Venice, Italy!

We LOVED Venice! Its always the places that you don't expect too much from that end up being the best! After a tour of a lace and glass factory where everything is made by the Italians themselves (very interesting and talented stuff!) we got 'lost' in the city for the day as advised by our tour leader. We went on a gondola boat ride which was so much fun and then just walked around the streets sampling food, running into a lot of dead ends and only just made it back to our bus (it was pulling away just as we got there...) it was like being in the Labyrinth movie - so many brick streets with no map structure its just one big maze - we were going to draw arrows with our lipsticks at one point! They had so many shops full of beautiful masks, Im usually quite frightened of things like that but they were just so beautifully made you couldn't help but like them! That night we had a toga party at another camping village which was good fun, everyone was horribly hungover again for another long day on the bus but thats all part of the fun! Today we arrived on Pag Island which is just beautiful and we have a really nice hotel room so we finally get to put our feet up and just chill for the next few days (and go to the 24 hour beach party of course!) Fun times!

Vatican City

On a brighter note, the next day we visited the Vatican city and again it was busy but I can't even describe this place, if there was one place on earth I would say you HAD to go to it would be here. The Vatican Museums and the world famous Sistine Chapel with its ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo was just unreal, I got a few photos inside of some art works but your not allowed to take photos in the main parts like of Michelangelo's works but photos wouldn't do it justice anyway. I've seen so many images of these places growing up and studied many of these art works at uni but seeing them in real life is just a whole other experience that I can't explain... so all I can say is get there soon!!

Rome, Italy - Two days here

Rome... Not what we expected at all... we knew there would be a lot of tourists there but the place was actually infested. When we were in Barcelona it was busy but you could go down side streets and get some peace - not here! We couldn't wait to leave by the end of the second day, you are so crammed in the public transport and I don't mean standing close together, I mean complete strangers pushed so hard up against you you actually cannot move so it was a bit uncomfortable - we were glad that we were staying at a cool camping village away from the city! We waited for transport, waited to get into the tourist attractions and waited at the supermarkets and I don't mean that Im complaining about a few 10 minute lines here and there, it was like 1 hour waits for everything. Not to sound negative, were glad we went and saw this incredible piece of history but we would never go back! You have to go to Rome and see the Colosseum of course, standing in there was incredible especially cause your aware of what went on in there hundreds of years ago, you just stand there for a bit buzzing out at the thought of it all really. They had beautiful art work in the city centre as well, I'm defiantly going to buy a painting from Italy when we are back in July!

Orvieto, Italy

The next day (after Florence) we stopped off at a gorgeous quaint hilltop town called Orvieto on our way to Rome. These small places are my favorite without at doubt, there is so much culture and life everywhere you look and everyone is so friendly -  we were really stoked that we got to see such a nice town on our way to Rome, you would never have thought it existed from the bottom of the hill!

Florence, Italy!

We loved Florence, it was such a nice city and we really enjoyed just walking around and looking at the markets and buildings there. We had our first proper Italian coffee (they have them in shot glasses!) and I bought a leather bag, leather glasses case, leather diary and a leather coin wallet all for 40 euro which is around $70 at the moment, such an awesome deal its so cheap there cause Italy is where a lot of the worlds leather supply comes from. We had a delicious pizza for lunch and yum treats from the bakery - its good were walking for up to 8 hours some days thats all I can say!! Were really looking forward to going back there on our Italian trip in July thats for sure! That night the girls and I had a nice picnic dinner and of course more Gelato for dessert... 

Pisa, Italy!

Such an awesome day!! I have been wanting to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa since I can remember and it was so much fun taking photos with the tower! We stopped off here for an hour or so and had our daily Gelato ice cream as well, I'm getting to the point where I can't even think about eating ice cream and I never thought the day would come where I said that! It was so hot, the temperature is defiantly getting hotter! After we saw the tower we then headed into Florence where we would spend the next day!

Nice, France and Monaco

We stopped in Nice for the day and chilled at the beach before heading to Monaco for the night where we visited the Monte Carlo casino! Nice had a beautiful beach but we didn't feel as safe there as other areas of France, a few dodgy people around but Monaco was cool to see, its such an expensive area and they have a 0% crime rate there as every corner has a security camera... the casino was way smaller inside that what we had initially imagined but it was so flash and also cool to see where some of the James Bond movie had been filmed! Kate put in 5 euro and won 55 euro on her first go so that was exciting! We then went out for dessert before heading back to our hotel in Nice. The following morning we left Nice and headed to Florence in Italy!

Barcelona, Spain!

When we first arrived in Barcelona we had had nearly two days in a row on the bus and we were a bit pessimistic and grumpy plus the city didn't look the best when we first arrived in comparison to France. All that changed though when we went out for the night! We had a nice group dinner about a half hour walk from our hotel then went to a Flaminco show after which was really cool! After a few cocktails we headed out to a club and danced the night away! The club was gorgeous and massive - we were so surprised it was jam packed by midnight especially because it was a Sunday! We didn't get home till the early hours of the morning, had a few hours sleep then got up and explored the city! It was a beautiful day, they had really good markets there and we ended up walking for around 8 hours that day all over the city! I really enjoyed myself there, this trip is really good in terms of variety like one day we will be in a city looking at historical buildings and the next we will be in a fun city going out and having a blast or just chilling on the beach! We felt safe there too, everyone warns of pick pocketers etc but we didnt see anything dodgy, you just have to be aware and have your bag on you 100% of the time, we have shoulder bags the we carry in front of us at all times. One guy on our tour bus passed out on the beach after drinking too much and woke up with his pockets emptied....

After another day on the bus yesterday we arrive in Nice, France which is where I am now. On the way we stopped off at a perfumery and had a tour it was so interesting, today we have been at a gorgeous beach so were just stopping for some lunch now then its off to Monaco for the night to visit the Monte Carlo casino! Flash!

Avignon, France

 

Avignon is a gorgeous town in France that you must visit one day! I loved Paris but I don't think I would go back there just because its quite commercial, crowded and expensive but of course its great to go there to see the historical buildings - its been my favorite place in terms of history so far! Im so glad that we went to Avignon though cause I saw a side to France that I didn't get to see in Paris. I want to learn a new language when I am back in the UK so Im going to wait and see which country I'd like to visit the most over the next few years but at the moment the language of choice is French and I never thought I would say that before this trip! Each town is just filled with so much beauty and history!

Swiss Alps

Such beauty!! We had an amazing day in Switzerland! We stayed in a really traditional small village with the most beautiful houses. We decided to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain there and we went on a walk for about an hour and a half and the scenery was just stunning! We had lunch up there then caught the gondola back down and went to see some waterfalls, would really like to go back there some day! We then had another day on the bus before arriving in a small French town called Avignon!

Paris!

Wow - Paris is the most beautiful city I have ever seen! After getting off the ferry that left from London we made our way to Paris, got settled at our hotel then headed out for our city lights tour which was fantastic cause we got to see a lot of the sites and it made it easier to decide what we wanted to go back and visit the next day. The most incredible part of the night was being at the Eiffel Tower... we got dropped of just before 8pm, got some photos, then to everyone's amazement it lit up and just sparkled for a good 10 minutes - we just stood there in awe it was truly breathtaking! We also went up to Mon Martre which is the highest point in Paris so we got a few cool snaps up there. The next day it was beautiful blue skies and we set out early to visit as much as we could! We visited the Notre Dame cathedral which just blew us away but my favorite part of Paris was definitely the Louvre - not only did it take your breath away but it took your voice away as well, you just stand there in awe. Im wishing now that Id learnt a bit more history before coming on this trip - I learnt quite a bit about the French Revolution last year so seeing buildings where important historical events took place and knowing what went on behind the walls was a real bonus for me so yeah I wish that I had learnt more about the other countries we are visiting but I guess its something to read up on when I get back to England! That afternoon I had a quick catch up near the Eiffel Tower with a friend from New Zealand so it was great to catch up and hear about life in Paris! We explored the city a bit more after that before heading out to the Cabernet for the night! We were up early the next day and yesterday we had a 10 hour bus ride to the Swiss Alps where I am sitting now - time to head up to the top of the mountains on a gondola and see some spectacular views!

Lost Photos...

If your wondering why there was no photo on the last post of me with Big Ben in the background its because my photos decided to disappear on me... and before anyone assumes I accidentally deleted them I can assure you that thats not the case... you have to go into 3 different menus to delete all photos so its either my camera or memory card playing up and after a bit of googling I found that it is quite common for pictures to just suddenly disappear... Anyway, I was a bit gutted that I lost my photos of London but if I think about it I got to see it all at least, I feel that these days everyone lives through their cameras instead of just taking in the immediate beauty in front of you... just from being in London and Paris you quickly realise that even the best photographer in the world cannot do these amazing cities and sites justice - its just more incredible than I could have ever imagined. So if your going traveling, take pictures with you and your friends in them to remember the experiences that you shared together but at the end of the day its about taking it all in through your eyes and not the camera lens. Also Im glad it happened just after London and not half way through my trip in Europe - now I am backing up my pictures every second day just incase - lesson learned!

London

Hello! OK so last Saturday I got a bus down to London and met up with Kate at our hotel in Paddington. After getting off the bus I just could not find the bus to connect me to Paddington and with 23kgs of luggage gave up pretty quick and just got in a black cab! We went out and explored for the afternoon then got the underground  to Piccadilly for the night to meet up with Kates cousin at a bar called Tiger Tiger which was really fun! At first we were wondering if it was safe to take the tube at night as Auckland is pretty deserted at night. Well... we emerged from the Piccadilly station and it was like walking right into the middle of a concert - it was a bit overwhelming at first but we managed to find our way to the club and out of the swarming crowds pretty quick. So we had an awesome first night out in London filled with cocktails and dancing! The next day we did all the tourist activities in London, we went on the big red bus tour and saw all the sites like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace etc. I wasnt really expecting much from London cause Id heard that it was really busy/crowded, not the best weather etc but I really loved it and can see myself living and working there for sure! There is just so much to see and do and if you get fed up of one place you just jump on the train and go to the next place. I also had dinner with my friend Logan who has been here for about 9 months now so it was great to catch up and get some tips on starting out in London... watch this space!