I'm nearly not here...

[vifferman]

I'm taking the BigMetalBird to Yrp tonight, via Hong Kong and Londinium, so you guys (and guyesses) can have a few weeks break from my rambling rants.

Unless I get bored and find an Interdweeb cafe or somesuch. :blink:
Might post a photo or two here...

The schedule is overnight in HK, then two nights in London. Eurostar to Brussells, then rental car to Deurne (Netherlands) for a week of visiting family and sight-seeing, before going back to Brussells to catch a tour of Yrp: Belgium - Germany - Switzerland - Italy - France - UK.
Then four nights in the London and surrounding areas, before having a break to relax :laugh: in Los Angeles for a few days.

It's a tough job, but the vifferbabe reckons I'm just the person for the task.

Try to not fight amongst yourselves while I'm gone.:girlfight:

[Lias]

Don't spose you got room for a large bloke in your suitcase do you lol

Sounds like a kickass trip.. have fun:clap:

[yod]

enjoy

watch out for random giant black women who get on your bus in Brussels without the correct paperwork and have to be forcibly removed by the local constabulary

long story

[vifferman]

Don't spose you got room for a large bloke in your suitcase do you lol
Sorry. The vifferbabe has got it packed to the gunwales :confused: ... err... brim.... with stuff. Enough "stuff" for 33 days or so.
And some stuff you don't really plan to take on holiday with you, like her Dad's ashes (well... half of them at least).


Sounds like a kickass trip.. have fun:clap:
Thanks a lot, Sir! :niceone:

enjoy

watch out for random giant black women who get on your bus in Brussels without the correct paperwork and have to be forcibly removed by the local constabulary
Hmmmm... more things to worry about. I'm already anxious enough. I thought it was supposed to be a vacation, but it sounds a bit intense to me so far.
And expensive. I think it's around $15K so far, and there's still some hotel bills to pay.
And the rental car.
And shopping.
And building/buying a new house when we get back and find the boys have burnt it down / trashed it. :eek5:
No, don't ask for the address for the parties/carnage - it'll probably be on national news...

[Lias]

Eurostar to Brussells, then rental car to Deurne (Netherlands) for a week of visiting family and sight-seeing, before going back to Brussells to catch a tour of Yrp: Belgium -

Make sure you find time to sample all the Breweries in that part of the world hehe... Make it to the Hoegaarden brewery is one of my life goals :apint:

[James Deuce]

Have fun mate!

We promise to fight amongst ourselves whilst you are living it up. So to speak.

[vifferman]

Make sure you find time to sample all the Breweries in that part of the world hehe... Make it to the Hoegaarden brewery is one of my life goals :apint:
The La Trappe brewery/monastery (only Trappist monk brewery outside of Belgium) is not far from our base in the Netherlands.

Have fun mate!

We promise to fight amongst ourselves whilst you are living it up. So to speak.
I'll try to have fun - not as easy as it sounds, as I'm a natural worrier, and worried my brane is going to play up.
I expect some really memorable fighting from you lot, but PLEASE try to not kill yourselves. Each other is OK, but no stupid fatal motorcycle crashes. :Pokey:

[martybabe]

Fanbloodytastic, have a great time, don't worry about us in the cold and the rain and the cold and the rain. :oi-grr:

Enjoy. :2thumbsup

[vifferman]

Fanbloodytastic, have a great time, don't worry about us in the cold and the rain and the cold and the rain. :oi-grr:

Enjoy. :2thumbsup
I'll try to do all those things, Martybabe. Hopefully it'll be a mild start to autumn on t'other side of t'world.

[terbang]

Ahh fantastic, just left Europe a couple of days ago, weather was real nice up there.
Enjoy

[Cajun]

have an awsome holiday mate.

Don't worry about us to much the normal bitching/fighting will continue, and the dicks will contuine being dicks, and the dumbasses will keep being dumb.

relax and enjoy it.

[007XX]

I'll try to do all those things, Martybabe. Hopefully it'll be a mild start to autumn on t'other side of t'world.

:crybaby: But, but...we's gonna miss youuuuuuuuu!!

Oh well, I'm over it.

Have an awesome holiday, and stop that bloody worrying. The thing is, things will happen whether you're here or not, so just relax and enjoy...even if you have to force yourself to!

[alanzs]

Take lots of cool pics and post 'em here. Have fun!

[Swoop]

Beware!

Yrp is FULL of bloody foreigners who don't speak bloody English!

...Some of the beer isn't too bad. You had better sample it all to get a proper opinion...:clap:

Have fun and don't do anything that I wouldn't do...

[jrandom]

Enjoy, dude. I await the photographs.

:yes:

I don't suppose you're going to take your riding gear over and rent anything two-wheeled at any stage, are you?

[Mikkel]

Have a nice holiday! :yes:

If you can make it to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber) go see it. It's really spectacular. :)


Beware!

Yrp is FULL of bloody foreigners who don't speak bloody English!

...Some of the beer isn't too bad. You had better sample it all to get a proper opinion...:clap:

Have fun and don't do anything that I wouldn't do...

That sounds like New Zealand to me :scratch:

[more_fasterer]

Sounds like the makings of a great holiday, be sure to relax and enjoy it, just don't get shot while in LA please.

[portokiwi]

Beware!

Yrp is FULL of bloody foreigners who don't speak bloody English!

...Some of the beer isn't too bad. You had better sample it all to get a proper opinion...:clap:

Have fun and don't do anything that I wouldn't do...
:lol: that sounds like Auckland:lol:
Have a great trip mate and yes we all want to see the photos.

[vifferman]

Sounds like the makings of a great holiday, be sure to relax and enjoy it, just don't get shot while in LA please.
It should be a good holi-o-day - the vifferbabe has been planning it for long enough. :wacko:
We didn't get shot last time we were in LA (Christmas 2006), so I have high hopes of staying clear of tragedy this time too. It wasn't our first choice, but SF (also visited in 2006) was too expensive as a stopover - would've added $1500 each to the trip. As it was, we booked our flights a couple of days before they went up heaps - WAAAAAY back at the end of January.

What a friggin' slow day... doesn't help that I didn't get much sleep last night. :yawn:

Wish I was flying business class like when we went to Mrka....:zzzz:

[Swoop]

That sounds like New Zealand to me :scratch:
Nope. They can drive properly in Yrp.

[Mikkel]

Nope. They can drive properly in Yrp.

Well, what Vifferman wrote didn't say anything about that...

Ever been to a large Italian city? Dunno if they drive properly - but it's still very impressive :yes:

[yungatart]

Have a great trip! I'm green with envy.
hXc leaves here next Thursday for Brussels, but still doesn't have a host family. If you see a 17 y/o looking lost and lonely, wearing a Kiwi tshirt, can you look after him please....

[Swoop]

Ever been to a large Italian city?
Yes.

I trust mad Italian driving more than kiwi's.
BTW. Turkish driving can be quite entertaining as well...

[MacD]

Have a great trip! Will keep the lad supplied with DVDs ready for your return.

[Swoop]

Has he gone yet??

It does seem quieter today...:whistle:

I wonder how good the airline food is nowadays?

[mstriumph]

i am sooooooooooooooooooooo jealous :(

[Swoop]

Bloody hell!
I can hear a MASSIVE party over on the North Shore! Cops everywhere, police helicopter overhead. Sounds like a real doozy!:whistle:;)

[vifferman]

I hope the house is totalled then - it's well insured and a pain in the ring gear...

So.
Anyway - the vacation is great so far. The stopover in HK was better than expected (everyone was so friendly and helpful).
On the motorcycling front, the Supa Scootah is king, although we saw a few other bikes, mostly small, and a VFR800 cop bike. De rigeur bike gear is None of the Gear, All of the Time, apart from an openfaced helmet.

The first stay in London (2 nights, with four more later on) was very good. We stayed just off Euston Rd, across the road from Kings Cross St Pancras, and caught buses, the tube and whatnot from there. Had an éverything' pass for the day we traveled about, caught the tube to Covent Garden, and went on the new RVI bus loop, had a walk around here and there, visited the Tower of London, saw Liz's bling, had a pub lunch on the banks of the Thames (next to where the Golden Hind is parked up).
Bikes here are proper ones - lots of lanesplitting, noisy pipes, that sort of thing. Made me almost itch for a blat meself...


Caught the Eurostar to Brussels yesterday (what a hole that was -we got lost driving around for an hour, and even the police weren't any help!)
The Eurostar was a kewl way to travel - very fast and quiet - but tunnels were literally a pain. Stuffing 20 carriages into a tunnel at 120 km/h or so pressurises it very nicely - and one's eardrums. And going under the channel was an anticlimax: suddenly you're in the Eurotunnel, and 15 minutes later, you're in la belle France. They should at least have fanfare over the PA or summat.

Finally made it to Brouwhuis in Holland about 90 minutes later than expected. Got a lovely VW Passat diesel wagon as a rental. Shame our plan to buy a Tom Tom beforehand fell through - it would have helped a lot. We're in Browhuis for a week, meeting relatives (it's a huge family) and travelling around Holland from here. Next week, it's 12 days whizzing around Yrp, then back to Londinium for four nights, then LA for three.

I've got lots of pics, all boringish, but some time I'll set up a photobucket account or summat...

[Swoop]

Hope the jetlag didn't hit too bad. Via Asia seems easier on the body than via USA.

Your idea of the Tom Tom sounds rather good. Urp has a few driving problems to avoid!

Have fun!


De rigeur bike gear is None of the Gear, All of the Time, apart from an openfaced helmet.
NGATT???

[Ocean1]

Guday mate, was wondering where you'd got to.

Do stuff you don't want to eh?

[James Deuce]

Woohoo!

Wish I was there.

[scumdog]

So.... who is going to be "Mr Nicecunt" while you're gone eh? eh?

[James Deuce]

I thought that was you!

[vifferman]

Hope the jetlag didn't hit too bad. Via Asia seems easier on the body than via USA.
No, was OK by the time we got the body clocks synchronised in London (sleeping tablets, coffee, sun, some Serotonin and all's good).
But.... I seem to have DVT or summat - ankles and feet very swollen. I might have to cut them off...


Your idea of the Tom Tom sounds rather good. Urp has a few driving problems to avoid!

DÓH!! Found out yesterday the Passat has a nav system built into the radio. Dunno if it works proper though..

Guday mate, was wondering where you'd got to.

Do stuff you don't want to eh?
I'm here. It''s all good so far - everyone is lovely.
We scattered the vifferbabe's Dad's ashes at a lake near here that he used to hang out at as a kid, swimming, ice-skating, and cutting peat. It was SO beautiful and peaceful - surrounded by groves of oaks and spruce.


Woohoo!

Wish I was there.
You'd love it, Dude! Mebbe next time you can all come.

[vifferman]

Doesn't prove I was really here, but at least it gives you summat to look at...

Hong Kong from the airport transfer bus:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0234.jpg
Some place in Londinium...
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0282.jpg

A few of them there spinny things...

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0329.jpg

[vifferman]

Holland is a revelation - not quite what I expected. Given that it's the size of the BOP, yet houses ~17 million klompje-wearing flatlanders, you'd think it would be crowded. However, there's so much green, so many parks and recreation areas, and the villages have lots of trees and gardens.
I don't want to go home. :crybaby:

Behold:
View from our bedroom window:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0377.jpg

Castle in the village the in-laws grew up in:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0380.jpg

Park we walked in yesterday:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0420.jpg

[vifferman]

Nope. They can drive properly in Yrp.
Obviously the bits of Yrp we've been to aren't part of Yrp then.
In Brussells, they drove erratically - I couldn't figure out the road rules from their behaviour.
In de Nederlands, they drive OK(is), but don't indimicate (excuse me if the typing goes menatl but I've had several large and potent Yrpeeeeen ales) and cut in and out of the trasaffics leaving just a squidgeon of room. Prolly safe but a larming.

Tomorow (if i survive the nales) I'll post some strangeish photos from here, as I may not be able to post afteer the day after that as I'll be in transit.

[vifferman]

On our second day in Rome, and it's 35 or summat here. We leave tomorrow for Fiorenzia or Florence. Been to Brussells, down the Rhine, Heidelberg, Lucerne, Venizia, and a whole bunch of places in between. Must go and have a shower, beerr and rest afore I expire.

[vifferman]

Just spent 40 minutes typing a message about what I'd been up to, and it timed out. :shit: Lost the friggin lot. Grrrrrrrr....

Here's a summary: London-Brussels-Holland-Brussels-Heidelberg-Karlsruhe-Lucerne-Venice-Rome-Florence-Montecattini-Lucca-Pisa-Lyon-Nice-Paris-Calais-London.
I'll fill the details in again wehn I'm not so tired (had a late night last night at Les Miserables.

[James Deuce]

Excellent, but a bummer about having to redo things!

[vifferman]

:doh:Alrighty.
The ladies are off to Harrods to spend what's left of our poondz (£££££), so I have some more time. Hopefully I won't lose stuff this time.
I'd post some piccies, but the PC I'm on is locked in a cupboard, so I can't. Anyway, I don't have many (a mere 3400 high-res images or so.) :blink:
Yup. 17 Gb of stuff. Don't ask me how that happened, it just did.
Right.
Holland was great - the people, food and beer were awesome, and we were very well treated. Just too much beer, and not enough sleep. And it cost us basically nothing - we weren't allowed to put our hands in our pockets.
Belgium sucked, although there are some pretty things in Brussels, especially the Grande Place. But compared to Holland, it's dirty, looks run down, and the roads and signage are crappier. You can notice it almost as soon as you cross the border: Holland is neat, tidy, well looked after, and then Belgium looks like no-one gives a damn. It didn't help getting VERY lost in Brussels both times we were there. Our tour bus driver is belgian, and he said Brussels is the worst city he's driven in.
Touring by bus is a mixed blessing: it saves you having to navigate, but it also means you're stuck with the schedule of the tour. And a very hectic tour it was.
Day 1 (for us - it was Day 2 for everyone else): Brussells to Karlsruhe, including a trip down the Rhine, and a visit to Heidelberg. The Rhine was lovely (lots of castles, some nice beer and german sossij), and Heidelberg was beautiful. But not for the vifferbabe, who developed a very bad migraine and spent much time on the bus and till 3 or 4 am the next morning heaving up everything she'd eaten in the last few years.
Day 2: Karlsruhe to Lucerne, where we went up Mt Pilatus by chairlift, gondola and then came down again by the steepest finicular railway in the universe. Back to Lucerne via a boat trip on the lake. Awesome.
Day 3: Lucerne to Venice. Did all the Venicey things, and got our eyes very, very full of the sights.
Day 4: Venizia to Rome. Toured all around Rome that night, then had a nice dinner in a restaurant complete with opera singers, overlooking the Coliseum. Got four free bottles of Italian red (was supposed to be one, but hey...).
Day 5: Toured the Vatican and Coliseum, then went to St Paul's church and checked that out. Can't remember what we did that night.
Day 6: Rome to Florence to Montecatini. Florence was very nice, if hot and smelly. Spent a lot of time downloading 7 Gb of images onto two DVDs at an internet cafe in Florence for 12 Euro, then toured the town a bit, and visited Michelangelo's Davids (both of them - the copy and the real one in the museum). Drove to Montecatini which was lovely, but my pillow in the hotel was stuffed with straw or dead rats or somesuch and I didn't sleep well.
Day 7: Supposed to be a bus to Pisa then on to Nice, but the bus broke down.:doh: So, we walked around till 9, then waited until 10-ish, then caught a train to Lucca, with a connection from there to Pisa. Only our train was 7 minutes late, and we missed the Pisa leg by 30 seconds. :doh:
So, we had the best time (no rush! No tour director!) tooling around Lucca, eating the best (and cheapest) gelato we had in Yurp, before the bus turned up, blown fuse (!) fixed. Off to Pisa, which was a let down: very hot, very touristy, and only enough time to rush around, clickclick, snapsnap, quick lunch, then back on the bus. Won't bother returning there again.
On to Nice (which was very nice), via 176 tunnels, and about as many bridges. Had a lovely french dinner and wine, and then wandered around Nice in the dark, taking photos. Got lost, but found the hotel again so all was good.
Day Next: Nice to Lyon. Not much to say. Bus bus bus.
Day Next+1: Lyon to Ghey Pareee: We've left the continental climate behind, and now it's colder and wetter. No more 30+ days, and cloudy D'Auckland-like weather. Plus some rain. Drove around the city a bit, walked around La Defense, then at night time we took a cruise down the Seine and saw a very ghey and sparkly and blue Le Tour Eiffel. Plus some bits of Paris in the dark and rain.
Day Whatever: "After breakfast our day begins with a guided sightseeing tour which includes views of the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysées, Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe."
Whatever.
We went up the metal thing (Tres Kewl), then spent some hours sightseeing (hmmmm...) had lunch with the Hunchback of Notre Dame (soupe de l'oignon plus du pain), then on to the Louvre. With an annoying French bint named Odille or Eau D'Ille or somesuch. Crap. So we stayed on by ourselves, with a Canadian chick from canadia named Lorraine, and spent three hours walking around about 0.02% of the Louvre on our own. before catching the metro back to la Defense and having a nice meal for our weeding anniversaire with a good bottle of Borgogne red and some creme brulee. Yum!
Day Last: Paris to Calais to Dover to London.
Crap.
Never bother with buses and ferries. Waste of a day, and the channel was rough. I waited in line for 20 minutes at the cafe on "The Pride of Burgundy" (huh) only to find out they'd run out of cornish pasties, just as I got to the checkout. I nearly threw a tantrum. Instead, we went to the overpriced restaurant, and spent £60.09 on hot food. I was worried I might see it again, as the crossing was rough. :eek5:
Why spend 5 hours or whatver on a bus, and 90 semi-unpleasant minutes on a ferry, and 15 minutes on the tube, when the Eurostar takes 135 minutes from central Paris to Kings Cross in London??!

[vifferman]

So.
Now we're in London. Have been since Thursday.
We've wandered the streets, been on lots of trains (including one to Oxord, and one back which was 30 minutes slowerer), been to Les Miserables, and drank some belgian beer made in the UK. :confused: And some Irish beer no doubt also made in London.
We've also walked around Kensington gardens, got damp (it's unseasonably crappy weather here for September, so the locals say :rolleyes:), and went to visit Liz, but she refused to come out to play on account of the rain. As did the busby-wearing pussies that are suposed to guard her, much to the vifferbabe's annoyance.
The ladies are off shopping while I type this. Stuuf that. It was worth giving the vifferbabe my last £200 to have some time off.

Tomorrow, we're off to LA.
For a vacation.

[vifferman]

Gidday.

Arrived back home at 5:05AM yesterday. Woohoo and all that.
Can't wait for work tomorrow.
I think after all that vacationing, I need a holiday...:blink:

[vifferman]

I seem to be the only one posting to it. :crazy:
An indication of its boringness, perhaps.
Mebbe that will change once I post some of the 17GB of photos on here.
A few of them are tres chic.
Or summat.

[portokiwi]

:2thumbsup good Photos mate but need more with females in them.
It must have been great to see the sights.
No jet lag?

[Swoop]

It is difficult for us to post here as we are not seeing the sights of Urp.

C'mon. Where are the piccies???

[Ocean1]

I seem to be the only one posting to it. :crazy:


Hello dude.:D

We's bin... y'know, out.

Riding.

On account of there ain't bin a lot of non-crap weather lately.

Make with the pic's eh?

[Ixion]

I seem to be the only one posting to it. :crazy:
...


Well, there's no point us trying , is there? Cos, you aint here. But you are posting. So, clearly the thead is not here either. So how can we, who are here, post in a thread which is not here. So there.

[vifferman]

Alrighty then.
Jet lag? Applied coffee, serotonin and sleep to help with that.
Pics? I'm still sorting out what to do with them. there's somewhere between 3500 and 4000 images (after deleting all the crap ones) that need to be sorted. From these, I'll pick a few 'nice' ones to post. Unfortunately, I didn't take bike-related ones or any of sexy chix (saw many though, particularly in Holland and Italia).
Did see some weird stuff, that I contemplated foto-ing, like the street near our hotel in HK, called "Man Fuk Street", presumably where gays hang out.
And we did some strange things (apart from taking public transport everywhere in LA), like drive under the sea by train (London to Brussels) and car (Rotterdam). I'll try and dig out a few of the more interesting photos tonight. Should be easier now that I'm back at work, and not so busy. :rolleyes:
Must buy a laptop too, so I can work at night in front of the telly. Unfortunately, I forgot we had two visa cards, and forgot to pay one, so we're paying interest on $8k, which isn't conducive to the accountant OKing the purchase.
Another unfortunateness is the wife's quit her job, cancelled her carparking, so I have to drive her to work for the next three weeks. That means three more weeks of no VFR. :buggerd:
Quelle horreur!

[Devil]

Nice work. Arsehole!
(secretly needs a holiday).

I have some blank dvd's and cases for jew.

[vifferman]

Say what?
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_0292.jpg

[Swoop]

One does not see many humped pelicans, these days...:scratch:

[vifferman]

Hong Kong
Gunshop:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/gun_shop.jpg

15 storeys of bamboo scaffolding:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/HK_scaffolding.jpg

Brussels
Horsie:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Belgian_horse.jpg

Grande Place:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Grande_place.jpg

Holland
Get yer action here:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Action.jpg

Batavia (at Lelyland):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Batavia.jpg

Parking at the beach (Den Haag):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Beach_parking.jpg


...more to come...

[vifferman]

Germany
Largest Cuckoo Clock:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Cuckoo_clock.jpg

Some smaller ones (there were three times as many - all different - as would fit in this pic):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Cuckoo_clox.jpg

Heidelberg, from the castle overlooking the town:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Heidelberg.jpg

Rhine Cruise (one of many castles; I think this was the one owned by a Mexican):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Rhine_cruise.jpg

Rhine Falls (Schafhausen):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Rhine_falls.jpg

Switzerland
Pilatus:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Pilatus.jpg

Tagging (didn't think they'd have this here. Note the tagging on the tag):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Graffito.jpg

Swiss Chalet (up Mt Pilatus):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Swiss_chalet.jpg

Band at Lucerne:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/Band.jpg


... more to come...

[Swoop]

I'm sure that cuckoo clocks were banned under the Geneva convention...
Something about "torture" iirc.:shifty:

I bet that the gunshop in Honkers was only selling airsoft replicas.

[vifferman]

I'm sure that cuckoo clocks were banned under the Geneva convention...
Something about "torture" iirc.:shifty:
They were kinda kewl, but the nicest clocks in the store were of the non-cuckoo kind, including one that was summat like 16K Euros.


I bet that the gunshop in Honkers was only selling airsoft replicas.
Dunno - I didn't cross the road to look.
I took a photo of a bike shop too, but didn't post that as it was kinda boring - just a row of bikes/scooters under covers outside on the road.
Interestingly (or perhaps not), the shops tended to be in clusters, so all the model shops were together, all the electronics stores, etc.

Seems as though almost everywhere we went (apart from LA), scooters ruled, with super-scooters outnumbering bikes. In Holland, you can ride a scooter on the bike paths/roads (they have separate roads in places for bikes), and don't need to wear a helmet.
However, in Nice and Lyon motards seemed to be popular, and there were quite a few more big bikes, like Triumphs, BMWs, etc.

I would've loved to be on a bike in Churmany/Italy/Switzerland: the weather was fantastic, the roads were good, and there were many bikers out touring around while I was cooped up in the bus.
I saw very few interesting bikes in my travels, apart from a crappy-looking VFR800 cop bike in HK.

[MacD]

I understand there are pictures of doorknobs!? ;)

Any pics of Venice?

[vifferman]

I understand there are pictures of doorknobs!? ;)
Hmmmm... CrazyPete needs a beating, methinx...
Yes, there were. Lots.
Started as a "Ooh... look at that weird doorknob!", then (when in Florence) I noticed they all seemed to be different, and some quite ornate. They will make an interesting photo collage.


Any pics of Venice?
One or two... :whistle:
There might even be the odd Venetian doorknob....

But at least I didn't intentionally photograph knobs on nekkid statues or anything like that.

[vifferman]

The watery place:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21119.jpg

The cars there have no wheeeeels:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21135.jpg

And some flash shacks:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21161.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21179.jpg

And fancy Venetian Glass lamps:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21186.jpg

Bridges are required, on acount of the flooded roads, so there's a few:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21198.jpg

Local taxi:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21164.jpg

Although it was hot and sunny (or sunny and hot), eventually the sun got tired and went to bed:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21223.jpg

[forkoil]

Hope the jetlag didn't hit too bad. Via Asia seems easier on the body than via USA.

Your idea of the Tom Tom sounds rather good. Urp has a few driving problems to avoid!

Have fun!


NGATT???

Hey, what about buy NZ, NAVMAN!!! (only cos I work for em)

[Swoop]

Hey, what about buy NZ, NAVMAN!!! (only cos I work for em)
I have a navman fishfinder on the boat.
Would I buy a navman "moving atlas"? No.

[vifferman]

Hey, what about buy NZ, NAVMAN!!! (only cos I work for em)
Two things:
1. Their maps for Yurp aren't as up to date or extensive. Because Tom tom is the most popular in Yurp, the maps are more betterer.
2. Tom tom is cheaper.
3. I attempted to acquire a job several times at Navman, and got dicked around somewhat extremely. :Pokey:
4. jrandom used to work there, and he wouldn't buy one nor recommend one. And he knows everything, so I respect his opinion.
5. I can get a Tom Tom using Fly Buys points.
6. I can't count. Nor spiel.

[Blackbird]

Welcome back Ian - looks like you've had an absolute ball!

We had part of our honeymoon in Venice and everyone told us it would be smelly but wasn't - how did you find it? In fact, the only thing that stank was the outrageous price of the food and drink in St Mark's Square:(

Cheers,

Geoff

[vifferman]

I tired to think what they would be. Dificult, but here's a first attmpt (might edit later..)
Highlights
More than a month away from work, and Noo Zilund's crappy weather.
Holland: much nicer than anticipated, and the beer, food and hospitality were fantastic.
Venice, Paris, Rome, Lucerne.
The Getty in LA.
The bus breaking down in Montecatini.
More sex than normal, even though we had to take the mother-in-law with us.
The food.
The bed in Brouwhuis - best sleep we had.
The Trafalgar tour director and driver - tehy were awesome.
Les Miserables.
The people on the bus - the pleasant Canadians, the friendly and interesting Aussies, the Mom and daughter from LA who were always late or getting lost and making us wait, but who were such sweeties that no-one minded.

Lowlights
Missed the VFR in Germany, when the weather and roads were fantastic, and I was stuck in the bus.
Less romance than was planned, because we had to take the mother-in-law with us.
Too much rushing around.
Pisa.
Some of the people we had on tour with us (the obnoxious Canadians, the ignorant Aussies, the chain-smoking Kiwi, the rude Seff Effrycuns, and the really stupid blonde bimbo Aussie who pissed everyone off).
The pillows in out hotel in Brusselles (too fat) and in Montecatini (filled with sawdust, kapok or dead tourists...)
Planes, buses and trains. Although to be honest, it made LA much more interesting taking public transport everywhere.
The coffee. Apart from a thick, tarry espresso from a machine in our hotel in Lucerne: it transported my brain into another realm. :crazy:

[vifferman]

Welcome back Ian - looks like you've had an absolute ball!
Thanks very much, Mr Blackbird, Sir. I must come and visit soon and show you some pix. (My sister's house over the hill from you is livable now, so she's invited us to stay, probably about a fortnight from now).
Perhaps not an absolute ball (the mother-in-law spoiled things a little, and it was all a bit rushed), but it was good.


We had part of our honeymoon in Venice and everyone told us it would be smelly but wasn't - how did you find it?
It was very crowded, and very hot (high 30s), but we enjoyed it very much. The aforementioned MIL nearly expired though. Some of the people who did the gondola ride thing (we didn't) said it was very smelly, but we didn't notice any smells.
We regretted afterwards not visiting the Doge's palace.
Pricey? Yes. Very.
We sat in the shade at a bar/restaurant/cafe by the Metropole to wait for our water taxi, and ordered some drinks: one (mediocre) beer, two lemonades, and the bill (if I remember correctly) was 28 Euro. :eek:
Compare that with some town we stopped at in Belgium: it was like your corner dairy, but sold booze as well. We bought three beers, some biscuits, crackers, crisps and other stuff, and the bill was around 12 Euro, including about 1.70 Euro each for some very fine high-alcohol Belgian beers, including a Duvel, some Trappiste beer I can't remember, and some other thing that would get you pissed on a couple of mouthfuls.
It was a nice-ish town, but because we stopped there for lunch we ended up getting lost going into Brussells, and it took us around 2 hours to get unlost.
I liked Venice, but I dunno if I'd go back. On our next visit to Italy we'd probably go to Rome again, but also explore some of the smaller towns more. I definitely wouldn't go back to Pisa. It's very overhyped.

[vifferman]

Here's a few more of the 4100 or so photos I haven't yet posted. I have some really nice ones but can't upload them from work (or from home, as the vifferbabe wants to know why I'm wasting time on Photobucket when I could be editing photos...)
Holland (again) - near Kinderdijk:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/2161.jpg

Avignon (in la Belle France, y'know):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_3073.jpg

Nice (it was nice):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_2897.jpg

Somewhere in Italia:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/IMG_2488.jpg

Somewhere else in Italia (Fiorenze):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21767.jpg

Somewhere in Vatican City:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/21352.jpg

Swiss Cheese Land (Lucerne):
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/enzed_viffer/2917.jpg