Everything comes to an end...

Did I say we'd get to Madrid stress and argument free? Yes I did and I was right. Having Jane on board with us made the last leg of the journey completely pain and hassle free. Especially as Madrid is even bigger than Barcelona, with a population of 6 million people and just as many cars, having to navigate without her would have been a nightmare!

We were pleased to find also that the hotel we were staying at was the nicest we've had yet, I must have done my research when I booked it. It reeked class and featured several sun decks near the top of the hotel with lounges and decking just perfect for sitting back and enjoying the evening sunlight.

Yes, even worse than Barcelona, it was now not getting dark until after 10pm allowing the long, hot summer days to stretch out forever. Most days have been around 30c and we've been lapping up the sun and heat knowing that we're returning to the cold and wet. There was just one thing about the hotel that wasn't quite as classy as one would have liked. In the bathroom, the toilet faces the vanity and a mirrored drawer in the cabinet so when you're sitting on the loo, you're staring at your junk in the mirror. Classy huh?

After we arrived, Gareth happened to read the AVIS contract that I'd been carrying and lucky he did too! Where I thought we were dropping the car off at the airport in 3 days time (incurring 75 Euros worth of parking fees in the meantime) he found that we were actually meant to be dropping it off a block from our hotel. A quick visit to the AVIS office and we were able to return the car early, saving us 3 days worth of rental fees on the car and GPS (and a final farewell to Jane) as well as the 75 Euro in parking fees! We were very happy about that and figured it was money we wouldn't have had so would spend it on our favourite thing – us!

Madrid reminded us a lot of New York in terms of a major road which we were staying on (Gran Via) that act as a hub for the suburbs surrounding it. The locals call it their version of Broadway and it's easy to see why, with lots of big billboards, flashing neon lights and cinemas and theatres lining the street. One of the theatres near us is home to Beauty and the Beast while another is featuring High School Musical – The Musical! Marky D, we thought of you immediately! Unfortunately they were both in Spanish so we weren't able to go and see either.

As Madrid was our last stop, we have been slowly winding down, continuing to sleep late, going for a late breakfast followed by several spots of shopping (it's very addictive), getting some sight seeing done and then stopping for a rest before dinner.

We were also able to hire the day spa in the hotel for our private use and spent an hour using the spa, sauna, steam room and ice bath which was awesome! We both felt great afterwards and I think it was a great way to prepare for the end of the trip and get our bodies ready for the long flight home and for the detox we have planned. We realised the other day that I'd had 4 alcohol free days in over 9 weeks (G has had about 8) so a detox is definitely in order for the both of us. That didn't stop us here though, having a couple of nights out, one of which found us in a jam packed bar with one long continuous drag show for the 3 hours we were there. Who else should one of them do a number to just after we arrived but Kylie. (Better the Devil) I told you, the bitch is international!

Spain in general is currently undergoing several fads we noticed. The first we noticed in other parts of Europe also (mainly Prague and Berlin) but it was most noticeable once we got to Spain – the mullet. They have all your different varieties, the shaved on top with straight mullet, the permed mullet but the most common is your country bumpkin, serial killer style mullet. They are seriously everywhere, even on the hottest boys sometimes! You really have to wonder. Another massive fad also a little in France but again, mostly in Spain is the facial piercing. Lower lips are popular as are lebrets (in the middle, between your lower lip and your chin) but most popular are to the side of the lebret. 30% – 40% of young guys seem to have them which is massive! Tattoos are also V common, with more than 50% sporting some visible ink. Arms, legs, necks – it doesn't matter where although calf's are very popular.

As we've also mentioned in previous blogs, pronunciation is key when speaking foreign languages. We have learned another important pronunciation rule with Spanish, revolving around chicken. Chicken in Spanish, is 'pollo'. You have to be careful to pronounce the 'o' at the end as if you have an 'a' at the end instead as in 'polla', it changes the meaning completely. Where Pollo is chicken, Polla means penis. You don't want to be ordering that in a restaurant now do you? Nuggets anyone?

We have been reminiscing a lot already about the trip and we've both learned some interesting things about each other. This blog's learnings section includes some of these things we have learnt about each other over the last 9 weeks.

Learnings:

• I apply my lip balm "weird" according to Gareth. We don't know what it is I do, but always seem to have one pointy side.
• G has also learnt that I sigh a lot for no apparent reason.
• I have learnt that G has a big OCD streak when it comes to the locking of doors and windows. He is also ultra paranoid about being pick pocketed in the street.
• Breakfast buffets in Spain serve Champagne

We also thought it would be interesting to have a stats section for this, our final blog post for our trip.

Stats

Items of clothing bought – 43 (Dan 31, Gareth 12)

Km's driven – 4246km (Glasgow – London, 2199km, Paris – Madrid, 2047km)

Hotels/BB's we stayed in - 33

Litres of wine consumed (approx) - 42

Countries visited – 14

Currencies used -7

So now we're home again, doing the washing and settling back into our life. It's a little sad that it's all over but we're mostly happy to be home in our apartment, with our own couches, our shower, our coffee machine and most importantly, our own bed!! Thanks to all of you for visiting our blog, leaving us messages and all your good wishes along the way. We look forward to catching up with all of you before too long.

Love Dan and Gareth xx

Hola! Or should that be holler?

Last time we chatted, we had just arrived in Spain, in a small town called Figueres, famous for being the birthplace of Salvidor Dali. Of course we took a couple of hours out the next day to visit the Dali museum which is not only full of his original works but was designed by him as well. Gareth has always been a Dali fan and while I knew some of his works, I didn’t know just how much of a creative genius the man really was. Paintings, sculptures, drawings and art installations, including some awesome revolving 3D holograms that he created. Truly amazing.

We’d arrived in Figueres from Toulouse without Jane’s help so we were now more confident in our ability to get us to Barcelona in one piece. When we had Jane we were able to avoid paying tolls on motorways as we could take the secondary roads. It made the journey a little longer at times but much prettier also, taking us through sleepy little towns and along curved country roads instead of the monolithic highways. Without her guiding us, we now had to take the motorways so we could follow the signs. We knew that there would be tolls, but we had no idea just how many, or how much it would cost us! All up we paid close to 50 Euro (about $80 AUD) in tolls between Toulouse and Valencia! With me at the wheel and Gareth being map master for the day, we arrived safely and well ahead of schedule, getting in early in the afternoon.

Barcelona is a huge city with loads of freeways but we made it to our hotel without getting lost and with only a little stress as G wrestled the gigantic map we’d picked up at a roadside stop. We stayed in the Eixample area which sits about 15 mins walk from the centre of the city and is also the gay hub of Barcelona.

As we wanted to experience some of the local nightlife, we also now had to get used to eating late. Eating at 10pm is considered early so we did as the locals do, had a mid afternoon snack, a siesta in the early evening and headed out for dinner after 10.30pm most nights we were there. Being the weekend, we hit the bars and clubs quite hard and had several very long walks home at dawn.

During the day we continued to hit the shops and bought heaps of clothes (especially me) which had the additional benefit of saving us from doing any more washing. Bonus! We also saw the various buildings designed by Gaudi, the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and ‘The Magic Fountain’,
which I really loved.

The fountain has several light shows all designed with different themed soundtracks, just like the Bellagio in Vegas but better, I thought. There was a movie soundtrack one with the theme songs from E.T, Titanic, Star Wars and Superman which was great, but my favourite was the Disney one. No surprises there for any of you I’m sure.

After more than a week in France, we now also had to get used to Spanish rather than the French we had grown quite comfortable with. We both found ourselves ordering something in a shop or restaurant and saying “Sil vous plait” instead of “Porvivore” and “Merci” instead of “Gracias”. We both knew how to say hello though, or at least we thought we did. For the first few days, whenever we’d enter a shop and were greeted by the shop assistants, after the initial “Ola”, they would always speak to Gareth in English but speak to me in Spanish. It was puzzling to us both… Did I look Spanish? We didn’t think so but just couldn’t figure out why. After about 4 days in Spain, I actually listened to G when he greeted them back and was amused to hear that instead of “Ola”, he was saying “Holler”. I think he watches too much Tyra!! No wonder they knew he didn’t speak Spanish! The funny thing is that he always thought she said “holler” on her show because of her large Hispanic audience who speak Spanish. Naturally, we have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of that and now have several “Raise the roof, give up for Tyra!! HOLLER!” moments each day.

A large part of our day has continued to revolve around food – what we would eat, where and what time, and we have managed to find some great restaurants that serve very yummy tapas and great big jugs of delicious sangria. Unfortunately we had our dreams shattered at one of the restaurants though. When the sangria came out they hadn’t stirred it properly and there was about 2 cms of undissolved white sugar sitting in the bottom of the jug! No wonder it tasted so good!!

Spain also wins bonus points from G as when his phone roams to a new network, the network it lands on a majority of the time is “movistar”. He insists they know who he is and I just tell him “Holler!”

After 3 nights in Barcelona, it was time to start moving towards our last stop, Madrid and we chose Valencia, down the coast a couple of hours as the mid point stop for us. Again with no Jane to keep us on track, we finally found our way out of Barcelona and hit the motorway towards Valencia. We got to the city ok and we’d printed out the directions from Google maps so we should be right, right? Well, we would have been had there been any signs anywhere but as Valencia seemed to be completely devoid of signs, well the ones we were looking for anyway! Even though we were following the directions, the streets had moved or been renamed and we quickly become lost with no idea of how we would find our hotel as we also didn’t have any maps on us. Jane, we need you!! After a stressful hour or so and a little bit of luck, we stumbled across one of the streets close to our hotel – I recognised the street name from the directions we had – so parked the car and kept following the directions on foot until we found the hotel.

First thing we did the next morning was to find our local AVIS office and rent another tom tom. Finally we had Jane back with us and were once again ready to safely, happily and quickly head to Madrid knowing that we could depend on her to get us there stress and argument free.

Au revoir!

What we are listening to: Rhianna – Shut up and drive (remix)– it is on the radio all the time!

After spending a couple of great days in Paris, we continued our drive south and took in some great parts of the French countryside and experienced a completely different country. It is picturesque and beautiful but a world away from the busy cities and highly polished Parisian people. We drove south through the Loire valley and Dordogne region.

First thing on our agenda was to pick up our second car and another tom tom and discovered when we went through the language options that the tom tom lady’s name is actually Jane. There was an option for ‘Ken’ the male Australian voice but he was not installed – we gave 'Tim' the Irish man a go for only a short time but he got a little hard to understand (and kept on saying to be sure). We also discovered after talking to some other travellers at dinner one night that we are not the only ones who talk to her or at times disagree with her directions (They also had Jane and agreed that she was troublesome). It seems we’re not all that crazy after all! And bonus - the car we were given this time, an Opel Astra, was brand new. It had only 6 kms on the dash. Wow, go us. Being new it drives like a dream and corners like it is on rails. Bonus if you can name the pop-culture reference on this one. I couldn’t! We have traced our journey through France on the map on the left.

First stop, Orleans – birth place of Joan of Arc and still it seems the local economy revolves around her name. Let her live in peace I reckon. It is a cute little city with some lovely little streets but once again, apart from a Cathedral and a museum (the Joan of Arc museum, of course), there just wasn’t much there! Luckily we had our fare share of culture in Paris so a few quiet days certainly wouldn’t go astray!

We also took in a few Chateaus that were absolutely breath taking- Chenonceau and Chambord; expansive estates, gardens and amazing structures. I kept asking Dan if he would buy me a chateau for Christmas so I can live in hope til then. If he buys me one, then we would have the room to get a dog! Win, win I reckon!

On our way to Tours we stopped off for lunch at a lovely lake side town called Blois. They had a marathon so most of the streets were blocked off and we found an amazing café atop a hill near a church (what else?) for a rest and some lunch before continuing on our way.


From Tours, it was onto Bordeaux – as in the wine and we did enjoy some good ones too. After a bit of a search, we found the one and only gay bar that was open on a Tuesday night and what a night! It started slow but soon two boys were putting on a show for everyone dancing around waving feathered fans and wearing sunnies. And of course it wasn’t long until the pink wig came out and everyone (including the bar man) was having a go and loving themselves sick. It was just like being at home! Tim, Ben and Paula – we thought of you three straight away, you would have loved it! Then at one stage Lady Marmalade came on and 4 boys got up and danced on the actual bar… it was crazy! One thing we have noticed over here is that no matter where you are, the music is the same - Madonna, Britney and of course Kylie. Even in some of the smallest bars we have found in the dingiest cities, she always makes an appearance. I guess she really is international! A very late, slightly messy night and a hangover for both of us the next morning.

This also marked the beginning of some very hot days followed by huge but brief storms late in the afternoon. Lucky I got to drive through that one again! How is it that when we swap drivers after Dan gets tired, it seems to be a signal for the heavens to open up!?

Next stop was Toulouse where we had to say good bye to Jane so as to not incur a 100 Euro fee for taking her to Spain with us. She was in good spirits but was holding back what would have been tears if she allowed herself any softer emotion. We had a bit of a drama dropping it off as the AVIS lady wouldn’t accept the GPS at first but after convincing her to look up our contract on the system and then making some phone calls to Paris, she was told she could do it. What she said at first was “impossible”, was now possible. Showing some rare restraint, Dan bit his tongue about that, although he couldn’t help saying “Je ne pense pas, c’est tres complique”. (“I do not think it’s very complicated”) which surprised her as she just assumed he couldn’t speak any French at all. Dan, argumentative? Never.

Our last night in France was spent in Toulouse and we decided that our last meal should be traditional French in a local square. We were halfway through our entrées when the rain started. We were under outdoor umbrellas but before we could finish them the rain was coming in between the gaps and splashing onto us off our plates. Not the best way to enjoy Foie Gras or Salmon tartare!

With Jane left behind us, we had to rely on maps and our keen sense of direction for the next part of the drive. I mean, really. We’re two grown men, fully able to drive and read maps and road signs… how hard could it be??

We were now on our own (sans technology) from Toulouse to Figueres, then onto Barcelona. Needless to say I was a little bit scared but we successfully passed the first challenge by making it to the medieval town of Carcassonne. It is the last remaining entirely walled city in Europe and they have a great shop that sells all sorts of delicious, handmade biscuits, gateaux and truffles. We did our best to support the local economy and said goodbye to France, crossing the border into Spain and arriving in Figueres mid afternoon.

Learnings:

• An Oom pa-pa band (as we saw in Bavaria) is not the same as an oompa loompa band.
• It is possible to give some one a travelling haircut with beard clippers and nail scissors.
• As the waiter gave Daniel his meal in Bordeaux, we both swear he said, “Here is your chicken and dog box.”

Next up is Spain which marks one week to go. :(

This story is brought to you by the letter p. P for Paris.

As I mentioned in the last blog, we (Dan) booked the wrong dates for our arrival so we got an extra few days in Paris as a bonus. Only for a moment were we homeless/room less in Paris. Then we rocked up to the hotel we were booked into and luckily they had vacancies. As it turned out, it probably was for the best. Who would say no to an extra 2 days in Paris?

For the four days we took it really easy and pretended we were Parisian. We ate baguettes, croissants and talked French with varying degrees of success, we really could live here! It is getting easier though. We’re now able to negotiate most conversations in French and don’t have to revert to English too often which makes the whole experience all that more rewarding.
After a really good sleep in after the tour we went for what would be many walks around the city. We got to the Eiffel tower and decided the lines were too long, so we grabbed some food from a vendor and sat in the Champs de Mars. Actually, I read while Dan had a sleep in the park. He can sleep anywhere – I don’t know how he does it… we had to save our energy for the show we were seeing that night!

We continued to work out the credit card with a bit of shopping and we even helped locals move a lounge on trolleys along La Sienne – they started with a case of beer and were more than half way thru when we helped them. They had been moving the lounge on top of two trolleys for over an hour!

Yes, you may have guessed it… we saw the Moulin Rouge (cue the music!) it had everything… of course the dancers and the can-can, but also a ventriloquist, a juggler person, even a lady who swam with huge snakes in a giant aquarium. We did the dinner show and it was worth every cent. The sets and costumes were amazing with platforms descending out of the ceiling and stairs rising out of the floor. Just think of one of Kylie’s shows with massive plumes of feathers, add steroids, get their tits out, stir a little and times it by 10! It really was awesome.
After the show we didn’t want to go home so we hit the streets looking for somewhere to drink! (as you do).

At the second bar we met some nice locals who at 2 am, as the bar was closing, realised they had to work tomorrow. We were also taught some of the nuances of the French pronunciation. I couldn’t and still can’t tell the difference from La Sienne to La Sienne (something about the ne sound)… ask Dan about how to pronounce Enchante’ for example… he got a 5 minute lesson on that word alone. Apparently he has a beautiful French accent though according to the lady we were chatting to.

The next day after a sleep in (thank goodness for dark thick curtains) we made our way to the Musée du Louvre complete with secret entrance (well not secret), rather the second, little known about entrance. No line for us, we bought tickets and straight in! We did all the usual things and we reckon the real Mona Lisa was not on display – people cameras were flashing everywhere, right in front of the guards and they didn’t do a thing… thankfully not that many people there when we got to it, I walked up to the front of the rail to get a sort of good look – she was still a bit away…

Dinner that night was wine, cheese, meats (and foie gras for Dan) and of course a baguette by the shores of La Sienne, topped off with a layered chocolate/coffee pudding and egg custard tart. We saw the locals do it when we went on our cruise on the first night of the tour and we just had to do it as well. The wine and nibbles tasted great with an awesome setting.

In our attempt to avoid the queues we went to the Eiffel tower 30 minutes before it opened. Our patience was rewarded as we first the first lift to the very top of the tower. It was great to take in the view without the crowds which arrived soon after. When we left the queue to get to the summit was very long and we all know how much Dan and I like to wait in line.

Again we went out for a nice dinner to mark our last night in Paris. We found a nice ‘jazz’ place on the island. Well if you call a solo piano player who seemed to just speed up his standards ‘jazz’. Definition aside, it was great – food was exquisite and a perfect way to end four fantastic days. It was sad to say good bye to Paris but we were looking forward to seeing some more of the country. First stop, Orleans.

Observations

• In the Marais district, in the mornings, there is an overwhelming smell of disinfectant through the streets as they disinfect the paths and out front of restaurants. More than can be said for some of our cesspit bars at home!
• Even homeless people walk around with a baguette, yes true
• There are a lot of Laundromats around the Marais.

Learnings

• The French do not use the word ‘sweet’ when describing red wine. Dan asked which was the sweetest red on the list and she said, “No sweet for rouge. Rouge is soft or heavy. Sweet is for white”
• If a croissant has curved ends it has been made with butter, if it is straight it has been made with margarine
• There is a buzzer warning just before the doors slam shut on the metro for a reason. Also the speed of the doors slamming will leave a nice bruise on your arm.

What's that smell?

Well, we finally found where we grant me admin rights on this blog so now it should say who published/wrote what post. We knew it had to be there somewhere!

The next stop on the tour was the great city of Amsterdam. Yes you've all heard the stories and yes they are true. Being a simple boy from the suburbs I was blown away with the liberal attitude to everything.

In the air lingers a sent of something which I can not place, well actually it was everywhere, the smell of marijuana. You can buy it in cafe's, you just have to ask for the menu. Also they sell many varieties of mushrooms and they ain't for your stirfry!

We took in one of Amsterdam's more unusual forms of entertainment - an erotic cabaret. It makes it sound almost classy, I can assure you is wasn't. Some of the acts we fun, like the male stripper who called up some girls on stage and I think you've heard about the banana performance - yes, still going strong. I was pleased NOT to have been called on stage for that one.

After they show we went to a couple of bars and made friends with the owner of one. He actually invited us to his birthday party in a couple of nights but we wouldn't be in the city. After the bar had shut he let us stay and keep drinking with him and a two of his friends. Needless to say i woke up with a bit of a headache. Unlike me, Dan woke up looking and feeling good, as usual. I still haven't figured out how he does that...

We slept in a little before we attacked the city, walking around the canals and shopping area before joining a canal cruise in the evening. We visited the attic and home of where Anne Frank and her family lived. It was quite a moving experience, especially the closing video of Otto the father; he survived Auschwitz and Anne died only a month before liberation... I will be reading her diary again (I first read it in school) and I am sure I will have more understanding and appreciation after all I have seen and read now.

We roamed the streets for the day and came home atound 3pm for a nap. I know sad isn't it but we needed it after some pretty heavy nights. The cruise was very much a farewell for everyone on tour. We drank, laughed and took some really bad photos. The cruise finished but in no way had we - we took the party to The Grasshopper - quite an infamous club and we drank and danced and talked crap until the wee hours of the morning.

We got up with only a few hours to spare only to find that we weren't leaving until an hour later than planned so we could have slept in. AHHH and we needed it. Dan did grab an extra hour after breakfast but I stayed up. Only one casualty for the big night, Dan lost his shirt! Yes it has happened before just ask Charlie! He did have it on when we arrived home but not when we left the hotel the next morning.

We boarded the bus feeling a little precious to our onward journey to Paris. It was a strange bus ride back to Paris - sad to be saying goodbye to some of our new friends, happy to see others go and excited for the next two weeks.

Upon arriving in Paris, we looked at our confirmation for the hotel and we had booked the wrong dates. OOOPS. We booked 5-7th rather than 3-5th. this worked out quite well, giving us another two nights in Paris but nowhere to stay! I was getting a little worried but Dan just took it in his stride. We rocked up to the hotel and luckily they had vacancies so we had 4 nights there rather than having to move. I am sure Dan will update you on the brilliant location...

The tour is over, friends have been made and heaps of new experiences will remain in our memories forever. We have lots of food to try and make back home and all the photos to go thru. Any one for a slide night?

Learning:

• I can not go one for one Vodka with Dan
• Before using a new mouth wash for the first time it is best to read the instructions. Dan didn't and it was CONCENTRATED and burnt a layer of skin off the inside of his mouth. Skin actually came off. And he just thought it was stronger than he was used to...

Challenge Update

Dea: This is the best we could come up with I'm afraid...

Sad, we know...

Charles: Here's the one 'real cafe' we found in the Dam... no pics of us actually drinking coffee there tho as we didn't get your challenge until after we'd already left. It was just coincidence we had a photo of the sign...


Unfortunately we didn't have any random photos of dikes, with or without our fingers in them :(

It was a bit hard on the tour to do challenges as we usually only had 1 free day in each city. Now that we're on our own again though, we have plenty of time and opportunities to fulfil challenges for you all! We're in France for the next week, then Spain for the week after that so get creative and see what you can come up with for us!

Currywurst, Bratwurst, Liverwurst, it's the worst!

Another long drive and we found ourselves in the beautiful city of Prague, my (Dan) favourite place from my last trip to Europe. It was nice to be back, to return to some of my favourite places and see lots of new ones too. Luckily this visit did not feature any middle of the night meetings with dodgy police like my first one did.

It was only a half day drive from Budapest (about 5 hours) so after a short walking tour of the city and orientating ourselves a little, we had dinner with the group and hit a couple of bars for some drinks and a boogie. I couldn’t remember where the bars were I visited last time and hadn’t seen any sex shops or bars to pick up a local ‘gay guide’ but I came up with an idea.

Posing as a guest of the Prague Four Seasons, I paid a visit to the concierge who looked it up and provided me with a map of it. Ever so helpful. Off to the bar we had been looking for, only to find that it was karaoke night and only had about a dozen people there. Oh well, we were at least able to get a guide and then went to the club I wanted to go to. It was closed. After a few more attempts and finding somewhere open and worth staying at, we finally found somewhere, got down to some Britney and Kylie (who else?) and dragged ourselves home for some sleep.

The hotel had free wifi access (albeit it only available in the lobby) which was the first time in a few weeks so we were determined to get the most out of it and spent the next morning doing some housekeeping; washing in the bathtub, paying some bills (they don’t stop when you’re on holiday unfortunately!) and catching up on things online. As the bus is feels rather cramped at times and some of the beds have been a tad soft, I made time for a Thai massage which I’d been thinking about since missing out a couple of days earlier at the spa. Having never had one before I didn’t know what to expect and although there were moments of pain as she dug into my back and shoulders with her elbows, forearms and feet, I left feeling recharged (albeit sore) and ready to go!

G, Nicky and Jess, the girls we’ve been hanging out with, wanted to see St Vitus’ cathedral (its stained glass windows are renowned) and the changing of the guard so we slapped on the sunscreen and joined the heaving throngs of tourists.

Food has never been far from our minds on this tour so when we spotted a restaurant/bar called Cowboys with a rooftop terrace, we aimed straight for it. After eating European cuisine for the last few weeks (lots of pizza, pasta and thick goulashes and creamy sauces) we were all hanging for some meat. A couple of steaks and cocktails later, we were fully satisfied.

Afterwards we visited Prague castle and parts of the old town, climbed the astronomical tower and then popped back to the hotel for a shower and nap, returning to the city for a couple of drinks in one of the bars we’d been at the previous night.

The next stop on the tour had us returning to Germany with a 3 night stop in Berlin. The timing was great as it turned out to be the nicest hotel, modern with great furniture and rooms with free wi-fi available in every room so we were very happy… it really is the simple things for us at this point of the trip.

Learnings:

• There seems to be a strange connection between the weight of our packs and the amount of weight we gain. In spite of doing loads of shopping, our packs seem to be getting lighter each time. Perhaps I am eating clothes in my sleep as I have lost a couple of items... this would account for my expanded waistline. Sadly, the totally HOT new jeans and T shirt I bought in London will have to wait a couple of months till I can wear them comfortably again.


• Straws in Prague are really, really long!

Berlin is a great city, one that we will return to it which is more than I can say about some of the places we’ve been to. The combination of the Nazi regime and years of occupation and oppression make it a fascinating spot, rich in history, beautiful architecture and people with interesting stories to tell.

A tour with a local guide was fantastic as we got lots of anecdotes and personal insights as we saw the sights; Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, and various monuments to victims of the holocaust.

We heard some fascinating stories of how people’s lives were changed by the wall. It appeared without warning on a Sunday, separating families and people from their homes and jobs. If you had happened to stay on the opposite side that Saturday night, you were stuck and weren’t allowed back. It started off as big rolls of razor wire and the wall was built progressively by prisoners over the following 12 months. I never knew why it was built in the first place so was amazed to find out that it was created to stop East Berliners from fleeing to the west. At the time it was under Russian occupation and the people had been leaving steadily to escape the oppression and create better lives for themselves which was having a negative effect on the economy. The government saw this as a way to prevent it getting any worse and to stop people from leaving and further.

The next morning we were up bright and early and caught the train to a concentration camp outside of Berlin called Sachenhausen (pron. Sack-zen-how-zen). Most of the camp and the surrounding town was destroyed by bombing during WWII but it had been rebuilt as it was, using photos and former prisoners’ recollections.

It was largely used as a labour camp during WWII and only had a fairly small population of Jews, in comparison to some of the bigger camps. A lot of the people were persecuted there because of their political views and many because they were gay. It was a huge place and it was a very hot day (32c) so after a couple of hours there we were over it and headed back to Berlin to see some of the memorials up close.

A brand new one had been opened several days earlier - the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted under the Socialist Regime.

In 1935, the National Socialists issued an order making all male homosexuality a crime and the provisions governing homosexual behaviour in Section 175 of the Criminal Code were significantly expanded and made stricter. A kiss was enough reason to persecute and there were more than 50,000 convictions. Under Section 175, the punishment was imprisonment; in some cases, convicted offenders were castrated. Thousands of men were sent to concentration camps for being gay and many of them died there from hunger, disease and abuse or were the victims of targeted killings. Although we still have a long way to go in terms of acceptance in the eyes of the government, seeing things like this does make you realise how lucky we really have it both as gay men, and as Australians.

After a pretty intense morning we took ourselves to the Reichstad (German parliament) for coffee and cake. We had a heads up that to get to the top book a table in the restaurant and you go in the disabled/handicap rear entrance and bypass the hour plus queue. (I can hear you now, handicapped rear entrance - minds out of the gutter please). You dont have to actually eat you can just not go to your booking but we did and had a great coffee. The views from the top are amazing.

That night we went bar hopping and met a really interesting East Berliner. He looked like Hedwig from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, complete with long peroxided hair, thick eyeliner and black fingernail polish. Especially funny because when I mentioned the movie to him he’d never heard of it but that’s not the interesting part. It turned out that his Grandfather had died in Sachenhausen and that after growing up in East Berlin, he wanted to have a better life when he was 25. He was then caught trying to escape over the wall and was actually in prison when the wall came down. They weren’t allowed radio, tv or newspapers so he didn’t even know about the wall coming down until he was released. Talk about things changing while you’re away huh?

The next day we visited Checkpoint Charlie museum and the Holocaust museum which was also very informative and moving; lots of different stories about people escaping and people being murdered in the camps etc.

It was all very heavy really so after those we spent the rest of the day shopping, saw some markets and ended the day with a visit to a great tapas restaurant to rival Encasa in Sydney!!

We also realised that day that we were only a few days away from the end of the tour and that it would all be over after our next city, Amsterdam.

Learnings:

• Gay guide descriptions are often lost in translation. One 'club' marked on the map was actually a hairdressing salon with a club membership. Funny it wasn't open at 11pm at night when we were looking for it...


• Bars and clubs are not the same thing


• If a place doesn't have a 'No Dogs' sign in the window - it is OK for dogs to go inside. We have seen dogs in a bar, on public transport and sitting on top of a subwoofer/speaker in a club!


• 'Goya' is not gay, even though listed in the Gay guide