We said goodbye to Austria and made our way into Germany. First up was Dachau concentration camp. It was a bit rough and a lot to take in and handle. I read what I needed and walked most of it. Just being there was an experience. I didn't need to be there and read all about it too. I did some reading and it was horrible so I'm happy to just research about it after when I'm home.
We went into Munich and had a pretty awesome time. We saw beer halls, churches and McDonald's. I got an ice tea and it was exactly what I needed.
We got into the hostel and straight after it we had a shower and cleaned up. Tom was in my room and it was the first and only time couples had to be split so Justin was with me too. So because Tom decided to go to Lego Land and break away from the group, he asked Justin to carry in his bags from the bus. Which Justin didn't. So when he arrived at 12.30am and didn't see his bags he freaked out and Justin just said it straight that he didn't bring them in. It was pretty funny.
That night we went out to a beer hall for dinner and I had pork knuckle. No idea what cut of the pig it's from but it was good nonetheless. Garrad went to town on it. He grabbed it by the bone and fucking ate it like a caveman. Everyone was watching. Like have some respect. Tim just walked up to him and got a photo than walked off. That was honestly more entertaining than the German dancers and singers.
We got massive steins of beer but I didn't like it, the beer was kind of shit I think. And because it was in a hall, there was no air con or anything sober were hanging near the window.
Once we got back though we just decided to relax and unwind at the downstairs bar and the majority went to the city. I figured if I'm coming back to Munich then I don't care if I miss out.
***
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Wednesday 25th July
Today was meant to be our day for adventure. I didn't do the white water rafting yesterday so I just say at the restaurant and used the wifi. I didn't want to go because I figured I did it in NZ and it's all the same anyway. There's no real chance to look at anything so there was no point.
We went on a bike ride though through the area we were in. It was pretty awesome. Garrad, Matt, Paul and Tim all stacked it. Gina and I had a pretty good talk and the whole experience was fantastic. I got a few photos but the area was amazingly beautiful and very picturesque. After that we went down to the accommodation for a BBQ lunch.
For lunch I decided not to eat a whole lot because I didn't want to be sick for the paragliding. Which got cancelled due to the heavy rain and wind. Shame. I was kind of happy but a but annoyed as well. So we got back our €120 from it.
So I went to Austria and did nothing extreme other than a calm bike ride. Cool.
Because the paragliding kept getting delayed and then cancelled once we got there, it wasted a few hours for us. So we ended up eating then I had a nap and people decided to go to silver bullet bar at the other contiki hotel near by. I just stayed with half the group and watched a movie but I couldn't get into my room because Mahbub locked the door and went to sleep. It took a good while for us to get him up to open the door.
We went on a bike ride though through the area we were in. It was pretty awesome. Garrad, Matt, Paul and Tim all stacked it. Gina and I had a pretty good talk and the whole experience was fantastic. I got a few photos but the area was amazingly beautiful and very picturesque. After that we went down to the accommodation for a BBQ lunch.
For lunch I decided not to eat a whole lot because I didn't want to be sick for the paragliding. Which got cancelled due to the heavy rain and wind. Shame. I was kind of happy but a but annoyed as well. So we got back our €120 from it.
So I went to Austria and did nothing extreme other than a calm bike ride. Cool.
Because the paragliding kept getting delayed and then cancelled once we got there, it wasted a few hours for us. So we ended up eating then I had a nap and people decided to go to silver bullet bar at the other contiki hotel near by. I just stayed with half the group and watched a movie but I couldn't get into my room because Mahbub locked the door and went to sleep. It took a good while for us to get him up to open the door.
Tuesday 24th July
We departed Venice for Austria. Sadly I couldn't find Joseph Fritzel but I feel like somehow I got near his house. We didn't get up to much as we were on the bus half the day.
Once we got there we had dinner and then we all got a shot of local schnapps. Because its a small place with not much to do we just ended up having a wifi party.
This meant one thing as well. It's the white tight and bright party. CJ, the bar man, was in a Borat mankini which freaked the shit out of me. However I went to get a drink at the bar, CJ just lined up 5 shot glasses and 5 lemon ernoffs (like a Smirnoff). Joe just came up and paid for it, then suddenly a few of us got the drinks and skulled them. Later in CJ came around with a bottle of alcohol and poured it into people's mouths and that's when I knew it was time to leave or I'd be stuffed for the next day.
***
Once we got there we had dinner and then we all got a shot of local schnapps. Because its a small place with not much to do we just ended up having a wifi party.
This meant one thing as well. It's the white tight and bright party. CJ, the bar man, was in a Borat mankini which freaked the shit out of me. However I went to get a drink at the bar, CJ just lined up 5 shot glasses and 5 lemon ernoffs (like a Smirnoff). Joe just came up and paid for it, then suddenly a few of us got the drinks and skulled them. Later in CJ came around with a bottle of alcohol and poured it into people's mouths and that's when I knew it was time to leave or I'd be stuffed for the next day.
***
Monday 23rd July
We went into Venice today via boat and it was pretty close, something like 20-30 minutes. It was beautiful to see all the buildings along the water on the ride there. Pictures don't do half of Europe any justice because you can't always soak in the beauty from everything, like the architecture, paintings, the surroundings and the atmosphere. Venice is one of those places.
We went on a guided tour and the lady was amazing. She actually pointed out that there's no Starbucks in Italy, because Italians actually love coffee. That's something I knew but I had no idea there was no Starbucks. She took us on a tour around the main points of Venice and showed us a fair amount through the narrow streets. We ended back where we started and some of us decided it was best to go out for lunch at 10.45am since we wouldn't have much of a chance later on.
A group of six of us went to a restaurant, I thought we were looking for a cafe of some sort. So I ordered a plate of pasta worth €11 and water €4.50, plus €2.50 charge and another 10% fee. I just put in €20 and somehow after everyone put their money in, we were short €20. No one was willing to put in so I just gave the money and walked out, pissed off that I paid more than double for something so simple. I decided that it's my holiday and if I'm not enjoying myself I can just walk off and find something to that will provide me with enjoyment. So I broke away from everyone and did my own thing.
I went to the Academia museum and realised I didn't actually need a ticket because as soon as you walk in you can just go up the stairs and no one is guarding it nor checking tickets. But I didn't know this so I walked in the hall and paid €11 for a shit exhibition I only looked at for about 30 minutes. I left and found free wifi which was awesome because it's hard to get any in Venice. I just walked around aimlessly and did my own thing through the streets and then went back to the group at St. Marks square.
We were sitting on the ground next to the side of the bell tower (it's currently undergoing repairs and has fencing around the side) and then we had two women come up to us and demand we move because we can't sit down. I said "oO the Venice sitting police" we just got up and went onto the glass blowing demonstration. After that we went to a lace demonstration. Both reminded me of half the crap that the nonnas have and even some stuff at home. In the lace shop the lady was saying we should start buying things for our glory boxes. I lost my shit, do did the Canadian boys. Then when they asked us how to prolong the life of the lace Brandan and I laughed and said plastic, which actually seemed to offend the lady. Awkward.
Later we went onto the gondola ride. What shit that was. Firstly Renata was pissed off she wasn't given the couples seat, which is fair enough, I'd be pissed off too. But that's to do with the people on the boat. Then the guy rowing wasn't even paying attention, he spun us around twice, rowed up to two other guys and they had a chat about dogs and how cold the girls are then after 15 minutes they went into a canal, turned and came out. No singing. Nothing. Utter crap for what we paid. That took up 32 minutes and was the exact same route I took web I walked around by myself. So it wasn't a fantastic day.
The ride back to the accommodation was a nightmare. We waited an hour for the boat so we missed about 2 because they were busy and the group got split up anyway. We had to push to get on the boat. Danny (our tour manager) was about to go in a stabbing rampage, it was ridiculous.
For the night party, it was beach theme. There was oily abs, sumo wrestling and wet tshirt competition. Oily abs was won by a fat Asian, which was sweet because that was a good laugh and meant that the tools didn't win. The sumo wrestling was good but mostly the girls did it. Then the wet tshirt. Holy crap. Okay I did not expect to see titties in the flesh. I think almost everyone was surprised. I ended the night with a few drinks. Renata ended it with a hell of a lot of free drinks because she spoke Polish to the Polish guy working the bar.
We went on a guided tour and the lady was amazing. She actually pointed out that there's no Starbucks in Italy, because Italians actually love coffee. That's something I knew but I had no idea there was no Starbucks. She took us on a tour around the main points of Venice and showed us a fair amount through the narrow streets. We ended back where we started and some of us decided it was best to go out for lunch at 10.45am since we wouldn't have much of a chance later on.
A group of six of us went to a restaurant, I thought we were looking for a cafe of some sort. So I ordered a plate of pasta worth €11 and water €4.50, plus €2.50 charge and another 10% fee. I just put in €20 and somehow after everyone put their money in, we were short €20. No one was willing to put in so I just gave the money and walked out, pissed off that I paid more than double for something so simple. I decided that it's my holiday and if I'm not enjoying myself I can just walk off and find something to that will provide me with enjoyment. So I broke away from everyone and did my own thing.
I went to the Academia museum and realised I didn't actually need a ticket because as soon as you walk in you can just go up the stairs and no one is guarding it nor checking tickets. But I didn't know this so I walked in the hall and paid €11 for a shit exhibition I only looked at for about 30 minutes. I left and found free wifi which was awesome because it's hard to get any in Venice. I just walked around aimlessly and did my own thing through the streets and then went back to the group at St. Marks square.
We were sitting on the ground next to the side of the bell tower (it's currently undergoing repairs and has fencing around the side) and then we had two women come up to us and demand we move because we can't sit down. I said "oO the Venice sitting police" we just got up and went onto the glass blowing demonstration. After that we went to a lace demonstration. Both reminded me of half the crap that the nonnas have and even some stuff at home. In the lace shop the lady was saying we should start buying things for our glory boxes. I lost my shit, do did the Canadian boys. Then when they asked us how to prolong the life of the lace Brandan and I laughed and said plastic, which actually seemed to offend the lady. Awkward.
Later we went onto the gondola ride. What shit that was. Firstly Renata was pissed off she wasn't given the couples seat, which is fair enough, I'd be pissed off too. But that's to do with the people on the boat. Then the guy rowing wasn't even paying attention, he spun us around twice, rowed up to two other guys and they had a chat about dogs and how cold the girls are then after 15 minutes they went into a canal, turned and came out. No singing. Nothing. Utter crap for what we paid. That took up 32 minutes and was the exact same route I took web I walked around by myself. So it wasn't a fantastic day.
The ride back to the accommodation was a nightmare. We waited an hour for the boat so we missed about 2 because they were busy and the group got split up anyway. We had to push to get on the boat. Danny (our tour manager) was about to go in a stabbing rampage, it was ridiculous.
For the night party, it was beach theme. There was oily abs, sumo wrestling and wet tshirt competition. Oily abs was won by a fat Asian, which was sweet because that was a good laugh and meant that the tools didn't win. The sumo wrestling was good but mostly the girls did it. Then the wet tshirt. Holy crap. Okay I did not expect to see titties in the flesh. I think almost everyone was surprised. I ended the night with a few drinks. Renata ended it with a hell of a lot of free drinks because she spoke Polish to the Polish guy working the bar.
Sunday 22nd July
Today we hit off to Venice after the white board party. Basically we all wore a white tshirt that had to say something like "I <3 Roma" and just trash them up with texta. It was great but my feet hurt in thongs so I went down to get changed but the van was too far do I just went to bed.
Once we arrived near Venice I was looking around and noticed all the river systems and I asked Renata what the hell is this place :p
Not much happened. We got wifi for €4 for 24 hours. Or we had the option of 2 hours for €5, 1 hour for €3. Smart. This just resulted in another wifi party.
Dinner was a BBQ and it seriously tasted like everything was covered in salt for days. The ribs were just salt pretty much. Then later Renata got me an amnesia. A drink with three shots of alcohol in it and it does it's job we'll. I had wine for dinner, amnesia and Alicia's Bellini.
Once we arrived near Venice I was looking around and noticed all the river systems and I asked Renata what the hell is this place :p
Not much happened. We got wifi for €4 for 24 hours. Or we had the option of 2 hours for €5, 1 hour for €3. Smart. This just resulted in another wifi party.
Dinner was a BBQ and it seriously tasted like everything was covered in salt for days. The ribs were just salt pretty much. Then later Renata got me an amnesia. A drink with three shots of alcohol in it and it does it's job we'll. I had wine for dinner, amnesia and Alicia's Bellini.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday 20th July
This morning after starting my antibiotics I started feeling a little better, but everyone looked pretty rough. I found out that after Zoe and I went to bed last night that there was a fight that broke out at the bar between different contiki groups. Which I find funny actually...
Anyways, we went to Rome and needed to wear Church dress, which was almost impossible because we had to cover our knees and shoulders. The day before we had to do the same, but my shorts were just above the knees so I unbuttoned them and walked in with my pants down. Once I got in I sucked in my stomach and pulled the shorts back up.
Once we got to Rome we got bombarded by the blacks selling us fake shit. We had a tour of Rome first but as soon as we got off the bus it's like they just sniff you out and come right up to the door. I avoided them and as soon as we walked up to the Vatican we had some Nonna singing, asking for money, covered head to toe in clothing. Silly bitch. I didn't feel sorry for her, these gypsies are relentless.
We did a walking tour of the Vatican, after we waiter 30minutes in the heat, and we ended up finally going inside late! We missed out on an hour of free time because the guide was late. She finished up and just pretty much didn't feel like she concluded the tour. But we ended up seeing the Sistine Chapel. It was so busy but a shame we couldn't take any photos.
After that Garrad had to go to the pharmacy to get something for his hand. I've got a photo of it but maybe it's not best to upload it. However once we got to the pharmacy, the ladies working there freaked out and straight away said to go to the hospital and they started giving me the directions. However he ended up going that night and having only used steri-strips until then.
Danny then took us onto a walking tour around Rome, where we saw the Trevi Fountain and many other iconic buildings and monuments. We had dinner at one location where they had free wifi, so after the first 5 minutes of arriving everyone stopped talking and went straight for their phones. I ordered pasta but was told it'd take too long since we had a time frame, so I just got plane spaghetti. The stupid goddamn waiters didn't realise I ordered the same thing as Alicia, even after we went over the order twice, so I had to ask for it and waited an extra 10 minutes than everyone else and we were already late. We ended up being 30 minutes late because of them.
None the less Danny took us to grab some gelato and it was pretty amazing. I got Honey and Pistachio which was awesome, except I was still full from scoffing my dinner in 5 minutes and still being clogged up.
After dinner we had a whiteboard party, which was just us wearing a 'I <3 ROMA' tshirt with people signing it all over. That was pretty awesome, but after a while my feet hurt in the thongs I wore because we all know how shit I can walk in them. Once I went down to the van I just gave up and went to bed, couldn't be bothered going back up.
Let me now explain the accommodation. They were all camper vans. Not cabins, vans. So any movement meant the whole thing would shake. I gave up once I saw the room with the two single beds, I opted for the couch because it actually seemed a lot more comfortable and practical.
Saturday 21st July
This morning we went to Rome via public transport. I actually thought we were staying near the metro. No. How wrong was I. We stayed in accommodation which is situated in no where and was disgusting. The toilet was running all night so it sounded like someone was showering all knight. Don't forget I was in the lounge and it wasn't separated by another door unlike the other bedrooms. I kept waking up with ants on my pillow as well. I got up and still had no hot water. I just gave up and showered in Alicia's van. Let me just say how cramped up it was. The toilet wasn't even accessible because I had to dislocate my body to fit in it, and I'm small. So that was interesting. Also there were two toilet paper roles next to the toilet and all we had was some folder paper crap which could only sit on the broken toilet itself. So yeah the shower was feral. It flooded like a goddamn pool and took forever to drain.
However this place had free wifi so you know....sweet.
We then went to use the train which was more like some old ass double decker crap that was really old. It took us to the metro which was slow as hell but we finally got to the metro. At least the first metro train was air conditioned and roomy. I can't say the same for the second. It was full of graffiti, crowded and had no air con.
However we finally got up to see thee Colosseum. It was amazing! It was like seeing the MCG but obviously much cooler. Actually maybe I shouldn't compare it because the only thing that died at the MCG was Melbourne's hopes of a premiership cup.
The best advice we got was to go through the forum and get our ticket there because it allowed us access to both places for €11. So we did that and honestly we saved easily 2 hours in line for the colosseum. There we met up with some people from the group and everyone mixed up ad around. Renata, Justin and I chilled for a bit and took photos inside there and later made our way around. We bumped into a lot of people so when we left Zoe needed to use the bathroom and said she will find us outside. That was impossible. We lost her for the entire day. She didn't get back to the camp site until 8pm which was an hour after dinner by that stage and we got worried because we couldn't get in contact with her via mobile phones.
That aside we had lunch. That was a nightmare because getting the metro was busy and hot. Then we got to a place and they didn't understand us but agreed to us having free drinks. However they never honored this and just ended up charging us for drinks and charged me a different price to what was advertised. I cracked it ad so did everyone else. We just left the exact amount and left. The lady serving came running up to check we paid the right amount as we walked off, which was funny because she was so stressed from the shit we gave her.
After lunch we went to see the Cappuccini monks. They're basically the remains of monks decorated into several rooms. Over 4,000 monks. It was a bit weird, sick and confronting. But totally worth it. Again a rude ass American mother was behind us trying to get photos with her phone and a security guard came by and told her off. Her daughter told her not to do it as well, but she acted like she knew nothing of it. But at the end the lady in the gift shop told them off even though she didn't see it happen. Creeeeeeepy.
We hit the Spanish Steps and got photos, again my famous pose.
However this place had free wifi so you know....sweet.
We then went to use the train which was more like some old ass double decker crap that was really old. It took us to the metro which was slow as hell but we finally got to the metro. At least the first metro train was air conditioned and roomy. I can't say the same for the second. It was full of graffiti, crowded and had no air con.
However we finally got up to see thee Colosseum. It was amazing! It was like seeing the MCG but obviously much cooler. Actually maybe I shouldn't compare it because the only thing that died at the MCG was Melbourne's hopes of a premiership cup.
The best advice we got was to go through the forum and get our ticket there because it allowed us access to both places for €11. So we did that and honestly we saved easily 2 hours in line for the colosseum. There we met up with some people from the group and everyone mixed up ad around. Renata, Justin and I chilled for a bit and took photos inside there and later made our way around. We bumped into a lot of people so when we left Zoe needed to use the bathroom and said she will find us outside. That was impossible. We lost her for the entire day. She didn't get back to the camp site until 8pm which was an hour after dinner by that stage and we got worried because we couldn't get in contact with her via mobile phones.
That aside we had lunch. That was a nightmare because getting the metro was busy and hot. Then we got to a place and they didn't understand us but agreed to us having free drinks. However they never honored this and just ended up charging us for drinks and charged me a different price to what was advertised. I cracked it ad so did everyone else. We just left the exact amount and left. The lady serving came running up to check we paid the right amount as we walked off, which was funny because she was so stressed from the shit we gave her.
After lunch we went to see the Cappuccini monks. They're basically the remains of monks decorated into several rooms. Over 4,000 monks. It was a bit weird, sick and confronting. But totally worth it. Again a rude ass American mother was behind us trying to get photos with her phone and a security guard came by and told her off. Her daughter told her not to do it as well, but she acted like she knew nothing of it. But at the end the lady in the gift shop told them off even though she didn't see it happen. Creeeeeeepy.
We hit the Spanish Steps and got photos, again my famous pose.
Thursday 19th July
Florence was one of the most beautiful and hottest cities we have experienced yet. I walked around the city with my blue bottle of water and after the first hour it had actually heated up so much that I couldn't drink it.
In the morning we got up and hit the town, finally having another coffee to wake me up. I was impressed I was able to order a coffee after finding a nice little cafe. I was walking around by myself through the streets and came across a shop called ANGELO which was freaking awesome because I've heard of it before but never seen it.
After I went to find an ATM with Paige and came across Alicia and Garrad who were also pulling out money. But the problem was, we had a fucking gypsie follow us to the ATM and hang around. She kept saying to us how she wanted to eat and how she was a mother, so I just said to her 'no thank you' in Italian. The old bitch starting going nuts at me and I swear she was about to put a goddamn curse onto me lol.
We had a walking tour around Florence and discovered a few little interesting things. The Old Bridge was amazing and a lot busier than expected though. So then after the tour a few of us decided to go to the Cathedral. I found a couple, the girl in a fluro orange mini dress kissing her boyfriend. After that we had lunch on a rooftop overlooking the whole of Florence, it was pretty amazing.
Garrad and I decided to just walk around the streets and see how busy the line was to see the statue of David by Michaelangelo. It was over 2 hours long and in direct sunlight, so we just walked around the city and managed to waste some time by going into air conditioned shops.
That night we just went back to the camping site and got ready for the group photo we were going to have on the top of Florence. Again my professional pose of me laying down on the ground was a hit ;)
All I did was have dinner, which sounded like a hell of a lot of food when Danny told us but it ended up being a lot less. But I took an Imodium and couldn't eat so much which was good because the food was shit. Everyone then went to the Space Electronic Disco and I decided not to go and just stay home and recover. So I slept early and ended up getting woken up by Joe bursting into the room drunk asking if I need any cold and flu tablets.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday 18th July
First thing this morning was a French perfumery. I didn't give a shit. So I found their wifi and used it. Finally after a week I checked my uni results. I passed all but one, which is the one I failed last year too but I got a lower result this year. So I'll see what my options are for this.
The first thing I've noticed about the drive from France to Italy along the riviera is that there are a lot of bridges and tunnels. A lot. And it feels great to be here! I've never been to Italy and now I can cross it off my list.
The first stop we took was at a shitty pit stop type restaurant/petrol station. The restaurant was packed and organised horribly because you had to order what you wanted then line up to collect the food and drinks. Seriously Alicia walked out with a coke and wouldn't have been caught but she put it back anyway. The service was that bad there. So I just gave up and went to the petrol station and got a shitty pre made sandwich.
After we stopped at Pisa and of course after years of deciding how I'd take my photos I got a high five in with random Asian girls. Standard penis shit. Then the usual normal photos. However it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't better or worse, just different. Then we had no one on the grass and everyone was taking note of the sign. I thought stuff it, I came all the way here and not going to take an action shot?! So I got onto that grass, took my pictures and then went around getting other photos. When I walked out 15 minutes later every asshole was on that grass! I feel like I just gave Italy a little something in the first few hours of arriving.
After it I had lemon gelato. I thought it was a must have as it is Italy after all. It was amazing even though it was from a van. But the unusual thing was how the Simpsons were right about McDonald's being right next to the tower. I was amazed. There was a lot of Simpsons merch and Duff beer. As well as a shit load of black guys selling illegal sunglasses and handbags. I thought only Paris had a black invasion.
Once we got to our camp sight I helped unload the bus. But I accidentally got someone's sleeping bag wedged under the bus as it just fell out. I walked off...still not sure what happened. Shh ;)
We had "authentic" Italian lasagna and tirramasu for dinner. But I had seconds so I was obvously hungry after my shitty servo sandwich. We hit Florence for a karaoke bar, Red Garter. Horrible. Everyone was drunk and having do much alcohol. I gave up on it. On the bus back everyone was shit faced and dancing up and down the centre aisle. So I sat there and watched as the Sydney guys tried to get in with the British girls and spoke to Emma.
Once we got back at 11pm I grabbed a coffee. Something I have been dying for!!! Then there were drinks and a DJ at the bar but I'm obviously lazy and not into it to stay long.
The first thing I've noticed about the drive from France to Italy along the riviera is that there are a lot of bridges and tunnels. A lot. And it feels great to be here! I've never been to Italy and now I can cross it off my list.
The first stop we took was at a shitty pit stop type restaurant/petrol station. The restaurant was packed and organised horribly because you had to order what you wanted then line up to collect the food and drinks. Seriously Alicia walked out with a coke and wouldn't have been caught but she put it back anyway. The service was that bad there. So I just gave up and went to the petrol station and got a shitty pre made sandwich.
After we stopped at Pisa and of course after years of deciding how I'd take my photos I got a high five in with random Asian girls. Standard penis shit. Then the usual normal photos. However it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't better or worse, just different. Then we had no one on the grass and everyone was taking note of the sign. I thought stuff it, I came all the way here and not going to take an action shot?! So I got onto that grass, took my pictures and then went around getting other photos. When I walked out 15 minutes later every asshole was on that grass! I feel like I just gave Italy a little something in the first few hours of arriving.
After it I had lemon gelato. I thought it was a must have as it is Italy after all. It was amazing even though it was from a van. But the unusual thing was how the Simpsons were right about McDonald's being right next to the tower. I was amazed. There was a lot of Simpsons merch and Duff beer. As well as a shit load of black guys selling illegal sunglasses and handbags. I thought only Paris had a black invasion.
Once we got to our camp sight I helped unload the bus. But I accidentally got someone's sleeping bag wedged under the bus as it just fell out. I walked off...still not sure what happened. Shh ;)
We had "authentic" Italian lasagna and tirramasu for dinner. But I had seconds so I was obvously hungry after my shitty servo sandwich. We hit Florence for a karaoke bar, Red Garter. Horrible. Everyone was drunk and having do much alcohol. I gave up on it. On the bus back everyone was shit faced and dancing up and down the centre aisle. So I sat there and watched as the Sydney guys tried to get in with the British girls and spoke to Emma.
Once we got back at 11pm I grabbed a coffee. Something I have been dying for!!! Then there were drinks and a DJ at the bar but I'm obviously lazy and not into it to stay long.
Tuesday 17th July
We had to get up at an earlier time than we had liked to. But lucky we did. The drive from the Chateau to Antibes was long but pretty good because it didn't feel it.
I sat at the front of the bus and Gina joined in and it was great to get a few tips off her...because she's Mexican. We just sang and I learnt a bit about Spanish and Mexican culture.
Once we arrived in Antibes we just had under and hour to get ourself ready for Monaco. Before we left though we had a French champagne punch and frog legs. I tried it okay. Only to say I tried it. But they were covered in butter and garlic so all I had was one bite and that's it. Even that was enough to give me garlic breath.
We hit Monaco and Flash was explaining how filthy rich it is, that they make the roads sparkle. And they did. We first walked up to the palace then had dinner which was fantastic. Finally a pizza.
Straight after we went to the casino. Unfortunately you can't take pictures of it from inside which is a shame because it's really beautiful within it. But we got a lot of photos with cars outside. Now I'm not the gambling type and I don't know how to so I just watched. Which was still awesome.
Once we got back to the accommodation a few of us had drinks and if it wasn't for getting up early have stayed up later but a 6am wake up was required for our next destination of Italy.
I sat at the front of the bus and Gina joined in and it was great to get a few tips off her...because she's Mexican. We just sang and I learnt a bit about Spanish and Mexican culture.
Once we arrived in Antibes we just had under and hour to get ourself ready for Monaco. Before we left though we had a French champagne punch and frog legs. I tried it okay. Only to say I tried it. But they were covered in butter and garlic so all I had was one bite and that's it. Even that was enough to give me garlic breath.
We hit Monaco and Flash was explaining how filthy rich it is, that they make the roads sparkle. And they did. We first walked up to the palace then had dinner which was fantastic. Finally a pizza.
Straight after we went to the casino. Unfortunately you can't take pictures of it from inside which is a shame because it's really beautiful within it. But we got a lot of photos with cars outside. Now I'm not the gambling type and I don't know how to so I just watched. Which was still awesome.
Once we got back to the accommodation a few of us had drinks and if it wasn't for getting up early have stayed up later but a 6am wake up was required for our next destination of Italy.
Monday 16th July
Day 2 of the Chateau and we all wake up pretty early to go down near the pool to chill. Paige got up early and we were chatting about how sick we are at the moment. Yes I have a cough and a runny nose which I knew I'd get because of how much I'm traveling around.
Slowly more people came down because we were all hungry and we got talking in a group about how John picked up last night. He ended up taking the girl back to his room and as they were making out she pushed off him and threw up all over his bed. Apparently she only had red wine and no dinner so she was a write off. Which that's pretty funny! I high fived him before all that saying well done and then she threw up.
Finally we got an actually hot breakfast which was much appreciated. Bacon (or facon as I call it because it's really just ham over here and it's horrible) and such. Fantastic :)
Today we had to walk for a picnics which we collectively got a little lost but found the viewing area in the end. It took about an hour to get up and on the way up the views were incredible. However the "top of the world" was surrounded by bushes. The only views we had were of higher hills and Baxter the Chateau contiki dog. The dog followed and kind of guided us up all the way. Possibly for food and water? Either way, he's a smart dog. The picnic consisted of cheese, ham, rolls, water, chips, mars bars and apples and oranges. I carried all that and didn't realise what it had inside.
The walk down was amazing. I was able to finally see things. Likewise u was able to tan as well. Which was long awaited and much appreciated on my white pasty skin. After the picnic we chilled by the pool, either tanning, playing cards or the boys played footy.
I actually got a good tan and slight burn on my forehead but that's fine too. I want to come home black.
After chilling and tanning a few of us heard a bit of commotion going on and we went to check it out. The Canadian guys introduced us to flip cup. We ended up getting the contiki cree onto this as well, it was pretty epic.
We perfectly ended the night pretty chill and for dinner we had BBQ sate ribs.
Slowly more people came down because we were all hungry and we got talking in a group about how John picked up last night. He ended up taking the girl back to his room and as they were making out she pushed off him and threw up all over his bed. Apparently she only had red wine and no dinner so she was a write off. Which that's pretty funny! I high fived him before all that saying well done and then she threw up.
Finally we got an actually hot breakfast which was much appreciated. Bacon (or facon as I call it because it's really just ham over here and it's horrible) and such. Fantastic :)
Today we had to walk for a picnics which we collectively got a little lost but found the viewing area in the end. It took about an hour to get up and on the way up the views were incredible. However the "top of the world" was surrounded by bushes. The only views we had were of higher hills and Baxter the Chateau contiki dog. The dog followed and kind of guided us up all the way. Possibly for food and water? Either way, he's a smart dog. The picnic consisted of cheese, ham, rolls, water, chips, mars bars and apples and oranges. I carried all that and didn't realise what it had inside.
The walk down was amazing. I was able to finally see things. Likewise u was able to tan as well. Which was long awaited and much appreciated on my white pasty skin. After the picnic we chilled by the pool, either tanning, playing cards or the boys played footy.
I actually got a good tan and slight burn on my forehead but that's fine too. I want to come home black.
After chilling and tanning a few of us heard a bit of commotion going on and we went to check it out. The Canadian guys introduced us to flip cup. We ended up getting the contiki cree onto this as well, it was pretty epic.
We perfectly ended the night pretty chill and for dinner we had BBQ sate ribs.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday 16th July
So currently I'm at the chateau without wifi because it does claim to have wireless Internet but it doesn't claim if it works. So I'm not dead because I haven't updated Facebook or my blog, nor replied to my emails. But I am alive. Just.
Yesterday on our drive from Paris to the Chateau we just blitzed past everything. So we arrived at a reasonable time. As soon as we got there though we had a wine tasting and learnt a few things about wine. Like legs and it wasn't really much of what I expected because the info was pretty hollow. All I wanted to do was sleep. The wine wasn't fantastic but we did get told it was their most poplar and cheapest. Straight after I went for a nap.
Lucky for me I was a cookie (I was required to help with food prep and serving meals) for the time at the Chateau. It wasn't too bad but it wasn't what I had in mind for a holiday. The meals were pretty good though. Actually on the way to the Chateau I had an espresso, something I've been dying for for a really long time. It kills me that I can't drink coffee every day. Dinner was chicken, bruschetta and chocolate mouse.
Straight after dinner I hit the bed for another nap. Why? Because one I was still tired as fuck, two I wanted to be fresh for the P party and also to escape Tom. This guy Tom, despite being nice and all, kept hitting on Alicia and any other girl who'd give him any little amount of attention. So that was just too funny and awkward.
Now the P party was down in the Cave of the Chateau which is an underground bar/club within the building. Sweet. So the point is to dress up as something starting with P. I had the idea of going as pope. I got my white bed sheet and Alicia purple scarf and hit the Cave. It was good until there were two other popes who put more effort and I looked more like a priest. So I was the priest!
It was fantastic. Flash, the bus driver, came down as a penguin and I immediately thought of Billy Madison so I went behind to hug him. He freaked out and I got a photo with him. The night was great. One girl kept making out with every guy she could and apparently cracked onto a few girls too. Which is great because I said to Renata at the start of the night I bet she'd be the first to hook up. 1 point to Angelo.
Seriously all I remember is drinking about 6 beers because they were only €3 each. Insanely cheap. But totally worth it because half way into the night Alicia went to bed. She was drunk after 1 drink. Fiona and Dre warned me about this and gave me a mission to get Alicia to stay out late and drink more. But I failed because I didn't give a shit if she wanted to go, I was going to enjoy myself.
"He's a penguin? OH I GET IT. P FOR PENGUIN!" Alicia.
Yesterday on our drive from Paris to the Chateau we just blitzed past everything. So we arrived at a reasonable time. As soon as we got there though we had a wine tasting and learnt a few things about wine. Like legs and it wasn't really much of what I expected because the info was pretty hollow. All I wanted to do was sleep. The wine wasn't fantastic but we did get told it was their most poplar and cheapest. Straight after I went for a nap.
Lucky for me I was a cookie (I was required to help with food prep and serving meals) for the time at the Chateau. It wasn't too bad but it wasn't what I had in mind for a holiday. The meals were pretty good though. Actually on the way to the Chateau I had an espresso, something I've been dying for for a really long time. It kills me that I can't drink coffee every day. Dinner was chicken, bruschetta and chocolate mouse.
Straight after dinner I hit the bed for another nap. Why? Because one I was still tired as fuck, two I wanted to be fresh for the P party and also to escape Tom. This guy Tom, despite being nice and all, kept hitting on Alicia and any other girl who'd give him any little amount of attention. So that was just too funny and awkward.
Now the P party was down in the Cave of the Chateau which is an underground bar/club within the building. Sweet. So the point is to dress up as something starting with P. I had the idea of going as pope. I got my white bed sheet and Alicia purple scarf and hit the Cave. It was good until there were two other popes who put more effort and I looked more like a priest. So I was the priest!
It was fantastic. Flash, the bus driver, came down as a penguin and I immediately thought of Billy Madison so I went behind to hug him. He freaked out and I got a photo with him. The night was great. One girl kept making out with every guy she could and apparently cracked onto a few girls too. Which is great because I said to Renata at the start of the night I bet she'd be the first to hook up. 1 point to Angelo.
Seriously all I remember is drinking about 6 beers because they were only €3 each. Insanely cheap. But totally worth it because half way into the night Alicia went to bed. She was drunk after 1 drink. Fiona and Dre warned me about this and gave me a mission to get Alicia to stay out late and drink more. But I failed because I didn't give a shit if she wanted to go, I was going to enjoy myself.
"He's a penguin? OH I GET IT. P FOR PENGUIN!" Alicia.
Sunday 15th July
I know I haven't been posting for a few days now.
The last day of London was a little annoying because Alicia and Renata decided to go shopping first thing in the morning. I wanted to go to Buckingham and the Natural History Museum and suddenly Alicia wanted to go to the museum as well. So I decided to go to Buckingham first up. The girls said they'd be back by 1 so I did my thing, walked to the palace , saw the changing of the guards, walked down a bit of St James Park and Hyde Park (they're both far too big to just walk around).
I got back at 1 and then got a txt from Renata saying "Be there by 1:30 your sister is running wild like Steve Irwin in "Zara"". It was 2pm when they got in and then Alicia said she didn't want go anymore and that I should have just gone by myself. Like I had known! Because I can read her mind. I was seriously pissed off so I decided to go for lunch at 3.30. Alicia decided to have lunch, then she changed her mind, then she decided she was. So we just went to a pub near by and ate there. Let me just say how good the food in British pubs are. They're honestly amazing and almost on every street corner (just like Starbucks over there) and the value for money is great. They were playing music of the likes of Queen, Maroon 5 and The Temper Trap. Then Alicia paid for my meal so this changed everything.
That night we went to the contiki meeting and got the tube in. It took a bit of effort and time and newspaper were converted into hats because of the sudden rain. It was only me who wanted to meet the group but we all decides to try another pub down the road. I tired Orange and Ginger Rekordeling after waiting 10 minutes to get served even though I was right at the front. The only thing that blew my mind was how the barman checked my signature on my card. No one else had before that! We got a taxi back and thank god we did because I thought I was going to shit my pants.
Lucky if I got 4 hours sleep that night and we went on our way to the contiki basement. Seriously getting up at like 4.30am isn't pretty. We got a taxi and unfortunately he only accepted cash and none of us had enough pounds. I used all mine up and the ATM claimed to have taken £200 from Renata's card. So we relied on Alicia for money. I jokingly said to the taxi driver I'll give him Euros and he said that was fine. AFTER ALL THAT IT WAS FINE?! Eh.
We got into the bus departing to Paris and this time it took something like 12 hours to get from hotel to hotel. We arrived at 5pm local time and left London at 5am local time. Thought the day I developed a cough, sexy.
So we quickly went to our rooms, funky plane style toilet and shower which was WAY too awkward because it was only a little room with half tempered glass. So you practically had to go in and out naked for all to see unless you were just like me who was crying in the dark corner for dear life because seeing a naked sibling isn't the idea of a holiday memory.
We had dinner and then set off for a tour of Paris city. We got to see De Champs Élysées, Arc De Triumph, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and a few other places we had done already but it was good getting more info off our tour manager Danny. We also experienced snails, formage and champaign. All of which Renata and Justin missed because after dinner they decided to go to their room. I got asked where my mates where by a few people and I just said that they're a couple so you can only imagine. Alicia and I didn't climb the tower again because we didn't see the need in doing it again, especially in the rain. So we found a cafe, had a drink and desert then walked around the area. In the wet. We saw the tower at night with all the lights on and then the sparkling lights at 10pm. We got back by 11pm at the hotel. But we also finally saw where Princess Dianna died. Finally because Alicia never wanted to when we were there solo.
The next morning we got up super early to get into Opêra to meet up with Carla and co so we could see the parade down De Champs Élysées. It was a massive pain to get a view because we had to walk for 30 minutes through road closures and getting directed by French Police and where to go in French. Finally we got a spot at the front by 9am and that was super fanatic except for the pat down / frisking I got and the fact we couldn't see until I got photos and looked into the camera or the small gaps between people. But it was totally worth it. Web if I saw the current president for a second and got a photo from his chin down.
I found it funny that we couldn't have liquids on us on the front as the police checked for this. We found a random bottle of wine sitting in the pile of water bottles. So French.
Afterwards the group of us went to look for lunch and came across a crêperie - Crêperie Framboise, 7 Rue De Ponthieu. The food was amazing and I got photos of it too. We had no idea what the menu was so we guessed it because again, it's similar to English and Italian. When we told the waiter we spoke English he did nothing. When he asked us what we want he goes "ah English?!" no shit. So we got the menu in English after that and most of what we guessed was right anyway. But it was amazing. Craving Crepes on Keilor Rd has been shitted all over because the food was way better and cheaper. HEAPS better.
By the time Carla had gotten back to her hotel room and back to La Fayette, Liz was to meet up with us. That was a challenge and a half. I had to direct Alicia and I through the streets of Paris and that wasn't fun. We sat on the steps of the Opêra building and watched as the gypsies sucked in tourists. It's actually pretty fun to watch. The just did the whole dumb deaf and blind thing so nothing serious. When Carla txt saying she's almost at La Fayette I got up and left the stairs. It's just behind it so I figured Liz would txt if she's there. As soon as I got inside La Fayette she just did that. Lucky it's only a second away. We had a small Target gathering which was awesome! We just did some window shopping inside for a bit.
I said goodbye to Carla and wished her well on her trip and then Liz and I were to meet up for fireworks tonight at the Eiffel Tower. So we went back to the hotel for a nap.
I got something to eat at the local bakery as everyone on the contiki went to the first dinner, show and club. Alicia was too tired and stayed to sleep in so I just went to meet Liz. Google maps directed me through a gypsy market so I avoided it by going down the next street. It showed just one turn and you're there after 15 minutes. Somehow I ended up walking for an hour and almost 4km off track. But after that small hiccup we met up and got to the tower and even though I was crushed to death inside the metro, it was worth it.
The show was amazing. Like nothing I had experienced or seen before. When I saw the tower the first time it was just a sphere in the sky. The second time it was larger and more beautiful. The third time it was when I got off the metro in front of it and even then it was amazingly beautiful and awe inspiring. That's the time we climbed it and I fell in love with the structure. The fourth time was when it was all lit up at night and that blew my mind. Last night was the fifth time. That was the most amazing, beautiful and incredible thing I have ever seen. Ever. I gypsy videos of it too. The theme was 70-80's disco which explains the disco ball and music. Liz, Nic and I all got photos together in front of the tower. Selfies, each other and strangers got the pictures for us. We then saw the army and got pictures with them, although they said yes they weren't too pleased. Who cares, it's Bastille Day! We got into every corner we could to see everything, we just had to soak up everything. The nearby metros were closed so a hike to the nearest was a bit of a pain but we got there.
The girls didn't want to be alone nor did they want me to be alone. So we got the metro at 12 midnight together and decided it was best if we all just slept at the hotel Liz and Nic booked. So I slept on a blanket and had a coat as my actual blanket. But if they felt safe like that, then it was my pleasure. It's just not the safest area where we both stayed, something like Footscray. So maybe it was best I didn't go alone at night. I got up at 5.30, then left at 6 after a nap. The metro was about 25 minutes anyway so it didn't feel like it was worth the metro compared to walking. And that's how I spent my Bastille Day. It was very much so worth it :)
The last day of London was a little annoying because Alicia and Renata decided to go shopping first thing in the morning. I wanted to go to Buckingham and the Natural History Museum and suddenly Alicia wanted to go to the museum as well. So I decided to go to Buckingham first up. The girls said they'd be back by 1 so I did my thing, walked to the palace , saw the changing of the guards, walked down a bit of St James Park and Hyde Park (they're both far too big to just walk around).
I got back at 1 and then got a txt from Renata saying "Be there by 1:30 your sister is running wild like Steve Irwin in "Zara"". It was 2pm when they got in and then Alicia said she didn't want go anymore and that I should have just gone by myself. Like I had known! Because I can read her mind. I was seriously pissed off so I decided to go for lunch at 3.30. Alicia decided to have lunch, then she changed her mind, then she decided she was. So we just went to a pub near by and ate there. Let me just say how good the food in British pubs are. They're honestly amazing and almost on every street corner (just like Starbucks over there) and the value for money is great. They were playing music of the likes of Queen, Maroon 5 and The Temper Trap. Then Alicia paid for my meal so this changed everything.
That night we went to the contiki meeting and got the tube in. It took a bit of effort and time and newspaper were converted into hats because of the sudden rain. It was only me who wanted to meet the group but we all decides to try another pub down the road. I tired Orange and Ginger Rekordeling after waiting 10 minutes to get served even though I was right at the front. The only thing that blew my mind was how the barman checked my signature on my card. No one else had before that! We got a taxi back and thank god we did because I thought I was going to shit my pants.
Lucky if I got 4 hours sleep that night and we went on our way to the contiki basement. Seriously getting up at like 4.30am isn't pretty. We got a taxi and unfortunately he only accepted cash and none of us had enough pounds. I used all mine up and the ATM claimed to have taken £200 from Renata's card. So we relied on Alicia for money. I jokingly said to the taxi driver I'll give him Euros and he said that was fine. AFTER ALL THAT IT WAS FINE?! Eh.
We got into the bus departing to Paris and this time it took something like 12 hours to get from hotel to hotel. We arrived at 5pm local time and left London at 5am local time. Thought the day I developed a cough, sexy.
So we quickly went to our rooms, funky plane style toilet and shower which was WAY too awkward because it was only a little room with half tempered glass. So you practically had to go in and out naked for all to see unless you were just like me who was crying in the dark corner for dear life because seeing a naked sibling isn't the idea of a holiday memory.
We had dinner and then set off for a tour of Paris city. We got to see De Champs Élysées, Arc De Triumph, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and a few other places we had done already but it was good getting more info off our tour manager Danny. We also experienced snails, formage and champaign. All of which Renata and Justin missed because after dinner they decided to go to their room. I got asked where my mates where by a few people and I just said that they're a couple so you can only imagine. Alicia and I didn't climb the tower again because we didn't see the need in doing it again, especially in the rain. So we found a cafe, had a drink and desert then walked around the area. In the wet. We saw the tower at night with all the lights on and then the sparkling lights at 10pm. We got back by 11pm at the hotel. But we also finally saw where Princess Dianna died. Finally because Alicia never wanted to when we were there solo.
The next morning we got up super early to get into Opêra to meet up with Carla and co so we could see the parade down De Champs Élysées. It was a massive pain to get a view because we had to walk for 30 minutes through road closures and getting directed by French Police and where to go in French. Finally we got a spot at the front by 9am and that was super fanatic except for the pat down / frisking I got and the fact we couldn't see until I got photos and looked into the camera or the small gaps between people. But it was totally worth it. Web if I saw the current president for a second and got a photo from his chin down.
I found it funny that we couldn't have liquids on us on the front as the police checked for this. We found a random bottle of wine sitting in the pile of water bottles. So French.
Afterwards the group of us went to look for lunch and came across a crêperie - Crêperie Framboise, 7 Rue De Ponthieu. The food was amazing and I got photos of it too. We had no idea what the menu was so we guessed it because again, it's similar to English and Italian. When we told the waiter we spoke English he did nothing. When he asked us what we want he goes "ah English?!" no shit. So we got the menu in English after that and most of what we guessed was right anyway. But it was amazing. Craving Crepes on Keilor Rd has been shitted all over because the food was way better and cheaper. HEAPS better.
By the time Carla had gotten back to her hotel room and back to La Fayette, Liz was to meet up with us. That was a challenge and a half. I had to direct Alicia and I through the streets of Paris and that wasn't fun. We sat on the steps of the Opêra building and watched as the gypsies sucked in tourists. It's actually pretty fun to watch. The just did the whole dumb deaf and blind thing so nothing serious. When Carla txt saying she's almost at La Fayette I got up and left the stairs. It's just behind it so I figured Liz would txt if she's there. As soon as I got inside La Fayette she just did that. Lucky it's only a second away. We had a small Target gathering which was awesome! We just did some window shopping inside for a bit.
I said goodbye to Carla and wished her well on her trip and then Liz and I were to meet up for fireworks tonight at the Eiffel Tower. So we went back to the hotel for a nap.
I got something to eat at the local bakery as everyone on the contiki went to the first dinner, show and club. Alicia was too tired and stayed to sleep in so I just went to meet Liz. Google maps directed me through a gypsy market so I avoided it by going down the next street. It showed just one turn and you're there after 15 minutes. Somehow I ended up walking for an hour and almost 4km off track. But after that small hiccup we met up and got to the tower and even though I was crushed to death inside the metro, it was worth it.
The show was amazing. Like nothing I had experienced or seen before. When I saw the tower the first time it was just a sphere in the sky. The second time it was larger and more beautiful. The third time it was when I got off the metro in front of it and even then it was amazingly beautiful and awe inspiring. That's the time we climbed it and I fell in love with the structure. The fourth time was when it was all lit up at night and that blew my mind. Last night was the fifth time. That was the most amazing, beautiful and incredible thing I have ever seen. Ever. I gypsy videos of it too. The theme was 70-80's disco which explains the disco ball and music. Liz, Nic and I all got photos together in front of the tower. Selfies, each other and strangers got the pictures for us. We then saw the army and got pictures with them, although they said yes they weren't too pleased. Who cares, it's Bastille Day! We got into every corner we could to see everything, we just had to soak up everything. The nearby metros were closed so a hike to the nearest was a bit of a pain but we got there.
The girls didn't want to be alone nor did they want me to be alone. So we got the metro at 12 midnight together and decided it was best if we all just slept at the hotel Liz and Nic booked. So I slept on a blanket and had a coat as my actual blanket. But if they felt safe like that, then it was my pleasure. It's just not the safest area where we both stayed, something like Footscray. So maybe it was best I didn't go alone at night. I got up at 5.30, then left at 6 after a nap. The metro was about 25 minutes anyway so it didn't feel like it was worth the metro compared to walking. And that's how I spent my Bastille Day. It was very much so worth it :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Tuesday 10th July
After we arrived in London from the Eurostar we were greeted by a different metro, the underground. It was just as amazing as the Paris metro but more expensive. Also it was fantastic to hear English (actual English!) for the first time in a week!
We made our way from to the hotel with virtually no issues, just lost my bearings and had to ask for directions. We got to the Hanover Hotel and to my surprise it was renovated from the time I had booked it. It's the first hotel ever that I've booked and looked better in real life than in photos. Alicia and I got there and we were told that someone has checked in already. Only meant one thing - Renata and Justin arrived! We went up stairs (after I paid for the accommodation :/ ) and they were both in the shower. Alicia's first time meeting Justin and he's just holding a towel in front of him. But we had to smash the door for about 5 minutes because they were in the shower...together.
Angela called me just as I put my bag down and we agreed to walk around Piccadilly, Oxford, Bond, past Hyde Park and end in Harrods. I've never seen so many amazing shop fronts. So many shops. And SO MANY PEOPLE! I was overwhelmed by it all. Since it was about 4pm and we hadn't eaten since our shitty €8 buffet breakfast in the hotel at Paris, we went for a light meal. I had an amazing prawn and avocado toasted sandwich which also came with chips (or crips). I didn't expect that. But Angela was so hospitable and paid for our lunch, bless her. Mum asked us to buy her chocolates because she knows the way to her heart. We got chocolate from Paris, when we got the macaroons from La Fayette.
We walked right around and Angela was giving us such an excellent tour and shopping experience. Alicia got a Tiffany and Co. ring while I just soaked in the atmosphere. Finally we found an ATM which was overdue. We also went to Piccadilly Circus and had photos taken there. That's one thing off my list of things to do in life. Bucket list if you may.
We had a good chinwag and left a 7.30, when we went to the hotel and decided to chill then go to the London Eye. But unfortunately we left it too late and decided to go to a British style pub. Alcohol was still cheap and was fantastic. The meals were great and better than I expected. Seriously why do people talk down all the food, people and sights when they're just amazing? We had one lady from London on our table at the Moulin Rogue tell us how dirty London is! (that was the mother of the lady I spoke to whilst I was off my tits).
This morning we got up early, I called Stef over viber because she installed it for me and I still feel privileged and she deserves a mention in this. I also keep forgetting to ask how my car is doing! Anyways. Then we went to Victoria Coach Station just down the road and Alicia finally found a cafe that sold soy milk! After a week of no soy she felt relieved.
The tour we did today consisted of Windsor Castle, Bath and finally Stonehenge by Evan Evans Tours. But we booked through Viator and got a discount. I think it was worth it because for $100 we got to see all three places and we couldn't have done it alone. The first two we could have by public transport but it wouldn't be worth it because by the time you get there it's longer than the tour itself. Unless you hire a car, but the stress isn't worth it I think. Tickets to each place were roughly £7-20 each anyway.
We thought that we didn't have enough time for Windsor Castle because we were given just two hours but it worked out to be just enough time. We saw the changing or the guards too. However there were no photos inside (France was one up on this, they always let us take pictures which is why I got like 800 photos in three days). The buildings are beautiful and you can see the different eras of each building extension. The tour guide gave us heaps of knowledge before and after the castle too. Like the fact that the royal family changed their Germanic surname to Windsor because of WWI. Something I didn't know. We then went to Bath and walked arid the Roman Baths and it was very interesting. The Cathedral outside was where the first British King was crowned as well. We then went to get a coffee and ice cream. The old lady ordering was calling the lady behind the counter slow and doppy. She cracked the shits and said "say that one more time and I'm not going to serve you, I'll refund the money and you can leave". The old bitch just smiled and went to sit outside the cafe and the lady serving asked them to leave. I go to her "I have TOTAL respect for you. I get it at work too". I tried to make her feel better but then I discovered that the old lady is part of my bus tour for the day. Awks bro.
We set off for Stonehenge. The main reason I wanted to go out today for the tour. It's a lot smaller than I thought but a lot heavier than I expected. The only downfall was that they're setting off fireworks tonight there and in the photos there pictures of a lot of upside down pots and metal figures.
Now we're going back to the city through some heavy traffic for 7pm and the two hour trip back is a little tiring. I actually fell asleep on the trip this afternoon from Windsor to Bath.
We made our way from to the hotel with virtually no issues, just lost my bearings and had to ask for directions. We got to the Hanover Hotel and to my surprise it was renovated from the time I had booked it. It's the first hotel ever that I've booked and looked better in real life than in photos. Alicia and I got there and we were told that someone has checked in already. Only meant one thing - Renata and Justin arrived! We went up stairs (after I paid for the accommodation :/ ) and they were both in the shower. Alicia's first time meeting Justin and he's just holding a towel in front of him. But we had to smash the door for about 5 minutes because they were in the shower...together.
Angela called me just as I put my bag down and we agreed to walk around Piccadilly, Oxford, Bond, past Hyde Park and end in Harrods. I've never seen so many amazing shop fronts. So many shops. And SO MANY PEOPLE! I was overwhelmed by it all. Since it was about 4pm and we hadn't eaten since our shitty €8 buffet breakfast in the hotel at Paris, we went for a light meal. I had an amazing prawn and avocado toasted sandwich which also came with chips (or crips). I didn't expect that. But Angela was so hospitable and paid for our lunch, bless her. Mum asked us to buy her chocolates because she knows the way to her heart. We got chocolate from Paris, when we got the macaroons from La Fayette.
We walked right around and Angela was giving us such an excellent tour and shopping experience. Alicia got a Tiffany and Co. ring while I just soaked in the atmosphere. Finally we found an ATM which was overdue. We also went to Piccadilly Circus and had photos taken there. That's one thing off my list of things to do in life. Bucket list if you may.
We had a good chinwag and left a 7.30, when we went to the hotel and decided to chill then go to the London Eye. But unfortunately we left it too late and decided to go to a British style pub. Alcohol was still cheap and was fantastic. The meals were great and better than I expected. Seriously why do people talk down all the food, people and sights when they're just amazing? We had one lady from London on our table at the Moulin Rogue tell us how dirty London is! (that was the mother of the lady I spoke to whilst I was off my tits).
This morning we got up early, I called Stef over viber because she installed it for me and I still feel privileged and she deserves a mention in this. I also keep forgetting to ask how my car is doing! Anyways. Then we went to Victoria Coach Station just down the road and Alicia finally found a cafe that sold soy milk! After a week of no soy she felt relieved.
The tour we did today consisted of Windsor Castle, Bath and finally Stonehenge by Evan Evans Tours. But we booked through Viator and got a discount. I think it was worth it because for $100 we got to see all three places and we couldn't have done it alone. The first two we could have by public transport but it wouldn't be worth it because by the time you get there it's longer than the tour itself. Unless you hire a car, but the stress isn't worth it I think. Tickets to each place were roughly £7-20 each anyway.
We thought that we didn't have enough time for Windsor Castle because we were given just two hours but it worked out to be just enough time. We saw the changing or the guards too. However there were no photos inside (France was one up on this, they always let us take pictures which is why I got like 800 photos in three days). The buildings are beautiful and you can see the different eras of each building extension. The tour guide gave us heaps of knowledge before and after the castle too. Like the fact that the royal family changed their Germanic surname to Windsor because of WWI. Something I didn't know. We then went to Bath and walked arid the Roman Baths and it was very interesting. The Cathedral outside was where the first British King was crowned as well. We then went to get a coffee and ice cream. The old lady ordering was calling the lady behind the counter slow and doppy. She cracked the shits and said "say that one more time and I'm not going to serve you, I'll refund the money and you can leave". The old bitch just smiled and went to sit outside the cafe and the lady serving asked them to leave. I go to her "I have TOTAL respect for you. I get it at work too". I tried to make her feel better but then I discovered that the old lady is part of my bus tour for the day. Awks bro.
We set off for Stonehenge. The main reason I wanted to go out today for the tour. It's a lot smaller than I thought but a lot heavier than I expected. The only downfall was that they're setting off fireworks tonight there and in the photos there pictures of a lot of upside down pots and metal figures.
Now we're going back to the city through some heavy traffic for 7pm and the two hour trip back is a little tiring. I actually fell asleep on the trip this afternoon from Windsor to Bath.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Monday 9th July
It's a bit too much to comprehend that already I've done as much of Paris as I could have done in the time I had.
Paris felt like home and as much as I love Melbourne and hold it close to my heart, Paris shares that title with Melbourne. Maybe London, Rome or Berlin will do the same to me. Mum, sorry to say, but I have my resume with me and I'd be happy to pass it around while I'm here. Everyone was amazing in Paris and very hospitable. The language seems to be a cross between English and Italian so there weren't too many barriers.
Now Alicia and I are on the Eurostar Londres bound (London, for you players at home. See. Not difficult after all. Except New Zealand, there's some fucked up way of saying it)
Yesterday Alicia and I got up and went straight to the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) and walked from the station to the tower. Unfortunately there was a triathlon and the photos don't make it look as pretty as one would have hoped. But that's life. We joined the first line we saw and it was massive. We were warned to get there early, but we thought being a Sunday it shouldn't be that bad! Nope. We arrived at 9.45 and the line to go up was at least 2 hours long. Lucky I overheard a tour guide saying that the line to take the stairs is shorter. Yes, only 5 minutes long, so we took that option. Let me suggest that option to everyone. Because the walk from and metro station the the tower is as much effort you'll need to go up the actual tower. It's not difficult in any way, so man up and just walk it. You just walk up the two levels then you must take an elevator to the top. There's nothing to fear about heights because you just look up the steps and not out the elevator window.
We had to deal with stupid American tourists again. Some stupid guy saw a sign saying that the USA had built the largest building after the tower, his first reaction was "ha we beat you France". This is why people hate American tourists. And they yell at everything, complain, talk loud in general, are obnoxious, mock everything and become pushy. The Asians aren't far off from that too. They have no manners or respect for anything or anyone. If a sign says do not touch, they touch. If they see someone and they're blocking the path, the just stand there and continue blocking the path.
As we got off the tower there were gypsies who were part of the dumb deaf and blind thing again. American tourists signed up and Alicia wanted to warn them not too. I said bad luck for them, they should have studied the warnings for Paris. I'm not going to piss off some gypsies for that. Then there was one guy telling them off for being gypsies. Good on him. But it's sad that not even the authorities do anything. There were army officers walking everywhere around Paris with massive guns as well. Police are everywhere. Police are the border control! No such thing as customs officers.
We also had lunch on the tour, at 58 on level one. It was good even though it looked like plane food. I loved it. Then we headed off to Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. We arrived by metro and saw guys in the street taking bets for guessing the correct thing. The three card monte. You know where they have three cards and they move them around and for a sum of money you guess it? Well we saw a lady get ripped by €100. He was only taking bets of €100. On the way back the lady was still there. Pretty sure she was a prop. We also saw the church which has amazing views and that gold Egyptian guy was there again. He photo bombed Versailles and now this!? Eh. Well played.
We also got bombarded by blacks to buy their shit. We just ignored them and walked past. They're just string and they call it friendship bracelets. One girl we saw kept saying "be quite" over and over. The guy goes "I am not a bad man. I am from Africa". Oh so that makes you good?
We also saw an amazing bakery with chocolates and baked goods with a big chocolate Eiffel Tower.
After that we went to the hotel and had a nap. We had dinner at a nearby bar for €40 we got two lamb chops cooked so well and the plates were massive, I had a coffee and Alicia had a crêm brûlée. The waiter gave us a shot of apple liquor each, without charging us. I gave him a tip for the service. Seriously Parisians are a lot nicer than the English and Americans say they are. Maybe because I keep saying in Australian.
Now we have about an hour left on the train and we're in London! Amazing how we go from France, Belgium and England all within two hours. The views are amazing as well. It seems like every little town has beautiful and old churches as well.
Paris felt like home and as much as I love Melbourne and hold it close to my heart, Paris shares that title with Melbourne. Maybe London, Rome or Berlin will do the same to me. Mum, sorry to say, but I have my resume with me and I'd be happy to pass it around while I'm here. Everyone was amazing in Paris and very hospitable. The language seems to be a cross between English and Italian so there weren't too many barriers.
Now Alicia and I are on the Eurostar Londres bound (London, for you players at home. See. Not difficult after all. Except New Zealand, there's some fucked up way of saying it)
Yesterday Alicia and I got up and went straight to the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) and walked from the station to the tower. Unfortunately there was a triathlon and the photos don't make it look as pretty as one would have hoped. But that's life. We joined the first line we saw and it was massive. We were warned to get there early, but we thought being a Sunday it shouldn't be that bad! Nope. We arrived at 9.45 and the line to go up was at least 2 hours long. Lucky I overheard a tour guide saying that the line to take the stairs is shorter. Yes, only 5 minutes long, so we took that option. Let me suggest that option to everyone. Because the walk from and metro station the the tower is as much effort you'll need to go up the actual tower. It's not difficult in any way, so man up and just walk it. You just walk up the two levels then you must take an elevator to the top. There's nothing to fear about heights because you just look up the steps and not out the elevator window.
We had to deal with stupid American tourists again. Some stupid guy saw a sign saying that the USA had built the largest building after the tower, his first reaction was "ha we beat you France". This is why people hate American tourists. And they yell at everything, complain, talk loud in general, are obnoxious, mock everything and become pushy. The Asians aren't far off from that too. They have no manners or respect for anything or anyone. If a sign says do not touch, they touch. If they see someone and they're blocking the path, the just stand there and continue blocking the path.
As we got off the tower there were gypsies who were part of the dumb deaf and blind thing again. American tourists signed up and Alicia wanted to warn them not too. I said bad luck for them, they should have studied the warnings for Paris. I'm not going to piss off some gypsies for that. Then there was one guy telling them off for being gypsies. Good on him. But it's sad that not even the authorities do anything. There were army officers walking everywhere around Paris with massive guns as well. Police are everywhere. Police are the border control! No such thing as customs officers.
We also had lunch on the tour, at 58 on level one. It was good even though it looked like plane food. I loved it. Then we headed off to Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. We arrived by metro and saw guys in the street taking bets for guessing the correct thing. The three card monte. You know where they have three cards and they move them around and for a sum of money you guess it? Well we saw a lady get ripped by €100. He was only taking bets of €100. On the way back the lady was still there. Pretty sure she was a prop. We also saw the church which has amazing views and that gold Egyptian guy was there again. He photo bombed Versailles and now this!? Eh. Well played.
We also got bombarded by blacks to buy their shit. We just ignored them and walked past. They're just string and they call it friendship bracelets. One girl we saw kept saying "be quite" over and over. The guy goes "I am not a bad man. I am from Africa". Oh so that makes you good?
We also saw an amazing bakery with chocolates and baked goods with a big chocolate Eiffel Tower.
After that we went to the hotel and had a nap. We had dinner at a nearby bar for €40 we got two lamb chops cooked so well and the plates were massive, I had a coffee and Alicia had a crêm brûlée. The waiter gave us a shot of apple liquor each, without charging us. I gave him a tip for the service. Seriously Parisians are a lot nicer than the English and Americans say they are. Maybe because I keep saying in Australian.
Now we have about an hour left on the train and we're in London! Amazing how we go from France, Belgium and England all within two hours. The views are amazing as well. It seems like every little town has beautiful and old churches as well.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Saturday 7th July
This morning Alicia and decided to try another bakery. And thank god we did. This was a tad more expensive but so much nicer. So I had my flan and croissant with a glass of red wine. We weren't in a real rush today so we just got ready slowly and made our way to the Notre-Dame via the metro and without any help. We got there with ease. I guess we're just getting used I the whole metro thing now.
As we approached the building we noticed the long line but went in anyway as it was moving rather fast. Towards the middle a Spanish lady pushed her way in front of Alicia and I and I tapped her on the shoulder to go to the back of the line. She said to me "I am in the line". Alicia and I pushed her out behind us. She just laughed and her family then joined her. Stupid bitch. She then had a group push in front of her. But inside it was amazingly beautiful as you'd expect.
After we made our way to the Shakespeare and company book shop. It was so different but really interesting to go. As Alicia said, it's just famous. Which explained the crowds all out the front taking photos. We continued to walk along the Seine towards Musee D'Orsay.
While walking along the Seine we saw a lady in some 19th century style dress and it just made me think of "Midnight in Paris" the movie. I have no idea why all these really cliché things are occurring. We then saw Pont des Arts bridge covered in love locks. Basically the bridge is covered in locks of those in love, they then get the key and throw it in the Seine as a symbol of their undying love. Very passé since Paris is the city of love. And it really is, I've seen a lot of couples being romantic and not the type of romance you see in Australia where they start dry humping in public. This is romance and nothing more.
We then got to the museum and saw the works of Van Gogh and Monet. I started singing to Alicia "girls don't like boys, girls like cars and Monet".
LE GRILL, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!
We left there and decided to go to La Fayette, something like David Jones but heaps better. Maybe like George's (but I wasn't alive then so I have no idea, refer to your grandparents on that one). We got Macaroons, boxed chocolates and Alicia got shoes. I didn't care what we did. Mainly because as soon as we got out of the museum there was a torrential storm which gave no warning. No matter that we had umbrellas, it did nothing to stop us from getting absolutely soaked. We had swimming pools in our shoes and our clothes stuck to us. Not to worry because it means less washing, right? So that's why shopping was cut short. And also because it seemed the whole of Paris was inside La Fayette and it was impossible to move around.
For lunch we ate at the museum and it was our first proper meal. Which I must say was nothing short of amazing. I had quiche Lorraine and the egg was cooked so well and the bacon was so delicious. Alicia had pasta and it was great. Also it was my first espresso in a week so I tipped them the loose change I had in my pocket.
Another funny thing is, I went to buy my tickets at the self serving machines. A lady who works at the museum runs up and asked me where I'm from. I said Australia. She said "Do you study in Australia or the USA?". Bitch. Where the hell do you think I study if I'm from Australia? I don't get the 7am flight from Melbourne Tullamairne to LAX for my 9am class. Silly bitch.
Also if you're an EU citizen you get a lot of free entries to sights in Paris if you're under 26. If only! I wish I had my Italian citizenship. Maybe it's for all over Europe too but it's not what I expected.
Well tomorrow is the last full day in Paris and we've planned to go to the Eiffel Tower so I better sleep. OH WAIT I CAN'T. Some douchebags in a room near by are being loud and I can't tell where.
As we approached the building we noticed the long line but went in anyway as it was moving rather fast. Towards the middle a Spanish lady pushed her way in front of Alicia and I and I tapped her on the shoulder to go to the back of the line. She said to me "I am in the line". Alicia and I pushed her out behind us. She just laughed and her family then joined her. Stupid bitch. She then had a group push in front of her. But inside it was amazingly beautiful as you'd expect.
After we made our way to the Shakespeare and company book shop. It was so different but really interesting to go. As Alicia said, it's just famous. Which explained the crowds all out the front taking photos. We continued to walk along the Seine towards Musee D'Orsay.
While walking along the Seine we saw a lady in some 19th century style dress and it just made me think of "Midnight in Paris" the movie. I have no idea why all these really cliché things are occurring. We then saw Pont des Arts bridge covered in love locks. Basically the bridge is covered in locks of those in love, they then get the key and throw it in the Seine as a symbol of their undying love. Very passé since Paris is the city of love. And it really is, I've seen a lot of couples being romantic and not the type of romance you see in Australia where they start dry humping in public. This is romance and nothing more.
We then got to the museum and saw the works of Van Gogh and Monet. I started singing to Alicia "girls don't like boys, girls like cars and Monet".
LE GRILL, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!
We left there and decided to go to La Fayette, something like David Jones but heaps better. Maybe like George's (but I wasn't alive then so I have no idea, refer to your grandparents on that one). We got Macaroons, boxed chocolates and Alicia got shoes. I didn't care what we did. Mainly because as soon as we got out of the museum there was a torrential storm which gave no warning. No matter that we had umbrellas, it did nothing to stop us from getting absolutely soaked. We had swimming pools in our shoes and our clothes stuck to us. Not to worry because it means less washing, right? So that's why shopping was cut short. And also because it seemed the whole of Paris was inside La Fayette and it was impossible to move around.
For lunch we ate at the museum and it was our first proper meal. Which I must say was nothing short of amazing. I had quiche Lorraine and the egg was cooked so well and the bacon was so delicious. Alicia had pasta and it was great. Also it was my first espresso in a week so I tipped them the loose change I had in my pocket.
Another funny thing is, I went to buy my tickets at the self serving machines. A lady who works at the museum runs up and asked me where I'm from. I said Australia. She said "Do you study in Australia or the USA?". Bitch. Where the hell do you think I study if I'm from Australia? I don't get the 7am flight from Melbourne Tullamairne to LAX for my 9am class. Silly bitch.
Also if you're an EU citizen you get a lot of free entries to sights in Paris if you're under 26. If only! I wish I had my Italian citizenship. Maybe it's for all over Europe too but it's not what I expected.
Well tomorrow is the last full day in Paris and we've planned to go to the Eiffel Tower so I better sleep. OH WAIT I CAN'T. Some douchebags in a room near by are being loud and I can't tell where.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday 6th July
As I'm writing this I'm currently on the RER C to Versailles. After calling home through Viber last night after Moulin Rogue, I fall asleep in bed. It wasn't long until I had to run into the bathroom and throw up several times. Thanks to Alicia only drinking one glass of the champagne we got, and then leaving one filled and not drinking it. I pretty much had the bottle. So I'm feeling a little rough and a little dizzy.
I can now understand why people love Paris. It's really beautiful. There are heaps of homeless people sleeping the nights on the streets, annoyingly rude French people who are stuck up if you don't speak a word of French to them, a hell of a lot of graffiti and the metro stations look really run down. But they each have their own charm and adds to the character of the city. Right now there's a guy playing music on the train. It sounds fantastic, but they tend to go around asking for money because you heard the music. Piss off mate.
Okay so Alicia and I are sitting on the train waiting for it to depart back into Paris. Versailles was amazingly beautiful. There's some douchebag American who is sitting near me saying how she felt let down because the palace wasn't "convincing enough". She said that there were spots which weren't filled up and some in disrepair. Bitch it's a fucking palace that's hundreds of years old which was destroyed over 200 years ago and then repaired. Things like this make me realise that being a retarded dick is universal and that Americans are fucking loud mouthed ignorant bastards.
On the bright side, it was beautiful. I got something like 200+ photos. It was wonderful to finally go into the Hall of Mirrors after learning about it for so long in High School and University. It's such a massive and beautiful room that I had no idea I'd be so blown away by it.
I do have a few tips. As soon as you get off at the station, turn right once you go down the stairs and continue walking until you reach the first set of lights, then left and you'll see the palace. Or follow the crowds like we did, but a lot of people were confused. Secondly don't bother with tour groups. Do it solo or with friends because you'll get to see more and experience it at your own pace, while saving at least $50. You get a headset included in the price. Don't get the headset then go outside to the gardens because they'll just take it off you. Trust me I know, I almost got into an argument with the dickhead guard who told me to take it off because I was going outside. I said I'm not going outside if I have to take it off because I haven't done the tour yet and he demanded I removed it and started take it off me. I was angry with the wanker, I told him again to let go because I'm not going outside. Then the other security guard spoke French to him and backed off and said "That's okay", and I go "I know it's okay! I said I wasn't going outside with the headset!" and I walked off. The other thing is the trains. Ask and ask again. It's confusing which station it is to get off at and all the changes for the metro here, but ask your hotel how to get here and/or the metro attendants. Ask at every station which way to Versailles because it can get confusing and overwhelming. Mostly all the station staff speak English but it's nice to ask them in French "Parlez-Vous Anglais?" as they will seem to be more welcoming that you spoke their language. I've thanked a few people for their excellent English and it seems that they will go that extra mile if you've just complimented them. Also once on the RER C, find the signs to Versailles and stay on right until the end! Some stations have very similar names and got me worried I missed the stop, but you'll notice towards the end of the line, mostly tourists use this train. Some stations on the RER aren't on the metro map so it'll be a little confusing too. Quickly get on and off the trains and everything is fine. It's not like Melbourne where a train wait, here they don't. But they come every 3 minutes, and a single trip is €1.70 full fair.
In other news, the traffic lights here are amazing. You don't need to push a button to cross, they're all controlled by sensors. It's amazing.
Today I went to Alicia to Pere Lachaise cemetery near our hotel. About 5 minutes after we got there we were walking to find the grave of Jim Morrison. As soon as I said something to Alicia, she said "No!" and then a MASSIVE strike of lightening struck and it was pouring for a good 30 minutes. So bad that we had to stay still under one umbrella as crows flew around us. It was CREEPY AS FUCK. Everything about Paris is so cliché though.
I can now understand why people love Paris. It's really beautiful. There are heaps of homeless people sleeping the nights on the streets, annoyingly rude French people who are stuck up if you don't speak a word of French to them, a hell of a lot of graffiti and the metro stations look really run down. But they each have their own charm and adds to the character of the city. Right now there's a guy playing music on the train. It sounds fantastic, but they tend to go around asking for money because you heard the music. Piss off mate.
Okay so Alicia and I are sitting on the train waiting for it to depart back into Paris. Versailles was amazingly beautiful. There's some douchebag American who is sitting near me saying how she felt let down because the palace wasn't "convincing enough". She said that there were spots which weren't filled up and some in disrepair. Bitch it's a fucking palace that's hundreds of years old which was destroyed over 200 years ago and then repaired. Things like this make me realise that being a retarded dick is universal and that Americans are fucking loud mouthed ignorant bastards.
On the bright side, it was beautiful. I got something like 200+ photos. It was wonderful to finally go into the Hall of Mirrors after learning about it for so long in High School and University. It's such a massive and beautiful room that I had no idea I'd be so blown away by it.
I do have a few tips. As soon as you get off at the station, turn right once you go down the stairs and continue walking until you reach the first set of lights, then left and you'll see the palace. Or follow the crowds like we did, but a lot of people were confused. Secondly don't bother with tour groups. Do it solo or with friends because you'll get to see more and experience it at your own pace, while saving at least $50. You get a headset included in the price. Don't get the headset then go outside to the gardens because they'll just take it off you. Trust me I know, I almost got into an argument with the dickhead guard who told me to take it off because I was going outside. I said I'm not going outside if I have to take it off because I haven't done the tour yet and he demanded I removed it and started take it off me. I was angry with the wanker, I told him again to let go because I'm not going outside. Then the other security guard spoke French to him and backed off and said "That's okay", and I go "I know it's okay! I said I wasn't going outside with the headset!" and I walked off. The other thing is the trains. Ask and ask again. It's confusing which station it is to get off at and all the changes for the metro here, but ask your hotel how to get here and/or the metro attendants. Ask at every station which way to Versailles because it can get confusing and overwhelming. Mostly all the station staff speak English but it's nice to ask them in French "Parlez-Vous Anglais?" as they will seem to be more welcoming that you spoke their language. I've thanked a few people for their excellent English and it seems that they will go that extra mile if you've just complimented them. Also once on the RER C, find the signs to Versailles and stay on right until the end! Some stations have very similar names and got me worried I missed the stop, but you'll notice towards the end of the line, mostly tourists use this train. Some stations on the RER aren't on the metro map so it'll be a little confusing too. Quickly get on and off the trains and everything is fine. It's not like Melbourne where a train wait, here they don't. But they come every 3 minutes, and a single trip is €1.70 full fair.
In other news, the traffic lights here are amazing. You don't need to push a button to cross, they're all controlled by sensors. It's amazing.
Today I went to Alicia to Pere Lachaise cemetery near our hotel. About 5 minutes after we got there we were walking to find the grave of Jim Morrison. As soon as I said something to Alicia, she said "No!" and then a MASSIVE strike of lightening struck and it was pouring for a good 30 minutes. So bad that we had to stay still under one umbrella as crows flew around us. It was CREEPY AS FUCK. Everything about Paris is so cliché though.
Thursday 5th July
I've never heard Alicia complain so damn much. She knows not to say hello and continue talking in English but she does! I tell her every time either to shut up or at least say some basic French, otherwise we sound like rude Brits or Yanks. Her feet were also hurting all day but she wanted to go to the Louvre and carry a 4kg bag with junk it. But some positives for the day.
For the first time ever I saw the real Mona Lisa. We got up early this morning and found a bakery after going to the ATM. My card didn't work but Alicia's did so she got some money out. We got to the Louvre at 9.15am and without any queues. But we still ran to the Mona Lisa. All up I got about 300 photos there, at least. After a few hours we started getting bored and just rushed through and left at 2.30.
Okay so in Melbourne the trains every 20 minutes off peak. Here in Paris it's pretty much every 2-3 minutes. At night it's about 40 minutes in Melbourne. Paris is 6! Omfg. Melbourne please.
Tonight we went to the Moulin Rogue. It came with a bottle of Henriot champagne (worth about $100 back home) and I had all but two glasses and now I'm writing this pissed on the metro to the hotel. Yay. Was the show worth $140? No. But it was amazing and I loved it. Today was so amazing!!
I went to the Louvre. I did the Champes Elyese. I saw the Arc De Triumph. I did Moulin Rogue. I went walking by some amazing Paris sights. I'm glad I went here first.
For the first time ever I saw the real Mona Lisa. We got up early this morning and found a bakery after going to the ATM. My card didn't work but Alicia's did so she got some money out. We got to the Louvre at 9.15am and without any queues. But we still ran to the Mona Lisa. All up I got about 300 photos there, at least. After a few hours we started getting bored and just rushed through and left at 2.30.
Okay so in Melbourne the trains every 20 minutes off peak. Here in Paris it's pretty much every 2-3 minutes. At night it's about 40 minutes in Melbourne. Paris is 6! Omfg. Melbourne please.
Tonight we went to the Moulin Rogue. It came with a bottle of Henriot champagne (worth about $100 back home) and I had all but two glasses and now I'm writing this pissed on the metro to the hotel. Yay. Was the show worth $140? No. But it was amazing and I loved it. Today was so amazing!!
I went to the Louvre. I did the Champes Elyese. I saw the Arc De Triumph. I did Moulin Rogue. I went walking by some amazing Paris sights. I'm glad I went here first.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Wednesday 4th July
This flight really seems to be the death of me. Firstly the guy behind me is middle aged and lost his glasses and kept going nuts and ended up kicking my seat so many times for the first two hours that I kept slamming back on it.
I'm in the aisle seat. So the guy in the next aisle was having a wine with dinner (much like me, but I settled for French wine). The tool in front of him put the seat back and knocked his bottle over. It hit the floor and went everywhere. I had a white Hugo Boss bag! I feel like such a wino. To make it worse, my bag is/was white.
Also the games on this entertainment system suck balls. I also get gassy on planes and I can't fart -_-
There are some freaks on-board. The lady behind Alicia won't calm the fuck down. Bitch it's not like you'll fucking explode midway into a flight. Calm your cunt and sit there. And that dickward with you needs to STOP FUCKING WITH MY SEAT! I can't push it back too far because it, like your beauty, it must stop.
I also experienced the worst thing of my life. I went to the toilet to freshen up. So I got up and went, and out comes the sweetest looking most innocent young lady. Inside the toilet was the exact opposite. I think that the entire cabin could hear my screams. But seriously it's the weirdest thing to do. So far I've had dinner, two snack's and two breakfasts on my flights. Without too much effort we should be landing soon.
So we landed and now we're in the hotel room trying to nap and watch Glee dubbed into German. Now it's time for Maccas because it's down the road. Also I think they're just putting in a new tram on the road.
I only had 2 hours sleep in the last 48 hours or so. So I think it's okay to have an early one!
I'm in the aisle seat. So the guy in the next aisle was having a wine with dinner (much like me, but I settled for French wine). The tool in front of him put the seat back and knocked his bottle over. It hit the floor and went everywhere. I had a white Hugo Boss bag! I feel like such a wino. To make it worse, my bag is/was white.
Also the games on this entertainment system suck balls. I also get gassy on planes and I can't fart -_-
There are some freaks on-board. The lady behind Alicia won't calm the fuck down. Bitch it's not like you'll fucking explode midway into a flight. Calm your cunt and sit there. And that dickward with you needs to STOP FUCKING WITH MY SEAT! I can't push it back too far because it, like your beauty, it must stop.
I also experienced the worst thing of my life. I went to the toilet to freshen up. So I got up and went, and out comes the sweetest looking most innocent young lady. Inside the toilet was the exact opposite. I think that the entire cabin could hear my screams. But seriously it's the weirdest thing to do. So far I've had dinner, two snack's and two breakfasts on my flights. Without too much effort we should be landing soon.
So we landed and now we're in the hotel room trying to nap and watch Glee dubbed into German. Now it's time for Maccas because it's down the road. Also I think they're just putting in a new tram on the road.
I only had 2 hours sleep in the last 48 hours or so. So I think it's okay to have an early one!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Tuesday 3rd July
Okay so my plane leaves in less than 24 hours. Here is what's happening:
- I'm still sitting here by my computer with a few things to do, like backing up things, print off documents and so on.
- I still have my things all over my bed ready to go into my backpack.
- I still need to book flights, hotels and tours.
- I still need to get some sleep!
On the other hand:
- I booked a few cool places like the Hilton in Dresden for a night with buffet breakfast for $100.
- There is an awesome hostel I booked in Koln which is also for one night.
- I got a 16GB USB memory card today to back up photos.
- My international sim started working.
- I checked into my Contiki tour.
- The flights with Alicia are all checked into as well.
- I also booked my flights from Milan to Munich and back. (for 3 nights because I think that's enough Nicole)
It's funny because I keep telling people 'Thursday I'll be in Paris doing....' and it hasn't really hit me yet. I do know that the VERY first thing I'm going to do is once I land in Paris, go straight to the hotel, put my bags down and have a shower! Then go down the road to McDonald's and have a bit of a walk around.
I have a few little things to figure out, like if I should REALLY buy a EUrail pass, because the one I'm looking at should suit me, 10 trips in 2 months for $540. But will I spend $540 if I got trains and paid for them one buy one?
As a continuatoin of my previous picture upload, I have the latest of bookings which have occured!
- I'm still sitting here by my computer with a few things to do, like backing up things, print off documents and so on.
- I still have my things all over my bed ready to go into my backpack.
- I still need to book flights, hotels and tours.
- I still need to get some sleep!
On the other hand:
- I booked a few cool places like the Hilton in Dresden for a night with buffet breakfast for $100.
- There is an awesome hostel I booked in Koln which is also for one night.
- I got a 16GB USB memory card today to back up photos.
- My international sim started working.
- I checked into my Contiki tour.
- The flights with Alicia are all checked into as well.
- I also booked my flights from Milan to Munich and back. (for 3 nights because I think that's enough Nicole)
It's funny because I keep telling people 'Thursday I'll be in Paris doing....' and it hasn't really hit me yet. I do know that the VERY first thing I'm going to do is once I land in Paris, go straight to the hotel, put my bags down and have a shower! Then go down the road to McDonald's and have a bit of a walk around.
I have a few little things to figure out, like if I should REALLY buy a EUrail pass, because the one I'm looking at should suit me, 10 trips in 2 months for $540. But will I spend $540 if I got trains and paid for them one buy one?
As a continuatoin of my previous picture upload, I have the latest of bookings which have occured!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)