Public Bussing — Otavalo, Ecuador

  Otavalo, Ecuador
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Why not, right?

We hopped a bus from Otavalo to Cotacachi to see the beautiful leather goods. Why didn't I buy myself a purse? 

It's a beautiful and clean village- many expats live here, I know why. 

Wander the streets, visit the shops, snap photos, smell the leather. We had lunch at a lovely little spot... grilled chicken and rice- tasty and simple.. also very cheap. 

Dinner in Otavalo at a small place on the square- Otavalo was pretty dead. We shared the restaurant with no one except the cook's little girl who sat with me and colored until her mother yelled at her to leave me alone- I was happy with her sitting there but mom knows best.

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From Frigate Birds to Otavalo! — Otavalo, Ecuador

  Otavalo, Ecuador
Sunday, May 15, 2011

Official Itinerary Description:"Arrive at North Seymour in the morning to see frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and sea lions. Seymour Island is probably the most exciting island photographically. Bird life abounds, and close to the trail you will find many nesting pairs and young chicks. Seymour is also home to the Galapagos's largest colony of magnificent frigate birds. Their mating ritual is an ostentatious display: males expand the red sack at the base of their throat and perch atop a bush with wings fully extended, flapping furiously. Interested females circle overhead, and if so inclined, may join the male on terra firma. Further along the trail we can observe
a colony of sea lions."

The final day was actually pretty packed, considering it was just one excursion before a midday flight back to mainland Ecuador. We got up extra early (I think around 5:30) and saw the sun rise, which was beautiful. The crossing to the island (N. Seymour) was rougher than other days... but still not bad. No one had a problem making the zodiac to land hop.

The frigate birds puffed their red neck thingys (that's a highly technical scientific term) which was absolutely spectacular. They were so close and so still, you could really get a nice close up shot of the brilliant red. To be honest, I'm not sure how ANY male frigates are single!   Those red things are HOT. 

 

We saw tons of blue footed boobies...also very close- some even blocking our path! Afterwards, we headed around the corner to the Santa Cruz airport and before I knew it, my 8 days in the Galapagos was over. 

The flight wasn't so bad... we arrived in mid-afternoon and had pre-arranged transport to Otavalo. We were there by sunset. 

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Final day of Cusco — Cuzco, Peru

  Cuzco, Cusco, Peru
Friday, July 15, 2011

For our final day in Cusco, we decided to just wander the streets and BE there. 
Sadly, we had to check out of Andenes al Cielo, the most fantastic hotel experience... I would absolutely recommend that place to anyone. 60 bucks a night... I felt like I Was staying at the Ritz!
The next hotel, Rumi Punku, was just up the street. We had looked around for a place for the final night but had no luck, so we splurged on a 100/night hotel almost across the street (5 minutes farther from the action). I immediately knew it was a waste of money. They put us in a room that was basically in the lobby and pushed twin beds together to make a king. There was a mini bar with expensive bottles of water and snacks. Oh well- one night there and we certainly wouldn't be spending much time in the room. By 9am we were out and about, wandering around. We had a couple more museums to cross off the list... so we bopped into those (can't recall the names) before shopping some more for goofy trinkets and alpaca sweaters. Spontaneous parading seemed to be occurring among the school kids because of the Virgen del Carmen festival (happening tomorrow) 

After wandering for the morning, it was time..... 

 
Mike had never tried Cuy (guinea pig) which I happily choked down while on a horseback ride in Ecuador a few months prior. It was his turn.  Our Pisac driver, Isaac, told us about a place that was just across the street from our new hotel Rumi Punku. Quinta Eulalia is a local spot visited by families out to lunch, business people, and not many tourists. No English was spoken there, but I definitely knew I was getting Pollo and Mike was having Cuy!

He went for it - a whole guinea pig... not quartered .... head, eyes, teeth, whiskers. mmmmmmmmmmmmm rodent. 

I think the most disappointing thing for mike was that there wasn't enough meat. I really didn't love Cuy, so I'm happy I didnt eat it again. I enjoyed taking photos of the frisbee shaped Cuy, but that was it. 

The restaurant patio was really packed...great atmosphere. Two guys strummed on their guitars, we laughed and cringed at the guinea pig (poor guy) and enjoyed a Cusquena in the sunshine. What a great last lunch! 

It's easy to lose days in Cusco - every building is interesting, every alley feels like a museum. I was happy to spend the final day here.

Of course we made our way to a bar overlooking the Plaza de Armas - how could we not? The people watching is spectacular...kids trying to sell postcards to tourists, guys playing guitars, little crowds of uniformed students. So we sipped a Pisco Sour and let some time pass..

San Blas definitely stole our hearts - so we wanted to spend our last night there, relaxing and enjoying the neighborhood, artists, hippies and locals.

Just above the Plaza de San Blas is a narrow street with bars and street artists- we stopped into one and had an outdoor drink ... 2 for 1 mojitos? yes please.

The temp in Cusco drops about 20 degrees once the sun sinks, so we finished our second drink inside the bar, where we talked for a long time with a couple from the Amazon - really nice people, explaining their lives here in Cusco and life in the Amazon. I wish I remembered what town they said they were from. Their spanish was beautiful... and by beautiful I mean slow.j

Quick trip back to the stupid hotel, shower, back out! It was COLD when we got out... we had had a little too much to drink and didn't care much about dinner, but we knew we had to eat....so we hoofed it up Hatunrumiyoc, the steep street that leads up to the plaza san blas, where we'd just come from an hour before.

One place on the left had spaghetti - perfect. So we had nachos and spaghetti on our last night. I took a picture of the condor origami which I got a huge kick out of.

After dinner we visited one bar in the plaza to listen to live music. I bought a winter hat from a street vendor because I was cold- Mike was amazed at my impulse buy. I had already purchased quite a few of these hats but they were back at the hotel - it was 2 bucks... I explained that we'd easily spend twice that on a beer in the US... it didn't seem so amazing after that. My head was warm.

We emerged from the bar to a celebration in the Plaza- probably for Virgen del Carmen... sparklers and fire crackers sprayed all over cars parked in the plaza...dancing, drumming, trumpets, celebration! What an atmosphere.

We soaked that in before heading to bed - our last night in Cusco was perfect.

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Wandering shoes — Quito, Ecuador

  Quito, Ecuador
Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Quito - walk around ... enjoy the city. I was surprised at the lack of tourist places to sit outside and watch people in the old city. There are plenty in the new parts but they feel a lot like Cancun. There was one in one plaza that was cheap for snacks and drinks - we ended up there twice. 

Watch your things and take note of the police presence- go where is recommended and not beyond. I felt pretty safe wandering around during the day... the old part of town is great during the day but quiet and apparently quite dangerous at night.

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Recoleta, etc — Buenos Aires, Argentina

  Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

We wandered around Buenos Aires today.... Checked out the Evita museum which was the only one in BA we spent any time in - it was great... filled with interesting stuff - clothes, toys and books created for Evita's youth programs- some of her outfits, video clips of her ...all the way to her death - she was so loved. 

 After Evita, we meandered through the botanical gardens - free... not really all that impressive but probably because it's winter?   grabbed a bite at an adorable cafe in Palermo... I was attracted to the bright white walls with red and turquoise accents. The food was awesome...Pupila Madre on Guatemala, if you find yourself in that area. 
By the time we made our way back to our hotel it was time to get ready for dinner and our tango show at El Viejo Almacen

.

The tango show has a pre-show dinner option which is apparently terrible, so thankfully Mike only reserved the show and we picked out another spot close by for dinner.  The show included transportation from the hotel which was really great considering the show in San Telmo was about a 30 minute drive from our Palermo B&B.  

Amici Miei was our dinner spot of choice- one of the top BA spots on Tripadvisor. It wasn't crowded because we ate at 8pm, WAY too early by Buenos Aires standards. We got a glass of wine (saved ourselves for open bar at the tango show) and 2 of the most gigantic, heavy, and FANTASTIC pasta dishes ever. We could have had just one for 2 of us and not even finished it, but we wanted to try two. Ugh, we were so stuffed. 

Here is a link to the restaurant. 100% recommend.
http://www.amicimiei.com.ar/

The tango show didn't disappoint. It was just long enough... any longer and it would have been too long- open bar...tons of wine ... not great wine (probably felt a little spoiled with all the fabulous Malbec and whatnot) but whatever... beggars can't be choosers.

After the show we had our van driver bring us to Caracas, a bar in Palermo, to meet up with our new friend Parnilla and my old friend from college who I ran into on Sunday, Marc. We arrived at the bar to find Parnilla and Marc had already met and were having a drink together! Love.

3am - bed time. 

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Dancing with Sea Lions - Snorkeling highlight! — Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

  Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Saturday, May 14, 2011

Official Itinerary Description:"Plazas / Santa F?

In the morning we visit Plaza Sur —home of a colony of sea lion bachelors .in the afternoon Set sail and reach Santa F? Island. Learn about the prehistoric-looking land iguanas from our naturalist guide, as well as how mangrove trees survive in this harsh environment. In the afternoon visit Plaza Sur —home of a colony of sea lion bachelors. Santa F? Island (also called Barrington) is well-known as a great place for watching (and swimming with) sea lions. There is only one place to land launches, but two different trails offer varied experiences. The shorter of the two hikes leads from the beach into a sparse forest of prickly pear cactus. The second, longer trail goes up a cliff side into an area inhabited by Land Iguanas. The interior terrain of the island is interesting, with a good panoramic view from the cliff top

. Back on the beach, it is easy to sit for hours just watching the antics of the sociable sea lions."

Snorkeling was the definite highlight on this day... We were able to stay in a calm, protected cove for a very long time. The guys on the boat even left a couple of us out there while they shuttled others back - We were having so much fun playing in the shallow water with a bunch of young sea lions. Once you get comfortable with their behavior, it isn't scary at all.  They can swim calmly around in circles and then dart off, sneaking up on you upon their return - if you swim on your back, they will too! 

I followed a large sea turtle for quite some time on this trip, and then returned to the sea lions playing next to the rocky shore.

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Street Art, Graffiti, Vandalism — Buenos Aires, Argentina

  Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina
Thursday, July 19, 2012

Morning- up and at it at about 10:30 - barely made breakfast. 

Hoofed it down to see the giant flower - obviously not in time for it to automatically open with sunrise. Oops. OK - cool.. seen it. No time for much - hopped a cab and headed to the meeting spot for the "Graffiti Mundo" tour.

Here's the link:
http://graffitimundo.com/

Price was affordable - it involved a combo of some light walking and shuttling on a van. I found it to be pretty neat, if you're into Graffiti... if not, you might find it a bit drawn out. I love art so it was great for me. Mike thought it was a little long... but it's a great activity for an afternoon if you have a week in BA like we did. 

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Day 3 - Sea Lions have the cutest little ears — Espanola, Ecuador

  Espanola, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Here is the official itinerary, provided by the tour:
We arrive at Espa?ola Island, the southernmost island of the Galapagos, early in the morning. Visit Gardner Bay which is an excellent swimming and snorkeling site. Later we visit Punta Suarez on the western side of Espa?ola Island (also called Hood) is spectacular: gargantuan waves break on jagged cliffs and large bird colonies thickly populate the interior of the island; there is a distinct feel of desolate wilderness here. The Waved Albatross is seen here from April to December during its mating/nesting season. This bird leaves land between January and March each year to make its annual odyssey far out to sea. Amazingly, Espa?ola is the nesting site to virtually the entire world population of this species, with more than 12000 pairs residing here. Large numbers of masked and blue-footed boobies are also found here, red-billed tropic birds dash madly through the air, and both marine iguanas and sea lions are common. A huge blowhole, where the surf is forced through a natural rock formation spouting seawater 15 to 20 m (49 – 66 ft) into the air, adds to the island’s impression of untamed beauty.Follow the trail through a rookery and learn the geological history of the island from our naturalist, including its dramatic volcanic features, climate, flora and fauna.
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As usual, we were greeted with the lovely morning music and wake up from the boat director at about 6:30AM - After a big buffet breakfast and a cup of coffee, we boarded the pangas for Espanola island. Our morning entailed a visit to a large sea lion colony and about 2 hours of hanging out on the beach. There was no real structure to this landing - We got a little history of the island, the sea lions (how to interact with them..particularly how NOT to interact with the big males on land), the marine iguanas, etc... The rest of the time, we just wandered around and observed the colony and took a walk to the other end of the beach to check out the iguanas. It was really entertaining to play with the young sea lions- They were so curious. One especially brave little guy kept me entertained for a good 30 minutes. My new passenger friend Sara and I threw sand at his flipper he would waddle at us quickly and then lie down and stare- It was really cute!

My father was chased by a really large male which was scary but also kind of funny... He sat on a tree stump for a long time, just observing behavior. 

After a while, I trekked down the white sandy beach about 10 minutes to some old lava rocks where the marine iguanas were hanging out. They were certainly cool to look at, but way less fun than the sea lions. 

We returned to the boat, turned around and got back in the pangas to do some snorkeling. There were interesting caves and reefs right off the cliffs on one part of Espanola. The water was extremely warm so I decided it'd be the last day I would wear a wetsuit. 

Walter snorkeled with us along with Henry... they did a great job pointing out unusual fish and getting some to come out of hiding ! 

Some people chose to only snorkel 30 minutes or so, but I always found it hard to get out of the water when they wanted us back on the boat...

After lunch, we headed back to another part of Espanola to check out the amazing bird population on the island. We took a really nice, rocky walk along some beautiful bright white guano-covered cliffs! The views were quite stunning. It was definitely the most interesting landing of the trip!!!

 We saw Nazca Boobies, Blue Footed Boobies, the Waved Albatross (so many and so many doing the famous dance!), to name a few. Walter went at a very slow pace, stopping at one magnificent cliff to relax, watch the Albatross soar and dance and to just take in the view. 

I'd say we returned to the boat at about 4:30 for a cold Pilsener and another beautiful sunset. 

This was the last full day for those passengers who chose to do a 4D/3N tour. We had a farewell cocktail in the back bar and 2 separate briefings - One for everyone, and another departure briefing for those moving on to other things....

My only negative about this was that we couldn't spend a week with the same group. I absolutely LOVED both groups we had for both parts of the trip, and I could never trade any of them for any others... but I do wish this trip wasn't broken up into two parts, with only a few staying on for the duration. 

 

Side Note: I was under the impression the Galapagos Islands were reserved for a wealthy, older crowd.... I was SO WRONG. Our boat was a 50/50 mix - The age range was between 24 and 77... We had some higher-end travelers who booked a multi-week South American trip entirely through a tour company all the way to budget travelers who arrived in the main Galapagos town of Puerto Ayora looking for a good last-minute deal on a cruise with an empty spot!  Our boat was a superior (or Luxury?? can't recall the actual class) class boat which made me think we wouldn't see many young people - Wrong again.

   The people certainly made the trip extra special. I imagine some people have experienced some tough situations, being cooped up on a boat for a week with the same 16 people. We thought each of our groups throughout the week were really very enjoyable- Every pair brought something different to the group and we all had a fantastic time getting to know one another. Of course, we were all on vacation and in "vacation-mode" so it didn't exactly emulate a real-life scenario but for our trip, we couldn't have asked for a better group of travelers!

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This market beats Otavalo, any day! — Saquisilí, Ecuador

  Saquisilí, Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Thursday, May 19, 2011

We arranged for a driver to take us to the Saquisili market from Quito early in the morning - The drive was pretty quick (thanks to the deathly speeds of the driver) ..it probably took about an hour and 15 minutes. Since we left around 6, traffic wasn't that bad...

I would recommend doing this early so that you can get down there to see the action - Remember, market-goers are early risers!

The market was divided into two sections... animals and then foods/crafts/housewears/clothes. Although the handicrafts for tourists section was smaller (MUCH) than Otavalo, there were a fair amount options that weren't the standard cheesy options - Yes, I know everyone needs an alpaca statue made from REAL alpaca. Why the heck would I go all the way to South America to not come home with one of those fluffy goodies? 

Aside from the tourist "musts", this market had some beautiful wooden spoons and bowls, ceramic bowls, hand woven reed baskets that were being sold to both tourists and locals. I bought a bunch of little pitchers that I absolutely love- They aren't really good for anything but decoration but they are adorable. I also have a giant wooden spoon that was clearly not for tourists but handmade .. I'm probably not going to use it for serving soup, but I do love having it on display. 

The animal market was also pretty interesting- dusty and dirty outside area. I wouldn't bring the PETA board of directors here....or any kids that think sheep are just pets. 

 

An interesting market experience (to me) was the herbal medicine salesmen. One guy was standing around selling some product that was supposedly a cure for cataracts - another some remedy for sore muscles. The whole dynamic reminded me of those guys in old movies who would roll into some town on a wagon and give speeches about some magic potion, sell a bunch, and then quickly leave. I'm sure someone catches my drift with that one...?

We wandered around checking out the food stands but didn't buy any snacks. There was a bread lady that was selling some amazing looking treats and I still regret not getting one...

Saquisili's market is clearly an event that is more important to the surrounding locals than the tourists- It is a day of congregation for this area and I was so happy the tourist market aspect hadn't totally consumed the authenticity (like Otavalo).. 

 Amid the chaos, there was a beautiful, simple way of life being displayed in Saquisili...people chatting, bargaining, listening to music, laughing... I wish I'd had more time to sit and people watch or talk to more locals.

I would highly recommend a trip on a market day - It's not far and the road is flat and straight. We paid $40.00 for the driver to take us, wait for 2.5 hours, and drive us back to the hotel.  

I wouldn't recommend our driver because he was kind of insane, but getting there is as simple as having your hotel call you a taxi!

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Don't miss the first bus. — Ollantaytambo, Peru

  Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
Sunday, July 10, 2011

Getting up at 3am after only a few hours of not so great sleep at La Pequena Casita (not a great place, but not bad either) was half exciting half awful.... I stayed in bed for a few minutes while mike went down to wait in line for the first bus to Machu Picchu.

The first bus doesn't actually leave until 6, but if you're not on it, you'll miss the chance to get your ticket stamped for Wayna Picchu, that rock structure jutting out of the earth behind Machu Picchu in all the pictures...

When I finally convinced my body to get out of bed, I dragged myself downstairs and out the door to complete middle of the night darkness and a line as long as a city block, quickly forming for the 6am bus. I was only about 15 minutes behind Mike, but there were at least 60 people already in line behind him by the time I actually located him in the darkness. The best part about La Pequena Casita was its location: Directly in front of the line for the bus to Machu Picchu. I took a seat in line and let Mike go find one of the women selling coca tea which we drank to warm us up and WAKE us up. So yummy.

At about 5am, Jose showed up and found us - He saved our space while we went to eat breakfast, which was actually better than I expected. At 6am, the line started moving and busses started filling up - We were probably on the 4th or 5th bus, so we thought for SURE we'd be one of the 400 Wayna Picchu climbers for the day. What they don't tell you is that those are not the only buses that go to MP and the line we waited in is not the only way you can have a chance to get your ticket stamped for Wayna Picchu. When we arrived at MP, it became very clear that we would not be one of the first 400 people in line. People walked from Aguas Calientes, private buses crowded the parking area, people got in line from the hotel located right at the entrance (cheaters)....

We didn't have a shot. Bummer. Jose disappeared for a while and re-emerged from the crowd. He pulled us out of line and we felt up to the front where his buddy was working - VICTORY (yes, we cheated)... 2 stamps for Wayna Picchu. Only one or two people noticed us cutting. I didn't feel bad about it. Survival of the fittest.

 

Jose showed us around MP for a couple of hours. We watched the sun rise over the ruins - Don't miss this. Even if you don't have any interest in a 1 hour vertical climb (why anyone would NOT want to put themselves through that torture is beyond me) - you MUST get to MP for sunrise. The crowds are relatively thin, people are quiet, the air is crisp.  

 

 At 10am, we said goodbye to Jose and passed our Wayna Picchu stamped papers over to the gatekeepers at the entrance. We signed our name in a book and headed up.

 
The climb was far more difficult - Straight up, sheer cliffs (no railings in most places), steps that were spaced far enough that they didn't feel like they were helping, lots of people to navigate. The people aspect was pretty cool - Everyone encouraged everyone else. We passed people on their way down who cheered us on. We learned quickly that all the climbers headed down who told us we were almost there were liars!!! We did the same thing on our way down... it's what kept us motivated to make it to the top. Reaching the top was a victory in itself. We climbed on stairs that were carved thousands of years ago up to the top of a mountain that had a few giant boulders, great views and nothing else at the top. A few stone houses were built hanging off the face of the cliff- How they built those houses is a complete mystery - Jutting straight out from the side of the mountain, the only way I could see them getting there is by magically being placed there by a giant crane. The fact that they were built rock by rock high above Machu Picchu is baffling.

How did the residents of Wayna Picchu get their groceries up to their houses?

We chilled at the top for a half hour, took some great photos, chatted to the other VIPs of the day and then headed back down.

By the time we reached MP, we had had enough of the ruins. I'm sure many people stay for the day to walk around and relax and photograph, but we were really finished with the whole thing by noon. Starving, sweaty and exhausted, we caught a bus (I think they run every 10 minutes) back to Aguas Calientes.

FYI, if you want to head out of Aguas Calientes before night, make sure to explicitly state that when booking a tour. Our tour ended at 10am (another annoyance, considering we paid for a 2 day tour..we got about 26 hours) and we didn't have a train back until 6pm. We wandered around Aguas Calientes, ate nachos (it was a good idea at the time) and bought some silly things - magnets, alpaca stuffed animals, cheesy things.

We were pretty sick of Aguas Calientes by 6pm - The train ride back was ridiculous: The poor PeruRail employees had to serve us tea and coffee and snacks AND put on a fashion show, making quick changes in the teenie bathrooms. This was the weirdest part of the trip - They were selling fine alpaca scarves and shawls and sweaters, modeled by the train staff. There was a pre-recorded history lesson on an upcoming festival and some dancing... It was all a blur, really.

I was so happy to return to Hostal Iskay for one more night. I don't think I could have made it all the way to Cusco. Having one more night and day in slow-paced, quiet Ollantaytambo was just what we needed.

We finished our long and incredible day at Heart's Cafe. The food was delicious- We inhaled our dinner and went straight to bed.

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"Blue Red and Grey" — Würzburg, Germany

  Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
Saturday, June 8, 2013

It's another blue sky morning as we rise early for a quick breakfast before a 90 minutes bus trip to Nürnberg (Nuremberg) on the Pegnitz River in the Bavaria where Nazi rallies dominated during WWII and the subsequent Nuremberg Trials relating to war crimes were held.

With a local guide on board, we see the inner town from the bus windows. It's a very frustating exercise as travel is too fast to see properly or for photography.

We alight at Nuremberg Castle, first documented in 1050 and expanded over the years. It sits within extensive city walls with impressive fortification, towers and has never been breached.

It was damaged in WWII but subsequently restored and contains a youth hostel in one of the larger buildings

. We enjoy the panorama of the city from the forecourt. There are numerous spires and Fachwerkhäuser - 'half timber' houses.

Our guide then walks us through the town to the market square where a produce market is in full swing. There is an impressive Gothic Schöner Brunnen - a gold spired fountain and a Glockenspiel in the clocktower of the church along one side. It plays daily at midday with puppet musicians 'playing' their instruments while others parade around central figure.

We buy some delicious cherries and gingerbread from the market and head for the bus. The air-conditioning fails again...

We barely have enough time to wash our faces and eat lunch before returning to the bus for for a short ride to the Würzburg Residenz. The vast UNESCO-listed compound near the center of the town was commissioned by two prince-bishops and was modelled on the Palace of Versailles. It was extensively damaged in WWII but completely rebuilt. Fortunately, all that could be remove for safe-keeping had been. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created the largest fresco in the world, which adorns the vault over the staircase and survived in tact

. It is an impressive work of art. It has rococco room after room with extensive plaster stucco detailing, crystal chandeliers, a gold mirrored room like Versaille and enormous tapestries. However, the bishop now lives in a more modest residence in town.

This afternoon's guide stresses she is from the region of Franconia, not Northern Bavaria!
She is an art curator and a good leader through the Residenz. She then leads us down to the old town. A wine festival is in full swing in the market square with many long tables of people eating and drinking.

Along the river, we find the Alte Mainbrücke - a bridge dating from 1473. It is similar to the Charles Bridge in Prague with statues of saints across its width. From its centre, we can see that water is spilling over walls and still raging downstream.

It has been a long, tiring day - not an example of the sort of relaxing travel and sightseeing we had paid for. There is the unappealing prospect of full days of bus travel to get us to Budapest in time. We return to the boat for dinner. The mood is more grey and sombre as the various tables talk amongst themselves, postulating what would be best after tomorrow's planned program

.

Luckily, the crew are putting on a show tonight to lighten the mood. 'Our' original crew would have done the same on our last night, had we stayed with them the full 15 days. It is a blend of slapstick, a bit of toilet humour and a very clever (and funny) act using frying pans and ladles as 'gongs' under the dressing gowns of three otherwise scantily clad waiters.

With no energy left to even shower, l flop into bed. Sleep is required before tomorrow's early departure to Regensburg.

"Blue Red and Grey" by The Who

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Flop 5: retour sur l'actualité touristique de la semaine

Depuis hier, il est officiellement été. Retour sur l'actualité touristique de la semaine par un top 5 et un flop de 5

TripAdvisor a dévoilé cette semaine les destinations estivales les plus chers. Paris, 5e du classement est la plus cher ville française. En Europe, c'est Oslo, remportant le trophée.

Une personne est morte, une autre est dans un état grave. Ils ont tous deux essayaient le jeu « balconing ». Ce concept stupid est de sauter depuis le balcon de l'hôtel et la plongée dans la piscine. Ces dernières années, plus de gens meurent après cette pratique.

Une troisième personne est décédée Jeudi dans les Landes après les inondations survenues dans le sud-ouest de la France. Cette semaine, plusieurs lignes SNCF sont restés coupés. Les sanctuaires de Lourdes n'a pu pour rouvrir cet été.

Parfois, ils disent que c'est être mieux être dans une relation de type single. Une ville du Swaziland, petit pays coincé entre l'Afrique du Sud et le Mozambique, va mettre des amendes aux amateurs qui sont embrasserait trop fougueusement en public. Cela considéré comme comportement « indécent » coûtera 9 euros. Pour mémoire, c'est aussi dans ce pays que déroule chaque année la « danse de Reed », impliquant des dizaines de milliers de filles très dépouillées. Pendant ce festival, le souverain, polygame, peut choisir une nouvelle épouse.

C'est la vidéo c'est le buzz cette semaine. Porter a été filmé sur l'aéroport de Guangzhou en Chine. 4 Minutes vus jetant des paquets sur le tapis roulant. Attention, ne surtout pas montrent cette vidéo dans vos bagages. Ils risquent d'être traumatisés.

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Insolite : une station de ski est en vente sur Leboncoin

Depuis ce week-end, une station de ski est en vente sur Leboncoin.

Comme les divers articles sur l'internet, Marc Trancart prendra bientôt sa retraite. Le propriétaire du site situé dans la Loge des Gardes (Allier) vend son domaine pour 550 000 euros tout compris : itinérant, en accord avec l'autorité de développement forestier, ascenseurs dont trois remontées mécaniques, une location avec boutique de matériel de plus de 500, une crêperie, un toiletteur et autres véhicules de la montagne.

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Le top 10 des pays les plus visités lors d’un tour du monde

Un tour du monde est long à préparer. Le site voyageAutourDuMonde.fr a recensé les pays visités par 100 tourdumondistes français sur le net pour déterminer les pays les plus traversés lors d’un tour du monde. En moyenne, les globe-trotteurs passent par 16 pays. Découvrez le top 10 des pays les plus visités lors d’un tour du monde.

80 % des tourdumondistes français visitent la Thaïlande. Grâce à son paysage varié (montagnes, mers, plages bordées de cocotiers), le Siam, ancien nom de la Thaïlande, est une destination très prisée.

78 % des Français ayant déjà fait le tour du monde ont choisi de s’arrêter sur cette bande de terre d’environ 4.300 km de long pour 175 km de large. De l’île de Pâques aux mystérieuses statues dos à la mer en passant par les déserts arides du nord, le Chili est un paradis pour les amoureux de la nature.

Buenos Aires avec son atmosphère cosmopolite, Cordoba avec son centre historique, les chutes de l’Iguazu ou encore la Patagonie, les voyageurs ont l’embarras du choix. En tout, ils sont 70 % à découvrir l’Argentine.

69 % des tourdumondistes s’émerveillent devant le Machu Picchu, les lignes de Nazca, le lac Titicaca ou encore devant la Cordillera Blanca.

La Bolivie est connue pour posséder la capitale économique la plus haute du monde, La Paz. 64 % des personnes faisant le tour du monde aiment aussi découvrir le désert blanc de sel de Salar de Uyuni, acheter un chapeau melon typique ou aller skier sur la piste de Chacaltaya qui se trouve à une altitude de 5500 mètres. Ce serait la piste de ski la plus élevée au monde.

De nombreux voyageurs tombent amoureux du Cambodge et de sa population. 63 % ont découvert les merveilles architecturales d’Angkor ou se sont arrêtés à Sihanoukville qui abrite la plus belle plage du Cambodge, la plage d’Ochatial.

Plateau désertique, montagne de haute altitude, mégalopoles ou même plage, le paysage chinois change d’une région à une autre. Parmi les sites touristiques les plus connus, on peut citer la Grande Muraille, la Cité Interdite ou encore l’Armée de terre cuite. 63 % des voyageurs choisissent de traverser ce pays.

Entre jungle, temples et architecture coloniale française, 63 % des globe-trotteurs passent par le Laos. A noter que de nombreux routards font une randonnée à bicyclette dans un superbe paysage montagneux dans le village de Vang Vieng.

61 % des tourdumondistes font une halte en Australie. Ils aiment découvrir Sydney, la Grande Barrière de Corail ainsi que l’immense monolithe « Ayers Rock » qui est là pour rappeler les racines aborigènes du pays.

On termine ce top 10 des pays les plus visités lors d’un tour du monde par le Vietnam. 58 % des voyageurs le découvrent. Le pays cache de nombreux sites naturels plus beaux les uns que les autres : le delta du Mékong, la baie d’Halong ou l’île de Phu Quoc.

Comme vous avez pu le remarquer dans ce classement, les tourdumondistes visitent essentiellement des pays d’Asie en raison des prix très abordables. Et vous lors d’un tour du monde, vous visiteriez quel(s) pays ?

[Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5, Photo 6,Photo 7,Photo 8,Photo 9,Photo 10,Photo 11]

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Top 5 : retour sur l’actualité touristique de la semaine

Cette dernière semaine de juin a été marquée par un pigeon qui traverse le Pacifique mais aussi par le record de fréquentation pour le Louvre en 2012. On revient sur l’actualité touristique de la semaine à travers un top 5 et un flop 5.

8.000 km. C’est la distance qu’a parcouru un pigeon japonais. Parti du pays nippon, il a traversé tout l’océan Pacifique avec d’arriver au Canada. Le pigeon a été lâché le 9 mai dernier pour une course de 1.000 km au nord du Japon.

Une statue vieille de 4000 ans représente un homme portant le nom de Neb-Senu se trouve dans un musée de Manchester (Angleterre). « Un jour, j’ai remarqué qu’elle avait tourné », explique Campbell Price à NDTV. « J’ai trouvé cela étrange car elle est gardée sous verre et je suis le seul à posséder une clé pour y accéder ». « Quand je l’ai regardée un autre jour, elle avait encore changé de position. Et un jour plus tard, elle était encore dans une autre position », raconte-t-il au tabloïd. Le conservateur a voulu tirer cette histoire au clair et a installé une caméra de sécurité pour l’observer. Après avoir regardé les heures de vidéo obtenues, il n’a pu que se rendre compte que l’objet se déplaçait réellement tout seul. Pour le physicien Brian Cox, l’explication ne serait pas du tout surnaturelle, mais relativement simple : la friction différentielle. « Il a suggéré que les deux surfaces, la serpentine qui compose la statuette et le socle en verre où elle repose, entraînent une vibration subtile qui, au final, fait tourner l’objet », explique Price au Daily Mail.

Un utilisateur de Reddit a demandé à des employés d’hôtels, qu’elle était la chose la plus bizarre que les clients aient laissé derrière eux, rapporte le huffingtonpost. Parmi les réponses insolites : « J’ai vérifié une chambre vide dont la porte avait été laissé grande ouverte. Sur la table, il y avait un sac avec 20.000 dollars en liquide ». ou « Un client nous a dit que son micro-onde ne fonctionnait pas. Quand je suis allé dans la chambre, j’ai découvert une assiette de nourriture placée dans le coffre-fort ».

Jusqu’au 31 décembre, le Comité Régional du Tourisme de Franche-Comté offre une réduction de 100€ sur un séjour de 2 nuits minimum pour 2 personnes minimum dans un hôtel de la région labellisé Qualité Tourisme Franche-Comté participant à l’opération. Pour profiter de cette proposition, il suffit de se connecter sur
http://www.addict.franche-comte.org/

La cathédrale Notre-Dame et la Basilique du Sacré-Coeur restent les monuments les plus visités par les touristes avec une fréquentation stable, respectivement 13,6 millions et 10,5 millions de visiteurs en 2012. Le Louvre de son côté est en hausse avec près de 9,7 millions de visiteurs (+ 9.3% par rapport à 2011). La Tour Eiffel est, quant à elle, en baisse à 6,3 millions, soit -11,5%.

On finit ce samedi sur une bonne note. Bon week-end à tous et à la semaine prochaine.

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"Blue River" — Amsterdam, Netherlands

  Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Thursday, May 30, 2013

Today is committed to the last must-dos before departure... Dam Square and the red light district. Hilary, Gayle and I walk through our neighbourhood to the city's main square which houses both the Royal Palace (no longer an official residence) the war memorial and the church.

The ladies in their windows jiggle and dance - even for us! The vista continuously confronts us. Despite their industry being as regulated and taxed as any other, the sight of one man walking away from a €35 'quote' leaves me feeling that their position is still a demoralising one.

Collected by the others in a maxicab for the short trip to the dock, we excitedly board the Amadeus Princess at 4pm. Hilary joins us onboard for a look-see before a semi-teary farewell and a return to the station and London

. It has been a good mini-holiday together for both of us.

The remaining six of us loiter in the Panorama Lounge for the welcome and safety talk before glamming up for the Captain's Welcome Drinks and Gala Dinner.

We are somewhat saddened to learn that this trip has been filled with two tour groups of Americans and some Canadians. The remainder are New Zealanders and about ten Aussies.

Not one European guest!

Consequently, the dress standard drops immediately, especially since the average age is somewhere around 70. It is not quite as we had hoped on an Austrian boat...

The staff, on the other hand, seem to be predominantly Romanian. Bogdan, our food waiter, has been doing this job for three years. He works 14 hours a day, seven days a week - and not necessarily finishing for some time off at Budapest if he's needed elsewhere. Most of the staff are on an eight month contract before four months off.

The first dinner gives us an idea of what is to come... five courses plus tea or coffee. Other dinners, we are told will only have one entree! They may well need that gangplank to ROLL us off the boat at the end of this.

Our first night sees us remaining docked in Amsterdam and sound asleep well before midnight.

"Blue River" by Elvis Presley

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Insolite : une statue se déplace seulement au Musée

Un 4000 ans vieille statue représente un homme portant le nom de Neb-Nuss signaux se trouve dans un musée de Manchester (Angleterre). « Un jour, j'ai remarqué qu'elle avait transformé », explique Campbell prix à NDTV. « J'ai trouvé étrange parce qu'il est maintenu sous verre et je suis le seul à avoir une clé pour accéder à ». "Quand j'ai vu un autre jour, elle avait encore changé de position. Et un jour plus tard, elle était encore dans un autre poste, "il dit au tabloïd.

Le conservateur a donc essayé de prendre cette histoire au clair et a installé une caméra de sécurité. Après avoir visionné des heures de vidéo obtenus, il a découvert que l'objet se déplaçait vraiment tout seul. Selon certains experts comme Brian Cox, cité par Manchester Evening, ce mouvement peut être causé par les vibrations des visiteurs sans. « Il a suggéré que les deux surfaces, la serpentine qui compose la statue et le verre du piédestal où il repose, provoquer une vibration subtile qui tourne finalement l'objet », explique le prix chez le Daily Mail. Mais ce dernier n'est pas convaincu et je me demandais pourquoi cette statue dans les années 80 du Musée n'avait pas bougé jusqu'à présent.

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Les choses les plus insolites trouvées dans des chambres d’hôtels

Un membre de Reddit (un site web communautaire) a demandé à des employés d’hôtels, qu’elle était la chose la plus étrange que des clients aient laissé derrière eux.

CAMEL_DICK raconte qu’un client avait laissé son chat dans sa chambre avec un papier disant « merci de prendre soin de mon animal, je serai de retour dans une semaine. » Il n’est jamais revenu. De son côté, Bluepaul a trouvé une chèvre habillée en Abraham Lincoln. « Je suis arrivé pour nettoyer la chambre, avec un peu d’appréhension car les clients étaient là pour un enterrement de vie de garçon, et j’ai trouvé une chèvre. Je ne sais pas comment ils l’ont amené là, en tout cas, ça m’a fait une bonne histoire à raconter pendant un bon bout de temps. »

Backw00ds révèle une autre anecdote : « J’ai vérifié une chambre vide dont la porte avait été laissée grande ouverte. Sur la table, il y avait un sac avec 20.000 dollars en liquide ».

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les choses insolites dans les chambres d\hôtels

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"My Blue Heaven" — Vienna, Austria

  Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Monday, June 10, 2013

It's another early start, an average breakfast but a good shower.

We join the rest of the Fun Bus for a lift to the station in Regensburg, score a few hugs and wave goodbye... although we will meet them again when they catch up to us in Vienna.

Suddenly, I am back in a happy place - a EU train station! We secure tickets on the 09:32 to Wien (Vienna), a three and a half hour trip in high speed comfort. We might miss the tour of the abbey at Melk, but we also avoid eight hours on a bus. Heaven!

We travel through Plattling, Passau, Wels, Linz, St. Pölten to Wien Westbahnhof. From there, it's about a 500m walk to The Hotel 1060 on Webgasse

. Our room is heavenly after the onboard cabins and last night's bland offering. It has space, colour and some stylish decorator furnishings. And free wifi. AND working air con! HEAVEN!!!

Last time l was in Vienna thirty years ago, l had a dental abcess coming to it's climax. I spent the short time there in a feverish, pained haze, fending off an Austrian dentist who wanted to extract my tooth and searching the streets for an English speaking pharmacist.

This time, l hit the streets in good health doing my favourite thing... just wandering. We aim to reach the Danube about 3km to our east but get as far as the old town after passing through the extravagant Museum Quarter.

The shops are very stylish, the buildings are glorious and the whole vibe to the city suggests an extended exploration is warranted at a later date. We eat lunch at an outdoor cafe then find a cake shop and buy lemon tarts. Yum! The young baker serving us tells me that one cake is filled with 'whippet' cream! YUCK!

We don't make it to the Danube... today.

"My Blue Heaven" by Fats Domino

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"Blue Shadows in the Street" — Prague, Czech Republic

  Prague, Hlavní mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Friday, June 14, 2013

We have half a day to fill in Budapest before moving on. The morning starts with an excellent breakfast at a little cafe at the end of our arcade. We enjoy great coffee, Art Deco decor and a charming host.

We walk around the Jewish area of Budapest. The buildings are not as well maintained as their Viennese cousins and there are still signs of bullet damage in some walls.

The Doh?ny Street Synagogue in built in a moorish style with polychromatic brickwork and is the largest in Europe and fifth largest in the world. It consists of the Great Synagogue, the Heroes' Temple, the graveyard, the Holocaust memorial and the Jewish Museum. We just peek from the outside but decide against paying the admission, given that we have just missed a guided tour.

Instead we walk the neighbourhood towards the river

. We find Margaret from the tour and enjoy another refreshing limonade together before hitting the market across the road. The Budapest market sits in a building not unlike a Victorian railway station. The ground floor houses produce stalls and a mezzanine levels has food and variety shops.

We waste no time buying fruit for the train and lunch for right now.

The onward trip to Prague is a seven hour train ride from mid-afternoon late into the evening. First class in a Hungarian carriage doesn't quite match that of a western European equivalent. Still, we have the carriage mostly to ourselves until Bratislavia in Slovakia. The time actually passes reasonably quickly between reading, chatting, photos, snoozing and eating.

I have been to Prague once before and have memories of a station populated by homeless men and/or drunkards. Arriving at 11pm, l have a transfer booked in Prague and am delighted to see a man with a sign with my name waving at the end of the platform. What's more, the station has been rebuilt, houses some designer shops, is clean and has our minibus parked out the front!

Arriving in inner Prague on a Friday night reveals pub crawls in full swing. Our taxi weaves through dark shadows, narrow streets and packs of party-goers to Apartment Tynska. It is perfectly positioned in the centre of town, behind Our Lady of Tyn Church yet protected from the noise. From our windows, we see the Rumplestiltskin-like turrets of the church and hear the bells. The spires are beautifully floodlit at night. Our host, Kreshmir meets us for an introductory tour and chat.

It's been a long day, but by midnight, we have largely hatched a plan for the next two day's activities...

"Blue Shadows in the Street" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

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"Blue Sky" lll — Koblenz, Germany

  Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Thursday, June 6, 2013

There is a serious dearth of useful 'blue' song titles... I may have to diversify into other colours. And why not? This itinerary has also altered...

The message has got through that yesterday's six hour round trip was too much for everyone, so today is a gentle 45 minutes to Eltz Castle in the Mosel valley. The skies are again blue and the forecast is for a balmy 23°C.

Eltz Castle is your typical fairytale castle and was first established nearly 1000 years ago by the Eltz family. It has remained with them entirely since - 33 generations - and has been expanded to three 'houses' within the complex.

We tour the Rübenach House, an eight storey turreted residence completed in 1472

. It contains priceless furniture, tapestries, artifacts and art works from that time onwards. It also displays the wealth of the earlier noble inhabitants... the house had over forty fireplaces, bedrooms had toilet closets that flushed using rainwater collected above, windows had large amounts of glass rondelles and furniture was exotic.

Supplies for the ship arrive today... an entire truckload of perishables, non-perishables and domestic supplies. ALL HANDS ON DECK! Everyone from the captain down to the cleaning staff as well as the pianist and tour leaders form a human chain to shift large amounts of goods up the gang planks and through the dining room to the kitchen in the bow of the boat. One passenger is disgusted that this is going on during the day, but the mood amongst the staff is jovial and Walter and Gisela join the fun!

This afternoon, three of us set off to investigate the Koblez Mosel 'fish pass'.
http://mosellum.rlp.de/english/
Many species of fish migrate up and down the Mosel. To enable them to migrate up the Mosel despite man-made barriers such as dams, modern fish passes are built – not only here but in other EU rivers as well

. This helps fish keep their natural migratory routes by giving them a route through dams walls, both up or downstream.

It sits off to one side of the river, away from the turbulent overflow. Fish are channeled in to a long concrete-walled maze the breaks the flow into the pass sufficiently for fish to swim safely through.

The 'Mosellum' also contains static displays relating to aquatic and shore life and shipping in the river. The highlight is spotting a small school of metallic blue Ukelei fish through the underwater observation windows as they swim upstream.

Michael, the Hotel Manager, does not look happy as we return to the boat. He hasn't had an all clear from further upstream. There are now fourteen ships berthed in triples along the promenade, plus two barges.

Luckily, we can forget those worries temporarily... tonight is Pirate Night.

AARRRRRRRGGHH!!!

The dining room is decked out in pirate flags and paraphenalia. The staff are in striped t-shirts and bandanas. The tables are a jumble of cutlery, scrunched napkins and screwed up menus. The food is conventional and delicious but the service is 'atrocious'! Christian dangles a rat over unsuspecting ladies' plates and taunts the older ones with his swashbuckling moves

.

Only the two tables of Aussies respond to the theme. Our Perth neighbours have arrived in the cabins' life vests and wrap their napkins around their heads for bandanas. We have an assortment of scarves around our hips. Gisela sports her nautically themed PJ 'pantaloons' and I tuck my black pants into my boots. Walter adapts his plane eye mask into a single eye patch but the Hawaiian shirt is unconvincing!!!

To complete the celebrations, Michael announces that we will sail tomorrow morning. It may be raining in Mainz and berths are uncertain both there and in Wertheim, but we will go!

"Blue Sky" by The Allman Brothers

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"Black and Blue" — Cologne, Germany

  Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Saturday, June 1, 2013

We wake to find the industrial heartland of Germany outside our window. Power stations, heavy industry and container wharves glide by. High tensile power lines criss-cross the countryside and smoke stacks are everywhere. It is not raining, but the day is a dreary grey.

We are somewhere between Duisburg and Düsseldorf in the Rhine proper. The river is about 500m wide and seems quite high, judging by semi-submerged graffiti on the bridges. It flows very rapidly with a definite chop. Overnight, the traffic rules seem to have changed with barges now passing us on our left. There are markers on the bank... 740, 739, 738. They are counting down in kilometres or nautical miles, but to what? I am going to have to quiz a staff member before too much longer about all matters shipping, unless Jack de Crow can help.

Düsseldorf comes and goes with a string of suspension bridges, an old town centre and a modern silver Frank Gehry building.

It is just 9.15am when smells of soup waft up from the kitchen below and thoughts turn (already) to lunch!

We pass some more black and murky factories including the huge Cologne Ford Body Assembly factory which extends about two kilometres along the riverbank. Lunch concludes as we pull into Cologne and dock in the shadow of the railway bridge that carries 1200 trains a day.

The learned Dr Stefan, with a PhD in art history and an interest in architecture and textiles, leads us on a walking tour of the inner city. He is brimming with knowledge about his city and especially the Köln Cathedral, a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral commenced in 1248 and finished in 1880. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest facade of any church in the world. It is one of the few buildings in the city that survived destruction during WW2 and is traditionally believed to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men

.

After the two hour walk, four of us escape in search of another treasure... some reasonably priced iPad SIM cards! German officialdom requires ID and forms in duplicate to buy a €5 SIM but the task is accomplished for three of us and we scurry back to the boat in time to... eat more food.

An inky black night descends as we listen to live music in the lounge, reconnect electronically with the outer world and pass through Bonn.

"Black and Blue" by Van Halen

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Flop 5 : retour sur l’actualité touristique de la semaine

Cette dernière semaine de juin a été marquée par une grève à la Tour Eiffel, un automobiliste contrôlé à plus de 250 km/h ou encore par la mairie de Nancy en vente sur Internet. On revient sur l’actualité touristique de la semaine à travers un top 5 et un flop 5.

Après un mouvement de grève qui a duré deux jours, la Tour Eiffel a rouvert ses portes au public jeudi. Les salariés reprochaient un manque de mesures de sécurité et une mauvaise gestion des travaux. « En 2008, la rénovation de l’ascenseur Ouest a été décidée. Elle devait durer deux ans et coûter 18 millions d’euros. Après cinq ans, il est toujours indisponible (…). L’absence de cet ascenseur a de lourdes conséquences sur l’entretien des autres moyens d’ascension qui doivent être à leur tour arrêtés pour des travaux de maintenance et d’entretien », expliquait le communiqué.

Un automobiliste britannique, roulant dans une Audi R8, a été contrôlé à la jumelle à plus de 250 km/h sur l’autoroute A28 entre Rouen et Alençon, le week-end dernier. Son permis lui a été confisqué. Il a payé 1.500 euros de consignation et a reçu une interdiction de circuler sur le territoire français. En tout 6 autres automobilistes britanniques ont été contrôlés à plus de 190 km/h lors de ce week-end.

Selon l’AFP, la mairie de Nancy a déposé une plainte pour « mise en vente abusive d’un bien communal ». Un particulier avait mis en ligne sur Leboncoin une annonce prétendant vendre l’hôtel de ville de la place Stanislas pour 65 millions d’euros. L’annonce a depuis été retirée du site.

87 % des Français en recherche d’emploi ne partent pas en vacances cet été, d’après des chiffres publiés par Qapa, une agence de mise en relation dédiée à l’emploi. Toujours selon l’étude, les employeurs embauchent moins en période de vacances …

La compagnie aérienne Samoa Air a annoncé la création d’une classe « XL » dans ses avions. Les tarifs des billets varient en fonction du poids du voyageur. Après avoir lu cette info, on peut que dire que l’on en a « gros sur la patate ».

Bon week-end à tous et à la semaine prochaine.

[Photo 1 ]

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Letstravelweb : « En partant avec son sac sur le dos on a un sentiment de liberté incroyable »

Marco et Risa partent faire le tour du monde. Les deux jeunes tourtereaux se sont rencontrés en Australie fin 2009. Durant ce tour du monde dont le départ est prévu pour juillet, on pourra les retrouver sur le blog http://www.letstravelweb.com/ dans lequel ils nous feront partager leurs expériences. Marco a répondu à nos questions.

A partir de quand l’idée d’un tour du monde a germé dans votre tête ? Quel a été l’élément déclencheur ?

J’y pense depuis de nombreuses années, en lisant des magazines de voyages, et en regardant des reportages a la TV cela m’a toujours fait rêver.
Après mon année passée en Australie (en 2009-10), je me suis dit : “vu que j’ai fait le tour de l’Australie pourquoi ne pas faire le tour du monde maintenant”. Et puis petit à petit ça a fait son chemin.

Pourquoi avoir choisi le thème du « tour du monde en sac à dos » ?

Ce thème est venu tout naturellement, je n’envisageais pas une seconde de le faire d’une autre façon. En partant avec son sac sur le dos on a un sentiment de liberté incroyable, on peut à tout moment changer d’itinéraire aux fil de nos envies. C’est aussi un bon moyen de faire de belles rencontres avec les locaux de chaque pays.

Quel est votre itinéraire ?

On commence par l’Europe, puis on prendra la direction de l’Amérique avant d’aller en Océanie puis en Asie. Pour l’Afrique on verra s’il nous reste un peu d’argent pour y aller. On part sans billet tour du monde, pour pouvoir décider sur le moment de rester plus ou moins longtemps dans certains pays et aussi pour être plus libre.

Combien ce voyage va-t-il vous coûter ?

Beaucoup trop (rires). Je pourrais vous répondre plus précisément à mon retour parce qu’il est difficile de prévoir exactement combien cela va coûter sur une durée aussi longue. En plus peu de « tourdumondiste » affiche la totalité de leurs dépenses, c’est quand même un sujet tabou en France. Le prix peu varier énormément si l’on ne va que dans des pays bon marché (Asie et Amérique du Sud) ou si l’on inclut des pays développés (Europe, USA et Océanie) et le temps que l’on y reste. A cela il faut aussi ajouter en plus du transport, du logement et de la nourriture les activités, visites ou autres imprévus. Sans oublier les frais avant le départ que sont les vaccins, l’assurance, l’achat des affaires que l’on amène avec soi etc… D’après mon estimation cela peu varié de 12 000 à 16 000 euros voir même bien plus parce que chaque voyage est diffèrent.

Quelle a été la réaction de votre entourage ?

Ils n’ont pas été surpris un seul instant, tous savaient depuis longtemps qu’un jour j’allais le faire. Ils trouvent que c’est bien que je fasse ce qui me plait et certains aimeraient venir avec nous.

Vous travaillez dans quel domaine ? Vous allez quitter votre boulot ?

Je suis cuisinier, ce qui m’a bien aidé pour trouver du travail lors de certains de mes précédents voyages. Je suis arrivé en fin de contrat de mon dernier emploi et du coup je suis libre.

Vous en êtes où dans vos préparatifs ?

Nous sommes en train d’organiser le début de la partie Europe de notre voyage, le reste se fera sur la route. Nous achetons aussi les affaires qui nous manquent à mettre dans le sac avant de partir.

Quels types de transport allez-vous utilisé ?

Nous allons voyager par tous les moyens possibles: à pied, en stop, en co-voiturage, en train, en bus, en avion, en bateau etc… On choisira le moyen qui conviendra le mieux suivant la situation, les opportunités et le prix.

Où allez-vous dormir ?

Nous souhaitons principalement dormir en Auberges de jeunesse, Guest house et Couchsurfing. Nous amenons nos sacs de couchage avec nous.
Se loger en voyage peut vite couter très cher, c’est une partie importante du budget donc on va essayer de trouver des endroits qui correspondent à notre mode de voyage, sachant que nous ne sommes pas trop difficile mais qu’il faut que ce soit des endroits surs.

Qu’est-ce-qui vous a donné le goût pour le voyage ?

J’ai toujours était attiré par les autres pays, au début je voyageais par l’intermédiaire de mon travail, mais à chaque fois je travaillais tellement que je n’avais pas le temps de visiter. Alors un jour je me suis dit que ce serait sympa de découvrir ce qu’il y a autour et de prendre le temps d’en profiter.

Quelle est la partie du monde qui vous fait le plus rêver ?

L’Amérique centrale et l’Amérique du Sud sont des endroits où je ne suis jamais allé et qu’il me tarde de découvrir durant mon voyage. En plus comme je parle espagnol j’espère avoir un bon contact avec les gens. Après j’aimerais aussi aller au Pôle Nord (pour les animaux) et en Corée du Nord (par curiosité) mais ce sont des destinations assez cher que je ne vais pas pouvoir inclure lors de mon tour du monde. Ces destinations ne sont pas adaptées aux voyageurs en sac à dos, il faut passer par une agence de voyages pour y accéder.

Depuis plusieurs années vous voyagez. Quelle a été l’expérience la plus insolite qui vous soit arrivée ?

Lorsque je me baladais en plein après midi seul sur la plage de Penneshaw à Kangaroo Island j’ai fait la rencontre d’un Manchot Pygmée (petit pingouin bleue de 30 cm) qui essayait de retrouver son terrier. Il est extrêmement rare de pouvoir apercevoir un Bleue Pingouin en pleine journée, parce qu’ils quittent leur terrier tôt le matin pour aller en mer et ne rentrent qu’une fois la nuit tombée. J’en est profité pour l’observer et le prendre en photo, jusqu’à ce qu’il rentre dans sa tanière. C’était un moment unique, imaginez-vous sur une plage avec comme seul compagnon un petit pingouin !

Crédits photos : Letstravelweb

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Insolite : le resto conçu pour les personnes qui désirent manger seules

Un restaurant éphémère conçu pour les personnes qui souhaitent manger seules à ouvert ses portes vendredi dernier à Amsterdam (Pays-Bas).

Selon la créatrice du concept, Marina Van Goor, « Eenmaal est une expérience passionnante pour ceux qui ne sortent jamais manger seul ». Le repas (entrée, plat et dessert avec boisson) coûtait 25 euros. L’expérience n’a duré que deux jours et le restaurant a fermé ses portes samedi.

[Photo ]

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A la découverte du Bleu d'Auvergne

Officiellement créé par Antoine Roussel, que bleu d'Auvergne s'est, depuis 1996, l'appellation d'origine protégée. Aujourd'hui, il est produit principalement dans le sud du Puy de Dôme et dans le nord du Cantal.

Officiellement, considérant Antoine Roussel comme le créateur de la Bleu D'Auvergne. En 1845, ce fils d'agriculteur auvergnat eut l'idée d'ensemencer le lait caillé de lait avec une moisissure bleue, de plus en plus sur son pain de seigle et puis explorez les pains de caille avec une aiguille. Fromage Bleu D'Auvergne est né.

En 1975, il a obtenu l'Appellation d'origine Contrôlée et depuis 1996, il a l'appellation d'origine protégée.

Aujourd'hui, sa production de prend place principalement dans le sud du Puy de Dôme et dans le nord du Cantal.6 197 tonnes de Bleu D'Auvergne ont été produites en bleu agréé que d'Auvergne Festival a lieu chaque année. L'édition 2013 se déroulera les 17 et 18 août à Riom-es-Montagnes. Programme : dégustations, expositions, animations...Il existe une confrérie de la Gourmandins et Gourmandines des fromages d'Auvergne, dont le but est de transmettre des fromages artisanaux des revenus de l'Auvergne.Ingrédients (pour 4 personnes):

-une pâte brisée
-3 oeufs
-25 cl de crème épaisse
-150 g de lard fumé
-bleu D'Auvergne 225 g
-100 g de dés de jambon (facultatif)
-une poignée de Gruyère râpé pour gratiner
-poivre

Tout d'abord Préchauffer le four à 180 ° C (gaz thermostat 6). Dans un bol, émietter le bleu D'Auvergne. En même temps faire le bacon de dos dans une poêle sans ajout de matière grasse. Dans un bol, casser les oeufs et ajouter la crème. Bien mélanger et poivrer.

Étalez la pâte brisée dans un moule à tarte et la piquer avec une fourchette. Top drop bleu de manière cohérente et verser la crème de haut sont ajouter de bacon. Parsemer de fromage râpé et faire cuire 45 min (pour un four à convection).

Regarder la cuisson en piquant le dessus de temps en temps pour éviter la quiche gonfle trop.

Bon appétit.

[Photo 1, Photo 2, recette]

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"Blue Hotel" — Arnhem, The Netherlands

Arnhem, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Friday, May 31, 2013

Gayle wakes me just before 7am this morning. I have slept very well.

Breakfast continues the oversupply of calories on offer, with cooked and European cold offerings in the dangerous buffet format!

This morning is a guided road and canal tour of Amsterdam. At this stage, I remember that l once asked to be shot if l ever embarked on such a thing. However my five companions lower the average age and l choose to forget the earlier request. The grey rinse set and we six pile on to three buses.

Well, we shuffle on...

Much of the tour we have covered ourselves the past four day, but the detailed commentary is interesting

. We have earpieces attached to a radio unit that lets us hear the tour leader up to 100m away. They are an ingenious device that allows us time to stop for photographs or to drop back if something special catches our eye, yet miss nothing.

We return at midday and depart right on time. The boat is exceedingly smooth and quiet as it manouvres its way out of its berth, into Amsterdam harbour then west to the Rijnkanaal canal. We sit for lunch at 12.30... only four courses this time - buffet salads, two soups, three mains and dessert cakes or fresh fruit!

It is exceedingly pleasant dining as we glide through the Dutch countryside, through Uttrech towards tomorrow's stop at Köln (Cologne). There is an endless and fascinating procession of barges of all types heading back towards Amsterdam.

I am intrigued - although l shouldn't be surprised - to see milage markers alongside the canal and 'street name' signs left and right where the canal divides.

The countryside is populated by contented Friesans being stripped grazed on verdant pastures, the occassional modern white wind turbine, large flocks of ducks, fat rabbits and numerous bridges - all modern in this man-made canal

. Alongside us the entire way is a bike/footpath, shaded by an endless avenue of elm trees.

We are fascinated when we reach the first of what will be many locks over the next two weeks. It is a huge, concrete split lane structure - one upstream, one down. A small tug, a large petrol tanker and two canal cruisers (including us) pack into the space before being raised about 3m over an impressively short time. Most of the passengers are on the sundeck to watch this manoevure.

With afternoon tea and live Muzak now on offer, we continue through the flat polder landscape of southern Holland to the town of Arnhem.
We are faced with another four course dinner before tonight's entertainment: a Dutch folklore show. Predictably, audience members are dragged up to participate in the dances. I fail to escape in time...

Some time around 11pm, we enter the Rhine proper and spend our first night sleeping in this mobile hotel.

"Blue Hotel" by Chris Isaak

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Top 5 des raisons pour visiter Cannes

Station balnéaire, Cannes se trouve dans le département des Alpes-Maritimes. Autrefois, simple petit village de pêcheurs, la commune est devenue une ville glamour et riche. Découvrez notre top 5 des raisons pour visiter Cannes.

Festival de cinéma le plus médiatisé au monde, le Festival de Cannes reçoit chaque année des cinéastes, des vedettes ainsi que des professionnels de l’industrie cinématographique. Des milliers de touristes se rendent aussi sur la Croisette afin d’apercevoir une star de cinéma. L’évènement se déroule au mois de mai et dure 12 jours.

Située en face de la Croisette, l’île Sainte-Marguerite est un endroit exceptionnel où se mélangent en toute harmonie nature, culture et détente. Vous pourrez visiter son fort où aurait séjourné l’Homme au masque de fer. L’île Saint-Honorat est quant à elle, plus petite. Elle est réputée pour son monastère.

Les marchés et les espaces fleuris vous donneront l’impression d’être au coeur de la Provence. On vous recommande le quartier du Suquet, perché sur une colline. Le plus vieux quartier de Cannes possède de belles maisons anciennes. Là-haut, vous pourrez aussi visiter le musée de la Castre qui cache des oeuvres de peintres provençaux ainsi que l’archéologie du bassin méditerranéen.

Profitez d’un week-end de repos pour vous détendre sur les plages cannoises. Treize plages du littoral cannois ont obtenu l’écolabel « Pavillon bleu » pour leur qualité environnementale exemplaire, selon les critères de l’Office français de la fondation pour l’éducation à l’environnement en Europe (of-FEEE).

Ce serait dommage de visiter Cannes sans déguster la gastronomie locale. On vous conseille : les olives, les aromates, les légumes farcis, la ratatouille ainsi que la pissaladière.

[Photo 1 , Photo 2 , Photo 3 , Photo 4 , Photo 5 , Photo 6 ]

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Jouez au loto avec les chiffres d’Infotourisme

Chaque semaine, vous pouvez jouer au loto grâce aux chiffres d’Infotourisme.

3 : en millions d’euros le budget de 3 millions d’euros de la deuxième édition du Voyage à Nantes qui a pour but de faire de cette ville une véritable destination touristique. En 2012, le budget était de 8 millions d’euros pour 48,5 millions d’euros de retombées directes. 7 : C’est en pourcentage l’augmentation du nombre de visiteurs français qui se sont rendus en Croatie entre janvier et mai 2013, par rapport à la même période en 2012. Ainsi 81.300 Français ont visité la Croatie durant cette période.29 : le Tour de France 2013 commence ce samedi 29 juin de Corse. L’arrivée est prévue à Paris le dimanche 21 juin.33 : c’est en pourcentage, le nombre d’hôtels européens qui ne proposent pas le wifi gratuit, selon une étude HRS. En France, 57,7% des hébergements sont dotés d’une connexion wifi gratuite.46 : en euros le prix du club sandwich de l’hôtel Hullett House à Hong Kong.1 : 1 Français sur 2 (52 %) ne partira pas en vacances ce été, selon la sixième vague de l’Observatoire des loisirs PMU/TNS Sofres.

[Photo 1 ]

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Such recklessness!... — Melbourne, Australia

  Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Saturday, January 19, 2013

Taureans are home bodies and I typify the breed, happy to spend days in my little patch of Bush. When travels do arise, it is with much excitement, but careful consideration and planning. I do not like the unease of uncertainty, especially where lodgings are concerned.

So when Gisela rings to ask if I want to fill a cancellation and join a group of our friends on a cruise down the Rhine in May, I am very interested. When she says the travel agent needs a firm booking by the end of the week, I am quietly agitated.

But today was the funeral for one of the ladies in my glass class who died unexpectedly.
My friend Laura then tells me as we shop that she is administering the estate for a 63 year old lady who had had Alzheimer's for TEN years

. It all confirms again that life is short. Armed with my health and a Visa card, I send the deposit off to the cruise company and book flights to Frankfurt.

So spontaneous and seemingly undisciplined...

And having now tasted the pleasures of premium economy, I know I don't want to be a sardine any more. Certainly around eight hours to Asia is acceptable, but not 26 hours to Europe. I am happy then to find that Cathay Pacific's premium fares for my dates are still as reasonably priced as last year's "specials" - and half the cost of Qantas's. No-one else can deliver the combination of premium, price and direct flights so I happily pay for a comfy seat that I have already road tested!

What's more, checking seat allocations shows that at this early stage, there are single window seats available in the coveted front row on all four legs... WINNER!

From here on is also very familiar. I easily find the train connections from Frankfurt airport to Amsterdam for a mere €49 (direct MEL-AMS flights with premium don't exist) then head to booking.com to find my first bed in Amsterdam

.

It's all starting to seem as routine as online banking or grocery shopping with Safeway!

In celebration of our adventure, we organise a 'Bon Voyage' party with the inevitable excesses of delicious German cakes! One week on, Rohan and l are still working through the corn chips and hummus and as usual, there are so many little jobs to complete.

Especially pressing this time is the need for presentable clothes for a fortnight's worth of respectable touring and dining... I am unlikely to get away with just 13kg, a feat l was mighty proud of last time. This boat apparently expects standards above jeans and t-shirts at dinner. What's more, old t-shirts for nightwear when sharing sleeping quarters will just not do!

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Sania Plage

Sania Plage offers self-catering apartments with direct access to the beach, located a 10-minute drive from M'diq. The property also features an outdoor swimming pool, a garden, a tennis court and a children's playground.
Each apartment has a private terrace. The living room features a dining area, a TV and a kitchen. The bathroom includes a bathtub or shower and free toiletries.
The hotel offers free private parking on site. Cabo Negro Golf Club is a 15-minute drive away, while the city of Tetouan is a 20-minute drive away.

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