12 months in photos.

As much as many of the more conservative and less tech-saavy people seem to think that social networking sites are the work of the devil, I do have to agree. And when it comes to something as important as connecting with loved ones across the world, what an easier [and more practical] way to do so by using facebook.

And what’s my favourite thing about this Zuckerberg founded web-giant? :]
The profile pictures. Simple images that depict what you’ve recently been up to… and after 12 months of traveling around Germany and Europe, experiencing the best it has to offer, I’ve had a range of pictures displayed on my facebook account that give an insight into my adventures. So here’s a little look in to those people who I don’t have on facebook. :]

NB: They get soooo much better as you go along. ;]

100 Ultimate Wishes

In honor of my blog’s 100th post, here’s a list I once kept secretly, that I now wish to share with the world!

When reading through you’ll discover it may just be another Bucket List, but this is in fact an excerpt from my real one that I keep hidden away in my Laptop’s files. :]
It ranges from places and events, to things I’ll need to try at least once, all of which I wish to complete before my time on this lovely planet is up. For convenience, they’re organized into where in the world they’d be done; by country.
So enjoy flicking through my secret list, it’s now yours too, and if you’re open to helping me complete anything on here, I’d love to know what you know; send me an email (ryanaubersonwalsh[@]hotmail.com). :]

View the list below :]

Oh the joys of Google Maps

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’m proud to let you know I’ve created a new feature. :}
An interactive map that allows you to see where i’ve been and link to the related post. :]

So go on then, give it a whirl.
The map will be featured permanently on the [the stats] page. ;]

View Larger Map

Have fun. :]

Ryan
x

Como? Lake Como… in Italia

Firstly, this is a very important post!!! It’s my 80th post, and as of publishing it, my blog views are at 5,000since I began this joyous thing in April this year. My comment box is also on a nice and even number… but that one’s a secret ;]
Lots of whole numbers… feels good. :p

But that’s beside the point… onto Italia (technically a continuation of these two posts here and here)!

The last part of my Summer holidays was spent in the North of Italy. Two nights at Menaggio, Lago di Como (Lake Como) and then the latter three in Venice, the city of Canals. What a grand finish to a holiday that was… bellissimo. :]

Whilst in Menaggio, we met a lovely english couple and a bunch of backpackers who wanted to stay at the cheapest, yet incredibly comfortable, accommodation in town. The only hostel in the area, Menaggio Hostel was somewhere that I’d seriously recommend!

On the first day we went for a hike through the national park that borders Italy and Switzerland… such a strange thing to say… and we went to a trout farm nestled in an old farming valley. Made fresh… I’m certain the fish is killed as it’s ordered, the food was prima and I couldn’t go past the trout and cream pasta. :] Nom nom nom! I also admired the smoked ham from the region… was rather… smoky. Haha. Quite yummy. :]

Later that evening we headed to a pub at the ferry port… and let me tell you, when you think pub, in Italy it’s a whole different thing! Sure enough live music and what not… but do pubs serve buckets of fresh mussels, fish platters the size of your table or pasta dishes as big as your head? No, I don’t think so… so this one was pretty special. The food was delicious and the music was great. Good evening… couldn’t have improved it if I tried. :]

The next day was the final stretch… driving all the way to our camping ground in Venice with a stopover for lunch in Verona, the only Italian city I’d seen prior to these holidays… which is also a personal favourite of mine. :]

Verona, famously known as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, was beautiful… I’m certain the photos in the gallery below tell it all, but I really enjoyed giving my aunt and uncle a tour of one of Italy’s most romantic cities. Bella to say the least. Whilst there I nibbled on a basil pesto spaghetti and later a delicious gelato! Once again, YUM! Sights we saw included the well-known Casa di Giulietta, Piazza dei Signori, the Ponte Scaligero and the Amphitheatre, all of which were outstanding in their own right.

After relocating our vehicle (swapped in Rome for a shady little Fiat), we piled in and headed off into the sunset… direction Venice. :]

Once there (and after attempting to deal with a dodgy Navi), we did the unspeakable and broke our code of never repeat-dining… a.k.a never dining at the same restaurant more than once. The campsite’s food was cheap as chips and did taste all that bad… plus our waitress was kind of a rockstar. :] The one thing that caused me problems with this campsite wasn’t its popularity and cheap food… it was the fact that Contiki stay here… every time they’re in Venice. Thus, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep with the thumping of the bass all night long.

The next day I struggled out of bed and scoffed down an omelette… much appreciated as well… and we headed into town with the ferry. Over the next two days we explored the entire city, doing a bit of shopping, a lot of eating and walking over many, many bridges. :] We saw all the sights you could possibly think of… If it’s in Venice… we probably saw it. We even saw Peggy Guggenheim’s collection. (I’ve been dying to see the museums since I first took art back in year seven). Shame though we didn’t get to see the Carnevale di Venezia though… wrong time of year. :/ I’ll have to go back for that then ;]

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of a long series of posts that retells my European adventures with my aunt and uncle. :] If you’d like a high five or congratulatory hug, get lost. You don’t get those over the internet. ;] A

Hope you enjoy the photos below.

Lots of Love,
A thoroughly exhausted Ryan!
x

Mamma Mia! I’m in Italia!

People, people, people. It’s hard to believe isn’t it? I’ve hit another European superpower… and lived to tell about it. :] But first…

…here’s your opportunity for two things. ;]

1. Let out all the anger I may have caused you in delaying this post for such a lengthy amount of time.
2. Get over it and read this to the end, enjoying all the lovely photos I’ve uploaded specifically for your enjoyment. :] mmk?

Anyway, the last time I left you wondering about my adventures in Italy, I’d just finished speaking about London, Albania and Croatia. Finally I’ve gotten around to the big one, so enjoy the photos below!

Arriving in Bari on Italy’s Eastern coast, we had our first overnight in an odd little hostel (thankfully with air conditioning) and the next morning picked up our hire car (a sexy Ford Fiesta) and drove west, just as the Village People first suggested in 1979. We were headed to Sorrento, on the furthermost tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula. One problem though, we had to drive across the country in a day (literally) and the last strip would turn out to be the worst… four hours along the infamous Amalfi coast; beautiful but deadly… for driving. The entire journey as we weaved along the narrow cliffside road, dodging buses and other cars by centimetres, with mopeds ducking in and out of the traffic at top speeds, I was scared. In fact, I remember saying something along the lines of “I’m frightened for my life”, whilst clenching the front seat with all my might.

Thankfully we made it there, and I was rather impressed with Sorrento, particularly after having seen so much of it on account of our non-functioning GPS not being able to get us to the camping ground we’d call home for the next three nights. By night, the camping ground would come alive, filled with Italians traveling from far and wide, as well as numerous German, Spanish and Australian tourists, all flocking to the bar that was served well with some delightful Karaoke music. Have you ever seen a fifteen-year old Italian sing Karaoke? Don’t. It might ruin your opinion of Italy.

The first day we visited the town that was ruined after nearby Mt. Vesuvius erupted and its gases suffocated the townsfolk. Pompeii was truly fascinating. We saw how the old Roman world functioned, from the collecting of water, to satisfying the sexual appetites of city officials. (There’s a famous brothel, noted for its erotic murals). Being a large city (see map below) with absolutely no shade whatsoever, the 40 degree (celsius) sun certainly had a bite. Sunburn was imminent and no matter how much sunscreen I applied, my skin couldn’t help getting sunburnt. Thanks pastiness, you’ve done it again. When the day was out and we’d done all the wandering our feet could manage, we headed back to the campsite and dined out… again. Italian food, I have to say, is the real deal. :]

This stings.

Dearest Kidlings,

I’m off on a fairly decent trip of London, Italy, a bit of Southern France and Croatia beginning tomorrow. That means, I won’t be posting anything for a while. So bear with me, and who knows, perhaps a post will magically appear. :]

Enjoy your holidays for those who have them, and if not, stay beautiful, every day’s a holiday if you make it worth it. ;]

Peace and love,
Ryan

FC Bayern vs. FC Barcelona. What a game.

So I went to the final for the Audi Cup at Allianz Arena, Munich, last week with my host brother, a friend of his and his father. There were two games. One between Milan (Italy) and Internacional (Brazil), the other between FC Bayern (Germany) and FC Barcelona (Spain).

Final Scores were:

Barcelona 2-0 Bayern
Internacional 2-2 Milan (+2 penalty goals for Internacional)

That means the team I supported didn’t win… but it was still a hell of a competition! :]
Photos below.

Northern Italy (Holiday Pt. 2)

So a fragmented, and perhaps at times inconsistent, recollection of my remaining week in Italy begins here. It started on the Wednesday, from which we left Flims, Switzerland, in the afternoon, to arrive in Sirmione on Lake Garda late at night. It was quite an introduction to Italy, and it most certainly brought joy in comprehending the multifarious network of travel options available upon the European continent. Since then, my mindset has not been the same. It created a desire, a lust if you’d like, to explore these lands far and wide.

Anyway, back to Italy… So we were staying in Hotel Marconi (am See), which lay directly on the lake that made the historic village such a popular tourist destination for international European tourists. It can be said that Northern Italy may as well be claimed by Germany in regards to the amount of German tourists we encountered. Outside of the German speaking countries, I’m sure it’s one of the larger German areas for tourists. In was an interesting thing. Albeit, crusiouser and curiouser.

The thing about where we stayed in Italy was that it was an old gated city that nestled on the lake’s sole peninsula. It was very gorgeous and the architecture was the start of what I’m sure to come is a great fascination with European, or Italian, heritage and tradition.

On the headland were ruins of an old roman bath. Here are some of my favourite snapshots below (I thought it was truly spectacular). Once again, I can remind my fellow Australians that there are single buildings that are over a thousand years older than our own country’s founding.

An archway of the Grotto of Catallus

Switzerland (Holiday Pt. 1)

This is what a valley in Switzerland looks like. Please hold your applause till the end of the show.

A Swiss Valley featuring Aumersee (Lake Aumer).

Not only was the scenery breathtaking, but the entire stay within Flims, Switzerland served fruitful, meeting intriguing new experiences around every corner. The food was something which deserves its own paragraph. So here goes… :]

Beginning with a five course meal in a restaurant with an equal amount of stars, the dishes were phenomenal. Truly exempt from ordinary cuisine, each course served as functional, and delectable, art, despite the portions being proportionally overpriced. Yet, I still can’t look back in regret at eating every speck of food to be discovered on my plates. On another evening we relished in traditional Swiss fondue. An amazing cream cheese with a slight bitter twist. Yummo! Freshly baked bread was a given. Dessert was chocolate fondue with fresh fruits and I can safely say it was the BEST chocolate I’ve had the experience of eating. One last fond memory was of this hidden gem in a nearby town. Food was more amazing than the last two nights put together and the waitress / owner was the most lovely of Swiss people I’d ever met.

What do you think…? Jealous?

I miss the food! It was so good!