Stonehenge

Nicole and I took a tour bus out to see Stonehenge yesterday morning. It is about a 2 hour drive to get there so slept most of the way.

Actually being there was really cool. The audio guide was pretty interesting...at each stop it said 'we're not really sure why this is here...but here's a theory'. Some of the more out there theories are that aliens put it there, that Merlin put it there or that the devil put it there. Another theory is that is was just crazy manpower and they used levers and pulleys to erect it (I believe this one).

There's also debates over the purpose of it, but it does act as a calendar in the sun so my theory is that it is a monument to worship the sun.

In the paddocks surrounding the stones, there are various large mounds where people were buried. Sometimes it was just one person under the huge mound, and sometimes more. There were some protesters there signing a petition to return to bones back to Stonehenge, as some of them were dug up and taken to a university to be studied.

We spent about 2 hrs doing the audio tour, taking photos and going to the gift shop before hopping on the bus back to London.

I stayed awake for some of the drive and the English countryside was looking beautiful, especially as it was a perfect sunny day. We drove past an amazing field of red poppies which stood out from far away.

When we got back to London I met up with a few friends at Hyde Park to continue enjoying the sunshine. We chilled out in the park until dinner time then headed to a pub for some pizzas. Headed back to the park again to meet some more friends, then headed home.

A weekend of exploring London

This weekend the sun finally came out in London. It really makes a difference, everybody hit the outdoors to enjoy the sunshine.

The Tower Bridge

On Saturday I went out for a walk around the River Thames. There is always a lot going on around there and plenty to see and do. I first went to see the London Eye (which I have seen a lot now but always good), then past the HMS Belfast, towards the Tower Bridge which is set up with the olympic rings on it. It looks quite colorful. I walked over the bridge and headed towards the Tower of London on the other side. I decided since I was there, to buy a ticket and go in to have a look.

The Tower of London

Tower of London

It cost about £20 to get in but was definitely worth it. There's actually a lot to see once you get inside. You can go inside a few castles, walk along the walls and see old kings bedroom. There's a section with all the medieval history and lots of armor and weapons to see too.

The Tower of London

I found the best part of it was seeing the crown jewels. You go inside (can't take photos) and get taken along a travelator that slowly moves you past the crowns and jewellery of previous kings and queens. It really was quite impressive.

I spent about 2 hrs looking around the Tower of London, then headed out for some lunch. As it was a nice sunny day I got some fish and chips and ate it along the river. It was all going splendidly until a bird pood on my arm :(

By then I decided it was time to continue on, so I walked back along the river, crossing at London Bridge and swinging by the Borough Markets to by some fruit on my way back home. It is very handy living within walking distance of the river and all it's attractions...especially the food market!

On Sunday I caught up with my friend Nicole. We met at the Spitalfields Markets and spent the morning looking around there. I bought a cute necklace. We then caught the tube to Portobello Markets in Notting Hill. These are my favourite markets so far. Theres a lot of random stuff and cute little nic nacs. I bought a new coffee mug. We stopped for lunch there too, i had a crepe.

As we were leaving the markets we saw a familiar face drive by...Molly Meldrum! You could tell by his hat as he had the window rolled down. His car was going past really slowly so we had enough time to run over to him and say hello! He gave us a big smile and a wave before his car kept moving.

After that we walked along until we came to Hyde Park. As it was sunny everyone was out sunbathing in the park, jogging, walking their dogs and eating icecream.

We walked to the Marble Arch at the other end of the park stopping along the way to ask the Olympic Volunteers about how to buy tickets. There are some tickets still available, but you have to have a VISA credit/debit card to buy them as they are the sponsors...how ridiculous! Anyway we gave up on trying, apparently there might be some stalls selling once the games start where you can pay cash, so might look into them later.

Marble Arch is at the beginning of Oxford St. We walked along there, trying not to shop, then headed towards Soho to find some dinner. Came across a pub that looked good and ended up having a  delicious Sunday Roast to top of a fantastic weekend.

Bought this little fella at the Tower of London giftstore.



Portobello Markets

 

Portobello Markets

 

Frolicking in Hyde Park

Settling in to London Life

By tomorrow I have been away from home for 6 weeks. Time has flown by! Now things start to get real as I try to sort out my London life. I have managed to find some accommodation to stay in for now and am in the process of looking for work. I haven't worked in about 2 months now (such a nice feeling!) but feel I better get back into it. This also means learning all about the UK social care system.

I've moved into some student accommodation in Southwark which is in Central London, just south of the River Thames. This is my room...its not the greatest but its somewhere to base myself for now until I can figure out where I want to be.

There's a few people from the topdeck tour still hanging around London so have been able to catch up with them. Also caught up with my old friend Gatt who showed me around Shoreditch and Brick Lane for a night. My supervisor from work back in Aus has moved over here too and been ever so helpful in giving me advise around what I need to know for work. I went to her apartment last night for a lovely home cooked dinner.

In the 6 weeks that I've been away I haven't done any exercise at all! Ughhh. But a lot of eating. So in an attempt to fix that I have bought these bright new Nikes. Went for my first run in them today, fun! From where I'm staying I can run to the London Eye, so ran up that way and got some takeaway breakfast to eat along the river. Then ran back...it rained.

Technology is a great thing. Ive been able to chat to my family and friends back home quite often so not feeling too lonely or homesick yet. I got a new mini laptop and set up skype on it yesterday, so now I can skype from my room, hello pups!

I've been able to catch up with a few old and new friends over here too. Have been keeping busy by sightseeing, shopping, went to my first West End show...Phantom of the Opera, dinners, drinks, going to the markets, walking around the parks, more shopping and job hunting. So far really enjoying being here in London, its such a fun, eye opening experience to be in a city where no one knows you and that has so much to keep you entertained.

Favourite statue in Hyde Park- Peter Pan

The Churchill Arms- Notting Hill

Oxford Street Shopping

Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Bruges, Belgium

Our first stop in the Netherlands was just outside of Amsterdam at a Cheese & Clog factory. The man running the show was super loopy but entertaining. He showed us how to make wooden clogs and cheese in his shed.

Amsterdam was another beautiful city with lots of canals. There are so many bikes everywhere!

My favourite stop there was the Anne Frank house. Waited in line for about an hour to get in but it was such an interesting experience to be able to walk through the house that she and her family had hidden in during the war. It was really quite sad to hear her story and what happened to the them. In the house you are able to walk through the bookcase that leads to a 'secret enclave' where the two families hid for almost 2 years before getting caught and sent to concentration camps.

On our last night we had a farewell dinner at a chinese restaurant on the water, then all hopped on a boat for a Canal Cruise. It was lots of fun- after that we all hit the nightclubs to dance the last night of the trip away.

Amsterdam Sunset

Our last day was the longest day of driving out of the whole trip. We went through 4 countries in one day (the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England). Had a lunch stop in Bruges, Belgium which was pretty cool- got to buy some Belgium chocolate to snack on for the drive.

Arrived back in London around 9pm and said sad goodbyes to the rest of the group. It really was such an amazing trip and I loved every moment and every country that we went to. Great memories.

Berlin, Germany

  

On the drive to Berlin we had a lunch stop in Dresden, Germany. It is a city that was accidentially bombed in the second world war and almost completely destroyed. It is still in the process of being rebuilt now and you can see the black stones that were left behind.
Berlin, Another amazing city. We were taken on a driving tour when we got to there so we could get orientated to the city and see the main attractions. Our first stop was at a big war memorial with a huge statue of a soldier holding a baby.

We then stopped at the last remaining part of the Berlin Wall. It is all painted by different artists. The wall was smaller in height that I imagined. Its so crazy to hear the history of what happened there and hard to believe that the wall only came down in the late 80's.

The night we got there we had dinner at the hostel then went for a walk around. We went to the Ampleman store (the man that tells you on when its safe to cross the road). In East Berlin they have different Amplemans that look like this. On the west side they are the normal ones. At the ampleman store I bought a brown shopping bag with an ampleman girl and dog on it...cute.

The next day we went on a third riech walking tour. It was really interesting, our guide gave us a detailed history of Nazi Germany and the Berlin Wall. We were taken to the holocaust memorial, Brandenberg Gate and shown where hitlers bunker was (it is now a carpark).

The Holocaust Memorial

The tour ended at Checkpoint Charlie which is now a major tourist attraction. I paid 3 euros for this photo (it was an extra euro for the hat!)

 We had lunch then headed into the checkpoint charlie museum which explained more of the history and showed ways that people escaped over the wall. I bought a history book from the gift store.

We then walked along the shopping street and then past the museum island. I bought another book along the way called 'Berlin Wall Art' and a German teddy bear to be my new snuggle buddy. Stopped along the walk home for some self timed shots fun.

For dinner we went to the Hofbraus house and met our friend Sandra there who is also travelling around Europe. It was just a coincidence we were in the same city at the same time. Had a great dinner with her and her 2 friends and swapped stories of our travels.

Pretty tempted to head back for Germany for Oktoberfest......watch this space.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague really was a crazy place. As in the people just seemed a little bit...tapped. But it was an oh so beautiful city. The night we got there we went on a walking tour around the city which included seeing the astronomical clock and ended at the Charles Bridge where fireworks were going off. There was another huge thunderstorm that night.

In the morning caught the tram into the centre and walked up to the castle district. Prague is full of castles all close together. We went into the huge cathedral up there and walked down the golden lane which was full of medieval things. I shot a cross bow! Missed the first 2 shots though, got the last one.

After exploring the castle district we headed into town to go souvenir shopping. I bought an adorable crystal baby elephant and a blue glass world globe from one of the stores (more of my favourite purchases). Also got a small glass blown cow to send home, and a crystal nail file.

My favourite part of Prague was the astronomical clock, its so pretty and does a cute little act on the hour.

Prague is full of puppets! Marionette puppets. Unfortunately they are quite bulky so I couldn't buy one to keep. We decided it would be a good idea to go to a Marionette show and bought tickets to Don Giovanni. Worst decision. While it was great to see a puppet show in action it was all in Italian and I had no idea of the story line. It went for too long and I was battling to not fall asleep given how tired I was by now from the constant travelling.

That night Ruth, Paddy and I went to an Asian restaurant for dinner which was delicious. So nice to have fresh, healthy Asian food.

Austria

In Austria we stayed 2 nights in a small town called Kirchdorf in the Tyrol region. Our accommodation was super cute. It was a little homestead just for our group at the end of town.

I had an epic day planned for Austria which included paragliding and canyon jumping but when I woke up there was a massive thunder and lightning storm and the sky was black. We had breakfast and patiently waited for the sky to clear...and it did! By about 11am the storm had passed and we were welcomed with a beautiful blue sky.
Soon enough I was catching a ski lift up to the top of the mountain that we were paragliding off. Had great views at the top. I wasnt too worried about paragliding as a lot of the group were skydiving the same day, so this was nothing compared to them! And it was tandem of course. The best part was running and jumping off, the wind catches you and pulls you higher into the air.

 The paraglide was fun. Felt pretty safe sitting up there in sky and had a great view flying down over the town. Did some acrobatics on the way down which made me feel a bit queasy though and felt motion sick for a few hours after! I did pay for photos which looked really cool, but the SD card doesnt seem to be working now so cant upload them at the moment.

After paragliding, I went straight to Canyon Jumping eating my lunch on the way. Now this was awesome! We got suited up in thick full body wetsuits that included wetsuit socks, jacket and boots and a helmet as the water was really cold (melting snow water). Felt pretty invincible once all dressed up in the thick gear.
Our first stop was at a waterfall where we could go cliff jumping. The highest jump i did was off the waterfall (4 metres) but some of the others jumped from the sides which was 6 metres. My first jump was a shock to the system...so cold it made me breathless! But the jump after that was awesome.

We then drove to a beautiful narrow Gorge which we were going to go canyoning through. I wish I could have brought my camera along because it was beautiful, but obviously couldnt cos of all the water around. We went to a waterfall that led into the gorge and one by one abseiled down into it. It was about 12 metres to the bottom where we waited for everyone to come down. I stuck my head in under the waterfall, it was such a heavy force!

We made our way down the current by either rock sliding, climbing or jumping. It was such good fun. The best part was abseiling down another waterfall that you couldnt see until you were dangling over it. I had no idea what canyoning was when I signed up for it but would definitely recommend it!

That night we went up the mountainside and had group dinner at a restaurant.
 Our last stop in Austria was a solemn one...Mauthausen Concentration Camp. We watched a DVD on the way there which explained the history and interviewed some of the survivors. It was so horrible to see what they did to people and walking through the camp it was quite chilling to know what had happened there. The Camp is still all set up as it would have been, and you can walk into the bunkers, the gas chamber and see the cremation ovens. It really was horrible but I guess good to see the history behind it.

Slovenia

We stayed in Ljubljana in Slovenia for 1 night. Arrived there around 3pm and spent the evening in the town centre. I wasnt sure what to expect of Slovenia but it was a gorgeous little city. We went and had dinner at a local restaurant, I had the Ljubljana steak which was similar to a chicken kiev. Delicious.

After dinner a few of us walked/climbed to the top of the hill where a castle overlooked the city. The sun was just beginning to go down (around 9pm) so the castle was looking beautiful in the light. It was closing inside but we were still able to walk along the top and look out at the view over the city.

The next morning we left Ljubljana and drove to Lake Bled (still in Slovenia). It was beautiful.

It is a huge lake with a small island in the middle that has a cute little church on top. We hopped on a row boat and a man rowed us over to the island. The water was so still and clear. You could see the fish swimming around.

Once on the island I went inside the church where you can ring the bell and make a wish. I made my wish but cant tell ;)

Croatia - July 2012

We spent 3 nights in Croatia which felt like such an amazing break in the middle of our trip. We stayed in a town called Novalja on Pag Island. Had a bit of delay in getting there as 2 of the chinese girls on our trip got declined entry at the Border, so we had to leave them in Slovenia for 3 nights!
Our hotel was below average. It was super hot with no air conditioning and lots of bugs. But we spent most of the time outside anyway so wasn't too bad.
I had the best day off the trip in Croatia, up there in the top 20 best days of my life. We went on a boat party which went for about 5 hours cruising around the Adriatic sea and stopping at various point so we could jump off and go swimming.

To meet the boat we went to Club Noa which is right on the beach. It had a bar that you could climb up the roof of then jump off it into the ocean. We had about 30 mins to wait for the boat so all went jumping from the ledge.

When the boat came and we all hopped on and cruised around for the rest of the day. It was just perfect. Drinks and lunch were provided. The water was amazing and so clear.

The next day a few of us hired scooters to go explore the island. It was so much fun to cruise around and we decided to drive from Novalja to the town of Pag, about an hour ride on the scooters. I did have a near death experience at the beginning of the ride- in Croatia they drive on the other side of the road. I was pulling out at an intersection but looked the wrong way! Luckily my scooter was slow and didn't move forward so I was able to stop in time to not get hit by the oncoming cars.

Other than that the ride was beautiful. Got overtaken by quite a few trucks along the way which was an experience but got to see so much more of the countryside and some great views of the ocean.

In Pag we had lunch (calamari) and went for a swim at the beach. We then rode back to our town stopping for some photos along the way.

 When I got back to town I went and got a massage. It was so nice after hauling our backpacks around for most of the trip to sit down and be massaged. So relaxing.

Croatia is another one of the places that I want to go back to if I ever get the chance.