Eurotrip 2012!
4:26 PMHello again! I just got back from 3 weeks in Europe and it was AMAZING. I booked the trip with Contiki and got to hang out with 52 other fantastic people in 8 different countries. Here's my trip in pictures because all text would suck. It's a crapload and a half of pictures so enjoy!
I flew out on Saturday June 9 and landed in Heathrow on Sunday morning. Took the underground to Russell Square to drop my bag off at the Contiki Basement and then wandered down the street to the British Museum. Spent almost 4 hours in that museum because it's just that massive. Stumbled to the hotel exhausted to shower before meeting my group
This was one of the hallways in the Royal National hotel in London where I stayed. It was so long and disorienting that I had to take a picture to prove that I got lost because it's confusing, not because I was drunk (which I wasn't)
Trip days: 1. Drinking days: 1
Monday June 11:
We took the ferry from the UK to France and drove into Paris to our hotel. We had a Greek dinner at Le Sultan and then drove to another restaurant to try snails with champagne. Then we drove around the city a bit to look at the major sites from the bus and were dropped off near the theatre where we saw La Nouvelle Elle Cabaret. We had drinks first at an irish pub called O'Sullivans where a pint of beer cost me 7 euros, ugh.
The cabaret show was probably 2.5 hours and we had probably close to a half bottle of champagne per person and were feeling good. Then we finished the night by partying hard at O'Sullivans and were carted back all nice and toasty to our hotel.
Trip days: 2. Drinking days: 2
Tuesday June 12: Free Day in Paris
I climbed the Eiffel Tower. All 1,652 effing stairs to the second floor and then I gave my legs and ass a break and paid the 5 euros to take an elevator up to the very tippy top
View from the top
Yay look at me, on the top of the tower
Another view from above
Aw, I'm so awkward
Anyway..
Took the metro over to Notre Dame after lunching on the Champs Elysees where we strolled and visited the LV store
Also visited St. Chappelle Chapel/church which is famous for its architecture and stained glass windows which are MASSIVE and depict books of the bible in about 20 windows. The big white box is because they're restoring that section of the building
Then we took the metro to the Louvre which was closed because it was Tuesday. Boo! But it was a nice opportunity to rest my aching feet
After the Louvre I went shopping for a scarf since it was freezing and raining and then took the metro back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
For dinner, we got dropped off at the very very bottom of the hill leading up to the Sacre Coeur church and had to climb another 200 (maybe, I don't know, it was a lot) stairs to the church and got to wander inside. After that, we walked into this small little french village looking place and had a group dinner at one of the restaurants. I took a picture but deleted it (damn delete button finger) but I had french onion soup, duck l'orange, brie cheese, chocolate cake and probably too much wine.
After dinner, we rolled ourselves down the hill back to O'Sullivans where we took a bus tour of Paris at night
And we landed here at around 11pm:
Eiffel Tower lit up at night! With a light show at 11pm. You can see some of the members of my tour group in the foreground of the picture. It was raining and freezing but the view was incredible.
Trip days: 3. Drinking days: 3
Wednesday June 13: Travel Day
Coach day and we drove 1.5 hours to Chateau Fontainebleu which was the home of Napolean and a couple of the Louis'. I spent the whole hour walking the grounds and taking pictures of the gigantic house
Front entrance taken from the gates
Closer to the front entrance
There was a HUGE lake in the back and gardens and more buildings. What a life
Then we bussed for another 2 hours to stop for lunch at a gas station or service station and then bussed another 2 hours to Thieze which is outside of Lyon to stay at our Chateau. Once we got there we did some wine tasting and had dinner at the Chateau. That night we had our first party night with a themed "P" party. I wore a purple shirt because I am awesomely original and there are no pictures because I plead the fifth and well, party pictures should never see the light of day :D
Trip days: 4. Drinking days: 4 (this one was a brutal one)
Thursday June 14: Chateau
Woke up slightly not fresh and had breakfast. Then I went on what the Contiki staff calls a picnic "walk" which was really a hike uphill, hungover, carrying a big picnic basket.
The view was nice though
Took this picture during one of my rest breaks
Finally made it to the top through the mud!
Walked back down and took a picture of the Chateau gates
Spent the rest of the day hanging out by the pool getting some sun (and an annoying sunglasses tan that stayed with me for the rest of the damn trip). Had dinner at the chateau and then had an "easy" night of wine and beer drinking
Trip days: 5. Drinking days: 5
Friday June 15: Monaco
Got into the bus for a 7 hour drive into Monaco. Reached our campsite and had about an hour to do some laundry. It was hot as hell so our laundry dried pretty fast when laid around our shack of a room. It was literally like a toolshed with bunkbeds inside.
We piled into the bus and drove about an hour into Monaco where we walked past the palace and then had dinner nearby. I had a salad and mussels in white wine sauce. Yum!
Gorgeous view and look at all those boats!
After dinner, we headed over to the Monte Carlo casino. I didn't do any gambling and mostly spent all my time wandering around the casino looking at the artwork and architecture
Monaco at night
We headed back to the campsite and had another easy night at the campsite drinking a few beers and watching the England vs. Sweden game.
Trip days: 6. Drinking days: 6
Saturday June 16: Pisa and Florence
Piled into the bus and stopped at a French perfumerie for a tour of the facilities and a sales pitch. I bought a bar of lavender soap hoping it would keep my suitcase fresh.
Then we continued along until we came to Pisa and walked to the tower. It was hot as hell. Seriously.
Tower!
It was too hot to hang out at the tower to I wandered off to go and get some lemon gelato instead.
Drove the rest of the way, almost 6 hours in total, until we reached Florence and our campsite. The cabin we were staying in was stifling but only had enough time for a cold shower before dinner. Most of the group headed into town after dinner to go to a karaoke bar but I was feeling carsick so I stayed behind with some people and we drank and danced at the bar/restaurant because they had a DJ until the rest of the group came back.
Trip days: 7. Drinking days: 7 (noticing a pattern?)
Sunday June 17: Florence
Drove into florence and watched a leather demonstration. Then we went on a 45 minute walking tour past the Medici Palace, along a bridge that Hitler spared in the war and ended at the Duomo Basilica
Somehow in my right mind, I thought that climbing the tower of the Duomo (on the right in the picture) would be a really good idea. Holy hell, it was not. 400+ stairs up to the top but the views were amazing. I took a family photo at the top but don't have it yet from the source camera.
Before climbing the Duomo tower we stopped for lunch at a nearby trattoria/pizzeria where I had espresso
and Tagliatelle Funghi
We then journied back to the campsite to get dressed for a group photo and Space Disco. Dinner was at a restaurant for a group tuscan dinner which included bruschetta, salame, penne pesto, spaghetti, gnocchi, cheese and sage ravioli, chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, meatballs, tiramisu and limoncello. And a very healthy amount of red wine to wash it all down.
We then walked to Space disco where we got a drink card for 1 free drink and then basically 3 mixed drinks. I drank my fill and partied with the group all night long.
Trip days: 8. Drinking days: 8
Monday June 18: Rome
Drove 3 hours to services and then 1 hour to our campsite in Rome. It was hot as hell again so instead of showering, I jumped into the pool and swam around for a few hours before showering to get onto the bus for a driving tour of Rome
We started at the Coliseum
I think I was the only person who thought it would be a good idea to forego the regular paved roads around the coliseum in order to walk on this hell of a sidewalk. Can't really tell you how many times I thought I was going to die.
Trevi Fountain. Threw in 2 coins. 1 to return to Rome. 1 for a wish (I'm not telling!)
Caprese pizza at an awesome little pizza joint near the Spanish steps
The Pantheon
This picture gave me slight vertigo when I was taking it since I was smart enough to be taking it backwards and upside down while walking. Don't try to figure it out, I'm just that talented
Dinner was at Piazza Navonna where we were given free time to eat at whatever restaurant we wanted. I got a baked penne with tomato, pancetta and a massive amount of cheese. The cheese was awesome and at one point I created a massive cheese string and probably looked like a giant idiot trying to eat it. Had a glass of wine so this counts as another drinking day
Trip days: 9. Drinking days: 9
Tuesday June 19: Rome
Vatican tour this morning and we had to dress modestly so instead of wearing jeans, I wrapped the scarf I bought in Paris around my waist to create a really funky skirt
We were led through Vatican city and the main tourist buildings by a local guide
Took lots of pictures of the artwork on the ceilings in the hallways
We wandered through this giant church after going into the Sistine Chapel
All of the artwork in this church are actually murals, not paintings. Murals with teeny tiny pieces of tile. Absolutely incredible
Then we got some free time
So I went to the Forum in order to buy tickets to see the Coliseum at the same time and skip the line. Score!
It was too hot to linger in either place so we went to get pizza again at the same shop and then buy some I heart Roma shirts for a whiteboard party that night.
Headed back to camp, dinnered, showered, whiteboard partied it up!
Trip days: 10. Drinking days: 10
Wednesday June 20: Venice
Drove about 3 hours to the Barberino shopping center to see a pizza demonstration, eat lunch and then go shopping. Restocked the toiletries at this point.
Drove another few hours into Venice to our campsite where it was STIFLING and muggy. Did some laundry (hallelujah!) and basically just wore my bathing suit for the rest of the night since it was so hot.
I had cookie duty tonight which just meant that I helped to serve shots of limoncello at dinner. Usually cookies will help prep the food like cutting up stuff but they had nothing for me to do besides serve shots. After dinner, went to the bar to have a few beers and stayed outside until the killer swarm of mosquitos came out to eat us alive.
Trip days: 11. Drinking days 11
Thursday June 21: Venice
Super hard night of sleep because of the heat. Staying in a mobile home type of thing with no ventilation and no fans is pretty brutal.
We took a ferry boat into Venice this morning which was awesome since we were on the water. I bought a fan when we got into town because the heat was killing me. We wandered down to St. Marks Square to meet up with our tour guide
St. Marks Square
She took us around to see a few sights and interesting architecture
Spiral staircase attached to a home
And we ended the tour at the Rialto bridge and the fish market that Johnny Depp ran through in the beginning of the movie The Tourist
Rialto Bridge
Picture atop the Rialto
Had lunch nearby of veal in lemon sauce
Jill and Dakota shared a massive crab
Then I walked around alone in Venice which is super easy to do because there are signs everywhere pointing to major destinations. You will get lost, expect to get lost and embrace it because it is awesome in Venice.
I walked over a million of these little canals and this one was packed with gondoliers and water taxies
The architecture and buildings were so gorgeously rustic
Walked along the outer canals/lagoon and found this little guy playing in the water
I went to the Accademia Gallery and saw a bunch of really fantastic paintings. It was also great to get out of the blistering muggy heat
Then we did a group gondola ride!
View from my seat in the boat
View from the boat
Each gondolier gets to decorate their boat however they decide to. Unfortunately we didn't get sung to :(
After a full day, we took the ferry back to the campsite, showered and had dinner, beers and a beach party with tug of war and wet t-shirt contests. Again, no incriminating photos
Trip days: 12. Drinking days: 12
Friday June 22: Austria
Drove around 5-6 hours into Austria. Most of the group went white water rafting but I opted to just hang out instead. Got some sun, had a pizza and chilled out for a while.
Then we drove into Hopfgarden and to our Contiki village site. We got ready for dinner and a tight, white and bright party that was onsite. It also included battle of the sexes. Fun times
Trip days: 13. Drinking days: 13
Saturday June 23: Austria
This morning we went on a mountain bike ride. My knee felt like blowing out about 5km into the 25km roundtrip ride so I pussed out and went back to the room. Afterward we took taxis to our paragliding drop off point!
Met my pilot Leonardo and took a gondola up to the top of a mountain. It was really insanely tall, one of the biggest ski runs I've seen in a very long time.
With my gear and walking to the runway. We had to run down the mountain enough for the parachute to fill with air and support our glide
Whee!
View from up top
I got to drive for a bit too and went in a giant circle. After a few minutes of sightseeing we turned up the G's and rocketed in giant circles down to earth where we did a 10 point ass landing
On the ground!
My pilot also went paragliding in Torrey Pines and said that you can float for up to 4 hours near the ocean off of the breezes. Definitely something I'll have to check out later
Went back to the room and went out to another tight, white and bright party that was held at a bar in town. Had too many vodka red bulls and then walked back to the hotel.
Trip days: 14. Drinking days: 14
Sunday June 24: Munich
Drove to the Swarovski Crystal World which is a trip and a half. It's basically a very large museum of art exhibits that are just way out of left field. Did some bling bling shopping for a ring and a necklace
Then we headed over to the Dachau Concentration Camp for lunch and to walk around the location
Reconstructed barracks
Barrack foundations. This was only one quadrant of the giant complex
This says "Work will set you free" because Dachau was a work camp. Unfortunately, it didn't set most of the people free.
After Dachau, we drove into Munich and had about 1.5 hours of free time. We were dropped off in Marienplatz at the Old Town hall and I walked around to find a cultural fair and eventually ended up in the English Gardens which was filled with people enjoying their Sunday. It also included a handful of naked old men enjoying their freedom from clothing. Interesting cultural experience.
Then it was back into the bus to head to our hostel, change and go to the beer hall for our dinner. Got a litre of beer and a dinner of pork knuckle, dumpling and cabbage. I also bought a bottle opener with my face on it. Yeah, I know..
Trip days: 15. Drinking days: 15 (seriously?)
Monday June 25: Switzerland
We did two stops, one in Lucerne and one in Lichtenstein (I think? I can't remember but it had swiss army knives and watches...I was pretty sick with a cold/flu at this point too so I didn't really give a crap and wanted bed)
Then we headed up the mountains and into our campsite. It was a gorgeous location in a valley surrounded by tall cliffs with cascading waterfalls
Camping village outside of our lodge
Dinner tonight was cheese fondue, chicken in a white wine sauce, steamed veggies and rice (veggies!). Then we got dressed up in red and white to party hard-y at the Swissco Disco which was in the basement of our hotel. As usual, we shut the bar down at the end of the night and wandered back to bed.
Trip days: 16. Drinking days: 16
Tuesday June 26: Switzerland and Jungfrau Mountain
This morning, I took the train up Jungfrau Mountain. We started at approximately 5-6,000 feet above sea level and eventually made it up to the top which was 11,333 feet above sea level. Crazy altitude
Unfortunately the weather was pretty cloudy so the view was pretty limited
The view from the train was still fantastic though
We were hurting a little after the Swissco Disco....
Jungfrau mountain had a few exhibits inside including this giant globe with a model of the mountain area
It also had an ice palace! Walls and ceilings made of ice. I think the floor was plastic but it was still slippery enough to slide across
Ice sculptures!
We also ventured outside into the wind and snow
This waterfall was pretty close to the place we were staying at and there's actually a way to climb up halfway and hang out under the waterfall. I was pretty wiped out after Jungfrau though so I went back for a nap.
This was actually a pretty chill night but I still had 2 drinks so I have to note it as so
Trip days: 17. Drinking days: 17
Wednesday June 27: Travel and the Rhine Valley
Woke up to this gorgeous view this morning!
Piled into the bus for the couple hours ride into Heidelberg
Dakota and I had to entertain ourselves and we borrowed this cute robot iPod splitter and decided to take pictures with it and then jam together
Heidelberg was an awesome little town. It's mostly students so it's super laid back and the homes are all cute and awesome
First and only beer picture! It's a Hef though. The area we were at was mostly shops so I only walked for a bit, had a beer then went back to the bus
I totally want to live here
Then back to the bus to go into St. Goar
World's largest working cuckoo clock
Beer stein store
Everything was closed so I ended up walking around town taking pictures of things I found interesting
Like these little statutes
And down by the waterfront
Through alleyways
Then we had wine tasting inside of a 17th century cellar (I think?) where we tasted a few wines made predominantly from Riesling grapes and an ice wine
Wine in shot glasses
Dave and Dakota wine-ing it up
Wine influenced my picture taking interests
We had dinner in town and then headed to our hotel in a nearby town where it was insanely warm again and we passed the night watching Spain vs. Portugal with some beers.
Trip days: 18. Drinking days: 18
Thursday June 28: Travel and Amsterdam!
Got into the bus to drive to Edam where we stopped for a bike ride
My ride
Family fun bike ride in town!
We also visited a cheese shop and a clog shop and then piled into the bus to head into Amsterdam. We got dressed for night out and then were driven into the red light district to watch a live sex show at the Casa Rosso Theatre. Yes, live sex show.
Then to the Grasshopper coffee shop. Then to some hostel. Then walked through a brothel/window shopping. Then to another bar. Then to High Snacks for french fries
Trip days: 19. Drinking days: 19
Friday June 29: Amsterdam!
Canal bike riding! (Paddleboats)
We're on a boat!
After the boats, we went back into the red light district for a little, um, inkage. Haha. I don't have a picture so you'll just have to ask to see it!
Then we dressed and went on a canal cruise
We're all on a boat!
European drugs are funny
We had dinner at the Sea Palace restaurant
Me and my tour manager Kat. One of the most awesome people I've met in my life! She kept us on time, was super organized and partied just as hard as the rest of us. This trip wouldn't have been what it was without her. Kat, you rock my panties off! Keep up the fantastic work
Club night in the dam!
Trip days: 20. Drinking days: 20
Saturday June 30: Travel and London :(
We had to start saying goodbye this morning at Amsterdam and then dropped off more people at the Amsterdam hotel. It was so sad :(
We drove back to the ferry and took it back across the channel. At least today was clear and we could see the white cliffs of Dover
Went back to the Royal National for our final night
Had a spinach, feta and tomato pizza for dinner and then back to the London Pub where we started our tour to have farewell drinks with the remaining group.
Trip days: 21. Drinking days: 21 (okay, I will cop to being an alki)
I don't even know what to say about this trip anymore. It was absolutely epic and life changing and fantastic and exhausting and crazy and insane. I really don't think that I can go back to my normal life now that I know what it's like to be out and about in the world. Can't wait for the next trip!
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