Berlin......The Wall....The Burgers.....

 Off we go for a busy year in travels.....February and the Olds want to go to Berlin.....in February....luckily its a warm spell and possibly slightly warmer than home.....just as well...no pants and me wotsits might have gone icicle....!!

Here I am at part of the wall...a museum nown as the Wall of Terror......reading the story of the 1930's in Germany is certainly eye opening.....to say the least....

Outside an important building.....

Brandenburg gate.....one of the most famous scenes anywhere across Europe....

When the Olds get an idea.....yes, yes.....Monkey Donuts.....

At the East Side Gallery a group of artists were invited after the wall came down to paint interpretations on the East side.....the West side is covered in graffitti....as is much of Berlin apparently cos it was Bohemian....Bohemian appears to be another word for pi$$ artists.....most of the graffitti is nothing more than stupid names and silly scratchings.....thankfully the art is much better....

A lovely Donut but this time Dunkin variety...Dad said he handt been in one since New York many years ago....and as Berlin has so many of them....well...when in Rome...er...Berlin....

This is the Berliner Fernsehturm......or....big sticky uppy thing.....you can see it from most places in Berlin as the skyscape is quite low.....

The inevitable amusing statue scenarios had to be done.....

Dont 'crack' any jokes......the Olds...humour they said....sit here they said.....

Finally arrived somewhere of note.....the Humboldt Forum.....he of penguin fame....

Book burning....the bookshelves are empty cos the buggers burnt them all....if they found a book that didnt agree with the Nazi doctorine....up it went in flames.....its pretty ironic that this particular site is right outside the Humboldt University.....they even took books from there to burn.....

Food was rather fab....touted as the best burgers in Berlin....Bugermeister.....visited twice it was so good....and a nice beer to accompany some cheesy chips....

Easter in Seville...Cordoba and the seaside....

 Easter 2021....Seville...Cordoba....and more

Are we ready for take off....

....after a bacon sandwich and a coffee...im ready for anything...but mostly...pizza!

Seville...the sunny capital of Spain...if you want hot....this is the place to go in the summer....at Easter its fabulous....and the amazing Semana Santa religious festival....

Dont worry, ive not got God....mind you...saying that.....

The Olds continue to think its great if they pose me in front of Jes....very amusing....

Though there were some great Cathedrals and Mosques...they sure knew how to build some buildings...

Glory...to me mostly....

We visited the Mezquita mosque in Cordoba which was fantastic....what a space...we got there early so there werent many people about as it gets crowded later when the lazies have got their sorry @rses out of bed....

Different day different holy stuff....

We spend the Easter weekend in Seville where they have some of the largest Semana Santa celebrations....basically the place comes to a halt for a week as they display amazing structures, carrying them for yards at a time....well...actually...they carry them a long way...they have huge teams of people but the idea is they suffer as Christ suffered so share in his pain.....I watched....I didnt carry....

They have some amazing marching bands that process with the holy displays....its pretty fantadtic to listen to.....if you get in with the crowds in the street its very atmospheric....everyone should go and witness it....im going back....msotly for the Sherry.....noooo....not that much they advertise  for christmas....the range of sherries on offer is vast.....and they are all different and nothing like that cream muck you give to your Aunt Vera or Granny....

The tapas....im definitely going back for ox-cheeks....

We went to a place called El Loco....er...El Rocio actually...heh heh...its a few miles inland from Matalascana where we stayed for a few days.....

In El Rocio its a lot of old style sandy streets...horses and buggies/carts are still ridden around as a way of getting about and visitors park in car parks on the outskirts....

This guy above is in traditional costume which many still wear mostly for special occasions but the hats are worn daily....

Sandy street above with carriage.....mostly for us tourist types,...still...they have to get some money some how.....

This donkey never went anywhere and is stuck on a roundabout, but I coudlnt resist and insisted on a photo...even more so as the Olds failed to find a real donkey to ride.....I still recall the day I rode that tortoise in Greece....laugh...well...the tortoise wasnt laughing.....im sure he must be related to Froog as I heard him complaining about people....well...Im not people...

Look out....ive got the clap....ha bl00dy ha!!

Cordoba....another grand city to visit...they really are worth going to see....stop sitting on your @rse at home thinking of these places...get up, get on a plane and get going you lazy sods....

A visit for a bit of culture....Italica....near Seville.....a bit of the Romans....blimey, they get everywhere...well...they got everywhere....though actually they didnt get everywhere, obviously....who the hell would want to go to Australia....sorry you down under billabongers....but even I dont want to go....so shove that up yer didgereedoo with Rolf....

What can I say...the Old s-insisted.....yes...sin-sisted.....I closed my eyes....honest....and she lost her head...shes h-armless....and all those other crass jokes about old Romand sculptures that have been abused over the years and had bits fallen off.....age does actually age them....mostly with bits falling off....

Whilst visitng Chris Columbuses ships...well..replicas...lets face it...he didnt build them to last and most ships from 500 years ago didnt last....anyway...whislt there we came across this dead monster....so...sure as hell, the Olds said, wouldnt it be funny if we made it look as if he had tamed the beast....after all...I am beauty.....

All aboard.....Froogs line....he actually got quite animated, which was good....it meant he slept for a couple of days after so I didnt have to listen to his billy-bull....phew!

Heres the man....and the issues that ensued when, lets face it, he thought he knew where he was going but turned up somewhere else.....

Lets start with that name...Christopher Columbus....im not surprised they changed it as an anglicanisation....its actually Cristobal Colon.....yep...Colon....can you imagine....probably not a as many sh!t jokes about it back then I guess...but now...well...he was clearly a sh!t navigator.....'ok lads, lets find a direct route to Asia from Europe'....or...'ok lads, we need a holiday, ets go to the Bahamas'....is more like it...

He never found a route, never found America and his several ocean adventures were almost utdone by his dead remains adverntures being buried, dug up, moved around Spain and then to Hispaniola, what we now call the Dominican Repblic....then bakc to Spain....

And his maths was crap too....which is probably why he couldnt find his own backside in the dark...

Nothing more than finding a good sign to have your photo taken....what a Moron...

In Rhonda....where they still do bullfighting by the way...we came across these statues....there was a sign saying...dont climb on these cos if you do and we find you we will fine you.....meantime Dad had ignored this and placed me on the hand that could possibly take away the joy of taking a photo....via that fine....luckily for us no one seemed to care...so...bollox to em....theyre European anyway....

And...heres a load of bull....chances are slim that they ever get a chance to kill the matador...or the other 'dors' that ruin the bulls life....Spain is a great destination but they are still very backwards in many respects.....

Nope....nothing to do with that American cult....way before they even existed these guys in Spain were dressing up like it as part of the Semana Santa processions.....clearly the Americans know nothing, so few of them travelling out of the country or even being aware of the rest of the planet....education is a wonderful thing....and its a wonderful thing that most Americans stay in America.....

Meh....if youre famous for killing bulls....youre a first class dickhead....end of...

There are some wonderful views at Rhonda though and its a very picture-skew place....

Heres a bunch of old rusty armour that I suppose, in true European style, they dont give much of a toot about cos I could easily get on it for a photo....if this were home it would be in a glass box saying, this is old stuff dont touch....so I suppose Europeans do have something going for them....lack of preservation of the past for one thing....

Olivera is one of the 'white villages' up in the mountains....beautiful to look at, beautiful area to be situated in....usually on a big hill and usually with a good view....they had tried to ruin the good view by putting up this big sign....then they tried to ruin the big sign and view by putting stuff behind it....

Mind those big hands....

This is an amazing sculpture in the Cathedral in Seville....

James Taylore would be proud....up on the roof....though actually he didnt write it....quite why im on about him, with his best version of the song, I have no idea....anyway....Spanish roofs are great, architecture has a lot going for it....if its good....

Talking of architecture.....above is the Plaza de Espana....how grand....and below...a simple firestation....wow....try looking at the ones here in the UK.....as a fireman you would want to be based in this one....

Peloponnes....its all Greek to me

'The ancient Oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.'

                                     Socrates

'Luckily, I know everything.'

                                     Monkey

 October 2021

Its been a long time coming....what with all these humans feeling unwell and running around with their jab this jab that jabba the hut and jab up your trumpet!

Covid is done....and finally we get to leave the prison....er....country.....bye bye UK for a week...

The Peloponnese....8,000+ square miles of southern Greece bathed in 20-25 degrees of warmer than home!

Pelops was the local hero, conquering most of the area...hence the name.....wonder what his nickname was...Plops....no doubt.....'hey Plops me ol' fart, come over here and smell a bit'.....

Flew in to olive country.....Kalamata....from what I can tell there were only two flights that day, no doubt that suits the...er.....slightly 'slower' approach to things that Greeks tend to have...unless they have decided to retire in which case they are usually in a hurry and try to make it as close to leaving school as possible....if they could retire at 20 they would but the only thing stopping them is some of the kids are at Uni till they are older.....well...that and their bloody great big debt they owe to the European Union of course.....

Heres a bunch of photo opportunities I managed.....

...up a hill to this castle.....

....to get this view of this amazing beach.....

Mystras....in the background, in the distance, is Sparta...

Let us stop at this point to say the word again....Sparta....

.......the army feared by....everyone!...the army with the reputation of die or dont bother coming home....return a hero is the only option.....

The blokes took to it....all they were interested in was kicking arse and killing....then killing and kicking more arse....most other peoples, whilst going round generally killing also managed to pick up a few nik-naks....and put them in museums and such like.....Spartans....nah....bugger that....for a start it meant carrying stuff around....so today you are welcome to Sparta....council estate....

......and if you can be bothered theres an Olive and Olive Oil museum....though to be honest Kalamata is just up the road so quite why they havent got it there I cant figure out.....a shame....but there you go....not about the museum....but Sparta....reputation gained....reputation lost....

Monemvasia....an impressive town of narrow streets built on a small

outcrop...its very hustle and bustle in the streets but up the top at the 

castle its quiet and well worth the walk....

....and theres a shrine....

A terrible joke....

We found a tortoise...I may....or may not....have had a ride....if youre

a right on righty I didnt....if yorue more relaxed....I did...

We did some 'tites and 'mites....

Gates of Hades....bit disappointing really...no one was in...

At the Roman bath house on the way to....

...the southernmost point of the Peloponnese...

Last day, we climbed up from Kardamyli to this church,

still in use, at Agios.  Hot and sunny.