Hallo Deutschland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallo beloved readers!! Now comes some photos and stories from the country that is now my new home!!

Das war auf ein Fest (This was at a party/festival) in Siegen, the home of my wonderful friend Lena! She lives in a Wohngemeinschaft (the dictionary translates this as 'share house community'). I wanted to use the German word, because there is really a sense of community to her house; 5 or 6 people live there, share one tiny kitchen and seem to always be having fun! It's a beautiful old house in the Altstadt (old part of the city); tall and narrow, with 4 stories and each room a different and peculiar shape! Das Haus ist so süß!! (The house is so cute/sweet). So... the weekend I was in Siegen was the 'Fest von tausend Lichtern' (Festival of a thousand lights), in which the entire town becomes a party. All the bars and cafes along the main street stay open all night, there are food stands selling Wurst und Pommes; typisch deutsches Essen (sausages and hot chips; typical German food). The main attraction of the festival was a wonderful piece of art in the gardens of the Castle. With a thousand candles, with white paper bags around each, a maze was formed, through which people could walk! It was so wonderful to watch and even more incredible to walk through; romantically magical! So, for this evening, Lena’s house mates turned their front window into a bar, and the Kirchplatz (Church Square) which is directly in front of their house, into a beer garden type setting. This is what you see in the picture! It was a wonderfully fun and atmospheric evening; good music, beer for €1 ($2); candles and fairy lights; interesting people with stories and jokes to share in a colourful mix of German and English; and of course the wonderful Lena and her friends, most of whom I knew from the last time I was in Siegen (10 or so months ago now)!

Ein typisch Staße in der Altstadt dem Siegen! A typical street in the Old Town of Siegen!
Schön, na? Nice, huh?
Das ist die Lena!! You may remember her from previous adventures such as 'Lena, Elina, Leila and Pele in Vietnam' or ' Weihnachten in Deutschland' (Christmas in Germany). This is Lena with my little gift to her: an Echidna! (Let’s play spot the Echidna!!)
Das ist der Michael! Hilarious guy, spoke terrible english (at times with deliberately wrong grammar) but refused to speak German whenever I was around. When he didn't know the English word, he simply replaced it with the German one!! It was so funny to listen to, but despite his lack of 'English knowledge', he spoke with incredible confidence, telling story after story!! Geil!! Cool!!
This old guy was so great too, a neighbor of Lena and partying just like the students! He had lived (been held) in England during and after the War, was so happy to speak English, and had so many funny and fascinating stories to tell!!

Das ist die Yvonne! A house mate of Lena's and a very fun, funny and friendly girl!!This was the next day, wonderfully sunny and warm! We (Lena, Denis, Laura und ich) went to a Lake just outside of Siegen and relaxed the afternoon away lying in the sun and chatting!

Das sind Nico und ich! A super super friend! You may also remember him from previous adventures such as ´Crazy Kunming Party Days‘ or ´Leila and Nico´s German tales`! I am currently staying with him in Köln (Cologne). Last week I spontaneously went with him to München (Munich), where we spent 3 wonderful days sun-baking in the Englischer Garten and swimming in the Eis Bach (Ice stream) whose current was so strong if you didn’t have your feet firmly planted on the bottom you would be swept meters downstream in an instant – which was extremely fun, like a waterslide!!
You’ve heard of nude-beaches… well this is a nude park! About 10% of the people there (mostly old men) were going about their usual park activities nude; sun-baking, swimming, reading, dancing, playing frisbee … you name it!
This picture is from a picnic dinner we had on the side of a street, where there just happened to be a park bench! We ate typical Bavarian food; Pretzels and a special type of cream cheese!! Mmm, lecker!!! Bavaria is mostly where the German stereotypes you may know come from, which is strange because Bavaria is very different to the rest of Germany (or so they all say). Bavaria is where that typical traditional dress comes from which shows lots of cleavage! Other typical Bavarian food includes Weißwurst (white sausages) and Liberkäse (meatloaf or literally liver cheese)! Yes, I ate it all, and it’s quite tasty! But perhaps the most important stereotype, is what you see in the next picture…!!







Maßbier (a litre of beer!!) in the Hofbräuhaus!! A huge and one of the most famous breweries in the world, which produces very famous very tasty beer and an incredible drinking atmosphere, with tradition Bavarian drinking songs and big wooden tables! Fun times!

PROST!! ZUM WOHL!!

Briefly in other news:

I have a job in Köln at a cool restaurant/Biergarten, where the atmosphere is incredibly relaxed, the boss is easy going, the other staff are all young and fun and the guests really friendly! I can’t quite believe how well things have worked out. At work I speak 95% of the time in German, which the first day was pretty tough, only understanding properly about 20% and guessing the rest, I thought that might be a serious problem for finding work, but it is really fine, and people are always patient and encouraging, and if I really don’t understand something, there is always someone who can translate. But now after 3 shifts it’s already so much easier, and I’m just generally understanding and speaking more each day that goes by!! Languages are so fun! Yay! Plus I’m getting lots of tips, since the guests can OBVIOUSLY tell I’m not German from the moment I say hello/guten Abend, they ask where I’m from and I have a little conversation with them in German or English! Plus the restaurant is attached to a Nova Art House cinema, where I can watch any film any time for free!! That was the short version! Tomorrow we are going to Amsterdam for a few days!! WOOOHOO!!

Bis nächste Mal! Till next time!

TSCHÜß!!

Ithaki

Here are some pictures from the stuningly beautiful island of Ithaca, where i reciently spent 2 weeks with my kind and generous Aunt and Grandma. Durring the day it was simply too hot to do much except relax on the tiny pebbly beaches in the shade of ancient olive groves, swim in the still, clear, crystal blue water, or sip coffee and beer in cafes. Most evenings we would walk through the tiny winding stone streets of the villages, or into the country side. It was definetly as close to paradise as i've ever been!

For Vicki (and everyone else who knows of such a man...)

I realised I was in Russia

I would love to provide some visual stimulation to accompany these stories, but alas, on my first day in Vladivostok my camera broke. I was devastated. Travellers often choose to go without cameras, for reasons that range from ridiculous to reasonable. It certainly changes the experience, but it’s not for me. I love to wander aimlessly around new places, taking photos of obscure things that attract my attention, beautiful scenery or interesting architecture. Initial I tried to try to capture ambiance, but when a collection of descriptive words falls short, a picture completely fails. Instead I learnt to capture the small novelties on camera, which often spoke louder than the entire scene. To continue the story… My hosts had said they would meet me in an hour. With all matters of travel complete, I went outside in search of food. I was still starving, not having eaten all day. Where and what to eat is one of those essential daily things in life that you never really contemplate until you find yourself in a situation where you no idea how to go about it. It suddenly stuck me I was no longer in China. There were no street stalls selling dumplings or pancakes or fried potato which had made up a good part of my diet in China. I wandered down the street towards the harbour and eventually came across one stall which sold these kind of bread puffs with minced meat inside. I went to buy one, and was again shocked that I wasn’t in China. I couldn’t say hello, which of the various things she sold I wanted, how many I wanted or ask how much they were. I pointed and held up fingers, speaking Chinese out of habit, realising in this situation the day before I could probably have even gained some kind information about the type of food I was about eat. When you are somewhere unknown little things can be a challenge; when you don’t know the language, the very smallest of things, although sometimes tedious and frustrating are an adventure in them selves. As I sat eating my bread things (which were really quite good) darkness descended over the far eastern corner of Russian Federation. I sat in the middle of a large square in the centre of town, on the steps of huge statue of someone Russia felt the need to honour in memory. Russia was full of statues and monuments of people, every city I went had at least one Lenin. It was quite a usual scene in many ways, children playing, people gathering, teenagers sitting around. But there were two things about the place which caught my attention. Firstly, there were birds! Now this might not seem odd to you, most public squares and parks I’ve been have birds, but I realised I noticed this because I could not remember having seeing a single bird in the 5 months I lived in China. (Maybe my memory is just out of wack, Heidi back me up here.) The second thing I noticed, and this was definitely as Russian thing, I saw it time and again, was people everywhere drinking beer from litre plastic bottles. Odd. It was also cold; I was in Russia after all, so I headed back to the hotel where I was to meet my hosts. You can meet them in the next chapter.

Russia - Part One: The Journey from China to Vladivostok

People often asked me why I wanted to take the Trans-Siberian railway. I had discovered the idea a year ago, whilst studying the Russian Revolution. It had instantly appealed to me, for reasons I still struggle to understand. To describe the journey as long would be an understatement. From Vladivostok to Moscow takes 7 days, crossing through 9 time zones. I have always liked car and train journeys, staring mindlessly out the window as scenery passes by and daydreaming. As the year 2005 progressed, I stared longingly at the world map above my desk, realising time and time again I had been imagining adventures in unknown lands, rather than studying for the year 12 exams. I had had a vague idea where I wanted to travel; Asia and Europe. The Trans-Siberian seemed a logical part of such a journey. At that point in time it did not occur to me that Vladivostok was a difficult place to reach by land. As my time in China came to a close, I started to research the next part of my trip, and soon realised I wanted to go somewhere the guide books listed as a border crossing, but failed to provide further information. After attempting, and failing, to find information on how to make the border crossing from the north of China to Vladivostok, I only became more determined. When I boarded the overnight train in Harbin, I knew only that I would disembark in a town between China and Russia. There I assumed there would be a border crossing, which I would cross, and then take some form of public transport to Vladivostok. The train was mostly filled with Chinese people, however there was another lady in my compartment who was white, Russian I assume. She could not speak English, but we tried to communicate with the help of my Russian-English phrase book. She was not interested in chit-chat, she was determined to tell me something, and became frustrated that I could not understand. At one point I believe she was trying to tell me she could smuggle me across the border. She had big full sacks with her, so I began to think she was involved in the smuggling trade between China and Russia. Friends of mine, who had taken the train through Mongolia to Russia, had told me stories of their train being stopped for hours and searched by police for illegal goods. At another point I think she wanted to buy my phrase book. I became suspicious of her, tried to ignore her, and went to sleep. On arrival in the town I began looking around for information, there were Russians everywhere, so I began approaching people and asking if they spoke English. Eventually a young girl in group of people said she did. I explained that I wanted to go to Vladivostok. She seemed confused that I didn’t know how I would get there, but said she would help me and I should follow her. We went inside a big waiting hall of the train station, which was overflowing with huge cloth sacks and Russian standing about. We went from one side the other and back again, climbing over the bags and pushing through crowds of people, her grabbing my arm in pulling me along, telling me to follow her. She explained to me that they had all been on a shopping tour to the Chinese town, and were returning with their cheap goods to sell in Russia. She spoke to her tour guide, who spoke to someone else, and this went on for hours. Eventually she said I should give her tour guide money and she would buy me a ticket for the train to Vladivostok. Suspiciously, but without an alternative, I handed the money over. After a few more hours of waiting, the crowds started to move, dragging their swollen bags behind them. There was no customs office, only Chinese men in uniforms who stamped my exit from China, and then we all boarded the train. The girl indicted that another man in the carriage would help me now. The train travelled incredibly slowly, stopped more often than it was moving, for an hour or so. When the train reached its destination, the man said I should follow him. We went inside the building, which was the customs office for the entry to Russia. I filled in the form, but they wanted something else and they didn’t speak English. The man spoke with them, but didn’t explain to me, and eventually I was allowed through. We walked outside the building and into a small street with a few stores. I was in Russia. I realised I was incredibly hungry. It was mid afternoon, and I hadn’t eaten since the night before. But I didn’t have any Russian money yet. The man said he would drive me to Vladivostok, it was Sunday and there was no public transport. I hadn’t realised it was Sunday. I thanked him. He said it was no trouble. He wasn’t friendly, but not rude either. He had a very Russian manner I guess, direct and short. We talked a little. He travelled to China every few weeks for business. He spoke good English, and could also speak Chinese. It was a 3 hour drive through flat empty grass land. Everything was different to China. There were no other people, no other cars, no buildings on the road side, or people working in the fields. It seemed deserted. As we approached the city, he asked where I was going. I had the number for a couch surfer I had been in email contact with, who knew I was coming. Not knowing when or where I would arrive, I had said I would call when arrived. The man lent my his mobile to call, but the number didn’t answer. He said he would drop me at a hotel in the centre of town, and I could try the number again there. I thank him, incredibly gratefully and said goodbye. After such an unexpectedly difficult but fortunate journey, where everything had almost gone wrong, but then turned out splendidly, I only wanted something to eat and somewhere to sleep. In the hotel I changed money and bought a phone card. The number of my host still didn’t answer. I went online and searched for hostels, there appeared to be none, only hotels, way above my price range. I searched the Couch Surfer and Hospitality Club websites. There were about 5 members in total, one listed a phone number. I called it, and after some lengthy explanations about my situation, in my now well mastered slowest simplest English, the girl said something like ‘of course you are welcome to stay, we will meet you there you are in an hour.’ I was overwhelmed with gratitude yet again, wondering if I would still be lost in that tiny border town with nowhere to sleep if it had not been for the kindness of the people who had helped me that day.

The awakened writer within...

It has been a long time since I felt like writing something on my blog. During the last few months of travelling last year I longed constantly for changes to write, and eagerly awaited this laptop now in front of me, at which I could sit for as long as I desired, without a nagging sense that I should be outside, wandering the streets, exploring unknown cities to which I might never return. But alas, when I returned to Australia, with the full intention of sharing with you stories I had not previously had the chance to, I could no longer find the desire. As a song I recently heard so aptly described it; there was no poetry between the pen and the paper. Shortly I will be returning to a life of adventure, and with growing anticipation, my temporarily lost passion for recording my experiences appears to have been rekindled. So before I am again in foreign lands that long to be explored and not written about, I will take this opportunity to share with you some of my more memorable experiences from the last. I’ve been reading back over some of my journals from last year, and was surprised to discover that so many entries were not filled with the kind of excitement and happiness that I remember from the experience. I guess it just goes to show your memory is wonderfully selective. Although, my pen and paper were the best of companions when I needed someone to talk to, but when fun was to be had, they had the habit of slinking away to the depths of my bag. So, here is a terrible attempt at a rhyming poem from several months ago, when I was reflecting on the confusion one experiences when remembering feelings from a previous period in ones life. In those days When the world seemed so bright Such happiness, so full and so light Everywhere opportunities to embrace Each bringing new joys and a smile to ones face There were so many adventures to be had That nothing could possibly make anyone sad The world seemed so colourful And all that existed was simply wonderful Or was it not what it seemed A story, remembered only for being a dream Now I must sleep, but watch this space.

Some photos from Russia, Estonia and Latvia...