Alps.

Now think of the most German place you can, let me guess, you're thinking of a Beer Hall in Munich. Well after a few flight delays, that's where our trip in Germany started. The Hofbräuhaus! We unfortunately were too late for food, but managed to sneak a few beers in (Radler for me) before heading to bed, ready for our early morning train to Kitzbühel. 

We arrived in Kitzbühel at around 10am, ready for a day of skiing, however unfortunately were met with hurricane-like winds and avalanche warnings meaning the slopes in the whole region were closed for the next few days. No matter, sounds to me like we will have to spend another Christmas over here!! We had a wonderful day walking around the town centre and seeking refuge from the cold with a hot chocolate at a Cafe. A few bars sounded like the perfect way to spend the late afternoon, including a wine bar that had a Mango Mojito on the menu - seemed fitting! Our final stop was a very authentic restaurant where no one even spoke English! I muddled through with my high school German and managed to order us two Schnitzels and some Käsespätzle. The Schnitzels were MASSIVE, but don't worry, I still left some room for Apple Strudel! Ahhh, the food of my people is so heavy but soooo tasty! Very full, and very happy, we went home to watch The Holiday in bed. 

Given the bad weather will continue tomorrow we've decided to get the early train to Salzburg to start the Christmas vibes asap!

K x

Lapland

Now, I've had short layovers, but have you ever had a MINUS 5 minute layover? We have. What was meant to be still a nail biting 55 minute layover was obliterated due to take-off delays and a sick passenger. It was an incredibly stressful 6hr flight, where we touched down in Iceland 5 minutes AFTER our next plane to Finland was meant to leave...seemingly this is quite common in Iceland and they actually help the plane for us! To make it even crazier, we later found out that Rekiavyk airport was plagued by traffic controller strikes and two days later all flights were grounded due to a Volcano so we were incredibly lucky. The second and third flights were beautifully uneventful and, despite all odds we finally touched down in Romenevni Finland.

We jumped in the car and hit the road, despite it only being 5pm out was beyond pitch black. I saw something weird in the sky, like a coloured haze. I turned to Doug and asked "do you think that's the Northern Lights?". Don't be silly he said, without looking as clearly the icy roads were more important than the skies, it's too easy for that. 20 minutes later we arrived at Apukka and to Doug's amazement... they were the northern lights (Kate crying in Finland tally is now at 1). We checked in to our Glass Igloo, enjoyed a yummy crab soup dinner and the lights just got progressively brighter over the next 5 hours. They danced amoung the stars while we lay in bed watching the sky and fighting sleep. Despite the rocky start - what a magical way to end my birthday.

But, the trip magic had only just begun. Upon waking up to an orange sunrise at 9am we had brekky (porridge is a seriously underrated breakfast buffet food) and wandered over to reception. In a stroke of luck we were actually offered an upgrade of rooms for our last 2 nights, so we grabbed our bag and checked into what could only be called a glass teepee suite. The downstairs consisted of kitchen, dining and living, while upstairs was a loft with a bed and a glass roof to watch the sky - how amazing! But that wasn't the only magic we were expecting- because it was SANTA DAY! At a balmy -5 degrees we got ready to jump in the car and head to Santa's Village just 20 minutes down the road. Only problem was, our car was COVERED in ice and snow! Okay, 10 minutes of cleaning up the car and then we were on our way. 

We arrived and made a beeline for Santa's Post Office, the busiest Post Office in the world. We saw letters from all over the world, and even managed to send a few of our own. Afterwards a walk through the village was a must, we crossed over the "Arctic Circle" threshold, stopped into Santa's favourite restaurant (Golden Bowl Dimsum) and even saw some Reindeer for good measure (no they can't fly). The moment had arrived, and it was time to meet the big guy. Panic set in when I realised, I had nothing to ask him for... I was already on a trip of a lifetime - what more could I possibly want for Christmas? I decided on a Puppy (which funnily enough Santa delivered a day later) and Doug on a very sensible gift for a 32 year old, a PlayStation 5. The moment was almost here, but we then realised it was €50 just to get a take home photo with Santa - yikes, I guess he has to make his money somewhere. Don't worry, Doug said, I'll sort it.... with the iPhone camera hidden in his jacket on record he managed to capture the whole 2 minute interaction between Santa and I (Kate crying tally now at 2). 

We then headed into Rovaniemi City centre for a bit of a walk around, a late lunch at Santa's favourite Kebab shop (pretty sure thats why they named the Reindeer Donner), and a stop at the local supermarket (our budget cannot keep up with eating every meal out!). 

Our evening activities were a touch more daring, our guide picked us up and we ventured an hour into the pitch black forest in the middle of a snow storm. From there we were shown our own private sauna, jacuzzi (doesn't sound scary yet...) as well as the nearly frozen lake where we were going to jump in (yep, there is the scary part). Dreading every upcoming moment I sat in the sauna for so long I felt I was going to pass out, I convinced Doug that a trial run into the snow was a good idea (and hopefully was a shock enough that he'd give me a pass on the lake). I geared up to jump in and... oh, it was cold but definitely not the freezing shock I expected, maybe I could do this?

Back into the Sauna we went, again for an eyewatering amount of time, until I was sure I'd pass out. We then ran through the snow to the lake, only to find others swimming in it... in full ice suits....damn, it must be cold. Doug got in first and then.... eeek, again was cold- pretty cold - but not the achingly, unable to move cold I had expected. I'd done it, I was Finnish now. 

To my shock, I ended up doing it another two times! We then spent the rest of the evening in the jacuzzi, while it was snowing, and with the northern lights putting on a show (Kate crying tally - 3). 

The third day will now forever be know as snow mobile day. After breakfast we went and got all suited up, proper snow boots, suit and helmet were provided luckily as we would be racing through the Finnish countryside on some serious horsepower. Our first trip out involved a chilly stop, Ice Fishing! We were given a very long hand drill and asked to clear the snow (no small feat as it was about 1 Nala deep) and hand drill through 40cm of ice just to get to the water. Unfortunately after 20 minutes Doug and I weren't in any luck so retreated to the fire (yes, fire on the ice) to warm up before heading home. The second trip of the day was a night snowmobile safari. It was meant to be northern lights hunting, however as it was cloudy we knew thay wouldn't be the case (we had seen them the last 2 nights so we were happy). The forrest was so different at night, white trees glowing and an eerie silence. We ventured an hour on snow mobiles and stopped in a clearing for a fire, hot sasuages and some warm juice where we were treated to some stories from our native Lappish guide. Home to bed to enjoy the warmth and comfort of our bed as the next night we wouldn't be so lucky. 

Once again all snugged up in our snow gear we got ready for another amazing activity. Husky sledding!! We walked to the husky kennel and saw the excitement on the dogs faces. I've heard of people being a touch wary about making these dogs run... let me tell you, it was hard to calm them down when they knew they were going to run, it was like telling Nala she's going to the beach and watching the Zoomies start. We got all set up and the dogs ran us through the snow, twisting and turning, knowing the exact route - so clever. Afterwards we had an opportunity to cuddle a 5 week old puppy! They don't get introduced to living in the snow until 10 weeks so this poor baby was a bit cold, but nothing a cuddle couldn't fix. (Kate crying tally - 4, how could you not he was just SO CUTE) 

It was finally time to leave Apukka and check in...to our Ice Hotel! I was terrified to say the least, but they assured me it would be warm. The hotel was around 20 rooms, all themed differently and make up entirely of ice except for the mattress (even the bedframe was ice!). We then had a central locker room and bathroom (not made of ice, obviously). First had dinner in the Ice Restaurant, where Doug tried Reindeer for the first time (honestly not too bad) then decided on a plan of attack to stay warm. The overnight temperature was due to be -20 so we had a serious task infront of us. We first decided to sauna until we could no longer take it, hoping our body heat rose enough, then packed on the layers until we got into our thermal sleeping bags. They say the more layers you wear in the sleeping bags, the harder it is stay warm. Doug took this one literally and slept in his jocks while I did a light set of pajamas. We jumped in, zipped all the way up so only out faces were showing and settled into a movie before falling asleep. 

It was 2.30am and a bright light in my face woke me up, hurry, the random person in my room said, the Aurora is on. Ooooh I remembered, we had asked to be woken up if the lights were active. Doug, still fast asleep (good to know I'll be protected if we ever have an intruder), needed a few gentle jabs in the side and finally awoke. We layered up and ran outside to see the green lights dance across the sky, given we were only in our PJs (Doug had sensibly transitioned to board shorts at this stage) and puffer jackets we only lasted 5 minutes before needing to get warm again and seeking refuge in the locker room. Back to bed we went, a little colder, but happy having seen magic, and went back to sleep.

We awoke the next morning and compared sleeping notes. Doug, a lover of all things cold, was more than comfortable and almost too warm in his sleeping bag! I was okay, a bit chilly from our 2am party, but managed to sleep in 2hr blocks so not too bad. I'm so glad we had the experience, but I'm not sure I'd be signing up for it for more than 1 night at a time!

A quick brekky and a last drive on the icy roads and we were off to Germany... 

FINLAND TRAVEL VIDEO HERE

Distance travelled: 37,253km

Map:

K x

Washington

As we touched down in the United States' Capital close to midnight and jumped in our car to the hotel, a quick survey of the available food landscape yieled little options aside from the classic golden arches. As it happens, in a lovely piece of history repeating itself, McDonalads chicken nuggets were our first ever UberEats order on our last trip stateside. Therefore, it was only fitting that we ordered them once again! Stomach's full and with alarms set for 7hrs time the Lincoln Memorial awaited... 

We were on our way after a number of outfit changes, necessitated by what was almost balmy winter weather of 14 degrees (pretty much like Melbourne Summer!). Fortunately the Lincoln Memorial was only a short walk from our hotel. I was genuinely stunned by just how large and grand it was! It was made even better by a cuddle with Lacey the Golden Retriever as I'm missing Nala so much! 

After being told off by our electric scooters for riding on the sidewall (which was actually a bike path), we ditched them next to the reflecting pool. We then grabbed an Uber to the home of all things espionage, the Spy Museum. 

Not only has my understanding of acronyms have greatly improved, from CIA, KGB, MI6, and everything in between we were treated to a fascinating history lesson of the worlds (known) spies and gadges I think Ds favourite part was definitely all of the WWII and Cold War spy stuff, I definitely got an additional history lesson from him! 

Next off we dashed to the Air and Space Museum, only to find out that while it was free we did need to "book in a timeslot", no matter, we booked for 1pm and ran across to the Natural History Museum instead.

I loved seeing the dinasour bones and learning even more about evolution via my tour guide, Doug, haha. Did you know Sloths used to be twice the size of an average car!! So wild. We then went through the geology exhibit (which featured some of Marie Antoinette's diamonds - nice) and quickly raced through Egypt and the Ocean sections as it was almost time for Air & Space!

We saw elements from Apollo 11, such as the command module, part of the engine, and Neil Armstrong's famous space walk suit. We also saw the original Wright brothers plane (yes, Doug was nerding out at this point) and watched a movie in the Planetarium.

Our final stop in Washington was none other than the Washington Monument. Now, if you think Doug loved Air and Space... just wait until you hear him gush about the engineering feat that is the Washington Monument... 

We soared 500ft into the air and once up there Doug acousted the lovely guard to give us all the information on how its built, did you know it's the largest free standing stone building without steel reinforcement? They used a rudimentary safety net to catch people falling as they finished the top, meaning no one died on the project - unheard of for the 1800s. It's perfectly balanced, requiring no morter at all, just gravity. So yeah, as you can imagine, Doug loved this. 

A race back to the hotel, a train, and the worst airport lounge in the world later we were in Iceland Air's hands...

Doug found a nifty little tool for me so see below for a summary of our trip so far!

KMs Travelled: 29,603

Stops Map:

K x

Blue Curaçao

It’s 7am at Toronto airport, we’re 4 continents in and headed to a 5th, caffeine is needed… I can’t quite bring myself to peculated so we seek out a Starbucks however one glance at the line and the quest for caffeine immediately changes course… 

Doug being the, shall we say, complex eater has immediately dismissed all “breakfast” food options instead taking me to “Smash Burger” generally speaking I would strongly disagree but as i peered at the outlet I spied what has become arguably the rarest (and best) beverage in existence… POST MIX DIET COKE.

It was meant to be as Doug tucked into a 7.15am smash burger my insides were treated to one big hug in the form of my favorite drink which I haven’t been able to have in over a year!

A 5 hour flight later, a comparative skip compared to previous legs we landed in Curacao. 

After accidently bypassing customs we were finally (legally) allowed into the country. We picked up our muscle for the week, a tiny Kia picanto which looked as if it could barely make it out of the carpark, let alone on the adventure we had planned. 

After some dicey roads and crazy drivers, we arrived at the hotel exhausted given the long few days of travelling. We managed to peel ourselves off the bed and made a beeline to Mambo Beach for some pizza then early to bed. 

Our first full day in Curacao also saw Doug using his first "yes activity day" for the trip meaning we were up bright and early ready for our adventure! First stop was Subway which saw us sharing an obscenely expensive sandwich as our next meal would be a late lunch. We then ventured to our first stop, Playa Piskadó. I was expecting maybe 1 lame turtle but we walked in from the shore and swam out maybe 20m and there was at least 30! They were everywhere. We got to snorkel and swim alongside them, which was amazing. We then headed to probably one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, 

Grote Knip where the water basically glowed blue! We had two hours of relaxing, reading books and making friends with the wild pigs before heading off to Playa Forti. 

At Playa Forti was a gorgeous restaurant on a clifftop... it was so stunning until Doug burst my bubble and told me we'd be jumping off the cliff into the ocean as that's the "done thing". After a tense negotiation and me pointing out that nothing in the world could make me jump 40ft to my death, he conceeded that maybe lunch at the restaurant was enough. We then jumped in the car to a diveshop nearby to book in the next mornings dive. Then home just in time for a Sushi and Cocktail night at the neighbouring hotel!

Up early again, and in the car for some Maccas (can't dive on an empty stomach) and a 45min drive to our dive spot, Alice in Wonderland in Playa Kalki. The water was once again stunning and I did my first "shore dive" since my training course back in 2019. Douggie guided us the whole way and we saw some great purple coral, lionfish, eels and even some puffer fish. In between dives we ate on the beach and swam out to a floating pontoon to chill. Both beyond exhausted after a day of swimming and diving it was pizza in bed and a Christmas movie!

The day we had been waiting for had finally arrived.... back in Feb when we decide to go to Curacao, all the travel blogs said a trip to Klein Curacao (little Curacao) on a Catamaran was a must. Well, on day 3 our day came. The weather was spectacular, after a bumpy 2hr boat ride out (Doug slept the whole way) we finally arrived to stunning water and white sand. After swimming to shore, exploring shipwrecks and scaling lighthouses we headed back to the mainland and even got to sail for a little bit! Exhausted after a day of fun in the sun, and no room service avalible we had a very quick bite to eat then early to bed. 

Our last full day in Curacao started with a 2hr walking tour of Willemstad where we learnt about the history of the island and saw the Dutch architecture. The afternoon finally saw another few hours of me and my book in the sunshine which I was very grateful for, followed by a yummy vodka shrimp pasta. 

The next morning was spent by the pool before checking out at 12 and heading off to the airport for our next adventure...

K x

TRAVEL VIDEO

3 Continents in 48hrs...

After hopping off our 14hr flight surprisingly fresh as daisies (thank you business class flat bed) and knowing we only had 10hrs before our flight left the race was on to fit in as much as possible in Amsterdam. 

After a longer than anticipated customs line and a quick costume change and bag drop, we were off on the bus into Amsterdam at 8am. 

First stop? Winkel 43 to get the AppelTaart I've been dreaming of for 4yrs... with no wifi or knowledge of the public transport system we somehow arrived just as it opened. 

The smell of apple and cinnamon warmed the freezing cold air and I couldn't contain my excitement. We quickly ordered, and after a brush with death on the world's smallest spiral staircase, two slabs of AppelTaart with a mountain of whipped cream arrived. It was somehow better than I remembered and I'd happily fly to Amsterdam again, just for a slice.

Having eaten in record time, and the next venue not opening until 10am we found ourselves wondering a little farmers market in the square. Cheeses, spices and even some fur coats were all for sale!

We then walked across the canals to Tony's Chocolony chocolate store... (yes, I have somehow tried to make this whole trip a tax write-off haha). Our intention was to do the "make your own" chocolate bar but unfortunately it was out of service for the day. We still managed to have a look around the store and buy some chocolate, as if we weren't already full enough!

One of our favourite activities we did in London a few years ago was something silly called "The London Dungeon" which was basically an interactive experience that took you through the dark history of London. Of course, Doug couldn't go past the Dutch version in Amsterdam. It was in a similar format, but with a lot more jumps and scares! I was even put on "trial" for being a witch and definitely screamed the loudest through all the twists and turns. 

It was a very full morning but as the rain started, it was time for us to journey back to the airport in time for our flight. A quick bite in the lounge and then back on another flight (KLM for a change) for an easy hop-skip and jump across the pond to Toronto!

We arrived in Toronto at 7.30pm so with an 8.30am flight the next day we didn't really have an opportunity to explore. So how do you see an entire city, at night, in the 2hrs before going to bed??? Don't worry, Doug knows! 

After thowing our bags in our room at the airport hotel, we ran for the train into the city. Only 25mins and we were in the heart of Toronto. Doug figured the best way to see it all, was from the sky so he organised a dinner for us at the top of the CN Tower - and the restaurant actually revolved! We ate an amazing dinner all while seeing the whole city, it was so chilly that the cloud started decending and by the time we had finished dinner and walked outside, most of the buildings over 5 stories weren't visible! I can't imagine what happens as it gets even colder.

We ventured back to the airport hotel for a quick sleep, before our morning flight to Curacao...

K x

One Day Wonderland

Whilst this blog has seldom seen a post about a single day our 23hr layover in Singapore was something to behold earning it’s own chapter!

Our first time turning left on a plane certainly didn’t disappoint and despite the clock reading 12.05am local time in Singapore we stepped off the perfect amount of tired/rested. Our bags already checked through to Amsterdam and a late hotel change to an in terminal hotel meant we were in bed heads on pillows just 20 minutes later. A record for us.

As we drifted off, our plans for the day really were all up in the air but as he so often does on holidays Doug wouldn’t allow that to be the case for long!

Very comfortable in my bed after an 8 hour flight I was woken very early by Doug insisting it was up time. At the time I thought it was stupidly early but as the day unfolded I quickly learnt we needed every spare minute if we were to squeeze a week’s worth of activity into barely 12 hours.

Begrudgingly we were up and on our way!

Singapore joined every single other country we have travelled to with a better train system than Melbourne and we were quickly whisked to the island paradise of Sentosa, but Doug being Doug the plan wasn’t a lovely breakfast looking over the forest… No we were going Lugeing!!!

With the attraction opening at 10am we of course arrived at 10.01…

After a quick demo akin to a drivers license test in some of the subcontinent, “forward-break-left- right- OK GO!”

We were off hurtling down the hill, Doug doing his best trying to end his trip on Day 1 me blaming my significantly less mass for my slower speed!

Luge 1 done and dusted Doug promptly informed me that we had booked a further 3 trips down the hill which meant another favourite pasttime of mine was required… Dangling in an open seat from a wire… yes the journey back up the hill was via rudimentary cable car.

Fearing the car more than the Luge itself all bets were off and in no surprise i won all 3 of the next races.

With the Singaporean tropical heat starting to really rear its head and stomach’s rumbling it was time to retreat back to the mainland for lunch!

Given it was Day 1 of the Honeymoon only a Michelin Starred restaurant would do!

However given we we both love a deal this particular Michelin Star restaurant didn’t not serve caviar & crayfish - it served soybean chicken for the princely sum of $8 Aussie dollars….

Whilst amazing, given the restaurant was based in Chinatown, Doug had already shifted his focus to one of his absolute faves, satay skewers (a meal which incidentally Doug has ordered for his breakfast on our next flight!)

So off we set to Lau Pa Sat’s famous “Satay Street”

Lau Pa Sat is an enormous rotunder like structure boasting hawker style food from all over the world…. aside from satay skewers…. The signs pointing to “satay street” were everywhere but not a single vendor selling the peanut delights!

After multiple laps of the building it dawned on Doug that Satay Street was in fact, a street nearby, and only operated a night. Despondent, and with no sweet n sour backup Doug settled for a Thai replacement but vowed he’d be back for dinner!

After being on the go and in stinking heat now for almost 5 hours I needed to cool off, so it was back to the hotel for a swim!

As I sipped on my Coke Light (far superior to Diet Coke) pool side just metres from our eventual departure gate I was very content for this to be the rest of my day. But alas this is holidaying with Doug so that wasn’t to be, no, he had other plans for the remainder of our LAYOVER!

Told there was no time even for an outfit change the clothes went straight back on over my bikini and we were on the train and headed back into Singapore once more!

As if often the case when holidaying with Doug it’s easier to just follow along, he’s fastidious in planning so it means I can quite easily zone out (and as it were chew through my entire data plan scrolling instagram)

After popping out of the station into a shopping centre/ casino unparalleled by anything we have at home I found myself  in a lift shooting 60 floors into the sky.

And before I knew it I was, sipping a lychee matrini on top of the Marina Bay Sands, arguably the most famous building in Singapore if not Asia and if I’m honest I had no idea thats where I was… so much so I had to ask Doug as the afternoon progressed where exactly were we!?! I was completely taken a back when shown a picture of the building I had wanted to go up for years was in fact exactly where I was haha…

Once again a feeling of “what a way to end the day” crept in only for Doug to abruptly announce “time to go” in an immediate fashion and we raced to the very distinct lotus shaped building in front of a Marina Bay Sands which houses the Art Science museum and again Doug had already booked us into 2 of their more… out there experiences.

The first a virtual reality experience which I must admit I still can’t understand what was going on, some form of history meets advanced life forms and whilst the novelty of it provided some good moments it was largely just a confusing story told with uncomfortable googles on! I did however get a great video of Doug swinging on his chair looking like a loser!

The next exhibit though was actually really quite a bit of fun, a crossover where art meats technology, full of colour where you also create the art yourself! yes you wind the clock back, take out the crayons colour a shape ( in our case squid) for it then to be scanned in and projected on a giant installation.

Despite a prescribed 1-2 hours to complete the exhibit we were done on 20 minutes and in this time the heavens had opened as only they can do in tropical Asia!

Undeterred though it was back to China Town to track down “Satay Street” after a thorough drenching we were met largely with a disappointing tourist trap, the rain didn’t help but it was just a host of sellers throwing laminated menus in your face, we left empty handed…

Quite despondent at the satay let down, incredibly Doug still had one more thing he hoped to do. It was at this point I must admit I was pretty much done, and had the satay’s not proved a failure i think we would have been.

But not wanting to end on that note it was back on the metro, a system we now knew like the back of our hands.

We were off to Gardens by the Bay, Doug had tried to explain what was there but I really didn’t understand his excitement. All I knew was we had to be at a certain place by 7.45

After walking, then jogging, then sprinting across these enormous gardens we finally made it to this attraction only to be met with a sign “Due to thunderstorms this attraction is closed”

It was 7.44, I was still unaware of what the rush was but Doug just started confidently walking past the attendant on the door and they didn’t stop him so I raced behind him too.

As we ran further down the path we entered yet another lift and found ourselves on a raised skywalk, looking over Singapore and their Christmas Wonderland inspired gardens all to ourselves.

Well this “thing“ Doug had repeatedly mentioned but i paid little attention to turned out to be one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had (yes, I cried).

For 15 glorious minutes we were treated to a wonderous light display choreographed to a host of my favourite Christmas carols all alone on a skywalk which would usually be boating hundreds of people.

As the step counter the ticked past 25,000 and the last song reached it’s crescendo I couldn’t help but feel we really had just had one of our most taxing yet wonderful days, bring on the next 48!

K x