AWESOME PICTURES FROM ICELAND

 
This massive glacier is unbelievable, this shot was taken with us on the side of a cliff. There were actually people doing a glacier walk at the time.  (see below)

And here are the people ice climbing on that huge glacier. when you see how small they are in the picture, it gives you some perspective on the size of these frozen behemoths. Huuuugggeee!
Huuuugggeee!!!

At the base of the massive glacier. That's the beauty of Iceland, it's open for you to just walk up and say hello to the glaciers.. All that brown coloured area behind us is all ICE> it looks all dirty but that baby is melting away quickly. Standing on and next to the glacier you here the sound of water trickling and water flowing under, in and through the glacier. It's actually quiet intimidating standing next to it. It makes you feel real small and insignificant... An awesome sight!
I'll tell you what else is awesome, check out the Monkey Magic hair do, I'm sportin....hehehehe

Fun in the sun on Black Beach in Vik. The sand was so black it was mind bending. We're so use to seeing beautiful white sandy beaches, that it took a while for it to register in our heads, that we were on a beach...

Getting to these Atlantic Puffins was a tough slog. We got to the beach looked to our left and saw this massive cliff with people scattered all over it. We were like what the??? We looked at all the wildlife and saw hundreds of little birds. We were like could these be Puffins.... So we hauled ass up the cliff. I asked B not to come up scared she would fall down, but not wanting to miss and opportunity, she hauled ass with me.. Next thing you know where about 40 metres above sea level, sitting on a puffins nest, chillin with Puffins.... It was gold.. The photo is real cool cause the Puffin is in focus and the background is blurred.
If getting up was fun then getting down was even better. Berna not putting any faith in her balancing ability decided to plough her way down on her bum... Her pants, jacket, shoes and fingers all got destroyed with mud... She left a trail of destruction down the mountain side visible from space...hehehehe

Me running on Vik beach, trying some stuff on photo shop.. I still suck at it but working on it.

Technorati Tags: Vik,Black Beach,Iceland,Glacier,Puffins

ICE ICE ICELAND BABBEEE...

          BEFORE 

AFTER

HAVING A OF A TIME HERE IN ICELAND...
Our first day in Iceland and we we're kindly directed by our couch surfing host to a small eatery in the harbour. We saw that they had whale watching tours operating before we entered the eatery and thought, that's awesome... Then we walked in and saw some skewers with what looked to be beef on it ready to be BBQ. Having not eaten anything all day, it looked real good... When we ordered two, the lady behind the counter said, 'you know that this is whale?' and were like okay then....
It tasted nasty, it was real dry and real bloody... it did not taste like chicken at all. I don't think I would eat it again. I really had to force it down my throat. It was an experience What did taste good was the the crab and lobster soup Bernadette ordered. With warm toasty bread the soup tasted great.

Technorati Tags: whale,eating,soup,whale tours,Iceland

FOR ALL THOSE KILLER INSTINCT FANS OUT THERE

WINS

THIS MUST BE ONE OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT SIGHTS ANYONE IN THERE LIVES COULD EVER EXPERIENCE... THE SHEAR RAW GIGANTIC POWER OF A GLACIER. THIS PARTICULAR GLACIER IS CALLED THE VATNAJOKULL GLACIER IN ICELAND.. THE LARGEST GLACIER IN EUROPE....THE GLACIER IS REALLY REALLY REALLY BIG, WHAT WE CAN SEE IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF IT.... NONE THE LESS, STILL HUGE

Technorati Tags: killer instinct,glacier,iceland

There's no other way to put this.... WE'RE STAYING ON AN ISLAND IN BERGEN, NORWAY

SUMMER TIME ON THE ISLAND

WINTER TIME ON THE ISLAND

Seriously, we're staying on an Island..
Couch surfing to the extreme, the man owns his own Island... Nooice...

Technorati Tags: Bergen,Norway,couch surfing,Island

IT'S PAUL's PLANET......AND IM JUST A SQUIRREL TRYING TO GET A NUT..

Couch surfing has brought me an B so many wonderful experiences... So many beautiful people around Europe and the world, from Switzerland to Slovenia to Austria to Germany to the Czech to Hungary.

We have had such a great time with all the people we have met... We love you all...

But then....... we met Paul......

There's no words to describe this guy... actually there probably is and probably best to read berna's blog for a description worthy of the man... But I shall do my best.....

PAUL IS, HOW WOULD YOU SAY.....

THE NORWEGIAN BUSH TUCKER MAN

THE LONE LEYLAND BROTHER OF THE NORTH

If Adventure ever needed a friend then Paul is the man knocking on his door.....

THIS MAN IS A DEAD SET GUN!!!!! I KID YOU NOT!!!!

If there was ever a person everyone in this world should ever have a beer and a yarn with in this world it should be PAUL....

Indeed it is your PAUL it's your PLANET and I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut...

A pleasure to have met this man and couch surfed his couch...

Check out his website, so that you can get a feel for who this man is.....totally awesome..

CARLOS GARCIA IS LIVING IN PAUL'S PLANET

Peace

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR... THE ICE BEARS SHALL WAIT.....

NO SVALBARD FOR NOW... But the dream of the great northern adventure lives on and there is hope...

Below is my correspondence with the SVALBARD TOURISM DEPARTMENT earlier this week...

Everything you need to know can be found below...

So who's up for SVALBARD?

Hello Leover

The easiest way to get to Svalbard is by plane. Most of the year, there are daily flights from Oslo Gardermoen directly to Longyearbyen or through Tromsø by ‘SAS Norway’ and Norwegian. For prices and booking, please see their websites http://www.sas.no/ or http://www.norwegian.no/.

There are three different guesthouses in Longyearbyen. See the following list for accommodation:

GUESTHOUSES

Gjestehuset 102 http://www.wildlife.no/

Phone +47 79 02 57 16 / E-mail 102@wildlife.no

Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg http://www.polarriggen.com/

Phone +47 79 02 37 02 / E-mail post@polarriggen.com

Spitsbergen Guesthouse (mars – september) http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/

Phone +47 79 02 63 00 / E-mail spitsbergen.guesthouse@spitsbergentravel.no

HOTELS

Basecamp Spitsbergen http://www.basecampexplorer.com/

Phone +47 79 02 46 00 / E-mail bookingsvalbard@basecampexplorer.com

Spitsbergen Hotel http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/

Phone +47 79 02 62 00 / E-mail spitsbergen.hotel@spitsbergentravel.no

Radisson SAS Polar Hotel http://www.spitsbergentravel.no/

Phone +47 79 02 34 50 / E-mail sales.longyearbyen@radissonsas.com

APPARTMENTS

Svalbard Snøscooterutleie http://www.scooterutleie.svalbard.no/

Phone +47 79 02 46 60 / E-mail post@scooterutleie.net

Poli Arctici – phone 79 02 17 05 / stefano@poliarctici.com / http://www.poliarctici.com/

HUT

Arctic Adventures http://www.arctic-adventures.no/

Phone +47 79 02 16 24 / E-mail info@arctic-adventures.no

CAMPING

Longyearbyen Camping (June – September) http://www.longyearbyen-camping.com/

Phone +47 79 02 10 68 / E-mail mail@longyearbyen-camping.com

You do not need a weapon in the settlements. For all guided hikes, boattrips and other organized activites you don`t need any weapon. Weapon is only required if you plan to go on any hikes by yourself. Due to the polar bear danger it is not recommended to go outside the settlements without weapon and knowledge of how to use it. To rent a rifle, most of the letters will ask for weapon license.

In Longyearbyen you can rent a rifle through:

Arctica: Tel. 79 02 25 40 Fax 79 02 37 40

Ing. G. Paulsen: Tel. 79 02 32 00 Fax 79 02 18 10

Svalbard Arctic Sport: Tel. 79 02 32 90 Fax 79 02 32 95

Svalbard Reiser: Tel. 79 02 56 50 Fax 79 02 56 51

Svalbard Snøscooterutleie: Tel. 79 02 16 66 Fax 79 02 17 71

Flare guns can be rented through:

Ing. G. Paulsen: Tel. 79 02 32 00 Fax 79 02 18 10

Svalbard Snøscooterutleie: Tel. 79 02 16 66 Fax 79 02 17 71

Welcome to Svalbard!

Regards,

Pernille

Svalbard Tourism

_________________________________

Svalbard Reiseliv AS * Svalbard Tourism

Postboks 323

N-9171 Longyearbyen

Tlf +47 79 02 55 50

Faks +47 79 02 55 51

E-post: info@svalbard.net

Internett: www.svalbard.net

Dagsturaktiviteter kan bestillles på www.svalbard.net

Daytrips are bookable on www.svalbard.net

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

-----Opprinnelig melding-----
Fra: Leover Polestico [mailto:info@svalbard.net]
Sendt: 7. juli 2008 16:56
Til: info@svalbard.net
Emne: Contact form from web site

Name: Leover Polestico

contactemail: polestico_leover@hotmail.com

Message: hello,

Please help us, we have read so much about your beautiful place in the world and would dearly love to visit. We are from Australia and have managed to make it all the way here to Copenhagen and now would love to spend 10 days in Svalbard.

I have some questions I would like some help with, if you dont mind.

How can we get to Svalbard from Oslo? Also what would be the cheapest way to get to Svalbard?

WHat kind of accomodation is available, are there hostels?

Will I have to hire a gun at the airport?

Your help would be greatly appreaciated.

Cheers mate

Leover Polestico

WARNING WICKER FURNITURE ABOUT....

When in Europe and in search of a feed, stay away from all forms of outdoor wicker furniture!!

When in sight, proceed to walk past the furniture and don't look back, in fear that one's wallet might turn into a pile of salt.....

The furniture can be found in places near famous attractions, famous strasse's and boulevards (such as NYHAVN) and city centres throughout Europe..

                                     

                      

PEACE OUT

TRAVEL MUST HAVE THE GOOD OLD FASHION 'BONDS' SHIRT, SOLD IN OZZIE STORES FOR $19.95

The good old Bonds shirt... been in my good old blue bond shirt for the past 6 days.... AWESOME, still good.. Below are the top 5 CARLOS GARCIA TIPS to keep your BOND shirt fresh for the duration of the 6 days...

1. any activity which increases the resting heart rate by 5% then take your shirt off. A 5% increase in a persons resting heart rate can be any of the following but not restricted to the below items:

a) Sporting activities such as, running, tennis, jogging, basketball a football, ultimate frizbee, walking with your 20 kg backpack up a hill in 20 deg C weather.

b) if you CHOOSE to partake in any sexual relations (say it with an Eddie Murphy, Nutty Proffessor accent, it's funnier, hahahaha), just get neked (and that word too), for peet sakes your in europe, everyone is neked...

c) Checking your Australian banking account from any European country, especially the scandanavian countries and the UK

d) at home reading emails from family and friends.

2. when walking long periods with a backpack, ensure to alternate the position of the backpack from back to front, to minimise back and front sweat from occurring onto the shirt.

3. air out the shirt where ever possible, for example if chillin at some random royal garden, take your Bond shirt off and hang it on a tree.. hell use it for shade and utilise the natural phenomenon of evaporative cooling to dry out your shirt... Ensure to fully spread out the shirt to maximise the surface area of the shirt exposed to the sun and breeze... Don't forget that the key parameter is SURFACE AREA!! Greater the surface area the greater the sweat transfer... hahahahahahaha

4. wear anti-persperant to minimise under arm odour to occur onto the shirt..

5. during the later days, find a shopping mall, there fricken everywhere, except if your in some random village in Europe. Find the cosmetic and fragrance section of the mall or department store and spray some perfume onto the shirt, this will give you an extra couple of days using the shirt..

By following the easy to follow steps above, you can save 25% of travel laundry cost, reduce clothes changing by 75% based on a 30 day cycle and decrease the number of times you have to open and close your backpack by an astonishing 90% over a 30 day period.

The above rules will only be applicable if you attend NON-SMOKING establishments, when you are out on the pi$$. As soon as you are exposed to a SMOKING environment, it's time to change your clothes.....

PEACE OUT FELLO TRAVELLERS....

    

GO THE BONDS SHIRT

      

'Do you want the yellow speech or the green speech'

If you were to watch one old movie this year, let it be a Danish Dogma film, that set the world on film on fire in 1998.... The movie is called 'The Celebration' or in Danish it's called 'Festen'.

Definitely worth a watch, don't look it up or try to find out what it is just go and find it and then watch it. If you have to call SBS, then call SBS, and ask, no demand that they put the movie on, probably after Iron Chef on a Saturday night.

Peace

The Little Mermaid...

Yup, it's little...the statue is about the size of car seat.

   

but it's still awesome...

                

PEACE....

A GERMAN ENGINEER LOOKS AT A DANISH ENGINEER AND ASKS....

"So, how do you propose we get our EIGHT carriage train across the fricken sea?"

The Dainish engineer looks at the German engineer and says,

"It's alright mate, will just put the train on a FERRY, and tell then will tell the people on the train to go upstairs and buy cheap alcohol!!!, cause once they get to Denmark there farcked!!"

The German engineer says,

"maaaaatttteeee, you champion!!!"

THEY PUT THE FRICKEN TRAIN ON THE FRICKEN BOAT.... I KID YOU NOT!!!! CRAZIEST THING EVER...

I MEAN WHO PUTS A FRICKEN EIGHT CARRIAGE INTER CITY EXPRESS TRAIN FROM BERLIN ON A FRICKEN BOAT???

HAHAHAHA

I'LL TELL YOU WHO.... THOSE CRAZY DANISH...... THAT'S WHO...... HAHAHAHA

HELLOO MY NAME IS LEOVER AND I SUCK....I SUCK SO MUCH....I TYPE LIKE A MANIAC ALSO....AND NOW I THINK IM A WRITER....I SUCK.... (THE WORDS OF BERNADETTE KENNEDY)

   

    

and everywhere in the Danish countryside you just see these awesome wind farms.....

SICK, i's tells ya SICK...

makes you  wanna eat indian food and let a few rip and contribute to there wind power industry here..

  

LINK TO AWESOME WIND POWER INDUSTRY IN DENMARK...

CARLOS GARCIA IN DANISH WIND POWER

PEACE

Carlos

Ever wonder how to get to Copenhagen from Berlin

there you go... its not that hard after all....

The German rail network is pretty awesome, the link below is probably the most useful link you could use while travelling in, through, or out of Germany.

CARLOS GARCIA - TRAIN CONNECTIONS GERMANY

Carlos

BERLIN 101 - FREE REFILLS

There are 'free' walking tours in Berlin, yeah whatever..

The word 'free' in this sense means 'tipping'. Anyways, we had a real cool guide so happy to fork out some of that elusive dosh, to help support the young History Graduate, who took us around...

Saw the sights... great stuff, but the cool thing is this, if in Berlin for a couple of days, go to this restaurant, it is on the 'tipping' walking tour.

because the have free refills on drinks... this restaurant is the pit stop for the 'tipping' tour and I'm sure they have some deal going with the tour guides...

so go there the first day in Berlin, buy a drink, keep the cup and keep coming back for free refills on the other days your are in town because the walking tour keeps going to this restaurant.

It is packed with young tourist all day long, and I'm sure that you will blend in...

Now some may call it tight, but when you pay in EURO's for everything, Carlos calls it

"GIVE ME MY FREE REFILLS"

For anyone in Berlin here's the link to the 'tipping tour:

CARLOS GARCIA BERLIN WALKING TOUR

Carlos

MOVING AROUND BERLIN......

GIVE ME A 'S' GIVE ME A 'H'

GIVE ME A 'U GIVE ME A 'DB'

WHAT DOES IT SPELL????

IT SPELLS THE BIGGEST PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK IN GERMANY AND I THINK EUROPE....

Berlin is huge!!! but as long as you can find any of the above letters you're sure to find your way back home, along with the rest of Berliners moving around the city.

From above ground trains, to the underground metro, to buses that run around the city like yellow john j hills, to trams that match Zurich's efficiencies, to the Mercedes taxis (and not Holdens), Berlins got public transport sorted.

Certain lines on the transport network run 24 hours which makes it great if you are having a late one out of the city.

There are three zones on the network, A B and C but if you're a tourist staying in Berlin for 3 to 5 days you will rarely need to go out out of Zone A. Except if you're like us and stayed in the first stop out of Zone A called Panksstrasse. Which can be found on the U8 line.

When looking at the public transport map can be a little intimidating because it is FRICKEN HUGE.... you quickly find your way around, after a few hours nervous tourist navigating...

Tickets?? if you want to buy one GO NUTS otherwise, practice your

'I'm sorry i do not know what you are talking about speech'

then buy one from the next station under the supervision of the ticket inspector.

If you are planning a trip to Berlin, click on the link below:

CARLOS GARCIA in BERLIN.....TOURIST GUIDE

Carlos