Zuhause, Düsseldorf und so weiter...

Hallo,

I think this might be the last chance I get to write a blog before I go to England so, I'm taking my chance, clearly =p

Have been busy, once again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Start with the best bit, went Rock Climbing the other day!!!!!!!!! I failed miserably but it was awesome fun! I haven't been rock climbing in ages, since Quest Camp in year 9 so I needed a bit of reminding what to do! Last time it was outdoor and this time it was indoor. Its probably better outdoor but nevertheless I had a blast. Mara did really well at it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spent about 3 hours climbing and after it I felt a little bit like death!!!!!!!!!! I can still feel it. Some of the walls were easy but the ones on a bit of a lean were a bit of a challenge. Watched some of the 'frequent' climbers do a bit of climbing which was crazy!!!! Couldn't believe what some of them could do!!!!! Mara and I made an executive decision that when Ella, Ham and I come back to Düsseldorf we will go do it again!!

About two days ago, we went and played Badmington (I think thats how you spell it!) ahhh that was fun, I haven't done that much exercise in a veeeery long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went out on the town last night, was meant to go to two clubs, one in Düsseldorf and one in Neuss but just ended up staying at the one in D-Dorf. Had a great time!!!!!!!!! Feels a bit strange when a German song comes on and EVERYONE in the club knows it and your just like, "What?" After a couple of drinks that doesnt seem to matter anyway =P

Tomorrow I am back in Erkelenz to see the Poss family and Karin is coming up from Rheinland Pfalz, will be good to see everyone again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't believe its been almost two years since I was living there on Student Exchange!!!!!!!!! It was awesome to catch up with them last time and pretty much slip straight back into the family and I think it will be the same again!

Its strange to think that I've already been in Germany for a month now, its gone very much to fast!!!!!! Only  5 days left and then I am off to meet Ham and Ella in London to start our big adventure across Europe. For those who don't know. Ella, Hamish and I are travelling around Europe for a month and a half. Having ten days in the UK, a week or so in Spain, a couple of days in Italy, France and the Netherlands and then a week in Germany before finishing off with ten days in farj's homeland Sweden!!!  Then I have a month with the family in Stockholm!! I am very excitied to get going but at the same time a bit sad to leave Germany again. I know I am coming back, but still!!!! Definately have grown very fond of this overpopulated sauerkraut eating country!!!!!! Mara and I were discussing this the other day, after this trip, it will be more than likely 6 years before it will be possible for me to come back to Germany, with Uni and all that. A lot can change in 6 years!!!!!!! Its crazy to think that this my last time in Germany for a long time, kind of sad actually!!!!!!! And after Mara comes to Australia next year, who knows when we will see eachother again!!!! Creepy thought to think you may not see your best mate for half a decade minimum!!!! One side of me thinks that I should go back to Australia, save my money and do it all again, maybe do a bit of Asia and Russia and America???? but then I think, probably a better idea to get a degree and do it later in life, its not like they are running away or anything =P Still too young to know what to do in ten minutes let alone the rest of my life!!!

EXCITED FOR LONDON!!!! Yet sad to leave Germany!!!!!!!!!!!!

In this trip, most exciting place I think will be Spain, ESPANA!!!!!! Relaxing on beaches in Barcelona and partying it up in Ibiza!!!!! BUT, definately excited to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris and a Man United game in Manchester!!!!!! CANT WAIT to go back to Sweden as well, see the family and go back to Darlana, the Summerhouse is possible the most beautiful place on earth, even if it rains =P

Next post will probably be from a Bar in London or a Beach in Spain, its a hard life for some!!!! But I earnt it!!!!!!

Hope all is well with you readers!!!!!

Mit freundlichen grüßen aus Kaarst-Vorst, Deutschland!!!!

Chillin' with Mara in Kaarst and so on...

Only 10 days left and I am reaaaalllllyyyy beginning to feel really comfortable here in Germany, I think my German has improved a little bit and now I am at the point of where, if I make a mistake, I make a mistake, and I learn from it. Still, I am speaking a lot of English =D BUT I am having a great time and I am trying to make the most of every minute =D

Cannot believe that in 10 days I will be saying goodbye to Düsseldorf for an adventure around a small part of the globe called Europe. I cannot wait to see Ella and Hamish again!!!!!!!!! Its been a month and trust me, I am so used to seeing them at least 3 times a week, SO, you get the picture =D Cannot wait for Spain and Sweden, shall be the two highlights =D

The last week or so has been really relaxed which is great, gives me a chance to get my thoughts together and reflect on this last CRAZY month. And now I am used to typing on a German keyboard =P

Saturday night we went to a birthday of one of Mara's friends, I had a really good night, probably the first time I actually opened up to people I barely know, HA! its taken a month. I think its been good to be taken out of my comfort zone =D Now I know I CAN do it =D BUUT, I had a really good night that night =D

Since I am writing a blog everytime I get a chance sometimes there is a lot to talk about and sometimes not =D this post is more about my thoughts than whats been happening!

I miss Australia a lot and everything that means something to me in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope all is well you readers =D

Mit freundlichen grüßen aus Deutschland

Neuss, Münster, Kaarst, Erkelenz, Düsseldorf and so on...

A lots happened since my last post, I've been pretty busy!!!!

I will begin with Münster, which is where Mara's former step Dad lives. Started the day in Neuss to eat... I HAD SPAGHETTI EIS, which is ice cream that looks like spaghetti, IT WAS FRIGGEN AWESOME. Keen for some more no doubting that =D We went to chill with one of Mara's friends Lara. After that we set off for Münster, without a GPS and barely a clue where to go... bahahaha, ohhhh, fun. We decided to go back to Kaarst to get directions from good old google but, ahh that was too hard, we set off for Münster. Ended up going WAY out of the way but we made our way back and ended up in Münster at a reasonable hour...
Had a good weekend having a look around Münster, had a look at some old arse Castles which was interesting. Münster was nice, pretty liveable city!!!!! Was good to meet Volker and Astrid!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday night we trapsed back to Kaarst, ended up going out of the way again which ended up being a good thing because we didn't have to go thorugh Düsseldorf.
Had a chill day at home in Kaarst, much needed day to chill with Mara!!! Was chill, chill... chill. bah chill.
And then I was off to Erkelenz, my German home 2 years prior. It was FREAKING awesome to see my host family again, I felt like I never left and slipped into home life just like that. It was awesome. I missed them so much. Cant wait to go back again!!!!!!!!!
THEN, yesterday, I went to Düsseldorf and saw the movie grown ups, except in german, and its called kindsköpfe, FUNNY!
THEN, I went clubbing that night which WAS AWESOME, had a few beverages with the Germans, twas fun fun.
And now, I just spoke to the crew on skype and an extended chat with Ella regarding the trip, twas good, I miss them all a lot.
Anyway, I have shit to do, Tschüß alle!!!!!

the Netherlands and so on...

Decided that I will write a blog now everytime I get the chance, so they could be daily, weekly, monthly, who knows! All I know, is I AM IN EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a little bit exciting!

Spent the last couple of days in Zeeburg, just outside of Amsterdam. Thought we were going to Maastrict! Fail, I should listen more often!

Twas well fun, stayed in the camping part of the park, there were an absolute SHITLOAD of tents everywhere and everyone spoke a different language, from German to Dutch to Italian to Slovenian to English, it was nutso!!!! had a bunch of Liverpoolers next to us, funny accents!!!

We went into Amsterdam as well. The weed centre of the world!!!! It was nuts, every corner there was a 'coffeeshop' with old jamacians sitting out the front smoking a joint. And NO, I didnt do weed in A'dam, probably the only tourist to the Netherlands that hasn't!!!!!!

It rained one day which was mega shit. So me and Elin slept in the car where there was not water seeping in!!!! I can't believe how freaking much it rained, and then the next day, CLEAR SKIES!!!!! I swear, IT ALWAYS RAINS IN AMSTERDAM!!!!!! Every time I have been there it is always raining!

I got to drive on an autobahn which was definately a highlight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 160, as fast as the poor Opel Agila goes, if you don't know what one is, look it up, its kind of like a Getz, so you can imagine!!! twas fun! And I drove through Amsterdam which was a nightmare yet interesting!!!!! SO MANY FREAKING CYCLISTS!!!!!!!

Got an email from Mum today, telling me about a trip we did to Europe when I was ten, telling me how hard it was to get me to write a holiday journal, and on the next trip in 2007 I just didnt do one, and now I am blogging a travel journal for the whole world to see. I think I will read that travel journal when I get home!

So today has just been a chill day, I have done my postal vote, and you would NEVER guess who I voted for HAHAHA!!!!!!! Down with Amanda Rishworth!!!!!!

In the next couple of days we are going to Munster where Mara's old stepdad lives, have a look around! We were going to a Rock Festival originally but I only knew one band and it was going to rain all weekend, so, we decided against it =D

I find it really hard to fathum (I hope thats how you spell it) how life goes on when you leave home, its almost like you imagine that it stops until you get home!!!!!!!!!!!!! I keep asking everyone in Australia if anything has changed, and more often than not they say its all the same, but when I get home in 3 months or so, I bet its different!!!!! I am nervous and excited!

I am excited to meet Ella and Hamish in London in about 3 weeks time. But, I will definately miss Germany, I've had a full on time here. I will miss Mara, its been good to get to know a Friend I haven't seen for so long.

Next week I go to see my host family!!!!! I cannot wait to see them again and see whats changed at a place I fondly remember as one of many second homes!!!!! They are a great bunch and I cant wait to catch up on lost time!!!!!!

Anyway, I will 'bLOG OUT' time to go post this postal vote =P

I hope whoever is reading this is happy and healthy and that all is well with you!

Mit freundlichen grüßen von dem Australier in Deutschland!!!

a week or so too late, but here it begins =D

I decided to start a blog, something to keep you all at home up to date with what I've been doing and something to look back on in a couple of years time and go, yeah, that was entertaining when that happened there!

I hope to write a blog at least every week, but this wont be AS easy when I am in the UK, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands!

I'll start at the beginning...

on the 27th of July 2010, I left Adelaide and everything that comes with it, set for Düsseldorf, Germany, via Hong Kong and Helsinki, and Melbourne, but they didn't have Krispy Kreme's so they don't deserve a mention =P

On the plane from Adelaide via Melbourne to Hong Kong, I was sat next to this 70 year old Hungarian Australian who was going back to Hungary to see the family. Couldn't have asked for a better person to sit next too! She told me heaps about her life. She left Hungary when the revolution began and fled to Iceland. Her son was born in Iceland. She left Iceland set for Australia in 1958 and went by boat!!!!! 6 months or so it was she said! She said it was not exactly enjoyable, but you did what you had to do. Made me realise how lucky we are, we can hop on a plane and a day later we are 7 time zones away! When we arrived in Hong Kong, myself and a Scout off to the Jambouree in Finland walked her to her gate and said goodbye! I hope she is having a great time in Hungary!

The scout was on the same plane as me, to Helsinki, so it was good to have someone to chill with until we could get on the plane!

Got on the plane to Finland, and had the pleasure of hearing Finnish, Swedish and Cantonese blasted over the loudspeaker every five minutes, and at least one sentence of broken english here and then. Was kind of entertaining! It took them a good hour to switch the lights off, I curled up and slept on and off until we were flying over Moscow. I was sat next to a Dutchman who just wanted to sit and type gobly gook on his laptop from HK to Helsinki, BORING. I had this Finnish kid want to look out the window, jumping over me and the Dutchman to see out, speaking in Finnish, was rather entertaining. The food wasn't too bad on Finnair, better than I would have thought =D The decent into Helsinki Vantaa was quick and my ears went skitso!

Ahhh, Helsinki Vantäääääääää, NEVER WANT TO RETURN, FINNISH CUSTOMS OFFICERS NOT ALL THAT NICE...
On arrival in Helsinki, I was pulled aside by Customs officers and told I would be overstaying in Schengen countries, and had to leave early or I would be thrown in Prison, FUN. So I sat at the gate for my next flight and politely shat myself for a good hour....

Next flight waa quick, before I knew it I was in Düsseldorf, getting off the plane on the TARMAC! bahaha, haven't done that in ages. I waited ages for my bag and walked out the gate, and where's Mara, NO WHERE TO BE SEEN. FAIL. about 5 minutes later she comes running down towards me, sillyhead didn't know where to park =p

This week has been a whrilwind. I have met heaps of Mara's friends here in Germany, and lots of her family. Not homesick as yet but we will see =p

Been on a ferry across the Rhine to see some castle ruins, that was interesting, took a fair few photos! Been to the Düsseldorf Altstadt and drank Ueringe, the Düsseldorf Old Beer, wasn't all that keen! Went to Schutzenfest and partied with random Germans, was entertaining. Drank these weird arse shots, all in all, had a reeeeeeaaaallllyyyy good time. Yesterday I worked in a Messe, which is like a big Wholesalers Fair. Next week I go to Holland and Belgium to go camping and go to a rock festival, should be interesting!!!!!!!

So thats it for the moment, readers I will keep you posted =D