Cyprus: July 6-13

We spent a wonderful sunny week in Cyprus with friends from Melbourne: Austin, Jenn and Tim. It was one of the highlights of our trip, it was great to spend time relaxing and playing with close friends in such an idyllic setting.

Austin`s grandparents`house was across the road from the blue Mediterranean Sea.


In addition, there was a pool out the back which we spent a lot of time in or sitting around. Marco Polo was also a big hit.

We stopped at this winery where this 11 year old kid proceeded to give us a detailed explanation of each wine and grape variety. He easily persuaded us to buy a bottle.

We did a few hikes, even spotting the endangered Moufflon, a sort of wild sheep/deer creature. This is a photo from Akamas Peninsula in the North-West. Cyprus is an incredibly dry place, there was a white chalky dust coating the vegetation and later, us.

We visited Greek and Roman ruins (this photo is the Kourion) and were also awed by beautifully frescoed churches and monasteries in the hills.

On our last day we tried to drive up along the Northern coast into Turkish Cyprus but were turned back at the border shortly after this photo was taken. Tensions still persist between Greek and Turkish sides of the island.

A final dip in the Mediterranean at Aphrodite`s Birthplace before flying back to Hamburg and on to Switzerland.

Thanks to Austin, for inviting us to stay and thanks to Jenn, Tim and Austin for all the good laughs and conversation.

Hamburg: July 2-5

We spent 3 days in Hamburg with our friends Michael and Rike. It was quite relaxing and a good catch up after the festival. We got the best sleep here so far, and enjoyed strolling through Hamburg, visiting Portuguese cafes and the Elbe waterfront.

Fusion Festival June 29-July 2

We met up with our friend Jan and took a bus into Eastern Germany to an old Russian airbase, which had been converted into a great venue for the 4 day music festival called Fusion. It`s the only non-commercial music festival in Europe, all ticket sales are donated to charities and there`s no advertising (and no meat sold at the festival either). There were 9 different stages playing a variety of music from the irritatingly ceaseless thump of trance to some great reggae and ska and latin sounds, also some hip hop, house, drum n`bass, and some lively large piece Balkan music. We were surprised to learn how popular traditional Russian and Balkan (Romanian, Hungarian etc.) music has become over here. One of the main acts was a group of about 12 old men from Romania who whipped the crowd into a dnacing fury with their horns. It was hilarious to watch the security guards hold back young girls who tried to jump on stage and hug or kiss them.

Some of the stages were set in the forest and many of them were inside old airplane hangers (see photo above) which provided good acoustics and soundproofing. There was also art, theatre, a cinema and a cabaret to keep us awake until sunrise every morning.

The Far North; the Baltic Sea and Kappeln on the Schlei: June 27-29

We took an overnight bus (=no sleep and a dinner consisting of peanuts) up to Hamburg and a train a further 2 hours North to visit Craig`s cousins, Deirdre and Klaus in Kappeln. The weather turned considerably colder and after the long journey we were happy to just relax and chat with our hosts. They were extremely warm and gracious hosts, and it was actually the first time Craig had met them, so it was really great to hear the old family legends and history as well as their own life stories.

We went on some drives around the Schlei, a big inlet on the Baltic Sea, and walked through quaint thatch roofed villages, the beach, visited a Viking museum and went for a bike ride.

On the Schlei





Craig went for a swim in the icy Baltic Sea.

Elm (and Kunitachi Heights) Reunion, Darmstadt and Heidelberg: June 24-25

In 1999, Craig studied at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and we lived in an apartment building called Elm. Over this weekend we had a 7 year reunion with some German and Dutch friends we had studied and lived with. We had a barbeque and watched the Germany round 16 game, and a quick tour of Darmstadt and a big lunch the next day in Heidelberg. It was great to see everyone and thanks for your company and efforts Peter, Karsten, Arne and Emil!

A Russian church in the Art Nouveau part of Darmstadt.

Stuttgart and Tubingen: June 22-24

We had a relaxing time in Stuttgart, where we met up with a good friend Jan who we got to know in NZ. We spent one night at his parents place in Tubingen and saw the market day in that small town. The highlight of this part of the trip was the people and conversation, so big thanks to Jan, Ine, Alexa, Winni and Marlies!

Bavarian Alps; Lakes and Fairytale Castles: June 19-21

The view from our room in Hopfan an See. We stayed with a Bavarian farming family who were renting a room in their house. It was fantastic accomodation, and quite cheap. It was nice to (attempt to) interact with some local people and they made us a big German breakfast of bread rolls and meats and cheeses and tea. There was always enough food for us to make into a picnic lunch as well.

This is the lake where we swam every morning, just a 15 minute walk down from our room.

The magnificent fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein sits in the background, nestled in the foothills of the Alps. It was one of the many castles built by the eccentric King Ludwig II, who built this one with an unlimited budget and a lot of imagination. Inside were paintings from Wagnerian operas and even a room made into a cave with a waterfall and garden. He only lived in it for just over 100 days before being pronounced mentally unfit to rule.

We took a gondola up into the alps and hiked two and a half hours down to the castle. Breathtaking views and hardly a sole in sight (everyone just goes straight to the castle). We were only walking downhill so it was an easy pleasant walk, but our legs ached for days afterwards.

The schloss of dreams.

A waterfall beneath the castle where we napped downstream nearby.

The final day of this outing we drove our rental car to Stuttgart. Along the way we accidentally took a pedestrian-only dirt road along a gorgeous lake, cyclists and hikers scowling at us and yelling in German. It was too narrow to turn around, and at the end we found ourselves at a locked gate which marked the Austrian border. So we got out and had a 15 minute saunter through Austria before doggedly heading back. Then we drove to Bordensee or the Lake of Constance, where we had a swim and ate some ice cream in this great town, Lindau.

Munich: 16-19 June, 2006

Marien Platz


We were lucky to catch up with Chiara who Craig studied at Hitotsubashi University with. It had been 7 years since we had seen each other.

We were also lucky to catch up with Browny and Wendy, but drank too many 1L Munich beers to remember to take photos.

Bike Ride Heidelberg to Hirschhorn: June 14, 2006

This 60 km bike ride was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the whole trip so far. We rode on bike trails along the Neckar river and through rolling hills, forest and small villages. The final village was Hirschhorn, just a remarkably cute town. We refreshed ourselves with ice cream and filled our water bottles with clean cold water that came from a fountain in the center of town and rode home just as a huge thunderstorm rolled in. It was a magical day.

There were four castle ruins on the other side of the river.

In Hirschhorn, walking up to the old castle. We arrived and found a wedding going on there and no tourists in site, so we climbed many stairs up the castle turret.

Out of the castle window.

Heidelberg: June 12-16, 2006

View from the castle overlooking the very picturesque town of Heidelberg

Looking up at the schloss aglow with the 10 p.m. sunset, from the old bridge on the Neckar river.

The Neckar river

The Goldener Hecht, where we enjoyed many fine dinners, beers and World Cup games

We hung out with friends from Melbourne in picturesque Heidelberg, enjoying the cobblestone streets and baroque architecture, the huge schloss above the city, the wide river which we camped next to, and the good atmosphere of the town especially during World Cup festivities.

Socceroos in the World Cup: June 12-26, 2006

Riley, Matty, Duncan, Rachael and Zoe before the Australia vs. Japan game

After Australia scored 3 goals against Japan in the last 6 minutes!

View from the Fan Fest in Munich. Lively Brasilian fans turned Munich into a party after their win.

Watching the Round 16 Australia vs. Italy game

Great seats behind the goals. But, unfortunately no Australian goal.

It has been 32 years since Australia made it to the World Cup (the last time was also in Germany), so with friends from Australia, we followed the Socceroos around Germany. We managed to scalp some cheap tickets to their first match against Japan in Kaiserslatern (3:1). Then travelled to Munich and watched at the fanfest (the really big screens set up in cities to accomodate audiences of 30,000-1 million people): Australia vs Brazil 2:0. Then to Stuttgart: Australia vs Croatia 2:2. We also had tickets for the Round 16 match: Australia vs Italy 0:1. We had great seats for both of the live games and it has all been very exciting!

Michael and Rikes Wedding: June 10, 2006

We arrived in Germany just in time for the wedding of our two friends, Michael and Rike. We met Michael in 1999 in Japan when he was studying at the same university as Craig, Hitotsubashi. He also lived in the same apt. building as us, and later he and Rike stayed with us in Melbourne when they did some travelling in 2002.

We drove with Max and Angelika to the very small town of Steinkirchen, about 1 hour West of Hamburg in Northern Germany. We spent 2 nights up there and it was great to get to know their friends and family on that first night before the wedding. Everyone was very friendly and it was a great introduction to our trip in Deutschland.

The wedding started in the evening, so we got up early and did a bike ride along a smaller river which flowed into the Elbe river. Quaint villages with thatch roofed houses and old protestant churches and windmills dotted the green countryside. Everywhere felt like Hobit homes and it was like being in a storybook.

The wedding was blessed with perfect summer weather. The ceremony took place in an old church, followed by some relaxing outside and then a reception in an old thatch roofed hotel and the dancing began at about 11 and went until 5 a.m. Everyone seemed relaxed and high-spirited and to really enjoy the time all together.