Madi heads off to europe

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Week 1- Europe

I arrived in Rome on the 1^st of February to kick off my first part of my trip: Europe. The plane ticket from Sydney to Rome cost $2519.84 and was 12 hours long. As soon as I arrived I jumped on a Hop-On-Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour bus which took me around Rome to see all of the famous landmarks. I got to stand on the Spanish Steps, tossed a coin over my shoulder and made a wish at the Trevi Fountain, and even visited the crumbling Colosseum just as the sun set over the city. I stayed in the 4 star Residenza Paolo VI in Vatican City as was in the heart of the City. For a double room it cost AUD$466 for 4 days, at AUD$164 per day.

The next day I walked to the Vatican, where I spent the day wandering around the old halls and looking at the marvelous photos. The tour was AUD$136.69 per person, and was a great way to get to know the secrets behind the paintings. With the jet lag catching up to me, I spent the next day shopping around Vatican City, but was harassed quite a bit by the people trying to sell me little knickknacks in the street. Other than that, I got to see the gorgeous city over the three days, and could see why everyone raved about it.

On my fourth day in Italy, I took a Rome to Pompeii Day Tour that cost me AUD$195.90. It left early in the morning as the bus was slow, and the tour guide told many stories about the city of Pompeii and its nemesis: The famous Mt Vesuvius- which happened to be our first stop. As a group, we travelled up the volcano, which got really cold the closer we got to the top. It was worth it though, as the view was absolutely breathtaking. After a lunch of pizza in Naples (included in the cost), the bus finally arrived in Pompeii (The Great Theater). Some of the many people who died in the eruption of the volcano were on display, and it was amazing to see the way the bodies were positioned.



On the 5^th of January, I flew economy to Paris for AUD$209, and arrived there 1 hour and 20 minutes later. I stopped by the Eiffle Tower, where the line to get to the top of the structure was incredibly long, but worth it once I saw the view from the top. The hotel I stayed at was the Newton Opera Hotel in the heart of Paris, right next to the metro station and cost me AUD$370.92 to stay the night. The following day I hired out a car from Renault Twin Co. and payed the AUD$212.80 before driving to the south of France. I stayed at the La Masion d’A Cote Roussillom for two nights for AUD$1026 and spent my final 2 days in France exploring the castles of the country side.

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