Day four from Lisboa

Yesterday we went to the Parque das Nações (Nations Park), a 2km stretch along the waterfront and the site developed for the Expo '98 held in Lisbon. We went to the biggest Oceanarium in Europe which was pretty cool. We saw some pretty odd species we hadn't seen before. Highlights included the playful sea-otters and the impressive 2.5m long Mantra.

Afterwards we went to an interactive science museum which was very entertaining! It was aimed at kids of all ages. There were over 300 interactive exhibits that occupied us for a good three hours. We didn't have time to see everything but we did have time to ride the flying bicycle a couple of times. This was a bicycle balanced on a trapeeze one storey above ground level. No matter how much you swayed the balance of the bike the weight hanging below it and gravity meant it couldn't fall off.

We're heading back to that area tonight for what should be an impressive fireworks display. It's part of a three way competition between Italy, Germany and the USA and tonight is the final. Go you pyro's!

Last night we went for a really nice authentic Portugese night out with two Aussie girls from our hostel - a great meal with champagne Sangria (it was so refreshing!) followed by a few drinks in the somewhat wild Bairro Alto area close to our hostel. We all tried a local cherry flavoured liqueur called Ginjinha that tasted a bit like port. It tasted that much sweeter as it was paid for by a 5 euro note I found on the ground in one of the bars!

Today we've moved to another part of town just north of the central area. Residencial Luena seems reasonably nice, much like a budget hotel. Our room overlooks a busy street but our toilet appears to be only partially attached to the floor. You win some, you loose some! We're here for two nights and then back off to another Youth Hostel that looks very much like the one we stayed in for our first three nights.

Love,

Sheryl & Dale



(More photos from around the Royal Palace in Madrid)


(80,000 people at the Santiago Bernabeu)


(Our view from Lisbon Lounge hostel, and from the Castello Sao Jorge)


(Us with the Oceanarium Mascot and me looking like a 3 year old in the Science Museum - gotta love oversized stuff!)

(Dinner and drinking in Bairro Alto)

Ola from Lisboa

We arrived yesterday afternoon in sunny Lisbon after an 8 hour coach trip from Madrid. It was certainly more enjoyable than the 16 hour over night train journey from Paris to Madrid, mainly because it was during the day and the coach was quite comfortable with leather seats and air conditioning. We also had the company of a couple of Kiwi's from Napier.

Our final night in Madrid was spent at the Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid. The game was a Champions League game against Dynamo Kyev from Ukraine. It was a cracker. A 5-1 win for the home side infront of a near capacity 80,000. Six goals, a red card and an opposition goalkeeper getting knocked out cold infront of us! We'll put some photos online when we get the chance.

Our hostel in Lisbon for the next two nights (Lisbon Lounge Hostel) is pretty nice. It's pretty funky and modern and has a nice lounge area to chill out in. The crowd is really friendly there too. From there we move onto the Residencia Luena for two nights. And for three nights after that at the Lisbon Poets Hostel.

We'll update more when we have time!

Adeus from Lisboa.
Love,
Dale & Sheryl

Photo update

Last night´s La Noche en Blanco was good fun. All of central Madrid´s streets and plazas were set up with special lighting and the night´s festivities were a mix of arts, music, dance and street performers. Everything was free and also there were all kinds of things you could go and see like the ballet but with huge queues and limited spaces available we chose to wander around town instead.

Today we took the train for a day trip to Toledo, a historic Spanish town and it´s former capital. It only took 30 minutes on the train to get there and we spent six hours wandering around the labyrinth of small, winding roads. The town is built on a hill and surrounded by the Rio Toja (River Toja). It seemed genuinly more old style Spain than what´s on offer in central Madrid, it was a nice contrast.

Here´s an update on photos starting from our trip up the Eiffel Tower, and our first few days in Madrid.

(The views from up the tower shortly before sunset)

(At sunset and by night)


(Puerto del Sol and the El Retiro Park)


(More from El Retiro Park)


(The Palacio Real - Royal Palace - and "What is this? A Palace for ants?!")


(Spanish Royal Armoury, for the wee-man and inside the Palace)


(La Noche en Blanco - all night party in Madrid!)


(A turtle farm at the train station, bizarre! And photos from Toledo...)



Buena noches and Adios!
Dale & Sheryl

Madrid so far...

We arrived in Madrid on Thursday afternoon after a gruelling 16 hour journey from Paris. We arrived in a small town called Irun on the border of France and Spain, however we had no idea which side! Irun didn´t make our map but we managed to buy some breakfast and hop onto the right train towards Madrid.

We spent our first two nights in Los Amigos Hostel in the Opera area of central Madrid. Our initial thoughts on Madrid weren´t that great. Most of the city is under construction and nearly every road ripped up. It makes it hard because the streets are congested and Puerto Del Sol, the supposed heart of Madrid, is full of dodgy loiterers and a strong police presence. Not quite what we were lead to believe before our arrival.

Los Amigos was nice and clean and we shared a six bed dorm with a couple of cool Aussies and Germans. There´s a big festival on tonight called La Noche en Blanco (the white night) and all of the shops, bars, museums etc. are open all night. It has created havoc for all the travelers finding accommodation. We have been lucky to find Hostal Luz, just around the corner, and for only 2 euros more each (a total of 18 euros each) we have a double room in a pretty nice place.

Yesterday we went to the Prado Museum which was ok, but not that impressive after going to the Louvre in Paris. In the afternoon we went for a stroll through El Retiro park and had lunch. It was bloody huge and the nicest we´ve seen of Madrid so far.

We´re still planning on getting out of Madrid and going to a small city called Toledo for a day or a night. Unfortunately the slack hostels haven´t gotten back to us in over two days now so we haven´t managed to book accommodation. We´ll see what happens.

Also on the cards is a trip to see Real Madrid play in the Champions League on Tuesday night, depending on the price of the tickets. A Flamenco show whilst in Spain is also a must.

The weather hasn´t been as hot as it was last week on the forecast we checked. How typical. It´s still in the mid 20s (celsius), compared to the mid 30s like we were expecting. Hopefully it´ll get better.

Unfortunately we don´t have the facility to upload photos in this Hostel, but if we get the chance elsewhere we will slap some on for your viewing pleasure!

Over & Out.

Dale & Sheryl.

Last night in Paree

Well tonight is our last night in Paris. We've booked our night train ticket to Madrid for Wednesday, to arrive in Spain on Thursday.

We're spending our final few nights back in the Latin Quarter, our preferred area by far from what we've seen. It's safe and clean here and there's plenty of restaurants, cafes, bars and public parks to hang out in, all within a few minutes walk.

We tried booking in at a place called Hotel du Commerce which looked really nice, but the best they could offer us was their most expensive room which was way out of our budget. We popped around the corner back to the BVJ and ended up in the same room as last time!

We've continued to pack our days up with places to visit (plenty more walking!). A few highlights have included visiting the Catacombes, a 20m underground open graveyard that stretches for 1.7km long and houses thousands of Parisiens, or rather what remains of them! Kinda creepy!

We spent a day at Disneyland too which was good fun. The weather was super crappy early in the day but it came good in the afternoon. We refused to pay �7 for a tacky poncho and braved it til it came fine!

Last night we went out for our first dining out experience in a traditional French restaurant. Sheryl ordered escargots (snails) for the first time, and she convinced me to try one. Not as slimy as we feared and came in a nice garlic/herb butter. I had duck terrine for my entree. For mains Sheryl had steak, lamb for me. Puds was equally delicious.

Speaking the lingo to the locals has continued to improve, most French are pleasant when they see you're making an effort.

We've been waiting for finer weather to go up the Eiffel Tower and hopefully it'll clear up enough this afternoon.

Here's some more photos and we'll write again when we're in Madrid.

A Bientot.

Love,
Dale & Sheryl

(Our room and the view from BVJ Louvre)

(Our walk through the Catacombes. Check out those bones!)

(Are you supposed to smile in these places?)

("It's a small world after all"...and our smooth 3D shades!)

(Mmm crepes! And the not so slimy snails)

(Bon Appetit on Rue Moufftard)

From Montmartre to Louvre and Les Halles

We've just ducked into an internet cafe after being caught in the middle of an insane street dance party involving buses and buses of DJs and party followers. The streets were a total mess and right behind the party were dozens of street cleaning vehicles! We didn't dare follow it knowing we were carrying our valuables.


(The street party madness!)

After two nights in the Latin Quarter we headed to the Woodstock Hostel in Montmartre. The hostel was average and so was the area. Our room had bunks and a shared shower for the whole floor. There wasn't as much to see and do in the area so we decided to keep our stay to just one night. But never the less there was a great social atmosphere and we drank the night away at the hostel bar and paid for it the next day.


(Our room at the Woodstock and the view)

We then moved back closer to the action in the Louvre & Les Halles area. We're only a five minute walk from Le Louvre museum which was handy when we returned for our free visit last night! We're staying in the other branch of the BVJ which unfortunately isn't as nice as the other one we stayed in. We have bunks again and no street view, not to mention the four flights of stairs to get to our room. But hey it's a bed and it's clean.


(Me at the Louvre)


(Us in a sculpture in a garden in Les Halles)

Today we walked from our hostel to Le Louvre, along past Place de la Concorde and along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. On the way we stopped at the Grand Palais for the opening of the Walt Disney exhibition. The weather has been a bit hazy today so the views haven't been ideal so we decided to delay going up the Eiffel Tower for another day. We went up the Arc de Triomphe for free which was cool so we weren't so bothered about the weather.



It's been another day of lots of walking, getting everywhere by foot, so we might have to have a lazy day tomorrow...perhaps a boat trip along the Seine?

Love,
Sheryl & Dale