I got high on my birthday!

You can get High from smoking pot but there are other means to get High!
I will get to that in a minute.

The ferry ride back from Sweden to Denmark was interesting as the choppy conditions made the ship roll a fair amount. Most people stayed in their seats, while the restaurant personnel just stood around looking bored as almost no one ventured into that area!

Docking in another country is quick these days as there are no more custom checks to hold things up. As it was already around 11.00 a.m. when we arrived, we headed straight down the main North-South highway spanning the length of Denmark. Only later in the afternoon we decided to take to minor roads through the Danish villages leading us to the German border. As Denmark looks very much like Holland (i.e) flat, green, rainy and lots of black and white cows, we just kept going until we reached the large hostel in Hamburg where I had stayed a few weeks before.

Gert expressed an interest in visiting "Miniature Wonderland". This amazing place attracts more than a million visitors a year. I didn’t mind going back as during my previous 4 hours visit I hadn't managed to see it all. During August the place is open until midnight - at night it is not so busy and so a better time to visit. We spent about 3 hours there and even now, with my total of 7 hours, I still have not seen all there is to see.

Next morning we headed to Gert’s home in Zoetermeer which is located close to The Hague and Rotterdam. I was left with only a few more days before heading off home to Australia. This left me a little time to see a few friends I had promised to visit. With some it was just a quick "hello" and a cup of coffee but still - thanks to all who made time to see me. For others, I am sorry that we didn’t meet this time.

Back to my birthday, which, incidentally was attended by over 230 uninvited guests who joined me on September 5th for my flight home. Leaving on Sept 4 saw me flying to Abu Dhabi with, I thought, Etihad but flown by KLM. This time there was no need to sneak into the first class waiting lounge as the connecting flight was only two hours on and the airport is huge. It must have been a 25 minute walk to my gate of departure for the flight to Singapore. Two hours into the flight while cruising at close to 12000 meters the date changed to the 5th and I was indeed at the highest place ever to start of my birthday. However, it was also the shortest as well as I was moving 8 hours forward in time.

I have been home now for two days and I am fighting the worst case of jetlag ever. Walking around in daze as if it is the day after a heavy drinking session - functioning properly does not form part of my day.

My friend Gert is flying to Brisbane at the end of October and I am looking forward to that. Meanwhile I have to purchase a motorcycle for him. No doubt you will read all about it at a later stage when I also will take the opportunity to show you some more of Australia.

Until then!