was singing "Give me a home among the gum trees", while audience members were wearing fuzzy koala hats and dancing badly. Hard to believe we were in Uzbekistan less than a week ago. Could be a good strategy to throw ourselves in the deep end with respect to Australian life. Sydney will feel much more cosmopolitan after a couple of weeks in the Outback.

Practicalities: stayed at Kings Canyon resort, "budget" room 9 (shared bathroom blocks - reminded us of school excursions and family holidays)

Food: chicken baguette, home-cooked salad (beans)

2nd October 2008

Summary: Kings Canyon rim walk

Woke up early-ish again for a walk along the top of Kings Canyon (8km, 3.5 hrs). Scenery is getting more amazing with each walk. This walk had crazy beehive rock formations, up there with Cappadocia for weird. Also an impressive array of plants in the Garden of Eden. Really hot today. Did some washing in the afternoon and it was mostly dry in literally 5 minutes. Saw a baby-eating dingo during dinner.

Food: chicken wrap and chips, "Sounds of Firelight" dinner run by the resort - intimate settng of 5 tables outdoors around a fire - quite unnecessary as it was still so hot, except because of the name they had to have it. 5-6 courses including every species of native flora and fauna imaginable - crocodile, emu, kangaroo, barramundi, koala bear, macadamias, not to mention beef, lobster, prawns...with wines to match. Had not eaten or drunk so much in a long time, we were bursting.

3rd October 2008

Summary: Kathleen Springs walk, drive to Alice Springs

Did a short walk (2.5km) at Kathleen Springs, then set off for the long drive to Alice Springs. Apart from the stunning scenery the most excitement was the occasional bend in the road and roadkill. After a long search for a hotel we were very excited to explore shops such as K-Mart and Woolworths. Really feel like we're home now. Prices have also come down noticeably compared with Uluru.

Practicalities: approx 400km drive from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs. 130km/h speed limit meant we got there pretty quickly. After being turned away from 4 full hotels we finally checked into Elkira (Best Western), room 109.

Food: burger with the lot at a petrol station on the way. Home-cooked salad (salmon).

4th October 2008

Summary: lazy day in Alice Springs, Desert Park

Had a lazy morning exploring the shops and cafes of Alice Springs and doing a few chores. In the afternoon visited the Alice Springs Desert Park. Initially disappointing as we saw very few animals apart from some dopey kangaroos, but picked up with the bird enclosures and all the deadly and/or furry creatures in the nocturnal enclosure.

Food: salad wrap, home-cooked salad (organic chickpeas)

Link to photos - Khiva to Tashkent

2008-09-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/KhivaBukharaSamarkandTashkent02#

Khiva to Tashkent - 15 Sep to 22 Sep

2008-09-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

15th September 2008

Summary: bus to Bukhara

Ventured outside the walls to the bank to change money while A+M investigated the bus situation to Bukhara. Largest note here is again approx. 70c, although USD is unofficially accepted some larger transactions such as hotels and long taxi rides. G had to return home to recuperate while I updated the blog. The bus was extremely hot with no AC, just fans blowing hot air, and no openable windows. The passengers were predominantly local males and some stripped down to their underwear. Got to watch Russian movies, Uzbek pop music and a Cantonese movie dubbed into Russian, with lots of semi-clad women which the locals were paying close attention to. Part-way through the trip a guy came down the aisle to collect the fares in a plastic bag, as each passenger handed over a sizeable wad of cash ($13 or 18 notes each). Forgot to mention that toilets are getting more and more feral (still not as bad as China, and just the rural ones, in town it's fine). I ran screaming, coughing and spluttering from one in rural Turkmenistan. On the (single) pit-stop on the bus ride we decided to wizz in the bushes in the median strip, based on the stench within a few metres of the official lavatories. Taxi drivers surrounded us as we got off the bus, and after much shouting Anna negotiated a good rate to the hotel, except the cab driver couldn't find it, even after calling the hotel and asking lots of passers-by, shouting across G as he was in the passengers seat. Eventually the hotel owner came and found us parked in a dark alley nearby. More drama inside the hotel. We were ushered into the gorgeous courtyard and then the husband and wife owners started shouting at each other in one of the rooms. Eventually the wife came out looking distinctly hassled and explained that they had not received our phone message. In any case we were happy to settle for a quad room and relocate the next day so not sure what all the fuss was about. She was very sweet but exhausted, gibbering incessantly in Russian, apologising and complaining about her husband while serving us supper and showing us around our room and their collection of antiques (the house is 130 yrs old, and apparently originally owned by a Jewish family). Meanwhile her husband pretty much ignored us and was reclined on a mattress watching a Genesis DVD with a German guest. It was a very surreal evening.

Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus from Khiva to Bukhara (we were told it would arrive between 6-8pm), stayed at Akhbar House, sharing a quad room with A+M.

Food: honeydew, Russian biscuits, our first handmade noodles and soup at the pit-stop - yum, light supper courtesy of the hotel of bread, tomatoes and vegetarian comcas. Imodium and gastrolyte for G.

16th September 2008

Summary: Bukhara

More dramas in the morning with changing rooms, laundry etc, and we realised that the previous night's commotion was actually the norm. The lady called a guy to change money for us. He came in with a sack full of cash which we counted in the courtyard. Went out to the train station where A helped us buy tickets to Tashkent. G had to retire again. I went out for a walk on my own and was immediately accosted by a drunk but friendly Russian guy who wanted to talk politics with me - Bill Clinton (did he mean George Bush?) and Iraq was plakhoi (bad) while Obama was harasho (good). I was saved by the hotel lady who happened to be walking past. Went for a walk with G around Lyabi-Hauz - the central plaza with a pool surrounded by plastic camels. Admired the facades of some medressas and mosques. Chatted with A+M back in the hotel courtyard, who taught us how to identify Swiss travellers - they dress for practicality rather than style, and are (overly) conscious of the environment and health. Our own observations are that they avoid Nestle products at all costs. Went out to dinner next to the pool at Lyabi-Hauz with cats and ducks wandering underneath the day-beds we were seated on. Did a survey of water prices at various shops, with M screaming, "you're ripping me off!", at one of them, but to no avail.

Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - yoghurt drink, peach compote, sweet bread, fried eggs (similar brekkie at the previous hotel), more russian biscuits for lunch. handmade noodle soup for dinner.

17th September 2008

Summary: Bad day in Bukhara

Our bad day in Bukhara started with a shouting match between the hotel owners at around 6am. At 7am G went out to give them a death stare, despite my protests as we were leaving anyway and I didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt. The shouting subsided for a few minutes, then we got a knock on the door - our washing was delivered and we were invited out for breakfast. We declined, and the shouting resumed shortly afterwards. Over breakfast, M+A were unapologetically told that they had to check out as other guests were arriving, even though they had booked a further two nights. This resolved their dilemma of whether they should continue to put up with the chaos. We were all told we could use the rooms until the afternoon, and that they would store our luggage until our evening train ride. As we were checking out we felt it was our duty to express our concerns. A told them politely that the house was lovely but the service was not so good, mentioning the sceaming and not honouring their booking. Akhbar got really angry and started ranting (this was all in Russian btw, but we could understand most of it from the tone and gestures) about us getting upset over a small little scandal (the morning argument) and that tourists were always coming in and taking photos and not paying any money etc etc etc. He then evicted us all immediately, refusing to even mind our bags. M quickly found a nice B+B nearby, and we put our bags in their room. Went to find a teahouse to recuperate. Walked out of a touristy place wanting to charge us $1.80 each for tea, and found a local place where we paid 7c. Ironically it cost 14c to use the public toilet. Tried to buy some bananas but they seemed extortionate at 70c each, walked away in digust. Found a gorgeous minaret, the Kalon (great) minaret. 850 years old and still in great condition with little preservation required. Apparently even Jenghis Khan was so impressed he ordered it not to be destroyed. It was positioned between a mosque and medressa, both with lovely blue tiled facades. The next incident was at the Ark, a small walled town, now mostly ruined with a few museums. We were told that the exhibitions were closed and it was a relatively expensive site so we asked for a discount. They gave us a 10% discount which we assumed was fair, but once inside we found there was absolutely nothing else to see aside from the exhibitions. The ruins were literally piles of dirt, bricks and plastic water bottles. After a short exploration in disbelief that we'd paid to see a rubbish tip we stormed back to the ticket office. Very good timing as M+A had just come in and paid. They immediately got a full refund and we eventually got a partial refund after a lot more shouting. Next we tried to visit the old gaol but it was also closed. Bumped into M+A again and sat down to have lunch. Saw a local with a banana and A ran up to her to check the price. Surprisingly we were not being ripped off, so G went back to buy some. Chatted to some locals. We discovered our Uzbek names are Zhora and Jamilla. Aside from the oriental faces and noodle soups, a further sign that we are getting closer to China is that the locals are spitting, although not as professionally as the Chinese, it's more like a dribble. Bumped into Jeremy who had just arrived and went for another tea with him. Went online again for an ongoing discussion with an agent about our Chinese visa applications. This has been a growing concern during our trip. Prior to leaving London the visa rules were very strict due to the Olympics - hotel and flight bookings are required which we do not have. We were hoping they would be relaxed by now but not so, hence the need to skip through to Tashkent, bypassing Samarkand (we will return) to visit the Chinese embassy. Said our farewells to M+A at the hotel and headed out to the train station for our overnight train, which looked very much like the overnight trains we had caught through Russia (comfortable!).

Practicalities: 19:20-06:00 train from Bukhara to Tashkent.

Food: G is on a bread, banana and black tea diet to get his tummy back into order. I am on the same diet out of sympathy.

18th September 2008

Summary: 70% good, 30% bad day in Tashkent

Had a reasonable night's sleep on the train, with an annoying wake up call 1 hr prior to arrival. Caught the metro to a B+B where they kept telling us "5 min" for our room to be ready. After over 1 hr (they did serve us breakfast) we decided to just leave our bags and head out to the travel agent who we had been discussing our Chinese visa application with. They were very helpful in terms of information but were unfortunately unable to do anything for us. Spent the next 2-3 hours wandering around town looking for internet access to try and prepare our visa application ourselves. First place had a sign saying "Internet" and had a room full of computers, but the bored-looking man minding the room said they had no internet and he didn't know where we could find any. This was one of many similar interactions we've had with locals, we will not be remembering the Uzbeks for their hospitality (although there has been the odd exception). The next place was closed, and the next place was the main internet centre in town, which frustratingly was about to close for the day (it was midday). Started to worry our lousy excuse for not making it to China would be that there was no internet in Tashkent. Finally found another with helpful staff and had a very productive 1.5 hours booking hotels. Amazingly there was also a Uzbekistan Airways ticket office next door with another friendly and helpful guy who could not speak English but called through to head office where an English speaker helped translate our request for an airline booking. At the end of the afternoon we had a very plausible documented itinerary for our China visit so we were feeling happy and optimistic. Splashed out on a night at the opera ($2 each, fancy Russian ice cream - $3). Saw Tosca in Russian, so couldn't understand what was going on, but it was a fun experience all the same. The theatre was ornately decorated, built by Japanese POWs. It would not have looked out of place in a Western country. Back at the hotel we decided we could not stay there another night - it was dirty, virtually a dorm as there was no lock on the door and we had to walk past other sleeping guests to the shared bathroom (fine if we were paying dorm prices but we weren't), there was no water pressure or hot water, and could not control the air-conditioning so spent the night shivering. The conviviality of the owner, as described in LP, consisted of constantly offering us beer, vodka or drugs, which did not make up for the poor amenities. Yet another LP "our pick" which we were less than impressed with.

Practicalities: B+B Ali Tour, room 4

Food: more bread, bananas, tea. Dinner of bibimbap at a Korean restaurant (lots of ethnic Koreans here for some reason).

19th September 2008

Summary: frustrating day in Tashkent

Early morning walk to the Chinese embassy. We were looking forward to at least having more certainty about the rest of our trip - currently we're not sure if we'll be in Kashgar (China), Kyrgyzstan or Darwin next weekend. Waited for 1 hour for it to open, before discovering it was not opening at all due to an exhibition. Note that it's normal opening hours are already a pitiful 3 mornings a week. Very annoyed, we stomped off to the Kyrgyz embassy, who were open but closed in the afternoon so could not issue us a same day visa. There were no earlier train options to Samarkand so we then spent 3 hours looking for a new hotel, finally finding a better though much pricier option. Had a painful conversation with the Home Office (back in UK) regarding my citizenhip application. Long and frustrating story which I will not go into but I had to re-sign and date a form and fax it to the British Embassy in Tashkent (of course they would not let me fax it directly to them in UK, that just wouldn't be acceptable). Enough ranting, another little cultural anecdote for you - in supermarkets in Tashkent they have sweets in the till whch they give as change for amounts less than 100 som (7c). We are wondering if we can also pay in sweets. We also handed over 100 som for a photocopy which cost 50 som, the lady offered to give us two photocopies as she didn't have change, but we told her just to keep it. After over two months of relentless hot weather the overnight temperature is now plummetting. Just a few nights ago we were dining outside comfortably in t-shirts, now it is nippy even while wearing a jacket. It is still quite hot during the day in the sunshine although definitely easing off.

Practicalities: Orzu Hotel, room 21, paid by credit card, great to be using plastic again!

Food: beef stroganoff, lamb shashlik. Went to a great (slightly below average by western standards) Italian restaurant for dinner - lentil soup (similar to our London flatmate's), fettucine amatriciana and spaghetti with tomato and basil. G had local wine. Good news - G's tummy is much better and his back pain is virtually gone!

20th September 2008

Summary: Samarkand

We were intercepted by a representative from the LP hotel pick for Samarkand. Having been unhappy with the previous two picks we were wary but he seemed friendly, helped us buy our return tickets, and offered us a lift to the hotel, so we decided it wouldn't hurt to have a look. Turned out to be third time lucky - there was a lovely courtyard full of flowers and fruit trees (mulberry and quince - from which they made jam which they served for breakfast), simple but nice room, and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Headed straight out to the Registan - 3 grand medressas arranged around a large square with spectacular domes and tilework. Bumped into Jeremy at an internet cafe who told us that he, M+A were all staying at the same hotel as us. After a nap we explored Timur's mausoleum (another grand turquoise dome) and went for a walk through the park. The hotel arranged dinner at a nearby home which 14 of us (including all of Team Turkmenistan, a group of young German guys, and two other Aussies) attended. Had a nice night exchanging travel stories and coincidentally there was a lot of overlap in professions.

Practicalities: 07:00-10:30 train to Samarkand, stayed at Antica, room 6

Food: laughman noodles and plov, dinner at a family home - assorted appetisers, chickpea soup, plov and melon.

21st September 2008

Summary: Samarkand, return to Tashkent

Decided the overnight train back to Tashkent which we had booked (00:50-06:00) would be torture so Denis (the guy who picked us up yesterday) helped us change our tickets to an earlier train to arrive in the evening. Had a busy day of sightseeing - more domes and blue tilework at the mosques and mausoleums. Got fed up with the inflated/imaginary tourist admission prices (up to 10x local prices) so started bargaining with some success. Visited the bazaar which was incredibly clean and orderly, with marble benchtops and fresh fruit and vegetables for sale. Also visited the museum which had photos of Samarkand before and after a recent restoration effort - some buildings are virtually completely rebuilt. There was also a fantastic exhibition of photos of Uzbekistan by a Japanese photographer (www.jinakino.com). Met M+A back at the hotel and shared a cab to the train station.

Practicalities: 17:00-20:30 train to Tashkent

Food: yummy breakfast at the hotel - rice pudding, yoghurt, deepfried courgette and cheese patties, homemade jam. bread, bananas, pumpkin comcas.

Link to photos - Turkmenistan

2008-09-16T03:05:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.young.carroll/MervAshgabatDarvaza#

Link to photos - Persepolis to Mashhad

2008-09-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/julie.young.carroll/PersepolisYazdMashhad#

Shiraz to Khiva - 4 Sep to 14 Sep

2008-09-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

4th September 2008

Summary: Naqsh-e-Rostam, Persepolis

We had only one other tourist (an Iranian) on our tour of Persepolis. First stop was Naqsh-e-Rostam - where 4 of the first Persian kings were entombed in caves in the side of a mountain. Next up was Persepolis - ruins of a palace dating back to 500BC, which had amazing carved reliefs, including a procession of gift bearers from all the countries within the empire. Pleasant surprise in the afternoon with a phone call from Alberto who had arrived in Shiraz. On top of that he had brought Mohammed with him! Had afternoon tea with them in our hotel foyer. Felt rather bourgeois (again) as we were surrounded by marble, billiard tables and piano music. Went our separate ways (we checked out the nearby fort) and joined up again for dinner. Mohammed had managed to pick up more tourists in between so there were 6 of us altogether.

Food: bread and nectarines in the hotel room, kebabs for dinner, tried to have a juice but got chased out of the shop by the Ramazan police

5th September 2008

Summary: bus ride to Yazd

Had an early morning bus ride to Yazd through the Lut Desert. Unfortunately our hotel of choice had run out of double rooms. Since it had a gorgeous courtyard and we felt we had to live a simpler life, we decided to try the dorm. It was a sufficiently nice subterranean room, although G did not even have a bed, just a 2 foot wide ledge which ran along one side of the room (6 beds and two ledge positions in total). Felt very grounded. Got settled in the courtyard and spent most of the afternoon chatting with the other guests. In Esfahan we kept crossing paths with a Swiss couple, often enough that we would smile and say hi, although never for long enough to introduce ourselves properly. Anyway they were also staying at the same hotel in Yazd so finally exchanged names and after some discussion we realised that we would all be on the same tour of Turkmenistan! Given the small number of independent travellers in Iran, and their tendency to congregate at the same Lonely Planet-recommended hotels, we also asked around to see if anyone had met Jeremy, the fifth and final member of our tour. Sure enough Peter (Australian Salvos minister working in UK) had met a Jeremy in Esfahan, who had apparently had some luck with a local girl there so was staying there longer than anticipated - hope he makes it to Turkmenistan! Shared a cab with Peter and Ben (UK architecture student) and went out at sunset to the Tower of Silence - two Zoroastrian mounds where corpses were laid for the vultures to pick at. The landscape was other-worldly and It was very peaceful despite the young local lads tearing about on motorbikes. Had a rather scary ride back to the hotel, suspect the taxi driver was hungry as it was almost "break fast" time. Dale (Australian, almost full-time traveller) joined the four of us for dinner, resulting in lots of Aussie banter.

Practicalities: 07:30-13:30 bus to Yazd, stayed at the Silk Road Hotel dormitory

Food: vegetable soup, vegetarian curry and aubergine and tomato, Iranian buffet for dinner.

6th September 2008

Summary: old town, Ateshkadeh

Alberto and Mohammed emerged while we were having breakfast. They had arrived early in the morning. More silly rules meant that Mohammed had to sleep on the roof as Iranians cannot sleep in mixed dorms. More specifically - mixed dorms are illegal but they turn a blind eye if they only contain foreigners. Went out for a wander around the old town, full of buildings made of mud and straw, apparently one of the oldest cities in the world. Checked out Alexander's Prison, with a sketchy link to Alexander the Great, where we stood under a wind tower (these are all over Yazd) and felt the cool breeze coming down. Also popped into Khan-e Lari - a restored traditional house which was frankly not particularly nicer than our hotel. Walked through the bazaar to find a restored hammam for lunch - may have been a bit too restored, was a bit like an indoor swimming pool with blue and white tiles. Over afternoon tea (at a nice traditional house, now hotel) Father Peter told us one of his friend's definitions of heaven was being in a permanent state of that moment of euphoria after doing a big poo. Thought of S. After lunch went for a long wallk to see Ateshkadeh - a Zoroastrian fire temple containing a flame which had alledgedly been burning for over 1500 years. To get home we sent Mohammed out to the street to flag down a taxi while we hid, giggling behind a wall, in order not to get ripped off.

Food: aubergine, dizi (veg and meat stew) and meatballs, although the restaurant would not serve tea because it was Ramazan (??), Iranian buffet again.

7th September 2008

Summary: Jameh Mosque, Amir Chakhmaq Complex, overnight train to Mashhad

Wandered out to do some chores and finish off the sightseeing. Climbed the Amir Chakhmaq Complex (building used to commemorate death of Imam Hossein) and popped into the Jameh Mosque. Saw lots of camel butcheries but couldn't find any camel burgers. Chilled out back at the hotel, chatting with Andy, an English motorcyclist who was riding across the world. Set off way too early for our train (on the hotel's advice). Watched the desert go by until the sun set. Much more luxurious cabin than last time - a spacious 4-berth cabin with two flat-screen TVs, tea cups and snacks. Went head-scarf free for two hours until 2 guys joined our cabin at a later stop - duh! Mr Bean was shown on the flat screens.

Practicalities: 18:25-09:30 train to Mashhad

Food: barley soup, aubergine and tomato, fruit salad, chicken on the train for dinner

8th September 2008

Summary: Astan-e Qods-e Razavi (holy shrine of Imam Reza), dinner with Vali

Mashhad is apparently the most holy city in Iran and a busy pilgrimmage site as it is home to the holy shrine of Imam Reza. Despite the crowds at the station we had a very efficient trip to the hotel. Did a few chores and had a rest. Jeremy called us in the afternoon and we visited the holy shrine together. There were attendants carrying feather dusters to clean people's clothes in the lead-up to the shrine. Could not believe I had to don my first chador over my already hejab-compliant outfit, while Jeremy was allowed in wearing a t-shirt which read "Save a horse - ride an actuary". I had to ask the "Chador Office" attendant for help to put it on, though it was essentially just a big black sheet. We were not allowed into the shrine itself but enjoyed wandering around the huge complex surrounding it - a series of courtyards, mosques, museums etc - admiring the architecture and patterned tiles and watching the pilgrims kissing the doors and sitting on carpets in the courtyards. We met a local guide named Vali who helped us book a car to the Turkmenistan border and also invited us to his home for a delicious home-cooked meal (for a small fee of course), sitting on carpets on his outdoor terrace.

Practicalities: stayed at Taranom Apartment Hotel, room 801

Food: bread, bananas, dinner at Vali's - barley soup, spinach pancakes, yoghurt and yoghurt drink.

9th September 2008

Summary: border crossing to Turkmenistan, Merv

Had an early start to make it to the border for the 11am commencement of our tour. Exiting Iran took 30 min. Very few people but for some reason there was a lot of paperwork, and frustrating conversations along the lines of, "Name?" "Julie Young" "Surname Julie?" "No, surname Young" "Young?" "Yes" "Name Julie?" "Yes, name Julie, surname Young" "Name Young?" "SURNAME Young!" "Name Young?" etc etc. Finally got through to face the two kilometre walk through no-man's land. Walked across a bridge over a dry riverbed with huge trucks crossing in both directions. Faces changed immediately on the other side, the Turkmen border guards looking much more Oriental than Iranian. We established, with some basic Russian and hand waving, that we were not allowed to walk any further, reason unclear, and we had to take a bus. We had no money (in the required currency) so they let us ride for free. We squatted in the back of a seatless minivan for the short but bumpy ride to the Turkmen border office. I won the competition to be the first one to say "shto??" ("what??" in Russian), when one of the guards came over to us, said one word to us and then just stared. Waited around for quite a while, unsure of what was going on. The guards were fairly friendly, asking where we were from. We were worried as we had heard stories about having to pay bribes to get through but we didn't have any problems. Finally removed my headscarf when I saw a female guard without one. A guy in a white doctor's coat came out holding our passports and we got concerned, however he showed no interest in us. Eventually our guide, Maksat, came through to meet us, helped us fill in the forms, and we were through in 1.5 hours in total. Got another stack of cash, largest note is worth about 70c. It was around this point that G's back gave in for no apparent reason, and he was horizontal for most of the long and bumpy ride to Merv - a once great city on the Silk Road, but destroyed by Jenghis Khan. Explored the mausoleums, mosques and ruined fortresses, and then headed to Mary for the night.

Practicalities: 06:30-09:30 drive to Saraghs (including breakfast stop), stayed at Rahat Hotel, room 7, in Mary (town near Merv)

Food: fried fish and legumes and noodles at a roadside cafe (G had first beer since Tehran), yummy lamb shashlyk near hotel

10th September 2008

Summary: Manar Baba, Ashgabat

G's back was still very sore so he was horizontal again. Another long day of driving, stopping at the occasional site. First up was Manar Baba, a mausoleum. Next the ruins of a village razed by Jenghis Khan, and finally the remains of a mosque near Ashgabat which collapsed after a huge earthquake in 1948 (which also flattened Ashgabat). G perked up with some Nick Cave and was upright from the latter part of the drive. There was a sudden transition from desert to gleaming marble buildings, leafy parks, glistening fountains and good roads as we arrived in Ashgabat.

Practicalities: Hotel Aziya, room 1001

Food: soup containing unidentifiable animal parts, chicken, pelmeni, chicken and apricot plov (bit like risotto)

11th September 2008

Summary: Tolkuchka Bazaar, Arch of Neutrality

Decided to try our luck at the Chinese Embassy as it was close to the hotel, but it was closed. Got caught in a brief but heavy downpour on the way back (who said it wouldn't rain in Turkmenistan). Visited the Tolkuchka Bazaar, set in the desert on the outskirts of town, which was fantastic. Full of locals - the men in fur hats and the women in their colourful traditional dresses and headscarves. All sorts of items were on sale - clothes, toiletries, grocery items, carpets, fridges, car parts etc. Amused ourselves trying on hats. Ran around asking "gdye zhihvotnaye?" (where are the animals?) as we wanted to see the camels for sale, but it seemed to be closed by the time we got there. Cabbed back into town to the Arch of Neutrality - a huge, crazy spaceship-like monument with a gold statue of Niyazov (former president) on top, which revolves to face the sun. Caught an elevator to the top for views over the vast, empty, tree-lined boulevards and grand government buildings. Ashgabat has been an unexpected highlight - very bizarre and over the top but in a likeable way, although if I were a local not sure I would approve on government money being spent on crazy monuments and massive shiny apartment blocks which no local can afford. It is totally different from Iran even though it is so close. Very modern and huge but empty, as if it is ready to take the entire population of Turkmenistan (6m). It is a shame however that we didn't get to speak to the locals to get a feel of everyday life. The British pub was a real letdown - despite signs advertising Fosters etc. they only served Baltika (Russian beer), not even local brew. Ended up at a restaurant where Jeremy tried the pickup lines from our Russian phrasebook. Had a rest back at the hotel then walked to "The Plunger", another ludicrous monument, surrounded by statues. Had dinner at an expensive restaurant at the top of a deserted shopping mall/fountain. Of course Anna and Marcus walked in just as we were starting our meal. After dinner we went up to the top floor where there was a bar (empty) and open air balcony where we got a night time view of Ashgabat.

Food: pizza-like thing with mince meat and onions at the bazaar, and Turkmen Cola (flat coke). Manti (large pelmeni) with sour cream and chicken and rice, Turkmen vodka.

12th September 2008

Summary: Darvaza gas crater

Finally found an internet cafe but it was painfully slow, and had a quick wander around the Russian Bazaar. Left in the early afternoon for the long drive through the Karakum Desert to the gas crater. Had a quick stop at the giant Ruhnama book (this is a bit like Mao's little red book - www.rukhnama.com). Today is the anniversary of when writing was completed so they were setting up for a celebration. Stopped in the small rural town of Jerbent for dinner. It was dark by the time we made it to the crater. The crater was formed by an explosion during Soviet gas exploration 50 years ago, somehow caught on fire 20 years ago, and has been burning ever since. It is 55m in diameter and 40m deep. We could see a faint glow in the distance well before we got there. Climbed a small hill for a direct view into the crater. It was an apocalyptic sight. Walked down to within 5m of the edge and took silly silhouette photos, and tried not to inhale the fumes too much. Maksat had a fire going by the time we returned to the camp site for a late night snack of tea and biscuits.

Practicalities: camping

Food: comca (samosa-type thing), lamb shashlyk

13th September 2008

Summary: Konye-Urgench, border crossing to Uzbekistan

I slept surprisingly well while G was still suffering due to his back. Woke up early to watch the sun rise over the crater. The road to Konye-Urgench deteriorated rapidly and we spent most of the trip in a cloud of dust. Konye-Urgench was once the centre of the Islamic world, though is now a rather sparse collection of mausoleums and minarets in varying states of decay. The Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan border crossing was still lengthy but less painful than the Turkmenistan/Iran crossing. A very well-informed Turkmen guard went through our passports saying, "Australia! Kangaroos! Sydney! Olympics!" "Great Britain! Tony Blair!" "Switzerland! Watches!". Anna's good command of Russian also helped. After lots of negotiation (by Anna) the 5 of us squeezed into a car for Nukus. Here we changed some money, parted ways with Jeremy, and negotiated another long ride to Khiva. Faces in Uzbekistan are even more oriental than Turkmenistan. I would almost blend in if I dressed like a local. Our driver did not know where our hotel was and stopped to ask the local police who actually escorted us the rest of the way. The hotel was full but they took us to a family home nearby which rented out a few small rooms. Went for an evening walk around Khiva in search of food. It reminded me of our night-time stroll around Avignon (an Islamic version). There were quiet alleys opening onto courtyards with lots of sandstone coloured buildings and blue-tiled minarets and arches. It looked amazing and we were looking forward to exploring it in the daytime. The friendly locals helped us find a restaurant which was still open, and had some tea and fruit back at the house with Anna and Marcus.

Practicalities: car from border to Nukus ($13, 30min), car from Nukus to Khiva ($50, 2 1/4 hrs)

Food: meat pies (Turkmen-style) at a road-side restaurant, vegetable and rice soup.

14th September

Summary: Khiva

We have been getting too accustomed to the prices in Iran and Turkmenistan as we were outraged to pay $7 each as entry fee to all the monuments inside the city walls. Still, we coughed up and went to explore the palaces, museums and mosques. Uzbekistan is much more touristy than Iran and Turkmenistan (we could not even find postcards in the latter) so we don't stand out quite so much here. G was wiped out with a stomach bug in the afternoon. I went to the bazaar to find some food and managed to have a bottle of water stolen by a cheeky little girl. She also stole my LP and phrasebook temporarily but returned them. Went for a walk around the city walls.

Food: more comcas, digestive biscuits for G, home-cooked plov at the hotel (hopefully).

Link to photos - Tabriz to Esfahan

2008-09-04T08:13:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/TabrizTehranEsfahan

Tabriz to Shiraz - 25 Aug to 3 Sep

2008-09-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

25th August 2008

Summary: border crossing to Iran, bus to Tabriz

Notation/conversions: $ = USD, $1 is approx 10,000 Iranian Rials (IRR)

Our early morning start was unnecessary as we sat about for 1 hr waiting for the minibus to fill up before it left for Gurbalek. The shoe shine kids were pestering G constantly. We were expecting the bus to be full of backpackers but aside from us it was all locals heading towards but not across the border. We were very glad we were crossing on foot as we past a huge queue of trucks. Walked along a road with fences on either side, pestered by a money changer the whole way offering us 4000 Rials per Turkish Lira, and later another one offering 6000 (spot is 8250). Luckily our hotel had told us we'd get a better rate on the Iranian side, so we ignored their assertions that this was our last chance to get rid of our Liras. Had our passports checked and stamped and were amazed to get into Iran so easily, only to realise a few minutes later we had only left Turkey. And it's true - there is a duty-free shop selling grog in no-man's land. Kept walking along the road and finally made it to the Iranian checkpoint. Stood by 2 huge adjacent gates. Slowly one opened up and then the next. We were ushered through to an office where a very friendly English speaking man asked us a few basic questions and welcomed us to Iran, got waved straight past customs, and we were finally in! Managed to change our leftover Lira at a rate of 7800. The largest note is $5, although we got mostly $2 notes, so ended up with a huge wad of cash, counting it in broad daylight with lots of people milling about. Did some hard bargaining from $4 to $2 for a 15km taxi ride to Maku. Once we got in the driver stopped again and said he would wait for more passengers unless we paid him another $1, so we changed cabs (hey it's the principle...). Had lunch at Maku bus station while waiting to leave for Tabriz. We were already starting to develop celebrity status. A couple asked to take a photo of us and G took the opportunity to practise his Farsi with them. Later on I asked two girls for directions to the WC in Farsi, failing miserably. They were a little shy of G but when he disappeared to find the bus they beckoned to me to sit in between them and we had a short chat despite serious language barriers. Had my photo taken again, and they said they were "very happy" to speak with me (I think). Scenery to Tabriz was fairly similar to that in Turkey, dry though with some cultivated fields (sunflowers!). Unfortunately a $1.30 bus ticket (for a 4 hr trip) doesn't buy air-conditioning so it wasn't the most comfortable of trips, especially as it was my first full day of conforming to the hejab dress code (headscarf, shapeless long sleeve top covering bottom, long pants). Tabriz is a large sprawling city and there was a nice vibe on the streets - lots of women (mostly cloaked in black) and children (and men) were out and about. The hotels were surprisingly busy due to a trade fair and we only managed to get into our 3rd choice. Went for a wander around town and to the tourist office who were very helpful, including telling me that Iranians weren't the Taliban so I didn't have to wear my headscarf quite so tightly. Experienced 3-4 blackouts during dinner.

Practicalities: 30 min minibus to Gurbalek (leaves when full), short taxi ride from border to Bazargan (50c - think we got ripped off), longer taxi ride to Maku ($2 + 50c tip), 13:30-17:30 bus to Tabriz ($1.30 each). First two hotels we tried were full so ended up staying at Morvarid Hotel, room 16 ($27). Despite the ridiculously cheap prices we can't go too beserk as Iran (and Central Asia to follow) is a cash-only economy and we didn't want to carry too much, so on a fairly tight budget...

Food: shared a kebab and Zam Zams (local soft drink, just like Coke/Fanta) ($4), chicken rice and meat and veg at a fancy restaurant in Tabriz ($10), soft drinks seated at a cafe (30c each), fancy pastries from a fancy pastry shop (15c each).

26th August 2008

Summary: Bazaar, Azarbayjan Museum, Blue Mosque, Kandovan, overnight bus to Rasht

There is such a serious lack of tourists in Tabriz that the locals seem to see us as a novelty rather than a money-making opportunity. Evidence of this is that we walked through the bazaar, including aisles of carpet shops, and the only person to speak to us was the sheep fat vendor. He asked where we were from, welcomed us to Iran, and fortunately did not try to sell us his wares. Lots of shops stocked relatively skimpy women's clothes, yet didn't see a single chador or even headscarf for sale. The bazaar was a tad warm and airless and I started feeling woozy as I was still acclimatising to my hejab outfit. Popped into the Azarbayjan Museum which contained artefacts from pre-Islamic Iran (eg. stone handbags) and the unused Blue Mosque. Had a one hour drive out to Kandovan - a town vaguely similar to Cappadocia where the locals live in caves. Felt like we were intruding as we wandered around the narrow paths. A lady invited us in to her house (for a fee of course) - just a single smallish room with a pile of blankets in the corner and a few cupboards around the edge. There was a small park where a lot of visiting Iranians were hanging out.

Practicalities: 09:00-06:00 overnight bus to Rasht

Food: yoghurt with honey and bread near the bazaar, hamburgers at the bus stop

27th August 2008

Summary: Masuleh, bus to Tehran (including 2 hrs sitting by the side of the highway)

Got little sleep on the overnight bus ride, then had a long cab ride out to Masuleh. According to Lonely Planet, Masuleh is a stunning mountain village where the locals invite you to stay over. We loitered about for 3-4 hours with not a single room offer, even the hotel tried to ignore us. In terms of scenery it was nice, but not enough to justify the trip. There were a lot of Iranians camping there. Had a nice chat with a teenage girl and her mother, from Tehran. They expressed their concerns over the misconceptions that foreigners have of Iran. While waiting outside the hotel we met some other travellers - Tom and Anna-Rose from England who were on a 2 year trip, and Alberto from Peru. Finally someone - an Iranian with excellent English in a kiwi accent, though sounding somewhat stoned - came to show us a room. It was OK but by then we had already decided to cut our losses and leave, while the others took the room. Got dodgied by the taxi driver back Rasht who dumped us at the edge of town, indicating that the bus terminal was nearby, only to realise we were still miles from the station and had to get another cab. Hopped straight onto a bus to Tehran, which promptly broke down 30 min after leaving Rasht. We waited on the side of the highway in the baking sun (45 degrees plus) for 2 hours as the driver tried to fix the bus. This gave us the opportunity to speak to more locals. Eventually a replacement bus came to pick us up. We weren't expecting the mad rush for seats on the replacement bus and were left standing (5.5 hrs to Tehran). The two girls I was speaking with earlier squished over to make room for me, while G was seated on the fold-down seat near the front door. There was then heated discussion and the girls were arguing for us (tourist status seems to get you a long way in Iran). The driver turfed out some guys and G and I ended up with two seats to ourselves. Finally on the road again, the landscape changed quite dramatically from fairly green to barren an rocky. Finally made it to Tehran and cab'ed through horrendous traffic and pollution to our first pick of hotels, only to find it was no longer a hotel. Our taxi driver spoke only a little English but was fantastic, driving us around to other hotels, calling them up, waiting while we inspected the rooms, and only leaving us once we had found a room.

Practicalities: 13:30-21:00 bus to Tehran (meant to arrive around 19:00), stayed at Ferdosi Grand Hotel, room 606.

Food: really thin but large piece of bread baked before our eyes (2.5c each), simple hotel buffet which the staff started clearing away 5 min after we sat down (a death stare sorted them out)

28th August 2008

Summary: rest, US Den of Espionage

Had a fairly quiet day recuperating from the previous day's adventures. Did some admin and changed hotels to a nicer one in the embassy district. Went for a walk near the hotel in the afternoon in search of food and to check out the area. Walked past the US Den of Espionage, the former US Embassy, which had a series of disturbing anti-American murals and slogans outside. By complete chance we stumbled across a Catholic church almost next to our hotel, which was only open because a wedding was being held. Behind the tall gate was a little non-Muslim retreat, with headscarf-less women and a girl in an extremely frilly wedding dress. A man there told us there were about 2000 catholics in Tehran (total population 14m) and G found out where to go for Saturday vigil mass.

Practicalities: stayed at Escan Hotel, room 306.

Food: Iced coffee and espresso at a cafe frequented by "intellectuals and arty types", pizza and fruit. Discovered I like non-alcoholic beer. It tastes nothing like beer, more sparkling pear juice (there are other flavours too).

29th August 2008

Summary: Bazaar, Golestan Palace

Woke up early to listen to Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Interesting to note we have access to CNN and BBC news websites but the SMH (Australian newspaper) website is barred, as is Facebook. Unfortunately the guidebook (Lonely Planet) neglected to mention the bazaar is closed on Fridays (weekend is Thursday/Friday in Iran) so we wandered through an almost completely deserted bazaar. Golestan Palace was open and contained a number of ornately decorated buildings used by the Shahs. One contained an ethnographic museum and another an art gallery. Changed $300 - the guy wanted to give it all to us in $1 notes, we asked for $5 notes instead. Returned to the hotel as G had to do a telephone interview. Managed to score an invitation to a "Heaven and Hell" party at the British Embassy which gave us a fascinating insight into the lives of expat consulate staff and their Iranian friends, getting a glimpse of what goes on outside of the public eye. Met about half of the Australian Embassy and tried hubbly bubbly (quite nice, fruity, "suck, don't blow"). Left as a congo line started forming around the swimming pool, navigated our way through the maze of security gates and could still hear the booming music after leaving the complex.

Food: hamburgers, more non-alcoholic beer, iced coffee, espresso, chocolate cake, apple pie (as you can see the legume diet has gone out the window), G had some more potent malt beverages at the party

30th August 2008

Summary: chores, Jewels Museum, Iran Museum, overnight train to Esfahan

Did some chores in the morning. It is incredibly difficult to get anything done in Tehran - some post offices do not post boxes, some photo shops require a 7 day wait for passport photos, and the Chinese Embassy was shut despite the hotel insisting it would be open. Finally got around to some sightseeing. First stop was the National Jewels Museum, an un-marked museum in the underground vault of a bank, containing an incredible amount of jewels, including a jewel encrusted umbrella and world globe. Next up was the National Museum of Iran which had a small but interesting collection, in particular "salt man", a 1700 year old skull with hair and beard still intact, and some artefacts from Persepolis. Had an unsuccessful search for the location of Saturday vigil Mass. Stopped in at Krishan's place briefly before heading to the train station. Bumped into Alberto, who we met in Masuleh, who was boarding the same train. He ended up staying in Masuleh another 3 days and had a great time - duh! Our 6-person sleeper cabin was full of Iranians. We broke the ice by practising our Farsi with them which lead to a lot of laughter. The conversation rapidly got more serious, covering everything we shouldn't such as politics, religion, and women's rights. It appears to be far more controversial to be agnostic than Catholic here, so I think I will be Catholic for the rest of Iran to stay out of trouble. Lighter topics included the young electronics student who wanted to move to America because he loved Michael Jackson. He even demonstrated some dance moves.

Practicalities: 22:45-06:30 overnight train to Esfahan

Food: pizza, nachos (potato chips not corn), pomegranate "beer" - there are surprisingly few restaurants in Tehran (at least around our hotel), it is all fast food - honestly! Horrified by our recent diet we had vegetable soup, salad and steamed veggies for dinner (discovered it on the hotel restaurant's menu).

31st August 2008

Summary: Imam Square, Imam Mosque, Vank Cathedral

Caught our first glimpse of Imam Square from the cab from the train station - a huge square with trees, grass, a fountain and a couple of stunning mosques. Strolled through it shortly after when we decided the first hotel (Sadaf) was overpriced and uninspiring. We were much happier with our next choice. Caught up on sleep then met up with Alberto for lunch. First stop after lunch was Imam Mosque, claimed in LP to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, and it may well be right. It is covered in blue and yellow mosaics and it was extremely peaceful inside the courtyard. Couldn't figure out where all the tourists were. Wandered across the river to Vank Cathedral, an Armenian Church covered in frescoes, with attached museum. Strolled through the riverside park and back across the Si-o-Seh Bridge (33 arches). It was blackout time back at the hotel and we used our headtorch for the first time. The giggly young man at reception armed us with some candles though couldn't find any matches, so we sat in the lobby (emergency lighting) until the power came back on.

Practicalities: Safir Hotel, room 108

Food: legumes, meat and rice, barley soup, omelette, lamb kebab.

1st September 2008

Made our first attempt at carpet shopping. We were a bit overwhelmed by all the information and patterns, finally decided on one we like but we were a little hesitant to buy a carpet from a young Iranian wearing a Paul Smith t-shirt, and his price was more than double the ball-park figure we got from a previous shop. While we were waiting for Alberto we started chatting with Mohammed, a 19 year old Iranian who liked to hang out at Imam Square chatting with tourists as "they are the best entertainment". He had quit his accounting studies at university as he was pessimistic about job prospects and was planning to join the military as they would look after him. We ended up spending the rest of the day with him and Alberto, learnt lots of interesting facts about Iranian life, and tried to convince him to continue his studies rather than join the army. After lunch we strolled through the bazaars, made an unsuccessful bid for the carpet, and popped into Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. I think I preferred this even over Imam Mosque. It had beautiful, intricate blue and gold patterns. Families were chilling out inside. The local bus out to Manar Jomban was a cultural experience in itself. Luckily Mohammed was there to explain that I had to get on at the back while the boys got on the front. There was a row of chairs right across the middle providing a physical barrier. I was worried G would get into trouble for voyeurism as he kept turning around to check on me. It was very bizarre, especially as long distance buses and even our 6-person sleeper cabin on the train was mixed. I chatted with one of the ladies about it, I did not ask her explicitly what her opinion was but her tone implied she thought it was ludicrous. Despite the culture shock the stop buttons were identical to those all around the world (I am doing an informal study on this). They even had "STOP" written on them in English, without any Farsi translation. Manar Jomban (shaking minarets) was a pretty poor excuse of an attraction - on the hour an attendant climbs one of the minarets and shakes it for a minute or two. Bells attached to each minaret demonstrate that they are wobbling. Great. Could not believe the guy on the train (the one opposed to my agnosticism) insisted we see it. Still, it was worth it for the bus experience. Also chatted to some nice ladies at the teahouse while we waited for the minaret-shaking, and had our photo taken again. Back in town we wandered around forever trying to find a restaurant around Imam Square - amazingly difficult!

Practicalities: local bus (3c each) to Manar Jomban.

Food: same restuarant and food as the previous day for lunch, chicken curry and a local dish - chicken with a walnut and pomegranate sauce (can't remember the name...), rockmelon juice - yum.

2nd September 2008

Summary: Ramadan, Bazaar, Jameh Mosque, Chehel Sotun Palace, overnight bus to Shiraz

Today was the first day of Ramadan (known locally as Ramazan) in Iran. Unfortunately our hotel breakfast offering was pretty dire (same as all the other mornings) so we couldn't really fill up on it. The official rule is that we may eat and drink but not in front of the locals. Ramadan had opposite effect on us as we were constantly obsessing about food. There was lots of food for sale but none being eaten. We bought some bananas and got permission to scoff them down at the back of the fruit shop. We were planning to go out to Mohammed's town, approx 35km from Esfahan, but after a lot of faffing about (eg. bananas) we decided we didn't have enough time so Alberto went by himself. We started getting worried about lunch prospects when the "Tourist Restaurant" was shut. While we were searching a Muslim cleric came to chat to us. We wished him a Happy Ramazan and said we were off to find lunch (JOKE). We ended up back where we had dinner the previous night, and were pleased to see lots of locals dining also. Wandered through the bazaar to the Jameh Mosque, the biggest in Iran. Popped into Chehel Sotun (40 columns) Palace which had a series of frescoes depicting palace life and battles. The human figures looked quite oriental. Sat in our favourite spot by the Imam Mosque to watch the sun set over Imam Square. This was the perfect place to meet locals - firstly two female university students, who, after the usual chat about where we were from, our work etc, asked G to pick which of them was the prettiest. We then had a funny conversation with some carpet sellers (one of which was a Josh look-a-like), who were moaning about the lack of business and asking us what they could say to entice more customers into their shop. They only sell about 1 carpet every 1-2 weeks at the moment, but expect more tourists in a month's time. One of them had actually been told by Paul Smith that we were looking for carpets so asked shyly if we would like to come to his shop - they explained that the carpet sellers are a bit like the mafia. They offered us some bread. We pointed out that it wasn't sunset yet, we were outside a mosque, and there were police with batons nearby. They said we were tourists so no one cared. We only ate some after one of the locals did also. Had a relatively comfortable overnight bus trip to Shiraz.

Practicalities: 22:30-05:30 bus to Shiraz

Food: yellow split pea stew, okra stew, "spaghetti bolognese" (pasta with lamb mince), grilled chicken at Abbasi Hotel - the fancy hotel near our not so fancy one.

3rd September 2008

Summary: lazy day in Shiraz

Arrived in Shiraz at 05:30, two hours earlier than we were told. Managed to save 10% by meekly asking for a discount at the hotel, even got upgraded to a suite later in the day. Decided to boycott some of the mausoleums and mosques as I had to dress even more conservatively than I already was. Wandered through the bazaar which contained a nice mix of tourist and regular shops. Again we were left alone by the carpet sellers. Caught up on sleep and got frustrated by the erratic internet service at the hotel (as with all the hotels in Iran so far).

Practicalities: Aryo Bazan Hotel, room 408

Food: bread, bananas in the hotel room

Link to photos - Cappadocia to Dogubeyazit

2008-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/CappadociaKayseriSivasErzurumDogubeyazit

Cappadocia to Dogubeyazit - 20 Aug to 24 Aug

2008-08-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

20th August 2008

Summary: Mustafapasa, Soganli valley, Kaymakli Underground city

Joined a small tour to visit Mustafapasa - a small Greek village, a short walk along Soganli valley stopping at more cave nunneries, monasteries and churches, and the underground city at Kaymakli. Kaymakli was quite amazing - living space for 20,000 people, stables, wineries, a church, all connected by narrow, low tunnels, including a 9km passage to the next underground city, with frequent keystones to block off invaders. Reminded G of his Dungeons and Dragons days. After the tour we bought our onward bus tickets and finally stopped for tea at a cafe where G had promised the enthusiastic waiter the day we first arrived in Urgup that we would visit "tomorrow". While sitting there we spotted an American girl and her mum who were on our tour, and they joined us. Mustafa picked us up part way up the hill on the way back to the hotel. The poor guy had been sent by Eren to buy her a hair styling iron with 7 different attachments. She was very excited to receive it. One of the American guests made cocktails for everyone on the terrace.

Food: soup, rice, veggies, omelette, yoghurt on the tour, beef ravioli and salad at Ziggy's.

21st August 2008

Summary: bus to Kayseri, bus to Sivas

The otogar (bus station) at Kayseri was a bit of a shock - huge, sparkling and new with Mariah Carey blaring over the loudspeakers. That aside we are really getting into the wild east of Turkey now. The tourists have disappeared, as well almost all English-speaking locals, except for the carpet sellers of course. Started off exploring inside the walls of the citadel, now filled with stalls selling clothing. Walked through the covered bazaar. It was very different to the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul with no painted bowls or cushion covers, just normal shopping items like shiny grey suits and bales of wool. Very few vendors hassling us and there were lots of locals doing their shopping. Bought some turkish delight which was shaved off a huge vertical block, much like a doner kebab. At the next shop we tried to buy the more regular variety, chose a few pieces, but the shop owner refused payment, and just said "gift" - amazing! Entered the mosque of the Hunat Hatun complex. A lot of men were hanging out there, either reading to themselves or out aloud, or just snoozing beside a column. Bus'ed to Sivas then had a long walk (4km) to our hotel with lots of locals helping us find the way - again with very little English. Went for a walk to the centre of Sivas only to find all the historic mosques and buildings enclosed by a big fence and under renovation. Sat on some steps in a square opposite the mosques and watched the locals watching us.

Practicalities: 09:00-10:00 bus from Urgup to Kayseri, cab to town (new otogar is quite far from town), 15:00-18:00 bus to Sivas. Stayed at Otel Divan - room 404.

Food: manti - cross between ravioli and gnocchi, topped with yoghurt - yum! (served by a female - very unusual!), iskender kebab.

22nd August 2008

Summary: bus to Erzurum

Had an early morning walk around Sivas - attempted to visit the Gok Medrese but it was also sealed off for renovation! Managed to stick our heads (mine wrapped in a scarf) into Ulu Cami (oldest mosque in Sivas) which was completely empty. Saw some impressive balancing acts (see photo) at the bus station while waiting to leave for Erzurum. Nice scenery again - gently undulating hills became barren mountains which then became a little more fertile with a stream running through. The approach to Erzurum was a little daunting - we had been in bright sunshine for the entire bus trip (entire 6 wks really), but a grey cloud seemed to envelope the town and a wind storm was brewing. Erzurum's main claim to fame is its Iranian Consulate, so unsurprisingly the first tourist we met (at the secret grog shop, equally unsurprisingly) was headed for Iran. Unfortunately we couldn't find a public place to drink so we didn't get a chance to chat properly. Erzurum is also known for it's conservative-ness (hence no drinking in public). Not only did we see our first black chadors but also some women (I assume) with their faces completely covered in brown sacks. At the same time there were enough females in western outfits that I didn't feel too under-dressed.

Practicalities: 10:30-17:00 bus to Erzurum, minibus into town. First time we arrived in a town without a hotel booking (excluding Lecce where we had the booking but the hotel didn't...) - headed to Kral Hotel where they had a Selcuk-themed room (314) and we managed to knock a whole 10 YTL off the price.

Food: soup, chicken, rice at bus canteen somewhere on the way, lentil soup, anatolian rice, turkish pizza at Salon Asya

23rd August 2008

Summary: Iranian Consulate

Erzurum was still grey when we woke up. Headed straight out to the Iranian Consulate, rather nervous as we'd heard lots of stories of people waiting weeks for their visas, even though they had already arranged authorisation codes (as we have). To maximise our chances I walked into the office in my Iranian outfit (long kaftan top + headscarf) only to find other western tourists there dressed "normally", so I ripped off the scarf. Couldn't have hoped for a better outcome - short wait, everyone was friendly, there didn't appear to be any problems and they told us to come back in the afternoon to pick up our visas. A french couple kindly lent us EUR 100 for payment as we didn't have any EUR cash. The french couple's (Ben and Sylvie) itinerary put our trip to shame - they are about to follow the same route as us through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, but on RECUMBENT BICYCLES. They have already been on the road for 4 months, starting in Marseille, and planning to be travelling for 2 years in total. I will add a link to their blog for those of you who want to see what REAL travellers get up to. We had tea with them and then went for a short wander around town to the Cifte Minareli Medrese (double minareted theological school - this is officially the main site, not the consulate...) and through the jewellery bazaar. Had a siesta then met up with B+S again to head to the embassy. All our passports including visas were returned within 5 min - we were all ecstatic. Back in town we picked up their friend, another crazy french cyclist, Bruno, and checked out their bicycles. The boys went in search of beer (cherry juice for the girls) which we had back in our hotel room to celebrate a successful day. We all went out for dinner followed by baklava, where the other patrons asked where we were from and then showed us a newspaper article about Harry Kewell. Had our first rain for weeks and it was quite cold and windy (15C ish) after dinner.

Food: fruit, bread, turkish macaroon, lentil soup, antep kebab, adana kebab, baklava.

24th August 2008

Summary: bus to Dogubeyazit (aka Dog Biscuit)

Decided to make the most of our Iranian visas so hot-footed it to Dog Biscuit (border town 35km from Iran), being careful not to veer too far north (Georgia) or south (Iraq). The countryside and villages we passed were decidedly bleak and impoverished. Seemed to be a bit more livestock around (mmmm kebabs..). Admired Mt Ararat as we drove past (5165m - we were at approx 1500m). Dogubeyazit is a dusty town and most of the streets seem to be dug up though not fenced off. Combined with the black clouds and thunder it was less than inviting. There were lots of tanks and armed police around but G wouldn't let me take a photo :( Some kids were chatting incessantly to G on the way from the bus stop. One boy insisted he was Kurdish but not Turkish. Wandered around town, found the best supermarket since leaving London, the bus stop to Gurbalek (border crossing), and a paved street!

Practicalities: 10:30-14:30 bus, staying at Hotel Isfahan, room 122

Food: rice, beans, vegetables.

Link to photos - Selcuk to Cappadocia

2008-08-19T12:14:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/SelcukPamukkaleKonyaCappadocia

Selcuk to Cappadocia - 12 Aug to 19 Aug

2008-08-19T11:31:00.001-07:00

12th August 2008

Summary: Selcuk, Ephesus

Went to the Ephesus Museum to do some research prior to our visit to Ephesus. As with Naples/Pompeii alot of the sculptures etc were in the museum. G got his first Turkish shoe shine afterwards. The guy shook his head sadly to indicate he couldn't do anything for my flip flops. Visited the ruins of the Basilica of St John on Ayasoluk Hill. Did a pilgrimmage out to Meryemana, thought to be where the Virgin Mary lived her last years. Afterwards went for a late aftenoon stroll through Ephesus, a large well preserved ancient city which rivals (some would say tops - I don't want to make a call) Pompeii. Highlights were the mosaics in the terrace houses and the library facade. Walked back into town along an mulberry tree lined avenue and bought some figs and peaches from an orchard along the way.

Food: humus, stuffed peppers and aubergine. turkish pizza on the roof terrace. G's first beer in a month.

13th August 2008

Summary: not much

Having had such an efficient day yesterday today has been a rest and admin day - our hotel bookings have almost run out, and trying to suss out Chinese embassies in Tashkent/Bishkek. Also discovered we will be in Iran during Ramadan - duh! Got sidetracked on the way to lunch by ice cream with Jimmy, Juju and other guests. Found out too late (they were leaving) that one of the guests was Iranian. Thought she was a local as she spoke perfect Turkish. G had his first Turkish haircut and shave since the one he had in London just before we left - he was very pleased and smooth afterwards. Had an interesting experience changing money at a jeweller's shop - their rates are much better than banks.

Food: mixture of home-cooked food near the hotel. Our former title holder of world's best kebab (Old St London) has been replaced by Gaziantep in Selcuk - had a yummy adana kebab - a spicy (but not hot) mixed kebab - delicious. More baklava from Ustam Baklaverria (not sure that's a proper Turkish word).

Turkish haircut notes from G: Number 1 with clippers followed by shave, second shave, eyebrow trim, flaming taper to get rid of fuzz, hair wash, and finished up with a scalp, shoulder, back and arm massage.

14th August 2008

Summary: Pamukkale

Had a theological discussion over breakfast. Juju told me that teeth were proof of the existence of God. G agreed. I almost choked on my Turkish tea. Had a 3.5 hour bumpy bus ride to Pamukkale. Halfway during the trip the steward served cake and drinks - awesome! Lunched at our hotel. It was so hot that even sitting in the shade sapped all our energy so we retreated to our air-conditioned room. Ventured out again at 5pm and it was still sweltering (45 degrees+). Our water was hotter than us by the time we drank it. Made it up to the travertines and removed our shoes to walk through the pools. Not quite as spectacular as the pictures as alot of the pools are dry, but still bizarre and quite an experience to walk through them barefoot (good exfoliation too). The ruins at Hierapolis were an added bonus. Highlight was a well preserved roman theatre, including the stage. Surrounding hillside also gorgeous. Stayed to watch the sun set over the travertines when they look at their best - check out the photos.

Practicalities: 09:00-12:30 bus to Pammukale. Staying at Venus Hotel, room 51.

Food: lamb kebab, salad, borek, cacik (similar to tzaziki) for lunch, chicken kebab and meat balls for dinner (ran out of fish :().

15th August 2008

Summary: bus to Konya

Bodily aromas on the dolmus to Denizli reminded me of Dan. The long bus ride went fairly quickly with more snacks and drinks and Rush Hour 3 dubbed into Turkish. We appeared to be the only tourists on the bus. Unfortunately we didn't realise the only food stop was the first one, where we didn't get any food. Konya is home of the whirling dervishes and is a relatively conservative city in western Turkey - about 50% of women were in headscarfs and well covered up, some in denim and/or trenchcoats. Don't know how they do it in temperatures of 30+. We arrived too late to do anything apart from a walk around town. Quite liked it - seemed clean, friendly, had a nice central park and very few tourists. Decided G is now officially off-white.

Practicalities: 10am dolmus to Denizli, then 11:00-18:00 bus to Konya, tram to town centre. Stayed at Ulusan Hotel, room 22. Our first shared bathroom. Very clean.

Food: muesli bars, nuts, dried fruit on the bus, Firin kebab and lamb kebab.

16th August 2008

Summary: Mevlana Museum, bus to Urgup

Had our first annoying Turk today. A guy insisted on followng us around the Mevlana Museum and gibbering and then charged 20 YTL for the privilege. I had to go through again by myself to enjoy it properly. It was a small but good museum containing the tomb of the Mevlana and various items such as huge coils of rosary beads (990 beads!), illuminated Korans and precious carpets. A lot of the visitors were pilgrims. Also had the best line of the trip after leaving the museum - a young guy approached us and said "You've just been to see the number one site in Konya, now you're going to see the second most important site...my carpet shop!". Wandered around to some of the other mosques but mostly just admired the facades. Had an eventful bus trip to Nevsehir (Cappadocia), including driving through a willy-willy and a young kid vomitting very close to G's feet. Had a nice chat with Eren, the hotel owner. Discovered she and G were on adjacent Exodus buses going through China 7 years ago. Freaky!

Practicalities: 14:00 bus to Nevsehir, minibus to Urgup, trek up to the hotel - Serinn Hotel.

17th August 2008

Summary: hot air balloon ride, walk with Mehmet

Woke up at 4:30am for our balloon ride over Cappadocia. Pretty cool (and a bit scary) being 1km up in the air, although think we were unlucky with the winds and we were unable to get close to the interesting rock formations. It was surprisingly calm and didn't notice the ascents/descents even though they were quite fast. Our basket and balloon was virtually brand new which was simultaneously nice but unnerving. The owner of the company which manufactured it came along for the ride. All the locals came over to watch as we landed in a field in a small village. Met a lovely Argentinian couple, Julian and Belen, who were also staying at our hotel - they are the dog's bollocks of travel companions http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dog's%20bollocks.html). Went on a guided walk with them through the rose valley, climbing into pigeon houses and cave churches, and picking and eating fresh walnuts and hazelnuts. Scenery was absolutely stunning. Our guide, Mehmet, knew the area back to front and was full of information, including philisophical anecdotes involving grilled bananas with chocolate. Went into Urgup for dinner with J+B and an Italian couple.

Food: turkish pizzas, salad and icecream.

18th August 2008

Summary: Goreme Open Air Museum, more walking

Spent the day with J+B again. Mustafa from the hotel drove us into town in the Mustafa-mobile (has "Mustafa" across the windshield) to go to the Goreme Open Air Museum where we explored the cave churches, some covered in frescoes. Did a self-guided walk through Zemi Valley, again getting pretty lost and exhausted and covering almost double the expected distance. Picked grapes and plums for sustenance along the way. Finally made it to Uchisar where we stopped for a drink. Revived by our cokes and the fading sun we virtually ran through Pigeon Valley back to Goreme. There was one confusing part of the walk crossing a deep ravine where we collected a few other lost walkers - American and French. Eventually found a safe way across. Entering Goreme we saw an old man sitting on the kerb, looking strained, clenching his fists and making a flatulence sound. I was thinking the poor guy was senile, however after walking another few metres I realised there was a young boy sitting next to him and he was teaching him how to go to the toilet. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. Stopped for beers in Goreme. The French couple who followed us across the ravine joined us. The Americans who turned back to the road also walked past and were disappointed to hear they missed out on the rest of the walk. One of the guys working at the cafe pointed at G's head and said "melon!".

Food: homemade LENTIL SOUP and takeaway pide on the balcony at the hotel.

19th August 2008

Summary: hotel room

Have picked up a bit of a bug. Will spare you the details but am spending most of the day in the hotel room. G is fine and looking after me *aaawwww*.

Food: Gastrolite

Link to photos - Athens to Samos

2008-08-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/AthensSantoriniMykonosSamosAug2008

Athens to Selcuk - 3 August to 11 August

2008-08-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

3rd August 2008

Summary: Acropolis, National Archaelogical Museum, overnight ferry to Santorini

Went to the Acropolis first thing. Unfortunately alot of other people had the same idea, although it was still quite peaceful and pleasant on the far and sunny side of the Parthenon as the tour groups didn't bother walking all the way around. Admired the ancient scaffolding and the bits of the Parthenon which the Brits didn't bother nicking off with. Strolled through the ruins of the Roman Agora (market), then the flea market (active, not ruins). Wandered down to Hadrian's gate and Temple of Zeus, then went up to the National Archaelogical Museum where we spent a good few hours admiring the huge and fascinating collection including neolithic pottery and greek sculptures. Headed to Piraeus for our ferry. We were more excited this time as we had our own cabin. Sat the deck watching the mainland disappear.

Practicalities: 22:30 ferry to Santorini

Food: sandwiches outside the gallery, tapas-style greek food back in town for dinner.

4th August 2008

Summary: Santorini

Slept reasonably well, the main disturbances being overhead announcements for various stops throughout the night. Stood on deck to watch as the ship pulled into the caldera. Finally made it to Oia. Most of the photos you've ever seen of Santorini would have been taken here, and they are pretty accurate - it is full of white cave houses with the odd blue dome or church bell. It was also completely full of tourists around lunch time but then they all disappeared and it was quite peaceful. Went for a swim below the point where everyone was gathered to watch the sunset. The water was beautiful and clear. We didn't stick around to watch the sun set although what we saw from our terrace was not up to Lake Como standards. The starry sky was the best we've seen so far.

Practicalities: arrived in Santorini around 9am (schedule was 8:15), bus to Fira then to Oia which was a painfully slow process. Stayed at La Mer Cave House - a cute cave apartment with - you guessed it - great views of Oia and the caldera.

Food: have noticed a distinct decrease in value in restaurants in Santorini (general trend of trip has been increasing value) to the point where we walked out of the first cafe in protest to 4.50 EUR espressos (cheapest thing on the menu). Had lunch at Blue Sky restaurant, good grilled fish and reasonably priced, however service was incredibly bad (slow mainly) due to the cruise ship full of diners who descended on the restaurant just as we went in. Got free baklava as compensation. Dinner on our terrace.

5th August 2008

Summary: Fira

Headed into Fira to do our laundry. Wandered around the shops and had lunch (got the music again!) while we waited. Went for another swim back in Oia, racing each other back and forth. G is very excited to have his first ever tan, though most of it washes off in the shower. Appear to have temporarily adopted some neighbourhood cats who join us for dinner.

Food: nice grilled sea bass and white eggplant at a tavern called Nikolas, which several people/guidebooks recommended. Dinner on the terrace again - couldn't find chickpeas or lentils so trying red kidney beans. Mille feuille for dessert from the Oia patisserie as recommended by Bindy (thanks!) - very good.

6th August 2008

Summary: tour of islands

G dragged me around town looking for an early morning espresso. The only things open were souvenir shops, and the first cruise-load of tourists had already arrived. After a few laps one of the cafes finally opened. Went on a tour of the islands near Santorini. More accurately it was a glorified set of ferry trips, interesting enough though. First stop was Nea Kameni to see the crater of the volcano. Could really feel the heat under our feet and smell the sulfur. Next stop was to swim in the hot springs although we stayed on deck. Final stop was for lunch at Thirrasis. We were dropped off near our swimming hole so went straight for a swim. This time swam along the coast almost to our apartment. Our daily swims have been the highlight of Santorini. Slight drawback is that it's 300 odd steep steps to/from our apartment with little relief from the sun - at least it keeps the crowds down.

Food: swordfish souvlakis at Captain John's on Thirrasis. Red kidney beans again on our terrace.

7th August 2008

Summary: Mykonos

Woke up at 7am to fit in a last swim. The neighbourhood dogs had been sleeping outside our apartment and took a liking to G. They escorted us all the way down to the water (20min) , waited for us (one even jumped in) and escorted us back. G bangs head (again) on door to our room, this time drawing blood - he wasn't amused at my advice to duck next time. The catarmaran ride to Mykonos was extremely fast and bumpy. Motion sickness pills (thanks for the tip S+R!) are a brilliant invention. There was a lot of squealing and puking going on but we barely felt a thing. Spent the afternoon exploring the old town of Mykonos. Mykonos was also full of white and blue buildings, plus a couple of windmills. It was also incredibly windy. The passageways were quite peaceful until early evening when literally thousands of tourists appeared out of no where (suspect another cruise ship). Had a frustrating wait for the ferry office to open so we could pick up our tickets. There were no signs so we just kept checking. It opened at 8:30pm! Can't say I understand the appeal of Mykonos (and that's excluding the ferry office debacle), possibly because we're way beyond our clubbing days, but glad to have visited all the same.

Practicalities: taxi to port, 11:50-14:25 catarmaran to Mykonos (about 1 hr late arriving), hotel pick up. Stayed at Hotel Nazos, room 116, just out of town, friendly family run place.

Food: late lunch in Mykonos of pizza and salad. Dodgy dinner at a cafe next to the ferry office while waiting for it to open. Free ouzo with the hotel owner as he didn't like drinking alone.

8th August 2008

Summary: Karlovassi (Samos)

The hotel owner dropped us off at the new port for our early morning ferry. Finished off sleeping once the ferry got going. We are seriously in backpacker mode now. I was curled up in the fetal position across two tub chairs, while G slept on the ground. This would not have happened 4 weeks ago. Karlovassi is a fairly large though sleepy and friendly town, and refreshingly lacking in tourists. G managed to upload music from the ipod to the Italian laptop so am blogging to the tune of Nick Cave. Vaguely aware the olympics started today. Have disturbing welts on my arms. At first I thought I'd been attacked by an extremely tidy mosquito with 5 equidistant bites in a very straight line, but with the appearance of two other series of bites it seems too much of a coincidence.

Practicalities: 06:50-12:50 (late again) ferry to Karlovassi. Stayed at Anema by the Sea apartments, room 362.

Food: prices have returned to mainland Greece standards thankfully. Had my first and hopefully last retsina.

9th August 2008

Summary: Pythagorio

Our tendencies towards recreational mathematics got the better of us so we headed to Pythagorio, birthplace of a certain greek mathematician. Checked out the Efpalinio Orygma - an ancient (6th century BC) greek aqueduct. The site itself was not particularly interesting but it represents a remarkable feat of ancient engineering (go look up the details yourself in wikipedia). Spent lunch trying to prove Pythagoras' Theorem. G figured it out just before the mains arrived, along with the useful result of c squared = c squared. Did more research on Pythagoras on the blackberry and slept on a park bench in Vathy while waiting for our connecting bus. Also discovered what I thought was insect repellant is actually a soothing gel for insect bites (the label is in greek). This could explain a lot of bites...We are wondering what symbols Greek maths students use, as greek letters would be a little dull for them??

Practicalities: bus to Vathy then bus to Pythagorio

Food: Fava, salad, and swordfish souvlakis. Home-cooked dinner of salad, salami and cheese. Avoiding beans as members of Pythagoras' cult are forbidden to eat them. Accidentally bought port instead of red wine. Last few nights of alcohol not going well.

10th August 2008

Summary: Potami beach, Mikro Seitani

G went for two hours of orthodox mass. Aside from getting told off for sitting in the single ladies section it all went well. The hotel receptionist later told us he was the only guest to ever ask about mass. Went for a 1 hr hike on the high trail to Potami beach, with a very helpful and friendly local pointing out the route. Potami beach is a pretty pebbly bay, and not particularly crowded, definitely beat the beaches in Sorrento and Positano. We paused for a break but did not swim, instead pushing on to Mikro Seitani. We could see the gorgeous blue water from the road, but couldn't figure out how to get down. Had flashbacks of being lost in the ravine in Meteora, but eventually found our way down to the beach. The swim was particularly refreshing after the hot walk. Had lunch and another dip. Decided this even topped our Santorini swimming spot. Found an easier (only slightly) route up from the beach and walked back to Karlovassi along the road. Played with a sleepy kitten while waiting for our laundry.

Food: sandwiches from dinner leftovers, big meal in Meseo - salad, olives, eggplant, chicken and pork souvlakis.

11th August 2008

Summary: travelled from Karlovassi to Selcuk

Quiet morning in Karlovassi with the main exertion being another coffee run. Headed to Vathy for our ferry to Turkey, ironically named "Kusadasi Express" given that it took 1.5 hrs for the 30km journey. Trekked to the otogar (bus station) where the procedure was fairly obvious - a big turkish guy was screaming "Selcuk!!" and waving at us frantically. Bid farewell to the ocean which we won't be seeing for a couple of months (no different to being in London really). On disembarking at Selcuk we were surrounded by men asking if we needed a hotel, where we were going next etc. I had already booked so asked them for directions. Started getting worried that I had divulged too much information and would have to buy a few carpets before making it to the hotel, but they took us to the counter to buy bus tickets to Pammukale, and then the bus ticket vendor called our hotel who came and picked us up, despite being only a 5 min walk away. Amazing! Hotel owners were super friendly. Sat on the roof terrace watching the olympics, chatting with other guests, simultaneously listening to pop music ("It's raining men") in one ear and the call to prayer in the other. Had a great dinner and then Juju insisted on taking us to the best baklava shop in town. Really enjoying the organised chaos that is Turkey. G already talking about moving here and learning to play backgammon.

Practicalities: 3pm bus to Vathy, 5pm ferry to Kusadasi, staying at Urkmez Hotel, room FOUR.

Food: stuffed tomatoes, peppers and baked aubergine in Karlovassi, grilled sea bream, anatolian rice and spicy salsa at the hotel in Selcuk.

Lecce to Athens - 29 July to 2 August

2008-08-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

29th July 2008

Summary: Big travel day - Positano->Sorrento->Naples->Caserta->Lecce

Spent basically the whole day travelling today. Was feeling quite wiped out - I think a combination of the heat and stair climb with 10kg pack. Fortunately I was partially revived by 1L of gatorade by the time I heard the news that our Lecce hotel had lost our booking. One of us remained calm under pressure (readers may vote for who they think this was). Arrived in Lecce at 19:45 expecting to wander around for a few hours looking for a hotel. Fortunately the first one we tried had a spare room. G was pleased it was no worse than his Islamabad hotel which had geckos on the walls. We didn't have unexpected flora or fauna, just nice views of the train tracks. After checking in went out for a great dinner and a quick explore and obligatory gelato.

Practicalities: 11:20am bus to Sorrento, Circumvesuviana train to Naples, train to Caserta, another train to Lecce, arriving 19:45. Ended up staying at Hotel Capelli, room 21.

Food: had our fornightly meat intake at a great little osteria, La Vecchia Osteria - great antipasti, Lecce-style sausages and grilled lamb with rosemary.

30th July 2008

Summary: Lecce, overnight ferry to Igoumenitsa (Greece)

Had a relaxed day wandering Lecce, enjoying the baroque architecture. Unfortunately most of the churches were closed so we could only admire the facades. Lecce became a ghost town after lunch as all the locals had their siesta. Headed to Brindisi for our ferry, which seemed like a pleasant enough town as far as transport hubs go. The port itself was much more set up for vehicles than foot passengers. We wallked through vast expanses of tarmac to get to the boat, horrified to find 4 contiki busloads also boarding. Currently blogging on deck. Hope we can sleep on the "aircraft style" seats (the contiki groups stole all the beds!).

Practicalities: 21:30-08:00 (+1 day) ferry to Igoumenitsa

Food: back to the same osteria for antipasti and pasta for lunch. Rather strange Lecce'an bread for dinner filled with olives and sundried tomatoes.

31st July 2008

Summary: Ioannina, drive through Pindhos ranges, Kalambaka, Kastraki

Not a lot of sleep overnight due to uncomfortable seats, TV watchers, loud conversations at 3am, and a 5am stop in Corfu. I challenged G to remain cheerful for the day - no sense of humour failures all round fortunately. Clambered bleary-eyed onto deck to enjoy our first sighting of Greece to the tune of Greek music. Had pleasant mountain scenery on our bus ride to Ioannina, where we stopped to explore the town. Wandered through a market where we bought some fruit and got a complementary greek lesson from the friendly fruit sellers. Walked to the lake which was looking rather choppy but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to catch the ferry to Nissi Island to visit the monasteries. Explored the Kastro which had Ottoman buildings such as a library, bathhouse and mosques, and checked out the Byzantine museum. After lunch hopped on the bus to Kalambaka which was an unexpected highlight (how exciting does a 3 hr bus ride sound). I had been planning to catch up on some sleep but spent most of the trip gawking at the stunning Pindhos mountain range, the Katara pass, and then the monoliths of Meteora. The roads were good though rather windy. It was like Amalfi without the sea. Also spoke to some backpackers from Canada and Germany. They were all young and had run out of money so they were camping. We felt a bit bourgeois admitting to staying in hotels. Alighted in Kalambaka and after an efficient trip to the train station to buy tickets to Athens we then wasted an hour waiting in the wrong "main" square for the wrong bookshop to open in order to buy a hiking map (Rough Guide maps are poor/non-existent, as are Greek street signs). Eventually gave up and started walking to Kastraki, at which point we discovered the correct square. So at least we got our map. Finally made it to our hotel (of course at the opposite end of town) where we were given a great room and balcony with panoramic views of the rocks. Went for dinner and then had a really good night's sleep.

Practicalities: Arrived 7.15am in Igoumenista and made the 8:15-10am bus to Ioannina. 2-5pm bus to Kalambaka. Stayed at Doupiani House, room 18.

Food: lunch at Stin Ithaki on the lakeside at Ioannina - courgette patties, eggplant salad, chicken pie and pork kebab. Dinner just north of the church in Kastraki - tzaziki, cucumber and tomato salad, stuffed tomatoes/peppers, moussaka.

1st August 2008

Summary: hiking to monasteries of Meteora

As soon as we appeared for breakfast the hotel owner put on the same music track as we heard on the boat. Wondering how many times we will hear this tune. Got a fairly early start to avoid the heat, hiking to the first monastery (Megalou Meteorou) in about 1 hr. The monoliths looked much less daunting close up (or we were just much fitter). There was no one else on the hiking trails (except for a turtle) but when we got to the monastery hoards of tourists appeared. Explored the church (Greek Orthodox with lots of frescoes of beheadings), refectory, and ossuary. Nice enough but way too many tourists around. The hike and scenery were definitely the highlights. By the time we left there was a massive queue of tourists waiting to get in. Wandered down the road to the next monastery (Varlaam) for more of the same. Noticed that the priests had little cable cars to get around. After Varlaam we followed the Rough Guide's suggestion of going through the ravine to get to the next monastery instead of walking along the road. What was meant to take 35 min took 1.5 hrs with many wrong turns, deadends, scrapes on thorns and clambering up/down small cliffs which we though was the path but wasn't. We did manage to purchase a dishwasher for our new tenants though (on the mobile of course). Luckily we weren't feeling the lethargy of previous days, and the heat was surprisingly bearable, though perhaps it's was simply that when faced with a life-threatening situation we forgot about such trivial discomforts (Maslow's Heirarchy). Finally made it to the road and the next monastery (Roussanou). Decided to call it a day and walked back to Kastraki along a dry stream bed. Didn't walk past a single tourist in 5 hours of hiking.

Food: lunch at the the same tavern as the previous night (almost the same food too :)). Dinner at a tavern closer to home with a cute little grey kitten that sat on Geoff's lap.

2nd August 2008

Summary: Athens

Apparently taxi drivers don't operate so early in the morning so we had to wake up at 5:20am and do a 35 min trek down to Kalambaka in the darkness. Snoozed and enjoyed the scenery on the train journey - not quite Pindhos ranges but still very nice. Slept off the early start after lunch then went for a walk around Plaka, full of pedestrianised streets, mostly lined with tourist shops and restaurants, though not completely overwhelmed with tourists fortunately. Checked out the Roman Forum and Tower of the Winds, and walked back to the hotel past Hadrian's library. G went to mass at the cathedral nearby with a group of kiwi pilgrims. Keep having to make spitting noises at G every time he looks at me to ward off the evil blue-eyed curse (local superstition). Thought of the day is why bidets aren't as popular in Greece as in Italy? You can't flush loo paper here, have to put it in the bin.

Practicalities: 6:33-11:15am train to Athens and short metro ride to our hotel. Stayed at Central Hotel, room 610 - nice, modern and...central. Bugger to look up on the internet.

Food: Fried rice and noodles (inspired by Sonya and Ross) at a noodle bar near the hotel. Cheese and salami plus Greek wine on our balcony. Preparing our own meal is now almost as expensive as eating out.

Errata: Today's bizarre afternoon siesta dream sequence was the destruction of the Macquarie Bank building in Sydney in an earthquake (G) and a bus going over a cliff (J). G finished Peter Green's Alexander the Great and has decided to reread it. Alexander's empire stretched from modern day Greece to Kyrgyzstan which is pretty much the region we will cover. J has managed one chapter on The Great Game - a good achievement

Link to photos - Igoumenitsa to Meteora

2008-08-02T12:22:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/IgoumenitsaIoanninaMeteora

Link to photos - Rome to Lecce

2008-08-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/RomeNaplesSorrentoVesuviusPompeiiAmalfiLecce

Link to photos - London to Assisi

2008-08-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/julie.young.carroll/ParisMilanLakeComoBolognaFlorenceSienaAssisi

Siena to Positano (21 July - 28 July)

2008-07-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

21st July 2008

Summary: Siena - Palazzo Publico, Duomo, Museo 'dell Opera Metropolitana, Il Campo

Early morning train to Siena followed by a 20 minute hike to our hotel. Strolled down to Il Campo (the main square that gently sloped inwards like a bowl) and checked out the Palazzo Publico which contained lots of nice frescoes. Then trekked over to the Duomo with black and white marble layered like a zebra. This time I preferred the interior, especially the hundreds of popes heads peering over us (Geoff was doubtful there had been that many popes but his wikipedia search confirmed there have been 256 since St Peter). Went into the Museo 'dell Opera Metropolitana which had religious artwork and a beautiful terrace with great views over Siena and the Tuscan countryside. Went for a walk to the fortress (don't bother), passing some medieval fountains. Went into San Domenico where we found St Catherine's finger and head (a bit disturbing). Sat on Il Campo for a picnic dinner of bread, salami and cheese.

Practicalities: 8:10am-9:38am train to Siena. Stayed at Albergo Cannon d'Oro, room 34.

Food: antipasti buffet lunch, picnic dinner on Il Campo.

22nd July 2008

Summary: Assisi - Basilica de San Francesco, Rocca Maggiore

Caught our first long distance bus, enjoying the usual 80s bus music (including Men At Work). Had another 20 minute UPHILL hike to our hotel. Assisi is famous as the home of St Francis. It is also a seriously well preserved (and cute) medieval town. Had lunch then headed straight to Basilica de San Francesco. The exterior of the basilica was nice though modest, but combined with it's setting on the edge of town with Umbrian countryside as a backdrop it was simply stunning. The interior had two levels and contained lots of frescoes as well as the tomb of St Francis. There were many pilgrims visiting and ambiance vigilantes saying 'shhhh' into a microphone every 5 minutes. Also explored the museum attached. Walked up to Rocca Maggiore which is a fantastic castle on the hill behind Assisi. After dinner strolled back across town to watch the sunset behind the basilica, although the tranquility was marred by some entertaining Franciscan monks singing and dancing in the courtyard with a large childrens group.

Practicalities: 10:30am-12:30pm bus to Assisi. Stayed at Hotel Il Duomo, room 1.

Food: Yummy pizza at I Monaco. Chickpeas again for dinner.

23rd July 2008

Summary: Rome

Spent most of the morning on trains and buses. Finally made it to the hotel at Campo de Fioro and the room was lovely. We have been to Rome twice before and seen most of the sights so our main aim was just to wander and do a bit of admin. Tried to go to our favourite restaurant for lunch but it was shut for holidays (again) so went to the place next door (again). Walked to Trastevere to try and find the latest Iran Lonely Planet - no luck, why isn't Iran a more popular holiday destination? Wandered back over to the Pantheon for gelato (Geoff called work) and had a home "cooked" dinner, ie €2 panini, on the rooftop terrace of our hotel - great views over Rome rooftops which we had not seen before. Really felt the heat today.

Practicalities: 8:23am-10:24am with one change but can't remember where (Foligno?), plus it was running 1 hr late by the time we got to Rome. Hotel Campo de Fiori, room 304.

Food: pasta for lunch, and more chickpeas for dinner.

24th July 2008

Summary: Rome - Parco Leonardo shopping mall

Discovered our laptop (aka 'the hairdryer') had died because we'd been working it too hard the previous night, which changed our itinerary. We headed out towards Fiumicino airport to a large shopping mall which reminded us of Eastgardens (to explain to the Londoners - Eastgardens is a shopping mall in Sydney). Luckily we found a new and improved version as a replacement. Spent the rest of the day trying to get Windows to speak English instead of Italian with no luck, but I think we'll get by. As a break we walked to Largo di Torre Argentina to watch the pussy cats.

Food: canned lentils and salmon on the rooftop terrace. If you haven't tried it, give it a go.

25th July 2008

Woke up in the middle of a nightmare where I was mopping the floors of an enormous church while Gareth from The Office was painting the ceiling. G went to mass at Opus Dei global headquarters in the morning, while I went for a walk to the Catholic global HQ (the Vatican). Getting off the train at Napoli was like arriving in another country. We had a pleasant walk to the hotel, dodging traffic (no traffic lights anywhere), piles of rubbish and flattened pigeons. I had been warned about Naples train station but I had expected the city to improve the further we got from the station. It did, but only slightly. The look on G's face as we found our hotel was priceless. The entrance was a cross between a derelict building and a construction zone, however the hotel itself was perfectly fine. We popped into the Duomo and then walked to the Archaelogical Museum. The museum had a great collection of mosaics from Pompeii and other towns. It also had some huge and impressive sculptures. G's mood picked up considerably after a good meal not involving lentils or chickpeas.

Summary: Naples - Duomo, Museum

Practicalities: 12:49pm-15:30pm train to Naples. Hotel Duomo, room 104. The number of times 4 has appeared in our hotel room number (4 out of 7 hotels) is starting to worry me.

Food: Huge pizzas at Di Matteo. I had four seasons, G had a calzone.

26th July 2008

Summary: Mt Vesuvius, Pompeii, Sorrento

Got one of the first trains out of Naples to Pompeii, at which point we decided to do Mt Vesuvius first so hopped on another 1.5 hr bus - including a 25 min stop so a guy could try and sell a busload of people his book on Mt Vesuvius. Fortunately it was a lot cooler and cloudier than we were expecting, as the walk up to the crater was reasonably challenging. We were able to appreciate exactly how large Naples was, it just seemed to sprawl into the horizon. That is when we could see anything, as half the time we were in a cloud and couldn't see much at all. Walked halfway around the crater (as far as you could go) and then returned just in time for our bus back to Pompeii. Pompeii was amazingly well preserved. We enjoyed exploring the ruins, and in particular the murals and mosaics at Villa dei Misteri. Unfortunately they ran out of maps (!!) and it's a huge site so we got a tad lost at times. Trained to Sorrento, checked in and went out to explore. Nice enough but extremely touristy and busy with traffic.

Practicalities: 9:06am-9:37am Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii Scavi, 10:15am bus to Mt Vesuvius, returned to Pompeii at 13:55. 16:47 Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Stayed at Villa Rosa Sorrento, room 2 - nice room though noisy with traffic and neighbours.

Food: espresso (strong) and pastries near the hotel. I was just admiring the lack of fuss with the takeaway coffees in disposable plastic cups covered in foil, when they put them into a big pink heart shaped box along with pastries, chocolates and juice for a local beau to take to his girlfriend. Very small lunch of free bread topped with yummy tomato puree at Mt Vesuvius, from organic tomatoes grown on the slopes. Dinner in Sorrento at Da Gigino - proscuitto e melone, shrimp, artichokes e rucola, green gnocchi with shrimp, homemade paperdelle with vongole, shrimp and asparagus (that's a lot of shrimp!).

27th July 2008

Summary: Positano

Did another small exploration of Sorrento while G went to mass. Went down to the waterfront where people were paying a fortune to sunbake on deckchairs on the jetty, or else cramped up on the free beach of dark, volcanic sand. Coogee beach (Sydney) seemed like a much more appealing option! Still, the water and view looked nice, and it was hot. Caught a bus to Positano along with lots of other day trippers. The bus drove along narrow, windy roads up and over the hill, with great views over Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It dropped us off at the top of Positano where we trekked down lots of stairs and fortunately stumbled across our hotel (the only map we had was GPS on G's blackberry). Positano is literally a vertical city! After lunch wandered down more steps into town to find the best spot for a swim. Eventually went for a dip in a small gravelly cove a few minutes away from the main beach.

Practicalities: 12:30-13:20 bus. Stayed at Palazzo Talamo, room 9.

Food: lunch near the hotel - bruschetta, salad of buffalo mozarella+tomatoes+basil. paperdelle bolognese and pasta with eggplant. sandwiches on our balcony for dinner.

28th July 2008

Summary: Ravello, Amalfi

Caught the bus along the coast to Amalfi, again winding along the coastline with crazy hairpin bends and stunning scenery. From Amalfi caught a open-topped bus up to Ravello which sits high above Amalfi. Explored the gardens of Villa Cimbrone which had great views of the coastline and terraced mountains full of olive and lemon trees. Headed back to Amalfi where we had a quick wander and lunch. Decided we preferred Positano as it was quieter and had less traffic (on the flip side Amalfi didn't have so many friggin' steps). Went for another swim back in Positano and then had our first GELATO for four days.

Food: lunch at Ristorante La Perla in Amalfi - bruschetta, pasta with monkfish and green beans. chickpeas on the balcony.

London to Florence (13 July - 20 July)

2008-07-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

13th July 2008

Summary: London, Paris, Overnight train to Milan

Woke up at 6am not wanting to get out of bed as it would be the last time we did so in London (also I had just fallen asleep again after being awake between around 2-5am). Our walk to Barbican tube station felt simultaneously normal and strange. Paused to admire the newly renovated International Terminal at Kings Cross St Pancras (the Champagne bar was closed) and then hopped on the Eurostar for a smooth journey to Paris. After much faffing about (see transport section below) finally made it to Nicolas' place where he cooked us a lovely lunch (see food section below), and I got to practice my Cantonese with his girlfriend, Shu Yi. Took a ride in Nicolas' infamous mini to Parc du Bagatelle for the Chopin concert which was amazing. Met Di there however unfortunately we didn't have much time to catch up with her apart from the stroll back to the car but we'll see her back in Sydney for Christmas. Nicolas drove us to Gare de Bercy passing through all the sites on the way – we drove through the crazy roundabout at Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee and along the north bank of the Seine, catching a glimpse of the spires of Notre Dame. There was enough time for a quick drink in the lounge before boarding the train for Milan. Had a very comfortable 2 bed sleeper cabin and we went to sleep early after quite a few late nights and early mornings during our last few days in London.

Practicalities: 8:26am-11:47am Eurostar from Kings Cross St Pancras to Gare de Nord. Metro'ed to Bercy to try and leave our bags in a locker but there were no lockers there, so walked to Gare de Lyon nearby which was a much larger station. It had lockers but they were out of order, so decided to take our bags to Nicolas'. Went back to Bercy to get the green line across to Nicolas', but when we got there the line was closed! RER'ed up to Chatelet and then caught another RER down to Nicolas'. In total took about 1.5 hrs, if we'd gone straight to Nicolas' from Gare de Nord it would have taken 30min! 19:42 overnight train to Milan.

Food: Nicolas cooked a tasty Japanese meal of sea snails, clams in a sake consomme, beef and noodles. Still quite full from lunch so had a light dinner of salad and fruit salad on the train.

14th July 2008

Summary: Milan, Varenna

Despite the rather bumpy ride we slept quite well, though waking up often enough to enjoy the (dark) scenery outside. Our conductor knocked on the door at 5:10 am (4:10am London time!) to wake us for our 5:38am arrival in Milan. Early morning in Milan was probably the perfect time to explore – cool and not very crowded. We did the 30 min stroll into town, had a quick and tasty brekkie then went into the Duomo, the main cathedral in Milan. Unfortunately it was too early to climb the roof. Also went to a cute little church nearby, memorable for it's sanctuary which had an optical illusion to look a lot deeper than it actually was. Stuck our head inside St Sebastian Church. Caught the train to Varenna on Lake Como, north of Milan. It was cold, windy and drizzly when we got there, not at all what I was expecting! Found our hotel, it was too early to check in so had a coffee and waited for the rain to pass, then went for a wander and lunch. By this time we had blue skies although still gale-force winds, and only warm-ish. Checked in and found ourselves in a gorgeous room with 180 degree views of the lake. After our afternoon nap we walked to Villa Monastero and strolled through the beautiful lakeside gardens. Had a gelato and watched the ducks getting seasick in the choppy waters.

Practicalities: 5:38am arrival in Milan, 9:15am-10:17am train to Varenna. Hotel Du Lac, Varenna, room 24.

Food: coffee and pastries standing up (3.50EUR in total!) served by a guy called Guiseppe in a cafe behind the Duomo. Lunch at Il Cavatappi – air-dried beef, salami, spaghetti with tomatoes and fresh fish from the lake. There was just one guy in the tiny restaurant (5 tables) taking orders, cooking, and serving, and it was delicious! Gelato along the lakeside footpath. Shared melone e proscuitto, pizza and salad for dinner at the pizzeria attached to Albergo del Sole.

15th July 2008

Summary: Bellagio, Fiumilatte

Ferried to Bellagio which sits at the centre of Lake Como and did a guided tour of the gardens of Villa Serbelloni. The gardens were very green and lush and there were great views of all the branches of Lake Como. At the top there were remains of a 4th century castle. The villa and grounds now belong to the Rockerfeller Foundation and scholars are invited to do their research in the studios which are dotted through the gardens. After the tour we popped into the little church nearby, lunched, then strolled through the streets of Bellagio. Like Varenna it was a maze of narrow pebbled steep streets leading down to the water. We did a 20 minute walk across to Pescalo, a little fishing village on the Lecco branch of the lake. Ferried back to Varenna and after a quick power nap climbed the hill behind Varenna up to the castle where we were greeted by an owl, a falcon, a turret and more great views. Walked down the mountain towards Fiumilatte, a small town near Varenna which is home to Europe's shortest river. The river was a huge torrent of water rushing into Lake Como. It must have been icy cold as standing on the bridge over it felt like stepping into an air conditioned room. Eventually found the small bakery/deli we were looking for where we picked up some supplies for a fantastic dinner on our balcony watching the sun set and the moon emerge.

Practicalities: 10:25 ferry to Bellagio, returned on 14:45, takes about 15min.

Food: sub-standard (microwaved) pasta and salad from a take-away shop in Bellagio. Salami, cheese, salad, bread and wine (all for 10EUR!) on our balcony for dinner.

16th July 2008

Summary: hike from Menaggio to Il Rogolone, Villa Carlotta

Ferried to Menaggio where we did a 4 hour hike – passing through Codogna, a sleepy little village with narrow pebbled lanes and made it to Il Rogolone (sp?), a large oak tree. Sat on the river bank for lunch on the way back near Ponte Nogara. Snoozed on the long ferry ride to Villa Carlotta, where we explored the lush gardens and wandered through the house which contained some impressive sculptures and furnishings. Had a great meal back in Varenna with the usual fantastic view over the lake.

Practicalities: 9:40am ferry to Mennagio, 15:10 ferry to VC (via Varenna, Bellagio and some other town). 17:25 ferry back to Varenna.

Food: Dinner at Albergo Milano (where I also tried to stay but they were booked out) – had tomato and basil cream soup flavoured with vodka, melone e proscuitto, crepe with ricotta and salmon, and duck with pumpkin and pink pepper puree, tallegio and gelato.

17th July 2008

Summary: Bologna

Said our farewells to Lake Como and moved on to Bologna, with an unintentional lunch break in Milan on the way. After checking in we strolled down to the old town through the park and under covered walkways lined with lots of high street shops. Initial impressions were mixed – we were pleased there were not many tourists around however the main squares (Piazza Del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore) were not particularly inspiring, and to top it off a very rude guy manning the gates to the church of San Petronio refused to let us in with our backpack, which was no larger than many shoulder bags he was letting through. We took turns going through but I was too annoyed to enjoy the interior (and I don't think it was all that impressive anyway). As soon as we got off the main square however we were wow'ed by the crazy medieval street plan and chaotic mix of old red brick buildings and tiled roofs. First stop was a street full of fresh food – fruit, veg, cheese and meat. Wandered past the Due Torri – apparently the only two remaining of hundreds of towers that were scattered across the city in the Middle Ages. Given the serious lean of the shorter one we imagine the rest must have toppled over. Stumbled into Basilica of Santo Stefano where we paused to listen to evening prayer sung by real live monks. Wandered around vaguely looking for a dinner venue but just enjoying the crazy architecture and streets all around us. Ended up having a surprisingly good meal back near the hotel.

Practicalities: 10:19am train to Milan, 13:00-14:42 train to Bologna – used our InterRail passes but had to make a reservation for the Bologna train and the queues were ridiculous so missed our intended connection – need to book in advance next time! Stayed at Hotel Il Guercino, room 113 – a very cheap but perfectly adequate hotel just north of the train station, and about 20 min walk into town.

Food: Dinner at Restaurant San Luigi right next to the hotel – had pork fat and rosemary on toast (sounds awful but was divine), parmesan tart with asparagus, tagliatelle with ragu and with mushrooms, crème caramel and chocolate pudding.

18th July 2008

Summary: Bologna, Florence

Headed back into town to finish off the sites. Found a pieta which tops Michelangelo's (in my opinion) in the church of Santa Maria della Vita by Nicola dell' Arca. Climbed the taller of the towers of Due Torri (97.2m – surprisingly effortless!) for amazing views over the city. I don't normally suffer from vertigo but the footprint to height ratio of this tower was really disturbing me. I convinced myself it had been standing for hundreds of years and millions of tourists had climbed it so I'd have to be pretty unlucky for it to topple over when I was in it. Had a closer look at the churches around Santo Stefano. After another simple lunch back at the hotel we caught the train to Florence. Checked into a gorgeous and large period room at Hotel Cestelli – although almost too gorgeous as we were scared of damaging things. The hotel owner gave us lots of good advice. We headed out to buy Uffizi tickets for Saturday, then paused in the loggia on Piazza Signora (?) to admire the sculptures and watch the ambience vigilantes at work. Florence felt extremely touristy compared to Bologna and even Lake Como. We were pretty staggered with our first glimpse of the Duomo, however again not particularly impressed by the internals. Made it to the Accademia and entered without queuing to see Michelangelo's David. Funnily enough all the seating behind the statue was taken up by girls. Wandered back across town and south of the river and finally found some grocery shops so that we could make a simple dinner back at the hotel.

Practicalities: 13:40-14:42 train from Bologna to Florence. Stayed at Hotel Cestelli, room 5.

Food: discovered a new ingredient for homemade meals – canned chickpeas!

19th July 2008

Summary: Florence – Bargello and Uffizi

Hung out in the Bargello sculpture gallery – mostly enjoyed taking silly photos in the gothic courtyard and made a few phone calls home. Memorable sculptures were most of Dante's work and Giambologna's Mercury. Climbed the 463 steps of the dome of the Duomo for great views across Florence. Had a power nap to recharge for Uffizi. Our favourite works here were Botticelli's Venus and Annunciation. G went for mass at the Duomo (mostly bewildered toursts) while I was excited to find some free wifi in a courtyard inside Palazzo Strozzi. Walked across the river for views over Florence from Piazza Michelangelo and had dinner nearby. Wandered back via Santa Croce.

Food: gnocchi with prawns and zuchinni flowers, taglatelle with scampi.

20th July 2008

Summary: Florence – baptistry, Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, Santa Croce

Visited the baptistry in front of the Duomo and hurt our necks trying to look at the gold mosaics on the ceiling. Next went to Museo dell' Opera del Duomo where we joined a free tour by a very enthusiastic guide who talked us through the difference between gothic and renaissance sculptures. Saw an impressive wooden sculpture of the penetant Mary Magadalene by Donatello which, as the tour guide said, would not have been out of place in New York's MoMA, even though it was created in 1454. Also saw Michelangelo's (unfinished) Pieta intended for his tomb. After lunch went to the church of Santa Croce where a number of famous Italians are buried, including Michelangelo (sans Pieta), Galileo and Machievelli. Had our first visit to the laundromat. After dinner had an evening stroll and gelato in Piazza Signora.

Food: had a great bruschetta with tomatoes and mozarella, and a less memorable microwaved pasta behind the Uffizi, whilst sitting next to some people from Campbelltown. Trying canned lentils for dinner.