Edinburgh - Scotland

The Place: Spent the long weekend in the beautiful city of Edinburgh in a big group of 11, including Liz, old res friends, Tim, Trev and Nic, and girlfriends and Tim and Cristina and some of their friends.

Some features: Brought in 2011 at the Hogmanay street party followed by a day at the South Queensferry for the Loony Dook. Took a ghost tour that led into vaults under the old town. The tour included stories of murders, tortures, hangings, body snatchers and their ghosts who haunted the Royal Mile for years following. Some of the Ghosts that remain haunting the vaults are little Jake who sometimes takes tourists by the hand, and the Watcher who shows aggression to those passing by. It was a good tour to get a feeling of the history and stories that a city so old can tell.

Tried some haggis, tatties and neeps which I really enjoyed.

Spent a day walking around Hollyrood park and up to the top of Arthur's seat which overlooks the city. The views from there are spectacular, not only because of the rugged landscape but because you get a great view of Edinburgh castle which sits high above the city. Went for a whiskey tour on the Royal mile and learnt a bit about Scotch whiskey - sadly it was more talk less taste! Ate a delicious meal at the Stac Polly after meeting up with the rest of the 11, which led to a good night out. Spent our last day wondering (exhausted from the long weekend) up to the Castle and around the Royal mile passing the beautiful St Giles church, seeing the occasional Scotsman playing a bagpipe, popping into some of the many cashmere and kilt making shops, eating in the cafes watching people go by and soaking in whatever else our hangovers would let us before heading back to the airport that night.

The Loony Dook - Edinburgh

The Event: In South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh, participated in the Loony Dook which is a New Years day procession through the streets of the town ending in a plunge in the icy waters overlooked by the landmark Forth bridge. Loads of people dress up in crazy gear to take a dip. Needless to say it was freezing but we didnt anticipate how agonisingly cold our feet would get from walking on the iced cobblestones of the streets, only to be relieved by the numbness caused from taking a swim! Very fun though. (Ps That's Trev at the bottom raising his arms). By chance Liz and I are in this video on youtube - from 1:05 to 1:20 - see if you can spot us!

New Years Eve - Edinburgh

The Event: Travelled to Scotland with Liz and good friends for the famous Hogmanay street party in Edinburgh. In what is already an amazing city, the combination of the count down, fireworks and singing of Auld Lang Syne was a great way to bring in the New Year.

Christmas 2010 - London

The Place: Spent Christmas at home in London cozy and and warm indoors. We unwrapped presents, listened to Boney M Christmas carols, watched Christmas movies, and skyped family. Liz made a delicious chicken roast and I made us some gluhwein for later. Good times.

Berlin - Germany

The Place: Made a great weekend out of a work trip to attend the 17th International Energy Accounting Forum in Berlin with a work colleague and one of his friends.
Some features: Took a cycle round the city to see some of the sights including the Brandonberg Gate and Reichstag.
Spent a while walking through the vast and isolating holocaust memorial which is an area of 19000 square feet covered with 2711 concrete slabs. As you walk between the blocks which are knee and waist height on the outskirts you realise the ground slopes steadily downwards as you go further in, resulting in you ending up completely swallowed by the the surrounding concrete.
Wandered around the war museum at Checkpoint Charlie (the American checkpoint at the Berlin Wall) which was a fascinating museum showing many of the inventive ways in which the Germans would try to escape the East, history of the start and end of the Berlin Wall, as well as great pieces of art.
Had two great nights going out in some of the good spots in Berlin which included the 'Lucia' bar in Kreuzberg, some streets close to our hostel in Warschauer platz and the surrounding area of Lyschener-,Shliemann- and Dunkerstraße.
The Berliner Dom is an amazing domed church to see, and on the right, set behind it you can see the Berlin television tower (Fernsehturm) which is one of the popular icons of the city (apparently built by the East to impress the West during their separation).
Also saw the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which was bombed in 1943 but still stands. It was unfortunately under restoration so we could only see the top of it.
Enjoyed sipping gluhwein and eating currywurst while perusing the Christmas markets that light up the streets at night.

Noosa - Australia

The Place: On the sunshine coast about 2 hrs north of Brisbane, we spent a relaxing 4 days in Noosa.

Some features: We were pleasantly surprised on the first morning by someone calling out my name. It turned out to be Trent and Caryn dropping in for a visit. We spent the day with them visiting three of the beaches around the Noosa Heads and having a picnic on the bank of the laguna. Also took a walk through the National Park which follows the coastline for some good sunset watching where we saw a koala wedged peacefully in a fork of a tree, and watched dolphins out at sea.

Spent the next three days winding down completely, going for swims, beach and nature walks, reads on the beach and wondering through the town which felt like an excellent way to finish off our holiday. Spotted turtles off the cliffs of 'Hell's Point', rare black cockatoos, and another koala.

Great Barrier Reef - Australia

The Place: Off the coast of Cairns, took a ride on a catamaran out to Michaelmas Cay, one of the outer reefs.

Some features: The tiny reef, about a 3 hour ride out to see is a bird sanctuary as well as a brilliant spot for diving. Took an introductory dive which was amazing - we spotted amongst the amazing corals and fish life, an eagle ray, turtle, and numerous giant clams. Spent some more time snorkeling after the dive which was a great experience!

Cape Tribulation - Australia

The Place: Stayed a night in the Daintree Forrest at Cape Trib Beach house, about 2 hrs north of Cairns.

Some features: Had to cross a ferry and drive for about an hour through dense forest to arrive at the accommodation. The place we stayed was right on the beach so we could walk out onto it first thing with a cup of coffee. Signs warn not to swim in the summer months due to the stingers (jellyfish). Had a shallow swim (though it was hot, it wasn't yet summer) and spotted a turtle popping his head out the water about 20m out from me. Later we visited a few beaches close by which warn against the Estuarine crocodiles which live in surrounding waters and mangroves. Kayaked to coconut beach, a pristine beach where as its name says, hundreds of coconuts lie on the beach amongst the palms, some already sprouting new trees. Liz while on her kayak got bumped by a big turtle which gave her a scare while our guide told us stories of the crocodiles which live in the creeks, the males of which swim out to sea to find a mate in nearby creeks sometimes kicking out the local males. Apparently, according to our guide, 9 times out of a 10 a shark will kill a croc if they meet out at sea. The shark will go for the crocs tail leaving it defenseless. Not sure if true but made for some interesting listening!