Never Tear us Apart

Never Tear us Apart, for many Australians born in the 60s and early 70s growing up following INXS on shows such as Countdown was the height of international success for the band. We had all the albums in our collection including Shabooh Shabah, Swing, Falling Down the Mountain and, of course, Kick. There was the early albums, INXS, Underneath the Colours and then the later albums known worldwide.

Following my brother-in-law's funeral, Never Tear us Apart was played as his coffin was lowered into the ground. Noriko and myself then departed for Europe making sure we made it to Prague spending time visiting the sites depicted in this wonderful video.

For me, this was a time to remember Pablo, visiting places he was unable to hoping his teenage son Samuel will get the opportunity when he gets older. This was their best song from their best album - no doubt.

Prague air raid siren

We were almost to the the top of Petrin Hill, overlooking the city of Prague on a Wednesday at midday, down in the city centre, a loudspeaker bellowed out what seemed to be a set of instructions for an extended period - then silence. Then what seemed to be an air raid siren cranked up filling the air with with this ear splitting noise, it must have been incredible down in the city centre.

I was ready for Russion Mig-29s to streak across the sky followed by T-70 tanks rolling down the main street into the main city square reminiscent of the 1968 Soviet invasion. As a central European country behind the iron curtin, tank and air battles could have been fought between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries, the threat was ever imminent. Many of these European countries did, and still do require two years of military service by young men just out of high school. For an Australian, we were always mindful of the Soviet threat of conventional and nuclear war, however, conscription and national service ended in the late 60s for Australians jaded with our involvement in the Vietnam war.

Not so for Europeans on the frontline of the cold war, the threat was more than perceived, it was a reality.

Struggling for work and proud

I was wandering around in Prague; somewhat unsettled by the sheer number of beggars and underemployed people. I was upset when I walked past the astronomical clock with a slightly unkempt guy holding up sign above his head stating GUIDE.

Three American guys were hassling this guy asking if he had change, then making unsavory comments about no money and similar derogatory comments. He was just standing there with his sign above his head expressionless - there is no need for this kind of attitude. Here was a guy who was obviously struggling, trying to make honest money in a difficult employment environment.

Might I remind these arrogant fucking arseholes, the global financial crisis was brought about by arrogant fucking Americans who pretty much fucked the world economies with their collateralised debt obligations, sub-prime mortgages and financial witchcraft. When these pricks melted down world financial markets, the very people who had their lives thrown in turmoil was proud guys like our out of work guide trying to get by as best he can.

We are all paying the price because of these Wall Street thieves who should be in prison instead of being hailed as some kind of financial messiah. I came into contact with plenty of fine mannered and respectful Americans, these well dressed arseholes more than likely came from inherited money and families privilege.

Noriko's river cruise

I am sick and tired of being accused of being a cheap bastard when backpacking, we are on a tight budget and have an extended period away. Travelling through Europe isn't cheap, sacrifices need to be made. So whilst in Prague, I finally relented and allowed Noriko to go on a river cruise, I even have photographic evidence to back up my claims - I hope this finally lays to rest that I am a cheap bastard.

Those bloody Germans

We had this amazing accommodation in Prague, we had set ourselves for an extended stay with our private room, central location and relaxed attitude. I wandered down to reception to extend our stay and found to my dismay, this weekend was some German holiday, our hotel was now almost fully booked and room rates had risen by a factor of four. Bloody Germans are going to inundate the city on the weekend we are in Prague. The only positive being plenty of hot German women in tight shorts and short skirts on a beautiful sunny Friday - I was not disappointed.

After some intricate negotiations, we were able to secure our room for another night, the rate rose but we were still offered a better than listed rate, we stayed the extra night as I was sure Vienna would be suffering the same German inundation - bugger

So, who is cheap now?

Climbing up and filling up her water container at a public fountain, Noriko can hardly refer to me as cheap any more. I am fumbling to get my camera out to snap this shot, enjoying the moment in time captured on digital format. Now eating cheaply, in parks and on the side of road from mobile vendors - we have come full circle. She is displaying a confidence and assertion I have not yet seen before, living in the moment, no more complaining and tantrums instead just getting on with it. I nearly fell over when she moved a bunch of guys out of our seats upon boarding the Vienna to Budapest train, maybe a change is happening.

Dali in Prague

Wandering the plaza near the astronomical clock, I spot a small art museum displaying a Salvador Dali collection.

I'm sold, I need to view this - I love the work of the Spanish surrealist master.

While I am expecting some of his lesser know works, I am not disappointed, this is an interesting collection.

I still get to see the long legged elephant, the melting watch and ants, robust examples of his well known influences.

Moving into the 1970s, his work took on religious overtones with a series of drawings dedicated to the afterlife - either heaven or hell.

That was not what I was expecting, I am more than happy to view lessor know works, Prague brought to me Dali's oil, water colours, sketches, tapestry and sculpture.

Czech Starbucks

This is probably the only Starbucks cafe I would now drink a coffee at, just slightly over from the Prague Castle, there is amazing views of the city.

Of course, they still serve that overpriced, oversized weak and watery American rubbish they call coffee. There is not much you can actually do with their product, even the best barista will struggle - still, the views are good. I would, however, be willing to coffee slum for these killer views.

Maybe the better option is, lean against the wall enjoying the views before heading 500 metres down the hill for a choice of Lavazza or illy coffee - my choice was the second option.

Prague graffiti

Prague is a beautiful city, no doubt, beautiful old buildings, the river meandering through and the bridges across the river - it was however spoilt by the graffiti scralled across walls, lightposts, trams and buildings.

What amazed me was the lack of desire and inability displayed by the Czech authorities to curb such flagrant and wanton vandalism. It was like they had just given up allowing the punks to rule the city, over-runing decent families with their hooliganism, aggression and anti-social behaviour. The city had parks in disrepair, weeds throughout, uncut grass adding to the state of hopelessness and despair.

What could be a beautiful city full of hope and confidence is declining into a cesspit of apathy and dejecture. There was abject homelessness, people foraging through rubbish bins for food and beggars at every major attraction. When you looked into their eyes, there was not only resignation, there was a glazed dull look of total defeat.
Why not organise such people into teams to scrub and wash graffiti from the walls, repaint if necessary, tend to the weeds, mow the lawns and clean the city up, give them a small payment and get the place moving again.

Searching for the sites

Searching the banks of the Vltava River looking for the sites depicted in the INXS filmclip Never Tear us Apart was an important pilgramage whilst in Prague.

Just a week before Noriko and myself departed for our European trip, we were standing graveside at Fremantle cemetery as Pablo's casket was lowered into the ground; the solumn Never Tear us Apart played in the background.

This song was played at the church at Michael Hutchence's funeral, critically acclaimed as the best song of the best album INXS produced.

After much searching, I think we found most sites near Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock on the southern wall of the old town hall, Prague Castle and along the banks of river where much of the filmclip was filmed.

I didn't have the benefit of being able to play the clip on my tablet before arriving, I was running pretty much on memory, we were also there in June, not the frosty autumn morning depicted in the clip with the leaves falling from the trees.

Regardless, I was able to reflect on the life of my brother-in-law in Prague, his life achievements and legacy, he will live on through his son Samuel, I am glad to have known him.

Munich to Prague

The train trip was somewhat eventful, we purchased our from the die Bahn office with 30 minutes to departure, just enough time to grab some food and a coffee each before running to the platform clutching food and drinks. We firstly boarded the wrong carriage, we later found out they split the train along the way removing carriages and adding a few too. Ok, last three carriages are ours - we are off.

At Landshut, they split the train and after a delay, we headed off in the other direction, we went from being the last carriage to first, a failure of one of the carriage systems saw us jumping off 2nd class and grabbing a 1st class berth.

That is where my luck ran out, plugging in my Samsung charger to the train system only to fry the charger, as it was connected to my tablet, I was lucky to not damage that too. I could actually feel the charge running through my finger when I umplugged it from the tablet. To my mind, the battery does not have the same capacity anymore - maybe it is just me.

This is all new for Noriko, arriving late in an unknown city unsure of our next move, we were propositioned for accommodation and lifts in the near empty station, we declined but I was feeling a sense of urgency as I wasn't keen on sleeping in the station, no power points anywhere - amazing.

Due to the delay swapping carriages, we arrived late in Prague, only just before midnight and we hadn't organised accommodation yet. With my battery nearing shutdown, I was able to quickly get onto Booking.com and make a reservation, as the clock had slipped past midnight, the booking was for the next day so off we headed on a flagged taxi hopeful of getting a bed for the night.

The hotel was shut, I felt some pangs of anxiety sweep through me -where to next? All was good, I hear the dull mechanical click of the locking mechanism turning, the door opens, we are stepping inside and a room is available, we are set tonight.

Isar River

The wonderful city of Munich, after the hassles of Italy, this was to be a relaxed couple of days. I found out pretty quickly, Munich isn't a cheap city, this region is the powerhouse of Germany.

The Isar River flowing through the centre of the city is intoxicating, the beautiful parks alongside made for some scenic walks. I decided to shoot in black and white, this really extenuated the contrasts of the river, structures and surrounding parks.

The river does not flow its natural rate, a series of dams and locks are constructed throughout, one supposes to reduce the flow rate keeping the water level high.

Munich street festival

Wandering Munich at the beginning of summer, we came across street after street blocked off for a local festival, what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A number of bands and solo artists played on makeshift stages, food and beer outlets were strewn throughout. For me, I enjoyed the performers displaying their talents the best, it was a fun and relaxing afternoon. This was a simple yet fun filled afternoon wandering the length of the street eating a selection of local foods enjoying free entertainment.

Noriko jumped in the police car, she spent so much time getting her hat right, rechecking it in the mirror, the bad guys got away, oh well, there is always cyber crime to police.

 

St Peter's church

St Peter's Church is well worth the climb, once near the top, the views of Munich are magnificant, for a €2 investment, you have the best views of the city.

About three quarters of the way up, you are able to view the bells through an internal window, I was not inside at the time of ringing, I am very glad of that although I have seen others near ringing bells.

Munich street art

Whilst strolling down the River in Munich, walking down the ramp to the underpass, we were greeted with murals scralled on the walls.

I am no real fun of this so called street art, normally an artist is commissioned to create art selling it in order to make a living, maybe it is me being pedantic, art takes many forms, back when the impressionists started out, they wern't taken seriously either, so maybe it is just me. The NAZIs also described certain paintings as degenerate, destroying such works in the process, it is not my role to classify art or its worth, a whole industry revolves around art and its interpretation.

I know what I like and what I don't, authorities need to keep scrubbing and repainting walls as the need arises, no need in this underpass.

Munich

Strolling riverside in Munich is a wonderful experience, the pathways leading through the gardens make for a highly relaxed state whilst wandering the city.

We had caught the train up through Austria from Venice, pulling into the staition in the evening, the extended sunlight hours of Europe illuminated this southern German metropolis, it was a great feeling to be there.

Training from Venice to Munich

Looking out my window as we speed across the bridge from Venice to Mestre, I reflect on our short time in Italy and what lays ahead. Venice was a disappointment because we were so far out, the transport strike and associated problems.

We are taking the EC train from Venice to Munich, we skip along to Verona before heading up through the schenic Italian alps on route to Munich. As we approach Trento, I notice snowcaps on the higher mountain peaks in May.

Vineyards line both sides of the tracks as the train pulls up through the valley on a slight gradient heading towards Austria, we notice some small trees replacing the vines, I'm guessing olive trees, but I'm not really sure.

The tickets were not cheap, but I do not care, once across the border at Brenner and into Austria, this scenic tour stepped up a notch.

We had a short 15 minute interval to change electric locomotives,  the Austrian police jumped aboard for a quick walk around, looking for people acting in a suspicious manner as the quickly walked past not bothering with passports.

St Mark's square

We packed up and left Camping Fusina on the first bus out at 8.30am, couldn't get out of there quick enough. This was the overnight stop for tour coaches, no sleep, pissed off and out in the middle of the industrial area - big mistake.

But once on Venice, it didn't matter anymore, we jumped on the watercraft and off to St Mark's square. I intentionally don't tell Noriko what to expect or where we are going exactly.

I just surprise her when we arrive - she was suitably impressed. St Mark's was busy, as expected, the line to get into the church was huge, I don't recall such a line on my first time there, I just walked straight in to view the uneven sinking floor. No time this trip, maybe in another 15 or so years on the next time around.

Wandering around the St Mark's square with backpacks on, not the normal or recommended way to view Venice. Noriko's backpack weighs 8.5kg, mine comes in at a heavier 13.5kg, somehow I am starting to cart more of her gear around.

There was plenty of very expensive restaurants, not even a good Italian coffee could entice me to part with my hard earned cash, just enjoying the ambience of my second trip to Venice, it will be all over in a matter of hours.

We couldn't stay longer than an hour, we had to start making our way back to the train station for our trip to Munich. However, I first had to search and book accommodation, that requires WiFi so we needed to find a cafe with a connection. That is expensive and we have limited time, Noriko is off looking around a shop, so a quick bite and off to board the train.

Ripped off in Venice

A great to get around Venice is via the watercraft, this is an expensive exercise, so at the ticket booth we purchased a 48 hour pass as you don't have many choices. Even though strike action loomed, I was assured we would be able to use the pass throughout the day, services would still run. How far this was from the truth, I can't understate. A 24 hour strike saw us going nowhere, we effectively lost half our ticket, now at €30 per pass, with an exchange rate closing in at 1.7, this is not a cheap exercise.

The evening before, we were assured we could take ferry 16 from the island of Venice to Fusina on the mainland, another lie. We caught the 5.2 ferry to the departure point, where the two companies run a dual service, they would not let us on the Venice to Fusina ferry without paying a further fee - no way. So we caught another ferry to our starting destination so we could catch a bus to Fusina instead.
Of course, the information kiosk gave us was the wrong information regarding the bus leading us in the totally wrong direction. The bus didn't go to a depot either, he stopped and turned the engine off so we had to wait until he started the next route and we eventually ended up one stop from our starting location. We asked for directions and the bus driver gave us a pretty good explanation on how to catch bus 16 to Fusina, it took some walking though.

When I complained about the ticket, they had absolutely no interest, go here, go there until I finally found the office, their attitude - so what? Fill out a complaint form. I came back to lodge the complaint, doors locked and sign stating they were on strike too, it appears a series of rolling stoppages across the board at different times ensures some services with long lines and maximum disruption.

Instead, I went and bought a train ticket to Munich, fuck Italy, this is why your country is bordering on bankruptcy needing the Germans to bail you out. You took money from me without fulfilling your part of the contract, I will go and spend my money in Germany. Italy should pay all their taxes to Germany and they can manage all services for you, Italians should work under German management and the place might actually work properly.

Camping Fusina

We booked online at Booking.com, I will be vetting places more in the future - not only is this place a pretty basic to stay, forget about getting any form of sleep. There is even a sign at the bar promoting excessive drinking and drunkenness,  profits before people.

Campiny Fusina should be avoided at all costs. People were banging our chalet, trying to get in during their drunken night in, forget about complaining, they are not interested, if they have staff or security on during the night, where were they? Maybe drinking too, or hitting on the leggless women getting around. Noriko was frightened, I was ready to start punching people, I regret paying money to stay here.

Our first night saw us wandering down the restaurant for a cheap meal. The pizza actually came really fast, we were both surprised, the service was good, all the restaurant staff were good actually, with the notable exception of the very rude barman.

A tour bus was in, we could hear the roar from the bar of young overweight women getting drunk and out of control, smashing glass and questionable language that would make a coal miner blush, that was unfortunately the order of the evening. If you are hoping to pick up drunken fatties, be here around midnight and be ready to go all night.

I was not a fan of Camping Fusina even before the drinking started, the chalet was very ordinary, WiFi wasn't included in the price whilst the location is well away from all services, the bus stop to get here takes more than a little finding, this place is right out in industrial land - great.

Beware, the last bus leaves from a stop near the train station at 8 pm, first one leaves in the morning at 8.30 and goes hourly until 10.30 before it jumps to two hourly intervals. Forget about walking here, this place is too far out of the way, not too bad if you had a vehicle - many did with campervans. We actually hitchiked in one day, bus services are sporadic at best, this was the first time Noriko hitch hiked in her life, the old Italian guy who picked us up restores my faith in humanity.

The place wasn't that clean, someone had shaved and left whiskers in the basin in the morning, when we came home in the evening at 7.30 pm, the basin had the same whishers from the morning. A washing machine costs €4, the same price for a dryer and internet costs €4 per hour. You could easily fall through the cheap stat beds if you placed uneven pressure on the mattress, I found this out the hard way a number of times slightly injuring my back. It is all about maximising profits, nothing else.

I would stay somewhere else in the future and recommend you stay away too.

Arriving in Venice

In Milan, we purchased train tickets less than 30 minutes before the train departure, the rail strike had been a real bummer and I was somewhat annoyed. Still, I enjoyed the trip north from Milan, the journey was somewhat improved sitting next to a young Italian hottie typing away on my tablet.

What I failed to do was check our destination and accommodation booking. I wasn't really tracking the journey on Google Maps, we pulled into Mestre where most of the train jumped out of their seats and climbed off, next station, St Lucia, Venice - yay.

Strolling out of Venice's main train station, our gaze was immediately drawn to the Grand Canal, we were here - we were living. We had already enjoyed the trip across the bridge from the mainland to  the island of Venice, plently of excitement already today.

Ok, time to find our accommodation on Venice, checking my tablet for the booking confirmation, a sense of dread swept over me, Fusina was on the mainland, we needed to get back to Mestre - bugger.

The plan was simple, jump on another train heading over the bridge stopping in Mestre, or so it seemed. Train strike, cancellations everywhere, nothing is departing - shit.

Ok, next plan, waterferry to Fusina, 48 hour pass is €30 each, as we will be in Venice a few days, wil be worth it as €7 for a single trip. After a lengthy arguement with Noriko concerning ferries, we are off to catch route 16, not working or going, now two hours have passed.

Ok, back to the start, catch bus, wrong information, wrong direction - more excitement.

Finally, bus back to Mestre rail station, underpass through station, walk around looking for a 16 bus stop. A bus drives past, number 16, but it is gone, 7.50 now, no worries, catch next one. Hang on, our bus 16 is parked just past a roundabout, running, we are on - phew. He starts the engine and we are on our way to Fusina finally.