Sand, Sun and Sunscreen

Good-day Mate

Hey everyone! As most of you already know we are now in the Land Down Under - Australia!! And this country does not disappoint. We arrived in Perth and spent the first week in the city centre at the YHA hostel getting everything sorted. Jet-leg kicked us big time here. We met up with Trisha (a girl we met in the Greek Islands) and she showed us a good time touring us around the city. We are extremely grateful! She even helped Sam get a much needed hair appointment. Knowing we had limited time in Western Australia before our flight to Sydney, New South Wales - we decided to do a campervan trip up the coast for 10 days.

We tried to secure a nice campervan that was on sale, but sure enough it was all booked out. Our budget then only allowed - the Hippie Van. Extremely skeptical of "her" with the purple flowers and butterflies, we learned to love "her". We named her Flow and she took us effortlessly up the coast - in style. Realizing on the road she didn't have airbags made us slightly nervous - but luckily nothing happened. The coastal towns were BEAUTIFUL. With teal and turquoise water, bright sun, white sand and coastal cliffs there was enough to keep our eyes excited. We went to the following towns: Cervantes (Nambung National Park), Kalbarri, Denham, Swan Valley and Margaret River.

We also saw our first KANGAROO. After Sam yelled out into the bush before climbing into Flow that the kangaroos needed to come out of hiding - one did!! It jumped out in front of the unmoving van and posed for the camera for at least 15 seconds. He then hopped across the road to the adjoining crossroad and stopped again looking at us inquisitively. Unfortunately all other kangaroos (and there were many) we laid eyes on had fallen victim to vehicle traffic. Poor critters. At another point in our trip we saw a lizard on the road who had been hit - we went back to try and save him but his neck had been broken. That was a massive downer on our day. RIP little lizard.

We also were lucky enough to see WILD DOLPHINS at Monkey Mia (not far from Denham - our last coastal town stop). The dolphins have been coming in for the few free fish from the locals for decades. When we were there, some of the dolphins had just had new babies - one only a week old! Adorable. We were also each selected from the crowd of spectators to feed a fish to a dolphin. It was really an awesome experience. We loved it so much that we went back the second morning to see the whole interaction again.

Our animal interactions did not end here! We saw sharks and sea turtles in their natural habitat swimming in the bay from a cliff top boardwalk. We visited a Ocean Park where an experienced Marine Biologist showed us much of the local marine life and pointed out some of the most venomous and poisonous fish. He even fed Lemon and Sand Sharks. They are incredibly graceful gliding through the water. AND at our last campsite during dinner we were visited by the river ducks. After Mike feeding them a couple pieces of bread we soon had more than 8 ducks and atleast 6 bright green parrots (parakeets). We even had them eating out of our hands!! So exciting! They stuck around, sitting on Flow and chirping away at us. We packed our bags in the morning with them around, with the ducks even drinking out of our pot of water. It was really fun! We spent our days seeing the free sites, frequenting the beaches and watching the surfers and sailers. Stove top dinners and sunscreen were a major part of our days. Isn't it RIDICULOUS that Australia - with NO ozone doesn't sell sunscreen above SPF 30. We have been wearing this everyday and reapplying and still have some intense tans in the working.
We are now done our wonderful roadtrip and spending the day at the airport waiting for our flight to Sydney - where we will spend our holidays.

We may be broke but we are two of the happiest and most grateful people in the world.
Who also miss everyone back home and wishing they were here to enjoy this amazing journey with us.
Love you all
xoxox

Sand, Sun and Sunscreen

Molweni

Hey everybody!!

Our last days in South Africa are upon us. Yet again the time has flown by, but we have not wasted any time. Last weekend we went on a two day wildlife safari and had a blast. The first day we travelled quite a distance in our little bus to see an ostrich farm (we even got to sit on an ostrich!) and later played with 3 young elephants. You could ride the ostrich if you dared but we weren't feeling suicidal that day. The elephants were about 9 years old and really well trained. We were able to pet and feed them cut up fruit and vegetables. They also hugged us with their trunks (which are incredibly scratchy and rough), and play tug of war. One of them was trained to throw and kick the ball. They threw it using their trunk. It was really an awesome experience! In the evening we tasted ostrich meat cooked on the barbeque. It was delicious.
The second day was our favourite because we started the day with a tour of the Cango WildLife Ranch checking out the African animals. We saw all kinds of animals including: snakes, meerkats, lions, tiger, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, vultures, bats, leemars, hogs etc. etc. It was really fascinating. The peak of our day came when we had the opportunity to go IN the cage with the "baby" tigers (the were 8 months and quite large for babies) and full grown cheetahs. The cheetahs were just massive house cats who purr really loud. It was phenomenal and we wanted to stay all day. The money we paid went towards the conservation work for the wild cat population. The excitement did not end there!
After this we travelled to a game park and were escorted in a rugged jeep through their park to see the Big 5 in their natural habitat. We saw antelope, buffalo, rhinos (and their baby!), birds, giraffes, zebras, lions and elephants roaming the fields. The giraffes were spectacular because they walked right across the path and were literally within touchable distance. Wrapped up in our blankets to escape the wind we watched in awe as all these beautiful animals carried out their daily activities.
On the way home from the tour we discovered we had a stomach bug from one of our children at the creche. We spent sunday night, monday and most of tuesday quite ill with some nasty bodily functions. It was exhausting to be sick and stuck in our little dormitory so as not to infect anyone else. By wednesday we were in tip-top shape and ready to take on the babies again. Playing and caring for the kids is incredibly awarding and we both really enjoy it. We do have a great appreciation for caretakers though as it is an exhausting task.

Friday we departed on our second, and last tour in South Africa, called the 3 day WOW Western Cape tour.      We started off with touring the beautiful countryside an admiring the amazing beaches including Hout Bay, Camps Bay, and Long Beach. We also went to Dyer Island and saw the thousands of seals laying on the rocks and playing the water - such fascinating creatures. But smelly. We did the mini hike up to Cape Point and experienced the intense winds coming off the ocean. It was deafening. The sites are burned into our retinas - absolutely stunning. We stopped at a few small towns as well before ending up in Stellenbosch for the night. We had a delicious dinner and drinks on the town. A very successful and relaxing day.
Saturday started out with a private Kaymundi Township tour from one of the locals. We learned why and how the people live in these settlements. It is very sobering seeing the rotten shacks and rusted metal boxes that serve as houses. It was nice to hear that here the conditions have massively improved and things have been changing thanks to Mandela. It is very much a welcoming community. At 10:30 in the morning we went on our Wine Tasting Tours at two different places. It was really odd drinking so early but some of them were quite delicious and we enjoyed some wicked cheeses as well. After a picnic in the shade eating some of our newly purchased cheeses we spent some time at a beach. The water was freezing cold! (15 C). We had a dinner and tried to see the whales in the bay but did not succeed. It was an early night because we had a big day on Sunday.
Sunday we were on the road by 6:30 am to make it for our Great White Shark Cage Diving!!! They served us breakfast after we signed all our legal rights away. Then we were given bright orange rain coats and a life jacket. The boat ripped out for about 15 minutes before anchoring not too far from a beach - an apparent shark hot spot. During the summer months these sharks actually spend most of their time in the shallow waters near the beach - hence why their are run-ins with humans. They chummed and baited the water and we had to wait about 30 minutes to see one. While waiting we were given our wetsuits - which was extremely difficult to get into because they were so tight! They were thick and hooded to help fight the frigid water. We were chilling on the seats when the first shark was sited. It was a smaller one at ONLY 2 metres but it was AWESOME. We were the first people to jump into the cage. WHAT A THRILL. These sharks are spectacular. Sam was afraid to even go on the boat at the beginning but now we she wants to do it again. They swam past the cage quite close, but paid no attention to us in particular. They were interested in the seal cut out and the fish heads used as bait to get them close to the boat. Every time the sharks came near the cage the crew would yell "divers down in front" or "to the left" etc. It was definitely an adrenaline kick. After our time was up we spent the rest watching the sharks come out of the water trying to eat the decoys. Absolutely amazing. Unfortunately for us the waterproof video camera stopped working after a few minutes of being in the water and our digital camera died. We wish we had more video footage to show but we have enough to capture the excitement of our journey! When we came back to shore our tour guide Xenni took us back to Hermanus where we saw whales swimming in the bay! They even breached the water. Astonishing. Our day ended with a walk along the rocks where thousands and thousands of African Penguins reside. They are ADORABLE. Some were losing their feathers and were on the "uglier" side. It was a phenomenal weekend and we really really enjoyed it! We are blessed.

Today we were back with our kiddo's. We took some photos of them and are going to get them developed for the creche and the mothers to have. Precious!

Anyways we have now written a novel - and it doesn't even capture everything. But it gives a glimpse
Missing everyone from home! Cannot believe it has almost been 5 months.
xoxoxoxox

African Time

Hello again!!

         Still in Cape Town and definitely loving life! This place is amazing. During the week we head out at 8am and take 2 different mini-buses to our project in Woodstock. (When we say mini-buses we mean large vans that can hold up to 15 people that are battered and play really loud and awful music with the guy yelling out the door trying to get as many people on the bus as possible. It is quite the experience.) We stay at our project until around 3:30 and the bulk of our day is spent caring for the children in the creche. A Creche is similar to a daycare centre with schooling. All the children are under 6 years of age and there is just under 20 of them. They are here because they and their mothers have been abused or are destitute. St. Anne's helps them get their life in track by offering living quarters, work/skill shops and counselling. It is a really good set up for giving the women a chance. The older children separate from the infants and are taught basic skills through out the day. We spend most of our time in the nursery. Sam is absolutely in love with the little babies. There is a new baby that is only one month old and he was born premature so he is absolutely tiny. They are each so cute and we try and divide our time amongst them. The older kids love to say that we are "boyfriend and girlfriend" and do" kissy-kissy". They love it when we go outside with them on the play-structures. They ran around with our camera today and were doing photo shoots of each other. Most of the photos are just fingers.
Tomorrow morning we are going on a two day tour called the "wildlife safari" where we get more of a taste of South Africa. Cannot wait!!
Missing you all
xox

A taste of Arabia

Molweni (hello in Xhosa) from South Africa!

We are now in Cape Town at our volunteer accommodation. We have our orientation on Monday and have learned that we are doing a placement at a women's and children's help centre during our 3 week stay. The city looks just like any other major city apart from some of the temporary camps set up on the side for the indigenous people. We cannot wait to explore!

Dubai was absolutely AMAZING!! We really wished we had more time there since we had so much more to see. The weather was hot and fairly humid but not unbearable like people mentioned during their summer months. Our hotel was nice and cost us a small fortune since we had to get separate rooms. They treated us like man and wife anyways. It was almost 5 am by the time we got to bed the first night and we slept until noon. That afternoon we went on the Arabian safari. It involved a crazy ride through sand dunes in a toyota   4wheel drive vehicle. It was the 2 of us with an Indian family that were in love with us. We were like zoo animals. Mike was "very very long" and Sam was "really muscular" and "pretty". The men wouldn't leave her alone. Now we know what monkeys feel like at the zoo. click.click.click. photo after photo. They were really nice though and it was a fun adventure. The sand dunes were awesome!!! We ripped and slid along the sand with screams of delight (and a little terror).

The adventure stopped at a camp where we were offered a short camel ride. Sam managed to fall off when the camel started its kneeling. She would have gone over its head but managed to jump to the side. A little funny to see. The Indian father has it on video so we can only hope he sends it to us. Afterwards Sam was given her first Henna tattoo (which Mike thinks looks like poop). Then we enjoyed the surrounding activities until dinner and the show commenced. We sat at long tables on big cushions. There was a delicious bbq dinner and an Arabic show involving traditional Egyptian dance and famous belly dancers. We had these delicious pastry puffs with a sugar glaze that were just called Arabic sweets, as well as a tasty buffet dinner. YUM.  It was quite spectacular! Definitely a memorable experience.

The following day we did a bus tour to see some of the major sites. The buildings are spectacular and the money invested is amazing. Although in the desert the city is very green because everyday they inject millions and millions of litres of water to maintain a green city. The majority of our time was spent in the Mall of Emirates, which had an indoor ski resort, and the Dubai Mall, which had a Olympic size skating rink and a massive aquarium (won Guinness Book of World Records). We walked for hours and hours to cover all the stores. We also saw the world's largest building and the self-proclaimed 7 star hotel. It was difficult to remember no public affection. We had to remind each other.

 Our last day was spent at the Aquadventure Atlantis waterpark. Like little kids we went through the rip tides again and again. We also enjoyed the big water slides. Mike was the only one brave enough to do the drop ride which shot straight down before going through a tunnel with a view of sharks and other sea creatures. We spent the middle of the afternoon snoozing on the beach before going back to the rides. Over the course Sam managed to injure herself a few times. This first involved an enclosed tunnel on a 2 man tube. On one of the fast turns Mike's knee and the bottom of Sam's skull collided and caused quite a lot of pain to her head. The others involved being flipped off the tube and scraping concrete and banging ankles on the tubes. It was definitely a hazard day. A few war wounds to remember the awesome day!

Oh also - Emirates has been awesome to fly with. In economy they have enough leg room, personal TV's with enough games, movies, shows etc to keep you entertained for the entire flight. Mike was ecstatic when we first sat down. He could make a playlist with everything he wanted! The food and service is spectacular. Sam was given a first class meal because they only had salmon plates left and she doesn't like salmon. Really unexpected. We hope to fly with them again.

Missing everyone from home
xox

Anyways there is a very brief summary of our last week! Hopefully we have more amazing fun adventures to tell! 

Chapter 1 over: Adios Europe

It is an emotional day in our little hotel room by the Madrid airport. We leave for Dubai tomorrow at 2pm (if there are no delays of course) and will arrive in Dubai just after midnight. It marks the end of our Europe trip but the beginning of the rest and we are filled with mixed feelings.

Europe has treated us well. We have discovered the true beauty and charm as well as the unique characteristics of each country. Great family and friends has also been a (MASSIVE) plus. However, we are looking forward with excitement and apprehension for Dubai, United Emirates and Cape Town, South Africa. Both places are incredibly foreign to us, and we of course will be known foreigners: "The tourists". It will be an exciting adventurous 3 weeks before we make our arrival in Australia.

The last few days in Spain have been nice and fairly low key. Malaga was wonderful but we had quite the time trying to find our hostel. Seville was beautiful but we did not spend too much time exploring since we were so exhausted from snorers and uncoordinated sleeping times. We have officially decided snorers should be banded from sleeping in a dorm. Sam spent one night in Malaga sleeping on the cold hard tiles of their little balcony with a pillow and small blanket because there was an old man sleeping in their dorm snored as loud as a chainsaw. He also had many other disgusting bodily functions going on. 3 hours of sleep was not enough to fully function on. BUT that aside we had a wonderful relaxing time and enjoyed our last few days in the warmth and beauty of Spain. We decided against going to Cadiz so we would have more time to enjoy Seville.

Today we did not end up exploring any of Madrid as originally hoped. In Malaga we discovered Mike had accidently forgotten the powercord for the computer back in Barcelona. It had been an early morning start and we had been tired. After messaging the hostel we discovered they did have it and we could pick it up. So today we trained the x number of hours to Barcelona and then went to Madrid. It was a long 13 hour day. We now have the cord and that is all that matters.

It is know one am and we are all but finished packing our stuff for tomorrow. It is time to sign off and say goodnight!

Sam and Mike
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
missing you all. lots of love.

Joie de Vivre

Hey Hey Everybody!

It has been a little while since our last post. We were in Nice for two days after the last post and enjoyed a relaxing beach day in October! Definitely cannot complain about that. But Nice was extremely overpriced and a short stay was much appreciated by our wallet. We then headed to Sam´s G. Aunt Jessica´s and G. Uncle Mikes for 5 nights and had an absolutely delightful time. We were well taken cared of in all departments (comfy bed, warm house, dynamite food, an abundance of wine -- and most importantly love and company). We enjoyed many home cooked meals and even expanded our palate by nibbling on some mussels and snails. Sam now enjoys red wine! Daily outings to the surrounding areas of ¨deepest, darkest France¨were really fun. We saw magnificant views, cute shops and a gorgeous abbey. We expanded our knowledge on an abundance of topics including Airbus and their design of the A380 on a tour with Uncle Mike´s additional information. It was definitely something we had never experienced before. We also had the pleasure of seeing G. AJ´s and G.U. Mike´s new house under construction and the gorgeous piece of property it sits on. Mike really hit it off with their dog Meggie and they enjoyed many walks and play sessions. We were sad to go.

The delight did not end. After a nightmarish 12 hour day training from Montauban to Barcelona we made it! Hungry at our one am arrival we hunted down a burger king and stumbled upon the Sagrada Familia --- what an impressive building!! We would see it in detail a few days later. No site seeing that day. Early morning we set out to see Mike´s Dad and Joan in Peniscola. (The gag was the emphasis on the first half of the location! haha.) Again we had an awesome time relaxing with Mark and Joan. They had a comfortable suite at their resort with a gorgeous view of the beach. Some drinks on the patio, buffet dinners and a relaxing walk through the local town and beach ate up 2 days. We are very greatful for their hospitality and fun company! It was really nice to have a taste of home and they are missed.

We went back to Barcelona for a day and half and fell in love with the city. Absolutely in Love. A self tour and a walking tour of Gaudi has made us decide to return in the near future. We did not spend enough time here. INTERESTING side note. When on the Gaudi tour a loud thunderous bang erupted in the middle of the street and people screamed and were running for shelter. We thought a bomb had exploded and I half expected to turn around and see the road in smitherns with the deafening sound. Turns out the transport truck parked beside where we were standing had something explode inside it. How comforting?? Sam had the shakes.

We are currently in Malaga, 6 hours by train south of Barcelona. It is beautiful here as well. The catch is we realized Mike had accidently forgotten the powercord for the laptop back in Barcelona. Luckily they have found it and are holding it for us, so at the end of our Spain trip we will make a detour to retrieve it.

Tomorrow we set out for Seville and then Cadiz before ending our Europe journey.
We are both excited and nervous for the new adventures and sad to leave behind such a beautiful place that has taken care of us for the past 4 months.

We are truly truly greatful for everyone who has taken us in during our adventure!
Lots of love
and missing everyone at home immensely.

Venice, Florence and Cinque Terre - the trifecta

Ciao from Italy! We have once again been visiting beautiful Italy! After a long (and late) train from Zagreb, Croatia to Venice, we spent the day exploring the beautiful city.  Venice is absolutely amazing. The narrow winding streets coupled with the canals, gondalas and beautiful buildings makes for a mesmerizing experience. We decided to get lost in the beauty of the city and put away the map. Halfway through the day we ran into Will and his new friend from Milan. The four of us enjoyed delicious Italian pizza and hot chocolate before continuing our wandering. They tried to convince us to pay for a  ride in one of the Gondolas - but this adventure would cost 80-100 euros, and the budget just wasn't allowing it. When it came time to leave the enchanted island for our camping site we ended up being cold, tired and out of 30 euros. The bus we were to catch never arrived and after catching a taxi we arrived at our overpriced, loud and cold campsite bungalow. Thank goodness the thing had a heater. In the morning we set out for Florence.
We immediately felt at "home" in Florence. We stayed at a one star hotel for three nights, located near the biggest local market. We used it as a base to explore Siena and Pisa. Florence with its famous statue of David and large markets, selling all kinds of goods including leather, was really fun to explore. We spent our Thanksgiving evening  watching the sunset on the hill overlooking the city and then indulging in dinner at a restaurant. Some wine was involved which was a real treat. We spent the afternoon in Siena, a small town an hour and a half from Florence by train. It has well preserved medieval buildings. The main piazza was awesome, and we spent some time just sitting there enjoying the atmosphere. Pisa was also a short trip from Florence, where we spent most of our time taking the iconic tourist photos. After pisa we caught the late afternoon train to Milan.
Early the next morning we had our reservation to see Leonardo's famous Last Supper painting. At 9am we went through the different chambers to enter the fragile but magnificant painting. It is massive and faded. Many additional layers of painting have been removed to show the original base painted. The best view came from standing  back and taking the whole thing in, truly admiring one of the most cherished and valuable pieces of art. We were only alotted 15 minutes before having to move on.
We decided to head straight to our next destination - Cinque Terre. We arrived in the late afternoon and the weather was AWESOME. We stayed in Riomaggiore - the furthest down of the 5 cities. We checked into our little apartment and went out to explore the minature town. We sat on the rocky beach for a few hours and enjoyed the last minutes of sun. We made our own pasta dish and relaxed for the following day - to explore the other towns.
Early the next morning we set out to explore the other towns in order: Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. There is a hiking path of varying distances connecting each of the towns. We discovered the one connecting Manarola to Corniglia was closed due to landslides so we opted for the train. The views were absolutely breathtaking. People had attached locks all along the siderails and wire mesh lining the "via delamore". We never made it to Monterosso because we loved Vernazza so much. It was an hour and a half uphill trek to this city. We sat at the harbour and soaked up the rays and indulged in delicious gelato. Chocolate and raspberry..mhmm.. By far one of our most favourite spots. In the evening we enjoyed a few cocktails at the local Riomaggiore bar (steps from our apartment) to get access to their "free" wifi. (I don't think it counts as free when you are buying overpriced drinks). After that we bought a local pizza, some wine and headed for the rocks to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. Although a little windy, we devoured our margherita pizza (giving the crusts to a poor deformed seagull) and watching the sun creep lower and lower along the horizon until it disappeared completely. it is moments like these where we really appreciate how fortunate we are. Cinque Terre is by far one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, and the entire world.
Today - we are headed for Nice, France for two nights. Then we head off to see Sam's G. Aunt Jessica outside of Toulouse, France. We are excited for a potential beach day in the middle of October and even more excited to meet A. Jessica and U. Mike. It is hard to believe we have been gone from home for over 3, going on 4 months. The adventures never cease to amaze us, but the heartache of home can be strong at some points. We just want to say we miss everyone and think about them often. Thank you for supporting us on an adventure of a lifetime!

The ups and downs of travel

Holla

So here is the update of our adventures since Prague. Vienna is a beautiful city but unfortunately we did not get to explore a lot of it. As mentioned, we decided to stay an extra night because of Sam's migraines but it was pointless because we ended up having a room-mate from hell. He had undiagnosed sleep apnea - and for those who don't know what that is ... the person literally stop breathing in his/her sleep and suffocates. SO the individual ends up snoring and gasping for air REALLY loud and at random points. He was underneath Sam and shook the whole bed. We had 0 hours of sleep. Sam tried putting music on full blast (which was awful when combined with a migraine) and covered her ears to amplify the music sound but could still hear him loud and clear above it all. At around 5 am we left the room and sat outside on the stairwell. The rest of the day we decided to just sleep. BUT to put the cherry on top there was construction going on outside so it was still not peaceful. THAT aside, Vienna was beautiful - we explored the city for a day and even went to the Sigmund Freud museum. This was a huge treat since we are both psychology buffs. It was where he worked and practised until just before his death. We caught an evening train from Vienna to Budapest to continue our journey.

We arrived in Budapest around 9pm and knew we had to take the bus 2 stops and then the tram 2 stops before ending up at our hostel. We managed to go the wrong way both times - lucky us! The hostel was amazing - on the smaller side but much more intimate. It was like having a bunch of flat mates. Here is where we discovered our next downer - Sam was covered in bites - they fit the description and nature of bed bug bites - and we freaked out. Those things are incredibly itchy! Thank goodness for planning ahead and having benadryl. Everything has since been cleaned in heat and our bags have been vacummed to death. But it was / is stressful. No new bites - so the signs are looking good.

Budapest was AWESOME! If we hadn't had a limited time schedule we could have easily stayed a week. In the 3 nights we stayed we went to the opening of a new club; were escorted home by a nice local; attended a booze cruise with stunning views of Parliament and important buildings; partied on a club- boat; went caving or "splunking" (we got to wear a helmet, body suit and headlight); and indulged in the most amazing thermae spa. Sam tried the massage but it wasn't up to the standards to the ones she was used to. The girl drove her thumbs and fingers into the muscles.The caving was probably the highlight of Budapest because we went into the depths of the caves with literally a headlight and had to weasel through holes barely big enough for a person! Definitely a thrill! We had to RUN with our backpacks to catch our train to Zagreb - we made it with a minute to spare. Dripping with sweat and panting like dogs we high-fived the successful but stressful train boarding.

The train was due to arrived in Zagreb, Croatia at 11:23 pm - but thanks to delays we did not arrived until 1:30 AM and we had to find the hostel tired and grumpy. But we did succeed. We were lucky it had 24 hour reception. After a `good` nights sleep we explored some of Zagreb before making the journey to Plitivice National Park, where we spent 2 days. We stayed at a camping site 6 kilometres from the National Park which was a plus because it was cheaper BUT we ended up having to backtrack and still walk 3 km with our backpacks on the side of a busy and unsafe roadway. The bungalow we rented was nice and the bathrooms were the cleanest we had ever seen at a campground. The people are so friendly!! We took the 9am shuttle to the park the following day and did the full hike (with time to spare) before the 5pm shuttle back to the campground. The waterfalls were plentiful and beautiful; the water was turquoise blue and clear enough to see down into the depths. The only negative was that Sam was feeling really light-headed and sick with a terrible headache that worsened through-out the day. By the evening she had a bad fever and discovered white spots in her throat. We decided to spend just the one day in the lake so we could head to Split.

Split - Today we caught the bus to split at 9:30 am and arrived at 4 in the afternoon. Upon arrival at our guesthouse (YES finally some private accommodation without annoying room mates - and for only 15 euros a night total) - we told the owner and manager of Sam`s illness and he escorted us to his family clinic, had Sam in within 20 minutes and made sure she could communicate with the doctor and THEN took us to the pharmacy to get the antibiotics. Godsend! In the supermarket the butcher was really nice as well with helping us find things. So far, an amazing stay and we have not even done anything.

Our adventures have now been mixed with some of the nuances of travel - the worst being illness and a potential encounter with the night-time critters. Hopefully things will improve and we can continue making amazing memories!

Ciao for now!

Eastern Europe - Prague

After a frustrating attempt to make it to Prague or Praha after Oktoberfest we discovered the train we were going to travel on was packed and there wasn't another train until the morning. We decided to camp in Nuremberg for the night at a cute little hostel called "Let'em Sleep" - which is what we did. In the morning we found a super cheap supermarket and cooked up a feast for breakfast. Apparently during the night there was a fight outside, prostitutes in the room above us and the police were called. All we heard were loud voices - I guess we were tired. Nuremberg was gorgeous and we wished we had time to explore but we had a schedule!We caught a train to Prague in the afternoon and arrived early evening.

Prague is beautiful and affordable!! We explored the Old Town and took a communism and nuclear bunker tour to learn about (recent) history. We learned that the metro system is farther underground to serve a dual purpose -to be a bunker in the case of nuclear attack. It is quite a sophisticated system.There is massive steel doors (hidden to the public) at each entrance to the metro. We were able to explore a bunker that is now rented out by the government. One section was a club, another a museum and one part was even used for potato storage because of the ideal climate! The museum was neat and had the gas masks throughout the years as well as a set-up of how the bunker was to work in the case of a nuclear attack. They even have the air filtration systems down to a T. It was kind of eerie thinking about attacks like that.

When we were exploring the Old Town square we discovered it was Prague Fashion Weekend! The main shopping street (with all the super expensive stores like Burberry, Prada etc) was converted into a massive catwalk with designers presenting their line. It was really cool and we watched some both days we were there. The old astronomical clock in the town square is nifty- on the hour of every hour it works like an old cuckoo-clock with moving and rotating parts. In addition a man at the top of the tower plays a trumpet.
We even squeezed in a little bit of shopping during our stay because we found a large H&M. Finally - cheap clothes! Mike managed to find walking shoes for 3 euros! Steal!

We are now in Vienna - we arrived last night after 10 pm. Today I (Sam) was feeling really sick so we have pretty much stayed around the hostel resting. I cannot seem to shake this migraine. We have decided to stay another night here to make up for it so we can go out and explore this amazing city!! Then we are off to Budapest.

Missing all of you. xoxox

Oktoberfest

The rest of Rome was amazing. The Colosseum is breathtaking and we spent a fair bit of time inside admiring the infrastructure and history of the building. At one end there was a mini film crew setting up and we were hoping (along with hundreds of others) we would see someone famous - but we didn't. The rest of the day was fairly relaxed with us wandering the city. When walking toward the spanish steps for a second time there was ANOTHER movie being filmed outside a barber shop, but once again we did not get to see the actors (or we couldn't tell).

We left on the night train for Munich after 7:30 (the train was late) with hopes of getting a good night's sleep before hitting Oktoberfest. Unfortunately for us a three stacked high bunk-bed (inside a closet of a room) does not fit a man of 6'5". Poor Mike was unable to even lay down. Being on the top meant we felt the full swing of the train rocking back and forth and we both had very little sleep. But we still hit Oktoberfest bright and early!!!  It was quite a hike to our hostel from the Dachau station and when we arrived we discovered we had a curfew of midnight. We were worried about making it back in time but turns out we were back by 9:30. I guess a 10 am drinking start means you end a little earlier. I (Sam) finished my first ever 1 L beer!!!! - and was sloshed. Mike powered through 4 and Will drunk...I mean drank 4  lol. We enjoyed some of the traditional food as well and soaked up the atmosphere. It was amazing to see everyone dressed up and extremely festive. There was 8 enormous beer tents and by the early evening line-ups were forming. We learned you aren't allowed to play cards inside the beer tent. We saw people puking and being haled away with saline drips. There were rides as well, but the one the boys were going to attempt was 8 euros!! That was almost a full beer's worth of money so they scratched that idea. We met up with Dan and Sam ( a couple we met during our Greek Island Hopping) and had a few drinks with them. We all then left to get some late night dinner at a restaurant. It was delicious. The waiter was rude but the food was worth it.

Today was a change of scenery. We visited the Dachau concentration camp and indulged in a guided tour. We learned some new historical information and saw the place were thousands of people lost their lives in disgusting and heart wrenching conditions. It was sobering. Standing inside the gas chamber was just too much. It was definitely a different atmosphere from Oktoberfest. We were then supposed to be headed for Prague on a 5 o'clock train but it was full. As a result, we are currently bunking in Nuremberg. We continue on to Prague tomorrow.
As the adventures continue... 

When in Rome...

Ciao!

Tonight is the last night of 3 we have spent in Rome. We are still in awe that we have gotten to see some of the most iconic sites. We saved the Colosseum for tomorrow and we are pretty pumped. Today we visited the Vatican and the buildings were beautiful. St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most beautiful buildings we've ever seen. However, a major draw back was the massive crowds making the tour less than enjoyable. We made the best of it anyways. Tomorrow we are off to Munich to experience Oktoberfest!! Should be interesting.

We are definitely soaking up this amazing country and enjoying some of its delicacies -- cannot seem to get enough gelato and the pizza is to die for. On our last day in Sorrento we bought a family sized pizza (the size of a rectangular cooking tray) with fresh tomato sauce, tomato sauce and basil for 7 euros. It was the best pizza we have ever tasted. The walls of the building we adorned with articles of the owner winning awards for making the biggest pizzas. In a few photos there was dough bigger than him hanging off of him.

We were disappointed to not have visited Positano or the Almafi coast as planned because the transportation system was less than reliable on the day we were to travel. We decided on the hassle free approach instead of trying to cram everything in. Hopefully we can fit in later.

When in Rome - eat pizza, savour gelato and try and run over pedestrians. xox. 

Fireworks, Rooftop patio, croissants and Ancient Ruins - Italy

buongiorno (or Bonjourno for Inglorious Bastard fans!!)


We are now in the beautiful country of Italy! It was a very (very) long journey entailing 30 hours of travel including 17 hours on a ferry with no place to sleep (we resorted to the floor) and numerous trains. We are spending four nights in Sorrento (an hour out from Napoli). Utterly exhausted upon arrival we showered and had dinner before heading up to the rooftop bar to enjoy the spectacular views. Shortly after fireworks erupted from across the water and continued for over 15 minutes - they outdid Parliament fireworks back home. Today we ventured up to Pompeii. The city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and has since been unearthed and is the most preserved city of Roman life dating back into the AD. Tomorrow we are doing a boat tour of the island of Capri and we get to swim in caves! Cannot wait! 


The rest of the Greek Islands were AMAZING - we had the time of our life and met some fantastic people. We are even planning on meeting up with some of them again when we reach Australia. Santorini was picture perfect and in Ios we partied until dawn. We also went kayaking and snorkeling - as well as an 8 metre cliff jump! 


Definitely having a blast and loving life! Everytime we think it cannot get any better - like enjoying ancient ruins, meeting great people, lounging in a hammock or spending time with family - it manages to get only sweeter! 


Missing everyone back home and love you all.  


Oh - and Mike is utterly addicted to redhot - so anyone feel like spending ridiculous shipping fees - send some over! He went and drank some out of the bottle on the train yesterday.... haha. 

amazingness

Our adventures have only been getting better - if that is even possible! Paris, La Tomatina (insane) and the Greek islands all since our last post! We promise there will be more information soon! But right now it is Paros (Greek island) time and we don't have time to fill everyone in. Tomorrow we are going on a boat tour of anti-Paros and there is unlimited booze, snorkeling, swimming and traditional greek bbq lunch! Should be a blast!

Lots of Love and missing everyone

cheese, baguettes and history - Normandy

Yet another week has past! We have spent the last week in Lower Normandy at a bed and breakfast called La Vieille Ferme. It is an 18th century farm turned into a small bed and breakfast with 5 rooms for occupation. Absolutely gorgeous. We were there on our second workaway and were nervous at first to meet another new family. They turned out to be awesome!! Su and Pete were super welcoming and the two children (Lily and George) were a blast. Our work consisted of cleaning rooms, ironing, and gardening. We are now masters at changing duvets! haha. They even took us out for one afternoon to Juno Beach and we had a picnic before going into the museum. It was amazing to stand on the beach where history was made. We learned a lot about french culture and even got to see a traditional french market. All the food is super fresh and some of the animals are still alive! You can also buy farm animals.
The biggest highlight was probably the table d'hotes. It is a 5 course dinner they serve starting at 8 and usually ending at 11. We all sit at one big table - "staff" and guests and enjoy an absolutely delicious meal prepared by Pete (dynamite chef/cook). We really cannot rave enough about how good it was. Sam is hooked on his chocolate mousse and ratatouille and Mike is addicted to Apple Creme Brule and pretty much everything else! Mhmm.
Again we were sad to leave since it felt like once we finally had a routine and were comfortable it was time to move on. At least the next destination is PARIS!! We hope that the Steven's family will come visit in Canada one day so that we may meet again.

More to come. xoxox miss you

Towel Thief and the Red Light District

Heyo! 

It has been quite a while since we have written a post - but that is because we have been busy travel bees! Berlin was really nice - the eastside gallery and the memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe along with checkpoint charlie and the Topography of Terror were the highlights. The weather was crappy and some a-hole stole one of our towels when it was hanging in the dorm. Mature? That was a ticker but the hostel was sympathetic and gave us free breakfast the following day and one of their towels. The German's seemed to not like speaking English - and since we knew no German - it was quite interesting at times trying to figure out where we were going. Here in Holland everyone is really friendly and it is a very welcoming atmosphere! The friday night that we returned from Berlin there was a birthday bash at the farm for some of the children's birthdays and graduations. It was really fun and the language barrier was not that difficult because Wilma is an amazing translator and some of them spoke english! Sunday Gerard took us to the cheese factory he works at and gave us the grand tour! It is amazing and produces mass amounts of cheese! Something like 4 tons in a couple hours. And the new factory is fully automated so humans are not touching the cheese. One of the neatest components is when the cheese is put in massive crates and lowered into brine by a massive crane. The brine is similar to a massive public swimming pool.

On Monday we headed to The Hague for the day! It was just under a 2.5 hours from Wilma's by train. The weather was gorgeous. After realizing we forgot the battery in the fancy camera we had to use what power was left in the mini camera to take photos for the day. We got to see the Peace Palace and the World Peace Flame. We spent a few hours in Madurodam - which is an attraction full of minature sites of the Netherlands in a 1:25 ratio. They had the big bridges, boats, the airport, train stations and famous historical buildings! Lastly we hit the beach! Wide beach with cool North Sea water and a lovely breeze. We did not want to leave and wandered along enjoying the sun.

Tuesday through Thursday we explored Amsterdam with Will. It is a gorgeous place. The canals are stunning and we spent some time just sitting along the edge. Mike's birthday was on wednesday so there was a night on the town! Good times. Of course we saw the red light district. We rented bikes on the tuesday and "lucky us" we got lost trying to return them and almost missed the closing deadline. It was probably comical for other people to watch - the frantic tourists rushing around crazily on bright red bikes.

The plan was originally to head to Belgium before going to Normandy this weekend where we have a workaway set up. However the train times were not lining up and it was going to be more stressful than enjoyable. So we have stayed an extra night at Wilma's and we head out early tomorrow morning for Normandy, France. We are hoping to be able to do Belguim later on in the trip if timing works out!

Wilma and Gerard have been amazing and we feel at home! We cannot thank them enough for everything in the past 2 weeks! We are incredibly lucky to have yet another amazing place to stay with fabulous people!

xoxoxox miss you all

Wooden Shoes

Hallo!

We are now in the Netherlands staying with Wilma and Gerard and having a great time. FINALLY driving is back on the right hand side of the road. We have to admit that this is the coldest weather we have experienced and our sweaters are getting some good use. Wilma has taken us out to the Canadian War Cemetry in Holten to pay our respects and also to the memorial of the concentration camp Westerbork. They were very touching sights and both makes you appreciate the lives we live. Some of the soldiers were under the age we are now! Brave souls.
For dinner tonight we had Dutch "chinese food" it tastes very different than at home but it is delicious. There is a thing called "peanut sauce"which is pretty tasty. After dinner we learned more about farming by watching Gerard and Wilma at work moving the huge bulls from one barn to another and loading a few others that were ready for the butchers.

Tomorrow we are Berlin bound until Friday! Super excited to explore Berlin and see the fallen wall and the beautiful city. We are a little nervous about the language barrier but are hoping we can tough it out!

Anyways time to pack and head to bed

Welterusten

Climax

 It has been a while since we have updated on our adventures! We are currently on a train in the Netherlands bound for Slagharen to visit Wilma. We took a brand new Stena Line ferry across from the UK last night and we stayed in a 2-berth cabin which was really neat.. We are sad to leave Tim and Katie in Edinburgh since we were having such a blast!!  Just for Tim we put the title of our blog as "climax" because he claims the trip cannot get any better after being in Scotland. Last Sunday the four of us headed up to St.Andrews for the day and toured the golf courses and ate lunch on the beach. Tim and Mike had a bet in which Mike went into the North Sea river in exchange for a beer. The temperature is estimated between 10-14 C. Brrr. Monday through Wednesday we got to experience the Highlands while touring with Haggis Adventures and it was definitely a success - we met some great people and had a couple really fun nights! It was our first hostel experience and lets just say Sam hates people who snore. The one morning was a little rough due to alcohol consumption but we managed haha. Thursday we trained to Glasgow for the day and ended up spending most of our time in their Science museum which is completely hands on! With a computer generator we had a chance to view what we would  "look like" as a monkey, old man/woman, child, opposite sex, cartoon, African american, Asian etc. Of course we took photos which are hilarious. Mike is a good looking African American and Sam looks hilarious as a man. Friday we went into Edinburgh on the Royal Mile to experience the Fringe Festival. The street was packed with performers and people giving away fliers to their shows. We just walked down the mile collecting papers shoved at us - emptied them into the recycling at the end - before turning around and doing it all again. We saw some entertaining acts from the traditional statues, uni-cycles, juggling to the more bizzare including people in morph suits and a man with the Guinness world record number of elastic bands on his face. We ended the night with a bang - delicious dinner and drinks with Tim and Katie!  It is almost time to switch trains so off we go! We send our love and miss everyone back home.

OH and we do have a cellphone now - unfortunately we did not get the waterproof one since the shipping took too long. But we are back in business!

Scotland

We are on day 3 in Edinburgh as we arrived thursday afternoon after traveling from 8:30 am till 4 pm. The rest of our time with Ben was really enjoyable and now we are bugging Ben to come to Canada. We are now with Ben's brother Tim and his wife Katie. They live in the suburb part of Edinburgh in a beautiful home and we've had a blast with them so far. Yesterday we went and explored the town by walking the streets and enjoyed the gorgeous sunshine before meeting Tim for dinner. We then hit the bars. One of them called "the Dome" was an old bank that had been transformed to a bar and it was not a bank you would see at home. The floor was a detailed mosaic; there were marble pillars, and the celling was a beautifuly architectural dome - hence the name. Our night ended at 4 am when we finally hit the pillow and it has been a slow recovery day. To say it was fun is an understatement. After nurses ourselves we climbed the hill in the Pentlands and enjoyed the gorgeous city view. For dinner tonight we are going to have haggis for the first time. Tomorrow the plan is to hit up St. Andrew's. Monday we depart on a threeday haggisadventure tour to see more of North Western Scotland.

Side Note: the phone is not being delivered. Something happened with the ordering and it ended up being refunded. We found a store in town that cells Quad Band phones for cheaper than the online place so we are going to pick one up - unfortunately it won't be waterproof as we had hoped. Oh Well. But very soon we will have communication again.

Moving on

We are now in Wotton-underedge - which is not too far from Bath. We had a wonderful stay with an absolutely amazing family at eco-bloomfield during our stay in Bath and we would have loved to stay longer. We are now staying with Ben, and it has been a blast. On Saturday we went to a polo match - which was really neat. WOW can ponies run. It is neat how the match stops so the "fans" can go fill the holes made by the stampeding ponies. Sunday we went to Avebury and spent most of the time running through the hills with Millie (Ben's adorable 8 year old daughter who is an energizer bunny). Today we tackled the laundry and grocery shopping before we went on a long walk through the farmers fields. We are still sorting out our plans for the rest of the week - but it will be great!!

Bath

Bloomfield Bath has been amazing! Yesterday the trio (us and Will) hit up Thermae Spa for 3 1/2 hours soaking in the natural hot spring water and indulging in the steam rooms. Everyone was pretty wrinkled at the end. The day before we went on a free walking tour and learned some of the amazing history of Bath. We tried to find Johnny Depp with no luck! Today we are taking it easy around the house since the weather refuses to be nice. Saturday we get to meet Ben and he is going to take us to a Polo game! Should be fun! A few nights out, and a couple days of work - life is good.
- The phone situation is solved - we just ordered a WATERPROOF and SHOCKPROOF cellphone - so lets keep our fingers crossed this one can make us through the trip :)

Time to get back to the cricket game!

xox

one of the only photos with the 2 of us -- chillin on the London Eye!

phone?

TODAY we head out to Bath, Somerset for a week. Its a bitter sweet since we don't want to leave Joyce's - our stay here has been amazing and Joyce has been absolutely awesome. The problem being Mike accidentally left the cellphone in his shorts pocket when it went into the wash and we are not sure if we have a phone anymore. UGH. S*** happens. Other than that hickup things have been really good. Friday we met Will Bunda when he arrived in London and helped him get settled for most of the day before getting some lunch and hitting up Abbey Road. I think he's learned that if you want a place to sleep, for cheap - book ahead. lol. It took over 4 hours to get him sorted but we managed! woot woot. Yesterday we went to a theatre play - The Mouse Trap - it is the oldest running play going on 59 years. It was really neat.

Breakfast time! xoxox. 

summer?

The weather continues to be less than ideal - but we are not letting it slow us down. Yesterday we hit up St. Paul's Cathedral and the London Museum. We went to the Eucharist and the Evensong - the quire was absolutely amazing. Goosebumps. Today we went through the Westminster Abbey before spending the afternoon in Covent garden enjoying the food and watching the acts! Some were really good! Of course Sam was pulled into one of the acts. We finished the day with the London Dungeon which was really really well done and we had a good scream. Mike went up a few times at the London Dungeon and was tortured before being sentenced to death (because he was Canadian). haha. Tomorrow we get to meet up with Will and spend one of our last days in London!

Truly loving life

We send lots of love

The Tourists

HEYA

We've been busy little tourist bugs! Today we hit up the London Tower and the London Bridge Experience. The second one was a haunted re-enactment of the history of the London Bridge and they did a Halloween style horror scream walk through the Tombs - very much like Cedar Point in Ohio as Gabe and Bunda will remember! Screams and jumping were our thing! We went and had an amazing dinner with Joyce, Heather (her daughter) and Benny and we are now stuffed to the maximum. On the weekend we went to a Highland festival and got to see traditional dance and some Highland games activities. We went to a pub in St. Albans and we were able to bring the dogs (3) of them INTO the pub and they had dog treats and everything. They were a real ice breaker and we had a great night. Things are going great - we are def. racking up the miles on our feet walking everywhere. We've mastered the tube and love the double-decker buses. The crowds can be daunting but we now know how to manoeuvre through the crowds.

Mike and Sam

Chilling out

I guess for most of you your saturday is just starting but right now we are prepping dinner - stirfry night!! Today is a chillout day and later we are heading to the local pub :). We visited St. Alban's Abbey today it was absolutely gorgeous with very rich history. We went to the market again and topped up on groceries - and the milk was NOT forgotten on the bus this time haha. Yesterday was another London day and we saw Buckingham Palace and a few other sites (first we got lost). The line for the Westminster Abbey was huge so we decided to that another day. Instead we went to M & M World - CRAZY - four levels of chocolatey goodness. We are going to have super strong walking legs after this trip because we are walking everywhere!! -- pictures will come soon :)

Officially Tourists

G'mornin!

Yesterday was our first day into the city of London - it was quite eventful. The weather did not want to cooperate but we made it work! We saw the Imperial War Museum and it was absolutely jaw dropping with the amount of artifacts and information about numerous wars and crimes against humanity.  We also wandered the streets in no particular direction and took the typical tourist photos but had a blast doing it! Our legs are exhausted from walking but we cannot wait to go out and do it again this morning!

Loving life, but missing family xxx

The Beginning

Heya!

We are still coming to the realization that we've left home but are really enjoying ourselves. We arrived in St.Alban's at about 5 in the morning local time after spending a night in the Sheraton because of a flight delay. The flight was a little rough since we had a baby and a child sitting behind us that thought our seat was a punching and kicking bag. The day with Bill and Tania was really nice and they took us to dinner at our favourite restaurant - the Vagabondo. We thought we would stay awake all day and avoid jet leg - but we we were so tired we slept for 3-4 hours AND slept 12 hours at night. Joyce is amazing and her dog Maggie is really sweet. The camera arrived today at 10am as well! Today we went and explored the city of St. Alban's - bought some groceries, went to the market and took the bus for the first time! Mike forgot the milk on the bus so that was a funny adventure. It was really fun. We went for a run this morning and all I (Sam) could think about was Danny Bhoy and his Canadian running jokes!! haha. We are about to head out with Joyce for an evening festival thing which sounds like fun and we are going to hit up London for the first time tomorrow!
Anyways we are about to head out but we are hoping to use this blog as a way to keep you all informed about our daily adventures!

lots of love xxx