Phil Travels The World

A long overdue Update

2008-02-20T17:36:00.004Z

Well it has been ages since I last updated the blog. No good excuses at all other than the fact that my laptop was stolen from my bedroom a few weeks ago. The landlord and painters left the front door open resulting in my laptop and PSP being stolen from my bedroom. Needless to say I was not impressed. Anyways, there is no point in dwelling on that situation.

Over the last 2 months I have been to a premiership football game to see Man U vs. West Ham United where West Ham won 2-1. I went into a local pub in the east end of London and joined in the high spirits of the west ham fans. Quite the experience!

I also managed to get tickets to see Bath vs. Auch (French team) in a Rugby tournament and sat 2 rows back from the back of the post. Interesting view of the game other than the fact that when the play is in the far end you can't see a thing.

I haven’t done much in the way of travelling besides that trip to London for a few days to see the Football game. I am off to Milan next tues for 2 days. Then on to Zurich and Geneva. From there I have 7 days snowboarding in Grand Massif in France before heading back to Bristol. I will update the blog when I get back with photos of that trip.

The other big news is that when I get back from that trip I will be starting a new job in Bristol with a company called WSP which is a Civil Engineering firm in the centre of Bristol. I will be moving more into Transport and development team which is the direction I want to take my career.

That’s about all the news for now. Hope that gives you all a quick update. Below are a few pics from trips around Bristol including a trip with my cousin to see Brunel’s famous ship the SS Great Britain which is docked here in Bristol. It was designed by Brunel which is the same architect that designed the suspension bridge and train station over 200 years ago.

More exciting entries to come.... I promise.

Lions in South Africa

2007-12-12T13:21:00.000Z

The drive back to South Africa passed by really quickly. Perhaps because of the speed we were driving at or perhaps it was the amazing scenery of this country. There was a small incidence where we were flagged off to the side of the road in Botswana for speeding. After a few minutes of negotiation it was a small fine of approximately £5 and we were on our way again watching as another guy was pulled over. At the boarder crossing we ran into this man again and when we asked how much his fine was he responded with a thick South Africa accent "I told him I was not going to pay". Yes he was very serious. Not sure if that would work in England or Canada and to be honest I doubt I will try that one.

We did drive passed a lot of shanty towns which are really a strange sight. You can't help but feel sorry for the way of life in them. The really sad part is that they are thousands of them all over the country. It really is an eye opener.

We were all tired from the drive that day so we spent the night watching the whole 3 DVDs of "The Long way Round" before calling it a night and getting some much needed sleep.

The following morning we were off out for another fantastic breakfast and then on to the local lion park where I told myself I would go inside the cage with the baby lions and wrestle them and perhaps get a nice bite scar that would make a great story. This was all fine until I actually climbed into the cage with two 5month old lion cubs. They are POWERFUL!!! Forget that I thought there is no way I want this thing to bite me. Even at 5 months old the power is incredible. At one point I was stoking is head and it seemed to get a little angry and snapped at my arm which I pulled away faster than I thought possible. Another time one of the lions grabbed onto my shoelace and had a tug of war with me until he just decided to grab onto my leg and try and bite it instead. The lion keeper quickly came over and smacked him on the head and ran off. It really was amazing to sit in there with them and stroke them. They are incredibly cute but you really do get an understanding of the power these animals must have. With that it was on to see the slightly larger lions although this time from a car.... not in the cage with them.

Before we made our way over to see these lions though, we had a quick walk around a few other cages to see the cheetahs and hyenas. The teeth on the hyena are insanely sharp and I managed to get a picture that shows their razor sharp teeth. Good thing I was on the other side of the cage for this one.

There were three sections that we drove around in the car while the lions wondered in and around us. A few times I put the window down a bit to get a nice clear photo. I also put it up twice as fast whenever a lion started walking towards the car. There were not many people or cars around so we had most of the place to ourselves. These animals are simply incredible and even though they look elegant and calm most of the time they can change on you before you know it. But one thing is for sure. They are extremely photogenic animals.

That night was our last night in South Africa so to celebrate we all went out for a nice meal and then Jess, her boyfriend, and I went out for few drinks and dancing at a club on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was a great night involving many many cheap drinks. 6 tequila’s, 2 beers, 2 cocktails, and water was the first round and it came to about £7. Really can’t argue those sort of prices. I paid for it a little the next morning but still managed to get up bright and early to go out for some shopping. With that we were back at the house packing and getting ready to go. We said our goodbyes and then settled in for the 10hour flight back to England.

It was an amazing trip and something that I will never forget. Even without the 1000 photos I took altogether the memories will last a lifetime. I can not wait to go back and to explore this continent in more depth!

I just want to say a big thank you to Chris and Jacqui for inviting me to the wedding and having me one of the groomsman. Also I would like to thank Ian and Jill for the amazing generosity for everything they did for everyone during the week in Durban.

The trip wouldn’t have been the same without the Jacobz family picking us up, dropping us off, taking us to Botswana, and letting us live in their house for a week. Thank you so much for everything and you are all more than welcome to come and stay with me in England or wherever I am in the world at anytime.

Last but not least thank you to my parents for everything did with meals, organizing, etc. and for making it such a wonderful trip. I had a brilliant time travelling with you both. Yes I would definitely do it again without hesitation.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana

2007-11-28T18:18:00.000Z

We arrived at the "A Frame" lodge at Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe, Botswana in the afternoon, unload the car, grabbed a few cold drinks to save us from the 40 plus degree weather. The Rhino Sanctuary is full of wildlife of all kinds not just the White Rhino which they are trying to save. We went out in the car again and did a massive game drive throughout the reserve seeing Rhinos, giraffe, warthogs, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, kudu, and much more.

We went back for a shower which happened to be an outdoor shower and toilet which just some wooden fencing around it. You could still see out through the gaps and was really nice and relaxing having a shower and looking out for Rhinos and other animals.

That night we had a wonderful dinner at the reserves new restaurant and watched the most amazing lightning storm I have ever seen. I tried for half an hour to get one decent photo but about 200 shots I only managed to get one decent picture worth saving.

The following morning we had to pack up the car for the final time and get on the road heading back towards South Africa. On the way out of the reserve though my Dad and I decided to climb a really old rickety watch tower. It was missing the first few steps so we had to climb up the posts and then use the rest of the ladder to get to the top. It was about 10m or so high but provided an amazing view over the reserve. After a few min of trying not to move around too much to stop the tower swaying back and forth we climbed back down, got in the car, and settled in for the 8 hour drive back to South Africa.

Limpopo River Lodge, Botswana

2007-11-23T13:42:00.000Z

It is incredibly difficult to describe the atmosphere around this lodge. I literally mean its in the middle of no where. A four hour drive down a dirt road and then there it is. Right on the water of the Limpopo river. There were only a handful of lodges and I only saw one other person apart from the staff. The staff were amazing though. Doing the dishes in the early hours, starting fires, etc and yet you hardly ever saw them. When we did see them they were always cheerful and always laughing. It felt like a 5 start resort that we had all to ourselves.

Over the next 2 nights we did two game drives seeing all sorts of animals in the wild such as Kudu, waterbok, warthogs, many species of birds, laguans, monkeys and much much more. We were told stories by DJ and Kelly of their encounter with the elephants on their previous trip. They were charged by a mother elephant after they got between the mother and her baby and went flying down the road in reverse until the elephant gave up and turned around. Scary I am sure but part of me really wanted to see the elephants.

We relaxed a lot by the river, tanning in the sun, swimming in the pool, and catching up on a few books. At one point Kelly, my mum, and me decided it was a good idea to try and hop across the rocks to get to the other side of the Limpopo and see if we could enter South Africa this way. It was decided that the chance of crocodiles been in the river were slim to none so we set off to the other side.

We made it over we great ease and started walking up to barbed wire fence that acts as the boarder into the South Africa. We were currently in no mans land as the Limpopo is the boarder of Botswana. As we approached the fence a Springbok (or something alone those lines) jumped out from the side and ran across our path giving us all quite a scare. With that we decided to turn around as next time it might be a leopard or lion.

Other highlights of this trip was do a little off road 4x4 trips down dried up river beds and driving to a huge hollowed out baobab tree. I have never seen a tree quite like it and suggest searching one out if you are ever in Africa. Its quite a remarkable site.

On the last night as we were driving back from the last game drive it was getting a bit late and we decided not to stop to see animals unless it was something really big. About 5min later there they were about 30ft away. 3 huge elephants eating from the tress. Wow. I was just in awe of these animals. I was unable to get a photo as they sort of disappeared into the bush but I was just so excited to have seen a animal like this in the wild in its true habit. That night we had yet another brilliant meal (as we did every night in Africa) and sat around the fire talking and taking a few pictures of the sunset. There really are no other sunsets quite like an African Sunset. At least not that I have come across yet.

The Drive to Botswana

2007-11-22T13:01:00.001Z

Sunday morning we had nice breakfast sitting outside overlooking the reserve before we said our goodbyes and grabbed a taxi to the airport. Just before we left I had about 50 people sing Happy Birthday to me (almost got away with it) which was a really nice surprise. The quick flight back to Johannesburg was a chance to catch a bit of a power nap and get some rest before a week of early morning starts.

DJ and Kelly who are long time friends of family live just outside Johannesburg and kindly picked us up from the airport and told us about what they had planned out. We went into their house where we had to make it past their 2 security fences and 3 guard dogs before getting inside. We had an amazing dinner cooked on the brie by DJ their kids Matt and Jess who many of you in Canada will remember from meeting last Christmas. and then watched a movie before making our way to bed as it was going to be a early start in the morning with a 8 hour drive to the lodge in Botswana.

Surprisingly I was up, wide awake, and ready to pack the car at some awful hour in the morning that I didn't know existed. The five of us (DJ, Kelly, my parents, and me hit the road in the SUV and started heading north. I did cave and have a nap about 30min into the drive though. The road was long and straight but the scenery was unbelievable. You just get lost in thought as you look at all the rocky outcrops, flat barren land, or tress in the game reserves. Before I knew it it was time to stop for breakfast. It was a rest stop on the side of the highway and I couldn't help but stare at the state of a bus that had pulled in. Apparently it was from Zimbabwe bringing people down into South Africa. A definite eye opener.

We arrived at the border crossing after a brief stop for some billtong (dried meat like beef jerky) where we all had to get out of the car and get our exit stamp for leaving South Africa. It was laid back and after a quick chat with the crossing guards we were back in the car and driving towards the Botswana side of the Limpopo river. The river at the crossing was completely dry which alowed for us to just drive through where the river should have been. Not something you get to do every day. If the river had been running then we would have had to turn around and find another place to cross. The guards at the Botswana gate where great.

They just seemed happy to have something to do and someone to talk to. After a 10min talk and stamping of passports we proceeded into Botswana in the now 40C hot sun. We turned onto a dirt road which we proceeded to drive down for about 3 hours of bumps which I could not get enough of.

The excitement of being in this country and looking out the window for wild animals was outstanding. There was no way I was going to miss any of it. At two more points we had to cross the Limpopo river again and at one of them we got out and went for a bit of a walk. Me, Kelly, and my mum were about 60ft from the car when I found a footprint of some kind. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be that of either a lion or leopard. Lets just say we made it back to the car if pretty good speed all the time keeping our eyes on the rocky outcrop about 40ft away. Its strange but I doubt you would see anything on it even it was there.

With that it was on towards our riverside lodge on the edge of the Limpopo where there was a bit of water and a sign saying beware of crocodiles.

The Wedding

2007-11-19T13:35:00.001Z

The wedding took place in the afternoon on a raised patio with the backdrop being the animal’s watering hole. It was a perfect day and a wonderful ceremony. Just like the rest of the trip so far the food was amazing. A full buffet of meats and vegetables kept people going for 2nds and 3rds. The speeches were hilarious and there were many jokes about the World Cup Rugby final game as it was England vs. South Africa. It was a brilliant night regardless of the games outcome and everyone had a great time dancing and meet new people. Congratulations to Chris and Jacqui!!!

Tula Game Reserve

2007-11-08T13:17:00.001Z

Luckily I managed to get out riding in the mini bus and jumped in the car with my cousin Chris instead. We had a quick stop on route a shopping mall to pick up a few supplies and of course have a quick bite to eat at the KFC. There were about 15 people working behind the counters and another 15 in the kitchen. They seem to have more people working at all stores than we are used to. That said I am not sure it speeds up the process at all. They are after all still working on South African time.

Arriving at the game reserve Chris took me for a bit of drive in the rental car around the reserve where we very cautiously approached a mother rhino and her baby. Although they may look very peaceful when they are grazing it doesn't take much to anger them into a charge. Especially when the young rhinos are around. We did stop very close though, wind down the windows, and take a few pics. There were also wildebeest and zebra covering the field. As this was my first time seeing this animals in South Africa I was in complete awe of them. I could have sat there all day just watching them. But we had other things to do (like a wedding rehearsal) and made our way on to meet everyone else. On the way though we did stop to take a peak at the hippos (or rather just their noses in the water).

That night we did a night game drive in the land rovers and had a wonderful tour by the guides where we taught us about the animals and vegetation of the reserve. The sun was setting at this point and it was getting hard to see the animals so we went down to the hippo pond and had a few beers and snacks overlooking the water. At night by shining a light across the land you can see the reflection of animal's eyes. If its green it means they are herbivores, red is carnivores, and orange means you are looking at the animal from the side. As it was pitch black everywhere else you really can't see them until the light finds them. All of a sudden on the way back we saw 20 eyes from a heard of zebra's all light up green. Really remarkable. Also on the way back we saw more rhino and lucked out by seeing the Hippo's walking back to the water. They only tend to come out of the water at night to feed and even though they are massive its still not easy to find them in the dark.

After a nice meal and a few drinks back at the lodge we all decided to call it night as the following day was the wedding.

The morning of the wedding we had another game drive booked for those who thought they would have time to do both. Even though I was in the wedding party there was still time to go out and see a few more animals. Our first destination the far end of the reserve to go in search of the giraffes. We found them with ease (one as the game ranger knew where to look for them and two they are just ridiculously big) and parked up right next to them. They had a bit of a look but remained un-phased by the land rover we were in. We took a ton of photos until something spooked them and they ran off.

With them running off it scared the wildebeests who also took off in a run. That just started a chain reaction with the waterbucks, zebras, and ostrich's all tearing off into the bush. While we were watching these run we had the engine turned off and didn't notice the mother and baby rhino come up within 10m of the car. However we did notice when the male rhino made a loud grunting noise, stopped in his tracks, and started giving us the evil eye. I have never seen anyone start a car and floor it out of the way in my life. The rhino was just giving us a warning to get out of the way or suffer the consequences.

We decided to go off and find what might have scarred all the animals but after a while we concluded that it was probably us. oops. We did however find the African buffalos which trust me are more than a glorified cow as people may think. They can be extremely temperamental but that day they just relaxed in the grass. They were the only animal that didn't seem to be running away in all the chaos. With that we made our way back to the lodge to get ready for the wedding.

Cardiff Half Marathon

2007-10-15T16:42:00.000Z

Yesterday was a bright and early start at 5:30am which is not something I plan on getting used to. After a quick breakfast Greg, Karsten, and myself piled into the car and drove over to Cardiff and into the city centre. We were all there to run in the Cardiff Half Marathon (13.1m/21km). I had been dreading the run for the prior few weeks but once we arrived I was full of energy and really looking forward to the race. I had a goal of beating my previous time of 1hour 42min 22 sec which I got in the Bristol Half Marathon back in August. I started a lot further up in line this time thinking that starting at the 2 hour mark last time slowed me down a little.

The course was brilliant and took us all over Cardiff city centre, Cardiff Bay, past the millennium stadium, into a huge park, and ended in the middle of Cardiff Castle. The first 7miles seemed to fly past and I was making really good time. I ran into my friend Greg at the 7mile marker and we ran the rest of the course side by side pushing each other to keep going and keep the pace up. I have been training with Greg quite a bit over the last few weeks and we constantly push each other further each time.

We hit the 10 mile marker just past 1hour 7min and then we both became really tired and a bit dizzy. Heading into the park to do 4 laps up and down was not a pretty site as you can really tell how far you have left to go. With one mile left I turned up the pace, put my head down, and just pushing on through. I have never been so happy to see the end of a race in my life. After crossing the line I looked up at the clock hoping that I beat my previous time to see a clock time of 1 hour 34min and 28 sec meaning I was the 427th person to cross the line out of 6000. My official chip time put me at 1hour 33min 56 sec (446th place). If you are interested in what each means then just check back a few entries to the Bristol Half Marathon for a explanation of each. Well needless to say I was incredibly happy with this time although I was more focused on trying to breathe properly at this point. The highlight though was the incredible medal with a carving of Cardiff Castle on it which as Kelly pointed out made my day as I am somewhat obsessed with castles. The goody bag at the end was full of snacks, lucazade energy drink, t shirt, and cans of soup. Can’t complain over that. The only thing I didn’t like about the race the fact that after we were done there was one small gate to leave through (been a castle and all) and it took 45min for me to get out onto the street. Apart from that it was a great day out.

Today my legs are aching but apart from that I feel great. Its going to be a few months now until the Bath Half Marathon and the London 10km run but the training will continue all the way up to that point. I might take a 2 week break starting tomorrow though as I am off to South Africa and Botswana for 2 weeks tomorrow night. I am sure there will be plenty of photos and entries up here on the blog upon my return at the end of October.

Durban

2007-11-06T17:37:00.000Z

I found it very hard trying to concentrate on work on the morning of Tuesday October 16, 2007 knowing what I had in store for the next 2 weeks. Luckily at 12:30 I left the office and made my way to the bus station in Bristol to catch a ride down to Heathrow where I met my parents who had flown in from Canada a few days before. We also met up with 12 other members of our extended family who were all on the same flight to South Africa for my Cousin Chris' wedding.

The flight went by fairly quickly for a 10 hour direct flight to Johannesburg International airport even though it was delayed leaving Heathrow. This resulted in us missing our connecting flight to Durban but they had already booked us on the next flight out 2 hours later before we even arrived in South Africa. It was a quick 1.5hour flight to Durban and it felt so nice to get out into the hot sun after all that travelling.

We were shuttle bussed to a resort south of Durban called Pumula where I was shown to my room with a balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean. What a stunning view it was. The resort was right on the beach but still had its own pool, trampoline, and bouncy castle. I made use of it all except the bouncy castle due to the age restriction.

The following day we swam in the ocean, sun tanned by the pool, and made our way to a place called Crocworld. We only had about an hour to see the Crocodiles though before the place closed. There were tons of the mean looking animals around and at 20ft long they are rather intimidating. However this did not stop 2 employees climbing in to retrieve a few crocodile eggs. The only problem with this was the adult crocs where sitting on them. Armed with nothing but a long stick these 2 men started hitting the crocs on the snout trying to get them to move. Clearly this irritated the crocs who started snapping and snarling at these men who eventually all ran off. All except one croc who stood his ground and watched as these men took the eggs. What a job. Not sure how much they were getting paid but I bet it wasn't close to enough.

Once back at the resort we were out on the patio overlooking the ocean when we saw a few fins on the inside of the shark net. The lone surfer didn't seem to be too phased by it so we decided it had to be dolphins. At that point a wave broke and we saw about 10 or more dolphins surfing in the wave before turning and swimming north along the coast. It was a truly amazing site.

The remainder of the day was spent eating, drinking, and meeting the bride and groom for drinks which was followed by a few games of darts in the resort bar before calling it a night. The following morning we packed up our things, had breakfast, and made our way towards the game reserve called Tula where Chris and Jacqui were getting married.

Charity Dragonboat Racing

2007-10-12T12:14:00.001Z

Our company recently set up team for a charity dragon boat race which took place in the river Avon that runs through Bristol. As I have been taking in part in just about everything the company has to offer I saw no reason to turn down this opportunity. Going out on the Saturday until 2am was probably not the greatest idea but as half the team did the same we were all in the same boat (literally) the next morning... Upon arriving with a bit of headache we saw one of the teams we would have to face. It was none other than the British Army Riffle Squad. Great!!! 4 members of our team didn't show up for the first race but we were determined to do our best. We won the race 18sec ahead of the other boat and we were all really getting into it. It was however incredibly painful in the arms and we welcomed the break until the next race.

Our 2nd race we only just won by a few seconds and then for the 3rd race we came up against he army. By this time we were only 3 men down and we went up against them ready to go. The race was neck and neck all the way down the course with the army just pushing out the win at the end by 2 seconds. We still managed a really good time which put us into the final race as they took the top 4 times from the 17 teams that were there. We spoke with the army after the race and they admitted that they were a little worried for a while as they had been destroying everyone in their previous races. They asked us if we played rugby or had physical jobs which could have been the reason we kept up with them. The look on their face was priceless when our response was "no mate, desk jobs". They replied with how impressed they were and then tried to convince us to sign up for the army. Nice try!

Unfortunately we lost the final race placing 4th overall but as we were still 3 men down it was not that surprising while racing the top teams of the day. It was yet again a very close race between all 4 boats. It was a great day out and another great experience. I have no doubt that I will be back in a dragon boat again in the near future.

Rugby World Cup

2007-10-01T12:16:00.000Z

One of the great things about Europe is that it is easy to get around and there always seems to be something happening within a short trip away. September 16th turned out to be the day that Canada played Fiji in the Rugby World Cup over in Cardiff. Yes I know you are all thinking that France is hosting the world cup but luckily for me France owed Wales a few games as a few world cups ago Wales didn't have enough stadiums so a few games where played in France. It was time for France to return the favour. I went over with 2 friends on the Saturday morning to head down to a pub in Cardiff bay to watch the Wales vs. Australia game. Just been in Cardiff on game day was an amazing experience. The atmosphere of all the welsh fans was insane (probably on par with Toronto Fans if they made it to the Stanley Cup). Roads closed off, partying in the streets, and people everywhere.

We watched the game with about 30 welsh people at a reserved table (friends of one my friends) and unfortunately Australia came out on top. The Welsh weren't too upset though as England lost to South Africa the day before without scoring a single point. This obviously made the Welsh quite happy. We went out for a few drinks after the game in the city centre of Cardiff and hung out with plenty of Aussies as well who were in high sprits before calling it a night and crashing with a friend down in Cardiff Bay.

The following morning we were up around 11:00 and made our way down to the stadium in the city centre. Only paying £10 a ticket we grabbed a bite to eat and went to find our seats in massive Millennium Stadium. I almost felt like I was home with the Canadian flags waving everywhere and the chants "CANADA...CANADA" echoing throughout the stadium. After a tremendous effort it looked like Canada was about to take the win at the very end. One tri would win it and they were right on the line until a bad pass let Fiji intercept and run end to end to secure the win. As rugby is not something Canada is really well known for they were not expected to win but just to be in the stadium and watch them play was a great experience.

We hung around Cardiff for another few hours after the game enjoy a few drinks and soaking up the World Cup atmosphere before taking the train back to Bristol to call it a night.

The Bristol Half Marathon (13.1 miles/21km)

2007-09-10T12:47:00.001Z

Sunday September 9th, 2007 was a day I was waiting in anticipation for and yet also dreading more than you can imagine. I have been training for the half marathon for the last few months and although I felt ready for it wasn't too sure what to expect. I started out with a goal of 2 hours as I really didn't know what a good time was but someone suggested 2 hours was pretty good. Perhaps the part that made me the most nervous though was the fact that I had told so much of my family and friends that the plan was to run in it in that time and I really didn't want to have to tell everyone if I didn't achieve my goal.

I was up bright and early on the Sunday morning to get breakfast in 2.5 hours before the race began. With everything I needed ready (ipod shuffle and race number) I set off to the centre of Bristol to meet up with a few friends from work who also ran the race.

About 8500 people managed to make their way to the start line out of the 15000 that entered so I made my way to the middle where the 2 hour mark was set. There are 2 times that you are given in the race, one being the clock time which is the official time you ran since the clock time and the second being the chip time as everyone has a chip attached to their shoe to record your times at certain markers and is the more accurate time. Since there were so many people running it took me over 4min to actually reach the start line so my chip time was the time I was going to go by. I set my stopwatch, started my ipod, and was on my way.

The start of the race was quite hard with so many people in the way and I quickly realized that I should have started a little further up as I was dodging and passing people within the first few min. That said there were also people doing the same thing and passing me. After an hour I was about 7.5miles through the race and with energy still in me decided I could push it a little faster. By the time the small hill approached at the 11mile marker I was dead tired but determined to run constantly through the whole race. The 12th mile marker was a blessing and I decided to sprint the last mile and give it everything I had. Wow was that ever a mistake. Half a mile later I was feeling incredibly sick and dizzy so I slowed down to the previous pace until I could see the finish line where I sprinted the last 150m or so. I crossed the line with a clock time of 1 hour and 46 min and a chip time of 1 hour and 42min putting me 18min ahead of goal. I couldn't have been happier and yet more tired if I tried.

Overall I placed 1398 out of 8500 and averaged a speed of about 8miles/hour (12.8km/h) over the whole 102 min of constant running. As it was my first organized race I now know what to expect and plan on doing a few more and trying to beat that record in the future. It also gives me a great incentive to stay in shape and push myself further. It was a great experience and one that I am very glad I did.

Not long now until the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 14th. Not sure if this is a wise choice or not running in 2 almost within a month of each other. Only one way to find out!!!!

Another wedding celebration.

2007-09-10T12:38:00.000Z

This Saturday was another family wedding celebration for my cousin Chris and his fiancée Jacqui. It was held down in Goran Haven in Cornwall and yet again the weather was perfect. It was more of pre wedding party as the actual wedding will be held in South Africa next month so this party was for those people who would not be able to make it to South Africa. Luckily for me I was/am able to make it out to both. It started off with a few drinks in the sun and then made its way inside the only pub in the village for a wonderful roast dinner and speeches. It was great to be with so much family again within a short amount of time from the last wedding.

After lunch we all went down to the beach for a swim and some much loved pier jumping which in areas Sam (another cousin) and I managed to jump off a point that was around 20ft high or so. Unfortunately I had to leave a little early as I had to be back in Bristol for the following morning to run the half marathon. I left around 5 and thanks to the British Rail system and its delays it took me 5.5 hours to get home instead of the 3.5 hours it should have been.

Best of luck to Chris and Jacqui and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon in Durban South Africa.

The Wedding

2007-09-10T12:32:00.000Z

It was a very short trip home the other week as I left on the thursday from England only to return on the Sunday night. The reason for the trip was to attend Dawn and Brad's wedding which was a great day. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, in fact the whole day was perfect. What more can you ask for? I wish them all the best in their life together and am very happy that I have gained a great brother in law.

I would like to thank everyone (espeically my parents) for all their hard work and effort for making it such a wonderful day and. Also, thank you to Kelly and Ryan for coming out to celebrate the day as well. Glad you could make it!!!

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

2007-08-15T17:34:00.000Z

One thing that Bristol is quite well known for is its annual Balloon Fiesta. Its all kicks off on a Thursday and ends on the Sunday. Thursday and Saturday nights are the famous night glows which I went down for (both nights) where as during the day the see about 150 balloons take off throughout each day.

The night glow was spectacular to see as they have speakers everywhere and play a wide range of music. The balloons (30 or so of them) then light up in time with the beats of the songs. With a couple thousand people there to watch the atmosphere is amazing. There are also many carnival rides, food vendors, and of course beer tents (although the whole festival is one big beer tent).

I did not bother taking my camera along this time as I went for the rides and didn't want to worry about where I was going to leave it so instead I have taken a few photos from the internet so you will get a rough idea.

Each night ends off with a brilliant fireworks display which overlaps with the balloons lighting up. If I am around next year I will definitely be attending again.

RYC invade the Gower

2007-07-27T15:58:00.000Z

Last weekend a few flatmates and myself took it upon ourselves to go camping in the rain out on the far west coast of Wales in an area known as the Gower. It is about a 2 hour drive from Bristol and it is just past the city of Swansea. We got there a little late so after setting up our tents in the dark it was straight down the bar for a few drinks. We returned back to the campsite after the bar closed for a few more before calling it a night about 4am. The following morning was spent swimming at the indoor pool and then playing football in the rain. By far the highlight was the fight with the 8 year boy who stole the boomerang after I climbed into a really thick bush of thorns to get it back getting completely cut up all over. After he kicked us a few times we got our own back by controversial methods but at least we got the boomerang back (which we didn't even bother to use after that). It was pouring with rain but we decided to head to the beach anyways for a BBQ and 4 hours of throwing rocks and jumping off of sand dunes.

The food was great and the drinks were plentiful and it ended up with me going for a quick swim in the sea before we made our way back to the campsite for some guitars and drinks. That pretty much sums up most of the weekend to be honest. Swimming, BBQ, eating, and drinking is really all we did but it was a great weekend all the same. Just as we were leaving on the Sunday afternoon the sun came out and it was nothing but clear skies all the way back to Bristol. Typical UK......

London in a day

2007-07-26T12:18:00.000Z

We aimed for a nice early start once again but because of my inability to set the alarm clock properly we managed to sleep in a bit. Not to bad though as we were still out of the house and in the rented fiat punto before 9:00am. We drove to Stonehenge and managed to get through in front of a few buses and have a walk around Stonehenge. It was extremely busy all the same but we still managed a few good pics and made our way over to Kew which is on the outskirts of London. The advantage of this is free parking and a cheap ride into London on the tube.

After battling the traffic and to get into Kew we parked the car, jumped on the tube, and made our way into the city getting off at the tube stop "embankment" where we wondered around the Thames north and south banks taking in the sites of the London eye and the crazy performers around it, Westminster, and Big Ben. From here it was bit of a hike up to Trafalgar square for a quick subway meal before stopping in at Canada house and walking down the mall to see Buckingham Palace. This time the queen didn't come out and make an appearance so we walked over the Hyde park and rented a row boat for half an hour and went rowing on the Serpentine in the middle of the park. The weather was great for this part of the day so we really lucked out. After an ice cream in the park we walked over to Speakers corner on the far side of the park near marble arch and oxford street where we had a good laugh at some the crazy people rambling on before we (I mean Kelly) did some shopping in London's most famous shopping area. She was good and didn't go into every single store. We tried to make it to Hamley's toy store before it closed but just missed it by a few minutes. Yet another reason for you to come back Kel.

We continued our walk down Regent street (the street Hamleys is on and one of the main streets off Oxford Street) which brings you right out into Piccadilly circus. This by night is one of my favourite parts of London. Its full of flashing lights, and people sitting around on statues. Plus it has a brilliant walk up through Leicester square (theatre district) and continues through to Covent Garden (the pub district). One place we had to go of course in Covent Garden is the Maple Leaf. A good old fashioned Canadian Pub that serves Moosehead beer. Yes it was my first Canadian beer since Christmas so I savoured every last drop.

We walked back down to the water and jumped on the tube for the first time since the morning (trust me we did a lot of walking) and made our way over to St. Paul’s Cathedral and millenium bridge and then on to the Tower of London and Tower bridge. We found a great little pub to eat at on south bank while we waited for the sun to set so we could get a few pictures of tower bridge by night. London at night is a beautiful city so its worth waiting for. London by day is one of the dirtiest cities I have ever been too. But it has so much character it is still one of my favourite cities in the world.

Well it was getting late so we made our back to the car in Kew and then drove the hour long route up to my grandmothers and crashed for the night around 1:00am. The following morning we drove to Gatwick where Kelly caught her plane home and I made the long trek back over to Bristol to drop of the car and home for some much needed sleep. It was a wonderful trip with many great memories. Thanks for coming to visit Kel. You are more than welcome to come over again anytime.

3 days in Paris

2007-07-25T12:13:00.000Z

Well after another early start at 4:30am we made our way down to Bristol Airport to catch our long 55min flight to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Before getting on the plane though we did manage to have a nice burger and fries at Burger King before 6am. The flight was fine and so was the train transfer into the Paris' Les Halles train station. After looking for the hotel on the wrong street for about 5 min we finally found it one block over. It had the smallest elevator I have ever been in, as it had just enough room for 2 people. We went out straight away and made our way over to Notre Dame and enjoyed a great walk around this amazing church for free. The only part that you have to pay for is getting up to the top to see over Paris which had a huge line up so we didn't bother. The Eiffel tower provides a better view anyways.

We walked over to some of the touristy shops and districts before walking back over to the Pantheon for a quick look inside. Paris, like many other cities has a 48 hop on hop off bus tour and although I have not used many before, Paris is a city where it is worth spending the money. A lot of the main sites are pretty far away and although we did a lot of walking it is nice to have bus transit covered for 2 days. The bus tour has 4 different routes you can take and we managed to get in 2 of the smaller ones in the first day. Main points of interest on these two where Napoleon’s burial place, Tour Montparnasse, Les Invalides, Grande Biblitheque, and La Bastille. Another one of the main stops where we got off and had a look around was St. Sulpice which is famous for the rose line as well as been a simply amazing structure. I prefer it to Notre Dame. But it is even more famous now dew to its part in the book and movie "The Da Vinci Code". We ended the night off by walking around the Opera house area looking for a nice place to eat. After the meal it was down to Les Tuilleries where there was a carnival setup in front of the Louvre. Eating cotton candy and riding on the Ferris wheel while overlooking the lights of Paris is a truly amazing site. You can see the Louvre pyramid, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Basilique du Sacre Coeur all lighting up the night sky. After this is back to the bar in hotel to collect our free glass of French wine.

The following morning we had a bite to eat at the hotel before heading out to Louvre. The line up was tiny and we walked straight in got our tickets and made our way to see the Mona Lisa. We also checked out a few other famous paintings and sculptures along the way of which I can only remember the Venus de Milo at this time. The museum is huge and would take a full 3 days to see everything so we had a good look through the Denon wing and a quick look in the Sully wing before making our way back out via a quick stop at the inverted pyramid (one again all you Da Vinci Code readers should remember this). After the Louvre we made our way the 3rd bus tour which took us up to Sacre Coeur where I have never been on my previous two visits to Paris. This church is truly amazing. It was designed by the architect Paul Abadie but before the completion of the building 6 other architects had succeeded him. With the foundations laid in 1875 it took until 1919 to complete the structure (would have been ready in 1914 if the WWI hadn't started) and is the 2nd highest point in Paris. From the top you can see 50 miles across Paris and the surrounding area and it is truly a breath taking view.

We wondered back down to the bus stop stopping for a baguette and ice cream before jumping on the rest of the tour which passed the Moulin Rouge, the Opera house, and La Madeleine. One of the more memorable sites though had to be the man "BBQ'ing" corn on the cob on a tin bucket in a shopping cart. He seemed to be doing quite well with his sales.... Following this tour it was time to jump on the main bus tour and check out the more famous sites of Paris. The Concorde square with is Egyptian obelisk, the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees, the crazy roundabout surrounding the arc de triomphe, Trocadero, and of course the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for almost 2 hours before making our way to the top of the tower where we remained for about another 1.5 hours watching the sunset over Paris before getting kicked off at closing time. We were at the bottom of the tower when the lights came on the strobe lights starting flashing all over the tower (as they do every hour on the hour) before taking the long walk along the river Seine in the direction of the hotel.

We had a late dinner at the carnival again followed by some more cotton candy. I just have to say that I ordered "the American Hamburger" at the carnival which consisted of hamburger cut up into small pieces, placed on a baguette, and then had French fries stuffed into it. How that is an American burger I will never understand. It was getting late by this point so we made our way back to the hotel.

The next morning we packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, and went and did a bit more tourist shopping before taking "Kelly’s long but correct" route back to the train station instead of my "shortcut that may or may not have worked". But we made it back in time and caught our flight back to Bristol where we rented a car (mine is in pretty poor shape at the moment) and drove over to Wales for a dinner in nice little pub called "The anchor" by Tintern Abbey. That made 3 countries in the day. Not to shabby!!! After dinner we drove back to England for an early night as it was going to be another long day in the morning. London was calling.....

Another Canadian!

2007-07-23T12:44:00.000Z

Well it has been a while now since someone has come over from Canada to visit and given me an excuse to take a few days off work. On Tuesday July 10th Kelly arrived in Bristol after spending a week up in Manchester. So I left work early and went to pick her up from the train station. We took the bus back into the city centre and walked up the hill towards Clifton. After a nice meal at a local Chinese restaurant we went to the local bar to try our luck at the weekly quiz night. Unfortunately it was cancelled that week so we had a quick drink before heading back to the house and once it got dark we walked up to the Clifton suspension bridge to get some night photos.

The following day I had to work but I managed to get up and out of bed bright and early and made it to work before 8am. This is quite an accomplishment for me. Kelly spent the day walking around Bristol seeing the sites and we met up for lunch at Cabot tower which was closed due to painting. Guess you will just have to come back at some point Kel...

After work we caught a train over to the famous town of Bath. We wondered around the town for a while and got into the Abby for free which was a first for me. This is the first time I have seen a church go from charging people to go in to making it “optional donation”. The abbey is amazing inside with the ceiling been one of the many highlights.

We wondered around bath for a while walking over Pultney bridge and then along the river Avon, followed by a walk up to the circus (where Nicolas Cage just bought a house) and then over to the Royal Crescent and back through some of the parks. It was getting a bit late so we had some dinner at subway and made our way back to Bristol on the train. It was an early night as we had to be up at 4am to start our journey to Paris….

Dublin for Canada Day

2007-07-02T12:26:00.000Z

Let me start off with a quick recap of Friday June 29th. I went to work, went home, and then went out for "a drink" for a goodbye party for two of the flatmates who moved out this weekend. It was supposed to be one drink as I had to be up at 4am to go to the airport. Well one drink turned into many and before I knew it I was drinking vinegar out of pint glasses. That was when I realised it was 12:30 and I should be heading home. Well 4am came much to fast but I dragged myself out of bed and ran into the rest of the flatmates who were just coming back..... hahahaha.

The trip over the Dublin was pretty uneventful. I slept the whole 45min on the plane. Upon arriving I made my way into the city centre and went over the hostel. It was located in the middle of the city right by the famous millennium spire (to me its looks like a giant needle). As I wasn't allowed to check into the hostel until 2pm I made my way back into the city and decided to do a few touristy things before trying to find Kim who I was meeting up with out there. First I walked down the Liffey River and along it until I cut in behind temple bar so see all the famous bars to snap off a few photos as I was planning on leaving my camera behind when I returned to this area later that night.

My first main stop was Christchurch Cathedral which was built in around 1030AD and is one of the most remarkable cathedrals I have seen. It was quite unique with its bridge and a main road splitting it in half. Also in the crypt the had a lot of old religious books and treasures from around the world. Just down the road from Christchurch is the most famous cathedral in Ireland, called St. Patrick’s. Granted it was huge and impressive but I still think that Christchurch is superior in regards to Architecture and features. Still both are worth checking out.

The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around the parks and residential areas of Dublin. Some really nice places and some... well not so nice. Check out the photo of the BMW....

After this I made my way back to the giant Dublin Spire and back to the hostel where I was finally allowed to check in. This is where I met up with Kim who was already in the room. After catching up we started our walk over to the far side of town to check out the Guinness Storehouse. The line up was fairly short and after we both got in for student prices we made our way around the tour up the 6 floors to finish off with the best pint of Guinness I have ever had in the Gravity bar. The bar is enclosed in nothing but glass windows and gives a spectacular view over Dublin.

The remainder of the day was spent wondering around Trinity college and the shopping district before we went to go and get ready for a night at temple bar.

After a few cheap pints at the hostel bar we went into town and met up with one of my friends from work who happened to be out there the same weekend. We had a drink with him before heading to temple bar where we ended up befriending a few brits out on a stag night from Liverpool who wanted to buy as drinks because we were singing Liverpool footballs songs with them in the middle of the bar. hahahaha.

Our first stop for the 2nd day was the Jameson distillery where we were drinking whiskey at 10:00am. The tour was great and I highly recommend it to all of you if you make your way to Dublin.

As it was Canada day we had to do something typically Canadian. After a search for Tim Hortons (yes there are a few in Dublin for some reason) and some help terrible information from the tourist centre we were still struggling to find it. We jumped into a internet cafe where within no time at all we found the location and set off again. This time to our success we found the Tim Hortons and enjoyed a coffee and donut to celebrate Canada Day. I think we had a few odd looks from people around us as we took photos from every possible angle of the cups, donuts, and signs.

Kim had to make her way back to the town she is living in which is about an hour away so I spent the evening walking down the bay (about 45min away). After one final walk around the city centre I caught the late bus out to the airport and found a bench in the airport where I managed to get a few hours sleep. My plane left at 6:30am and arrived in Bristol about 7:30. Just enough time for me to get the bus to work, get changed, and start working. Needless to say I was exhausted but it was a great weekend away from England. Thanks again to Kim who met up with me and showed me around Dublin and who got me a free drink off the Liverpool fans in the bar. hahahaha. Good times!

Oh and don't worry I did find the hard rock cafe!!! Another one to cross off the list.

White Water Rafting in North Wales!

2007-07-09T16:50:00.000Z

This past weekend my cousin Matt and I decided to do something a little different than the usual site seeing touristy things that are usually done when someone comes to visit. Matt is here for 5 weeks from the States so we decided to go and check out Wales. It took about 3 hours to get to our destination of Bala which is a small town in northern Wales. Upon our arrival we set out to find a place to crash for the night. The first B&B said we could share a double bed in a room if we wanted or we could go and see her friend down the road where we could probably stay. hmmmm ok I think I will try somewhere else.

We tried a few other B&B's without any luck before we found something rather promising called the Goat hotel. It also acted as a bar and as we walked in everyone was speaking in Welsh. As soon as we got inside the place went rather silent and heads turned our way and just starred. "Ok....never mind" we thought and left out the front door to continue the search. the next place we found was perfect. One room, 2 twin beds, and a full breakfast in the morning.

Now that we had found a place to stay we went back to the car and drove through the national park of Snowdonia on route to a town called Port Meirion. This is the town that the 60's TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed at and by having British parents I have been forced to watch a episode or two in my lifetime. However most of you will at least know it from the Simpsons where they are stuck on the island, steal a boat, and get chased by a giant bubble.

Once we got back to Bala we decided that we needed to find something fun to do in the town. Lucky for us they have a movie theatre and proceeded to make our way down there to check out what our choices where and what times they were showing them. After checking the sign we quickly realised that we had the choice of one movie at 7:30 and that was it. Welcome to a small town in Northern Wales. We watched the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in what I am convinced is a old school gym with fold out chairs. It was pretty funny nonetheless and we have been making jokes about it ever since. After the movie it was time to take Matt (who just 18) into a pub for a few drinks before calling it a night.

The following morning we had our full cooked breakfast before the 20min drive to the white water rafting lodge. After a quick lesson we were on the water getting soaked and thrown about. It was an amazing 2 runs down the river and a great experience. I could just keep writing about all the rapids and waves but I think the pictures will speak for themselves.

And of course the classic jumping shots!!!

Boules in the Park

2007-06-20T17:10:00.001Z

Leaving work at 4pm on Friday Ali, Brad, and myself made our way over to Queen Square in Bristol to take part in the 2007 Architecture Boules Tournament. For those who don't know what boules is it is basically lawn bowling with smaller balls. All you have to do is get your ball closest to the jack (conochet). Yes it really is that simple in theory but not that simple in practice.

With a crate of Fosters beer in hand (yes you can drink in public areas here) we started our first game and came out on top fairly quickly. The 2nd game was against another Faber Maunsell team and we quickly knocked them out of the tournament.

Our 3rd game was a lot harder and with a few skilled shots and a battle that lasted just under an hour we put this team in their place. By this time I had to leave to meet up with a few friends up in Clifton so I had to leave before the final game. A member of another Faber Maunsell team stepped and the team continued the winning streak and came out on top in the final game. A trophy and bottle of Champagne was the prize but the bragging rights around the company are worth a little more than that.

Brad is just happy he has a pint of Fosters in his hand.....(its his pride and joy of his home country)

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

2007-06-12T16:41:00.000Z

On the weekend Brad, Nada, and me went over to Cardiff for the day. I have been to Cardiff on numerous occasions but this time we had one of the major attractions booked ahead. After a quick lunch in city centre we went over to the Millennium stadium where the Welsh Rugby team, Football FA cup final, and major concerts are held. The stadium has a capacity of 74,500 people and was the first retractable roof stadium in the UK. It costs only £4 in power to open and close the massive roof which is pretty remarkable.

The tour lasted about an hour and we got to go in the dressing rooms, VIP lounge and seating areas, and down to the pitch. Since there was a Rod Stewart concert coming up they had taken the grass away and we were left with a concrete slab and a red carpet to admire instead. It was pretty disappointing but I am planning a trip to do the tour of Old Trafford (Manchester United's stadium) at the end of the summer anyways so hopefully they will have the pitch down. To bring a new pitch in from Holland costs just over £200,000 to buy, install, and take away again. Not exactly cheap.

After the we did a few jumping shots and made our way into the rest of the town.

The rest of the day was spent walking around the shopping area, Cardiff castle walls, city council buildings, and the natural history museum before we went back to England where Nada cooked a meal for us and we watched the 400th episode of the Simpson’s.

Moving house

2007-06-04T12:07:00.000Z

Well last weekend I finally moved into my new flat. It is in the heart of Clifton village on a road called “Royal Crescent” which is one of the nicest areas in Bristol (at least it is in my opinion). The fact that you can buy a postcard of “The Royal Crescent” must count for something.

I am in a shared house with 9 other people and the ones I have met so far I get along with really well. So it should be a lot of fun over the next few months. Luckily it’s a huge house with 2 big kitchens and 4 bathrooms. My room overlooks the local bar (15 sec walk home), a view of the Mendip hills, and has its own balcony. By far the best part of the where I am living is that now I am only a 20 walk away from the city centre and my work. No more driving to the park and ride and spending £80 a month on commuting.

There are a lot of parks, restaurants, bars, stores, etc basically on my doorstep. And for those of you who have already been over to visit me in Bristol, I probably took you to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge which is now literally 5 min around the corner for me which is a great place to cross over to the countryside to get away from the city life.

I have a few more trips coming up as well with the next one been a day trip to Cardiff and then a weekend trip to Dublin. Pictures of those trips to come...

A Weekend in Amsterdam!!!

2007-05-14T12:21:00.001Z

When I got the email from Jon saying he was going to be in Holland on business and wanted to know if he could come and stay in England for the weekend it seemed like a great idea. But what sounded like a better idea was if we were to meet up in Amsterdam instead. For £20 I got a flight with Ryan air from London Stansted to Eindhoven Holland return trip. Waking up at 4am again I made my way to the airport and by 9am I was in Holland. The plane landed slightly early and as there is not much to do in the airport I decided not to wait for the direct bus which was not leaving for another 1.5 hours and made my way to get the bus into the city centre and try and catch a train up to Amsterdam.

As I was waiting inline to get a bus ticket from the machine it appeared that the Australian guy in front of me had jammed the machine and it was now out of order. The lady in front of me tried to help and after no success I had a go wielding the same results. So by now the bus was leaving and we out of luck. The lady decided to get a taxi to the station and just left. I asked the Australian if he wanted to split a cab and when he said yes I decided to flag down the cab with the other lady so we could split it three ways. Once inside the cab we found out the lady worked for Lords Cricket Ground and was one of the people to guard the ashes. She was in Holland to pick up a bird that was killed by a cricket ball in the 1930's from Rotterdam. Wow what a job. Best part was that as she was on business she paid the 35euro fare to the train station.

The train only took about an hour and a half and I arrived in Amsterdam central station about 11:30. With an hour and half left to kill before I met Jon I wondered out on the station in search for food. But Jon was sitting outside the station in the sun reading a book and I and happened to walk out of the door he was at. What are the chances? It seemed the whole weekend was just working out perfectly. We made our way to the hostel but were told to come back after 2 to check in. Dropping off our bags though we ventured back into the city and went straight the pub for a few Heinekens’. After a few drinks we checked in, got changed, and went off in search of a few more drinks. Finding a few great pubs near the red light district (yes we did some window shopping and no we didn't buy anything) we spent the rest of the night sitting by a fire in leather chairs drinking and talking until nearly 3am.

Saturday we actually managed to do some touristy things although both Jon and myself have both been to Amsterdam previously and done most of the museums and tourist sites before. One that neither of us had done was the Rijn museum (Rembrandt van Rijn) where we saw one of his most famous paintings called "the night watch" amongst many others.

Following this we walked around the well known "I AMSTERDAM" sign and snapped off a few pics before making our way to the old Heineken brewery and paying our 11euros entry fee. This seemed a bit high at first but when we learned that they give you 3 glasses of beer and a free bottle opener it seemed well worth it. The tour was great and very interactive. Only a about half the tour was about the history and how they made the beer where the other half was watching old beer commercials, playing the Heineken drums, and a theme park style ride were you are a beer bottle going though its journey from start to end.

As we were leaving we saw this strange bike/car/bar where there was one driver in the middle and the rest of the people on the outside had to pedal to get it moving. It was a bar and yes the drver in the middle was drinking. Have a look at the picture below and tell me you wouldn't want to try it!!! We walked around a bit more for the day before heading out into the streets again at night to take some night shots of the city before once again making our way back around 3am.

Jon had an early flight the following morning so when he left I went back to sleep until 11 at the hostel. I spent a few hours walking around the city before deciding to head back to Eindhoven early so I could see more of the city there instead of just the airport.

Eindhoven was pretty much a ghost town as it was a Sunday and all the stores where closed. So I checked out a few churches, parks, and the outside of the Phillips Football stadium. Something I was unaware of is that the company "Philips" (one of the biggest electronics companies in the world) was founded and has it headquarters in Eindhoven. Everywhere around the city is their adds and the football is obviously sponsored by them.

Well by 5:30 I made my back to the airport (this time on the bus for 3 euros) and caught my plane back to England where yet again I had the wonderful 3 hour drive back to Bristol. It was a great weekend and it was great to catch up with Jon again in Europe. I do recommend a trip to Amsterdam for all of you though. It is a very unique city and I guarantee you come back with your fair share of stories. We have, but let’s just say some of them are not appropriate to share on this site. Hahahaha.