Just got back from Europe...
Just got back from three weeks in Europe and had an absolute ball. It's amazing going through places and seeing everything from gravestones to villages that are older than Australia (English occupied Australia at least anyway).
We went to London for a week and then a couple of days in each of Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. It's pretty difficult to identify which was the best place because each are significantly different to each other and each need to be judged on their own merits. Anyway rather than summarise the trip here are a few pics of some of the key places we visited... there were plenty of other cool moments but these are the 'eyes' of the trip.
I also got out for a fish in Amsterdam, check the Brag Board for a few shots of how it went.
SINGAPORE
Had a five hour stop over in Singapore so went and checked out the Marina Bay area, how's this pool on the 54th floor (I think) of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
LONDON
Shakespeare's theatre in Stratford on Avon
600 year old church in Upper Slaughter (rad name for a village!)
Classic old thatched roof cottage in Chipping Campden
Croft Castle over near the Wales border
Big Ben and part of the houses of Parliament
Royal Albert Hotel - we went and watched one of the BBC Proms performances, hell of a venue with awesome accoustics and just a seriously good looking venue
London Eye and the Thames
BERLIN
Brandenburg Gate
Some of the cool architecture along the River Spree
Some of the older architecture along the River Spree
One of the cooler things at the Pergamon Museum - this is the Market Gate of Miletus from the First Century AD
Checkpoint Charlie
Some of the Berlin Wall which has been moved to a memorial at a different location, I love this shot as it gives a good feel for what it must have been like back in the day... I waited five minutes for the bike rider to come along!
Some of the Berlin Wall in its original location - the grassy bit behind shows the death strip people had to cover if they wanted to make it to freedom... the River Spree is there too as an added 'hassle'
AMSTERDAM
Train to Amsterdam from Berlin
Standard street in Amsterdam
Amsterdam = Canal Central
Amsterdam = Bike Central (one of many 'bike parks')
Rembrant's house
Didn't have the time to get there but it would have been great...
PARIS
Eiffel Tower - loved this, it is a seriously massive structure and it looks awesome
The most impressive structure in Paris for me was the Arc de Triomphe
Inside the arches of the Arc de Triomphe
Outisde Notre Dame Cathedral
Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral
The Tower at night
Sacre Couer at night - pretty cool looking church
The Grande Arche in La Defence, the business district of Paris
mrwinta
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 14/01/10
Well captured shots there
Well captured shots there Ben.... very impressive buildings and very different to over here... Beautiful places when the sun is out!
NEVER PUSH YOUR GRANNY WHEN SHE'S SHAVING
Ben Derecki
Posts: 1926
Date Joined: 10/10/07
Should add this one...
This is the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in Central London, the pub dates has been in this spot since the 1500s but was rebuilt in the early 1600s after London's Great Fire. It's the coolest pub I've been to, if you go to London you should check it out. Over the years it's been frequented by Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle.
$3.50 AUD pints of bitter too!!
snappermiles
Posts: 2100
Date Joined: 05/11/10
very awesome
lovely photos to look back on! and it would have been a great experience!! might have to add that to the list
ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS EXCEPT YOU AND ME! AND IM NOT SO SURE ABOUT YOU!
Lucky Tim
Posts: 2536
Date Joined: 28/11/07
nice pics, it's pretty
nice pics, it's pretty amazing growing up in Oz and most man made stuff is 200 years or younger then to see some of that stuff, blow the mind.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15644
Date Joined: 29/11/05
great trip
Great trip Ben, did one similar about 15 years ago except it was soo bloody cold it was get out of bus, get straight back in again!
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Marky
Posts: 420
Date Joined: 01/05/09
Nice shots there. Did that
Nice shots there. Did that trip a few years back and have got almost all the same photo's as youve posted.... Heaps of history everywhere you go over there...
Alan James
Posts: 2223
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Great shots Ben
Thanks for sharing. The architecture and history of those places just blows you away. Recommend it as something everyone should try and do in their lifetime.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Beautiful photos
went to Holland in 2000 wanted to see all my relatives from my father's side before they all fell of the perch, had a ball there, my Aunt had a 12month pass to all musuems/castles so went to a lot of churchs/musuems didn't get to see any castles but what amazed me was the worn steps that were stone, thousands of people over the centuries had walked up and down the stone steps in and out of churchs, loved the canals also. Bikes everywhere one child on the front Mum then another child on the back, gee no helmets in Holland hahaha. Went to Germany and stayed a week in a Holiday resort, I can tell you there is no graffiti in Germany, said to my Aunt why, she said still jack boots in Germany, so clean, but didn't need to speak the language to understand the arrangance in being served as they all spoke English in Germany. Would love to do it again and this time see England/Scotland, old fart wants to go to Scotland to make sure they don't water down the whisky hahaha
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soupster51
Posts: 2724
Date Joined: 29/11/06
Trip of a lifetime
Great pics Ben. A trip of a lifetime for sure. I haven't made it to Europe yet but the fire is burning a little more after seeing your photos.
The best reason for doing what's right today is tomorrow.
Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
sounds like a great trip!
sounds like a great trip! some good photos too
Off to europe weekend after next for a couple weeks......bummer its for work!
Ben Derecki
Posts: 1926
Date Joined: 10/10/07
Cheers all. Yep it was
Cheers all. Yep it was pretty cool but it's still hard to beat home with the quality and range of fishing we've got, the climate, the space for people and kids to play.
Where you heading to Bodie? Still can't complain about a free work trip hey, I'm sure you'll see a few sights wherever you end up.
Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
this time Germany and
this time Germany and Norway.
Am back in germany again in Jan, and will have a holiday planned for it. As its winter and im a mad snowboarder, probabler got o Austria and France hopefully!