Keep your Ize on the stars and your feet on the ground (Part 5 of my Journey)

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The trip from Berlin to Amsterdam was one of the longer ones. Over 6 hours

Luckily the previous nights antics caused me to sleep most of the way.

Just outside the city we stopped at a traditional farm to see how Dutch cheese and clogs were made.

After a quick shower and freshen up at our new residents it was time to enter into the ‘red light district’ where we would be watching a live sex show. I didn’t know what to expect. For some reason It made me feel less perverted that I was going as part of a tour group and with which most were girls.

It was not quite what I expected.

My natural assumption was that it would be just like a porno, only live, in person.

But within the walls of this dark, dingy theatre, I realised this was very different. This was a shared experience with strangers. Some quiet rude strangers, hurling abuse and obscenity’s.

About 40 people are seated in the rows facing the stage. But in the main, the theatre is full of drunk seedy old men.

They whistle and yell their way through the entire "performance".

After the show, there was some dancers on stage-

I thought I was well hidden at the back sitting at the bar sipping on a beer, but I was wrong. I was called on stage with a couple of other guys. We were made to dance, take our shirts off and then each dancer did something different with each of us. I was made to take a bite out of a banana that was lodged into this dancers… front bottom. She was quick to get me in a headlock with her legs so the banana was squishing against my face. The crowd lost it, Laughing and clapping. Pointing at my face, that felt like it was turning blue. After I was finally let out of this hold, before she put me to sleep I stood up and bowed to the audience.

Well that certainly was an experience. It was time to walk around and check out Amsterdam’s infamous ‘Coffee shops’. Here we tried some hash muffins, shakes and smoked some joints. We sat in numerous amounts of cafes before we decided to pull the pin- about 2am.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: top !important;" />Over the previous weeks there had been a bit of sexual tension building up between Penny and I. We got along great. Became close friends, this night in Amsterdam we shared out first kiss.

Up at 9am for our bike tour around the city- which apparently is a real Dutch experience. We had a great day cruising about. There was definitely more people riding bikes than any other form of transport. One girl- Emma, her front wheel was actually hit by a passing car, and totalled her bike. She was alright, just a bit shaken up.

Tonight was officially our last night on tour. We had a dress up party. We had to go as something that depicts a country or city we had done on the tour. I wasn’t as organised as some others, who had purchased their costumes early in the trip. One thing that there was an endless supply of in Amsterdam, besides pot was football jerseys and outfits. Netherlands were going really well in the world, and would go on to play in the final against Spain. So I was kitted up in bright orange football attire, a bright orange afro wig and orange sunglasses. We had a last group dinner- Chinese. Then we boarded a boat and did a river cruise for a few hours. Partying the night away in our new identities.

The captain suddenly stopped the music and announced that we were approaching ‘Skinny bridge’ and that if a couple kiss whilst going under this bridge they will have sex that evening.

Time was closing, the bridge was approaching, everyone was looking around the boat confused. At the last moment I grabbed hold of Penny and kissed her. The boat went crazy,-wolf whistles, applause, and yelling filled the cabin.

Well the skinny bridge trick had worked- penny and I shared a small hostel bed that night. I later researched it and found out that people believed it actually signified "When two lovers kiss under the Skinny Bridge, they will be together forever."<br style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: top !important;" />Penny and I remain great friends, but are not an item and will not be together forever!

After a crazy night in Amsterdam and many bars and clubs we were once again up early to make the long journey to London- which was nearly 6 hours drive, plus we were making a scheduled stop in the Belgian city of bruges. Unfortunately this would just be a brief stop, just enough time for our Trip Leader to take us on a guided tour and take in the city’s excellent Gothic architecture. We had some free time afterwards seek out some Belgian specialities – chocolate, waffles and beer.

Our next stop ‘Calais’ in Northern France where we would get the ferry across the English Channel to London, England. This would take a bit over 2 hours. It had been a big day. Big week, It had been a big month.



20-06-10 Email to family:

“On the bus by 7.30 to Start the journey to London. We stopped over in Bruges for a couple of hours, and had a look around. Endulged in some local chocolate and beer.

We didn’t get into London till 8pm. Most people from the tour were staying at the hostel where the bus stopped.Ivan and Hayley were staying at a hotel in Hyde park. They said I could crash with them, which was cool. We went to a tandoori Indian place for dinner, watched a bit of the football. Went to a pub and had a pear cider, then back for some shut eye. It was the smallest 2 single bed room I had ever seen, I slept on the floor with no mattress and a sleeping bag, slept surprisingly well though. Hayley Left for Ireland early that morning, so I jumped straight in her bed.”



I had a full day and another night in London to chill before I flew to Paris, France to meet my longtime school friend Sam Harvey and his elder sister Alice.

Ivan and Myself took a walk around Hyde park. We had caught wind of a free walking tour that commenced from 11am in the park. We finally found them a bit after 11. 3 guys from WA, who had joined out topdeck tour in Budapest were also on the walking tour..<br style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: top !important;" />Our first stop was Buckingham Palace- they just happened to be doing the changing of the guards when we arrived. Changing the Guard or Guard Mounting is the process involving a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard. All the guards taking part in the ceremony are dressed in traditional red tunics and bearskin hats, and the ceremony is set to music.

There was so many people around it was hard to see much. We then continued on seeing the Wellington Arch, St James’ Palace, The Abbey, Trafalgar square, West Minister Palace, Big Ben and took a walk down ‘Pall mall’

Whilst at Big Ben we ran into the 5 canadian girls that were on the topdeck bus. We all decided we would meet later on and do the guided ‘Pub crawl’.

We met up at 7.30pm. We ended up going to 5 bars and 2 night clubs, I thought it was pretty average compared to the one we had done in Berlin, Germany.

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