Item 36: SmartGate

Location: Tullamarine International Airport, Melbourne, Australia

Over the last year and a half I have had a merry old time travelling throughout Europe on weekend getaways, soothing the travel bug within.

In order to minimise holiday transit time I have refined my airport strategy, always carrying spare landing cards in my carry-on luggage and racing off the plane to be at the head of the queue at immigration for ‘Non-EU Passport Holders”.

I have come to terms with my alien existence in the European Union. There is the consolation that when I return to the Land Down Under I will have the benefit of the short wait and a speedy entry into Australia. This becoming even more rewarding after a 22 hour flight!

And so, adding a two hour delay by Qantas back to Melbourne to the travel time, I was pleased to have landed at Tullamarine International Airport on a Saturday evening. Walking past the last minute duty free shops and through the arrival halls to the immigration counter the only sign I could see was “Australian and New Zealand ePassport holders”. The country had implemented the SmartGate system while I was away! A scan your passport embedded microchip and we’ll scan your ugly face so you can get through customs quicker technology!

My older and well travelled passport did not make the grade.…and it needn’t be said that I had no joy on my face as I joined the queue for ‘All Other Passports’!

Item 36: SmartGate? WAITING!

Item 35: Monkey Journey to the West

Location: O2 Centre, Greenwich

Having heard favourable reviews of ‘Monkey Journey to the West’ and being saturated by advertisements for the unique opera all over the tube stations I brought tickets to the preview show at the O2 Centre, Greenwich.

Confusion from three emails sent by Ticketmaster re-scheduling the start time of ‘The Journey’ from 2:30 to 12:30 caused much frustration to many patrons who arrived hours before the actual 4pm performance! ‘The Journey’ which was a poorly ventilated Chinese restaurant and bar set up in the tent left little to be desired during the wait.

The performance itself did combine the realms of music, Chinese acrobatics and animation as promised. But smooth execution and a captivating storyline was lacking.

As a start the main character, Monkey, had no energy, no heart. The periodic action of Monkey scratching his balls only cheapened any character development throughout his performance.

The story was split into short scenes where new characters were introduced along the way. Unlike the friendships Dorothy made during her "journey" to Oz, Monkey met his counterparts and together they continued on their way without any perceivable relationship.

The fight scenes and acrobatics of the supporting cast were impressive to an extent and I'm sure there will be more fluidity as the season progresses. There were clever transitions between animation and the actors. And as expected from the creator of Gorillaz, these were quality graphics.

My memories of the Monkey TV show as a child are vague. All I recall are segments of the opening theme song and the characters chatting merrily in poorly dubbed in English. However, at least back then the characters had depth, unlike what I preveiwed in the story-lacking performance at Greenwich.

Item 35: Monkey Journey to the West? CHECK!

Item 34: Bikram Yoga - Sweat Baby Sweat!

Location: Hot Bikram, Fulham

The decreasing temperature of the London is not friendly. Say "Welcome," to the 1.5 hours of yoga in a room heated to 40 degrees centigrade!

There I was signing up for the "£10 for 10 days" offer to new students, hydrated to the point of needing a bathroom all too frequently and ready to sweat!

At the introduction, the instructors told us the goal for the new students was not to hold all the 26 positions of the class but rather, to remain in the heated room for the duration.

It wasn't an extreme heat upon entry but as the session progressed and the poses stretched your body further, beads of sweat appeared on my brow. Then on the arms, my top was completely drenched, (think having gone for a swim), and as I reached for my ankle to hold the 'tree-pose', I found out my knees had sweat glands of their own too!

"It's the toxins," they tell you. The sense of achievement as I walked out having lasted the whole class, and after a decent dry off, my skin was milky smooth... ah, the detox of Bikram Yoga!

Item 34: Bikram Yoga? CHECK!

Item 33: Hampton Court Palace... and my friend Henry

Location: Hampton Court, UK

Limited hours of sunlight are looming over London. So while you can, follow the tourist map down to Hampton Court Palace.

A good find beforehand was a two-for-one entrance deal on http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk . A small win against the impeding recession!

Although the fresco's in the rooms of King Henry VIII do not compete with those of Vactican City, walking around the palace, getting lost in the maze and rolling down the hills of the well manicured gardens provide a pleasant day of fresh air within a short train ride out of the bustling city.

Item 33: Hampton Court Palace? CHECK!

Item 32: Thames Festival.. and One, Two, Free

Location: Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, London

The sun came out for the Mayor's Thames Festival this year, held during the middle weekend of September. An array of activities from river races, food and market stalls, buskers, musicians and dancers lined the banks for the Thames river, encouraging the people of London to get involved!

I bypassed the chance to watch the finals of the Pumpkin Growing Competition and Deep Soup Ceremony, 'handmade from locally grown pumpkins, onions and garlic cooked slowly in a cauldron' on the Saturday in favor of the River Tango Workshop on Sunday.

Approaching the tower of the Tate Modern, we saw the dance floor with enthusiastic partners taking their first steps in time with the beat and joined right in. Although I should have been concentrating on the steps, (one, two, three), I found it more interesting watching the people around me in their newly formed partnerships.

"Really, is this your first time? You're great," one stranger would say to another. Dance classes - more success than your online dating service!

A few bumps here and there on our way around the circle, it was a good introduction to the art of tango and how much more practice, and concentration, I would need.

There were plenty of other things on show for the day. With the sunlight and London's cooling breeze my day could have been marked off as perfect had I had a nice warm mug of homemade pumpkin soup.

Item 32: Thames Festival? CHECK!

Item 31: Notting Hill Carnival

Location: Notting Hill, Chepstow Rd, Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove, W11 1HT

In the pleasant streets surrounding Notting Hill, the sound of the bass calls to you. You follow the crowd and stumble across the beginning of a parade. Extravagant costumes, clever use of body paint and dancers who've got all the moves. Yes, the Carribean party has come to town.

A celebration of culture and diversity, the Notting Hill Carnival is held during the August bank holiday weekend. The parade's route sections off an area containing 38 soundsystems scattered within its boundaries.

Walking around it's hard not to stumble upon a funky sound stage as well as some finger lickin' jerk chicken! Hot hot stuff!

But the fancy stores, with their windows boarded up for the weekend, provide a quick reminder that this is London. And these precautions by the shop owners don't go to waste.

The BBC today reports two stand offs and 330 arrests in total for the event. From it's historical aim of calming race riots in the 60's and 70's, how disappointing to see how little things change.

Item 31: Notting Hill Carnival? CHECK!

Item 30: Way Out West - "way way waaaayy out"

Location: Slottsskogen, Göteborg, Sweden

As a music festival virgin, this was a great weekend introduction to some quality acts during another visit to the Göteborg. It was its second year running and everything was smooth sailing over the three nights and two days. Well done my Swedish friends! With three stages in the park as well as in the clubs in town at night, choice was plentiful. This also meant running shoes between acts would have been handy.

Unlike the famed Glastonbury, there was no camping at the site. Although the muddy marshes from rains during the nights called for wellington boots by some, we got to go home to clean up when the day was over. This, in hand with our lucky emergency ponchos was the perfect recipe for a good time.

As for the artists there was so much to see and it all happened so fast!

The Caesars and Mando Diao represented the host nation with pride.

N.E.R.D had the crowd raise their hands with the Star Trek symbol before getting them to clap and bounce. Yes, Pharrell was there too.

Sigur Ros took us away to a magical place, possibly Iceland, as the sun went down.

The Flaming Lips surfed the crowd in a giant bubble before dancing with the Tellie Tubbies on stage for the rest of the set.

And as a side note, there seemed to be excessive facial hair sported by the majority of the male artists: José González; Wayne Coyne - The Flaming Lips; Sam Beam - Iron & Wine; Nick Cave – Grinderman; and the amazing NEIL YOUNG!

Item 30: Way Out West? CHECK!

Item 29: Visa!!! The Waiting Game

Location: London, United Kingdom

29 June 2008
The UK Boarder Agency made changes for people on working holiday visas:

We have now closed the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme to applications from people who are already in the United Kingdom, so it is no longer possible to stay in this country by switching into this category. The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme has been replaced by Tier 1 (General) of the points-based system. It is not possible to switch into this category if you are here as a working holidaymaker.

20 June 2008
As I had always expected, to prolong good times in London I would be required to get a proper work permit when the Working Holiday Visa expired after a year of work in the UK. However the impending changes at the end of June called for a race against time to get my HSMP application paperwork submitted to the Home Office before the closure date.

Around antipodean circles throughout the country, the confusion and frustration of interpreting new eligibility criteria, new processes to extend the visas of the long-termers over here and for me, a poorly timed trip back to Australia to get the passport stamped is a hot topic. (The old HSMP application followed a two stage process. The first was for approval for the permit in the UK. The second, which changed in February, requires entry clearance to be applied for in your home country).

Visa agencies are milking the changes for all their worth right now. They charge extortionate prices for doing not much except for giving their client's peace of mind, "No visa, no fee".

Waiting periods are estimated at 10-12 weeks before people get any response from the Home Office. Updates on their website regarding their current processing times are not even as promising. My new favourite site has become www.trackitt.com. Providing a community for people to eagerly wait together for outcomes of their application, allowing them to compare dates for the whole process with each other.

But enough with the complaining. We have only Australia to thank. This is after all,

"an Australian style points based system for managing migration"

Item 29: Visa? Waiting....

Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel

Location: Paris, France

Number one on the itinerary for a visit to Paris is the Eiffel Tower. It is iconic and, being the most visited monument in the world, rarely missed.

It was ticked off the list during my first trip to Paris, in more youthful days, whilst travelling on a Eurail ticket across Western Europe and living off the Aussie dollar for a month.

Teasing glimpses of the steel structure, built for the 1889 World Expo, can be seen throughout the city. In the summer weather with perfectly manicured grassland at its feet, the magnetic fields of the radio tower called to me once again.

This time being grossly grossly paid in British pounds (joking), I lived the lavish lifestyle. Ignoring the shorter queue for the 600 stairs to the second platform, I waited 45 minutes and paid the €12 to take the elevator to the top floor. That’s right, sky high!

In temperatures of around 26 degrees the cosy lift of well warmed tourists was luxury as I enjoyed the ascent to the second and third levels for clear landscapes of Paris. Picking out the Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur and the Seine River from the heights confirmed my visit to the cosmopolitan city, "Oui. Je suis à paris!"

Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel? CHECK!

Item 27: Göteborg – A Midsmmers Eve

Location: Göteborg, Sweden

Having travelled on what I vow to be the last 7:30am departure from Stansted Airport the previous weekend for a two day tour of Copenhagen, I made the most of a mid-week recovery period in preparation for Midsummer's in Göteborg, Sweden.

Midsummer's Eve is the big celebration before the summer solstice throughout Europe. With such anticipation, it was only typical for the day to be sprinkled with sporadic moments of rain throughout the day. It was only perfect timing for clouds to start appearing as we watched the maypole being erected in the local park for the flower-garlanded Swedish kids and their parents to dance around in celebration.

Refreshingly, with key thanks to Phil – who’s been seconded to the city for six months - I had the opportunity to immerse a little in the Viking culture.

Anders, Phil’s manager, generously invited the expats in his team along to his home for a traditional Midsummer's Eve meal. The celebration is said to be as big as Christmas, and arguably more so due to the more hospitable Summer weather.

One of the Spanish colleagues, Eduardo, got me all psyched up as the food was set up.

“Are you ready for some baby seal?”

Presented on the kitchen table was our meal of seal and new potatoes. No, it couldn’t have been. They couldn’t possibly be eating seals!

As I hesitantly dished up my plate with the potatoes, I had to confirm with the chef.

“Seal? No. Sill,” said Anders.

A quick conversation between the two Spaniards, Eduardo and Manuel.

“Ah, arenque”. (Translated from Spanish to English ‘herring’).

My stomach began to settle as I chose from the selection of pickled herring.

Obviously for a country that has restrictions on alcohol, for a celebration, our meal was accompanied by a selection of high percentage Swedish schnapps and assorted beer.

And, with more sunlight in which to play, we were introduced to the old Viking game of Kubb. Played in the park, in good weather, very simply the game consisted of two teams taking turns at throwing sticks to knock down the opponents kubbs(small wooden towers), that were set up on the base lines. The King in the centre of the grounds is knocked down at the finale. Think dodge-ball, with wooden sticks and without the people as obstacles.

We called it a draw at one game all and made way for me beer, wine and snacks inside Anders' Swedish home for the rest of the evening.

Item 27: Göteborg? CHECK!

* Many thanks to Anders for his generous hospitality

* Thanks Phil, for watching sun rise at 3:30am with me on mid-summers day :)

Item 26: Wimbledon - Sipping Pimms on Henman Hill

Location: All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon

The tickets for this prestigious event are sold via ballot each year. A limited number of tickets are sold at the grounds daily. Get in quick!

Or if your life is random, you can choose to join the mile long queue outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club for a chance at general admission.

As spectators leave towards the end of the day, people in line gain entry. Before 5pm it will cost £20 and after 5pm it’s £14. The gates close at 8pm and play finishes around 9:30, so as you watch the line shrink you also need to keep an eye on the clock.

Joining the queue that stretches through the golf course, past the fans setting up their tents for early morning tickets for the next day's centre court action and well into the car park, you’re handed a queue card by an official which will save your place should you need to buy refreshments or visit the port-a-loo during the wait.

It is an organised process to ensure there is no queue jumping. With everyone eager to make their 2 hour wait for entry worth the effort, when a lady trips over her Birkenstocks falling face flat onto the temporary non-slip footpath, other spectators will respectfully note, “I’m sorry but we have to keep moving”.

On the approach through the HSBC Hall of Fame and then seeing the golden security gates, the path to enlightenment nears.

Admission provides standing room access to Court 2 and seats in courts 3-19. With the big name players playing on Centre Court and Court 1, the overflow of spectators end up watching them on the big screen at ‘Henman Hill’.

It’s the grassy knoll named after the glory days of British hopeful Tim Henman. As the camera pans over the fans watching the nation’s latest hope - Andrew Murray - the crowd is loud and passionate. A five set win against Richard Gasquet in Round Four, and the cheers erupt from the hill dubbing it, for the moment, the ‘Murray Mound’.

Item 26: Wimbledon? CHECK!

Item 25: Red Bull Flugtag.... A bit of Birdman

Location: Hyde Park, London

June 7 2008, Red Bull Flugtag, (German: flight day, airshow).

There was a ticket ballot to this 80 000 seat free event held at Hyde Park so it was a genius idea to pass through the gates as close to the 10:30am opening time as possible.

As the starting hour of 1pm neared people started packing up their brunch-time picnics, and inched in closer to The Serpentine lake for a decent view of the flying contraptions that were to take off.

Consequently people with the get-in-quick attitude, were standing in prime position to see over the ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ banners the clever Marketing Department had tied up on the temporary fencing along the banks of lake.

That’s when the Mexican Wave of shouts “Sit Down! Sit Down” erupted from behind. The park came to life with aggravated voices of the crowd sitting in the grassy comfort, too far from the lake to see over our heads.

Should those standing at the banks sit, they wouldn’t have been able to see through the advertising. If they remained in position, the view was perfect. So, they stood their ground.

Round two of the “Sit Down” chant began. It was to be a battle of voices. A “Stand Up” cheer contended. Oh you poor 70 000 people unable to see the birdmen.

I do commend the individuals that came to speak to the “Standers” and negotiate a better view for the majority. Facing a crowd of content spectators and trying to get them to lose the best seats in the house is an admirable effort.

But kudos should go to the person who called the cops and got them to walk through the crowd telling them all to sit down. Who can really argue with that? Thanks also to those, who during the scuffles, removed the obstructive banners. Now you’re thinking!

Item 25: Red Bull Flugtag? Check!

Item 24: Eurostar - To Brussels, My Love

Location: London St Pancras International to Brussels Midi

Farewell to low cost airline terminals at airports located miles out of London. Hello Eurostar!

High Speed 1 rail services from St Pancras International provided us with nice and comfy seats direct to Brussels Midi within two hours. People were thinking when they designed this service.

Firstly, the station is accessible on the standard tube network. No need for special tickets on some capitalist train service aka Stansted/Gatwick Express! More importantly, immigration checks are performed as you pass through the gates in London so when you reach your destination you are right in the heart of the city. No more queues! All you need to do is grab your luggage (which travels with you in the carriage) and go!

A ticket to Brussels also allows you free travel via the train service to other destinations in Belgium. Fast and efficient. A change of platforms and you're off again!

This allowed us to also visit the cosmopolitan Antwerp for a touch of shopping during the afternoon of our arrival and an extended stay in the Venice of the North - Bruges. Feasting upon seafood, frites, waffles and Belgium's famous chocolates followed by some tasty beer, a trip on the Eurostar is a nice and easy getaway that begins right in the heart of London.

Item 24: Eurostar? CHECK!

Item 23: Berlin.. a bit of Ping-Pong

Location: Berlin, Germany

With thanks to New Berlin Tours, (which I highly recommend), I now know that the Berlin wall came down in 1989 making a visit today to the growing city comparable to hanging out with an eighteen year-old kid - testing the world's boundaries and finding its own sense of self. With a social atmosphere intertwined amongst history, of which you are reminded as you walk over the markings of the fallen wall on the streets and footpaths, there is more to plenty to be discovered.

After watching the Rough Guide's travel show, the one place I had to visit was Dr Pong's. Shaking off the fatigue that was trying to set in after yet another 6:30am flight from London, a day out at the Berlin Zoo, a stroll along the East Side Gallery and dinner, the crew made way on the local U-Bahn metro to Eberswalder Strasse station. Along a main street next to some funky shops, we saw the window with a masking taped sign 'DR PO00'.... We were there!

Unlike what I had perceived on tv, this bar had nothing to hide. No secret doors or dingy alleyway to the entrance, Dr Pongs was all in black in white. A bar with a ping-pong table.

Throughout the night steady games of "Around the World" were in progress. People were running around the table taking turns to have their hit, many making friends along the way. With a DJ, mini-Foosball table, cheap grog and a re-acquaintance with passive smoke Dr Pongs characterises the new Berlin, with plenty to offer. If only we were there for longer than a weekend!

Item 23: Berlin? CHECK!

Item 22: The Netherlands.... Degustation...

Location: Keukenhof, Leiden, Delft, Amsterdam and Rotterdam

Jam packed and all action, we spent three days in the Netherlands. Thanks to the close proximity between the main cities and an efficient transportation system we had a nice taste of Holland's degustation menu.

STARTERS:

Keukenhof (Tulip Garden)

For six weeks of the year this 15 hectare tulip garden is open for all the oldies with green thumbs to flock from around the world to view the pretty flowers. The morning we visited was happiness bundled up in sunshine.

Leiden and Delft

Two quaint old towns, home of Rembrandt and Vermeer respectively. You can tell by walking around the canals the importance of early environmental influence. Had these the artists been brought up in Amsterdam, I'm sure their artworks would've been dramatically different.

Den Haag

Having colonised Indonesia for three and a half centuries, we had a taste of traditional Indonesian cuisine in the centre of Den Haag. Having never ventured to Indonesia, the closest I've been to their cuisine is the dodgy bain-marie of Nelayan in Melbourne. This Rijsttafel (Indonesian banquet) definitely lifted the grade.. (picture below).

MAIN COURSE:

Amsterdam

Synonymous with a weekend in the The Netherlands is the city of Amsterdam. Unlike what we expected, there was no smell of weed in the air as we inhaled our first breath of air at Amsterdam Central Station.

Following up the visits to Lieden and Delft we saw the works of the great artists at the Rijksmuseum. Tip, if you are a complete tourist catch the Canal Company's boats around to the sites so you miss the long queue into the museum.

The next sight was a visit to the Anne Frank house to bring a reality to the sombre happenings in Holland's past. The secret annex, complete with the blacked out curtains, is everything as described in Anne's "Diary of a Young Girl". Seeing the rooms where her family and friends hid for two years would almost be unimaginable had it not been so passionately documented. Even without reading the book, this is well worth a visit.

Then, from past to present, at night, it was a stroll around the streets to Amsterdam's famed Red Light District. Of the 400 windows, 200 were recently bought back by the government in an attempt to bring down the market. But it's still very much alive as you walk through the streets and down alleyways. Crowds wander. Some as tourists, some as customers and plenty with their mates pushing them along. It's a people watching game from every angle. Who's looking in? Who's looking out? Who's got the money? Who's got the body? Oh, who's going into that door now?

DESSERT:

Rotterdam

To finish off a busy weekend we took a pleasant cruise on a ferry to the town of Kinderdijk to visit the famous Dutch windmills. Another world heritage site to add to the list. And peaceful finish to great weekend away.

Item 22: The Netherlands? CHECK!

Item 21: Premiership League - This is FOOTBALL!

Location: Stamford Bridge, London

Chelsea Vs Arsenal - 4:00 PM - 23 March 2008 - Two Vs Three on the English Premiership League Table.

A packed out stadium, passionate members creatively chanting their hearts out, our padded leather seats kept us close to the action on the field. This game could not have compared to anything I'd seen of the A-League back home in Australia.

The 90 minutes raced by and a 2-1 win by Chelsea spoilt the season's hopes for Arsenal.





Item 21: Premiership League? CHECK!

Item 20: St Paddy's Day... The Leprechauns Made Me Do It!

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Our slice of the St Patrick's Day action in Dublin was brought to us by the Fanatic's tour company. They run short trips for Aussies to sporting and festival events around the globe, evidently in true backpacker style.

Instant friends were made as we unlocked the door to our ten-bed mixed dorm room. The craic came rolling in as we changed into our souvenir tour t-shirts which most of the group would wear religiously for the following three days, regardless of the amount of Guinness, cider and other unmentionables that had been spilt on it from the previous night.

Modelling the new fashion on the first evening we headed out to Temple Bar joining in the pre-festival party amongst the tourists and locals.

Squished like sardines, had it been any other bar, in any other country, at any other time, I would've packed up my bat and ball. This was St Paddy's weekend, in Ireland! We checked out out the drinking skills of our young Aussies. An Irish Car bomb (3/4 pint Guinness stout,1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Cream, 1/2 shot Jameson Irish Whiskey), downed in under ten seconds by one of our group was put to shame as a local opened his gullet and downed a beer in under four!

And so continued the rest of the weekend, drinking and dancing from the early evening to the wee hours of the morning. The routine was only broken with visit to the Guinness Factory (free beer included), a walking tour of the city and a hustle amongst the crowd as we waited for the St Patrick’s Day parade on the Monday, only to give up due to the lack of view and the call of the closet pub.

It was a messy weekend. With the busy crowds, it was unfortunate to find ourselves too freqeuntly in the up-wind position of the many people who were on the "Guinness-Only" diet. We’re old enough to know that it’s not “whoever smelt it, dealt it”, and it would’ve been good if some people had remembered that it’s not a competition, it’s not funny and it bloody stinks!

Item 20: St Paddy's Day? CHECK!

Item 19: Belem... In Search of the Portugese Custard Tart

Location: Pastéis de Belém, Rua de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal

Our mission, upon booking our flights to Lisbon, was to find the perfect Portuguese custard tart.

Catching the bus, (or alternatively tram 15), to the district of Belem to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, we knew were well on the right track as we past the early morning queue outside Pastéis de Belém.

Disembarking at the spectacular monastery bathed in sunlight, we ventured through the local Sunday market and reflected upon the views of the Torre de Belem, assuring ourselves that our visit wasn’t purely motivated by gluttony.

Once we had completed the tourist circuit, it was time. We lined with the well mannered locals outside of the café. (This gave us enough time to decide how many tarts we dared to consume in one sitting). A little nudging at the counter, we almost lost our spot, had it not been for the lovely Portuguese grannies behind us who let us place our order first.

One box of six beautifully packaged Pasteis de nata, warm from the oven served with sachets of cinnamon and sugar to taste. Their light custard, shelled in filo-like pastry with melt-in-your-mouth texture could not have been more perfect, as we ate them under the Lisbon sun…. mmmmm

Item 19: Belem? CHECK!

Item 18: Sintra... In Search of Sun

Location: Parque da Pena - Estrada da Pena, Portugal

A lovely weekend of 18 degree days greeted us as we stepped out into the foreign sun of Lisbon on Saturday morning, compensating for the 4:30am easyBus ride to London's Luton Airport.

We headed straight for the town of Sintra, a 40 minute train ride from Entre Campos station, which we reached from the airport via bus, effectively saving us from making a pit stop in the capital.

Arriving in the quaint town, a bus ride up the Sintra hills bypassed views of a number of historical palaces and castles. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was validated as we entered the grounds of Palácio da Pena for €8. Tackling the incline of the palace's gardens, (grateful that the '18m' sign post was interpreted correctly as 18 metres, rather than 18 minutes), we viewed hints of fairytale fantasies as we glimpsed the pastel colours of the Neuschwanstein-like castle through the trees.

A kids playground as we explored the palace, there was a surreal romanticism surrounding the former royal retreat, bringing more highlights and amazement at each corner.

To make the most of the weather, we followed the winding footpaths further up the mountain through the historical gardens to the highest place of the Sintra Hills, Cruz Alta - High Cross. Climbing the rock face, we weren't sure if we had actually made it until we saw the crater in the stone, a timely reminder of where the cross should have been. All that effort for the missing redeemer!

Fresh air and sunlight during our visit to the park made for such a refreshing weekend away it was only timely that it would rain the whole day after, when we got back to London.

Item 18: Sintra? CHECK!

Item 17: Soho Theatre - My Brother and I are Porn Stars

Location: Soho Theatre, 21 Dean St, London , W1D 3NE

This was a play I randomly went to see, courtesy of the following review from Timeout Magazine:

Following the success of their sold-out run last Easter, the surreal and taboo-breaking New Zealand comedy group 'My Brother and I are Porn Stars' return with a Christmas show that all the family definitely can't enjoy together as it contains nudity, mania, violence and Christian porn

Remember the good times when you've settled down for a few drinks with your mates after dinner, where else does a typical night's conversation lead? That's the best analogy I can come up with at the moment without giving too much away from the night's performance. The storyline was a jumble of inappropriateness filled with shocks of laughter.

We walked out of the play thinking, hrmm.. What was that? So glad there wasn't an intermission for us to ponder the show any longer than required.

Item 17: Soho Theatre? CHECK!