In my last post I said we would be better prepared this time with directions and maps.....well we thought we were. Read on to see how our day went.
We woke about 9 to the smell of smoke which l smelt the whole night whilst sleeping but thought it was just people smoking. One look at google and our balcony we learn that the mountains behind us are on fire and towns have been evacuated and people got burnt. So we run down to reception to determine what steps we need to take as we were driving to Sevilla straight after breakfast and lucky for us the fire was towards Malaga and not the way we were going. After breakfast we took off to Sevilla via Ronda which looked amazing based on some sites we had read and that it was. For the drive to Ronda we had to climb up mountains and it was all cliffs and the car we had would not go any faster than 50km's, the air conditioning didn't work at 38 degrees and the poor thing struggled to climb up the mountain to get us there. We arrived at Ronda and the town was small and cute. We had to ask for directions as we had no idea where this place was and a lovely man was able to guide us. Parked the car in a carpark (very steep carpark might l add) and we went off for a walk to take photos of this breathtaking view.
Some images from Google on Ronda
After we took some photos and went weak at the knees from the height we went back to our car to head off to Sevilla. It was steep to get out of the carpark and our car had no power and 3 suitcases in the back (about 70kgs) and us, I tried to get out up the hill and nothing....the thing would not move. I was stuck in the tightest carpark in the world, weight, no speed and no idea how l was going to get this thing out. Panic set in. I kicked Rachael and Ben out of the car as l tried again and nothing. At this point I was going to through out the suitcases also. But instead (lucky no one was behind me) I rolled back to where l paid and the cashier told me to 'jandare, jandare' (floored it or go) in Spanish but l knew what he meant due to all those cartoon shows l watched when I was little and floor it l did. I floored it to the floor and finally I made it to the top with excitement and tears. My hands were shaking , tears were rolling down my face (joy/fear/excitement, who knows why) and we were out of there. I have never been so afraid or let a vehicle or situation nearly beat me like that. Definitely one for the memory books.
So we head off to Sevilla and l have calmed down by now. We watch the temperature
outside rise to 39 as we struggle with the heat and we get to Sevilla where again we have
another situation. This time with the tinniest streets in the world trying to get to the hotel.
Big mistake was not dropping the car off and then getting a cab to the hotel. So we finally
find the hotel, thanks to Ben who had loaded a map on his iPad and walked ahead of the
car like an escort letting me know which way to turn and where to go in the tiny streets and
we finally find the hotel by us stopping traffic and going down a one way street (I would call
it a lane, cause the lane in Block Arcade in Melbourne would be bigger). Not only was l
sweating from the heat l was also sweating with our situation. Get to the hotel, leave the
car, check in and then go back straight away to get the car and to return it. Were l left the
car and trying to turn it around so we could get out, required the biggest 3 (or 30) point turns of my life. I can not explain how tight this lane was. Both Ben and Rachael navigated for 10 minutes while I managed to get out and head towards Hertz to return it. Again we got lost and Rachael jumped into a cab at the lights (like The Amazing Race) so l could follow them to the place (which was just around the corner but we had no idea) and the car was left with
the biggest relief ever......then the guy claims that I hit the drivers side mirror (which wasn't marked on the paperwork for some reason) and that i had to pay for the damage......well one look is all it took for him to say "no problem" as l leaped at him about the air
conditioning not working and the stressful day I had and the heat and to think twice about what he was saying. I did see the mark on the mirror at the airport when I picked it up but they didn't care. All was good and into a cab to the hotel to get some food and alcohol into us from a stressful but memorable day.
Now sitting at Hotel Fontecruz where a siesta will be had before the evenings events. I look forward to exploring Sevilla and just walking around these little streets and getting lost in it
all. Until next time Hola xxx
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Hola de Espana-Malaga to Marbella
Espana!
We arrived in Spain with Vueling, which was ok. Checking was good and they even over looked an extra 3 kg's of luggage someone had (not me, very proud that my suitcase is still 18kg's). Flight was good, landing was good, luggage collection was good.....what could go wrong? Nothing until we hire a car and Z needs to drive on the opposite side of the road. Stalled it twice l think and had to do illegal U turns to try and get out of Malaga. Not getting a Tom Tom was a big mistake as were lost for hours in Marbella trying to find our hotel and at one point I got onto the freeway again heading towards Malaga (where we just came from) thank god for a small turn off to head back to Marbella and literally bumping (not car crash just people) into a taxi driver as we stopped to ask for directions again at a servo. He gave us direction and in no time we were at the hotel and in the pool drinking cocktails to take the edge off. Allowing us to have cocktails by the pool was a mistake as we quickly got drunk and then were cut off. We headed off to bed for our siesta so we can enjoy the evening with some tapas and 2 out of the 3 of us ended up having dinner while 1 had to remain in the room due to tiredness and alcohol (guess who?).
Ended up going out at 10.30pm for some tapas and OMG the place we went to was amazing. I said to Ben to alert the authorities cause l went weak at the knees with this tapa I had which was meat wrapped in something....yum. We had no idea what to do when we walked into this places as we sat down the waiter just came around and started telling us to eat of the platters he was bringing around, never had tapas like this before but it was like a "try before you buy with your eyes". Had a ball, eating, chatting, drinking Sangria and trying to work out how they would charge us for what he had eaten. Do they remember? Do they
ask us at the end? Nope they count the number of toothpicks or little cocktail swords you
have on your plate where each one represents a different price. Total for both of us came
to, including drinks 43euro. We were both amazed at the price and the food was amazing
(did I mention that already?)
ask us at the end? Nope they count the number of toothpicks or little cocktail swords you
have on your plate where each one represents a different price. Total for both of us came
to, including drinks 43euro. We were both amazed at the price and the food was amazing
(did I mention that already?)
Today we spent the day going for a walk into town and then laying by the beach all day.
Paella for lunch and now onto our siesta in readiness for our evening of what l am hoping is
great food again.
Paella for lunch and now onto our siesta in readiness for our evening of what l am hoping is
great food again.
We are off to Seville tomorrow and hoping the driving goes better this time and we don't get
lost again. Better prepared we will be! Until then hola! xxx
lost again. Better prepared we will be! Until then hola! xxx
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Shopping, Walking and Exploring
Today was reserved for shopping, walking and exploring and that we did. We hit the Longchamp store early and bagged ourselves some bargains which would cost a fortune at home and then dropped off our purchases for a stroll to Notre Dame. Weather today was cooler in the morning but when the sun hit, it hit. Both Rachael and I think we got heat stroke cause late in the afternoon when we got back to our room we started to shake and were extremely cold.
Our stroll down was pleasant and it was my lucky day as l got felt up by a waiter at lunch twice. First was a rub of my arms top to bottom (like when someone's cold and your are trying to transfer heat) and second was my neck and shoulders. He really took a shining to me the old man who was very charismatic. The view across to the Notre Dame was spectacular and once we finished being tourists we decided to go on a Hop on Hop off Boat. 15euro each as we wanted to get to the Eiffel tower for some daylight snaps. Well wrong move on our part cause it took 1.5 hours to get to the tower in the hottest part of the day but it was an adventure with one lady who l think spent hours doing her hair to match her hat....you will know what l mean when you see photos and another guy was either going to jump in the river or have a heart attack. Regardless of the situation on his part l would have been out of there quick as a flash. Arriving to the tower was great and we managed to get some more photos and the thought of going back to our hotel on the boat for 2 hours was enough to push us over the edge and instead we decided to catch a taxi and gave our tickets away to a family who thought their Christmas's had come at once. Dad,mum and 2 kids wanted to go on the boat and they couldn't afford it and the kids were devastated so we stepped in and made a family very happy. As Rachael and l walked away we both asked for karma to wish us luck on our flight from Paris to Malaga (Spain) tomorrow as Vueling airlines are rated poorly and tend to not take off or take off with the cockpit door open (according to reviews and websites). Our taxi driver to the hotel l thought was drunk as she swore like a sailor the whole way and drove like a maniac but once we arrived (thank god) Rachael let me know that the reason she was going crazy and swearing was cause she had run out of electricity for the car. Very cute how people pull up on the side of the road and plug their cars in to charge (have photos).
Well our last night in Paris we had a lovely meal near the hotel which ended in me running out and not paying and leaving Ben and Rachael sitting there cause of a cat.....the cat leaped from the floor onto a bar stool and then decided to jump down and attempt to visit us. Ben stepped in to the rescue and i was out of there. Rachael tried to come up with a joke... "a cat walked into a bar and said to the waiter.....". At least l can now laugh about it and l calmed down by having a night cap, packing and getting to bed for an early morning start.
Until next time see you and will write from the South of Spain....we hope xxxx
Our
Our stroll down was pleasant and it was my lucky day as l got felt up by a waiter at lunch twice. First was a rub of my arms top to bottom (like when someone's cold and your are trying to transfer heat) and second was my neck and shoulders. He really took a shining to me the old man who was very charismatic. The view across to the Notre Dame was spectacular and once we finished being tourists we decided to go on a Hop on Hop off Boat. 15euro each as we wanted to get to the Eiffel tower for some daylight snaps. Well wrong move on our part cause it took 1.5 hours to get to the tower in the hottest part of the day but it was an adventure with one lady who l think spent hours doing her hair to match her hat....you will know what l mean when you see photos and another guy was either going to jump in the river or have a heart attack. Regardless of the situation on his part l would have been out of there quick as a flash. Arriving to the tower was great and we managed to get some more photos and the thought of going back to our hotel on the boat for 2 hours was enough to push us over the edge and instead we decided to catch a taxi and gave our tickets away to a family who thought their Christmas's had come at once. Dad,mum and 2 kids wanted to go on the boat and they couldn't afford it and the kids were devastated so we stepped in and made a family very happy. As Rachael and l walked away we both asked for karma to wish us luck on our flight from Paris to Malaga (Spain) tomorrow as Vueling airlines are rated poorly and tend to not take off or take off with the cockpit door open (according to reviews and websites). Our taxi driver to the hotel l thought was drunk as she swore like a sailor the whole way and drove like a maniac but once we arrived (thank god) Rachael let me know that the reason she was going crazy and swearing was cause she had run out of electricity for the car. Very cute how people pull up on the side of the road and plug their cars in to charge (have photos).
Well our last night in Paris we had a lovely meal near the hotel which ended in me running out and not paying and leaving Ben and Rachael sitting there cause of a cat.....the cat leaped from the floor onto a bar stool and then decided to jump down and attempt to visit us. Ben stepped in to the rescue and i was out of there. Rachael tried to come up with a joke... "a cat walked into a bar and said to the waiter.....". At least l can now laugh about it and l calmed down by having a night cap, packing and getting to bed for an early morning start.
Until next time see you and will write from the South of Spain....we hope xxxx
Our
Monday, August 27, 2012
Bonjour from Paris
Bonjour from Paris!
Well landing at Charles de Gaulle was not so pleasant due to the over wellming smell of BO from certain tourists and for those those who know me well, will know exactly what l mean and who l am referring to. So out comes the good old Rexona to keep me calm and lucky me my bag came out quickly and l did think for a moment...am l just lucky or do they know my status and 'who I am'? Well off to the cab rank l go as getting the train was too difficult as suddenly no one spoke English at the information desk. As I was so excited to see Ben and Rachael l thought stuff it l will catch a taxi. At one look at the line l thought what a stupid decision l have made and all of a sudden the lady directing taxis traffic yells at me to come out of the queue and get into a taxis.....well once l saw the taxi l thought "she clearly knows who l am and in I get into 335 BMW" and yes luxury all the way to the Hotel De Louve l thought. Well not so luxurious when I got to the hotel. Our room is so small that even the door open outwards instead of inwards and good luck trying to get 2 suitcases in the room. Many bruises have been had from suitcase wheels as we try to move around the room but all is good and take things as they come.
My excitement of being in Paris didn't last to long as jet lag set in and I was out like a light straight after dinner while Rachael was talking to me about the news on Neil Armstrong. She claims she didn't even get to finish her sentence and me being asleep instantly. As a result l woke up at the crack of dawn (7.00am) and waited for a bit before thinking of places to go an eat and shop.
The day was spent shopping and walking around and getting told repeatedly by shop assistance that they didn't speak English. Another observation made....even the toilet doors open outward due to there being no room or the door to your toilet is the opposite toilet which you have to swing around from left to right to get it closed.....very bizzare but hilarious at the same time. Lots of damage was done at Sephora...god knows why, cause how muc make up could 1 person have and then onto St Michel (via St Germain) cause I was in the wrong area to meet a good friend Gordon McNab who now lives in London and happen to be in Paris at the same time. Great so see friends and familair faces and the best chocolate mousse l have ever had.
For dinner we went to the top of the Eiffel tower to Le Jules Verne where we had our birthday dinner celebrations for Rachael and I and the meal was amazing. 1010euro later not only where our credit cards crying but so where our stomachs. Clearly we had drunk and eaten to much and the lift ride down was not going to beat me as l tried to hold down ever cents of that meal. Paris is very pretty, romantic and a lovely places to visit. Just visit that at times the people were nicer.
Tomorrow brings a day of shopping, walking and exploring. Until then Bonsoir!
Well landing at Charles de Gaulle was not so pleasant due to the over wellming smell of BO from certain tourists and for those those who know me well, will know exactly what l mean and who l am referring to. So out comes the good old Rexona to keep me calm and lucky me my bag came out quickly and l did think for a moment...am l just lucky or do they know my status and 'who I am'? Well off to the cab rank l go as getting the train was too difficult as suddenly no one spoke English at the information desk. As I was so excited to see Ben and Rachael l thought stuff it l will catch a taxi. At one look at the line l thought what a stupid decision l have made and all of a sudden the lady directing taxis traffic yells at me to come out of the queue and get into a taxis.....well once l saw the taxi l thought "she clearly knows who l am and in I get into 335 BMW" and yes luxury all the way to the Hotel De Louve l thought. Well not so luxurious when I got to the hotel. Our room is so small that even the door open outwards instead of inwards and good luck trying to get 2 suitcases in the room. Many bruises have been had from suitcase wheels as we try to move around the room but all is good and take things as they come.
My excitement of being in Paris didn't last to long as jet lag set in and I was out like a light straight after dinner while Rachael was talking to me about the news on Neil Armstrong. She claims she didn't even get to finish her sentence and me being asleep instantly. As a result l woke up at the crack of dawn (7.00am) and waited for a bit before thinking of places to go an eat and shop.
The day was spent shopping and walking around and getting told repeatedly by shop assistance that they didn't speak English. Another observation made....even the toilet doors open outward due to there being no room or the door to your toilet is the opposite toilet which you have to swing around from left to right to get it closed.....very bizzare but hilarious at the same time. Lots of damage was done at Sephora...god knows why, cause how muc make up could 1 person have and then onto St Michel (via St Germain) cause I was in the wrong area to meet a good friend Gordon McNab who now lives in London and happen to be in Paris at the same time. Great so see friends and familair faces and the best chocolate mousse l have ever had.
For dinner we went to the top of the Eiffel tower to Le Jules Verne where we had our birthday dinner celebrations for Rachael and I and the meal was amazing. 1010euro later not only where our credit cards crying but so where our stomachs. Clearly we had drunk and eaten to much and the lift ride down was not going to beat me as l tried to hold down ever cents of that meal. Paris is very pretty, romantic and a lovely places to visit. Just visit that at times the people were nicer.
Tomorrow brings a day of shopping, walking and exploring. Until then Bonsoir!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Doha!
Welcome to Doha where the temperature at 6am is 35 degrees! What a view it was landing into this city with no trees in sight and just sandstone homes which all looked the same. People's homes run alongside the airport runway....bet they got a bargain!
The flight with Qatar was quick actually. 14 hours flew by and maybe it had something to do with all the alcohol l drank prior to the flight and during, all the food they fed me when I got on board and the mixture of medication and did I mention alcohol! Once boarded they provide you with PJs and toiletries which were really nice and with a quick change into them I was ready for a movie. Zac Efron in "The Lucky One" got me underway to relaxing and then snoozing all the way until it was time for breakfast. Got up quickly to make sure I didn't miss out and let the lady know (Nakoosh, was her name) that was looking after me and preparing my breakfast that l would be right back as I wanted to brush my teeth. So l am waiting for the bathroom and so is this guy who, yeah you know not so bad, smiles at me so it's polite to smile back so l did and l get into the bathroom and take one look at myself and think he was not smiling he must have been pissing himself laughing at the the state of me. Lines on my face from my eye mask, sleep in my eyes and my hair was all over the place. Very embarrassing! No amount of water could get my hair down and the lines quickly disappeared when we got off the plane from the heat I think. The lounge is full of people walking right behind you to clean up and even in the bathroom as soon as you come out a cleaner goes in.
Thank god for a short stop over as its hard trying to get around on your own without losing your chair each time you get up to get something when the place is packed.
Will be in Paris soon and looking forward to seeing Rachael and Ben. Until then xx
The flight with Qatar was quick actually. 14 hours flew by and maybe it had something to do with all the alcohol l drank prior to the flight and during, all the food they fed me when I got on board and the mixture of medication and did I mention alcohol! Once boarded they provide you with PJs and toiletries which were really nice and with a quick change into them I was ready for a movie. Zac Efron in "The Lucky One" got me underway to relaxing and then snoozing all the way until it was time for breakfast. Got up quickly to make sure I didn't miss out and let the lady know (Nakoosh, was her name) that was looking after me and preparing my breakfast that l would be right back as I wanted to brush my teeth. So l am waiting for the bathroom and so is this guy who, yeah you know not so bad, smiles at me so it's polite to smile back so l did and l get into the bathroom and take one look at myself and think he was not smiling he must have been pissing himself laughing at the the state of me. Lines on my face from my eye mask, sleep in my eyes and my hair was all over the place. Very embarrassing! No amount of water could get my hair down and the lines quickly disappeared when we got off the plane from the heat I think. The lounge is full of people walking right behind you to clean up and even in the bathroom as soon as you come out a cleaner goes in.
Thank god for a short stop over as its hard trying to get around on your own without losing your chair each time you get up to get something when the place is packed.
Will be in Paris soon and looking forward to seeing Rachael and Ben. Until then xx
Leaving rain in Melbourne!
Well all checked in and ready to leave this rain in Melbourne and looking forward to some warm weather. 2 glasses of sparkling later and some heavy medication for motion sickness I think I am drunk!! Could this be how the rest of the trip goes. Surely not as l need to definately last longer than 2 glasses. The air New Zealand lounge is very different to Qantas and thank god they have alcohol to calm nerves <insert here....these days a slightly nervous flyer thanks to my previous travels with my dear friend Rachael.>. Very excited about my bag only weighing 18kgs as well but l am sure that won't last for too long. In 14 hours I will be in Doha and the "city of love" as my beautiful niece Jayde put it to me before, Paris. Looking forward to seeing Rachael and Ben when l land. See you all xxxxx
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