Having the time of my life!

Hiya all!

Well, what can i say, the last week has been crazy and amazing and unforgetable, i don't know where to start describing it. My reservations of coming in the first place have quickly faded away.

Im going to give a brief outline now, though, at the end of my trip im going to sit down and blog my more detailed adventures from the whole trip that im just writing down on paper at the moment.

Its been a whirlwind of countries, people, sites and sounds over the last week, and im only a quarter the way through the trip (day 8 of 28)! Ty and me made it safely to London on a dodgy Megabus and eventually founded the even more dodgy hostel that we were staying at and that the tour was meeting at the next morning for the trip. Everyone was shy and nervous outside the hostel at 6:30am on a freezing cold London morning, not knowing what to expect and if it was going to be an awesome adventure or something they would regret.

All i can say so far is that im 99.99% sure that everyone is having a wicked time. The group is fairly young, all generally around my age, but are all really cool and really friendly (about 25 of us all up). Most people are Aussies, then there are about 6 Kiwis, one South African and one Brazilian (sooo glad there are no Americans!). There is also a younger lady tour leader, a younger guy cook and a guy bus driver, who are all really awesome and relaxed and want everyone to have a good time and make the most of it all.

We've been staying in some pretty cool campsite and some dodgy ones, but mostly its been pretty good. Like at the moment we are in Florence and the campsite it wicked, over looking the whole city. I must say though, the best place yet has been Switzeland and staying in a town called Laueterbrunnen, nestled in the Swiss Alps. Ill give more detail later, but all i can say is that it was the most incredible place ive ever seen and there were a few times during the couple of days there that the views over the mountains and the surrounding countryside literally took my breath away.

Another simply incredible place was Cinque Terra, the five famous little coastal towns in Italy. They were just so typical Italian, beautiful stone buildings, winding staircases, and an amazing trail which lead between them all. The water was sooo blue it didn't look real, something straight off a postcard. We then went on to Pisa, which is pretty much a scanky town in Tuscany holding some incredible historic treasures from past greatness. After doing the mantatory pose, we came to Florence yesturday and hit the town for a pub crawl last night, which was sooo much fun and obviously helped strengthen group relations significantly hehe.

Im really really looking forward to the rest of the trip. It feel like we've already seen and done so much, yet theres still so much left, like Hungary, Croatia, Germany and Holland. Im soooo glad i did it like this as well. It has been stress free, relaxing and exciting and a really good introduction to the highlights of Europe. Im definitely getting a good taste of different countries and sussing out where i would like to come back to and spend more time. It is a fairly jam packed schedule, but we do also get some free time, and theres alot of hours on the coach for catching up on sleep, so it kind of balances out. Like today im just chillin' out by myself for just about the first time, wandering around Florence, checking out the markets and contemplating lining up for the 2-3 hr long wait to see Michelangelo's David nearby.

So im just uploading some photos at the moment, ive taken sooooooo many, i doubt im going to have enough storage! hehe Anyway, you've all got to check them out, ive got some really amzing ones. I know my phone camera is not brilliant, but it does the trick and you mostly get the point. The day time ones turn out alot better than the night time ones of course.

Well, after getting up at 9am (definitely considered a massive lie-in at the moment) and spending so much time on the net, i best be off and see some more of Florence before we head to Venice and Rome over the next few days....can't wait!! Don't know when ill get on next, i might leave it for a while because it is quite expensive to spend a couple hours on the net like i just have done now.

So i hope all is well back home and things are warming up in OZ, no doubt it is =D

Missing you all! oxox

Last post for a while!

Hi all,

Just thought id just write a tiny bit and say goodbye to everyone for one month!

I seriously can't believe im leaving the Museum, it feels like im leaving home again. Im honestly feeling more sad that im leaving then excited about seeing Europe, but i know that once i get going again that everything will be ok.

Im really feeling out of wack right at the moment, worried that i might not have made the right decision to leave. But i do know that thats just how im feeling right now and i think i have made the right decision.

Anyway, i don't know how much opportunity ill get to update my blog, but i promise i will try for sure. Im definitely excited to see Ty again before we go our seperate ways. Its certainly going to be a very interesting couple of months ahead for us both.

Well, i best be off, just having a last drink at the bar before i head to bed and leave early in the morning for Brighton. I hope everyones well and ill talk to you all again soon enough.

Take care! ox

Planning the next two months of my life....

Well...everything is finally booked. After some minor hassels with my Barclays Debit card, ive managed to plan out the next two months of my life. Now that may sound boring, but its actually quite a relief for me, and i can't wait to just go out there now and experience Europe and the UK! (Scotland in picture)

As ive already written in my last post, im going to do a months tour of Europe with Budget Expeditions, but it doesn't end there! LOL On Monday 17th September ill be leaving the safety and comfort of Museum Inn and training it to Brighton where i have to sort out some of my stuff and leave some things behind with one of Ty's mates there. Then Ty and me are catching a bus to London that afternoon and staying in a hostel (Ty's going to London also to see a band or something at the same time). Then at 6am opn Tuesday 18th September the bus leaves for my European Adventure from outside the hostel we are going to be staying at.

THEN.....5 days after i get back into London (15th October), ive got a 16hr bus trip to Dublin, where on the 20th October im leaving on an 8 day bus trip of Ireland with 'Shamrocker Adventurers', then catching a plane from Belfast to Edinburgh on 27th October, then on 28th October im doing a 7 day tour of Scotland with 'Macbackpackers'!! Its going to be full on madness...im sure my head will be spinning trying to keep up with all the new places/countries ill be in almost everyday!

The following links will take you to the two companies websites that explain everything that ill be getting up to on the tours of Ireland and Scotland.

http://www.shamrockeradventures.com/Tours/AllIrelandRocker.html

http://www.macbackpackers.com/7daygrandscotland.html

As ive said before, i certainly have my reservations about doing tours, but honestly, it just seems like the easiest way. I love to to spontenious things, don't get me wrong, but at leats this way i can track my finances and im guarenteed to see the places i want to. Also, one of the gals here, Bryony, only recently did the tour of Scotland and she said it was great, the tour guide was excellent and she met some cool people and had a great time, what more can you ask.

So theres just about only one more week to go here at the ol' Inn. I really think im going to miss this place...its definitely been my home for the last couple of months and ive grown to really like it and most of the people. Its been so lovely to even have somewhere to put my clothes apart from my backpack, i felt spoilt just having my own room when i first got here! Its certainly going to be a shock to the system getting back out there to those hostels...and particularly the camping arrangements that Budget Expeditions has (i.e. they supply two person tents and unless you are with a friend or something, you are sleeping with a stranger!).

Anyway, its all part of the adventure, i know, and its great. So at this stage im not too sure of my movements after Scotland, but i have a fairly good idea hehe Not going to give too much away, but it looks like Ty and me have similar ideas about places in Europe we want to spend some time, so we might hook up and do some stuff together in November. But thats so far away right now!

A couple of the girls who ive become close to and happen to be the two Aussies in the house are leaving this Monday for a week to go on a little trip to Amsterdam and i won't get to see them before i leave, so that sucks a bit. I hate goodbyes. You always say 'yeah yeah ill see you again, ill come visit' even though you know its highly unlikely. Anyway, we all have had a great time together while ive been here, at some great memories, but its definitely time to more on now, it feels right.

Well, not much else to report, jsut tying up some loose ends here during my last week. So many things to sort out before i leave, you wouldn't believe it, everything down to just returning books to the library....all a pain in the arse. Well, i better get going, its 12pm now...after a busy and looooonnnggg Saturday night shift and ive got alot more of it tomorrow. Hope everyone is well and the weather is starting to improve back home! Before you all know it, it will be blistering hot again in Oz hehe

Take care then, love you all! oxox