We made it to the beer capital of the world. Munich, famous for Oktoberfest. After being on the train all day we got to the hotel. What we did then will surprise everyone. Rather than go and check out one of many beer halls that Munich has to offer we washed our clothes. Thats right we did laundry.

Which turned out to be a disaster of epic proportions. We found out that we didn't need to travel to get to a laundromat, the hotel had washing facilities. We loaded up the machines and grabbed something to eat. Then it was time to dry them.... We loaded the wet clothes into the dryer turned it on and went to our room to watch a movie. Two hours later when the clothes were meant to be nice and dry Craig went down to collect them. The clothes had some how become wetter or so it seemed and the dryers would no longer work After dragging all our clothes, that were still literally dripping wet upstairs and spreading them out all round the room so they could dry, it was then that we noticed all our white clothes were an awful shade of pale blue. We determined that it wasn't anything that we had done it was the dodgy washing machine and dryer combo. We finally got to go to bed after 1am. Our room also happened to be one of the smallest rooms we have stayed in the whole trip.

The next day with some of the clothes still dripping we made our way into the heart of the city and took in the sights. We booked a food and beer trip for the evening and then went to see what Munich was all about, beer halls. We checked out Hofbraeuhaus, the biggest beer hall in the world. Where real men drink beer by the litre. We also had a traditional Bavarian lunch. Bavarian food consists of pork, whether that be in a sausage, meat loaf or roast form. On the side there is either dumplings, sauerkraut or potatoes.

That night we went on a tour to learn about where beer all started. We learned that in the medieval times beer was made by monks and it was classed as a food and not a beverage. We also learned that Oktoberfest was originally set around horse racing and other such events. We also sampled different types of beers and more sausages...

The next day we went to the Dachau Concentration Camp, this is where we learned about Hitlers coming to power, we were also informed that one year he was given the honour of being Time Magazines Man of the year. We had a look at the gas chambers and crematorium, even though the crematorium was used a lot no one is sure how much the gas chambers were used as Dachau was never used as an extermination camp. Most of the inmates died due to other reasons such as hypothermia, typhus and from malnutrition. One thing that we found surprising it that we can thank Hitler for the Olympic torch relay. He decided that it would be a good idea and to make it look like the world was one to have the torch travel around to give the feeling that the was no division in the world during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Next time you watch the Olympic Torch relay think about this.

Our final day in Munich saw us having a look at the 1972 Munich Olympic Stadiums where Shane Gould won two gold medals in the pool for Australia. This was also the Olympics where there was a terrorist attack on Israeli competitors. It is also the only 20th Century architecture that is a landmark in Munich.

On our final night we went back at the Hofbraeuhaus beer hall for a drink and some food. As the hall got busier we shared our table with two Germans who introduced us to the spirits on the menu. It was a very enjoyable night that included music, dancing and beer of course. It was a shame we met our new friends on our last night in the wonderful city. We are sure if we had met them earlier they would have taken us under their experienced beer drinking wings. It always does seem the way when traveling though.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 29, 2010 from Munich, Germany
from the travel blog: World Tour
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Our only stop in Austria was Salzburg, a town famous for being Mozart's birthplace and one of the greatest movies of all time, The Sound of Music. Yep thats right, the 1965 Musical starring Julie Andrews about the Von Trapp family who escaped the war. We had a look at the Abbey that Maria actually belonged too and where Maria and the Baron got married in real life. A couple of the scenes from the movie were actually shot there. The opening scene where Maria is running late for mass.

We also checked out the Mirabell Gardens where most of the scenes for Do Rae Mi where filmed with Maria and the children skipping around fountains and running through tree lined footpaths. We also saw the statues that are in film. Our only regret was that we did not see it in all its glory during Spring or the start of summer when all the flowers would be in full bloom.

Aside from The Sound of Music factor that did feature heavily on our stop in the cute cobblestoned streets of Salzburg we had a look at the Medieval Fortress Festung Hohensalzburg. Which dates back 900 years. The fortress was built on the highest part of the city and offers really spectacular views of the city and the mountains, unfortunately for us we didn't come at the best time of the year for clear views to the mountains. While in old fortress we learned that if you did not have a crazy moustache you were probably not likely to ever be a ruler of Salzburg. This is bad news for Craig if he does want to try and become a ruler since he has trouble growing any facial hair.

After a morning strolling through the winding paths and checking out some of the very strange statues that are in the city we are heading to Munich which is going to be full of stein drinking frivolities including a trip to an Aussie pub for Australia Day.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 25, 2010 from Salzburg, Austria
from the travel blog: World Tour
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We thought we needed a break from our regular sightseeing and decided to get away from it all in a small Polish skiing town called Zakopane. Which is two hours south of Krakow by bus. We arrived at the bus station and wisely caught a taxi to the hotel. Had we made our way by our selves we would have certainly gotten lost.

After checking into the hotel we checked out the closest ski run to the hotel, it was less than a five minute walk away. We made sure we knew where to go to hire ski equipment and booked a ski lesson for the next day.

The next day we made the short walk up to Polana Szymoszkowa and got decked out in ski boots and all, and went for our lesson. It is not as easy as it looks. We spent more time on the ground rather than upright on the skis. The young kids (who were shorter than our skis) were putting us to shame as they went whizzing past us in a blur. We went back to the hotel feeling rather defeated but determined to get better at our second lesson the next day.

Since skiing is such hard work and leaves you feeling very hungry even if most of the time you are actually on your bum, we went into town via a chair lift then a funicular to have some lunch and check out all the sights. The town was really nice with market stalls lining the streets. We had a great time browsing and checking out what was on offer. This became our pattern, spend time skiing then make our way into town for something to eat.

The next day after a much more successful lesson, it was time to brave the slope all by our selves. It was very scary but we did well with only Corrine falling over the once. By the end of the week we had finally gained a little bit more skill and a lot more confidence. We were finally enjoying our selves as we were skiing rather than being frightened for our lives the whole way down.

If Zakopane sounds familiar it might be because you follow such sports as ski jumping, during our stay here the World Cup Ski Jumping was on, so we went and checked it out. We learned that the Poles are crazy for their countrymen who are competing. The streets were full of vendors selling scarves, crazy hats. beanies and horns. We made our way up to the run (we think that is what it is called) and joined the hoards of people cheering. A few locals after finding out that we were Australia started treating us like we were celebrities, they were taking photos of us, gave us shots of vodka and even painted the Polish flag on our faces. It was great fun.

We realised why people in very cold countries drink vodka, it sure does warm you up. It does make for interesting times walking down the icy footpaths though. We had never seen so many people who all seemed to be drunk off all the shots of vodka that they had been having fall over. It was very amusing.

Our stay in Zakopane has been wonderful, even though not many people speak English everyone we have come across have been so accommodating and have gone out of their way to help us. We will always remember Zakopane with great fondness.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 23, 2010 from Zakopane, Poland
from the travel blog: World Tour
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Getting to the hotel was an easy walk. Then it was time to go and search the old town for food. We ate our first ever Georgian meal, it consisted mainly of cabbage and bread like products.

The next day we made our way to the Wawel Hill to the Castle and Cathedral, in the middle ages the hill is to said to have a dragon living in a cave underneath, a man tricked the Wawel dragon into eating sulpher by stuffing animal skins with the chemical, the dragon died and Krakow was safe once again. The Cathedral was very impressive, we got to see the crypts of saints and people who once ruled the city. Krakow's biggest export would have to Pope John Paul II who was the bishop at Wawel. There is a statue of the late pontiff and even some of his clothing that he would have worn as the Pope in the museum. The catholic community of Krakow are very proud of their home grown pope. Which is evident everywhere.

The next day we went to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which have written a whole separate blog about if you want to check that out.

As we were getting off the tour bus Corrine rolled her ankle quite badly which put an end to our evening plans on hitting a pub or two. We will try again at a later stage.

On our final day in Krakow we went to Kazimierz which was once the thriving Jewish Quarter until WWII, the area is still trying to find its feet. The name Kazimierz may familiar to you since that is where Steven Spielberg filmed the movie Schindler's List. This is the actual town that Oscar Schindler actually had his factory and hired hundreds of Jews to make pots preventing them from certain death in concentration camps. Unfortunately for us the factory was not open so we could not have a look.

We both really enjoyed Krakow, it is a very beautiful city.

Our next stop will be to Ski, fingers crossed that there will be no more injuries.

Blog you later.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 17, 2010 from Krakow, Poland
from the travel blog: World Tour
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Arbeit Macht Frei - Work Makes you Free

Not for over a million Jews, political prisoners and others that were sent to death at the largest Nazi death camp that was used during the Second World War. This is where we visited today, it was a tough day. Not something that we can say that we enjoyed but something that we are finding hard to describe it is an experience that we will come away from never regretting and one that we think everyone should try and do, that way you can have a tiny glimpse of what millions of people had to endure. Even if fate did not take them to Auschwitz-Birkenau but to another camp. Even after spending a day there we still cannot comprehend what life would have been like for those poor souls who had to suffer through it.

We were going to put this blog with our Krakow one but thought that it deserved to be on its own.

We arrived at the infamous gate and walked through it all the time realising how lucky we are to be able to walk back out. You could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of sorrow, that only got worse as we saw material evidence of the atrocities that occurred not so long ago right where we were standing.

Glasses, combs, hairbrushes,artificial limbs, suitcases, shoes (around 10,000 pairs) and even pots and pans were piled high only showing a small percentage of what was really taken from the lives of people. Every thing that could be recycled was taken and that included human hair, which was reused for items such as blankets, clothing and rugs. A huge pile of human hair was on display, about two tons once again a small percentage of what would have been stored in warehouses. This isn't even taking into account the hair that had already been used for items including womens stockings. Unless you have seen it there is no way to describe the quantities that were there.

Something that struck us both was the shoe polish that was left behind, it made us really appreciate the fact that the people that were taken really believed that they were going to the East to start a new life. Would you take shoe polish to your death?

We got to see the gas chamber where people were sent to their death, some didn't even last a day, they were taken straight of the trains and marched to the gas chamber, these people were told that they were going to go for a shower and were even given soap to stop them from being suspicious. For the people in the camps that were no longer useful they knew what was about to happen to them, they were to frail to fight. We saw where the bodies of the dead were cremated, sometimes the crematoriums were running 24 hours a day just to try and keep up with the load.

It was a life changing experience and we know that we have missed so many things in this blog, but even writing about what we saw would never give justice to what you experience and get to take away with you while visiting.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 16, 2010 from Oswiecim, Poland
from the travel blog: World Tour
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Our train out of Berlin took us to the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic. We were continually amazed at the intricate beauty of the baroque and Gothic buildings that defines this city.

We had a look at the famous Castle that overlooks the city and imagined that we were the king and queen. We even had a look at the dungeon that held the prisoners and even the medi-evil devices that would have kept the criminals restrained ... OUCH

We went on a Ghost Tour and learned about some of the executions and the like that happened in the middle ages and even saw where the Knights Templar Prague Headquarters used to be.

The astronomical clock was an awesome spectacle with all the dials ands hands although neither of us could tell the time from it. On the hour two little doors open and statues of the 12 apostles rotate. A moving statue of a skeleton "rings" the bell.

Unfortunately the Tyn Church was closed while we were there due to Climatic Reasons, we can only guess what that actually meant.

One thing we did see a lot of were fire engines racing along to remove ice and icicles that were hanging down from building that were melting and causing dangerous hazards for the people driving and walking underneath them. It was very strange to see since we come from a part of the world that never sees snow.

After walking around on slippery train platforms, roads and footpaths it was in Prague that Corrine fell victim to the slippery-ness while stopping to let a car go by she slipped and fell, the only injury was pride.

The beer and vodka in Prague are so cheap, it is cheaper here to buy a pint of beer than it is to buy a bottle of water at home. Beer is so important to the Czechs the hop vine even features on the Coat of Arms.

Blog you later.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 13, 2010 from Prague, Czech Republic
from the travel blog: World Tour
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Another Train Journey, another major European city, Berlin the stop this time. After settling into our Best Western accommodation (almost felt like home except for the white stuff on the ground outside the hotel and the freezing cold weather) we ventured out a visited a German Pub for a meal and a German beer.

After advice received in Amsterdam, our first museum stop was the German Historical Museum. We saw that Germany did in fact have some history before the both World Wars but that history involved what seemed to be a lot of different wars, including a 'thirty year war'. Got to touch some medieval clothing and see a lot of clothing, posters, letters and military weapons from over the years.

We then visited Checkpoint Charlie and its museum. This point and area was one of the major crossing points between East and West Berlin whilst the wall was up. It was amazing to read some of the stories and tales of the lengths people went to get from East to West Berlin.

Night time in Berlin and it was ghost tour time. We met up with our night watchman and he took us around the Nikolai Quarter, the home of Medieval Berlin and recounted many stories of what happened back in the day. We got to finish the tour off with a drink in the oldest Berlin Pub dating back to the 16th century. For those who are interested in medieval history of Berlin check out www.baerentouren.de

Next day the snow had started to fall again and we decided to go on a city bike tour. We had half expected it to be canceled due to the weather but Tom our tour guide warned us that it was going to be bloody cold and there will be some bad jokes. He was right on both accounts! What started off as light snow falling turned into the closest thing to a blizzard we have seen, however Tom gave us a great insight into the history of Berlin and we visited all the major sights, including Hitlers Bunker where he committed suicide, the only watch tower left standing that soldiers kept watch in to make sure no one escaped from East to west while the wall was up and of course the Berlin Wall, what small part of it that is left standing anyway.

Corrine will never forget Checkpoint Charlie after her little incident. She managed to lose control of the bike and fell over doing the splits, because of the slippery surface it required both Craig and another man to help her back on her feet. For those who visit Berlin in the future be sure to check out Fat Tire Bike company. www.fattirebiketours.com/berlin We had a great time and it was well worth being in the freezing cold.

Next door to the hotel was a little kebab shop that had some great food. It was there Corrine decided that she wuvs wodka.

For those heading to Berlin thinking that all Berlin has to offer is pubbing and clubbing you are going to miss out on a load of stuff. Berlin has a fantastic history both very old and very recent, make sure you check it all out.

Tomorrow we head off to Prague.

Blog you later

written by  craigandcorrine on January 10, 2010 from Berlin, Germany
from the travel blog: World Tour
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After traveling a few hours and swapping trains a couple of times we were finally in Amsterdam, the city famous for it's coffee shops as well as it's red light district. We got into Amsterdam in the evening and by the time we got to the hotel there was not much to do except for a walk through the red light district, this is what we did.

I must say it would not have been as seedy if there were no tourists walking around and gawking at the girls. We even saw a guy leave a little shop front looking very sheepish. We found it rather daunting walking down some of the alley ways that the shop fronts faces, with the girls calling out and trying to beckon would be clients. We found out that the reason for the “red light” is because many years ago when sailors had finished a long stint at sea they came into the town to look for some entertainment and the women that were available used to wear little red lights around their necks.

The next day we went to the Anne Frank museum which was an incredible experience, the museum is the house that Anne Frank and her family hid out until the day that they were taken away by the Nazis to different concentration camps. Unfortunately Anne only died one month before liberation, thinking that she was the only one left surviving from her family. Her father survived the was and it was him, Otto Frank that decided to try and get Anne's diary published. Since the 60's the house has opened it's doors to countless tourists wanting to see and in turn paying respect to Anne and her family. If you are ever in Amsterdam this is a must see.

We then got to see more of Amsterdam's past when we visited the Amsterdam Dungeon. This was an interactive and educational ghost tour. It included a mini ghost train styled roller coaster to finish.

Next was the Heineken Experience where we toured the original Heineken factory and got to see how the Heineken brand has changed over time. Included free tastings which went down very well.

To top the day off whilst walking towards the Heineken Experience we got to experience walking around the streets of Europe whilst it was snowing. Such a weird feeling but totally cool. There was enough snow by the evening that little snowmen were appearing all over the place.

Now off to Berlin where the weather reports are saying it will be a maximum temperature of -6 degrees. Looking forward to it.

Blog you later

written by  craigandcorrine on January 6, 2010 from Amsterdam, Netherlands
from the travel blog: World Tour
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We made it to Paris on the Euro Star. We went through snow covered fields through the North of France which was very pretty. Once we got to Paris though there, was no snow to be seen. Only very cold wind.

We got to our hotel, no view of the Eiffel Tower from our room but it was clean and a place to rest our heads after walking around all day. There was no fridge but we made do, Corrine came up with the great idea to keep our drinks out the window to keep them cold. Make sure you check out the photo. It worked great too.

Our first full day saw us get up early to go to the Louvre as it is free entry on Sundays. We had a relatively short wait in line, only about twenty minutes which we spent people watching. Once inside we checked out the Egyptian section, the second largest collection in the world, only to Egypt. We then made our way to see the most famous lady in the whole of Paris, Mona Lisa, the crowds surrounding the famed painting were unbelievable. People were pushing and shoving, We don't think that they realise that she is not going anywhere. One lady even put her hand on Corrine's shoulder and pulled her out of her way to get to the front. It was ruthless!

Next stop was the Eiffel Tower where we joined the masses and climbed up the stairs. A few hundred steps later we were at the viewing platforms on the tower. The journey back down was a little bit easier. We failed to see what was so romantic about it, waiting in line with thousands of other people then climbing up with your legs getting more and more tired each step then once on the viewing platform with loads of other people. It was so cold that everyones nose was running. NOT ROMANTIC AT ALL!!!

As night settled in on Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower under lights then we traveled to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. Where we walked down the street and took in the atmosphere.

The next night we checked out the outside of Moulin Rouge which was very pretty. After wandering the streets of Paris it was time to go back to the hotel and rest up for our journey to Amsterdam.

Blog you later

written by  craigandcorrine on January 4, 2010 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: World Tour
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We didn't chose the best day to go considering it has been the only day it has rained while being in the U.K. It rained all day and into the night.

Our first stop was to have a cup of tea with Lizzie, but the old bird double booked so we watched the changing of the guards instead. Disappointed that Lizzie had forgotten that we were coming we did the next best thing, caught up with Jay an Aussie friend for lunch in a pub.

After saying our farewells it was time to see if London Bridge was falling down. Thankfully it wasn't and we wandered over it in the wet. Onto Westminster Abbey which was the highlight for Corrine. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside and it was to wet out side. When you see the abbey on T.V you don't realise that there are so many nooks and crannies. We got to see the tombs of many famous and historical figures including Sir Isaac Newton.

After our trip to Westminster it was time to head on over to Leicester Square to meet up with another Australian friend, Christian or as we all know him - Froggy. We did something that is typically "Froggy" which was have dinner and go to a show. We saw Avenue Q which was fantastic. We had such a good time it was a real shame it had to end.

After spending the night at the Frog Mans it was a quick trip into Harrods and then back to Newmarket to count in the New Year.

Blog you later.

written by  craigandcorrine on January 1, 2010 from London, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: World Tour
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