Snap Shot Germany

Visit to Germany
9th to 15th August 2010

Joey and I had a fantastic week in Germany. We caught up with friends, brushed with history at every turn, soaked up the spectacular beauty of the Bavarian Alps and just ate a lot of pork.
First stop was Munich a fun city with plenty to see and plenty of beer. Here we have the Marienplatz, the old town square and centre of town; the highly decorated facade of the Neues Rathaus towers over the shinny topped Mariensaule.
The Neues Rathaus's three levelled Glockenspiel comes alive and the little men dance.
Munich's massive Englischer Garten or English garden's; a least a couple of those basking in the sun were clothed.
A big beer at the big Hofbräuhaus; Munich's most well know (and well visited) beer hall.
We went on a tour to and check out the Swan Boy - King Ludwig II's - fairytale castles and Linderhof above was my favourite. I preferred its spectacular grounds and detailed rooms to all the showy glitz of Neuschwanstein.
It was hard to snap a good picture of Schloss Neuschwanstein, but the view of the surrounding mountains (with glimpse of the Schloss Hohenschwangau) was sure spectacular.
Next stop was charming Nuremburg.
While not particularly photographic the Reichsparteitagsgelände was certainly worth visiting for an insightful, yet shocking look at its role as a centre of Nazi propaganda in the Documentation Centre.
Nuremburg's market and just look at those tasty chanterelles.

Snap Shot Wurst

Eating Germany
9th to 15th August 2010

Germany is an under-rated tourist destination; spectacular landscapes, vibrant cities, a rich history, a great music and arts scene, a plethora of beer, some of the World's best white wines and the food, well the food is... . A week in Germany is enough to turn off even the biggest devotees of roast pork, but aside from the knuckles, sauerkraut and kartoffelklösse Germany is also the land of the sausage. My motto is "a sausage a day is the German way".
Mmm, tasty stuff to start; the classic Bratwurst.
Grilled not boiled; Bockwurst at its best.
Doubling up; a delicious pair of bratwurst.
OK so it's not technically a sausage, but it's still pork in bread. A rather tasty roasted cured pork roll; a speciality of Munich.
They're little but there're three of them. The Nuernberger; a trio of grilled Nuremberg sausages, a speciality of, well Nuremburg obviously.
The sausage was good; the view in the background is the streets of Nuremburg.
Currywurst; I'm normally a fan but this one was pretty uninspiring. The sauce was too sweet and the sausage dry and overcooked.

Snap Shot Norway

Visit to Norway
23rd July to 5th August 2010

I loved Norway, what else is there to say? The chance to camp, fish and hike in such a beautiful country was the perfect antidote to life in Hong Kong.
After leaving Bergen I took a train north to UNESCO, World Heritage listed Røros. This tiny, former mining town's buildings are made entirely of wood and I kept expecting to see Hobbits. Røros' mining heritage has been preserved; I enjoyed a ramble over the mullock heaps. From the Lofotens I caught the Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry MS Nordkapp north to the Arctic city of Tromsø.
Tromsø itself is a fun and relaxed city, with interesting museums, good food and (like much of Norway) spectacular views.
Tromsø's spectacular Arctic Cathedral glistening in the sunlight.
I arrived in Oslo in the evening with just enough time for a stroll down to the Royal Palace.
A short ferry ride from central Oslo is the Bygdøy Peninsula, a suburban area that just happens to be packed with awesome museums. Seeing Thor Heyerdahl's original raft at the Kon-Tiki Museum was a highlight as was a visit to the enthralling Viking Ship Museum.
The view downtown from Akershus Fortress; Oslo still very much a maritime city.

Snap Shot Lofoten

Visit to Lofoten Islands
28th July to 2nd August 2010

The nearly 40 hours of travel it took me to get to the Lofoten Islands was certainly worth it. This archipelago off the coast of Nordland and within the Arctic Circle has to be one of the most gorgeous places I've ever visited. The views of red tinted fishing villages perched where steep, lofty cliffs meat a tumbling ocean are truly spectacular. My days were filled with hiking, cycling and fishing and my memories of Lofoten are nothing but positive.
First stop was the Lofoten's southern most town; the spectacular Å on the island of Moskenesøy.Home for a few nights.
Looking south towards the steep cliffs of Værøy.
Fishing from a charter can at times have its rewards; I was pretty happy with this decent Pollock.
Norway seems to have no shortage of gulls.
On my final day at I walked up to the pass above my camp for some spectacular views. Å is at the far end of the lake, my camp lost in the cliffs below.
After Å I moved to the island of Flakstadøya for a couple of nights camping at Ramberg.
A definite highlight was a cycle to the tiny village of Nusfjord.
Not sure if this fellow is a Norway native, but he's sure cute.The stave church at Flakstad.

Snap Shot Bergen

Visit to Bergen
23rd to 25th July 2010

OK enough of the sitting around eating and drinking in London, it's adventure time. This summer my first stop was Norway; the winner of my internal 'where do I want to most visit battle'. I was joined for the first part my brother and his girlfriend and we had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend exploring Bergen.
The distinctive old buildings of the Hanseatic wharf.
On our first day we took a Norway in a Nutshell tour; an accessible way to soak up Norway's spectacular scenery. Here we have Sognefjord; Norway's largest fjord.
There were plenty of gulls tailing us on our cruise.
An isolated, but majestic landscape for the villagers perched amongst tSognefjord's steep glacier valleys.
Bergen is Norway's second largest city, yet still maintains its charm.
The view of Bergen after a trip up the Fløibanen funicularMt Fløyen, the hill above Bergen, has plenty of opportunities for walking.
and mushrooms...

Snap Shot Dubai

Trip to Dubai
18th to 21st July 2010

Summer holidays and I'm off adventuring in Europe, but first something a little bit different; a couple of days visiting friends in Dubai. This city in the sand is in many ways a place of contrast -raw nature and man-made glitz, wealth and poverty, searing heat and indoor skiing - but it's also surprisingly vibrant, multi-cultural and engaging. Thanks must go to S and F for showing me such a fantastic time.
The first thing I did after arriving was to leave again. The tour I booked of the Hajar Mountains and Hatta was spectacular; awesome scenery and sand dunes aplenty.
A yes, of course there were camels.
Sharks in a shopping centre.Dubai; city of sandcastles. The view 124 stories up from the Burj Khalifa observation deck. Unlike Hong Kong the haze on the horizon isn't pollution, but sandstorms raging out in the desert.
Goods for sale at the atmospheric Deira Spice Soulk.
Waiting to ferry passengers across Dubai Creek to Al Bastakiya.
Too big to fit in a photo! The Burj Khalifa by night.

Topie & Dinah 'Live Seafood Restaurant'

Caw-Oy, Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
Visited 25th April A brief tip to Philippines for the Cebu Rugby 10s left a big bunch of hungover blokes looking for something to divert the pain come Sunday morning. There really wasn't much for it but to hire a boat and go for a cruise. Our first stop was the fish feeding area off the side of Olango Island that I've visited before; this time unfortunately there weren't many fish so the whole snorkelling thing was a bit of a letdown. Suddenly it was lunch time and we were shunted across to a Topie & Dinah 'Live Seafood Restaurant' further around the island. This place claims to be 'floating', though in reality it sits on stilts just off the Island. The restaurant itself is really basic; just a concrete floor and roof. We sprawled out, ordered some San Migs and started to think about food.

There weren't menus, just a few of tubes of fish to choose from so a couple of blokes took responsibility and ordered up a decent mix of fishy goodies. First came some char-grilled tiger prawns; these guys were big, tasty and flavoursome. Next up were some big grilled clams with garlic and fried calamari. The squid was ruined by the thick, ugly batter that consumed it; however the clams were better, though a tad dry. 'Lapu-Lapu' is how the Filipinos refer to Grouper and it's considered a bit of a national delicacy. The fish we were presented with was tiny, though tasty and well prepared in an almost Chinese style with ginger, garlic and soy. Last was a whole tuna, just big enough for our table of hungry rugby players. The fish was simply grilled on coals. It was cooked too quickly which meant that different parts were cooked to different degrees, but if you found the right part it was delicious. Cold bottles of San Mig were the order of the day, though I think I saw someone sensibly sipping on water. OK so the food wasn't Earth shattering, but our lunch at Topie & Dinah 'Live Seafood Restaurant' certainly scores points as an experience. The tab came to a fair PHP550 (HK$100) each. My biggest concern however was the environmental consequences of my lunch. The restaurant was located atop coral in or near a marine sanctuary; coral which we were forced to walk across. The grouper was clearly well under-sized and many types of tuna are endangered. Oh the toilet also flushed straight into the water. OK so If I'm such a raving hippie why did I bother writing the restaurant up at all? Well despite my reservations I still think the lunch deserves recognition as part of a great weekend. I was in Cebu for under forty hours yet managed a rugby tournament, dinner, partying, a dawn ANZAC Day Service, boat trip, seafood lunch and a bit of pool time; it just shows you what you can do in a weekend!