The travelling bilbies

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Saturday, December 22, 2007 Back in SydneyWe are now settled back in the little cabin in Narrabeen. November went quickly and we were quickly emersed in reality. We have had 2 deaths in November with Tracy's old friend Helen dying of cancer and Chris' brother, Frank also succumbing to cancer, way too young. Helen and Frank both had supported and good farewells to their lives during their final days and at the funeral services. The anniversary of Kyle's death and his birthday were also in November so we have had a quiet and sad time to deal with our losses.




We now look forward to revisiting our holiday as we wade through a couple of thousand digital photos which need sorting and labelling. This will be enjoyable and will give us a chance to do a bit of research about some of the interesting places we visited. We calculated we travelled about 40,500 kilometres in 6 weeks and about 3,600 of these kilometre we travelled by train. We are no hurry to travel overseas too soon as we want to savour the rich and exciting experience we have had. Narrabeen is a wonderful place to return too and work is ok too. We have had to do a bit of work to repair the neglected garden and lost a few plants while we away. Everything is blooming now though and with summer ahead and a glorious beach near by, there is much to look forward to.










Posted byThe travelling bilbiesat1:32 AMNo comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Friday, December 21, 2007 Back to SydneyOn Thursday, 1st November we fly the final leg of our journey back to Sydney. The short flight (10 hours) is quite pleasant with friendly Qantas staff. There are some boring Australian passengers near by who work in Hong Kong and talk endlessly about money and property and believe that the Howard Govt is a "shoe in" in the coming election. Back on Australian land we discover that being the last people through customs means a very quick wave through. We also find that the airport bus connection who we e-mailed didn't bother to wait around once they realised our plane was late so we taxi back home At home at last we craked open our bottle of beckarovka and sat on the verandah until quite late. A perfect end to a wonderful holiday.Posted byThe travelling bilbiesat11:24 PMNo comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Tuesday, November 6, 2007 Tuesday, 30th October - in the air again. Wed, 31st Hong Kong Tuesday is a travelling day. We farewell Prague and head out early for a flight to London. This first leg was OK however BA's idea of food doesn't coincide with Bilbies ideas of food. A cold bacon sandwich with tomato sauce would have to rank as the worst food all trip. Then of course we arrive at Heathrow again. Only one hour to get through security this time thank heaven, the entire hour lined up while three security check point were unstaffed. This all for passengers who had come from a flight and who had passed security at the other end. However we finally got through and could wait to board the flight to Hong Kong. This was the worst of all our flights leaving the UK at around midday and arriving in Hong Kong 11 hours later at about 9 am. It was made worse by an inconsiderate passenger in front who immediately reclined back and left no room for the entire trip.
Our friend Maureen had provided us with lots of advice and ideas for our day here but what we didn't take into account was just how tired and disorientated we would be. As well it was raining and clouded in so anything involving a view was out of the question there was no visibility. When we arrived at the hotel we discovered the BP International was not named after a petrol company but after the founder of the scouting movement Baden Powell. We left our bags and had Yum Cha in a nearby restaurant then went back for a quick 2 hour nap. Once up and showered again we headed off to Hong Kong and Hollywood Road (antique street) and the Man Mo temple. ( http://www.edwebproject.org/hongkong04/manmo.html )We realised at this point that it was getting beyond 24 hours with only maybe 3 hours sleep at the most. Back to the hotel and a buffet meal which we choose because it took no effort or decision making to just sit and eat. The food was god and included the first sushi of the whole trip. After food we wandered around some shopping areas of Nathan Rd and also the night markets of Temple St but we were really on our last legs. so back to sleep and then the final flight home. Posted byThe travelling bilbiesat2:23 AMNo comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMonday 28th October - last day in East Europe On our last day we revisit the Cafe Louvre to have breakfast. This cafe is where renown intellectuals and writers such as Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka regularly met for coffee and discussion - http://www.cafelouvre.cz/en/celebrities. We then head off to visit the Prague Castle and surrounding district, which is the largest castle district in the world. We view the beautiful St Vitas Cathedral which has outstanding stained glass windows, one of which was created Alfons Mucha (the renown Art Nouveau artist). We also bravely climb the 287 steps of the great tower in the cathedral. We are brave not just because of the ascent, but because it is a tight climb up the dimly lit (and sometimes black) narrow, spiral stairwell, and because we are squashed against the wall as a steady stream of climbers descend at the same time. It felt quite claustrophobic and suffocating at times, but it was all worthwhile. The view is spectacular and a fantastic last view over the city of Prague and the river Vltava. We stroll through the castle grounds and also explore an old castle dungeon which contains various implements of torture and restraint - Tracy thought it was "revolting" . See http://www.prague.net/prague-castle for more information on Prague Castle district. After a leisurely descent through the palace gardens we cross the Charles Bridge and enjoy the descent of dusk on the river. A very nice last day in Prague. We then head out by train to meet Marie, to return the backpack she had kindly loaned to Tracy. It was a quick hello, thank you and goodbye. Marie was not feeling well as she had been rock climbing over the weekend and was badly 'clonked' on the head by the rock climber above her when he fell. We are then off for an early dinner at a restaurant near the pension, so that we can pack and prepare for our morning flight to London.





Posted byThe travelling bilbiesat1:34 AMNo comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestLabels:Alfons Muchas stained glass window in St Vitus Cathedral and a view from the Great Tower,Photos of Cafe Louvre Sunday, November 4, 2007 Sunday 27th October - on the train to PragueWe commence our slow journey back home via Prague. We are up early to catch the train to Prague. It is a scenic and comfortable journey. We have some familiarity with the scenery of the Czech Republic and enjoy it even more with the deeper hues of Autumnal colours. We share our compartment with two therapists from San Francisco who have just attended a conference in Vienna. They are taking a short vacation in Czech before returning home. We again marvel at how pleasant it is to sit in a spacious rail dining car with wide windows and enjoy the panorama whilst having a tea or coffee (and strudel in or case).
We arrive back in Prague and find our way to the pension we stayed in previously. We have some computer time and then reacquaint ourselves with beautiful Prague by ambling around the streets and spending time sitting and watching in the town square. It was a surprisingly warm evening and it was so pleasant to sit on a park bench and watch the passing fare. There were horses and buggies, many tourists slowly roaming the streets and a group of Czech men having a drink on the nearby bench. They regaled each other with some operatic songs and a couple had great voices. After a light dinner we head home for a well earned rest.Posted byThe travelling bilbiesat11:21 PMNo comments: Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest Older PostsHomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)
Greater BilbyWhere we have travelled from
North Narrabeen beach, Sydney, AustraliaBlog Archive 2007(42) December(2)Back in SydneyBack to Sydney November(4) October(30) September(6)Czech Map
Czech RepublicMap of Slovakia
Map of Hungary
Map of Romania
Map of Bulgaria

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