Travel

Fun night at home

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If you have an inventor as a friend you may have experienced a night like ours.

However, it’s unlikely as Dan Garr or Dannnnnn as he known to his swim trek friends is one big, beautiful, infectious creative being. With his beautiful wife Isabelle or Izzy as he calls her they are a great team and make all guests feel welcome. They have a big house and big hearts to go with it.

Last night he cooked on his amazing fondue pot/ bbq and it was so much fun.

This is the ginormous pot he invented and built. Check out the food in little trays around the outside, the little oven pans on the plates. They look like pizza slices. You assemble your meat with a sauce and a few other things and pop it in the oven! Easy. Tasty.

Then there are the prawns lobster and tempura batter to pop into the boiling oil. Delicious.

But that was last night and today was a ‘Day with a Difference ‘

We hovered in bed till the house was quite and Dan & Izzy gone off to work and only Max 16 was at home as school was off for him. They have ‘student free days’ here just like home.

Then we got up and met the Maria the Mexican house keeper. She was lovely and offered to do our laundry.

We had a plan so headed off on highway 405 south to Seal Beach where another swim friend, my ‘wing woman’ Betty was waiting with her husband Craig. We were so excited to see her that we forgot photos!

We sat over a yummy seafood lunch with our super friendly waitress hovering to help. I had a fish taco. Delicious.

After a few hours talking we said our goodbyes until we meet up again with Betty and our other Galapagos swim trek friends for a NY reunion in 3 weeks time.

We decided to drive further south along highway 1 past the beach areas of Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington and Laguna Beaches. Miles of coastline. Some pretty places and lots of Spanish sounding place names, being so close to Mexico. And believe it or not the Trump wall isn’t up yet!

We even saw a little red corvette with a blond driver zipping along. I find myself breaking into well known songs about the places and things we see.

We ended up in SAN Clemente another beachside town. Very pretty with the beach on one side of the town and a huge outlet centre on the other side. Natural we stopped in for a look. Steve did a little shopping at Calvin Kevin and I managed to find very comfortable shoes at Cole Haan.

Back onto the 405 north we zipped along the ride share lane going past 3 other lanes choking with cars.

We arrived home to Dan and Izzy’s house around 6.30 …… to find…..

Dan, the chef, in his amazing kitchen cooking crepes for dinner. He loves to cook and has such a great set up. Huge ovens, a grill and hot plate – everything!

The crepes were divine. Both savoury and sweet with fruits. The Napa Valley wine also hit the spot and helped us sit and plan our next swimming adventure together.

Dan was one of the ‘famous five’ swimmers from the Gibraltar Straits and Corsica to Sardinia swims, the Croatia swim and the Hong Kong harbour swim last Oct. So lots of shared memories.

Feeling a little tired we fell into bed dreaming of the wedding adventures to come.

We’re looking forward to seeing Rob & Jordan – but in Sunshine- no snow! It’s been a year since we saw them.

Up, Up and Way!

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Airports! We love & hate them.

The anticipation of travel makes them exciting. The thought of a very long journey makes us dread them.

But just like the movie Love Actually which shows the most heart warming scenes in an airport, I love them. Especially when upgraded to Business class! I ❤️the welcome champagne even at 10am.

It’s a great people watching place – a little micro world. A friend once said to me : ‘when I get old my children can park me in an airport or a shopping centre with lunch money and I’d be happy all day.’

I love seeing what people wear for their long flights. Glamorous vs comfort. These days comfort wins. Jeans, leggings, trackies, shorts.

Though I did see one outfit that warrants description. A shortish, wide, dark haired lady had a colourful, bosom exposing outfit with cris cross straps over her shoulders and somehow down to an exposed midriff before attaching to the matching skirt. Finished with high platform shoes it was an eye turning outfit. Or was it eye watering. What was she thinking. I hope it wasn’t a 13 hr flight!

But who am I to judge. I too opted for ‘smart casual ‘ : soft jeans / jeggings a comfy pull on style. A navy light cotton cardigan from Uniglo bought last week for $14! It’s so soft and comfortable.

Now I’m sitting with my watch adjusted to LA time – 7pm , with a glass of Chardonnay, watching Murder on the Orient Express.

A great start to our Wedding Holiday. I must admit I have to stop myself from telling everyone I’m going to my lovely son’s wedding in Santa Barbara. It’s very exciting.

So read along and share the excitement.

The Countdown is On.

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Who out there enjoys packing for a holiday? I usually do but feel quite rushed / confused / perplexed this time! Why?

We’re not swim trekking like our usual holidays have been lately. On swims treks the packing is easy. It’s usually summer and relaxed. This time it’s a wedding in Santa Barbara, California! Then 3 different locations. New Orleans, Cuba and New York!

I’m trying to stick to my own packing rules ( check out an earlier blog). Pack in 3’s. 3 bottoms, 3 tops, 3 dresses, 3 scarves, 3 shoes. Then add the ‘wedding gear’.

I’ll let you know how I go! It’s going in the suitcase this afternoon. It’s a new bag and is a larger carry on! So I’m limited on the space! Wish me luck.

I’ve also had to reload this website and don’t want you to miss my blogs. So please send a message in the comments box so I know you’ve seen this post.

Did I mention it’s my son’s wedding! So I am to be a MOG. Mother of the Groom.

Barcelona. A favourite 

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Today we disembarked at Barcelona – this beautiful city that was home to Rob for 5 seasons of waterpolo.
It’s lovely to be back. The buildings are amazing. The weather fantastic and the food. Yum.

So far we haven’t done too much. The children chased the pidgeons in Placa De Catalunya whilst we waited to get into our hotel.


Then lunch in a nearby tapas bar before a walk to my favourite food markets.


Now we’re at the Hotel Lleo a rather nice modern hotel chosen by Berti. Great wifi! And a pool for the kids.


Tonight a vegetarian tapas bar!

Barcelona I ❤️you. Despite there being warnings to stay away from La Rambla tonight as there is another protest over the proposed Catalan separation.


Tomorrow la Sagrada.

Good Morning Corfu

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We woke up in Corfu today.


It was a super smooth trip. You can barely feel the movement of the ship at all.

Last night we had aperitifs in Berti and Fabios little apartment. Fabio had organised some wonderful nibbles.

Then it was off to the Crooners Bar and the Princess Show


Today we are doing the first and only organised tour. To the Achilleion Palace. Built during the 1880’s by Empress Sissie (or Elizabeth) of Austria as a summer Palace.

It has beautiful gardens with an array of statues and light airy rooms.

Once again I realised why we don’t like group tours!  They move so slowly.

But the drive in the bus out of Corfu town was a  good way to check out the countryside.

How to Beat Jet Lag . 

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Jet lag. That fuzzy feeling you get after a long plane flight.

Don’t let it get the better of you.

Plan positively to overcome it and you’ll thank yourself!

Choose flights carefully. When leaving,  try not to leave late at night. It means you start or finish  your holiday missing a proper nights sleep. Try and do day flights as much as you can.

Reset Your Bodyclock:

What ever time you leave, straight away reset your clock to the time at your destination. Then on the plane work to that time. You might be tempted to keep watching movies – but they just stimulate. Decide when you want to sleep and put on a mask, jam in some earplugs, and curl up as much as you can. Try and sleep.

Fluids:

As sad as it is alcohol doesn’t help. Try and limit the number of drinks, but drink plenty of water. Also a Berocca tablet helps. Before, during and after the flight.

Exercise:

When you get home keep moving. This time I arrived home at 7am and straight away showered,  unpacked, put on the washing then went to the pool. It was a lovely sunny winters day and the I swam for 4about 45mins then sat in the sun and had coffee. So if you don’t swim go for a walk, wash the car, sweep the outside of your home – anything to get you moving preferably in the sun. Hold out until the evening before sleeping. if you can’t have a short nap fairly early in the afternoon and then go for a walk , do some food shopping and cook an early dinner. Early to bed and if you have something to help you sleep take it!

Get back into routine as quickly as you can. Your body will thank you!

Visit to Szechenyi Spa followed by the House of Terror

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Another day another Spa. In Budapest this can be true. We decided to go early to avoid the big crowds. Hmmmmm

This time we chose Szechenyi Spa in City Park. Another great park. This one equally as large and lovely as Margaret Island Park. .  We arrived on the bus no 105 at a huge square or Piazza with amazing statues.


We entered the park and passed a pool where the FINA ynchronised wimming was taking place. We could tell by the loud music echoing across the park. Then a castle. A large one. So fairytale like, I was entranced. It was Vajdahonyad Castle built in 1896. So romantic. It overlooks what is usually an ice skating rink in winter but now home the synchronised swimming!


We kept walking along paths past beautiful fields with large trees, people sunbaking, children playing, dogs and their owners romping , tennis courts, skate board park, a zoo and finally the Spa. It is amazing. It looks like a castle! It’s larger than Gellert Spa on the Buda side. It was built in 1909 in the modern renaissance style. We stood in line for the only ticket office open. I must say this is something that could improve in Budapest! The ticket lines can be long and slow. So try and book whatever you can on-line.

This is the entrance to the Spa

But once inside it was well organised. You buy your ticket which can be either a locker, or for more money, a cabin. We just got lockers. You don’t really need a cabin to change in. Once again we went off to the male / female change rooms and left our gear in lockers. This time I kept more things with me. Hat, sunnies, cream, towel, swim cap, a little money and my phone for photos.

Here is a list of the pools you can visit. Some are indoor, some outdoor. There are heaps of sun lounges if you can manage to get one as well as chairs, a cafe and a constant parade of people from every corner of the world. All traipsing about from pool to pool and some getting burnt! It was hot.


We started in the outdoor 30% pool and then the lap pool which was 26%.


Then we moved inside and the pools went on from one room to the next. On and on. We tried the 40 degree pool. Sizzling hot! Then into the 20 deg  pool. Chillingly refreshing. There are foot baths before entering each pool and lots of saunas and showers you are  encouraged to use. It’s such an interesting place.

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I did not get into this one. Way too many people for me!


I found the aqua class, which is included in the price and I was encouraged to get in by Christina, a local lady who was just delightful. So there I was doing Aqua with the locals. My Aqua girls at home will be impressed! Christina said she decided to holiday at home this summer and was at the pool most days doing 3 Aqua classes, swimming 2 km, having a massage and sunbathing. Sounds good to me.

Christina my new friend is on the left in blue.

We had secured a shady spot with a sun lounge and could see the big screen they had up to show the FINA World Cup acitivities. There was the synchronised swimming! Followed by the women’s waterpolo. By now we were in the swing of it and were enjoying ourselves very much. Not quite the beach but pretty good.

View from my sun lounge.

We had some lunch and finally decided enough. It was hot. So back through the labyrinth of corridors to our change rooms. Not sure how the men handle the change rooms but the women show a distinct range of behaviours. The older women, probably local and the Japanese / Chinese are all walking around in the shower area sans swimmers. Others like the British and American are not quite so … bare.

So, freshened up we headed off to walk the rest of the park and down Boulevard Andressy to the House of Terror. Steve had tried to go the other day but the queue was too long. Today very little queue outside so we joined it. As people came out the line was admitted. Inside there was a queue as well  – to a single open ticket desk. And the man from the door intermittently yelled move on move on. If only we could!

Finally in we went. It had spooky music playing to get you in the mood for the story of Hungary under occupation. First by the Nazi Germans then the Soviets. These poor people endured so much. Communism was a blight they endured after the war , during the Revolution in the 1950’s until finally the Soviest left in 1991.

NO Photos allowed!

It was an unusual display with the unfriendliest guards I have encountered . At one point we were held in a room with about 8 others and told not to move! We stood there and waited. He wouldn’t answer questions about why we were there. Until finally we were ushered along a ramp into lift …….that moved down slowly enough for the little movie in the lift to tell us how the objectors to communism were hanged. It was quite scary.

Finally out of the House of Terror and back to our apartment. I am very pleased not to have lived through that time.

Dinner tonight was at Bock Bistro. I can definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Budapest. It was great. And no more than 7 mins from our apartment. Thank you Trip Advisor.

Had to have the local Chicken Goulash. Delicious.


And so another day in beautiful Budapest.

Only one day left.

Tonight we heard from Rob’s friend Pietro. He played with Rob at the Beijing Olympics. He now lives and plays in Italy!  He has tickets for tomorrow night’s sold out game –  Italy vs Aus!  Thank you Pietro. I’m so pleased we had a very special dinner tonight. Tomorrow night it’s waterpolo!

Pools, Parks and Parliament

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Today we went for the three P’s for a perfect day. Pool, Park, Parliament.

We started with the Pool. It’s been a while since Rob played waterpolo so we hardly know a person in the Australian team. But we decided to go and support them and relive some memories. We were thrilled to see Locky Hollis in the team. For those who know Rob you might remember the ‘Support Rob and Locky campaign’ when they were facing their cancer treatment. Today Locky scored 3 goals and looked terrific. Australia  are playing in the World Cup and faced France today. This was a good one to see as they won. 11-10. Not so good against Hungary two days ago.


This took us onto Margaret Island which we wanted to see. It’s an island that sits in the middle of the Danube between Buda and Pest. And it’s lovely. I’m so impressed with this city. After the waterpolo we toured the island in a little covered bicycle. These and assorted other bicycles, peddle cars, electric cars and mini trains can be hired from about $10 per half hour.

I did do some peddling!

The park has wonderful musical fountains , cycle paths, a rose garden, a Japanese garden, several swimming pools, a small children zoo with animals found in Hungary, a church, several restaurants and lots of shaded areas to walk or just rest. I loved it.

The musical fountain. So great to sit and watch.

Steve would have rented one of these if he’d seen it first.

After exploring the park we headed  back over the bridge for lunch  (Goulash soup for Steve and tuna salad for me with two beers and a glass of Rose – about $40. ) and  a visit to Parliament (just under $A50). This building is amazing. They aren’t afraid of spending money to finance big buildings. We couldn’t get onto a tour until 5.15 so went wandering and returned later. If coming here, I suggest you jump online and book your tour ahead.


The sculptures I have mentioned before and I loved this one of Imre Nagy,  a former Prime Minister, standing on a sculptured bridge  gazing back towards Parliament. I just had to get alongside him and enjoy the view.


We wandered further and found some great spurting water features with children running through screaming with laughter. I wanted to run with them !


We returned later for the tour and it’s amazing inside the Parliament as well as outside.

Main Staircase. There are 196 rooms!

The Assembly where the Parliament meets.

This building was built after a competition for the architect with Imre Steindl the winner. It was started in  1885 and completed in 1904. It was damaged in the war but repaired and rebuilt. It’s stunning. The same architect also designed the Opera House which we visited yesterday.

From Parliament we went to Vaci  Street known as the shopping Street. Like many cities now, they have all the usual chain stores. From Dior to Mango, Ecco shoes  to H&M. Th world is getting smaller even in shopping terms.

So we retreated to  a people watching bar and ending up chatting to a New Zealander. He was an interesting man who had just been to his son’s wedding in Prague. His wife, a NZ politician, had returned home and he was continuing to holiday!

We had booked a river cruise at 9.30 so after our pre-dinner drinks we had quick street food from some vans in the square nearby and made our way to the boat.

I had read the  Legenda boats offered an hours trip including a drink for $45 a couple. I booked online and it proved to be a good idea. We got seats on the open air , top deck and it was great. There are cruises offering dinner but this would be a distraction to the sights.  Budapest by night is magical.

Parliament by night.

The Palace by night

The Chain Bridge

So ended another great day in Budapest.

Zagreb to beautiful Budapest by train

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Train travel takes the hassle out of travelling to airports and gives some scenery along the way.


We walked from our Hotel Palace Zagreb two block down through the gardens to the train and caught the 10am to Budapest. No security lines, no hold ups, no crowds. We met a very nice American mother and daughter seated opposite us and got underway for the 4.5 hr journey. The countryside was green and the journey peaceful.

Sometimes we think the taxis waiting for tourists at airports and train stations are there just to rip us off! Our taxi driver had better English than some of the taxi drivers in Sydney and was so interesting telling us about the city. And we didn’t get ripped off!

First impressions of Budapest. Big grand buildings, wide boulevards, decorative iron work, interesting street art. In fact quite Parisian. And of course. An EYE!

The Royal Palace is beyond grand. It’s now being restored and houses two museums.

The walk towards St Stephens Cathedral.

And here it is. St Stephens. We’re going there for a concert on Tuesday.

It’s quite ‘ summer in the city’  feel. Outdoor music, bars spilling over with people drinking beer and Aperol Spritz and watching the FINA water sports on big screen TVs.

We walked and walked into the evening to get orientated to this lovely city. The only disappointment is that the light rail runs along the river! You can get below it but it’s awkward. Pity, as the River  Danube is great.

The street sculptures and street art is always interesting and fun.


The city  is hosting the FINA World championships so there are lots of people around from a variety of countries. Somehow it doesn’t feel too crowded like Paris and Rome can feel.

Painted on the side of a building. So cute.

After walking we rewarded ourselves with a beer in a beer garden opposite our house. Then feeling tired we decided to stay on for dinner.  We got back to the apartment and just enjoyed it. Caught up with the Tour de France and used the washing machine. When travelling it’s great to have a good apartment with a washing machine and an coffee machine! This is a beauty I found on air BnB.  It’s in a great area, has all the essentials including a lift and is so well decorated and fitted out. And it’s less than Aus $100 a night. Well done me!


So we planned our day tomorrow. We’re going across the river to Buda to the Palace, the church of St Matthias and several other larger-than-life buildings. And this is a little of what we will see.

Saturday in Zagreb

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We were excited to get going this morning after a lovely dinner at Purger a good local restaurant. Purger is a slang word to describe someone born and bred in Zagreb.

It rated well on trip advisor and wasn’t far from out hotel, Zagreb Palace, or from the park where the little stalls were getting lively with drinkers and dancers. Purger is a little dated in decor. More 1980’s than now! But the food was great. Good local food. Veal seems to be very popular here and Steve had sauted veal with garlic! I loved my dish of cabbage leaves stuffed with lamb and pork minced meat swimming in a lovely paprika sauce. Served over mash it was  real comfort food and so different from the fish dishes I enjoyed on the island.


After a very good breakfast we hit the streets went to the local fruit & veg markets with the gorgeous red umbrellas. 


Bought a new cap and decided on a city bus tour to get to the rather spread-out areas of the city. It was disappointing! The driver drove too quickly and the commentary by a local women was so heavily accented and so fast we could hardly understand it.

There are many lovely buildings. Not as old as they appear because of the earthquake in the 1880’s but  they are grand. Then there are the communist style – plain austere and uninviting. Then there is the street art. I think when countries embrace street art or graffiti as we call it the result can be fantastic.


We got back about 40 mins earlier than stated ‘on the brochure’,  so decided walking was the way to explore the old town and joined in on a few walking tour groups to get some information.

The Stone Gate, built in Middle Ages, houses a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We passed houses with spiked domes on top. These were to stop the witches from landing on the roofs!  There were stories of witches being hunted by the locals. Those poor women – the ones with a mole ( a sign that they were a witch) – were automatically killed!


Couldn’t resist a visit to Kravata – a tie shop famous for its tie made using the colours and design famous in Croatia.  The necktie was invented here in Croatia! The Croatian women used to make triangular scarves ( or kravats) for their men to wear when leaving for a war. They tied them around their neck for good fortune and so they would return. The Croatians served as mercenaries for the French – hence the “cravat” and the fashion item!


Then I couldn’t resist the Museum of Broken Relationships. It was recommended by my swimming wing woman,  Betty. At first I though it was about relationships lost through war. But no,  it’s regular people talking about a love they lost. Each story was accompanied by an item that meant something to them. Oh there were some sad stories.

One of the exhibits from the Museum of Broken Relationships. This girl had met ‘her love’ and he left her.

In the cafe of the museum this is the wifi information!

We recovered from the Museum by walking past the funicular into the Strossmayerova park  with its beautiful views back over the city. It was here we sat on the park benches with whimsical things hanging from the trees – witches, hoops and  flowers and had some lunch. Again a sausage and beer for Steve! 

We continued walking along the path, stopped to look at the view from over the stone fence and spied The Art Park tumbling down the hill. Such a great use of space. Straw animals and lots of street art.

Then a spot of shopping for me while Steve went to the Model Train exhibition!

We continued walking until a storm hit which sent us all into bars and restaurants. There are so many outdoor cafes with padded seat pads that the waiters were kept running bringing all the pads inside. By the time we got a drink the sun was back out!


Craft beers are a big deal here in Zagreb, as they are in many parts of the world. Steve was getting excited about trying another one so we found The Craft House and he sampled two different India Pale Ales. Of course while we were there right near a church we saw a wedding!


Now it’s rest time before dinner at Bistro Fotic a recommended restaurant not far from our hotel. PS. Just back and it was great. Yum cutlets for me with minted peas and feta. Pepper steak for Steve.

Zagreb is proving to be a great place for a few days – summer being the best time to visit.

Watch out for my 10 best things yo see and do in Zagreb.