TravelStream™ news feed for member nikonrob on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/nikonrob en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:47:09 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/2/1200004980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/2/1200004980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/2/1200004980/tpod.html Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:47:09 -0500 Hungary?

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Budapest, Hungary

Over New Year I was in Budapest with Tracey and two friends; this time armed only with my Canon point and shoot but I have seen the photographic potential of this beautiful city and I hope to return soon with my usual camera gear and lenses for a further chance to capture some lovely images.

We arrived in Budapest on New Year's Eve just after sun set and were greated to a temperature of minus 6C and a blanket of snow. We took a Zone taxi to the Kempinski Hotel which was our base for the next two nights to see in the new year and recover from our celebrations. Staff were helpful and on the whole friendly and we were offered an upgrade to a superior room which was very welcome.

The hotel is centrally located and only a few hundred metres from the Danube. Even with the chilly weather and slippery pavements walking around the city is easy and you are always met with amazing architecture around every corner. The immence size and grandure of these buildings will leave a lasting impression as too will the view across the Danube to the Buda side from the Pest which is on the north bank.

Our last two nights were in the Normafa Hotel some distance from the City Center up in the hills on the Buda side. Due to its altitude and position we were in a winter wonderland at this time of the year. The hotel is incredible value for money and I heartly recommend it. Our room overlooked the heated out door swimming pool which was open from 4 pm until 8pm and of course we had to have a swim in this unique setting. Fortunately there is a a hot sauna waiting after your frozen dash from the pool to the hotel. It's only a few metres away but at about minus 10C outside the onset of hypothermia is not far away when only clad in a in a pair of swimming shorts!

From the Normafa Railway Station we took the "Childrens's Train" to the end of the line. The name comes from the fact that the train and line is staffed by children [supervised by adults] except for the driver and a few men required to uncouple the carriages. The children dressed in uniforms salute the train's arrival into the station, even the station office is "manned" by young children who operate the switches and points. The line from Normafa to Széchenyi-hegy Station takes about 30 minutes and is a very pretty run throught the forest. Fox and wild boar live in the forest so may be seen from the train if you're lucky.

With cheap air fares and a stay in the Normafa Hotel most will find Budapest a fanastic city break.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/sussex-2007/1196154540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/sussex-2007/1196154540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nikonrob/sussex-2007/1196154540/tpod.html Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:54:16 -0500 Leaving Cheshire, a new start

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Brighton, United Kingdom

The point of departure was Liverpool UK the date August 13th 2007. I set off with all my possessions crammed into my car for the drive south to Sussex. After almost 20 years in Cheshire my life there seemed to reach an end and the decision reached was that it was time to leave. It was with a sad heart but an open mind as I closed the car door cutting me off from Tracey my girlfriend of the last 34 months.

What lay ahead I wondered, knowing what I was leaving.

The drive was uneventful and around 4 pm I reached my parent's house which is close to Brighton in Sussex. A warm exchange was shared as they too knew this was a big change for me. The weeks leading up to leaving my apartment was hectic, selling all I could, dumping stuff and giving away everything else so I could fit all my remaining possessions into my estate car. Upon arrival I was almost utterly drained of energy and knew I would be able to rest now and gather my thoughts regarding my future.

This may have been a short trip as trips go but was absolutely monumental in emotional terms. The last three years had been unbelievable, almost except it really did happen.

Winding the clock back to the 17th August 2004 I was an airline captain having been a professional pilot since the age of nineteen. I was married and had two incredible children and lived in a fabulous barn conversion on a working farm in rural Cheshire; bliss you may think.

Then on the following day [my birthday] I received notice from my wife's solicitor that she was applying for a divorce. The divorce took place the family home sold and I was on my own in a rented apartment. I rarely had any contact with my children which has been an indescribable experience as they mean the world to me.

The plus side was I had met and formed a wonderful relationship with Tracey, she was the glue that kept me sane and in one piece. Then on the 4th August 2006 I had a heart attack, this has culminated in my job loss. Although well recovered I don't make the grade for a professional pilot's medical certificate any longer. I have thrown myself into the world of photography and at this stage I'm building my portfolio of images and improving my skills, at least I am trying.

The lease on my apartment expired 10th August 2007 so I had to find somewhere else to stay. With a reduced income and limited funds I knew I had to seek a less expensive life-style than that of living in Cheshire. So the move south initially to my parents seemed to fit the bill. This has culminated in the end of my relationship with Tracey which has been totally heart wrenching.

However, now three months on I am about to embark upon an exciting long trip which is also filled with deep emotion. I am heading to South America and planning to be traveling for almost three months. I leave in five days time!

Talk about being chucked into the deep end.

Since being in Sussex I have been out and about with my trusty Nikon D200 camera building my portfolio of photographic images. I have enjoyed a number of outings to the coast visiting Dungeness, Eastbourne, Beachy Head, Cuckmere Haven, Brighton and Shoreham.

I've also had a number of visits to London which were truly delightful. London basking under a blue sky with warm, bright sunlight is breathtaking. I stayed into the evening on one visit in order to take some night shots of The Thames; I was enjoying the experience so much I felt like I wanted to never leave.

I have uploaded images from Sussex, Kent and London.

I intend to fly to Rio on Sunday spending sometime seeing local sights and settling in. I'll try to organize some sight seeing trips further afield and then head down to Buenos Aries by way of the Iguassu Falls. On the 23rd of December I board the Azamara cruise ship for an 18 day cruise round the Horn to Valparaiso in Chile. My return flights are valid until mid February so I'm hoping to tour Chile and Peru seeing such sites as The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Nazca. Time and all else permitting the Galapagos Islands would be the icing on the cake.

If you've read this far then well done. My intention was to give you some background information on the circumstances that have led me to this point and to be writing this now.

This feels like a totally new chapter and very much a quest to find myself anew, I am quietly optimistic.

I will do my best to add to this travelpod as my trip progresses.

Robert
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