New site with Blog

I've created a new site with blogs using WordPress. The site can be found here:
http://www.melbedggood.com.

There's still some work to do but I'm now syndicated with RSS,RSS 2.0, Atom/XML.
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New trip on the horizon

I have a new trip planned for June 4th, 2005 where I'll be heading to Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France and Sri Lanka for approximately two months. I've combined a few tours, but you won't see any Contiki tours in my itinerary. Even though I had a great time on my trip around Central Europe on the Contiki, the Great Britain really made me feeling like I could do without any Crap-tiki non-Central Europe tours.

So Italy will be through Intrepid Travel and so will Sri Lanka. The Italy tour will be a group tour where Sri Lanka is an Independent one.

Why go to Sri Lanka you may ask? Well my mum and her family is from Kandy and Galle in Sri Lanka. Now that the Tsunami has hit, I still really want to go and ensure my money goes into the community (not only my tourist money, but Intrepid's money also benefits the home countries!). Rather than donating over here too much, I can go over there and actually give it those that could really use it.

I will be touring Spain, Portugal and Morocco with Cosmos. Yes, I've heard it's generally your older type of tourists with a bit of a twist of the mid-20's to 30's. It does seem to be the best tour available in my constricting itinerary and was also pretty cheap!

Whilst France, I'll only be there for a short period (10 days) and will only staying in Paris. The only venture out will be to Giverny to see Monet's gardens.

Overall, it should be a good trip.
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Four leaf clover country!

Hi all,
I'm in Galway, Ireland at the moment. I've had a free day today, so decided to head in around lunch to check out the town with a couple from Australia.

From the 29th July, headed out to a pub called the Sheep's Heid Inn for dinner. Yes it's called 'Heid'. Dinner was nice, some of the guys on the trip tried traditional haggis. Seriously guys, it's not different from our meat pie fillings and everyone said it was nice. Not that I tried it , being vegetarian and all!

After dinner, the sound of bagpipes started up the stairway and headed to our room. The guy was very entertaining telling jokes as well as playing two types of the bagpipes. His bagpipes have been handed down in the family for more than three generations and the queen has asked him to play for her.

30th July ->
We had a late start today, one of the guys slept in and usually we would leave them, but our tour manager headed in for him.

Now one recommendation I'd make for those travelling hotels is do hand washing. I got sick of doing this and got my laundry done at the hotel. In hotels however, you pay for item and I ended up being up for a £30 bill. Let me tell you I was not pleased! Oh well, it's a once off!

The first place we headed to today was St Andrew's. Golf was first invented here and we got to see that first golf course. Serisously though, it's not my cup of tea. Also here, Chariots of Fire was filmed on the beach opposite. It's not real fancy though!

Probably, the thing most in the news at the moment though about this town is that Prince William is currently going to college here.

Next stop, Glamis Castle. This was pretty interesting. The Queen Mother resided here for a while and all throughout the castle you can see photos of the Queen mother with her daughters HRH Elizabeth and Margaret. It's still a working castle and the Earl of Strathmore resides currently resides here.

After this, we headed onto the highlands which really is just amazing. I think this definitely is up there with Switzerland as one of the most beautiful places visited. I also think Ireland doesn't top here yet. Every five minutes, is somewhere photo worthy. You past pebbly streams, in the midst of the greenest mountains I have ever seen, then waterfalls through these with wild flowers and grazing highland sheep/goats. I will come back here.

Heading through the highlands, you make a stop on the whisky trail. We passed Glenfiddich - my dad's favourite whisky - and headed to Glenlivet to be shown around on a tour. The milling process was interesting and what was even more interesting was heading to the warehouse. The fumes most certainly get you high and you come out feeling quite drunk. You are then taken to try some of their finest whiskies, with four for the tasting. I tried the 18 years and due to my lack of taste for whisky, did not drink it all.

The hotel tonight was a heritage listing hotel and seemed quite sophisticated for us ockers from Australia. It was definitely haunted too and I did not manage much sleep.

31st July ->
Well, I didn't see the Loch Ness this morning. I got some lovely photos and made do with the cement sculptured version of Nessie.

After this we had a few stops including Ben Nevis, a remembrance shine and the largest mountain in Scotland. Apparently more peopel die here climbing the mountain then at Mount Everest. Another stop was at Glencoe, where the Campbells slaughtered the McDonalds after the King signed it off playing a game of cards. 40 or so of the clan were killed. Some managed to escape the onslaught.

We headed on to Loch Lormond, where we had a cruise. The lake here is 632 feet below sea level and the water is about 4 degrees celsius. We went past Honeymoon Island where the Scottish test the couples that are engaged to see if they can last seven days here. If they swim off, they apparently won't last.

We then headed to Glasgow, where we had a few drinks out at the Walkabout....
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Edinburgh

Hey all,
I promise to update this ASAP, but I've let the diary back at the hotel and thought I'd just put a brief entry up anyway.

So I'll let you know what I've been up to the last couple of days...

I started another Contiki tour as you probably know. I booked triple share accommodation and have come up trumps with a room to myself so far.

The people here are quiet nice, however they really aren't like my other group. It's a bit weird actually! They all seem to have their groups which leaves me by myself. I'm not too fussed though, I seem to be getting around not too badly.

So what have I done you ask? Well I've been to Windsor, at the start. I saw Windsor Castle from the outside - it was 12 pounds to get in and we only had two hours at Windsor. I headed down to Eton College and saw the outside again - it wasn't open yet. Here Prince William went to school.

Next up was Oxford. Oxford is one of the most famous Universities are in England. There are quite a few here. We also got to see some of the places Harry Potter was filmed, which is in these unis!

After this we headed for dinner, where seems more like a banquet for one! The meals are huge and are even larger for vegos....

Next day -> we headed to York. Here we had some time to check out the town, where I decided to leave our tour early and look around at the shops. I didn't buy anything though. The tour showed us York Minster and the Shambles. York Minster is apparently the largest church, however I'm over churches. I've seen too many throughout Europe and now couldn't care less.
The shambles was quite interesting. The houses are leaning over one direction and apparently you can here what people are talking about in the other houses.

So after looking at the shops, I headed into Betty's for some traditional tea and scones. The people here are in traditional gear and it's done up also quite traditional inside. I had something not so traditional though - coffee made from the Himalayans and a cheese scone. Quite yummy!

Tonight, after dinner we had a ghost tour around town, which one in particular was quite spooky. The story goes like this...A lady was walking down the alleyway where she noticed a man in a black cape leaning against the wall leaning a black cane with a silver headpiece on his knees. The man was staring at her quite sneakily and the lady began to feel quite scared.

Walking closer to him, the feeling was getting worse to the point she did not want to pass him. Getting closer, she was getting a really bad feeling and she turned back the other way. In the entrance was a man, dressed very similar with the cape over his face and him standing on his cane with his legs apart. He was blocking the entrance.

The lady ran back the other way not noticing the man against the wall.

28th July -> First stop was Hadrian's Wall. The wall was built by the Roman's in 120 AD. It was built to block the English or Scottish coming through and was built on a narrow path, making it almost impossible to get through. The area we visited seemed to be like a little town or city. The wall was behind and went for miles. It's all mostly ruins but is wonderful to see as it's in the countryside. The grass is oh so green here and sheep graze in the grass on the way up to the steep wall. Fantastic!

From here, we head over the Scottish border and arrive in our hotels, where we do have the option of heading into town, however I decline I take rest in my hotel room alone! :)

29th July -> Today we've headed into town and I've checked out the Edinburgh Castle. The view from here is quite spectactular and I'm sure on a more sunny day would get great photos. It's overcast here at the moment though.

After this, I've headed down the Royal Mile, checking out the markets, eating lunch at the World's End - a famous pub in Edinburgh, The People's Voice Museum and the Edinburgh Museum... All quite historical but I'd bore you if I wrote about it.

Then heading over to Holyrood Palace - where Queen Mary of the Scots was born - before heading here to write :)

Heading off to the Scottish Evening tonight...
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Holland - Edam, Amsterdam - the last leg. Belgium

We checked out the cheese and clogs factory. Both were interesting apart from the part where they use the cows stomach's acids in the cheese. I didn't try the cheese.

Into Edam, where we went bike riding. The bikes were really weird here, quite light-weight and took a little bit to get used to compared to my heavy frame, suspensioned, geared up mountain bike. :) We checked out the windmills and some dyjks - a water controller.

Once we're done here we headed to the hotel in Amsterdam and checked into the hotel before heading out for our first night on the town of two.

PG Censored - We did the unofficial optional tonight and then headed out partying...then getting a taxi ride home....where I'm sure the guy was taking us somewhere else (as the guys were freaking out in the back) before I started questioning him.

13th July ->
We had a diamond tour and I nearly bought a ring worth $800 AU. I stopped myself though.

Next thing was a canal ride where we headed to Anne Frank's house. Another sad moment and I didn't take photos.

After this, went shopping before going out again.

As it was our last night, we had a canal cruise with three free drinks, then headed for chinese smorgasboard for tea. Here we had another four free drinks....I was under the weather.....

Next stop was a pub, and we all drank remembering the good old times. Taxi ride home was cheaper tonight as I caught the same one as Amanda, the TM.

14th July->
We had a Belgium stop in a petrol station. That was our 12th country....
Everyone was quiet and it was a sombre feeling heading into London.
I was sad, but I'll catch with most of them again. It was an awesome tour and the people were amazing.....
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Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland

I got very sick here and couldn't make it on the mountain bike ride. Bascially I couldn't breath, my asthma was playing up and I ended up resting most of the day.

9th July ->
We headed for one of the smallest countries and had lunch here before heading to Lucerne. Here we checked out the swiss watches, army knifes etc.

We then headed into town, over a bridge that was burnt down by a daschund dog. The views were amazing! The mountains were in the background over the lake and whilst we were given time to shop, I walked by myself by the lake taking shots.

Next stop was the Swiss Alps. Here were allowed to go up the Jungfrau Mountain the next day, however I was was not allowed. I was not any better and the higher altitude would make it worse, therefore not guaranteeing I would be safe.

Whilst everyone headed out for partying and tea, I headed to bed.

10th July ->
I slept in today and got up about 12ish. Kieran and Cherie, Harp, Ted and I decided to go in for some traditional Swiss food, after Kieran and Cherie checked in on me after breakfast that morning.

We had Cheese Fondue and Potato Rosti. It was very delicious! Definitely try this if you go here. The Cheese Fondue, comes out with bread, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic and spices to dip into the cheese and it creates the best flavours.

The rosti was awesome, nothing anywhere is the same as this....

After lunch, we headed out the underground waterfalls and caves. It's about a forty minute walk that is pretty much straight. Once you get near the place, you can catch an elevator to the top and take some snaps. It's quite amazing and the water blasts down. The caves are quite slippery and you do get fairly wet here but the views are amazing.

That night, I headed off to bed early again in the hopes of getting better for the next day.

11th July ->
Heidelberg, next destination, and I had a craving for Thai Food. Harp and I found an all you can eat buffet and sat and ate and ate and ate to our delight. We stumbled back to the bus holding our stumbles. Why you ask did we eat so much? There is no spicy food anywhere and this had been the first place we'd seen on the entire trip! So be warned if you like spicy food. It had great food though!!!

St Goar was next. We saw the largest working cuckoo clock. Saw the largest collection of steins and then tried some very sweet white wine. We tried five wines -sweet to sweetest. The last was like syrup and it's a desert wine. I didn't buy any...way too sweet for me!
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Austria with White Water Rafting and Germany

The first stop this morning, was one of the saddest and gut wrenching things on the tour. We headed to Mauthausen. For those that don't know, it's a concentration camp where they worked people to death in a quarry carrying heavy stones up thousands of steps.

The thing about it is though, is that the place is one of the most beautiful places and the atrocity that has gone here, puts a chill down your spine.

The drive up here for me was was quite sickening, as I know a bit of history of the camps from reading some biographies and studying the art from this area. I definitely struggled with my emotions here.

We watched a film based on the camp and the atrocities that went on here and then headed into the quarry and tributes to the people who died here. It was not only Jews, but Italians, Mexicans, Asians, homosexuals and the mentally unstable.

I decided to go in, not as a tourist but as human being paying respect for the prisoners of war. Out of respect, I left my camera in the bus.

Things seen here were:
Where they lived, bathed, the graveyard, the gas chambers and prisons.

We quietly headed to Munich and headed to the Youth Hostel we were to stay at before heading out again to the BeerHalls.

We went to the Pschorr Keller Beerhall and all started with a stein of beer. A stein equals a litre for those not in the know. I sat up the front, which was the best view in the house as the entertainment started shortly after our arrival. A band playing traditional music started then out came the girls in the traditional dresses playing the xylophones and bells. There was also some dancing done. It was great!

The record on the night was 5 steins....let me know if anyone has topped that.

I had my one and I was still tipsy! So much so that I bought a lovely German hat and I reckon it was the best buy of my trip. I'll be sure to wear it back home for you all to see!! Everyone thinks it suits me! :)

We then headed back to the hostel and headed out downstairs to the nightclub type place. After getting hit on by one of the guys who had threatened me the night before, I decided it was definitely my bed time.

7th July->
Free time in Munich. We headed down to the church when the devil's foot lays and tested to ensure we weren't the devil incarnate. No I'm not!! Once done, I headed to find a Birkenstock shop!! I had to get some, which I eventually did! They are so much cheaper than back home...and I now have two pairs - bought another pair over here.

Now for the highlight of our tour! The wonderful, amazing Glockenspiel, recommended by our tour manager, Amanda and voted to be the number one attraction for Germany! What is the Glockenspiel? It's a clock that plays tunes at 11 every day and is mechanical.

It goes for 11 minutes to be precise and is out of tune! Oh by the way, I was being sarcastic above...it's absolutely boring and not worth the wait.

Once the glorious clock was finished, we headed onward to our Water Rafting. It had been raining the night before, and the water was faster than normal. Now, I have to say it's definitely the most scariest thing I've done in my life!!! I was screaming and cursing the whole time! I couldn't wait for it to end. Yes, there were moments that it was fun and I'm glad I did it. But I'm certainly glad it ended. Just ask to see the photos....the whole group had a laugh...even I did!
btw the water is freezing....yes, we jumped in to my dismay.

Accommodation was great here. We were right near a waterfall stream and we slept with the sounds of it through the night. Quite peaceful.
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Vienna - Home of Mozart

Vienna was another beautiful place! We got in just in time for dinner and the optional tonight.

Our tour manager, Amanda gave us a bit of a pre-tour before tea and we had a type of buffet for dinner. You grab a plate of food, as much as you want on the plate and go to the register to pay for what's on your plate. Sometimes it;s by weight other times just by the particular food you have on it.

After dinner, we headed off for our culture night. This was a Mozart concert and as you can imagine not many people did this. Not that I minded! :) It was a great night! We were in a quite decorative hall with crystal hangings from the roof. There was about six people playing and also some soprano singers...it was definitely one of the better optionals.

5th July ->
Today I had planned to go see some work by Gustav Klimt by myself. It was a trip out of town, but I wasn't too worried. It didn't go as planned, as we happened to be in Vienna on the day it was closed. So, disheartened I stopped by the Tourist office and found another museum (Leopold) that held some of Klimt's work and also another of my favourite artists, Egon Schiele. Knowing this was near the pick up point, I left this for later in the day and headed off to do some more shopping and touristy things.

First stop was trying out the famous Sache Torte at the Sache hotel. It was scrumptious and fairly cheap! I also got a great coffee here. What it Sache Torte? It's a chocolate cake with a type of apricot/marmalade jam in the middle and chocolate icing on top. Very rich and very fattening, but worth having some!

Feeling sick from having too much cake, I went to the famous church here, when my battery went flat. However it got stuck in the camera and I ended up having to go to a camera specialist to get it out. That will teach me for buying a cheap second battery...

Next stop, the Leopold Museum, where as a bonus they also had Goya's "Disasters of War" etchings on display....I had a look here and noticed the lack of time. So I rushed upstairs, to check out Klimt's amazing piece "Life and Death" and sat in awe for a life time.

Next on the menu was Egon Schiele's work and they have quite a collection. Again, sat in awe at all the work and got told off for being to close to a self-portrait of his! I wasn't touching it, but I happened to noticed that he'd used his thumbs to paint the picture..nothing you know by looking or reading a book.

I had one more glance at Klimt's piece before heading outside to the Photography Exhibition by Air that was on outside. It was a bit like photos from National Geographic and was quite amazing. (Cheryl and Wendy, you would have loved it!)

Running back to the bus, we then headed to the Schnapps Museum. This place had been bombed in the war and only just survived to continue on the family business. We were given the opportunity to try three shots here. Now there was a schnapp made out of chilli, so of course I tried it and it happened to be the strongest one of the lot. It reminded me of Jagermeister...I'm not sure why. I then had Butterscotch and Chocolate Schnapps. They were both nice. After the chilli, I felt quite sick and needless to say, I ended up in the toilets throwing up, not once, but twice. To make things worse, I had to rush to the mens, as the womens was queued up and everyone thought it was funny, that I would have to resort to being sick in the garden or the men's room. Not funny at all!! Neither was the smell from the mens....

We soon headed on to the bus, where we headed for tea in the woods. The food wasn't spectacular, however the entertainment was. A man came out playing the accordian - he was a really funny guy! Everyone had a great time.

That night, there was a bit of a racket from the other Contiki tour and it resorted in me confronting them. We had an early start (4 in the morning) and it was about 12 at night. Apparently some guys had locked themselves in some mates room and they were screaming trying to get help. I ended up getting them out but not without being threatened at the same time.

In the morning, I made a complaint though to my Tour Manager and they got in strife, when I had to identify who they were, with the help from some of the girls.
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Venice on a gondola

Venice! Gondolas! Venice!!!
We started off by going to a lace factory and then to a glass blowing one. Not much to say here, I wasn't really interested.

We were let on our merry ways after the tour and Fraser, Harp and myself went off to check things out - shopping!!!

After more pizza and shopping, we headed to the meeting point for the gondola ride. This was great. You get taken down the small streets on the gondola, through all the old buildings. Our gondola driver was a bit grumpy and I'm sure it may have had something to do with having two heaviest people in his gondola....oh well!

Back at the camp - we did some more attitude adjusters before bed.
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Athens and beyond...

We all didn't care if we went here after our last eventful time, but it did get worse! The night before we got lost yet again and Phil, our bus driver headed up a street - which I said we weren't gonna fit - and we hit a car. The night ended when a policeman escorted us to our hotel on his motorcycle.

We met our tour guide in the mornin and were shown some sites around town such as where the Olympics were first held. We then headed to the Acropolis and Parthenon.

Here they are continuing to restore the buildings and whilst taking happy snaps, the workers continue to restore. It's certainly quite amazing up here.

After the tour, we were given some free time in town. The town is quiet nice, where the shops are in one main area. There's also a type of market down one of the streets and this is where Fraser, Harp and myself headed. If you get yourself to Athens, I'd recommend these, they are quite small, however I bought a ring here! :)

After an interesting experience with lunch, we headed back to the meeting point and were on our way for the lovely long ferry ride...

Ferry Ride ->
The trip here was amazing, i think I saw one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen here. The sun was setting on one side of our bus against the mountains and the sky was a reddy pink colour reflecting on the ocean. To the otherside was more mountains were the sky was blue and the moon was full. It was an amazing thing to see and I was absolutely gobsmacked and inspired to paint.

The first night was a quiet one as we had the next day and night to keep ourselves entertained.

It's difficult to keep yourself entertained on these things, so first thing I did was head outside for some sun, but found it was extremely hot. Most of us kept inside in the end, playing cards and a dice game called Zilch - lots of fun!

Night time came though and this was a different story...We all ended up having a few drinks and I got started on some black russians after buying some vodka to go with my 70% proof kahlua. This would have to have been my biggest night on my entire holiday and I do have many stories to tell, but will not embarass myself on here. However, I will leave you with one thing the night ended with me being taken to my room and me getting in the shower and deciding to wash my clothes (on) in the middle of the night!

2nd July -> Ferry ride was over and I felt not too well today.

First stop today wasn't on the itenary. We headed to Verona, home of Juliet. Yes this is where Romeo and Juliet came from - Shakespeare.

The home of Juliet is surrounded by little post it notes of people writing romantic notes to juliet and their juliets. It's absolutely amazing how many notes there are all over the walls. Also, it's supposed to be good luck to touch the right breast of Juliet's statue, which I did.

After this, we wandered the town and I happened to go shopping and buy a nice little watch for myself.

It was then onto the campsite called Camp Fusina. It's renowned for their bar which makes a drink called an "Attitude Adjuster' and that it certainly does. Two of these and people don't remember how they get to bed. It's also renowned for giving free shots to girls who take their tops off and the photos go up on the net. There's a normal photo of me up there though...

Anyone going here though, be warned the toilets stink so much that I dryreached everytime I went in there. Needless to say, I held off as long as I could.

I had another big night tonight and I really can't go into anymore...
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Mykonos baby, yeah yeah!

The ferry over is around 3 hours or so and most of our group slept the entire time due to the Athen's welcome the night before.

Mykonos itself is quite a beautiful place. It's water again is quite bluey-green and it is quite hilly for a small island. The most unique thing here is their houses. They are made out of cement and shaped into a curved square type shape. The houses are painted white with the exception of the windows and doors which are a bright blue colour. These all resemble the colours of the Greek flag - reminds me a little of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. Apparently you have to write away though for permission to use the blue colour.

So what did I do here? Well we were at a resort and I think the only photos i actually took here were 5 minutes before we left. Yes it was very beautiful, however I was so relaxed i couldn't be bothered with the whole photo thing.

Now I'm sure most people have been at a resort and I'm sure they are all very similar where the hotel organises fun things to do, but here every night includes a half price drinks night or happy hours - which go longer than an hour!

The first night we started off with a welcome drink over at one of the three bars on the resort after having a quick waterpolo game in the pool. It was nothing special - a champagne cocktail. However it got me in the mood and I went downstairs and tried the toblerones - greek style. What is Greek Style? Well Greeks do not measure alcohol...so you end up with a drink that is almost 100% filled with alcohol. Two of these later and we decided to head back to prepare for "cocktails night - 2 for 1." It was a night to remember...

In the morning, most of us got up to take full advantage of our free watersport activities which were snorkelling and sea kayaking. It was actually a little disappointing! The water was great, however there isn't much wildlife under water. In fact, there isn't any plants or algea. It was still great to snorkel as we found a secluded beach and sat for a while taking everything in.

Sea Kayaking - well boy was I great at that! I got as far out as I could sit in the water and I kept falling in. Due to the weather taking people out, I decided it was in my best interests to quit while I was ahead. :) Well, where I could actually stand and get back in, instead of being towed out to sea.

Night time - all of us had dinner, took full advantage of the $2 shots and then went out in Mykonos. I had something like 12 shots and I swear I was still sober!! So we headed into this cocktail bar, where we were all given 2 for 1 cocktails. They were all very nice and what was beautiful about this place was the view. A few of us made our way to the back of the bar where there was this quaint little room/balcony. It's full of couches and right outside the window was the sea. We were actually out on the sea and not on the sandy beach. It was actually quite romantic with the moon shining across the water. Everyone was amazed.

So back to the drinks, lots of people by this stage were well on their way. However, I really can't believe how well I was. Once happy hour ended the group decided to head off to some disco and a couple of us - including myself - headed off in another direction to experience the nightlife, without the young ones. The place we went was great but crowded and we lasted here till about 3 or so.

Next morning I was awoken, by my roomies, who didn't go out. It wasn't that bad however, as I got to head into town again and check out the shops. However, after having a bit of a look around, it was way too expensive and I needed to get out of there before I spent big.

I lounged around the rest of the day after a huge night and then went out again. I didn't have a big night, although I really can't remember the special for this night. However it was a karaoke night. It all got a bit boring and I hit the hay, to make it easier to pack the next day.

Next day we checked out early and catched a dvd as we our ferry was mid-afternoon.

The ferry was all good apart from Fraser my NZ friend getting sat on and abused by a big greek lady. She was a grumpy old fart that wanted the seat he was on. In fact, they all are grumpy on ferries, be warned!

So after Mykonos, we all headed back to Athens, our most dreaded place of all and really it doesn't get better the second time round!
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Corfu and Athens

Well guys I've finished my tour and I am devastated. The only thing that got me through it was meeting my brother and my friend Darren meeting me where my group departed. It was the best thing I've done and I'd recommend it to everyone.

So on to Corfu....
The travel over to Corfu involved a night on the ferry. I'd been warned how great the ferry rides were and was expecting the worst, however I was pleasantly surprised to find the rooms and showers quite clean - especially compared to some other places. The ferry ride was not bad as we really only sleeped.

Into Corfu ->
Now for those who don't know, Greece's plumbing is as old as the Greece itself (well almost). So, you ask why I'm mentioning this? Well in Greece, you can't flush toilet paper down the toilet. What do you do with it? Well for your convenience, a waste paper basket is provided. Once you get used to this method, it actually doesn't seem so bad. The worst thing though is if you forget or some falls in...because you can't flush any at all and in the end you have to try and grab it out (yes even if it's wet!!).

You wouldn't believe how beautiful the water is here. It's a lovely greeny-blue colour and it is so calm compared to back home. What was even more unbelievable was the hotel view. Most rooms had a balcony which had a 180 degree view of the lovely water surrounded by greek isles - fantastic.

So we had three days here, where one day included an optional on the infamous George's boat cruise. The first two days included a tour into town with some shopping time. Amanda, our tour manager told us about how good and cheap gyros was. Let me tell you, she was right on both accounts. They are very addictve and are a bit like our souvalakis but involve fries. They do taste totally different here and I recommend them highly. (No, I haven't stopped being vegetarian, mine were without meat)

The shopping here is great...things are cheap and very different to back home. So much so that the next day, I decided to head back to town (instead of going to the beaches) and look at all the shops. The only purchase however, was a bracelet.

Now the first night, included our first raunchy party! (Well it's meant to be but I was tame). Toga PARTY! The party involves wearing a toga. What's raunchy about that? Maybe the fact that you don't wear anything else....It was quite a good night where most of my group were drunk, including a very tipsy Mel...I do have a few stories which I can't mention on this PG rated version. So feel free to ask when I see you next for the MA versions of the trip.

George's boat ->
was very cool. You are taken on a cruise around Corfu and some greek isles. The first stop being watersports!!

Here I went parasailing (why was I so worried) and also this sofa type thing (ARGH!) I was nervous with the parasailiing, however the only scarey part is liftoff. In the air it's quite tame, almost boring apart from the beautiful views and reminds me of ballooning. It's great to be able to say I've done it though and I have some cool photos from it to prove it.

So the sofa thing, well this was freaky!! You had to hold on sitting down, whilst being spun round at full speed. Nicole, my little mate from Geelong, came with me and she kept being thrown on me, so I ended up carrying both our weight on this sofa. The whole time I was wishing it would end (even though it was quite fun) and near to the end, we both fell off. It was all good fun!

After the watersports, we headed two little private water spots for a swim in the beautiful ocean. It's really weird as there are no waves. So it's quite easy to swim or play water sports etc. The hardest part was getting in...

Later on, we headed out to traditional Greek meals and dancing. It was great at the start, however the dancing went too long and there was way too much traditional wine available to us for free....and I don't know how much I had in the end.

Athens ->
well, well. This could possibly be the nightmare spot of the trip. We got lost on more than one occasion. We were diverted, too many times to remember....and seriously I don't know how the Greeks will finish in time for the Olympics. They have a hell of a lot to do in a small period of time. I was very disappointed and I really feel sorry for the athletes....it's one big mistake.

Once we actually arrived at the hotel, I think it was about five hours late, we had a quick meal and went to bed afer ringing the parents. Only five minutes in bed and horns starting going. First only a couple of times, then every car and truck (with air horns) passing by started using their horn. These were not little get out of my way beeps, but constant I'm-keeping-my-hand-on-the-horn beeps. This actually and I'm not kidding, went on ALL night and in the morning when we left. What was the reason? No, not a huge traffic disaster, but Greece won the soccer...

So as you can imagine, I as did many that night, had absolutely no sleep in Athens ready for our ferry to the just opened Mykonos, awesome, most beautiful place on the world resort.

More later....

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Guten Taag from Deutschland

Hey all,
I´m in Germany at the moment and lately I´ve had a few big nights to be bothered writing....actually I thinkI´ve done my best so far - 4nights in a row!!!

So Pompeii....this is something I´ve learnt a bit about when I did Italian at school. I couldn´t believe how big the actual place was.It´s totally different to what I expected. I thought I would see a lot of petrified artifacts within the actual ruins but a lot of these have been extracted. It was great to see the paintings/ frescoes on the walls and find out some history from a local tour guide.

I think the funniest thing about today is that I almost got left behind. I got too busy taking photos and Ted - a cool guy from America - and I took a wrong turn. We didn#t think too much of it because we were to have lunch and then catch up. But with five minutes to go and us sitting down wondering where everyone was,we figured we were actually down the road from everyone else. A little bit of power walking and in no timewe had caught up at the proper meeting point (which looked very familiar with where we were before) and no one else knew any different.

Anyway I´m just about to have some breakfast before heading off for white water rafting - wish me luck, I´m a little nervous!
Cheers!
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Relaxing at the Mykonos Resort

Ok guys, Mykonos is great here...and I just thought I'd do a quick entry for Roma!

Rome is an awesome place it's very caught up in the historial aspect, not that this is a problem. We got to see the first day most of the sites including the spanish steps, some thing called the wedding cake. We actually caught a train in as the buses really can't get around here. The first thing mentioned was the pickpocketers and geez are they really bad here. We caught heaps of people trying to get other people's wallets and we were lucky enough to all come out safe!\

Second day, we caught another 3 trains in to the Collosseum (spelt right?). It's the most impressive thing to come out of a station to see the this massive building. It's very awe inspiring!

The first thing here we did though was have a tour from an Italian tour guide around the Imperial Ruins. This is where Julius Caesar is buried. There are many ruins here and you don't realise how huge the buildings were until you see it for yourself.

After this a couple of us headed off to the Collosseum to have a look inside. The queues were massive, however we snuck our way through (much to the dismay of some others in our tour) to the front and got in straight away. I don't think the inside is as impressive as the outside. It was still great however and it was well worth going inside.

There was more I would have loved to do here, however we took someone back from our tour who had alcohol poisoning and left them for pickup at the station whilst three of us walked to the campsite.

So next on the stop was Pompeii. This is a town that is owned by the mafia. However it's time for me to head off...

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Yassu from Corfu

I know, I know two days in a row...unbelievable yes? Well it just so happens that we have a free day in Corfu and I decided to get a bit of internet in before I finish off some diary entries....

Now the number one place I was interested in on this tour was Italy. However because of being ill, I don't think I appreciated things as much as what I thought I would! The ride over consists of the bus going through tunnels sitting within the mountains. There are 156.5 for those who are interested between Monaco and Florence.

Florence was first off the ranks, it's quite a beautiful town that holds David done by Michelangelo. It also holds a lot of Renaissance work, neither of which I went to.

The first night we headed out for drinks at a place that served cocktails by the jugful....We also happened to get there at happy hour...not a very good combination!! Fraser and Harp, two New Zealanders and I shared three jugs between us and we had a big night, as did everyone else!!

The first thing you notice when you get into Venice is the miniatures of David everywhere and the vasts amount of sculptures. Now first off we had a tour around the town by a Italian tour guide, she was very passionate about the buildings, which some were quite beautiful, however due to being so sick I couldn't handle being standing up.

After this we checked out a leather place, which I wasn't really interested and I ended up leaving and checking out the Nomination Flags for my bracelet! Yes it's now full of flags, if anyone remembers my lonely little flag of Australia on it beforehand.

So what did I get up to? I ended up sitting on the steps in some square full of statues whilst everyone else went around. By the way the pizza is beautiful here and I can't get enough of it. So after sitting here for a couple of hours, a pigeon decided to shat on me (yes, seriously) and I decided it was telling me it was time to get off my butt.

So I checked out the markets which for those who love Louis Voitton bags (I'm sure I've spelt that wrong), you will love these markets. There are plenty of places to grab these from and you can haggle you way down to about a fifth of the price. No kidding!

I also got to try some gelati and let me say it was beautiful. It's definitely different then what we have at home. Try the fruit flavours if you are coming over.

This night we headed out for some true Italian food. It was truly a feast! We started with an antipasto, then an entree (which we all thought was the main), then a main and some salad, then dessert!!! I certainly couldn't eat everything!! It was way too much!!

So after here we head to Roma and I will do this another day! My time is almost up here...
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Italy

Ciao all,
I finally feel up for another entry, I've been a bit sick and stupid me only hung off on some antibiotics till last night after calling home stressing out! Sorry mum and dad for calling you at 4 in the morning last night!!!

Now where was I last?? France yes. Ok so after being in Paris, we headed for Chateau or Beaujolis....it's in a quaint little countryside which is full of vineyards. It's absolutely beautiful and peaceful. I had a great time here and did not want to leave. I also had a big night here.

The accommodation here is in an old building and I just happened to score a room with a view.

Now what did we do here? First night we did some wine tasting and saw how the wine was created. They make mainly reds and they are quite different to our reds in Australia...they only ferment their wine for 2 - 4 months and you can really tell. The wine is almost watery like but it still does a bit of damage if you drink a bottle by yourself! The first night though, we had a 'theme' party. We all had to dress up with started with 'p'. Now there were a lot of prostitutes, pimps etc. I was fairly boring and came as paparazzi. Now I did forget to mention about this wine they also create from the leftovers from the fermentation process. It's about 50 percent proof and is drank in shot format. Now, most people would know I like my shots!! A lot!! However, one of these and I had to go to bed!! I'd recommend trying it, however be warned one will do and be prepared with a drink in the other hand to wash it down with.

Ok, so this night wasn't big, however in the morning I still hadn't recovered from the drinks the night before and a picnic/walk had been planned to the 'top of the world'. It's up this huge, steep hill and takes only 45 minutes. However due to illness and being unfit AND getting lost two times, our group was the last to the top. We worked out that we had walked an extra 3.5+ kms up a steeper hill just by getting lost.

The view up the top was fantastic though and was well worth the trip up. Just to finish off with this, we just so happened to get lost on the way down and I had to use my fantastic french skills to talk to the locals, who in the end directed us to the local pub who could speak english and knew where we had to go.

Now it just so happened that I bought a bottle of wine for the picnic, but due to the heat and everything else, I couldn't drink it. However the bottle was uncorked for us and could not be taken into the bus the next day. So I had to drink it that night....so we all sat around in the arvo in front of the nice view and drank our wine before 9:30 (where we have to hit the cave - a pub underneath the building which is way cool). So when it was time to get up, I had one glass left and could not walk, same with everyone else. So we raced to the cave and danced the night away.

The next morning was difficult, however it's not the worst night. We did however have one of the longest trip and I sat by myself just in case.

This leads us to BARCELONA! Getting in the place looked really trashy with graffiti everywhere and we were warned to be very careful of our bags. I was getting disappointed with what it was looking like, however was still excited that the next day I would see Gaudi's Cathedral.

The next morning we started off with a bus tour that took us to Montjuic, a little castle at the top of the city to get some photos. On the way down, I got my first view of the cathedral and it was more amazing than I had ever imagined!

Next stop was Barcelona Stadium, yep it's just a stadium.

And after that...Gaudi's cathedral. We were given five minutes to snap photos and then get to the other side. Let's just say that my jaw was wide open in awe of this amazing building and I struggled to not stay there. However, I knew I would get back later.

We then got into the city and, really, I found it quite beautiful, however very busy and many beggars & gypsies. We did a gothic walk around the town which included a walk to a church surrounded by two primary schools. The church here was used to line up Christians and to shoot them during the war (I think I have this right)...over 300 people were killed here and the bullet holes prove it. It's a very creepy place which is only livened by the laughter and the playfulness of the kids in this little square around the fountain and church.

What else did I do this day? Well I did a little bit of shopping and I bought some jewellery! Yes, OMG!! I bought jewellery. But I won't bore you with this detail, however the jewellery, pearls especially are beautiful here.

Now my major thing here was of course Gaudi's cathedral, so I caught a train back there (the metro here is easy!!). Firstly, went through the museum and got to see some original pieces of Gaudi and see some of the new guy's crap new work. The reason I say this is that he has changed the style and the building doesn't really flow/ match.

However, it still was beautiful and I had to walk up the spires. This was I think is about 300+ steps and is very narrow AND scarey (especially coming down)... but the view is amazing and I recommend everyone to do it to the highest point. You get to see some of the amazing sculptural structures as well as see some amazing views of Barcelona!

Dinner here was an optional...we had vegetarian paella which I wasn't really impressed at. I don't think it's how it's meant to taste. Contiki, I think find a cheap option and sometimes you miss out on quality - don't get me wrong, it's still a great experience but sometimes shows and meals aren't what you expect. Same goes for the amateur show of the spanish flamenco. It was like a theatre restaurant. We were the only ones there and it was on a little stage with not great costumes. You could still get the whole gist, but you can tell it wasn't the real thing. I still was amazed though of the skill of the guys/ gals clapping and stomping - it is very romantic!!

Ok, that's it for now...I'm heading on a ferry tomorrow for Corfu. I can't wait as I'm pretty sick and need the rest before having some big days after....
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Hola from Spain! This is paris only though!

Hi all,
Just got 18 minutes at an internet cafe at our cabin-caravan park....
Where do I start hey? It´s unbelievable here and I´m having an amazing time!!

Ok, so from London I went to France catching a ferry on the cliffs of Dover. It´s really weird, I didn´t think they were they really spectactular...basically it´s cliffs that are made from limestone, I think maybe if the weather was not smoggy it may have looked better and my shots would have turned out nicer...

From the Cliffs of Dover, we´ve headed straight to Paris....Paris is amazing. I could definitely live there. It´s so full of history and culture - it´s amazing! So what did I do there, I guess you´re asking. I did the Palace of Versailles - beautiful with so many rooms. Louis 12th (I think) made it after the Louvre (which originally was a palace) was too small for him. There is gold in every room and statues & paintings also. How vain! The gardens are also wonderful but I didn´t have time to go outside and check these.

So what else in lovely Paris? Arche De Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre. During all of this we were walking and only had 1.5 free days to do what we like. I really want to come back and see Musee DÓrsay and Rodin´s gallery. Arche De Triomphe was over fifty stairs in a curved staircase - I was definitely both breathless and dizzy by the time I got up there.

Eiffel Tower was unbelievable. There are two elevators to take you to the top. The first one is like a double decker and the second one is normal. Going to the higher level though is really freaky!! You don´t know how long it´s gonna take to go up, meanwhile the structure is getting narrower and narrower. The view from up there is unbelievable, much better than the rialto observation deck and seriously it should be. You can see the Arche De Triomphe. The amazing thing too is that the town is so well planned and structured and you don´t get that feeling if you are on walking level...

Notre Dame was beautiful and there just so happened to be a choir playing... Now don´t think of our dodgy choirs back in Oz. This is absolutely beautiful....the sound in this church is emphasized by the surroundings.

The next visit was to the Louvre but unfortunately I was extremely sore, that I only got to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. It´s quite funny...tourists crowded around these art objects snapped then went off. They didn´t sit to actually analyze the pictures/ sculptures...the funniest thing about it is that the Mona Lisa is behind glass and the using the flash (which these tourists use) means the picture doesn´t come out...

Ok so what about the people? They are extremely friendly and I´ve been having a ball. Oh and I did say I wasn´t going to drink didn´t I??? Well, let´s just say I´ll give you an in depth story next time....(tomorrow maybe if I can get on)

I´ll give you a heads up though, tomorrow I see Gaudi´s cathedral and boy can I hardly wait to see that....
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Flight over and first day

I've just woken on my second day in England and woke up feeling a bit better than yesterday... Be warned this may be very boring, however I don't know how much time I will have writing after today.

I got to the airport thinking I had enough time, but to both my mum and my surprise my flight had been boarding for a while. So after a quick goodbye, I made the big step and went through the gate.

The flight was long! I had previously thought I would be fine, as I'd watch all the in-house movies, boy was I wrong! I was checking my watch every half hour and didn't get any sleep the first leg (which was the plan).

Getting into Hong Kong made me realise for the first time that I had finally started the big trip. If you've ever been to the airport you'd know how huge it is. I certainly felt pretty lost and it was lucky that I met Rachel, a girl from Ballarat who was also going straight through to London. We got in at gate 71 and had to get to gate 2 and 3. We ended up having to catch a train and probably for a few k's through the maze, going the wrong way a few times!! However we got there in the end and I sat there waiting for the final leg to London.

A few people mentioned the second leg to London was the worst and I found out how right they were! I had only three hours sleep, a blood nose and a headache all the way through. Apart from that it was all ok. I got through the gates, with a few interrogating questions from immigration and got out waiting for my brother.

Now onto yesterday, first thing we did was get back to my cousin's place, there was nothing I wanted to do most but have a shower...so after the shower and a quick snack, we headed out to check out some famous landmarks.

So what did I see yesterday? St James Palace, Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey.

When heading over from St James Palace to Buckingham Palace, we were lucky enough to catch the rehearsals for D-Day. The streets were blocked off and the soldiers with the funny headpieces were marching to Buckingham palace with traditional music behind them. It was an amazing sight and the photos I took, don't give the experience justice.

So after a long day of site-seeing, my brother and I got back to my cousin's Dean's place to go out for some drinks. Well I ended up not drinking, YES I behaved. I was certainly not in the mood anyway and due to lack of sleep, headed back home with Stephen (my brother) to crash around 11 at night. It was great to get out though and catch up with the my cousins - Dean and Chris.

What's on today's plan, you're asking? Well Stephen booked some tickets for Harry Potter. So we're heading out to Leicester Square to check out the new episode. No plans apart from that, I'm just going with the flow....
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