TravelStream™ news feed for member damnfunkin on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/damnfunkin en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:55:25 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1194173580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1194173580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1194173580/tpod.html Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:55:25 -0500 Francie & Sam's worldwide escapade

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One hundred Islands, Philippines

This Saturday, Aunty Kay took us snorkelling/relaxing in the beautiful 100 Islands of the Phillipines. Will write about this later - cant guarantee before we get home tho, slack as we are being! xxx Photos only for now.
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Vigan, Philippines

Will complete this later just sharing photos
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Sagada, Philippines

Sharing photos only
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Colmar, France

We spent a rainy day here in Colmar.  Will write about later.
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Natzweiler, France

Will report on this when we can. Just doing a photo update.
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Olten, Switzerland

Today we went to work with Denise. Thought Id share some of the Pics. Will update later!!
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Basel, Switzerland

Just thought Id share the photos. Will update this later. We had a lovely day catching up with these special friends.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1190286720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1190286720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1190286720/tpod.html Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:27:07 -0400 Francie & Sam's worldwide escapade

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Pilatus, Switzerland

Thought family you might like to see our pictures of our time with Denise. We will hopefully update this but it looks like that will be from home!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1188903480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1188903480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1188903480/tpod.html Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:10:12 -0400 Francie & Sam's worldwide escapade

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Melle, France

Today we visited - Josette Poupinot, Giselle and Jaqui Guerinthe Archambaults It was a fantastic day catching up with old friends. Will just put on the pictures.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1187048880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1187048880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/damnfunkin/rtw-2007/1187048880/tpod.html Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:48:34 -0400 Francie & Sam's worldwide escapade

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La Faute, France

Old lucky number thirteen ah! Well, we didn't have any bad luck to speak of today, although leaving our little home away from home and big Sis and Bro was sad. Thankfully we'll be seeing them soon enough at home next year.Jenny kindly drove us to the airport, instead of letting us catch the snail paced tube, and amazingly, despite all probabilities of venturing onto the M25 at 8am in the morning, we had no troubles and made it to the airport in plenty of time. We checked-in amazingly quickly too, somehow avoiding the long line of those who had self checked-in by getting assistance at the desk due to our RTW tickets.Bought some New Zealand wine at Duty Free, the lady trying to help us receiving some inner scorn for suggesting a South Australian plonk when we specifically asked for NZ wine; You'd expect that kind of geographical ineptitude from any number of countries, but someone from the mother-ship? Suppose she thought Auckland and Sydney were connected by a bridge too.....wouldn't be the first.Anyhow, had a fair amount of time to wait, so got some expensive breakfast and watched the Beeb blab on about the foot and mouth scare until it was time to board.The flight was pleasant, although sadly the ground was obscured by cloud, and over so quickly the air hostesses were still halfway through the drinks service when we started to descending to land. Sam read one of his newspapers he had nabbed upon boarding, while Francie dozed.Sadly approached 'gay Paris' from the wrong direction to see a trifle of Eiffel, and were through customs and with our bags mighty fast, unfortunately missing the first TGV to La Rochelle by a mere 5 minutes. Poor Francie practically Buenos Dias the ticket lady such was her Spanish/French confusion - Sam thinking his lovely wife very talented and ultra sexy with her hybrid French none-the-less!!Had acute hunger pains and 2 hours to kill before our train, so decided to make some friends right away by heading to McDonalds for a Big Mac combo. Headed back to the station and validated our tickets with some help from some helpful French people familiar with all the technology. Sam lined up his photo op of the TGV coming into the station perfectly only for it to make a complete fool of him by approaching in the opposite direction. Doh!!Boarding the TGV is as frantic as its pace - people still crashing through the aisles with their luggage as it smoothly pulled out of the station. The trains speed was deceptively slow for about the first 30 minutes, but between Paris and Tours, it really started flying - Sam so giddy with excitement he squirmed in his seat and did everything but clap his hands and giggle uncontrollably (ok, so there may have been a moment or 2 of that).When this train wants to move, it can really go like stink - we would have been going at least 300kmph for a good while - trees about 30 metres from the train going by so fast they were a blur, and cars on the motorway going 110 looking like they were parked. Going under bridges was cool too - a shadow barely falling on your face as you went underneath. It was exciting to think that we were going faster than it possible to do so in a car (in your face rubber tyres!!), and even more exciting to consider than we were dawdling compared to world speed record French engineers have just set with the new generation TGV just a short time ago. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfDWtbioEM<i>. 574kmph on a train is incredible. If you can't be bothered watching the whole clip, skip to minute 3.40 and watch it go under the bridge - Hallelujah that thing is flying!! (PS: please don't read the arguments going on between a French and a German train nut below the video - it just makes all us train affectionados look geeky.....what?!!)Arrived in Poitiers about 3 hours before we left Paris (yes the TGV is capable of time travel too, stop asking stupid questions), and quickly changed onto the La Rochelle train. Sam got a nudge from Francie to wake up as we got close to Niort - a city Francie had wandered the streets of on many a weekend!!In La Rochelle we were greeted by Odile and Oliver, and after hugs and kisses we were of to their beach house at La Faute. Francie asked if Odile and Oliver had bought her some 'Petit Suisse', her favourite dessert treats from her last visit, to their amusement, and we stopped by a sunflower field for Francie to have a look at her favourite flowers. At home we had a delicious meal and a catch up, Sam catching snippets of conversation, but otherwise concentrating on his&nbsp;dinner, egged on by frequent 'Mange, Mange' orders from the other corners of the table!!
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