Mozart concert

This is 2 nights ago now but it's the sneaky pic I took at the Mozart
concert in the Vienna palace hall. The whole thing was about 90
minutes with interval, with ballet, singers, and of course, classical
music. From what I can tell, the musicians were spot on, and the
accoustics were fantastic! I was expecting a large hall with music
being played through speaker systems, but it was all accoustic, and I
can see now why people love classical music. Listening to these guys
live was beter than listening to a cd played on the best stereo system
you can buy.

I don't understand the opera singers though. They never seem to hit
their notes as far as I can hear, and just ruin the whole song to my
ear because it's as if they're singi g a different song to what the
musicians are playing. Kim reckons they are spot on but I just don't
hear it!

Anyway, was well worth the money and time, especially after visiting a
concentration camp that morning.

Breakfast in Vienna

Turns out that the huge hotel with the huge foyer has a huge
greenhouse with a breakfast bar. Huge breakfast, free wifi, staying in
Austria. Italy can kiss my butt. If we ever do this again, we're
skipping Italy and staying in Germany, Austria and or Switzerland!

Back in the hotel Roma!!!

So we started the airconditioning before we left for tea to come back
to a hot hotel room. On closer o spection we found that the
airconditioner had smashed controls and was unable to be turned to
"cool". Yay.

Dinner was a disaster. Our portions were pitiful and the service
downright pathetic. The tour guide was surprised by how crP it was so
we made a detour to mcds on the way to the hotel. I didn't really need
to have Anymore but got a burger Anyway because... Well being hungry
can be an inconvenient distraction, and since Rome is Already an
inconvenient distraction, a hungry tourist can get robbed or conned in
no time flat. That's my theory anyway. A nice fruit vendor gave me 2
plastic bags for free after I offered him twenty cents so I could wrap
up kim's mc nuggets so as to tAke on the bus (hot food not Allowed on
the bus because it stinks the place up).

Finally back and roxy has been nice enough to lend Kim and I her
laptop for to tonight so I can clear up our memory cards and so Kim
can create a playlist on her Sony mp3 player. Also might get Internet
in the morning to send these emails and let roxy do some net banking.

That's All for us. Took thus photo on the way out of the disasterous
dinner of the back of the tourbus. This phone does a pretty passable
job of taking pictures... Not bad at all

Rome

So we're in Rome. I hated Rome last tour above all else, but this time
around it isn't bothering me as much. We got in around 2ish in the
arvo, and got started on a walking tour. Saw the pantheon and the
fountain thingy and another big structure thingy then the coloseum
towards sunset. It was actually busier than I was expecting, but that
seems to be because of some kind of festival...

So now we're having dinner across the road from the coloseum, and I
just stepped outside to take this photo. There is wireless Internet
here but they don't give out the password. Our room tonight is the
lowest standard on the trip so far which says a lot because it's still
pretty acceptable. Kim just told me the water tastes funny, to which I
resisted the urge to say "of course dear, it's Italian water!".

With all the walking around we did today to get to see as many sights
as possible, I got pretty sticky in the humidity. It's not really hot
it's just very still and wet.

Yesterday was florence. The day was quite nice seeing some sights and
had a greAt lunch on a 5th floor outdoor cafe. The quality of the
pasta was excellent and not too steep on price either. Then Dinner at
some place o went to last time thAt had continuous wine (12% alcohol
no less) and some o the portions were nice with others being very
average, then an hours driving around the streets with a busfull of
drunk people shouting and singing, and unfortunately by the time we
got to the nightclub I was sober and no longer in the mood. However,
it turned out okay because it sounds like it was all more trouble than
it was worth which my initial impression. Oh well, saved ourselves
money on taxi and drinks and got to get a good sleep in the end

So we have been sitting here for 30 minutes with no service which tops
off a day of lots of bitching and whining. Very loud table beside us
who unfortunately are the footy loving yobos. So it's 7:30pm in Rome
and I just want to eAt and go back the hotel to get some sleep.

Tomorrow we have the Vatican for a few hours, then maybe the fountain
again, then the bone monument (something about capicino's?) and then I
dunno... Hopefully an early dinner and bed?

Kim's going to grab me a capacino. I'm expecting it will be expensive
and served in a tiny cup

Lucerne

Picture of Kim doing what Kim does best... Taking care of people who
can't take care of themselves... Like her husbAnd. The Swiss have been
uber lucky today, with Aussies old enough to take care of Aussies too
young to know enough is seriously enough! Good times, good times. Got
plenty of chances to practises bad German and to get lessons from
Arabs on German grammer. And therein lies the beauty of Switzerland!
Prost!!!!

Switzerland still

Fondue was great but needed chocolate for the desert course, got in to
a chat with roxie about cameras and looked up nicon cameras in town.
There was one I liked for 2200 franks... Then the girl from Manitoba
told me hers which is the same camera is 800 in Canada. Very un cool

The guys here got some awesome photos and we got some good gifts for
family, and I've hadfun learning German and cameras. All in all been a
beaut day!

Lucerne Switzerland!

So now we're in lucerne! It's a bit chilly but that's fine... Tomorrow
night is a river cruise. But that's after going up the mountain and
having fondue for lunch! Woo hoo!

Okay now it's 7;40am and finishing an awesome breakfast! A

In paris!

We are in Paris! This is candy (amanda), Kimberly (sweetie), und
desrae. We're waiting for food at a cafe und we have free wifi!

So now is my chance to catch up with emails!!!!! I've lost 2 universal
power adapters and it is only day 2!!!

Au revior!

We're in London!

Been caching information and dribble in my phione but we're in London ready to go on the tour tomorrow, Had dinner at gordon ramseys in claridge tonight and it was fantastic.... I'm more impressed with the service and staff than the food, as we were even invited back to meet the head chef which was a delight for kim and me too..... So off to a gooten start (good start? Reading german phrase book and trying to remember every word I can)

Anyway, see ya all laters

OH and look at photos of wedding here:

http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/visualexpression/albums/weddings/50261/

Kim's wedding gift to me

This is a pic of kim's wedding gift to me. A painting of an idylic
highlands style river and hills with cottage, cows and cod. Very nice
and very classy

Fwd: Wedding photo

So here's a neat thing! I've put uncle johns photos on my home server at the link below. One of them is attached to this post which is the other cool thong... I can write posts on my phone and they'll get uploaded including photos as soon as I find a free wifi hotspot! Neato!!!

http://ship.kicks-ass.net/wedding/


Okay looks like no image posted.... so no forwarding of photos allowed! Only direct posting.... Or maybe the photo was too big. Whatever.... the link is there :p

Tom hirtons

Here we are at the office. Here is a photo of my breakfast. Hope it
posts!