TravelStream™ news feed for member paparelli on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/paparelli en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:10:53 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1214330940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1214330940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1214330940/tpod.html Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:10:53 -0400 Home - Sydney Australia

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Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Dublin IrelandDublin is an absolutely magnificent city. We've settled in here very nicely. The people are very friendly and seem to be fond of Aussies too. Dublin is situated on the river Liffey which splits the city effectively into two (North and South). We're staying in Donnybrook which is a very pleasant village area on the south side - just 10 mins to the city. Our apartment looks out onto Herbert Park a - beautiful tree lined area with playgrounds and bird filled ponds.The buses, trams and trains are excellent - punctual and efficient. The Luas is the name of the Tram system. Luas is a Gaelic word meaning Speed or Velocity. It is a very efficent tram sytem that runs North and South. The DART is the train system which runs around the city (around the Liffey River). Where we are is just a 2 KM walk to the sea. We haven't tried that walk yet. Maybe soon.Trinity College and the Book of Kells We visited Trinity College and viewed the Book of Kells. This was originally an altar book which contained the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - written in Latin in beautiful script with intricate interlacing spirals, human figures and animals. It was divided into four books and now two Gospels at a time are on view and two are stored safely or maintained. The book was written by monks from Iona who fled to Kells in AD 806 after a Viking raid. The book was moved to Trinity College in Dublin in the 17th Century. Photography is not permited so these photos are stock photos from Google. There is an older Gospel fragment at the Chester Beatty Library which we hope to visit soon.Dun Laoghaire We took a bus to the coast to the town of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced 'Dun Leary'). It's a seaside town with a beautiful bay looking out to the Irish Sea. We had a nice seafood chowder for lunch.Weather Don't expect blistering heat in Ireland. It rains most days and only reaches a high of 20 degrees in Summer. However, the weather is very changeable. So while it can be pouring rain in the morning - it can be blue skies and sunny in the afternoon or even a few minutes later. An Irish lady gave us some good advice. She said, 'Don't plan around the rain, just do what you want to do because in 10 minutes or 10 miles the weather will change'.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1212389760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1212389760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/1212389760/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:47:43 -0400 Home - Sydney Australia

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Zurich, Switzerland

2 June 2008ZurichVery modern, civilised city. We didn't get to see a great deal but drove through Switzerland from North to South. We went to a chocolate factory near the Italian border. Great chocolate!!!
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Menaggio, Lombardy, Italy

3-5 June 2008Menaggio - Near Lake Como ItalyLake Como is the stamping ground of the rich and famous - and now us. It's a fantastic lake surrounded on all sides by little villages. Excellent restaurants and cafes on the waterfront. Como itself is a fairly large town. The road around the lake is extremely narrow but that doesn't stop large coaches trying to pass us on bends at top speed. We drove around the lake to the opposite side and then took a car ferry back to Menaggio.
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Shanghai, China

17 April - Arrived ShanghaiWe made it! We're now in Shanghai. After 11 hours on the plane from Sydney it was a relief to get off in Shanghai although Jack slept for the first two hours. We caught the Maglev Train (magnetic levitation as the name suggests) at Pudong Airport. It took just 7 minutes (at 300km/h) to get to the city. Then crossed over to the subway and caught the train to People's Square, quick change there to Dashijie Station. (Use http://www.smartshanghai.com/maps/smsh_metromap.php to find your way around the subway). Very easy to get around by train in Shanghai as the ticket machines will switch to English at the press of a button (RMB50.00 note maximum). The people are very friendly to foreigners. They even have express lanes for foreigners at the airport. One man saw us struggling at the ticket machine (we didn't see the 'English' button at first). When he saw that we didn't have small notes he paid our entire fare and wouldn't accept anything (only $0.65 each but a very generous man nonetheless). Many people stopped to help us read maps. They are all fixated with Jack with his blonde hair and blue eyes. We are all fair haired in a sea of black hair.  The prices are amazing. I had a haircut today (head massage, shampoo, shave and haircut) for the princely sum of RMB30 which is AU$4.50. Ryan, Bree and I cruised around on the subway today and went to the People's Park. Just $1.50 to go in and walk around a very large park with a lake, boats, bikes, rollercoaster etc... Nice break from the hubbub. Then we had lunch at a restaurant - several meals including 20 dumplings, fried rice, chinese spinach, pork with fungus, coke, orange juice - ALL FOR $12.00 TOTAL (not each... TOTAL). Anita is having a foot massage as I write. 1 hour massage = $4.00. Ryan was keen to buy some NIKE cross trainers (only $30) but I think we can do even better than that.Very smoggy though. A lot of new infrastructure is being built too. Lot's of skyscrapers and new buildings. Crossing the street is very risky. Even though pedestrian crossings have lights most drivers will still barge on through - plenty of mopeds, bikes, buses and trucks to take you out!We're staying at the New Harbour Service(sic) Apartments. Nice clean, spacious apartments. Strange customs though - although the apartment is fully equipped you have to rent things like spoons, knives, forks, bowls etc... Very nice swimming pool.  18 April - Night ShoppingShanghai is open 24 x 7 for shopping. If you're after electrical equipment then Xujiahui (sher-ja-hwee) is the place to go. The huge department stores are the usual exorbitant prices but there are large conglomerate stores there where you can bargain for good prices. Electricals are probably 20% cheaper than Sydney prices.    Similar to Hong Kong there are lots of neon lights and signs. . Ryan bought a new camera here Near where we live there are many seafood restaurants where you can choose your victim on the footpath and have it cooked. China is very crowded but Shanghai doesn't seem to be as crowded as you'd expect. People's Square Station is a large interchange and yet at times it is empty even during the day. 19 April - Pagoda MarketsThe Shanghai Pagoda markets are very crowded and geared up to relieve you of your money. Bargaining skills are a must. Jack wasn't real thrilled with the experience - too noisy and crowded. He's a hit with the Chinese ladies. They make a lot of comments about us having three children (along the lines of 'must be rich man, has three children'). Even though Shanghai is an international port we seem to be a curiosity - it's surprising that we are often the only foreigners in sight in a sea of black hair. We found a cafe that had real coffee (unlike the burnt dirt available at most places). Sydney prices though. At least it was quiet. Jack had had enough. 20 April - Shanghai Science and Technology Museum MarketsToday we went to the shopping markets at the S&T Museum station. It's an enormous place with good quality gear - fully tailored suits (top quality Cashmere wool) and cotton dress shirts. Plenty of bags, leather, ties, electricals and games.All good quality for reasonable prices and made to measure (AUD30.00 for fully tailored cotton shirts and $130 for a Cashmere business suit, $125 for lined leather jacket). Also went to Nanjing Road East which is a wide boulevarde with excellent shopping. We went at night when the whole area comes alive with neon signs and the buildings are lit up. There are some beautiful British Colonial buildings. The sellers hit the streets too ('you buy watch, dvd, bag, shoes'). You need to develop the 'talk to the hand' wave and then they'll leave you alone. They're not as persistant as the Indian sellers in Fiji or the Indonesians (Bali). A few friendly beggars on the way but no worse than Sydney streets. Feels very safe walking around even late at night - always many shops and restaurants open very late (McDonalds 24 hours so good for bathroom stops). Department stores are mostly expensive (some outrageously so) but lot's of cheaper stores with good quality shoes and clothes. Both on subway line 2 so easy to get to especially from People's Square. Train tickets are very cheap to anywhere. 21 April - S&T Museum ShoppingMore shopping! Hope we have enough room in the bags. Jack likes the dumplings and pickled eggs (boiled eggs in brown broth) - go figure. Tomorrow we hope to go to the S&T for the museum and not just shopping! Coffee not great in Shanghai - very weak so order a double-shot ('extra shot') and it improves.22 April - Science and Technology Museum and Oriental Pearl TowerWe went to the S&T Museum today. Very well laid out and similar to Sydney's Powerhouse. It has four IMAX style theatres too. Costs about AUD35 for the whole family so pretty cheap. IMAX movies about $3 each. Ryan and I took the train to Lujiahui station (only two stops from People's Square) to visit the Oriental Pearl Tower. It is a television tower on the Huangpu river. At 468m tall it is the tallest tower in Asia and the third tallest in the world with restaurants, roller coaster, IMAX theatre. It was at night and foggy so the view wasn't very clear but still spectacular.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/955579200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/955579200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paparelli/2/955579200/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:38:03 -0400 Home - Sydney Australia

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Sydney, Australia

COUNTRIES VISITED TO DATE ( to 24 June 2008) <img src="http://www.passportstamp.com/maps/map_paparelli.png">
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Budapest, Hungary

Budapest HungaryWe hired a car and traveled to Budapest. Its a very easy drive from Vienna. We expected a fairly run-down city like Rome but it was a very sophisticated and beautiful city. Both the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube are exceptional while the view towards Buda is better due to the imposing castle. However, from the Buda side you can see the Parliament building.Meals are very reasonably priced. You can order 4 excellent meals with drinks (including beer and wine) for less than $40.&nbsp; Even sitting on the Danube looking at the castle the prices are not extortionate - but go one block back and the prices will halve. Incredibly cheap for shopping too - Polo shirts for a few dollars.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy

Rome - Vatican City We decided to visit the Vatican. The queues to go inside the buildings are enormous especially St. Peter's Basillica. However, by the afternoon the crowds had almost completely gone. The church has enough money - we didn't want to add to the Pope's coffers so we just walked around and viewed the impressive architecture.&nbsp;
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Rome, Lazio, Italy

Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
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Rome, Lazio, Italy

6 June 2008Roma
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Vaduz, Liechtenstein

1 JuneVaduz, LiechtensteinDon't blink or you'll miss it!
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