Hilarity100

One of the flipsides of touring Europe by car is that you end up taking a whole bunch of landscape photos from the window of a speeding car. Not in itself a problem apart from the varying number of things in your way.

Country roads are great, because they don't have that many poles, signs or bumper guards, but occasionally you'll get an incredible view with powerpoles flashing past. Every. Second. Of. The. Way.

Makes for awkward shutter-timing.

And I should point out that the photo above was taken from the passenger window of Cranky the Townace, who travelled at below-speedlimit speeds most of the time. The whole problem is much worse in our new, autobahn-speed-friendly car.

Posted by Si at 6:51 PM | Permalink

Visiting the mind-bendingly huge Deutsches Museum in Munich, somewhere in amongst the five or six floors of exhibits I stumbled on the Printing exhibition and may in hindsight have gotten just a little excited.

Metal type! Heidelbergs! Actual lead leading! Oh my.

I've never felt so tempted to ignore the "Please Don't Touch" cards as when there was a sign and a little rope stopping me from getting a close look at a Gutenberg press and letterset.

Oh, and I may have checked out the plane belonging to a long-lost semi-relation of mine (Note: probably not actually related).

So, in summary: Deutsches Museum, Munich. Highly recommended.

Posted by Si at 12:13 PM | Permalink

Teams B and C reunited in Krems, Austria to celebrate the half-way mark of the Hilarity's planned hundred-day duration.

Everybody involved had to make an effort - Matt and I drove from Munchen across Germany and Austria to be there, and Ness and Mot tackled Krems' well-labelled bike paths and put on freshly washed clothes.

Italian food was eaten. Grolsch, Stella and Matt's specially-bought Party Beer (Zywiec) were consumed. Pretzels were dipped in a jar of nutella-esque spread. Then we went to bed as the threatening clouds on the horizon started to shower rain on the celebrations.

While we slept the showers escalated into a strong weather warning, with a fair coating of rain and winds strong enough to collapse the tent belonging to Matt and I. This was particularly inconvenient for Matt, who was asleep in the tent at the time.

The storm cleared long enough for Mot and Ness to head off on their bikes for Vienna (eta: Monday) and Matt and I to pack up our soggy excuse for a tent, shake our fists at the sky, and set off in the car for the first leg of our Bohemian Beer adventure: Plzen, in the Czech Republic.

Here's to another hilarious fifty days!

Posted by Si at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We hope that all goes well at your wedding today, and you both have a wonderful time. We are sorry we cannot be there, however we are thinking of you here in Austria. We thought it appropriate that we send our well wishes in the local delicacy (the humble pretzel stick). Enjoy every moment, lots of love Vanessa and Matt.

Posted by Ness at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Bavarian section of Germany really is the stereotypical German experience, complete with Lederhosen and beer-halls. Above you'll see me enjoying a beer that's the same order of magnitude as my head (at the famous Hofbrauhaus). They even come with proportionally sized pretzels. I love this country.

Posted by Matt at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A trip to Munich does involve one particular tourist destination: the world-famous Hofbrauhaus.

We went. We saw. We drank. We ate giant pretzels.

Posted by Si at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We were getting a little sick of the cheap cardonnay and youge meals in Germany so we thought we'd do some international travel.

PS. Mothers please note that we were not responsible for the blatant acts of patriotism vandalism in the corner of the sign.

Posted by Ness at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We arrived in Passau a little later than expected anyway due to an absent ferry captain and a subsequent 25km detour through the hills. But we then discovered that the campsite at the Kanu Club was under construction and closed. The Youth Hostel was booked out by a bunch of decidely non-youthy looking people and 40 Euros didn't even get you a toilet in the local B&B.

So in the end we had to backtrack 10km (the way we should have come in the first place) to the nearest campsite. Thankfully a local pub saved the evening with huge hearty meals and a couple of drinks.

Posted by at 7:25 PM | Permalink

Camping on the farm in Osterhofen, Germany. Unfortunately no eggs for brekky, so I had to collect some apples.

Posted by Ness at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

With a contented sigh I've left Praha/Prague behind and am now back with Matt in Germany. The skies in Prague were mostly overcast, but the few times the sun shone, the whole place glowed.

I've got a few photos to post from my meanderings around Prague over the last days, but I feel the need to get some dinner so I'll leave you with this view from the tourist-mecca Charles Bridge just after dusk.

Posted by Si at 5:55 PM | Permalink

A few photos that didn't make it into the earlier post...

Posted by Si at 1:44 PM | Permalink

One of my stories revolves around the time at the Sphinx restaurant in Northbridge, Perth that I fainted into my meal. Funny, funny stuff: ask me to tell it to you sometime.

But the punch-line of the story has always been along the lines that I will forever regret not having ordered the soup for maximum "fainting into food" hilarity. The restaurant Sphinx even disappeared from Perth not long after the fainting (health inspection related?) so I've not even been able to go back and order the soup after the fact.

Until now, when we came across exactly the same restaurant in the middle of Poland. Sphinx. In Poland. We walked around the corner and there it was; the same Sphinx logo and typeface, the same gourd-based lighting system. Naturally I strode straight in and ordered the soup. The bowl was too small to fit my head and, besides that, there was no fainting to be had (regardless of my best efforts), but it has added a whole second leg to a story that everyone is already tired of hearing.

Posted by Matt at 10:39 PM | Permalink

I'm a bit of an architecture nerd, so naturally I made a minor detour across Prague to check out Frank Gehry's Fred and Ginger building (otherwise known as the Dancing House or even less-excitingly, the Nationale-Nederlanden building).

Photos don't really do it justice.

Posted by Si at 1:39 PM | Permalink

As I'm leaving Simon to meander around Prague by himself while I'm nipping over to Munich to meet-up with a friend, I have to navigate the whole way by myself. While driving.

This is not good.

So I've written myself a notebook full of directions, mud-maps and the occasional bit of positive reinforcement so I know I'm doing a good job. Hopefully I've covered every possible scenario between me leaving Prague now and arriving in Munich by lunchtime today. Wish me luck!

UPDATE: I made it!

Posted by Matt at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Ness at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So far we haven't bothered with maps - we just follow the signs. Most of the time this works fine.

Don't worry mothers, we eventually reconstructed the intersection's signage and were on our way. And if all else fails, keep the river in sight.

Posted by at 12:02 PM | Permalink

hen the weather makes your toes go numb, all you need is a little initiative, some emergency blanket and trusty sports tape. Thanks to my newly fashioned "Toastie Tootise's^TM" Mot and I now have a little less frozen toes in the mornings. For all my Physio mates out there, the power of placebo is a wonderfully warm thing.

I am still working on a model for Mot's ears that he is willing to wear.

Posted by Ness at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We recently ticked over 1000kms on the bicycle odometer. Not bad for big, slow bikes with a whole lot of luggage on the back.

And there's still so much of Europe to go...just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling, just keep....

Posted by at 11:52 AM | Permalink

The tourist-mecca Charles Bridge in Prague.

Team C are currently happily lost in the crowds of tourists in Prague. After a couple of nights in a vaguely creepy hostel (it was manned by the same guy, 24 hours a day, all three days we were there) we've moved to another that has a groovy Italian cafe next door with great coffee.

Matt's already been to Prague and is heading off to Munchen tomorrow morning to hang out there while I continue to soak in Prague's coolness, and take many, many, many photos of said coolness. (Did I mention the coolness?)

We'll be meeting up in a few days, but as of Monday morning Matt will be the temporarily solo face of Team C (for Car) and I guess I'll be the all-new Team D.

I'm open to suggestions for what the D stands for... leave a comment and let me know.

Posted by Si at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

• 1 x Bicycle Helmet
• 1 x Air Mattress
• 1 x Waterproof Sleeping Bag Sack
• 1 x Tent (Two holes)
• 1 x Water Bladder
• 1 x Jacket Stuff Sack (sorry Mum!)
• 1 x Bicycle Tyre (Though Ness has gone through two)
• 1 x Pannier Rain Cover

If you ever let me use something, I can't guarantee it will come back in one piece.

PS. I've been cranky all day after I spilt my porridge this morning. Beer helps. So does Milka Drinking Chocolate.

Posted by at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I should admit that I had a great afternoon at the Bauhaus Museum in Berlin. Sadly not much to actually take photos of (which was made worse by the depressingly grey skies) so you'll need to use your imagination.

Definitely worth checking out if you're into design or architecture and happen to have a few hours free in Berlin.

They also have a separate little room filled (filled!) with Bauhaus-designed chairs, mostly originals or prototypes from the school. Which all makes for a very happy Si.

Posted by Si at 5:04 PM | Permalink

Like so many things, my plans for a haircut fell of the to-do list during the frantic pre-hilairity preparations. Despite my best intentions I've since not found myself sitting still for long enough in a city to remedy the surplus hair problem.

Until now, when last night Si and I noticed that our Krakow hostel is just around the corner from a rather fancy looking place of hair cuttery. So this morning we used the mighty power of the Pound Stirling to Polish Zloty exchange rate to obtain two very classy haircuts for minimal outlay.

Hair Styled Matt presents his new doo to the Matthew of Haircuts Past.

Everyone likes the haircut. There is much rejoicing.

Simon, and his equally trendy new hair-based look, refused to step around to the other side of the camera. Frankly, it's the internet's loss.

Posted by Matt at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We arrived in Donauwoerth thinking we had to ride out of town to the nearest campsite. That was until we saw a map that had a little tent sign at the local Kanu Club. After inspecting the facilities we were a little concerned - the water appeared to have been disconnected and the ladies' toilet removed entirely.

Since it was so much closer to town we weren't easily dissuaded. We interrupted what we think was a committee meeting to enquire about staying the night. The committee took a quick vote and we were handed our Special Guest key. And then we were given the option of either sleeping outside in our tent, or sleeping inside with a nice electric heater nearby.

So for our nine Euros we've got our own room, bathroom, steaming hot shower, bar fridge (which looks suspiciously like a vending machine) and our choice of kayaks should we feel like a paddle in the morning.

A big thankyou to Kanu Club Donauwoerth for their hospitality!!

Posted by at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We've set a nasty precedent this trip for showing up everywhere just after or before cool events or festivals, and somehow rocking up to a town/city during the brief window when things are closed for maintenance.

Take for example Berlin's Bundestag building (the former Reichstag) with it's famous glass cupola dome. The landmark fitout by Lord Norman Foster is still visible from the rooftop terrace, but the iconic glass dome? Well that happens to be closed the entire week we're there.

I even had to interrupt our walking tour guide mid lyrical-wax about how great the view was from up there, to point out that it was in fact closed for cleaning.

There were sighs all round.

The upshot of all this is we've got a big list of things to see when we're next in all these places. Which, in Berlin's case at least, probably won't be too long.

Posted by Si at 5:02 PM | Permalink

Team C have recently been Team Sniffles, both our immune systems were evidently unprepared for what Berlin threw at them. And as such, we've had to declare all of Poland to be one large chill-out zone. Sure the hours wasted in smoke-filled cafes haven't exactly helped my throat along, but for the most part we've been looking after ourselves, getting lots of sleep and taking a jumper with us in case it's cold out.

All mothers concerned had better be suitably impressed.

This has all been part of our mission to be in top health before we hit Prague this weekend. A mission of health that we figured needed a snappy title/slogan. The current winner is "Perky for Prague", out in front of "Hey hey ha ha, it's Praha" and "Pass out in Poland, party in Prague". You'll agree they're all pretty crap. Any better ideas? We know some of you are qualified at this.

Posted by Matt at 4:53 PM | Permalink

A big thanks to my mum (Therese) for supplying us with Australian style stubbie holders. We make use of these necessities each afternoon. We ride all day, set up camp, have a shower and grab a hard earned traveller as we walk into town.

Mot has enjoyed sampling the towns brew, and I have come across the "Radler", a girly beer mixed with lemonade (not classified a beer in German standards as it is 2.5% Alc).

We have been getting some strange looks as we wander with our drinks in hand. Apparently it is OK to drink in public, for all mothers concerned.

Posted by Ness at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Earlier on this trip* we discovered that yes, it appears that if you have a grass roof you do need to mow it. That's right: though it may look like we're just kicking back drinking sweet, sweet European beers, we've actually been doing investigative journalism.

Today's Hilarity investigation takes a more nerdy spin and relates to a symbol that should be instantly familiar to any Mac user (and I know there's plenty of you out there reading this). The icon to the right is known to Mac users as the "command" button, or that-weird-squiggle-that's-on-the-apple-key.

I remember reading some Apple folklore that Susan Kare, the designer who created most of the original Mac fonts and icons, borrowed the icon from a Norwegian sign.

Turns out that's true. All the way through our drive across Norway and Sweden, that familiar symbol indicated places of interest (museums, heritage sites) on road signs and maps.

So there you go — the folklore is true and that icon is indeed 'borrowed from the signposts of Scandinavia. You can read more on the history of the icon at Folklore.org.

Disclaimer: When I say earlier I may be pushing things: Trondheim came long after this particular signpost, though the icon was used throughout Norway and Sweden. Anyway, since when has chronology been a concern of ours? I'm not even sure what day it is today.

Posted by Si at 2:53 PM | Permalink

While we were in Stockholm we ran into some Belgians who gave us a shortlist (which was actually a long list) of beers to try while we were in Belgium.

With this in mind, we started taking photos of every different beer we tried in Belgium, then kinda forgot to stop as we moved on through the Netherlands and Germany.

We'll post the list of beers (and our progress through it) on here soon but in the meantime, you can check out our gallery of beers to get a taste of the selection.

Posted by Si at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm afraid that while Si and I have been living it up in Berlin we've not really gone near the internet much. What started as a quick "drop by Berlin" plan has ended up in a week-long "we love Berlin!" experience. Berlin is full of amazing buildings, phenomenal history and about half of the 20–30 year old population of Australia. We've also not been going near things like "sleep" and "not going out all day and night" very much either.

It really isn't a myth that when you go traveling 90% of the people you meet will be Australian. Everything we do we're joined by more Aussies. For one evening's outing we were even joined by the best part of a (non-WA, therefore non-flag-winning) AFL team.

Which reminds me, we've decided that the collective noun for Australians is a "slab". To use it in a sentence: I was going to have a quiet night out in Berlin but was joined by a slab of Australians.

Posted by Matt at 5:57 PM | Permalink

Are you wondering how I found out if brussels sprouts came from Brussels and if footy franks are really from Frankfurt? The answer is http://www.google.com...on the back of a bike.

You realise that we only brought one set of clothes, so we could fit in the most important pieces of equipment. And yes, today a German man was very concerned about how we manage to do our laundry. He was curious about bike touring like us with his family, however he lost interest when he realised our washing is far from regular.

Posted by Ness at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Since we left Koln last week, Ness and I have been following some of Germany's famous rivers as we wind our way Southeast in our journey towards Vienna.

Apparently it was pouring with rain here last week - probably something like what Matt and Si experienced in Antwerp as we've come across lots of signs warning about flooded paths. But to be honest, we've seen none of it. We've had nothing but brilliant sunshine. In fact, riding along we've even had sun sprouting from the ground around us...

Posted by at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Staying in a tent has been fun (not to mention cheap, oh-so cheap) but when the sky over Antwerp starts throwing high velocity ice at you, the hostel option seems to be the logical decision.

Posted by Matt at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I've not really got much to add to that. Driving on an autobahn with no speed limit is like driving on a freeway for the first time again. And it only works because everyone drives so well and is so courteous. It is also the first time I've actually been glad the Townace died (and was replaced with a car capable of autobahn, or indeed any, speeds).

But yes; fantastic fun. You've not driven until you've autobahn'd.

Posted by Matt at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Matt and I had planned on driving right from Amsterdam — which was a little disappointing, but more on that later — through to Dusseldorf in one afternoon, but some impressively slow traffic as we left Amsterdam meant it was close to 5 and we still hadn't crossed the border.

We pulled off the motorway and into Arnhem, the first town we came across. That we made it all is due mostly to the catch-all approach to sign-posting highway exits for towns in Europe, which in this case involved signs indicating that Arnhem was both ahead, to the left and to the right at consecutive intersections.

Much the same can be said for campgrounds: to be honest, we're not sure if Arnhem has three campgrounds or just one with every possible route clearly labeled. Sometimes twice.

Our circular orbit slowly spiraled in to the campsite, which to my surprise was actually among the best we've enjoyed so far on the Hilarity. Mostly because of the location, which was right in the middle of some beautiful forest, but also the zen-like quietness of the campsite. Including us there were three tents, separated from the caravans by a tall hedge and backing onto the forest.

And what a forest.

Uhm, yeah. That's a horse. The horse and Matt didn't get along so well.

We ended up staying two nights -- and both mornings I woke up and wandered around the tracks until a polite hour to make sure Matt was awake and (mostly) conscious.

Posted by Si at 10:37 PM | Permalink

It may be just me, but come on - a theme park called Plopsaland?!

I've been told that I find that name unhealthily entertaining.

Posted by Matt at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

When Brussels was hosting the 1958 World's Fair they decided to take your everyday iron body-centred cubic crystal and scale it up by a factor of about 165 billion. This left it big enough to house a number of rooms, crowds of people and generous quantities of 50's design. I like their thinking.

Posted by Matt at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

So, yeah. Matt and I spun through Amsterdam, which welcomed us with the traditional downpour just in time to put up our tent and continued to drench us right until we got in the car to leave town.

So here are some photographic cliches that ignore the fact everything is damp.

A bike! Next to a canal! How very Amsterdamish!

Clogs. Say no more.

U2's ZooTV props... That was unexpected.

Posted by Si at 12:47 PM | Permalink

Today is day 27 of the Hilarity, and it also marks the twenty-seventh day that we haven't had to pay for internet access. And who do we have to thank for this?

People like Peter Erickson of Apartment 27b.

So far our approach to finding free internet has been to drive until we find a block of flats, crack open the laptop and so far there's almost always been a free, open wireless network just waiting for us to arrive to borrow its bandwidth.

Posted by Si at 11:53 AM | Permalink

The demise of Cranky the Townace has certainly been well documented on this site, and we're now back touring around in a Ford Modeo, but there is still one last loose end to tie up. What to do with the keys to the townie.

Continue reading "One last post about Cranky*" »

Posted by Matt at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Camera ready. Head down. Start pedalling. Snap!

Posted by Ness at 12:16 PM | Permalink

An early start was required to get from Brussels to Liege given the 117km distance (although that does include a few small circles to find a suitable bakery for lunch).

We've come to the conclusion that a lot of the large cities in Belgium are in fact holes. Both Brussels and Liege feature steep descents into the city centre and then big climbs back out the other side. Admittedly Brugge isn't in a hole but as the door-to-door-door-salesman we met at lunch said, "Brugge isn't really part of Belgium - it's just a town created for the tourists".

Posted by at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sometime in the fifteen hundreds the main church in Antwrp had a "everything must be chucked outside" sale when it was changing hands. A passing publican spotted all the catholic icons sitting about and suddenly realised how he could jazz-up the rather boring pub he was running right next-door to the church.

Described in the tour guide as having religious figures from "knee-high to the ceiling" I demanded that Simon and I go to "T Elfde Gebod" for a beverage. Hence the shot of myself sharing a drink with St John the Baptist. He's a great drinking buddy but I don't actually recall St Jay buying a round when it was his turn. But we'll forgive him because a couple icons over he was standing about minus his head.

And I'm very sad to report that my personal favourite - all time most entertaining - saint was unfortunately absent from the pub. My life-long dream of buying St Sebastian a pint remains unfulfilled.

Posted by Matt at 12:12 PM | Permalink

We made our way to Brugge, and from there we rode to Brussels (because Ness had to find out if that is where the sprouts come from). We are yet to spot the sprouts, however we did find that waffles make a fantastic substitute. As well as smelling the fresh country air, we have had the great opportunity to interact with the locals whilst riding. A special mention to the brussels policeman (Politie) who is coming to Adelaide next year for the World Police & Fire Games. We didn't catch his name but his four foot tall German Shepherd, Brutus was quite friendly. Whilst Mot is keen to work out directions by finding a map... Ness just wants to ask anyone in a uniform ( she's already obtained a personalised toilet map). I would say "goodbye" in Belgian...but I am not sure yet what language that actually is.

Posted by Ness at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When we first arrived in Belgium and set up camp, we headed out into town to sample some of that fine Belgian beer. While we were out, a thunderstorm came through and Matt and Simon discovered why tents have doors.

Continue reading "A Trap For Young Players" »

Posted by Ness at 12:09 PM | Permalink

Were you wondering if the rumours about Mot and Ness attempting to cycle around Europe are true?... well yes, we are.

Our bicycle journey began on bums from Neiupoort in Belguim. Actually our first trial ride fully laden was from Euston to Marylebone Station in London, to meet our traveling companions. By fully laden we mean what we can drag around on the back of a bike, including fully camping equipment...and of course a laptop.

Posted by at 12:03 PM | Permalink

Once our UK based regrouping was completed we needed to get back over to continental Europe. Which involved a ferry pass for one car containing four passengers. Also, vast amounts of luggage and two bicycles. There was very little room to spare. Mot and Ness managed to contort themselves into small ball-shaped bundles of uncomfortableness in order to slide into the back seats.

Once we hit Belgium and located a campsite, everything exploded out of the car and Mot and Ness set about reassembling both their bikes and their ability to use their legs. Si and I passed the time at the campsite's zoo.

Every camp site should have a zoo.

Posted by Matt at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Together Myles, one of my workmates at Bam, and I came up with a great driving game to keep everyone entertained during the longish drives across Sweden (which was a while ago now, I know, this post has been a long time coming).

As someone coming from Australia, where umlauts and agraves rarely see the light of day outside an Ikea catalogue, crazy all-caps words with funky characters has become somewhat synonymous with random Swedish homewares.

And so begins our driving game. While motoring along Sweden's highways, plenty of cool-sounding town names flash past as exits. The aim of the game is to decide what sort of product that town's name would be if it were sold at Ikea.

Read on for a sample round from our first day in Sweden...

Continue reading "The stereotypes live on" »

Posted by Si at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The internet has proved to be pretty elusive so far in Belgium, so updates are a little thin on the ground. As it stands, this post is coming to you from the carpark outside an apartment block in Leiden, in the Netherlands.

To bring you up to speed: Matt and I are meandering about Europe in Matt's car (a swanky greenish Mondeo) while Mot and Ness are taking things a little slower and touring by bicycle. Our plan is to meet up every few days, exchange stories and mutually rant about the lack of street signs in Belgium's cities.

To make things simpler, Mot and Ness are known as The B Team (B is for Bicycle!) and Matt and Si make up 100% of The C Team (C is for Automobile!).

As everyone knows, The A Team used to drive around in a van.

Posted by Si at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)