Chateau de Fontager

 After leaving Lucerne we headed back into France. Before we crossed over, the tour guide and bus driver decided to do a little detour because the weather had been so crap the other day. They took us into Geneva for a proper lunch stop. We had a little walk around and ate fresh sandwiches filled with meat that they shaved infront of you, and cheese in massive wheels that they cut. Jen, our tour guide, said that it was the third most expensive city to live in after Tokyo and Moscow. Our sandwiches set us back about 10CHF each, and when we were walking along the street they had little takaway carts with a meal deal of burger, fries and a drink for 17 CHF!
It was a long drive to the Chateau but we got in just before 5pm. It was simply stunning, if not a little bit creepy. Our rooms were all really different and to put it kindly, you can't be a room winner every time. At the Chateau me and Sunny could only laugh at the room. It was two single beds that were usually a king, that had been moved about a centimetre apart from one another. The plug jacks were all hanging off the walls and the TV was missing. The bathroom had something similar to Grandads old shower, no shower curtain, and what we initially thought was a bedait (?) but we couldn't figure it out. We decided that it might be a urinal instead... who knows.

The grounds outside were stunning, and the chateau itself looked like something out of the Omen movies. That was later confirmed when i went to the bar for a drink and there was a black dog that looked half labrador lying by the feet of its owner. I approached it slowy with the back of my hand and it went absolutely nato, hackels raised, barking, baring teeth. The owner moved it away, but it was not a happy doggy with all the people about. It kept barking at everyone. I think it was an old dog and was probably protective of the little girl with them. Who knows. I avoided the dog after that.

Today we had a long drive to Barcelona, across the Piryanese mountains. It was very beautiful. I got to try out my Hola's at a pitstop too. We all bought alcohol for tonight. Apparently Christmas eve goes off in Barcelona so we all heading into the clubs. It was warmer here too, so I might get away with my clubbing dress and wool jacket.

Switzerland - City of Chocolate and Mountains

For that last two nights I have been in Lucerne. We had a very long drive in from Paris. It took about 7 hours and we arrived just after 5pm. We went straight to dinner at the hotel. It was a great little hotel, family run, and very quirky. The windows were at odds with the floors, like the old window tax. So they were long windows that ran between two levels on all the staircases. Very cool. Our room was very posh too, with spacious beds and views of the hill sides of Lucerne. Dinner was really nice and it was finished off with desert that was icecream in the shape of the swiss flag. After dinner a bunch of us went for a little walk around the streets and found a local pub. Oh, and did I mention it was snowing. It was dark so it didn't have quite the same effect but it was still cool (in all senses of the word).
The next morning it was raining, no more snow, and we went to Mount Pilatus. We had booked a gondola to take us all to the very top of the mountain (1900 metres approx). Sadly, when we got half way up you have to change into another gondola and the mountaineers (?) said we had to go back down because it was too windy. Far enough call. When we were going up, it was starting to sway from side to side. Thank god I was with three very confident gondala riders who kept me entertained with their jokes so that I barely even noticed. When we got half way up and before going all the way back down we went out onto the side of the mountain and had some photos taken. In this photo, we were trying to get a nice group shot when Ryan threw a snowball that smacked into the side of my head and covered all of us with snow. It is fair to say that there was much laughter and many snowballs thrown up there.

After we got back to the bottom we were told that because we had been forced back down the mountain due to the weather, we would be getting a full refund. Woohoo! We then headed into the old part of the city. It was simply stunning. There was very old buildings, and one of them had been dressed up like an advent calendar, with all but the 22nd, 23rd and 24th not open. In all the other windows were the numbers pushed to the side and a christimassy picture in the window instead. Mum, you have would have loved it. There was about four of us who were not going to the fondu lunch so we headed off on our own and walked along the cobbled streets and found a nice little Swiss restuarant filled with locals. We drank a few wines and had shnitzel and chocolate mousse and studel. It was lovely.
It rained the whole day but that didn't put a dampner on our siteseeing. We were having so much fun that we missed the walking tour so took ourselves on a little walk on our own and found some great little shops. We walked across an old wooden bridge that was built 400 years ago and had illumination paintings inside it. It is still used by everyone as a working bridge! We found the Christmas markets under the train station and dranke hot mulled wine and looked at all sorts of things, and watched some primary school kids singing carols. It was beautiful. Oh, and while at the markets, we went to the loos! We had to pay 2 Franks each to use them (men were only 1.50 Franks) but at least they were exceptionally clean. After that we went back up into the rain and bought swiss chocolates and maccaroons. I could live on maccaroons. I tried many different flavours including Champagne, Cinnamon, Maderine and many more. Mmmmmmm.
At about 5.45pm we were drenched but happy and hopped on the bus back to the hotel. The bus system is fantastic too. It is an honesty system. You buy your tickets from machines before you get on the bus and that is it. No checking, no scanning. So, if you can't pay, you don't. Our tour manager brought a group amount so we could just jump off and on at will without paying or showing that we have paid. It was very reliant on honesty, and it is a shame that more places don't or can't trust their people to do the same.
I really fell in love with Switzerland. Lucerne is beautiful and while everyone says it is expensive, I didn't think it was too ridiculous. I did buy some very cool boots. They only set me back 50 Franks (I think about $70). They are fleece lined and while I was at the counter I saw some leg warmers. They look like Chewbacca's fur. The label said they were to pimp my boots. I bought them and attached them to my boots, as you can see here.

Paris -The City of Lights

I have had the most amazing time so far. I have been to the catacombs, the Musee D'Orsay, walked the Champs Elysee, been up the Eiffle Tower and much more.

I initially wasn't that excited about being in Paris again. The people certainly weren't exactly excited to see us either. The Parisians still look down on poor tourists who are trying their best to understand the language and to enjoy themselves. After our very long ride in, we were lucky enough to go up the Eiffle tower at night. It was truly stunning. Paris by night is amazing and very, very beautiful. The skies were a bit cloudy and it was raining, but that only made our clothes damp, not our attitudes. You won't believe what I got to do! I went up and up and up and up and up and up and up to the very top of the Eiffle Tower. It was a little bit nerve wracking but it was worth it. It was freezing but equally amazing to see Paris laid out by lights. The traffic doesn't seem nearly as bad from waaaaaay up there, though at ground level it is just insane! Bumper to bumper and everybody honking their horns.

While up the tower I went ice skating. Yes, I went ice skating UP on the first floor of the Eiffle Tower. Not many people can say that. AND I didn't even fall down! Woohoo! Of course, when I say I ice skated that is a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like a staggering, bambi-legs techniques that I have perfected from years of inexperience. It was really fun once I got over my worry of breaking my leg and just went with the expericence. By the time I had made a few slow laps around the rink, hands firmly gripped on the rail, I managed to make a few more trips sans railing. It was a better attempt than the Canadian called Mike. I thought all Canadians could skate, and Jamie, another Canadian, said she had thought the same until she saw Mike. He made me look Ana Pavlova on skates. After my feet had frozen off, Mike and I decided it was time for a hot drink, so we went and got hot chocolates with whipped cream and stood on the Eiffle Tower drinking and watching everyone still skating. It was simply amazing.

The next morning I almost missed breakfast because I had set my alarm for 7am but hadn't changed the time on my phone from London. So when it went off it was actually 8am and breakfast was at 8.15am, leaving the hotel for an action packed day in Paris at 9am. Thank god Maddie, another girl on the tour who is travelling solo came by to see where we were.
After brekkie, we all jumped on the bus and went for a spin around the Arc de Triumph a few times on the many-laned round-about. Five of us decided to start our tour day at the Musee D'orsey, where we got to see Monet, Van Gogh, Edgar, Manet and many other famous painters. We were very lucky. We then went to the Catacombs.

The Catacombs were a very sobering experience and I still don't know quite how I feel abou them. They are not scary, but it feels very strange and macabre to be looking at the remains of thousands upon thousands of people, and not even whole people, but twenty thousand femurs all together to make a wall and skulls used as art decoration. Getting down into the tombs was really interesting. First we had to descend about a hundred plus stairs going straing down in a tight spiral. By about half way down I, and everyone else, was dizzy and gripping the rail. At the bottom you are in the low-ceilinged vaults. They are old mining shafts. At this point there were no bones, but in the tunnels as you are walking along, there are street signs to show you where abouts you are in Paris (what is over your head). The tunnels keep sloping down and eventually even out. The walls were narrow too so you can't really overtake anyone if you want to and you can't go back.

I wasn't really fussed about being underground. It was a little bit strange at one point though, becuase suddenly the air becomes a lot more musty and you realise that you are very far underground.
I didn't know this, but in the catacombs are minature cities that have been carved out of the rock walls by the miners. They are pretty cool. I think the whole walk was about 2kms long and after about 1km you reach what I would say are the real catacombs with all the bones. I felt kind of strange being in what really is a tomb for the dead. But I felt the same way about the mummified remains at the museum. It felt a bit like I was intruding on their peace. I am glad I went, because it really is quite fascinating. I didn't like how they arranged all the bones into shapes, as if by making it into art it was okay to exploit the bones.

After the catacombs we went to the Arc de Triumph and took a few photos. We were going to climb it but we couldn't bare to stand in line again. When we were waiting to get into the catacombs we were waiting for 2 hours. That is the longest I have ever waited and if I had been on my own I probably would have looked at the line and turned around and gone somewhere else. So, instead of going up the Arc, we went back under it and walked up and down the Champs Elysee. We popped into the Louis Vutton store where I was afraid to look at half the stuff in case my mere presence alone somehow dirtied it and I would have to pay for it. They cheapest thing I could find was one of those little key holders, no bigger than half a hand, and that was 188 Euro. After that it was starting to get late and the rest of the tour group was going out to the Moulin Rogue. I wasn't going to go to that again. Once was enough. We got stuck on the trains in peak hour, so we were literally holding onto the hand rails with one hand, a death grip on our purses in the other hand, trying desperately not to be shoved away from the main doors because we knew we would never get back out, and also trying not to loose each other or insult any more Parisians than we already had with our mere presence on the trains.

Later that evening, there was only four of us who were not going to the show. So Maddie and I went out for dinner on the Champs Elysee. You will be very proud of me... I ordered Escargot for my starter! I ate snail. Well, I ate three of the six on the plate. I figured that the best way to have a go was not to think about what was going in my mouth, so pincers firmly in hand, I grappled with the shell, grabbed my mini fork and stabbed at it till it came out of the shell, where I put it straight in my mouth without looking at it. I chewed. I chewed some more. Whoever said it tasted like chicken is a damn liar! It doesn't really taste of anything except for the sauce it was cooked in (Garlic and Pesto). What it does resemble in texture is squid or mussel. It was a little bit chewy. The first one wasn't too bad so I decided to have another. This one tasted like the sauce and a little bit of dirt. It was probably actual dirt. Some poor snail is chillingo out in the garden and then some weird-assed French guy decides that his number is up. Poor sod. The second one didn't go down as well, but I tried a third just to make sure. I did actually try to go for number four but I pulled it out of its shell and looked at it. That was the end of my starter. Couldn't do it after I saw that it actually looked like a snal under all that sauce. My main was really nice. I had Beeg Burgunion (?) with steamed veggies and a glass of Chablis (a very nice French wine that Uncle Jim recently introduced to me). The whole meal was really nice. We were sat just inside on the Champs Elysee, people watching and gas-bagging.
After dinner, Maddie was going to the Ledo, which is like a posher version of the Rogue, and while I was waiting for her, I went and watched half of the new Mission Impossible. There was no way in hell that I was going to jump on a train at 9.30 at night, and go looking for the pub that we would meet the group at later. We met up after, and by that stage it was about 11.30pm, and then went over to the Moulin Rogue... well, to the Irish pub next door, where we had another wine with the others on the Contiki. We left at about 1am. We had crepes with lemon juice and sugar while waiting for a taxi. It was really a full on day, but good company and good food, and VERY good wine, makes it all the better.

It's been a long day... but the company is great

It has indeed been a long day. We were up at 6am today, then on the coach by 7am. We have just arrived in Paris at it is 4pm. LOOOOONNNNG. We have free wireless at the hotel we are staying at so while waiting for dinner I thought I would make the most of it. I have a room-mate called Sunny. She has A LOT of energy and is a morning person... we shall see how long that lasts. Once again I am the lone kiwi on the tour. There are about 25 Aussies on the tour, a few Americans and some Canadians. Unlike the last tour, we have all been socialising and talking amongst ourselves. We have already had speed dating to get to know the others around us on the bus. There are some very cute guys on this tour too. Had to catch my jaw with the amount of pretty man meat around. It's a bit overwhelming (but woohooo!).
When I arrived into London yesterday afternoon I felt very proud of myself. On the train I had already bought my underground ticket, so when I got off at Kings Cross I headed straight to the underground. It was really easy and I am glad that Uncle Jim had looked it up for me on the internet so I didn't have to flouder about needlessly. Anyways, I got on the underground with little fuss and was off. I quickly found my way to the hotel, checked in and it was only 2.30pm.
I dumped everything at the hotel and went for a walk along to the Bristish Museum. Of course, in a typical 'Deborah' moment, I went in through the back doors. I couldn't understand why everyone was so in awe of the museum. People go on and on and I was walking the corridors going 'yeah, it's interesting, but it's nothing special'. That was my thought until I actually ended up in the front of the museum. I stood there for about 5 minutes complete in awe of the entrance way. It was... well, look at the picture. (there was actually supposed to be a photos here but the hotel internet is super slow... so just imagine a huge central oval building housed inside a temple with two massive Roman style temples on either side.) Inside those temples are the remains of Egypts statues - huge heads and bits of pharoah bodies that were ten times my size (and that was just the heads), what the British museum had 'rescued' from Rome and Greece such as the Parthenon architecture and statues. There was an entire temple to the daughters of Neptune too. As you can imagine, I was in my element. I lost myself in there for about three hours and still hadn't seen anything.
I left the museum at 5.30pm, through the front this time, and it took me a few minutes to figure out where the hell I was. I had a meeting in the Contiki Basement at 6pm to meet the tour group. I am proud to say that I must have looked like a local or at least confident in where I was going, because two lots of lost tourists asked me if they knew where there hotels or streets were.
After meeting up in the Contiki basement, we all checked in and then most of us headed over to the London Pub just outside the hotel and had dinner and a few drinks and socialised a bit more. By 9pm I was starting to get tired so I headed back to the hotel, toasty and warm after 2 bucket sized wines (although calling it wine was being generous - after the first half a bucket I couldn't taste it anyway).
I was sharing a hotel room last night with an Aussie called Alex. Really friendly girl. My new roomie is a Korean-American (called Sunny), and I think she will be my roomie for the whole tour now.

Tonight we are heading off to the Eiffle Tower. Apparently we have tickets already booked for us to go all the way to the top. We will get to see Paris by night, and in the first floor of the tower there is an ice-skating rink set up! I am quite excited. There is also supposed to be mulled wine, champagne and hotchocolate. It's so Parisian!!! Tomorrow I am heading to the catacombs and for a little wander about with some of the others. And then at night, when most of the group is off to the Moulin Rouge, about five of us who aren't going, are heading off to a nice french restaurant for some escargo... everyone tells me it tastes like chicken, and soon I will be able to tell you the truth of it.

Love xxx

Cockermouth - It's more than a name

I have been a having a lovely relaxing time so far. I still haven't managed to sleep through the night. Feel a bit like the puffy-eyed monster (not that I am complaining because, frankly, I am in the UK and you, most likely, are not). I am loving the weather. It is cold and keeps promising snow. Sadly the brazen hussy that is the weather keeps promising but not delivering, instead teasing me with flurries of snow and frosty mornings.

Yesterday, Grandad took me out for a Christmas dinner at lunch time. It was a HUGE meal and you got a pint of beer all for £6.99! Afterwards, I waddled out, unable to breath correctly due to the massive meal sitting in my gut, and went back to grandads. I had done some shopping for grandad earlier and I thought that it was the perfect time to give him his Christmas gifts. Here is a picture of him holding up the bottle of whiskey, Williams tea-towel and he is wearing his new jumper which he keeps telling me is 'champion'. He says that he has not been this warm before, and even his stomach is warm - bless. If he asks, it was not expensive. I don't think it was, but Grandad might disagree. He deserves to be spoilt just a bit. He certainly has spoilt me while I have been here.

We had toasties from the toasted sandwich maker that I had bought him. I showed him how to use it, and I would like to think that it will be his new thing for snacks. His current snack making tool is a deep fryer for chips that, to be honest, has seen better days, and smokes like you wouldn't believe. He put it on the other day in the room with the sink, and it was so smokey that he had to open the door - outside, in the cold - to let it escape.
I am fast learning how to save money on all sorts of things in the house, thanks to him, and I swear the only reason he is still going strong is because of the old addage, 'what doesn't kill you, make you stronger'. He is hardy, my grandad. Oh, and when I was talking to him the other day, he also, in passing says to me we are related to Winston Churchill. So there you go. Us Allaker's are related to THE Churchill! Distantly, but still related. How cool is that!!! He says his memory is going, but he remembers far more than I do!

Today I woke at the grand time of 4.30am, lay in bed for a bit then Billy texted (thank the gods! Something to do!) I was heading over to Cockermouth in the Lake District that morning so went for a walk around the shops in Consett because everything was covered in a thick white frost that looked like snow. Can you believe that there were markets on! It is 0 degrees outside and here they were, these hardy souls, selling shoes and sweets and meats. And it was busy! I thought to try out wearing tights and a dress today too. Started out well. Was very confident that it wouldn't be too bad. That was before the wind chill and the damp. But the one thing that I am learning is that it might be bitterly cold outside but it is VERY warm inside. It is just a matter of balancing the cold vs. the hot. I think I am about an achieved level at the moment. Pretty average and only passing... just. I am glad for my thermals. Never would have believed that something so thin could bring someone so much joy and warmth. Between the thermals, my woolen coat, gloves and scarf, I am doing well. Oh, and Mary, really glad that I didn't go for the waist coat. It would definately not be enough for a Consett winter.

My uncle Jim drove me down to the Lakes. I was feeling a bit green by the end of the trip. It was some old roads that make your stomach drop when you go over a dip. It kept promising snow. Damned hussy! By the time we arrived at Uncle Jims I was grateful to be out of the car. I don't like being a passenger on long drives, I have decided. The sun tried to make a break through, but bless it, it was too foggy... or perhaps we were in the hills and actually driving through the clouds... It sounds cool, but when you can't see a hand in front of you, it was pretty stressful, and uncle Jim drives like he owns a porsche... oh wait, he does.

We arrived into Cockermouth around 12.30pm and since then, Aunty Pauline and I have been for a walk around the newly renovated town. It looks simply beautiful. And for my English junky teachers, Cockermouth is the town where William Wordsworth was born and raised. I even took a photo of his house which is now a museum.

I really do love the buildings here. We stopped into the church and had a look at the glass windows and the amazing architecture. I was doing some reading on it, and it has been on that site in one form or another since medieval times (of course, it has had to survive wars and fires and floods, so I think the current church in only about 250 years old...)

Consett - Its cold, dark and it is promising to snow

Right, I have been up to a fair amount in the last few days, since I landed. I went on a walk about Consett on the first day, desperately needing to stretch my legs. I went down to the park and then across to the graveyard to see Julie's and Grandad and Nana Knapp's graves. It was very peaceful there and as I was leaving I saw squirrels! I then proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes in the graveyard, watching the squirrels forage for food and play. I chased them for a bit, trying to get closer. Managed to find one in a mistletoe tree. It was right above me and was completely still. I was looking at it and it was giving me the beady eye back. It was gorgeous. After that, I headed back up to the shopping centre and bought a few Christmas cards and the like.

Today, which is Tuesday...? I am having some issues with time at the moment, I went to the Metro with Uncle Jim. It was really nice to have some bonding time. We split up to do some shopping and I managed to only get lost twice. It is a beast of a place. I got Grandad some Famous Grouse (I was going to get it in Duty Free but they didn't have any at Dubai that I could see - alcohol, I mean) and some Amirillo to share. Uncle Jim then took me for a drive through Newcastle. I hadn't been into the city proper and it was amazing. Absolutely stunning.

The first stop we made was outside of St James Park. I had forgotten my camera so we took them on Uncle Jim's iphone. He said he would need to disinfect the phone after taking photo of that place.

Then we went for a walk along the river Tyne and lastly we popped into Posodo (?) for a beer. I meet the barman there and we had a good chat. He told me all about the history of the pub and the city. It was an amazing old place. I think it was about 200 years old. Wouldn't mind going there for a drink after work. It was very peaceful for a pub. Of course, it was also freezing cold outside and anything indoors seemed peaceful. The wind has been bitterly cold here. I know I said I was excited out the weather but I think I had forgotten just how cold it is at Grandads and in Consett. Brrrr. It is very Nipply weather. Thank god for padded bras is all I have to say!

It was really nice to get to spend time with Uncle Jim today. Dad, you and he are quite alike in a few ways and you have some of the same facials and expressions. It is very strange to see.

Hope you all doing well and that Cherie is not stressing about what happened to my car. I could only laugh when I heard what had happened. I guess this is what I get for forgetting my coat and making her drive out to give it to me. hahaha.

Will update in a few days. Love Debs xxx

The Flight... and all its interesting inhabitants

So, I landed in Newcastle after 30 hours of travel in which I befriended a few other travellers, including a Dutch (very hot) devorcee heading to Holland to see his little boy; two Australian chicks called Kristina and Scorcha who were also travelling alone, a Parisian called Gabriel (very hot, but married) who was living in Dubai, travelling to Newcastle and then going home for a few weeks; and lastly, an old lady who I joined up with in order to skip the horrendously long ques in Dubai
The flight was a bit bumpy at the start from Auckland to Dubai and left me a bit shakey and wondering what the hell I was doing on a plane. However, I had the two seats beside me free, a hot Dutchman in front of me and a whole lot of in-flight entertainment. We landed in Sydney, and two hours set off again, but this time I had two partners on the plane. A 16 year old girl who was very VERY excited to be travelling and a 22 year old, the first words coming out of her mouth being 'thank god your not some creepy old guy' followed up by 'if you need sleeping pills, I have heaps'... great... cough. They were really friendly and I enjoyed having others around who were equally excited about travel, if not a bit exhausting. The 22 year old made me feel better and yet worse at the same time when she asked me how old I was and I said I was 26. She replied with "Wow! You look good for your age." Uh... I wasn't quite sure how to take that. I felt honoured that she thought I was here age but kind of insulted that she assumed that at 26 I should be old and wrinkly apparently.
When we arrived in Dubai, the three of us girls decided to stick together. I was trying to look casual, like I knew what I was doing and they were trying their hardest to look like tourists. Sigh. We got off the plane and then had to go through security yet again. The lines were massive (well, when I say lines, I mean big piles of people all moving and swaying like seaweed in the tide, push back, move forward, push back). We were at the back of the cue and it did not appear to be moving. Anyway, being the keen and surprisingly alert traveller that I was, I heard this old woman saying that she needed to get to her plane, which just so happened to be the same one I was one. I sideled up beside her as she was talking to a security guard and when he was looking elsewhere I said quietly that I was on the same flight and I would like to join her family, as she was travelling with her daughter already. What was one more daughter. The guard whisked her into a wheelchair and pushed her through the crowds, me and her real daughter trailing behind her, all the way to the front of the crowds. SUCCESS!
I meet up with the old lady at the gate, her other daughter was on a different flight, and had a good old yarn with her, keeping her company. I also meet a South African woman when waiting at the gate and the first thing she did when I sat down was to turn and complain about the chairs, and the tables, and the fact that she had to eat a chocolate bar for breakfast, and how poorly run the airport was etc etc... on and on she went. You know that old saying, 'If you ain't got something nice to say...' - I embodied that rule at that point. I was tired, I was unclean and I just stared at her making 'I understand' faces while really wishing she would leave me alone.
Oh! And when in Dubai, I used the loos. Hillarious! In the women's toilets beside each loo is two things: toilet roll and a shower head hose. Now, I assume it wasn't for taking a full shower, and as much as I would have liked to freshen up my nether regions there was no way in hell I was using THAT! But while I am sitting on the loo I can hear the sound of showers on either side, and was trying desperately to contain myself.
I actually expected to see a lot more berkas and the such but didn't see much like that. It was very international, though when we got off the plane it was 6am and there was muslim prayer music playing and a whole bunch of tourists milling around having no idea what to do.
Anyway, I arrived at the other end, in Newcastle and have been enjoying the cold weather. Hayley, Grandad and Aunty Jen picked me up from the airport and I managed to stay awake till 6pm before crashing and sleeping through till 8am the next day. I was exhausted.
But the story does not end there...

3 sleeps to go...

No longer interested in work. I can't stop thinking about travel... and  I keep buying stuff. It's a good thing I am going soon of there will be bloody heavy bags to lug about before I even leave!

Planning another trip overseas? Oh yes!

Right, so it is approximately one month till I leave on a 34 day tour of Europe. I am doing another Contiki Tour called the Winter Wanderer. I am looking forward to getting away. I need this.
I am heading all over the place and I plan on taking my laptop this time so I can make more constant updates. Must remember this. I am so keen on writng down my exploits again, that I have already made my blog spiffier - Is that even a word? Asks the English teacher.
The countdown is one. BRING IT ON!!!