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possiblyimbiassed · 2 years ago

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Hi again @sagestreet, nice to hear from you too! :)

“But that’s not canon. In canon (LAST) they ended up driving away to London in a car together, presumably towards a waiting hotel room (after finishing a good day’s work, and with the bad guy tied to the back of their car). Sounds more like the end of a wedding to me. :-D”

If I knew how to insert heart eye emojis, I’d do it now.:) I really need this scene now.

I need this scene too @sagestreet - badly! :) Maybe, just for the sake of entertainment but a bit off topic, I should try to elaborate a little on some possible reasons for why a repetition of the last scene of LAST in BBC Sherlock would be a worthy end of S5 and maybe even deserve heart eye emojis? 😍

Even though we know that Sherlock is not much for wedding traditions (sarcastically in TSoT: ”because apparently we don’t have enough of them”) I think he might make an exception when it comes to him and John? :) A very classical wedding scene in romantic films is when the happy couple, after the reception, drives away in a decorated car, dragging some empty tins tied to the bumper and with the sign “Just Married” on the rear, heading for their honeymoon. This never happened at John’s and Mary’s wedding (or at least we didn’t see it), but the fact that ACD’s last story about Sherlock Holmes, LAST, made me imagine this ending was due to several things:

Holmes and Watson arrived at the scene in LAST together in a car - a small Ford - with Watson at the wheel. The sun had already set.

Instead of a wedding reception, there was a case of ‘national importance’, which Holmes solved as a spy - his favourite kind of social gathering, maybe? :)

Spare parts to cars - like ‘sparking plugs’ - was code in this story, which I have written about here (X). Cars are indeed a recurring theme in BBC Sherlock.

When they had solved the case and defeated the spy, they sat down together, chatting and celebrating with a fine bottle of wine from emperor Franz Josef’s special cellar at the Schönbrunn Palace. (That’s In Vienna by the way - I’ve actually been there once :) )

Holmes and Watson did in fact drive away in their car together, with the spy neatly tied up in the backseat.

Holmes’ very last line ever in ACD’s work was this: “Start her up, Watson, for it’s time that we were on our way. I have a check for five hundred pounds which should be cashed early, for the drawer is quite capable of stopping it if he can.”

LAST takes place in 1914 in the first days of WWI. In the 1910s cars were a luxury for very few people, but according to this site (X) it did happen that a wedding car was used. “In the 1920s and 1930s as Ford popularized his car for all, cars became a regular part of weddings usually transporting the bride and groom.”

But here comes the best part in my opinion: Holmes no longer lives in Baker Street but in Sussex, keeping bees. We’re never told where Watson lives or with whom. So Holmes comments to Watson that he’ll be at the famous Claridges’ Hotel in London the following day (and by then he promises to shave off his ugly goatee, which Watson said he didn’t like). Claridges is a luxury hotel that still exists (X). Since it’s already night and they’re going to London together to deliver the spy to Scotland Yard, I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t finally spend the night at that hotel together. Sounds suspiciously similar to the end of a wedding to me. ;-)

Bonus fact: In House MD, which clearly can be seen as a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, the final scene of the whole, eight year long show ends with House and Wilson driving away on motorcycles, ready to spend their remaining days together on a beautiful trip cross country (X).

@raggedyblue @gosherlocked @sarahthecoat @sagestreet @ebaeschnbliah

Spinning Plates and The Wrong Thumb (‘Sherlock’ meta)

So, this is the new meta I’ve been teasing you all with. (Took me long enough, I know, I know…)

I also know that, by now, the ‘Sherlock’ fandom has its own established interpretation of what the phrase, “The place was spinning” in s4ep1 (TST) means, but I’d like to offer an alternative, EMP-inspired idea here:

Keep in mind that I’m convinced that by s4 Sherlock is actually unconscious and lying in a hospital (as per EMP theory).

So, what is that one magical “place” in a hospital that is literally spinning?

Yes. A CT scanner!

Could it be that, in TST, Sherlock has just worked out that he is lying in a CT scanner, being scanned?

Look at this strange exchange between John and Sherlock again:

John: Sherlock, you can’t go on spinning plates like this. Sherlock: That’s it. The place was spinning.

So, here’s the thing: Mofftiss love themselves a good pun. So forget about ‘spinning plates’ being a commonly used idiom in the English language. Don’t even think about some circus acrobat literally spinning dinner plates made of fine china on many a thin pole.

Think of different plates. Yes, those kinds of plates. Classic X-Ray machines still have them: screening/imaging plates.

Let’s not get too technical about the details here because I suspect Mofftiss aren’t either. (This is TV medicine land, not actual real-life medicine land, okay.:D)

Suffice it to say that John usually acts as a metaphor for Sherlock’s heart, ie Sherlock’s emotional inner voice. In other words, Sherlock (who is unconscious, remember!) essentially tells himself, in his mind, here that “spinning plates” is not an option: He ponders the question of what the doctors that are treating him might be doing to him and comes to the conclusion that they can’t possibly be forcing him through one X-Ray after another (“spinning plates”) because that’s unsustainable to say the least, if not downright unhealthy.

It’s at this point that (unconscious) Sherlock has an epiphany about the whole situation that he finds himself in. It is appropriately illustrated by the face he makes at that very moment in TST:

I think this moment is about Sherlock finally working out that they’re not just (classically) X-Raying him, they have put him in a CT scanner:

That’s it. It’s the whole place that is spinning around him.

A CT scanner is literally an X-Ray machine that spins around you ultra-ultra-fast.

I think this is what that weird “spinning plates” vs. “spinning place” conversation might be all about.

This is particularly interesting because, as a fandom, we have all speculated that once the second episode of s4 (TLD) comes around, Sherlock’s brain is going to be scanned by an MRI machine (the whole screwy skull picture thing, remember! We’ve talked about it A LOT. Just one such example: here x. But there’s loads more. And I would like to add that the whole skull picture=MRI machine metaphor was obviously in no way my discovery. A lot of people talked about this back in 2017.).

So, anyway…MRI machines are indeed used to scan the brain (as would fit the skull picture metaphor in TLD).

But, but! …(And this new discovery I am claiming for myself.:-)) A CT scanner would be more appropriate for other organs, such as the heart for example!

And in the first episode of s4 (TST) we are still very much talking about the heart. It’s the heart problem first, the brain problem comes later.

So, it’s not illogical to assume that Sherlock was FIRST put into a CT scanner (in TST) to scan his heart and THEN into an MRI machine (in TLD) to scan his brain.

This would also fit the sequence of events I have discovered and described earlier: Sherlock has a heart AND a brain problem (not just literally, but also metaphorically and on a meta level as the iconic 120+ year-old Sherlock Holmes figure. I had analysed this whole situation in my meta ‘Why Sherlock has a heart AND a brain problem’ here: x ).

To be more precise it’s his heart problem that CAUSES his brain problem:

Literally speaking: his heart starts throwing blood clots and one of them hits the brain.

Metaphorically speaking: The iconic Sherlock Holmes character’s heart (gay identity) isn’t healthy because he has to suppress it, this hasn’t been healthy for more than a century already, which is now impacting his brain (intellectual abilities/work persona, aka brain) too.

The ‘heart problem’ is congenital (we’ve talked about this), as is alluded to in TLD: ie, Sherlock Holmes was originally conceived in the Victorian era as a repressed gay character. The brain problem is NOT congenital; it is directly CAUSED by the heart problem (ie, Sherlock’s big gay heartbreak leads to his brain being affected, as well, and eventually to his being on the brink of death as an iconic character).

Anyway…So, this idea I just had about the whole “spinning plates”- “the place was spinning” conversation is that it’s a coded way of telling us that Sherlock is trying to work out what exactly it is that the doctors at the hospital are doing to him. (“Are they simply X-Raying me again and again and again? No, hang on…That can’t be right…Ah, got it! I’m inside a CT scanner, aren’t I?”)

And look, in TST, immediately after his “spinning place” (CT scanner) epiphany we get the whole rambling passage about heart medication, and the words ‘The Cardiac Arrest’ flash across the screen:

What I think happened here is that Sherlock suffered a heart attack WHILE BEING INSIDE THE CT SCANNER!

This would be a massively dangerous situation. It is only appropriate that, over the next couple of moments on screen, you get this sense of hurry, this rush to get somewhere: John and Sherlock quickly coming up the stairs…

…then John, Sherlock and Mary speeding away in a car.

I’ve speculated about these two scenes before in my meta ‘Was Sherlock put on a heart assist system?’ (here: x). I wrote:

“[…] I know we all thought Sherlock furiously typing away on his ‘phone’ in all these scenes just means that Sherlock is connected to his heart because of Mary giving birth to John’s child and the fact that Sherlock can’t deal with what’s going on and is trying to look out for his heart (aka his emotions). But what if that’s not what’s happening?

What if it’s LITERALLY about his heart…about the organ, that is?!!!

Sherlock is so, SO focused on that phone heart of his in that car scene (and in the ones before and after that, too). It’s like he’s really, desperately trying to keep his heart (the organ!) alive. I mean, do we really think Sherlock clutching his heart phone in this car scene is just a metaphor for Sherlock having ‘the feels’? Maybe this is Sherlock LITERALLY trying to keep that organ alive with all his might, as he’s going into v-fib.

What if, “I’m a nurse, darling. I think I know what to do,” is not actually Mary’s line. It’s some snippy nurse who snidely tells John to shut his pie hole and stop interfering while she tries to save Sherlock’s life.[…]”

So, to connect this to my new idea about the CT scanner from above: Do these two fast-paced scenes (the stairs scene and the car scene) actually mean that Sherlock is being very quickly pulled out of the CT scanner to “restart” his heart?

(Remember this is TV medicine land, not actual, real-life medicine land, yeah?)

In my ‘heart assistant’ meta, which I’ve quoted above (x), I had even speculated that the camera flashing a couple of times brightly at the end of this sequence (as Rosie’s picture is being taken) is actually Sherlock’s heart being defibrillated:

“[…] After the car ride scene we get three very bright flashes of light, ostensibly photographs taken by Mrs Hudson. What if the flashes are actually Sherlock’s heart being shocked with a defibrillator?[…]”

“[…] Then Sherlock is again holding onto his heart phone for dear life. So, this doesn’t look good for his heart either way.

What’s more we’re even told that it’s an ‘automated’ heart now (the automated (!) voice on his phone during the christening).

So, this is probably not really his own heart anymore. He’s on some sort of heart support system (whichever, I have no idea). I mean, his heart phone speaks with the voice of an assist system![…]”

Now let’s get to my new idea from above:

Sherlock has a heart attack INSIDE the CT SCANNER. And the rush as John and Sherlock run up the stairs and then speed away in the car with Mary THAT’S PEOPLE SCRAMBLING TO PULL SHERLOCK OUT OF THE CT SCANNER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Sherlock is unconscious in that CT scanner, and someone has just noticed that he is having some sort of heart episode whilst being scanned, and now they are frantically pulling him out of there to get him to a defibrillator as quickly as possible.

Remember that I already pointed out in my ‘Jellyfish’ meta (here: x) that the conversation about jellyfish that John and Sherlock are having as they climb up the stairs is fascinating in this context. (Jellyfish don’t only look and pump like hearts, actually researchers are currently actively considering the idea of building artificial hearts that work like a pumping jellyfish as a possible solution for patients with heart failure.)

In other words, John and Sherlock saying “You can’t arrest a jellyfish” at that precise moment, as they hurry up the stairs, isn’t a coincidence. If the jellyfish is a metaphor for a heart, then talking about one being, ahem, ‘arrested’ (hint, hint!) is highly, highly suspicious at a point in the story where I suspect Sherlock is being pulled out of a CT scanner after a heart attack. Jellyfish=Heart. Got it?

After all, the conversation about the potential *cough* ‘arrest’ or not of the jellyfish is happening right after the words ‘The Cardiac Arrest’ have flashed across the screen, ie, right after this probably happened to Sherlock inside the CT scanner.

Then come the camera flashes, which I had already interpreted as a defibrillator (see above). And Sherlock is probably saved (for now). But his heart now only works with the help of an assistance system (for this, again, see here: x), hence the phone assistant’s voice. (I would like to refer you to my meta about ‘Sherlock being put on a medical balloon pump’, as well, see here: x. That’s why there’s a balloon in a later scene, that’s literally replacing John, aka, Sherlock’s heart.)

So, now we’ve established the sequence of events:

CT scan > Sherlock has a heart attack inside the CT scanner > he is quickly being pulled out of the CT scanner (he is literally trying to hang on to his heart as he goes into v-fib…That’s the whole frantically-glued-to-his-phone-in-the-car scene.) > they pull him out of the scanner, get a crash cart over there > he is being shocked by a defibrillator >he is saved >heart assist system, balloon pump.

>>>And then, LATER ON, in TLD, they discover that his brain was hit by a blood clot, as we have already established…

BTW, we are then (much later, in TLD) expressly told by Mycroft that: “We keep losing visual. Mostly we are tracking his phone.”

They are tracking his, ahem, ‘phone’ (=heart)!

They can’t get a clear visual of him wandering about London. (=The lack of a clear visual is probably a coded reference to them scanning his brain with an MRI machine by TLD, aka, the results of his brain scans aren’t conclusive. Is he already brain dead? Is he still alive? It’s not clear, at that point.) But despite this lack of a clear visual on the brain front, they keep monitoring his ‘phone’ (=heart) in TLD. (I had written a whole meta about this, called ‘Mostly we are tracking his phone’, see here: x.)

Are you with me so far? Okay.

Well, now listen up, chaps and chapesses: This next idea here is completely wild, alright? An idea I haven’t seen anyone discuss before; it’s SO absurd.:P But still, I think it might be worth exploring, even if it’s just for fun:

A couple of moments before the heart attack happens inside the CT scanner (so that’s BEFORE the whole “spinning plates”-”the place was spinning” exchange)…a few moments before that, Sherlock literally tells us something about a wrong thumb:

Sherlock: Come back, it’s the wrong thumb.

That’s a moment I found weird ever since I first watched the episode back in 2017 because, if I recall correctly, in the ACD story ‘The Engineer’s Thumb’ (ENGR) there’s nothing about the thumb BEING WRONG. So this newly added element to the story seemed like such a deliberate choice by Mofftiss, right? Like they were rubbing our noses in something which we couldn’t yet possibly understand: Why would Sherlock say something about the thumb being wrong exactly?

Well, here goes my (frankly) quite crazy and absolutely absurd idea:

People who are at an acute risk of suffering a heart attack often DO have a “wrong thumb”!

Yes, you’ve heard that right.

It can be detected by means of a very easy thumb-palm test, in which you try to flex and extend your thumb across your palm. If your thumb extends all the way across and sticks out on the other side at a weird angle, then you should see a cardiologist ASAP.

This is because in people with heart issues the joints go all lax, the connective tissue losing the necessary density and strength throughout the entire body.

(Please do google pictures of this condition at your own discretion. I’m not going to provide you with any links and/or pics. Trying to be mindful of people with a low disgust threshold here.)

Anyway: From what I understand, not all people who are about to have a heart attack have this “wrong thumb”, but all people who have a “wrong thumb” are at a very much heightened risk of suffering a cardiac episode in the near future.

So, Sherlock saying, “Come back. It’s the wrong thumb,” could be something that is actually going on outside of his coma/unconscious spell/EMP or whatever.

It’s possible that the whole reason for Sherlock being put into a CT scanner in the first place is that *cough* ‘somebody’ notices that Sherlock’s thumb can be bent all across his palm in an unnatural way, ie, that his thumb is all ‘wrong’.

And who do we think might be that ‘somebody’ be?

Who might be holding Sherlock’s hand as Sherlock is lying there unconscious?

Bingo.

John loves those hands, make no mistake!

He spends a lot of time staring at them, in any case. Or thirsting…as you young people like to say nowadays.;)

So, John holding an unconscious Sherlock’s hand in the hospital, flexing his fingers lightly and discovering that there’s something wrong with Sherlock’s thumb is at least not inconceivable, right?

Something is not okay. Something about Sherlock’s thumb is wrong. “Hey, come back. He might be about to have a heart attack.”

So, this might be John trying to convince a doctor at the hospital that, no, Sherlock isn’t just some junkie who’s going to ‘sleep it off’. Come back! There’s something seriously wrong with him. Look! His thumb. He needs a CT scan and soon. Something might be going on with his heart.

How about your heart? Did I break it already by giving you the mental image of John holding an unconscious Sherlock’s hand? Sorry, not sorry. That’s how I roll.:P

Anyway…So, that’s my crazy and absurd idea about the ‘wrong’ thumb.

There might actually be TWO things happening almost simultaneously here:

On the one hand (in reality) John is currently working out that Sherlock’s thumb means that Sherlock’s heart could give out any minute. On the other hand, a few moments later (in Sherlock’s EMP) Sherlock is trying to work out, “Where am I? Are they classically X-Raying me?…Ah, I’ve got it. I’m in the spinning tube thingy. It’s a CT scanner.”

That seems to be the sequence of events at that point.

Also, if, IF I’m right and (a very much worried) John is there all the way, even making discoveries such as the ‘wrong’ thumb and insisting to help the other doctors while Sherlock is unconscious, then it’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that at some point in TLD his credentials as a doctor are being questioned, right?

He doesn’t work at that particular hospital. He keeps getting in the way, insisting on treatments, arguing with the other doctors, correcting them…Doctors don’t like that sort of thing.

So, John (in TLD) being asked “Are you even a real doctor?” is probably something that is really happening outside of Sherlock’s EMP. (But I’m reasonably sure I’m not the first one to make that discovery. Others have probably pointed that out way before me.)

There’s also the fact that almost the whole episode of TLD is a tragedy being played out in a hospital room that John can’t seem to get into legally anymore, except for literally breaking in! That’s highly, highly significant, people. John might have been banished from Sherlock’s hospital room for interfering one time too many.

And then in TFP we get Sherlock’s infamous line that John is family and thus should be allowed to stay. (Others have obviously speculated about this ages ago. So, that’s not my idea, at all. Just mentioning it for completeness sake.)

The crazy and absurd idea about the wrong thumb, though, that one I’m happy to claim.:D

One last point (and yes, I know, I’m working my way through this scene back to front):

Almost at the very beginning of this whole weird sequence in TST Sherlock is talking about tattoos and lymph nodes:

“[…]Yes, you may have nothing but a limbless torso, but there will still be traces of ink left in the lymph nodes under the armpits. If your mystery corpse had tattoos, the signs will be there. […]”

Keep in mind that we have established a long time ago that the limbless torso is a metaphor for Sherlock himself. (Metaphorically, Sherlock is every cut-off head on the show (see here:x). And he is most certainly the dismembered country squire in TAB, too.)

So, when there’s literally speculation going on about a ‘limbless body’ having tattoos or not, that’s Sherlock we’re metaphorically talking about, right?

But what about the tattoo question is interesting here?

Well, I said above that the “spinning place” probably represents a CT scanner (in TST), and we’ve all established years ago that the screwy skull picture in TLD means he will also be put into an MRI machine later on.

So, what do you think is a radiologist going to ask John and/or Mycroft about this unconscious patient? Not exactly whether Sherlock could be pregnant, right?:D

But…?

Exactly!

“We will have to do a CT scan first, then an MRI. Has the patient got any tattoos?”

It’s even possible that the radiologist explains to them that, “Tattoos can give wrong results when we examine the lymph nodes in a CT scan because tattoo ink tends to migrate to the lymph nodes.”

There you go.

So, I’m inclined to cautiously conclude that the whole talk about tattoos and lymph nodes is again evidence for a CT-scanner-first-and-then-MRI-machine-later scenario. It’s evidence for a conversation with a radiologist. Well, and you know now what I think happens after Sherlock has been put inside that CT scanner…

—————————————————

So, what do you think about my CT scanner idea?

Keep in mind that the ramifications of this idea are massive for the meta level of interpretation when we talk about this show:

Sherlock Holmes isn’t just our Sherlock from the BBC show, after all; he’s also a 120+year-old iconic character, that has existed since Arthur Conan Doyle came up with him and has since transcended this original creation over the course of countless adaptations for the big screen, small screen, stage, radio, etc.

It’s this iconic character that Mofftiss have put into a CT scanner here. THEY ARE X-RAYING HIM!

And they’re not just X-Raying some random body part of his: They are X-Raying his heart inside that CT scanner.

MOFFTISS ARE X-RAYING THE GAY HEART OF THE ICONIC SHERLOCK HOLMES CHARACTER.

Now, think about that for a while.

Metaphorically, it would make sense for it to have been John who insisted on the CT scan of the heart in the first place…whether for some thumb-related reason or otherwise…but I guess I just love the idea of John holding Sherlock’s hand…Again…

On a meta level, Mofftiss scanning the iconic Sherlock Holmes’s gay heart would make all the sense in the world. Them discovering that something is very, very wrong there (heart attack!) WHILE THEY ARE SCANNING HIM and that Sherlock is at risk of dying, of ceasing to exist as this iconic character also makes sense.

They have discovered that the suppression of his gay heart (congenital, ie, from the Victorian era onwards) is massively dangerous to Sherlock Holmes as a character. It now threatens not just his emotional health, but also his brain/intellectual work. It threatens the essence of his very existence.

And they are the ones who have to save this iconic Sherlock Holmes character now!

They have to! (And we all know what that entails…)

——————————

I hope you liked this meta. (My tumblr hiatus was pretty long; so I hope it was worth the wait.:))

If you want to read more of my metas, you can either search my (unfortunately incomplete) Meta Master Post: HERE.

Or you can look through my (complete) Sherlock meta tag and read all my metas in descending order: HERE.

I’ve also started to upload all my metas to my AO3, but it’s slow-going so far. I have collected all my EMP metas ( ‘Why Sherlock is in a coma’) on AO3: HERE.

(All screencaps in this meta were taken from: kissedthemgoodbye.net)

Tagging a few people who might be interested:

@raggedyblue @ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @sarahthecoat @kettykika78

@possiblyimbiassed @therealsaintscully @sherlockshadow @monikakrasnorada @dinner–starving @the-7-percent-solution @loudest-subtext-in-tv @fellshish @loveismyrevolution @88thparallel @debussy-reverie

@spenglernot @thepersianslipper

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glassprism · 4 years ago

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May I ask after your opinion on Janne Marie Peters's Elisabeth, if any? Personally, I was struck by how sorta flinchy and skittish her Sisi was (especially paired with Mann's surprisingly cold FJ portrayal, I never belived he really loved her at all)— almost like she was being physically abused? But on all other fronts I felt like she ended up being like all the other SE Elisabeths, though I appreciated her "Nichts, nichts, gar nichts" and some intermittent bits of her latter portrayal. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!

Ooh, an Elisabeth review, haven’t done one of those in a while.

I can definitely see what you meant by “skittish”, as Janne Marie Peters had several moments of that, especially around Franz Josef. There could be a few reasons for that: perhaps she was trying to show Sisi’s more fragile, sensitive nature, or maybe it was in reaction to the portrayal of Franz Josef, or maybe it was her way of showing that she was subconsciously aware that Franz Josef is not the one for her, Sisi/Tod OTP all the way!!!!!

I kind of write the last because this is Stage Entertainment and they are all about playing up the romance, dammit, and playing down anything resembling complexity, but I’m open to it being the first two reasons. If the first is Peters’s intent, then good for her for trying to bring a little of what we know of the historical Elisabeth‘s personality into the musical, and if it’s the second, well, I can’t blame her. As you said, Maximilian Mann’s Franz Josef is standoffish to the point of being cold, and even his smiles looked obligatory. If I were being charitable, I’d say that maybe he’s trying to show Franz Josef’s more serious, responsible nature, or I’d blame direction and say they’re trying to show his and Sisi’s relationship as untenable, but boy did it make me wonder what Sisi saw in the guy enough to marry him.

Still, in most other respects, yeah, she wasn’t that memorable and felt all too much like a clone of Annemieke van Dam, vocally and in her acting. (Also, remember when German Elisabeths actually sounded different from each other? I’m so tired of shrill, nasal Elisabeths with their little-girl voices.) Some good moments, just enough to make me think, “Hmm, there’s some potential here,” but not enough to differentiate her from the crowd of other actresses. And like many of them, I did not buy her older Elisabeth.

Also, love that the tour was continuing the trend of swamping their actresses in their own costumes:

Sure do love to see that! I mean, it is better than what they did to Marle Martens or Roberta Valentini, but still, bleh.

And boy, it really says something, either about the production or my own feelings towards the show, that I was just so bored watching this boot and waiting for it to be over.

#not Phantom #wow I descended into bitterness really fast there didn't I #Anonymous #GP gets asks

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unsettlingshortstories · 3 years ago

Text

Genesis and Catastrophe

Roald Dahl (1960)

"Everything is normal," the doctor was saying. "Just lie back and relax." His voice was miles away in the distance and he seemed to be shouting at her. "You have a son."

"What?"

"You have a fine son. You understand that, don't you? A fine son. Did you hear him crying?"

"Is he all right, Doctor?"

"Of course he is all right."

"Please let me see him."

"You'll see him in a moment."

"You are certain he is all right?"

"I am quite certain."

"Is he still crying?"

"Try to rest. There is nothing to worry about."

"Why has he stopped crying, Doctor? What happened?"

"Don't excite yourself, please. Everything is normal."

"I want to see him. Please let me see him."

"Dear lady," the doctor said, patting her hand. "You have a fine strong healthy child. Don't you believe me when I tell you that?"

"What is the woman over there doing to him?"

"Your baby is being made to look pretty for you," the doctor said. "We are giving him a little wash, that is all. You must spare us a moment or two for that."

"You swear he is all right?"

"I swear it. Now lie back and relax. Close your eyes. Go on, close your eyes. That's right. That's better. Good girl..."

"I have prayed and prayed that he will live, Doctor."

"Of course he will live. What are you talking about?"

"The others didn't."

"What?"

"None of my other ones lived, Doctor."

The doctor stood beside the bed looking down at the pale exhausted face of the young woman. He had never seen her before today. She and her husband were new people in the town. The innkeeper's wife, who had come up to assist in the delivery, had told him that the husband worked at the local customshouse on the border and that the two of them had arrived quite suddenly at the inn with one trunk and one suitcase about three months ago. The husband was a drunkard, the innkeeper's wife had said, an arrogant, overbearing, bullying little drunkard, but the young woman was gentle and religious. And she was very sad. She never smiled. In the few weeks that she had been here, the innkeeper's wife had never once seen her smile. Also there was a rumour that this was the husband's third marriage, that one wife had died and that the other had divorced him for unsavoury reasons. But that was only a rumour. The doctor bent down and pulled the sheet up a little higher over the patient's chest. "You have nothing to worry about," he said gently. "This is a perfectly normal baby."

"That's exactly what they told me about the others. But I lost them all, Doctor. In the last eighteen months I have lost all three of my children, so you mustn't blame me for being anxious."

"Three?"

"This is my fourth . . . in four years."

The doctor shifted his feet uneasily on the bare floor.

"I don't think you know what it means, Doctor, to lose them all, all three of them, slowly, separately, one by one. I keep seeing them. I can see Gustav's face now as clearly as if he were lying here beside me in the bed. Gustav was a lovely boy, Doctor. But he was always ill. It is terrible when they are always ill and there is nothing you can do to help them."

"I know."

The woman opened her eyes, stared up at the doctor for a few seconds, then closed them again.

"My little girl was called Ida. She died a few days before Christmas. That is only four months ago. I just wish you could have seen Ida, Doctor."

"You have a new one now."

"But Ida was so beautiful."

"Yes," the doctor said. "I know."

"How can you know?" she cried.

"I am sure that she was a lovely child. But this new one is also like that." The doctor turned away from the bed and walked over to the window and stood there looking out. It was a wet, grey April afternoon, and across the street he could see the red roofs of the houses and the huge raindrops splashing on the tiles.

"Ida was two years old, Doctor ... and she was so beautiful I was never able to take my eyes off her from the time I dressed her in the morning until she was safe in bed again at night. I used to live in holy terror of something happening to that child. Gustav had gone and my little Otto had also gone and she was all I had left. Sometimes I used to get up in the night and creep over to the cradle and put my ear close to her mouth just to make sure that she was breathing.”

"Try to rest," the doctor said, going back to the bed.

"Please try to rest." The woman's face was white and bloodless, and there was a slight bluish-grey tinge around the nostrils and the mouth. A few strands of damp hair hung down over her forehead, sticking to the skin.

"When she died ... I was already pregnant again when that happened, Doctor. This new one was a good four months on its way when Ida died. 'I don't want it!' I shouted after the funeral. 'I won't have it! I have buried enough children!' And my husband ... he was strolling among the guests with a big glass of beer in his hand . . .he turned around quickly and said, 'I have news for you, Klara, I have good news.' Can you imagine that, Doctor? We have just buried our third child and he stands there with a glass of beer in his hand and tells me that he has good news, 'Today I have been posted to Braunau,' he says, 'so you can start packing at once. This will be a new start for you, Klara,' he says. 'It will be a new place and you can have a new doctor....'"

"Please don't talk any more."

"You are the new doctor, aren't you, Doctor?"

"That's right."

"And here we are in Braunau.”

“Yes.”

“I am frightened, Doctor."

"Try not to be frightened."

"What chance can the fourth one have now?"

"You must stop thinking like that.”

"I can't help it. I am certain there is something inherited that causes my children to die in this way. There must be."

"That is nonsense."

"Do you know what my husband said to me when Otto was born, Doctor? He came into the room and he looked into the cradle where Otto was lying and he said, 'Why do all my children have to be so small and weak?'"

"I am sure he didn't say that."

"He put his head right into Otto's cradle as though he were examining a tiny insect and he said, 'All I am saying is why can't they be better specimens? That's all I am saying.' And three days after that, Otto was dead. We baptized him quickly on the third day and he died the same evening. And then Gustav died. And then Ida died. All of them died, Doctor... and suddenly the whole house was empty.”

"Don't think about it now."

"Is this one so very small?"

"He is a normal child."

"But small?"

"He is a little small, perhaps. But the small ones are often a lot tougher than the big ones. Just imagine, Frau Hitler, this time next year he will be almost learning how to walk. Isn't that a lovely thought?"

She didn't answer this.

"And two years from now he will probably be talking his head off and driving you crazy with his chatter. Have you settled on a name for him yet?"

"A name?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. I’m not sure. I think my husband said that if it was a boy we were going to call him Adolfus.”

"That means he would be called Adolf."

"Yes. My husband likes Adolf because it has a certain similarity to Alois. My husband is called Alois."

"Excellent."

"Oh no!" she cried, starting up suddenly from the pillow. "That's the same question they asked me when Otto was born! It means he is going to die! You are going to baptize him at once!"

"Now, now," the doctor said, taking her gently by the shoulders. "You are quite wrong. I promise you, you are wrong. I was simply being an inquisitive old man, that is all. I love talking about names. I think Adolfus is a particularly fine name. It is one of my favourites. And look-here he comes now."

The innkeeper's wife, carrying the baby high up on her enormous bosom, came sailing across the room towards the bed, "Here is the little beauty!" she cried, beaming. "Would you like to hold him, my dear? Shall I put him beside you?"

"Is he well wrapped?" the doctor asked. "It is extremely cold in here."

"Certainly he is well wrapped."

The baby was tightly swaddled in a white woollen shawl, and only the tiny pink head protruded. The innkeeper's wife placed him gently on the bed beside the mother. "There you are," she said. "Now you can lie there and look at him to your heart's content."

"I think you will like him," the doctor said, smiling, "He is a fine little baby."

"He has the most lovely hands!" the innkeeper's wife exclaimed. "Such long delicate fingers!"

The mother didn't move. She didn't even turn her head to look.

"Go on!" cried the innkeeper's wife. "He won't bite you!"

"I am frightened to look. I don't dare to believe that I have another baby and that he is all right."

"Don't be so stupid."

Slowly, the mother turned her head and looked at the small, incredibly serene face that lay on the pillow beside her.

"Is this my baby?"

"Of course."

"Oh … oh ... but he is beautiful."

The doctor turned away and went over to the table and began putting his things into his bag. The mother lay on the bed gazing at the child and smiling and touching him and making little noises of pleasure.

"Hello, Adolfus," she whispered. "Hello, my little Adolf."

"Ssshh!" said the innkeeper's wife. "Listen! I think your husband is coming."

The doctor walked over to the door and opened it and looked out into the corridor. "Herr Hitler?"

"Yes."

"Come in, please."

A small man in a dark-green uniform stepped softly into the room and looked around him. "Congratulations," the doctor said. "You have a son."

The man had a pair of enormous whiskers meticulously groomed after the manner of the Emperor Franz Josef, and he smelled strongly of beer.

"A son?"

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"He is fine. So is your wife."

"Good," The father turned and walked with a curious little prancing stride over to the bed where his wife was lying. "Well, Klara," he said, smiling through his whiskers. "How did it go?" He bent down to take a look at the baby. Then he bent lower. In a series of quick jerky movements, he bent lower and lower until his face was only about twelve inches from the baby's head. The wife lay sideways on the pillow, staring up at him with a kind of supplicating look.

"He has the most marvellous pair of lungs," the innkeeper's wife announced. "You should have heard him screaming just after he came into this world."

"But my God, Klara..."

"What is it, dear?"

"This one is even smaller than Otto was!"

The doctor took a couple of quick paces forward.

"There is nothing wrong with that child," he said.

Slowly, the husband straightened up and turned away from the bed and looked at the doctor. He seemed bewildered and stricken. "It's no good lying, Doctor," he said. "I know what it means. It's going to be the same all over again."

"Now you listen to me," the doctor said.

"But do you know what happened to the others, Doctor?"

"You must forget about the others, Herr Hitler. Give this one a chance."

"But so small and weak!"

"My dear sir, he has only just been born."

"Even so..."

"What are you trying to do?" cried the innkeeper's wife. "Talk him into his grave?"

"That's enough!" the doctor said sharply.

The mother was weeping now. Great sobs were shaking her body.

The doctor walked over to the husband and put a hand on his shoulder. "Be good to her," he whispered. "Please. It is very important." Then he squeezed the husband's shoulder hard and began pushing him forward surreptitiously to the edge of the bed. The husband hesitated. The doctor squeezed harder, signaling to him urgently through fingers and thumb. At last, reluctantly, the husband bent down and kissed his wife lightly on the cheek.

"All right, Klara," he said. "Now stop crying."

"I have prayed so hard that he will live, Alois."

"Yes."

"Every day for months I have gone to the church and begged on my knees that this one will be allowed to live."

"Yes, Klara, I know."

"Three dead children is all that I can stand, don't you realize that?"

"Of course."

"He must live, Alois. He must, he must ... Oh God, be merciful unto him now..."

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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs (AP) There’s a wild card in the push to return to post-pandemic life: Many workers don’t want to go back to the jobs they once had. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and the financial cushion to rethink their careers. Their former employers are hiring again — and some, like Uber and McDonald’s, are offering higher pay—but workers remain hesitant. Employers and business groups argue that the $300-per-week federal unemployment supplement gives recipients less incentive to look for work. But Heidi Shierholz, a senior economist who researches low- and middle-income workers with the Economic Policy Institute, said health concerns and child care responsibilities seem to be the main reasons holding workers back. In April, she said, at least 25% of U.S. schools weren’t offering in-person learning, forcing many parents to stay home. And health concerns could gain new urgency for some workers now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most settings. Some workers say the pandemic helped them prioritize their mental and physical health. And in a tight labor market, some workers are also finding that if they hold out, they might get a better job than the one they left.

Unhealthy Dose of Litigation (CNN) It’s not personal, it’s just business. Tell that to tens of thousands of individuals sued by hospitals for ‘medical debt’ they have no way of ever paying. Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) is one of America’s largest hospital chains. A CNN investigation found that since March 2020, company-owned hospitals filed at least 19,000 lawsuits against their patients over allegedly unpaid medical bills, even as other hospitals around the country have curtailed similar lawsuits during the pandemic. CHS’s 84 hospitals are concentrated in the South, but stretch across 16 states from Alaska to Key West, Florida. The hospitals have sued patients for as little as $201 and as much as $162,000. Most defendants didn’t hire a lawyer or fight the lawsuits, and judges often rendered a default judgment in the hospital’s favor. Attorney’s fees and interest are often tacked on. Once a court rules against a defendant, a hospital can proceed to put a lien on the defendant’s house or garnish part of their wages. Many garnishments were against people working for low-wage employers like Walmart. A researcher who has studied hospital lawsuits said that it’s typical for hospitals that sue patients to only make a tiny fraction of their revenue from those lawsuits. “It’s not keeping the lights on for the hospitals—they don’t need to be doing this,” she said. “But for the patients... They’re choosing between medical care and food.”

Argentina Halts Beef Exports for 30 Days to Contain Prices (Bloomberg) Argentina’s government is limiting exports of beef, a staple in the country, in the latest unorthodox move to try to contain runaway inflation that’s approaching 50% annually. President Alberto Fernandez told a key beef export association that they won’t be allowed to sell the product abroad for 30 days, according to a Production Ministry statement released late Monday. “The president expressed his concern over the sustained growth in domestic beef prices over the last few months,” according to the statement. The country’s beef exports in 2020 amounted to roughly $3 billion, but the government may be more focused on the political cost of falling domestic consumption.

Spain Turns to Corruption Rehab for Officials Who Can’t Stop Stealing (NYT) Carlos Alburquerque isn’t your typical rehab candidate. He’s a 75-year-old grandfather living in Córdoba, a city in southern Spain. He was a town notary before he retired in 2015. He hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol in years. But his isn’t your typical rehab program: It’s an 11-month boot camp to reform corrupt Spanish officials and “reinsert” them into mainstream society. “Repairing the damage is what is left for me in this life,” said Mr. Alburquerque, who is serving a four-year prison sentence for stealing around 400,000 euros, nearly a half a million dollars, in his work drawing up contracts and deeds. That such a program exists in Spain may say much about the country’s belief in second chances as it does about how corruption has captured the public imagination here. Flip open a newspaper or turn on the radio: You will hear of schemes, scandals and skulduggery which almost always lead back to the public purse. According to Ángel Luis Ortiz, a former judge who now runs Spain’s prisons, the boom-bust cycles of Spain’s economy had led it to a long history of fraudsters and betrayals of public trust, he said. But at least, corruption rates in Spain were no worse than in other European nations, Mr. Ortiz said, just 5 percent of all crimes.

Russia’s northernmost base projects its power across Arctic (AP) During the Cold War, Russia’s Nagurskoye airbase was little more than a runway, a weather station and a communications outpost in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. It was a remote and desolate home mostly for polar bears, where temperatures plunge in winter to minus-42 Celsius (43 degrees below zero Fahrenheit) and the snow only disappears from August to mid-September. Now, Russia’s northernmost military base is bristling with missiles and radar and its extended runway can handle all types of aircraft, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, projecting Moscow’s power and influence across the Arctic amid intensifying international competition for the region’s vast resources. Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Cyclone kills 19 in India, heavy rains lash parts of Gujarat state (Reuters) A cyclone on India’s west coast has killed at least 19 people and damaged infrastructure and agriculture, while heavy rains continued to lash some regions even as weather officials said on Tuesday that the storm’s intensity had weakened. The cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall in the western state of Gujarat late on Monday, has hit power supply in 2,400 villages in the state as a thousand electricity pylons were damaged, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said in a media address. Nearly 160 roads have been destroyed, 40,000 trees uprooted and several houses damaged, Rupani added.

India reports record day of virus deaths as cases level off (AP) India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday—the biggest dip in weeks. But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients. Infections in India have surged since February in a disastrous turn blamed on more contagious variants as well as government decisions to allow massive crowds to gather for religious festivals and political rallies.

In Gaza, grief and destruction (Washington Post) In a conflict already marked by harrowing scenes of tragedy, one image stood out. Rescuers in Gaza City on Sunday pulled out Suzy Eshkuntana, a 6-year-old, from the rubble of a building that had once been her home, but which was flattened by Israeli airstrikes. She was covered in dust but alive. Her mother and all four of her siblings were dead. It’s not clear why the Eshkuntanas’ home was brought crashing down. Israeli authorities told reporters that they had targeted a network of tunnels used by Hamas militants that may have run beneath the area where the family lived. “The collapse of the tunnel system,” Reuters reported, “caused the houses above to collapse and led to unintended civilian casualties, the military said.” In Israel’s telling, there are many more “unintended” casualties in Gaza. According to local Health Ministry officials, the death toll in Gaza climbed to 212 people, including 61 children and 36 women, as fighting entered its second week. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to some 2.1 million people, the majority of whom are classified as refugees by the United Nations. That’s a legacy of the displacements that followed Israel’s creation in 1948 and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Children make up about half of Gaza’s population. The territory has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, after Hamas took power following a rift within the Palestinian Authority. “Living conditions in Gaza are bleak: 95 percent of the population does not have access to clean water, according to [the United Nations], and electricity shortages periodically bring life to a halt,” my colleagues reported. “The territory has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, World Bank statistics show, and the United Nations estimates that roughly 80 percent of the population relies on international aid to survive and access basic services.”

The New Arab Street: Online, Global and Growing (NYT) The video traveled at 4G speed, leapfrogging across international borders, social media platforms and social justice movements: a young Palestinian woman in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, shouting in furious English at a Jewish man, “You are stealing my house!” “If I don’t steal it, someone else will steal it,” he retorts. Within days—as Israel bombed the coastal territory of Gaza, Palestinian militants there launched rockets at Israel, and Arab and Jewish mobs faced off in Israeli cities—the video had rocketed from young Palestinians’ social media feeds into the Arab diaspora, then lit up the internet, kindling outrage around the world. It used to be that when Palestinians were under fire, protests would follow in the streets of Arab cities. That potential for combustion forced Middle Eastern and Western leaders to keep a wary eye on the temperature of what was called the “Arab street.” This time, a week into an Israeli bombing campaign that has killed 212 Palestinians in Gaza, the reaction from Arab capitals has been muted and protests small and scattered. Instead, solidarity with the Palestinians has shifted online and gone global, a virtual Arab street that has the potential to have a wider impact than the ones in Middle Eastern cities. The online protesters have linked arms with popular movements for minority rights such as Black Lives Matter, seeking to reclaim the narrative from the mainstream media and picking up support in Western countries that have reflexively supported Israel.

Ransomware hits AXA units in Asia, Irish healthcare (AP) The Thai affiliate of Paris-based insurance company AXA said Tuesday it is investigating a ransomware attack by Russian-speaking cybercriminals that has affected operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Meanwhile, a cyberattack on a public health provider in New Zealand took down information systems across five hospitals, forcing staff to cancel some elective surgeries and creating all sorts of other problems. It was unclear if the event was linked to a cyberattack that has nearly paralyzed Ireland’s national healthcare IT systems. The Irish government’s decision not to pay the criminals means hospitals won’t have access to patient records—and must resort mostly to handwritten notes—until painstaking efforts are complete to restore thousands of computer servers from backups.

The Places Ranked Best for Expats in 2021 (Bloomberg) Taiwan, Mexico and Costa Rica have been ranked as the top spots to live and work abroad in 2021, based on their cost of living, ease of settling in and overall quality of life. The U.S. was ranked only 34th out of 59 places, largely because of how expats viewed quality of life in America, according to a new survey published Tuesday. Taiwan topped the charts for the third year in a row in the survey of 12,420 expats conducted by InterNations, a Munich-based expat network with about 4 million members. The top 10: Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, Vietnam.

#headlines #news

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canitakeyourpain · 7 years ago

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First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

The phone rings for the third time, and Renee calls out from upstairs, “Can you answer that?” I look at the number, “It’s from England!” She responds, “So?” I click the answer button, “Baxter.” The voice answers, “This is Mr. Abercrombie, from Abercrombie Publishing Limited, is this David Baxter?” I hesitate thinking this is a crank call or a telemarketer, “Yes?” Mr. Abercrombie asks, “We are interested in your book you’ve published on Amazon.” I quickly respond, “Yes, and?” He asks, “Would you be interested in coming to London to talk about it?” Renee walks into the dining room, “Who is it?”

I tell Mr. Abercrombie waiting on the phone, “Could you hold on a minute? Thanks.” Not waiting for an answer, I place my hand over the speaker. I look up to her and in a low voice, “It is a Publisher in London.” Renee asks, “Oh about your book. You’ve already published it.” I give her a look, and turn my attention back to the phone, “Mr. Abercrombie, sorry to make you wait. I don’t know, my wife and I are…have some mobility issues.” He sounds a little dejected, “Sorry to hear that, maybe we could work this out over e-mail?” Not wanting to lose an opportunity, “Can I take a moment and talk to my wife?” His voice is a little more cheerful, “Certainly, I will give you some time, let’s say I call you back in an hour?” I nod my head, knowing he cannot see my face, “Okay,” as he hangs up and I do the same.

Renee asks, “Do you think he is legitimate?” I respond, “Let me look up him up on the internet.” I start doing some searches and find that there is a company with that name. By the time I am finished, the telephone rings again, and it is the same number, so I answer, “Baxter.” Mr. Abercrombie answers, “Mr. Baxter, you can call me George, and we have decided.” I look up at Renee and answer, “What have you decided?” He continues, “We are scheduling you some airline tickets, if that is okay with you?” I smile to my wife, “That sounds agreeable. Do you need information from us?” He answers, “Oh, we have enough.” He tells us our names, address, and other information. I ask, “You know all that about us?” He chuckles, “Isn’t the internet wonderful? I am sending you an email with flight reservations for the day after tomorrow. If you wish to come and talk to us, we will be waiting.” I feel shocked and maybe violated, “You are that sure of my book?” He laughs, “Yes, and we have booked you for two nights at a hotel here.” As I think of a responds, “My email software chimes as a new message arrives.

I think out loud, “I just received an email.” George responds, “That should be from me. Think it over, and if we see you, fine,” and the telephone connection is gone. I turn to Renee, “This is weird.” I open the email, which has information on a flight with Lufthansa Airlines to Heathrow Airport. Instead of clicking on any links in the email, I record the flight number and go directly to the website. I go to the flight, enter the flight number and reservation number and find our information. I ask, "Do you think this is legit?” Renee answers, “If they are giving up a flight in Business Class, why not.” I smile, “Okay, let’s do this.” I confirm the reservation and print the tickets.

It is Friday and we arrive at the Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich, check-in two small suitcases and board the plane. We are sitting, waiting for takeoff. Renee states, “We’ve never been on Business Class before. We have so much room.” I agree, “We will have to do this more often.” We enjoy the approximate two hour flight. We land in Heathrow, collect our bag, and exit the security area. Renee looks around, “There is a man over there with our name on a placard,” and we walk over to him. He grins and explains, “My name is Walter, and you are the…” I respond, “The Baxter family.” We introduce ourselves and we leave the airport to the city. On the way, Walter asks, “Have you been to London before?” Renee responds, “Yes, a couple of times, but it has been a while.” We look out the window on the trip to and through London.

At the hotel, Walter helps us check in and as he is ready to leave, “It is ten now, at one I will come back to take you to your meeting.” We nod our heads and go to our room. Waling in, Renee comments, “I could get use to this.” I look around the room, “Yeah, but we have business today. Hopefully we will be able to see some sites, maybe take the Tour Bus.” She answers, “We should freshen up. You should have brought a suit. After all, someone is interested in your…story.” I want to reply with a snide remark, but keep my mouth shut. I sit at a small table in the room and bring out some papers, “We should discuss this before the meeting.” She sits across from me and we talk over what we are going to say.

Exactly at one we hear a knock on the door. I open the door and see Walter standing there with a smile. As we leave to the car he comments, “Good, you didn’t wear anything fancy. They are not into the corporate hobnobbing thing.” Renee remarks, “That is just fine for him. He doesn’t like to dress up.” I disagree, “When you want me too, I do.” She pats my cheek, “Yes dear.” We reach a tall corporate looking building and he escorts us to a conference room. As we enter, he smiles, “Don’t be scared, they don’t bite,” turns and leaves us to the mercy of my fears.

I see four gentlemen and only one is wearing a suit. I blink and look again. I mutter to Renee, “I know that man in the suit.” She asks, “Who is he?” I reply, “I’ll tell you later.” Another man comes up to us, “I am Bradley Abercrombie. It is a pleasure to meet you.” I nod my head, “This is my wife, Renee.” They shake hands and he introduces us to two of the other men in the room. The fourth, I walk up to him, “Hello Mr. Driscoll, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Shocked, he answers, “You know me?” I chuckle, “How could I not, Miles Driscoll.” We all take our seats, with two men from the Publishing firm sitting across from us, and Mr. Driscoll and the other man on the other side of the table to our right. I open, “Mr. Driscoll, I am following you on several Social Media applications.” He asks, “That is interesting.” Renee snickers, “Anything that deals with her, and he is interested.”

He chuckles, “She gets that a lot.” My face is red, “It’s not what you think.” His eyebrows raise and I continue, “I have a nephew who will be fifty. To me, I think of her more as a niece. She is talented and her laugh…” Renee interrupts, “And my laugh?” I turn and place a hand on her cheek, “I love your laugh the most. With the way the world is going, we all need to laugh more.”

Bradley loudly clears his throat, “Maybe you could discuss your infatuation after the meeting.” We nod our heads and he starts discussing the terms of their standard contract for unknown writers. I have to interrupt a few times to get clarification, and the meeting lasts about an hour. All during the talk, Miles occasionally taps away on the standing tablet. After finishing, Bradley asks, “Is this agreeable to you?” I clear my throat; open a folder in front of me, which I brought with, “Could I ask a favor?” He is puzzled, “Yes?” I pull out a piece of paper and slide it across to him, “I don’t want to set any conditions. I know that my book or books have not been edited by a professional and I could welcome the help, but…” He is reading the piece of paper and chuckling.

Bradley looks up at me, “This is highly unusual. I don’t know if we could do this,” looks over at Miles, “And someone else would have to agree as well.” He slides the page to Miles, who begins reading. His eyebrows raise, a smile crosses his face, “I would say this is unusual.” I interrupt, “Or I could name you to do it.” Miles asks, “Do you have another copy of this?” I pull out another copy and slide it across the table. Bradley states, “We have you staying for two overnights, so I think that we should discuss this and check with our lawyers. Can we have another meeting tomorrow?” I answer, “You are very generous, so how could we say no.” He replies, “We will send Walter to your hotel tomorrow to pick you up, is it okay for the same time?” We agree and Renee and I leave. As we leave we hear their discussion start, “I don’t know…”

We enter our hotel room and Renee moves toward the bathroom, “I need to shower, it is hot out there.” I respond, “Okay, maybe we can get some Fish & Chips later.” She leaves me to my own thoughts, and another story comes to my mind. I am deep in thought when she comes out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, “Your turn. Oh, you are thinking again, that’s a bad sign,” and laughs. I look up, a little red in the face, “Hey, I can’t help it.” She urges, “Go.” I get up and move to the bathroom. After another twenty minutes I come out and see her lying on the bed, “Tired?” She answers, “Maybe just a little nap.” Fully dressed, I lie down beside her, “Just ten minutes or so.” We fall asleep.

We are awoken by a knock on the door. I quickly get up and look at the time, “We slept four hours!” I walk to the door and open it to see Walter. He smiles, “Oh, I was about to leave, thought maybe you were out seeing the town.” He sees the sleepy look in my eyes, “Oh, a long day.” I just nod my head, step back from the door and invite him in, “Walter, we weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.” Renee is now standing as he sees her, “Sorry to disturb you. My boss wanted to know if you would have dinner with him.” I look at Renee, “He doesn’t have to go to all this trouble.” He smiles, “I think he likes you two. I could go back and tell him that you were out on the town.” I shake my head, “No, no. If he is going to be my boss too, I shouldn’t try and get on the wrong side. How should be dress? Do we need to wear something formal?” He laughs, “No, just as long as you are wearing clothes.” We leave with him.

We are driven to what appears to be a suburb with the houses built closely together. There is no front yard, just some steps leading up to a door. Renee leads me to the front door with Walter who knocks on the door. After a minute, Miles is smiling as he opens the door. Walter announces, “I am happy to present you with your guests of honor,” chuckles, tips a finger to his brow, and leaves us in front of the door. Miles remarks, “He is always the joker. Now, I would like to invite you to have dinner with us, hopefully you haven’t eaten already.” Renee smiles, “No we haven’t. We were taking it easy after the meeting and now I am famished.” We hear some laughter coming from inside the house. My face changes to startled look and I turn to slowly make my way back to the street. Miles is shocked and Renee calls after me, “Dear, where are you going?” I come to a stop and stutter, “I can’t go in there.” She comes up behind me and places a hand on my shoulder, “Why not? They are being so nice to us.” I turn to face her, my eyes out of focus. She cajoles me, “Check your blood sugar.” Miles calls out, “Is there anything wrong?” I bring out my sensor; wave it across the inside of my left arm, “150.”

Renee asks, “Your blood sugar is okay, then what is the matter?” I look her in the eyes, “I’m scared.” She gives me a small smile, “Of what?” Miles is now by us, “Are you sick? I can have Walter take you back to your hotel room.” She turns to him, “He isn’t sick, he is shy.” He looks at me, “Shy of whom?” Then he realizes who it is, “There is nothing to be scared of, she doesn’t bite. At least I haven’t seen her do it yet,” and laughs. He takes my arm, positions himself between us and leads us to the front door. I feel myself stumble as we walk on, “I’ll probably make an ass of myself.” He replies, “Nonsense, just be yourself.” She laughs, “Oh then you want him to make an ass of himself,” as she helps pull me to the door.

We enter the foyer and walk to a larger room, the dining room. Mr. Abercrombie is there with the other two men from the meeting, and her. My knees start trembling as I try and focus to see her face. My eyes as bad as they are see her tall figure and she has stopped laughing. She sees me being escorted by Renee and Miles. With concern on her face, “Is everything okay?” I shake my head in agreement and Renee releases me and greets her, “It is a pleasure to meet you, he has told me a lot about you,” and in a whispering tone, “And that hasn’t been much, I think I’m jealous.” Ms. Christian looks at her and then me, smiles and giggles, “I get that look a lot.” They both take hands and shake. She then comes to me, “Mr. Baxter, it is a pleasure to meet you.” I stammer out, “You can call me Dave or David if you like; it is…an honor to meet…you.” She laughs and replies, “They you can call me Carol.” She reaches out a hand to shake and with my eyesight and nervousness I miss hers. Renee excuses for me, “He has problems with his eyes, and by the way he is shaking, I think he might faint.” She reaches out with both hands and takes mine and shakes it.

Miles clears his throat; I think we all need a drink, what will you two be having?” Renee tells him, “I don’t drink alcohol, so some juice or water would be just fine.” He looks at me, “And you?” I turn my attention to him, “Wine?” He smiles, “Certainly,” and walks off to fetch a glass. Renee asks, “Can he sit down before he falls down?” The dining room table is elegantly set and Carol leads me to a chair. Renee comes and sits beside me. I am looking everywhere else except at her, not wanting to stare. She asks, “You have eye problems?” I nod my head and Renee responds, “Yes, about two years ago he had a stroke in one eye and the next month in the other. He is about fifty percent in both eyes.” Carol answers, “I’m sorry to hear that, but you can see some?” This time I reply, “Yes, but reading a normal book and watching television is difficult.” She moves across from us and takes a seat.

Miles brings a wine glass and sets it in front of me. I try to pick up the glass, but miss. Renee quickly grabs the glass before it falls, “He has problems with wine glasses, and maybe a normal glass would be better.” I respond, “No that is okay, I just need to know where it is, and as long as I don’t reach too far for anything, I will not break it.” Miles and Carol look at each other, Miles leaves to bring dinner in from the kitchen. Renee notices, “Well trained I see.” Carol laughs which brings my head toward her. As I have been looking every here else, but not at her. She sees my smile, “You don’t hear laughter much?” I stammer out, “Your laugh is different.” Renee chides, “And mine, it doesn’t count?” I quickly reply, “Yours is the best, and hers is next.” Carol giggles, “Good catch.” I add, “I also like the rhythm of your speech. As my eyesight goes, I pay attention more to sound. Then as my hearing goes…” I feel my hand being slapped, “Enough of that talk, you wanted to meet her, and not talk of your woes.” I solemnly reply, “Sorry.”

Miles brings in some dishes and platters of food, “I hope you like vegetarian?” I state, “We aren’t like the book, we do eat meat, but also vegetarian once or twice a week.” He replies, “Good, I hope you like it.” They pass the dishes around and Renee places food on my plate, telling me where everything is, and we start eating. Between bites, Carol inquires, “So, I’ve seen on some of my Social Media accounts, comments, and responses from you.” I nod my head, “I guess that I’m just one of those crazy obsessed fans.” This brings a chuckle from Renee, “You could say that.” Carol asks, “So you wrote this book for me?” This time I answer, “No, at first the two characters were our names, but I was told in no uncertain terms to change the names.” I hear a mumble, “You got that right.” Carol looks over at her and smiles, “So the book is about you two?” She smiles, “We have various ailments and it was his dream. He should talk about it.”

I begin, “When the problems with my eyes started, I had to find another way to entertain myself. I have had a myriad of dreams that I’ve experienced. I took the one that interested me the most and decided to write about it.” Carol asks, “And where do I fit in?” I cough a little, “Well I started writing and began thinking it would make a good story for a television series, or a film.” I fumble for my wine and take a drink. Carefully setting it down, I continue, “I began thinking who would I select to play the characters. For the first writing, I didn’t really describe the characters and started thinking of who I thought would be good. I remembered the television series you played in,” chuckling, I add, “And not the first one.” She then chuckles, “I hope not, it would have really been strange.” I nod my head, “I had only watched into season three and my eyes went. I still plan to watch them, the best I can. But then I looked up that actor. I hope you don’t mind me saying actor. Well I went to YouTube and first saw your interview with the late night host.”

I am silent thinking of the video with a smile on my face. Renee snaps a finger in front of my face, “I saw it too, so go on.” I turn to her, “Sorry.” Miles asks, “A little more wine?” I try and put my hand on top of my glass, but almost tip it over, “No thank you.” Turning back to Carol, “Your exuberance and laugh won me over. When I think of you, that is what I think, the joy, and the openness of your personality. I think even if it wouldn’t become a film, that you would narrate the book.” She solemnly answers, “That is thoughtful of you.” I just smile back in her direction. She continues, “Don’t you think I’m a little too old for the part?” I quickly answer, “I think you could play any age you like and the viewers would feel it. In adaptations, they don’t really follow the books too closely anyway.” She giggles, “So you think I could play Katie?” I answer, “If you wanted to, but I then started writing it towards you being the lead. I also had an alternate motive.” She asks, “What, to see me in those scenes in the book?” I give a wry smile, “No, the intimate scenes can be taken out. The only scene that I would want is the kissing down the back, and it could be a stand-in. What my motive was or is? I have a Grandniece who is an actor as well. I think she would be wonderful for a part.”

Renee asks, “Did you take any insulin?” I respond, “No, I was too caught up, let me check,” as I take out my sensor and wave it under my left arm. She sees that it is over two-hundred, “Can you show him the bathroom, or loo?” I hear some chuckling and Miles stands and leads me to the bathroom. I take out my insulin pen and inject myself. I straighten myself up and he escorts me back to the table. Carol asks me, “Do you love me?” I answer, “I don’t really know you well enough for that. I admire you and your work. I am happy for your success and know it will continue. There are a lot of people who say they love celebrities, but do they still feel that way when things go bad? You would be like a niece to us. We have a nephew nine years your elder.”

Carol asks, “I’ve seen that this is a trilogy, have you written the others yet?” I respond, “The second is finished and I have written some on the third. A lot of it is in my head waiting to be put onto paper as it is. I think before making any commitments, that Mr. Abercrombie should edit it, before anything more is done. I would also like your opinion as well. It all depends on if the adjustments to the contract can be worked out.” She looks at me, “You would trust me to do something like that? You could just do it yourself.” I shake my head, “I am a man of two countries and both will want a part of anything we make. We don’t need the hassle and it would work out for others, if it can be done.” Bradley responds, “We will know tomorrow, and I have discussed it with Miles and Carol. They are agreeable as long as it doesn’t cause them any difficulties.” I respond, “Good, it would be a load off our minds. We are living comfortably in retirement and don’t need the stress.”

Miles gets up, “Let’s go into the living room, we can talk some more there. It is more comfortable.” We enter a larger room with a couple of couches and comfortable looking chairs. He asks, “Does anyone want anything more to drink?” I respond, “Maybe now another glass of wine.” He leaves and comes back with my wine glass half filled, and brings some juice for Renee. Bradley asks, “So you have the second book finished.” I reply, “Yes, I’ve just been going through it checking for errors and such.” Carol asks, “Do we have to wait until it is released to see it?” I quickly state, “No, I have it on a USB stick,” reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small device. She asks, “You said I should see it first before committing to anything.” I place the stick on the table, “I will leave this with you and Bradley.”

I look in her direction, “It would probably be even better to know a little bit about the final book. There are a lot of secrets that will be revealed in it that will surprise the readers.” She asks, “Such as?” I answer, “The origins of the two, and of course the end of the story, if you want to call it an end.” She laughs, “Puzzles?” I listen to the laugh, “As the story continues, there are various directions the story can take, but the origins and end parts are set in stone.” She asks, “Could you tell us a little bit about the beginning at least?” I answer, “A spoiler? Okay, it may take some time,” directing my attention to the others, who nod their heads. I begin the story and it takes over a half hour to tell.

We talk a little more about what is happening in life, especially Carol’s travels and stories of meeting fans and other stars. We listen intently as the night draws on. Around midnight we are yawning and Renee states, “I think we’ve had enough for the night.” Some of the heads nod and they walk us to the door. I place my hand out to shake with Carol. She takes my hand, leans in, and kisses me on the cheek. She sees the blush on my face and turns to Renee and does the same. The same procedure with Miles and Walter takes us back to the hotel.

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roundtheworldrambles · 4 years ago

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Wanaka, Lake Hawea and the West Coast, New Zealand

Day 119 – Queenstown, Wanaka and Lake Hawea

Packing up my campsite in the morning, I befriended some of my fellow campers – Spaniards, Brits and Germans, parked near to me. We chatted over breakfast, swapping travel tips for the South Island. Many of them had been travelling around New Zealand for much longer than me, and were happy to share their recommendations.

View from Queenstown Hill

Driving along the shores of Lake Wakatipu, I arrived in Queenstown and began to drive up the steep neighbourhood hills, arriving at the trailhead for Queenstown Hill Loop. Paragliders swooped overhead, having just taken off from the nearby Bob’s peak. I recall being particularly proud of my parking job that day – not only did I parallel park on the “wrong” side of the road, but I also did so on a steep hill (its all about the little things when travelling!).

Lake Wakatipu

I began the 500 metre uphill climb to the summit of Te Tapu-nui (Maori for the “Mountain of Intense Sacredness”). My hike took me through a grove of massive, ancient pine trees, the strong smell of evergreen filling the air. Ascending through a break in the trees, I caught sight Lake Wakatipu, stretching out into the distance. As I gained elevation, the surrounding views became even more rewarding – golden hills framing the brilliant waters of the lake, and a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains – including the Remarkables and Coronet Peak ski areas. Pink lupins were scattered around the hilltop, swaying in the breeze. Queenstown Hill is also directly above the airport in Frankton, and I was able to see several planes land and take off from a bird’s eye view – and could really get a sense of the impressive manoeuvring it took to fly in and out of the mountainous area!

Cardrona

I enjoyed a picnic lunch at the summit, and met a group of Americans and Canadians who were living and working in Queenstown on temporary work visas. It was fascinating chatting with them about their experiences, and hearing their stories made me fall in love with New Zealand even more. In the short time I had been in NZ, I quickly began to feel like I could live there. Of all the countries I have been fortunate enough to visit, NZ definitely felt the most like a “home away from home”.

Descending back into town, I fuelled up my campervan and hit the road, heading north to Wanaka! Located about 1 hour North of Queenstown, Wanaka is often described as a “mini Queenstown”, with many similar outdoor adventures in the vicinity, but without the same crowds and tourism. On my route to Wanaka, my campervan chugged up a series of steep switchbacks, leading to a high-elevation highway that traversed the Crown Mountain Range. I stopped in the small resort town of Cardrona for a coffee midway, a scenic township surrounded by the popular ski fields of Treble Cone and Cardrona.

“That Wanaka Tree”

Descending into Wanaka, I was greeted by another spectacular turquoise lake, backed by yellow hills and snowy mountains in the distance. My campsite for the evening was at Wanaka Lake Holiday Park – which was a nice change from the DOC campsites as there were showers! I was pretty tired from the activities of recent days by the time I arrived, and spent most of the remaining day relaxing, with a stroll along the scenic waterfront to pick up some food for dinner. Arriving at the waterfront, I immediately sighted “that Wanaka tree”. An iconic landmark of the town, this semi-submerged willow tree is tilted on its side, casting a perfect reflection in the lake when the waters are still. I ate my dinner along the waterfront, admiring the striking landscape around me.

Day 120 – Wanaka

Waking up to rainy weather, I used this day as a rest day to relax in town, as I had many activities booked for the following few days. I was feeling fairly lonely at this point on my trip – as wonderful as solo travel is, sometimes it gets to you! Because travelling in New Zealand requires a camper or car, hostel stays are not as common, and I was finding it a little more challenging to meet people naturally. That said – in true extrovert fashion, I still went out of my way to find ways to connect with other travellers and locals!

I had the good fortune of meeting a friendly local guy (also named Guy) when I was in town later that afternoon. He worked as an operations manager for a luxury lodge out of Te Anau, where the lodge flies people into remote wildness camps by helicopter. The lodge is a jumping off point for hunting, fishing, skiing and hiking – and was pretty sweet job in my books! Since it was a rainy afternoon, Guy invited me up to his place in Lake Hawea, a nearby town, to hangout over beer and pizza. It was very welcome company! He also gave me tons of tips for my following weeks of travel around New Zealand – and was definitely the right person to give me the inside scoop on outdoor adventures in the country.

As the weather cleared up in the afternoon, we grabbed our bathing suits and headed down to the waterfront for a swim in Lake Hawea. The water was cold and crystal clear, and incredibly refreshing after a week of sleeping in a campervan! It was a wonderful, unexpected day and looking back, I smile when I think of Guy and how friendly and hospitable he was to me – a perfect stranger! Moments and connections like these are one of my favourite parts of travelling.

Day 121 – Roy’s Peak, Wanaka

Roy’s Peak

I woke early in the morning to a sunny, warm day. I drove a short distance out of town to the trailhead for Roy’s Peak, the 16-km hike I was set to do that day. With the town of Wanaka as my backdrop, I began to ascend a series of step switchbacks, winding up the alpine meadows and tussocks from the lake. Early into my hike (or “tramp”, as Kiwis like to call it!) I met three fellow hikers – Van and Anita, dentists from the Gold Coast, and Stephanie, a backpacker from Lake Tahoe. We chatted and kept each other company, which was good motivation to push through this challenging, uphill trek!

As we gained elevation, we began to see the distant bays and inlets of Lake Wanaka, framed by hills and alpine meadows. Further in the distance, the horizon was lined by the Southern Alps, with Mount Aspiring just visible amongst the far-off peaks.

Two and a half hours into our hike, we finally arrived at Roy’s Peak, a windblown, grassy knoll with sweeping views of the surrounding region. There were very few trees and the top, and the wind whipped through our hair as we ate our picnic lunches and admired the breathtaking scenery.

After taking what must have been hundreds of photos, and cheering on a pair of fellow hikers who got engaged at the peak, our group of four began our descent down the slopes. Hundreds of sheep grazed along the nearby hills, bells ringing as they trotted along the narrow footpaths.

Rippon Vineyard

6 hours after beginning our hike, we finally arrived back at the parking lot. Stephanie and I decided to reward ourselves for our hard work by stopping into Rippon Vineyard, a family-run winery along the shores of Lake Wanaka. We arrived just on time for a wine tasting, which was the perfect reward after a day of hard physical work! In the evening our hiking group grabbed a celebratory dinner together in town before parting ways.

I ended my day parked in my campervan along the waterfront, relaxing in the back with the doors open and my feet up. I enjoyed a glass of wine while watching the end of a Redbull-sponsored sailing race, dozens of small boats speeding along the windy waters. I admired the sundown over Lake Wanaka before returning to my campsite for the night – heading to bed early before my long drive to the West Coast the following day.

Day 12 – The West Coast and Franz Josef Glacier

I woke up at 6am and headed west out of Wanaka, embarking on a 4-hour drive to Franz Josef Glacier, my destination for the rest of the day. I was beyond excited for my day of adventures – as I had splurged on a Helicopter ride over the famous Franz Josef Glacier! As part of this glacier tour, we would be dropped on the ice to do some guided glacier walking and traversing. The photos I had seen of Franz Josef depicted a landscape that was simply otherworldly, and I was both apprehensive and exhilarated, as glaciers can be dangerous, unpredictable places. The wet, stormy weather of the West Coast can whip up unexpected rain and snowstorms in the mountains, and the helicopter rides heading to the icefield can be cancelled on an hour-by-hour basis for safety reasons.

My drive left Wanaka as the sun was still rising, winding up the shoreline of Lake Wanaka and Hawea as I headed into Mount Aspiring National Park. As was the norm by this time on my roadtrip, thousands of sheep flocked along nearby fields as I headed west. As I approached the wet, blustery coast, the vegetation around me became progressively more rainforest-like, with waterfalls and lush greenery lining my route.

As I neared the West Coast, I could see the pounding grey surf in the distance, long lines of white wash forming far offshore. At this point in my drive, I was in such a remote part of New Zealand that I did not have cell phone service for hours. Not that this mattered – as the sights transfixed me along my way! I arrived in the tiny town of Franz Josef around 10:30am, and headed to my check-in point. The weather had been starting to look gloomy for a few hours, but since my departure wasn’t until 12:30am, I had my fingers crossed! When checking in, I was advised that was likely that my departure would be cancelled for that day due to inclement weather, but was told to touch base with them again in a few hours. I was well aware that this would be possibility, given the unpredictable mountain and glacial conditions, but I was disappointed nonetheless. I killed some time in town at a local café, grabbing a coffee and a bite to eat to recharge after my long drive. Checking back in with the glacier tour a few hours later, I was told what I had already feared – that my helicopter tour had been cancelled for the day due to dangerous alpine weather. Unfortunately, since I was on such a tight schedule in New Zealand, I would not be able to stay another day and try again the following day.

Determined to make the most out of my remaining day, I relaxed in the hot springs in town, before retracing my route from this morning back towards the East. Since I now had more time for my return trip than expected, I spent my time stopping at a variety of lookouts along the West Coast, and in Mount Aspiring National Park, including a hike along the Blue Pools track. This short, one-hour hike took me over a swing bridge and through a native beech forest, before arriving at a series of azure-blue pools in a small gorge. A bridge spanned over the pools, with people diving and flipping into the turquoise water below. It was a perfect place to stretch my legs after a long day of driving.

Blue Pools

As the afternoon waned, I kept driving into the night, with my goal to get as close to Lake Tekapo as possible, my destination for the following day. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best decision, as this also meant that I would be crossing Lindis pass at night, a steep mountain road crossing the saddle between the Lindis and Ahuriri valleys. The fact that I was ascending a high-altitude pass didn’t hit me until I was already mid-way up the mountain in the dark, with bright lights from oncoming cars and trucks passing me closely on the narrow alpine roads. Needless to saw, it was a more harrowing drive than I anticipated – especially after a full day on the road! I was thrilled when I finally pulled into my riverside campsite in Omarama in the pitch darkness, and promptly fell dead asleep.

#newzealand

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ward-fr · 5 years ago

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Rent a motorhome, discover New Zealand - TUI CAMPER

New Zealand means a lot of nature and few big cities, so there are also few rental locations. Each of our providers has a rental station on the north and one on the south island, each in Auckland and Christchurch. Jucy, Britz and Maui also offer the opportunity to pick up or drop off your New Zealand camper in Queenstown, in the southern interior of the South Island. In the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, only the provider Jucy has a rental station that can be used.

And for passages by ferry, you have to book the crossings much earlier than with a rental car. The feeling of great freedom certainly does not arise. Seals, sea lions and dolphins await you on this dream route on the South Island. Let yourself be enchanted by rushing waterfalls, turquoise mountain lakes and dramatic fjord landscapes on this camper tour. I am glad to hear that. Even if not everything is 100% (where is it already?) - New Zealand is definitely worth a trip. When buying a camper, car or motorhome, you have the advantage that you can theoretically save money by selling the vehicle at the end of your trip. Nevertheless, you take the risk in the event of an accident, it is not guaranteed that you will get the purchase price back.

How is the weather in New Zealand in January?

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International Airports Auckland Airport is the largest airport, followed by Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin. Find out which international airlines fly to New Zealand.

Many of the private campsites were also surrounded by beautiful nature.

The waste water tank must be emptied.

Christchurch is located on the south island of New Zealand and is one Good starting point for visiting various national parks.

One green hill with sheep follows the next.

This must have a "Self Containment Certificate", that is, it must meet certain hygiene standards. li >

We traveled with camper through New Zealand for some time and got to know the country and its people a little better.

The tickets are more expensive on site and if you visit both islands you will need them anyway. In general, the prices for campers are never fixed. If you want to rent a camper cheaply in New Zealand, then you should definitely keep the above points in mind.

How far is it from Hamburg to New Zealand?

New Zealand Currencies

Then, on your camper trip, discover the breathtaking natural treasures of the South Island, such as the Franz Josef Glacier and the snow-covered Mount Cook. By using this form, you consent to the storage of your name and email address by this website. Even if the North Island also has fantastic corners, of course - from our perspective, unfortunately, it did not reach the South Island. Many places through which we came were relatively unadorned. Simple wooden buildings, without pretty gardens, a lot of junk spread around the property and there was a lot of rubbish everywhere. We hardly wanted to stop at some rest areas, because of the litter and also at the campsites we had to turn our noses one time or another. But that was partly due to the “trash can” situation throughout New Zealand.

On the road in New Zealand

This must have a "Self Containment Certificate", that is, meet certain hygiene standards. Motorhomes without a corresponding certificate are not allowed to spend the night at many well-located campsites. Which makes Mighty campervan me very happy to hear that you didn't feel that way about the garbage. Our trip is now a few years ago.

#New Zealand by motorhome

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putnamrm-blog · 5 years ago

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Day 77 - Franz Josef Glacier

The rain must have stopped sometime in the night as we went to bed being pummeled by the rain but this morning find clear skies. It's not due to last long though so we are straight up the valley before breakfast in an effort to see the glacier before it clouds over again. It's only 45 minutes walk to the base of the glacier, or at least as close as the fun police will let us go without forking out for a guide. I think we're pretty safe at 750m from the ice! The view is okay but actually better from further back where you can see the snowy mountains as well. Here we can see the ice but it's still very far away, and we're too deep in the valley to be able to see the mountains behind. Worth going though if only to stretch our legs.

There are a few signs showing where the glacier reached in 1908 and 2008. The speed at which it is receding is quite alarming, which makes the number of helicopters overhead all the more contradictory. A constant stream of them, at least 3 in the air at any given moment. The irony being that each is filled with people trying to get a good look at the very thing they are destroying. I'm no eco-warrior but that just seems madness to me.

Before coming back to town we pop up to see Wombat Lake, another half hour walk up a hill. This is very much less visited and we have the lake to ourselves at 10am. Again, totally still and peaceful except for the helicopters overhead. I count four in the ten minutes that we're on the lakeside!

Back into town just as the weather closes in again so we head to the the hot springs to relax for a while, sitting in the warm water as it begins to rain. And it doesn't let up all day so we get the dull chore of laundry done and slowly make our way further down the coast.

Finally we find a spot for "freedom camping", as they call it here. A massive con, I think, as it's anything but free, in both senses of the word. Everywhere we've been until now the camping has been tightly controlled with "no camping" signs everywhere that looks like a good spot. We end up having to stay in campsites or in community car parks. I thought the whole idea was that we could hire a self contained van (meaning toilet inside, and all waste water held in a tank) so we'd have the freedom to camp pretty much wherever we like. I was wrong.

Tonight, though, we've stumbled upon a great spot on a quiet stretch of road along the beach. It's still pouring with rain and the van is on a tilt but we can hear the sea and we're tucked out of the worst of the wind. I rustle up the leftovers of the beef massaman I made two nights ago and we tuck it away while tucked away in our little candlelit camper.

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greenbagjosh · 4 years ago

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Day 2 - Innsbruck early morning walk and tram ride, Garmisch, Marienplatz, Ulm and Stuttgart

Thursday, 7 September 2000

Buongiorno! Grüß Gott! Bonjour!

Hello and welcome to the 17 day journey of September 2000.

Today is 7th September 2000. Yesterday may have been a nice sunny day but from evening to overnight that changed. As on Tuesday the 6th September, about 4 PM, my train crossed into Brennero and it became cloudy as we went down the mountain to Innsbruck. There was no noticeable precipitation until at least some time during the night. I managed to go to the SPAR grocery store in Igls prior to the rainfall.

I think I woke up around 3:30 AM, since I went to bed around 8:30 PM after watching the news on TV. It would be at least four hours until breakfast would be served, and I could not sleep any more. I turned on my radio to the local ORF FM station. It played German-language soft rock, or "Schlagerrock." One song I remember was "Fliege, weiße Adler" by Nadine Norell. Before the 4 AM news, it played an instrumental part of Swedish singer Meja's "Beautiful girl". I recorded about fifteen minutes more until I decided that I could not go back to sleep and needed to get out of the hotel.

It was about 5 AM, it was showering a bit along the Badehausstraße, not too bad to go for a walk with an umbrella. I had some trouble with the front door. It used a skeleton key, which I am not particularly good at using, but I managed to lock the front door before I walked down to the Bilgeristraße. On the video I took, I made a comment about being so happy to find the Erdnußflips that I enjoyed in Summers 1997 and 1998, the peanut flavored Cheetos-shaped corn puffs. Along the way I found a milk vending machine, that would sell milk either by the half liter or full liter, and you would have to bring your own container. For a liter, it cost maybe 90 cents. There was also a sign for an on-premise potato vendor next door. The bus stop Patscherkofelbahn, the approximate location of the 1964 Winter Olympics for men's downhill alpine skiing, had a bus scheduled to leave about 5:45 AM, that would be still at least half an hour that I would have to wait. When I crossed Lanserstraße which went to Lans maybe a few miles east of Igls, I was in the east part of downtown.

I stopped at the Tiroler Sparkasse to have a look at the day's exchange rates. Since it was already September 2000, and Austria signed up to switch to the Euro in January 2002, exchange rates were quoted in Euro, and there was a US Dollar rate to the Schilling, about 15, which is much better than 13.73 to the Euro. This was a time when the US Dollar had more value than the Euro. This would prepare me for what I could expect when I went to Munich to withdraw money in D-Mark and hopefully also Swiss Francs. I had a bit of an "optimistic" feeling then. And if you watch the video, you can see a shadow of my umbrella, when I am looking at the exchange rates.

I walked along the Hilbert Straße to Patscher Straße which went down to the southeast city limit with Innsbruck with Vill in between. At the intersection of Hilbert Straße and Patscher Straße was something like a goose, duck, turkey or chicken, that might have broken loose from its enclosure. I remember reading as a child the story "Churkendoose", so this could have been the great-grandchild. It flapped its wings in order to dry off. The sun would not come up for at least two hours so the fowl across the street was not very easy to see but I videotaped it flapping its wings.

I walked down Patcher Straße to find a bus stop to wait at. I went as far as the Gluirschegg stop. The bus picked me up and honored my previous day's day pass as it was good for 24 hours. I went as far as the Landesmuseum tram stop, and transferred. I did manage to get a ride through Innsbruck's city center. I did not visit any of the museums until the 10th February 2012, and there is one in particular I want to return to, namely Das Tirol Panorama, which is up a hill from the Bergisel tram stop. I did have a stroll through downtown Innsbruck, up to Maria Theresien Straße, and the weather had stopped raining. It was close to 7 AM and the bus line J was due to arrive to take me back to Igls. The sun was in the process of rising. Innsbruck and environs are in a mountainous area, so even if the sun rose at 7:15 AM, you might not notice it until at least 7:45.

On the bus between Leopoldstraße and Bergisel, a woman boarded the line J bus and did exactly what no passenger should do - be standing so close to the safety line at the front door, and speaking to the driver. The driver did not seem to mind much. I offered the lady the front seat next to the front door, but she declined. I sat there until the bus arrived at Patscherkofelbahn in Igls. The bus went up the hill to Vill, going through downtown Igls past the SPAR grocery store and the Tiroler Sparkasse and ended at Patscherkofelbahn. By that time, it was 7:35 AM and about time for breakfast at the Pension Oswald. I put my video camera in my room and came down to eat breakfast, the first one of the vacation. Breakfast included bread rolls, hard boiled eggs, butter, cheese, sliced meats like ham, salami, and some locally produced jams, plus coffee and orange juice. After breakfast I took a bath in the bathtub, which is strange for me as I usually take a shower. While packing up, I turned the radio on and heard an ABBA cover version of "Souper Trooper" performed by the A-Teens.

I think about 9:45 AM I was ready to check out, and turned in my key and paid about US $45 for the night including taxes. I went down with my luggage to the Patscherkofelbahn bus stop for Bus Line J and Landesmuseum where I would have to walk a couple of blocks to Hauptbahnhof. It would not leave until at least 10:15 AM. The bus was half full at the time, but when the bus got to Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall) Igls, many people boarded and I was cramped until about Sillpark. The bus reached Landesmuseum about 10:40 AM. I made it to the Hbf just before 11 AM. There were no trains to Munich until 11:45 AM. I boarded a Regional Express that went by Innsbruck-Allerheiligenhöfe, Scharnitz, Mittenwald, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Wolfratshausen, before reaching Munich. The ride was nice. When the train reached Scharnitz at 12:45 PM, the last station in Austria before crossing in to Germany, the train car had stopped right in front of the restaurant that I ate on Sunday 7th June 1998, I had a Bürgermeisterschmaus plate with a half liter of Gösser pilsener and Almdudler that tastes like carbonated green tea. That was a nice comfortable place to eat before ending my birthday weekend and going back to "home" in Munch.

About 12:50 PM, the train crossed into Germany. I had my video camera running and saw the border crossing and "Freistaat Bayern" sign. That was my first ever video footage in Germany. The train stopped in Mittenwald. I thought there would be customs formalities, but only the conductor came to check that my Eurail Pass was still valid and that I had entered in my usage dates correctly with a pen - either blue or black. Then he said "Dankeschön, schöne Reise" and left. It took about two hours after leaving Garmisch-Partenkirchen, for the train to arrive at Munich Pasing, so sometime about 2:47 PM. Pasing is a major transfer station west of Hbf. And not too far from the Hacker-Pschorr brewery, one of the breweries that is allowed to sell their beer at Oktoberfest which was less than two weeks away from the story setting. The S-1 has, since the opening of the "Neufahrner Spange" near Aying, served as one of the two S-Bahn lines between Munich and the Franz Josef Strauß International Airport. The other line, S-8 has its own hub, at Ostbahnhof.

The train arrived at Hbf about 3:05 PM. I had to put the black sling bag in a locker and take the backpack with me. Then I had to buy a MVV day pass for the U Bahn. I had the radio with me, so I could make sort of an audio recording of being on the set of the 1985 German-language film "Sugarbaby" by Percy Adlon. In particular between Odeonsplatz and Münchner Freiheit. I had a reason to go to Münchner Freiheit, as I had to exchange an expired indentification card for another one that I could use in most of Germany and maybe also in the rest of Europe for a fee. The bank I went to, would give only D-Mark, and I knew of another bank in downtown near Marienplatz, who I thought, would give Swiss Francs, as I had managed to withdraw in Summer 1998. When I reached there about 4 PM, I was disappointed to see that the Swiss Francs were switched for Spanish Peseta. ???????????? The bank teller told me that since the Euro was in force, the bank had to remove the Austrian Schilling and Swiss Franc ATMs. I had enough D-Mark to last me a couple of days, but not as many Swiss Francs. Disappointing. But I had to go on. Before that, I had to call the Hotel Stern where I was staying, that I would arrive about 8 PM that evening. They said they would wait for me. It would be about a two hour train ride to Stuttgart via Augsburg, Günzburg and Ulm. In the meantime I walked around Marienplatz. The toy museum was open, so they had their five bells and a cymbal machine running but I think the bells were out of service as only the cymbal was playing. Otherwise you would hear five cowbells in descending tone before a cymbal crash. I have a recording of it working properly from late May 1998.

I took the S-Bahn back to the Hbf and boarded the Intercity train. It left about 4:50 PM. It would stop at Pasing, Augsburg Hbf, Günzburg in the north Allgäu, Ulm, and along the Neckar to Stuttgart Hbf. It was in Ulm about 6:05 PM, and I could see the Danube river as well as the gothic cathedral, it was one of the most gothic I had ever seen, similar to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The train moved on to Stuttgart Hbf passing through Esslingen and Bad Canstatt, by which time it was about 7:10 PM. The U Bahn underground subway station at Hbf, was like a two side-platform setup, with one big central platform and two outer platforms. The hotel was at Metzstraße, so I had to take either an U1, U2 or U14. I took the next U Bahn to Stöckach and changed to an U Bahn that would go to Metzstraße. When I checked in, I put my luggage in my single room. It had a sink but no toilet or shower, as it was down the hall. At the Reitzensteinstraße, visible from my bedroom window, I remember there used to be a Citroen dealership. It has since closed down and reopened as a used car dealership.

The hotel was still serving dinner, and I had a small gyros plate with a greek salad. I was feeling very tired and then went to bed. Breakfast would be served at 7 AM. I think I went on another early morning adventure the next morning through Stuttgart.

I hope you will join me again in the next story, Friday 8th September 2000. We will bring our country total to four out of seven.

Buona notte! Gute Nacht! Bonne nuit! Good night!

#Stuttgart #Igls #Austria #Germany #Scharnitz #Mittenwald #Garmisch-Partenkirchen #München #Pasing #Hbf #Marienplatz

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topfygad · 5 years ago

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Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary for 1st-Time Visitors (North & South Island) – I am Aileen

A lot of you would have known by now how I adore New Zealand — and that’s not just because it’s the set for ‘Middle-earth’.

Regrettably, first trip to this country felt incredibly short; after all, I barely scratched the surface of the wonders held within the North Island, and I didn’t even manage to drop by in the South Island. So when Wild Kiwi invited me to go on a 21-day tour to both of the islands, you bet that I said ‘yes‘ in a heartbeat.

Looking back, it has surely turned out to be the one most epic road trips that I have ever done in my life. With that, I hope that the rest of this post will show you why a tour with Wild Kiwi will be worth your while, if not give you ideas for your own New Zealand adventure!

Find out more about Wild Kiwi and why I have chosen to go with them (despite the number of other New Zealand tour companies who have extended their invitations to me) by reading the post below… READ: My Next Big Adventure to New Zealand with Wild Kiwi

Where to Stay in New Zealand?

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Pre-Travel Guide for New Zealand

Roy’s Peak from Shutterstock.com

IMPORTANT: New Zealand has STRICT quarantine laws for undeclared food and other biohazards. This means that you should not bring in any kind of fresh food such as bananas, apples, honey, etc. as you make sure that you dispose of them before going through the baggage claim area. Processed or packaged food can be accepted but you are supposed to declare them on your arrival card. If you’re ever in doubt, ask for clarification — otherwise, you will be charged with a hefty fine.

If you’ve got outdoor equipment like diving gear, hiking boots, etc. you must clean them before you travel to New Zealand in order for the inspection process to go more quickly for you. Be advised that New Zealand is firm about this given how they have sniffer dogs and bio-sensitive X-ray machines to detect any unwanted items.

What is the currency in New Zealand? New Zealand Dollar (NZD) wherein about NZD 1.40~ is equal to USD $1, €0.85~ or Php 50~ (this is as of May 2018).

When exchanging your money to NZD, I highly advice that you do NOT exchange it at the airport since the rates there are not competitive. So what should you rather do? Either exchange your money at a bank or at a money exchanger in your home country or in any of New Zealand’s city centers. Better yet, just withdraw from an ATM with your debit/credit card (do one big withdrawal to minimize fees with your bank). Speaking of cards, a lot of New Zealand’s establishments accept credit cards but it’s always advisable to have cash on hand.

When is the best time to visit New Zealand? Technically, there is NEVER a bad time to go to New Zealand; yet of course, since both the North and South Islands are long and narrow, weather is not uniform. But as an overview, below are New Zealand’s seasons:

Summer: (December to February) This is the most popular time; hence, the busiest — but the beaches are great during this time of the year. Take note by the way that January will be the warmest month. Thinking about this, New Zealand is a great escape for these months of the year if you want to get away from harsh winters.

Autumn: (March to May) This time is gorgeous as the leaves change colors and it’s also one of the best times to plan a getaway or a hiking spree since the summer crowds are mostly gone. To add, rates are on an ‘off peak’ level.

Winter: (June to August) Queenstown for instance will be your winter wonderland, but there surely are a number of ski areas around the country. If you come in June you can enjoy the Queenstown Winter Festival.

Spring: (September to November) This is one of the ‘off peak’ seasons as you get to enjoy warmer days and longer daylight hours.

If I go with Wild Kiwi, what routes can I take or choose from? To date, Wild Kiwi has over 7 kinds of routes and combinations that you can choose from:

North Island: 7-day Northern Voyager

Stops: Auckland > Raglan > Taupo > Napier > Rotorua > Coromandel > Auckland

Price: NZD $1,199 (subject to change)

South Island: 7-day Southern Voyager

Stops: Christchurch > Franz Josef > Queenstown > Mt. Cook > Christchurch

Price: NZD $1,199 (subject to change)

South Island: 7-day Southern Loop

Stops: Christchurch > Kaikoura > Picton > Abel Tasman > Punakaiki > Hokitika > Christchurch

Price: NZD $1,099 (subject to change)

North & South Island: 14-day NZ Explorer

Combination of 7-day Northern Voyager + 7-day Southern Voyager

Stops: Auckland > Raglan > Taupo > Napier > Rotorua > Coromandel > Auckland > (Fly to Christchurch) > Christchurch > Franz Josef > Queenstown > Mt. Cook > Christchurch

Price: NZD $2,499 (subject to change)

South Island: 14-day Big South

Combination of 7-daySouthern Voyager + 7-day Southern Loop

Stops: Christchurch > Franz Josef > Queenstown > Mt. Cook > Christchurch > Kaikoura > Picton > Abel Tasman > Punakaiki > Hokitika > Christchurch

Price: NZD $2,499 (subject to change)

North & South Island: 14-day NZ Adventurer

Combination of 7-day Northern Voyager + 7-day Southern Loop

Stops: Auckland > Raglan > Taupo > Napier > Rotorua > Coromandel > Auckland > (Fly to Christchurch) > Christchurch > Kaikoura > Picton > Abel Tasman > Punakaiki > Hokitika > Christchurch

Price: NZD $2,499 (subject to change)

★ North & South Island: 21-day NZ Discovery

Combination of 7-day Northern Voyager + 7-day Southern Loop + 7-day Southern Voyager

Stops: Auckland > Raglan > Taupo > Napier > Rotorua > Coromandel > Auckland > (Fly to Christchurch) > Christchurch > Kaikoura > Picton > Abel Tasman > Punakaiki > Hokitika > Christchurch > Franz Josef > Queenstown > Mt. Cook > Christchurch

Price: NZD $3,599 (subject to change)

The following are the basic inclusions for all the tours…

Expert local guide/driver

Daily road transportation and stops

Unlimited WiFi

Accommodations

Daily breakfast

Local flight (as applicable to the route)

If you are on the 21-day NZ Discovery tour like I did, you get some more extras such as the following…

Surf lesson in Raglan

Wai O Tapu geothermal park admittance

3 free dinners

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What should I pack for this Wild Kiwi holiday? Of course this will depend on what month and what locations you will be visiting as per the road trip circuit you choose with Wild Kiwi; but for a start:

– Bring comfortable walking shoes (for those city strolls + hiking sprees) and a rain jacket (just in case). – In summer, bring a towel, swimming gear, light summer clothes, flip-flops and a light jacket. – In winter, make sure to pack a warm jacket and lots of layers since the South Island can get really chilly. – Don’t worry about bringing fancy dresses because New Zealand has a very casual dress code. – It’s best to bring a day bag that can hold some of your essentials since it will be important for the stops you’ll be making. – Get a refillable bottle too. After all, New Zealand tap water tastes better than the bottled stuff (not to mention, it’s free, which saves you the cost of buying the expensive bottled water). – Remember to pack sunscreen or a hat because the sun can be quite strong in some places. – Feel free to bring your own snacks or alcoholic beverages during the road trip. – Bringing insect repellant is a good idea as well because there are little pests called ‘sand flies’. – Lastly, you must buy travel insurance especially with how you’ll be doing a lot of adrenaline-pumping activities. For this I highly recommend buying from World Nomads. I’ve been buying my travel insurance with them for years and they’re amazing. They have a wide coverage, they service worldwide and they have a fast and easy purchase process online.

Where to best stay (for accommodations)? There is of course a range of accommodations in New Zealand for you to choose from. To search for the best accommodations at the best prices, I suggest checking out Agoda and Booking.com. But if you’re rather interested in renting comfortable houses, check AirBnB.

Anyhow, if you’re coming with Wild Kiwi, your accommodations will be taken care of during the tour (a mix of inns and hostels); but it is highly recommended that you book your own accommodation for at least 1 night before and after your Wild Kiwi road trip journey to allot some time of relaxation before and after your flights. For a list of the top accommodations, see my posts below…

Should I get a visa to visit New Zealand? You can check this list of countries to see who does NOT need tourist visas to enter New Zealand. Naturally, if you’re NOT a citizen of any of the listed countries, you will then need to apply for a tourist visa in the New Zealand embassy that’s near you. If you’re a Philippine citizen like me, you can read my guide on ‘How to Apply for a New Zealand Visa‘.

Helpful Māori phrases English is the dominant language spoken by most Kiwis (New Zealanders) but the country’s de jure official languages are Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Rest assured, Māori people are bilingual and can speak English too, but they’ll be happy to hear you try and speak the Māori language.

If you want to learn a few helpful phrases, make sure that you pronounce the following properly!

Hello (to 1 person, formal): Tēnā koe (Te-na koy) Hello (to 1 person, informal): Kia ora (Key-oar-rah) Thank you: Kia ora (Key-oar-rah) ~ pronounced with a rising intonation Yes: Āe (I) No: Kāore (Kao-re) Goodbye (said by person leaving): E noho rā (E-noho ra) Goodbye (said by person staying): Haere rā (Hayre ra) . I’m sorry: Aroha mai (Ar-ro-ha-mai) Help!: Āwhina! (Af-fin-nuh!) Cheers!: Kia ora! (Key-oar-rah!)

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New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary

NOTE: The following sections are in a tabbed format; so, in order to see the next day’s contents, just click the headings. .

» Northern Voyager «

◘◘ From Auckland to Raglan Our first day started off grey and rainy — but nothing dampened our mood as we set off to our first stop in the North Island: Raglan.

This small coastal town is famous for its overall surf culture and its black sands in Ngarunui Beach — that being said, we did some surfing here and it was loads of fun (though the water was cold for a tropical girl like now). Now, one fun trivia about this beach is that it is apparently one of the world’ longest left-hand surf break; that being said, it was quite a unique place in itself!

After our time here, we huddled back to town to explore the charming cafes and shops before making a stop over to the breathtaking Bridal Veil “Waireinga” Falls in Waikato which was on the way to our accommodation for the night. This first day was quite something and during dinner, we got to know the rest of the amazing people that we were going to spend the next days with.

TIP: Like I’ve previously mentioned, it’s advisable to allot some days in Auckland before starting Day #1 because there are some great spots that you must see in this biggest city of New Zealand! For a list of awesome FREE things to do in Auckland, see my detailed post here.

Raglan from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ Waitomo & Taupō The fun continues as we got to discover the following towns filled with unique activities!

Waitomo is a village that is well known for its extensive underground cave systems, and as a visitor, you can either do the following…

Visit Waitomo Glowworm Cave = (NZ$50~) Do you want to see stars up close — or better yet, see a galaxy of ‘tiny living lights’? With this tour, you will be gliding silently on a boat through Waitomo River as you go through the “starry” wonderland of the Glowworm Grotto which has thousands of tiny glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa) that radiate a luminescent bluish light in the dark. Mind you, these creatures are unique to New Zealand only!

Visit Ruakuri Cave = (NZ$70~) Much like the main Waitomo Glowworm Cave, Ruakuri Cave offers the magical experience of sighting glowworms up close; but more than this, you’ll be winding your way through spectacular limestone formations and crystal tapestries.

Go black water rafting through glowworm caves = (NZ$140~) If you want a more adventurous experience, this is the best choice for you as you abseil, weave, jump, climb and float through the stunning underworld of Ruakuri Cave and a few waterfalls too. .

Taupo is a town that’s rather distinguised by its lakefront setting as well as the following…

Do jet boating = (NZ$115~) This is an adrenaline-pumping activity that was invented by New Zealand. So if you like speed, spins, and thrills combined with marvelous water scenery, going on a jet boating activity will be worth your while! I have gone through this experience myself and it was loads of fun!

Sail on Lake Taupo = (NZ$50~) A lot of sailing companies not only take you to the incredible waters of Lake Taupo, but it also takes you to the ‘Mine Bay Maori Rock Carvings’ which is often refered to as one of the country’s most extraordinary artworks that towers 14 meters above deep water. Apparently, this has been sculpted over the course of 4 years and depicts the face of Ngatoroirangi, a ‘visionary Māori navigator who guided the Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to the Taupō area over a thousand years ago’.

Huka Falls = (FREE admittance) This powerful yet astonishing set of bluish waterfalls on the Waikato River drains onwards to Lake Taupo. It is said that per second, the volume of water flowing through it often approaches 220,000 liters!

Carvings & Waitomo from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ Napier & Hawke’s Bay Before leaving Taupo, we had the choice to go skydiving over Lake Taupo (NZ$270) — however, I was hell-bent on doing mine in Queenstown instead (weather permitting *fingers crossed*). But either way, doing a skydive here will be one for the books because the views high up overlooking the lake will be memorable!

I’m actually terribly afraid of heights. Combine that with my fear of flying airplanes, then surely, doing skydiving is a horrible idea for me, right? Haha. But I’ve since decided to conquer my fears!

Once everyone was ready, we hit the road again to visit the charismatic city of Napier which is popular for its beautifully-preserved 1930s architecture of art-deco buildings. It surely made me feel like I was transported to the filming set of Great Gatsby!

While we were still basked in the afterglow of Napier, we proceeded to visit some vineyards to do some wine tastings (costs around NZ$10~). And to cap our day off, we stopped by Te Mata Peak in Hawke’s Bay region to sight the sweeping summits that rise up to 399m. This place is particularly great for driving, hiking, and mountain biking since you’re sure to be showered with spectacular views in every direction!

Te Mata Peak from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ Rotorua’s Adventure & Natural Sights From the moment that we stepped in to the geothermal town of Rotorua, I became nostalgic of my first visit here back in 2016 as I smelled the all-too-familiar scent of the sulphur-rich air. This is a hotspot in the North Island of New Zealand and there are heaps to do here:

Geothermal Parks: Naturally, Rotorua is packed with several geothermal parks; but if I may suggest, choose from any of these top 3 places (and then steel your sense of smell!)

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland = (NZ$32~ / FREE with Wild Kiwi Tours) This showcases New Zealand’s most colorful and unique active geothermal elements that have been sculpted by thousands of years of volcanic activity.

Te Puia = (NZ$54~) Other than being a Maori cultural village, Te Puia is famous for its geothermal activity especially that of its Pōhutu Geyser which is said to be the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere. It also erupts once or twice every hour at heights that could reach 30 meters!

Hell’s Gate Geothermal Park and Mud Spa = (Starts at NZ$20~) Other than witnessing boiling pools and erupting waters, you could also enjoy their hot spring services that are coupled with a therapeutic mud and sulphur spa. .

Redwood Forest: (FREE admittance) Spend the day away hiking or biking through this towering forest that’s just on the edge of Rotorua. Rest assured, there is an array of trails that you can choose from, no matter your level of fitness or experience. .

Luge: (Starts at NZ$45~) Somewhat of a mix between a go-kart (without the engine) and a toboggan (without the snow), Rotorua’s “Luge” is a fun and fast-paced adventure activity that is great for people of all ages! I enjoyed this so much and a lot of people even say that this place is better than the Luge activity found in South Island’s Queenstown, so go and give this a try! .

Zorb: (Starts at NZ$39) Also called as ‘globe riding’, this involves a ‘ball of fun’ where you roll down a hill inside a huge inflatable ball. Invented in 1994 in New Zealand, this has become one of the ‘must-do’ activities when in the country and it often gives you the chance to choose the kind of trail that you’ll go through — may it be zigzag or straight! .

White Water Rafting: This is a great thing to do with your family or friends in Rotorua! This is one of the things I did together with my companion and it was an extraordinary experience! We went through steep native bush canyons and over 14 rapids and 3 waterfalls, including the world-renowned 7-meter Tutea Falls which is the ‘Highest Commercially Rafted Waterfall in the World’! Truth be told, this was my first white water rafting activity of all time and it was absolutely a great first.

◘◘ Rotorua’s Movie & Cultural Sights For this day, there are 2 things that we made sure we did NOT miss:

Visit the Hobbiton Movie Set: (NZ$114~) For the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit‘ movie fans like me, this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to venture off into your own Middle-earth adventure! After all, this is the famous 12-acre movie set of the iconic village of the Shire. As a visitor, you will be guided through a two-hour walking tour to the different hobbit hole houses (e.g. Sam and Frodo’s house) and other quintessential landmarks like the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn (where you can also grab a complimentary drink that is brewed only in Hobbiton!).

TIP: Another place to consider for LOTR fans is a visit to the famous Weta Workshop!

Visit a Maori Cultural Village: (Around NZ$100~) Rotorua and its surrounding towns arguably has the highest concentration of Māori villages. With that in mind, it is a must to visit at least one in order to immerse yourself with the history and customs of the Maori people in New Zealand — a culture that the country is highly proud of. We went to one of the best villages, Tamaki Maori Village, and some of the many amazing things that you’ll experience and which I personally loved was witnessing the powerful haka (traditional war cry), learning about the Maori history, partaking in a hangi (traditional Maori feast), and more.

◘◘ Coromandel We bid farewell to the wonders of Rotorua and said hello to the stunning Coromandel Peninsula while making stops and short walks to scenic landscapes along the way. Once we arrived at Hahei, we donned on our swimwear and headed to the popular Hot Water Beach. It might sound peculiar for a beach’s waters to be related to anything ‘hot‘ but it’s true, because this bay has underground hot springs which everyone can enjoy by digging through the sand during low tide. With this, you can easily alternate between hot and cold pools in an instant!

So armed with our shovels, we searched for a good spot by the beach and lounged as we watched the sun set on the horizon. Needless to say, this was truly one of a kind!

Hot Water Beach from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ From Coromandel to Auckland To mark our last day in the North Island, we first went on a hike to Cathedral Cove (Te Whanganui-A-Hei) Marine Reserve which is yet another highlight of our visit in Coromandel Peninsula. With its beautiful white sand, turquoise waters and towering rock formations, this place was quite a sight! Not to mention, there is a pathway here that is well-known for being the opening scene from the movie Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Once we had our fill of the magical scenery, we went to pack our bags and journeyed back to Auckland in preparation for our flight to Christchurch so as to mark the start of our South Island adventure.

NOTE: If you want to stay back in the North Island, it’s advisable to fly over to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

Cathedral Cove from Shutterstock.com

• • •

» Southern Loop «

◘◘ From Christchurch to Kaikoura After a night’s rest in Christchurch, we started our South Island journey by making a stop first in the seaside town of Kaikoura that’s filled with rugged cliffs and impressive marine life. For an array of things to do here, they are as follows…

Whale watching: (NZ$150~) This is a year-round experience where you can get real close with whales of different kinds such as the sperm whales which are the largest toothed predators. The best thing about this tour is that there is a 95% rate of sighting success and this is mainly because all the locals cooperate in sharing information when sighting these big creatures in the water. If in case you don’t see any whales (which is highly unlikely) they will glady issue an 80% refund.

Fly option = (NZ$180~) If you’re not good with boat rides or if you simply want a bird eyeview to truly see the magnitude of the world’s largest mammals, a flight experience above Kaikoura’s waters is a great choice! Now don’t worry because everyone is guaranteed a window seat for unobstructed views. .

Watch or Swim with Dolphins: (Starts at NZ$95~) Come face-to-face with numerous dolphins in their natural environment by swimming and playing with them — you will never get a better chance than this! If you’re not fond of swimming, you could also opt to stay dry and go on the dolphin watching tour. .

Fishing Trip: (NZ$120~) Go with a local and experience an immersive fishing trip as you catch lobsters and crayfish in the waters — famous delicacies in Kaikoura! Whether if it’s you’re a first time fisher or not, you’re sure to have so much fun in this. At the end of the trip, you can choose to release your catch or have it cooked. My companions and I had a lot of fun enjoying our catch so this can be a fun activity for you too! .

Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway: (FREE) This is a 3-hour scenic hike full of clifftop views and wild animals (in fact, you can sight seabirds and seals up close!) as you cross the peninsula to South Bay. If you don’t have 3 hours, there are smaller hikes or detours along the way for you to do.

◘◘ Picton After a night’s rest, we proceeded to drive down the Kaikoura coast where we got to see the damage of the earthquake that happened in 2016. These roads were only recently opened so we could see how hard the country has worked to fix things; but amidst this, we were enamored by the beauty of the coastline which often had dolphins and seals playing in the shallow waters.

During this journey, we explored some wonderful beaches before arriving at the port town of Picton which is lauded as the gateway to the Marlborough Sound (this is also the gateway to the South Island for ferries that come from the North). We had some time left when we arrived in town and one of the things we did and which you could also do is hike the 3-hour return Snout Track for stunning views of the Marlborough Sounds.

Picton from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ From Picton to Abel Tasman National Park This day was mostly spent driving so that we could reach one of New Zealand’s most beautiful wilderness reserves, the Abel Tasman National Park! We actually arrived late in the afternoon, but we filled our day with stops to some breweries and wineries in the Marlborough region, as well as to the enchanting green waters at Pelorus Bridge.

TRIVIA: You’ll find a bit of Middle-earth in this spot because this is actually the filming location in the scene of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” when the dwarves were floating in barrels down a river.

Once we got checked-in at The Barn near Abel Tasman National Park, we marked our first night with a scrumptious barbecue dinner as we hung out by the fireplace and exchanged stories as we prepare for the next day’s adventures!

◘◘ Abel Tasman National Park It’s time to make the most of this New Zealand national park which is highly renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, and world-famous coast track called as the ‘Abel Tasman Coast Track’.

The best way to do this? Go on a kayaking trip which will first depart from Kaiteriteri via a cruise boat that’s already included in the tour, and then upon arriving at Torrent Bay, you will have a fully-guided kayak tour for about 2.5 hours where you can encounter seals along the way.

After this, you can go back to Kaiteriteri via a return cruise or a 2/3-hour unguided hike through the Abel Tasma Coast Track. I would recommend doing the latter so that you can make stops along the beautiful bashes to do some subathing or whatnot (you can even encounter some of New Zealand’s native wildlife such as the Tui and the Tuatara!).

Abel Tasman from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ Punakaiki We bid goodbye to Abel Tasman and headed down to the West Coast to the little coastal town of Punakaiki which is situated on the edge of the Paparoa National Park. For this day, we made several stops on the road and then ended the day with a visit to Punakaiki’s famous ‘Pancake Rocks’.

Nelson Lake: (FREE) We had lunch with a view in this lake that is within Nelson Lakes National Park — a place full of enchanting alpines, forests and glacial lakes. .

Cape Foulwind Walkway: (FREE) This is a spectacular 3.4km one-way coastal walk that led us through a towering lighthouse, a fur seal breeding colony, and eventually to Tauranga Bay. .

Pancake Rocks: (FREE) As the name suggests, these are limestones that look like stacked pancakes, and the cause of which is from millions of years of erosion by water, wind and salt. In this area, you will also find impressive blowholes that make thundering sounds. I recommend coming here either during sunrise or sunset in order to get the best lighting and view.

◘◘ Hokitika Today was solely for discovering the hidden gems of Hokitika and its surrounding areas. As such, the highlight for this day would be our visit to Hokitika Gorge which had astonishing blue-green waters and a picture-perfect swing bridge. Walking to this spot involved no more than a 650-meter hike so it was an easy trail to go through. We all wanted to take a swim but unfortunately, since we were here in autumn, the waters were already too cold.

Before the day ends, after we checked in to our accommodation, we built a huge bonfire by the beach in Hokitika. We had so much fun roasting marshmallows and exchanging stories (after all, this was technically the last tour day of this Southern Loop leg).

◘◘ From Hokitika to Christchurch On our way back to Christchurch, we drove across the iconic Southern Alps which is one of New Zealand’s highest passes.

Upon arriving in the city, we checked in to JUCY Snooze (which was a unique capsule hostel), and some people opted to explore Christchurch — whereas others opted to stay in and rest, in preparation for the adrenaline-filled trip for the next days under the ‘Southern Voyager’ leg of Wild Kiwi!

Christchurch from Shutterstock.com

• • •

» Southern Voyager «

◘◘ From Christchurch to Franz Josef Glacier After meeting new additional people to our tour, we departed from Christchurch in the morning and headed for the dizzying heights of Arthurs Pass and the stunning snow-capped Southern Alps. Mid-way, we stopped by a lake (wherein some of our companions were crazy enough to jump into the icy waters) and Castle Hill (which was named as such because of its imposing array of limestone boulders that were reminiscent of an old run-down stone castle).

After we had our fun, we finally arrived to our destination which was Franz Josef Glacier Village.

Castle Hill from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ Franz Josef Glacier Together with Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier is surrounded by the World Heritage Site park of Te Wahipounamu. As a lush area filled with fantastic sights, there is a diverse number of things that you can do here:

Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike: (NZ$459~) Through this once-in-a-lifetime tour, you’ll go on an exhilirating helicopter ride and do a 3-hour hike through the most awesome glacier ‘ice architecture’. Evidently, this is a pricey tour to make but it’s an expense that will be worth your money and while — guaranteed. Though, if you only have the budget for just one tour in your whole Franz Josef visit, this is the experience you should invest it on. Just take note that this is weather dependent, so if the day turns out sour then no worries because there are other things for you to do around town. .

Franz Josef Glacier Valley Walk: (NZ$78~ or FREE) This is an activity that you must make if you have a lower budget or if the weather turned out bad (and you can’t do a heli hike). You can do this with a guide or by yourself and it will take about 3 hours to go past the Waiho river bed in order to see the grand terminal face of the Franz Josef Glacier. .

Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools: (NZ$25~) After a day of hiking, reward yourself with a relaxing dip in the Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools. This is open until 9:00PM and you can choose to soak in one of the 3 main outdoor pools that range from 36 to 41 degree Celsius (if you want privacy, there are also private pools available). .

Fox Glacier Heli Hike: (NZ$440~) If you rather want to witness the glacier to the south, this heli hike tour to Fox Glacier is an option. Much like the Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike, this will take you on a ride on a helcopter over the Fox Glacier and then land in an area where you can do a 4-hour guided hike.

Franz Josef from Shutterstock.com

◘◘ From Franz Josef to Queenstown For this day, we’re finally making our way to the ‘adrenaline capital’ of New Zealand — Queenstown! It’s a bit of a drive though, so before we arrived in the city, we passed by the following places first..

Lake Matheson: This lake offers awe-inspiring mirror reflections of Mt. Cook (the highest mountain in New Zealand) and Mt. Tasman. It basically involves a short circuit walk, and if I may share a tip, it’s best to hike here during dawn or dusk in order to see the best lake reflections of the surrounding snowcapped mountains. .

Haast Pass: A mountain pass found in the Southern Alps that’s brimming with beautiful short walks, rainforests and waterfalls. Some of the breathtaking waterfalls we have seen were Fantail Falls and Thunder Creek Falls. .

Wanaka: We stopped in this resort town to take a brief driving break, and it was such a serene place to lounge or have a picnic in! It was also a fascinating experience to see the ‘recently famous’ Wanaka Tree (a fence post that has now turned into an online sensation — and it’s easy to see why because this lone tree was perfectly backdropped by the alps and the surrounding terrain).

NOTE: If you happen to have a full day to spare in Wanaka, I suggest doing the 16km return track to Roy’s Peak that grants views over Lake Wanaka, Mount Aspiring/Tititea and its surrounding peaks.

TIP: When you arrive in Queenstown around night time, drop by Fergburger for dinner. This is New Zealand’s most famous burger joint and it helps to note that it is NOT a chain — you’ll only find them in Queenstown, so it’s a must to give them a try. Sure enough, they do have great-tasting burgers. (But if you want a less crowded place, Devil Burger is a great alternative!).

◘◘ Milford Sound A trip to the South Island is not complete without visiting the UNESCO-listed fiord of Milford Sound. It takes 5 hours to drive here from Queenstown, but I assure you: this will be worth your while because for one thing, the road that leads to Milford Sound are scenic. And once you arrive, you’ll be indulging in the towering Mitre Peak, the lush rainforests and the high waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls that both plummet down its sheer sides. Not to mention, this fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins — so you’re sure to have a fun time overall.

Now, the best way to see this all would be through a boat cruise (NZ$80~), but if you want to take it a step further, you can also do a helicopter tour over Milford Sound!

NOTE: If you end up with some spare time, check by the tab marked as ‘Day #19’ to see the other activities that you can do in and around Queenstown.

◘◘ Queenstown For our last day in Queenstown, we made sure to fill it up with adrenaline-pumping activities! Some of my companions went bungee jumping and others did canyon swings. As for me…? Like I’ve already mentioned before, I made it my goal to do sky diving in Queenstown so that it could help me overcome two of my top fears: heights and flying in a plane — and so I did: I jumped out of a perfectly-functioning plane at 15,000 feet and boy, it was the most amazing thing that I have ever done in my life!

For a complete list of action activities you can do, see below…

Sky Diving: (Starts at NZ$330~) Queenstown is said to be the birthplace of tandem skydiving; therefore, there’s no better place to do it than here! And if you want the best provider possible, do it with NZONE Skydive. With their years of operation and highly-trained dive masters, you’re sure to be in good hands when you jump out of an aircraft at 12,000 or 15,000 feet (your choice). The thrill of free falling for about 60 seconds as you plummet towards the ground at 200kph is a sensation that you’ll forever remember and cherish. I’ve done this myself and I’m so glad that I did it with NZONE!

READ: My Skydiving Experience

Bungy Jumping: (Starts at NZ$60~) This is New Zealand’s highest bungy jump at 134m above the Nevis River, and it offers 8.5 seconds of pure free fall! Though this looks dangerous to your eyes, be assured that your safety is wholly assured because AJ Hackett has been operating this since 1988 with over 1.5 million jumpers who now hold the bragging rights. (NOTE: If in case you want some added ‘oomph‘ to your trip, you can also package this with a roundtrip helicopter ride).

Combo = Combine this bungee jumping activity with a Nevis canyon swing for the ultimate adrenaline rush! .

Ledge Swing:(NZ$160~) Yet another daredevil affair, the Ledge Swing will set you flying 400m across and over Queenstown! Located at the top of the Skyline Gondola, the Ledge Swing will first take you on a relaxing panoramic ride up and after you’re strapped in, they will pull the ‘trigger’ to send you swinging over the mountain. .

Jet Boating: (NZ$150~) This is an adrenaline-pumping activity that is also invented by New Zealand. If you like speed, spins, and thrills combined with marvelous water scenery on the Shotover River, then going on this Queenstown jet boating activity will be worth your while! .

Quad Biking: (NZ$240~) This is the best fun you can have on four wheels! For this, you will be provided with a full set of protective equipment and clothing gear as you go on a 2.5-hour ride through panoramic vistas of Queenstown. .

Luge: (Starts at NZ$45~) Somewhat of a mix between a go-kart (without the engine) and a toboggan (without the snow), “Luge” is a fun and fast-paced adventure activity that is great for people of all ages! (NOTE: It also already includes a gondola ride). .

Lord of the Rings Tour: (Starts at NZ$185~) Journey through Middle-earth and visit the ‘cinescapes’ from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies in this amazing half-day tour. Some of the places you’ll be visiting are “Isengard”, 12 mile Delta, Misty Mountains, Pillars of the Kings — and more! Without a doubt, this will be a treat for the franchise fans (like me!). .

Helicopter Tour: (Starts at NZ$800~) Soar high above Queenstown as you make your way to UNESCO-listed area of Te Wahipounamu which encompasses Mt. Cook, all the way to Milford Sound which has acres of dense forests, streams, lakes and towering mountains. From this bird’s eye view, you’ll definitely have rare access view of the landscapes you’ll be seeing — and that’s not all, because you will also experience a snow landing in the secluded Southern Alps! .

Skyline Gondola: (Starts at NZ$30~) Slow down and get on the Skyline Gondola which gives you one of the best vantage points of the city. For the best views and photos, go here when the sun sets, and if the sky happens to be clear, you must grab the chance to go on their stargazing tour.

◘◘ Mt. Cook We said our goodbyes to Queenstown today, but we shook away the blues because we knew that we were heading off to the iconic Mt. Cook which is New Zealand’s highest peak (at 3,724 meters!). As must as we would have loved to climb the summit, we were happy enough to do a hike in the valley and one of the popular trails that leads to Mt. Cook was the Hooker Valley track. This is a 3-hour hike that goes through gorgeous alpine sceneries and you can do it by yourself or with a knowledgeable guide. Now… if I say so myself, this has got to be one of the most amazing hiking trails that I have ever done in my travels, so don’t skip out on this!

Once the night falls, don’t also forget to go out and do some stargazing in the beautiful Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.

◘◘ Back to Christchurch Sadly, this was our last drive with our companions and Wild Kiwi — but of course, we were all smiles as we think back at all the memorable things that we’ve done or seen! …And as if we were still hungry for more, we made sure to make some stops along the way before finally arriving back to Christchurch, and some of the spots we’ve dropped in were: Tasman Glacier, Lake Tekapo, and Church of the Good Shepherd.

Lake Tekapo & Church of the Good Shepherd from Shutterstock.com

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It’s plain to see that this has been an ultimate adventure for me — and it’s all thanks to Wild Kiwi!

With that said and done, going for their 21-day NZ Discovery tour is a must if you want an all-encompassing great-for-value trip of the country North and South Island; however, if you’re pressed on time, any of their 7-day or 14-day tour will already fit you well.

NOTE: Some of you have been asking me as to which of the 7-day tours is best to take. Well… this is quite a difficult question to answer because each of those tours have their own charm. But depending on your preference, it can be an easy pick; therefore, what I can say is that the ‘North Voyager’ offers the best of New Zealand’s culture, the ‘Southern Loop’ takes you on a laid-back trip of sorts, and the ‘Southern Voyager’ provides the best adventure and adrenaline choices.

What do you think of this New Zealand road trip itinerary?

Would you like to try out one of Wild Kiwi’s routes? Why or why not?

Do you have any other tips to add?

Did you like this article? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube and be notified about my newest posts and updates!

source http://cheaprtravels.com/ultimate-new-zealand-road-trip-itinerary-for-1st-time-visitors-north-south-island-i-am-aileen/

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archduchessofnowhere · 2 years ago

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What was the opinion of the people who knew Empress Sissi? Thanks.

Hello anon! I’ll start by apologizing to you because it took me so long to answer not because this was a difficult question, but because it's easy to answer and this will turn ridiculously long since we have plenty of testimony of people who knew her.

Her husband emperor Franz Josef was probably her biggest admirer, and while I personally think their relationship is over-romanticed, that he deeply loved her is undeniable. He saw no fault in her and always called her his “angel”; and while he never understood her he did support her in (almost) all her projects. There are plenty of quotes that show his devotion towards his wife (even though his actions not always reflected that), but to me the most defining is one of the things that he allegedly said after hearing of Elisabeth's death: “Nobody will ever know how much I loved her”.

Archduchess Gisela’s feelings towards her mother remain a mystery, but we do have this letter she wrote after Elisabeth’s death that shows her grief, and I think is safe to say that she loved her, even if they weren't close. Rudolf 's feelings were more complicated. He loved his mother, in fact he idolized her, and felt deeply grateful towards her for having saved him from his abusive tutor. But he also longed for a closer relationship with her, which they never had, and this was a source of sorrow for him.

The child who's feeling we know the best is Valerie, who kept a diary throughout her life in which she often wrote about her mother. She loved Elisabeth, but she also found her love hard to bear, specially since she felt it kept her apart from her father, whom she also adored:

What I most wanted to do was fall at his feet and kiss his paternal imperial hands, even as I felt — God forgive me — a momentary anger at Mama since her unbridled love and exaggerated, groundless concern place me in such an embarrassing and false position.

After Rudolf's death Elisabeth fell into a deep depression, and Valerie felt the burden of being her mother's main emotional support.

My mother often causes me such anxiety. She is capable of everything great, yet incompetent in small things. Now that agitation has given place to the monotony of everyday life, and Papa at least appears outwardly the same and works as he always did, life seems to her oppressive and cheerless.

Elisabeth even said to her youngest daughter that she was the only reason why she still was alive, which greatly stressed Valerie, specially since her wedding was approaching. However, while deeply hurt, Elisabeth wanted nothing more than Valerie's happiness so she fully supported her decision to marry for love, and tried to bother her and her family as little as possible after she got married.

For all that’s been said about Archduchess Sophie disliking her daughter-in-law from the get-go, she in fact had nothing but praises for Sisi when the engagement was announced:

The little girl [Elisabeth]’s posture is so graceful, so modest, so irreproachable, so elegant, almost humble, when she dances with the emperor… She seemed to me so attractive, so childishly modest and yet completely at ease with him.

(...) But you can well imagine that my eyes are also busy looking at Sisi, and they rest with delight on this happy couple who love each other so much and in such a charming way; it is a feast for the eyes to see the happiness and harmony that radiates from them.

She also remarked many times how happy she felt, to the point of tears. While it’s true that Elisabeth later on remembered her mother-in-law with resentment, there's evidence to argue that the sentiment wasn't mutual, and that Sophie did felt love for her daughter-in-law, even if they clashed because of their differences.

Her ladies-in-waiting in general had a good relationship with her, some even forming real friendships with the empress. But they also found her hard to deal with, like one of her first ladies, Princess Helene of Thurn und Taxis, Countess Kinsky (not to be confused with Elisabeth’s sister Helene, Hereditary Princess of Thurn und Taxis). Princess Taxis wrote to a former lady-in-waiting when they returned to Vienna after Elisabeth’s flight to Madeira and Corfu in 1860:

I can only congratulate you, upon not having had to go through these two years of martyrdom with us. Now we are settled in Schönbrunn, and the thought that we are ‘settled for good somewhere’ seems quite strange. It was hard for her [Elisabeth] to give up her recent traveling about, and I quite understand this. When one has no inward peace, one imagines that it makes life easier to move about, and she has now grown too much accustomed to this. (…) I believe, indeed, that she has moments of despair, but nobody can laugh like her, or has such childlike whims. She says herself that it is not unpleasant to her to see us occasionally, but it is odious to her to have us in waiting…

The lady-in-waiting that left us the most “content” about the empress is Countess Maria Festetics, who entered her service in 1872 and became Elisabeth’s close confidant until the end of her life. Maria kept a detailed diary during her years in service, which is one of the main sources about the empress’ later life. In this diary she also wrote her impression’s on Elisabeth:

One never grows tired when one goes out with her. At her side it is delightful, and so it is behind her. Looking alone is enough. She is the embodiment of the idea of loveliness. At one time I will think that she is like a lily, then again like a swan, then I see a fairy-oh, no, a sprite-and finally-no! an empress! From the top of her head to the soles of her feet a royal woman!! In everything excellent and noble. And then I remember all the gossip, and I think there may be much envy in it. She is so enchantingly beautiful and charming.

But while the countess adored Elisabeth, she could be critical towards her too:

In ‘Her’ there is everything, but as in a disordered museum - pure treasures, which go unused. Nor does she know what to do with them.

Stephanie of Belgium also wrote a bit about her mother-in-law in her memoirs. This was her reaction when, according to her, Elisabeth asked her to replace her at fulfilling her official court duties:

Empress Elizabeth detested etiquette. She loved solitude, far from the pomp and ceremony of the Imperial Court. It was her purpose, she said, to withdraw from all such things. The duties of her official position had become slavery, a martyrdom! She had not, as a young girl, been educated for the high mission to which she was subsequently called. In her view, freedom was every one’s inalienable right! Her conception of life was a fairyland, free of all trouble and constraint.

The Viennese court took a dislikeness of Stephanie almost immediately, and Elisabeth was no exception. So the crown princess had her reasons to not have a very positive remembrance of her. According to Stephanie this is what happened when she spoke to Elisabeth after receiving the news of Rudolf's death:

At length I ventured to tell the Empress what, weeks before, I had tried to say to the Emperor. I spoke of Rudolf’s manner of life, his habits and customs, his associates, how completely his health had been disordered. The Empress, however, stubbornly closed her mind against these communications, and it was an additional distress to me to feel that she was turning away from me. In her eyes I was the guilty party. Though outwardly I remained calm, inwardly I was in a state of collapse.

From her extended family we have the very unreliable memoirs of Countess Marie Larisch, Elisabeth’s niece. She gives many long descriptions on how beautifully spellbinding she found her, but I'll just share this one:

She fascinated me and dominated my imagination, and, with her infinite tact, she gave me confidence in myself. Elizabeth was never then the Empress, she was the Aunt Cissi who seemed so understanding, and so completely in sympathy with me, that I would willingly have died for her.

This passage wrote many years after Larisch's fall out with the imperial family is likely an exaggeration, and yet I do believe that the young Baroness probably felt flattered for having the favor of her aunt and found her fascinating.

I could keep on but I'll leave it here since this post is already too long. I hope you found my answer helpful!

#empress elisabeth of austria #franz josef i of austria #archduchess marie valerie of austria #gisela of austria princess of bavaria #crown prince rudolf of austria #sophie of bavaria archduchess of austria #helene of thurn und taxis countess kinsky #countess maria festetics #marie von wallersee countess larisch #asks

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wayneooverton · 6 years ago

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An adventure on the Tasman: Heli-hiking New Zealand’s biggest glacier

Before I moved to New Zealand, I had little familiarity with glaciers, only seeing them from a distance in Europe, and certainly never walking on them.

The first glimpse I got of Aoraki/Mount Cook almost five years ago on my way to do Mueller Hut for my birthday with friends, I was blown away. Jutting out from the surrounding mountains, this iconic peak, New Zealand’s highest, lords over the surrounding Alps with ease.

Walking in his shadow, I quickly fell in love with this part of the country. Can you blame me?

As we struggled on the big climb up the Mueller Ridge, I could see the icefalls of the nearby Mt. Sefton twinkling in the sunlight, occasionally interrupted with a big icefall tumbling down to the valley below (well away from people, I might add).

This new icy world quickly fascinated me. I was hooked.

The view flying up Fox Glacier

This was also around the time I was hearing rumors about how doing a heli-hike on Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers were THE THING to do while on a trip to New Zealand. By happy chance I’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time over in Fox Glacier and have been able to join in on a few helicopter flights and heli-hikes on Fox Glacier up on the ice for a few years and I can attest they are amazing.

Getting Extreme on Fox Glacier

You catch a helicopter flight from the Fox township up onto the ice on the Fox Glacier which tumbles down in a blue river of ice from the back of Mt. Cook on the west coast of the South Island. One of the only glaciers in the world that descends down into a rainforest, it’s an incredible experience.

You’re guided on the ice for a few hours before choppering back down to reality.

Heli-hiking on Fox Glacier

Chancellor Hut next to Fox Glacier

A few years ago they expanded and now offer heli-hikes over the Tasman Glacier from Mount Cook Village.

Mount Cook sits somewhat smack in the middle of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, a mountain chain running north to south, the backbone of the South Island. In the heart of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, there are many walks to enjoy of all levels and abilities with views of the 19 peaks that are over 3,000 meters high.

14 of the best short walks in New Zealand that will blow you away

Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers drop down to the West Coast, while the Tasman Glacier runs down towards the east towards Christchurch and Mount Cook Village. Geographically the towns of Fox and Mt. Cook are so close you can geotag them on posts online, but in reality there is no road connecting them, and it’s a six hour drive around through Wanaka.

I love the Tasman Glacier, which is totally different from it’s neighbor Fox Glacier on the other side. The Tasman is New Zealand’s longest and largest glacier, almost 25 kilometers long, it’s a whopper. Seemingly wider and more open than Fox, you really get the scope of the area as you explore it on a heli-hike.

What’s also really incredible is the often dramatic difference in weather to either side of Mt. Cook.

Many times it’s raining over in Fox Glacier, and sunny in Mt. Cook. You can often look towards the West Coast and see the clouds sitting on the divide of the Alps, which means you can often still hike and fly in Mt. Cook when you can’t in Fox, or vice-versa.

You don’t have to have any experience in mountaineering or using crampons to go on a Tasman Glacier Heli Hike, which is awesome for people like me, who want the experience of being on the ice in the mountains with safe conditions and guides.

You’ll get a thorough safety briefing before trying on the gear and heading out to your chariot into the hills: a helicopter.

I’m obsessed with riding in helicopters here in NZ, they are so much fun and truly let me live out all my Top Gun fantasies, and it definitely makes you feel pretty badass climbing out of a helicopter onto a glacier!

The scenic flight out to the landing site on the Tasman is one of my favorites in all of New Zealand.

You’ll get a great view of Mt. Cook to your left and out over the Tasman Lake, which is often filled with calving icebergs off of the Tasman Glacier. Try to imagine that the Tasman Lake didn’t exist in the 70’s. Hello climate change!

Surrounded by huge mountains, you’re guaranteed to be marveling at the scale of it all. Impressive to say the least, there is nothing quite like experiencing these magnificent peaks from a helicopter, unless of course you can climb it.

Sidenote: no, you can’t climb Mt. Cook unless you’re a very experienced mountaineer. I’m truly surprised how many people ask me that. It’s a big, complex and dangerous mountain. It’s much safer to go heli-hiking, with many of the guides being experienced mountaineers who’v climbed Aoraki.

The Tasman Glacier face

An enormous iceberg in the Tasman Lake, seen from a guided boat cruise

Before you know it, you’ll be climbing down from the chopper onto the ice, strapping crampons to your feet and getting used to walking and trusting them to grip the ice.

What makes heli-hiking the Tasman so fun and unique is that the glacier is always moving and changing, at a much faster rate than you could ever imagine. What features you might find one day on the ice, could be totally different the next day.

Even though it’s a guided operation, you really feel like you’re exploring a new world, because you are. You never know what you might find on the ice!

The guides are super knowledgeable and experienced, many of them are my friends, and they lead you safely throughout the glacier, sharing stories of this magnificent place

You’ll likely get to peek down moulins, wiggle through tunnels, and perhaps even slide in an ice cave or two.

To see the shiny blue ice up close and personal is just incredible. It seems almost every shade of blue is reflected in this magnificent glacier, and I couldn’t help but touch it constantly.

At the risk of being a total downer, it’s incredibly we still have places like this in the world, and that these glaciers haven’t disappeared yet.

Now’s the time to experience their wonder and beauty for yourselves, and hopefully like me you’ll become an advocate for climate change and for protecting our planet too.

The Tasman Glacier is one of a kind, and once you’ve touched the ice up there, you’ll be changed too!

Have you ever been on a glacier? Share!

Many thanks to Mt. Cook Glacier Guiding for hosting me on the Tasman. Like always I’m keeping it real – all opinions are my own – like you could expect less from me!

The post An adventure on the Tasman: Heli-hiking New Zealand’s biggest glacier appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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theladyjstyle · 7 years ago

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New Zealand. The land of Middle Earth, Great Walks, kiwis, backpackers, adventure sports, delicious wine and pristine wine regions.

And a land that sucks all your money from your wallet like a giant vacuum.

I first visited New Zealand eight years ago. The country was so much more expensive than I thought it would be. Back then, I was a cheap(er) backpacker and focused on saving as much money as I could. I cooked most of my meals, hitchhiked, skipped all the costly adventure sports, and drank a diet of cheap boxed wine and happy hour beer.

But, when I visited earlier this year, I changed my MO this trip. I was going to say yes to everything, regardless of cost.

I wanted to really know how much money you need in New Zealand for a variety of budgets. What’s it cost to be a broke backpacker? A mid-range traveler? Or a mix of the two? What if you want to eat out a lot but also hike or sleep in a van? What if you want to do all the adventure activities in the world? What if you just let the tab pile up?

So I became the Nomadic Matt of many budgeting hats. And, in the process I learned a lot about, the true cost of traveling New Zealand.

Let’s break it down.

How much did I spend in New Zealand?

Over the course of my 25-day visit, I spent $4,550.90 NZD ($3,292.74 USD), averaging $182 NZD ($131.68 USD) per day.

That’s a lot of money. Like holy hell a lot of money! Way more than my $50 USD a day guideline.

Here’s how my spending broke down:

Accommodations: $913.64 NZD ($661.05 USD)

Spark phone service: $164.68 (119.15)

Pharmacy: $39.98 (28.93)

Internet: $15.29 (11.06)

Groceries: $235.52 (170.41)

Transportation: $1,014.32 (733.90)

Activities: $823.65 (595.94)

Restaurants: 1343.82 (972.30)

Total: $4550.90 NZD ($3,292.74 USD)

I spent a lot of money, but, again, I said yes to everything. I knew taking scenic planes, trains, and helicopter rides; staying in private rooms, and meals out was going to cost a lot of money.

But even I was surprised how much I spent when I wasn’t tracking my spending.

Looking back, there were things I could have done to lower my costs.

I could have saved money by eating out less or by booking less expensive Airbnbs instead of hostel private rooms (which are always a terrible deal but I wanted to be around other travelers).

With a lot of ground to cover, I couldn’t always spend a day on a bus so flying really increased my costs. Additionally, the scenic rail I took (while awesome) was also $159 NZD! And transportation to Stewart Island is $160 NZD! Instead of doing them all, I could have picked one or the other.

And I definitely blew through way too much phone data. As a person not used to data limits, being data limited at hostels (around 1 GB per day) was new territory for me as I tried to stream Netflix. I picked up the slack on my phone by just ordering more data and not really thinking about it.

If I was slightly more conscious about my dining, accommodation, and spending habits, I easily could have cut $20 USD or more per day from my budget.

How much does New Zealand really cost?

So how much do you need to budget in New Zealand then? If you’re going to travel like I did, budget $110-130 USD a day. This will let you travel carefree and basically do anything you want (within reason). Fly, take scenic trains, expensive ferries, scenic flights, drink expensive wines, have expensive dinner – New Zealand is your oyster!

A more “I want to do a lot but still want to be budget”, a budget of around $142 NZD ($100 USD) a day will get you private rooms in Airnbs, a large number of activities (I let no winery go unvisited!), the occasional flights, and restaurant meals about 70% of the time.

If you’re going on a backpacker’s budget, I’d say you need around $71-85 NZD ($50-60 USD a day). That will get you a hostel dorm room, bus transportation, happy hour drinks, one or two expensive activities (bungy, scenic flights, skydive, etc), and mostly self-cooked meals (around 70-80% of your meals).

If you are going to rent a campervan or self-drive, you could knock $15 NZD ($11 USD) daily off your budget since your van will act as accommodation too. On an even tighter budget, with Couchsurfing, hitchhiking, few if any activities, and cooking 90% or more of your meals, you could get by on $40 NZD ($28 USD) per day. It’s not easy to do but I met travelers who did it. It requires a lot of discipline though.

Here are some sample costs:

Spark Phone plan (with 4.5 GB of data) – $40 NZD ($20 with 1.5 GB of data)

Buses booked far in advance – $1 NZD per ride

Buses booked last minute – $20-60 NZD

Airfare – Varied wildly but you’re looking at least $50 NZD each way.

Scenic trains – $159 NZD each way

Full-day Bay of Islands cruise – $259 NZD

Hobbiton tour – $84 NZD

Nevis Bungy – $275 NZD

Franz Josef Glacier Guides Heli Hike – $459 NZD

Waitomo glow worm caves – $51-246 NZD depending on if you walk, raft, or abseil

Hostel dorms – $20-30 NZD

Hostel private rooms – $55-$100 NZD

Airbnb – $50+ NZD for a shared location, $80+ NZD for a whole unit

Wine tours – $150+ NZD

Drinks – $8 NZD for a beer, $10-15 NZD for wine or cocktails, and $5 NZD for a happy hour drink

Bar crawls – $20-30 NZD

Casual restaurant meal – $15-25 NZD

Fast food meal – $11-20 NZD

How to SAVE money in New Zealand

Spending so much money taught me a lot of about how to save money in New Zealand. Where your budget will go to die in this country is with activities and meals. Adventures activities are crazy expensive, most of them costing $200 NZD or more! I mean a heli-hike in Franz Josef was $450 NZD! That’s CRAZY! Moreover, with most meals costing $20-30 NZD ($15-22 USD), your budget is going to be gone quickly if you eat out a lot (food represented 34.7% of my total spending).

New Zealand’s groceries weren’t that expensive (it’s an agricultural country after all), and there are a lot of free hikes to replace those expensive activities. Taking advantage of these should help lower your costs substantially. When I was in Wanaka, I only spent around $50 NZD ($36 USD) each day ($30 for my dorm, $20 for food and drink, and $0 for activities since nature was free!). It can be done.

Simply put, New Zealand doesn’t have to be expensive if you don’t want it to be. After all, if it was, so many backpackers wouldn’t come here in droves. I mean how many hordes of backpackers go to Norway? Not a lot! Why? It’s f*ing expensive unless the only thing you do is camp! New Zealand has a middle ground. It’s whatever it is you want it to be.

Here is how to save money while there:

Cook (a lot) – I know this is going to sound crazy but, and I can already hear the comments coming, the food scene in New Zealand isn’t that mind-blowing. Yes, there are nice cafés, some hip gastronomy, and really delicious meals, but nothing that’s so mouth watering delicious you have to blow your budget on it. I never walked away going “That was a meal I couldn’t get at home! I’m glad I just spent $60 bucks!”

No. In fact, my biggest regret is that I spent so much on food. I should have cooked a lot more. I feel like I wasted a lot of money not doing so. I probably could have saved about $800 NZD by cooking more and, honestly, I don’t feel like I would have missed anything too great.

So cook as much as possible. You’re going to save a ton of money. Heck, even a burger and fries is $20 NZD! I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever eat out, just do so sparingly.

A week’s worth of groceries will set you back between $80-100 NZD. The cheaper supermarkets are Pak’nSave and Countdown.

Choose your tours wisely – Tours cost a lot of money in New Zealand. Going on just a few is enough to bust any budget and send you home before you had planned. Pick the ones you really want to do and save the rest for another trip.

Hit happy hour – The backpacker bars have cheap happy hours offering $5 NZD drinks — take advantage of them.

WWOOF it – WWOOFing is a way to get free accommodation and food in return for working on a farm or in a B&B. You can do it for a few days or a few months. It’s a popular activity with travelers because it lets you travel cheaper and longer. Keep in mind, though, most farms will require you to have some experience, as too many inexperienced workers have caused them trouble in the past.

Work at a hostel – Many hostels let you trade a few hours of cleaning and making beds for free accommodation. Ask when you check in if this is possible — it might just save you some money!

Car share – Car shares are a popular transportation option for travelers looking to lower costs — all you need to do is chip in for gas. You can find rides on websites like Gumtree and Craigslist. Additionally, you’ll see people asking for rides on hostel bulletin boards. As for ridesharing apps, check out Thumbs Up NZ or Carpool New Zealand. (I never found a New Zealand version of BlaBlaCar but if anyone knows of one, let me know!)

Couchsurf – While there are not a ton of Couchsurfing options in the country, there are hosts in all of the major cities. If you don’t mind sleeping on a couch or floor, this is not only a way save money on accommodation but also a way to meet some amazing locals too. (Don’t just use this as a free hotel. If you don’t want to interact with your hosts, don’t use this site.)

Hitchhike – Hitchhiking is easy in New Zealand. Besides Iceland, it’s probably the easiest country in the world to hitchhike in. There are plenty of people who will pick you up. Additionally, you can just ask around any hostel and find a ride — everyone is doing the same circuit. I got from Wanaka to Queenstown to Fiordland that way. Between message boards, Couchsurfing forums, the people you meet in hostels, and just thumbing it on the side of the road, you can always find a ride.

Take a free walking tour – There are a few free walking tours in New Zealand, like the Auckland Free Walking Tour or WellyWalks Limited in Wellington, that offer visitors (and locals) insight into each city.

Remember that nature is free – New Zealand, home to the Great Walks of the World, has tons of free outdoor activities. While the adventure sports, wine tours, glacier treks, and boat cruises can eat into your budget, all the trails and walks are free. You can easily fill your day with free hikes, excursions to the lakes, or days on the beach!

And keep in mind the majority of museums in the country are also free!

Get a bus pass – I tend to buy transportation last-minute so I never scored super discount fares, which is where bus passes come in. I bought the $135 InterCity FlexiPass for 15 hours of travel. I’d suggest this since it is hours based and lasts forever. It will save you a lot of money versus booking last-minute tickets on the bus.

You can find out more on how to get around on a budget in my last post. I list a lot of resources there.

Skip the backpacker buses – While they’re fun, backpacker bus tours like the Kiwi Experience, Stray, or Haka are expensive! Best to avoid them if you are on a tight budget. If your budget isn’t so tight and you do want to check them out, be sure to sign up for their mailing lists first — there is always a sale on.

Use Book.me.nz – This website provides last-minute discounts on activities (and pub crawls) throughout the country. If you’re flexible about when you want to do things, you can save up to 60% off attractions and activities! I can’t recommend it enough. It saved me a lot of money.

***

Saving money in New Zealand is about picking and choosing your battles. As you can see, when you just don’t care, costs can really go up. I made plenty of spending mistakes that upped my daily average a lot. But if you get a bus pass, cook a lot of your meals, find rideshares, stick to Airbnb rooms (or split rooms with friends), and campervan it, New Zealand won’t be that expensive.

Just be sure to watch your budget!

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