I'm saying goodbye to Europe as today is my last full day. I am spending it in Annecy and have just enjoyed half a kilo of cheese at the local market. Tomorrow I jump on a plane to Delhi from Geneva, I am pretty sure I could not have chosen too more contrasting cities to leap between; can not wait for the culture shock!! To update comprehensively on the last 6 weeks may be a bit too challenging for me, especially given that the French keyboard I am typing on is particularly fun! However, I can manage a short highlights reel.
I have travelled on land and sea (yes, on sea, there was a memorable night ferry from Harwich, UK to the Hoek of Holland, Netherlands) from London to Annecy via Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich, Verbier, Chamonix, La Clusaz carrying nothing less than 2 backpacks and one ridiculously heavy board bag. Being a pack horse is certainly a good way to meet people, the number of times a bus driver, conductor or good samaritan has helped me on or off a train is truly heart warming!
Aside from the epic powder skiing and glacier negotiation in Chamonix, see below, I have loved the chance I have had to make some pretty special memories with friends and family. It has been a vast contrast to the rather solo travel I have experience over the past winters in Canada.
Spending time with my brother and his fiance in London, including eating
REAL jerk chicken in Brixton (included just for Jess) and a ramble in the English Country side with a lunch at the historic Rams Head Pub.
Catching up with my Canmore family in Amsterdam, thank you for the couch Jorrit, I hope the giant pig balloon is still haunting you!
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| Frieda dancing in the street with our present for Jorrit. A giant pig head balloon! |
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| Jorrit, aka sleezy dutch guy |
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| Self timer photos of the ugliest part of Amsterdam, it is a pretty city so hard to find this! |
Frieda and I then jumped on a train to Berlin to meet up with my cousin Laura. With help of a "local" guide Gabby, a friend from Melbourne, we had the most amazing time exploring this vibrant city. We went to concerts in abandonned buildings, trawled through the most amazing fleamarket at Mauer Park, ate meal after meal of delicious food, danced the night away at a typical club and generally enjoyed the "vibe". Historical lessons included a pretty harrowing but worthwhile visit to Sacchenhausen Concentration Camp, a visit to the Stasi museum and dinner with a real life East Berliner who remembered the wall falling (this is a story best told in person!). Although it is far from the most beautiful city in the world, I found it amazingly hard to leave.
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| East Side Gallery: I saw the artist behind these faces in a bizarre concert later in the week. |
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| The holocaust memorial in Berlin |
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| And the germans like eating pigs: my first try of a "pig foot" with lots of other forms of pig! |
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| Street Art = Berlin |
After an overnight train from Berlin, Zurich was a bit of a disappointment. Geez Switzerland is expensive and really not that interesting after the adventures of Berlin. Luckily I quickly moved on to Verbier to spend Christmas with Laura, her brother (who lives in Geneva) and good friends hosted by Laura's brother and his gorgeous girlfriend. It was a fantastic time. The skiing was fairly good, the food too good and the company a lot of fun. My competitive self was bummed to lose a post fondue night tobboggan race down the ski run! Unfortunately my camera sat in the bottom of my bag, photo credits to Laura!
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| Aprés Ski |
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| Christmas Dinner |
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| Fondue! |
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| Toboggan racing is tricky on a full cheese stomach |
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| More like the turtle than the hare with the 5cm of fresh snow! |
With a big dint in my funds that was entirely worth it, I chuffed off to spend a few weeks in the relative cheap Chamonix over the New Year...
