Because Anne DEMANDS IT!!!!

Hello all,

I am madly trying to book the rest of my trip, which has had a slight hiccup because of sporting events in Cardiff (damn sport!). But Anne has demanded an update and so here it is!

I am currently in Stratford-Upon-Avon, having booked myself in to see Henry V at the Courtyard Theatre and staying the cutest B&B! I have a pink room! It's awesome! Have just been in the Lakes District, which was beautiful! wish I could have spent more time there, but alas and alack, it wasn't to be. I also stayed at one of the best hostels I've been to, so fun times!

Have also just visited Vic & Nick in Manchester. Manchester was... interesting. There really doesn't seem much to do there. Although, fun to see Vic & Nick, so yay Manchester! I guess if you're not into the soccer, it's really just a big town with some cool shops (I'm loving Primark and H&M!)

Okay, the internet shop is about to close so I'm going to have to leave it there. Will try to update as soon as I can!

xx

Contiki is no more...

Ah, it's so good to be back in the UK! Yay for signs written in English, for people who I can (kinda) understand when they talk to me, and for seeing Vanessa. Woohoo!

So Contiki is all over red rover. Ohhhhh. It was a blast, but I'm so glad to be off the touring whirlwind. Yay for beds and sleeping in til 9am, showers where you don't have to wear your brand new Havianas (heh, expensive thongs... so worth it!), vegetables and all that other small stuff that you don't think about but you so miss when it's gone! Although I do have a good collection of toiletries in other languages...

So what else has happened since last I posted? Um, I can't really remember! Last time we chatted, I was in Vienna, which was awesome! I had the best coffee ever at Cafe Central, where Freud used to hang out (seriously, best coffee ever... it was heaven in a cup. I had a little private moment to myself and didn't even flinch at the 4€ it cost!) and then we were on our way to, um, Munich? Yes, Munich!

Oh, how to describe the excitement, the wonder, of seeing... the Glockenspiel. It was so super exciting, I am def going back to Munich to experience it a third, no, make that fourth time. Maybe I'll spend the rest of my trip there so I won't miss one second of Glockenspiel madness. It's like a big cuckoo clock... how could you not want to enjoy such fun? Heh.

Okay, the beerhall in Munich was more fun. But not by much. I was actually disappointed by the Contiki beerhall, which didn't look at all like how I pictured a beerhall to look. But still, they had the one litre steins, which were super fun to drink!

After beery fun times, we were on our way to Switzerland and Jungfrau mountain. It was beautiful driving through the countryside and it was great when we go there! Oh, and we passed through Lichtenstein, which took about five seconds! Heh. Anyway, we got to our campsite, which had communal bathrooms (oh yes, running to the bathroom at 3am when it was about 3degrees outside... fun!) and were all revved up for the trip up the mountain the next day!

I'm going to leave you there, people, hanging for tales of my adventures. Maybe next time, I'll even remember to bring my travel diary with me so I actually remember what happened... :)

xx

Is it wrong to catalogue places by food?

I am in Vienna, home of the weiner schnitzel, Sacher Torte, Bled Cake, stodgy food and so many other exciting gastronomical extravaganzas that I just can't cope. Ah, so excited to have good food! It is such a sad state of affairs. No, it is sadder that I'm ultra excited by the fact we have had private bathrooms and quilts two nights in a row in two different places. Oh yes, it is the small things...

So what's been happening since last I posted? Um, I'm not really sure, it's all a blur! I have gotten better, so hopefully am over my cold. Good old dodgy amoxycillin. Yay for over the counter antibiotics!

We arrived in Vienna yesterday from LubblyJubbly (or if we're being all technical, Ljubljana), which had the best hotel ever! We had tv!!!!!!!!! I watched Ugly Betty!!!!!!! And it was in English! We also watched Australia and New Zealand lose at the rugby... it has not been a happy time in sport for me. However, I did drink a litre of beer, so that made up for it LubblyJubbly seemed quite a nice place, but it was cold and wet and raining and everything was shut, so it was hard to get a true sense of what the town was like. Oh, and just so you don't think I'm completely obsessed by tv (even tho, who am I kidding, I so am), I was also excited about the meals in the hotel, which had veggies! Unfortunately, there weren't enough and I had to make do with mashed pototoes. Poor me :)

So we arrived in Vienna and did a happy dance cos the rooms were nice and we had the private bathroom thing. And then we went out for dinner (2nd schnitzel in Vienna... heh) and then went to the Mozart and Strauss concert which was fun times! Its so amazing that someone a) thought wood and catsgut would make such a beautiful sound b) thought "i'll put valves on a recorder and see what happens" and c) could write such beautiful, intricate music. They had a soprano and baritone, as well as ballet dancers. It was awesome.

Today, we have a free day around Vienna, so we are going to eat Sacher Torte, drink coffee, hang out where Freud chilled and have lots of fun. This afternoon is the Schnapps museum and our hoogendoogen dinner... I feel I might be having schnitzel again.

xx

Young people have made me sicker...

Hello all! I am currently in Dubrovnik, which looked very pretty from the bus on the drive in. Have been doing a lot of that lately, as the last couple of days have been bus travel heavy!

Mykonos was lovely. Nothing but sun and surf and me driving on the wrong side of the road! H
Hiring a car was so much fun, and i had such a blast driving on the righthand side. awesome!

the next couple of days were feats of death defying. we went into Albania, which has the windiest, crappiest roads i've ever experienced. I don't know how our bus driver managed, but h e got us to our hotel safe and sound, but not without experiencing a couple of ear splitting crunches, breaking the front door, scratching the front, blocking trucks on the barely one lane road, blocking french holiday makers, etc etc. it was an experience! we got lost a couple of times, but the very friendly albanians pointed us in the right direction. we also got a very late dinner - they prepared an awesome meal at 11.30pm at night! it was beautiful greek salad, outstanding steak (you have no idea how much i've been craving steak!) and free soft drink! yay, no water!!!!!

we then drove some more today, passing from Albania to Montenegro to Croatia and arriving in Dubrovnik at 7pm. We will be staying here tonight and tomorrow, and then on to Zadar the next day. Tomorrow will be touring the old city and a beautiful cruise where we can take our bathers... tell you what, i am enjoying all this swimming!

oh, and as in the title, i am sick as a dog. illness has spread thru the bus like wildfire. awesome. i am getting better, but it's a slow process. damn stupid cold, go away you bugger!!!! still, fun times are being had and that's the main thing!