Lauz's European Adventures

The London Eye

2007-05-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

After our Sunday Session, Al and I took the day off...and went to the London Eye with Niree.

The Sunday Session

2007-05-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Niree, Al and I decided to spend a lazy afternoon having a few quiet drinks in Covent Garden....but then we discovered it was happy hour!

So we promptly informed the others of half price jugs of cocktails and they came down!

Tom and his amazing dinasour impression!

From there we continued on to the Walkabout to teach Niree what a Snakebite is!

We left the Walkie a few hours later to catch the tube home..

Chris found a bike..

and the rest of us jumped into a phone box...and then we had to wait for a train..and wait...

and wait...and wait...still waiting...

and finally it came!!!

ST PATRICKS DAY!

2007-05-04T02:33:00.000-07:00

A group of us decided at last minute to go to Dublin for St Paddys Day! Niree (family friend) arrived from Aus just a few days before so was just in time! Here is our plane..This is the crew on the plane.. Me, Al and Niree Chris, Donna and Jaz (Al's mates)

These are a few landscape photos just as we were landing..

We arrived very early in the morning after our 6am flight, and so once leaving our things at the hotel, we caught a cab into the main street of Dublin for some breakfast and then some sight seeing..

With my guided book out, I directed us to Trinity College and saved us 10 euros each by reading out my information rather then listening to a tour guide..

From Trinity College we walked to Dublin Castle and did a walk through tour which was really interesting.

We then went under the Castle..From the Castle we left and went promptly to the first pub we could find!

We then walked to the Guinness Factory

but every man and his dog was there, so we left to get into a taxi (who completely ripped us off and nearly killed us) back to the hotel for a nanna nap (we had been up since 4am!!) we had dinner at the hotel and crashed in preparation for our big day tomorrow!

Niree and I ready for our big day out..

Waiting for the shuttle bus to take us into town..Chris and Niree in the green spirit!!

Once we got dropped off in O'Connell St where there was the St Paddys Day parade, we got a few necessary accessories and walked towards the Guinness Factory!

A look at the crowd..

and at the parade..

As it was such a long walk and time was getting away from us we had to stop to have our first drink of the day!

and finally made it back to the Guinness Factory!

I finished my first Guinness!!From there we decided that the best way to get back into the drinking area called Temple Bar would be by horse and cart!

Then we walked into a typical Irish pub to have lunch and begin celebrating St Paddys Day!

A few locals!and then the dancing began...

and basically the rest of the photos are just way too embaressing so we'll leave it at that!

ROAD TRIP

2007-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Jess arrived the first week in Feb and we decided to hire and car and do a road trip for a few days around the midlands of England. This is our cute little car we were entrusted with!!and believe it or not I drove us out of London WITHOUT a fault!!! The first day we drove to Windsor to see the beautiful Windsor Castle..
from there we continued up to Oxford, which was another very nice town full of students riding bikes in any direction they pleased! This is part of Oxford College over looking the town.. From Oxford we headed to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeares Country for lunch, a parking ticket, and a look around Shakespeares home. This would have to be my favourite place we visited! It was so lovely and very typically english. This is me at the front of his house and Jess standing at the back... This is Trinity Church, which was unfortunately closed by the time we got there, so we couldnt see inside, but was very impressive to look at from outside.
That evening we drove to Al's place which is just out of Birmingham, for the night. The next day (after a heafty sleep in!!!) we made our plan to drive to Stoke and have a look at the Spode Factory...which we for some reason expected to be a little mroe impressive then it was!From there we continued north to a place called Chester which was another very pretty little town. From there we had planned to spend the night in Manchester. Unfortunately we seemed to be the only people unaware that there was a big football match (soccer for all you non english ppl) and so there was no accommodation avaliable! So, after a moment of map consultation, we decided to continue across the country to Sheffield for the night. However it was pitch black, freezing outside and starting to snow...and to get to Sheffield we had to drive around a massive mountain with winding roads, no lights and no life seemed to be around at all! Getting tired, we decided to follow the sign for a B'n B and found in the middle of no where a gorgeous little pub with a very amusing room for us...
Nice privacy in the bathroom huh!!! There was a screen that seperated the bedroom from tha bathroom which consisted of a basin and a bath!
That night it snowed very heavily and we woke up to this beautiful sight... This is the pub we stayed the night..
This is our little car all snowed in!So we left with Jess driving very slowly and finally made it to Sheffield..There wasnt much to see so we continued to drive towards Nottingham- the land of Robin Hood! We did the Robin Hood tour naturally.. From there we went to warm up at the oldest pub in England! Then we had a look at the Nottingham Castle.. We left freezing Nottingham to continue our long drive across the country to Norwich. We arrived fairly late and were exhausted from the drive, so had a quiet night with a pub meal. The next day we went into town to look at Norwich Castle which we were told was very impressive and very beautiful and this is what we found.. Hmmm not exactly breath taking huh! But then we walked to the Cathedral and that was beautiful! From Norwich we drove to Cambridge for lunch and to see the famous Kings College which is below. Unfortunately it was raining so wasnt exactly good weather for walking the streets, so after a brief look around we drive back to London to return the car.

AUSTRALIA DAY

2007-04-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

We spent Australia Day in true style at the Covent Garden Walkabout. In the morning we prepared ourselves with tattoos and pre drinks before heading out for the day..and we even made the non Aussies (Al and Chris) get dressed up appropriately too!

Chris had his first beer..ever..and REALLy enjoyed it!

This is the crew that started with us....the randoms are Chris Swedish work mates who were very excited about their first Australia Day!As the day went on, we accumulated flags and hats and more people came...and somehow we just didnt look as good as we did in the beginning by the end...

This is Emma who I used to work with back at the Northern.

Sams last day..sniff

2007-04-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Sams last day in London was spent at the Tate Modern slide! Yup a 4 storey slide had been built in the foyer of the museum for some random reason! It was a little bumpy on the way down, but very amusing and fun!

That night we all met at the usual TGIs for dinner and drinks for Sams final night...sniff sniff..

Of course it being mid week the workers had to go home, so me and Sam kicked on to a dodgy club in Piccadilly called Tiger Tiger..hehe..

MADAME TUSSAUDS

2007-04-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

What more could anyone want then a day out with some wax like celebrities?!?!

Back home

2007-04-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

So Sam and I arrived back in London with a week left together and decided that we should do something a little special to remember our trip....so we went to Camden market and Sam got his lip pierced and I got my nose done! We'd talked about doing something whist we were away but all of a sudden I found myself with Ian (piercing man with a bung arm) putting a rather large needle through my nose!

and we think that it turned out pretty well!!!

and of course with any piercing, the cleaning ritual had to be stuck to and we were very commited to it as well!

On Monday we met up with Erin for some lunch in Covent garden...

and then headed over to the Science Museum for the Game On expo which was all about the history of comupter games! It brought back many memories and was a lot of fun!
That night Sam wanted to say thanks to everyone for having him so took us out for dinner at Wagamamas and then as always ended up at the local Walkabout which ended up being a random big night out....which are always the best nights!!

ITALIAN ESPRESSO

2007-03-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

We left Erin who went to Paris, and Sam and I began our journey to Rome! We got a train to Rotterdam and then a flight to Rome. We arrived in Rome feeling very excited as tomorrow we were to start our Contiki tour; which we've had booked for about a year! I had emailed Contiki a few months before hand asking which hotel we would be staying at so we could book to stay there the night beforehand. So with everything organised we walked straight through the Rome airport (no passport checks!!) and went to find the hotel courtsey bus to take us to the 4 star hotel! WOO HOO!!

Unfortunately we arrived on a public holiday, so there was no courtsey bus...hmm...and to get a train was apparently very difficult as the hotel was on the outskirts of Rome, so we had to get a taxi. After being chased by a man who sounded like a robot and offered us a 90 euro cab fare, we left with a normal italian man who said he'd take us for 50 euros! Much better! When we finally got there this is what we saw....remembering its a 4 star hotel....

Hmm intresting looking 4 star hotel! Oh well, we've just done hostels so this will be fine! Inside to check in, they have never heard of Contiki...WHAT! Sudden panic set in and immediately we checked the Contiki tickets..(this may seem like an obvious thing to check BUT we didnt think the Contiki head office I had emailed would be incorrect!) and the hotel was differnt from where we were! After asking and finding out it was just down the road we relaxed and then worked out how we could get there in the morning. There were a few extended silences between us but we handeled it pretty well! We even managed to laugh about our 4 star room..

The next morning we were up and ready, feeling positive and looking forward to starting our Contiki! We found the hotel that was on the ticket easily and it looked very nice! Again we went to check in, and this time the receptionist had heard of Contiki! Excellent! Until they all started opening several diaries and mumbling in italian. Yes they do get Contiki bookings but there has never been one for this time of year! WHAT?!

Fortunately they were very helpful and after a few phone calls, one of which included me calling my Aussie Flight Centre man who was at the pub on a Sunday night...we managed to find out nothing! No one knew of a Contiki tour starting in Rome today! Not knowing if to laugh or cry, we decided to check in there for the night, and go sight seeing, call the Australian Contiki office in their Monday morning and try and sort it out from there. So we went sight seeing!

Vatican City..

The main river in Rome..

A very impressive busker..Trevi Founatin...

Dinner in an off street restaurant...

Yet I think they mistakenly exchanged our order for a bottle of the house wine with vinegar!

We then realised that we werent exactly sure of our location in relation to our hotel so stopped off at a bar along the way to cut down our journy time!

By this point we had decided that we hoped Contiki was cancelled, in which case we'd get our money back, stay in Rome for a few more days then fly back to London and spend a week there going out having fun! Then on the bus back to the hotel Dad called with the news that Contiki was on and we had to go to ANOTHER hotel! After a midnight (not so sobar) conversation with our tour guide we decided to get up early and get a taxi to the correct hotel where we were to leave for Venice that day! So shattered it was still on, we went to bed for a few hours before getting up to finally reach the correct place!

Day 2 of Contiki (remembering we had missed day 1) was spent explaining why we werent there yesterday and on a bus to Venice. We arrived at our posh hotel in time to get ready for the first supplied dinner, and then if we wanted to, get the 45 min train from the hotel into Venice...yup our hotel wasnt even close to Venice!! So that night Sam had his first experience of hand washing!!

Day 3- We took the train into Venice and saw a glass blowing and then a lace show before having a few hours to explore and then have a Gondola ride, drinking the traditional peach flavoured drink, Bellini!

Damn pidgeons in San Marco Square!

Day 4 was spent on a bus to Florence where we arrived at the top look out point which had this beauitful view!

That afternoon we had a walking tour of Florence before going back to the hotel to get ready for a night out.

That night we had a dinner with the group that had unlimited free wine and a musician who played all night with lots of enthusiasm! This is us with Elissa and Steph..

The pork....I think...

Us with our tour guide, Sabine..

The next morning was a very slow start for myself! We had the morning free in Florence and I wasnt really in the mood for walking! So we went and saw the Statue of David, then spent the next few hours wainting for Mc Donalds to start serving Big Macs! We did a bit of shopping then I was glad to be getting back on the bus to sit as we travelled back to Rome!

The last day of Contiki we did a very good walking tour of the ancient ruins and of the Colleseum. Then we found some spaghetti bolognase for lunch which was delicious as you would expect!

and finished off with some gelati at teh Trevi Fountain..
That night we caught a late flight back to London!

Amsterdam

2007-02-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

The day after coming back to London, Sam and I took the 45 min flight to Amsterdam! Erin was to fly in and meet us there so the 3 of us could spend 4 days together there! Unfortunately poor Erin had lots of trouble locating her baggage....or not locating it in her case was! But eventually she came out through the sliding doors! It was so good to see her! So we left the airport on the train to find our hostel, The Flying Pig! That night we were all starving and Erin was jet lagged so we went to find some dinner and then get an early night to start our sight seeing tomorrow. So day 1 started with a trip to a museum...now it being Amsterdam this was a special type of museum and for all those with sensitive eyes may be you shouldnt scrowl down...

Of course Im talking about the Sex Museum...these photos need no explination!

Scroll the next 2 quickly...hehe..

Then we left, some giggling more then others, and just went walking. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city. Its very easy to get lost, or possibly killed by the maniac cyclists which Erin wanted us to do, but Sam and I valued our life a little too much!

and for all those Oceans 12 fans....or in my case Brad Pitt fans...he stood here!!! We walked in and saw where he and George Clooney sat as well!!!

That afternoon we found the Torture Museum..

and then we went to Anne Franks house. It was amazing to remember her story and then to actually be standing where she used to hide. It was an excellent tour inside but unfortunately you could only take photos outside.

So after a sightseeing filled day how else do you relax in Amsterdam then with a little something extra...it was SO strong and me and my asthmatic self just couldnt cope which was highly embaressing! This was just an interesting floral arrangement I thought for the front of a shop we saw as we were walking...and smoking...to dinner!

and how natural do I look!!!

That night ended up at the Absenthe Bar, which again was an experience in itself! They serve it in a large glass on the rocks and with a small jug of water to dilute it! We started with 55% alcohol drinks and Sam then got an 75% which we were very impressed he actually managed to drink. I think my throat is still recovering from the 3rd degree burns I got from drinking it!

The next day we started with a canal cruise which my lovely boyfriend advised us was brilliant and very worth while...so believeing him, we went! These are the amazing sights I was fortunate enough to be able to take photos of....somehow, and I cant think why...but it reminded me of the bus tour of Barcelona...

Now theres a famous boat behind that clear glass somewhere..

So after that amazing tour, we found the Heineken Brewery and had the Heineken Experience! It was one of the best tours I've done! Very interactive and you got free beer!!!

That night we went to the Red Light District which was unbelieveable as well!

EDINBURGH

2007-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

Sam and I had been planning our time together for months and one part in particular which we were most excited about was, was our trip to Edinburgh for new years eve celebrations, Hogmany. We took an overnight bus up, leaving at 11pm and arriving at 7am. It definately wasnt travelling in style, but it got us there and we even managed a few hrs sleep so it wasnt all bad.

Arriving in Edinburgh so early, meant that it was unbelieveably freezing, and that nothing was open! So we found our hotel and much to our surprise, our room was ready! So that was a great start to our time up north!

That afternoon after a sleep and a shower, we headed out to find Edinburgh Castle.

This was the beautiful view of Edinburgh from the top of the castle..

After the castle, we went to find a drink and went into Frankensteins Bar. Which was a very funky place that had a light and model show every hour with Frankenstein coming down from the roof..a bit hard to descirbe but it was a cool place!

Not knowing exactly where we were we went on our own lill pub crawl where we decided to stop at every pub we saw on our way back to the hotel! The first pub we came to stank so we quickly drank up and left!

Another place we found was an Aussie bar! Yet with no aussie snacks (I was hoping for some burger rings) and no Aussie beer, we werent very impressed UNTIL we found the map! There were maps of every state and pins to stick the point where you're from! So if you squint you can just make out our pin on St Helena!!!

We ended up at a Walkabout meeting up with Sams boss from home, Cass, and my nursing mate from London Stacey!

That night turned out a little bigger then planned as we wanted to save ourselves for tomorrow night...new years eve!!! The next day it was freezing, raining and unbelieveably windy! Sam and I seeked refuge in the Edinburgh museam which was really good, esp the space bit..

After getting totally soaked in a down pour that lastest about 5 mins, we headed back to the hotel to dry off and get ready for Hogmany. We had tickets to the street party; there were 3 stages set up in the middle of the city, and there was talk that Robbie Williams was going to be a surprise act! WOO HOO! Stace and I were pumped! When we got back to the hotel we turned on the TV to get our only channel... BBC News! The reporters were talking about how bad the weather was in Northern England and Scotland, and how many parties had been cancelled due to high speed winds! WHAT!? Glasgow had been cancelled which isnt that far north from Edinburgh! Apartently a meeting would take place at 7pm to decide if Hogmany should go on! Staying positive we continued to get ready. A few jager bombs later we were ready and having not heard it was cancelled went out for dinner.

This is us, ready to brave the weather..wearing as many layers as we could fit on! Then we heard...it had been cancelled....no street party at all. UNBELIEVEABLE! The one thing were so looking forward to! Not happy!!Now 10,000 people had to find somewhere else to party. So we went in search for a place to be to bring in the new year. We found Stace, blind and in an awful pub, so left her to drown her sorrows and found a club. No line which was good cos we could get out of the cold, but bad cos potentially no one could be in there. Thinking our night couldnt get any worse we took the risk and went in..managing a few drinks and a few smiles before realising that we just couldnt shake the disapointment of no Hogmany.

The next day we had the morning to kill before getting on the bus again to go home. So we went to teh Edinburgh dungeons which terrified me, and then had some food before leaving. So we had an awesome time there except for new years eve! Ha! and thats why we were there!!

Stonehenge

2007-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

We took a drive to check out the big rocks, and went via Bournemouth to pick up UK Chris on the way. Although when we got there and discovered it would cost 6 pounds to get in, Chris was less then impressed and dumped us to find a pub. So the rest of us went in and had a look. They are remarkable to see and we were glad we spent the money!

Boxing Day

2007-02-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

Al came down boxing day, and so once he arrived we decided to head into Oxford St to attempt the sales. Well that was a stupid idea! If you think Chaddy is bad, Oxford St was on another level!! Al and even I quickly got bored and started to looking for a pub instead of a bargain! So our boxing day was spent in TGIs in Piccadilly...and what good afternoon out doesnt end in the kebab shop?!?!

Christmas

2007-02-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hoping you all had a lovely day! Christmas day was spent with Sam and Chris. We started our morning with naturally the opening of the present..and as Sam had come over with a seperate suitcase just for me...I was a lill excited! So after a lot of pursuading I managaed to Chris out of bed and we started with the pressies!

I got some cute lill nickers from the girls..

We decided to make the day extra easy for ourselves so invested in our very festive table cloth and then some paper plates!After getting up, we started with drinks and dips.. Ah...the ol jager bomb..

Then came lunch..the meal that could very well be a disaster with 3 virgin christmas cookers!!! But we did so well and still think that was one of our best christmas dinners ever!!! We not only had turkey but beef as well, heaps of vegies sauces....mmmm

And what a final product!!!!

Now if that doesnt wet your tastebuds I just dont know what will!!

Then after watching a few episodes of Prison Break...yes we are all addicted to that show and made for great entertainment to rub our full bellys! We of course then moved onto desert. Now this was my first attempt at a christmas pudding and Chris had made us a triffel..

Not too shabby huh!?! For the rest of the afternoon we continued to have a few drinks, eat left overs and after a few failed attempts to call home, relaxed in front of the TV...

Spain take 3!

2007-02-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

As our Christmas present, Mum and Dad sent Sam and I to Spain for a week. So we left London from Stansted airport hoping to getting a little warmer weather.. So we flew to Valencia, and did the same train and bus trip Mum and I had done heading south to Oliva to see everyone again. This is Sam in Valencia infront of the Bull Ring, and to his left is the train station.

Unfortunately when we arrived, Amandas phone wasnt working, so it was up to me to remember how to walk to their place! After a number of wrong turns we eventually made it and were pleased to get out of the freezing cold! The next day we were housebound! It was Olivas first day of rain in history for that time of year! It was pouring all day and freezing! So we huddled around a radiator hoping for the rain to stop. It didnt! Very disapointing! That night we were meeting Amanda for dinner so braved it to walk down to the bar to wait for her. Where we discovered it was so much warmer and there were drinks! Should have come down sooner!!! So we went for Chinese that night and it was great to see everyone again.

We left Oliva typically on a very sunny day for Barcelona! Again this involved buses and trains, and we arrived in the evening to our hostel to discover my ipod had been stolen! Our first night in Barcelona we found a tapas bar and had THE BEST chicken nachos! They were so good we went back the next night! The weather was much better then in Oliva, yet still not the warming sun we were after!

Us, at Barcelonas version of the Arc de Triomphe! Below us at Gaudis cathedral.

La Ramblas

Off La Ramblas we found an amazing food market which had a great atmosphere and was buzzing with people!

Pre dinner drinks!

SAM ARRIVED!

2007-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I actually work nearly everyday between Ames leaving and Sam arriving! He arrived mid dec, and I've never been so pleased to see my brother! We spent his first few days being tourists in London which was fun again!Us with Big Ben! It was freezing this night. Sam got a bit of a climate shock coming from summer to very very very cold London! Below is us at the front of Westminster Abbey.Us at the gates of Hyde Park

Dinner with the housemates..

Christmas Lights

2007-02-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

As I wasnt able to do my usual Lower Plenty Christmas Lights Drive this year, I went and saw the Regent Street lights instead and the big tree at Trafalgar Square...so it wasnt such a bad compromise! These are the Regent St lights....it was all based on a new cartoon movie called Flushed. I have to say I was a lill unimpressed..

Oxford Street...

Debenhams..Londons version of David Jones...

And the tree in Trafalgar Square which was huge..

A night out in Watford

2007-02-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

Since UK Chris moved to Bournemouth, we havent seen much of him, so he came up with his mate Bob, for a weekend, and we went up further northern to Watford for a night out! A lill blurry BUT we had finally arrived after trains and taxi rides in Watford, and the boys were a lill excited! We started at a few bars and ended up in a really cool club. Of course in true Chris style, he had a few too many drinks too quickly and decided it would be a good idea to leave the club! Over here as well, after 11pm, you cant get in anywhere!! So, with Chris out of the club, and slightly less then sober Aussie Chris decided to follow to get him back in. Now with both of them out Bob said we had to leave to get them back in! Before I new it, we were all outside, and unable to get in anywhere! I wasnt amused!

The next day, and you must remember that we never get to see Chris anymore, we went out for lunch at TGIs and we even got balloons!

Simes Farewell

2007-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Sadly Sime had to leave to go back home! Sniff Sniff..so he organised farewell drinks at the Waxy O'Connors Pub in Piccadily. Heres me and Sime...with our face....yes we know we look stupid but its our thing! HA

We ended up in Soho in a bar called Broad House for a bit of a dance before finding the night bus home..

Bye Sime! We miss you already!

House Warming

2007-02-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Naturally the only thing to do when moving to a new place is to have a house warming! So we invited all our friends around and had some food and drinks to show off our new flat!

Me and Bern!

It didnt take too long before we decided best to relocate! So most of us kicked on to The Cross!

Me and Tom!

Me and my fella, Al

Good bye East Ham

2007-02-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

After my flurry of visitors the next big thing was to move! Living in East Ham had been great in the beginning, but UK Chris left as his work transfered him back to Bournemouth, and also Aussie Chris moved out as he went back home for over a month. So new people moved in and I didnt exactly like the change. 2 were french...and all they did was use all the hot water, eat cheese, and want to discuss politics (not my strong point!) and the other 1 went to a wedding every weekend...yet never seemed to receive an invitation or go with a present or suit! Hmm I lived with possibly the real live version of a wedding crasher! So the only solution was to move!

I met Bernadette, a Sydney girl, when we both worked the same shift. She was looking for housemates and I was looking for a female to live with! So after chatting for 30 mins we decided to live together! After 2 weeks of solid house hunting and not finding much at all, Bern found a cute flat in north west London which was being fully refurbished. Aussie Chris came back a week later, so we all had a look and took it! With one spare tiny room, we advertised it and thats how we found our Kiwi, Tom! So this is my new place!

This is our front yard! Impressive garden I know!! Our door is the one on the left with the light on. From our front door you can see Wembley Park, which looks great at night cos its usually light up.

This is my street!

The landing with 3 bedrooms off it..

The kitchen....and me with Natural Sour Worms....the lollies over here really just dont cut it!
My room, usually minus the blow up bed!

So I now live in Willesden Green, which is a much nicer area then East Ham. I totally love the flat! Its nice that everything is new as well. Our first night was spent eating pizza out of the box and drinking out of plastic cups! We had fun the day after we moved in, going to Ikea buying everything, cos we had nothing at all for the house!

DISNEYLAND

2007-02-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately...well fortunately for me... Amys trip home via Thailand was cancelled cos of the military stuff that was going on (yup, not much news from our way makes it over to London!). So we decided to take a bus to Paris and go to Disneyland! Now the bus ride was a bad idea! Sitting on it for 8 hours with only the bus toilet to use, it wasnt exactly the comfort way to travel! But, when we arrived we found our hostel, The 3 Ducks!

That afternoon we did a dusk river cruise of the Seine which was lovely..

The next day we were up nice and early...and in Amys case with a few bed bug bites...to go to DISNEYLAND! It was so much fun! We were complete children for a day and went on as many rides as we could fit in! Space Mountain was terrifying! The first ride we did was Indiana Jones...which was a fast paced ride...my head got stuck between my knees cos I didnt sit back when it started and I wasnt able to pull my head up cos it was going so fast...a little scary!

I had a photo and a dance with this guy...who we both walked away from wondering who he was...anyone know?!Lunch of course was the only option..Mickey pizza!

At 2pm we battles with the younger people there...ok yes, we battles with the kids to make sure we had the best positions for the Princess Parade!!

The rest of the afternoon we spent on rides of course and then a quick shop before the park closed!

Directly opposite Disneyland is Disney World which stays open later with more shops and restaurants. So we had dinner at Planet Hollywood, and did some more shopping before we eventually left.

That night when we got back to the hostel, we ran into Amys friends that she met in Nice, so we ended up staying up to have a few drinks with them before falling into bed!

Our last day in Paris, we walked to Napoleons Tomb, which was just huge! Its in a beautiful building as well. Its hard to get a feel of how large it is unless you see it.

We then just wondered the streets of Paris, again having picnic dinner in front of the Eiffel Tower.

We then got back on the bus to come back to London, which again was the longest bus ride ever!!!

Amy and I!

2007-02-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

So with a quick turn around, Mum left and Amy arrived back from her travels. We had a week together. Unfortunately I had to work while she was here but we still managed to fit a lot in! The Sat night we went out to Ministry of Sound! It was a big night and lots of fun!

Back in London

2007-02-20T05:12:00.000-08:00

Mum and I spent our last few days together in London spending the last bit of cash Dad had left! hehe So we went to the Notting Hill market on Portobello road..found the best cup cakes in London..

I saw this sign at the market..and for anyone whos had a drink in London...welll you'll understand why I found this so amusing..

We went out to the theatre and saw Chicago, which was absolutally brilliant! The best show I've ever seen. Chris came out for dinner with us for a curry in Brick Lane, which ended up at the pub where we did a little bit more drinking, a little bit of dancing..and some of us even made friends..

My farewell with Mum, was, as you'd all expect, awful and VERY emotional. We had such an awesome holiday together and something that I'd never thought I'd get to do. Now only a year until I get to see her again....oh dear!

OLIVA

2007-02-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

We left Barcelona early by Train to head south via Valencia to Oliva, a small town on the east coast of Spain, to see our family! It took 5 hours to get to Valencia, we then had to get another train to Gandia which took another hour, then a bus to Oliva! So it was a little adventure for us, and amazingly we made it without getting lost! Amanda (our cousin) picked us up and took us to Clares (her sister).We met Clares gorgeous son Thomas...and Mum got a little too comfortable with the idea of having a baby around..

We spent the next few days relaxing by the most beautiful beach, which we basically had to ourselves, and went out for dinner with everyone to a greek restaurant where there was a very lively singer..

Mum and Amanda big drink with Angela
Clare and Thomas
Stan, Amanda, Harry

The next day, after not that much sleep, Amanda took us to the Lladro factory in Valencia. It was amazing to see how they make the figurines, and Mum was able to buy herself a lill piece, which of course would be a challenge to get home in one piece!

That afternoon Mum and I had to wonder around Oliva. It is such a typical Spanish town, with confusing one way roads and random little really expensive shops!

Naturally, we ended up at the local english bar...which just happened to be owned by Clare and her husband Gary!

So we ended our spanish trip with topping up the tan and relaxing, before heading back to London.

Barcelona!

2007-02-20T03:32:00.000-08:00

Well our hotel never looked so good when we arrived and got off that amusing train ride!Amazingly the room was ready so we immediately went up to shower and get a few hours of decent sleep before seeing the sights.

So we were up and about by mid morning and decided to start by going on a Hop on Hop off bus tour, which I am usually a great fan of! So after parting with what Mum reminded me of was $80, we got on and found our seats on the top. Now the first problem we encountered was the the head phones were fuzzy, and so after a lot of jiggling with the wires it kinda worked. Then we were happy and excited to start some sight seeing..
Until we started to see a certain theme with all the photographic points we were arriving at..

There seemed to be a lot of trees everywhere we stopped....
and the commentry didnt at all coincide with what we were seeing...so Mum lost interest very quickly..
so we got off the waste of time tour bus as soon as we got back to familiar territory and decided we'd be better on foot! That night we walked down La Ramblas, which as always was filled with lots of people and street performers! The next day we walked to Gaudi's Sangria Familia and did a self guided tour. It is such an amazing construction sight!

That afternoon we decided to try a different tour of Barcelona...the bike tour that I had braved not that long ago with Jus and Sime! It was even the same tour guide I had...and of course it only took Mum 0.5 of a second to tell him that! hehe It was great even the second time!
and that night we went for a delicious dinner in a little square just off La Ramblas..
Our last day in Barcelona was spent walking and shopping and eating! We saw inside the Picasso museum in the morning and then tried to find a museum I wanted to see last time, which was about roman ruins, but after much searching we eventually found it..closed!

The overnight train..

2006-12-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

Mum and I needed to get from Paris to Barcelona, and as flights were a ridiculous price, we decided that an overnight train would be the best option. Mum insisted that we got first class as we got a bed and a bathroomette...which we assumed meant a sink and toilet. On finding our lill cabin we couldnt stop laughing as it was a little less spacious then we were expecting and the bathroomette was more of a drain pipe that had awful smells coming out. This is our room.. That night we battled with the restaurant waiter who was unimpressed with us from the beginning...we arrived 5 mins late, had to order our food within 2 mins of sitting down, we werent allowed second drinks, we had to catch our food as it was thrown at us, fight for milk in our coffee, and all the while remained amused at trying to get him to laugh or at the least crack a smile! It was a very amusing night for Mum and I, and definately a very different experience, one that I think pushed Mums boundaries of slumming it! When we arrived the next morning in Barcelona, we couldnt believe our luck that our hotel room was ready.

Paris with the Parentals

2006-12-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

After using the shuttle bus for over an hour at Charles de Gaule airport for over an hour and then the metro we arrived at our hotel, which was beuatiful! A definate perk to travelling with your parents is that hotels are the only way to go!
We promptly left the hotel for lunch, where Dad ordered 3 creme brulees which was something that they both couldnt wait to have in Paris, and it was absolutely delicious!

We spent the afternoon after a quick afternoon nap (we had been up since 4!!) walking around the beautiful city. It felt wierd knowing I had only been there a week ago! We were stayed just behind the Opera, so this is us outside the front of the Opera...

Then inside

Dad dreaming...

Napoleons Pole...

A windy walk to the Lourve...
Arc de Triomphe..dont know how to spin the photos around sorry..
The next day we went to Versailles, King Louis' Palace, which was amazing to see, however, it was a little wet, so queing wasnt that much fun, but once we got inside it was fine! Luckily Mum was the smart one with the umbrella!

This is the church...

Dad and me in the room overlooking the church..

Mum and I in a big room.....

Mum in the hall of mirrors...

The gardens...

After doing the Palace tour, we left to find some lunch and then came back to do the remainding tour, which included Marie Antionettes house. To get there you had to go on a little train, which had no walls....and it was still raining....so was a bit of a wet ride...

We arrived to Marie Antionettes house to find..well...not much! The house had a total of 3 rooms to look at, and then an optional walk up a very muddy path to see some more little houses that didnt seem to have much to do with Marie Antionette at all, so we started to go looking and only got wetter...

At this point, being the positive people that we are, we were still trying to convince ourselves as to how much fun we were having! While all struggling to keep dry and warm! So we decided best leave whlie we were still laughing! So we lined up for that little train to come back and pick us up, and we lined up.....and we lined up...and trains kept coming but the people seemed to be a lot smarter then us and not get off so no one could get on! So we stood in the pouring rain, not being able to feel our limbs, hundling under the smallest umbrella on earth for a good hour! Gee it was fun! That night we returned to Paris looking like scum with mud all up the back of our pants and drenched! So after transforming back into our usual classy selves (ha!) we went out for dinner and then headed home in desperate need to keep warm!

The next day we did a bike tour of Paris which was lots of fun! It was amusing to see Mum and Dad get on a bike but they managed fine and it was a beautiful day so was perfect!

We then spent the afternoon walking around the usual sites..

and that night I took Mum and Dad out for dinner as a thank you for taking me away, and also as it was Dads last night, he had to fly home the next day for work...sniff sniff..
SO Dad left the next morning which was another difficult farewell, and Mum and I had the afternoon left to do what we wanted before our overnight train to Barcelona. So Mum and I went to the Eiffel Tower to walk up the 668 stairs to the top and see the magnicifant view.

Mum and Dad Arrived!

2006-12-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

The day Jus left was also the day Mum and Dad flew in from Canada. So Jus and I had a very rushed tearful goodbye and then I went down stairs at Heathrow to wait for Mum and Dad. Of course it was the longest wait of my life and everyone else's relatives seemed to come through but mine!! Finally they did and Mum and I did the embaressing scream and cry while hugging over the rail thing! It was definately so good to see them!! As you can see they packed lightly as well...

We had 4 days in London before we flew out again to Paris. So I showed them around, we went out for dinners and lunches.

We went to Buckingham Palace on the Friday and did the full tour.. (any chance of ever getting those photos Mum and Dad?!?)

We went to Camden market and then to Hampton Court Palace on Saturday..

We even did the maze that aparently I did when I was 5 when we were on our family holiday and was so hard that we left the cheaters way!
So we left London for Paris. We stayed the night beforehand at the Novitel at Heathrow, as our plane left at 6am for Paris, and we thought it would be easier. Naturally, the cab we book gets taken from us and we get to the airport with 45 mins before our flight leaves. So we were those people running through the airport holding onto our shoes after going through security! But we made it and relaxed once on the plane!

Amy Arrived!!

2006-12-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

So back to reality for a few days. I worked for a couple and then Amy arrived!! Was so good to see her! I met her at Heathrow and then we went back to good ol East Ham. She was only with me for 4 days before my folks arrived and she went off for her trip. When Jus and Sime got back we went out for some drinks...

PARIS

2006-12-16T04:34:00.000-08:00

Well, we had finally reached our last destinatition....Paris. One of the most beautiful cities in the world. For me, this was my third visit but for Sime and Jus, it was their first. We got off the bus which had arrived at about 8pm, and walked to our hotel. Now I had booked this hotel, believing it would be nicer then the recommended Busabout place due to its location. Busabout were staying in Pigalle, the red light district, so I booked us in just at the base of the Sacre Coeur....unfortunately that meant Pigalle was only a 2 min walk away so really our location was no better and our hotel...well have a look at what Paris had to offer us..

Difficult to see in the picture, but the door had only half the letters on it spelling out its name...that should have been enough for us to turn away but we didnt! As we walked up the stairs this is what we saw... and on the carpet...

The light fittings....

Jus thought she'd try and help finish the painting...A random phone in the corridor?!?!

and then we got to our room..

Check out the hole in our bathroom..

So feeling very much like not staying in our room, we left fairly quickly for a walk to the Sacre Coeur which was just beautiful..

So after a hot chocolate, we went back to our hotel....not wanting to touch anything, I insisted on Jus sharing her sleeping bag sheet thingy, so we squeezed into that....it was one of those situations where you just dont want to touch anything!! Also my little french helped as I was able to book Sime and Jus into the busabout place for the rest of their stay and not in that place, I was flying the next day back to London..sniff sniff.

The next morning after using that disgusting excuse for a bathroom, we went down trying to think positively as we were about to enjoy some croissants and coffee......NO! They had run out! How do the french run out of croissants?!?! Anger definately rising, we stormed out of the dining area to collect our things and leave. I then had a half french/ half english argument with the receptionist who ended up calling the manager who I had to talk to over the phone, about how unimpressed we were with our stay and that we will not be staying another night and NO we would NOT be paying for the remaining nights we had booked! I won, and we walked out! Woo Hoo! Aussies 1 French 0!!

So that day we found the other hotel for Sime and Jus and then went walking before I had to leave. Joan of Arc....

Sime and I out the front of the Notre Dame..

So I left Sime and Jus to have another 3 days in Paris, and I flew back to London to work for a few days before it all began again, with Amy arriving and then Mum and Dad!!I had such a fantastic time away with Sime and Jus, saw things that I never thought I would and have definately made friends for life with those 2...love you guys, thanks for such a memorable holiday! xoxo

THE BIG BLUE BUS

2006-12-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well it only took me 2 weeks, but I finally got a photo of the big blue bus that has been taking us around and it looks like this!

TOUR

2006-12-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

That day we went to Tour which was thank goodness only a 4 hour bus ride away! Tour is in the Loire Valley which is the wine capital! We were so excited as well to discover that we were staying in a hotel AND had our own bathroom!!! So we did our usual snacks and stayed in for the aftrnoon as it was raining and we were all a lill over tired still from the night before!

That night we amused ourselves with our own version of poker using toilettries as chips! hehe

The next day we were feeling energitic and decided to hire bikes to do the short 40km ride to Amboise to see Da Vinci's chateau. The bike hire man laughed at us and wished Sime well...hmmm...not the reaction we were expecting yet after an hour of riding and screaming, we realised that that was a lill ambitious! So we followed signs to a different chateau, Chateau de Jallanges instead which was just as beautiful and I even took the lead!!

That night after riding our bikes back, we went out for dinner and had a look around the centre of Tour, which is such a beautiful little place..

and we enoyed our crepes as well..well some more then others...

Next morning we went out for breakfast..

then took the train to Amboise to see Da Vinci's Chateau. We didnt have a map to find it but was assured by the tourist information people that all we should do is follow the signs. This in theory seems simple, and naturally the french made their signs so clear it wasnt a problem to find...

So we guessed and walked over this bridge and eventually found where we were meant to be going. Unfortunately, as the bus was coming at 4pm that afternoon to take us to Paris we didnt have much time to look around, so we made it to the Chateau, had a look on the outside and then had to leave to go back!

SAN SEBASTIAN

2006-12-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

San Seb the entire time was the place we couldnt wait to get to. It on the boarder of Spain and France, has beautiful beaches, perfect weather, and only occassionally, as in once every blue moon, there are riots about liberating San Seb as its own country...so naturally, within being in San Seb for an hour this is what we could see from our balcony window..

It was unreal, honestly when we arrived that sqaure was basically empty. We got given our hostel keys and founjd our beds, then could hear a lot of noise and this was the thousands of protestors that would be with us for the 3 days we spent in San Seb. They were chanting, the riot police with bullet proof everything, massive boots, machine guns and shields all of a sudden were on most corners. At one point, Jus and I were doing a lill bit of shopping and as we were walking along a main road, we heard what sounded like elephants running towards us, as we turned around and pathetically held onto each other in fear about 20 kids ran past us who were closely followed by the riot police!! A lill scary and disconcerting but we survived!

The weather unfortunately wasnt as perfect as we'd been hoping for, so the first afternoon there we tried to steer clear of the main roads and went walking to do a little bit of sight seeing..

That night we went to the busabout recommended bar, not expecting too much of a big night, but as always it was....

some Aussie randoms...

These are the Canadian girls from our room..

We then amazingly ran into Dean who had just arrived from Barcelona, had no accommodation or knew anyone! So we walked back in the rain and took him in for the night..

the next morning was another difficult one for us all...

The weather picked up so we spent that afternoon lying on the beach.

that night was definately a quiet one! We decided it was time for a decent meal so cooked for the first time and then met up with Dean and went to watch the fireworks that were on display everynight as part of the protest/ celebtrations to liberate San Seb..

This is our room with Sime and the girls from Canada that came out with us that night..

We found the cheesiest carnival ever which also had no safety precautions at all, like a roller coaster on the edge of the cliff with no belt! HA! So we steered clear of that and stuck with the dodgem cars!

The next day was our last in San Seb, so we walked up a MASSIVE hill and saw the beautiful sights overlooking San Seb.

That night, with the fear my liver may actually leave me due to its constant abuse, we all vowed to go out for dinner then meet up with Dean for just a few quiet farewell drinks.

We went to the usual bar, but it was packed with a new bunch of Busabout crew that had just arrived so we left to find somewhere else to go. There was a pier club but to get a drink you had to buy a ticket which you then had to line up again to use the ticket to geta a cup which meant you could then line up to buy a drink voucher and then line up again to get your drink....well that was way too hard! So we went to an off license and decided to have our drinks of the beach and then go to a club....which we didnt actually make it to..

Theres no other way to bond like with drinking games..

Then for the human pyramid...how good are we!!!

Which ended with the grand finale...stacks on!!

At who knows what time we left to go back to our hostel and pack up to catch the bus, sleeping wasnt really worth it as the bus left at 8..so we just walked back somehow to leave San Seb and Jus got her final souvenir..

MARDID

2006-12-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Well Madrid was a lill disapointing....I didnt really like it that much. The language barrier became a huge issue for the first time and I felt really uncomfortable walking the streets. It was however the place where we did washing for the first time which was great!! This is the view looking down the main street of Madrid from our hostel balcony..

Jus and me on the balcony...looking very tired! It was definately a bit of a pit stop for us and Jus was sick as well so we kept it farily quiet.. and Sime and I did a lill exploring by ourselves.

Sime standing in front of the monument in the central garden of Madrid..

Walking to the Picasso Museum..

So we spent the first day wondering through museums and trying to find shade; Madrid was SO hot! At 8pm it was still mid 30s which was very tiring and there was no air con in our hostel so was hard to sleep.

The next day we went to do a tour of a Bull Ring which is still used every Sunday. We did a tour of the bull ring which was in english and spanish..interestingly the spanish commentry seemed to go a lot longer then the english verson! It was really good though, we were able to walk out onto the actual ring, see where the bulls are kept and then play with the capes...

Make your own bull fight...

and then of course theres the fun in the gift shop...

and just cos we were on a roll, a bit of fun out of the bull ring....

and another shot of Sime trying to ignore us talking to his Mum...hehe

That night, majority ruled, which was me and Jus, and so we forced Sime to come out with us to see a Flamenco dancing show..

and here is Sime doing his very bext to look unimpressed!

and Jus and I unable to contain our excitement!

The show was really good, it was in a cosy little restaurant and there were only 2 girls a guy and then a 5 man band, but was really good to see.

and look at Simes face at how happy he was by the end...he secretly loved it more then we did!!

BARCELONA

2006-10-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Barcelona was awesome! I absoluately loved it and will happily go back any time! We finally stayed at a Busabout recommended place which meant our hostel was the pick up/ drop off point! The hostel was called Centre Point and was a great location. This is the Placa de Catalunya, which is at the start of La Ramblas, and was about a 5 minute walk from our hostel.

This is La Ramblas..

The first night, we went out for a late dinner with a group of people that were also on our bus. We went to find some authentic Spanish food, which actually was a lot harder then you think, as all the restaurants get packed by 9pm!

This is Jus with Dean, Tasmanian over to study in Sweden who we ended up spending lots of time with, and Laura, a Canadian nurse.

This is me and Sime with Jono on the left, who was travelling with another aussie Chris who left us that night for McDonalds, and Bryn on the right who was from northern england.

We ended our night back at the hostel bar where there was a vending machine that you put money into to get a voucher to then take to the bar and get a drink and somehow Jono definately got more for his money!!

The next day we went on a bike tour of Barcelona! I'll be honest, I was terrified! The last time I was on a bike was....well I cant even remember. Fortunately the old saying was right and I wasnt too bad!!

The bike tour was lots of fun, we went to the main sites and even went riding onto the main roads which were a lill scary but I learnt very quickly that as soon as our tour guide yelled GO, you had to go!!

Here is Chris and Kristy who deserted us the night beforehand for McDonalds...

and Sime looking oh so cool on his bike...

Here is one of Gaudi's beautiful gardens he designed...

These are some photos of Gaudi's Cathedral which was so amazing to see. The front of it that Gaudi himsefl completed looks like its really melting! The photos really dont do it justice..

We stopped for lunch at the beach bar which meant we started our night early with some Sangria...all in the name of getting involved in the culture of course!! Although then riding our bikes back afterwards was a lill challenging...

That night we went on a pub crawl, but of course being the responsible people that we are went out for some dinner first..I think by the look of the photo though the waiter had had more sangria then us...

La Ramblas is full of promotors handing out flyers with different offers so we naturally went for the one that had the first hour with free drinks!! So here are a few photos of how our night went...

then Johno decided to drink an entire bottle of vodka in between two bars and so ended up a lill messy shall we say...so guess who was the idiot who piped up saying 'Im a nurse I'll take you back!!'.....yup, so I had to leave the pub crawl with the other nurse, and no that was not Jus, it was Laura, the Canadian.

So while Chris was preoccupied with something that was apparently a lill more important then helping his best mate, we some how managed to hail a cab, took him back to the hostel and then I had to explain to the non english speaking taxi man to drive us back to the place where he picked us up from...quite a challenge!!

but we managed to get back to everyone, and ended at a club on the jetty caled Magnum which had 4 huge rooms all playing different music, and so I had a dance with a Keiran Pidgeon look-a-like...

then somehow Sime managed to direct us back home to our hostel after a chocolate crepe..

After getting back with the sunrising, and sleeping most of the morning, I couldnt face leaving my pillow, so I piked on the sight seeing and staying in all day...anyone who can honestly function after a night on Sangria is a better person then me!!! That arvo though I did manage to drag myself out of bed in the name of a serious shopping spree at Zara (girls, that place alone is enough of a reason to come to Barcelona!!). We then met up with the boys for a picnic in a courtyard with lots of dogs and homeless people...

then went for a walk along the jetty..

That night we then walked back to our hostel for farewell drinks..and the gorgeous lill french boys from our room came down as well...

Next day we were leaving for Madrid, was sad to say bye to our newly found friends as well!!

NICE

2006-10-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Nice with the usual challenge of finding our hostel. It fortunately wasn't too hard this time! We stayed in a hostel on a hill that had a beautiful view overlooking Nice...

I loved Nice, it was just beautiful. The first night, we took advantage of the cheap home cooked meal and 1 euro drinks at the hostel so stayed in. I thought I'd be nice and started up a conversation with a girl who was there alone....she was American and doing a bit of travelling on her way from...unfortunately she turned out to be the typical ANNOYING amercian that didnt leave us alone! She was even in our room and took a special liking to Sime..

Here she is with us having dinner and to be honest I cant even remember her name!

The next day we had a lazy start before walking down into the centre of Nice to do a Busabout activity- a day in St Tropez. We bought the tickets after being told that we would take a bus there, then go on a boat cruise with unlimited alcohol seeing the celebrities houses, then get off at a beach, then come back to Nice...sounds like a good day out huh?!?! Well the reality of it was this, we got on a bus at 1pm. We sat on that bus for 2 hrs and picked up a bunch of old people and families on the way. The bus stopped at a place that we still dont know the name of, and the old man that had the microphone at the front of the bus gave us instructions that we couldnt hear or understand. So people started filing off the bus, and we were still wondering what was going on. Turned out we had 1.5 hrs to kill before getting on the bus AGAIN to go to the boat....WHAT!?!?! This was not mentioned on the itinerary when we spent 20 euros on the ticket!! So we wasted time in the unknown town which was actually very beautiful..

We then got back on the bus and went to the boat cruise...hoping for it to get better! The boat cruise was cold and we were heading out into a storm...as we were leaving all the other boats were coming back into shore! One women sitting very close to us said very loudly 'I hope it doesnt get choppy cos I always get sea sick'...oh great! So of course it got choppy and she got sea sick everywhere!!! But we enjoyed the cruise, we had all the famous masions pointed out to us as we sipped some disgusting cocktail. Here we are...it was a lill windy!

So we took the boat to St Tropez, which is definately a place for the beautiful people! Tragically as it was raining as the storm set in, we all looked like drowned rats walking around such a posh area! This is the view of St Tropez as we were leaving on the boat..

So after a relatively disapointing day, we then got back on the bus for the 1.5 hr trip back to Nice. We got back late and then had to make our way up the hill to our hostel. Sime decided to take action and we just followed his directions....which turned out to be the wrong directions and as it was late and we were all a TAD annoyed at how the day had turned out, there was a LILL tension amongst the group for the second time of our trip. Jus and I took over the directions and got us home, and in silence we went to bed.

Next day, we were happy and walked up to the top point of Nice. As we walked up the hill the view just became more and more beautiful..

This is the view from the top of the hill..

This is the beach where we spent a few hours lying on. It is a pebble beach but surprisingly comfortable to lie on! That night again was drinks back at the hostel and ended with Sime jumping from his top bunk onto another bed and breaking it! So then me and Jus quickly managed to replace the slats into the base before anyone noticed!!

Next day we got up early to leave Nice for Barcelona. The morning was the first time Jus and I got annoyed at each other...we over slept so had little time to get up and finish packing. Had organised the hostel man to drive us down to the pick up point but he had over slept too and wasnt up. Sime had to try and get his license back which he had handed over as a key bond, and Jus and I were trying to get breakfast quickly to take with us. With only 30 mins to walk the 40 min walk to the pick up point, I was starting to get a little concerned that we may miss the bus again. Trying to speed things up a little as we were about to power walk off, Jus realised that we didnt have any serviettes. Now for me, this wasnt a major concern. If you weigh up sticky fingers but making the bus compared to non sticky fingers, missing the bus and then paying for transpot to Barcelona, I thought there was a clear winner! Apparently not! She insisted on going back to get the serviettes. So I stormed off in a huff determined not to miss it, Sime had already left not wanting to know what the issue was and Jus followed with her precious serviettes! Fortunately we made the bus and after silently walking with heavy back pack very quickly, we talked again on the bus not mentioning the serviettes and eventually we even managed a smile...well Jus, may be half a smile...

Also, a lill challenge we had on our trip was to get embaressing photos of each other sleeping, and Sime always seemed to get photos of us and we couldnt get any photos of him until....hehe

PISA

2006-10-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

The next morning we got up ridiculously early to get to the Busabout pick up point way before the bus was leaving! So at 6am we were up and packed and walking out into the cool morning to walk to the bus stop to take a local bus to the Busabout Bus. I, of course, fell asleep within a few seconds of getting on the bus, but luckly we made it and got to the pick up point an hour before we needed to be there!! But at leat we werent missing it!!

The bus left at 8am and went via Pisa for lunch which was awesome because we hadnt planned on stopping there but got to see the leaning tower!!
Self photography that didnt go as I'd planned...

FLORENCE

2006-10-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Florence was just beautiful and it was a shame we only got to spend half a day there. We got there mid afternoon and I took control of the map and walked us to out hostel. We had one room with a staircase to nowhere and kitchenette that had nothing that worked in it, but it was cute enough!

That afternoon we went and saw the Statue of David which was naturally a no camera zone so of course I joined every other person behind a pole to get my photo away from the security guards sights...hehe

We spent the afternoon walking around and taking in the sights..

This is how many of the curches in central Florence were decorated..

and this is a view of one of the main streets right near our hostel...

One amazing thing to see is the bridge in the middle of Florence that is full of shops. It is strange to look at because only at a few points along the bridge can you actually see the view

This is a gorgeous view from the bridge...

Florence was definately one of my favourite places. It was just so pretty and relaxing to be in, and it was also the place where we had our first meal out in an actualy restaurant!! We would have loved to have stayed longer but the next morning we were going to actually get on the Busabout Bus to go to Nice, and there was no way we were going to miss it!!

ROME

2006-10-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

So we made it to Rome and went straight to or hotel, Fawlty Towers.. this is a bad photo I know, but it does say Fawlty Towers on it! Of course as luck would have it for that day, our room wasnt actually in that building but was a block away. So we walked back down the 6 flights of stairs to get out another map and try to find our room. After struggling with the keys we were given we found our room.

It was pretty nice, was terrocotter (I dont know how to spell that..Dad..help!) tiled with lovely big windows to look out onto roads and we even got a bathroom which looked like this..
So as you can see, our room was just that, one open room with a shower and basin in the corner with no doors, nothing! It was hilarious! Might I add at this point it was only day 4 of our holiday, so me and Sime were only on day 5 of our friendship, so we had to get up close and personal very quickly! So this was where we stayed for our 2 nights in Rome.

That afternoon we went out walking to find some sights. The first thing we discovered was a massive roundabout that was incredibly scary to get through, it was like playing chicken with a thousand speeding cars. In the end you just had to put your head down and run to get through! So heres Sime making a run for it...

and heres me and Jus happy that we made it alive...

We then went to find us some proper italian pasta. So we found ourselves a cute little italian cafe that seemed like we'd get some authentic pasta. We sat and ordered and waited, feeling starving. One italian man was teaching me and Jus how to say gracias properly, which is harder then it sounds!! All of a sudden we hear a little bell go off which sounded a little to similar to a microwave...our food came out not that soon afterwards and our plates had the usual splatters on the edge from a microwave!!! So our first authentic italian meal wasnt as authentic as we were hoping for!

That night we walked and found the most beautiful Trevi Fountain

Then we found another fountain...

and then we found a man in uniform...

and another man in uniform....they're so tall!! (hehe for u ames xx)

Next day we got up early to go to the Vatican. We went to the bus stop and was a little surprised to find about a hundred other people waiting for our bus as well, all with matching bandanas and flags. Not thinking too much about it, we waited for our bus. Buses came and went that we wanted and so many people ran on that we never got on one, so I made the executive decision that we would be getting on the next bus, NO MATTER WHAT. Sime and Jus agreed and so the next bus came, I rushed with the crowd and got on. As I turned to look for the others, they were standing on the pavement. The usual family trade which I grew to realise, (that being they are NEVER in a hurry for ANYTHING!!) was in motion and before I knew it, I was alone, on a bus with every other tourist. So of course as luck would have it, my bag was opened, a million hands seemed to be on my rear end and I couldnt even turn around to tell them to...well you know...

Anyway, after that traumatic bus ride, I made it and got off with all the flag bearing children (I must add at this point how it seemed that whenever I was going somewhere touristy, it seemed to be school excersion day and way to many little brats were always around to annoy me) So, Sime and Jus got there a few minutes afterwards looking a lill cowardly but I was more focused on beating those little darlings to the front of the cue then discussing the need for them to learn how to move quickly! Surprisingly, we got into the Vatican fairly quickly but couldnt really get very far. This is what we saw...

There was thousands of people all with matching bandanas and flags of their countries, all singing hymns and chanting. None of it was in english so we had no idea what was going, but clearly we had missed something! So we squeezed through the crowd and found a security guard who spoke english and the conversation went as follows..

ME: Hi! Could you please tell us what is going on today? Why are there so many people here?

SECURITY GUARD: (laughing) Well, you know the guy....in the white dress....well HE LIVES HERE AND IS TALKING TODAY....(continues to laugh and say italian things to another security guard who is also laughing)

So I turn red faced to expect to see my sympathetic friends looking at me...to see them both laughing so hard that they weren't making a sound! Anyway, so the Pope was going to appear any second and while what seemed to be the entire population of Rome standing in front of the Basilica, we decided to see the Sistene Chapel hoping to get in easier.

The cue wasn't to bad and so we started our walk through the Museum to the Sistene Chapel. The walk seemed more like a marathon, it took forever! It was at this point that Jus and I decided we really didnt like rennasiance art and after 2 hrs of following a sign towards the Sistene Chapel, we were totally fed up and not having fun! Finally we got there and saw the famous Michalengelo painting and left!

That afternoon we went to the Colleseum and did a tour of the Colleseum and Palentine Hill. It was one of the best tours we did, very informative, but somehow not as enjoyable as it would have been if those little bandana kids hadnt been there!! Still, it definately had the WOW factor!

We then did the tour of what Jus thought was Palestine Hill with the lovely Jill, who was just so lovely that we mentioned her often throughout the rest of the trip..

The view we got from the top was just beautiful and we spent the next hour wondering through the old roman ruins....with those little bandana kids....grrr!!

as we were walking around Jus and I couldn't help but be amused about how dirty our feet were...ps mine are the little ones on the left..ha!

That night we thought a nice way to spend our evening was to get some wine and desert and to go to the Spanish Steps, relax and enjoy! The closer we got we louder the noise seemed to get and what did we find at the steps, the very famous steps!?!?! Yup, those bandana kids chanting and yelling and being generally disruptive! It was unbelieveable!! They were just everywhere!

So this is us trying our best to enjoy the Spanish Steps...we're pretty convincing huh!!

Our last day in Rome, we got up early and tried again to get into the Basilica. We got there early and got in easily. The Basilica was amazing, really breath taking. As we were walking in, towards a beautiful gold staircase that the big man in the white dress usually comes up, we could hear a very strange noise coming up from one of the air vents. It sounded like a women crying, in pain, almost in agony. You could also see a shadow moving under the vent. People were standing around the air vent and all looking concerned. The noise was echoing throughout the church and a security guard came over looking concerned and walked off talking into his walkie talkie. The 45 mins or so we were in there, it didnt stop and was so eerie to listen to that we had to leave.

We then left Rome that afternoon for a midday train to Florence..

OUR LILL ERROR....

2006-09-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

The next morning we got up nice and early to go to Rome, we were so organised, all packed and even managed to make it to the supermarket at the camping ground to buy breaky and food for our first Busabout trip to Rome. For those of you who havent heard of Busabout, its a company that lots of young (and sometimes old) people use to travel around europe. Often the same people are on it every time you are so you get to make friends as well!! So we were all excited to be starting our Busabout trip. It picks you up at 8am, and should be at the pickup point at 7:45, so we were there and ready. By about 8:30, after listening to Tyler speak a lot of rubbish to us, I asked the receptionist if the bus was usually late...she looked at me puzzled, and then said, the bus isnt coming today, it is arriving tomorrow.....WHAT?!?!?! So immediate panic set it and we pulled out all our documents to find out what was going on. Turns out yes, we had missed the bus, it arrived the day before hand and we were booked to be on it! OPPS!! How we got the dates so wrong no one really knows, and for luckily only about 5 minutes we played the blame game.

Next thing we had to do was try to get to Rome ourselves, and as cheaply as possible. So we went into the internet room to discover the internet was down!! So I asked as nicely as possible if we could borrow one of the staffs' computers, and they let us use it for about 15 minutes which was lucky!! We couldnt book a flight online as it was less then 24hrs notice and trains seemed to be very expensive and we couldnt find out anything about a bus. So we decided to just rock up to the Airport and see what we could get...very Amazing Race like!!

By this stage, Jus and I were finding this whole challenge very amusing and were standing in the rain waiting at the bus stop to go to the airport making up lyrics of us being stranded at the camping ground. I know, you definately had to be there to see how funny that actually was, but trust me, it was hilarious! Unfortunately Sime didnt find it funny or even slightly humerous and only got more and more annoyed at us. Naturally we were well aware of his iritation and didnt stop!! HAHA!

So we got to the airport and left grumpy Sime minding our bags and we managed to get a flight within 2 hrs to Rome with Alitalia for 100 euors....expensive but we had to get to Rome!! We then had a coffee while thinking we should probably call our accommodation to tell them that we would still be arriving. Of course as luck would have it, our accommodation had been cancelled cos we didnt turn up the night beforehand! So we needed accommodation now as well!

After calling several places we managed to get a room at a hotel called Fawlty Towers!! How appropriate!

Here is Sime, having a ball at the airport and Jus showing off our tickets to Rome...

So we check in and start boarding the plane with Sime telling us how much he hates the airline and that they cant get anything right....turns out to be very accurate!! We get on with our tickets and seat J, K, L, to find that the seats avaliable were up to D, E, F!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!! How could so much go wrongd in such a small space of time!! Jus started to ask the air hostess where we should sit, but could we understand the lady??? NO! She only spoke Italian and French, and eventhough I know how to order myself a drink in french, (I only picked up teh important stuff!!) I had no idea what she was saying to us! As Jus kept saying to her we dont understand, and she just kept talking to us in french!!! So we were left standing in the aisle, blocking everyone, with no seats, and again, finding the whole situation histerical!

We decided to take the matter into our own hands to we just sat down in spare seats and refused to move! As the plan e started the take off there were some very unusual noises and vibrations coming from the plane. Sime put it down to hidrolics and I had to decide to agree with him as I didnt want to consider it being anything else! The only good thing about flying was that we got to see this beautiful view of Venice as we left...

So that is how to we got to Rome! It was a very expensive day for our 20 euro per day budget but it meant that we got to spend time in Rome before we had to go to Florence.
.

VENICE

2006-09-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

We left Geneva the next day to get the early morning train to Venice. The entire point of going to Geneva was because Jus wanted to see the Swiss Alpes, so we did as the Princess wished for and we took the very long train ride to Venice and we were so glad we did it because look at these beautiful views...

and this is how Jus enjoyed the views...it is a condition that we both suffer from...PTN (Public Transport Narcolepsy)

Once we arrived at Venice at about 4pm. We then had to find the shuttle bus that would take us to the camping ground that we were staying at called Alba D'Oro. We had a cabin for the 3 of us which had a bathroom as well, it was very cute and very cosy. The camping ground was a little too family orientated for my liking but it had a restaurant and swimming pool so it wasnt all bad! The first night there we had dinner at the camping ground and then had a quiet night in so we could spend the next day exploring.

The next morning we got the 10am shuttle bus into central Venice and just wandered. It was so nice just walking around, with no need tobe anywhere at a specific time, not following a map. The weather was perfect! I didnt realise that you could bargain in Venice as well and there are so many people standing on the streets selling fake branded hand bags, wallets, belts etc as well as LOTS of rubbish! I bargained for a wallet that I didnt even really like but I got the price I asked for so had to buy it!!

That night we found a pizza place that sold Turkish Giant Pizzas!!! (Yes, we know, eating turkish food in Venice wasnt appropriate!!) It was massive and delicious...looks good huh!?!

We then caught the bus back to the camping ground and found that the kiddies were in bed and there suddenly was a bar with a band!! So we went dancing and it was fantastic, we had a great night!! We made friends with a lovely couple from Holland, Tessa and Dutchy...no one could remember his name!! We also made friends with the nicest American I've ever met....Tyler, who provided us with hours of entertainment teaching us card tricks and lots of brain teasers. Not sure at what time we eventually got back into our room but we all slept very well that night!

Day 3 in Venice was a slow start, we slept in, had a cooked breakfast and eventually left! We took vaporetti (water bus) from the Grand Canal all the way through Venice, the views were just beautiful and it was very hot.

We got off the water bus at an Island I cant remember the name of but call Bruno Grollo...which I know is not right, but I think it is actually called Birano. It was very beautiful little island full of very colourful houses and not many people were about. We walked around for as long as we could handle the heat.

That afternoon we went to meet our new friends to have a Gondola together. Surpirsingly in all the crowds we met each other easily and then spent the next hour trying to bargain for a cheap ride!! In the end, we just took what we were offered as we weren't getting many cheap offers! It was good fun, and I found it a little scary as the Gondola Man kept tipping the boat just for his pure amusement of scaring me!

The guy in the red top is Tyler, our new American friend, and the other two are Tessa and Dutchy...

This is me with the Gondola Man!

That night was our last night in Venice so we had a few quiet drinks before going back to repack and be in bed as we had to be up for the Busabout Bus to pick us up at 8am for Rome..

GENEVA

2006-09-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

After our big night out, we met at Gatwick Airport to fly to Geneva at 12:30pm, which was a great time for our sorry heads! We lfew with Easy Jet and it didnt take long at all to get there. The first thing we had to do was to take our bags to the hotel. I had organised tha accommodation and it was a self contained apartment...which sounds lovely!! Well, the only thing was is that I didnt have directions to the hotel (yes I know that was stupid!) so we our first challenge of the holiday; work out where it is and then how to get there! So me being so fluent at french (HA!) was able to call the hotel and ask for
directions....turns out the hotel is actually in France, so I had booked our Switzerland accommodation in France!I still dont know why either! Fortunately it worked out well as it was only a 30 minute tram ride out of the city, and was located on the boarder so we had to show our passports to cross the road!! The apartment was nice enough (why cant the photos they advertise of hotels be accurate?!?!).

This is us, outside the apartments.

We left again and went out to look around as we only had one night there before we left for Venice. Unfortunately the weather wasnt great and it kept lightly raining but we perservered and walked down to the local attraction; a giant 140m jet that was given to Geneva as a gift from a country that I cant remember!! The jet was actually very impressive and the views of the city from the jet was beautiful.

Another thing we saw which took us by surprise was that we found the fountain from the opening credits of Friends!! Well, Jus and I were convinced that it was the fountain, and Simon didnt agree with us but have a look and tell me what you think...

We ended our night with a drink at a local pub which did home brew and you could get massive beer bongs there as well, but we didnt get one as we were all still recovering from last night!

We took the tram home and ended up having a very traumatic time! We were just sitting and minding our own business when at a random stop a bunch of ticket checkers came onto the tram..now this may sound very untraumatic but let me assure you is was!! They were dressed as if they were the SWAT team! Wearing bullet vests, big black boots and had machine guns. They came onto the tram and moved to cover all of the doors within 30 seconds! One lady scream and ran off while she could. We didnt know what was going on and I was terrified!! They then just walked up to people without saying a word and people gave them their tickets! So we just did the same and tried not to make eye contact with anyone!! A group of young guys on the tram didnt have tickets and so they were escorted off the tram to an ATM to pay the fine!! It was unbelieveable!! I had never seen anything like it!! We were so traumatised that we had to get off for some fresh air and a debrief!! We then ran into this sign for Jus....

So we got back onto the tram and managed a smile to go back to our hotel in France..haha

THE NIGHT BEFORE...

2006-08-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!! Sorry its been so long between blogs!! I have a lot to update you up on and I'll start from the beginning.....the night before Justine, her cousin Simon and I left for our 3 week adventure, we all went to TGIs for some cocktails with my housemates...

After a few drinks, poor simon was starting to wander what he had just got himself into for the next 3 weeks, which was more funny then anything....

Chris and I thanked our very lovely waiter Kenny....

And then Jus and I thanked our other waiter....

So this was us, before we left for our trip, all excited (well I definately was anyway!!) We didnt end up leaving and getting home until really late as well so I got hardly any sleep before I had to meet Jus and Sime at Gatwick Airport for our flight to Geneva!!

A QUIET NIGHT IN...

2006-07-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

Tragically at the moment, we're all poor so not able to do much at all, so last Sat night, we decided to make our own fun by playing ring of fire....a lethal drinking game, which made the quiet night in not so quiet...

This is the boys setting up the game, if you dont know how to play it....well lets just say the end result of everything being totally blind is a guarentee!!

Notice Chrs' look of glee as he pours out the shots..

Some were able to have their drink better then others....

And then we showed our love for each other...

Here is Sam our friendly land lord with Daniel, as he attempted the bucket balance challenge..

Then he started his usual massages...

And finally a group photo!!!

KATE AND I DO PARIS

2006-06-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

How amusing are these photos!! I know how much I said I wouldnt backpack, but it really is the best way to get around...so this is Kate and I as we arrived in Paris.

We went to Paris last weekend for 5 days. Poor thing was a tad confused about time differences so I ended up meeting her at Heathrow and then flying straight to Paris. After spending 3 hours trying to work out the very difficult train system and finding our hotel, we walked down towards the Eiffel Tower and found a very french little cafe and had a very expensive lunch...8 euros for a coke..which is $16!!!!

Here we are climbing the Eiffel Tower

On Saturday we did a hop on/ hop off bus tour of Paris. It was a perfect day and very relaxing. First stop for us was the Arc de Triomphe, we had lunch on the Champs Elysees and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun and seeing the sights on the bus.

Here we are on top of the bus..

Saturday night we got dressed up and went to the Moulin Rouge. The show was great, we had a good time, but it also just wasnt exactly what we were expecting, yet at the same time we didnt know what to expect. It wasnt like the movie; basically show girls kicking their legs high! But dont get me wrong, it was definately worth while doing!!

On Sunday we were planning on having a day at the shops, yet nothing was open!! It was amazing, the entire city was dead, but it got worse...we both had no cash on us and every ATM was out of service so we had no money for the entire day!!! So we went out for lunch paying on credit and then visited the Notre Dame. For dinner we managed to find enough euros to cover a pizza which we ate on the grass opposite the Eiffle Tower as it was illuminated at night. It was very beautiful to see, the photos just dont do it justice!

Monday we went to the Louvre, saw the Mona Lisa behind the huge crowd and then found our favourite pieces of sculptures and had photos with them...

WEEKEND IN BOURNEMOUTH

2006-06-15T01:25:00.000-07:00

Friday was Chris' birthday and the morning started with a birthday breakfast. We then met up at Waterloo tube station and went out for dinner at a little italian restaurant, where I managed to convince the waiters to come and sing happy birthday to chris with us!! He was totally embaressed but it was his birthday so it was only right!!

We all then took the 3 hr long train trip to Poole, which is where UK Chris is from, notice the beverages for the very very long train ride...

Chris took us to his mates place for Saturday, so we spent the day in the sun, getting very burnt ( I had no idea this country actually got that hot!!) playing drinking games and watching the World Cup.

That night I had my nanna nap and then we went out dancing at a very cool night club in Bournemouth, which was just like the club Bed, from sex and the city

This is us out (notice my sunburnt arms!!!) with Kate, who is Chris friend, that was brave enough to take us in for the weekend.

Sunday morning, started with a late breakfast/ early lunch at a Pub in Bournemouth. There was a folk festival on which wasn't as dorky as it sounds, just live bands, awful comedian acts on a cricket picth with lots of drink stands, so we spent Sunday afternoon there after walking through the markets and seeing some Morris dancers.

We all returned home, late Sunday night, very tired, very burnt and concerned for our livers!!

BACK TO CARDIFF

2006-06-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have just come back from spending a few days in Cardiff with my Uncle Dan. The weather was just lovely the entire time I was there which was so lucky. It was also great to have a local show me the sights and take me to places that are not highly advertised but definatley worth visiting. This is us in the city centre of Cardiff.

Here are Dan's 2 porches, I was taken in drives in both of them and have never gone at such speeds that he took us, we went up to 200km/hr which was totally terrifying!!!

We spent one day driving along the Wye River (this photo!!) and saw some breath taking sights. I never realised how beautiful Wales was. We visited many cute little towns during our day, had sheeps milk ice cream which was very nice, found a pink house and every town looked just as you would imagine it- small little houses with small little shops, lots of paddocks with lots of sheep!

This is Hereford Cathedral which was just a beautiful building and inside was stunning. Below is a photo on the town centre in Hereford where in the middle of the shops and walk way is a very random house that looks very much like home...

I had a fantastic time and it was great to see some of the country side, now I'm very inspired to plan more trips out of London!!!

I LOVE BANK HOLIDAYS!!!

2006-06-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was another bank holiday which seem to be a very regular event here!! Everyone but me and Chris were away and it was a very sunny day so we decided to go out drinking! This is Covent Garden and the view we had from the Balcony Bar we were sitting at, watching the buskers.

These were the rules for the day, which we had to take a photo of in case we lost the hard copy!! The word game was the best game, the idea was, you weren't allowed to say those words at all during the day and if you did you had to immediately break out into the funky chicken dance WITH sound effects.... I fear this is more amusing for me then it will be for you but as I did find it so amusing I had to share it with you all! Surprisingly, Chris had to dance more then I did!!!

Here is us before all the games started, the photos don't show how sunny it really was.

All of a sudden it was dark, so we had to move inside and found a couch

The night ended up here, which was very amusing at the time, we had the entire thing to ourselves!! We also danced to buskers and went on the back of a push bike that had a seat thingy connected to it (I have no idea what they're called) and then even managed to get the last tube home!!

I love bank holidays!!!!

My day in Cardiff

2006-05-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a big soccer...sorry I mean football match that was going to change history forever (apparently) so it was essential that we all went to help supprt Chris' team, Watford.

This is Chris and Chris

We took the 2 hr train journey to Cardiff (here is me and Daniel) and when we arrived it was pouring and we had 3 hrs until the game started, so what else was there to do but....

so we went straight to the nearest pub!! and because they cant trust the poms, they had to designate which end the road Leeds fans could drink in and which area Watford fans could drink in, and naturally the Watford area was the opposite end to where we were and so got saturated walking to the pub with walls covered in palm trees!!!!

Chris went to the game and so we were left with a few hours to kill, the rain did eventually stop by the time we left the pub and this is the closest we got to any sight seeing....standing at the gates of the Cardiff Castles because we missed the closing time...opps!

Thank goodness Watford won and Chris was happy about it to say the least..so we celebrated in a different pub!

These are just a few random photos I've taken around London which are starting to make me feel like I meant to be here....I could have taken more photos of Lewis things but taking these photos made people stare....but I'm a tourist...I'm allowed to find everything photo material right!!!

I've done a few shifts now for work and sadly its not that fun AT ALL!! I either do nothing or do everything, theres no consistancy other then UK nurses are very,very lazy and sadly have the attitude of 'the next shift can do it' which makes me feel really bad for the pts but theres only so much I can do. Got paid today for the first time which was nice, esp in pounds!!! Gtg, its my cooking night and I'm expected to produce something spectacular.
Lots of love and still missing you all just as much xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

THE DISPOSABLE BBQ

2006-05-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well it was my first weekend in the house and as it wasn't raining and the sky wasn't completely black what else was there to do on a Sunday afternoon but have a BBQ! and how else should a BBQ be done with poms? but of course the disposable way which turned out to be very difficult and not as clean as expected!
Here is what the BBQ initially looks like ( it looks as much as its worth huh... £3!!)

The beads didn't go read and very hot like the packaging said it would so the boys decided to build a fire outside to sit the BBQ on instead...

Here are the 2 Chris' building the fire (this is a good view of the backyard, all of the timber behind the boys leaning up against the shed we managed to burn) Aussie Chris is on the left and UK Chris on the right.

and it was much more successful with the fire underneath it....

and it worked and Daniel was very pleased!!

I went to Regent Park with Daniel and we went rowing in the lake, well Daniel rowed I just sat and watched but it was a very beautiful day and much more sunny then the photos let on!!

This is me and Daniel!

Today I picked up my nursing uniform and so have my first shift this Thursday afternoon which I'm a bit nervous about but it should be fine! So now I actually have to go back to reality and start working!!

MORE PHOTOS

2006-05-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello again, I've just got back from buying my first pair of London shoes

and tragically they do not look like any of them.....they are for work so seeing as there were no super softs in sight I had to get even worse shoes, but they are practical and will do the job so we will say no more about the ugly shoes...

I have many photos to show you all, including some of my house!! So if you feel like looking at my painfully detailed photos of every inch of the house, sit back and enjoy!!

This is my street!! The house that you can see second on your left with all the windows open, is my house.

This is the front of my house. The 2 windows up the top are both windows in my room, so its the length of the house, which is excellent news for all the stuff I brought with me!!
This is the view as you walk in the front door. The first room on the left is Sams bedroom. Then if you walk past the staircase is the Kitchen and behind the kitchen in the bathroom & back door.
This is the view of the kitchen as you walk in from the front door, can you believe its a household of 4 boys and it still looks like this?!?!

This is the other view of the kitchen (see I told you it was going to be detailed!!).

If you walk up the stairs and then take about 10 steps in a u-turn so you are then facing the front of the house again (hope that made sense), this is the view of my room.

My bed! If you look closely you can see I have put my photo albums on the bedside table and next to the TV so you're all looking at me while I sleep!

The other side of the room

and finally the last part of my room, pretty nice huh!? I have 2 of those white wardrobes on either side of the desk which is great as well as the chest of draws the TV is sitting on, so theres lots of storage space, Im currently sitting in that big black chair...

Now for some more interesting photos!! I caught up with Trav (family friend I havent seen in about 10 years!) last Friday night, started at a pub, ended in a bar, so excuse the cheesy smiles.

Then, the next night I went out to a different pub with my Canadian friend Alin...
and then we made a friends with some South Africans...

and then we went out to the Ministry of Sound Club...

and theres that cheesy grin again...hehe

I went on Tuesday and saw the Tower of London and took many photos (as only a tourist does)

you cant not take a photo of these guys!!

The jewels are kept in here

Henry 8ths armour, he actually wore this!!!

Me in Hyde Park, I'm getting good at the self photography thing!!!!

And thats the end of the slide show for now ladies and gentlemen!! Surprisingly that is only a short selection of what I have actually taken!! The weather at the moment is very lovely, about 25 every day, and it only rains on the weekends!! I've ordered my nursing uniform which takes a few days to come in so once its here i'll be able to start working. I'm going through money very quickly as expected so working as much as I just dont want to do it, will be great for the finances. Hope everyone is well, missing you all loads!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

I HAVE A HOME!

2006-05-10T06:01:00.000-07:00

Well after 2 full days of searching London, I have found myself a lovely double bedroom in east London called East Ham (well thats the tube station name, I dont really know what the are is called). I looked at a few places which were just a horrible experience! I went to one place in Stratford, and as I walked out of the station there was some gang war thing happenning and guys pulling knives on each other, so before I could run back to the train, the guy who was showing me the place had already spotted me, so I had to go through the entire process of asking all the right questions, knowing full well there was NO WAY I would ever live there. I am spending today move my monster suitcase which is a giant effort that I cant really be bothered with which is why I'm procrastinating on the internet!!! I'm living with 2 Aussies, and 2 poms, all guys, so it should be interesting!! They are cooking for me tonight as a welcome dinner, even though they don't cook, so I'm not sure the home cooked meal I am dying for will be as I expect, but still, its sweet they're trying!!
I've had a funny weekend. Sat afternoon I had nothing to do with no one to do that nothing with, and then by 7pm Sat night, a Canadian in my room Alan and I decided to go to a pub just around the corner from the hostel, ended up talking to a bunch of South Africans and then all going out to the Ministry of Sound club, which might I add is an awesome club! Funny thing is, is that there is no dress code, so I went in my jeans and runners, yet there is a metal detector and a very expensive cover charge, but it was worth it! By the time we left we realised that we had no idea where we were and how to get home, so walked in random directions for about an hour and eventually found a cab.
Had a little moment of majoy home sickness yesterday but am much better now!! To all of you who are emailing me, thank you so much, I love hearing from home....and for all of you who aren't....you have no excuse so get to it!!!!
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A FEW PICS SO FAR...

2006-05-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

Walking along the river Thames, about 5:30pm Wed afternoon.

Big Ben, I took this from my Big Bus Tour.

The classic sight that I cant help but smile about, seeing this made me feel I was actually in London.

The very beautiful Westminster Abbey

This is my room!!! Told you it was a hole!! My bed is the one on the bottom bunk with the pink bag on it. I actually have cleaned it up since then so it looks a bit tidier now!

Me at Buckingham Palace, don't you just love the self photography!

I'M HERE!!

2006-05-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well I survive the plane ride and managed to miss nearly every meal as I was asleep!! All that crying at the airport was very exhausting!
So I landed and my first challenge was the 30kg suitcase! It was VERY difficult and awful and lugging that thing with my other bags up flights of stairs at the train stations was a nightmare, thank goodness for the very helpful poms who helped me get it 'over the gap'!
Found the hostel ok, I'll be honest its a bit of a dump but it will do, I have a bathroom connected to my room so thats good. Aso soon as I arrived I met a young Aussie couple from Sunshine who asked me to go for dinner with them, so we went to a local pub called the Rat and Poodle (every pub here has the strangest names!!).
So far I've seen Big Ben from afar, walked through the British Museum, St Pauls, walked along the Thames, set up a bank account, got a job interview tomorrow.
Feels very strange being here, almost surreal but its fantastic!

MY LAST AUSSIE DAY

2006-04-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well I'm just about to head off and I cant believe this day has actually arrived!! To those of you who came last night, thank-you so much! I do appologise for the tears but it just couldnt be helped when I'm leaving all of my favorite people behind, so here are a few photos pre-sobbing!!!

Bye everyone :( don't forget me!!! I'll be emailing you all soon with annoyingly LONG emails!!!
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