Part 11: Reflections

So today marks the end of the year, one which I will be spending 16,810km away from my home (yes I worked it out), in probably sub-zero temperatures.
So to counteract the cold and the boredom, I am going to present here a list of the good, the bad, and the interesting of 2010 - on a public scale on a personal level. 
So I spose I'll get started.
Entertainment and Media:


Best Song of 2010: Closer To The Edge - 30 Seconds To Mars
Runners-Up: Search and Destroy, Kings And Queens, This Is War - 30 Seconds To Mars, Summertime, Sing - My Chemical Romance, Christmas Lights - Coldplay, Hell On The Throat - Dashboard Confessional

One of 30stm's best, Closer To The Edge represented the true meaning of their music with epic sounds and pumping the volume as loud as you can and letting out whatever emotion it is that you have at that moment. This song was nearly killed by the radio, but for me, that just adds to the success and brilliance of the song, and when you watch the video clip, it gives you an idea as to why this song is so special.

Worst Song Of 2010: Simon Says - Pharoahe Monch
Runners-Up: OMG - Usher, Anything by Justin Bieber, U.S Boy - Jenna Lee


Ok, so I know it wasn't released in 2010, but seriously, it is a truly terrible piece of music. Find out for yourself.

Best Band: 30 Seconds To Mars

Runners-Up: My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, Dashboard Confessional, Breaking Benjamin

No real surprise there, from a period of around November last year to September this year I didn't listen to anything else. Every song on my play count was way over 1000, with Kings And Queens having over 5,000 as the most. This year I listened to 30 Seconds To Mars when I was happy and when I was sad, when I was angry, when I wanted to sleep and when I needed a boost, I listened to them through good times and through bad and they influenced my life in so many ways, not to the mention my slightly concerning obsession with Jared Leto. 30 Seconds to Mars was there for my best memories and my worst this year and I will not forget the more-than-music influence it had on me.

Best Movie:  The Hurt Locker

Runners-Up: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes

Seeming as all 3 were released in 2009, the movies released this year were not very good/interesting but the Hurt Locker surely does have a great storyline to it.

Worst Movie: Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Runner-Up: When In Rome

I haven't seen either of them, but come on.

Best TV Series: Modern Family
Runners-Up: Top Gear, Man Vs Wild, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy

Possibly the best father that teenage boys of my age would want to idolise themselves on, Phil, and just an extremely funny show. Extremely funny.

Worst TV Series: Junior Masterchef
Runners-Up: Top Gear Australia, The 7pm Project, Masterchef

All. Terrible. Shows.

Funny Shit: 

"Right from the start, We had no Idea who was going to win tonight."
..Just right from the start?

Best Sporting Moment/Event: 2010 FIFA World Cup
To see South Africa come together and host the world cup which didn't fail to disappoint was a proud moment for the country and continent and was very entertaining at the same time.

Worst Sporting Moment/Event: 2010 Commonwealth Games
Don't get me wrong I love athletics, but the Commonwealth Games has got to be the most un-interesting and un-inspiring global event in the world. It didn't help that Channel 10 flogged the public months in advance, saying that this would be where Australia comes together and dreams are made for all. I think the worst moment for this event was that every runner in the Kew High Year 11 Relay team, including myself, would've finished in around 5th place in one of the heats for the 100m. A guy from Nauru came last. Fierce sporting nation that it is.

And now on a personal level, I'll take a  look at the some of the events that were special to me in any way this year. The first year that I got drunk and the first year that I ate a meal (other than a happy meal) at McDonalds. Impressive.

Funniest Moment: And endless amount of possibilites for this one, but decided that it has to go down to drawing the outline of a Penis on a main country road with gasoline, and then igniting it to see a pyrotechnic spectacular - The Flammable Penis.

Watch here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=400346778423&subj=563348423

Scariest Moment: Watching the waves crash into the rocks at Bushrangers Bay before one enormous wave created a second of terror between Liam Garrard and I as we thought we were doomed to be swept off the rocks. Wasn't so bad at all in the end, but none the less.

Watch here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=375627398423&subj=563348423

Worst Moments:
3. Missing 30 Seconds To Mars Live, Twice.
Two times this year I had my hands on 30 Seconds To Mars tickets, once in Melbourne and once in Switzerland. Both of them co-incited with other things which meant I had to miss out both times, but am hoping that the gay saying 'third time lucky' will come into play next year.

2. Losing State Relay 
After the incredible success of 2009, coming 2nd in this year's state relay was a huge letdown and a little bit embarrassing in front of friends and family. "But Ben, you guys did great! Second in the state is an amazing effort!"
No, I never want to hear anyone say that shit to me. It was a bad feeling, but thanks to all my friends for the support and for ensuring it was forgotten as quickly as possible.

1. Saying Goodbye.
Not a doubt in my mind that November 20 was an exceptionally difficult day and the worst feeling I had this year. Saying Goodbye to Emily as she left my house and then walking back into my room, knowing that for the next 71 days I would not see her or any of my friends was the most bitter of pills to swallow and for about 45 minutes I just could not handle it and let my emotions get the better of me.

Best Moments:
3. Portarlington
Spending a couple of nights in Portarlington with the Brotherhood - Derek Liddall and Alex Glinski, at the D-man's country pad was a sweet chill and included things such as finding $150 floating in the water, going face to face with a gang of Scooter Banditos and coming across the real live version of Alf Stewart on a bus. Good times.

2. First drunk weekend at Cape Paterson.
Spending a weekend down at the beach in the Summer with Emily and Jess Dal Pos, and Alex Silvestro (and local losers) marked only my second (and third) time getting drunk. The unfortunate decision was made to buy a slab of Tooheys Dry (never ever drink), which were warm, but had little souring impact on what is now known to be as a fantastic weekend. We witnessed all kinds of things; (club)houses with noses, debating whether you had enough money to buy a Pillow and Doona meal from McDonalds, slipping on rocks that you had little idea existed, or pretending you're Bear Grylls and climbing 30cm up a cliff then stating that you're scared and can't get down because of the fear. Fantastic memories that I'll remember for a long time.




1. Flinnys '10
But without doubt, the best time of 2010 was spending 3 nights at my holiday house with Alex Glinski, Derek Liddall, and Liam Garrard. My holiday house is technically in Flinders, but it is really a 6 acre block in the middle of nowhere completely enclosed by trees, and it has amazingly loud speakers. The 4 of us brought down lots and lots of alochol, meat, agrum, shapes, and oreos, and encountered the best few days together. We knew what the trend of the trip was going to be from the start when we finished unpacking everything and decided to open up the beers, and from then on it was pump loud music, eat meat, dance like crazy, have ride-on mower championships, ride some of the worst and smallest bikes going around, screaming at each other for hours pretending you are father and son, terrorising bullants, gasoline-on-road fun, saying that you will cook a barbeque for everyone - turn it on - start cooking - walk away coz you ceebs halfway through, doing whatever the fuck you want, and just kicking back with your mates and talking about anything and everything: every single activity listed was performed whilst drunk. A truly fantastic way to spend the holidays and is officially my best moment of 2010.


As for My Life In Europe, things are going well, I am awaiting the festivities of New Years Eve and needed to cure the boredom, so why not pulbically express your year on the internet huh. I wish a happy new year to everyone and I can't wait to find out what memories will be created in the coming year with everyone.



 

Part 10: Milestones, Realisations, And A Dog.

This was the first week of holidays in France and it served up some memories, milestones and new thoughts. It was spent quietly in Paris where I realised that my diet has completely changed to mandarines, bread, foie gras, pasta and yoghurt. 
And Mentos. Don't forget the mentos.
The realisation I had is that I think Christmas is very underrated for everyone our age because the only meaning of it now is just spending another day with your family and getting some presents. Though for me it was spent in a tiny village in the French countryside, and it hit me that what if that was taken away from me? What if Christmas was taken away from me? The tiny little village with the cold and the french countryside around me reminded that it was taken away from me. I had no family, though I did get presents - a book, a candle and a recorder. Party time.
So I came to the conclusion that nowadays lots of people aren't very enthused by Christmas because it is just another day where you gather around a tree and open presents, enjoy a meal with your extended family, go down to the boulevard and see the christmas lights; however you spend your christmas, but ask yourself would you be enthused by christmas if all that was taken away from you? Would you miss your family and a christmas in Melbourne?
The answer to those questions came to me in the form of a dog. A little dog who came up to me and then when I walked somewhere else it followed me. This little dog looked up at me and I looked back at it and felt something I haven't really felt since I've been here - affection. A lot of you might be thinking wow this is incredibly awkward ben is writing about his love affair with a dog, but if you were on your own in a country on the other side of the world speaking a language you don't speak, and a little dog came up to you and wanted to stay with you, you might have reflected on the affection of Christmas and  the real meaning of it all - family. And perhaps receiving kick-ass recorders. It came in pieces so I had to put it together myself :)
...
Though Christmas did bring one very enjoyable present, the milestone that I am now over halfway into this trip. Now I am starting to talk better, to understand better, now I am starting not to think about the memories of my year with my friends but the memories we will create when I get back, now I'm thinking positively about the trip and am preparing to make the most of it, knowing that I am edging  ever-closer to those important to me, waiting in the sun of Melbourne. I was excited to return to Paris after two days away and my brain referred to it as 'home', so I can only picture the excitement I will have when I touch down on January 30, and until then am prepared to enjoy my time here as much as possible.
Christmas now may not be about Santa, putting milk and cookies out and getting excited to watch Carols by Candlelight (or Candles in the Domain for the West Heidelberg folk), but it is about the importance of remembering that you celebrate the day with your family, your friends, and that it could be taken away from you at any time. Maybe Christmas is about thinking of those in developing  countries or adverse situations who may not even have a family to celebrate it with. In any sense, Christmas is about Underestimation - how to avoid it.
And for me, it only gets better from here.

Paris, France

La Grande Roulière, France

Kicking it...

...In -2 temperatures...

...with Ms.Funfgeld.

 More photos of My Life In Europe can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248416&id=563348423&l=723ed11648

Part 9: Hard Yakka

If you've ever wanted to find out what happens in a week here, it goes something like this. It starts on Monday at 7am and it requires at least 3 layers of clothes at all times, a Melbourne winter will never be cold again. There is school of course, where it is a really nice place to just sit back and relax, talk to some great people and (understanding or not understanding) not do a single bit of work. Most days have at least a 2 hour break between classes, so traditional french meals and cafes play a vital role in the week. As well as the game "time's up", a favorite over here.
A week over here consists of gatherings and actually enjoying the alcohol you drink and having a great time with the people you are spending it with. A week over here doesn't consist of coming across anyone like Alex Glinski, then you realise that you start to miss him, and everyone, and as soon as you get that thought, it remains in the back of your head and is the hardest thing to get out of your head. As soon as you think of home, you get distracted by it and you imagine it, or remember it, and you lose focus of the conversation around you. You are lost. And then you sleep, and you dream. You dream of home and everything is real, you dream of hugging people and smells and the wind and it feels real...kinda scary but yeah.
A week here consists of incredible highs and incredible lows. Paris in the snow is magical and you could pull up a chair and just look at it all night, it is like nothing else. Everytime you are occupied with something it is amazing, it is a great experience, fun, and enjoyable. Though as soon as you lose that grip on what you are doing, you immediately think of home, you think of people and how much you miss them and it feels like torture. 
A week here demands the best of you, the strongest of you and the boldest of you, and when you overcome it, you love it. Then there are 6 more weeks and 6 more challenges to go through.
It is Hard Yakka.

Favorite photo of Belgium.

Part 8: The Real Paris

From what I have discovered, it isn't the city of romance. Although it is everything else that you think it is and more. Riding through the streets and on the banks of the river you see buildings over 500 years old, you see tourist attractions every 2 minutes and plainly it just doesn't seem real. Paris is a place where you can be drunk and running down the street screaming your head off at nothing one second, and then having a friendly conversation with a gang of 10 'hardcores' the next. No one really cares about the road rules, beer tastes better here, and it's cold. I get jealous when I see that it got to 5 degrees somewhere in the world. The real Paris includes the people having a sense of arrogance because everyone in the world wants to be in their city, so yes, I fit in just fine. Today was the first day I got the question "do you live with kangaroos and koalas in your cities?" "Yes, sometimes you see them on public transport and you just nod and continue."....that's not what I said, which is a good thing because that wasn't funny. I'll keep trying.
Another thing about Paris is that there is not really any slang, not like the banana hektik shit we come up with in Australia, and no one here seems to know the real Australian. Apparently we all surf. Never mind though because there is one Australian who is prepared to publicly humiliate and embarrass himself, again, to show the real Paris the real Australian. How that benefits anyone I'm not exactly sure but I feel like I have an obligation to do something along those lines.
The real Paris is always enjoying the company you're with, enjoying the beauty of the city and the atmosphere of the culture. 
The real Paris, mainly, is about cheese. Lots of cheese. Lots of cheese in the fridge here, with pasta and fruit. At least I'll lose some weight. And the smell of the cheese - horrible. I seem to be always talking about Australia, the things that make it special and the amazing people I have back home. When I have time to just sit back and think, I think about my friends in Australia. I think about the weather, the beaches, the desert. Every day the thoughts of my friends are stronger, and I am now under 7 weeks away from seeing their beautiful faces again. And Coda. wooo
For now I wait, I sit in 8 hours of philiosophy a week understanding nothing that comes out of a lady that looks like a frog, and I (when im not sleeping) think about everyone and that what certain people said is coming true: I am becoming nice, still arrogant, but nice, and polite. The people of Paris bring it out of each other. That's the real Paris.

Favorite photo from England

Part 7: Supercars, Snow, and School

I realise I haven't done an update in quite a while, and mainly that is down to 5 days of horrible internet connection, but apart from that, it's also because lots has been happening. The last time I posted I was in Florence, enjoying the beautiful warm 9 degree weather...
That soon turned into 11 degrees (!!!!) when we arrived in Nice, France. At this point in time, I had gone through 12 days of less than 3 hour sleep, so I was a bit messed up, as you do. It's because my Dad and brother snore. And I know what you're thinking, and the answer is yes - their snores do sound different. They are different pitches. Sometimes, if you concentrate hard enough, you can create a sort of melody from the tune of their snoring. And then you remember its 3 in the morning, and its like: trying to make a song out of snoring? Really?
On one of the days we went to Monaco, the 11th 'country' of the journey. And boy was Monaco messed up. Pretty much 1 in 2 cars were supercars, that is, Aston martin's, ferraris, bugatti's, bentleys, lamborghinis, porsches, mclarens - the list goes on. For those ill-witted people Monaco is one of the Formula 1 tracks of the world, and they day we went was the equivalent of Good Friday, so for a fundraiser the driver's of 6 Ferrari's would take the public out for a hot lap of the track. So you'd just be walking on the footpath with all the local traffic next to you and then a Ferrari would tear past you at 200km/h. = Hektik.

Monaco

At this point in time though, I was kind of over the whole sit in a car and then get to a place to look at things, and wanted to start my exchange, and get some sleep. So I arrived to a snowy Paris, everything completely covered in white and I waited for a while until I could go 'home'. To 3 homes. Yes, Jules and his family originally had one apartment in Paris, then they decided to buy the one next to that, and then they decided to buy the one under that. 3 apartments, in Paris, is not so bad. And a house in the French Alps, a house in Tunisia, and a chateau in the countryside (where im going for Christmas). Again, not so bad.
Though there is one obvious realisation when I arrived that it really is incredibly difficult to understand what the hell is going on. When it comes to listening to people it's ok, but sometimes you zone out for a second and then you have no idea what they are talking about, and then comes a non-yes or no-answered question, and you're screwed. You're screwed anyway because you can't put a sentence together. But there you go.
Today I had a driving tour around Paris to welcome me to the fine city, and was also welcomed by the worst snow Paris has seen in 23 years, and it's not even winter yet. Combine that with 9 million people and you get that it took us 9 hours to drive 20km. It was just lucky that the things I had to stare at were the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, La Concorde, Le Louvre, and things like that.
Back to school tomorrow, 8am-6pm which will be delightful fun, and there you have it. My life. 

The Snow in Paris

Part 6: Funny Photos

Some of the things I have come across so far:

Hitler's rise to fame

Not everyone's preferred interior design

scu-mi?

Designer retail shop for Emily.

Austria's No.1 Car Dealer...

The ah ...museum

And of course everyone's favorite

Enjoy.

Part 5: Bear Grylls, Romeo, and Juliet

The Austrian Alps are a vast and enormous mountain range that dominates the Austrian countryside. It has snowy peaks that can elevate up to and beyond 3,000m above sea level. They are ideal for snow activities, sports and competitions, and hold some of the most breathtaking views in the world. One wrong turn in these Alps though can lead to big trouble. Big, big trouble. I learned this the hard way. After spending around two hours snowboarding on the Stubaital mountain, enjoying some of the finest snowboarding runs and conditions, I got bored of the few runs that I had been doing, and decided to go down a different run on what was to be one of my last before heading back to the hotel. The run was great, with many drops and straights where I could pick up speed, and at the end of it I saw what I had been dreading. If you’ve been snowboarding or skiing, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Those anchory things that you put around you that then take you up the mountain. I hated them and I just could not do them. I had no other way though, and mercifully attempted this one.  Sure enough, about halfway up, I lost my balance and had to let go. So there I was stuck with the alternative of going back down in horrible snow conditions, or go up a track that was not far away from me. I chose the latter. I started to make my way up the track and it soon got worse and worse. Not only was I climbing up an increasingly steep mountain, but I had to carry a snowboard as well which meant I only had one free hand. Soon enough, the track turned to ice and was impossible to grip, and the snow around the track was literally up to my chest. I was moving about 5 meters a minute. My fingers and toes were freezing, but I was also sweating like crazy. I was lost, and there was no sight of anyone. 

 

Innsbruck and the imposing Austrian Alps behind

 

I can’t remember a time where I physically could just not continue, and didn’t want this to be the first. I tried to make my way through the chest-high snow, but it was just impossible. Then when I tried to grip on the ice I just fell down the last 5 minutes progress I had made. Going up was no longer an option and had wasted all my energy and lots of time. Time for the clouds and driving snow to roll in, and it soon became zero visibility. And yeah, I was still lost. I decided to go back the way I had came on my snowboard, but gripping on the ice was impossible and I was basically free-falling. Eventually I was flung into the chest-high snow, and must have hit a rock or something because I was stuck and felt like my knee had snapped. Now I was injured, exhausted, cold, lost, and couldn’t see anything.  After digging myself out, I kept going down the mountain and finally found my way, which meant walking back up the run I had originally gone down, then getting back onto the main run, boarding 7km down the mountain which just physically killed me. Saying I feared for my life would be an exaggeration, but I was scared. Very scared. The positives though were that I got to get a snippet of my very own Man Vs Wild episode, and the part where I was snowboarding was amazing.

The view from the main run of the mountain.

 

Today the mountain ranges turned to wine fields as we made our way to Italy, where we experienced the hottest temperature on the trip so far (8 degrees).  A stop in Verona, the town where Romeo and Juliet was lived, introduced us to what Italy had to offer: Great history, great food, and scary looking Italian people. Italians like to stare at you, sometimes it’s an evil smirk but most of the time it’s just staring, and I don’t know why but I was mistaken for being Italian about 3 times in Austria, and in Italy. The outskirts of Venice to be honest was really plain ugly but once you get into the town and the little canals you see why people visit it, but some of the people who come here for the romantic trips and pay excess amounts of money for the gondolas don’t really get the full experience when there is a group of Asian tourists taking photos with their typical ‘peace’ symbols in front of all the landmarks that these romantic couples pay to see. This is also known as ‘owned’. 

Verona, Italy

Venice, Italy.

Part 4: 3 Reasons to explore the world: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria

This part of the trip is all about extremes. Extremes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. For starters, we ventured our way up the Swiss Alps, standing atop of Mt.Titlis (lol), at 3,020m - the highest point I have ever been in my life. The mountain also had a glacier cave which was pretty cool, and was also the place I met my new and only friends so far on this trip. A bunch of 3 malaysian women who giggled everytime I looked at them, and ended up getting some happy snaps with them. When in Rome. The Swiss looked upon Jeremy and I with maybe the most concerned looks their neutral minds had ever produced, as we decided to take the chairlift to the summit of the mountain, where the temperature read a cool (...) -21.5 degrees. And I don't know if you've ever been in -21.5 temperatures at 10,000ft above sea level, but basically it goes like this: It is so cold that the slightest bit of water, saliva, whatever - freezes in an instant. All you need to do is keep moving, but the air is so thin that you move for 3 seconds and you are puffing worse than a fat chick climbing stairs. It is hard, and cold. Very cold. However, on our way back down the mountain the snow started to lessen and the sky opened up, giving us a view on the valley that we were venturing to, and it was stunning. We returned to Lucerne to get a glimpse of what was really surrounding us. Lakes, Mountains, Snow, Rivers, Incredible architecture, History, Wildlife and an incredibly well-functioned city. 

Switzerland

It turns out my dad does have friends, who happened to own the hotel and adjacent restaurant that we were staying at, and invited us out to dinner, at their restaurant, which meant free food and drinks, and treated like royalty from all the staff. Did I take advantage of this by ordering as much as possible? Of course. We did get to learn about some Swiss culture and enjoy really quite a nice evening with some brilliant and interesting locals. The only slight problem was that when the guy told a joke, he laughed and looked at me for about 20 seconds, so I had to laugh the whole time. Awkward.
Today we made our way out of Lucerne and headed to Liechtenstein - the smallest country I have ever been to. It was a perfectly clear day as we made our way through the asphalt spaghetti over, through and around the Swiss Alps. 
Now some of you might be wondering what the hell and where the hell is Liechtenstein? Well it is an 80 square kilometre country nestled in between Switzerland and Austria. The capital city of Vaduz has about 15,000 inhabitants. I can safely say that the main street of Ivanhoe has about 5 times as many shops and people in its main street than the country of Liechtenstein has in its capital city. It was bizarre. Though without mentioning the fact that Vaduz is a beautiful little riverside 'capital city' surrounded by some of the most stunning mountain skylines in the world would not do Liechtenstein justice. It was phenomenal.

Liechtenstein

The final extreme came in Innsbruck, Austria - our current destination.  It's where I can say that in the last 2 days, I have encountered the most beautiful views and countryside that I have ever seen in my life. Innsbruck, again, is a city nestled by a river and completely surrounded by the Austrian Alps. It's culture, history and tradition shines through the beauty of the town and the kindness of the people. Innsbruck is unlike anything you will find in Australia, guaranteed. I really do have to ramble on about the perfection of Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. I can not fault anything about it (except maybe the awkward laughing man), and a day snowboarding in the Austrian Alps is planned tomorrow, which could just be one of the greatest experiences of my life. A stunning and remarkable part of my journey.

Austria

Part 3: Contrasts: Germany and Switzerland

The next part of our trip meant that we had to travel the whole way through Germany, spending the night in a town called Heidelberg. We rolled out of Maastricht smoothly but soon found ourselves going the wrong way. We eventually made it to our lunch stop, before going the wrong way again. Then we made it to our next stop, after going the wrong way again, and then going the wrong way one more time meant we were 5 hours behind schedule. I'm not going to lie but I didn't have the highest of expectations for Germany, and sitting in a car for 9 hours driving up shit creek (real name: rhine river) didn't help.
The one positive of the day is that a fast food combo in Germany consists of a sausage, chips and a beer. It went down well in front of Dad. 
The town of Heidelberg itself was quite nice, but I started to notice that Germany is, well, trying to be a little too 'hip' for its own good. As in, there is construction going on everywhere, they are trying to make everything more modern and I suppose 'western', not that they aren't a western country, but it's almost as if they are trying to Americanise the country. The natural beauty (as you will see below) is absolutely stunning but then there's the odd building that makes you feel like you're in a greener version of West Epping.
There was a minor scare this morning when Dad nearly collapsed and looked like he needed to go to hospital. An hour of sleep later he was perfectly fine though and we kept going. We visited a castle in Germany in the driving snow, but unfortunately it cleared up as we headed towards Switzerland.
Not going to lie again, I had amazingly high expectations for Switzerland, and as we were driving along the highway in Germany the trees began to be lined with snow, green fields were turning white and the hills were starting to form. I had a feeling that as soon as we got over the Swiss border, we would be surrounded by fields of snow in the foreground and the stunning Swiss alps in the background. I was right.
Not even beer could save Germany now, Switzerland was so many levels higher than Germany and I couldn't wait to keep exploring the country.
We got into the town of Lucerne, at night (unfortunately), as the town is on a lake completely surrounded by the Alps. All we saw was a couple of lights and a river, but it does mean tomorrow is going to be incredible. On the street outside a hotel there were two guys dressed up - one  as santa and one as the easter bunny. They were getting people to sign a petition to abolish the other person - probably the biggest war Switzerland has ever been a part of. Oh, and here's a new one: on one of the bike lanes, there was what I can only describe as a "bicycle booze bus" operating, where policeman and the Swiss army would flag down cyclists, check their gear and see if they were riding under the influence. Seeming as you can buy beer in the vending machines here, I guess if they were caught they would have to drive home?
I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Germany's natural beauty

Rhinefalls - Schaffhausen, Switzerland

Part 2: Countries Galore

Before this trip I had only been to 3 countries: Australia, USA and New Zealand. Today alone, we started in England, caught the Eurostar to Calais, France, picked up our hire car and crossed into Belgium, before reaching our destination of a riverside town called Maastricht, in the Netherlands. Starting your day at 4:30am in London and ending up in a small town on the Maas river doesn't come without its problems. For starters, a senile 58 year old driving a left-side operating manual on the right side of the road meant that driving 20km/h was scary. Basically he was retarded. We stopped at Brugge for an hour or so, and it just hits you how far away you are from Melbourne and just how different everything is here to Australia. And quite frankly, everything is better here. Except the weather. And friends. Not that I have any friends here....
Maastricht is yet another amazing place, surrounded by the Dutch countryside which is just phenomenal. The whole city is lined with small cobblestone streets, but part of the Dutch's carbon emissions footprint was that Maastricht banned cars from moving around the city. So you literally have to park away from the town, and walk or ride. There are a million cyclists everywhere, and it was kinda funny to see some young girls riding into a nightclub...something that would interest Stephen Butler. I enjoyed that call.


The day's nearly up and it's 0 degrees outside, high chance of snow in the coming days, I've taken some hekkaz photos and felt it was worth sharing that I was in 4 countries, just today.

 

 

England

France

 

 

Belgium

Netherlands

Part 1: Dubai and London

It has been an insane 48 hours or so since I left Melbourne, I really have little bearing on how long I've been gone for, because the plane trips and time zones meant that we ended up having 3 breakfasts. I spent 15 hours in between two babies on the plane, contemplating their death and my case for insanity. We only spent 3 and a bit hours in Dubai, but just from the flight in and the little bit of time spent at the airport, I can say that Dubai is an absolutely stunning place that I will want to go to again. 
We finally got into London at around 11am on the 21st November, and the first thing you notice about London is that it is so very fucking cold. All the people are kind of like me, they are rude walk fast and don't care about anyone else. Which was pretty cool. The streets are beautiful, the city is jampacked with historical buildings and locations, and everything here is amazing. The people all have sophisticated clothes on, which makes it tricky to determine the bogan scums, nothing like the good folks from West Heidelberg.
When I am out and about I am enjoying every minute of it, but when I have a little bit of time to think about where I am and how long for I start to realise how much I miss those important to me. Though for now I have to get used to it. After all, for the next 2 months, this is home.

Tower Bridge, London

Just a generally nice photo.

 

Nearly There

It's not long until I leave and go to Europe. At the moment there are no flights to London because of the Airbus situation, but that is highly irrelevant to anyone so yeah. This is where I'm going:

London - Paris.