Sydney, Australia</h1> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Sun, 18 Mar 2018 10:00:00 +1100</p> Back home! </article> <article> <h1>Pudong Airport, China</h1> <p>Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:40:00 +0800</p> LAST ENTRY: Last no-sleepy night. I’m feeling a bit sick today, but grateful about not being sick in the majority of months of this trip. I’m also not sleeping well, I was hoping for some relaxing last days before heading home but unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. After breakfast, we came back to the room and started packing all our 5 bags! :O I also kept working with Ben’s help, on my video of the doors of the world: 163 pictures of doors we took at every place we stayed during this last year. We went out for our last lunch of the trip to a restaurant nearby, and headed back to the hotel for a last rest before checking out (they were kind enough to let us check out 3hrs later than normal). I finally finished editing the video and posted it on FB even though China blocks most of my social media apps. Hehe After a little rest, another shower and marvellously packing 3 huge bags and 2 carry on bags (one of them was broken and that’s why they sold it to us for $25... we only realised once it was full and ready to go), we checked out and spent some time at the lobby before getting a taxi to the airport. Of course, the day was packed with a lot of “last times” for everything, so there’s no point in mentioning all those things, but you get the idea... On our way to the gate, during security, we had a very bad experience with our battery bank, a special present I gave Ben on a birthday a couple of years ago: they took it away from us because it didn’t have a label they wanted. It was the only place after 44 different countries and this never happened before. :/ After a couple of hours for our very first Qantas flight of this year and of course, the very first place taking us to Australia, since it is the first time we got back since we left a year ago. It has been a delight (most days) to write this diary of our trip but all good things must come to an end. From here on, let’s pretend life keeps being as interesting as it has been for the last year... I’m hoping it will be. Perhaps I’ll come back to track another adventure that comes along. For now, we must return to our home, Sydney, to find a new house, a new job and start planing the next stage of our lives. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Until next time. :D<p><br/>Goodbye Pudong! :)</p><p><br/>Last time waiting for a taxi, last airport, last everything! :D</p><p><br/>Last plane and first time on a Qantas one. :D</p> </article> <article> <h1>Shanghai, China</h1> <p>Fri, 16 Mar 2018 00:10:00 +0800</p> More shopping, new clothes and last dinner of the trip. We had another full on day of shopping! I have realised Ben has an actual problem... he’s a shopaholic! :P He managed to convinced me to go back to the same underground markets we went to yesterday but I told him we had to take the train back since it seemed easier that way. I wasn’t feeling 100% either: mostly a combination of pollution, Chinese people coughing in my face and food, not sleeping well and the a/c in the room. Today was very cold too so we were happy to be underground. We got a cab to the markets and shopped around for more unnecessary cheap things for a couple of hours. Ben was very excited to get a new backpack and I was very excited to get a freshly squeezed orange juice from a vending machine! :O We managed to get a train fairy easy and after a quick lunch, we got a cab to the fabric market to pick up our tailor-made clothes. We left after a couple of hours of trying clothes on and fixing up some of them. I don’t know how we are going to manage to fit everything in our bags. :/ Anyway, it’s the last flight... it doesn’t matter anymore. We came back to the hotel, exhausted and I, particularly, feeling like crap. We rested for a while and then went for a walk along The Bund to get our last picture of the doors, picture number 163! :) we decided to get some early dinner at the Italian nearby and paid a small fortune for our last dinner of the trip. :) Back at the hotel, we started planning our last FB posts of the trip... it’s been really nice to see pictures and count places and other statistics about the trip... I can’t believe a year has gone and we are finished! :) Goodnight Shanghai!<p><br/>Enjoyng our last day in Shanghai. </p><p><br/>Picking up all pir new tailored clothes. :)</p><p><br/>This was my highlight of today. :P</p><p><br/>Sooo much shit everywhere! </p><p><br/>Ben enjoying his new backpack and LOVING the markets! :D</p><p><br/>Train ride :P</p><p><br/>The mesmerising Bund. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Pudong, China</h1> <p>Thu, 15 Mar 2018 10:50:00 +0800</p> </article> <article> <h1>The Bund, Shanghai, China</h1> <p>Wed, 14 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0800</p> Markets, markets and more markets!! This title is a great way to summarise today’s day since was pretty much the only thing we did today. We had a lot of fun but China’s consumerism culture can be quite overwhelming sometimes. We started the day about earlier today. Ben didn’t sleep well but I had a great long night, getting rid of my jet-lag more efficiently. :) After breakfast, we went to a HUGE clothing market and browsed for a couple of hours. This market was so packed and everything was very affordable. We got some baby/kid’s clothes and went back to the hotel to have lunch nearby. After this, we got another taxi to our favourite market, fabric market. Ben’s suit was amazing! He only needed to do some minor changes, otherwise, he was very happy, so happy he got himself 3 more suits, 13 shirts and I got a suit, a cashmere coat (which seems to be looking amazingly good), a couple of shirts and a suit. It was a very long and productive day and it was great help with Ben’s jet-lag. They took measurements and all our money (saving us something like $7000!!!! :O) and then we picked up our new sunnies and bought a new suitcase for all these new things we need to take to Australia. It’s all very exciting and the speed they have to make these suits so well and fast is fascinating. We came back to the hotel to chill for a bit before dinner and we got right on time for happy hour so they gave us free welcome cocktails. :) To end up the day on a high note, we had Italian at a near by restaurant in a terrace with a great view of the other side of the river, from The Bund (where we’re staying) to Pudong’s area, with the most amazing lights and boats everywhere. The food was also delicious but ridiculously pricy for China. We came back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit, considered the possibility of going to A town near by that’s full of lakes and water canals... after much consideration, we decided not to go there tomorrow... we can’t... we just don’t have the energy to do anything anymore. We’ll come back here many times in the future and we’ll have time to do a bit more. Good night. <p><br/>More markets today. This one was very busy and I happned to captured this empty hall. </p><p><br/>Ben was happy with his suit. Buying as many shorts and suits now. :)</p><p><br/>The majestic Bund at night. :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>French Concession, Shanghai, China</h1> <p>Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:20:00 +0800</p> Last (eleventh) haircut: ¥268 ($34) it was actually surprisingly good! :) Oh dear!... this bloody jet lag is killing me this time. We both woke up at 3am and struggled so much to fall asleep again. After a couple of hours feeling terrible and hungry, we managed to go to sleep again for another four hours or so, waking up just in time before breakfast got closed downstairs. As expected, food wasn’t great given Chinese people don’t really do breakfast the way the western world does. It was still better than anything else we could’ve got outside the hotel and it was included in the price of the room. We got a cab and went to the well known French Concession, an area in Shanghai full of restaurants, shops, shopping centres and hotels. It wasn’t as cool as we thought and as people said it would be but we enjoyed looking around and I even got my very last haircut of the trip, the only time Ben hasn’t got one with me. This wasn’t as difficult as I thought: he got my instructions right and had a very nice technique while cutting my hair. It was unusual but interesting. After a couple of hours wandering around, we went to a great Chinese restaurant for lunch and visited another market-alley area near by full of little things nobody really needs but everyone wants. It was packed with people, of course. :D We came back to the hotel, got a new room and, after a little hiccups with management, Ben managed to get us yet, a better room. Lol We had a brief rest and went to the hotel gym before going out for dinner. This time we went to a nicer restaurant with not such nice prices. :/ it was lovely and the food was delicious though. Now The was have a proper room for the next 4 nights, we set up Ben’s PC to watch some tv and started watching a new show that seems promising. We are very excited because we’ll back to the fabric market to pick up some goodies. ;) Goodnight.<p><br/>Wandering around Shanghai’s French Concession. </p><p><br/>A Propaganda poster shop. </p><p><br/>Love this type of places in the middle of such a big city. </p><p><br/>Dumplings time! :D</p><p><br/>Markets and more markets. </p><p><br/>The view of the Bung from our new room. </p><p><br/>Fancy Chinese dinner. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Shanghai, China</h1> <p>Mon, 12 Mar 2018 05:00:00 +0800</p> And the jet lag hits again! :/ Of course we couldn’t sleep on the plane anymore. Our biological clocks were so confused and the lights of the plane were a mess, turning them on and off making the last 2hrs of the trip quite imposible. I enjoyed another movie and soon, after a very early breakfast on the plane, we touched down in Shanghai Pudong Airport. This place was SOOOO BIG! It took us over 40min to get from the plane to the gate. We arrived quite early so that facilitated things, especially migration. The problem was that we realised Ben needed a tourist visa because he’s only allowed entry if 140hrs of transit (which ended up being just perfect for our time in China). As we didn’t know that at that point, or what queue to use, we did the line with foreigners, o passed through and Ben was kept behind the line waiting for someone who could give the transit visa. :/ This, of course, reminded us of Cuba, however, this wasn’t nowhere near as bad; 20min later, we were ready to leave Pudong and head to the hotel located in the famous old area of The Bund in the heart of Shanghai’s river. After a long walk we realised the train was closed and had to find taxi, which was located, of course, right where we came from. The entire process of getting out of the airport was almost a mission impossible. Another 30min in a cab, we got to the hotel. Everything was actually very nice except for the horrendous poor customer service at the lobby. We knew it was too early to check in (7am) but they were very rude about the whole thing, telling as that we had to wait for 6hrs because they could give us a room. :( At this point we were exhausted and just wanted to take a shower and sleep for a couple of hours. Given the amount of hours we had, we had to try and keep busy so we went out and explored the main area of the Bund, unfortunately, most shops were closed (it’s was about 8am). We had some delicious dumplings and were surprised to see how organised and clean everything looked. Definitely not what we expected to see. It also feels like we are in a little wealthy bubble. After this, went back to the hotel and couldn’t do much about and early check in so we decided to go to the Fabric Market, one of the best markets ever! We killed a lot of time and bought as many things as we could afford since everything was so cheap. We even got a suit for Ben and a coat for me. :) Came back to the hotel, checked in into a bad room with not such a great view of the city (it was blocked by a column) so Ben complained for the very last time on this trip (what a relive! :D) and got them to change us to a better room tomorrow... who knows if it will happen. We managed to sleep for 2hrs; the original plan was actually to sleep for only 1.5hrs but the problem was that Ben, in the middle of his tiredness, set the alarm for 4:30AM instead of PM. I woke us up by chance and were feeling terrible. :/ This is probably one of the worse jet-lags we’ve have this trip. After a while, we went out again for dinner near the hotel and paid something like $8 for dinner... it’s amazingly cheap! On the way back to the hotel, we walked around the spectacular view of the Bund across the river. It’s one of the most spectacular cities we’ve been to, it’s just so full of lights and life. We wandered for a while longer and headed home after killing enough time staying awake. I took a bath and pushed myself to go to sleep just after 11:30pm, while Ben couldn’t handle it anymore and ended up falling asleep at around 10pm. Hopefully we’ll start getting better. Night night. <p><br/>The grand city of Shanghai! </p><p><br/>This picture was taken three building away from our hotel, right in the heart of The Bund. People hang their clothes to dry right in the middle of fhs street. :O</p><p><br/>The fabric markets of Shanghai were UNBELIEVABLY good! </p><p><br/>The view from our room wasn’t as bad as they said. ;)</p><p><br/>A city full of lights. We’re lovng it. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv International Airport, Israel</h1> <p>Sun, 11 Mar 2018 10:20:00 +0200</p> No sleepy night :/ We had a 18hr day today, losing 6hrs thanks to change of time zones. We started our day by packing for a second last time. :D we got rid of some old things like my Birkenstocks and some old pyjama shorts I’d had for more than 10 years. Ben also got rid of some t-shirts so in general, packing was easier and lighter that before, especially now that we got my new bigger carry-on bag. After a 30min Gett trip to the airport (Gett is the Uber of Israel), we arrived to a very busy and highly protected airport. There, we had to queue for about an hour just to go through a special security scanning and questioning before even get our boarding passes and drop our bags. They also had something similar to a toll both before entering the airport for security of vehicles coming in. However, it still feels very safe. :) We dropped our bags and got something to eat before heading over to our gate. At around 12:30pm we started boarding with no calls or organisation whatsoever. It was actually not too bad. We got in quickly to a 1yo Dreamliner in actual good conditions and well equipped. We were quite satisfied with it. Sleeping is always and issue so we try our best to find the most comfortable way to sleep while in air even if it’s by taking turns. I don’t think that’s going to happen on this trip. :/ With a slight delay of 15min we left Tel Aviv (and it’s time zone) at 1:10pm when 30min later we were getting dinner giving it was 7:45pm in Shanghai time. We watched a couple of movies, I got myself ready “for bed” and managed to sleep for 30min. :( It’s now 1am Shanghai time and I doubt I will be able to sleep for longer than another hour especially because we will be getting “breakfast” soon and will arrive in about 4hrs to Pudong International Airport.<p><br/>Goodbye Tel Aviv!</p><p><br/>The safety instruction video was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv, Israel</h1> <p>Sat, 10 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0200</p> Last day in Tel Aviv! Another short entry. Ohhhh... we really spelt in this morning! :) Feeling like the trip is over and we better do something about resting since we won’t be having much of that in Australia. :/ We chilled for a bit in the morning and then went to the beach for a walk. We needed up having a light lunch there, feeling very relaxed. After another brief walk, we came back to the apartment, watched some tv and had a nap. For dinner we went out to a Japanese restaurant and had some ramen (not the best :/) and had one of the BEST ice-creams we’ve had during the last year. It was so delicious. :) We came back and finished Borderliner S1. Not the best ending :/ Tonight is our last night in the Middle East and tomorrow will be flying to a very different time zone (a bit more similar to home’s) so we tried to stay up for a long as possible; Ben went to sleep by 2am and I’m about to go now at 3am. The problem is that it’s about 9am in Shanghai, our next stop, and we should be getting up, not the other way around. :$ Anyway... we’ll get time to get rid of the jet-lag. Goodnight. <p><br/>The beach was packed and full of life! :)</p><p><br/>Last stroll around Tel Aviv. </p><p><br/>My ideal size of chair. ;)</p><p><br/>The Muffles. :)</p><p><br/>Bye bye Tel Aviv. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Jaffa, Israel</h1> <p>Fri, 09 Mar 2018 10:00:00 +0200</p> Jaffa... and nothing else. :D I was SOOO tired today! I struggled to fall asleep last night and I only managed to do it before 4am so I barely slept for 5hrs. My plan for the day didn’t include any sort of morning commitments, but unfortunately, Fridays are the Saturdays of Israel because of Shabbat: from sunset to sunset there’s nothing going on, so we had to make the best out of today since tomorrow not much will happen. We got ready and took a cab to Jaffa, the sister ancient Arab city next to Tel Aviv. We wandered around for a couple of hours and enjoyed some very cool and unusual markets before heading to a fantastic lunch. We had so much food for. It much money and it was delicious! After this, I could barely managed to keep my eyes opened, we walked home and about 45min later we were ready for a sleep. We managed to sleep for almost two hours and remained at home for the rest of the afternoon/evening doing the washing, watching TV and making dinner at home. We also started watching a great Norwegian show called Borderliner and have been binging on it. :P Tomorrow will be our last day in Israel and expectations for plans are as low as they car get... It sounds perfect to me. :) Night night. <p><br/>The view of Tel Aviv from the Jaffa coast. </p><p><br/>Jaffa, the old Arab neighbour of Tel Aviv. </p><p><br/>The Jaffa markets were my favourite ones. :)</p><p><br/>So many weird people selling old used shit. Lol</p><p><br/>This was the most full-on lunch experience I’ve ever had. :O</p><p><br/>Wandering through Old Jaffa. </p><p><br/>Tel Aviv from Jaffa. </p> </article> <article> <h1>‘En Boqeq, Israel</h1> <p>Thu, 08 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0200</p> The Dead Sea! :D Today we went on the last road trip of this trip! A lot of “last ones” are starting to come now that we’re a couple of weeks away from finishing the sabbatical. :) We left the apartment in the morning and walked near the beach to pick up our little grey Shlomo, a Fiat 500. This little fella took us all the way to Mount Mesada, by the Dead Sea. Of course a bunch of very interesting things happened because of this: we had to take a longer route, adding a total of 200km to the drive to avoid the West Bank. From the Israeli side, you can clearly see Jordan, so technically, we visited another country today hehe. We also drove through a fantastic place on Earth, going down below sea level almost 500m!! The entire scenery changed and it was a very different experience to anything we’ve ever done. We visited mount Mesada briefly, mostly for the views and to make the 2hr drive worthwhile. The actual mountain is a bit boring and there’s not much to see up there. Unfortunately for them, the story behind it is also not very interesting: ancient Jewish town, Jews escaping from Romans, didn’t want to be killed by them, killed themselves before, then an earthquake destroyed the town, the end. Lol At least there where busloads of tourists very excited to be there... maybe we’ve just had enough. After this, we drove down to a beach “town” of the Dead Sea, where we had lunch and floated for a while in the amazingly weird waters of this salty lake at the lowest point on Earth. :O After a little while, and drove back for another two hours to Tel Aviv to return Shlomo. Here, we said goodbye to our last car after another 400km to add to the list. It was a busy driving long day but we felt a bit disappointed for such a long exercise. Anyway, it was such a different experience. :) After a long walk back home, we chilled and had dinner here while watching tv. We wanted to go out for some drinks given that tomorrow is Shabbat again and most people don’t go out, so we stayed awake until late and went out just after 11pm. We began at a very horrible tiny and creepy bar where we spent a small fortune on a couple of drinks and sprinted out as quick as we could. We ended up visiting the same bar we went to last Thursday and had some more expensive drinks there. :/ it was a nicer environment and there were a lot of young people in their groups, so Ben decided to break the ice and courageously started talking to a couple of guys. After about 30min conversation with them, we parted the bar a bit tipsy. We had a short stopover at a pizza place, a ridiculous place, like most restaurants here, where everything is kosher so meat CAN’T touch dairy products so cheesy pizza don’t have any meat. :$ Finally, back at home, stayed awake for about another hour and just after 3am we were ready to go to dreamland, happy not to have anything to rush for tomorrow morning. :P<p><br/>Camels on a car, of course! Lol</p><p><br/>An ancient Jewish town were Jews killed themselves before others did it. Also, before an earthquake. That’s all. :D</p><p><br/>The Dead Sea and Jordan at the back. View from Masada. </p><p><br/>On the cable car to Mount Masada </p><p><br/>The Dead Sea!!</p><p><br/>It truly is hard to explain. Amazing experience. </p><p><br/>We saw sooo many tanks like this being transported. :O</p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel</h1> <p>Wed, 07 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0200</p> Back in Tel Aviv! We were very excited to come back to Tel Aviv, especially because we’ve had enough of Jerusalem. There’s only so much of it you can handle and we’ve had it all. We packed (for the third last time XD) and checked out, walking with our bags for about 1km, including my new (and very heavy) bag. We got on that same little bus that took us to Jerusalem since it’s still the most popular option for locals and tourists. They took about an hour to get all the passengers but at last we left and got back to Tel Aviv after another hour. Another taxi ride later and we were checking in into our very last Airbnb of the trip. :( It’s actually happening, the trip is almost over. We have stayed in 67 Airbnb listings ranging from stables, lofts, apartments and houses to cabins, rooms, guest houses, etc. Airbnb truly has been a saviour as well as a pain in the ass. :D Luckily for us, our last experience is going very well: the apartment is lovely and homely and we’ll have 4 nights here! :D After checking in, we went for lunch to a very cool place and then for a bit of a wander in a big (but very disappointing) shopping centre. Our last stop before coming back home was a brief visit to a supermarket, the problem was that this was nothing but brief: we spent about 30min deciding what to buy for the next for days and once we got to the tills/cashiers, they were closed... all of them! Their system had collapsed and there were dozens of people waiting in line. We were hopeful at the beginning since you would think a system like that would just reset itself easily (I mean... it’s like a calculator attached to a list of items!). We were wrong. We ended up leaving and buying overpriced things at a convenience store closer to home. Once at home, we chilled, Ben made a yummy dinner and we continued to watch Shooter S1... it’s okay, not great. Hehe<p><br/>So happy to leave Jerusalem. :D</p><p><br/>Back in Tel Aviv. :) </p><p><br/>Nope... no working tills in the entire supermarket. After 30min waiting we just left. :/</p> </article> <article> <h1>Jerusalem, Israel</h1> <p>Tue, 06 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0200</p> Last day in Jerusalem. This would be an short entry. We visited the old city for the last time today. This time we went to the famous Temple Mount, one of the most sacred places for Muslims. The queue was long but moved quickly as soon as it opened for visitors. The area around the temple was amazing, quiet and spacious. Nothing like anywhere else in the Old City. After a couple of pictures and a wander around the temple, we walked around the old city’s markets, fishing for some presents to bring to Australia. After a quick lunch near home, we came back to the apartment, rested and watched tv for the rest of the day, had dinner nearby and came back and stared watching Shooter S1 ok our last night in Jerusalem before heading back to Tel Aviv tomorrow. :) Goodnight. <p><br/>On the long queue to Temple Mount. </p><p><br/>It was a great and quiet sight. :) </p><p><br/>:)</p><p><br/>A big chuncky radio in the middle of the city :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>Jerusalem District, Israel</h1> <p>Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0000</p> Holocaust Museum and the Christian and Jewish Quarters. We had another king exploring day today. Now that Ben is feeling better and that, unfortunately we’re not sleeping quite as well as expected, we’ve been sleeping in a bit more but doing way more in the middle of the day. We started today by going to the markets to find some breakfast and fresh fruits and bread for tomorrow. The markets were actually very nice, clean and organised. Ben says everything has changed a lot and things have gotten cleaner and safer; we haven’t seen any security personnel outside shops or restaurants... it all seems a bit too good to be true. Our second stop was the amazing Holocaust Museum and Learning Centre of Jerusalem, apparently, the best of its kind in the world. After being there for about two hours, I could definitely agree with that statement. It was impressive, inside and outside. From here, we got on another cab and went back to the Old City to explore a bit more and go to find the best rooftop view of the city. Since we did most of the Armenian and Muslim quarters yesterday, we wanted to explore the other two today, at least as much as we could. We went to the Christian quarter first, passing through the markets section that reminded me of catholic shops around churches in Colombia; then we passed through the Vatican missions and churches and finally went to the famous church of the Holy Sepulchre: it was a very full-on experience, especially seeing of those people kissing monuments and Jesus-related stones. His tomb was very popular among masses: there was a queue of more than 100ppl we’re trying to get in and touch, lick and rub as much as possible. We looked around and admire some of the old architecture and left to the Jewish quarter. Since we’d already done the Western Wall, this time we went for the food! This section of the city was a bit quieter and more organised. Lunch was yummy and that was it for us for the day. It was 3pm and we were exhausted. On our way back to the apartment, we bought a bigger carry-on bag to replace (or expand) my little bag pack because our bags are getting out of control with space. :/ at least it was $30 :P We rested, napped and watched binged on Dynasty S1 for the rest of the day until dinner time, when we went to a nearby restaurant for schnitzel and goulash. :) Tomorrow will be our last day in Jerusalem and we might take it easy since there’s not much else we want to do at this point of the trip. :$ Night night. <p><br/>We visited these markets today and they were actually very nice. </p><p><br/>The most beautiful view from the Holocaust Museum. </p><p><br/>A very impressive and beautiful museum. </p><p><br/>The church of the Holy Sepulchre. </p><p><br/>A great view of the old city of Jerusalem. </p><p><br/>The muffles in Jerusalem. :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>Jerusalem, Israel</h1> <p>Sun, 04 Mar 2018 12:20:00 +0200</p> Jesus’ home. :P After checking out from our first home in Tel Aviv, we headed to the bus terminal where we caught this little funny bus that took us to Jerusalem. The bus ride only took about 50min plus a lot of traffic in the actual city since it seems as if they’re fixing all the roads at once. On the way here, we realised how FUCKING tired we are!! We are so ready to go home and stop packing! My bag barely closed today! :/ We arrived at the apartment right in the middle of the city (great spot) and it wasn’t clean yet, so we left our bags and went for lunch downstairs. Given that our check in time wasn’t until 4pm (ridiculous, isn’t it?), we decided to go an explore the walled old city of Jerusalem. It was as full on as I imagined it to be. Full of markets everywhere run by all kinds of people from all kinds of religions. Everything looks so incredibly old! :O We also visited the famous most sacred place for Jewish people: The Western Wall (the only piece that’s left from the original second Jewish temple). We touched it, got some pics and left. Done and dusted. :D After getting lost for a while in the old city and briefly entering one of the Arab’s neighbours, we walked back to the apartment. Once at the apartment, we decided to have a rest and watch some tv before dinner. We went to a nearby restaurant and had a very casual dinner. Finally, we ended up watching an Israeli gay-themed movie filmed in the old orthodox side of Jerusalem, which we’ll be visiting tomorrow. :P Ready for another day, closer to getting home. :P<p><br/>A tiny little funny bus took us to Jerusalem. </p><p><br/>The Muffles on their way to Jerusalem. </p><p><br/>The walled city of Jerusalem is a fascinating place. :O</p><p><br/>The holiest place for Jewish people: The Western Wall. </p><p><br/>The view of Jerusalem from our balcony. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv, Israel</h1> <p>Sat, 03 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0200</p> A bit of exploring, a lot of rest! :D This entry will be short, mostly because there’s not much to mention. Ben has been recovering from his cold by best possible way: sleeping. We had breakfast at home and left just before 11am without rushing, to explore old Tel Aviv, near where we are. Shabbat goes from sunset on Friday till sunset on Saturday, so most places where closed and there wasn’t much to do. The city is still super cool, packed with great restaurants and cafes (and everything is overpriced). We walked to a Square where PM Rabin was killed and there’s a very detailed monument about it. On the home, we stopped at a great restaurant for lunch where we got a couple of sandwiches and paid a lot of money for bad service, apparently, quite normal in Israel. After about a 10k walk, we came back, rested, watched some tv and contemplated the idea of going out to a gay bar if we were to feel up to it but it never materialised. Lol Tomorrow we are leaving Tel Aviv and it will be a lot more interesting, I promise ;)<p><br/>Exploring the old Tel Aviv </p><p><br/>The Sderot Rothschild boulevard is long mix road for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists that extends for kms and it’s full of great spaces for everyone. :)</p><p><br/>Went to see a monument at this square of a prime minister who was killed here. </p><p><br/>Love the mix architecture everywhere. Very cool. </p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv, Israel</h1> <p>Fri, 02 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0200</p> Shabbat in Tel Aviv (Friday)! Well... Ben has gotten a cold. :/ We slept in this morning, something we rarely do nowadays. Once we finally managed to get ready it was 10:30am and went out for breakfast/brunch to a very cool cafe. We had the most delicious meal but also one of the most expensive; Tel Aviv used to be cheaper a few year back -Ben tells me- and we are feeling it. :/ From here, we walked down Sheinkin Street, one of the most famous streets of Tel Aviv, and finished up at the Carmel Markets, where there are two different type of markets parallel to each other. Ben’s cold started to get worse and worse at this point, so, after briefly visiting Jerusalem Beach, we headed back home for a rest. We did some washing and rested a good part of the afternoon. Purim celebrations seem to keep going and our plan was to attend this crazy event but Ben didn’t have the energy to do it and we decided to make some matzah ball soup instead. That was it for today; we stayed at home watching tv and making sure Ben recovers well and soon. This has also helped ME rest a bit more so hopefully he feels better soon and I manage to avoid getting sick too. :/ Goodnight. <p><br/>A uber cool cafe where we had breakfast. </p><p><br/>And THIS was breakfast! :D</p><p><br/>Ready to visit both of Tel Aviv’s markets. </p><p><br/>Some of the architecture of the city is amazing! </p><p><br/>Jerusalem beach, Tel Aviv :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>Tel Aviv, Israel</h1> <p>Thu, 01 Mar 2018 18:30:00 +0200</p> Shalom Tel Aviv! :) Let say it was an interesting transfer day. We had breakfast at the hotel (plus saved lunch for later thanks to Ben’s smuggler skills). We checked out and decided not o wear thermals considering there was no point wearing them if we were going to a warmer environment so soon after the short walk from the hotel to the station. At the airport, everything was pretty easy and straightforward, we just needed to wait outside the extra secure gate for about two hours before boarding. The flight was as terrible as the last Norwegian flight we had: uncomfortable, tight, rude staff... the usual. 4.5hrs later we touched down in Tel Aviv, Israel! :) there wasn’t much we could see when landing because it was already dark but the airport was super pretty and immigration went easy and smooth. :) We got our bags, got on a dodgy taxi and came here, to our first home in Tel Aviv, right in the heart of the city. We checked in into our lovely apartment and went out for dinner near by, finding out that they were celebrating Purim: on this special day, everyone dresses up in costumes of ANYTHING! We had so much fun just walking around (on a perfect weather btw) and looking at all these happy people dressed up as Pokemons, bacon or even a lighter. Some of them were so ingenious, we’ve never seen before so many things hehe. After a delicious chicken schnitzel for dinner, we went to a gay bar where they were celebrating Purim as well. It was so much fun and so many little cute Jews everywhere I was going crazy! XD We returned home just after 11pm (new time zone) tired, exhausted from the flight and looking forward to getting into bed. :) Night night. <p><br/>We didn’t saw the original one but apparently she’s not much bigger than this one hehe</p><p><br/>Hello Tel Aviv! :)</p><p><br/>Our first meal in Israel had to be a chicken Schnitzel</p><p><br/>Soo... we came here by chance during a big celebration called Purim where everyone gets dressed by something... anything. This guy was a lighter! :O</p><p><br/>Gay costume party! :D</p> </article> <article> <h1>Copenhagen, Denmark</h1> <p>Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0100</p> Copenhagen in a day and Frands for dinner. Ohh Copenhagen... lovely Copenhagen! We had a good sleep and went down for breakfast. It wasn’t as good as the one in Stockholm but it was still free of additional charges and at this point in the trip, anything helps! Given that only had today to explore the city, we managed to squeeze lots of places and sights in 6hrs of heavily and bitterly cold exploring. We visited shops, beautiful buildings, lakes, everything was so more beautiful! We went to our favourite design shop called HAY (we just wanted to buy it all), Nyhavn (the most amazing houses by the old port), more shops and then we walked for about 30min more to get back to the hotel. After such a big explore day, we didn’t want to leave anymore and Ben had started to feel a bit sick so we stayed in the room and watched some tv and rested. It was actually too cold outside to truly enjoy a bit more. I had organised dinner plans with my W boyfriend for tonight, so I wrapped myself around all my winter clothes again, said goodbye to Ben and adventured myself to the ungodly weather conditions of CPH. I met Frands at his apartment just half a block from our hotel and had a lovely chat over a glass of wine before heading to Gorila for dinner. Dinner with him was lovely. He took me to his favourite place in the city and invited me to a 10 course meal. :O The food was yummy and his company is always great. :) He was very generous and refused to let me pay. It was a very nice way to close our trip to the Scandinavian countries and it was very nice seeing him again after more than 5 years. We walked back as fast as we could trying to avoid the terribly cold weather and said goodbye near the hotel and his place. Ben was comfortably and warmly waiting for me to get ready for bed. Tomorrow we’ll start another part of this amazing “coming back” part of the trip. :) Night night. <p><br/>We visited the Lego store and it was adorable. </p><p><br/>Copenhagen is stunning!</p><p><br/>At the famous Nyhavn. Ir was so cold, the boat tours were closed due to the thick ice. </p><p><br/>We were lucky to see the changing of the guards outside the royal palace. </p><p><br/>Unique tower with ramps instead of stairs. The view was amazing. </p><p><br/>Exploring the botanical gardens </p><p><br/>Dinner with Frands after more than 5 years. :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>Copenhagen, Denmark</h1> <p>Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:30:00 +0100</p> Last stop in Europe. Before I forget: amazing! This is the only country in the world we’ve been so far that is encouraging people to use only plastic currencies and not cash. A lot of shops have signs outside saying “no cash payments”. :D After another delicious breakfast at the hotel (and grabbing a bit more for lunch), we checked out and put on our winter gear once we realised getting an Uber or taxi to the train station was practically impossible ($40+ for 800m). The problem wasn’t so much the heavy snow of the big bags we had to carry, the problem was that it was -12°C and it felt like -22°C. It was REALLY cold! We managed to make it on time and alive hehe. Our train was easy to find and once we were inside our carriage, we were fine. :) After a long delay, we said goodbye to Stockholm and Sweden, heading over to Copenhagen, Denmark 5hrs after a long, noisy but warm train ride, making it the 42nd country we visit during the last 11 months. :O We also crossed the longest boarder bridge in the world, from Malmo to Copenhagen, going for almost 8km. :) As soon as we arrived in lovely Copenhagen (without being asked for tickets even once during the ride), we felt the difference with the weather: here, there was no snow at all and, temperature-wise, it wasn’t as cold, but in reality, it was the coldest we’ve been. It was freezing cold!! Painfully cold!! Hehe anyway, we managed, of course. We got to the hotel (lovely hotel, lovely people), checked in and went out to explore a bit of Vesterbro, the area where we are staying in. After a bit of a wander, I spoke with my ex, Frands, and organised a quick rendezvous. It was great to see him again after more than 5 years, and for Ben to meet him too. :) We weren’t to a cafe and had a drink and talked a bit about everything, including Frands’ recent trip to Colombia where we connected with people from the adoption agency where he came from. :) Lastly, Frands took us to a pizza place near by and said goodbye. After dinner, we watched an Israeli movie in our room, trying to keep warm. Tomorrow we’ll have a busy day, exploring as much as we can of the whole city. :D Goodnight from København. :)<p><br/>Rolling down Stockholm in -21°C hehe</p><p><br/>We made it alive to the station. </p><p><br/>Trying to keep warm while waiting for the train. </p><p><br/>On our way to Copenhagen. :)</p><p><br/>Exploring København on a cery cold day. </p><p><br/>So this how food delivery looks like in thw future... I mean, in Denmark. :O </p><p><br/>We saw Frands for a drink in the afternoon. :)</p> </article> <article> <h1>Solna, Sweden</h1> <p>Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:10:00 +0100</p> Goodbye Claire :/ The plan for this morning was originally to go to the gym before breakfast. Ben couldn’t make it and I just didn’t have enough time to train but at least I did a bit of exercise. We met Claire for breakfast downstairs and had another outstanding meal before heading out for the last time with Claire before she went back to Zurich. The weather was actually lovely today: it wasn’t as cold but it was definitely windier and snowier than other days. Very heave snow! It’s always fun for a couple of minutes and then it’s just annoying hehe. We visited some beautiful underground train station designs and Stockholm’s public library in north of the city. By the time we were back in downtown, it was time to pick up Claire’s bags and escort her to the bus terminal for her to go to the airport. We had such a lovely time with her and really enjoyed her company. :) On our way back to the hotel, we did a bit of shopping and browsing and stopped at a decent food court where we found lunch and dinner (take away) so that we didn’t need to leave the hotel again since the weather was getting a bit tougher. Back at the hotel, we enjoyed our alone time again, pretty much by chilling, watching a movie, taking a nap and having dinner. A very relaxed afternoon, especially since there wasn’t anything else we wanted to go an see. Having tough weather contributes a lot to not want to leave the hotel. Hehe it was a shame that the pool and “wet area” of the hotel was $60pp per day! :O Tomorrow, we are getting up early to head over our next destination. :D Night night.<p><br/>My view from the gym this morning :) </p><p><br/>It is so beautiful :) </p><p><br/>The public library of Stockholm. </p><p><br/>Loving the soft fluffy snow. </p><p><br/>Central Station </p><p><br/>Solna Station, our favourite one. </p><p><br/>We had so much fun with lovely Claire. :D</p><p><br/>Loving some of the architecture in Stockholme. </p> </article> </main></body></html>