I’ve also got HEAPS of awesome shots of random country scenary taken along the way, but I want to go through them first before I post them up on the site. There’s also a few sets of images I’m hoping to turn into panoramas, so… when they’re ready, I’ll put them up too!

In the mean time, I’m off to bed, as I’ve gotta work tomorrow. Doesn’t it suck coming back from holidays?

Oh, and by the way – check out my “Blog the World” map to see where I’ve been!

Anyway, she had her 18th party at home, with all her family and friends (of which we knew next to no one!) Still, was a good night!

view more images from this album

First on the agenda? Catch up with Kel’s long-time long-neglected friend, Leah! In case you can’t tell from the photos – we went bowling! (oh, and did I mention I won the 2nd game?)

view more images from this album

Kel’s friend, Sophie, lives in Torquay with her 3 kids, so as we were going that way, we thought we’d drop in. Kel hadn’t seen Sophie in a few years, so they had lots to catch up on. Sophie is Deaf, and signs – so it was good to have a chat and practise my Auslan, too!

I’ve posted some pics of Sophie and the kids in the photos section.

view more images from this album

Also, check out the bit next to this post which tells you when I posted it – there’s also now a link to a street level map of where I was when I posted it.

If you’re interested, the plugins I’ve added are: Geo Plugin for WordPress and WorldKit with some help from WordPress Wiki

Anyway, I’ve posted a few photos from the night (including some AWESOME shots of the stars and moon. I never thought I’d see the day where a 30 second exposure isn’t enough (time to get a new camera?)… but…. with the help of Google’s Picasa imaging program, it touches up nicely!

view more images from this album

(oh, and I may just have a few random shots of me trying to be creative with candles)

Also, on the way back to Melbourne, we stopped off at Tarrawarra Estate Vineyard to check out their “Modern Art” exhibit. The art wasn’t much to look at, but the building and surrounds sure were! Check them out at the Tarrawarra Vineyard album

view more images from this album

I’ve been sorting through all my photos, and I’ll hopefully get around to posting all the good ones up soon (I’ll let you all know when I do).

I know I’ve caught up with a few of you already, but I hope to catch up with the rest of you soon!

In the mean time, I’ll just say… it’s damn nice to be home!

Update: Photos from The trip home

view more images from this album

I arrived in Paris yesterday, and went straight out to see a couple of the things I missed first time around – Sacre Coeur was the first stop, then walked down the road to see (and take some photos of) the Moulin Rouge. If you don’t know, the Moulin Rouge is in the centre of the “dodgy” district of Paris – lots of strip clubs, sex shops, and other things (don’t ask – I don’t think I even want to know), so needless to say I got plenty of people trying to drag me into see their “shows”.

Anyway, news from Koln, which I never got a chance to talk about (as I was enjoying doing it too much to write about it! My travel diary also got neglected for a while, but it’s all up to date now):

I was trying to get hold of Imke (the friend we stayed with there) for a few days, making sure she was going to come and meet us, as neither Paul or I had any idea where we were going, and I still hadn’t heard anything when we got on the train! I finally realised I had her old phone number, and the reason I didn’t have her new number was that I hadn’t got any of the SMSs that she’d sent! Oh well, it all turned out ok – cause she’d been getting my messages!

First thing we did when we arrived at Koln was to climb up the cathedral tower (498 steps – and yes, I counted!) It was a damn nice view, though… so it was worth it. Then we began the 45 minute drive to Imke’s place (which, funnily enough, is 45 minutes drive away from Koln). There, we had dinner, and Paul and I got to “meet the family”. We also heard about some other Australian guy who was staying with them… but he didn’t show up for a while (I had theories that they lured Australians over to their house, then used them as slaves…)

Anyway… I managed to go to a few parties while I was there (perhaps it’s just that time of year), see a Castle, a couple of Museums, and have our own fireworks show (did I mention the fireworks?)

Trying to get back to Paris was interesting too.

The night before I left, I went to the travel agent nearby to buy tickets (I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing, so I hadn’t bought them earlier), and she suggested that I buy them from the station, as she was having trouble booking them. Turns out that all of 2nd class was full (For all trains that day!) so I had to go 1st class – big cumfy seats, free meals and drinks…. Bugger, huh?? (well, the cost was a bit of a bugger).

Anyway, my time is about to run out, so I’m going to send this before I get disconnect.

I may, or may not write more before I get home!

Hope to see you all in Melb soon!

Update: Photos from Paris (again)

view more images from this album

Here in Geleen (just north of Maastricht) Paul and I have been staying with his 2nd cousin (Roelie) and her husband, Harry. They’ve both been fantastic to us, spoiling us with fantastic food and wine (and, of course, fantastic company!).

Harry, as I’ve come to realise, is a movie addict – so, we’ve watched a number of movies since we’ve been here! And… did I mention the food?

Harry is known (or so he tells me) for his famous breakfasts. A typical Harry breakfast consists of meats and cheeses, bread, coffee, juice, a hard boiled egg, and then whatever else he feels like adding at the time. I believe these are usually reserved for Sunday mornings, but we’ve been having them the whole time we’ve been here! Roelie (the reluctant cook – she avoids cooking wherever possible) has also cooked a few meals for us, and (other than eating in restaurants) it’s probably been the best food I’ve had all trip!

For Christmas, we all woke up nice and late, and ended up having a Harry breakfast at 1pm. Then, dinner was a really nice Thai soup, and duck (followed by Paul’s favorite – ice cream!) cooked by Roelie! Unfortunately, I got majorly ripped off, and we didn’t have a white Christmas, but we did get snow a few days before in Metz, so I suppose the weather can be forgiven!

Today, we went for a nice little stroll… into Germany. I don’t think I’ve ever walked across a border before. If you look at the photos, you’ll see a few with signposts – that’s the border! Of course, I had to do the “I’m in Holland, and now I’m in Germany, and now I’m in Holland, and now I’m in Germany” bit.

Tomorrow, we head off to Köln to see Imke (the “strange cookie” from Germany who Paul and I met a year or two ago when she visited Australia). We’ll be spending new years there, before heading back to Paris for a few days, and then coming back to the land down under.

Well, it’s time to pack, and go to bed (it’s nearly 1am), so I’ll leave this “episode” here.

Hope you’re all well, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all when I return!

Update: Added photos

Photos from Metz

view more images from this album

Photos from Geleen

view more images from this album

Just thought I’d send a quick message before I leave Strasbourg to say “Merry Christmas” to all! I don’t know what the Internet arrangements are going to be like over Christmas, so I thought I’d send this a few days early.

Today I head off to Metz for one night, before heading into Holland (Maastricht) for Christmas with Paul’s family. I’ll see what I can do about filling in all the details of what’s been happening sometime soon!

For now, I’ll just leave you with this poem (thanks to Jess for sending me this originally).

‘Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck…. How to live in a world that’s politically correct? His workers no longer would answer to “Elves”, “Vertically Challenged” they were calling themselves.

And labour conditions at the North Pole Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul Four reindeers had vanished, without much propriety, Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.

The runners had been removed from the sleigh The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A. And people had started to call the cops When they heard sled noises on their rooftops.

Second hand smoke from his pipe had the workers frightened His fur trimmed red suit was called “Unenlightened”. And as for the gifts, why he’d never had a notion That making a choice could cause such commotion

Nothing of leather, nothing of fur, Which meant nothing for him and nothing for her. Nothing that might be construed to pollute Nothing to aim, nothing to shoot.

Nothing that clamoured or made lots of noise Nothing for just girls, or just for the boys. Nothing that claimed to be gender-specific Nothing that’s warlike or non-pacific.

No candy or sweets…they were bad for the tooth Nothing that seemed to embellish the truth. No baseball, no football…someone could get hurt. Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.

So Santa just stood there, dishevelled, perplexed, He just could not figure out what to do next. He tried to be merry, he tried to be gay, But you’ve got to be careful with that word today.

His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground, Nothing fully acceptable was to be found. Something special was needed, a gift that he might Give to all without angering the left or the right.

So here is that gift, it’s price beyond worth…………. “May you and your loved ones enjoy Peace on Earth”.

Update: Photos from Strasburg

view more images from this album

Paul and I spent most of yesterday on the train to Strasbourg from Berlin, arriving just before dinner time. We’re staying with a lovely family here that Paul lived with for a couple of months when he was working in the lab earlier in the year. This family seems to have people here all the time – their own children’s friends appear to live here, they often have students staying with them, there was a Member of the European Parliament here tonight, and, of course they have their own children who live here (occasionally).

And, if you hadn’t guessed, they have a computer here too. This is now the second time on my entire trip that I have been able to email you without paying for it by the hour! If you don’t remember, the first time was in Lyon when the computer timer just decided to stop.

It’s a nice feeling, but I’m afraid it doesn’t mean that you’re going to get a very long email. It’s just before 1am, and I need some sleep.

For my last night in Berlin, Frederick (the Swedish guy) and I went out to a Jazz club. The music didn’t even come close to the club I went to Munich, but it was still fun. I hate leaving all these people and places behind, but it’s still exciting to arrive in a new city every few days.

Strasbourg is beautiful, and as it’s coming up to Christmas, the whole city is lit up at night too. Last night I just spent wandering around, getting a feel for the city – it’s a small place, but there’s lots to see. I found one shop in a little side street (all lit up in the Christmas spirit, of course) that was decorated with lolly pops and other sweets. I took a photo, but you’ll have to wait a while before I can upload any more photos, since the computer here is Windows98.

Anyway, today for lunch Paul and I went to the “Christian Assumptionists”, who he stayed with for a while when he first arrived in Strasbourg. The lunch was fantastic (even if the prayers in French before the meal were a bit weird). We then went ice skating with a Columbian friend of his who lives here, and then went out for dinner with his supervisor from the lab! All in all, its been quite a productive day!

Anyway, it’s time for bed, so I shall be off.

Good night to all! (even though it’s only 11am in Melbourne)

Id just typed about a page and a half telling you all what Ive be doing in Lyon, and Freiburg, and I was about to get to Munich, but the stupid computer lost it all!

Hmm…. quick version?

• They’ve got a driver-less train in Lyon, which I caught about 4 times before I even realised!
• We had a group of musicians move into the hostel in Lyon, who were nice enough to entertain us with their music (all night!!!)
• On my way to Germany, I stopped in Switzerland (and had some small problems with currencies – oops… they don’t use Euro!!)
• German people are really nice!! They actually help you!!

Alright….. now… lets just give you a quick rundown of Freiburg.

I arrived, and had a bit of trouble finding the hostel… cause the tourist office was closed!! I finally managed to find someone back at the train station who helped me out, but I was worried for a while! In my room there was an Arabic guy who had been there for a while. He took me and an American guy around on a “City Tour” on my first full day there.

Remember me talking about the trams in Montpellier? Well, in Freiburg,they have the OTHER trams that we have in Melbourne… very weird. Natalia (my cousin) told me that Yarra Trams is run by a French company, which explains the French trams… I’m guessing our other trams are run by a German company?

Well, I’m in Munich now, and I’ll be heading off to Berlin tomorrow.Today I went to Dachau, where there is an old Nazi concentration camp (in fact, the FIRST and longest running Nazi concentration camp). It was the most depressing and disturbing place I think I’ve ever been. I think the part that disturbed me the most was after I walked around the museum, and looked around the grounds where they used to have all the rooms (with beds cramped up as close as they possibly could), I found this nice-looking “cottage” off to the side, which had some nice trees and plants and flowers around it. I assumed this must have been where Nazi officers stayed or something, until I walked it. It was the crematorium, along with their very own gas chamber. Lovely cheery stuff.

Anyway, on a more happy note, I went out last night! (yey!) When I arrived at the hostel, I met an Australian girl called Heather. I soon found out that she lives in Blackburn (a couple of suburbs away from me!), and that she’d just met another Australian guy in the hostel who lived in Templestowe. Very strange – three people who live within about 5-10kms of each other meet on the other side of the world! Anyway, Paul (the Templestowe guy) met this girl on the train that day who invited him to a curry/movie night for some group that turned out to be a left-activist protest group (like the people we have in Melbourne that do the WTC and M1 protests). They were really nice people tho, and they cooked a damn good curry! After that, we went out to an underground Jazz club that we’d found in the Lonely Planet guide to Germany. We’re planning on heading there again tonight, cause we only arrived 1/2hour before closing last night, and it was REALLY awesome!

Anyway, that’s all for now. I think I’ll send this before the computer goes crazy on me again!

I’ll probably say more when I get to Berlin!

Update: Photos from Munich

view more images from this album

Freiburg was really nice… just what I would have expected from a small german town – good beer, beautiful old buildings, really good beer, christmas markets, some damn good tasting beer, friendly people… oh… and did I mention the beer?

Its amazing how both the French and Germans seem to appreciate their alcohol so much. Makes us Aussies just look like drunkards… (I mean, who would drink VB just cause they like the taste?? The best beers in Australia are nothing compared to what they have here)

Germany is SOO much colder than France was – this is the first time Ive worn my warm coat. Not only that, but Im wearing thermals!! (shock, horror!). Met some really nice people in my room here – a Japanise guy hoping to get into tourism, an Arabic guy who is looking at studying in Freiburg, and an American 18-year-old on his “welcome to the big wide world” experience (but he seemed to be struggling a little more than me… I think Ive got Paul to thank for making things really easy for me – showing me all the ropes in Paris, and then setting me free – so to speak). Its been good traveling with him a bit, but its also been good being able to go off by myself and see things at my own pace. But soon we´ll be meeting up again and spending the rest of the trip together (think Ill be able to handle it?? hehehe)

Oh… one more thing before I go… the hostel here was in the most beautiful area. Out the front was a creek, and a nice park (covered in ice in the mornings!), and behind…. a mountain with a forrest! It was SOOO beautiful – Ill post some photos when I get a chance.

Anyway, Ive got more I want to say, but Ill have to save that for another time.

See you all soon!

Im in freiburg now, and this is just going to be a quick one (Im nearlz out of time)

Having an AWESOME time – visited the Aussie bar in Lyon, and it was SOO funny. Picture everything you can buy in a tourist shop in Aus up on the walls… dodgy Fosters advertising, and a bunch of French people dancing to American music, and thats the pub I went to!

I wish I stayed longer in Lyon, it was definitely my favorite place so far… leaving Freiburg tomorrow to go to Munich, then heading off to Berlin soon after that.

Hope everyone is well (i just saw a picture of the storms in Aus that my dad sent me…. is quite scary!!)…

Ill hopefully write more soon.

See ya! (dont know how to spell it in german)

Update: Photos from Freiburg

view more images from this album

Ive gotta move rooms tonight cause I couldnt get one room for the entire time Im here, but its not too much of a hastle.

Ive been hanging out for it since I arrived in France (Paul will back me up here) and Ive FINALLY seen someone walking their poodle down the street. Theres lots of other people with dogs, but I hadnt seen a single poodle until this morning – isnt the poodle supposed to be the typical Parisian pet??

Another thing Ive discovered about Lyon – the drivers actually appear to take note of pedestrian crossings! In Paris drivers seem to speed up when they get to pedestrian crossings, and I think they’d just drive right though red lights if there weren’t any pedestrians already on the road in front of them. But here they actually slow down and stop. I couldn’t believe it when it happened the first time – a courteous driver?? In France? Well, Ill tell you now it CAN happen!

Im planning on staying in Lyon until Monday, when I go into Germany and see Freiberg for a couple of days (Pauls reccomendation) and then Ill head off to Munich to meet Paul again. From Munich onwards, we should be travelling together until we return.

Here in lyon they have “trams” as well, but they’re not quite what we’d expect – they’re busses that get power from overhanging powerlines. They dont run on tracks! It seems that most, if not all, of France has a similar public transport system. After getting to know the Metro in Paris, it has been really easy to figure out the systems in Montpellier and Lyon as they use similar tickets, maps, and signs – makes me realise how far we’ve got to go in Melbourne!

Anyway, time to get out and see some more of Lyon!

Doesnt look like I’ll be able to upload any photos while I’m here as all the internet Cafe’s are just kiosks (I cant plug anything in), but we’ll see what happens when I get into germany.

Update: Photos from Lyon

view more images from this album

Also, Ill be getting out of Montpellier today & Heading off to Lyon for a few days, then to Germany!

Hope everyone is well.

Enjoy the photos!!

Paul is really starting to shit me off, every time i write an email, or make a note in my diary, he expects me to write that he’s shitting me off…. and that really shits me off.

Anyway, back to normality (as normal as I get, anyway)…

Might be heading off to an “Aussie” theme bar here tonight! Should be interesting…. will let you all know how it is!

Good morning to all of you (since you’d still be asleep!)

Looks like I won’t be making it into Venice, as originally planned. The weather here is TERRIBLE! It’s been raining solidly since we arrived (in Montpellier, that is). We were supposed to be on a train this afternoon to Nice, but ALL the trains out of Montpellier were cancelled due to the floods.

We managed to get the same room again at the Hostel, which is nice cause it’s a two-person room which you’d normally have to pay extra for! I also had to cancel the booking I made last night for Venice (see mum, it doesn’t always pay to book ahead!), and thankfully got most of the money back (minus about booking fee). The train tickets were fully refunded, and we’ll organise them again when the rains die down.

On other news, apparently there’s been some minor flooding at my house back home, too! (Thanks mum and dad for telling me – I had to hear about it from grandma!!!) But I hope that’s nothing major.

Really not sure what else to say, since we have no plans at the moment – Montpellier is a small town, and since it’s raining all day it’s a bit hard to go out and see it all! Paul and I did spend a bit of time this afternoon on the Trams here (yes, they have trams!!) just looking around.

Oh, and that was one thing I wanted to say last time – the trams here. You may know the “new” trams we have in Melbourne (mostly on the 109 Line), well what you may NOT know, is that we bought the design from a French company. It so happens that they have the EXACT same trams here! Only, they’re twice as long! I think we probably stole the idea of our new “superstops” (the tram stops with the raised platforms) from here too, as they have those kind of stops everywhere. I just thought that was interesting. It feels a little weird sitting on a tram that almost feels like I’m at home, but I stare out the window, and it’s completely different!!!

Anyway, that’s all for now – time to go pick up my washing from the laundromat!

Update: Photos from Montpellier

view more images from this album

And, I was GOING to upload some photos – finally found time, and a place that will let me, but they have an old version of windows, so I can’t plug my camera in! Yey.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be able to soon.

Yep, I’ve left Paris, and have now met up with Paul again in Montpellier. It’s a beautiful little town in the South of France. And yes, the trip on the TGV was exciting (thanks for asking).

After my last email, I finally made it to Cafe Signes (remember, the Cafe run by deaf people?) It was really interesting. The first thing I realised is that their sign for “Deaf” is our sign for “hearing”… confusing, huh? Also… their sign for “eggs” is WAAAY too similar to ours for “S-E-X”!! (don’t wanna get those two mixed up). Anyway, I had a nice chat with a few of the people there – it was interesting trying to find a way of communicating. I think it was much easier finding a common language between LSF (Langue de Signes Francais) and Auslan (Australian Sign Language), than attempting to communicate with French people with myvery broken French (I like it better when they speak English – funny that).

I then left the Cafe, satisfied that I’d finally visited, and went back to the Eiffel Tower, to take some more photos. It was dark, but this time, so the Eiffel Tower was all lit up, as were the bridges and boats, and everything else around it! It was soooo beautiful. I ended up spending a couple of hours there taking photos (I know, because they havethese flashing lights on the tower that they light up every hour, and I saw it twice!), before I went back to the Arc de Triumphe to take some night photos there.

Hmmm… I keep thinking of things that I need to tell you all about, but I keep forgetting what they are! I might have to make notes as I go, so I remember to write it all when I manage to get to a computer.

Plans from here? Well, tomorrow Paul and I leave for Nice, and we stay one night there. Then Paul and I split up again – he’s going to Vienna (for a Capoeira workshop), and I’m heading off to Venice!

I’m not sure if it’s going to happen or not, but I might be able to meet up with my cousin, Lydia in Italy – as she’s going to be there over the next week or so. If I can, that will be awesome, but if not – oh well, might have to wait until we’re both back in Australia!

Well, that’s all from me at the moment. Hope all is well with everone back home!

Update: Photos from paris

view more images from this album

Anyway, not much has happened since last night, but today I’ve got a few things planned. As soon as I’m finished here, I plan to FINALLY visit Cafe Signes (I’ve been haning out since Saturday), and then if I have time I’m going to make a little trip up to Sacre Coeur. After that I want to go back and see the the Eiffel Tower at night – I’ve seen the top of it when they light it up at night, but I have yet to see the whole thing. I also want to try and get some photos of it!

Tomorrow I head off to Mont Pellier to meet Paul. We’ll probably end up spending a couple of days there, before we move off again. I think if I stayed much longer in Paris, my neck wouldn’t handle it (it’s hard not to stare up at all the beautiful bulidings everywhere).

Au revoir for now,

Richard.

Well, things didn’t QUITE go as planned yesterday. Paul wanted to visit a Capoeira (a martial art/dance) shop, and I wanted to go to “Cafe Signes” – they were both closed! So, we spent the day walking around Paris and seeing lots of beautiful buildings – The University of Paris, The Pantheon, Notre Dame, and other various churches. Needless to say, I took LOTS of photos (but I still haven’t found a place to upload them so you can all see them yet – but I’ll get to that later).

Last night, Paul and I met up with 2 of his pen pals that he’s been writing to for 15 years! They were really nice people, and they took us out to a cafe near Notre Dame.

Paul has now left me (temporarily) to go sort out his credit card (which he canceled when he thought it had been stolen) in Strasbourg. He’s also planning on catching up with a few people while he’s up there, before he jumps on a Train early Tuesday morning (he’s catching a 6:30ish train) to meet me in Mont Pellier. I, on the other hand, get to sleep in and catch a very reasonable 10:30 train. Why is this, you might ask (if you know your French geography – and that Strasbourg->Mt Pellier is further than Paris -> Mt Pellier)? It’s because I get to catch the TGV – the ultra-fast train that runs on certain routes in France. In case you can’t tell, I’m quite excited about that!

So, sans Paul – I spent the day walking around Paris. I started by seeing Paul off at the station, then I walked half way across the city to the Louvre (the largest museum in the world). Sure, I could have caught the Metro, but where’s the fun in that?

When I first found the Louvre, I was speechless. It was originally a palace, and most of the museum displays are in the palace. There’s also an awesome underground section (which all links up), which has these huge glass pyramids above it. I only spent a couple of hours looking at the exhibits, cause I still had lots of other things I wanted to do, but I managed to see the “Venus de Milo”, and one of the most famous paintings ever – Leonardo’s famous portrait (who’s name has just slipped out of my head, for some reason – hmm… I think I need sleep).

Anyway, about the photos. I heard about an Internet cafe that should let me connect my Camera so I can upload all the photos I’ve been taking, and I tried to visit it tonight (reading on the flyer I got from the tourist beauru that it was open until 9:45 on Sundays), but they decided to change their opening hours, and close ALL day Sunday. So, that was another wasted trip, but I plan to visit again tomorrow, and start putting some photos up on this web site for you all to look at.

Anyway, my time is nearly up, so I must depart.

I hope everyone is well, and enjoying “Dick’s Adventures”!

Au Revour

C’est Richard, en Paris! Yes…. I’m in Paris, and I’m sitting in my Hostel on the computer, writing to you! Don’t you feel special?

I left yesterday (thursday) at 5:30pm, and spent about 9 hours on the plane to Bangkok. I met a couple of really cool people on the plane, who gave me the idea of getting a massage while I was waiting for my connecting flight to Paris – pity we arrived 1/2 hour late. So… I missed out on my massage, I didn’t have time (or money) to check my email and write anything to you lovely people, but… I did get to have a laugh at all the “children” sleeping in a “playground” in the airport (when I say “children”, they were all over 40).

The flight from Bankgok to Paris was unevental – I slept for most of it! 12 hours on a Plan, cooped up in a area barely big enough to turn around.

I finally arrived in Paris at 6:30am (Paris time – about 3:30pm Melbourne time), and had a coffee at the airport while I waited for my friend to come and pick me up.

Most of today, we spent roaming around the city – we first dropped our bags off at the hostel, and then we went out to see the Eiffel Tower. There were some FANTASTIC views from the top – it was awesome. I’ll hopefully post some of the photos when I can find a decent computer (I’m currently at one of those “Kiosks” that have a tiny keyboard, a crappy mouse, and that charge by the minute!)

We’ve already made plans to see the other major tourist attractions tomorrow (Notre Damn, and the Arc du Triumphe), and I’m going to have Sunday and Monday to myself, so I’ll be able to go at my own pace.

For those of you who know what I’m talking about, I should be visiting “Cafe Signes” tomorrow as well (for those of you who don’t know – it’s a Cafe owned and run by deaf people), so I’m really looking forward to that.

Anyway, I’ll keep in touch, and hopefully post lots more messages to you all soon.

A Bientot!

Richard.

Update: Photos from the airport – “pre-going away”

view more images from this album

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/richards_travels/

And if you need (or want) to contact me while I’m away, I’ll be taking my mobile phone with me. I’m going to divert incoming calls (cause I don’t want to pay international rates for people to call me!), but you can still SMS. Otherwise, you can just email me!

It’s only 5 more sleeps till I’m jetting off across the world to Europe!

As you probably know, I’ve going over there to meet up with my best mate from school, Paul. He’s been over there all year studying / working (and having a ball, from what I’ve heard!)

I’m going to be flying into Paris, arriving at 6:45am on the 28th of November. Paul will be meeting me there, and we’ll probably stay a few days in or around Paris, before heading off to the south of France. From there, we’ll be traveling through Italy, and Austria – and hopefully making lots of stops along the way!

Most of that is still undecided, and we’ll just play it by ear. From the 12th of December, we’re going to be in and around Berlin. A friend of Paul’s is going to be there at the time, and we’ll be staying in the same hotel as her (a nice cheep one – 22EUR/night).

We’ll be leaving Berlin on the 17th and going across to Strasbourg (west side of France) where we plan to stay until the 22nd. Most of Paul’s time over the last year has been spent in Strasbourg, where he’s been working/studying. Hopefully, we’ll also be able to fit in a day touring around the wine districts – and sample some nice French wines!

We’re going to be spending Christmas with some of Paul’s family, who live in Holland. So as soon as we’re done with French wines (not sure how easy it’s going to be to drag me away from them!), we’ll be heading over to Geleen. Hopefully, for the first time in 16 years, I’m going to have a white Christmas! Other than the cold factor, I’m definitely looking forward to that.

Sometime after new years, we’ll have to make our way back to Paris, as we both fly out on the 6th of January, arriving back in Melbourne at 11:55pm on the 7th of January (with a stopover in Bangkok, and a quick stop in Sydney).

I’ll hopefully see most of you before I go – but if I don’t see you, know that I’ll be thinking about you all while I’m away! I hope you all have a blast for Christmas and New Years, and I look forward to catching up with all of you again when I get back!

Love you all!

Rich. (aka Dick, from “Dick’s Adventures” – thanks to Rachel for the idea!)

Update: Photos from my “Going away party”:

view more images from this album