Singapore, hit me baby one more time
I’ll try and not rave too much about how much I like Singapore. But I DO like it, a lot. Wonderful place. I’m always trying to stay in different areas, helps with exploring different paths and layers of this huge place. We stayed at Katong Village and I can totally recommend this. Lovely area. Not…
Lake Tekapo, Geraldine, and Christchurch
It’s only a short drive from Omarama to Lake Tekapo. Friends of us who were bikepacking had rented a posh house there so we could spontaneously jump on their bandwagon and sneak in. Noice! Beautiful views of the lake and the mountains from the balcony. One evening we had clouds slowly creeping and flowing over…
Omarama, not Banarama
The time had come to leave Wanaka and slowly start heading back towards CHC. We spent a couple of days in small town Omarama, a good “hub” to explore the region. Fortunately, Omarama has a good choice of motels, we like NZ motels! Yes, we really do! We kicked things off with a lovely day…
A week in Wanaka, part II
After climbing Isthmus peak, we switched to bikes. The wonderful Lake Dunstan trail was on the menu, and it turned out to be a tasty dish indeed. We had bike rental and track transport booked with Wanaka Bike Tours and started the trail in Clive to finish in Cromwell, then were picked up again and…
A week in Wanaka, part I
Wanaka was next on our list. We’d been there before a couple of times, but it’s been a while and we wanted to come back and spend more time. Good choice. Wanaka has changed a lot in the last 10-ish years or so, becoming a bit more queenstown-ish, growing a lot. But still small and…
Steilküste, Portugal, great medication against November doom and gloom
Spent the second week of November in Portugal to escape the darkness and gloominess of Berlin. Berlin in November-March is truly horrible. Even more disgusting than the rest of the year. We went to a relatively lonely spot on the coast west of Lisbon, close to Cascais. A beautiful hotel built on the site of…
Roxburgh et al.
Roxburgh is most likely not on the “Top 10 Must See” map for most tourist guides. We spent a few days here a couple of years ago and liked it very much. And there’s orchards everywhere, so fantastic produce left, right, and center. And blackcurrants. I love blackcurrants. Blackcurrants are the best. Real-fruit blackcurrant ice…
Everybody loves sandflies
Well, maybe not everybody. Maybe not even most people. Maybe most people actually hate them. 😀 We headed from Christchurch straight down to Te Anau on New Year’s Eve, stopping for breakfast at Cafe Verde in Geraldine and fantastic fresh fruits and produce from the orchards around Cromwell. Te Anau was packed, only a few…
New Zealand, again
After long deliberations we had decided not to cancel our trip to NZ. It was a tough decision for me, still not sure whether it was the right choice. Have to buy a flat to get out of the dirty rental this year and I might come to regret spending the money on vacation. But…
London calling, one last time
One last time, ein langes Wochenende in London. Mit kulinarischen und kulturellen Highlights. Die beste Reisebegleitung hatte sehr gut organisiert und es gab Christmas Lights at Kew Gardens, Fawlty Towers at the Apollo und Mad Hatter High Tea at the Sanderson Hotel. Lovely dinners at Sael and Mallow and Mali vegan Thai, plus great breakfasts…