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Hello. Thought i would update as the last one was a few weeks ago! We left Berlin and headed the 170 miles down the motorway to Colditz. Was a good thing to see due to its historical importance but like most other ww2 sites in Germany they seem to have only done half a job in making them informative! The museum was small but good, but most of the castle was now flats and offices so we were pretty restricted as to where we could go. We finished here earlier than expected so decided to drive the extra 270 miles down through Germany to Munich. Was a good decision! The camp site was good, with hot showers and toilets, and a drinks machine seeling only very large bottles of cold beer! Munich as a city was much better in our point of view than Berlin, easier to navigate round and generally the Bavarians seem a little friendlier! We spent one morning at Dachau concentration camp, which was a totally different experience to Bergen Belsen. Almost completely in tact with gas chambers and crematoria, and an enormous museum with fairly graphic tales and pictures. A very sobering place. In need of some light relief we visited our second major footy stadium of the trip, the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Very strange looking building from the outside, it looks like a giant bubble, but from the inside it very impressive, seating 70,000 plus its the biggest ground in Germany and very modern. However the seats were really uncomfortable and the stands were totally grey, so not that pleasent to look at. Also on our brief 5 day stop in Munich we went to the Olympic park, very impressive, but sadly it chucked it down most of the day and they were preparring for a Celine Dion concert so we couldnt get in anywhere. Leaving Munich we went about 45 miles into the Bavarian Alps to go up to Eagles Nest (Hitlers tea room). It was one of the major trip highlights so far. We got lost in Bertchesgaten and ended up walking for miles looking for the cable car which took us half way up the mountain, it turned out the cable car was no more than 500 yds from where we parked the van! Having disembarked said cable car it was a very brisk 2km walk along an alpine round to get to the bus stop to take us up to Eagle Nest. The walk was worth it, the bus ride was amazing, the access road was only wide enough for 1 vehicle and on one side it was a straight drop of roughly 1000 metres, pretty hairy! We took the famed golden elevator to the top and spent an hour just walking round, there was snow deeper than 6 meters! So of course we had to have a brief snowball fight! Ash tried to make a paper airoplane but sadly due to a minor technical fault the plane crashed killing all on board no more than 2 1\2 metres after take off!
After leaving Eagles Nest we drove a further 80 miles down some pretty interesting and tight roads, arriving in our free overnight stop in a small alpine Austrian town called Kremml. The view from the site was awsome, snow capped mountains and waterfalls. Having rested it was time to get into Italy and experience the famed, food, fashion and their crazy driving. It wasnt long before the latter was evident, with a bus nearly knocking us clean off the top of a mountain! Our intended night stop turned out to no longer be there and was infact a school so we plumped for a town in the foot hills of the Dolomites called Asolo. After driving up some farmers drive way, asking directions in a restraunt, and a pretty jumbled phone converstaion with the owner of the camp site we were in and asleep within hours.
We spent the next five days on the coast in Jesolo. Most of the time on the each and eating ice cream! We had the honour of sharing a restraunt with the local vicar, he hat copius ammounts of food, drank wine and didnt have to pay a penny! Our plan is to dress up as two travelling monks to see if we get the same treatment! Of course we watched the Champions League final but i dont want to drag that up as some viewers of the site may terminate there subscription to this blog! After jesolo we stopped over night by the ferry to Venice, which i think is one of the most beautiful cities ive been to and we both agreed we would be back sooner rather than later. We did have one trauma getting to venice, we thought that the ferry went direct to Venice but sadly for it didnt and we ended up getting off on another island which caused much frustration and a gentle smattering of bad language, however we calmed ourselfs with an ice cream and waited 45 mins for the next ferry. The ice cream in venice was pretty damn good, and Ash found a tiramasu flavour which got the big thumbs up. We spent hours strolling round and seemed to cover most of the city.
The last few weeks have been spent going from coastal town to coastal town soacking up the sun, we stopped in Cassal Borsetti where the shower was infact tied to a tree and rather public and the toilet was in an ajoining field, It was only a hole in the floor, so no vistis to the head were taken. Belaria, a slightly nicer camp site, 50 m from the beach but sadly no toilets just showers so Ash continued to hold on (he eventually lasted 7 days!), and i utilised the local bar when possible. Following 4 nights here it was off to PortoNovo just south of Ancona, a very upmarket area full of 4 and 5 star hotels and restraunts and luckily for Ash pristeen toilets. The beach here was the best yet, although pebbled the sea was completly clear and very deep so good swimming could be had by all. We stayed there for one night and drove in land for a brief stop in Macareta, a nice little town which we could have stayed longer in but due to heavy rain on the horizon we got back to the van and attempted to drive the 40 miles to Martiniscuro and a campsite. I say attempted as we got lost twice making a 40 mile drive in to an 100 mile drive, 4 hrs later we arrived at the campsite which although resembles a refugee camp is pretty cool, right on the beach with a bar next door and a pizza place just down the road. Whilst writting this Ash had his hair cut, a tad shorter than intended! We are off to collect our washing from the laundrette shortly and probably intenend to spend some of the day on the beach.
Love to All
Mash.
- comments
Anuradha I think it's really uafinr how so many people the world over seem incapable of understanding the want to have children, to leave a legacy, and have something special between you and your partner does not end at heterosexuality. Furthermore, any concerns about parenting children in same-sex households should be allayed by the countless peer-reviewed books, studies and articles that exist out there and have existed for some time now. Still, the law and many people do not recognize these things, and I am very sorry that that is the case. It makes life more difficult for people like you and Ash, and there's no good reason for it. If the government(s) could just butt out of our intimate, personal lives 99% of the time, the world would be a much better place. I hope things work out for your and Ash's baby wishes in the future. Also, I approve of The Modern Baby Company! Very cute stuff!