So this is Christmas...

"...and what have you done?"

OK, so I'm a little behind, but things have been so incredible busy!! We are now in London and this is the first real chance I've had to get on the net with a FAST connection, and the ability to upload photos on mass.


Two things that I have realised about the world when you travel without a laptop -

a) Find the cheapest internet cafe near you and stick with it! I've had computers that were deliberately slow to milk as much money out of you as possible, to just down right bargains like 1€ per HOUR with a great computer and a fast connection.


b) International keyboards SUCK! OK, so I never really thought that one through, most of the letters are the same, but they're in different places and the major dramas to find the very simple "@" key is such a hassle.


Anyway, I will post an update for Munich, Nuremberg, Rome, our day trip to Florence and last of all (and the best so far) Gay Pari in the next few days. Right now I'd just like to write a quick message about Christmas in Paris.


We had planned to give ourselves a Christmas present of going to a really nice restaurant in Paris, but as it has the whole trip, time just got away from us. So we choose to use the money we would have spent at the restaurant and go to "Cafe Fauchon" & "Les Galeries Lafayette" to pick up the necessary item to create a Christmas Eve Feast in an apartment that has no oven.


In Paris it is tradition to celebrate with a feast for Christmas Eve and then do all the presents, then head off to church.

So here is what we came up with, nuts & dried fruits, french roasted chicken with roasted potatoes, smoked salmon on picklets with creme fresh, crab meat quiche, mushrooms and bell peppers stuffed with goats cheese, sun dried tomatoes, garlic prawns, a couple of beautiful french cheeses, terrein, an assortment of french savory pastries, salads, baguettes, chocolates and stunning red wine from Bordeaux, oh and did I mention the bottle of Dom Perignon?

Needless to say it was a feast fit for royalty, or at least a couple of Queens! ;) I was of course concerned that there may not be enough food, but we were still eating it on boxing day when we left for London!

One thing I will say is that it's the first Christmas I have ever really looked forward to... EVER! I truly do not remember ever being so excited about it. How can you not be, it's Christmas in Paris! W00T!

On a down side I did miss the girls (being the cats at home), David's family (especially because it's his mums birthday, Happy Birthday Evelyn), and of course all of our beautiful friends, none of you are ever far from our hearts or minds.

So to all of you we wish you the very best in the year to come and will see you all very soon.

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

Please feel free to drop in and see the new photos from Prague, Munich, Nuremberg, Rome, Florence & Paris... http://www.flickr.com/photos/escapethematrix/

"Let the mind be enlarged to the grandeur of the mysteries, and not the mysteries contracted to the narrowness of the mind." - Francis Bacon

You ever have that feeling where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?

PRAGUE

It's 7.45 and dawn is breaking over Berlin. German grain toast with peanut butter and pineapple juice is a last meal in a great city. Franchised coffee from the haufbahnhof and we're riding the Euro Carriage with our bags and fond memories in tow; heavy on our arms and hearts.

However, Prague is 5 hours calling and the excitement of a new adventure in an old city lies before us.

A fortunately uneventful trip is only disrupted by the minor sounds of 20ish men drinking. No one has told them how early it is. Standard world rule #1: Drunk men in groups are obnoxious (how quickly I have forgotten times of my own youth).

The scenic trip is relaxing and a tonic for weary feet that have left impressions on Berlin pavements. 'Beethoven's 9th', Beatles' 'Revolver' and The Dandy's 'Come Down' ease me through the passage of time.

The rail tracks grip the sides of mountains or stream through the countryside as they trace the Elbe river that flows into the Vltava river, bringing life into Prague.

We hit the platform at 12:40, catch a taxi through a car clogged city of narrow cobbled streets and arrive at the reception. Collect keys for the back up room as our originally conveniently located apartment is inconveniently out of hot water.

A nightmare trip to the apartment is punctuated by heavy bags, a struggle for tram ticket change and poor directions. However, the worst part is entering a room where the windows don't lock, the bins are filled with bottles, the blinds don't close and opening the fridge thickens the air with the stench of rotting food. I'm not leaving my soul here, let alone our passports. Hang the expense, The Kampa Best Western - here we come.

Time to prove Prague can put on a show equal to any great city. A good performance requires a captivating beginning, so I open the curtain on Charle's Bridge. Littered by artists selling their own interpretations of Prague through painting, sketch, photo or song, Happy Snappy gives his applause to the city's wonderful architectural beauty.

Capturing his excitement through his digital eye, the city turns on its charms with the brilliant night lights illuminating the shapes, curves, spires, towers and domes of the classical Prague buildings.

The bridge leads us into the tight streets and alleys and we meander through the merchants shops, inspecting some of the wares whilst avoiding others. The town is breathing with people, sucking them through its streets and pumping them into the Old Town Square.

The square's Christmas Tree centre-piece is lit up with blinking, pure white lights that surround large gold and silver bobbles that reflect all that glows. The market stalls circle the tree selling wooden toys, sausages, spiced doughnuts and various forms of heated alcohol.

Our hunger leads us to a small restaurant that provides the delights of gluhwien, goulash and duck. Weariness replaces excitement, as it usually does around this time, we return to our beds and sleep on the mixed blessings of the day.

DAY 2: Prague

Breakfast:
Knights' armour and gothic arches.
Tutor setting with sandstone fresco ceiling.
Wooden horses and stain glass windows.
Time to leave before the morning rush.
Pounding Pavement:
A Charle's bridge walk on an overcast morning.
Winding on paths that lead us to the astrological clock.
An 11.00 glockenspiel greeting by 12 apostles.
Our walking tour and a quartet of senior English citizens (cricket anyone?).
Cobblestone mazes through splendid churches and synagogues.
Catholic infiltration on Protestant people.
A chandelier gift from an appreciative Russian orthodoxy.
Modern day atheism dominates the populace.
Tortured Jewish history of persecution and oppression.
Segregation and separation by different denominations.
Layered cemeteries from confined spaces.
Butchers and bakers arise from a merchant past.
C15th frescos sketched on gothic walls.
Statues from corners hang out in the street.
Acting as guides for the illiterate of another age.
Modern day free education to the age of 26.
A Parisian street of the Champs Elysees.
Twin towers for Adam and Eve.
Marionettes and Russian dolls.
Downstairs and under the bridge for our boat ride.
Soft rain on cloudy water.
Logs and ice that broke the bridge.
A torturous death for an honourable man.
A controversial water-wheel to turn back time.
An errant shark from a dignitaries party.
A secret society that spreads through Europe.
A cavern to collect ice for spring and summer ale.
Back on shore and into the rain.
Across the bridge and the statute of good fortune.
Through the alleys and down the stairs.
A pint of beer and a goulash to satisfy.
Back to the rain (who cares, I'm in Prague!).
Catch the tram up the winding slope,
To a grand castle sparkling in the rain.
Carefully down the stairs for a shimmering view,
Of a city that continues to impress.
Soaked and sodden hair, thank goodness for the coats.
Too wet to walk the streets of ghosts.
A relaxing evening from a wondrous walk.
I will miss being in Prague again.

The wooksta

Why do my eyes hurt?

"You've never used them before."

So, we've been in Berlin for 8 days and have run out of time. I've been trying to write this post for 5 days now, but we just keep moving. So now we are on the train, on our way to Munich. Yeah, we're now leaving Prague.

Where to begin?

The 25 hour flight, plus the 5 hours on the ground between flights? Yeah I hear you... diddums... but 3 showers later and I still only "just" feel human. Yeah I know, water restrictions, but after that long cooped up in a seat, in an artificial environment, you need that many showers!

The flight to Berlin was the least painful at only 85 minutes, but was the worst for my stomach as I forgot to take my travel sickness medication, so I spent most of the flight feeling VERY ill. By the last 15-20 minutes of the flight I was starting to feel OK and could begin looking out the window.

My first look of Berlin was the huge wind turbines scattered across the countryside. It looked amazing, like a small coupes of windmills here and there. They really looked very cool, and I wish I was able to take a photo of it.

After touching down at the Berlin airport, we caught the bus to the hotel where we stayed.

After settling into the hotel, buying some food etc, we took a walk around the area where we're staying. I have to say I was a little surprised at the area that we're in. Think the "Paris" end of Collins St in Melbourne. Labels, labels, labels darling. Gucci, Mont Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Hermes, Cartier, Chanel, YSL, Bvlgari... the names just keep going. Trust two gay guys to pick a street like this to live on.

As we walked down Kurfürstendamm Straße, one of the main streets of Berlin, towards the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church, we came across one of the many Christmas markets around Berlin at this time. Unlike Melbourne, the people and the city are alive with a festive warmth, as they drink their gluhwein (hot spiced wine), eating their bratwurst, crepes & pastries and perusing the wares on sale from the various market stalls looking for gifts. So when in Berlin, do as the Berliners do! We drank, ate and perused.

Stalls of crap appear to be a universal constant the world over.

Day 2
Our first full day out in Berlin we woke up to no hot water. Thank the gods for the 3 hot showers we took the day before. After a quick brekky in the apartment and packing a cut lunch (this only lasted a couple of days as brekky & lunch is very cheap here), we headed for the U-Bahn station for a train to our first destination, KaDaWe for a spot of shopping!

KaDaWe, one of the largest department stores in the northern hemisphere, with one of the largest food halls in the world! This place is just HUGE. The first thing we did was look at leather jackets for me. Of course, as soon as David saw one he liked for himself, his old one at home needed to be replaced. Go figure! Anywho, no jackets for me a this stage. Just nothing that took my fancy.

So up to the 6th floor we went, to the food hall. Oh god, I think I have just died and gone to heaven. Without going into much detail (I'll cover this in the next post about the food of Berlin), we spent over 90 minutes just walking around the food hall, before we ordered a coffee and petit fours for morning tea.

After KaDaWe, it was off to Nollendorf Pl, one of the "gay" quarters where we had coffee in Cafe Berio. Cigarette smoke, coffee, chocolate cake and a hint of perfume from the woman sitting next to us, surrounded by an art deco decor with paintings of Madonna, Bette, Barbara and Audery on the walls. This is cafe Berio, oh and it is VERY warm in here, or maybe that's just the whiskey from the Irish coffee I was drinking. But seriously, Berlin stores & cafes are heated to within an inch of it's life. After the coffee and some writing, we took a walk around the gay quarter for the rest of the afternoon, before heading back to the apartment for some dinner and sleep.

Day 3
Pergamon Museum, WOW! This place is just a little impressive and overwhelming at the same time. As you enter the museum you're confronted by the Pergamon Temple entrance. A massive Roman construction of marble and stone. Majestic stairs lead up to the altar area and the entire structure is surrounded by columns and a stone relief depicting a battle between the Olympian Gods and the Titans. Words do not do it justice, take look at the pictures.

However, this is not the only thing to see in the Pergamon Museum, this place is packed with so many beautiful pieces you could spend days here. Some pieces invoked tears from there beauty while others invoked anger, not due to the pieces themselves, but by what had been done to them. There are Roman marble statues that have been desecrated or even castrated if you will, by having their genitalia chiseled off in the name of modesty and the shame of the naked human form decreed by the catholic church.

Why are we so ashamed of what we are? It's part of our very being.

AAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

It makes me so fucking angry!

Day 4
Memory card for the camera is full. Time to put photos to CD, unfortunatly this takes half the day! So we sent the rest of the day shopping... :) We pick up the lether jacket from KaDaWe for David and I find a cool streetwear jacket too! Happy now, but I'll have to wait till we get to Italy for my dress jacket.

Poor me ;)

Day 5
We succumbed to the tourist "sight seeing bus tour" today.

1st stop - Kultureforum (Philharmonic building & art galleries)
This one was more for David, interesting architecture, but we didn't go inside. However, there was a very interesting solar powered obelisk. It depicted the changes to the earth due to global warming and played sounds such as a male choir, and other voices which were mainly in German so I have no idea what they were saying. Next we walked over to Potsdammer Platz.

2nd stop - Potsdammer Platz
We walk over to a square on our way to Potsdammer Platz and came across two interesting modern urban art sculptures, "two men boxing" and "balloon flower". You can check them out on flickr. (www.flickr.com/photos/escapethematrix/) We also came across another Christmas market, these things are everywhere! :) Across from the market was a street called "Marlene-Dietrich Allee" named after the 1930-50ish singer/actor. She made German accents and smoking very sexy during the war, and she's also a bit of a gay icon. So, of course, we had to stop and do our gay duty and get a picture.

3rd stop - Jewish museum
We caught the tour bus to the Jewish Museum. I can see where the inspiration for Federation Square came from now; they are very similar building styles. Having watched South Park & The Simpsons for many years, I thought I knew what to expect here. I was wrong, and under prepared.

It's an interactive museum, that celebrates the Jewish faith and outlines the struggles & oppression of the people throughout history. It shows the resiliance and strength of their faith and, of course, it tells of the Nazi regime.

At this point I was begining to feel sick at what we can do to our fellow man. All in the name of racial purity & human betterment.

There are two parts to the museum which I found particularly difficult, the Holocaust Tower & the Garden of Exile.

The Holocaust Tower is a large concrete tower with very little light coming in, so it takes a couple of moments for your eyes to ajust. You can hear the world outside the tower, but the tower itself is devoid of anything inside. However, you are two levels below ground so can't see anything of it, all you have is the world inside this dark & oppessively cold tower. The effect of this tower was so complete that I wanted to sink to the ground, hug my knees to my chest and cry like a baby. Thinking back on it still makes me feel uncomfortable. I was only in the tower for a few minutes, I could not imagine being in that sitituation for years. The artist's intention was to create an environment were you could hear and sense the outside world but be unable to interact with it. You're world became the cold & dark place of the camp.

After the tower, the garden sounded like a good place to get some air and pull myself together. If anything the garden was totally disorientating. The garden is made up of 49 concrete columns, each filled with earth and a dwarf oak tree planted in the top of each. Each of the columns is on a slight angle, as is the ground. This creates a very disorientating effect as you walk around the area. This of cause, was the artist's intention, create the effect of disorientation that the Jews would have felt about being dislocated.

Needless to say my experience at this museum was not what I expected. However, it was very moving.

4th stop - Check Point Charlie & The Wall
Wow, this place is a little difficult to put into words. I found the remains of the wall & the history of CPC to be very interesting, but the place is SO Americanised that it's just awful. That's not to say CPC and Berlin are awful; it's not. However, it's like all of the German culture has been bled away and replaced by a mini America.

Once again we run out of time, so we hopped back on the bus and took the rest of the tour back to the hotel.

Day 6
As it's our second last day in Berlin we thought we'd spend it walking through the Tiergarden, which is a huge park (500 acres) which used to be the hunting reserve for King Fredirch I. This place would look magnificent during spring & summer, with it's bird life, creeks, bridges, lakes and trees. We soon make our way to the Siegessãula or Victory Tower. It's a dizzyingly tall obilisk topped with a golden bronze statue of the Goddess Viktoria which stands at a height of 56.3m. After climbing the 285 steps up the spiral staircase to the viewing platform, just below Viktoria's skirts, we were exhausted. However, the view was something very special. OK, so I didn't go out on the platform, but David did & I could see the view from the doorway to the platform. Our legs took their revenge on us later that afternoon. Next we walked down to the Gemãldegalerie (art gallery), which is a part of the Kultureforum. We grabbed a spot of lunch in the gallery cafe before heading in. This later turned out to be a huge mistake as I got a mild dose of food poisoning, which I have still not completely kicked. Even now, leaving Prague, my tummy is still a little delicate. :( There are some very impressive paintings on display at this gallery including one by Rembrandt titled "Man with the Golden Helm". To be honest, I think I only glanced at this one before walking away. It wasn't until David asked me if I had seen it, I took a second look. Let me try to put this into some kind of perspective for you. There are so many great pieces in this gallery it's so easy to just walk past such a modest piece. It's not full of colour, or large and dramatic. It's a portrait of a man cloaked in shadows, wearing a golden helmut, but it's not until you've looked into the shadows for a few minutes that you begin to see the real depths of the painting and you begin to understand why this man was a true master.

Day 7
It's our last day in Berlin, I can't believe it's gone so fast! Today we took it a little easy and revisted some of our fav places, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church (thanx Wendi), lunch @ KaDaWe, Nollendorf Platz & Cafe Berio.

Day 8
Leave for Prague... Sad now...

More on Prague in a couple of days...

I imagine that right now, you're feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole?

Well. It's now 8:10AM London time.

We are now sitting in the Brithish Airway club lounge relaxing with some breakfast or is it lunch?

Who really knows anymore?

Alan, you win the $50 from David as we did stopover in Singapore, if only for an hour.

We have now traveled over 16,500km and we are about to begin the last leg of the journey to our first real destination, Berlin.

Ok, so we have just boarded the plane, it's raining here in London, but Berlin is fine and 7°.
First stop in Berlin, SHOPPING! (Oh god, how GAY)

T minus 4 hours and counting...

OMG just over 4 hours to go till we take off.

We are now in the taxi on the way to the airport, it's very warm, muggy, and now wet as it begins to rain.

I've checked the weather report for Berlin and it is a fine day at 7 degrees. Looks like I'll have to wait till Prague for the snow! :-)

On a sadder note, it was a lot harder to say goodbye to the girls (Min & Sabrina) than I thought it would be. I think I am going to miss them both terribly. :-(

But I know in my heart that they will be fine, that Travis will take great care of them and that they will hate us for the first few hours when we return in 6 weeks.

Well we are almost at the airport so I will leave it there for now.

Speak to you all from the other side of the globe!
W00T!

It’s the Question that Drives Us...

Which begs the question, what is the question? You can’t determine the answer without knowing what it is you’re trying to resolve.

OK, so far I’ve made no sense and you’re probably asking how does this relate to the holiday, but that’s kinda where I’m at this year.

I remember the last time I went to Europe. The first couple of days were just sensory overload. Excitement generated by new and unique sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings leads to a continuous burst of ideas and experiences, so much more than you’re usually use to.

It’s escaping from a long term incarceration of your own mental prison (institution) and like a child pumped on red cordial in Disneyland for the first time, you bounce around everywhere looking for the next stimulation.

This may be due to an inability to shut down from the synthetic stimulation of work and the pseudo-issues that others impose. It becomes easy to slip into a victim mentality, but when it is a constant barrage from people who are often diametrically opposed to who you are, what you believe in and what you are trying to achieve, the exit signs start to dim in the distant.

However, I’m a firm believer in choice and self responsibility which leads you to ask "Am I doing this for the betterment of the company or for my own self-satisfaction, and in the end, is it worth it?"

But I digress. After about five days on holiday, you start to settle down and truly relax; forgetting about life in your self-imposed “Matrix”. It’s here that you can find some peace and calming solitude whilst your time is delightfully enveloped by the person that you should be spending 24 hours each day with.

And this is what I am looking forward to. Real time experiences with the Pookster (djbeatboy) rather than the turn-based routine of work life. It may also give me the time to define the question and explore the answers.

I can’t avoid it any longer. It’s time to take the ‘Red’ pill. Off with your head!!!

the wookey

Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

Oh Lord, I think putting the countdown clock up was a BIG mistake. It seems to be taking soooooo long for time to go by, and in the famous words of Veruca Salt, "I want to be in Europe and I want to be there NOW!"

A friend who has done a great deal of overseas traveling sent me a web link for the Berlin tourist information. Did you know that there are 172 museums in Berlin?! What The?! Needless to say we will not get to see all 172 of them.

I also found out that the day we arrive in Berlin is "World AIDS Day" and on the 2nd of Dec there is a party called the Red Ribbon Rave. Of cause I made the suggestion that we should check it out, but the Wookey quickly pointed out that he was not taking me to Berlin to waste 2 days at a dance party.

:(

Guess I'm just going to have to wait until NYE in London to dance my toosh off!



I can't believe I have to wait another 35 sleeps! Where's a time travel machine when you need one...

Follow the white rabbit…

So here’s the itinerary for the trip…

Nov 30, 17:10 - Fly out of Melbourne (Flight from Melbourne to London, then connecting flight from London to Berlin)
Dec 01 - Dec 08 - Berlin
Dec 08 - Dec 10 - Prague
Dec 10 - Dec 11 - Munich (with a day trip to Nuremburg)
Dec 12 - Dec 18 - Rome
Dec 19 - Dec 26 - Paris
Dec 26 - Jan 03 - London
Jan 03 - Jan 05 - Amsterdam
Jan 05 - Jan 09 - London
Jan 11 - Touch down in Melbourne

You know on paper it really doesn't seem like six weeks?

More to follow shortly....

Wake up Neo......

In December 2005 we decided that this is the year (meaning 2006) that we do it. We've been saying this for almost 6 years now, but due to job changes, weddings (namely ours), and other obstacles we've kept putting it off.

I've never been overseas before, unless you want to count Hamilton Island? Nor, have I ever seen snow. Ok, I hear you...."you live in Melbourne, it's like an hour to the snow fields"... I know, I know, my friends say the same thing... Still I've never been and I figure, if I'm going to take a trip to see snow then why not go all out and do it in Europe?!

Ok, maybe I should back up a little and explain a couple of things. I’m DJ Beatboy (long story); I’m the guy in the front of the picture up there in the corner, the one with the wacky blue lopsided mohawk. The spunky feller with his arms around my chest is my Husband, the Wookey. We’re two guys that… well you can read the profile for all that stuff.

One thing I will mention is that as we are both Air signs (Libra & Aquarius respectively) it’s amazing that we were able to make any kind of a decision at ALL! However, by the power of whatever Deities you choose to beleive in, we did manage to make the decision to go to Europe, all be it in the dead of their winter, but as I said I’ve never see snow...

So on November 30 @ 17:10 we fly out of Melbourne to London and the beginning of our journey...