finally time to catch up

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Hello again,

Well, finally have a huge chunk of time and unlimited internet access!

Currently in Rotterdam, finished the tour, so I'm warning you now, this will be a long one.

We left Paris and headed for Switzerland. Really long drive day, but totally worth it! Totally fantastic scenery, and we arrived in this valley that was really something out of a movie. We were staying at Lauterbrunnen, this little village, which was great. Just beautiful. Nothing exciting that night.

The following day was possibly one of the best things I've ever done. We had an optional to go up to the top of europe, the highest point, calld Jung Frau. Took a train after breakfast all the way up 3000+ metres, and it was freezing, covered in snow, and totally fantastic. The views were amazing, and you can actually see all the way to a different country from there. Stunning! It was breathtaking, both from the cold and the view. Ate some snow, threw some snow balls, got hit by a couple too! Had a hot chocolate and just generally chilled out. Bought some postcards and some souveniers, and then headed back down about 2pm. The town where we were staying was quite touristy, but sold lots of cool stuff, so bought some more presents, and, of course, swiss chocolate, then headed back to the cabins we were staying in. Dinner was in the bar, traditional swiss food, including Rotti (kind of like a potato risotto thingy), sausage and beans, and apple studel and custard for dessert. Fantastic. Then played some drinking games with the rest of the tour, and went to bed.

Left Lauterbrunnen for Avignon the next morning. The tour basically gives us a free day in each place we stay and then we are on the bus the next day. Only a couple of times did we do back to back bus days. Avignon is this cute little french town with a bridge that is half gone and a wall around the outside. Really pretty inside, went right up to the church, walked out and tried to find the entrance to the bridge (we ended up just taking photos cos we couldn't work it out). Bought some postcards, then walked back to the campsite for dinner. After dinner a whole group of us walked back into town and half went to kareoke (not me, surprisingly enough) and the girls went and had a hot chocolate. Really really nice.

Up early again the next morning on our way to Barcelona! We were instructed how to actually saw Barcelona. Apparently a previous king had a lisp, so he could only say Barthelona, so we were all instructed in how to say it, copying Martina. In the end it became a running joke, so everytime someone yelled out Barthelona, we all replied BARTHELONA. People thought we were crazy. Did a driving tour when we arrived, so got to see Sagrada Familia again, all the crazy Gaudi buildings (which pretty much everyone on the tour thought were totally insane but also cool, just like we did when we came the first time), the Olympic Stadium, etc. Checked into our hostel and had a nap, then up to do Tapas night. We were all taken to dinner at this random tapas bar (not really tapas, just bread with random toppings, but oh well), then onto Flamenco dancing (again, but this was also really good), then a couple of bars (including an Irish pub, they are everywhere). After the Irish pub it clicked over to midnight, which meant it was Chez's birthday. We were all told to be quiet, but it didn't stop everyone singing Happy Birthday at the top of our lungs, and Brad (the cook) and one of the other girls actually lifted Chez up on their shoulders, so that was pretty cool. We ended up back at the flamenco bar and danced the night away until about 5am. Walked back to the hostel (thank goodness I was sober, as I was the only one who knew the way), which took about 20mins, and then we were hungry, so asked the guy at the hostel where we could get food. Apparently the only place that was open was La Rambla, which is where we had walked from, so 4 of us got in a taxi (we left the others behind with the promise of food), and headed back to La Rambla, eventually crept under a half open door and bought dodgy mini pizzas, then walked back to the hostel again cos no taxi driver would let us in the car with food. Got to bed at 6am.

Didn't wake up again til 11.15am, but noone in the room (12 girls) stirred until about 12.15, and then it took us 45 mins to get everyone ready enough to go to McDonalds. That was pretty much all we could handle. Had Maccas (no one outside Aussies and NZers know what we are talking about when we say Maccas, its quite funny), then went to an internet cafe, where I actually caught up my blog, but the computer crashed and deleted it all with 10 minutes to go. So this is why I'm so behind. Back to the hostel after some more shopping, and then went out to dinner for real tapas (although I had Paella). Early night again.

Left Barcelona fairly early the next day (you definitely don't sleep in on tour) and headed for Nice. And yes, Nice is nice. Another saying. The place we were staying in Nice was ok, not great, and one of the girls in our room had fallen over in Barcelona, so she ended up going to hospital to get it checked out. It turns out she tore a ligament and fractured the top of her foot, so that would explain why it was all swollen! Had dinner there on the first night at a restaurant, had beef (I think, it was one of those alternating dish things), and then declined going out for drinks as I wasn't feeling all that well.

Our free day in Nice was fantastic. Got up early, had breakfast, and headed out with Cassie to the old town. We wandered around there and I found some stuff I liked, but didn't want to wander around with it all day, so decided to come back later. We then got lost (walked into the city instead of towards the beach), but ended up at the right place in the end. Cas hired some rollerblades (on which the wheels were too tight, but she got them working in the end, after lots of squeaks), and I walked beside her from one end of the beach to the other and then back. Ran into quite a few people on the tour, and Chez was down on the beach baking. Then stopped for lunch on the beach and had the best pizza and red wine of my life (the red wine was €2.50/glass and the pizza was just cheese and tomato and basil, amazing) and then finally had Creme Brulee, which was the aim on our last day in France! Totally stuffed myself, but it was worth it. Walked back up to the old city, bought my souveniers and a sandwich for dinner and headed back to the hostel. We all got dressed up and headed out to Monaco that night. The back seat boys all had matching outfits (a cartoon of which ended up on our trip shirt) which they bought that day, so that was cool to see. We were only in Monaco for 2 hours, but I gambled away €10, drank 2 really strong cosmopolitans and had a great time watching the rest of the tour group lose lots of money! Including our cook, Brad, who now gives his money to the tour leader to stop himself gambling so much! Back to the hostel and to bed. Not sick yet, but pretty much the entire tour is by this stage.

After Nice we went to Italy for the first time. The borders there are quite funny, as most of these countries are part of the EU, the borders are basically non-existent. Which was rather annoying as we wanted stamps in our passports! Oh well. First stop in Italy was Florence. But on the way we went to Pisa! It really does lean! We took the obligatory photos of us with the tower, holding it up and pushing it down, so that was fun. Lots of black market people offering bags, belts and anything under the sun. Lots of cheap touristy stuff so that was good. It was stinking hot, so sat in the shade of the tower with some of the tour people until we had to go back to the bus. Then, onto Florence! We arrived and checked into our room, which were twin cabins in a camping ground. Really nice to only have to share with only one other person, and only have to share the bathroom with one person! This stop I ended up with Hannah. Had a great time! Dinner in the restaurant, pasta, pizza, red wine, sooooooo much food! Then down to the night club at the camping grounds (these places are huge, 5000 people can stay there at capacity), danced and drank a little and went to bed about 1am.

Went into Florence the following day. We were really looking forward to seeing David, but the museum is closed on the monday, so we didn't get to see him. It originally sat in the main square, but was moved after it was vandalised, but they put a replica in its place, so took some photos of that. There are also sculptures of famous Italian artists like Da Vinci, Raphaelo, Michelangelo etc, so that was cool to see as well. Had a tour of a leather factory and we were taught how to distinguish fake and real leather. Real leather has suede on the back for those interested. We also went to the famous bridge which has houses and shops actually on the bridge. Bought some paintings and then met up with most of the tour group for dinner. Back on the bus to the camp site and to bed.

The following day, off to ROME!!!!!! Via Orvieto, this cute little Italian town. Didn't really do much there, its on the top of a hill, so went up in the cable car, had a coffee with some of the girls and Martina (who is a total caffine addict), and then lunch. The lunches on this tour were amazing. Buffet style, always on bus days, salads, fruit, pasta, cheese, drinks. Its no wonder I've got a massive 'muffin top'! Finally, into Rome! Didn't stop at the camp site, straight into the city for a walking tour. Saw the Spanish steps (named because the Spanish embassy used to be on that road, and they lead up to a French church!), Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the main square, which I can't remember the name of. Had dinner there, again, good pasta, and watched Martina and Brad immitate this couple doing the Tango on the street for money. It was hilarious! Walked on to the Roman ruins, and then, the COLESSEUM! It was just gorgeous at night! Really quite beautiful. Apparently in ancient times it sat 80000 people and could be emptied in 8 minutes. Too bad no architect can do that now! Then back on the metro to the camping ground which is a fair way out of town, but again, really nice accommodation. We reached the half way point. In two person cabins again, this time with Cassie.

Free day in Rome. We arrived and walked into Vatican City, the worlds smallest country. It was a wednesday, so the Pope was speaking. Lots of people there. We decided to stay and try to see the Pope, so walked through the security and lined up (well, the others walked further in, so just Cas and I) behind the barricades. In the end (after like 50 mins of waiting), the Pope drove right past us on the Pope mobile. I'm talking 3 feet away. Got a corker of a photo of him with St Peters Basilica in the backround, and everyone on tour was convinced it was a postcard. Hehe! Once he drove past, Cas and I headed straight for the Vatican Museums, picking up a couple more people from the tour on the way. Queued up for about 10minutes (when we came out the line was about 6 times the size) and got in. Walked around the museum and then headed for the Sistine Chapel. The chapel is breathtaking, but so are the rooms that you have to walk through before and after it. They are amazing. Worth the crowds and the heat just to go to Rome for that. Really hard to describe in writing, its something you have to experience for yourself. Don't die without seeing it. Came out and headed for St Peters Basilica, but the queue was really long, so had some lunch (worst service ever and then she had the gall to ask for a tip. We gave her one, but then, she had the gall to ask us if it was only €2!), then back to St Peters. Didn't have to queue for too long, and inside is equally as beautiful as the Sistine Chapel. By the end of the day my neck was so sore from staring at the ceiling! I also felt like crap as I got the bus sickness. Anything that one person gets goes around the whole bus through the aircon. I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did! By the time we finished St Peters, Cas and I were feeling really ill, so skipped the trip to the inside of the Colesseum, and went back to camp for a nap. Had our final dinner with 8 of the people on tour, as they only went til Rome. Went to bed feeling quite ill. Ended up sweating most of whatever I had out over night but still had a cold the next morning.

Left for Venice with a rather empty bus in comparison to normal. We usually only had one seat spare, but this time we had 9! It was great! I started off with two seats, but Aarron decided he wanted to chat, so spent half the trip with only the usual one. Headed from Rome to Venice! Via Verona! Saw Romeo and Juliets balcony, and the Juliet statue which has a very shiny right breast as people rub it for good luck. I did not. Its a little weird. Took some photos and had gelati instead. Back on the bus to Venice. Arrived, again at a camping ground to meet the new arrivals for the remainder of the tour. We picked up 9, which meant we had no spare seats on the bus. Oh well. The more the merrier! Checked into our nice cabins (this time I actually did share with Chez, it didn't happen too often). Big group dinner in the bar, and met the newbees. Then had a few drinks and went to bed. Missed the big fight and the closing of the bar. Bummer!

FREE DAY IN VENICE!!!! Martina took us for a walking tour, saw the bridge of sighs, St Marks square and Cathedral. Then a lace lesson (didn't buy anything from there), then a glass blowing show, which was quite cool. Did buy stuff from there, but nothing for me. Then on to the Gondola ride, which was awesome! Had a great group, and our gondola got pulled over for a random inspection, so our ride went for longer, and we practised our Italian! Very cool. Then we had free time, so grabbed a bite to eat at a local place and shopped! Didn't spend too much, so that was good, and made it back to the bus just in time! Back to the camp site where Brad made us an awesome dinner, and then a huge crate of Sangria. Gave a lot of people a massage and drank a lot of sangria, and went to bed. A couple of cracks started to form with some of the tour group splintering off, but had an awesome night regardless!

Drove from Venice to Croatia! First stopped in Slovenia to visit Postojna Caves (which are fantastic, little train ride down and then a guided tour around, totally worth it if you can make it there. The train ride itself is like a rollercoaster, very cool), stopped for another really good lunch, then onto Pag, Croatia. Stayed in a really comfy hotel, again in a room with Cassie. Slept really well the first night after buffet dinner.

First day in Pag we went by boat to Rab, up the coast of Croatia. It was Sunday, so the place was really really quiet. Totally fantastic. Bell towers, narrow passages, Adriatic Sea, what more can you want! Yummy lunch (pizza again, so much pizza!), then walked around some more, gelati (so much gelati - ferrero roche, kinda surprise and nutella flavours, the best!). Back on the ferry (it takes and hour and a half), feeling like crap. Early night after dinner in the restaurant buffet again. Woke up about 2am with a piercing pain in my ear, ear infection, so missed the next days excursion to Zadar (the capital of Croatia). Spent the morning in bed, ventured out for the chemist and a quick walk and some lunch (missed breakfast). Ended up lying on the bed watching reruns (in English which was awesome) of the following in this order all in a row: The Fresh Prince of Belair, Full House, Family Matters, Home Improvement, and Married with Children. Then Step by Step came on dubbed in German. Both Cas and I fell asleep some time during there, but no worries. Went out to dinner with the group and came back and went to bed. Felt really well rested after the days in Croatia.

Both Chez and I commented that we didn't really know very much about these places, nor that Slovenia and Croatia were part of Yugoslavia originally! So it was nice to feel much more educated. Onto Slovenia for the night, staying in the capital, Ljubljana. Martina took us into town and most of us went to dinner at a traditional Slovenian restaurant. I don't think I've ever eaten so much food in my life. My already straining jeans felt ready to pop off! Soup in a bread cup, Game platter, vegies and potatoes (which I shared with Cas and Martina) and traditional dessert (again, shared). So much food! Back to the campsite to bed in the best beds ever. We even had a heated towel rail! You can tell whats important can't you! He he!

Getting there, I promise.

From Slovenia we went to Austria. Sat right up the front of the bus and had the best views of the gorgeous scenery on the trip. Staying in St Johann in the Tirol, cute little ski resort town. They offer lots of things like Sky Diving, paragliding and canyon jumping, but didn't want to do any of those. Checked into our room, again with Chez, and went for a walk around the town. Back to the hotel to walk to Bunnys Pub, Australian pub (randomly), where we had dinner and got really really drunk. The worst I've ever been. Had a great night though!

We (Cas, Chez, Freya and I) wanted to go to Salzburg for the day, so caught a taxi (€40 return) into Salzburg. Lets just say that the four of us had a very long drive that day. Had two hours in the city, saw Mozarts house, Mirabell Gardens, where the Sound of Music was filmed. Walked around the city, really nice, then caught the taxi back. Did some shopping in St Johann and some washing. Dinner and group photo in a different restaurant, then bed.

Left Austria and headed to Prague! My favourite place! Went via Cesky Krumlov, this gorgeous little town in Czech Republic. Onto Prague! Did a walking tour, saw the Astronomical Clock, Wencelas Square, Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge. Dinner was not until 10.30 by the time we finished, and I was starving. My cold was back with avengence, so skipped the big bar and went back to our crappy accommodation.

Went into Prague early the next day with Cassie and Belinda, and started at the castle. Saw Golden Lane (packed with tourists, but just like I remember), then down to find the Lennon wall. When John Lennon died, people wrote messages of hope on this wall. It got painted over lots of times, but every time, people came back and wrote more. Its now quite graffitied, but you can still see the original message in places. Charles Bridge, into town. Had some lunch, saw the Astronomical Clock, went to the Communist Museum, which was great, learnt alot there. Did some shopping, then back to the hostel for dinner. Early to bed again, but peope hung out for a while and chatted in our room. Still getting over the cold but a lot improved.

Drove from Prague to Berlin via Dresden. Dresden got bombed in WWII, but they rebuilt it back to its original state after the war. Very picturesque. Then onto Berlin. Driving tour first off, saw the East Side Gallery, a stretch of the original wall that was painted by artists in 1990 after the wall came down. That was quite cool. Past check point charlie, and the Brandenburg gate, and then back to the hostel.

Free day in Berlin. Started off with the Third Reich walking tour. Our tour guide was amazing, she knew everything. Walked past the ministy buildings from Hitlers regime, over the area where Hitler commited suicide, the new Jewish Holocaust memorial, the street where the Nazi Gestapo and SS headquarters were and finished at Check Point Charlie. We walked to the Brandenburg gate, ate some lunch, then walked to the Birkenstock store (on the other side of town), bought some thongs, then walked back to Check Point Charlie, went to the museum (cool show case of the escapes and lots of info, great), then onto the bus to go back to the hostel. Got dressed up in 80's gear (well, hair at least, side pony tail and dodgy eye makeup) cos we were going on a pub crawl. Everyone got a T-shirt that said I love Berlin and had a picture of David Hasselhoff (the germans love Hasselhoff strangely enough). Dinner was good, then 3 pubs. The 3rd pub some of the people were outside (granted, making noise) and some dickhead in the apartment on leve two above the bar thought it would be funny to throw stuff out the window. Unfortunately he didn't pick the right stuff, first a pumpkin, then a 2 foot candle, which hit on of the girls in the back of the head. The same girl who fractured her foot, of all people. She got taken to hospital in an ambulence. Bit of a downer on the night, so a group of us headed back to the hostel early. Early being 1.30am.

Up early the next morning (I mean early, we had to have our bags down at 6.45am) for the longest bus day. It was like 11hrs on the bus! We finally arrived at 6.30, had about 45 mins to get dinner, and so pretty much everyone got McDonalds. Yes, I'm ashamed to say it, but its quick and you know what your getting (generally). We then went to the sex show. Hmm. Interesting. I'm not going to say I enjoyed it (thats a little kinky), but it was certainly entertaining. We thankfully moved from the front row, so sat behind the bar. I won't go into details. Let your imagination run wild. Back to the hostel after going to a coffee shop (as opposed to a cafe which sells coffee), so slept very well.

Free day in Amsterdam, skipped the bike tour (again), and went straight to Anne Franks House, which was great. Goose bumps the whole way. Not too much to look at, but that sort of makes it better. Then onto Heineken Experience. Very much like the Guinness Factory, very touristy, but fun. Then went to Van Gogh museum, which was over priced, but interesting, with lots of info. Back to the hostel, then shopped, again in a coffee shop (this time didn't really have anything), then out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant (the only place in town that seats 52). Then a river cruise on the canal (unlimited alcohol for an hour and half, so quite drunk), then back to another coffee shop (but only cos I lost the people I was originally going with), then to bed to pack.

Final day on tour we left the tour early as there was a stop in Brugge, Belgium. Belgium, the home of chocolates! I even bought some! Of course! Said good bye to the people on tour, which was sad (its quite a unique, big brother experience, spending 24/7 with the same peope for a month). Then on a train to Brussells, where we (Chez and I back to being on our own) checked into our government paid for hotel. Chez works for the Aust gov, and went to work the next day at the embassy for the day, so we got free accommodation. Walked around a little, got Thai takeaway and ate it in our room in front of Neighbours! Really nice shower, and crashed and burned early.

Thats all for now, will catch you up more later. Too much info!

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Photos

Swiss Alps
There really are no words.

On top of the world
Or at least Europe!

Snow
You can literally see to 4 other countries from where I'm standing!

On the bridge of Avignon
Only half is left though!

Nice is nice
The beach (although its not really a beach by Australian standards, no sand!) was pretty and you would literally eat at a restaurant right on it!

Pantheon
Well, Rome, what more can you say, place of many sights