What doing ?

Hi all,

 

Please read the blogs on my summer - great stuff ! let me know if you hate this site though!

 

I have also put in a few random photos from my laptop, no blogs on these ... just some Anzac Day photos, Work Colleague, East London scenery where Mully, JC, Newbs & Lauren & I live ... let me know if you like the east london sunset on the thames photos ... Lauren & I really like them & im thinking of buying a good camera for my next journey (potentially Peru & the Inca trail !).  Also have some special shots of JC after Mully met off the plane when he was back from Framey's wedding ... I hope you like the way I worked his half eaten curry into the foreground of those shots & the 'Style' magazine slipped into the background ...

 

Have tried to put up Loges, Schleibo & my Norway trip from Easter however it appears this site is full ?! not sure ... its 3 am now & I have to work tomorrow Friday (driving trains for Transport of London) ... so best get to bed !  dont wont any accidents 2mo ...

 

Take it easy  

Dk

Hi guys, the photos from the Italy part of my summer are now up ...

 

To pick up from where i left off ... Pumpy & I have pulled stumps early on a music festival at Benicassim (Mediterranean coast of Spain) and Im headed home (London) to see my Mum (from Aus) & her friend Delwyn (also from London).  There was no option not to return to Britain ... i needed sleep & water badly after almost a month in Spain.  The alcohol was not forgiving ! Our livers had started a wild cat strike in protest of their horrendous working conditions!

 

During my time in Spain with Nelso, Mully, Boris & Pump ... Mum has been checking out England, Scottland & Ireland with Deli & Trafalgar tour groups. From her photos - she had a great time in the UK.

 

I had promised 'the Golden Girls' , as they became affectionately known to me from the outset ... that I would take them to Italy.  I had failed however to actually book our visit to Italy whiel finishing work at Credit Suisse & getting 'Blot' with crazy Spaniards in the month of July!  This lack of forward thinking probably doesnt surprise many of you ... I am a man who very much lives only as far into the future as the weekend (perhaps fortnight if your lucky !).  Anyway ...

 

I managed to hook some fairly cheap flights into Nice (France) - the French Riviera region, Mediterranean - just near the Italian border, and our 10 day journey began.  Nice was our first experience with pebble (i.e. Rock) beaches.  The beach as you can imagine, is not that inviting due to its terrain ... however the water is to die for !   I have never seen water drop away so quickly from the shoreline !  very different to Oz ... & the water colour as a result was a very deep blue (refer photos). 

 

My trips with the Golden girls would become to be know for one thing - the Bus Tours.  Every town we visited, we instantly found the tourist Bus Tour & hoped on .  I know many of you probably think "that's so tacky touristy " ... but I will confess early ... I luv this stuff !  Cruising on the top deck , wind in the hair stuff !  awesome way to get your bearings in a new city  ... great work girls !

 

Having seen a few of Nices neighbouring towns, including Monte Carlo we called it a night with Italy on our doorstep the next morning.  On the whole IM not impressed by the French Riviera ... boring, Yawn !  I hate boats ... give me Australia, San Sebastion, or South West France (Biarritz etc) any day.      

 

The next day we took the locals advice & got the international link train one stop across the border, before buying some very cheap tickets to travel domestic with the domestic 'Italialink' service to our next destination - La Spezia !  This was a mistake.  Essentially we should have paid alot more to get to the South Coast of Italy in far less time .  The journey I had taken the girls on wasin fact 6 hours (compared to say 1&1/2 hrs ) !!! Ooops .   The domestic trains were pretty sh*tty & had no air conditioning, but in hindsight we were just following people's suggestions - after all what did we know ?!  It still did'nt stop me from feeling bad ... I wanted the girls to have a smooth relaxing holiday with me & this was'nt planned !  I did'nt have the heart to tell them both that not only was the trip taking 6 hrs, BUT I actually had'nt booked accomodation in Italy either & that we would be arriving in La Spezia at around 11pm that night with no beds... Oops !

 

I panicked a little at this point & made an emergency call to Nelso in London, hoping that he could internet a hotel & book some beds for us.  Needless to say Nelso gave me a customary 'cold shoulder' ... not quite as icy as the 'cold shoulder' JC received that wintery night last year when Nelso had left him high and dry with none other than Julia Brownley - but a cold shoulder all the same ... 

It seems that despite having taken personal responsibility for to women in a foreign country, my irrelevance for details in respect of the above was part of a much deserved 'learning curve in overseas travel & organisation 'yada-yada !  very nice ...

 

Still panicking I pre-occupy the girls with a bit of 'eye-spy' and 'paper-scissors-rock' before leaving them during 1 of 'umpteen hundred games of Poker to find a train conductor & ask them 'where the hell they put their heads to rest when they get to the end of the line' !!!  Anywho ... Turns out La Spezia is a pretty big town (thank god) & we find accomodation with the Italialink staff at a hotel nearby the station on arrival - problem solved .

 

To be fair on Nelso it wasnt a 'cold shoulder', but more than likely a 'blind eye' ... after all its easy to miss a hundred text messages & phone calls from neighbouring countries in this day & age !    ;)))) 

 

Moving along, our purpose in La Spezia is to do the Cinque Terra hike from Raggiomore to Monterrossa (approx 12km).  The hike takes in 5 remote coastal fishing villages, accessible by foot & train only...refer photos.  The walk started well enough the next day, everyone in high spirits - however as the sun rose so did people's heart rates ...& for awhile there I though I had lost Mum !  she really wasnt impressed about 2&1/2 towns into the 12km !!!  We had plenty of water & took regular stops but it was damn hot & again - I found myself feeling pretty bad for dragging the girls through this walk ...

 

They stuck it out though & were rewarded at town 4 - Vernazzo - with crowded streets, bathers, cool refreshments.  This is the most beutiful/charasmatic village of the 5.  Deli & I decided to head in for a well earned dip (the water in the Mediterranean is so deep & had been inviting us all the way).  The world championship cliff diving tournaments are held in these regions ... having watched some young Italians & jokers from Melbourne soft it & 'pin dive' into the water ... I thought it appropriate to clamber the rock face & have Mum film some Northern NSW (Dalwood Falls) front flips for the applauding crowd :))))   It was the first flip of the day from what i could tell by the crowds reaction.... you would have been proud Mal, Schweitz & Harry !

 

The girls were exhausted so they decided to head back to La Spezia on the train.  4 out of 5 aint bad, but with young legs on my side & kowing that I may never go back!?  I decided to push on to Monterossa - town 5.  The sun was going down & I didnt have much time, but how far could it be ?

 

As it turns out we had takled the trek the wrong way round.  The way to Vernazzo & then onto Monterossa are the toughest of all the 5 villages (goat tracks in fACT) !!!  & this late in the evening there was no-one on this section ... everyone was either at the other end OR set up nicely in the waterview bars & restaurants !

 

I suddenly became a little worried.  I had grossly underestimated how long it would take & thought I was 17 again ...deciding to run the final part to Monterrossa - cross country style.  But I burned out !!! probably not  as bad as Schweitzer in the Year 12 cross country final up Lennox Point where he in fact stopped running & I went on to win the race ...BUT  I had no water,no phone & new tracks were appearing all over the shop !  I was lost ...  Luckily i ran into a great couple from Melbourne who had underestimated the time required & walked the remainder of the way to a pub for a celebratory beer ...

 

These satisfying photos were unfortunately lost in transfgerring the trips photos to computers & CDs however I won't forget those beers with my new friends, sunset backdrop at a bar on the point of Monterossa & the satisfaction !  Cinque Terra is my favourite region of Europe & my travels to date - beutiful !  I suggest take a girl ... & stay in Vernazzo - very romantic.  I will be back & so too Deli with her partner Gavin - its that good !     

 

Mum & Deli were amazing !! It was really a great effort by them both - im so proud of them both & the discussions that night over dinner were of nothing but 'achievement' & 'wonder' of the scenery in this region.  Mum at times could'nt physically go on ... but would start up again somehow ? telling me she is only doing this for me ... it was heartbreaking but special at the same time to the say the least !!

I would never  have made it to the end if you hadnt made 4 out of 5 mum ... thankyou :)   

 

We then caught another train further South to Rome (via Pisa).  Pisa is a train stop & you dont need to stay in the middle of nowhere to cover the attractions.  We had our customary 'Leaning Tower of Pisa ' shots & hopped back on the trains to Rome ...

Unfortunately these photos were also lost on transferring the photos to Laptop & CD.  Again, the 3 of us can all remember how they turned out :))))  its not the end of the world. x

 

Rome is amazing !  there is so much to see & do .  We had planned 4 days to take it all in , however did it well enough in 3.  Again we started the day woth a Tourist Bus Trip meeting some great people again.  The Bledisloe cup rugby match was being played back home in Brisbane Australia & I had had enough of travel so I found an Irish pub & settled in for lunch.  Gatesy & Co were at the game & at that time the travel had got to me - I wanted to be home, at DGs wedding .... I couldnt wait to see you all ! but settled for keeping a part of your lives via text message.  The girls joined me for a beer ... Deli supporting New Zealand of course !  & we spent the afternoon on the Colosseoum & Roman Forum (refer pictures)

 

I loved the Colosseum, the stories from the quides !  the gladiator film with tigers & other exotic animals from underground is all true ... I also learnt that they used to flood the underground chambers & to Row 1 level & re-inact ancient Navy battles !!! 

I can see after visit these landmarks that Ancient Rome is a very fitting description ... they were very clever the Romans (refer my previous blog on English town of Bath).

 

A slight interlude here:  Can i just say that on the ladies front it was much better travelling with Mum & Deli than Nelso & the boys in Spain !?  No just jokes  ... BUt the respect you get from people you meet along the way, cafe's, restaurants, tour buses, tour groups, hotel guests is outstanding & the younger variety feel far less threatened by your presence with a little of the opposite sex tagging along ... anyway  enough

 

We took in all of Rome.  I am not one for sculptures, architecture, or extreamly dated artworks (Michael Angelo, Monet from the Renaissance period etc) however appreciated it all the same.  We had a day up our sleeve so decided to train to Florence for the day which was a little rushed however a beutiful city all the same.

 

Highlights included (other than Colosseum :

Well !  Been awhile since the last time I wrote on my web page … but you will notice that  I have included the latest photos from my first European Summer (2006).

 

The following paragraphs take you through my time as ‘a Bum’ in Europe from 1 July through to this time Saturday 5^th August, on board Singapore Airline flight 235 to Brisbane…and I am some 10,000 + feet above Indonesia (me thinks) …

 

I am of course coming home for Gatesy’s wedding next week, and to enjoy some Beers, Dinners, and Rum P’s with you all. 

 

My traveling companion is one Lucas ‘the Seahorse’ Nelson who is sporting a very ‘unnatural’ hair colouring at present.  The first 13 hrs went surprisingly quick though considering I was wedged in between the Seahorse & Alf Stewart!  Initially - I had no control over the elbow room whilst locked in at number 9/hooker there  …I did however come up with a masterful plan of eating my on flight meal the fastest, & downing elbows first back in the chair …  to relegate the Seahorse & Alf Stewart to Sub-districts and make myself ‘El Presidente ‘ of Row 64 from London.

 

 

Moving on, a little has happened prior to my terminating employment in the UK & jet setting to Spain – in short I have been to 2 fantastic concerts:

 

• Elton John at Charlton Athletic Football ground – free as sponsored by my former employee;
• Foo Fighters, MotorHead, Queens of the Stone Age – live at Hyde Park London, 85,000 people present.

 

I have also felt everyone’s heartache in following the Socceroo’s progression to the final 16 in the 2006 World Cup … just not fair – we were good, VERY good !  The best thing to come out of it I have found in my travels is that the R.O.W knows it also (including the Italians)!

 

Sooo, Spain – what went on ?! here it is

 

 

SAN SEBASTION

Nelso, Boris, Pumpy & Dk

 

Summary:

• Stayed in a 5 star hotel on the family beach in this fantastic holiday spot. 
• The surf is tiny (if any) though im sure like most places is best in Winter. 
• The nightlife is excellent and all singles were able to capitalize in some shape or form every night. 
• Food is great & we enjoyed some good restaurants on the headlands with our Illawarra/Wollongong friends met in our travels.

 

What to ask about:

• Pumps amazing ride - caught in full by yours truly (by no fault of my own)  

 

Remembered for:

• Having to sleep on the floor 2 of 3 nights in a 5 star hotel while Pump played house with his new GF
• Kolomocho’s at Taz Taz Bar
• My traveling companions watching the final of the World Cup at the Hotel (u guys are soft & missed a good night out)…

 

 

SAN FERMIN (PAMPLONA)

Nelso, Boris, Pumpy, Mully, Lethal, Jason, Mick & Lisa & Dk

 

Summary:

• Objective – to run with the bulls (tick J )
• The move from 5 star hotel to Camp site took some adjustment, particularly in the Spain heat – sleep was limited;
• Camping was with the fanatics & as most Australian gatherings go … the first night was all about establishing ‘Who was who at the Zoo’ which ended in 3 blokes being knocked out unconscious
• Day1 festivities were excellent – the Spanish are certainly a spirited bunch … we missed the Day 1 run due to poor organization by the fanatics organizers in getting the req’d bus service from Camp to town
• Capped the day by watching a proper Bull fight in Spanish arena – excellent

 

What to ask about:

·        The Bull run – from start to finish – enthralling, immense adrenalin rush ..I ran it in a 3 with Mully & Lethal watching my back;

·        The amount of blood in the streets from my cut foot ! 

·        The Spaniards marathon drinking sessions

 

Remembered for:

• The Run & traditional Spanish dancing (Chocolati song … how good was that???)
• Shakira
• Heat, Sangria & Kolomocho
• Café Iruna !  and the trolley
• Dozer, Swany, Spotto, Sutto
• ‘Ednya’ the lil’ Spanish girl who we helped her father pitch tent, the lazy older brother, and the ‘front gate’ provided by Lethal to there humble abode J)))))

 

 

BARCELONA

Pumpy, Lethal, Ange Vandommelie & Dk

 

Summary:

• Finally back to air conditioning on the Rambla in Barcelona;
• A good place but not what I had imagined – standard Spain – late night dinners, drinks & hungover days at the local beaches
• I did take in the Picasso museum – was excellent !  I took 2 American couples around as an un-official tour guide for the most of it – spinning sh*te about ‘Picasso’s amazing use of line (continuous line) in his early etchings and later canvasses …’- classic.
• Note, for anyone intending to visit the Salvador Dali exhibition its actually 2 hrs up the coast (4 hrs round trip) so plan ahead …
• Barcelona Football club tour – most successful team in Europe lately

 

What to ask about:

·        The Columbian sweetheart

·        The Mexican’s

·        A MUST RE-TELL : ‘How to attract the attention of Spanish Police’ !!!

 

Remembered for:

·        Pumpy’s spray on the American girls after wasting his time for 5 hours (they all had boyfriends ..)

 

 

ALICANTE

Pumpy, Lethal, Dom Schliebs & Dk

 

Summary:

·        Schleibo arrives from Birmingham in this coastal town in Southern Spain

·        Main objective is to link up with Schleib, work on the tan, and move onto Ibiza

·        The ferry from Alicante to Ibiza is not cheap (80 Euro each, though is 3 hours away)

 

Remembered for:

·        That blonde repeatedly seen at the beach – im sure she was off Baywatch, she somehow beat gravity

 

 

IBIZA

Pumpy, Lethal, Dom Schliebs & Dk

 

Summary:

• Night 1: Amnesia – the best super club we visited. Decked out in varied singlet hoodies .. we owned the place.  Good people, good beats.
• Night 2: Space – renowned for headlining DJ’s and did not disappoint.  Too Many DJ’s set went for 2 hours and kept everyone going until close at 8am on the Sunday.
• Night 3: Promise - Random night out, too tired  

 

Remembered for:

• Too Many DJ’s close out with ACDC !
• Lethal the Sex Pest (eg the Devon/Cornwall girls ; the French girls)
• Schleibo’s tolerance for Terry Alderman’s
• The corner shop set up !
• Sunrises
• Bora Bora !!!

 

 

VALENCIA

Pumpy, Dom Schliebs & Dk

 

Summary:

• We caught the ferry from Ibiza to Valencia, to make our way to a 4 day music festival in Benicassim (2 hrs North of Valencia on the coast)
• 3 nights is plenty in Ibiza the partying is intense though well worth the look
• Not much happened here though due to the distruction of the body in Ibiza
• Schleib & I worked out you should not order cuttle fish from the menu
• There was a European beach volleyball championship the next day – so potentially could have devoted more time in this city

 

 

BENICASSIM

Pumpy, Schleibs, Loges’, Robbo, Fiona & Blackie, & DK

 

Summary:

• Festivals in Spain are not for the faint hearted it seems.  The town of Benicassim has a massive increase in population for this event (predominantly visitors from UK).  The music starts late in the evening (say 6pm) & continues through to around 4am where you then have the option to kick on at DJ’s tents etc etc.  Should you decide to get some rest, you know it will be limited - once sun is up you have no chance of sleeping in your tent.  The whole town relocates itself from campsites to the beach for the full day (umbrellas a necessary purchase, shade is very limited).

 

Remembered for:

• Substandard UK acts (verse Big Day Out for example)
• Too Many DJ’s (again!)
• The Witch from Brasil !?
• Gypsy lane
• “Excusez-moi Madame”. “Je voudrais emprunter un fumar svp” (…just for you Charlie)
• Loges & Robbie’s early morning mountain hike !?
• The beach bar !  & ‘the late show stage’
• Our Volleyball victory verse the Spaniards
• Pumpy leaving for home after 1 Day
• Me following 36 hours later
• Solo navigating back to London from Benicassim to Alicante via Trains & buses

 

Moving along

Well that completed the Spain leg of my summer …and from here I flew home to pick up my Mum & her best friend Delwyn – back in London.  Having no interest in the UK in summer, during my trip with the lads in Spain I sent Mum through Scottland, Ireland & Wales on various tours while we had our fun in the sun :).  We spent a few days in London together before jetting off for 10 days in Italy … more photos to come!

 

The memories I have of my time in Spain, the people we met, the culture – are too difficult to document in words – but I can tell you I had the time of my life in this country.  They are a spirited bunch & really know how to party …the Bull run was clearly the highlight – intense stuff

 

Thankyou to everyone who traveled with me along the way ! Nelso, Mully, JB, Schleib & Loges have always been there for me & watched my back in the Bulls !!!  We will talk about that morning for a life time J))))))

 

Special thankyou to ‘The Pump’ who was my wing man the entire trip !  you’re a legend mate !  It was’nt easy … you having 3 weeks head start at the Germany football world cup … the heat … the constant travel … the abuse put on our bodies each evening …relentlessly.  But we had a blast !and have the photos to prove it …eg Café Iruna ! thanks     

 

The above is just a guide, so feel free to give me a call to discuss OR ask when i see you in person in the UK.  Many of you would have already heard much of this from Gatesy’s wedding & the weeks I enjoyed back in Brisbane.  I hope you enjoy the photos regardless of this blog ! 

 

Buonas noches con el amor

David, xx00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from that not much else to report ...except no-one is comfortable with all this legal drinking in the street (though we are warming to the idea) & that Dom and Lauren got engaged....But that was there easter & I know you want to hear about me  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things are pretty blurry from here ... but apparently I was rap dancing on old mate's bar ! broke one of his couches (oops :) - but I knew he was just happy to hear some familiar voices & i could get away with such fun...

 

 

For those of you thinking to head to Norway the people & clubs are excellent - Logo & Schleib will back me up on this.  The Scandanavian's (particularly in Oslo) are pretty keen to use their English & more often than not they will introduce themselves to you and take you around.  Do save your penny's though as a round of 5 beers was approx bw 225 - 300 Kroner = 22-30 pound - probably get 5 beers in for no more than 15 pound :)

 

Anyways - best get to bed :)

Amsterdam with Nelso, Boris, Nards, Benny C at the end of April for a bank holiday !!! Cant wait, have heard good reports ...

 

Well hope your all missing us ! hope your all well & speak to you soon.

 

BUT a very special CONGRATULATIONS to Dominic & Lauren re: Good Friday Easter Proposal in France !!! (I gave it no credit in the paragraphs before :)))) but am stoked for you both.x

  John & I will cook you a super dinner tomorrow night now that we are all back in London... & that you have just walked through the door & read this .... 

 

Luv to all, particularly Mum, Dad & Mal

Slides - wish I could bring the whites out again for the Back to Basics BBQ again this year mate !  in fact ... what date is it ?  if not please send a CD to us here in Rope Street

PS - Vinnie Jones (ex hardcore footballer) was shooting another vid out the front of our place the other week !!!)

 

Out

DK 

 

 

 

  

 

Well ! What can I say ... is'nt technology miraculous !

 

Takes a century to evolve & another 1,000 years for the end user to master it and put something like this all together...!!!  I am hopeless with this kind of stuff (wish you were here Mal for guidance!) but it is here now for you all to enjoy - which should keep everyone´s consistent whingeing about a lack of photos at bay for at least another 3-4 weeks ....

 

First set of photos, is of my room in the boys house (Nardi, Nelso, Cryan, and a pommy bloke Paul).  

I lived under Nardi´s sleeping bag for the first 2 weeks (swell guy that Nards) ... and you can see I upgraded to a doona after my first pay check !!! Was kind of a big deal for me actually ... a nice home comfort.

 

The house at Vauxhall is great & the Emmanual boys and Nelso have been really great to share house with - will be sad to say goodbye in mid January (as Benny Cryan gets back from his surfing odyssey in Spain & Portugal).  Will miss the Priory (small local pub, the GY 100 metres down the road, and Stockwell tube, but hopefully reside somewhere close going forward).

 

Next set of photos is of Australia v Ireland test match at Lansdowne Rd, Dublin.  Special for two reasons - i) Reunion with BC and ii) because Lansdowne Rd, Irelands home of rugby, is to be pulled down and a larger stadium erectedt in its place.

 

Nelso did a great job in getting tickets actually.  A fire the weekend before meant that an entire end of the ground could not hold the public.  Nelso´s contacts in world rugby ensured we got tickets though.  You can see I entered Turnstile 10 in this grand stadium.  The place is so old !  On entry the ticket collector is behind solid rock - you just see this hand come through a hole and tear your ticket - no hello´s, smiles...I guess you cant let your mates in for free that way ? 

 

The game was far from exciting, but it was an honour to be there and listen to the national anthems, and "Irelands Call" - I think you can play the video I took of this on this web space.

 

As you can see we basically then stepped out with BC, Oneil, Mully & Co - some sore heads as usual.  BC, I will be back again soon, however probably get out of the city and  drive Ireland (county cork, Ballina etc) over 3-4days - thanks for your hospitality.

 

Stu Illman & I also took in the London Eye as you can see from the photos.  The best time to go is morning as evening light means you do not get great photos of Big Ben etc acrosss the Themes.  I think Pat Kelly got some great photos though so check his photo library if your excited...

 

Halloween was a cracker - my first weekend in London.  Great to finally meet Boris´s partner Larissa, meet up with some crew from Ballina, and to get into the spirit of the whole night (as seen from the photos).  Lads, those Elton John sunnies of Mum´s are still a hit on the town, and ended up in Kings Cross at a pretty heavy drum and bass underground.

 

Finally, Pat Smelly Cat Kelly made a brief appearance in London during December.  You can see from the photos that he enjoyed himself while abroad.  Saturday we took him to some local rugby union in Richmond, moved onto a cocktail bar, before heading out in Covent Garden and Chelsea.  Despite kicking on until about 8am Sunday, we managed to get about London itself (Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Tower etc etc).  Had hoped  Pat would be back from BC´s in Ireland the next week, however he unfortnately was too mag to catch his flight & flew straight to Rome instead...good work Pat & BC.  See you at home in Oz...

 

Well its Xmas day here in Andorra and after 5 days of skiing and partying with JC & Schleibs I am proper stuffed.  Have tried to call/text many of you however the success rate on communication is not the best from this little country nestled between Spain and France.  The time difference isnt helping either...Will drop some photos down in this regard soon - some funny stuff, and most injuries have been sustained off the slopes.

 

Wishing you all a very merry Xmas (Beunos Festes) and a happy & safe new year !!!  See you in 2006. 

Luv DK.