But I Don't Wanna!

I woke up on day thirty-two facing the undeniable truth... My fantastic adventure was over! And I simply wanted to cry. But I knew I couldn't escape indefinitely.

So after making sure I had everything packed mum and I headed out for one last English fry-up breakfast. All too soon we were heaving my suitcases to the waiting taxi - (Did I forget to mention how much stuff I collected along the way? So much for not buying anything!)

We got to the airport in plenty of time, had a final coffee, and checked in my two suitcases. Then it was time for mum and I to part ways as I went through passport control. Mum was meeting up with Rob (my step-dad) and they were going to do some more exploring. Colour me green with envy! All I know is that I had the best traveling partner a girl could ask for. I am eternally grateful to mum for accompanying me on a phenomenal trip. My one regret? I only have one photo of the two of us! That's what you get for always being behind the camera.

After a lengthy wait I was about to board the plane to Dubai (the first stop) when I looked at the nearby TV screen to discover a bomb had been found in a courier aeroplane at Dubai. Lovely! The flight was delayed but we managed to get to Dubai airport without any incident. It was on this leg of the journey I got the ride on the airbus!! I think it is a fantastic aeroplane - so roomy, so comfortable, so lovely. If I had have been given the option I would have ridden it all the way to Brisbane. Alas I had to change planes at Dubai.

Now as I said the flight was delayed so in order to make my connecting flight I had to push my way past security and run at full speed to the complete other end of the airport. I'm sure it must have look hilarious on the security monitors - this short, white, young lady running/limping/I'm-not-sure-what-the-heck-she's-doing all over the airport. All of this in 30 or so degree heat (at some strange hour of the night/morning).

But I managed to catch the connecting flight and all went well. Well, except for the fact that I couldn't eat anything because I felt sick (I still had a cold) and I couldn't sleep and the leg from Singapore to Brisbane had the worst turbulence I have ever endured (and that's saying something). Needless to say I watched more movies back to back than I ever had.

I made it back to Australia in the wee hours of the morning. Basically falling into the arms of my waiting brother. I was ever so grateful!

Yes part of me was grateful to be back home. I missed my bed. I missed my stuff. I missed my brothers. I missed my space. I missed the ease of a familiar world. I missed freshly laundered clothes.

But for the most part I am keen to get 'on the road again'. Before I left on this adventure I was suffering the worst case of itchy feet. Now the plan was that this adventure would get that out of my system for a while so I could settle down a bit. The complete opposite has happened. I am more keen than ever to get out there and see the world! I've even started planning my next two adventures.

My European adventure was beautiful, wonderful, and amazing. It was everything I expected it to be and yet it was so much more. I simply can't wrap it up into a few neat sentences. All I can say it was worth everything - worth the scrimping and saving, worth the physical aches and pains, worth the tiredness, and completely worth the effort! (Okay so it is impossible to pick one photo that totally sums up my adventure. So I chose this one. This one is as good as any. Go through earlier posts to get a complete photographic overview)

I am now suffering from what a friend of mine calls 'post travel depression'. And oh boy I have PTD bad! I feel like I've lost my place. Like while I was away the whole world shifted on it's axis and everything I knew has changed.

This adventure has changed me in ways I cannot begin to understand (yet!). All I know is that I'm desperate to see the world. I want to record the world as I see it - both through words and photographs. There is so much of the world out there for me to discover and I want, no I need, to see it all up close.

I simply have to see it for myself!

Image found here.

Days Thirty & Thirty-One

So my two full days in London were a blur of amazing sights, cold and flu medicine and awesome experiences. I didn't want it to ever end! So I'll just give you the highlights.

While on a hop on/hop off bus tour I discovered that I had been inaccurately calling the pictured below building below the 'Big Ben'. But the name 'Big Ben' is actually the name of one of the bells inside the tower. The tower is simply the bell tower.

We took a champagne 'flight' on the London Eye. In case you're wondering - yes it is extremely high and yes it did provide amazing views.

Walking around London I fell in love with a building affectionately called 'the gherkin'. This structure is simply amazing! Did you know that there is one piece of curved glass in the entire building? That's a awesome architectural achievement if you ask me.

There was a plethora of sights - a replica of Shakespeare's Globe and the Tower bridge. Just to name a few.

I indulged in plenty of shopping (hello Oxford street, Top Shop and more!) - 'You like it? Thanks! I picked it up in London'. I even ran into some of my friends from tour. We figured out how to use the Tube and walked up the red royal road. I even got to see those fascinating guards at Buckingham Palace in the tall, black, furry hat and bight red coats. Too cute!

There is something special about London. It has both good and bad parts. There are people -- always so many people!! There is never a moment of quiet. Crowds of people everywhere. Such a mix of nationalities and so many food options. It was pretty phenomenal to be in a place with so much history. I found it pretty amazing that there's a gigantic park in the middle of such a huge urban area.

I could have happily spent a few weeks there maybe even a few months. It would have been awesome to get to know the real city. I'd love to wander the streets and discover this beautiful city's hidden treasures. There would be so much more underneath the surface. It was pretty magical and a lovely way to say goodbye to my European adventure.

Next I say a tearful goodbye to my amazing adventure. It's time for a wrap up...

Day Twenty-Nine

So I woke up to face a day I was dreading... it was officially the last day of tour. It was all over bar the singing. After saying goodbye to some of the group who were flying out of Paris the rest of us made our way to Calais. I can't speak for any other group members but I found it slightly depressing. I had gotten used to being busy every day, having a schedule, and hanging around with the other wonderful people on tour. But now it was time to say goodbye.

We made it to Calais for the ferry crossing to Dover. It was a pretty rough day on the water. In fact it was so rough that I lay down on the floor and stared directly up at the ceiling for most of the journey. And it wasn't just me -- pretty soon I was joined on the floor by a few other people. The constant loss of balance seriously messed with my equilibrium. Needless to say I was pretty thankful when we made it to the shores of Dover!

After joining up with another bus (and bus driver) we drove the last few miles to our final destination... Hello London! So after more goodbye to every one else on tour and promising to keep in touch mum and I were on our own once again.

We made our way to our home for the next few nights - a cute little studio apartment near Hyde Park. After going for a walk and indulging in a spot of shopping we made our way back to our lodgings to grab a bite to eat and come up with a plan of attack for the next few days. I couldn't wait to tackle London.

The tour was simply fantastic!!! It was very physically intense and there were times that I wished for a break. But when I think of the amount of things I got to see in 17 short days it was worth all the tiredness and physical discomfort. It was all things wonderful and superb! I do have a few tips though...
My top tips for tour are:
1) Make friends with the other people on tour - they make the experience all the richer.
2) If you've never been before make sure you do at least a few of the optional extras - some of my most memorable experiences are from the optionals. These excursions often allowed me to see more than just the straight tourist side of things.
3) Be prepared to be tired - I knew that I would find it a tough slog physically but boy it was tough! I don't think I have ever walked so much in my life or climbed quite so many stairs.
4) Let go of preconceived ideas - tour is about seeing different places in the world. To get the most out of the experience I decided to let go of most of my preconceived ideas. I found that the places I enjoyed most were places that I didn't have any expectations of.
5) Enjoy every moment of it - the truth is there were times that I wondered if it was crazy to undertake such a huge tour but then I decided to make the best of it. I knew that I needed to make the most of every moment - even if I was exhausted or in physical pain. It's important to enjoy every moment because it comes to an end far too quickly.

Now if you'll permit me I'll make my one complaint about the European Union. I loved the ease of one currency (except for Switzerland) and not wasting time at boarder checks. My one complaint is about my passport. I had gotten a brand new passport for this adventure and I have been to all these amazing countries. But do you think my passport reflects how EPIC my adventure was? No way!! I only have two lousy stamps in my passport. I would have loved to have a stamp from every country I had been too. Alas thanks to the EU I only have two. Sad!

I guess I'll just have to go on another adventure...

Next we look around London

Day Twenty-Eight

So here we are at the last full day of tour... I never thought I would have so much fun in the past 16 days. But tour was simply amazing and to have our last day be in Paris was simply the icing on the cake.

The day started slightly eventfully and I lost my travel buddy for the day. Mum was feeling rather sick and sore so she decided to spend the day in the hotel. But don't worry - she'd be heading back to Paris in a couple of weeks so she wouldn't be missing out.

We headed out just as the sun was beginning to light the sky. The bus took us on a tour of all the main points of Paris... Including the Eiffel Tower!! Here are a couple of photos of the morning's adventure. I took many many photos during the morning so I decided to share my favorites.

After the driving tour of Paris we headed to the Eiffel Tower to take in the views from the top. I am so glad than when the Tower was built the elevator had just been invented because I would have hated to walk up all those stairs.

I got some great photos from the top but nothing spectacular. As our guide rightly pointed out when you're on the Eiffel Tower you're cutting out one of the main things that makes the Paris skyline unique.

We headed down the Tower and made our way to the Champs-Elysees. It was quite a sight. I was meant to go with some of the group of the Palace of Versaille but I decided to hang out the Champs-Elysees instead. Why? I just needed a break. I'm sure the Palace was lovely but I was still fighting a cold. So I elected to enjoy the yummiest lunch with some of my amazing tour companions. Seriously some of the best food, conversation, and company. It was wonderful.

After a luxurious lunch I walked up to the Arc de Triomphe. I managed to get a decent enough photo. I would have loved to take a better one. In my mind's eye I set up an awesome shot. The only problem is that the shot I wanted would have meant setting myself up in the middle of a extremely busy street. So I elected to go for the safer option.

That night most of the group went to the Moulin Rouge but mum and I decided not to do that option. Part of me wished I had gone - it would have been nice to hand out with my friends on the last night - but on the other hand I wanted to rest up so I'd be ready to tackle London. So instead mum and I had Chinese food in our hotel room (is that completely wrong to have chinese food in the capital of France?). It was a lovely end to a wonderful tour.

Paris was lovely. Stupendous and wonderful and beautiful. I loved it! Sure it's a tourist town but hey I am a tourist. It provided a plethora of photo opportunity and historical monuments on every corner. I would love to go back. It is defiantly worth another visit. Next time I go I'd love to spend a couple of days simply wandering around the city discovering its hidden gems.

Next we say goodbye to the group (Boo!!) and hello to London (Yay!!)

Day Twenty-Seven

The day had finally arrived: I had finally gotten to Paris!!! (It only took 25 years!)

To be perfectly honest I have been delaying writing up my Paris post. It means that my blogging about my holiday is almost over. I can no longer hang on to the vestige of what's left. I am not ready to return to real life. But blog I must and there's simply no denying the fact that this wonderful adventure has almost reached its inevitable end.

So on to Paris! What can I possibly say that hasn't already been said? Everything will seem trite and forced. The truth is Paris is beautiful... A tourist city to be sure but simply stunning nonetheless.

We started with a run (or at least that's what it felt like to my cold-riddled body) through the Louvre. Actually it was a veritable walk in the park compared to the pace at the Vatican. The glass pyramids were astonishing! I wrestled my way through the wall of humanity to catch a quick glimpse (and a slightly blurry photo) of the Mona Lisa... I think I would have enjoyed her more looking at her picture in a book. There were so many people!!

Again I think that if I had been completely alone in the Louvre and allowed to spend a whole day wandering in amongst the rooms I would have thoroughly enjoyed myself. As it was I was wishing I could have spent a little more time in places and hoping people would get out of the way of my 'perfect' shot. My most favorite piece in the Louvre would have to be the "Winged Victory of Samothrace". It was stunning!

Truly my photos do not do it justice. I was simply in awe that one piece of marble holds such pathos. I would have loved to study it - to understand its curves and lines and figure out how the sculptor conveyed such emotion. Alas it was not to be.

Next we headed to Notre Dame cathedral. This cathedral is a marvel of Gothic architecture with its flying buttress making itself known. It was astounding to think it had been built all those years ago and still stands. I wondered (as I often did on this trip) how they managed to get to the very top without the aid of cranes or other modern technology. And the stone carvings? How much time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears had gone into this impressive design?

Later we took a cruise on the Seine River in the twilight. We truly got to enjoy the 'city of lights'. Paris has really marketed itself well and set up an amazing display that steals your heart with its beauty.

This is one of those moments... Those moments where words simply fail me (and that, my friends, does not happen often) and all I can do is share whatever I managed to capture.



Simply amazing, astounding, beautiful, and wonderful! I was taken with this city and its stunning light show. In that single boat ride a life long dream was accomplished: to see Paris lit up. It was well worth the wait.

It was pure and utter bliss. I didn't care that I was sick. I didn't care that my body ached. I didn't care that my holiday was almost over and I was looking at a hard stretch back home. To quote Kurt Vonnegut "everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." In those handful of moments all that mattered was Paris... And for a brief few moments I didn't have a care or a worry in the world.

Bring on another day in Paris!

Day Twenty-Six

On day twenty-six disaster stuck! Okay, dramatic much? To qualify I personally hit a little bump in the road. I had a cold! And I was not impressed.

Considering that I was feeling pretty physically spent by this time add a cold into the mix and I was pretty much over it. But even all that couldn't take away from the beauty of Avignon (the only stop of note of the day). Restaurants lined the sides of the plaza - where I had the most beautiful French Onion Soup - with the cutest little carousel at one end of it. I would have loved to have ridden on it.

The bridge at Avignon was pretty spectacular and had I had been feeling better I would have put in much more of an effort to get a better picture of it. Missed opportunity! I guess it just means I'll have to go back again.

The rest of the day was spent in the bus traveling from Nice to Lyon. (Are you looking at your map?) I had my head stuck in a book most of the day trying to will my sickness away. It didn't work. I was feeling so rotten that I even skipped dinner.

The other horrible aspect of this day? I was my wost photography day of the whole of tour. None of my shots works out how I wanted them too and everything looked mediocre at best- but I choose to blame it on my cold.

Thoughts on Avignon and Lyon? Well all we saw of Lyon was the hotel room so I have absolutely no thoughts neither positive or negative about Lyon. As for Avignon it was a picturesque little town - dominated by the cathedral/church thing (honestly we were told heaps of information about every place we visited but I can't remember anything about Avignon other than a reference to a nursery rhyme. Again, I choose to blame the cold.)

So I was feeling sick and sorry for myself. For we were heading for Paris the next morning (Paris!! The place I'd wanted to visit forever) and I was sick. Still I was going to try and get the most of my adventure.

Next stop the city of lights...

Day Twenty-Five

Day twenty-five was a pretty amazing day if for no other reason than this: It was the first (and the only) day of tour that there wasn't a wake up call. Oh blessed day!! But there were other things to recommend this day.

So after a rather luxurious start I headed for the local shopping mall - a mere block away from our hotel in Nice. There I saw some protester (completely non-violent they were simply wandering around with a mega-phone). Skillfully I employed the most useful phrase in the French language - 'Bonjour (Madame or Monsieur). Excusez-moi. Vous parlez Anglais s'il vous plait? (Translated: Hello (Ma'am or Sir). Excuse me. Do you speak English please?). All said while looking suitably pathetic.

While there I seriously medicated myself with some retail therapy. Mostly so I could have some clothes purchased in France. ('What this old thing? Yeah I got it in France'). There is something pretty amazing about Nice. I must confess I kind of fell in love with the place. If it turned out that I had to live there for the rest of my life I wouldn't be disappointed.

Afterward we re-grouped back at the hotel for the afternoon excursion - a visit to the village of Saint Paul de Vence, a stop at a well-known perfume factory, and finishing the night off with a lovely meal at the top of the grand corniche.

Saint Paul de Vence is one of the oldest medieval towns in the French Riviera.

The place is simply (ugh.. I'm running out of adjectives). Beautiful, magical, lovely? Take your pick because any would apply. There are cobble-stone paths that have been there for centuries!
Everywhere you looked there were testaments to its age and place.

Again I was in photographer's heaven! I'm still working my way through all the photos that I've taken but I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

After the assault on our nasal passages that was the visit to the perfume factory the bus flew up the grand corniche with apparent ease. Looking out of the bus windows our guide pointed out to us where Princess Grace met her untimely end.

Greeting us at the top of this mammoth journey was the greatest restaurant with open fires and views that stretched on forever. The food was something like a dream! Meat that melted in your mouth, a cheese course that made me question what I had considered to be cheese before - it just went on and on. It was one of the greatest things (in a tour of spectacular)! Spent with some of the fantastic friends I made on tour with spectacular food and a great many laughs. I wished it could have gone on forever.

In Nice I fell in love with all things French! I already knew I loved the food and the language but this was just so far beyond everything I had expected. I would have happily spent weeks on end in that city. Unfortunately the tour waits for no man (or woman).

So watch out Lyon Tafline's on her way..

Day Twenty-Four

France here we come!! But first we pay a visit to the little town on Pisa. We open on yet another beautiful day on tour.

Yes the tower was still leaning. I tried to get a picture of me holding up the tower but it didn't come out that well. Instead I just look like I'm standing there holding my hand at an awkward angle.

All we really visited was the town square where the tower is (the bell tower of the cathedral), the cathedral, the Baptistry and the burial ground. Plus many a tourist trinket shop. Yet again I was surprised by a known tourist venue - I expected the leaning tower to be much bigger. It always looks so big in photos and in movies. Plus rationally one would assume that it's fairly tall and that's why it's leaning. It is in fact only 7 stories tall. That's what I call shoddy craftsmanship!

Closing thoughts on Pisa? Been there, done that, brought a leaning bottle for my trouble. I was more than ready to take on France!

Next we visited the city/country of Monaco! I could happily live there forever and ever. Anyone got a spare 5 million dollars you can lend me? It is such a clean, safe and spectacular place. We even took the bus on a portion of the grand pix circuit.

The most amazing part of the whole of Monaco - for me anyway - was wandering through the Princess Grace Gardens. I haven't a clue why it made such an impact. Maybe because it was the first gardens I had been in in quite a while and I simply enjoyed the freshness or maybe it was the amazing view it provided. Whatever the case it was simply amazing.

After Monaco we made our way to our home for the next two nights - a beautiful hotel in Nice. A few of friends on tour and I went into the 'old town' of Nice for some spectacular dinner. Plus some fabulous night photos of the lovely town.

This fountain was smack-bang in the middle of town. It was so beautifully lit up with water spouts. I had a feeling I was going to like France!

Next we have a day in Nice.

Day Twenty-Three

We headed from Sorrento to Florence. Homework time again! Look it up on a map and know it's a L-O-N-G way especially when you figure in frequent stops.

This was a pretty long and low day. The pace of the tour was beginning to wear. So I spent the long bus drive watching a movie (thank you iTouch), listening to music, and basically trying to zone out. Our tour guide had warned us that about this time we would be tagged with tour fatigue. Boy I had tour fatigue big time!!

When we got to Florence I got my leather jacket fixed by the best Italian leather workers and I had to pay a visit to the first ever gelato shop. That shop had the best gelato - a lovely fudge chocolate moose concoction. It has ruined me for all other ice cream!

While finishing my beautiful ice cream we wandered to the square proudly displaying the replica of the statue of David. An anatomically inaccurate statue - for David was Jewish and the statue is... well... not.

Florence was interesting but I feel like I have been there and done that. It was interesting but once I had seen it I didn't really feel the need to ever go back. Plus I was ready to tackle France!

Next we say arrivederci to Italy because France here we come!

Day Twenty-Two

So the first stop of the day was Pompeii. There was an excursion to wander around the ruins of the ancient city that was decimated by the irruption of Mount Vesuvius. I decided not to go. Why? Well after the massive amount of walking from the day before I just couldn't face another day of walking. Plus to be perfectly honest I wasn't really that interested (shock horror). But really the day before I had marveled at the massive ruins of the Roman Colosseum and I had had my fill of ruins for a while.

Instead of the excursion I indulged in a gelato. Well actually I had 4 gelati. There is simply nothing like real Italian gelati.

I suppose now would be a great time to tell you about the gelati competition. You see our tour guide told us about a lady on one of his previous tours who had consumed 26 gelati while on the Italian leg of the tour (4 days). I saw that as a challenge. If I could beat the record the tour guide promised to buy me the 27th gelato. It was on!! I put my heart, soul, and bank balance into winning the competition. Unfortunately I only managed to have 19 gelato during the Italian leg of the tour... A respectable effort but no where near the mark!

After Pompeii we headed for Sorrento to start the next excursion - a drive on the Amalfi Coast heading to Positano.

The Amalfi Coast drive was spectacular!! It provided such narrow, winding roads that we had to leave our usual bus behind because it was just too big.

There were places where I would look out the window of the bus and see straight down! The amazing vistas this drive provided were stunning. Mountains raising majestically out of a crystal, clear blue sea - the pictures simply do not do it justice! I would have love to have taken my time and to have been able to set up the kind of shots I wanted. But there just wasn't the time.

Because we were in the bus most of my shots were taken through windows and just don't look good enough. Take a look at these photos and arch up the color even more and you'll get what it looks like. It is completely amazing and if you are a photography fan you have to go and try and capture it for yourself.

The town of Positano was completely fantastic. It's stuck on the side of a mountain and everything is so steep and on an angle. Ever wondered how Italians stay so thin even with all that beautiful food at their fingertips? They simply go for a walk in Positano! It's a stair-master and a shopping village all in one.

The definite highlight of the day was the wondrous Amalfi Coast. In one word it was stunning!!

Next we're off to Florence

Day Twenty-One

The second day in Rome opened to a glorious clear blue day.

Two major activities of the day were a visit to the Colosseum and the Vatican.

The Colosseum was absolutely breath-taking!! To think it had been there for so so very long and just considering the monstrosities it would have born witness to made it something to behold.

The very idea that people came to this arena to watch people die is mind-boggling.

In the space of a few meters there is the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine and numerous other Roman ruins. Otherwise known as a photo opportunity in every few steps.
I grabbed some postcards that showed what the Colosseum would have looked like in its prime. If you think it's impressive now think of how impressive it would have been back then.

So onto the Vatican. I must confess I could have done without that particular adventure. It was interesting but there were just so many people. I felt like a sardine!! Plus we were rushing through all the galleries that I would have liked to take my time in. For instance there was a tapestry map room that would have been fabulous to take my time in. But I was almost running along with a lot of pushing and shoving just to keep up with the guide and the rest of the group.

But there was so much walking!! We were on our feet constantly and there was nowhere to sit down. We walked up stairs, down stairs, across stairs and I almost fell down some stairs.

I would have thought that 'they' would have made the whole area a lot more accessible for the millions of people that would come to visit every year. We saw the Sistine Chapel (not as big as I expected - plus we weren't allowed to take photos) and marveled at St Peter's Basilica.

So I'm glad I went to the Vatican because if I hadn't I would have always wondered what it would have been like. However now that I has that experience under my belt I can safely say I would be happy to never, ever go back again. Ornate - yes. Impressive - in some ways. Worth the crowds and physical discomfort - not really in my opinion. Having said that if I could have the place all to myself with no other people to bother me for a full day I think I might have enjoyed myself. As it was I can leave it thank you very much.

At the end of the day we had a Roman feast complete with musicians and all that is considered 'typical' Italian. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to Rome.

Final thoughts on Rome? It was defiantly worth a look and provided me with some stunning photo opportunities. But now I feel like I've been there and done that and I don't really feel the need to go back there. It was great for a time and wonderful for what it was but that's been done and I'm keen to go adventuring some place else.
Next stop Sorrento...