Paris, Swiss Alps, Avignon, Barcelona, French Riviera, Monaco & Venice.

Well the time has come to leave the UK. Off to London we went to start our European Adventure with a bunch of strangers and each other. 

We are travelling around 17 countries in 34 days starting in Paris, with a Travel Company called Topdeck. We have an Italian tour guide full of banter, laughs and a massive amount of information, an Irish bus driver who loves the bus more than the world and an amazing chef from Lithuania who seriously knows how to make great food.

France, Paris. 

We took the ferry from Dover in England to France where we jumped onto our coach and made our way to Paris. We started our time there with a bus tour around this amazing city after the tour we went back to camp and had a chilled night after a full day travelling. 

We spent our day walking this parallel, architecture filled city and after hearing so many bad things about Paris, about it being dirty and smelly and the people so nasty, I was really pleasantly surprised. Its not a dirty place at all! I barely seen any rubbish on the streets, it smelt clean and as longs you addressed the french, well of course, in french, they would help you as best as the could. The buildings were all very much square and straight and prefect and most of the time there would be a building opposite it or on the other side of the city exactly the same. The detail here was gorgeous, the shops were so fancy and the cafes were exactly like you imagine them to be! It was somewhat overwhelming. All this is so strange for me. I can't even begin to fathom how old the buildings here are, or how they made these buildings, it amazes me how the people back then made so much from nothing. The resources they had were minuet compared to what we have these days and yet the buildings they built, the castles the churches, even just normal housing are so detailed and beautiful! It just goes to show that when it comes down to it no matter what, humans can do anything if they put there mind to it. Even with such little resource. We are so much more capable than we realise. Something else I really appreciated about Paris was the amount of talent everywhere, outside the academie nationale de musique, was a man who pulled up a piano, crazy right, pulled up a piano and just started to play some amazing tunes, his passion was so intense, his whole body was playing the
music not just his hands, we stayed and listened for half an hour or so, and before long everyone sitting on the steps in front of the 'academie nationale de musique' was listening purposefully, intently, people were coming off the street and shaking his hand, it was truly amazing, it was like nothing I've seen before. That was pure talent, he should be somewhere else in this world making big money for his talent. Just down the road from that was an orchestra of about 15 people, violins, cellos, trumpets the triangle they had it all, and they were playing some real beautiful melodies, Paris was so alive! And it was such a beautiful noise, more than cars and chatter. Paris was singing.

The only down side of my day was no matter where we went I could not find snails or frogs legs! I was pretty disappointed but I had a chocolate and banana crepe which is probably better tasting anyway right?? 

I have been obsessed with Paris since I was a little kid. I was so pleased to actually be there. I needed to just sit down and appreciate it. So we made our way to the Eiffel towner and sat down in a beautiful little square with fountains in front of us and the Eiffel tower just beyond that. It was so amazing. We ended our day with a picnic by the Eiffel tower with the bunch of strangers I would soon call friends and later family. We had a stupid little introduction were we stood and said who we are and where we come from, my heart was in my throat! We had salads and good food along with snails! Finally some snails… and what a disappointment, I know they are snails, but I was expecting great things!! They were bland, tasteless and all I could think of was snail slime. Gross. Happy I ate one but wouldn't have another. Our time in Paris was ending with a cabaret show. With a glass of wine we enjoyed amazing dancing and performing acts, we got to know our group better and all in all had a fantastic night. In the morning we packed up our topdeck tents and headed to Switzerland. 

NB: Yes me and Az put a love lock on the bridge :)

Fun facts: The Eiffel tower was originally built as a temporary building. It was named after an engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel who's company designed and built the eiffel tower. It needs 50-60 tons of paint every 7 seven years to keep it from rusting and an average of 25,000 people ascend the tower every day.

Switzerland, Swiss Alps, Lauterbrunnen    

After a long drive through the country side we made it to freezing cold Switzerland. 

Switzerland is the only country with four national languages! German, French, Italian and Rumantsch. Home to the stunning Swiss Alps, Swiss army knife, Swiss watches, Swiss chocolate and Swiss cheese. Here, in the Swiss Alps, deep in a valley surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, half of the group (only two days in) upgraded to cabins! Not us though, after spending months sleeping in a camper van in -6degrees our skins were thick enough to handle whatever Switzerland wanted to throw at us. So we set up our tent enjoyed tea with the group and headed to bed after a few quiets in the bar. 

Now. Lauterbrunnen. What a magical day. A day that was never out done by any other day on this tour.Everyone was doing different things, some were skydiving, some were taking the train up the mountain and experiencing the ice cave and other places, some were going on extreme adventures, and then there was us. At first it was just myself and Aaron, we were going to spend the day climbing more mountains or alps?, because apparently no matter where I go I will be forced up another mountain, but as were were walking up the street we came across a lovely bunch of people sitting in a cafe lazying about. Flavio (our Italian tour leader) along with Jess, Zoe, Mina, Dora, Tom, Scotty, Jacinta and Jarred (the best and fittest kiwi couple you'll ever meet). We all joined up and headed down to a beautiful waterfall that we paid 10euros to see from 10 different view points……I wasn't happy with it at the start but by the time we got to the top the views of the waterfall and the surrounding landscape were just magnificent, and well worth every last cent. After the waterfall we headed to the start of the hike we had planned and sat down and had some food together. I really enjoyed this time, we sat and talked as a small group properly for the first time, people were just starting to get chatty and because we were a smaller group more one on one conversation meant we could get to know each other better. Me and Aaron talked about the horrific time we had in Toobeah (most of you remember that story, crazy times) Flavio told a brilliant sort about himself, which i'd love to share but I'm not sure I'm allowed? We laughed some talked some and then chucked our day bags on and headed straight up this beast. 

So. Im walking right. With Jacinta. Ive just met this chick, okay she's fit and sporty and chatty and just a really nice girl and I'm talking about the things we've done mountains we've climbed and slowly I'm starting to stop talking, like she's talking and I'm dying. Im fully out of breath and I have to just own it, I couldn't talk anymore and so on she went. And then Scotty was with me, oh hey, hi yup, yup, yup, look I'm ruined can't you tell?? I can't talk!! Leave me alone! Im sweating too by the way. Its really hot and I'm sweating and I'm dying. Along comes Tom. Oh hey Tom! Yup he's sweating. So am I. We're sweating together and neither of us are really talking, but he still over takes me. I think somewhere in the distance I can hear Flavio's stupid Italian accent say something like "what are you 90, hurry up" so because I'm not 90 I pull every inch of energy I have together and I over take Tom and reach Flavio with Scotty Jacinta Jarred and Aaron, the kiwis. (Aarons a kiwi right?) We did it! We made it to the first resting point just us kiwis, keeping in mind this resting point isn't even half way up the mountain and actually it was hardly even a resting point, we left like 2 seconds after stopping. And just like that I failed, I had pulled all my energy together to reach the leaders and now I was dropping like a fly, they were gone, the footsteps were distant and then silent I could hear the girls behind me and decided to stop and wait, eventually they caught up and we walked together. One of my favourite parts about this day is Dora. Kiwi bliss she is! She was struggling up this track, really struggling but she was doing it. Myself Jess, Mina and Zoe encouraged her and pushed her and we spent a while just walking together enjoying our time together encouraging each other and, really, getting to know each other on a while new level. Dora Dora baben Dora! She nearly gave up so many times but from somewhere she just kept going. It was a really nice thing to feel like I was a part of her achievement being there encouraging her. We were about 30min from the top when Flavio came running out from nowhere (you should see him run, he's like a horse. Italians are like that.) He was coming back and him and Dora were heading back to a place near the campsite where Dora was catching a flight for a scenic helicopter ride. After such a feel good buzz with Dora, myself and the girls cranked it, we caught up with the others and pushed our bodies as hard as Dora had pushed herself. We made it to the top and the views were unimaginable.

The mountains were towering over the small valley, the tops covered in snow, the blue sky was a magnificent blue against the white of the snow, the edges were jagged and so beautiful in a killer way. Everything about the view was perfect. We all sat down outside and chatted about how great life was over a beer. Then it was time to go back down. We went down the opposite side that we came up, there had been a few landslips around the track creating a few obstructions, a few posh travellers wearing fancy leather shoes decided to give it a miss, not us though, were campers right? and turning back would mean re tracing a lot of steps. Steps were important by this point. Steps were effort and we'd given nearly all of our steps up. So turning back, it wasn't an option. We made a plan

of attack and together as a team we made our way across the slippery landslip that had denied so many people already. As the last of us faced the dangerous landslip that was trying to block our way, we joked and laughed that there would be another one around the corner…. hahahahaha…. yep there was another one. Like i said earlier, were campers, we stare death in the face! No challenge was big enough for us on this day and as a team we made our way up and down and as a team we drank and we celebrated and had an amazing time! 

Switzerland was a place full of laughs and memories and challenges. Switzerland a place that I will never ever forget! 

NB: The people who upgraded to cabins…. great idea, we should have done that, it was freezing in our tents!!

I think I forgot to mention that I told Aaron we didn't need sleeping bags. We did need sleeping bags. I had to buy one, and Aaron decided to go without. He was cold a lot. Whoops.

France, Avignon

Avignon was a quick stop over in a cute little campsite. We spent one night here. Flavio gave us a guided walking tour around the city and afterwards half the group had dinner together. Pizza. Always pizza. 

There is some pretty interesting history about the popes staying here in Avignon instead of in Rome. Seven different popes lived in Avignon and it wasn't until some Gregory pope guy decided to head back to Rome. I think it was something to do with the French crown? And I think maybe something bad happened and he had to leave…? Don't quote me on this, the amount of history in each country and different cultures I had to take in was extensive. However I do remember very clearly that the buildings were all very pretty, lush even, and the layout of the city was very pretty and petite like someone had purposefully put the buildings in a cute little way for me to admire. Actually it was very
French, when you think what a little French city should look like, you'd picture something very close to Avignon. Which makes sense, because Avignon is in France. Yes. 

After our history lesson and our fancy expensive pizza we sat by the beautiful river and watched the sunset, enjoyed a wine and slept perfectly. This tour was starting to really impress me by this stage.

In the morning we packed up and headed out to Barcelonaaaaa

Spain, Barcelona. 

We arrived in Barcelona late afternoon, we were in a hostel this night! Free upgrade!! Always a good moment. 

We started our time in Barcelona with a driving/walking tour around the city and then dinner out withlevel of architectural design, character and meaning, it was outstanding. And a building most people believe to never really finish. This cathedral has been under going re construction for years and years. In some parts of the building it almost looks like it is made of candle wax, the way the building is put together, the materials used, its very cool. A special place for sure!
the group. After a good meal and some chit chat and a half an hour Flamenco show (it was over priced, over rated and was supposed to be an hour) we headed to one of the best clubs in Barcelona, don't ask me the name…. it escapes me ha. We spent the night dancing away. After a restful sleep in a real bed the next day we headed out to explore Barcelona and all it has to offer. Jacinta Jarred Aaron and myself walked for days, all around the harbour and through the streets we seen amazing street music, people selling hats and cheap phone covers for your iPhones, they were selling sunglasses and t-shirts on sheets, there were massive fresh fruit and meat markets selling all sorts of things, including chicken feet, and heads! Gross. We discovered the different types of architecture on the buildings, and omg the La Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, now that is a whole new level of
architectural design, character and meaning, it was outstanding. And a building most people believe to never really finish. This cathedral has been under going re construction for years and years. In some parts of the building it almost looks like it is made of candle wax, the way the building is put together, the materials used, its very cool. A special place for sure!

We walked all thought the park which was very pretty, the colours were unreal, the grass was heaps green and the sky way blue which made everything in-between look super pretty, I love the way sun makes things look nicer! There was a little pond in the park which people had small boats on and were paddling around, people were sitting in these little bays with seats, reading the paper or their books, people sitting and smoking or chatting. It had such a nice chilled out feeling to it and the people, they looked really sophisticated, and if they didn't look sophisticated they looked so hippie or travelled, it was like one extreme to the other, yet the city didn't feel divided, it was a real cool feeling. There was a really nice building in the park, just beyond the pond, it looked like a monument, it was gold with fountains in front of it, it was very beautiful! Just up the stairs in the middle was a couple dressed the part dancing salsa or something equally beautiful it was really romantic and just added to the feel-good-feel Barcelona had already given us. After hours of 'feeling' the city and seeing all the beauty we could fit in, in one day we headed to the beach where we met the others and chilled out, we watched some beach volleyball and got the beachside feel for the city. I love this place. I could live in Barcelona. The side streets and shops are so beautiful and once you reach the less touristy parts of Barcelona you can start to see the prices drop, and actually the people get nicer the further out you get too. Great city.

We ended our stay with a bang, the Barcelona vs Atletico Bilbao Copa del Ray final was on and there were fans everywhere. It made for a great night out :)

France, French Riveria, Nice

We had a cute little campsite with heaps of space for everyone here, the showers were good and we even had free wifi!! A true delicacy. Our first night here we enjoyed a thai green curry (honestly our chefs were amazing) and then popped down to the beach with the family and had a sangria party. We enjoyed the nighttime views of this gorgeous beach, played some guitar, sang some songs and headed to bed to rest up for the next days adventure.

The next day we explored the wonders of this magnificent, rich town. We walked the streets up and down, we found an amazing graveyard full of these huge headstones, some of them were even little
rooms and had doors with small shrines inside for the dead. These gravestones were seriously impressive, and hundreds of hundreds of years old. They must have cost these people a lot of money. In saying that Nice is a very wealthy town, full of millionaires and celebrities, so of course these people can afford to show off, even when dead! We carried on to a gorgeous view point that looked over the ocean and the city, full of fancy yachts and high speed cars and lets not forget the mansions! The layout of the city against the water… it was really nice. After a full day of wondering around enjoying the markets the food and the views we headed to the beach where we found the rest of our family. We chilled out for a while, swam in the freezing cold water and then headed back to camp where we rushed to get ready for the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. 

Monaco

We had very few minutes to get ready but we managed to make ourselves look half decent, we drove around the bay and enjoyed the views, we stopped for dinner at a nice look out point, took some cracking photographs and carried on our way. We stopped at a perfumery which taught us all about the noses of france and how they make perfume, some people brought some and others didn't. Me? No. It wasn't very nice smelling in my own opinion, give me some Rihanna Reb'l Fleur any day! After this we headed to Monaco where Flavio gave us a walking tour of a small part of the city, we ended up at the palace, and had an awesome view of the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. Soon after we were at the Monte Carlo Casino, half of us went in and the other half went into a different casino, one they didn't have to pay an entrance fee into. It was very beautiful inside the Monte Carlo casino. It was all so dramatic and… rich! There were chandeliers everywhere, and rich people just throwing hundreds of euros on the table and loosing, and just throwing more out, like it was nothing, just some pocket money, it made me feel ill, I didn't even want to play with 5 euros!! Flavio ended up winning some dolla dolla bills but other than that no-one won anything. At the end of the night when we re-joined the other half, we discovered the other casino was the place to be, with a bunch of people more than tripling their money! Lucky for some. We jumped onto the bus, drove the Monte Carlo Grand prix track and headed back to the campsite in Nice.

Italy, Venice

This campsite is where its at!! Free wifi again, a POOL, a restaurant and bar and a shop onsite!! The showers even had charging points. Its the small things that we learn to appreciate. Our first night here was a good one, we dressed up in our Italian colours and partied together. 

Venice has been one of the places I have always wanted to visit, ever since I was a small child and knew the place existed. My day in Venice revolved entirely around getting lost, being lost and eating Italian pasta, good pasta with good olive oil and the best garlic, not to forget the chilli, never forget the chilli!! Our morning was fantastic, we had a walking tour by Flavio, he was so passionate about this place, its quite close to his home town so I think he was trying to impress us. It worked anyhow! After our walking tour we watched some crazy cool guy make the coolest horse out of glass, like he

just pulled it out of this fire thing, and it was glowing red and he just twirled it on the metal stick while pulling random bits out with these tweakier things and before we knew it, it was a horse, mane all crazy front legs in the air, tail all bushy and pretty. Then he stood it up on the wood and lay a piece of paper on it, and the paper burst into flames!!! Everyone clapped and walked to the next room and he chucked the horse back in the fire. All the while I'm sitting there with my eyes open massive like a gold fish, mouth gapping open like, what the heck just happened!! That was amazing. That will stay with me forever. After the speech and show about how they make glass ornaments we went back out into the sun and headed towards the gondolas. 6 people per boat and we headed down the canals. Venice is just as beautiful, if not more beautiful from the water. after our amazing ride on the water we headed off on our own to get lost in Venice.
Luckily for me and Aaron I'm great at getting lost, I have no navigation skills whatsoever. So we got pretty lost, a lot lost actually, we were running through these walk ways that kept leading to the water, just water no way out it was like a maze for 45 minutes we kept ending up and the same two squares and somehow for a long time we couldn't get out, until we finally did, no thanks to me. And then we got lost again, we just couldn't find the main square, so I embraced the lostness, I wandered the city of love, I seen the buildings and I appreciated them, I swooned over the beauty all around when crossing the unique little bridges, I touched the walls and dreamt of
the people who created such a lovely city. I ate pasta and drank wine, and then wandered around some more. I ate gelato ice-cream and sat by the ocean. I embraced the heat of the sun and got lost in my own little paradise of Venice. After a full day appreciating all things good, we made our way back to our meeting point on a water taxi, we sat behind a lovely, true Italian lady, mid 30's maybe, she was tanned and blonde and she was speaking of how Venice is in the summer… she was soo Italian and she was so beautiful, the way she spoke and held herself, such a nice person, like she was cool, I wanted to be her. When the people match the city you've just fell in love with it's a really nice thing. 

Back to camp we went, showers all round and then some good italian wine and food.  

Fun Facts: 

The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day and has 409 bridges. 

You can only drive to the outskirts of the city, fro there only boats and your feet can transport you around.

The boats can fill up with petrol on the water, they have pump stations on the edges of the wharfs and service men who do the work so they don't have to leave their boat.

During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realised that extraction of water from the aquifer was the cause. The sinking has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses, the former staircases used to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. The idea is to fix a series of 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air, causing them to float and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2016.

The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on plates of Istrian limestone placed on top of the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.