• Off Duty Pharmacist
sep. – dec. 2015

Europe and a little Asia

Et 92-dags eventyr af Off Duty Pharmacist Læs mere
  • Start på rejsen
    1. september 2015

    It's in the planning

    1. september 2015, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After discussing where we wanted to go on our trip, I narrowed down cities between the bigger cities to visit, namely Lyon and Genoa. These places will have 2 nights each and 3 nights will be spent in Paris, Nice, Florence and Rome. We will then fly to Bristol (1 night) then on to Canterbury (2 nights) and finish on the continent in London (3 nights). Asia sees us visit Singapore for a relaxing 4 nights before arriving home. It's my biggest trip, B's biggest trip and our biggest trip together. B's mum has decided to do Italy with us and we'll meet up with my cousin in Bristol. He'll visit some London sights with us too.
    Cost wise, we're trying to save where we can but want to enjoy ourselves too. We have budgeted $AUD150 per night for accommodation. I'll do a cost breakdown in the next post for those interested. All accommodation, trains and flights are booked. We are t minus 61 days today but still need to look at things we want to do in the cities we visit, it'll hopefully go quickly!
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  • Countdown underway

    18. oktober 2015, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Well today marks two weeks until we set off on our adventure! We've been looking into things to do in each of the cities and have booked a few things so far like a walking food tour in Paris and a tour under St Peters basilica in Rome. We're staying in hotels in France and using AirBNB in Italy and in London. Our accommodation budget was Aud$150 per night and we came in under budget by about $100! It was challenging but definitely achievable. If you wanted to use hostels for a trip you could definitely do it cheaper staying in larger dorms.Læs mere

  • The journey...

    2. november 2015, England ⋅ 🌫 11 °C

    We were both not really looking forward to the travel to get us to our destination. This involved a 3 hour drive to Brisbane, an 8 hour flight to Singapore, a 3 hour stopover then a 14 hour flight to London. It's inevitable but arduous. We drove to Brisbane on Saturday morning ahead of our late Sunday night flight. We decided to have dinner at the airport (subway.. not available in Stanthorpe) to kill time. I got selected to do an explosives tesyt (yay...nasty piece of work she was too). We were buggered waiting for our flight. Finally we get on the plane at 11:15pm and start drifting off....BAM lights back on it's time for "refreshments". I'm not sure why people need those at 12:30am so we passed. I opted for a tea because I was awake then. B managed to sleep quite a bit on this leg, I drifted restlessly. Being three rows behind the toilet didn't help as the light constantly woke me. Breakfast was about 2 hours before landing, scrambled eggs for B, chicken noodles for me. A word to the wise: choose the Asian dish on an Asian airline...Singapore airlines did not disappoint. Soon we were off the plane wandering about Singapore airport. We used these foot massages (everywhere for free)...oh wow. Feeling revitalized we went for a stroll for some coffee (Kopi c) and some kaya toast. We have missed you Singapore! We also got some money from the ATM to change into euros and pounds. We wandered some more then got on our second leg to London. Noodles for me again and poached eggs for B this time. Writing this we are 4 hours down, 10 to go. Time to choose another movie.Læs mere

  • A quick British visit

    3. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Yes, the remaining 10 hours of that flight did eventually pass. We arrived at London Heathrow 20 minutes early...which was then spent in line at immigration (1.5 hours...they do say the Brits like to queue!). The immigration officer was quite interested to know what B's baking specialities were and then we were off to the tube to buy an Oyster card each and load them with credit to use when we come back at the end of November. We were soon at our one night stay in London before taking the Eurostar the next morning. Both exhausted we went to Pizza Express for dinner - the calzone for B and chicken salad for me. It came to £31 including a drink each. Pricey but we were happy. We were tucked in bed by 8pm and woke to no jetlag and an exciting day traveling to Paris.Læs mere

  • Bonjour Paris

    3. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The Eurostar was quite simple to use with immigration and security and it ran with military presision. After sitting in carriage three for 3 minutes we realised we needed carriage 2 and swiftly changed. The journey to Paris was quick - 2 hours 20 minutes but the channel tunnel was almost a non event (sorry James). We arrived in Paris and after a quick ticket debacle (machine only taking card but not ours...we found a cash accepting machine) we were on the metro to Odeon near our hotel. We found the hotel and yes our room was ready! It's quaint and has everything we need plus a cute balcony to top it off. We wandered for a bit and had lunch - 3 course set menu for €15 plus some rose wine of course. It was really quite good and a great start to French food. The French seem pretty friendly and like our limited french. Off to see B's relative quasimodo next. The line was long so we just admired it for today. Now off to the Eiffel tower and another long line. It took us an hour to reach the top, not too bad really. We just went to the second floor as B was more than happy at that level (well not happy but could tolerate it). We had some hot chocolates while up there (€7 for two with cream....only it wasn't real cream it was delicious). Starting to become weary we headed for the hotel. We had planned to go out this evening but we are buggered. Paris will be waiting tomorrowLæs mere

  • It's up and up in Paris

    4. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After an early night we made up for lost sleep and woke around 6:30am. After our lunch yesterday we didn't have dinner so needed some breakfast. We found a place that had 2 coffees, 2 orange juice, 2 crossaints and 2 half baguettes with jam for €15. Having filled a hole we set off for Notre Dame. Being around 8:30 there was no line in sight so we walked through then waited a bit for the towers to open and met some fellow brisbanites inline. €8.50 to climb and there was no lift like the Eiffel tower. Feeling the burn we enjoyed the view from the top before making our way down and off to the Arc De Triomphe. So firstly, I broke our Euro Trip 2010 golden rule: don't climb anything and secondly we decided to then climb the Arc? Well aren't we smart cookies. If you do decide to climb something in Paris the Arc is great. It's interesting to watch the traffic but it also gives great views over Paris. Lunch was a chicken and salad baguette for me and roll for B. Plus a chocolate éclair to share. Back to the hotel to relax before our Saint Germain food tour. Three hours well spent getting bread, meats, cheeses, salami, chocolate and learning about these things in French culture. We then enjoyed them all with wine at a small wine shop.Læs mere

  • Paris strolling

    5. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we had crossaints and coffees at Eric Kayser (quite a popular boulangerie) followed by a stroll to the Louvre and through the Jardin De Tuileries. We strolled back to the hotel to get ready for lunch. After a 15 minute walk we got to Les Bouquinistes restaurant. This was our "splurge" meal in Paris. The restaurant is owned by Guy Savoy who is very big in the restaurant industry in Paris. It must be famous people eating day! We chose this restaurant based on location and price (at the lower end of fancy.... Some three course lunches in Paris go for €500 a head. Let's just say this was not in that league...A measly € 45 each) We both had pumpkin soup and slow cooked beef. Fig dessert for me, rice pudding for B. The meals were really well done. Not the best meal I've ever had but you couldn't fault it. The champagne and wine also went down well. Another stroll lead us to a river cruise and after that Sainte Chapelle awed us for a while. As the day was getting on we opted for banana and Nutella crepes on our stroll back to the hotel. A nap for me and some reading for B followed by dinner at a French burger place €30 two burgers, two softdrinks and some hand cut chips. B thinks it's the best burger he's ever had. French meat is very high quality! Tomorrow sees us in a new town. Bonne Soirée (good evening)Læs mere

  • Bonjour Lyon

    6. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We woke up to an almost sunny sky this morning. We have been lucky with weather, it's been very cloudy but it's only sprinkled twice. After breakfast at a cafe we went back to the hotel to pack. With some time to spare we grabbed our books and headed to the Luxembourg garden right near our hotel. In the sun we relaxed for a while. We checked out and made our way to the metro. After a dramatic journey (train lost power causing a very sharp stop.... we're lucky we didn't end up on the floor... The delay was only about 2 minutes) we arrived at the station. We bought some lunch for the train and waited for our platform announcement. Second floor is a bit novel for Australians and allowed us views over the French country side for the two hour journey. The sun welcomed us to Lyon. It's actually quite warm (20 degrees Celsius). We checked into Hotel Elysee which is in the high end shopping district of Lyon. Oh dear. We freshened up and set off to Les Halles Paul Bocuse which is a covered market of fine food and the workplace of a girl I went to school with, Adrienne. Adrienne talked to us about cheese and we just generally chatted as well. It was a bit surreal, as it's been seven years since we graduated school. Adrienne asked how we managed with our limited French...we stumble. But we give it a try and have never really had a problem so far. B managed to order us 100g of Rosette De Lyon (like salami but amazing) in French, we got a brioche De praline and some wine as recommended by Adrienne. Some sweets from the patisserie evened out a fabulous meal which we enjoyed picnic style in our room. Hello Lyon food capital of the world! Special thanks to Adrienne for helping us out and having a chat!Læs mere

  • Walking Lyon

    8. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Today we woke early to get some washing done. After a 15 minute stroll in dark Lyon (the sun has been rising about 7:30am and setting at 5:30am) we reached the laundromat. Of course, it was all in French but not that hard to use. B's favorite sweater came out like a doll's! Haha. I'll try to fix it when we get to Nice. Then we grabbed some breakfast of cappuccinos and crossaints. Next up we walled to the old town to get the funicular to the top of the hill to see the Notre Dame basilica. Making our way down the hill we walked to find a cafe for lunch. €50 for a three course lunch and 500ml of pretty good wine! We could get used to eating at lunch and having small dinners! I had booked a Lyon City Greeter walk online before we came so we met with Karim who showed us lots of traboules (passageways through buildings that Lyon is famous for) and a few structures and monuments. We also saw this wall that has all the famous people born in Lyon painted on it. We finished the walk having a drink in a square. What a great atmosphere - people are really enjoying this warm weather. Karim left us but B and I stayed to try a "Monaco" - beer, lemonade and grenadine syrup. Yum! A bit too sweet for B but very drinkable.Læs mere

  • Bonjour Nice

    8. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    After a much needed sleep in we had breakfast and packed our bags. We set off for the train station for our next city, Nice. After a short delay we were on the train. We were luckily on the right carriage as in Marseilles we said Au revoir to half of our train. The journey from here to nice was very picturesque along the coast. We checked in to our aparthotel which has an interesting set up - living room and bathroom downstairs and bed in the loft above, up a winding stair case. Oh fun! Had Italian for dinner as it's very popular here - two pizzas and 25ml of wine for €30. Pizzas were huge! Off to explore the coast tomorrow...travel days are tiring.Læs mere

  • Eze and Monaco

    10. november 2015, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We woke up and had breakfast in our little apartment then set off to catch the bus to Eze, a medieval perched village 30 minutes from Nice. It took us ages to find the bus stop but we found it and hoped a bus would come. The bus rolled up and we were on our way. The views along the coast were incredible. We reached Eze and headed for the garden at the top. We strolled for a while, enjoying the views. We then walked through the village - it was like stepping into a movie set. We then walked down the terrifying nietzsche path to Eze train station. It took about an hour and was mostly loose rocks with some stairs. Two stations on the train brought us to Monaco. It was super clean and the port was filled with expensive boats. We walked up to the famous casino and found somewhere to have lunch. They are doing a lot of roadwork in Monaco at the moment. Tired from our big day we caught a bus back to Nice and strolled along the Promenade De anglais to get to our apartment. We rested for a bit, enjoyed some champagne then headed to the old town for dinner. Had zucchini dumplings to start then ravioli for the main. Mine was in a traditional sauce - daube. We shared some rose wine. Creme brulee and chocolate mouse finished a good meal.Læs mere

  • Nicely played Nice

    10. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we got up leisurely and decided what to do...Both a bit weary from the amount of walking we've been doing we decided to have a more relaxing day and use the hop on hop off bus. Now, I've always cringed at these for being very in your face and expensive and have not once used one. But we really enjoyed ourselves. It was made better by the crazy streets and rogue branches trying to wallop everyone on the right hand side of the bus. Being Nice, there were some great views and places we wouldn't have seen if not for the tour. We went on one loop that lasted 1hour 15minutes then walked through the markets and bought some dried pineapple and dates to have at the promenade overlooking the beach. These were the best dates I have ever eaten. Wow! Then we wandered along the beach and into a park for a little while before finding somewhere for lunch. After lunch we got back on the bus for another fun loop. Then we went to the galleries Lafayette shopping center to find me a new coin purse as my other was falling apart. We then came back to freshen up. Dinner in the old town again, we had a drink at a bar on the way. Steak for me, duck for B and caramel tart for dessert. A glass or two of wine and we called it a night. Tomorrow we leave Nice and France. What a week! France has been great! A few things we've seen: you can park anywhere you want with a smart car, they have charging stations to encourage smart cars, the French still love to smoke but e cigarettes are on the rise, the French love their dogs (and letting them poop wherever), French people are friendly, B thinks French cows are sheep (cows are small). Au revoir from FranceLæs mere

  • Au revoir France

    11. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we say farewell to France. We've loved all three cities we've seen for different reasons, had some great food and done a lot of walking. There may have been a few cold beverages in there too! Today we got up and packed again (both pros at this now) and headed to the park to relax before our train this arvo. A quick lunch of pizza for B and a baguette for me and we were off for the station. A few Italian cities later we arrived in Genoa (Genova) and found our Airbnb apartment. It's stunning and in a great spot. We grabbed a quick pasta dinner and some gelato and we are ready to call it a night.Læs mere

  • Buongiorno Genova

    12. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we set off around the old port town of Genova (Genoa in English, not to be confused with Geneva). We walked around the port to see where the cruise ships dock when they are in town. We had lunch at a small restaurant (2 pizzas, a pasta dish, 2 beers and one wine €33 for 3 people). The aquarium was next where we were successful at....finding penguins....As well as dugongs, seals, dolphins and smaller sea critters. Back to the apartment to relax a bit before dinner. We found a little pizza place that was modern, 4 drinks, 2 pizzas and a salad €42. Couldn't find gelato though so we will be on the hunt in Florence.Læs mere

  • Buongiorno Firenze

    13. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After waking up and having a coffee we packed our bags for our trip to Firenze (Florence). We grabbed a coffee and pastry from a small cafe then grabbed our bags and got the metro to station. Two hours later we were in Pisa for a quick stop before our train to Firenze (only an hour). We got a taxi to our unit but we were a bit early so had coffee and tiramisu and apple tart. Hello Italian sweets. Lucky we have been walking and carrying our bags...We checked into our AirBnb unit which is in a great location very close to the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. C and I went to buy some groceries for breakfasts and a lazy dinner tonight. Oh look. Red wine in our basket. Seriously at €6 who were we to say no. We had to weigh our bananas and tomatoes ourselves - top tip, they are indeed not called Roma tomatoes in Italy. Oblongo in fact...fair call I guess. We had pasta with salad and bread rolls for dinner and all the groceries we got came to €20... we were quite surprised at this cheap price. Back to the unit to do some washing and have dinner. Later we decided to venture out to find gelato but most places were closed. We found a place open but the gelato was average and expensive. Hopefully we find better!Læs mere

  • Finding Firenze

    14. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After a slow start, we walked to the Pizzale Michelangelo. Quite a hike up stairs and a steep road had us looking over Florence with its terracotta roofs, bridges and the Duomo. We then walked down and into the heart of Florence to the Santa Croce Basilica. We went inside and saw great stained glass and the tomb of Galileo Galilee and Michelangelo. We then had lunch - the best ravioli ever with sheep's cheese, gnocchi with tomato sauce and salad. Oh yum. €50 including 3 drinks. Back to the apartment to have a siesta. We then went to see the markets of leather, tshirts and.....selfiesticks. Try as you will, you cannot evade them. We dropped by the Florence Cathedral next. No way you could fit that in a normal picture frame and the facade was so ornate. Back to the apartment for a little while before venturing out again for dinner. We went to Il David right near where we are staying. Pretty good meal and great tiramisu and canoli!Læs mere

  • Firenze Frenzy

    15. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    An early start saw us strolling around the corner to the Uffizi Gallery to see works of art by Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo. There was no wait to get in which was handy. The gallery has a huge number of "Madonna with child" paintings. It was popular to be painting that in the 1400 and 1500s! After the gallery we had cappuccinos before a stroll through Florence. We saw a Lindt shop so had a quick look...there were about 12 flavors of Lindt Balls we'd never seen. We decided to get a few for tasting, of course. For lunch we grabbed some paninis to have at the apartment and had a relaxing afternoon. We decided to do some shopping on the Ponte Vecchio then we had some cocktails to toast out last night in this great city. Mojito for C, Singapore sling and a Manhattan for B and a Rum Cooler for me. Dinner saw us at a little Enoteca having osso bucco, pasta, chocolate lava cakes and of course wine. Next stop, Roma!Læs mere

  • Buongiorno Roma

    17. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A late check out had us on a midday train to Roma! It was a quick and relatively painless train journey and we were soon at our apartment in Rome. We got some groceries then went for a stroll towards the Castel St Angelo before having dinner just near our apartment. Dinner was great - saltimbocca for B, chicken with capsicum and tomatoes for C and roast chicken for me. It was honestly the best roast chicken I've had - crispy skin and herbs just made it mouth watering. The creme caramel for dessert was also good. Tiramisu for B and a ricotta and pear tart for C. Early night tonight.Læs mere

  • Roman roaming

    17. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    An early start this morning had us walking to the Vatican for a 9am scavi tour. This tour runs under Saint Peter's Basilica to see the musoleums and Saint Peter's remains that were found in archeological digs from 1939 to 1949. An interesting experience that not everyone gets to see. We stayed a while to see the coffins of the various popes throughout time and to see the Basilica itself. Next, we had coffee on our way to Piazza Navona. We then found the Pantheon and went inside. Lunch was next - a salad and two pasta dishes to share plus a drink each €32. Next on our search was the Trevi Fountain and gelato of course. We then made our way back to the apartment (10kms walked today according to C's fit bit). Dinner was pizzas, wine and dessert. €54 and a great view.Læs mere

  • Rome wasn't built in a day....

    18. november 2015, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Another early start had us walking to the Colloseum for our underground tour. There was no line at the structure when we arrived and our tour was soon underway. It was a fantastic way to see the Colloseum from a different angle. The tour also takes you up to the third level with a fantastic overview. An early lunch was had before an afternoon at the Roman Forum seeing all manner of Roman buildings used back in the day. The cobblestones were taking their toll so we started the walk back to the apartment. We managed to find gelato on the way back (miraculous). We rested up for a few hours before dinner at a great little wine bar. We had 3 wines, a cheese and salami tasting plate, pizza, risotto, potato and veggie crostini and 2 desserts for €76. I really enjoyed the atmosphere there - it's called mimi and coco if you're off to Rome sometime soon. Tomorrow we depart Rome and Italy...B and I are off to meet some very special people in Bristol!Læs mere

  • English countryside

    21. november 2015, England ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Yesterday B and I flew from Rome to Bristol on EasyJet. Our first experience on a European low cost carrier - it was actually not too bad after a little bit of a delay. We arrived to the smiling faces of Pattie and Lee (my mum's cousin and her son). An hour drive had us in their town of Melksham and saw us meeting Zoe (Pattie's daughter) and Iris (Pattie's mum and my late nanna's sister). After a great night at their house (thank you again!) we explored Bath with Lee. On the train again we traveled to Canterbury to see Daniel. We're staying at B's brother's parents in law's house. Can't wait to explore here some more!Læs mere

  • Chilly Canterbury

    22. november 2015, England ⋅ 🌙 1 °C

    We woke to a shining example of English weather - no sun shining at all. Looking at the weather we were in for a balmy 7 degree maximum. Still think we'd rather this than the 36 degree days home is getting at the moment. I finally cracked out my specially bought winter leggings to put under my jeans. Boy were these fantastic. American Apparel is on to something here. We walked around Canterbury and saw some historical sites and the high street and busy shops. We stopped for a pint before walking back to the warm house. For dinner we ventured out to an English pub for a great meal before a few more drinks to warm us up. A great day - what a quaint city.Læs mere

  • London's Calling

    22. november 2015, England ⋅ 🌙 1 °C

    We had a very cruisy morning just relaxing at the house in Canterbury before taking an afternoon train to London. I had a great time in Canterbury - there are still many quaint buildings and it had a great feel to it. Thanks to everyone in Canterbury for being so welcoming! B and I have been away for 3 weeks now so it was great to catch up with family and have a great night out. We then got a black cab (so cool! ) to our apartment. We ventured out for burgers and chips which were really enjoyable. B said the other day he's had enough pizza and pasta to last him a year - I told him I'd hold him to that! Three burgers with chips and three soft drinks £25. We got back to the apartment to have an early night. Lee and his friend arrived soon after to see some sights of London over the next day or two.Læs mere

  • Real life Monopoly

    23. november 2015, England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Today we set out near Buckingham Palace, walked past some very horsey horses, downing street, Trafalgar square and made our way to the London Dungeon to embark on a scary but fun adventure. After this we grabbed some lunch, checked out the London Eye from the bottom and went for a stroll along the Thames. We found a bus and jumped on for half a circuit to Tower bridge. We got off and got on a catamaran for a trip back to the London Eye. We then strolled to find coffee (yum! And warm, bonus). A bit weary we found a Tube station and rode to Oxford Circus to check out the shopping. We all got a book and B found some xbox games (a little bit cheaper than Aus). The Christmas decorations and feel of Oxford Street was great. Very busy but it added to the atmosphere. We then got back on the tube to ride back to the apartment. On our walk back we got some ciders and subway for an easy 8pm dinner. We walked about 15km today but saw what we wanted without feeling rushed. Last full day in London tomorrow!Læs mere

  • Last day in London

    25. november 2015, England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Today (yesterday as I'm writing this) we set out at about 9.30am to Leicester Square. We bought three tickets to Jersey Boys for 3pm. We then went to the Natural History museum - I didn't realize just how big giraffes are. They had a taxidermy giraffe and heaps of other animals. We then grabbed lunch at Jamie's diner and headed for Picadilly Theatre for the show. The man next to me (he was about 50) said he was the youngest in the theatre.... to which I replied "oh thanks" haha. The show was great - a few differences to the version we saw in Brisbane but still excellent. We really like most of the music in the show so that's a bonus too. We left the theatre and emerged in a dark London (5.30pm). We walked to Trafalgar Square (still playing Monopoly) then found a pub to have a pint. We then had dinner and got home. The next morning we headed to Heathrow for the flight to Singapore and said goodbye to C. Stay tuned for the Singapore part of our trip.Læs mere