Topdeck European Wonder Trip (October 8th-25th, 2009)

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Wow, time really does fly by. I was planning on writing this blog for a while and a lot sooner (last year infact) but before I knew it, instead of nearing the end of 2009, it is now nearing the end of 2010. Well better late than never as the saying goes ;-)

So as a graduation present last year, I decided to treat myself to a tour of Western Europe from (October 8-25th), with my travelling buddies, my twin sister, Renata and my dear friend Kathy from University. We decided to go on the Topdeck European Wonder Tour which included London, Paris, Lauterbrunnen, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice, Salzburg, Tyrol, Rhine Valley, and Amsterdam. Wow, try saying that 3 times fast!!!! It was a lot to take in, in such a short period of time but it was a lot of fun and well worth it. We met a lot of great people, experienced loads of culture and retained memories that will last a lifetime. We stayed mostly in hostels and cabins, but we also got to stay in a 12th century castle in Germany (more on that that later).

Well enough of all the introduction and explaination stuff.... Let's get into the blood and gore of a great trip!

Day 1 : London, England Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Leaving from Canada, my sister and I arrived in London, England on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at the ripe time of 5:00 a.m. at Gatwick Airport. We should have been tired and beat from jet lag, but I was so excited to go exploring, that it did not hit me. We have traveled to London, England twice before, as we have lots of family there. However, I just can never get enough of London. There is always things to do and meeting the family is great as well ;-)

We stayed the night at the Generator Hostel, as we had to get up early the next morning at 6:00am to start the tour. There is not much good things that I could say about the Generator Hostel. There were four beds to a room (two sets of bunk beds) with no room to put your luggage. The bunk beds looked like they were going to fall apart and it was hard getting down from them, as I was told by my sister. I gave my sister the top bunk ;-) But the place was safe and the room was locked and secure, which was all I could ask for. We also met two girls from Australia bunking with us, who were also on the Topdeck tour with us. The breakfast was stale, but you can't really ask for much at a hostel. The hostel, did have paid internet access, and an information desk with lots of brochures, maps and tours of the sights of London.

My sister and I met up with our friend Kathy at the Generator Hostel and decided to go on a free London walking tour (tips only). Our guide was very enthusiastic and we all had drinks and great food at a pub afterwards. The tour lasted around three hours and started at Wellington Arch and included Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Churchill’s War Cabinet Bunker, 10 Downing Street, St. James’s Park, and ended at Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. At the end, there was a fascinating in-depth story of Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot.

After lunch, we went to Trafalgar Square to meet up with our cousin Jean from London, to go out for dinner. We occupied our time by going to the London National Gallery of Art, where I starred in awe at the Sunflower 1888 painting by Van Gogh. I almost bought a print of the painting. Looking back now, maybe I should have bought a print; it would have looked nice in my room.

Well the entire day in London was gloomy and on the verge of rain. It finally started pouring just as we were being excorted out of the museum. We weren't allowed to find shelter under the steps of the museum (very mean individuals) and so we had to stand in the pouring rain waiting to meet up with our cousin. It was raining so much that we couldnt see a thing, even less find our cousin. After a hour, standing in the rain we finally were able to locate our cousin. We all went to a nice italian restaurant for food and to desoak. Afterwards, Renata, Kathy and I headed off to bed to get ready for the next day, the official start of our Topdeck tour of Europe.

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