Hi!
Now i know that date of these post says 18th December 2011 but I am actually in Fiji writing this!
We flew from LA airport at 11.30pm to Nadi, Fiji on July 10th. We arrived in Nadi on the 11th, at 7.30am. The flight was 15hours but because of the time difference, it seemed as though we only travelled for 8 hours! When we got to Nadi, we were greeted with a shell necklace and a great big "bula!". We were the driven to our resort on the coral coast. The resort is very nice, quiet and relaxing with very nice staff. Ony a couple of other guest couples so we basically have it to ourselves. We had beach front houses which was very nice....until mini tsunami waves came in and pushed all the water and coaral etc into our rooms! It also ment the bridge broke and the pool was filled with gross water and bits and bobs. It was extremely funny and exciting anyway. We all sat round the pool or played pool and table tennis, bascially just relaxed all day. That night the activity boys had a frog race with us all which was really funny!
Next two days followed a similair pattern: wake up late, eat, relax. We were all looking tanned and cool. The activity boys played games with us though. They climbed a coconut tree and we drank the milk, we got our hair braided, we played pool tournaments, egg hunting, ice-cream eating, bingo and a crab race after tea. On the leat day we even got to go kayaking and snorkeling which was very fun. The last night we went and saw a show where the Fijians walk on fire and had a traditional feast. To sum out of Fiji leg of the trip: we had our ideal holiday, which basically ment we relaxed.
Fiji was great, as was the rest of the world. It was a trip that we will never forget! An amazing experience, one where the knowledge we gained will broaden our horizons and make us appreciate the world, it's people and different cultures more. Mum and Dad, you gave this fantastic opportunity and for that we are forever grateful. Thank-you! Thank you to all the people who helped us around the world, people who helped us carry bags down stairs, or find our hostel. Watch out world, the Taylors will be back before you know it!
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Monday, 11 July 2011
Disneyland
Disneyland is actually the happiest place on earth!!! It's just simply magical, a whole different, wonderful world! Those three days we spend in Disneyland and California Adventure Park was the most fun days of this entire trip, just because everything in the theme parks, every ride and attractions, is so enjoyable!! Another contriburting factor to our fun was finally having the compnay of other people..the Walkers! :) It was SO great seeing them and enjoying Disneyland with them. We meet up in Downtown Disney, a open shopping mall that runs up to the parks. We ate and watched the fireworks that first night and then was straight into it the next day!
Now, I are not going to go threw every single ride detail because, well, there are heaps of them and we went on almost everyone! Basically, Disneyland itself is brooken up into 5 'worlds', each with different rides. There are the disney rides, like Snow White, Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Pinncohio, and Winnie the Pooh, which were the ones where you hop in a buggy and get taken through the story. Those rides were actually one of the most enjoyable as they are so cute and entertaining! Some of the best rides that everyone loved were the really interesting, not too crazy rides, like Pirates of the Carribbean, Soarin over California, Star Tours, Jungle Cruise, Its tough to be a bug etc.
We all LOVED the water rides! Splash Mountain is one the most thrilling, exciting rides ever, and we couldn't get enough of Grizzly Mountain, white water rafting ride, as we went back a total of 4 times! Us kids adored the out of control semi-rollercoasters, like Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Goofy's sky school and Indianna Jones; God!!!, they were the best rides and we kept going on them! And then so of us crazier people went on Terror Tower, we you were dropped in an elevator over and over, then flung back up only too go down again! It was sheer madness and our stomachs were extremely up and down after that! Though the madness didin't stop there. No, the terminally insane of us, ( Maria, Jack, Rebekah and I ), went on California Screamin, a full loop the loop rollercoaster! It was suprising fun and I actually really enjoyed it, though the scars I have on the plam of my hands from my nails digging in while I clung on for dear life doesn't really show that!!!
The thing with Disneyland is that there was always something to look at, something to watch, or you can simply just sit there and absorb that amazing energy the place holds! We watched the disney parade, World of Colour all together and when the Walkers left, we watched the Fantasmick show and did the car driving ride, ( I don't think I will be getting my licence anytime soon!!!!!!!).
It was really sad too leave as it was such a wonderful place, like really wonderful! The vibe, the music, the characters, the rides, attractions, everything was magical!!!! A whole different, incredible world!
Now, I are not going to go threw every single ride detail because, well, there are heaps of them and we went on almost everyone! Basically, Disneyland itself is brooken up into 5 'worlds', each with different rides. There are the disney rides, like Snow White, Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Pinncohio, and Winnie the Pooh, which were the ones where you hop in a buggy and get taken through the story. Those rides were actually one of the most enjoyable as they are so cute and entertaining! Some of the best rides that everyone loved were the really interesting, not too crazy rides, like Pirates of the Carribbean, Soarin over California, Star Tours, Jungle Cruise, Its tough to be a bug etc.
We all LOVED the water rides! Splash Mountain is one the most thrilling, exciting rides ever, and we couldn't get enough of Grizzly Mountain, white water rafting ride, as we went back a total of 4 times! Us kids adored the out of control semi-rollercoasters, like Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Goofy's sky school and Indianna Jones; God!!!, they were the best rides and we kept going on them! And then so of us crazier people went on Terror Tower, we you were dropped in an elevator over and over, then flung back up only too go down again! It was sheer madness and our stomachs were extremely up and down after that! Though the madness didin't stop there. No, the terminally insane of us, ( Maria, Jack, Rebekah and I ), went on California Screamin, a full loop the loop rollercoaster! It was suprising fun and I actually really enjoyed it, though the scars I have on the plam of my hands from my nails digging in while I clung on for dear life doesn't really show that!!!
The thing with Disneyland is that there was always something to look at, something to watch, or you can simply just sit there and absorb that amazing energy the place holds! We watched the disney parade, World of Colour all together and when the Walkers left, we watched the Fantasmick show and did the car driving ride, ( I don't think I will be getting my licence anytime soon!!!!!!!).
It was really sad too leave as it was such a wonderful place, like really wonderful! The vibe, the music, the characters, the rides, attractions, everything was magical!!!! A whole different, incredible world!
LA
After our night in Santa Barbara we drove in LA, down Sunset Blvd, and Beverly Hills, looking at star's houses, including Madonna's. Then we went onto Hollywood Dr, where we walked down, looking the star's stars on the path. We spend the rest of the afternoon at the Warner Brothers studio, doing a VIP Tour! It was fantastic. We drove round the studios, looking at the sets and the recording studios, prop houses, transportation museums, sitcom studios, learning about how the make certain movies, who was in them and how they shot them...brilliant! We even went on the set of Big Bang Theroy and was shown how they film sitcoms like that, and the set of Central Perk, from Friends, where we sat on the couch. It was a great tour and really worthwhile. After that very brief visit to LA it was off to Anaheim and Disneyland! Now that is another ball game! ;)
Sunday, 10 July 2011
San Fransico
San Fransico wasn't as hot as Las Vegas, actually the same kind of temperature as Christchurch summers, with that cool wind. One thing that suprised us about San Fransico was the amount of homeless people. Far more then any other place we had been too. The first night we went to the show Billy Elliot which was so funny and extremely entertaining.
The easiest way for us to get around was by hop-on-hop-off bus. So we got on that and drove round, getting off at the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked that, looking at the great views of the bay and Alcatraz island, then got back on the bus round to fisherman's wharf. It was hussling and bustling and smelt of fish, very smiliar to wellington harbour I thought. Early night that night as the next was 4th of July. The first person to say "happy independence day" was a drunk old lady but o well! ;)
We travelled round on the bus again, getting off at the botanical gradens where we ate lunch while watching a band play some american songs. Went up the observation tower at the art museum and saw the fog come in over the foggy part of town and swallow the golden gate bridge! Back to fisherman's wharf, with a walk down crookest street in the world, ( no, not wall street!). We took a crusie out around Alctraz Island then went to the aquarim by the bay. The fourth of July festivities were well underway, with live music and crowds of people! The fireworks display was amazing and lasted over 20 minutes, it was fantastic! It was scary walking home though as lots of strange people had illegal fireworks and everything so that was frightening but we survived! :)
Drove down the coast to LA the following day. Dad and Mum say it was a beautiful drive but I don't really remember it as I was asleep most of the way, tehe! ;) We stayed the night in Santa Barbra, where Wills and Kate were just days after! Then drove into LA!!
The easiest way for us to get around was by hop-on-hop-off bus. So we got on that and drove round, getting off at the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked that, looking at the great views of the bay and Alcatraz island, then got back on the bus round to fisherman's wharf. It was hussling and bustling and smelt of fish, very smiliar to wellington harbour I thought. Early night that night as the next was 4th of July. The first person to say "happy independence day" was a drunk old lady but o well! ;)
We travelled round on the bus again, getting off at the botanical gradens where we ate lunch while watching a band play some american songs. Went up the observation tower at the art museum and saw the fog come in over the foggy part of town and swallow the golden gate bridge! Back to fisherman's wharf, with a walk down crookest street in the world, ( no, not wall street!). We took a crusie out around Alctraz Island then went to the aquarim by the bay. The fourth of July festivities were well underway, with live music and crowds of people! The fireworks display was amazing and lasted over 20 minutes, it was fantastic! It was scary walking home though as lots of strange people had illegal fireworks and everything so that was frightening but we survived! :)
Drove down the coast to LA the following day. Dad and Mum say it was a beautiful drive but I don't really remember it as I was asleep most of the way, tehe! ;) We stayed the night in Santa Barbra, where Wills and Kate were just days after! Then drove into LA!!
Las Vegas
I really have no idea how people live here! I mean it is so so so so so hot! The days we were there it was around 38-42 degrees!! Thank god for air conditioning I say! :)
Las Vegas is a cool but crazy town. When you look at it, it looks so fake and like all the buildings have just been dumped in tghe middle of a desert, which of course, is completely correct. We arrived in at 10.30pm, after a horrible flight with Air Canada, ( they were bad staff, keep running over Dad's feet with the trolley, you had to pay for headphones and all food!) We ordered a shuttle to our hotel and guess what turned up to pick us up......a stretch limo! So we drove through Las Vegas in a stretch limo! How cool is that. :)
Happy Birthday Mum was the first thing we said the next day as it was the 30th of June! It was a scorcher of a day, so after a massive breakfats a Dennys, it was straight into the hotel pool. After the tanning/burning was done, we wandered down to the strip and the MGM Grand. We did this TV show survey thing where we watched a rated a new show coming out. Then the CSI experience, which was really cool as we solved the murders and pretended we were CSI agents!
That night we went to Cirque du Soleil KA, which was out of this world amazing! It was the most incredible, unbelieveble, outstanding show any of us have ever seen. Dad even had slight tears in his eyes! We walked down the strip that night and saw the bright lights of Las vegas, which, to tell the truth, weren't as bright as New York. But still groovy! After watching the Caesar Palace's fountain display, we went to bed.
Dad hired a big american car with smooth leather seats and so much room and drove us into the desert. Its funny how we were driving in the middle of a city one moment then the next, driving the desert, with rocks dry grass and cacti stretching for miles. We stopped at the Hoover Dam then the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the canyon was private property and cost $76 per person to look at it! We saw it from a distant though. That night it was back to the strip, down to treasure island and the venezia/paris part.
We flew from Las Vegas to San Fransico the next morning.
Las Vegas is a cool but crazy town. When you look at it, it looks so fake and like all the buildings have just been dumped in tghe middle of a desert, which of course, is completely correct. We arrived in at 10.30pm, after a horrible flight with Air Canada, ( they were bad staff, keep running over Dad's feet with the trolley, you had to pay for headphones and all food!) We ordered a shuttle to our hotel and guess what turned up to pick us up......a stretch limo! So we drove through Las Vegas in a stretch limo! How cool is that. :)
Happy Birthday Mum was the first thing we said the next day as it was the 30th of June! It was a scorcher of a day, so after a massive breakfats a Dennys, it was straight into the hotel pool. After the tanning/burning was done, we wandered down to the strip and the MGM Grand. We did this TV show survey thing where we watched a rated a new show coming out. Then the CSI experience, which was really cool as we solved the murders and pretended we were CSI agents!
That night we went to Cirque du Soleil KA, which was out of this world amazing! It was the most incredible, unbelieveble, outstanding show any of us have ever seen. Dad even had slight tears in his eyes! We walked down the strip that night and saw the bright lights of Las vegas, which, to tell the truth, weren't as bright as New York. But still groovy! After watching the Caesar Palace's fountain display, we went to bed.
Dad hired a big american car with smooth leather seats and so much room and drove us into the desert. Its funny how we were driving in the middle of a city one moment then the next, driving the desert, with rocks dry grass and cacti stretching for miles. We stopped at the Hoover Dam then the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the canyon was private property and cost $76 per person to look at it! We saw it from a distant though. That night it was back to the strip, down to treasure island and the venezia/paris part.
We flew from Las Vegas to San Fransico the next morning.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Niagara Falls
This town is nothing like you would expect it to be!! When we were on the bus to Niagara after a flight to Buffalo airport, I was imagining what it will be like. I was thinking, the falls with a few hotels and eating places. Well blow me down with a feather. It is the opposite! Yes there are hotels and millions of eating places but the main street is like a carnival, complete with rides, lights, haunted houses, mini golfs, target games on the side of the road....everything! It was crazy!
Our hotel was really nice and had an indoor swimming pool, spa and sauna!! So of course we swam and swam and swam!! We did go see the falls, which were fantastically spectacular! But the boat ride was incredible! We got absolutely soaked as the spray from the impressive falls was so strong and intense! It was like being on a ride The water was churning so fast and we were getting forced backwards by the super dense spray! You couldn't help but laugh hysterically, it was so awesome!!
The falls at night were beautiful, all light up and stunning! The next morning we went to The Guinness Book of Records museum were was entertaining. Then we caught a bus to Toronto. We did see Toronto as after the bus we went straight to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas, but what we did see was very busy and lots of skyscrapers!
Our hotel was really nice and had an indoor swimming pool, spa and sauna!! So of course we swam and swam and swam!! We did go see the falls, which were fantastically spectacular! But the boat ride was incredible! We got absolutely soaked as the spray from the impressive falls was so strong and intense! It was like being on a ride The water was churning so fast and we were getting forced backwards by the super dense spray! You couldn't help but laugh hysterically, it was so awesome!!
The falls at night were beautiful, all light up and stunning! The next morning we went to The Guinness Book of Records museum were was entertaining. Then we caught a bus to Toronto. We did see Toronto as after the bus we went straight to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas, but what we did see was very busy and lots of skyscrapers!
Boston
Boston is a gorgeous little seaport town. We were only there unfortunately for one full day so we only scratched the surface but it was still lovely. We wandered round the center and wharf following the freedom trail and played in the fountains, ate lunch on the harbour and had good ice-creams. Then we went to the public gardens and basked in the warm sunshine, before taking a swan boat round the pond. Cute. ;) Boston is a beautiful little town!
For dinner we went to Sally Best's house, Christine Walker's mum. It was so great to finally meet Ma Best along with Christine's lovely sister Helen, and her aunt and uncle. We now know where Christine gets her welcoming-ness from. They welcomed us into their hme like we were family. It was so lovely to put names to faces and see where darling Christine grew up! After a delicious american meal of hamburgers, hot dogs and ice-cream, it was time to say goodbye. Thank-you ever so much Best family for your wonderful hospitality! :) xx
For dinner we went to Sally Best's house, Christine Walker's mum. It was so great to finally meet Ma Best along with Christine's lovely sister Helen, and her aunt and uncle. We now know where Christine gets her welcoming-ness from. They welcomed us into their hme like we were family. It was so lovely to put names to faces and see where darling Christine grew up! After a delicious american meal of hamburgers, hot dogs and ice-cream, it was time to say goodbye. Thank-you ever so much Best family for your wonderful hospitality! :) xx
New York!
Yes!!!! That is right! No your eyes are not playing tricks on you, we were actually in New York! The city that never sleeps! The Big Apple! And this city, with its high reputation, did not disappoint!
When you walked the streets, you felt like you were in a movie! It was exactly like you see it on television! Our apartment was in West Harlem, a real cool neighbourhood! We were really near to Central Park. The first place we went to in New York was, of course Times Square! God it was magical! Massive television screens everywhere, billboards, flashing shop lights, just basically lights and bright, moving things everywhere! And shops! Gosh everywhere you turned there was something new to look at! We spend a lot of time in Times Square as that was where 42nd and 5th avenue was, so the heart of the city! As we had a New York Pass, it meant we could hop on a tour bus plus get free entry into most attractions. Went to Ground Zero and saw that they are building a new World Trade center. There was a memorial center which was very moving.
We also went to the Harry Potter exhibition, in which we saw props used in the movies and how they made the movies etc. It was so awesome! That first night we went to Mary Poppins on Broadway! It was such a great show, so different from Wicked in London but just as fabulous. The set was incredible and the singing exquisite.
The weather wasn't too fantastic as we cruised out on a boat to see the Statue of Liberty. That was also smaller than it looks on television but still impressive. After some shopping at shops including Macy's. It was cloudy but we were beside the Empire State Building so we went up. It was unfortunately zero visibly so we couldn't see anything beside the buildings below us. But not many people could say they have been above the clouds on the Empire State Building.
Central Park provided a lovely walk to the Natural History Museum. We saw the amazing dinosaur skeletons in the museum then caught the hop-on-hop-off bus and crusied round Harlem then onto 5th avenue. After window shopping, we went up the Rockafellar Centre to see the wonderful view of Manhattan. It was a sunny day so we could see for miles. A cool dinner at Planet Hollywood was followed by a magical bus trip round Manhattan and Brooklyn at night! It was stunning and brought tears to your eyes! When we returned to Times Square that night, well lets just say that it was brighter than in full daylight I would hate to be the person paying the power bill! But also the people was the thing that amazed us! From the top deck of our bus, we couldn't see the street due to the sea of people walking around! It was like nothing I have ever witnessed in my life!! :)
Unfortunatley,it was our last night. :( But we still managed to sneak in on last activity before boarding the bus to Boston: a session at the local gospel church. That was a service like I have never been too before. You sat in a theatre with two levels and watched the choir sing. They had the speakers turned up so loud, you couldn't hear yourself think! There was no formal standing and sitting, no terrible, droning songs, just passion and loud worship singing. Bloody brilliant! The people were so passionate and emotional, it really brought you to tears. In fact most of them were in tears after the priests sermon. They were exclaiming and praising God, standing up and clapping when they agreed with what the priest was saying. The priest was so involved with his sermon, he was sweating like crazy! The whole experience was just really moving and enlighten all of us.
Goodbye New York! Thanks for a wonderful time!!! :)
When you walked the streets, you felt like you were in a movie! It was exactly like you see it on television! Our apartment was in West Harlem, a real cool neighbourhood! We were really near to Central Park. The first place we went to in New York was, of course Times Square! God it was magical! Massive television screens everywhere, billboards, flashing shop lights, just basically lights and bright, moving things everywhere! And shops! Gosh everywhere you turned there was something new to look at! We spend a lot of time in Times Square as that was where 42nd and 5th avenue was, so the heart of the city! As we had a New York Pass, it meant we could hop on a tour bus plus get free entry into most attractions. Went to Ground Zero and saw that they are building a new World Trade center. There was a memorial center which was very moving.
We also went to the Harry Potter exhibition, in which we saw props used in the movies and how they made the movies etc. It was so awesome! That first night we went to Mary Poppins on Broadway! It was such a great show, so different from Wicked in London but just as fabulous. The set was incredible and the singing exquisite.
The weather wasn't too fantastic as we cruised out on a boat to see the Statue of Liberty. That was also smaller than it looks on television but still impressive. After some shopping at shops including Macy's. It was cloudy but we were beside the Empire State Building so we went up. It was unfortunately zero visibly so we couldn't see anything beside the buildings below us. But not many people could say they have been above the clouds on the Empire State Building.
Central Park provided a lovely walk to the Natural History Museum. We saw the amazing dinosaur skeletons in the museum then caught the hop-on-hop-off bus and crusied round Harlem then onto 5th avenue. After window shopping, we went up the Rockafellar Centre to see the wonderful view of Manhattan. It was a sunny day so we could see for miles. A cool dinner at Planet Hollywood was followed by a magical bus trip round Manhattan and Brooklyn at night! It was stunning and brought tears to your eyes! When we returned to Times Square that night, well lets just say that it was brighter than in full daylight I would hate to be the person paying the power bill! But also the people was the thing that amazed us! From the top deck of our bus, we couldn't see the street due to the sea of people walking around! It was like nothing I have ever witnessed in my life!! :)
Unfortunatley,it was our last night. :( But we still managed to sneak in on last activity before boarding the bus to Boston: a session at the local gospel church. That was a service like I have never been too before. You sat in a theatre with two levels and watched the choir sing. They had the speakers turned up so loud, you couldn't hear yourself think! There was no formal standing and sitting, no terrible, droning songs, just passion and loud worship singing. Bloody brilliant! The people were so passionate and emotional, it really brought you to tears. In fact most of them were in tears after the priests sermon. They were exclaiming and praising God, standing up and clapping when they agreed with what the priest was saying. The priest was so involved with his sermon, he was sweating like crazy! The whole experience was just really moving and enlighten all of us.
Goodbye New York! Thanks for a wonderful time!!! :)
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Washington DC
Sorry for the long break but we have been busy, busy, busy! Washington was absolutely beautiful. Like really lovely! It was open, un-crowded, easy to walk around, extremely hot and humid ( highest was 32 degrees), green and so interesting! Of course we went to all the tourist spots, White House, Capital Hill, Lincoln Memorial, etc. White House was just down the round from our hotel and when we looked at it, well it was actually smaller than it looks on TV. Still very nice though. The Smithosian museums were our favourite parts! The Air and Space museum was so so so amazing! As big as a mall, it was stuffed full of things to read, spaceships and aeroplanes to look at, science experiments and much more! In fact, it was so big and interesting we went twice as we couldn't get enough of it! The natural history museum was just as exciting!
Capital was very roman and you got a really good view of the city! It was hard walking up as it was just so humid!! We were sweating like sweating things on sweating tablets! :)
We meet up with Alison, family friend, and went for dinner both nights with her and walked round Washington at night! It was so beautiful, all the moumnets alight! Absoluletly gorgeous!
Although we only had 2 days we managed to fit alot in, including Madam Tussads and Spy Museum. Madam Tussads was great as had all 44 presidents, which ment Dad could read the plaques while we took photos with the stars! :) Spy museum was really interesting and different, showing us the inside details that nobody knows about! Everyone throughly enjoyed that as we love CSI!
Washington was a beautiful place, really open and nobody around!! Which is suprsing for america! We all said we could live there, even Mum!
Capital was very roman and you got a really good view of the city! It was hard walking up as it was just so humid!! We were sweating like sweating things on sweating tablets! :)
We meet up with Alison, family friend, and went for dinner both nights with her and walked round Washington at night! It was so beautiful, all the moumnets alight! Absoluletly gorgeous!
Although we only had 2 days we managed to fit alot in, including Madam Tussads and Spy Museum. Madam Tussads was great as had all 44 presidents, which ment Dad could read the plaques while we took photos with the stars! :) Spy museum was really interesting and different, showing us the inside details that nobody knows about! Everyone throughly enjoyed that as we love CSI!
Washington was a beautiful place, really open and nobody around!! Which is suprsing for america! We all said we could live there, even Mum!
Austria, Germany, Amsterdam, Brussels Photos
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| locations of sound of Music! |
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| awesome swimming complex where we got horribly burnt! |
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| Vienna summer palace |
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| Gardens of palace |
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| Mozart Memorial |
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| Dinner Vienna |
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| Sauchsenhausen Concearntartion Camp, Berlin |
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| Bundenburg Gate |
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| Holocaust Memorial, Berlin |
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| Berlin Wall |
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| tour guide for berlin walking tour |
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| wicked hostel chain!!! :) |
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| The musicans of Breeman |
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| Anne Frank |
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| Amsterdam |
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| Brussels Chocolates!! |
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| Beligum Waffle! |
Sautens and Munich Photos
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| Munich at Night |
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| Munich Glockenspiel |
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| Sautens |
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| Sautens |
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| Sautens |
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| view from our hotel window!!! |
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| Small Pizza-Sautens |
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| Ski Jump |
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| Fishing Pond Sautens |
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| Mountains-Sautens |
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| Lake where we swam! |
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| swimming in 12 degree mountain water |
London (Day 1- 6)
After that rather disappointing start, we travelled to the apartment we would be staying in for the remainder of the week. It was really nice and close to a station. The following day was a special one: Bubba's birthday! The morning was on of great excitment, opening presents and eating a lovely homemade breakfast in our nice, new kitchen. A trip on the tube to Hamleys toystore was an essential and took up the rest of the morning and midday, ( actually we spend 3 hours in the 7 floor toy shop!) Bubba chose a birthday present and we chose stuff!!!
Oxford St was next. Busy, bustling, alive, it was shopaholics dream! We also spend some time in Sportsdirect too! Harrods was next......eek!! Harrods! It was incredible. The bright lights, the perfume scents, the designer labels....I actually thought I had died and gone to heaven, a gorgeous, nice smelling, massive heaven! That night, we went to the West End show, Wicked! It was completely and utterly AMAZING!!! The effects, the lightining, the stage work was out of this world but the singing..........OMG!!!! It is unbelieveble, ever single song giving you goosebumps! A fabulous day and night!
We visited Buckingham Palace and watched the changing of the guard, a unique experience! The weather wasn't very good so we hopped on a tour bus and experienced London from its double decker buses! The London Eye was such a great activity, the view was so outstanding and it was real cool to be in a capsule looking at parliament and Big Ben! A cruise down the muddy river Thames finished off another great day!
West Minister abbey was gorgeuos and beautiful, very elegant and historic. Us children completed a worksheet and then meet a wonderful verger who showed us the New Zealand seat and the Queens offical seat, in which we stood in! He also gave us offical programmes of the Christchurch earthquake ceremony, the Anzac ceremony and THE OFFICAL REHEARSAL PROGRAMME OF THE ROYAL WEDDING!!!!! I know! There are only a few in the world and we have one!!
The london Dungeon was extremely worth it and so frightening!! It was freaky and so informative at the same time. You went through all these different activities that happened in London's dark and dirty history, including the Black Plague, Jack the Ripper, Sweeny Todd, Fire of London and Bloody Mary. There was also a ride at the end where you were dropped, or 'hanged'. It was so bloody awesome, ( there was a fair bit of 'blood' too!) and I would throughly reccommend it! A quick visit to Shakespeare's Globe and a drink in a Taylor & Walker pub the finish our third day.
On day 4, we popped into Girl Guide UK headquarters and Samantha gave some NZ badges to the girls inside. Then off to Kent, to see where Grandad David grew up. We were meet at the station by Uncle Martyn and his daughter Donna, (Dad's cousin). It was pouring unfortunatley but that's England for you! They showed us, from the inside of the car, the beach and house where Grandad, Martyn and their sisters spend their childhood. We also saw the late Aunty Pat's house. Then it was back home for some tea and cakes. Donna's children, Ashleigh and Louis (who are our age), joined us and our two families hit it off straight away! It was great to finally put faces to names. We went very traditional that evening, having fish and chips, while the rain still thundered on. After exchanging facebook names, we caught the train back to London.
Day 5 started with a trip to Camden Market. Again the weather was wet but it was enjoyable nearthertheless. At the market, we were instantly swallowed up the the hundreds of stalls selling clothes, jewellery, shoes and more clothes. That afternoon was spend meeting the last relatives, James, Lisa, Helena, Freddy and Christina. The live in the subarbs of London, near Wimbledon, in a wonderful house. It was a lovely evening playing with the kids while the parents talked followed by a scrummy dinner and dessert! Thanks James and family! :)
Unfortunatley, our time in London was up. Caught a plane from London to Washington on the Sunda.y We all loved itin London and wanted to stay longer. It is an amazing place filled with so many things to explore. Us girls all said we are coming back! :) Bye Bye England and hello USA!!
Oxford St was next. Busy, bustling, alive, it was shopaholics dream! We also spend some time in Sportsdirect too! Harrods was next......eek!! Harrods! It was incredible. The bright lights, the perfume scents, the designer labels....I actually thought I had died and gone to heaven, a gorgeous, nice smelling, massive heaven! That night, we went to the West End show, Wicked! It was completely and utterly AMAZING!!! The effects, the lightining, the stage work was out of this world but the singing..........OMG!!!! It is unbelieveble, ever single song giving you goosebumps! A fabulous day and night!
We visited Buckingham Palace and watched the changing of the guard, a unique experience! The weather wasn't very good so we hopped on a tour bus and experienced London from its double decker buses! The London Eye was such a great activity, the view was so outstanding and it was real cool to be in a capsule looking at parliament and Big Ben! A cruise down the muddy river Thames finished off another great day!
West Minister abbey was gorgeuos and beautiful, very elegant and historic. Us children completed a worksheet and then meet a wonderful verger who showed us the New Zealand seat and the Queens offical seat, in which we stood in! He also gave us offical programmes of the Christchurch earthquake ceremony, the Anzac ceremony and THE OFFICAL REHEARSAL PROGRAMME OF THE ROYAL WEDDING!!!!! I know! There are only a few in the world and we have one!!
The london Dungeon was extremely worth it and so frightening!! It was freaky and so informative at the same time. You went through all these different activities that happened in London's dark and dirty history, including the Black Plague, Jack the Ripper, Sweeny Todd, Fire of London and Bloody Mary. There was also a ride at the end where you were dropped, or 'hanged'. It was so bloody awesome, ( there was a fair bit of 'blood' too!) and I would throughly reccommend it! A quick visit to Shakespeare's Globe and a drink in a Taylor & Walker pub the finish our third day.
On day 4, we popped into Girl Guide UK headquarters and Samantha gave some NZ badges to the girls inside. Then off to Kent, to see where Grandad David grew up. We were meet at the station by Uncle Martyn and his daughter Donna, (Dad's cousin). It was pouring unfortunatley but that's England for you! They showed us, from the inside of the car, the beach and house where Grandad, Martyn and their sisters spend their childhood. We also saw the late Aunty Pat's house. Then it was back home for some tea and cakes. Donna's children, Ashleigh and Louis (who are our age), joined us and our two families hit it off straight away! It was great to finally put faces to names. We went very traditional that evening, having fish and chips, while the rain still thundered on. After exchanging facebook names, we caught the train back to London.
Day 5 started with a trip to Camden Market. Again the weather was wet but it was enjoyable nearthertheless. At the market, we were instantly swallowed up the the hundreds of stalls selling clothes, jewellery, shoes and more clothes. That afternoon was spend meeting the last relatives, James, Lisa, Helena, Freddy and Christina. The live in the subarbs of London, near Wimbledon, in a wonderful house. It was a lovely evening playing with the kids while the parents talked followed by a scrummy dinner and dessert! Thanks James and family! :)
Unfortunatley, our time in London was up. Caught a plane from London to Washington on the Sunda.y We all loved itin London and wanted to stay longer. It is an amazing place filled with so many things to explore. Us girls all said we are coming back! :) Bye Bye England and hello USA!!
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
London ( Getting there and first night)
Our start in London didn't quite go as planned, and was differently an experience! Getting out of Pembroke took forever, as trains come only twice a day to London. So we had to wait 5 hours, in the cold rain, at the train station for a ride into London. We didn't get in to London til 11.30pm and then had no idea where or how to get to our apartment. In the end, we caught two cabs, so it was cool to tick that off our list. What wasn't cool was that when we got to our apartment, we were shouted at by the owner because appartently our booking was cancelled!! She shoved us in a 5 bedroom, disgusting smellt place, where the springs of the bed stabbed you in the back and it was so dirty. Dad had to sleep on the floor because she couldn't provide a bed for him! Thank the lord it was only for one horrible night!
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Ireland
Took the from Holyhead to Dublin. It was quite a bumpy ride but sealegs got us through. We stayed in a cool hostel, near the city centre called Issacs. That night we went out to wander the town and went into Temple Bar, a traditional Irish pub, for dinner. There was loads of chatter and loud men talking and drinking and live irish music, exactly as an Irish pub should be!
The next day we woke up to rain!!!:( The first proper rain this whole trip! So we had to flag our walking tour and headed straight for the Guiness Storehouse! :) 7 floors of Guiness history, shown using technology, displays and exhibitions. It was ever beer lovers, a daughters of beer lovers, dream. The 7th floor was the Gravity Bar, a bar offering drinks and a 360 degree view of Dublin. That afternoon, we hopped on a bus and drove round, looking at the sights. For dinner we went to a resturant that had live music and irish dancing! It was so amazing to be watching irish dancing, while eating irish food, in an irish resturant, in Ireland! Not many people could say they've done that!
We left Dublin and drove to Limmerick, going via Boyle, where our ancestors, the Flanagans, orginally came from. It started hailing ( in spring!!), so we didn't hang around too long! Our travelodge in Limmerick was so classy and nice, we decided to stay two nights, taking a day trip to the Ring of Kerry the following day. It took us all day to drive the Ring of Kerry but that was great. While coming home we stopped in the village of Adare for a drink in the local pub and in there we traded our All Blacks flag for a Munster Flag! So our All Blacks are now forver in Ireland!
Our last night was spend in Rosslare, a ferry port town. When we went to catch the ferry, it was bucketing down so that ferry to Pembrock was also a bumpy ride!
The next day we woke up to rain!!!:( The first proper rain this whole trip! So we had to flag our walking tour and headed straight for the Guiness Storehouse! :) 7 floors of Guiness history, shown using technology, displays and exhibitions. It was ever beer lovers, a daughters of beer lovers, dream. The 7th floor was the Gravity Bar, a bar offering drinks and a 360 degree view of Dublin. That afternoon, we hopped on a bus and drove round, looking at the sights. For dinner we went to a resturant that had live music and irish dancing! It was so amazing to be watching irish dancing, while eating irish food, in an irish resturant, in Ireland! Not many people could say they've done that!
We left Dublin and drove to Limmerick, going via Boyle, where our ancestors, the Flanagans, orginally came from. It started hailing ( in spring!!), so we didn't hang around too long! Our travelodge in Limmerick was so classy and nice, we decided to stay two nights, taking a day trip to the Ring of Kerry the following day. It took us all day to drive the Ring of Kerry but that was great. While coming home we stopped in the village of Adare for a drink in the local pub and in there we traded our All Blacks flag for a Munster Flag! So our All Blacks are now forver in Ireland!
Our last night was spend in Rosslare, a ferry port town. When we went to catch the ferry, it was bucketing down so that ferry to Pembrock was also a bumpy ride!
Manchester!
After Scotland, we drove to Manchester, via Lake District. At the lake district, we stopped at Ambleside for lunch. While eating, we were attacked by ducks, geese and the most gigantic swans, who came right up and asked for our lunch! It was extremely bemusing!
In Manchester we stayed with Dad's cousin, Fiona, husband Paul and their two gorgoeus daughters, Polly and Lauren. Fiona's brother Paul, his wife Katherine and son Daniel joined us for a delicios meal. Daniel, Lauren and Polly are us girls second cousins, and they are so so so adorable! It was great to meet everyone, after hearing so much about you guys and being able to put names to faces. :)
In Manchester we stayed with Dad's cousin, Fiona, husband Paul and their two gorgoeus daughters, Polly and Lauren. Fiona's brother Paul, his wife Katherine and son Daniel joined us for a delicios meal. Daniel, Lauren and Polly are us girls second cousins, and they are so so so adorable! It was great to meet everyone, after hearing so much about you guys and being able to put names to faces. :)
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Scotland!
Awrite! That's hello in Scottish.
We had a great time in Glasgow, where we stayed with Joesphine, Dad's 1st cousin, once removed. She couldn't fit all of us in her lovely home so only Samanths and I stayed with her while the others slept in the hotel down the road. It was amazing because while we were eating our gourmet fish pie one the first night, which had scallops, prawns, and other exotic fish (yummy), we were sweating due to the blazing sun! I know, sun, in Scotland! Unfortunatley, that gorgeous weather didn't quite make it to the following day. We went to Bannockburn heritage centre in the morning, where we enjoyed learning the history of the battle between the scots and english, in the 1300's.
We then drove to Loch Lomond for lunch and a walk. It was exactly as you imagine the highlands of Scotland. That night we had another lovely homemade meal and an early night!
We went to mass the next morning then over to relatives we haven't meet before. It is extremely hard to explain how everyone we are meeting are related to us as its so confusing!! Kit and his wife Edwina, their son James and wife Jen were so nice and it was great to meet them. James and Jen also had two gorgeous children, Erin and Rory, our youngest cousins!
Edinburgh was next on our list and we trained over there! As we had limited time, we joined another one of those free walking tours by sandemans tour group. Our tour guide Gatsby, was so so so good and we learnt so much. In the tour we heard about the brief history of Edniburgh, the royal mile, Edinburgh castle, witch burnings, grassmarket, hangings that happened, the 'real' hogwarts castle, the graveyard that JK Rowling got ideas for her books, the cafe she wrote her books in and much more! If anyone goes travelling, I would definitly reccommend Sandemans free walking tours, they are FANTASTIC!!!
Went up the castle and saw the view. Great view! They were starting to set up for the Edinburgh Tattoo in August.
Scotland was great despite the weather turning grey on us for thr first time, though it didn't rain!!! Thank you ever so much Joesphine for the wonderful hospiltality! :)
We had a great time in Glasgow, where we stayed with Joesphine, Dad's 1st cousin, once removed. She couldn't fit all of us in her lovely home so only Samanths and I stayed with her while the others slept in the hotel down the road. It was amazing because while we were eating our gourmet fish pie one the first night, which had scallops, prawns, and other exotic fish (yummy), we were sweating due to the blazing sun! I know, sun, in Scotland! Unfortunatley, that gorgeous weather didn't quite make it to the following day. We went to Bannockburn heritage centre in the morning, where we enjoyed learning the history of the battle between the scots and english, in the 1300's.
We then drove to Loch Lomond for lunch and a walk. It was exactly as you imagine the highlands of Scotland. That night we had another lovely homemade meal and an early night!
We went to mass the next morning then over to relatives we haven't meet before. It is extremely hard to explain how everyone we are meeting are related to us as its so confusing!! Kit and his wife Edwina, their son James and wife Jen were so nice and it was great to meet them. James and Jen also had two gorgeous children, Erin and Rory, our youngest cousins!
Edinburgh was next on our list and we trained over there! As we had limited time, we joined another one of those free walking tours by sandemans tour group. Our tour guide Gatsby, was so so so good and we learnt so much. In the tour we heard about the brief history of Edniburgh, the royal mile, Edinburgh castle, witch burnings, grassmarket, hangings that happened, the 'real' hogwarts castle, the graveyard that JK Rowling got ideas for her books, the cafe she wrote her books in and much more! If anyone goes travelling, I would definitly reccommend Sandemans free walking tours, they are FANTASTIC!!!
Went up the castle and saw the view. Great view! They were starting to set up for the Edinburgh Tattoo in August.
Scotland was great despite the weather turning grey on us for thr first time, though it didn't rain!!! Thank you ever so much Joesphine for the wonderful hospiltality! :)
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
York
After Hull, we drove to York to see Dad's cousin Julia and her family, husband Tim, children Isobelle and Oliver. We hadn't actually meet them before but that didn't matter, as the way we all chatted away, you would think we had known each other for years! Thank you so much Julia and family for such a good time and for letting us have a bed in your gorgeous house!
Us, Julia and the kids all walked down to the centre of York, inside the city walls. We actually walked round a little section of the wall, which lead us to the street where the famous minster stood! They are currently repairing the spectacular stained glass windows but the door stood open so you could look inside.
After an ice-cream, we went to the museum Jorvik. Years ago, the went to built a supermarket but while digging, found remains of Viking houses or something. The archeologists came in and dug away, finding a place they call Coppergate, a place where the Vikings set up a town, many years ago. They found bones, skeletons, clothing, houses, so much stuff that they were able to discover what the Vikings were really like back when they ruled York, or Jorvik, as they named it. The museum was the best one we have been in, and we've seen alot!
You hopped in this open capsule, that had seats and speakers etc, and were taken round 'Coppergate'. They had created a model of what Coppergate would have looked like, with moving wax figures that looked like the real people and streets and houses were built exactly how they look back then! It was so interesting and you felt like you were a Viking, looking round the town!
After the ride we wandered round the rest of the museum, stumbling upon a lady who told us so many facts about the Vikings! Very interesting.
We had a great night, eating and talking! Thank you so much Julia, Tim, Isobelle and Oliver!!! :)
Us, Julia and the kids all walked down to the centre of York, inside the city walls. We actually walked round a little section of the wall, which lead us to the street where the famous minster stood! They are currently repairing the spectacular stained glass windows but the door stood open so you could look inside.
After an ice-cream, we went to the museum Jorvik. Years ago, the went to built a supermarket but while digging, found remains of Viking houses or something. The archeologists came in and dug away, finding a place they call Coppergate, a place where the Vikings set up a town, many years ago. They found bones, skeletons, clothing, houses, so much stuff that they were able to discover what the Vikings were really like back when they ruled York, or Jorvik, as they named it. The museum was the best one we have been in, and we've seen alot!
You hopped in this open capsule, that had seats and speakers etc, and were taken round 'Coppergate'. They had created a model of what Coppergate would have looked like, with moving wax figures that looked like the real people and streets and houses were built exactly how they look back then! It was so interesting and you felt like you were a Viking, looking round the town!
After the ride we wandered round the rest of the museum, stumbling upon a lady who told us so many facts about the Vikings! Very interesting.
We had a great night, eating and talking! Thank you so much Julia, Tim, Isobelle and Oliver!!! :)
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Hull
We had a fabulous time in Hull, where we stayed with relatives, Gerry and David. It was extremely difficult getting out of london though in our rental car. The first hurdle we had too face was that the car we had, yes it was a seven seater but it had only room for one suitcae and 2 briefcases ( so it said in the brochure!). eek! We managed to fit and we only have to sit with legs in the air...o well, its good stretching!
Another hurdle was the fact that London is crazy one the roads and we didn't get given a good map, only one of central london, 2010! After driving round for an hour, we managed to get out on to M1, ( motorway 1). Us girls were extremely suprised as when we woke up from our little doze, 2 hours into the drive, we hadn't changed roads! Its crazy that we travelled the distnace from Chch to Dunedin in 3 hours! UK motorways rock!
Anyway, we got to Hull and had a marvellous dinner with Gerry and David. They have the most wonderful house and it felt like we were back at home. We have stayed in lovely hostels and hotels but they aren't the same as a home!
Gerry and David took us to Bradford to see the house where Granny grew up! It was so funny as there was a lady living in the house and I don't think she liked us taking photos of her house!!
We then went up to the Yorkshire Moors, where we had a lovely lunch, looking out over the grassy plains. Us girls then experimented with some "free-jumping", leaping from one big rock to another, while alos getting blown over due to the strong winds! It was an amzing view seeing the York Plains stretched out infront of us like that!
That night we had a great meal in the local bar, the best chip butties ever!!! It was so nice at Gerry and Davids and we wish it could have been longer! Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality and the best toast ever!!
Another hurdle was the fact that London is crazy one the roads and we didn't get given a good map, only one of central london, 2010! After driving round for an hour, we managed to get out on to M1, ( motorway 1). Us girls were extremely suprised as when we woke up from our little doze, 2 hours into the drive, we hadn't changed roads! Its crazy that we travelled the distnace from Chch to Dunedin in 3 hours! UK motorways rock!
Anyway, we got to Hull and had a marvellous dinner with Gerry and David. They have the most wonderful house and it felt like we were back at home. We have stayed in lovely hostels and hotels but they aren't the same as a home!
Gerry and David took us to Bradford to see the house where Granny grew up! It was so funny as there was a lady living in the house and I don't think she liked us taking photos of her house!!
We then went up to the Yorkshire Moors, where we had a lovely lunch, looking out over the grassy plains. Us girls then experimented with some "free-jumping", leaping from one big rock to another, while alos getting blown over due to the strong winds! It was an amzing view seeing the York Plains stretched out infront of us like that!
That night we had a great meal in the local bar, the best chip butties ever!!! It was so nice at Gerry and Davids and we wish it could have been longer! Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality and the best toast ever!!
Brussels
We really only went to Brussels because that was where we has to catch the eurostar to London but we still had an enjoyable time there. The main highlight was definitly the chocolate!! While we were walking down to the centre of town , we turned a corner and boom!!! The chocolate shops appeared! Every second shop was full of the most delectable chocolates in the world! Will we were happily munching on the chocs we had bought, we spotted what we would be having for breakfast. A massive waffle, with a scoop of strawberries on top, and covered in a mountain in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Yum yum!
We continued walking down and visited a TinTin shop. Very cool and the comic we bought is just as awesome. By now, it was time to go back and get the train to London!
Goodbye Europe! Thanks for the great times and memories! We will be back so you better be prepared! ;)
We continued walking down and visited a TinTin shop. Very cool and the comic we bought is just as awesome. By now, it was time to go back and get the train to London!
Goodbye Europe! Thanks for the great times and memories! We will be back so you better be prepared! ;)
Friday, 3 June 2011
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the city of bikes, as we found out when we trained in for one night! There are 4 story high car parks absolutely jammed full of bikes, all around the city! Its a cool city, even though we were only there for 24 hours! We walked down to Anne Franks house straight away, as that was the main thing we had gone to see. We weren't disappointed. It is the most fabulous museum! It really captured the feeling of Anne and her families horrible situation but still gave lots of information and things to look at! It was very moving and heartbreaking, knowing what it was like for them and the jews back then.
The next morning we popped to the Van Gogh museum, which was just down the road. It was great because they had a childrens hunt/activity booklet that us girls did. It ment that we weren't bored and the parents could see what they wanted. There were mixed views about Van Gogh when we came out, Dad and I deciding we didn't like his work at all! We then went on a canal crusie to wrap it all up! Our captain was really great and it was a fantastic way to see Amsterdam quickly!
The next morning we popped to the Van Gogh museum, which was just down the road. It was great because they had a childrens hunt/activity booklet that us girls did. It ment that we weren't bored and the parents could see what they wanted. There were mixed views about Van Gogh when we came out, Dad and I deciding we didn't like his work at all! We then went on a canal crusie to wrap it all up! Our captain was really great and it was a fantastic way to see Amsterdam quickly!
Breman
We changed our plans and decided to go to Breman, a town in Germany, before going to Amsterdam. When we arrived it was freezing and pouring! Unfortunatley we got stuck waiting for a tram in a sudden big down pour! the first rain all trip! We decided to stay in that evening, all snuggled up in our beds, as it was slightly too chilly to do anything, and to be honest, we didn't actually know what there was too do!
The following day we woke to no rain just a slight chill. We took the trams over too the Becks brewery, but were not allowed on the tour as no kids were allowed! :( There was a market on down by the river so we wandered down there and browsed/bought, then meandered over to the square. There was a school jazz band playing in some kind of festival and they were great so we listened to them for awhile. The weather hadn't improved so all we wanted was a nice hot jacket potato, which we got at the local resturant. Then Mum spotted the statue of the Musicans of Breman, a statue with a rooster standing on a cat, standing on a dog, standing on a donkey.
Once a year, Breman has "Night at the Museums", where all the museums stay open til 1am. We visited a few museums, including the plastics museum, sculpture one, an old church that had mummified clothes of old priests and other old stuff and a globe museum, all containing workshops for all ages! It was great and a very cool town.
The following day we woke to no rain just a slight chill. We took the trams over too the Becks brewery, but were not allowed on the tour as no kids were allowed! :( There was a market on down by the river so we wandered down there and browsed/bought, then meandered over to the square. There was a school jazz band playing in some kind of festival and they were great so we listened to them for awhile. The weather hadn't improved so all we wanted was a nice hot jacket potato, which we got at the local resturant. Then Mum spotted the statue of the Musicans of Breman, a statue with a rooster standing on a cat, standing on a dog, standing on a donkey.
Once a year, Breman has "Night at the Museums", where all the museums stay open til 1am. We visited a few museums, including the plastics museum, sculpture one, an old church that had mummified clothes of old priests and other old stuff and a globe museum, all containing workshops for all ages! It was great and a very cool town.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Berlin
When we ventured out on this trip of a lifetime, we knew that we would be seeing many amazing sights and cities. Our list of favourite places has been growing and growing as we go on and we have now added Berlin too that list. We were staying in our last Wombat hostel ( superb as ever!), so our accomdation was great. We were going to go to Potsdam the day we arrived, 25th, but thenn saw an brochure for Sachsenhausen concerntration camp, just out of Berlin. So we trained out there. We noticed the difference between this little village and Berlin city straight away. It felt empty, kind of deserted. Not many people and the people we saw were grim and slightly worn. Its no wonder, they have a murder camp on their door step. We got given audio guides and were told that this camp was primarily used to house policital prisoners and people who the Nazi's deemed unfit, like homosexuals, the disabled, etc.
It was......unbelievable, and not in a good way. The camp was vast, grey, and souless. It gave you the shivers, knowing what happened in those barbed wire fences. We wandered around the enormous camp, going into the baracks and infirmarys etc. It was devasting the condition that these prisoners had to live in and what they endured. The whole experience was very sobering and quite devasting really. It showed us what human beings are actually capable of doing, and how brutal we can be.
There was still light at the end of the tunnel though as on the way back we stumbled upon a dance shop!! Us dancing girls went in and bought ballet flats and pointe shoes, not even available in NZ. How fab! :)
The following day we joined a free walking tour that showed us the main sights of Berlin, including the Bradenburg Gates, Holocaust Memorial, Hitlers bunker, Nazi book burning memorail, Checkpoint Charlie, SS Headquarters, museum island and the Berlin Wall. We had a great guide called Leo who told us many stories, including why the Berlin Wall came down. The walking tour was a great way to Berlin.
It was......unbelievable, and not in a good way. The camp was vast, grey, and souless. It gave you the shivers, knowing what happened in those barbed wire fences. We wandered around the enormous camp, going into the baracks and infirmarys etc. It was devasting the condition that these prisoners had to live in and what they endured. The whole experience was very sobering and quite devasting really. It showed us what human beings are actually capable of doing, and how brutal we can be.
There was still light at the end of the tunnel though as on the way back we stumbled upon a dance shop!! Us dancing girls went in and bought ballet flats and pointe shoes, not even available in NZ. How fab! :)
The following day we joined a free walking tour that showed us the main sights of Berlin, including the Bradenburg Gates, Holocaust Memorial, Hitlers bunker, Nazi book burning memorail, Checkpoint Charlie, SS Headquarters, museum island and the Berlin Wall. We had a great guide called Leo who told us many stories, including why the Berlin Wall came down. The walking tour was a great way to Berlin.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Vienna
Everywhere we went in Austria was amazing. And Vienna was no different! We found our hostel, The Wombats (best hostels in the world!!!!), and went to the big summer palace. The gardens were so beautiful and so vast, and also had a maze and labyrinth, which we played in. We spend a couple of hours exploring around the palace and then dawdled back to our hostel for free drinks and yummy food! The next day, much to Dad's utter horror, we took 2 1/2 hours to walk 1.1km! You may be shocked but it was the biggest shopping street in Vienna so I believe 2 1/2 hours is actually quite reasonable!
After having a nice lunch in the winter palace garden, we walked to Stephens Dome! In there we joined a tour of the scary katacomb underneath the church. It was the scarest thing we have done! Chambers made of thousands of human bones and skulls and pits filled with the skeletal remains of those people who had died of the black plague and had been chucked down a hole in Stephen's square. We were all scared out of our wits yet all extermely intrigued. It was cold, dark, damp and the smell of death hung in the air....dun dun dun!!!
It was so hot in Vienna, and when we collasped in a sweating, melting heap on the winter palaces garden again, it was strange to see locals in high-neck woollen jumpers and trackpants!! Um......?
We didn't leave Vienna till late, catching the overnight train to Berlin at 10.00pm. We were in first class too so recieved food, tea and coffee, bigger beds, private showers and toilets..the works! It was brilliant!
After having a nice lunch in the winter palace garden, we walked to Stephens Dome! In there we joined a tour of the scary katacomb underneath the church. It was the scarest thing we have done! Chambers made of thousands of human bones and skulls and pits filled with the skeletal remains of those people who had died of the black plague and had been chucked down a hole in Stephen's square. We were all scared out of our wits yet all extermely intrigued. It was cold, dark, damp and the smell of death hung in the air....dun dun dun!!!
It was so hot in Vienna, and when we collasped in a sweating, melting heap on the winter palaces garden again, it was strange to see locals in high-neck woollen jumpers and trackpants!! Um......?
We didn't leave Vienna till late, catching the overnight train to Berlin at 10.00pm. We were in first class too so recieved food, tea and coffee, bigger beds, private showers and toilets..the works! It was brilliant!
Monday, 23 May 2011
Photos of France
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