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Overseas trip

July - December 2023
A 154-day adventure by Prideaux Family Read more
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  • 47footprints
  • 17countries
  • 154days
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  • TravelerOverseas trip
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    Day 30

    Rothenburg

    August 21, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After our stay in our nice farm house. We set off again to drop off our car, hop on a bus, get on a train and pick up our new car. I was surprised that there wasn’t any border security from France to Germany. Like I said in my last blog I noticed that the German houses were much more colourful than it is in France. My frist impression of Germany wasn’t the best because we got off at the train station so there were a few odd people about. But once we got to Rothenburg all those train station events were wiped from my mind. It was one of the most amazing towns I’ve ever seen, it had the old town from olden days and it had a wall around it and about 3 clock towers. The shops were bright with ( I assumed ) local made puppets, toys and many other things. It is also known to be home to one of the biggest Christmas shops in the world. We checked in at our apartment which was also amazing with real comfy couches,and got a tour around the place with a night watchman who told us about the history and the security it used to have. It was even better though because he was all dressed up.

    Our second day in Rothenburg was even better, we looked in the church that apparently had a few drops of Jesus blood, old shops like this massive Christmas shop with a big Christmas tree and a wooden spiny thing. We went into a medieval shop. There were helmets, a quill and ink, and a few daggers and swords, there was also a shop full of stuffed animals. We walked around the wall of Rothenburg too. To sum up so far I think that Rothenburg had taken top spot in my list of favourite places.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
    Day 32

    Garmitch

    August 23, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After we left the fairy tale town of Rothenburg we got back on the road to the mountain countryside where we were going to do a fair bit of hiking. But before we got there we wanted to go to an old nazi concentration camp at Dachau which was very confronting because we learnt all about what they did to them and where they stayed and the terrible conditions they went through. We kept driving and we got to the mountains kinda like Mont Blanc but these where smaller( not by much ) our little house was next to a little river and a few of the mountains. We met a really nice lady who owned the Airbnb and we just chilled out for the rest of the day.

    Our next day we woke up semi early to catch a gondola up a 2628 metre mountain and then walk down. It was very steep and Rocky but the views were amazing . As we were going we saw cows with bells attached to their front and they didn’t have any gates either, people paragliding off the mountain and mountain bike riders which confused me because the hills were extremely steep! Even at the top there was this hangover part that hung over the big drop 1km. It didn’t help that it felt like it was wobbling. After our walk down the mountain we all kinda hated each other after a 5hr hike, but Dad planned to go on this swim in a lake, which I didn’t really want to do, but we did it. And I’m so glad I did, the second I got in I wasn’t hot anymore,it wasn’t salty and it just dropped off into the deep. The sand at the bottom was so soft because the lake was so still that when you touched it your hand went straight through it like air. It was so deep that you past this invincible line in the water that when you dived down and passed it it was freezing cold. We even had a big view of the Mountains behind us and a few fish and ducks.

    The next day we woke up extremely sore. But in spite of that we wanted to go to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle. We had a tour around hohenschwangau which was a big yellow castle and was said to be their summer retreat. It was much more colourful than any of the castles in France and all the furniture in it was original,only because German medieval history seemed more peaceful (sort of)We then walked up to Neuschwanstein Castle of which the Disney Castle was based on and one of the most famous castles in Europe. We walked around the White turrety tower and went on the bridge above it ( which didn’t feel very stable at all). But all and all was a really good sight seeing day.

    Our next day I believe was one of my highlights. Dad had planned this gauge thing which was near our first mountain hike. It was around a 3 hour hike through a gorge. Minus 20 minutes to walk to it, but it was no boring 20 minutes. We walked passed a few horse and carriages, some really cool little huts, a busker at a cafe playing a piano accordion ( which was very different from the kind of music we hear at our dining places ) we even saw a grass cutting competition of people cutting grass in traditional German cloths and cutting grass with the weapon like the grim reaper uses. Thankfully these guys did not look like no grim reaper. Once we got to the gorge we immediately had to pull our rain jackets on due to all the water flying about. It was so loud in their because of the water rapids that run through there. The walk pathway was cut into the wall of the gorge so in some parts we were walking through stone tunnels. On the other side we ate lunch next to the calmer water and had a competition of who could keep their legs in the ice cold melted ice mountain water. I got 3 minutes 10 and won, but at the cost of not feeling my legs for a while after.

    Our next and last day we had a bit of a rest day ready for our journey to Austria tomorrow    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
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    Day 38

    Hippach - Ausria

    August 29, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    After our stay in Germany we wanted to drive to another country. So we got on a bus for an hour and we achieved that goal by heading into Austria. It was a very cold and rainy day,but that did not stop us from walking an hour to our rental car. Because of all the rain all the rivers were brown and overflowing. Luckily it wasn’t supposed to flow over as we were passing but later in the day. We got to our valley of Hippatch and I think it might be the best accomodation we’ve had so far. It had an amazing view( because we were quite high on the valley ) seperate beds, and a really good shower. That night we stayed and looked over the view. At one point we thought there was a black out further down the valley, but that’s only because a cloud was passing through us.

    Our next day we went for a walk down to the town and looked in a few shops. Sadly we couldn’t go up to any of the mountain because of the clouds so we had to wait for them to pass to go. We did the same thing the next day too but instead we walked beside the river.

    On our 3rd day here we went up and drove up the mountains. We were driving 4 times the height of mount Oberon. We came across a place called Marmul world where it was like a petting zoo and we went for a few walks too. We kept driving through really skinny roads and we were like 3000 meters in the air. There was a lot of mist too and we got a few really good photos.

    On our last day we wanted to walk up a 2300 metre mountain ( as you do ) We drove up to 1700 metres and walked the rest. It was right next to a dam so it was really pretty and the dam was tall. It was a pretty steep and hard walk up and had plenty of rests. Up on the top there were sheep goats and chickens. It was like a whole animal farm. There was also a bridge that made it look like we were dangling over a really steep hill. I think I had my favourite lunch spot there looking over the Alps. The walk down too was much faster and warmer but we were going down pretty fast so the heat didn’t bother us too much. At the end of our walk we went for a shorter walk along the Dam wall which was very high. Hippatch was one of my favourite spots so far with the mountains and the really nice owners. Even though it was a pretty slow start and we didn’t do much because we could go up for the clouds. When it cleared the waiting was definitely worth it.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
    Day 42

    Weng

    September 2, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After we left Hippach we took a drive to Salzburg where they filmed the Sound of Music and the birth place of Mozart. We looked around at all the locations in the movie and in the gardens. The city felt very quiet and small but very pretty. It also happened that we came on the world pride festival day. We got a cinnamon Pretzel which was delicious and walked up to the hill where we saw the view of Salzburg from above, All the street signs were really rustic and old including the Maccas one. We got to our Airbnb, and down the street from our place are paragliders landing. It was a small place and it had a view of the mountain.

    The next place we went to was amazing. Hallstatt I think was my 2nd favourite place we have visited. (1st being Rothenburg) It was a town right on the edge of a river. Its buildings were very similar to Rothenburg’s, colour wise and design wise. Becuase it was Father’s Day we got to have lunch out ( kebabs ) which we haven’t done for ages and I think it’s the fullest I’ve ever been in a long time. The drive there was really nice, looking around at all the mountains and hills. It was a pretty short stay but I think we made the most with what we did. Ready for a 4 hour bus trip and a 3 hour wait tomorrow… yay.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
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    Day 46

    Ljubljana

    September 6, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Our 4 hours bus trip was quite the journey. It wasn’t as bad as I originally thought it would be. While we were on the outskirts of Ljubljana it seemed like a very dirty and gross town with a lot of vandalism, but the more we got into the heart of it the nicer it got untill we got to the section ( where we were staying) that gave a very Paris vibe. The inside of the apartment was very artistic because there was a yellow fridge, a bunch of local art work, and across the street we saw a painter painting on a canvas.

    The next day we had a relaxing morning and slowly eased ourselves out onto the streets to look at shops. We got a burek for lunch which is a triangle thing filled with a bunch of yummy stuff ( sorry that I’m not informative there’s a reason I’m not hired as a food critic ). We then went out to the street later at night for a drink by the river.

    On our last day in Ljubljana we went for an 11am tour around Ljubljana. Even though it’s history is kinda grim with the communist stuff it was kind of a funny history art wise. The statues throughout the city add so much to the vibe of the place. We got our Burek again and chilled out for the rest of the day. We also saw a band playing on a boat going down the river, and a violinist playing on the triple bridge. The good thing is because there were no cars we could hear it from a distance. There was also an Irish soccer team celebrating so it was cool to see the contrast of cultures. To sum up our stay in Ljubljana it was a quiet small city with delicious food and cool music and culture and would definitely recommend going.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
    Day 47

    Zagreb

    September 7, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Our bus ride to Zagreb was short and quick. We got to Zagreb and walked to our Airbnb. It was much more spacious than our other ones. It also came with a membership to a fancy pool. That night we got to go to a really cheap kebab shop that was really good. And the area around was very graffitied and run down but that makes sense because there was a war for 10 years here.

    The next morning we took a tour in the old city which was pretty cool knowing the history which also linked to the history of Ljubljana. We passed farmers markets, towers, and a 18 hundreds canon that fires at 12:00 each day which was extremely loud. We got home and went for another swim in the fancy pool which was very nice. And saw some more of the graffiti on the way.    Read more

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    Day 50

    Dugirat

    September 10, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our relaxing start to the day was greeted by a Uber Tesla which was super fancy. We had to take one to get to our rental car which wasn’t quite a Tesla. We then went to Plitvic national park where we had a walk around a lake that was crystal clear and a few waterfalls. On our way out of there we saw a big Croatian choir plus dancers plus a little band, all dressed up in their traditional clothing. At our place we met a really nice guy called Igor which was right across the road from the beach. Which didn’t have any sand but that’s ok.

    Our first full day at the beach was extremely wonderful. We spent time by the beach and our Airbnb host gave us an inflatable donut for us to ride in. The water was 25 degrees which is much warmer than Phillip island and very clear, so much so that you could see the bottom for ages away from the shore.

    Our next day we did the exact same thing as we did the day before. This time though I got on my inflatable donut and sailed all the way to the rope where they don’t let boats passed ( which is really far out)

    On our last day after our initial swim at our local beach. Dad and me decided to do an aqenture. ( you didn’t read that wrong Dad just put aqua and adventure together) On our aqenture we walked along the beach and swam in spots that looked cool. One of the spots was so clear and deep that when you dived off this platform you would go extremely deep and look around all the surrounding waters. Then we sat on our deck and watched the sun go down. Dugirat I decided was my second favourite place. I think it was because we where in the cities so long it was a nice refreshment.    Read more

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    Day 53

    Dubrovnik

    September 13, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We left Dugirat, our little beach town to go to Dubrovnik, another beach town. It was a mix of my two favourite things about Europe the beach and the old towns. We went for a swim at the beach and went back up to our apartment (which was pretty spacious) and played a few rounds of 500.

    On our second day in Dubrovnik we took a tour in the old town. We learnt a lot about it all but I think I liked Germany’s old towns only because it’s more colourful. The city had a funny history with lots of story’s from cats who got a small palace outside a museum to a monk who cursed a whole island. That night we chilled on the beach and then watched a movie to finish off our day.

    Our 3rd day Dad and Mum got up real early and went down to the old city. We then went to a new beach and chilled there. I finished another book too.

    The next day we went to the orchestra and into the old town at night. The orchestra was really cool to watch and see the professionals do it. It was also in a really cool room. Then we got ice cream. We also saw a tv news presenter

    On our last day in Dubrovnik we basically did what we did most days. Hang out on the beach and chill around Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik was really good and relaxing the only downside to it was that there were a lot of stairs.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
    Day 58

    Dabrota

    September 18, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Our trip to Dabrota. I reckon this was one of my least favourite change overs of the whole trip so far. First off we had to walk 50 minutes, a lot of it uphill with suitcases and backpacks on a hot morning to the bus stop. So starting off great!Then the bus driver was corrupt so he made us pay 2 euro each so he could put our bags in the bus. At the border we had to get out of the bus twice because Montenegro is not a part of the EU so it’s more strict on its border control. Once we got off the bus we ate lunch which was all good. But then the Airbnb person who said they would drive us to the Airbnb backed out so we had to walk 50minutes to the place. 10 minutes into the walk we were texted saying that her driver can pick us up so we had to walk back to the original destination. Plus there were a lot of noisy motor bikes and cars. The guy got there and it was extremely squishy and he charged us 5 euro extra because apparently we were too heavy. Slightly offended!! But luckily our accomodation was great looking over the sea and it had a pool and an awesome couch.

    We woke up and went to the old town and had a tour around the place. It was much smaller than dubrovnik and more colourful. I think that’s why I like it more. Then we went for a swim on our way home and chilled at home for the rest of the day.

    For our 3rd day we walked around the wall of the town and got ice cream. We explored the streets abit more and tried to find one that the tour guide suggested that only one person could fit down but becuase none of the streets had names it was abit hard.

    The 4th day was a complete relax day to get ready for our biggest travel day yet. But overall our time in Dabrota was good. I really liked the old town but everything around us was abit too loud.    Read more

  • TravelerOverseas trip
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    Day 65

    Rome Nu. 2

    September 25, 2023 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today we went to St Peter Basilica and it was the biggest church I’ve ever been to. It was a long line but definitely worth it. The statues at the bottom were 6 foot and then the ones above them were 7 feet taller to make it look smaller than it actually is. We learnt all about the paintings and statues and there was a church session going over the speakers with choirs and things which was really cool to see.

    On our last day in Rome we went to the Colosseum. We took a bus about half the way there and walked the rest. Jemilla was sick so she didn’t have the best day but she said she was glad she went. On the way Mum took a bunch of photos of doors. We went into a bunch of church’s as well as the pantheon. We saw a castle which was much more ugly than the ones in France and Germany, and finally made it to the Colosseum and had a look around listening to Ricks Steve’s audio guides. The Colosseum was smaller than I expected but that might be because in the movies it’s intact but in real life half of it’s destroyed. We also accidentally went into the below levels where only people who paid 50 euro each extra and in a tour were allowed to go. So we had a look around there until we realised our mistake. My summary of Rome is i definately liked it. Most of the food seemed pretty cheap. If I went there again I would walk more because then you could get a better vibe of the city. I didn’t like how there were so many people trying to sell you things and come up to you and stuff. The architecture was way more flat and square than Germany or France. But I would definitely come to Rome again because I still feel like there is so much I haven’t seen. That makes sense considering how long this place has been doing history!    Read more

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