the travels blog

after an awesome sushi omakase at sushi dai, we went to ginza for a stroll… and ended at at Laduree! yay! if you dont know what Laduree is, i recommend google!

ladureeee

laduree macarons!

what we got :) fancy fancy! it is our last day of travelling :)

rose and framboise macarons

fancyyyyy

the cafe itself is posh

us at Laduree

ginzaaaaaa

eh my first experience into an A&F store. it was…. wtf.

LARGE strawberries!

after Ginza, it was onwards towards Narita for our flight home!

at Narita Airport! we can back, and hopefully we’ll come back again! thanks Japan, you have been awesome!

our flight home was FULL of japanese school kids, we assume for an excursion to Australia. sigh.

but anyway, it was home time :) right on valentines day too! :)

Japan 2012 - Day 10 - Tokyo

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

spend the morning looking for new snowboard boots in Kanda

and no, i didnt buy these.. i wanted to though!

NT and JS trying the sperm sac of cod

haha the reactions while eating it

grilled engawaaaaaa

harajuku! during the day this time!

PH in tokyo <3

<3 ispahan love. once i tried this in the paris bonaparte shop of PH, i have declared this to be the best cake/sweet/dessert in the whole world. and i get to try it again. <3

MINEEEE

after PH - it was back to shibuya and this time we tried L’Occitane Cafe! yes yes its a cosmetic brand but they have a cafe!

AL’s drink

for dinner, we tried soba, and the better soba place is right next door. we just settled lol, and for the inferior, possibly. damn roppongi and its confusing nature

bright lights of Roppongi, Tokyo

ULTRAMAN DRINK!

Japan 2012 - Day 9 - Sapporo & Tokyo

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

time to leave Sapporo onto the capital

ola Sapporo, the view from our room

bye sapporo!

some weird rockmelon bears..

that decided to take a bite of JS!

on our monorail to hammamatsucho

hmmm looks auspiciously like someone..

ah yes. NT.

the ever efficient japanese shinkansens

on our way to shibuyaaaa!

the stupendous amount of people at Shibuya on a Saturday night

the awesome standing sushi bar that MZ, SK and JG and I went last time we were in Shibuya, and that AL missed! he finally made it! on his second trip!

ootoro, hamachi and aji

AL and the old but awesome chef that served MZ and SK last time

more ootoro, engawa and aburi salmon mayo

the spotting.. haha

the small but famous hachiko statue. a meeting point for everyone, this dog statue at shibuya

after meeting SN - we decided to try this themed restaurant where according to JS, hamish and andy went. it was called alcatraz ER. this was the entrance.. hmm..

we were seated.. in a jail cell. yeap thats right.

the menu.. yeah..

someone… is scared. they created this scary scene where all the lights turned off and they went around scaring people in their jail cells..

the ER component… their poured out drinks from supposedly IV drip style things

HAHAHA NT ORDERED A STRAWBERRY YOGHURT FROM A BABY BOTTLE AND THEY FORCE FED HER LOL

the outside of the weird themed restaurant

and after shibuya we went to harajuku - just to find that things were closed, so we had crepes instead. thanks for seeing us SN!

Japan 2012 - Day 8 - Niseko & Sapporo

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

it was time to leave Niseko, via a 3 hour bus to downtown Sapporo..

but hello Sapporo!

SAPPORO!

walking down to Odori Park where the ice and snow sculptures are at

the ice sculptures!

more photos of the ice sculpture

some of them were made solely for marketing their restaurants

the KFC man burger is in Japan!

time for AL and I to reminisce and have some dessert at this place in Sapporo

the desserts we can choose from!

my dessert! it was some yummy gelatine thing!

making mochi right in front of us!

geez guys, a bit of a smile while buying mochi would be appreciated!

downtown Sapporo

anyone for… sperm sac of cod? and lots of it..

pokemon center in sapporo!

and it was down to Odori Park to check out the snow sculptures at night… first was a snowboard jumping and tricks exhibition

wow thats pretty high!

then we went and saw some snow sculptures:

a lot of good snow sculptures!

dinner!

yayyyy embracing my inner child

AL wanted sweet potato so badly.. he stopped an old couple pushing their cart (possibly on the way home) to buy some. AND HE BARGAINED FOR IT TOO!

Japan 2012 - Day 7 - Niseko

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

day 6 of boarding - our last day :(

HAHA JS! he tried to lead us down this path with trees, turns out it ended in a cliff and he fell face forward and his skis came off. it was like a 1.5m drop into powder lol. thanks for sparing me from the fall dude. time to reverse.. beep beep beep

i found a twin on my last day! turns out he’s from NZ!

last lunch in Niseko - 308g steak from Hanazono 308

so… i realised something was wrong while going down blueberry fields.. turns out my wiring system on my boots broke. my BOA broke :(

so… at lunch i got a couple of rubber bands and used it to hold the tongue of my boots and boarded half a day on rubber bands!

last run of the trip - spot AL there

last run down hirafu!

last dinner in Niseko - obviously at Abu-Cha! I ate “hokke” :)

Japan 2012 - Day 6 - Niseko

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

day 5 of boarding

on the bus to Annupuri since they closed the Niseko Gondola

someone chose a random route through the trees, look where he ended up lol

waiting for everyone at the bottom of annupuri

walking towards a soba place that was… closed. hi NT!

ordering from a computer at annupuri for lunch instead

the choices of food

someone had some alcohol with lunch =P

off piste skiing down gate 7 at annupuri

we ready down off piste? yeap

you guys ready too right? :)

buffet at the hotel! yay chocolate fountain

what a nice way to end a day of skiing. an excellent buffet dinner :)

Japan 2012 - Day 5 - Niseko

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

Day 4 of boarding - heres to hoping for clear skies

the happy couple at the Strawberry Gate

NT down strawberry fields

us getting ready for the zipline in Hanazono

yayyyy down the zipline I go!

AL on the zipline

JS on the zipline

NT on the zipline

look how happy she is!

YEAH

lunch was japanese curry

boarding in the afternoon was with clear skies. for the first time yay!

dinner was a pork belly steak in yuzu sauce. SUPER YUM

Japan 2012 - Day 4 - Niseko

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

Day 3 of boarding

view going up the niseko gondola

AL and his flying V

ah the synchronised couple

at annupuri

bright skies! :)

after a bit of boarding in the morning - we went to ezo pub to catch the end of the superbowl! giants won!

the superbowl winners being presented their trophy

snow angels in powder snow while waiting

down blueberry fields. i suspect its cause of the abundance of trees that the piste is classified as a “field”

mt yotei in the background. one of the very few times of the whole ski trip where you could actually see the mountain without fog/snow!

mt yotei in the background

someone has a rabbit tail!

tree with tri toned colours (the light tower had three different coloured lights!)

more night skiing down HIrafu. snow was pretty cut up by this stage

dinner was grilled skewers! mushrooms are a must!

and on top of that was salmon rice with green tea. i mixed it myself!

Japan 2012 - Day 3 - Niseko

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

Day 2 of boarding - powderr powderr poww poww!

AL in deep powder

strawberry fields? bring it on

powdery strawberry fields

HANAZONO 308!

lunch! tonkatsu curry :)

after lunch we went down a couple more slopes before chilling for some afternoon hot chocolate at the 1000m hut :). my camera refused NOT to fog up - hence the cool effects on the photos

NT & AL

JS & AS

giant thermometer says -10 °C. but that totes does not take into account wind chill - brrrr

after skiing - it was onto ensuring that JS’s birthday is being celebrated :) happy birthday dude!

how? ICE BAR - an actual ICE bar. like, it moves every year depending where the best block of ice is

NT entering the ice bar

cool japanese bartender & ice bar owner - explained to us how his ice bar actually works every year and how they are created!

yes man, feel in the moment

happy birthday sir!

inside the seating area

a shot of 4 different drinks - house specialty. very awesome! happy birthday again dude!

Japan 2012 - Day 2 - Niseko

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

day 1 of snowboarding. so so SO ready for my first day at the slopes. Niseko’s usual deep powder is around :)

a nutritious breakfast is essential for a day at the slopes. ohaiyo hokkaido whip butter!

powderrrrrr

my trusty yellow snowboard :)

up the Niseko Gondola

hi JS! annupuri was the first resort we went downfor the trip

pork belly sandwich for lunch :):):)

night skiing down Hirafu

walking down Hirafu to dinner. look at the thing hanging off the power lines!

abu-cha! a must go for dinner in Niseko!

NT and her sukiyaki for two. nothing bad has happened since.

Japan 2012 - Day 1 - Tokyo, Sapporo & Niseko

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

a day of mainly travelling. got in Tokyo - time to head to Sapporo then a 3 hour bus ride to Niseko to snow snow snow!

Narita airport

ah triangle sushi - first thing we got once we got into Tokyo! fresh seaweed awesomeness!

our plane when we arrived in Sapporo - snow on the tarmac. gonna be a good ski trip!

salmon roe for lunch!

hobo with beats at Sapporo Airport. NT is being rather generous in giving 1 yen i rckn..

smiles before hopping on the bus :)

snow in Sapporo already!

the toilet stop on the way to Niseko. order your ramen from machines mannn

a cool ice sculpture at the hotel

we’re back Hilton!

after everyone wrapped up their ski and board hire - it was to dinner - make-your-own-okonomiyaki!

the menu

oil oil oil! everyone must have a go!

sapporo beer is a must in sapporo

the happy couple with the instructions on how to cook Okonomiyaki

our okonomiyaki!

and getting ready for the slopes tmrw. six days booyeah!

walking up Hirafu. im also ready for night skiing :)

but before sleep - ONSEN! yay!

Japan 2012 - Day 0 - Sydney & Tokyo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +1100

after 4 days of recuperation and summer in Sydney, Japan and winter - here we come (back)!

QF21 - a nicely reconfigured 747 by Qantas! Naritaaaaaaaaaa

Europe 2011/12 - Recap

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

recap of the whole trip. an amazing 55 days.

Day 0 - Sydney & Dubai

Day 1 - Frankfurt & Düsseldorf

Day 2 - Düsseldorf, Köln & Bonn

Day 3 - Düsseldorf & Dortmund

Day 4 - Düsseldorf & London

Day 5 - London

..and more..

Day 6 - London

Day 7 - London & Manchester

Day 8 - Manchester

Day 9 - Manchester & Paris

Day 10 - Paris

Day 11 - Paris

Day 12 - Paris & Lourdes

Day 13 - Lourdes, Toulouse & Lyon

Day 14 - Lyon & Brussels

Day 15 - Brussels & Amsterdam

Day 20 - Berlin & Rome

Day 21 - Rome

Day 22 - Rome & Naples

Day 23 - Rome & Pompeii

Day 24 - Rome

Day 25 - Rome & Florence

Day 26 - Florence

Day 27 - Florence, Modena, Maranello & Bologna

Day 28 - Florence

Day 29 - Florence

Day 30 - Florence, Milan, Oulx & Sestriere

Day 31 - Sestriere

Day 32 - Sestriere

Day 33 - Sestriere & Bologna

Day 34 - Münich & Prague

Day 35 - Prague

Day 36 - Prague & Krakow

Day 37 - Krakow & Auschwitz

Day 38 - Krakow, Warsaw & Amsterdam

Day 39 - Amsterdam

Day 40 - Amsterdam & Volendam

Day 41 - Amsterdam & London

Day 42 - London & Manchester

Day 43 - Manchester & Lisboa

Day 44 - Lisboa

Day 45 - Lisboa & Madrid

Day 46 - Madrid

Day 47 - Madrid

Day 48 - Madrid & Barcelona

Day 56 - Dubai & on our way home

Europe 2011/12 - Day 56 - Dubai & on our way home

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

emirates comfort win!

the beautiful horizon

look what McDonald’s in Dubai has? a Chicken Mega Mac! Its like 4 McChicken with less bread!

home time!

Europe 2011/12 - Day 55 - Frankfurt

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

last day in Europe :(

walking around Frankfurt, we saw this demolition project going on

Goethestraße - where the shopping is at. ok, probably mostly expensive shopping..

a cool shopping mall! look it at, with a hole!

there was a Lego store - with a 3D viewer of what the models of each box would be like! amazing!

the inside of the cool shopping mall with the hole!

last try of currywurst in Germany. Not as good as Berlin’s :(

goodbye Frankfurt HBF! After 5 years, I have returned in 2011. Hope to return again soon!

Frankfurt airport. Bye Europe! :(

You have been so nice to us!

Europe 2011/12 - Day 54 - Berlin

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

since JG heard all about our cool Berlin stories, and that Berlin was the place to be from other people, we decided it was wise to make sure she sees a bit of Berlin - day trip from Frankfurt it is!

first stop was Brandenberg Tor, since it is close to Berlin HBF

the Reichstag area

Reichstag!

amfelman at the pedestrian lights! man with the hat says its ok to walk, then we walk!

Holocaust Memorial Maze

we took our time around the maze :)

massive line at the memorial museum - and we didnt have much time in Berlin - just the day trip :(

remains of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz

random ball of random on our way to Checkpoint Charlie

where the Berlin Wall used to be. these markers are all around Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie

the reconstructed US Army Checkpoint at Checkpoint Charlie, at Friedrichstraße

time for one of the best currywurst in Berlin - Curry 36 at Mehringdamm!

Curry 36

YUM YUM YUM currywurst time! would you like it with fries or bread? we have both!

East Side Gallery! a must for those in Berlin :)

some of the artwork at East Side Gallery

the flat skyline of Berlin

and our last stop was Alexanderplatz! thank you for the second warm welcome Berlin! and also thanks to the portable currywurst guy!

Europe 2011/12 - Day 53 - Frankfurt

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

good bye sunny and warm spain, hello chilly Germany! First stop - Frankfurt!

via Basel, Switzerland

the massive Euro! there was an Occupy movement to the left of this shot. you can sorta see some of it there already

Main river in Frankfurt

Frankfurt skyline

the Deutsches filmmuseum was next on the agenda!

sandman inside the museum!

amazing 3d from paper!

that would be pretty hard to make, surely!

and this, even harder?!

mein fuhrer’s mask

the different faces of Jack Skellington!

hi jack

dont fall off!

picturesque frankfurt

main river at sunset =D

no parking on the river guys

YUM MCRIBS! we have been reunited after 5 years apart!

currywurst in frankfurt, just to make sure that JG has had a go. not as good as the Berlin on but not too far off :)

döner kebab! an awesome turkish cuisine - it seems like we just ate ate and ate here lol

MMMM BAKLAVA!

Europe 2011/12 - Day 52 - Barcelona

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

last day in Barcelona!

bright and early - with an exquisite view from the terrace of our apartment

first order of the day was to walk down Passeig de Gracia to Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera.

It is another of Gaudi’s work - we skipped it yesterday since we thought it was not worth its steep entrance fee. But after an awesome experience at Casa Batllo - we decided it’ll be stupid to miss out on La Pedrera

the outline of the ground floor of La Pedrera

model of La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila

view from La Pedrera, down Passeig de Gracia

the roof of La Pedrera and its cool chimneys, looking like stormtroopers!

the interior - no corners. very Gaudi

a more detailed model of La Pedrera

cross section of the model

his hanging model to create such amazing works

Gaudi transformed the building on the left to the right - Casa Batllo. From nothing to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. amazing stuff.

Gaudi’s inspiration apparently came from nature - and its easy to see where he got his inspiration for the structures for the hallway :)

view down the inside of La Pedrera

La Pedrera ending up fairly disappointing - it became a showcase of what Gaudi’s other works are, rather than focussing on its own features (which didnt seem a lot). Casa Batllo still a winner - and glad we went there first. Or else, it would have been like - man Casa Batllo wouldnt be worth the visit if it we went La Pedrera first and it was disappointing

then it was onwards towards breakfast! MORE tapas!

tapa tapa!

bikini!

patatas bravas!

mini paella

after food it was some browsing around the shops of Barcelona

EPIC Chivas!

we found Real Madrid chips, alongside the Barça chips. but in Barcelona - thats a bit odd =S

the return leg of the El Clasico match we saw. Prices from 155 euros. thats right. gotta pay up for the best match-ups in the world

Placa de Catalunya

4 cats, or Els Quatre Gats is a cafe which served as the centre of Modernism in Barcelona. Picasso’s hangout and first exhibition location, apparently. Opening in 1897 - that is a while back!

back to the awesome bar with baguettes and stuff for the last time

our train hotel to Bern!

bye barcelona! you have been awesome!

Europe 2011/12 - Day 51 - Barcelona

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +1100

a long day of Barcelona ahead - but exciting! Camp Nou, flea markets, Casa Batllo and La Pedrera!

yay at the entrance gate for the tour!

our tickets!

Barça!

historic moments at the Camp Nou - see what happened in 1999?

Mes Que Un Club - more than a club

the coloured seats!

the press room - where they hold the interviews

pitch side!

the tunnel towards the pitch!

what it looks like, with a capacity crowd

taking a breather at one of the seats

the press viewing area!

the view of Montjuic from Camp Nou

and its time to enter the museum!

best club in the world? if its not true then its very close

el capita

best club in the world, 2011

16 cups in one year - including all their other sporting arms

HAHAHA YES! if catalonia gets its independence you know who is behind it

Mercat flea markets! they sold basically…. ANYTHING.

textiles, to fabric

to doorbells, to musical instruments, to walking canes

to knives, machetes and guns..

and that is how they store their stall for the day

packed as!

axel with a leg of ham

Gaudì’s La Pedrera! but we didnt go in because it looked expensive - but fear not - we went the next day!

we went for food instead! tapa!

very aesthetically pleasing tapa - it was so yum too!

salmon and little eels!

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo. looks so awesome and epic!

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - the entance.

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - the layout

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - the living room

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - the courtyard

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - overlooking the main street

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - works still being done

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - what a cool ceiling

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - no corners or edges

up the spiral staircase to the roof

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - awesome chimneys

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - looking down. such an amazing concept, and executed to perfection

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - moulded chairs

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - from the outside - he designed the one next door too

Gaudì’s Casa Batllo - lit up at night!

then we tried to go to the Lost bar - Bharma - to no success - it was closed :(

but we went for more tapa!

what an awesome day, sports and Gaudì. amazing.