Updates to old posts

I have updated some older posts just to add in some photos

Liege

Today we went to Liege. Firstly it was bus trip form Geer to Waremme. Then the train to Liege. We walked around the old city centre. A visit to the saint-Denis church. This church was founded in 987ad.

 

More walking and a coffee we then started the journey back to Geer. We did some grocery shopping at Waremme, so we missed the connecting bus. An hour was added to the journey.

In the mean time more drizzle rain. The evening has commenced, although it is 1630 hrs. This trip the days seem shorter. It might be due to there not being any snow for the light to reflect off!

However during the day we did get some sun shine. Which was pleasant and warming.

We did pick up a Real Estate brochure and found a place in Liege. In my bad French it looks to have 10 bed rooms and is an old hotel. But have to wait until I get a correct translation before I can work it all out.

 

 

Some Picts of liege

 

 

Train efficiency

0727 the timetable advised that the train would leave, and that it did. The ICE226 to Amsterdam via Koln. The first stop is at the international airport. Then we should start to gain speed to Koln. We are to arrive at Liege at 0947.

Chocolate Heaven

While at the Christmas Markets in Frankfurt, look out for the Chocolte tool shop, Bunning will be out of business

A Day in Frankfurt

What a day it has been. Arrived at the airport at 0530 local time. Then into the city by 0730. It was still dark!

 

The train was clean.. no GRAFFITI... NSW government get to fixing the trains in the state.

 

So checked into the Ibis Motel. This time there is no Snow. Two years ago it was the worst winter in 20 years.

 

So we went to the Markets at Romer Square. Saw the traditional Christmas tree. Even have technology with me this trip, to trace where we have been!

It becomes interesting to see where you walk to!


 

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Sitting on the plane

The lights are coming on within the cabin with 2 hours 38 minutes to planned arrival. Naturally I can not post this until I land, and I can not use the Bluetooth keyboard to type.

The sector has been uneventful. Well you would want this. The rest of the passengers have been sleeping or watching movies.

I have been running the GPS data loader, approved by CSSA, on and off during the flight. It will be interesting to see the route flown once we land and I link it up to google maps.

The crew is starting to prepare breakfast. What at 3 am in the morning, Frankfurt time. While it is 1 pm Sydney time.

In the first sector of the flight watched The Borne Legacy. A really good movie. More gritty than the James Bond movies. Grant it not everyone will like it, but if you have watched any others in group of films, then I think you will like it.

We done not have the weather reports yet, but I am guessing it will be cold on arrival.

Arrived in Singapore

The first leg of the journey is over. Arrived in Singapore a few minutes ago. Sitting in transit at the QANTAS business lounge.

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Driving technology

It is not until you are sitting at the airport that you have time to sort things out!

I am using an iPad gen 4 to post to the blog. A Samsung galaxy 3 to take pictures, and drop box to move the pictures between the two.

 

 

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Today is travel day

The fial running around t sort out the house before going away has been completed. The trip from home to the airport took one and a half hours. Then check in and immigration was straight forward.

Then onto the QANTAS First class lounge. Okay it might sound that it a rub your nose in it, however the ticket was for compensation of being caught up in the day that QANTAS stopped flying back in July.

Lunch has been good. Now sitting and relaxing. I did ask if we could go on standby for a n upgrade if there is a no show. No harm in asking!

an hour go boarding so all the best.

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Christmas is Sydney

Last night I when into the city of Sydney to take a few photos of the lights at St Mary's Cathedral. Really good night. Few drops of rain did not dampen the atmosphere.

More photos are at my web site www.flickr.com/photos/nah011

 

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Snow in Belgium and Venice

Just had a look at the weather forecast. There is to be snow in Belgium now. It is 2.30 am (12.30pm Aust Time).
There is also possibility of snow in Venice.

Fantastic information

Last night I found a website/blog which is about Rome and travel in Italy.

Search for Ron in Italy www.roninitaly.com

 

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Thank you QANTAS

This morning we were going through the diary and we found a nice surprise.

Beside gaining points for being loyal to one airline, they also have given free entry into the first class lounge. The only condition is that you have to be flying on the day that we use it. So this works in with our plans. Thank you QANTAS

You're the reason we fly | Qantas

 

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Bag purchase

Okay this might not be the best of titles, however it does describe the event.
Yesterday we purchased two bags. Both are in the form of wheeled back packs, which have their own removable day packs.
We moved to this type of bag, as opposed to other non backpack styles, due to modes of transport which will used this trip. Also the bags from our trip too years ago will be too large for this trip.
We are only going to be away for three weeks, and there will be more air travel, and less rail, we have to take less luggage.
We have to watch our weight limits. We will be limited to 23 kg for our Europe flights, while we have 33kg for our international sectors. The train travel will not be issue.
So as we progress there will be reports about the impressions of the bags.
So the two back packs are.

The first bag is the Caribee Sky Master 70 Wheeled Backpack. Purchased from the luggage professionals, Crows Nest, NSW
http://theluggageprofessionals.com.au/caribee-sky-master-70-wheeled-backpack.html

The Second is
High Sierra 83l wheeled back back. This was purchased online via Wild earth. Delivery was really fast, three days.

http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/high-sierra-at2506-83l-wheeled-travel-backpack-daypack/HSAT2506BLU

The differences are:
is a side opening and the other is a top opening. They are different colours. There is 300 grams difference in their weight.

Both have removable day packs which we will use for the camera gear and iPads. So as time goes on we will make posts about the trip and the bags.

Lessons for today

The old saying is that you need to learn one new thing per day. Well today, I'm learning more than one! Besides my work computer taking it's time to do the number crunching for a whole  lot of name changes, I have been learning and trying out how I can write things on my Blog page and have these feed into this facebook page. Then also setting up methods to allow posts to be written while I'm on the road and then have these load once I'm in a free WIFI hotspot.

I had also over the weekend  started to look at another blog service. I have decided not to use that one. Although they have a great feature of drawing a map of your travels, and the ability to allow you to create a book of the trip. I have decided not to  use use that site a  a public and updated area. I keep my registration, in case I find a use for the features later on.

Although I started this blog off to document my latest trip to Europe. I thought then I would also report on the effects of WIFI and travel. This grew to include the bags that are being used. Now I'm thinking of detailing the use of a blogging application.

I do also wish to take photos, and enjoy the trip. So there might be too many things going on, and achieving nothing but a head ache

Map of the planned trip

Some more details of the planned trip.

Australian love to travel. We are just so far from everywhere! and this can be a good thing too.

I use a GPS data logger too, for my photographic work, so it will be interesting to see what the actual total distance is upon our return.

Count down is on

After the heat wave which hit Sydney on Saturday, today (Sunday) was much more in keeping with a great day. However the excitement of travel is more important, as we move ever nearer to the departure date.

The count down is on, and there are now 19 days to go. It only seems to be yesterday when sitting in the departure lounge at Bali airport talking about this trip.

The arranging of what clothing to take is starting to take shape. Email confirmation for our accommodation in Rome has been sent off. My training in project planning is taking over. Look at everything three times. Also a telephone call to friends in Liege. Now snow only sleet.

So the brief outline of the trip.
Fly from Sydney to Frankfurt. Overnight there. Then onto Liege, on 23rd. We will have Christmas with friends and go to midnight Mass. Then on the 29th, we go to Brussels to fly to Rome. January 5, we go to Florence and then to Venice on 7th. Jan 9, we fly back to Frankfurt and then leave at 10pm to return back to Australia.

I will have to work out the total distance which will be traversed,and post this information.

Last night the Sunset was pretty good, so I just had to post a copy. Taken from the deck looking over Dundas Valley, in Sydney, NSW

Trip planning

The plans for our trip started while sitting in the international Airport at Denpasar, Bali on 31 Dec 2011. Yes they were cheap tickets. Flew up on 26 Dec, and back 31 Dec. Case closed.

So that plans to go back to Europe commenced, for Christmas 2012.
In a nut shell the idea was to Fly to Frankfurt, have Christmas in Liege (Belgium) with friends, and then have New Year some where and return back to Australia.

Bali was good. We stayed  near Echo Beach in a 3 bedroom villa, rather than previous times where we stayed at Kuta.
Bali is growing and the economic growth means that people can more readily purchase vehicles. The Road system does not handle this. Motor bikes are the Best.

Okay, back to plans for Europe.
We also spoke about going Skiing in Australia or New Zealand in August, which would mean that of our annual 4 weeks holidays we would be back to about three and half weeks by the time Christmas 2012 came around.
So once back at work, leave applications were made, and the planning commenced.

I have nothing against Travel agents, and often you can get a better deal with them. However we are not the tourist who wish to travel by Coach everywhere, and today we are in Rome and tomorrow we are in Florence, and then the next Venice. Also starting to get a little long in the tooth for the Party tours. We are still able to carry our own bags. We enjoy shopping in the shops we wish to go to, and not the ones the Tour operators take you too. Then there is the feeling that you are sheep. You are herded off and on the Coach.

So the Flights were booked, with the help of Qantas frequent flyer points. Important tip here is that there are limited seats available in the Christmas period, and you have to flexible on the days you wish to fly, and make your booking early.

Travelling WiFi

In 24 days time we are leaving a 2012 European adventure.
House sitters to look after the dogs, bird, and the house arrive before then. The WiFi cameras are installed. Our management system!
The plans of testing and writing up the experience via a blog, and using Wifi are made too.

So in the past I have written my own diary, of what happened during the day. The sites visited and the activities under taken. The advent of FB and the instant messaging which occurs, I have decided to write up the trip via 'Blogger' and post to the world.

In the begining there was..

It might sound a little like Genesis Chapter one Verse one. However there needs to be a starting point! Firstly welcome to the start of the blog. There might be interesting things that are posted, and then there might not. Oh, yes there might be grammatical errors, which will offend the English language purists. This subject was one of my weakness at School. Maths, was my strength. I think that has something to do with my left and right side of my brain, or is the front and back.

To keep the debate of Evolution and Creation going, which started some time ago, I will cut through some 20 million years quickly. I was not here then, so I'll just look at rocks and books to see what happened.

So in the blink of an eye I arrived. The jokes of being delivered by the stork, or found under the cabbage leave might be true. I'll I know that as a child I use to say at my birthday, "It is now three months to Christmas". I did not know at those young and tender ages, the meaning of Life and the Universe, or the Birds and the Bees. Oh yes as adults we know as Sex. Opps, there goes the "G" rating of the blog, and now the auto filters will block some people from reading this. So I was born on 25 September, 9 months after Christmas.

Updates. These might be of Biblical length, and then again they might not. However you can follow if you like too. I'm not offended. I might ramble on, and make comments that might offend, 'Such is Life'. So at the onset I have a saying. Go to Bunnings, buy a truck load of timber, build a bridge and get over it!

I am passionate about some things, and could not care less about others. I say it how I see it. It is when I do not say anything that the deep waters run still.