Hello all,
Apologies for my tardiness of late. Through a mixture of exhaustion, business, excitement and just all out partying I haven't been able to get a spare half an hour to keep you up to date on my latest travels. Evidently, now I have and here you go.
Madrid was Aaron and I's second stop in our whirlwind tour of Spain and one that Aaron and I knew very little about other than what had been conveyed to us through conversations with others who had travelled there in the past. Compared to the industrialised nature of the port city, Barcelona, Madrid had a completely different atmosphere to it, probably established by the significant difference in architecture. On our walking tour Aaron and I both felt that this city should really be in Germany or Austria rather than in the middle of Spain. The influence of the Hapsburg family who ruled a few centuries ago is incredibly evident around Europe once you know what you're looking for and Madrid wasn't short of this. We were able to explore the town centre with countless squares and historical landmarks, local markets, the royal palace (2800 rooms, the biggest in Europe) and Cathedral. Here we also learnt about Bull Fighting, a dying form of entertainment in Spain and across the world as a result of its treatment of animals. None the less it has a rich history in Spain and Las Ventas has been the scene of many pivotal moments in the sports past.
From there we travelled to Berlin, Germany. Before our trip had started Aaron and I both earmarked this city as a place that we were keen on visiting and it did not disappoint. It was the most interesting city of our trip caused mainly by the fact that it has been an epicentre for action from three of the biggest world events from the last 100 years, WW1, WW2 and the Cold War. The 4 hours we spent exploring the city by foot on our walking tour was time well spent as we learnt about the city's history. From the Brandbenburg Gate to the Holocaust Museum and the Berlin Wall we were always learning new and often being confronted with the harsh realities faced by many people in the last century. It is so hard to believe that these events have occurred in the course of my grandparents lifetimes. Certainly makes me appreciate how lucky we are to live in a country like Australia.
From one city in Germany and back to the scene of earlier travels, Munich. OCTOBERFEST!!!!!!! This was the craziest two and a half days! If I could sum it up I would suggest it is like the Royal Adelaide Show, only with 3 times the amount of rides, no animals (except the odd horse drawn carriage), no showbags, and all of the halls turn from little stalls into 14 beerhalls holding thousands of people, distributing litres and litres of beer, thousands of meals and each with its own Oompa Band! Basically it's an excuse for usually 'normal' adults to release their inner child with the assistance of a few well placed Steins of locally brewed beer. This was a great opportunity to enjoy what would be our last couple of days in Europe, catching up with friends from Croatian Sailing celebrating what has been an amazing 7 months.
So we've arrived back in London. This afternoon we were able to share lunch with some English relatives who I have never met and are now relaxing at our hostel before heading on a coach tour around Oxford, Warwick Castle, Stratford upon Avon and the Cotswalds. Saturday is Grand Final Day and don't think for a minute we're going to miss it. We've sought out a pub in the heart of the city which will be televising the game at 5.30am! After that we're off to the EPL to watch Arsenal v Chelsea, sure to be a definite highlight of the trip and then we're on a plane home!!!!! So this may or may not be my last blog from Europe. Stay tuned for my wrap up shortly.
Until then,
Watch this space!
Dillon
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