Helsinki, Finland (Europe)

Hi, this is the 21st country in the World tour and the first country in the around the world trek. This is the 16th different European country I have been to.

On coming to Helsinki I thought that this would be quite a boring city but having been here I now think it is very interesting place with quite a lot to see. The highlight of the trip for me was when it snowed and I was in front of the massive Tuoiokirkko Cathedral. Helsinki has also got great transport links and I used the metro and went on the ferry with ease and no hassle at all.

In the middle of the city there is the very impressive railway station. I don't what it is but I am fascinated by the Railway Station building in some cities as they look amazing. There was an ice rink at the side of the station. You can also go to the Olympic Stadium which is at the top of the city. It was quite cold so you had to wrap up warm when going outside on these long walks and stop occasionally for a coffee to warm you up.

All in all it was something different and I really enjoyed it. For me the next 3 destinations are what this trip is all about. If it all goes to plan this could turn into a tour of the far east. Hope it all goes alright.

Take care.

Robert

Tallinn, Estonia (Europe)

Hi, this is the 23rd country in the 30 country world tour. Another excursion I made from Helsinki with an overnight ferry there and a 3 hour ferry back.

On going to Tallinn I knew it was the capital of Estonia and a former Soviet Union state but apart from that I knew very little about it. Tallinn is divided into two parts - Old Town and New Town. The Old Town is very old, full of churches with beautiful architecture. It has a wall that goes right round the old town and you can climb up some stairs onto the wall and have a great view of Tallinn. It has the pink Toompea Castle where the parliament of Estonia is. Across the road from there is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. St. Olaf's Church is another site that you mustn't miss as it is the third heighest church in the world and beautiful to look at. I also went to the Town Square which still had a massive Christmas Tree all lit up in the centre.

The New Town was nothing sadly to the Old Town and lacked character and identity. I only went to see the bus terminal and the railway station and I was not too impressed. I think they are just trying modernise things there by putting up modern bigger buildings. I much preffered the Old Town.

Got the ferry back to Helsinki which took around 3 hours so got back to my hotel around 8pm. It had been a good day and I probably enjoyed Tallinn more than Stockholm just because it had more character.

Take care.

Robert

Stockholm, Sweden (Europe)

Hi, the 22nd country in the 30 country revised world tour. Not actually in the original plan of the places to which I would be going but I researched Helsinki and from the books knew that I could catch a ferry to Sweden and to Estonia, which I will be going to tomorrow.

I got to Helsinki on Saturday and then on Sunday I spent the whole morning trying to find a place to buy tickets for the ferry. In the end I had to go to the port itself and the Viking Line office at the Katajanokan Terminal. I booked the 5:30pm ferry that got to Stockholm at about 10am. I had my own cabin so was able to get some sleep on the crossing.

I got to Stockholm and got the bus from the port to the Central Bus Terminal which is across the road from the Central Railway Station. I bought a locker so I didn't have to carry my bag around. It rained a bit whilst I was there but generally the weather was good enough to walk around in. It was quite a bit colder than England but it was alright if you wrapped up warm. To be honest there isn't that many well known sites in Stockholm but the City Hall and the Royal Palace is well worth a look. I walked around the centre of Stockholm and the streets are full of shops and shopping centres that you can buy cheap goods. The currency is the Swedish Krona. I spent the day there and went back to the port at 3:30pm to catch the 4:30pm ferry back to Helsinki. When you go from Helsinki to Stockholm you o across a time zone so you put your clocks back an hour when going to Stockholm and forward an hour going to Helsinki.

Got back to the hotel in Helsinki at 10:30am. The snow is still on the streets and it looks very nice. Tallinn, Estonia tomorrow and Tokyo, Japan on Saturday which is very exciting.

Take care.

Robert

Hammamet, Tunisia (Africa)

Hi, the 20th country of 28 in the world tour and this makes it 14 countries for 2007. I go into 2008 with a new way of travelling which is not coming home and move from country to country which will be a new challenge.

To be honest I did not like Tunisia that much as every where you went people were just pestering you to come into their shop and buy something. It got quite intimidating and they used to do it in groups and block you off so you couldn't get out of the shop until you have bought something. I just went down to the beach for a relaxing stroll and no one was there and then out of no where appeared this man with necklaces wanting me to buy a coffee from a hotel on the beach.

I went on a two day excursion which took me into the south of the country and visited various places such as Matmata where all the houses are built into the mountains. We went to the gate of the Sahara Desert and went on a camel. We went to a fruit plantation and saw how people grew and picked dates from the trees. We stopped over at a hotel for one night and ended up sharing a room with a Spanish rock and roller who told me he had dabbled with drugs and liked alcohol. The next day we made our way back to our hotels but stopped at Kairouan which is the 4th holiest city in Islam. We saw the grand mosque and went in the only shop that had fixed prices.

I went to the Medina in Hammamet centre and there was no one there so I got swamped by market sellers try to sell me all sorts for cheap prices so they said and harassed me so I only spent about thirty minutes there and went back to the hotel.

The hotel was very nice but because of the people in Tunisia and the tricks they try to pull on decent people I would never go back and would think again before travelling to Africa unless it was with an organised tour with plenty of activity. It was not all bad though as I met two really lovely couples and a girl that I really got on with and they made my holiday. I owe them a lot and hopefully will meet with them in between my travels. They were really nice and I really enjoyed there company.

The next holiday is the big one. The build up has been intense and the support has been immense. I will prepare to go sixty eight days around the world. Sixty eight days, eight stops, one man, one dream and the penultimate goal for me in travelling. This would only be topped for me by going to all seven continents.

Take care

Robert

Great Rift Valley, Kenya (Africa)

Hi, this was the 19th of 28 countries in the World tour which brought me to the continent of Africa. A country struck by poverty and corruption with people living life on very little. I saw this as we travelled to the different places on my tour.

I set off from Leeds/Bradford for my flight to Nairobi from London. Thankfully there were no delays and I got through to Nairobi at 7am on Monday morning. Kenya is 3 hours in front of England.

On the Monday I joined with the people on the tour and we drove down to Nyeri, which is a 3 hour drive from Nairobi, to the Out Span Hotel. I stopped there for a night and the hotel had electric but had no heating so a man came round at 7pm to light my open fire so I did not freeze.

On Tuesday we travelled to the Mount Kenya National Park Mountain Lodge for a night where they had a water hole in front of the lodge. Animals came up to the hole day and night and the lodge had lots of view points to see the animals in there natural habitats. As well as all of that there were monkeys which tried to get in the lodge and steal all of the food.

On Wednesday we travelled to Lake Nakuru National Park and Lake Nakuru Lodge. We had a game drive in the afternoon and we saw the famous flamingos in the lake. Also there was the Rothschild Giraffe and the Rhino.

On Thursday we went to the Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge which was the best lodge on the holiday. It was as if I was in a dream world. The lodge was at the side of the lake and the lake had hippos in it so when they came out of the water to graze on the hotel grounds at 7pm we had to be escorted to dinner by a security guard. As well as that we got to have a boat ride on the lake and see the hippos and wildlife on the lake.

On Friday we travelled to the Masai Mara which is the Kenyan part of the Serengeti plain. A place where they believe that all the cows in the world belong to them. We went to visit a village and see the houses that the people live in. These are made out of cow dung and wood. There were flies everywhere and a lovely smell. We went to the Mara River and saw the dead animals on the bank from where they tried to cross and ended up breaking their legs or getting crushed. As well as that some of us went on a hot air balloon for an hour which was really good as we saw lots of animals and had a champagne breakfast.

I stayed at the Masai Mara up until Monday where we went to Nairobi to stay in the Hilton Hotel. We had dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant where we ate Ostrich and Crocodile plus all the usual meats such as pork, lamb and beef. I also went to a Giraffe park where I cuddled, kissed and fed the Giraffes.

Got up at 5am in the morning and went to the airport for my plane back to Heathrow and then my flight back to Leeds/Bradford. I finally got home at 10.30pm.
I had a fantastic experience and was very lucky to see all the animals in their natural habitats.

Thank you to all the people I went with for a truly amazing time and we had a laugh.

Take Care.

Robert

Qawra, Malta (Europe)

Hi,this is the 18th country of 28 in the world tour. Malta has been very nice, raining to start with but turning out to be hot and sunny. I went with my good friend Karl but he had to go home early on Monday because something major had happened at home.

I arrived expecting Malta to be a glitzy new place but I was shocked to find buildings half built and people taking other buildings down. I did enjoy the sea though and all the scenery that Malta had to offer. Every place in the world has it's own history and Malta's no different. Whether it is Valetta or Mdina, it has its own story and it is full of old buildings and great architecture.

Saturday me and Karl went to Valetta and we was followed by the Queen who got there on Tuesday, I am sure she is following me. We didn't see the Queen but managed to bump in to the German President, Horst Köhler, on a state visit to Malta and he came up to the crowd and some of the Maltese spoke German. We then went to St. Julians Bay on Sunday and it seemed a bit posh with the Hilton, all the five star hotels and Portamaso Tower but was nice to walk around and very clean. On Monday Karl went home, which left me quite upset as we had a laugh and I enjoyed his company, and I went round Qawra where we were staying. On Tuesday I got the bus to Mdina & Rabat, Mdina is a town on the top of a hill with walls that go around. A bit like a castle with a town inside. In Rabat there was nothing but a church so a bit boring. On Wednesday I got the bus and ferry to Gozo which is an island just off Malta. I went to the capital Victoria and went round the market and got some things for home. On Thursday I had a one hour body massage and had another walk round Qawra which was great. Friday I returned back to England unpacked and packed up again ready to go to Kenya on Sunday.

Malta is a very nice place to go to with a lot of history but no known landmarks like Eiffel Tower or Empire State Building. The prices are virtually the same but the public transport is brilliant and you can get a bus anywhere for just about 80p. Nice place to come and relax especially in Winter as it is quite hot and there is no one about.

Take care.

Robert

Lloret de Mar, Spain (Europe)

Hi, this is the 17th country of 28 in the world tour. It has been very good and sunny. Me and my Dad have enjoyed it and have liked the rest.

We went on two excursions to Barcelona and to a Medevil Castle to watch some jausting and both were very good. When we went to Barcelona we got to go inside the Nou Camp which was great. There was not a lot of time to see the centre of Barcelona but we got to see the Olympic Stadium and the Columbus colomn. The jausting was good and very theatrical with this we got to see some flamenco dancing and a very nice meal that you had to eat with your fingers. The three pound chicken was hot but delicious.

Other than that relaxation on the beach contemplating what I am going to do in the future and whether I have made the right decisions. All in all it has been a good week. I get back from here on Wednesday and then I go to Malta on Friday so going to be a busy couple of days.

Take care

Robert