Overseas Adventures

After Florence we went to Cinque Terre, which is 5 small towns built on the coast. We walked the way between them all which takes about 5ß6hours all up. The views along the way were amazing and beautiful, i loved the hike as well even if it meant a lot of steep stairs, it was worth it.

Our next stop was Nice, it was a pleasant stop but we got lazy and didn't see much, we just walked around and sat watching the beach for 2 days. Did have a wonderful meal though! They are very good at crepes.

We were excited to get to Switzerland and with good reason. It was soo beautiful. we were camping in a caravan and visited their restarant for the first night and had Rosti (grated potato) it was my kind of meal!
The first day there we went for a trip up a cable car and on a train through snowy areas and then went to a mountian with Glacier waterfalls flowing through it.
The second day we went into Interlaken which was just a larger town about 20 mins away. The third day had good weather so we went up to the Top of europe - Jungfraujoch 11782ft high.
The last day there we went for a hike to a small town, it was a very steep incline!

We then went to Lucerne where we just chilled and saw the sights and relaxed oh and ate lots of Swiss Chocolate!

Now we're back in Munich and went to a concentration camp yesterday. Today we're just seeing some of the sights we didn't see last time.

We head to Stuttgart tomorrow for 2 days then to Paris on Tuesday!

hope all is well.
Rach xo

Venice was amazing! Beautiful views around every corner. We got lost like you were supposed to and found many canals and bridges as you do. We had a gondola ride as well which was heaps of fun.
We stayed at a campsite out of town and caught the shuttle bus in both days we were there.

Venice is where I had to get up at 6am in the morning with some fellow aussie afl supporters and watched the grans final on a 6inch mini laptop, streaming it from the net, which was not always smooth. I was the only cats fan and I was very nervous and excited at the same time, as it was a great game! Loved it and the early start was worth it!

Next we went to Rome!

Rome is massive and overwhelming. We were at another campsite and it took about 45min on public transport to get in there.
The first day we went on a walking tour and heard alot about how Rome and it's history came to be which was amazing in itself as you walk around there seeing the different ruins and sites.

The next day we did a tour of the Vatican and even saw the Pope! He was sitting outside the Basillica addressing the people. Inside the vatican we saw so many statues and paintings and all that stuff, the highlight was the Sistene Chapel though, absolutely amazing to see it first hand.

The third day we went inside the Colloseum and the Old Roman Ruins and looked around which was very interesting, not much to say, it's better to see the photos.
We also saw the fountain where people through coins in for good luck and the Spanish steps which was just crowded with people and thus overrated.

I was kind of glad to leave Rome as it was just too overwhelming for my liking.

Next was Sienna, well once we got there, we caught the public bus but then got on one the wrong direction so we got off and then i got stung by a bee on my foot (no swelling reaction though thank goodness) and then walked a little way with our bags, trying to follow directions, we finally got the right direction bus from the right spot and got there. Didn't find out that our cabin had no hot water till the next day though when it was too much effort to change rooms.

Sienna was really pretty though. We went into town (on the right bus) and wandered the streets. They had a big celebration going on then where the main square was set up with what looked like 300 seats. We had a nice dinner in town and then caught the bus back. The next day we slept in and went into town, we didn't do much, just relaxed.

The next day we went to Florence where I am now. Our bus guide took us around the markets and to a leather demonstration so we knew what was fake or real. Then we walked a little more defore going out for dinner.

The next day (yesterday) we had a relaxing morning and then walked around the streets again.

Today we went on a tour of the Tuscany countryside. It's so beautiful over here. Vineyards everywhere! Our tour took us though this countryside on horseback. Then we were taken for a look around a 13th Century Castle and then to lunch by a lake. It was amazing! and so was the wine! Italy produces some nice wine, and very cheap while you're here too!

Well that's all for now, I've finally added some USA photos to facebook and will be adding as many Europe ones I can now before my time runs out.

Ciao Bella!

Well, i left off last time as we were about to walk around Berlin, which is an amazing place, we learnt so much history from our walking tour and especially all about the Berlin Wall saga and WW2. We even sat and walked over the place where Hitler died. The tour also took us through the Holocast memorial and later we visited the museum.

After Berlin, we went to Prague, just getting to Prague was a beautiful drive, the scenery was amazing!
We took a walking tour of Prague and discovered so much about the Czech republic too, these guides are very insightful!
The next day was the Collingwood v Adelaide semi final and Jess goes for the Pies so we sat and watched the game at the Aussie Pub there in Prague. The next day we took a guided tour of Prague's Castle, it is huge, and beautiful!

Our last day in Prague was when i woke up sick with a cold so we didn't do much that day except a bit of shopping especially for super-glue as we needed to fix the broken handle on my suitcase.

The next day we got on the bus and drove to Cesky Krumlov, a couple hours from Prague, it was a beautiful little town and there was a castle there as well. We visited the town, which sits on a river and the castle in one day. The following day we went rafting (more like drifting) down the river there.

Our next stop was Vienna, Austria. In Vienna we ate schnitzel! it nearly covered the whole plate and tasted real good. The next day we walked around Vienna, through the markets, through the town, looking at this town' history on our own. We even went to a classical music concert that night which was really good.

The next day Jess and I went to find a pub playing the Cats vs Pies game! I was very happy with the outcome but Jess wasn't as much! Go Cats!

The following day we jumped aboard the bus and headed to Munich where we are now.

The first day in Munich we just relaxed, the next day however we went to Oktoberfest! It was awesome! They have rides, food stalls, beer, attractions, more food, more beer, music, lots of people and did I mention beer? They have about 14 beer halls! The beers come in 1 litre glasses that are actually quite heavy! so we spent our day there and did another walking tour on Wednesday. we also went back to Oktoberfest last night for more beer and more fun! They love singing and our new favourite word is "Prost!" which means "Cheers!"

Today's our last day in Munich and we're just catching up on our emails/blogs and wandering around etc.

Tomorrow we head to Venice, Italy. We'll be spending about 2 weeks altogether around Italy, and I'm looking forward to it!

Until next time - "PROST!"

Rach.

So much has happened in the 3 weeks I haven't blogged.
Uncle Geoff took me everywhere in Mt Shasta, even up to Oregon to Raft the Rogue River, that was heaps good. I caught the bus down to San Francisco and spent 2 days climbing those steep hills that it's famous for. I think the highlight was the sea lions down on pier 39.
I then caught the bus to LA and found myself in a dorm with a couple of aussies who had also just done a camp so we chatted for ages.
I did a tour the following day and saw all the tourist stuff such as hollywood, Beverly hills, Bel Air, Santa Monica & Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive etc. I even saw the gates to Michael Jackson's last mansion.
The next day I didn't do much just went shopping with one of the other aussies.
I flew to London the next day and Jess met me at the airport. We had some lunch and just relaxed mostly as I was very jet lagged. The following day Jess met her agency for teaching and I read a book in the park.

Then last Wed morn we flew to Amsterdam where we stayed for 2 days, seeing the sights in between the rain. One really interesting place we visited was the Anne Frank house. the canals in Amsterdam were amazing. It's such a tourist place though, we didn't even need to try and use any dutch.

On Saturday morn we caught the Busabout (our tour) bus and traveled to Berlin. Where we are now, we're going on a walking tour today which should be good and then off to Praque on thursday.

Hope you are all well.

Well on the last entry we were just about to leave for Orlando Florida.
On arrival we were greeted by Shade's Uncle and cousin at the bus station. We relaxed all afternoon and saved our energy for Disneyworld the following day.

Monday morning came around and Disneyworld was now a short drive away.
We were all very excited as we started seeing the signs towards it. As there are multiple worlds there and we only had one day we all agreed to go to the 'Magic Kingdom' and see Mickey Mouse and friends.
Disneyworld is hard to describe, it's a theme park with rides and characters and places to explore. There was street parties, 3D shows, shops, performances and they top it off with a fireworks show.

On Tuesday we flew to Washington DC. If you know me well enough, you know I'm not a history buff but it was very interesting. We visited all the famous sites, the Washington Monument, White House (from the fence), Lincoln memorial, U.S. Capitol, some other memorials, natural history museum, art gallery and the Holocaust museum. We did those all sites in 2days including 4hours spent at the holocaust museum (very interesting place).

On Friday morning we said goodbye to Washington and welcomed New York City. Carlye met us at James's apartment and showed us around his place and the area he lives in (as he was away for the weekend). We dumped our stuff and headed for Times Square. Friday night we spent with Carlye and her housemates.
Saturday morning we spent with a little pampering of a hair cut before walking around Central Park in the arvo and a comedy show at night.
New York is everything unique that you can imagine, it's very busy and people are everywhere and no it doesn't sleep. The Subway system was 'fun' to ride - we were all glad each other was around.
On Sunday we slept in a bit and then I went up the Empire State Building, we did some more shopping anf then caught the ferry across to Staten Island to get a view of the Statue of Liberty. Sunday night we met James at Carlye's work and then went back to his place (where we had already been staying) and he showed us the rooftop, it was amazing, city lights, warm air, and great fun.

Well, I left the other girls behind early Monday morning and flew to meet Uncle Geoff in Salt Lake City. We had some lunch and visit the massive Mormans temple before driving the 2hours up to Lava Hot Springs.
I met my new Auntie Angileen and cousin Angel for the first time, they were very welcoming and absolutely lovely. They took me to the Hot Springs that evening and i was amazed, I've never seen anything like it and that it was all natural. I didn't realise how hot it was going to be and had to quickly get out and try getting used to it. Wow!
On Tuesday we drove up to Jackson Hole and had a look around and some lunch before driving up to the Teton National park where we saw a Grizzly Bear!!! Once there we crossed a lake on a boat and walked up a little way to see some falls.
I also saw a chipmunk and a moose that day - pretty cool
We went to a cattle ranch for dinner which specialises in putting on a show with dinner. It was very interesting to see and hear about the Cowboys of the west, and their songs.

Yesterday Geoff and I drove all the way from Idaho to California with a stop at Twin Falls to see the Canyon and waterfalls. We got in at about midnight and was travelling for about 15hours (including stops).

Today I slept in a little before coming into town to use the net at Geoff's school.