ST PETERSBURG - 22/8 to 28/8

After two long travel days we arrived at St Petersburg airport, where the buses to transport us to the terminal looked like the original buses from WW1. The arrival hall was packed with anxious tourists awaiting the dreaded Russian passport control. After our long journey to the Hotel via the packed local bus, metro and massive walk in 30 degree heat we arrived to be greeted by 20 dodgy looking locals drinking in the courtyard! Finally we reached our boutique hotel to be met by Troy and Jean with cold beers!

We had Japanese(yes...the new Russian favourite....they have embraced the modern multicultural restaurant and bar scene that gives both Melbourne and London a run for it's money). Following our catch up on all the London and travel gossip we headed to the legendary bar which celebrates New Years Eve every single night! We walked into the place and soon after entering were greeted by a massive Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike bouncer who whispered into Troy's ear that it would cost 1000 rub (30 euro) for a table - we reckon it was our first Russian scam. We were escorted to one of the best tables overlooking all the action by a rabbit who dressed us in Santa Jackets to help us join in the festivities. Carafes of vodka and Russian Champagne was ordered before the clock struck 12! Happy New Year, sparklers, streamers and of course a massive unique 30th celebration for Troy - not sure whether you can top celebrating NYE in August in St Petersburg with Rabbits on your 30th birthday! After we stumbled home we all agreed that it was one of the quirkiest nights we have ever had!

The next few days we walked all over St Petersburg taking in all the major sights:

HERMITAGE - one of the largest museums set in amazing Russian buildings and palaces.
St ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL - panoramic views of the city
CHURCH OF SPLIT BLOOD - an amazing Russian church with colourful onion domes and an interior covered with mosaics
VICTORY MONUMENT - massive statues that displayed true emotions of the WWII sacrifices that the people made for their country - thanks for the recommendation Joe & Val
CHESMA CHURCH - small pink church commissioned by Catherine the Great
PETER & PAUL FORTESS, PALACE SQUARE, BRONZE HORSEMAN, SUMMER GARDENS.........

We tasted numerous local cuisine, inlcuding borsh, beef stroganoff, caviar, cabbage... but no pierogi.............until our very last meal in Russia where we finally tracked down some berry pierogi...... Joey you would have loved them! They were stunning!

HIGHLIGHTS

- Celebrating Troy's 30th with rabbits and NYE celebrations

- Watching a Russian concert which went crazy with the ol classic 'MOSCOW MOSCOW.......'

- Trying Georgian food

- Buying a Russian hat and Matryoshky doll from the market.

- Spontaneous strip teases in the bars

MOMENT OF THE WEEK / MAULERS OF THE WEEK
The 1 thing I really wanted to do whilst here was to have a vodka drinking session with some Russians. We found a great group of 20 somethings at our local bar 'Pinup' and set about getting stuck into it. Needless to say they absolutely destroyed us leaving Troy at home throwing up and me spilling the last shot all over my T-shirt before breaking into a cold sweat. The locals were alarmed and were very concerned for my well being - but TC always the diplomat managed to calm them by explaining I had Russian blood in me and would be alright!! This calmed their fears so we exchanged email addresses and left them doing their imitation kangaroo hops down the street. The things we do to help unite the world!

JELSA - 7/8 to 12/8

We arrived in Jelsa and found our apartment after being directed once again by the friendly locals. The FKK got a fair workout over our time here with the rocky coastline providing a haven for loads of fish. Our mornings involved yogurt, juice, walking, sun baking, swimming, followed by more swimming and sun baking after a light lunch. Our favourite part of the day was an ice-cold pivo on our balcony overlooking the harbour after a hot walk back from the beach. Our nightly meals considered of scampi, big mama steak, pizza and of course TC's favorite Risotto Fruitti de Mare!


HVAR TOWN 12/8 to 16/8

(Guest appearance - Carls & Milt)

Next stop the glitziest and most glamorous town in Croatia - Hvar Town - where the big boats are home to massive wallets and guys batting WAY above their average. We met up with our good mates Carls and Milt who popped over from London for their summer holiday. With the fridge fully stocked we got stuck into it right away. An innocent drinking game came to an abrupt halt when Milton passed out (see Mauler of the week for more info).

We found some awesome spots to spend the days lounging around on rocks, chatting and splashing the hours away. Picture this - Milt with 4 meter cannonballs, DF with his perfect girl-like pindrops, TC doing half dive / half ??? and Carls doing 'oops lost the cozzie' dives! The tans copped a serous workout and all was ready for the AFTER BEACH PARTY!! Sangria, shots and pivos were our drinks but for the 100 odd Italians in skintight speedos dancing on tables to the pumping music - it was free pouring wine down each others throats and spraying expensive French champagne down each others tops! The Italians were awesome entertainment! What a day.......what else could happen????

Well, after a bite to eat the boys decided for a night out on the town, G-town style! The girls headed back home for a peaceful night rest (but did they get it? Stay tuned!) The boys headed to the local nightclub - set in an old fortress - complete with old school castle walls. To avoid the 10 euro cover charge our fearless young (and half charged) men decided to scale the 12 foot wall, complete with barbed wire and spiky metal diamonds! After a few close calls they were in and set about tearing the dance floor up with the 300 Italian blokes who were group hugging and chanting.

At about 4.30am it was time to head home - what a night......shortly after we were greeted by Carls on the stairs 'We've been robbed!' F%#@!!! It seems that while we were eating dinner our apartment had been broken into, our bags slashed, our i-pods, wallets, sunnies etc stolen. The girls had been trying to find us and needless to say we left like dogs!

The next day was spent with Croatian Inspector Morse as they took fingerprints and got our details - fun times! 1 more day at the beach and our time together had come to an end. Thanks for the good times guys and see you at Oktoberfest!!

BOL - 16/8 to 21/8

We rocked up in Bol to some cool 'new as' accommodation on the hill. A couple of welcome pivos from the owners and we had 2 new best friends. Bol - home to Zlanti Rat - Croatia's most famous beach. If you ever come to Croatia it's a must see! Our usual routine of swimming, sun baking and eating continued but the snorkelling was the best we have done!

After having spent 47 days in the country over the last 2 trips it has a special place in our hearts. It's going to be sad to say goodbye but the memories we have and the North Geelong Croatian Club will ensure the people and places are not forgotten!

HIGHLIGHTS

Jesla
- Being caught in a mini 'monsoon' while walking home only to be ushered into the local church for protection. The big fella must have been looking out for us.
- Pizza and local red vino on the rocks over looking the night life in the harbour.
- Espresso - so strong it kept us awake for 48 hours!
- After pivos, red wine and 'on the house' grappa TC spilling a glass of red all over DF's new Tshirt and leaving...yes leaving not just the restaurant but half a litre of wine undrunk!!

Hvar
- After Beach Party!
- Milts ordering roast beef but getting the best steak we have seen in Croatia - very jealous!
- Finding our own diving (or bombing) platform
- Spending time with 2 great mates

Bol
- Snorkelling - best ever!
- Fancying it up with a sensational fish platter overlooking the sea!
- Our hosts - 'cool as oldie' - they want to adopt us!
- Croatian weather - 30 + above every day!
- TC being mistaken for an Italian everywhere - she reckons it was her tan (maybe - I reckon it might also be due to her nose!)

MAULER of the week
Our young friend Milts having given the red a mauling disappears into the bedroom at about 9:30pm where he passes out! DF is on the case to get him up, armed with the hairdryer and deodorant he gives it his all!! The result - Milt curled up in the fetal position after throwing up all night! At least he had fresh breath!!!


MOC MOC of the week
The boys carving up the dance floor at the castle while the girls were terrified after finding the apartment ransacked! Ooopps!

Dubrovnik 2/8 - 5/8/07

A wise man once said 'Dubrovnik is the jewel of the Adriatic'. We say........ damm straight!!

A return to Dubrovnik felt like coming home. With the temperature a steady 29 degrees, water temp a magnificent 25, ice cold pivos, an abundance of seafood, numerous beach bars to crawl along and the Croatians treating us like long lost family........ well this could be heaven.

After a 9 month absence from sunny beaches our first objective was to lose our pasty white english skin. DF's plan of 1 hour of sun and half an hour of shade all day was blown out of the water by a group of Estonians who set up directly in front of us. The Estonian girls wouldn't have been out of place at Miss World while TC rekons the guys were 'cute as'. This added to our already perfect view put a change on the plans. Needless to say after 4 straight hours in the sun DF's white skin had been replaced by a shade of fluorescent pink! The things you do for a nice view! With a few beachside pivos to complete the afternoon, life was back to its relaxed best. There was a feast that night of seafood risotto and pizza. TC was especially excited to see 1L of vino on the menu - yep life is good!

We spent the next 3 days eating, drinking, swimming and sunbaking til our hearts were content. This time was a totally different experience from last time with Stix, Eggy, MJ, Stiv and Jo (also known as the original maulers), but once again we had an extraordinary time - Dubrovnik - the jewell of the Adriatic!

Stari Grad 5/8 - 7/8/07

After a 6 hour ferry ride to Stari Grad we bartered for a room and got one in the town centre. Stari Grad is an old school town full of Croatians and a few Italians. We decided to do some hiking and find an isolated spot in the middle of no-where. We walked along an old dusty track for what seemed like hours and set up camp in a spot that could have been from the Blue Lagoon. Turquosie water with a pine forest backdrop. Perfect spot to spend a day swimming and sunbaking. The tan is coming along nicely and should be ready for when we meet up with Carls and Milt in Hvar Town. Next stop though Jelsa............................

HIGHLIGHT -

Swimming, floating or just enjoying the crystal clear waters of Croatians fabled coastline.

Other Highlights

- After lugging our backpacks up about a million stairs, we were greeted by the owner with 2 ice-cold beers in hand. Talk about hospitality!

- Returning to our fav seafood restaurant in the Old Town only to run into our fav Croatian waiter with his South Park tie! Hasn't changed it in a year! Once again - food spot on.

- Watching a firefighting plane pick up water from the harbour and dump it on a bushfire burning on the hill just above the town.

- Being served a gelato by a Croatian more Auzzie than Dazza. 'See ya round like a rissole' was the icing on the cake!

MOC MOC AWARD - Being picked up in a car that could have been 200 years old and then getting to the room to be greeted by a bathroom even older!

MAULER AWARD - TC's eyes lit up the moment she saw 1L bottles of vino on the menu..... but can you imagine her excitement levels when we picked up 1.5L in the ol water bottle from the old guy down the road. Talk about all your Christmases!

Bergen 27/7 - 2/8/07

THE BIG PICTURE

Welcome to the first of the postings for the new trip. 'The Big Picture' represents what this trip is all about. That light at the end of a tunnel on your worst day and the life you have on a good day. The message reminds us not to sweat the small stuff and live life to the fullest. It helped us move overseas, it helped us understand what we are doing, it helped us to make sure we had some awesome times with awesome people and it even helped us get through the notorious London winter. Hope you enjoy reading and hope you know what the big picture in your life looks like....... well sorta! Pretty charged stuff so go out there and maul on!

The trip begins..............

Norway, Bergen -

We think that Bergen must be Aboriginal for 'place of rain' as it rained, rained and rained some more the entire time we were here! Our first 2 days were pretty disappointing. After being amped for The Trip of a Lifetime -MkII, it was a bit of a false start. Norway is THE most expensive place on Earth bar NONE! We don't mind rain if we can find a pub to settle in and drink a few beers, but 17 Auzzie dollars for a pint turned us off pretty quickly. After spending our daily budget on breaky, a bus ride and a few snacks we were in trouble and Dazza 'thekingofbudgeting' was having a nervous breakdown!!!

However, after the initial shock had worn off, we decided to take it on the chin and start enjoying what Bergen had to offer. The next few days (with umbrella and jackets firmly in hand) we hiked through some spectacular forests, cruised through the majestic fjords and appreciated nature in all its glory. This is why people flock to this special place. We took the opportunity to indulge in something we haven't done for a long, long time - detox! Out with the alcohol and in with the fitness regime. Hiking, bike riding and swimming in one of the world's most beautiful environments was pretty amazing and something we will not forget. (Might have dropped a couple too ;) ) It definitely freshened the mind and left the body ready for a big Summer.

Norway was naturally beautiful........ but after a London winter and a mocca Summer we were in search of some sun........ so thanks to skyscanner we are heading down to Croatia a week early...... Sun here we come!!!

THE HIGHLIGHT - Watching a circle of colours turn into a spectacular rainbow right before our eyes as we overlooked the city from the mountain lookout.

Other Highlights

- Mountainbiking through a lush forest inspired by the boy from Plenty - Cadel Evans.

- Swimming laps in the 26 degree seaside pool with an outside temperature of 12 degrees.

- Sleeping soundly in a 12-bed hostel with a host of Norwegians and Japanese. They have to go down as the quietest people on the planet.

- Hiking through the forests Lord of the Rings style.

- Fresh scampi and calamari (our only proper meal) from the famous Bergen fish market.

MOC MOC AWARD - The Norwegian government for not only allowing places to charge 17 Auzzie dollars for a beer, but to top it off they have banned the sale of all take-away alcohol after 8pm! They truly deserve Moc of the week!

MAULER OF THE WEEK - An Auzzie guy from Rand defied the 17 dollar beer factor and rocked in every night at 6am absolutely tanked. Go Auzzie Go!