We're still traversing the Adriatic by boat ad it's scorchingly hot. Luckily there's usually an opportunity to jump off the boat for a swim once a day. Today we're on the island of Bol, hiding in the AC'd internet cafe from the sweltering heat outside. All the islands we have stopped at have beautiful old towns with stone streets and sandstone buildings. Everything is sun bleached and old and lovely.
We have another two nights on the boat and then we're back to Split where we started a week ago and dry land (YAY!).
The boat's not too bad, apart from the cockroaches that share our cabin. I haven't felt really ill too much so far. I generally don't like boats, but I've been coping ok with the constant movement. The only thing that's really bothering me (apart from a nagging feeling of nausea) is the way that every time I get off the boat, the ground feels like it's gently undulating. Hopefully this won't take too log to go away. The worst day was yesterday when the sea was quite rough. There were a few of us walking around looking green and this came to a head when we sat down to lunch and were served plates heaped high with oily purple squid and some mystery vegetable that was a nasty shade of green and a texture that implied it had already been chewed. I wasn't the only one who had to look away.
The people are all friendly and I've been trying to break with tradition and be more of a joiner. I even participated in the singalong that was initiated by our captain, Dennis, when he pulled out his guitar. I don't think I Will Survive was quite what he had in mind (he strikes me as more of a Beatles man), but in the local spirit of accommodation and adaptability he found the right chords pretty quickly and valiantly tried to accompany us.
Occasionally with dinner we get a complimentary shot of the local liquor. So far each type has ended with choking which developes into an eye watering, unpleasant burning sensation (not unlike swallowing bleach) and breath that makes you glad not to be a smoker.
I'll do a proper post complete with pictures when we get back to Split. I have a new camera now which has been getting quite a workout, but I keep forgetting to bring the download cable with me. Right now it's almost time for lunch ad the next swim.
Until next time, as the locals say, "Adio!" (or ciao- Italian seems pretty acceptable here too)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Regarding Toilets
A basic guide to some of the more unusual conveniences that we have happened upon in our travels. As we´re only halfway through so far this could be part one. Later on there may be a number two (snigger, snigger)
1, The self-flushing or auto-flush.
Not such a stand-out convenience you might think, but it can be an eyebrow raising experience when you start to turn around and find all evidence of your visit whisked away before you can even search for the (non-existent) flush button. The auto-flush is popular in Singapore (land of efficiency and hygiene) and doesn`t always wait for you to turn around, so those of you who haven`t perfected the art of the hover pee may be in for a rude shock.
This model could be absolutely terrifying if combined with the second model on our list...
2, The squat toilet, also known as the Turkish or Asian toilet.
Without meaning to insult the people and places that prefer this model, the easiest way to describe the squat toilet is as a basic hole in the ground, with porcelain. There are two spots for your feet on either side of the hole, and well, a hole in the middle. The whole apparatus is a dazzling white if you`re lucky and if you`re not, then it`s best to move on from the whole experience as quickly as possible. The floor of the entire cubicle is invariably very wet and I`m sure I`m not alone in wandering how the devout Muslim woman in the full burkas manage to keep all of their clothing dry.
A danger with the squat toilet can be the turbo flush, where once the chain is pulled (and yes it it usually a chain not a button), an over-enthusiastic deluge of water splurts forth and you begin to understand why the floors are always wet. It`s advisable to wear sensible footwear and stand well back when pulling the chain.
Model number three is an easier environment to keeps one`s shoes dry in...
3, The German backwards toilet.
In essence this is just a loo as most of us know them: a comfy sit down job with a cistern at the back and every thing where you would expect it to be- with one exception. The toilet bowl appears to have been put on back to front.
Not to go into too much gory detail, the u-bend (the hole through which everything is flushed away- u-bend?) is at the front of the bowl, not the back. The only difference this causes is that anything you have deposited in the bowl ends up sitting high and dry on display until you hit the flush. Handy for those who like to rate their poo.
The final model for this chapter is one that we`re getting to know more as we traverse the continent...
4, The train toilet.
Generally this is the same as any loo on a plane: small, poky, hard to balance in and good for banging your elbows on the door so that people queuing outside give you odd looks as you exit. There are two noteworthy models I have come across so far. One was in Germany and stood out only because I worked out the sign telling me to close the lid before flushing AFTER I pressed the foot pedal. Luckily the resulting jet of water went straight up and down as the train wasn`t rocking around too much. It did fountain up a good foot above the seat though.
The second rail lavatory that rates a mention was one that I experienced yesterday as we were on our way out of the Czech Republic. Generally I`m happy not to look at the toilet`s contents before I flush, but this one was worth a peek as you could see the train tracks whizzing by through the bottom of the loo. As Bill commented, it explains why the grass is so green around the train lines.
The other main difference with the Euro loo is that it`s not unusual to have to pay to use them.The price varies and there may be different tariffs for urinals and cubicles. So far I haven`t come across any where you had to specify numbers 1 or 2* but I have had to collect my loo paper from the front counter before heading in.
Feel free to write in with your own unusual potty experiences and stories. I`ve finally worked out how to set the comments page so any one can leave a note- you don`t have to have a gmail address any more.
*I did meet a guy this morning who was asked on entering a loo what he needed to do
1, The self-flushing or auto-flush.
Not such a stand-out convenience you might think, but it can be an eyebrow raising experience when you start to turn around and find all evidence of your visit whisked away before you can even search for the (non-existent) flush button. The auto-flush is popular in Singapore (land of efficiency and hygiene) and doesn`t always wait for you to turn around, so those of you who haven`t perfected the art of the hover pee may be in for a rude shock.
This model could be absolutely terrifying if combined with the second model on our list...
2, The squat toilet, also known as the Turkish or Asian toilet.
Without meaning to insult the people and places that prefer this model, the easiest way to describe the squat toilet is as a basic hole in the ground, with porcelain. There are two spots for your feet on either side of the hole, and well, a hole in the middle. The whole apparatus is a dazzling white if you`re lucky and if you`re not, then it`s best to move on from the whole experience as quickly as possible. The floor of the entire cubicle is invariably very wet and I`m sure I`m not alone in wandering how the devout Muslim woman in the full burkas manage to keep all of their clothing dry.
A danger with the squat toilet can be the turbo flush, where once the chain is pulled (and yes it it usually a chain not a button), an over-enthusiastic deluge of water splurts forth and you begin to understand why the floors are always wet. It`s advisable to wear sensible footwear and stand well back when pulling the chain.
Model number three is an easier environment to keeps one`s shoes dry in...
3, The German backwards toilet.
In essence this is just a loo as most of us know them: a comfy sit down job with a cistern at the back and every thing where you would expect it to be- with one exception. The toilet bowl appears to have been put on back to front.
Not to go into too much gory detail, the u-bend (the hole through which everything is flushed away- u-bend?) is at the front of the bowl, not the back. The only difference this causes is that anything you have deposited in the bowl ends up sitting high and dry on display until you hit the flush. Handy for those who like to rate their poo.
The final model for this chapter is one that we`re getting to know more as we traverse the continent...
4, The train toilet.
Generally this is the same as any loo on a plane: small, poky, hard to balance in and good for banging your elbows on the door so that people queuing outside give you odd looks as you exit. There are two noteworthy models I have come across so far. One was in Germany and stood out only because I worked out the sign telling me to close the lid before flushing AFTER I pressed the foot pedal. Luckily the resulting jet of water went straight up and down as the train wasn`t rocking around too much. It did fountain up a good foot above the seat though.
The second rail lavatory that rates a mention was one that I experienced yesterday as we were on our way out of the Czech Republic. Generally I`m happy not to look at the toilet`s contents before I flush, but this one was worth a peek as you could see the train tracks whizzing by through the bottom of the loo. As Bill commented, it explains why the grass is so green around the train lines.
The other main difference with the Euro loo is that it`s not unusual to have to pay to use them.The price varies and there may be different tariffs for urinals and cubicles. So far I haven`t come across any where you had to specify numbers 1 or 2* but I have had to collect my loo paper from the front counter before heading in.
Feel free to write in with your own unusual potty experiences and stories. I`ve finally worked out how to set the comments page so any one can leave a note- you don`t have to have a gmail address any more.
*I did meet a guy this morning who was asked on entering a loo what he needed to do
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
More from Prague
I'm not sure if this will work (I'm still learning how to put videos on the blog, but if you have sound you should be able to hear the birds going crazy. If not, it will just look like a really bad sil
ent movie of some leaves. The blackbird is my favorite- he's the one that sounds like he's telling a story. 
Otherwise, here's some standard pretty pictures of the gardens just a short walk from our hotel room. They're lovely and if you walk for long enough you get away from most of the tourists (this city is swarming with them! I know it's a bit hypocritical of me to complain, but I'm going to anyway) and there's birds and small creatures that scurry around in the undergrowth. I'm hoping for something cute like a hedgehog or a shrew, and I don't want to hear any comments about rats.
We have a few more days here and I'm up for doing some more wandering around in the leafiness. I think there's a maze in there somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it yet. Possibly the whole garden is the maze and I\ve missed the big picture. There are paths zig zagging everywhere. Maybe I can solve the puzzle tomorrow, or at least see the hedgehogs.
ent movie of some leaves. The blackbird is my favorite- he's the one that sounds like he's telling a story. 
Otherwise, here's some standard pretty pictures of the gardens just a short walk from our hotel room. They're lovely and if you walk for long enough you get away from most of the tourists (this city is swarming with them! I know it's a bit hypocritical of me to complain, but I'm going to anyway) and there's birds and small creatures that scurry around in the undergrowth. I'm hoping for something cute like a hedgehog or a shrew, and I don't want to hear any comments about rats.
We have a few more days here and I'm up for doing some more wandering around in the leafiness. I think there's a maze in there somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it yet. Possibly the whole garden is the maze and I\ve missed the big picture. There are paths zig zagging everywhere. Maybe I can solve the puzzle tomorrow, or at least see the hedgehogs.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Paddling in Prague
Ah for a few days of complete blobby relaxation.
We hit Prague a few days ago and have been quite happy to look at a few pretty things (of which there are many) and enjoy the luxury of our opulent rooms. We booked into a set of apartments, hoping that they had a kitchen we could use so we could save some money by doing our own cooking. What we got was a fridge and kettle, but no actual cooking facilities (unless take away pizza counts), but... we ended up in a two room suite with loads of pot plants, two king sized beds (only bedding for one though, so I still haven't escaped Bill's snoring), loads of antique chairs and tables (not that comfy, but very swish to look at) and a plasma tv. We spent most of yesterday inside, watching MTV and wishing that while we had a decent telly, the Europeans would stop overdubbing all the English and American movies into their own language. We did discover a show called Fist of Zen though, which was hypnotic if not actually entertaining. Might have been the cheap Czech wine we got to go with the pizza. If you're curious you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZWs3rOXM8U
Today we got a bit more active (we only had the lush room over the weekend, so we're back in a normal one now where we have to share the fridge) and we don't have any antique couches). We went down to the river and hired a peddle boat for an hour to cruise around in. It was really fun and daggy. It even got a bit exciting when Bill started making eyebrow signals at a boat of kids and we ended up having to race them up the river. As there was no obvious finish line this got a bit exhausting. It's quite a big river. Bill also almost managed to ram a guy who was having a nice relaxing time in his row boat until we showed up. There was much yelling of directions and changing course and finally as the guy started to look quite concerned we tried to slam our little peddle boat into reverse gear. I had to explain to Bill that it's not a spaceship and doesn't have reverse thrusters. He stopped being a backseat driver when I was steering after that (for five minutes at least- personal best). We're off to the concert hall in a few minutes to see a performance of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and some other guy.
We had another cultural experience the other night too when we went to a club that specialises in 80's and 90's music. It was a bit like being back at a blue light disco and although it was good to see versions of teh Tassie Two-step alive and well in Eastern Europe, we made the mistake of not taking our drinks onto the dance floor like everyone else, so we missed a few of the best songs. Still fun though and we did get to boogie to Black Box.
I'll put some Prague pics up soon- we forgot the download cable this time. It really is as pretty as everyone says and we're staying on a street just down from the castle, which we might attempt to climb up to tomorrow. Hope everyone's going well out there.
For anyone who's curious, it was a balmy 27 degrees today.
Time to get cultured...
We hit Prague a few days ago and have been quite happy to look at a few pretty things (of which there are many) and enjoy the luxury of our opulent rooms. We booked into a set of apartments, hoping that they had a kitchen we could use so we could save some money by doing our own cooking. What we got was a fridge and kettle, but no actual cooking facilities (unless take away pizza counts), but... we ended up in a two room suite with loads of pot plants, two king sized beds (only bedding for one though, so I still haven't escaped Bill's snoring), loads of antique chairs and tables (not that comfy, but very swish to look at) and a plasma tv. We spent most of yesterday inside, watching MTV and wishing that while we had a decent telly, the Europeans would stop overdubbing all the English and American movies into their own language. We did discover a show called Fist of Zen though, which was hypnotic if not actually entertaining. Might have been the cheap Czech wine we got to go with the pizza. If you're curious you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZWs3rOXM8U
Today we got a bit more active (we only had the lush room over the weekend, so we're back in a normal one now where we have to share the fridge) and we don't have any antique couches). We went down to the river and hired a peddle boat for an hour to cruise around in. It was really fun and daggy. It even got a bit exciting when Bill started making eyebrow signals at a boat of kids and we ended up having to race them up the river. As there was no obvious finish line this got a bit exhausting. It's quite a big river. Bill also almost managed to ram a guy who was having a nice relaxing time in his row boat until we showed up. There was much yelling of directions and changing course and finally as the guy started to look quite concerned we tried to slam our little peddle boat into reverse gear. I had to explain to Bill that it's not a spaceship and doesn't have reverse thrusters. He stopped being a backseat driver when I was steering after that (for five minutes at least- personal best). We're off to the concert hall in a few minutes to see a performance of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and some other guy.
We had another cultural experience the other night too when we went to a club that specialises in 80's and 90's music. It was a bit like being back at a blue light disco and although it was good to see versions of teh Tassie Two-step alive and well in Eastern Europe, we made the mistake of not taking our drinks onto the dance floor like everyone else, so we missed a few of the best songs. Still fun though and we did get to boogie to Black Box.
I'll put some Prague pics up soon- we forgot the download cable this time. It really is as pretty as everyone says and we're staying on a street just down from the castle, which we might attempt to climb up to tomorrow. Hope everyone's going well out there.
For anyone who's curious, it was a balmy 27 degrees today.
Time to get cultured...
Monday, May 5, 2008
Gates, monuments, toys, robots and rap dancers- Something for everyone!
Berlin!
We got here a few days ago and have been busy soaking up the culture (and yes they have large glasses of beer here too).
It's a very pretty city. We wandered around the Brandenburg gate yesterday and sat in the sun in front of the Reichstag (much nicer since Hitler moved out and they installed the observation dome). We also wandered through the Holocaust Monument which was fascinating, but quite upsetting.
While we were watching a group of French rap dancers in front of the Brandenburg Gate, there was a huge protest rally with singing and chanting and banner waving. Our German is pretty limited, and all I really understood from the banners was 'politikal'. There also seemed to be a lot of fist waving. The police turned up in a few seconds and although they had batons and were wearing flak jackets, they just watched until the crowd dispersed so it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. I think they were student communists or someting. There was way too much long hair among them to be neo nazis. They did piss off the rap dancers by stealing their crowd, but that was the only real conflict.
On a lighter note, yesterday we also went to Berlin's Legoland and saw lego being made in their oh so scientific factory. The woman in the white coat picked a small boy called Marco to assist her by pressing buttons. Bill will get over it one day.
We did got to build our own lego cars and test them on their in house jump ramp and then we got to ride through the spooky Dragon tunnel where we saw life sized medieval lego knight
s and wenches boozing it up before descending into the lego torture chamber (and don't the kiddies love it!) and being sneezed on by the huge lego dragon. We were the only adults in there without kids, but the lovely ride attendent let us go through twice. We didn't buy the photo that was taken as we saw the dragon, but Bill was clutching my arm in terror. He also squealed as the lego bats flew overhead. They did have flashing red eyes though.
Last night we went to a pub called the Astro Bar which had really kitch decor (wonderfully daggy purple sequined curtains which clashed perfectly with the red walls and paisley lamps. There were also retro pinball machines and toy robots scattered around the place. We both loved it there.
Not sure exactly how long we're staying here before heading to Prague. We're in the process of finding out the easiest and cheapest way to get there at the mo. There's also a few more things we want to do in Berlin, like maybe go to the Zoo(both), the Technology Museum (Bill), Madame Toussaud's (me). I'm also thinking of getting my hair cut short and there's a place called Hair Factory down the street from this cafe, so we'll see.
Feel free to post comments too. I'm never sure if anyone's reading this :ö)
We got here a few days ago and have been busy soaking up the culture (and yes they have large glasses of beer here too).
It's a very pretty city. We wandered around the Brandenburg gate yesterday and sat in the sun in front of the Reichstag (much nicer since Hitler moved out and they installed the observation dome). We also wandered through the Holocaust Monument which was fascinating, but quite upsetting.
While we were watching a group of French rap dancers in front of the Brandenburg Gate, there was a huge protest rally with singing and chanting and banner waving. Our German is pretty limited, and all I really understood from the banners was 'politikal'. There also seemed to be a lot of fist waving. The police turned up in a few seconds and although they had batons and were wearing flak jackets, they just watched until the crowd dispersed so it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. I think they were student communists or someting. There was way too much long hair among them to be neo nazis. They did piss off the rap dancers by stealing their crowd, but that was the only real conflict.
On a lighter note, yesterday we also went to Berlin's Legoland and saw lego being made in their oh so scientific factory. The woman in the white coat picked a small boy called Marco to assist her by pressing buttons. Bill will get over it one day.
We did got to build our own lego cars and test them on their in house jump ramp and then we got to ride through the spooky Dragon tunnel where we saw life sized medieval lego knight
s and wenches boozing it up before descending into the lego torture chamber (and don't the kiddies love it!) and being sneezed on by the huge lego dragon. We were the only adults in there without kids, but the lovely ride attendent let us go through twice. We didn't buy the photo that was taken as we saw the dragon, but Bill was clutching my arm in terror. He also squealed as the lego bats flew overhead. They did have flashing red eyes though.Last night we went to a pub called the Astro Bar which had really kitch decor (wonderfully daggy purple sequined curtains which clashed perfectly with the red walls and paisley lamps. There were also retro pinball machines and toy robots scattered around the place. We both loved it there.
Not sure exactly how long we're staying here before heading to Prague. We're in the process of finding out the easiest and cheapest way to get there at the mo. There's also a few more things we want to do in Berlin, like maybe go to the Zoo(both), the Technology Museum (Bill), Madame Toussaud's (me). I'm also thinking of getting my hair cut short and there's a place called Hair Factory down the street from this cafe, so we'll see.
Feel free to post comments too. I'm never sure if anyone's reading this :ö)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Cologne, home of the Lindt Museum
Well, we're in Cologne (which embarrassingly I always thought was in France- sorry Germany). As mentioned above, Cologne is home to the Lindt chocolate museum, which is the reason I'm currently feeling a bit ill. Note to other potential chocolate researchers: don't have a chocolate croissant for breakfast before heading in. Also, be prepared for some sugar related twitching in the hours after your visit.
It was a beautiful paradise for Bill and I when we went in. There were bizarre bits of machinery and odd computery things for Bill to admire, and huge vats of molten chocolate for me to drool over. You have to like a place with something for everyone.
Tonight I think we're off to a beer hall that Bill has researched and found that they do bratwurst by the metre. I'm up for something savoury after all that chocolate, but I'm hoping they do smaller lengths too. I've also discovered that Germany has revived the shandy. All those people I thought were really hard core drinking their litre steins of beer weren't necessarily beering it up. The half beer/half lemonade mix is alive and well over here and helps those of us who can't drink more than a stubby without feeling like they're going to explode. I
t's referred to as radler, and even Becks do a green lemon variety. Bill gives me withering looks when I order it, but I say when in Rome (or Cologne as the case may be)...
Also in Cologne and on tomorrow's agenda, is the Dom (Cathedral). It's massive and can be seen from all over the city, including from our bedroom window.
This is our view:
I think we're climbing the bell tower tomorrow to see the largest still working church bell in the world. In the guide book it says it weighs in at 24 tons and is the world's largest clanger (sorry Chris). There's 508 steps to get up there, so hopefully that will work off some of the chocolate and bratwurst. Do not come to Germany to lose weight!
Tonight I think we're off to a beer hall that Bill has researched and found that they do bratwurst by the metre. I'm up for something savoury after all that chocolate, but I'm hoping they do smaller lengths too. I've also discovered that Germany has revived the shandy. All those people I thought were really hard core drinking their litre steins of beer weren't necessarily beering it up. The half beer/half lemonade mix is alive and well over here and helps those of us who can't drink more than a stubby without feeling like they're going to explode. I
t's referred to as radler, and even Becks do a green lemon variety. Bill gives me withering looks when I order it, but I say when in Rome (or Cologne as the case may be)...Also in Cologne and on tomorrow's agenda, is the Dom (Cathedral). It's massive and can be seen from all over the city, including from our bedroom window.
This is our view:
I think we're climbing the bell tower tomorrow to see the largest still working church bell in the world. In the guide book it says it weighs in at 24 tons and is the world's largest clanger (sorry Chris). There's 508 steps to get up there, so hopefully that will work off some of the chocolate and bratwurst. Do not come to Germany to lose weight!
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