Ode to the Old

This is an ode, to a 'mobile of old.
Old by name, old by nature.
Caddilac lines and pimped red inside,

Its the Oldsmobile, the all american ride.

Front-wheel-drive for grip in the snow,

Means the powder we'll hit when we want to go.

Whilst mechanical problems should not reach the surface,

As a full service history was produced when we purchased.

It goes pretty rad, with few limitations.

A limited edition and there's no imitations.

It freaks out the locals, as it drags down the streets,

This reliable sled, with its pumping fat beats.

So now you have met our new family member,

It drives like a gift- a ride to remember.

If you're ever in Fernie, for this whole snowboard deal,
Drop by and admire, our new Oldsmobile.

Aye, it's the McDougall kids finding out about the Clan

We had a whirlwind trip through Scotland, it was only a few days and I wanted to get to know all my castle living clan members, didn't meet any but saw the castle. Hell yeah we had castles, so many that we couldn't see them all - ok about 3, but they were in the highlands and some were on islands (oh yeah, strategic) - but we did get to one that is a known McDougall Clan castle and the current head of the Clan still lives in the house next door. It's wicked, check it out...

You have to follow a old, slippery track to get there but it's worth it...

Ahhhh, beautiful views (soooo strategic...)

This is my turf now...

The view from our crib... The high cross at the castle complete with our crest and our name written in old school clan typeface...

Jeremy the serious Scot...We started our trip in Glasgow and checked out the McIntosh Glasgow school of Art, unique architecture.

Then we went up to Oban and checked out the castle (I was just excited to show you all our castle!) anyway up there there was an awesome little museum that when I inquired about the McDougall's and mentioned that I was one of them, he replied "Well you're in McDougall country now!", felt nice to be one of the Clan!

So roughly the story goes that we were really strong and awesome and had heaps of power in the highlands, then Robert the Bruce wanted to unite Scotland and we fought him off our land because of our alliances. But he came back with the Campbells and they kicked our ass (but we definitely fought them all the way!) and then all our castles were turned over to the Campbells, thus I shall never talk to a Campbell again. But in the course of things a legend has developed about the Brooch of Lorn that belonged to Robert the Bruce that was "won" by the McDougalls... it's a long story, you should get up to Oban!

We ate Haggis and it was delicious, the first place boasts the best in Glasgow and the next one we ate was deep fried...

...mmmmmm deep fried

We couldn't not go to Scotland and not check our Nessie at Loch Ness, and after that found a cool bar and saw some local music (felt like I was back in Melbs). We then went down to Edinburgh to check out the other city of Scotland, saw the castle

Denmark, lovely little Denmark!

We were lucky enough to have some time between Ireland and Canada and get the chance for a little travel and catch up. We started at Oktoberfest (see last post!) and then made it up to Denmark on a 15 hour train trip. We stayed in Copenhagen for a few days, I wanted Jeremy to see the capital. It was cheaper to stay in a hotel than a hostel and, by Jeeves, we were glad we did when we had the best downtown location and the most amazing breakfast you have ever seen, and you all know how much we love a good breakfast (it's number 2 behind Austria at the moment).

We checked out the Little Mermaid, and she is bloody tiny, but we managed to get a good photo without any of the other 1,000 tourists in it, well we only got his arm in... We spent a lot of time wandering the streets and just enjoying the cold and beautiful city.

But the main reason we were there was to catch up with my host town of Logstor and my host families that I hadn't seen since 2000. Logstor is a beautiful little coastal town at the top of Denmark, it was a great place to spend a year. I was a little nervous about going back, I have to admit, but I was really excited about Jeremy getting the chance to meet my host families and see my town (I know, I know I have talked about it soooo much in the last 8 years!)

We were absolutely treated by my wonderful families! But especially by Herbert and Kirsten who looked after us all week, (we did get roped into doing a talk about Australia to the kiddies at the local school, but I think they totally dug it). It was so nice to see Pam and Thomas again, and to hear what Mognes, Bente, Mette and Lars were up to. Boy has everyone grown! and I can't believe that the first thing they all tell Jeremy is how I was always hungry and horrible at maths! Herbert of course cannot forget how messy Fi and I were when she stayed with us for a month, he still can't believe that we couldn't open the door to our room...

We had a lovely dinner at the Stausholm's, Lars and Gunhild put on the most amazing dinner and Katherina came all the way home from the city to be there with us.

It was a short but sweet trip and next time I wont be so nervous about going back!

Next stop... Scotland and the McDougall Clan...

Oktoberfest- "Ich Bin Ein Drunk..."

So, Oktoberfest was the next stop, which was hoped would bring a little debauchery to our little tour after our two month slog in Ireland. So with a shave and a haircut, and a little shopping, and a catchup with an old school mate, Kade Dillon for a few beers in beautiful Dublin town, we hopped a tragically painful Ryanair flight across to Germany.

We were supposed to camp for the few days, but it was raining on our arrival in Munich and, well, it was just the excuse we needed to upgrade to a backpackers, albeit at a vastly inflated price.

So after throwing off the shackles of our burgeoning backpacks we hotfooted it down the the festival, and my god, what a festival it was. Within 30 seconds of walking in the gates, we ran into my old housemate from the 'Rat, Ria Coffee, who was there with a tour group. Pretty amazing coincidence, so to celebrate we all enjoyed a few steins, heartily delivered by a buxom beer wench. I also ran into an old school mate, James Coatsworth, had a beer with him. Good times.

We were joined at the festival by a likely crowd of travellers, in Emily and Hagen and Ray and Kerry, which made the beer swilling all the more enjoyable. The food was extraordinary too, with pig on the bone, roast chicken better than any I've ever tasted and, wait for it, radishes- by the bunch. I must say that Europeans seem to care little for the smell of theirs or their countrymen's breath, but hell, for three days neither did I.



So these shenanigans rolled on, before it was time to drag our hungover corpses to the train station for a 14 hour ride to Copenhagen. With dread in our hearts at the prospect of sitting amongst 50 odd other hungover, bad-breathed former Oktoberfesters, we found our seats (we were too tight to pay for a private double berth). Anyway, we find ourselves sitting in a six berth cabing, and nobody else got on for the whole time. So we took the chance to catch up on some Zs, finish my book on the Irish revolution, and relax before we returned to Jess' teen host town in Denmark.

Diving at Vela Luka- a few pics... and words (I can't help myself)

No, thats not the Little Mermaid and Posieden you're looking at. Yes, I know, we do cut quite the figure under the water. And yes, hahaha, we do manage to make goggles sexy.

Aside from how dorky we look (everyone looks like this diving so shut up), I must mention that this photo was taken inside a cave, which was freezing cold inside but amazing to be in, particularly where the sunlight met the darkness.

We managed to see an octopus also, but I had been warned by the instructors not to "go fishing" whilst down there, so there was no calimari that night.

The pic on the left is one where Jess is actually moving around a bit. I think I annoyed her the whole time, as I was always darting all over the place whilst she had to constantly crane her neck trying to keep an eye on me. What are you supposed to do when you're diving, sit still??

All good though, we made it out alive, and it was great fun (yes, I'm a big dork, I was caught up in the moment)

The Next Country, an Old Town and Island Birthday

The next stop on our world tour was Dubrovnik, a historic seaside town in Southern Croatia, which much like Venice was a city-state based on maritime trading for 1000 or more years before the 19th century. This made for a beautiful old town down by the sea, enclosed by a wall a couple of kilometers in length. From the wall you can look down upon the patchwork the terracotta roofs inside the city below. This is the view Jess and I had from the tallest bastian.After a couple of nice relaxing days in Dubrovnik, with lots of sleep in our perfect guest house, we continued onto Vela Luka, a small town on Korcula Island, just off the Croatian Coast. We arrived on our birthday (thanks for all of the emails and messages), and asked our dive host Bobby, where the best place would be to have a nice birthday seafood dinner. He mentioned that his mate Borris runs a great char-grill place up the road, so we took his word and went along.

The seafood was amazing, and after spending a small fortune we had well and truly had our fill.
Bobby had also let Borris know of our celebrations, and had one of his waitresses bring out a massive cake after the meal. Needless to say we couldn't finsish it (if everyone wasn't looking I would have had a crack...), so we shared it with all of the patrons after they had all sang us 'Happy Birthday'- a really fun night.
Jess had also bought a new pair of bathers whilst in Croatia, and gave them a bit of a test run in the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic. We had been for a swim at Dubrovnik, but the water was FREEZING there. At Vela Luka however, the water was awsome, and as I said, so clear.
Here is a view of the bay which runs up into the quiet little town of Vela Luka. There were many international and local yachts running in and out, making for a beautiful setting to a few days of rest and relaxation.

We will add another post next with the pics from our dives- it was fantastic!