Around the World with Ralf & Sam

Almost Home Via Helsinki

2011-09-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Yes you heard it right due to an impossible connection through England on our British airways flight ( a discussion with our travel agent upon our return ) we were bumped onto a FinnAir flight to Singapore through Helsinki which would have been ok if we were not in economy the entire flight!! 15 hours in total and poor Sammy is a wreck as they are the flights she dreads long haul no room to move, the girl at the counter did her best to make it as comfortable as possible by leaving a seat free next to us on both flights but when you are trying to sleep the lack of recline makes it nearly imopossible ( the reason we purchase business or premium economy seats! ) anyhoo we are now in Singapore it is around 2 in the morning and i am wide awake and decided to come down to put up our final blog.
Sammy is sleeping in the room as she has been from 7pm Singapore time so hopefully a good night sleep will help her as she is battling off a cold at present, we are happy to be coming home now so that we can all be together over the coming week, I went out to the shops last night to secure my payload of back heat patches and bought the store out, he promised to have some more in today so i will probably need a shipping container to get them back!!.
We are going to have a lazy day today as we have bought our flight forward a day to try to get some recovery time in Australia before we head down to Adelaide on Thursday,
Cant wait to see you all upon our return it has been a trip full of memories some good some not so good but that is what life is all about its how you handle both situations that makes all the difference.
Love every single one of you and cant wait to share our memories with you all ( oh no not 2000 photos again ) yes all of that as well !
Love Ralf, Sam, MM xxxx

Mountain Climbing in Florence

2011-09-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, well as we wait until we get home, and having walked throught the city centre, today we decided to explore the outskirts of the city using the hop on hop off bus tour. First we went out of the city 8km to a little town called Fiesole, which is nesttled above the hills surounding Florence. After an invigorating 10 min hike up a near vertical slope we were rewarded with stunning views of Florence. The walk down was tricky too, but as alwayys Ralf was there to support me and I lent on his shoulder all the way down.
Back into the city and we got off at the station to walk a short way to the Mercintile markets. Inside has all the fresh food that locals come to buy early in the mornings but outside there would be over 400 stalls selling, leather goods, scarves, jewellery, trinkets etc. We walked around here for about and 1 1/2 hours and then made our way back across the city where we had to sort out a glitch we have had with the bank. mmmm not so easy but working on it!! Now we are back at the hotel where Ralf spent 1hr on the phone to 'which bank'?? The chambermaid is very happy with us tonight as we have just let her in to turn down our sheets, supply fresh towels, etc (we have sent her away the other nights and she is so upset) and then we are off out to get some dinner.
Lots of love coming across from here to you all, thanks to you all for your support, we will see you soon,
Love Ralf, Sam and MM

mountain

2011-09-08T09:03:00.001-07:00

Photos of Florence

2011-09-07T05:06:00.001-07:00

Just some more photos of Florence... please refer to earlier blog, ciao

2011-09-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, thank you to you all for following our blog it means a lot to us, actually more than you know at the moment. It is difficult being away from home for a long period of time and at this time it is especially hard when all we want to do is be home in Adelaide with family and do whatever we can to get through a very difficult time for Ralf's side of the family. We are proud parents to talk to our two beautiful children and watch them deal with their grief, support their Nanna from Qld and our frustration of being helpless in this beautiful city.
Today we went for a walk around the city as we needed to be doing something, rather than pondering our inability to make time move faster... we saw some beautiful buildings and Ralf and I were not fit for papparatzi, so MM features. The city is very walkable and it was good to get out and help to clear our heads. Enjoy the photos of Florence over the next couple of days and a big thank you to all of you who are supporting us and the kids in so many ways, we love you all. XXXXX

Rest in peace Lothar.

Under the Tuscan Rain!!

2011-09-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone I am writing this blog from possibly the most beautiful hotel room i have ever been in!! Sam is in heaven, let me try to describe it to you, firstly the entire first floor is exlusive Tuscan suites around 16 I think so you enter through a special secure door into your private lounge which has food and drink replenished all day ( we have just returned from champagne fruit and nibbles washed down with Perrier water ) you then access your suite which has a King size bed massive wardrobe and sitting area a writing desk a bureau with mini bar and TV and a fabulous bathroom with toilet and separate Bidet large bath and shower and double hand basin shelf all in marble of course, the bed has a velvet hanging pelmet over the top with lots of brass and the ceiling has the mandatory massive wooden beams ( Sandra is nagging me to say that she would like a dress made from the curtain material ) so it is exactly what she was hoping for here in Tuscony and has fulfilled her dream.
Now to tell you of our trip from Venice!! It all began well with Fabio picking us up at 7.30 and taking our bags down to the Rialto bridge where the water buses leave from, we asked the Concierge for his advice on what bus to take for our car pick up and he was magnifico!! put us about 50m from the office, now Sammy had forgotten to read the paperwork and had forgotten that we werent supposed to pick up the car until 10.30 mmmmm It is Italy and the Dude said eh itsa ok itsa ready to go now anyway!! so off we went after programming Narelle to get us to Verona and on to Juliets House, mmm we dont have an address that Narelle likes no matter just punch in Verona and away we go, oooooppss right hand side Ralfy must remember that!! got to Verona and could quite happily had a Valium and a lie down as the stress levels were in overload and the concentration required to drive the narrow city steets on the right hand side whilst listening to Narelle who im sure had as much idea as me of where we were going!
We did finally get to the little city in Verona and to her house which for me was a little dissapointing however the puppy dog look in Sammys eyes told me it was another dream come true for her, i did manage to get a handful of Juliet's right breast ( considered to give you good luck in love " Heres Hoping " ) so the trip wasnt a total bust mmm interesting choice of words.
Then onto the long trip to Florence or Firenza as it is known here, our hotel is in the middle of the old city and can only be accessed by licence ( Which the hotel gives you ) but the pathetic map we had and Narelles growing intransagence became a real problem as we got hopelessly lost and had to resort to phoning the hotel and having them talk us in, we were very stressed when we arrived but after a shower and the Champagne we are felling a little better, I have also spoken with the Concierge and i now have maps that i can follow and easy ways in and out as well as launderette details so we are about to head out into beautful Florence walk our cars route in and out of the city and find the Launderette as well as having a little dinner.
Walking day through Florence tomorrow and relaxing prior to a trip to Pisa on Wednesday, ok I know it reads like a novel but it has been very Cartharthic to write out the day, sorry if it was boring i will try to do better tomorrow!!
Love and miss you all Ralf, Sam, and MM xxx

St Marco Bacillia

2011-09-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little post to show you St Marks Square it was packed!! today was 38 degrees with 100% hunidity ( Trish you would have loved it ) I basically swam everywhere today in my clothes very comfortable and then at the end of the day it rained and made it even worse!!
Still we had a great day and after our Siesta we travelled to the square and looked at the wonderful buildings and the bridge of sighs, following that we went to the Rialto bridge and there was a big festival under way where the various suburbs of Venice race their boats like Dragon boats down the canals it was very colorful and lots and lots of people there to watch, we are back at our hotel now and are watching it on TV so its obviously a big deal.
Trish will try to skype tonight ( your morning ) if you send me a text message on my phone when you are about i will boot up the putey as i have limited Wi Fi here, ok enjoy the pictures and Steph i didnt cry it is very humid here and i am sweating a lot!!
Love to you all Ralf Sam & mm xxx

Burano, Murano same same but different????

2011-09-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

Bon Jurno from Venice! It is bellisimo. We both love the city. Where we are staying is lovely an old converted Palace and in one of the few remaining less-touristy areas. It is still fairly busy when you are out and about even here and on a Sunday. Well on the advice of our tour guide from Paris, Bruce, oh and you Lynn, we travelled by water bus to Burano Island. This one is famous for it's coloured buildings, the meaning dates back to medieval times and for it's lace making. We wandered this beutiful island for about 4hrs fascinated by the way italians were going about their normal lives while boatloads, and I do mean boatloads of tourists piled in and then piled out of the main touristy streets. We left that behind and found the fisherman, the mamas shaking tablecloths out windows and 2 weddings! To me this is what I thought Italy would be. With a few words, some gestures and friendly smiles we communicated with the people who make Burano their home. We had a local lunch of fried sea things, some that resembled bait Gerv, but tasted delicious, chips and a salad. Ralf had a gelato and I had a mint granita (slurpee). Girls we are so sorry that we keep missing you on skype and you too Steph, 8 hours time difference is really hard. Dad loved his fathers day messages Seb and Steph, and Steph you made him cry!!! Mum if you are reading this know that we are thinking of you and dad as I am sure he continues to make a good recovery. gerv is passing on any emails that you send to home through the blog to us (not sure if you can see that).
Tonmorrow we water bus it back to the airport and then pick up the car. We are a little worried about this as it is all very different but others have done it so I am sure we can. tonight after our siesta we are going to the rialto bridge and then on to St Marks Square again on Bruces recommendation as he said after dark the tourists go home and the locals come to sit, drink and listen to music, so we are going to do the same. Alex we bought a bottle of Limoncello on your recomdenation so we will enjoy that after we get back tonight. It will hopefully help us sleep as we are both missing our beds.
We were so tired last night and both a little homesick and you think that you won't be able to get up the next day and do it againn... and then you do and it is magnifico!!!
Much love to you all
Sandrino and Ralfonzo.

Venice Island Italy

2011-09-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Bon Journo from beautiful Venice and phew its hot!! 33 degrees today, we have had an amazing day it began at 6.30 with breakfast and off to the airport in Paris where we had a 4 hour wait for our flight with Easyjet but it was worth the wait as we booked a speedy check in we got to enter the plane first and choose our seats which were obviously the exit row and to our good fortune we got the spare seat empty son plenty of width as well as leg room Fantastic!! we then bought a water bus ticket for the trip to Venice island from Marco Polo Airport which took around 50 minutes, we were really worried about lugging our bags all the way to our hotel through the streets of Venice when at the Water Bus stop a man whon went by the name of Fabio offered to cvarry our bags on a special trolley to our hotel for 20 euro's, man that was the best 20 euro's i have spent this trip not only did he take the luggage he took us straight to our hotel and gave us some excellentb advice to boot.
After a little rest we ventured out into the streets of this beautiful city, the canals and the history of the place is amazing, we had dinner in a delightful courtyard and i had the largest beer i have ever seen in my life, with Sammys help we drank it which made getting home difficult as we got hopelessly lost, never fear a few directions from the locals got us home safe and sound where we crashed for a little Nanna nap.
Anyway no plans at yet for tomorrow probably off to Murano for a look at the glassworks and more aimless walking around the streets of Venice.
Happy Fathers Day Dad!!! Hope you are continuing to recover well, cant wait to talk to you upon our return, thanks Stephy for your message I am very proud to have raised such beautiful children, your message meant so much to me I must admit I miss my Fathers Day Photo of you!!
Well its off to bed for us as we are very tired after another big travelling day, we are both getting very homesick and for all the wonderful things we are seeing it also brings back into stark reality how important all our family and friends are to us back home, keep sending messages as we love to read what is happening with you guys as well.
We Love and Miss you all Ralf, Sam, and MM xxxx

So it's Au revoir Paree and Bon Journo Venice

2011-09-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well good morning to you all home in Australia. After a slow start to our day today (after our late night), we re-packed our suitcases and made our way on the Metro to the city for us to soak up some more of Paris' charm. We both love this city, it seems to welcome visitors and say ' come share our city'. Parisians seem to be always outside and you can pick them amonst the many tourists- they are the ones who are tanned, thin, and dressed impeciably, usually they are smoking too, one of few things we dislike. We caught the Metro to Chatelle and then after finding our way outside walked about a km to Notre Darme. Very impressive, the line up to get in was huge so we strolled around the side to the garden(thanks Lynnie) and sat and cooled off briefly under the shade of a tree. Today was very hot here, about 33, and boy we really felt it. We then crossed the river and continued back the other way to the Des Champs Elysees. We looked in the sidewalk stalls (thanks Trish) and wandered along. We stopped for a drink in a Canadian Bar and watched PAris go by. Ralf had a beer and I had a Perrier!! Very refreshing. We then contined on for about 5kms with a brief stop at Museum la Dorsey for an icecream and we shared a crepe, one of two things I had put on my list for PAris. MAny photos at the Alexandria bridge for you Alex and we crossed back over to wander back to the Pyramid Metro station. We decided to have dinner at a cafe along the Rus de Rivoli. Ralf had an interesting toasted sandwich with an egg on top and I had Quiche Lorrainne and salad , they other thing on my list for today. The best things was the sit down in the shade and the cold diet coke we had. Dinner was lovely and then RAlffie the map reading genius got us back to the metro where we found our line to return to the hotel.
We have loved Paris and although we were hot today doing that walk we wouldn't trade that experience for anything. We hope you have enjoyed your taste of Paris with us and look forward to sharing Venice with you (that is after we have walked 600metres to our hotel with our bags!!!)
So Au revoir and Bonsoir from two happy and a little less weary travellers

One Night in Paris!

2011-09-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

Wow what a day we had yesterday, i am sending this blog at around 2pm Paris time which is about an hour after getting out of bed! ( sleepy head i know! ) Let me explain yesterday we started our day with breakfast at 6.30am which meant a 5.45 wake up call we then travelled to the beautiful palace of Versaille which was magnificent and very over the top as you would expect of Royalty, following that we went to the Louvre and viewed some of the most famous artworks in history back to the hotel around 3pm for a quick shower and we had to catch the Metro ( Subway ) into Paris to meet up with our tour company for our evening exploits.
The Metro is great very similar to the London Tube and just as efficient, we had no hassles navigating the streets to the office which left us an hour just to sit and smell the roses in a beautiful park in the city, Parisians love the outdoors they eat, read, play talk, smoke ( Yuk ) outdoors they can be seen at all hours enjoying themselves outside, anyway we travelled to the Eiffel Tower for our meal on the first level it was really nice with 3 courses served in just over an hour with wine of course! followed by a lovelly cruise down the Seinne River at dusk, that was magnificent and quite romantic i may add! from there we travelled to the famous Moulin Rouge and unfortunately due to them trying to cram 1000 people in a thatre designed for 600 it was very cramped and to see the stage you had to crane around the persons head in front of you which as you can imagine caused issues with those behind you, I saw dozens of people rubbing sore necks from the awkward positions they had to assume to see!
As far as a show is concerned it was very dissapointing and take it from me normally barev breasted females gets an automatic thunbs up but the show was dull with no real cohesion and the highlights really were the in between specialty acts they had between the dancers, a ventriloquist, some acrobats and a juggler ( who was awesome ) still we have seen it now and can tick it off our to do list.
We arrived back at our hotel at 2am and went to sleep at 2.30am so please cut us a lttle slack in our little sleep in!!
Today we will take an easy Metro into the city wander aimlessly have a meal at a cafe before heading back to our hotel and resting before our morning flight to Venice, Sam has packed our bags and we are ready to go!
Look forward to talking to you from lovely Italy tomorrow till then Ciau.
Love you all and a special mention to Dad hope you are recovering well from your Op and all our love and best wishes are with you xxxx
Talk to you all soon Ralf Sam MM xxxxx

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Bonjour

2011-08-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well good morning to you back in Australia... as the sun sets here on our first day here in Paris just thought I would send a quick blog to tell you how very French Ralf and I felt, walking around our little shopping district near the Saint Emilion Metro station. There is a little complex with a movie theatre and restuarants which were a little scary to us, but Bruce our guide had directed us to a supermarket so feeling very french we went in and bought some bread, cheese, meat and fruit and a small bottle of wine and had a picnic in our room. We needed a quiet afternoon as we both are weary, with swollen feet and have set opurselves up for a huge day tomorrow... Palace of Versailles, the Louvre and then dinner at Eiffel tower, Siene cruise and Molin Rougue, oh boy a huge day. Friday we can sleep in and go at a slower pace and just wander aimlessly for a while... and hmmm maybe a picnic along the banks of the River. looking forward to it.
Thanks Lynn the sun will be with us for our whole time in PAris. Steph dad was laughing that he wont be able to help do the finals footy with you and we keep meeting Collingwood supporters!! Trish can't wait to see what is on the hunt for PAris! Alex love that we are your morning read at the hospital. Hi to all of you who are reading and cant comment. We had the same probs commenting on another blog and had to download Firefox and now it works!!!
Much Love the PArisian MArx's

Wei Wei Parie

2011-08-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys from sunny Paris we caught the Eurostar this morning and had a nice 2 1/2 hour journey into France, no hassles as the tour company we are with are very organised and everything is going like clockwork, we took a short bus tour of Paris before settling into our hotel which is the Pullman Hotel located in Saint De Million on the banks of the Seine, Sam reckons it must be a good hotel as there are pilots staying here??? she must know something i dont???
We opted out of a Paris by night tour tonight as we preffered to catch up on some sleep and we are on a tour tomorrow night that should show us it anyway, tomorrow we visit the Palace of Versaille and the Louvre before we have dinner at the Eiffel Tower and a Seine cruise followed by the famous Moulin Rouge show, not many photos just yet but you may recognise one of the landmarks!!
Till next time we meet love to you all Ralf, Sam, and MM xxxxx

Farewell England

2011-08-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

The time has come to leave London, we are going to see We Will Rock You tonight and then tomorrow morning bright and early we are on a train to Paris, today we got up early had breakfast and went to the laundromat where there were 1/2 dozen other Australians doing there laundry it was like old home week, after that we toured to Portabello Road in search of that elusive pocket watch but no luck im afraid still there is France and Italy still to go?? from there we ended up at the British Museum what a fantastic place the English managed to pillage treasures from all over the world for their amusement, in reality if they hadnt a lot of the beautiful things on show would have been lost forever!!

We are resting up and packing now for our trip so until then i will say cheers and Goodbye England.

Love you all Ralf & Sam &MM xxx

PS; Trish I really really really appreciate all the great blogs you are leaving thankyou thankyou thankyou!!

PSS: Alex sooooo sorry about missing the blog but we were absolutely shattered last night and with the internet issues i just couldnt keep my eyes open.

PSSS: Molly great to hear from you and congrats on the contract heres hoping for a full time job for next year.

PSSSS: Lynny great to hear from you and Sammy is soaking up all of the wonderful history here and in her own words is " Loving it Sick "

Till next time The Marx's xx

Photos of London

2011-08-29T23:20:00.001-07:00

As promised the second lot of Photos

2011-08-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

Well good morning to you all, We are voth feeling a tad weary at the moment but we are having a ball! London is incrediable with a wonderful mix of old and new coexisting alongside each other. It is a very walkable city and we have certainly done that!! Yesterday the Tube (way cool), the tower of London (mmm beautiful jewels), a boat ride to the London eye (too short), the eye (a fabulous experience) and then tube again off to Earls Court to meet PAul and Sara (Singapore) and their children. HUGE day and Mini Meeks had a ball. He got attacked by a RAven at the tower, had a drink at the pub and got cuddled by lucy and met a blue nose friend. Not sure what RAlfie wrote last night or even if it made sense as he was shattered.

Today we are washing clothes, Portebello road for a pocket watch for RAlf, the British Museum and then we will rock you tonight. Just a quiet day!!! Okay thats all from me sending 2 lots of photos. So take care miss you from the weary Aussies. XXXX

Hello from London Town

2011-08-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone well we are finally settled in here in our London hotel, it is in a fantastic location right in the heart of London at a place called Marble Arch, our drive into London was lets say interesting with Narelle ( our Sat Nav ) freezing about 10 miles out of the city centre this lead to 5 minutes of panic before we managed to convince her to help us get to our hotel, all in all the driving has been great with little or no holdups on the road and generally plenty of time to see things before we had to head off to the next B&B, the last hurrah was trying to find the Hertz office with no Sat Nav and high frustration levels, still we made it and are now on the next part of our journey.

Our room at the Thistle Hotel marble Arch is fantastic very roomy and comfortable, I have paid for WI FI and unfortunately last night we had a few issues and the link kept dropping out but today it seems to be working well, we had a 1/2 day London tour on a bus and due to the Bank Long Weekend the roads were empty so the tour guide actually took us all over places she normally cant get to and that included a walking tour that ended up at Buckingham Palace, the weather was with us today and we had a really good time, we finished our tour with a walk to Harrods, Sammy has been dreaming of going there for years and she managed to while away a couple of hours looking at the amazing things that are inside, for an example i saw a large flat screen tv set that was wait for it .........70,ooo Pounds True Story!!

I heard a story about Harrods on my last trip that goes like this, upon hearing that you can buy absolutely anything at Harrods an American President ( his name escapes me ) asked at the Harrods food court for an Elephant steak, the response from the Harrods staff member was a simple question......... will that be an Indian or African Elephant sir?

I will hand over control to Sam now for her first views on London,

Well hello everyone, if you are still with me it is now my turn. News flash- I LOVE LONDON!!!! It is amazing, so alive , so multicultural, so over the top. Harrods oh wow- Harrods is more full on than Los Vegas! Big call I know but I am comfortable in making it. The tour this morning was great although we didnt have such a great start... we woke up at 7.34 and then we had to be downstairs for the tour at 8.00, so 2 quick showers, 3 bites of breakfast and a mouthful of tea later we went downstairs and I had got the time wrong by 15mins. Anyway it took us a little while to wake up properly but then it was great. I went to welcome drinks last night and we are the only Aussies on this tour with lots of Americans. They seem ok but I dont think we will be doing much with them on the tour. After Harrods we walked back to our hotel through Hyde Park, a lovely walk although we were feeling a little tired by then.

Last night on some advice from an Australian lady I met while waiting for Ralf to find his way back to the hotel after dropping off the car, we went to a the Sportsman, just round the corner which is a casino but downstairs had a silver service restaurant where for 10 pounds each we had a 2 course dinner, it was delicious. Steph you would love the fashionn in Harrods and the stores in Knightsbridge. I have put on a photo dad reluctantly took of a dress in a shop window.

well more later big higs from London XXXXXXXX S

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2011-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

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Ok enough of the rain already!!

2011-08-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

As you may have gathered it rained all day today making our drive to York quite miserable, upon arrival we walked around York it is quite a beautiful city but dampened somewhat by the persistant rain, all of these tourist cities are park and walk zones which is very good as all of the city streets are closed to traffic so the walking through the streets is made quite enjoyable.

Ok what is your problem with my very nice Scotland shirt???? maybe you are right i have a very nice blue top i can wear instead!!

We are very excited about going to the antiques fair at Doncaster Racecourse tomorrow heres hoping we find some bargains among the 400 stalls, we have been looking around the antique stores in the towns and are thoroughly loving the experience, i have even bought an eyepiece magnifying glass to check the hallmarks!!

Following the fair we are off to London to drop off our car and begin the next leg of our journey, we are staying at a hotel in Marble Arch right in the middle of London!

Hi everyone, it was a very long drive today and our last B&B is actually a motel just off the M1. I was a little worried about this one but the room is clean and tidy so it will be ok for the night. As driving through York today we saw all these beautiful B&Bs and wondered why we couldn't find them in our book as they are closer to where we go tomorrow, anyway we are here safe and sound with quick internet, hence the extra photos. We had Linner today at a pub in York and I had roast of the day and could only eat about a 1/3 of it! They do great Yorkshire puddings there as you would expect. Can't believe London awaits after approved shopping tomorrow! Steph, I really dont think Melbourne will be on the cards 10 days after I get back... there just wont be the time or money- sorry babe, I thought you werent going as I havent heard about it for 4 months! Thank you for your messages, keep them coming. Now back to Ralf...

Ok guys our next blog will be from Ye Olde London Town and hopefully we will be all antiqued out, Trish keep the photos coming from home and loving the Skype with you, great to hear from all of you on the blog so until next time Cheerio Love Ralf & Sam & MM xxxxx

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Catch up Photos

Sammy;s pics2 Stonehenge

2011-08-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Sammys Pics!!!!

2011-08-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sandra's blog or Ralf's blog... that is the question??

2011-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well hello to all our family and friends who are following our travels around the beautiful United Kingdom- yes you amy have guessed it, I have stolen the computer from Ralf's hot little hands and I am writing the blog. WE are sitting in our room (suite almost) at Browns Farm in Marlborough after yet another wonderful day on the road together.
First stop this morning was 7 miles down the road at the BAirds birthplace and where he did most of his writing - Stratfrod-Upon-Avon. We saw the house where he was the born, the pubs his friends drank at, where he married Anne Hathaway and where he was buried in Holy Trinity church. We walked around this beautiful village taking photos of all the incredible old buildings. A beautiful town. We strolled along the river Avon watching swans glide in and ferryman taking people from one side to the other. We were lucky enough to get there early so we avoided the massive crowds and bus loads of Europeans and Japanese.
Then our journey continued to Stonehenge on Salisury Plain. Breathtaking is the only word to describe it I think. The NAtional trust do such a great job of looking after and managing all these sights. We strolled around listen to the descriptions of the significance of the stones and theories to what they all might mean, but it doesnt matter what you believe going there should be on everyones bucket list.
And now we are here at Browns Farm where our host Hazel has made us feel very welcome, all before she went out to help her husband dry grain. Each of our B&Bs have been very different but all bar one we have felt very comfortable at. Yesterdays building was over 300 years old!
Thanks for all your comments we love recieving them. Alex we love that you fit in time to follow us while you are waiting for emergencies!!! Glad you are feeling better. Gervase, I was damn graceful! Steph dad cant believe you brought up the phone bill (I say you go girl!!!!!!). Trish great to talk to you briefly on Skype, MM had a day off today. K, you may have gathered that there will be no more viber messages due to the phone bill incident of Aug 2011!
Alright time to load some photos and I am sure Ralfie will send a blog as well so more comments for mine everyone!!!!
Big Hugs to you all, Sandra and Ralf (and MM)
Yes I do have to get a word in here!, Gerv what is taking you so long on the house??? seriously im sure you are doing a great job and yes i do remember leaving you on that very very cold day at Mt Pleasant but i did have a good excuse as i remember, Sam has covered all the days events very well we have a 4 hour drive tomorrow to prepare for the Doncaster Antiques fair on Saturday so we will drive all morning and spend the afternoon in York which is beautiful before heading to our B+B in Bedale near Doncaster in the early evening.
Yes Steph nice call babe i knew it was coming and was delighted that you didnt let me down!! Lynny not so sure on me defending Sandra front i was more intent on protectecting my silky shorts from all the people that were looking at them obviously envious and looking to steal them from me!!
Mum sorry you cant log on Andreas sends big love and hugs to both you and Dad and i will keep trying to fix it from this end.
Trish i am just about to go into your blog to check out the house and boo boo and never fear we have wi fi here so you can expect an early morning Skype with Ralfy ( come to think of it isnt that every girls dream? ) love and miss you all Ralfy xxxx

**** Pictures to follow on next post!! :)

Phone Home?????

2011-08-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Guys ok no longer will we using the phone to text and viber sorry but the bill just came through at 470$ so if i leave it on i will have to mortgage the house!!

Gerv could you let John know that my Vodafone bill was 470$ and ask him \to pay it and ill fix it up on my return.

I was concerned that the roaming would cost a bit but that is on the extreme side of things.

Trish i was thinking of utilizing the skype component when i have wi fi so you may need to ensure you have it on so that when i hook up i can see you online.

We are looking forward to today with William Shakespeares home and graves here and hopefully some antique shops followed by a drive to Stonehenge, have posted a couple more pics for you all catch you soon.

Love you all Ralf, Sam, MM xxx

Singing in the Rain

2011-08-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Howdy Campers we have encountered our first day of rain since we arrived and it happened when we were at the most picturesque lakes district, no matter we still enjoyed a great time walking down the streets of Keswick ( reminds me of Maleny ) and had a cup of pea and ham soup with a baguette for lunch it was really nice.

This morning we left our hotel and visited Hadrians wall which was a barrier built by the Romans to protect the lower half of England which they ruled at the time from the celtic tribes of the north, it used to run right across England from left to right and must have been very impressive in its day the ruins that remain today tell the tale of that time when man went to great effort to protect themselves from harm.

We finally got all our washing done at a great little b&b and hung it out on their line only to have it start raining at 5am drenching it all, but the wonderful staff there put it all in their dryers and by the time we had finished breakfast it was all dry and ready to pack, ( strange to get excited by laundry but believe me you do )

Steph Trish paid the optus bill for me and it was 115$ so i suggest you check your usage and work out why you went over your cap? thanks for your messages by the way and thanks for taking Rufus out for us im sure he loves it!!

Girls, Girls, Girls I hugged the hoodie for myself not for you Lynny or for you Stephanie so stop fighting about it!! Gerv glad to hear you are getting into Bargain Hunt perhaps we can compare thoughts when we return with our stash of antiques!! you should be just about finished the house by now so feel free to put your feet up and enjoy sunny sunny Queensland.

Talk to you all tomorrow and Mum why not try setting up a new account under another name to get on??

Love you all Ralf & Sam & MM xxxx

PS Great to hear from you Sebastion hope your assessments went well and get Molly to join Viber so we can message you, ask steph if you are unsure.

PSS great to talk to you T as always, we look forward to hearing your voice daily!!

Nessie eludes us!!!

2011-08-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all today we travelled to wonderful Loch Ness with its beautiful Urquhart Castle we searched for Nessie but to no avail! We asked a local that told us of a wonderful walk that takes you to the shores of the loch but is not a tourist track ,it was great with Sam and i walking across streams trying to keep our balance on the exposed rocks and at one point Sammy shimmying over a large log soooooo funny i have video i was waiting for the inevitable falling in but apart from some belly rash she made it across if a little ungainly!

Andreas lovely to hear from you we so wish you were still with us as we travel across this pretty country, we had so much fun with you guys even if wed had to get Stephanie to translate everything you were saying!! Im still looking for little bells so that you can feel like a real German!

Mum i hope you get the log in sorted out soon so that we can talk as we travel around, we are now in Carlisle which was about a 4 hour drive it was our longest leg and we are happy to have it behind us!

Tomorrow hadrians wall and the lakes district beckon before we head off to Stratford upon Avon, Lovely to hear from JO FROM ENGLAND! and your advice has been great and made the trip a lot easier.

Trish you have been great keeping us informed and taking care of any loose ends I dont have to tell you how much i appreciate you and what you do for me.

Take care all chat soon The happy Wanderers Ralf & Sam & MM

PS; MM had a great day at Loch Ness and features heavily in our pictures in fact he has proven to be a bit of a camera hog!!!

PSS- I did NOT look ungainly shimming across the log, it was done with my usual grace and style!!! Ralf is just upset that I didn't fall in!! (Rufus can you get Uncle Gerv to help you send a message as I am missing you heaps XXXXX)

PSSS: Gerv stop whining about the weather like a little girl just remember the day we dug drains at Mt Pleasant this is sheer luxury compared to that.

NavSam Dumped for NavMan!!!

2011-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

After our first day of navigating for ourselves it has quickly become apparent that a little extra assistance was required! Hence the purchase of a SatNav, from our new favourite store Tescos for 69 pounds. What a difference NArelle makes, she is firm but kind. We have managed to find our way to the home of golf at St Andrews and discovered the wonderful ruins of an old Cathedral (1272). We even managed to play 18 holes and Ralfie got his first hole in one onn the third hole, followed by another on the fifth. Sam tried hard (yes I did), but apparently my lasck of experience tolled in the end. We stayed at a lovely BB overnight between Perth and Crief, with 2 wonderful hosts and a rather indignant Highland terrier.

We are currently having coffee at Starbucks Inverness awaiting our Lochness experience tomorrow.

Gerv sounds like the house looks amazing, and 1 inch of water doesnt count as rain in Qld, that is just a spring shower. Trishy treasure hunt is going well confident of finding a pict'ish thingy tomorrow, especially now we have NArelle helping us. Hope Alex is on the mend and hope we can get Viber working soon. Lynnie the room last night was pure you, lovely photo of Ralfie sitting sipping tea in the girly room. Last night we had dinner at an Indian restaurent in Methvan (middle of nowhere) best food ever, mmmmmm.

Time to post pictures and get on to Birchdale our bed for the night, we look forward to hearing from you all next time we can find internet access and we hope you like our firsst shared blog.

Big hugs to you all

RAlf, Sammy and Mini Meko (who it seems likes Indian food)

Tattoo Pictures

2011-08-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

Sandra you cant go to the Tattoo! WHAT!!!!!!

2011-08-20T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone well our first almost disaster of the trip has occurred, yes i say almost as my lieber Ralf using all his charm and persuasion managed to save the day Hooray!!

So heres the thing.... Purpose of the trip to attend the Tattoo, recieved our ticket package on Friday afternoon for the Saturday night performance, upon opening the package on Saturday prior to leaving for the Tattoo.... SURPRISE the tickets were for the Friday nights performance, Panic Quickly set in as Sandra ( I know this may come as a surprise to you all ) loses her lets say composure to be nice! After a few manic phone calls a lot of grovelling and some great hotel staff we managed to secure 4 tickets at the last minute for the 10.30 Saturday show including fireworks, around $250 poorer but happy to be going at least our travel agent will be getting a call once we return to Australia.

Ok onto the show it was AMAZING everything I wanted it to be and the fireworks were a real highlight, I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it again, the highlight was a precision drumming performance by the Netherlands Naval Band it was awesome!!

Andreas ans Stephie were so proud whe German naval band came out in their Lederhousen and tinkled their little bells, Andreas assures me that Germany does have some sea to defend on its borders ( J3 can you please check on a map for me ) they danced rang their little bells blew huge highland horns and dis a woodchopping demonstration?? some Navy eh? still Andreas was very proud.

Edinburgh is amazing a wonderful vibrant and beautiful city it has lived up to and exceeded all my expectations, the festival atmosphere is amazing and never fails to deliver a smile to my heart.

Today we are picking up our hire car and travelling to Stirling Castle, Rosslyn Chapel and the Willaim Wallace ( Braveheart ) Monument, then we drop Andreas and Stephanie back to the Airport and we are on our own navigating our way across Britain!

Love to you all, a very relieved and happy Sandra XXXXXXXX

Pics

2011-08-20T00:20:00.001-07:00

Tattoo Tattoo the plane

2011-08-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Oops sorry wrong show hey apologies about the lack of pictures yesterday but we were in a hurry and the bloody things just wouldnt load, we had an amazing day yesterday in wonderful Edinburgh we walked through the old town saw all the street theatre and had our first look at the castle where the Tattoo will take place, we are both well and our body clocks are getting used to the new time zones.

Sam is in 7th heaven here as she has images of her Scottish heratige and her late mum that she swears is travelling with us, hopefully you get some pictures today and you can see some of the amazing things that we are seeing.

love and Miss you all The Travelling Marxberries xxx

PS by the way we now know where the song from the Scottish guys came from " and i would walk 5 thousand miles!!! "

Finally we are here!!

2011-08-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hello and after a gruelling 12 hour flight in premium economy and a transfer flight to Edinburgh we are finally sdettled into our hotel and resting, Sammy is having a little sleep while i wait for our German cousins, yes Alex my elbow is playing up a bit i think its carting the bags around but with the strap its nots so bad, sad to hear that you are not well you need to rug up and drink nice hot pumkin soup!!
Tri sh I sorted out the Money by giving it to the scottish cabbie he had no issue with it!! and Stephy im sure Rufus is looking forward to a run on the beach, pleased to hear that the painting is going well and that the website is taking shape, ok off to hard rock for tea apparently as my cousin uis obsessed with it!
Love you all Ralf abnd Sleeping Sam and MM xxx

It is Hot Hot Hot!!!

2011-08-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all and especially to you Trish as it is Freakin hot as hell just the way you like It!!
We went over to Sentosa Island today which is like a mini Disneyland with all the rides etc we had a ball but had to leave early as we fly out tonight and are catching up with a couple that we mnet on the plane for tea.
just wanted to send a quick blog as we are unsure when our next one will be, check us out fooling around on Sentosa.

See you in Edinburgh love ralf & Sam & MM

The Steamy side of Singapore

2011-08-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well good morning everyone. I hope my title got you all thinking?? We had a fabulous day exploring beautiful Singapaore. Ralf as you might have gathered was happy to get Laksa. The hop on bus was an excellent way to find out what parts of Singapore we might like to explore when we return.

We went exploring from our hotel last night into little Arabia, and found an Italian/Indian restaurant for dinner. Apart from another couple, the staff and us it was empty but the food was delicious. I had a chicken sakatia which was spicy, aromatic and delicious. Ralf had a beef goulash (not sure what nationality that was!) and a lemon lime and bitters. attached is a photo of Ralf with his dinner. Ralf is in charge of the camera Alex so it is difficult to get photos of him, I will try better today. Joey, Ralf is already making friends with your countrymen, and indeed a Southhampton boy, who we are catching up with tonight to have dinner before our flight.

Speaking of flights, what a bonus the business class was, fingers crossed for tonight. Driving around Sydney airport in the shuttle bus you really get an idea of how big these planes are, even saw one of those strange ones with the engine on the tail!

Trish keep up the messages from home it is good to read, and Alex I am looking forward to that massage on Sentosa Island today as our hotel is a tad unhelpful and difficult to make yourself understood! Can't wait to do our part of the treasure hunt today girls and get my Singapore sling at Raffles!

Well that is it from me until I can wrestle the computer from RAlf again, next time you hear from me it will be tomorrow for you and yesterday for us and we will be doing a highland fling!!!!

Howdy Campers

2011-08-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hot and Sticky in Singapore today however i think that is the norm for around here!

We have had a great day touring around on the hop on hop off bus all around the place, we travelled to the marina, Chinatown, Little India and to a few other places to boot.

We tried the local dish called Laksa which is like a spicy broth with noodles, Prawns, Egg and slivers of something else it was actually delicious and later in the day we went back for another go!

Glad to hear thast the power is back on at the house Gerv didnt take you l,ong to start destroying the place!!

Off to Sentosa Island tomorrow and btw 1st item is secured T .

Love you all Ralf & Sam & MM

Hello Singapore

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone well here we are in steamy Singapore, well at the hotel anyway, we got a lovely surprise at the airport with our first long haul flight being upgraded from Premium Economy to Business Class very nice thankyou very much!!

We are settling down to a good nights sleep now ready to do some exploring tomorrow, Mini Meco is already having a ball having tasted the delights of the Qantas lounge and enjoying the flight and as you can see also the red wine! he has taken up residence on the bed now and is ready for a sleep!

Look forward to tomorrow love to you all Ralf, Sam & MM xxx

Edinburgh here we come!!

2011-08-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to all of you.
Here we go again on our magical mystery tour of Europe, we hope you can all join us and enjoy our adventures as we fumble our way through the UK, France and Italy.
We look forward to your feedback and hope you enjoy the ride.
The picture of Rufus so that we can see him on our travels.

Final Boarding Call

2010-01-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

Well ladies and gentlemen please raise your tray tables and return your seats to the upright position, as we are about to begin the decent back to our loved ones in Australia, we hope you have enjoyed coming along for the ride as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you, to everyone who has joined in with us and left comments thankyou so much we have both felt your love and wishes cross the miles between us and they have helped us get through what has been a long enjoyable incredible adventure, we are currently at San fransisco international airport waitimng to board our plane to come home, we had a great day in the nappa Valley and the incredible Muir woods followed by a great meal at a swanky resturant in uptown San Fran with Jim nad Barbera the guys we met at Cairo, ok we have been called up cant wait to see you all very very soon, Thankyou all again with love Ralf & Sam xxx

Clang, Clang, Clang goes the Trolley!

2010-01-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Well with our time on the trip of a life time nearly over we did some reflecting while eating dinner last night. Top 5 memories... couldn't do it, favourite city... couldn't do that either and so it continued too many incredible experiences to choose from. Every city has provided us with memories for a life time.

Anyway it is not over until we are home with those near and dear to us in Brisbane so on with the memories...

This mornings plan was a walk down the 6 blocks to the trolley car and head into Union Square the shopping mega. We had breakfast at the famous Boudins bakery with Ralf having french onion soup in sourdough bread and I had a turkey and salad sandwich... I say breakfast but it was 10.30 by this time. The trolley was an experience lots of fun. Then it was time to hit the shops with Macy's first on the list. Didn't get to Macy's in NY so had to go before leaving the US. The plan included us separating and meeting back at 11.00, so 20mins to shop alone... a big call you may say, anyway I was up to the challenge.

First stop bag department where I was drawn by lots of orange. Saw a lovely bag kept looking but went back to it and cha ching bought it! Next shoes up two floors come on girl go!

Lots of sale shoes but they all seemed to be small sizes and then the jackpot that I didn't hit in Vegas right in front of me 5 racks of size 10 and up shoes tried on 6 pairs in 4 mins and ended up with 3 pairs for 75$ (plus tax!!!). Down 2 levels to meet Ralf who was disenchanted with Macy's. On recommendation from his bestie it was off to Old Navy, where he bought a couple of things, we then found a Westfield mall with Norstrums and Bloomingdales (where I touched a pair of Jimmy Choos). More looking a little more buying and Ralfie fading fast. We are now back at the hotel recovering before we go and suss out pier 1 where we catch the ferry to Valhaio tomorrow for our visit to Muir woods and the Napa Valley.

More tonight from the anti-shopper (he needs to shop with someone and I need to be alone- what a dilemma). Have a great Friday!

Love from the Thursdays!!!!!!!

VIP is tops!!

2010-01-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

Howdy Guys, well what a difference a couple of great nights sleep makes, we crashed yesterady at around 7.30 exhausted from our day at Alcatraz but today we have had a fantastic day full of energy and loving San Fran!

We had our Platinum tour of the Academy of Natural Sciences and man when they say platinum they mean it, we were treated like VIP's with behind the scene access, straight to the front of the line access ( really cool as the lines were long! ) and all the staff jumping to help once they saw the VIP Pass.

We had a personal tour from the head of the Entimology department who has just returned from 3 months in China cataloging new insect species, he was fascinating and so wrapped up in his work it was a delight to listen to someone who has an obvious passion for his field of expertise.

We were then taken behind the scenes to see how the museum operates from feeding and caring for the animals to how they draw sea water into the museum around 3k by pipelines for their aquarium exhibits, it was fantastic!

We then walked over to a beautiful Japanese Tea Garden and saw some beautifully crafted gardens and temples, it was very relaxing we also had some japanese tea ( ok i may have had a hot chocolate but Sam had green tea and that counts for both of us!! )

Tonight we are off to fishermans wharf for some seafood chowder and a look at all the shops that are there, while tomorrow is finally the day Sam has been waiting for SHOPPING DAY!!

Talk to you tomorrow hopefully with some cash left!! love you all Ralf & Sam xxx

Hello San Fran!!

2010-01-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone and a big hello from San Fransisco, we had a great flight to San Fran and rested up well last night, we are in a great room right on the bay around about 500m from pier 39 which is great, today we hopped on a bus and did a loop of the city prior to hopping on a boat across to Alcatraz.

It was a fantastic experience, the conditions they had to endure were dreadful and it was a sobering sight to see the City through the small windows so close but absolutely unnatainable.

We had lunch at Chowders on the pier and we had a bowl of clam chowder with fish, calamari and chips, they serve the chowder in a hollowed out sourdough roll which was delicious and very filling.

This city is amazing with a diversity of buildings and cultures unlike any other place i have seen, two major earthquakes have shaped the city into old and new sections as re building has occurred and some of the Elizabethan architecture is truly stunning.

Tomorrow we have a day at the Academy of Natural Sciences and guess what the Museum next door has a King Tutenkamen exhibition!!! The Irony of it all!

Catch you all tomorrow Love Ralf & Sam xx

Bye Bye Vegas

2010-01-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone well its that time again, to pack up all our wordly belongings and leave another amazing place in search of a new adventure, Vegas has been well lets say interesting, its as diverse as night and day, from the bright lights and ringing bells of the gaming venues to the stark beauty of one of the 7 wonders of the world, the wealthy that exists side by side with the young kids taking in their first vegas experience, it has been amazing and in a way i am sad to leave because i really dont think we got to know Vegas only because time didnt allow us to really explore what makes it tick, what i do know is that everything goes in Vegas!!

The wonderful array of outfits that people wear can only be seen here, people have no need for mirrors because if they think it looks good well they are bloody well going to wear it! and good on them i say!

We capped off our stay here with a wonderful night with some new found friends attempting to take a drink and bet a dollar in as many hotels as possible, well we made it to 7 casinos and dinner at the Harley Davison Cafe ( the tamest biker join t i have ever seen! ) Sam finishished up cradling an 18 inch high Strawberry Daquari in a container shaped like the Eiffel Tower!!

It was a great night starting at New York then moving to the MGM Grand, Bellagios, Monte Carlo, Balleys, and finishing in of course Paris, we won absolutely no money on the night but came away with some new friends which is worth more than money can buy.

So now we move on to SanFransisco where more fun and adventure await ( and more bloody walking, Trish you should have pushed me harder to join you on those morning walks!! )

Till then see ya not long to go now before we can share first hand our trip.

Love and miss you all Ralf & Sam xxx

How Grand it is...

2010-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Good morning to everyone back there in Aus. Ralf and I have had the most amazing start to our day (your yesterday) here in Nevada.

We were picked up by a stretch limo, yes Steph a stretch limo and taken 5 minutes across the road to the Sundance helicopter company to begin yet another adventure of a life time. We were weighed (and not rejected) then assigned to our helicopter. We were with an Australian couple from Melbourne (who are living in London) and a freaky couple from Florida. Allan was our pilot.

Life jackets, safety instructions the obligatory smile for the camera and we were seat belted in and wired for sound with headsets. Then it was up, up and away.

WOW!!!! The views were incredible as we left the strip behind us and headed toward Boulder city and beyond. Amazing that with so much water in the lakes and rivers and still no greener just plenty of Sage bush. Incredibly beautiful just the same. A quick flight over the amazing structure of the Hoover Dam and it was onward to the mighty Grand Canyon.

I was breathless as we came over the ridge and our eyes feasted on our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Such incredible natural beauty created by mother nature at her best.

Our helicopter landed on ancient Indian grounds where we had time to take in the spectacle before us. We were then treated to a champagne picnic lunch with our fellow crew mates and back into the helicopter for the return journey to Sin City.

The return journey flew us back over a multi million dollar marina and then just when you think it couldn't get any better we took a spin down the strip to get the best view of Las Vegas going!

And guys this is just the morning... this afternoon we are off on a 'casino crawl' with a couple of Aussie Shelias we met the other night it is a drink and a dollar bet at as many casinos as we can up and down the strip!!! wish us luck!!!

Sam and Ralf

The Divine Miss M

2010-01-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

Well today we had a fantastic morning, we awoke at 11.30 and it was bloody beautiful!!!!

We took in a little of the strip booked a 3 day hop on bus and went for a gondola ride at the Venetion it was pretty cool, then of course it was time to meet Bette, she was great Sam really loved it and Steph i didnt cry!!!

Tomorrow is a busy day with the Grand Canyon in the am and we are catching up with the guys from Canberra for dinner in the evening, we have also heard from the guys we met in Egypt from Sanfransisco who have offered to take us to the Muir Forest and the Nappa Valley where they live, we have a spare day in San Fran so we are going to take them up on their generous offer and see some beautiful Redwoods!!

Ok guys it was a lay day today so not many pics but just enough to let you know we are in Vegas!!

Love you all not long now before we can see yhou all and share our stories in person!

Catch you tomorrow Ralf & Sam xx

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

2010-01-09T00:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone well today was another very big day with an early morning wake up and trip to the airport for a 5 hour flight from New York to Las Vegas not the most pleasant experiences of my life but still we made it to the lights and glamour that is Vegas, we got into the hotel at around 1.30 Vegas time and crashed for a couple of hours until we left for a neon lights tour which was really good i put 1 dollar into a slot machine and on my very first pull won 25$ that kept Sam and a couple of ladies from Canberra ( also on our tour ) busy for around an hour untill it was all gone, we had a lot of fun for our dollar and because we were playing the slots free beer and strawberry Daquiris, as i said lots and lots of fun!!,

more tomorrow when we explore and see Bette Midler ( Yay ) Love you all Ralf & Sam xxx

Washington DC WOW!

2010-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Ok guys Washington was well worth the 4 hour bus trip to get here what a fantastic city wide streets that are really clean beautiful monuments and very friendly people, my highlight was the air and space museum that held such magnificent thiongs as the appollo 11 landing module and other really cool stuff Sam said that the Lincon Memorial was her favorite iot was a very big day beginning at 6am and we are on the bus now at 7.30pm with an arrival time at midnight!!

Mum Washington is a lot like Adelaide with wide streets and parklands surrounding the city except that this place has heaps of monuments scattered around the parklands!!

Love you all Ralf & Sam xxxx

Sandra's New York

2010-01-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally managed to wrestle the computer away from Ralf long enough to post a blog on what I think about the BIG APPLE.

After a disasterous begining, it was great to be in such an amazing city to help me to forget for a minute. New York is amazing, there is such a buzz as you walk aroubd the city streets, you really can feel it in the air. Speaking of air, never have I been sooooo cold in my life. Temps about 27F (not sure any more about celcius) but the wind chill factor drops it down to about 19. After our visit to the statue of liberty I really didn't think I would ever be warm again. Yesterday wasn't so bad wind wise. The people in NY are fabulous, I think every aussie would feel at home here. Our first morning in starbucks we met a couple of guys, one was waiting to meet the mayor to launch the 2010 census and Ralf was talking to a guy with a thick Jersey accent. Oh we are having some language barrier issues making oursleves understood sometimes too, funny that English needs translating too. I am learning to say restroom, as saying toilets really offends people!

highlights of New York? I loved the Museum of Natural History, Ralfie wasn't real keen but we found it difficult to drag ourselves away. Walking through central park, we bought some Kosher soup in the park, nothing has ever tasted better, the glitz and glamour of the Empire State and Rockerfeller centres and then of course our first NY cab ride down to the Wintergarden theatre last night (as I wasn't walking down in just a skirt, leggings and jumper!!). Everthing is amazing time square... the list goes on and on. I even sent Ralf back to the room for a lay down yesterday and ventured into a Kmart near us for supplies yesterday. The girl on the checkout asked if we had big shops like the crappy Kmart she worked in, in Australia, I assured her we even had houses and big tall buildings!!!

The New Yorkers are very busy people but happy to help and give directions around their city, they really want to show it off.

Probably the biggest disappointment here so far has been ground Zero. Construction has started at the sight (finally the New Yorker say) but they seemed to have removed all memorials to it, which seems odd before they build the comemmoration to it. Overheard so many people say the same thing while we were there.

Today we are off to Washington for a flying visit, it will be great to get off the bus and walk from place to place, Ralf is having a little nap and snoring peacefully at the moment, conserving his energy!

Remember keep those messages coming we love it... it really does help to stave off the homesickness. Thanks Trishy for picking up Lynn, thanks Seb and Steph for making Lynn feel so welcome by both being there and making the house clean (NOT!!). Thanks Lynn for cleaning the house on your first day of holidays. Gerv it was great to hear your voice the other day and you too mum and Trish

Ok that is probably enough for now, Vicki the scenery has changed but no quilt signs yet and as Lynn so kindly pointed out I probably wouldn't know what to do with one!!!!!!

Love to all.

Sam XXXXX

P.S. John, I thought I just saw you drive past in the Polyair truck??

Pictures

2010-01-07T05:11:00.001-08:00

Pics

Mama Mia here we go again!!!

2010-01-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

Hello guys well we are on the famous Bolt Bus at 33rd and 7th ready to leave for Washington DC, last night we went to see Mama Mia on Broadway and it was Fantastic a very high energy dancing and singing show! beforehand we went to dinner at a place called the stardust club where aspiring actors and singers serve tables and sing songs as you eat, it was a wonderful prelude to the show and really got us in the mood for the show.
Ok more details on our NYC trip now the Top of the Rock ( Rockafeller Centre was amazing much better than the Empire State Building as its closer to downtown Central Park etc and the decorations and lights on 5th avenue are beautiful, the Museum of natural history is huge and we went to the planatarium show which apparently was good ( I fell asleep when they turned the lights off, Sam said my snoring added to the whole experience!! )
We then walked through Central Park and tried to take a picture of those pesky squirrels but man they never stop moving!
We are both really tired and i have a little cold ( yes trish i would like some tissues !! ) but all in all we are doing ok, Washington should prove to be amazing, and if i see a quaker as we go through Pennsylvania Vic ill take a photo!
Steph your presents are going to be directly related to the amount of CLEANING you get done while we are away at the moment from what i hear all you are getting is a crappy
I Love New York T Shirt that i stole from some homeless guy!!
Madison Square Garden was unbelievable and im starting to get the accent here it goes smething like this ( That Guys a waste of a good Joisy aka Jersey )
Anyway im going to post more pics now and more tonight on the way back whew what a blog.
Love you all Ralf & Sam xxx

Pics

2010-01-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hope these make it!!

Quick NYC Update

2010-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hi guys well just a quick update from us as i am having a great deal of trouble getting a good internet connection!! In NYC can you believe it!
We have been very busy going to Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero Site, Empire State building, Rockafeller Cetre, Central Park, and the Museum of Natural History, Whew Busy Busy Busy, we are on the Bolt Bus tomorrow so i will download a heap of pictures then Ok I promise!
Mama Mia tonight so i better go and warm up my vocal chords!!!
Love you all Ralf & Sam xxx

Lets Go Rangers Lets Go

2010-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hey sports fans!!! Ok firstly thankyou all for your thoughts and good wishes it was fantastic to hear and read your good wishes we have moved on and spent a fantastic day in the big apple yesterday and WOW what a place the power needed to run this city for a day would run Australia for a year!!

Yesterday we did a lot of research bought a mobile phone so you guys can ring and leave text and voice messages if you choose remember we are 15 hours behind you so 12 noon here is 3am in Australia OK dont ring us at 3am!!!!!! the number is as follows the country code followed by the mobile 001 917 446 6005

Ok after lots of walking ( I have walked more this trip thasn in the last 5 years!! ) we enjoyed a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden it was unbelievable the lights the noise the hits fantastic!!

Well i better get back we have a huge day on yhe bus visiting sights today and tomorrow!

Talk to you soon Love you all Ralf & Sam xxx

The Big Apple

2010-01-03T23:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone well after a really crappy travel day that lasted from 8 in the morning untill 1.30am the following day we are safe and sound in our hotel in New York unfortunately Sammy has left her little blue clutch purse on one of the flights and normally it wouldnt be too much of a problem but the day before she had taken off all of her rings and yep you guessed it all in the purse so Sam is pretty upset but we are doing all we can to contact the airlines and look in the lost and found ( Fingers Crossed ) no word from our New York Greeter as yet but i will ring after 9 to see whats going on there as well, no pictures today as its 2am here and i havent taken any pics yet obviously, really hope all is well back there, and lets all hope and prey that that bag is found.
Trish i may send or ring you with the flight details and let you do your thing from your end as im not sure how successful i am going to be here due to the phone logistical problems i am going to face!
Ok hoping for better news next time around love you all Ralf xx

We Love The Hotel Novatel!!!!!!!!

2010-01-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hello from the Hotel Novatel Cairo Airport well we are relaxing in our magnificent room showered, coffees, ice cream ( mmmm Movenpick ice cream is Delicious!!! ) and room service burgers what else could a man ask for, we are resting today as tomorrow is a full day of flights with the first a 3 hour trip back to Frankfurt and then 8 hours to JFK in New York City ( Business Class YAAAAAAAY ) we have no choice but to mail home a big parcel as our bags are just about ready to explode!!

We leave Egypt with contrasting thoughts the exasperation of the constant Bakshis ( Tipping ) the magnificence of its temples and monuments to the poverty and crowdedness of Cairo, we will never forget our experiences and are all the wiser for what we have seen and experienced ( Sam even told a little boy to bugger off yesterday when he held her hand to help her off a boat and then promptly asked for a handout she had had enough of everything coming at a cost with very few real attemts at communication being made unless they wanted something?

Thanks for your continuing comments Gerv you are a champ mate and im looking in New York for a brace for that bad back!!!! Ok enough from me heres Sam to say Hi!

Well guys Ralf pretty much summed up our feelings of this contrasting country. It is very hard for Australians who are a friendly bunch to be wished a Happy New Year and then asked for money for it- wow. Saddened by the image yesterday at the end of our balloon flight when we landed in the rubbish dump on the West Bank to have many children run at you all wanting money, then trying to grab at stuff in the mini-bus. Enough of the negatives... the amazing things I have seen and touched over the past 8 days is incrediable. Places that really affected me were Saaqura the step pyramid, Philae Island, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings, sitting in the shade of the mountains at the V of K was again goose bump material it was like a presence was around very special. Loving the hotel we walked in this afternoon and it was like Heaven just the foyer... let alone the room! Great to have all your messages, Gerv we will think about you sweating while we freeze in New York (-1) tomorrow!!!

Keep following along a new adventure is about to begin. Germany and Salzburg seem so long ago. Love to you all Sam hey me too Ralf xxxxx

Magnificent Desolation

2010-01-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone Thanks T for the update sorry for the angst but i really love and miss you? ( Did you buy that? ) Well it was so nice to hear from everyone Mum and Dad we are going well if not a little tired, the lifestyle here is very confronting and tends to grind you down over a period of time, Stephy i hope that Uncle Gerv doesnt have to repair too many holes in the ceilings after your big new Years Eve Bash!, and bas the Mulch and the Kangaroo Paws look amazing i cant wait to see them for real!! Vicky i can tell by your blogs that you are looking forward to your own trip overseas one day and i hope that a picture of Pennslyvania is stuck firmly to your fridge!!

Alex you must be getting itchy feet right about now looking forward to what will be an amazing adventure love to say i would like to come with but after -18 in Austria ive decided that our climate isnt so bad and you can keep the -20+ temperatures.

Ok update we went to the Luxor temple sound and light show last night which was amazing in amongst the huge columns and obelisk afterwards we went to the NY Eve bash on the boat with as egyption clothes as we could muster it was a great spread of food and music and we lasted untill around 11.30 although dont worry when NY rolled around in Australia we were on the sundeck of the boat exchanging kisses with somw Australians we managed to find on the boat ( Even if they were from NSW!! )

The Balloon was fantastic i said fantastic!!!!!!!! We loved it !! Nothing i can say could describe it, afterwards we saw Queen Hatsepstus temple ( or Queen hot chicken soup as our guide called it ) and visited the valley of the dead and an Alabaster shop, the place is so desolate and so beautiful at the same time, as Buzz Aldrin said as he stepped onto the surface of the moon " Magnificent Desolation )

Ok must go and prepare for the flight tomorrow a rest day YAAAAAAY !!

We love you all so much it is true what they say about distance making the heart grow fonder!

Man im getting all sentimental!! Love and miss you all Ralf & Sam xxxxxxxxxxx

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T05:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone its 6 minutes to 5.oo pm here so that means 6 minutes to midnight in Australia so a hearty happy new year to everyone at home, its very hard to be away at this time of year so it means even more when we hear from you, T Bas and Steph where are you????

Hope you have all had a great New Year and we are thinking of you as we con tinue our cruise down the Nile.

It has been a very relaxing day on the boat exactly what we needed to recharge the batteries tonight we are going to the Karnak temple sound and light show then we have dinner and we will probably turn in early because we have a very early wake up tomorrow to go onto the hot air balloon!

last night we visited the temple at kom ombo and this morning another temple at edfu, after the hot air balloon tomorrow we have a 4 hour trek to the valley of the kings and more temples, i hope that you are enjoying the blog and the pictures, Ok better go and get ready for the sound and light show talk to you tomorrow all our love Ralf & Sam xxx

Talk about culture shock!!

2009-12-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

Ok i am writing this blog from our cabin on the cruise boat the Nile Bride from Aswan, we are leaving for a 3 day cruise to Luxor in about half an hour.

The overnight train from Cairo was a real rattler Sam didnt get much sleep and i had to suffer her incescant whining all the next day when we visited the unfinished obelisk, the philie temple and the high dam built to flood an enormous valley and guarantee water for the entire region it is absolutely massive! we finished the day with a romantic felucca ride on the nile at sunset ( although with tired and grumpy Sam the romance was kinda missing )

This morning we visited the highlight of the trip so far Abu Simbel and the temple to Rameses the Great it was absolutely tremendous and left us lost for words, many temples and the Valley of the Kings to go and our hot air balloon fligh whew and we are only half way!!

Oh by the way those of you who know the story we have found a successor to the Country Club for accomodation right here in Aswan it is called the Sari Hotel!!

Ok the boat has wireless for 80 Egyption Pounds an hour!! ( around 15 bucks aussie ) so i will blog every day cos thats the kinda guy i am!!

We havent found anyone on our boat that speaks english so new years eve should be a blast!

We love you all and keep writing we are loving hearing from you, Ralf & Sam xxxx

Sandra in Egypt

2009-12-28T07:46:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

I know you have all been looking forward to my impressions of our latest part of our adventure... well maybe.

What to say... Cario is a city of contrasts, rich or poor, ancient or new, clean or dirty. We have seen it all. THe noise is overpowering and the dirt gets into everything but ... that moment yesterday morning when I stood at the step pyramid and it seemed to materialise from the mist (smog) was incrediable (I just got goose bumps again thinking about it). It was magical, there is no other word for it. There was nothing there one moment and then it was there the next wow.

The museum today was very special too, Ralf has written of the amount of people and those who know me well will know how hard it is for me to be in enclosed spaces, well today I met some very interesting people and some people got a lovely view of the front of me squished up against the cabinet!!! The high ceilings in the museum were all that helped me hold it together.

Sitting waiting for our ride to the train station to arrive and trying to send emails but primus is not cooperating so to Lynn and Pam sorry, I have tried. Great to hear from everyone keep them coming, nit sure what reception will be like as we head to Aswan so happy new year to all if I dont get to message before then and happy painting Gerv... Seb and Steph look after Uncle Gerv!!!

Sandra

Up close and personal with tutankamen!

2009-12-28T03:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone today we have a shortened day prior to our overnight train and boat adventure, not sure about the Internet access over the next 3-4 days so dont panic if you dont hear from us, today we visited the egyption museum which was magnificent and busy busy busy there must have been over 5000 people all trying to get into one place along with us, the crush was uncomfortable but worth it with the magnificent treasures that are inside, you could walk for days and not see all of it, the Tutankamen exhibit was everything i expected it to be with over 200 kilos of pure gold artifacts including the glorious mask and solid gold sarcophagus, with all the treasures i was drawn to a beautiful solid gold amulet with the king sitting knees drawn up tho his chin it stood around 2 inches tall by 1 inch wide on a beautifully crafted golden rope chain it was magnificent, i must find a photo and show you all when we return, it was my highlight of our visit!

We love you all will talk to you as soon as is possible Ralf & Sam xxx

Hello from Ancient Egypt

2009-12-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

Well hello again everyone did you miss us? well what a day yesterday out of Rome to the airport and a 3 hour flight in economy to Egypt ( Business class definetly spoils you ).

We arrived at our hotel at around 8pm after a harrowing taxi ride ,if you think the Italians are crazy drivers at least their cars arent held together with wire and sticky tape ( no joke ) the gap between rich and poor here is vast with almost no middle class so driving around the streets is a real eye opener with refuse just dumped on the side of the road and rivers and people still going around on donkeys and carts.

I guess i was expecting something like this but the reality is quite confronting, still we went to Giza today on a morning that you couldnt see 50 metres in front of you with haze a mixture of pollution and fog when we got to the step pyramid you couldnt see it until you almost fell over it!!

The haze cleared after that and we saw the great pyramid next which was fantastic they are massive and climbing onto it was a boyhood dream that is now fulfilled, we also saw the alabaster sphinx and the large sphinx as well as the solar boat that they found that was built to navigate the pharaoh into the afterlife, it is enormous and made of lebanese hardwood that was imported to egypt and the boat has never touched the water ( well not in this life anyway )

It has been a massive day, tomorrow we are off to the Cairo Museum and an overnight train to Aswan till then looking forward to hearing from you all love you lots Ralf & Sam xx

Xmas day in Roma!!

2009-12-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone and a special welcome to Matt and Em its great to hear from you guys, and i contemplated tackling the Pope but hes a bit weedy as you can see a woman took him out fairly easily, we had a great day on our own today we saw the Panthenon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps they were all truly beautiful, oh Sam was so upset she finally saw some nice shoe stores snd unfortunately due to xmas they were shut! What a bleeding shame!

Well we leave Roma tomorrow for Cairo and another adventure we are trying to cram all our souveniers and tidbits into our ever growing bags, unfortunately we were going to post some gear home but the Italian postal sevice never seems to be open!!

Alex you will be happy to know we found our first obnoxious American she was the wecoming ambassador for the American exchange students here in Rome and she was collecting some new students on the Metro and spent the next 10 minutes telling them how crap rome was and how everything is sooooo much better in the states, we both wished she would just shut up and go back there, ignorant so and so!!

Cant wait to speak to you from Egypt, We love and miss you all Ralf & Sam xxx

Merry Christmas everyone

2009-12-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

hello to you all. Firstly Merry Christmas to you all and thankyou for your comments it makes us feel less homesick.

Well it is Christmas morning here in Rome and the bells have just told me that it is 6.00am and Ralfie is sleeping beside me. I had to turn on the computer to see if there was any news from home as a Christmas gift and of course you didnt let me down... thank you XXXXX.

Well Roma... first impression were not great as we could not find a sign anywhere to help us find our way out. Anyway after being hasseled by all the taxi drivers and several wrong turns we managed to find our wayb to the train. Same hassell at the train station trying to get to our hotel... at this point I was over Roma but things have improved since moving from the tiny room to a room where we can move. The hotel is being renovated and so we think they were happy to keep us happy.

The colesseum was amazing and the forum even more so. I liked our guide more than Ralf probably because I didn't really know any of the history. Yesterday though ahhh the Vatican... this I loved sitting in the cistine chapel reflecting and praying was amazing. I didn't realise that when the Cardinals are in conclave they are locked in the cistine chapel. Rightly so as I dont think you can feel closer to God than there.

Ok enough from me as Ralfie is awake now and as keen as I was to read your messages from home. Chow from Sandrina XXXXX

Merry Xmas Everyone!!!!!

2009-12-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

We wish you a merry Xmas, We wish you a merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!!

Hi to all we have had another exhausting day with a trip to the Vatican which is HUGE!!, Wow what an amazing place i cant believe the treasures inside you really have to see it to believe it the photos really dont do the place justice!

They were busy setting up the place for midnight mass which was taking place at 9am due the Pope being unwell, we have a nice quiet day planned tomorrow with the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps on the adgenda.

Guys it was great to hear your voices today, we are really feeling a bit homesick at the moment due to xmas and wanting to share it with family and friends, still we are having an amazing time and both Sam and i are feeling a bit surreal with the places and experiences we are encountering.

Tough to pick photos today but hope you like them, i am already over 1,ooo shots mmmmmm looking forward to slide night!!???? fear not i will cull them down to a mere 800 or so!

Enjoy your Xmas we said a prayer for all our family and friends and we have you in our hearts

with all our love Ralf & Sam xxx

Magnificent Roma!!

2009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today began with a very quick breakfast after which we needed to catch the Metro ( Tube ) to the Collesseum and Wow Wow Wow it is superb the only downside was the guide talked incessently and stayed in one place as she did so, i felt that our time could have been better spent if we had just bought an admission ticket, Sam thinks that the tour was designed for Americans which there were many and although annoying still no loud one??? where are they all?

We toured the forum and pallisade areas as well before hopping on a hop on hop off bus for a tour of Rome it was hilarious to watch the traffic as chaos reigned supreme it took us almost 2 hours to do 1 loop the bonus was that we thought we only booked 1 day however when we arrived we recieved 2 days and 1 day of boat travel on the Tiber river!!

After a great cappucino and pastry at a cafe we had recovered sufficiently to go for a little walk and check out the souveniers that were available, a very tiring day but very satisfying we are now resting prior to going out to dinner, Oh after a little Ralfy persuasionon we have been upgraded to a larger room Yay!!

Ok Kids we are intending to ring you for Xmas at around 8am on Xmas morning at home please make sure you are ready for the call as Mum would really love to wish you a merry xmas, could you please confirm that this is Ok ??

Ok time to go Love and Miss you all Ralf & Sam

Hello Rome????

2009-12-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

Ok we have arrived safely in Rome after a 120 minute delay to our train from Salzburg to Munich and a long taxi ride to our hotel which we split with a young chap from Austria that was desparately trying to get to Dubai to meet up with his parents for Xmas unfortunately the train delay almost assured him of missing his flight with a six day wait until the next!!

Anyhow we had a relaxing nights rest and breakfast before catching our flight to Rome once there chaos seems to reign supreme with taxi drivers and bus operators jostling for your business we ended up catching a train to the main terminus and walking to our hotel which was a bit scary as we had no clue as to where it was but after about 15 minutes of wandering ( with all our luggage ) we finally found the Royal Santina Hotel which is yep under refurbishment!

The room is tiny but thankfully brand new and yippee free internet in the room so i dont have to go to Macca's to blog you, we are resting up today ready for a fresh start at the Colleseum tomorrow it is 15 degrees and raining today but tomorrow is partly cloudy and 16 degrees.

Havent taken any photos yet but i managed to snap one last night out the window of our cab of the Brandenburg Gates in Munich more tomorrow i am sure till then Ciao from Ralf & Sam xx

Salzburg the beautiful

2009-12-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

Wow what to say about Salzburg... it has been everything I had hoped it would be and more. From the snow, to the carriage ride this afternoon it could not have been better.

One of the best things are the the people we have met... they include a couple from Mackay in Qld on the sound of music tour, it was nice to take photos for each other. Bill actually took that lovely photo of us at the gazebo - that is my favourite photo so far. We have spoken to and been helped by many people as we made our way around the city. A lovely 72 year old locsal lady with impressive English helped us at the bus stop yesterday and told us how she came to speak such wonderful English due to the American army taken over her family home when she was 7, and she learnt the language and continued with it. On the salt mines tour we met a family from Quatar and the 2 little girls and I sang all the songs that I sing at school on the way back to Salzburg! They were delightful. Yesterday we met a family from Barcelona and followed each other around for a lot of the day. Ralf (getting in practice for the Pope) asked if they would like to meet up for dinner... so we did. We again had italian (I am sure we will have Austrian in Roma) and a lovely night was have, they have emailed us a photo from last night and when we can work out how to do it will post it. So there you have it... the people are what are making an impact on me, what a bonus of travel.

Ok the carriage ride today was the icing on the cake, we went for a whole hour and saw things we hadn't seen before.

Anyway keep the posts coming it means so much to us... we love hearing from you all.

Steph keep your chin up and be proud you are amazing.

Seb fabulous results you are a star. Molly we haven't heard from you. Vicky, Lynn and Jessica you would love the Christams markets here they are full of amazing creations. We bought a couple but are very aware of having to carry everything. Great to hear from you Em and Shelly.

Ok all from me.

Rufus I miss you and can you please message me???

Love and hugs, Sam XXXXX

Aufveidersein Salzburg

2009-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Evveryone well we are finally leaving Salzburg after enjoying our last day by doing our laundry packing the ever increasing bags and travelling back to the old city for a wonderful tour by horse and carriage we even dared to try an internet cafe to send some e mails prior to returning to our hotel, Sorry Mum to wake you but it serves you right for going to bed early and T how about a little sympathy i have enough problems without -18 making it even worse!!

We are leaving for Munich at 7.30pm and staying overnight before flying to Rome tomorrow, love the by play on the posts with everyone reading each others and commenting it all adds to the enjoyment for us.

Stephanie and Sebastion we are missing you terribly but we want to congratulate you both on your wonderful results we couldnt be any prouder of you both as you continue to grow into adulthood!

Hope you enjoy the pictures keep writing to us we love you all Ralf&Sam xx

Ok enough with the cold!!

2009-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Awoke this morning to the wonderful news of -12 today great, anyway we toured the old fortress it was amazing then we rode to the top of the uber.. ober.. oh its a bloody big mountain!! The good news -18 up there my ears will never be the same again T you thought i was hard of hearing before!

we then toured Salzburg zoo and another magnificent castle estate before enjoying a meal with a lovely family from Barcelona at a nice Italian resturant, Sam reckons we will have to have snitchel in Rome to make up for it!

Great to hear from you all you made me laugh with your comments but a little worried as we head into the US part of our trip???

We are missing you all and will try to ring tomorrow at around 5-6pm your time to say hi hope you enjoy the pictures tomorrow we travel to Munich to prepare for our next leg to Rome so chou for now ( is that how it is spelt?? ) Love and miss you all Ralf & Sam xxx

The hills are alive with the sound of...falling snow!!

2009-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone well what a wonderful day we have had today the sound of music tour was absolutely great and the salt mine tour was also excellent, there were 5 other Australians on the tour and it was great to talk in our native tounge for at least a little while, we had stacks and stacks of snow today as you will see in the pictures, it is around 7.30pm here and Sam is asleep in bed exhausted after dancing and singing her way through Salzburg, the temperature was around -10 today and i am very glad i bought a good jacket!

Tomorrow we go exploring Salzburg and visiting some famous sites, i know that sam wants to post a blog on todays events but im afraid you are all going to have to wait until our little leisel wakes up tomorrow to share her thoughts

Hello to you Andreas we miss you already!!

Emma so lovely to hear from you, sorry i had you mixed up with another Emma that i play vollyball with.

Hey T where are you , Hello???

Steph and Bas hope all is well at home and Steph we have our fingers crossed for a great OP!

We love and miss you both.

Till Next Time Love and Hugs Ralf & Sam

Safe and Sound in Salzburg!

2009-12-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone we are now safely in Salzburg after a 6 hour train trip ( I hate Trains!! ) the hotel is right outside the train station which is great and i have used my travel money card for the first time with no problems, we woke at 4am to drive 2.5 hours to Frankfurt then the train trip so it is a bit tiring but Salzburg is soooo beautiful i willl send more pictures tgomorrow when we go on the sound of music tour ( Yay ) but for now here are some snaps from the train window!

Love you all Ralf & Sam xx

First Snow of the trip!!

2009-12-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys well what a thrill the first snowfall of our trip came overnight and transformed Duisburg into a winter wonderland, we visited the local shops for a gift to give to Andreas and Stephanie for their wonderful hospitality, in the afternoon we met up with my Tante Maria, Angelika, Karin and Verner and visited the gravesites of my relatives that have passed away, Mum we laid some beautiful flowers on Oma's grave for you and said a prayer for all of us, afterwards we had some coffee and cake at Karins before a farewell BBQ with Andreas and Family, we leave for Salzburg at 5am tomorrow so the next blog will be from Austria, see you then

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

Hello from Duisburg. We are having the most wonderful time here with family. Ralf has become more German over night it is amazing to see and hear him, mum and dad you will be plesed to know that his heritige is strong within him.

I walk around all day with a big silly grin on my face just looking, listening, smelling and tasting life in Europe. Yesterday walking around the old town of Colone I finally got a taste of real history... I never understood it before. The Cathedral was magnificant. From the height of the atrium and the towers to the stained glass windows. Walking down into the crypt and seeing the dates inscribed on the tombs... wow just so hard to take in. I am loving the people, the language, the fashion Steph is so amazing you would love it.

Being here with family is fabulous but it makes me think of you all home in Australia and a little home sick for you all. The blog comments you send are fabulous and bring you along for the ride and keep them coming.

Seb- less of hooters and more for your mum thanks

FIMs are you not worn out yet, it doesn't sound like it, sounds like you are embracing it fully, Thank you.

Vicky- you would love it here it is quilters heaven, it really is that picture postcard European town.

Steph and Seb we tried to ring yesterday but alas noone home, we will try again today before we leave Andreas tomorrow

Mum it was great to hear your voice yesterday and I love spending timne with your family (well my family too) (yes I am crying...again)

Since we arrived in Duisburg Andreas has been trying very hard to meet our every need and last night after dinner at a lovely family Italian restaraunt we walk outside and yes it was snowing... I am sitting here in bed in the attic and the light is just starting to come through the slanted window and I see snow covering the window pane. We will get some photos this morning before the snow turns to slush.

Ok we now know why Ralf never lets me write on the blog.

So long for now from one very happy traveller XXXXX

P.S. Learnt a very valuable lesson yesterday... dont wear socks while going down polished spiral inside steps, I now have a very colourful left hip!!!!

Wonderful Cologne

2009-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the beautiful city of Cologne and its beautiful cathedral it was absoluitely magnificent unfortunately we decided to walk up to the top of the spire it was 533 steps up a spiral staircase with lots and lots of people coming down, it took around 1 hour to do the trip and man my legs are killing me but i have some great pictures, we walked around the old town of cologne and tonight we are going out for an italian dinner.

Emma we recieved a message on our blog so i guess you worked it out thanks for checking it out, T did you get my e mail re my phone message??

Alex we have not seen 1 loud American Tourist but we are on the lookout and will keep you appraised when we find one!!

Hope you like the pics we love you all Ralf and Sam xxx

Family Pics

2009-12-15T23:58:00.001-08:00

Family Photos in Germany

Germany Pics

2009-12-15T23:52:00.001-08:00

Some Pictures from Dusseldorf

More Elephant Pics

2009-12-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

The elephant is the one underneath!!

Pictures Thailand

2009-12-15T23:34:00.001-08:00

Some Thailand Market Photos

Xmas Markets and more Xmas Markets!!!

2009-12-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

Ok wow what a day yesterday sorry about the short blog but we were very busy with travelling meeting family and xmas markets, It is so friggin cold here i went to Dusseldorf with only a jumper big mistake bought gloves at the local dept store to tide me over until i could get home and get my coat ( that Sam said i should have taken! ) that was ok until the evening when i took my coat but not my thermal leggings under the jeans wow big mistake i now can relate to brass monkeys!!

We had a fantastic time at the Oberhousen Xmas markets with warm mulled wine shopping and lots of joking around gefore a meal at a local greek resturant ( T i had steak ) and some Ouzo at the end, needless to say i was asleep in the car on the way home snoring my head off, i am going to post a heap of pictures today with just the heading Picures 1-2 etc so you can see what we are up to.

T ok i will check the blog out today, hold the Quamby talk if you dont mind!!

Steph Mum says thanks for your lovely comments about her fashion sense and we are very happy that you are doing so well there and keeping the girls up to date with your movements, Sebastion Hooters was a bit dissapointing the food was a bit greasy is that what you wanted to know?? if not i would say that a pair of small rockmelons would have been nice for desert!

Love and miss you all Ralf & Sam XXX

Ok its friggin cold!!

2009-12-15T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well we have arrived in sunny Germany and yes its -2 c, we had a wonderful flight from Bangkok as we slept most of the way, Andreas was there to pick us up after getting up at 2am, after another 2 hours of driving we arrive at Duisburg and visit the christmas markets at Dusseldorf on the banks of the Rhine.

Thanks Lynny for your note we are wrapped that you are enjoying the blog!, Mum we visited Brigitte today and we are off to Oberhausen tonight for more Xmas markets, Andreas also dragged us into Hooters for lunch much to my disgust!!

T i had a look at your blog and couldnt see any posts as yet? what am i doing wrong? glad to hear that all is going well at home and that you are getting rain, Andreas has singstar so i am keeping my magnificent voice in shape, hope you are doing the same.

Love you all very much Ralf & Sam

Still alive after tuk tuk adventure!!

2009-12-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

Ok Ok Guys we get it no complaining about getting tired finally i can send some pictures hope you enjoy them, we are sitting in Bangkok airport waiting for our flight to Frankfurt, Today we had a day of shopping and a lesson in how to drive in a very very busy city!! our tuk tuk driver was amazing going down all the back alleys and side streets of course we had to visit his cousins jewellry store, his uncles tailor shop, his sisters souvener store etc etc etc but it was great fun and we topped the day off with a fantastic 2 hour massage each ( i learned a great new meaning to a happy ending! ) only joking it was really relaxing bt T you still give the best massage!!

We had a wonderful smorgasboard meal at the hotel before we left as our flight is at 11.55pm Ok enjoy the pictures love hearing from all of you keep them coming you are making it so very special for us as we feel you are travelling beside us, Love you all Ralf & Sam

Wow What a Day!!!

2009-12-13T04:21:00.000-08:00

Wow well here goes explaining a wonderful day sorry about the lack of pictures but the hotels interfaced is very ordinary and sooooo slow anyhow it is also not allowing me to send E Mails however i am getting yours on Ralfy@iprimus.com.au so please keep sending them it is great to hear from you all!
Ok we took a tour today and went through an amazing market with all kinds of wonderful and exotic foods T i tried something different as you asked only it was pastry based!! and delicious i hope the treadmill is still working when i get home!
We walked around 2 k to get to a waterfall and i am not kidding the stairs were almonst vertical it was very scary and very tiring, we had a ride on an oxen cart which reminded me of why man invented springs!!
but the highlight was an elephant ride man what a buzz the poor bugger that had Sam and i on it must have wondered what he had done wrong to deserve it, but he was magnificent lots and lots of great photos that we will post once i get to a decent interent connection.
We are missing all of you already and are quite tired but we are getting a buzz from reading your comments and E Mails T what is your blog address??
Till tomorrow from the weary travellors Luv you all Ralf & Samxx

Safe and Sound in Bangkok

2009-12-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

well after one night in Bangkok as the song goes, Ralf and I are wide awake on Brisbane time. The flight was excellent... aided by plently of leg room, fabulous food including smoked salmon and a selection of cheese and some of the most beautiful people in the world. Yes I know that is a big call early but the Thai people are friendly, happy and welcoming to their homeland. We can't wait to explore it more today. There was a mother and son who were on the same pick up as us last night and are leaving on the same flight that we are on Monday night. Where are they heading? Salzburg? No kidding!! Seven degrees of separation already!
We are having a few E Mail issues that we hope to resolve shortly, till next time See Ya Ralf&Sam xx

Welcome to Business Class

2009-12-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well here we are at Brisbane Airport tears and stress fade away to the lounge, food, and drink at the Air new Zealand Business Class Lounge!!, Sam cant wait to taste the baguettes and have a coffee to relax check in was easy and we board in a couple of hours, catch ya in Bancock!