Maddie and Mick's Trip

2009-09-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Kunming

2009-09-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

Chengdu

2009-09-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Oh my god they were adorable!

The often overlooked Red Panda

Northern Sichuan

2009-08-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

Monks blowing a prayer horn.

Xining

2009-08-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

Xian

2009-08-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

China!

2009-08-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Guangzhou train station. Good introduction to China- construction work, people everywhere, sensible system for buying tickets once you work out the chaos.

Brussels, Belgium

2009-08-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

Ghent, Belgium

2009-07-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

Not only are there statues of little boys peeing in Belgium, but there are facilites for grown men to pee in the middle of the main street during the Ghent Festival. I didn't sneak pervily behind walls... end of the main street!

Paris

2009-07-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

Dordogne, France

2009-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Italy to France

2009-07-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

Nutella-filled Croissant. I'm a it too obsessed with semi-dodgy Euro food at the moment, aren't I?

The Vatican Museum

2009-06-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

We went on the once-monthly free day, so the pope didn't get a euro off us! We were very dedicated pilgrims, arriving at 6am, after a big sweet Italian family complete with grandparents, parents and kids, and a French couple, and before thousands of other people. Waited in the shade for the doors to open at 9 with a big tub of coffee flavoured yougurt.

Rome

2009-06-27T05:25:00.000-07:00

2009-06-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

Camping is actually very pleasant too when it is warm and sunny and never rains and you are across the road from a "Hyper Market" with cheap amazing alcohol and $3 pesto. There was also a fat Italian U2 cover band!

2009-06-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

After months of getting very stroppy at Mick cos I'm hungry on long transport trips, making him lurk around the classy neighbourhood where the greyhound bus stations are located trying to find a MacDonalds on a midnight stop-over, eating something in the bottom of our bags that we have avoided until then (eg: a kilo of soggy sunflower seeds), or just fantasising about Ya Habibi Kebab shop in Newtown, we have finally mastered transport food!

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2009-06-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Islamic cemetery, mostly from during the war.

Mostar and near by, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2009-06-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Mick felt the need to be manly, so he jumped off a big manly bridge.

Bosnian coffee.

A river emerging from underground, one of the fastest rivers in Europe. The water tasted so good!

2009-06-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Mick brooding with a black eye from a Danish police woman we made friends with in Budapest. Mick challenged her to a wrestle. I think the big scary border guards appreciated/ were amused by his black eye though.

Budapest, Hungary

2009-06-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

2009-06-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

"Wild" cherries from a tree on the side of the road.

2009-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Out the window of the train.

Berlin

2009-05-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

An amazing window display in a travel agent, with about 100 different sands.

Currywurst!

There was so much pollen in the air that it looked like snow.

England

2009-05-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Enjoying yogurt from a broken spork and the beautiful scenery from the train.

Hot chips with gravy, salt and vinegar in Manchester.

Cambridge, England

2009-05-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

King's College. Sydney Uni eat your heart out.

Sweden

2009-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many photos in Sweden- not that it wasn't amazing! But here is a photo of Mick in a Sauna looking particularly crazy and reading Jane Austin.

The Blue Lagoon

2009-04-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

The spa and the geothermal power plant the water comes from.

West to about 300ks from Rejkjavik

2009-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

Camping in the car. Quite cosy actually.

Looking for Puffins on bird cliffs, but sadly we were a few weeks too early.

The Glacier Lagoon

2009-04-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

A bit of ice we'd found washed up. Then the tide started to pick up and lots of the "iceburgs" started to float out to the ocean, about 30m away at the end of the lagoon.

And we found this washed up on the beach!

East Iceland to Vatnajökull Glacier

2009-04-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

A part of a bridge that was destroyed in a flood.

The largest glacier in Europe in the distance!

Iceland!!, Rejkjavik

2009-04-20T01:20:00.000-07:00

We tried to cycle 50ks from the airport to the capital, Rejkjavik, after a few hours sleep on the plane from New York. Stupidest idea yet! Super-strong winds (with wind chill accompanying) and a hail storm, fortunately we found a local bus in the middle of the hail storm that took us to the hostel. We thawed in an amazing hot geothermal shower, and slept for almost 20 hours. Then rented a car.

Fortunately they are wearing rain coats, because it is going to start raining/hailing any second.

New York

2009-04-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

My family got us a night in a really nice hotel for the night of my birthday. It was so beautiful, like The Shining but without the murders.

Washington, D.C.

2009-04-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Festival

The Museum of Natural History

Cleveland

2009-04-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

The previous tenants left behind a huge pile of magazines...
For the connoisseur, note that it is the the carefully chosen Anna Nicole tribute issue.

2009-03-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Mick finally uses his physics degree to ride 10 miles with giant cardboard boxes! Basically, he has become a downtown cyclist/crazy.

2009-03-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Why aren't carpet shops in Australia that prophetically upbeat?? We also saw a church, and the Sunday sermon was titled "Is Obama the antichrist?"

We road across the state of South Carolina!

Thanks Republican Party!

2009-03-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Austrian cyclists we met, they were riding from Miami to New York.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

2009-03-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

2009-03-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Thank god for pedestrian lanes, out of Savannah we had to cycle over a big bridge in a traffic lane with a barrier that size, but to the right over the water. Pretty much gave me a fear of heights right there!

Cycling in low country, South Carolina

2009-03-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Savannah, Georgia

2009-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

Big Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Everyone got so into it- everyone in town was dressed in green! Everyone! We got told off twice for not wearing green!

The Everglades, Florida

2009-03-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

A crazy Euro man was throwing stones at the alligator, and another was poking it. We thought the alligator might attack, and we could share a tender moment bonding with the American tourists over it.

Alligators everywhere!

Beachfront apartment in Florida

2009-03-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to family friend's neighbours, who lent it to us while they were away. So pretty.

2009-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Hummer (and that's the big model in the photo) looks like a cute small car in Texas and Florida, in comparison to the other cars.

South Beach, Miami

2009-03-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Bus to Florida

2009-03-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

It was totally packed, so we were up the back in the "stab zone". Thought this photo summed up the Greyhound Bus experience quite nicely.

Austin to Houston

2009-03-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

Real Texas Longhorns!

Austin

2009-02-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

San Antonio to Austin

2009-02-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

The start of our cycling, the quiet country road we had envisioned.

The first farm we saw: a miniature donkey/ Shetland pony farm!

Mick looking like a crazy Euro at a campsite full of RV pensioners.

Our first Texas BBQ: pit-cooked meat sold by the pound.

Train trip from Los Angeles to San Antonio, Texas

2009-02-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

South-Eastern California

About 16 hours of this to get across most of Texas on the train

Mick arrives!

2009-02-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas

2009-02-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

Flamingos in the garden of the Flamingo casino! Real ones! and a buffet in the background

Bus from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas

2009-02-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Train from Reno to Salt Lake City

2009-02-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Reno

2009-02-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

Frisbee golf

2009-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Santa Cruz

2009-01-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

2009-01-27T20:11:00.000-08:00

Saint Vinnie's bag and extra fermented spilt Fosters shoes, may they both rest in peace.

Morro Bay, California

2009-01-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

Sunset near Santa Barbara

2009-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Maddie and Rosa's trip

2009-01-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

2009-01-21T13:05:00.000-08:00