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!