Pisa to Florence then Rome (July 16-17)
Bonsoir France and Ciao Italia!
Day 1: Today, we crossed over into Italy. I had actual Italian pizza for our lunch stop. Delicious but oh so fattening. Coffee here is quite tasty and potent. The scenery is bath taking along the coastline. Bright blue and royal blue waters along mountains. It looks exactly like everything I was expecting of Italy.
The first thing we did in Italy was go visit the leaning tower of Pisa. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. The heat was atrocious so the visit was short lived. I have the classic tourist photo of me holding the tower.
Upon arriving in Florence, we did a bus tour of the city. Nothing stood out as very important. Florence is a city of artists and history. Van Gogh, Machivelli, and Dontatello are all famous from Florence. We saw most of the major landmarks that Florence has to offer.
We drove to Florence to the camp site. A quick turn around and back on the bus for the dinner in Florence. A seven course meal awaited us. The first course was a meat and cheese plate. Second was three types of pasta (pesto, spaghetti, and spinach and cheese ravioli). Third was chicken and salad. Four was mash potatoes with meat balls. Fifth was tiramisu. Sixth was espresso. Seventh was lemon cello. I have never been so full in my life. I discovered I really like pesto pasta. I didn't eat the fourth course.
After dinner, the crew ventured to the Red Garter. It is a karaoke place in the midst of Florence. I had a lot of fun singing along with everyone. Public signing scares the living day lights out of me.
Day 2: After a very early start, the crew did a walk around your of Florence. It has a lot of history to which I didn't pay huge attention to. It had a lot to do with famous artists and sculptures. In a nutshell, the church is famous for being the first dome in Europe. The sculptures are famous for the artists. The bridge is famous for its goldsmiths. The city was built on another Roman city which sits 3 feet under the ground.
It was about 30 C outside and just glorious. I am starting to fall in love with Italy.
After the tour, we went to a leather shop and learnt about leather. The difference between real and fake leather is that real leather burns. Leather should not actually smell like the classic leather smell. I bought a black leather jacket. It took quite a few shops to find the right jacket for me.
For lunch a couple if us went to go eat at the place where the cast of Jersey Shore worked whilst in Italy. It had incredible 60 second fire grilled pizza. I had a four cheese pizza. Brodie and myself then got a dark chocolate gelato. I died in heaven from the richness of the gelato I can now say I had gelato in Italy. One more of my bucket list items crossed off.
Back onto the bus meant a trip to Rome. I think I am getting a tan from sitting near the window.
AFN
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Nice, France
Nice (July 14-15)
Day 1: This morning was an early start to a long travel day. Literally spent 10 hours on the bus due to the high volume of traffic. Holidays tend to drive people to the highways which made our journey significantly longer than it needed to be. I really hate long bus rides.
I slept most of the afternoon as I was so bored of staring at sunflower and jasmine fields. It is very beautiful countryside but I had better things to do with my life. I am most of the way through the first Game of Thrones book. I highly recommend it. The entire Fifty Shades of Grey series is risky but so damn addictive.
A quick stop was done at a French perfumery. It is interesting to hear about how each scent is made. There are people who go to "nose" school for 10 years to create new scents. They get paid on average 700,000 euro a year. I wish I had that sense of smell and artistic ability to do that. I guess France is known for their flowers and thus perfumes. It was neat to see the people hand creating each scent.
Dinner was frog legs, turkey steak, corn, and green beans. I surprisingly enjoyed the turkey steak. Frog legs did not pass my lips. That one is just too hard to swallow. After dinner we adventured down the road to a carnival with rides and games. It was like the Stampede but French. I had a lot of fun with a couple of the girls.
Day 2: We took the train from Antibes into Nice. A couple of Americans and myself paid 14€ for a private beach chair. It was about 30 C and glorious. I set foot into the Mediterranean sea but did not swim. The beach was a pebble beach. Different and not quite the same experience as sand. Many French women were topless and hairy. Not a good combination in my mind. I suntanned like the French to avoid tan lines and to do as the Romans do. The day was very relaxed and simple.
The girls and myself had lunch at the beach chairs. I ordered a prawn salad which was delicious. When we decided to go back home and pay our bill, we discovered that a gentleman had paid our entire bill of drinks and lunch. It pays to be young and beautiful sometimes.
Upon showering I discovered I had been attacked by either bed bugs or a spider. Thus, I had to change rooms and freeze everything I owned. Everything sat in the freezer for twelve hours. I am not enjoying the people or the places we are staying. I really would like to just come home but I will stick it out for the next week.
After getting all dolled up back at the campsite, the crew headed to Monaco. Monaco is the third smallest country in the world. The two smaller are Vatican and Black Island just off the coast of Western Australia. Monaco is the home of the rich and famous as people don't pay income tax and businesses only pay 1%. You have to apply to be a citizen of the country. Elton John got denied to be a citizen. Grace Kelly was a princess of this country. The current prince is a price of work who essentially is holding a former German Olympiad prisoner until she gives him a heir.
In Monaco I visited the castle which had spectacular views of the bay and wealth of the country. Monte Carlo was the major city we visited. The grand casino was neat to go see and gamble at. Bids started at 100€ for blackjack and poker. I played some of the slot machines just to say I did. I ended up winning 98.76€ which isn't too bad. I walked around in six inch heels and my feet just killed the next day.
The ride back home was quiet as dope actually fell asleep for once. The night was quite quiet.
AFN
Day 1: This morning was an early start to a long travel day. Literally spent 10 hours on the bus due to the high volume of traffic. Holidays tend to drive people to the highways which made our journey significantly longer than it needed to be. I really hate long bus rides.
I slept most of the afternoon as I was so bored of staring at sunflower and jasmine fields. It is very beautiful countryside but I had better things to do with my life. I am most of the way through the first Game of Thrones book. I highly recommend it. The entire Fifty Shades of Grey series is risky but so damn addictive.
A quick stop was done at a French perfumery. It is interesting to hear about how each scent is made. There are people who go to "nose" school for 10 years to create new scents. They get paid on average 700,000 euro a year. I wish I had that sense of smell and artistic ability to do that. I guess France is known for their flowers and thus perfumes. It was neat to see the people hand creating each scent.
Dinner was frog legs, turkey steak, corn, and green beans. I surprisingly enjoyed the turkey steak. Frog legs did not pass my lips. That one is just too hard to swallow. After dinner we adventured down the road to a carnival with rides and games. It was like the Stampede but French. I had a lot of fun with a couple of the girls.
Day 2: We took the train from Antibes into Nice. A couple of Americans and myself paid 14€ for a private beach chair. It was about 30 C and glorious. I set foot into the Mediterranean sea but did not swim. The beach was a pebble beach. Different and not quite the same experience as sand. Many French women were topless and hairy. Not a good combination in my mind. I suntanned like the French to avoid tan lines and to do as the Romans do. The day was very relaxed and simple.
The girls and myself had lunch at the beach chairs. I ordered a prawn salad which was delicious. When we decided to go back home and pay our bill, we discovered that a gentleman had paid our entire bill of drinks and lunch. It pays to be young and beautiful sometimes.
Upon showering I discovered I had been attacked by either bed bugs or a spider. Thus, I had to change rooms and freeze everything I owned. Everything sat in the freezer for twelve hours. I am not enjoying the people or the places we are staying. I really would like to just come home but I will stick it out for the next week.
After getting all dolled up back at the campsite, the crew headed to Monaco. Monaco is the third smallest country in the world. The two smaller are Vatican and Black Island just off the coast of Western Australia. Monaco is the home of the rich and famous as people don't pay income tax and businesses only pay 1%. You have to apply to be a citizen of the country. Elton John got denied to be a citizen. Grace Kelly was a princess of this country. The current prince is a price of work who essentially is holding a former German Olympiad prisoner until she gives him a heir.
In Monaco I visited the castle which had spectacular views of the bay and wealth of the country. Monte Carlo was the major city we visited. The grand casino was neat to go see and gamble at. Bids started at 100€ for blackjack and poker. I played some of the slot machines just to say I did. I ended up winning 98.76€ which isn't too bad. I walked around in six inch heels and my feet just killed the next day.
The ride back home was quiet as dope actually fell asleep for once. The night was quite quiet.
AFN
Lyon, France
Lyon (July 13)
Last night my roommate got just right pissed. She puked on her bed and all over my legs. I woke up in her puke. I seriously didn't start the day off on a good foot. I ripped h a new one. That is so gross and disrespectful. She is just fresh 18 and wild. I don't miss residence life. I thought I had picked a quiet roommate. I missed breakfast to shower and rub raw the puke off. So gross.
I get that each person has their own agendas on this tour but seriously get your act together and learn your limits. She ruined one of my days of this trip without any concern. Stupid Zimbabwe teenagers. I can't believe people don't know their limits or have any regard for them.
Today we drove from Paris to Lyon. The drive had been very boring. the landscape is all the same of rolling hills and rain. I finished a couple of books by the time we hit our final destination. This is just a day of travel so that we can get to the French Rivera tomorrow. The bus had several veryxs hungover and sick people on it. The ride was horrific.
The first rest stop was at Fountainbleu which is some important feat of architecture for the French. I just got a coffee and croissant instead of touring it. It was raining and breakfast seemed like a better idea than a guided tour. I bought the two cutest necklaces from this small town. I bought an owl that is a clock and a Cinderella pumpkin necklace. Very one of a kind.
Upon getting to the Chateau, we had a wine tasting included in the tour which I just skipped as I was in a bad mood. I should have probably gone but not worth the energy that I didnt have. I am hoping tomorrow is a better day. I am in a room on my own tonight as for my troubles last night. My tour manager is pretty awesome in that regard.
I just want to get to Italy.
AFN
Last night my roommate got just right pissed. She puked on her bed and all over my legs. I woke up in her puke. I seriously didn't start the day off on a good foot. I ripped h a new one. That is so gross and disrespectful. She is just fresh 18 and wild. I don't miss residence life. I thought I had picked a quiet roommate. I missed breakfast to shower and rub raw the puke off. So gross.
I get that each person has their own agendas on this tour but seriously get your act together and learn your limits. She ruined one of my days of this trip without any concern. Stupid Zimbabwe teenagers. I can't believe people don't know their limits or have any regard for them.
Today we drove from Paris to Lyon. The drive had been very boring. the landscape is all the same of rolling hills and rain. I finished a couple of books by the time we hit our final destination. This is just a day of travel so that we can get to the French Rivera tomorrow. The bus had several veryxs hungover and sick people on it. The ride was horrific.
The first rest stop was at Fountainbleu which is some important feat of architecture for the French. I just got a coffee and croissant instead of touring it. It was raining and breakfast seemed like a better idea than a guided tour. I bought the two cutest necklaces from this small town. I bought an owl that is a clock and a Cinderella pumpkin necklace. Very one of a kind.
Upon getting to the Chateau, we had a wine tasting included in the tour which I just skipped as I was in a bad mood. I should have probably gone but not worth the energy that I didnt have. I am hoping tomorrow is a better day. I am in a room on my own tonight as for my troubles last night. My tour manager is pretty awesome in that regard.
I just want to get to Italy.
AFN
Paris
Paris (July 11-12)
The flight from Calgary to London was a disaster. I was in between two babies and beside two lesbians. The lesbians did some funny things under blankets. I didn't sleep the entire flight. I did the heathrow express into town. I did a bit of London but I have seen it all before. I fell asleep by 4 pm by accident. I got up at 3am which was a hassle because nothing was open and I was hungry. I took the tube to meet up with my contiki group by 6 am in some strange part of London.
The first day was a cluster storm of chaos. Twelve tours left from the same location at the same time. The bus ride was a long one. We took it from London to Dover then hopped on the ferry over to France. I saw the white cliffs of Dover which were very unimpressive. The ride was even longer to Paris. Paris is extremely dirty in my opinion. the first night we took a bus tour of Paris and saw most of the important buildings. I tried escargot and nearly puked. I hate the feel of them going down my throat. I will never eat one again. Later that evening, I visited and climbed to the top of the Eiffel tower. There is 789 steps plus a short elevator ride to the top. My calves are going to hurt by the end of the tour. I did the Eiffel tower in sandals which was a huge mistake. I got to see the sunset over Paris from the top. Spectacular views. The light show on the Eiffel tower is cool as it sparkles and is red white and blue for their national holiday on Saturday.
Day two of Paris started early with a horrible traditional French breakfast of just coffee and apple sauce. They don't seem to eat here at all. I walked to a bakery and had a chocolate croissant. We all got dropped off in town at the Arc de Triumph. I climbed it and swathe Eiffel tower from there and the sprawl that they call Paris. The weather held for the morning. I did a tad bit of shopping down the Champs de Elysses for a bathing suit and a pair of runners. I forgot both on this trip. I had several cups of French coffee all day.
My afternoon was very artistic. I walked to the Louvre. I saw Monna Lisa which was significantly smaller than I thought it was going to be. The last supper is massive and covers about 60" squared. I wandered through the Spanish, Greek, Italian, and Egyptian art works. I spent about three hours in the Louvre mostly because I got lost and couldn't get out. I walked then to the Musee d'Orsay which has the Van Gogh exhibits. Starry Night is spectacular to see but I left after that as I am not much of an art buff.
Night two of Paris was a traditional French dinner (French onion soup, cheese,beef bouillon, chocolate moose, and espresso). Very good dinner with entertaining conversations. This tour is mainly Australians and Kiwis with the majority from Perth funnily enough. I don't think I hung out with that many Perth kids whilst living in Perth as I do this trip. After dinner everyone was ushered to a Moulin Rouge show. It was amazing - I loved the costumes. The men were stunning and the women were just skinny. I wish that it was a little bit more exciting but that's fine. It isn't like the movie which was a bit depressing.
AFN
The flight from Calgary to London was a disaster. I was in between two babies and beside two lesbians. The lesbians did some funny things under blankets. I didn't sleep the entire flight. I did the heathrow express into town. I did a bit of London but I have seen it all before. I fell asleep by 4 pm by accident. I got up at 3am which was a hassle because nothing was open and I was hungry. I took the tube to meet up with my contiki group by 6 am in some strange part of London.
The first day was a cluster storm of chaos. Twelve tours left from the same location at the same time. The bus ride was a long one. We took it from London to Dover then hopped on the ferry over to France. I saw the white cliffs of Dover which were very unimpressive. The ride was even longer to Paris. Paris is extremely dirty in my opinion. the first night we took a bus tour of Paris and saw most of the important buildings. I tried escargot and nearly puked. I hate the feel of them going down my throat. I will never eat one again. Later that evening, I visited and climbed to the top of the Eiffel tower. There is 789 steps plus a short elevator ride to the top. My calves are going to hurt by the end of the tour. I did the Eiffel tower in sandals which was a huge mistake. I got to see the sunset over Paris from the top. Spectacular views. The light show on the Eiffel tower is cool as it sparkles and is red white and blue for their national holiday on Saturday.
Day two of Paris started early with a horrible traditional French breakfast of just coffee and apple sauce. They don't seem to eat here at all. I walked to a bakery and had a chocolate croissant. We all got dropped off in town at the Arc de Triumph. I climbed it and swathe Eiffel tower from there and the sprawl that they call Paris. The weather held for the morning. I did a tad bit of shopping down the Champs de Elysses for a bathing suit and a pair of runners. I forgot both on this trip. I had several cups of French coffee all day.
My afternoon was very artistic. I walked to the Louvre. I saw Monna Lisa which was significantly smaller than I thought it was going to be. The last supper is massive and covers about 60" squared. I wandered through the Spanish, Greek, Italian, and Egyptian art works. I spent about three hours in the Louvre mostly because I got lost and couldn't get out. I walked then to the Musee d'Orsay which has the Van Gogh exhibits. Starry Night is spectacular to see but I left after that as I am not much of an art buff.
Night two of Paris was a traditional French dinner (French onion soup, cheese,beef bouillon, chocolate moose, and espresso). Very good dinner with entertaining conversations. This tour is mainly Australians and Kiwis with the majority from Perth funnily enough. I don't think I hung out with that many Perth kids whilst living in Perth as I do this trip. After dinner everyone was ushered to a Moulin Rouge show. It was amazing - I loved the costumes. The men were stunning and the women were just skinny. I wish that it was a little bit more exciting but that's fine. It isn't like the movie which was a bit depressing.
AFN
Monday, July 02, 2012
Sydney - July 2, 2012 (Carrie Underwood concert)
As my last full day in Australia I decided to do the rest that Sydney had to offer me in sixteen hours.
I did the Sydney Aquarium (Sydney < Melbourne) which was okay but very small. I did the Sydney Zoo (Sydney < Toronga). I had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. It had real American ketchup which was so tasty. They are the same all over the world which was what I needed. I know I should have eaten something Aussie but I really wanted chicken fingers and fries.
I did a walkabout around the Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, the Opera House, and the Harbor Bridge. I think I walked about 20km or so in flip flops.
Starbucks has been a staple of my diet for the four days I have been in Sydney. I found five of them and visited them all. I don't think I have eaten anything other than Starbucks here actually.
I packed up which was sad and fit it all into two and a half bags. I bought a very cute gym bag.
Tonight, as a going away treat I saw Carrie Underwood. She was playing at the Sydney Opera House. I have never seen such a great performance. She is better live than on iTunes. She never missed a note and has a spectacular vocal range. I loved this performance. I didn't know she had a new album out.
Coming back to the hotel and sleep would be nice. I will try to stay up so that I can sleep on the longest journey home.
I am looking forward to being home. See y'all soon.
AFN
I did the Sydney Aquarium (Sydney < Melbourne) which was okay but very small. I did the Sydney Zoo (Sydney < Toronga). I had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. It had real American ketchup which was so tasty. They are the same all over the world which was what I needed. I know I should have eaten something Aussie but I really wanted chicken fingers and fries.
I did a walkabout around the Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, the Opera House, and the Harbor Bridge. I think I walked about 20km or so in flip flops.
Starbucks has been a staple of my diet for the four days I have been in Sydney. I found five of them and visited them all. I don't think I have eaten anything other than Starbucks here actually.
I packed up which was sad and fit it all into two and a half bags. I bought a very cute gym bag.
Tonight, as a going away treat I saw Carrie Underwood. She was playing at the Sydney Opera House. I have never seen such a great performance. She is better live than on iTunes. She never missed a note and has a spectacular vocal range. I loved this performance. I didn't know she had a new album out.
Coming back to the hotel and sleep would be nice. I will try to stay up so that I can sleep on the longest journey home.
I am looking forward to being home. See y'all soon.
AFN
Sydney - July 1, 2012
Today was extremely busy. I switched to an actual hotel. The Best Western Hotel Stellar is located on the Hyde Park. Starbucks was just across the park which was brilliant. My hotel room wasn't available at my 6 am walk up time. So I decided to set about on the city.
I visited the Australian National Museum which had a neat underwater exhibit. The Indigenous exhibit was moving but the same as every other aboriginal exhibit I have seen. There were tons of small children yipping around.
I went shopping. Dangerous amounts of shopping. Hours upon hours of shopping. Sydney has some of the best shopping I have ever done. I had to buy a second suitcase to get all of the stuff home. It is also sale time which makes shopping even more tempting.
I then went to the Royal Botanical Gardens. I saw Mrs. Macquarie's Chair which is the point of the first Australian landing. From these gardens I could see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. I really enjoyed the quiet of the gardens. The city was a very busy place. Perth made my pace of life slow down.
My feet hurt from all of the walking that I did.
I checked into the hotel at 2pm and literally did nothing for the rest of the day. I did venture out at night to go watch Snow White and the Huntsman. Not worth the two block walk or the ticket price. It was shitty with the same story line but horrible actors. Chris Hemingsworth is stunning but remains clothed the entire time which is depressing.
AFN
I visited the Australian National Museum which had a neat underwater exhibit. The Indigenous exhibit was moving but the same as every other aboriginal exhibit I have seen. There were tons of small children yipping around.
I went shopping. Dangerous amounts of shopping. Hours upon hours of shopping. Sydney has some of the best shopping I have ever done. I had to buy a second suitcase to get all of the stuff home. It is also sale time which makes shopping even more tempting.
I then went to the Royal Botanical Gardens. I saw Mrs. Macquarie's Chair which is the point of the first Australian landing. From these gardens I could see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. I really enjoyed the quiet of the gardens. The city was a very busy place. Perth made my pace of life slow down.
My feet hurt from all of the walking that I did.
I checked into the hotel at 2pm and literally did nothing for the rest of the day. I did venture out at night to go watch Snow White and the Huntsman. Not worth the two block walk or the ticket price. It was shitty with the same story line but horrible actors. Chris Hemingsworth is stunning but remains clothed the entire time which is depressing.
AFN
Sydney - July 30th, 2012
Today started out fairly early. Hostel life is not conducive to sleeping. The beds aren't bad but it is the other people in the room waking up and talking is the worst. As I was up at 5 am, I decided to last minute Skype Miranda. It was a good three hour chat on everything.
From there I went to Starbucks and people watched for a while. I finally got my gold card. I am now a card carrying Starbucks member. It should arrive in the mail soon.
A friend from my Contiki tour, Ilir, came and picked me up in the early afternoon. He showed me around Parramatta first then took me to a RFL (Rugby League) game. It was the Eels v. Knights which from what he said are the two worst teams in the league. I had a lot of fun anyways. Rugby is a lot rougher than AFL but I honestly prefer AFL cause I understand it. It was good to catch up with him. Contiki seems to be a great way to make friends across the world. After the game, he took me to a family BBQ. God, it was wonderful to eat around a bonfire. I really can't wait to be home.
Later this evening, Ilir, showed me around the Cockle Bay Wharf. It is spectacular at night. The fireworks were neat for Canada day. The casino was very architecturally designed but honestly not my thing. It was too high class and snooty for me.
AFN
From there I went to Starbucks and people watched for a while. I finally got my gold card. I am now a card carrying Starbucks member. It should arrive in the mail soon.
A friend from my Contiki tour, Ilir, came and picked me up in the early afternoon. He showed me around Parramatta first then took me to a RFL (Rugby League) game. It was the Eels v. Knights which from what he said are the two worst teams in the league. I had a lot of fun anyways. Rugby is a lot rougher than AFL but I honestly prefer AFL cause I understand it. It was good to catch up with him. Contiki seems to be a great way to make friends across the world. After the game, he took me to a family BBQ. God, it was wonderful to eat around a bonfire. I really can't wait to be home.
Later this evening, Ilir, showed me around the Cockle Bay Wharf. It is spectacular at night. The fireworks were neat for Canada day. The casino was very architecturally designed but honestly not my thing. It was too high class and snooty for me.
AFN
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