It's a holiday

...And I'm back.
Yes, I have been missing in action for the past three months, but I promise I have an excuse. I have been gallivanting, globetrotting, wandering or whatever you want to call it across Europe for my very first time. With my new backpack on tight on the night of July 1, I left Radelaide behind in search of a new adventure with my first stop just a short 24-hour plane trip away. 

Yeah so, 24 hours is a pretty long time, go figure. Include 14 hours in London and another four-hour plane trip; I was slightly disheveled when I blew into sunny Mykonos. Oh how excited I was to be in the Greek Islands! From Mykonos I went to Ios, Santorini and Rhodes. Each Island was so special and exciting in it's own way. For me Ios was the winner as it had a perfect balance of beach, party, food and I stayed in an absolutely wicked hostel called Francesco's. Santorini has got to have one of the most stunning sunsets in the world, the way the entire town gathered each night to watch the sunset was breathtaking, and a true tourist experience for anyone who wants to visit. Santorini also had some great shopping; I would go back there just for a little retail therapy if I had the money.

Next country (I like saying that) was Turkey, which I find quite hard to rate. My week in Turkey was spent sailing across the coast so I in no way can I recommend any of the cities or usual Turkish sites. I can however say the Sail Turkey trip I did with Busabout was my definition of a perfect holiday. Seven days on a yacht with 20 other travellers and three hilarious crewmembers was most definitely a highlight of my trip. With pure waters, sun lounges, some water sports here and there, and traditional Turkish food made for you breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was hard to believe it was classified as a budget trip.

As you can see I still got to have a macaroon

Next stop was the big one, Contiki. Let's be honest with a Contiki tour it isn't about where you go, because it all happens so fast, it is about whom you are with and I had a great group, more than great. For any of you reading out there, you're pretty darn awesome. I never thought I would be one to do a Contiki because the idea of spending almost half the time on a bus gives me flash backs to family road trips with me, the my brother and the dog in the back seat for eight hours. Plus I am more of a spend three hours sitting sipping coffee and admiring macaroons at a French patisserie type of girl, than a run across town looking through every church, building, monument and art gallery the French ever made type. BUT and this is a big but, I am so glad I did it and now I have met so many great new people, done so many things I wouldn't get to do if I travelled alone and I have seen not everything, but most of what you go to Europe to see.

        

I guess to sum up the 20-day-Contiki as fast as I can we started of making our way through France staying in Paris, Beaujolais Wine Region and Nice, with a quick visit to Monaco. Being in Paris was surreal, seeing all the sights that I had only heard about was actually quite hard to properly register. Then to Italy where we stopped in Pisa (again with the surrealism and your typical "holding the leaning tower" tourist photo), Florence, Rome and Venice. I have got to admit the photo ops in Venice were beautiful and I also had my best pasta dish here - tortellini with a creamy sauce - YUM. An example of the carb loading that went down in Italy. One of my favourite countries, Austria was next. We stayed in a small town called Hopfgarten, where I went white water rafting, mountain bike riding and paragliding - two days of being a little dare devil, even if I say so myself.

Beers and bike riding was next in Munich. The tour we did around Munich on cruiser bikes finishing off at a beer garden was my favourite activity of the whole trip. Closely followed by a day earlier on in Beaujolais Wine Region, spent lounging around a pool looking over rolling hills of vineyards one way and our home for two nights; a French Chateau behind us. Complete with a picnic of baguettes and Camembert of course. Opps I got a bit carried away reminiscing there, anyway back to Munich. If you get the chance to go to Munich do a Mike's Bike tour, you absolutely must. If you don't have fun you should probably get yourself checked out.    

The picturesque and proud country of Switzerland was next. Picture the corniest scene you can. Here's mine: you're driving through the Swiss Alps, above you are glossy green mountains some capped with a little snow then some with slight cracks making for open waterfalls with water gushing out and dropping many metres below. You past small little towns, every wooden house the same with colourful flowers surrounding them and at least two Swiss flags hanging from the window. You pull up to where you're staying open the door to your balcony and you see the exact same thing, the grass, the mountains, the waterfalls, even a running river and blah blah blah. Sounds pretty amazing right? I kid you not; it was actually like that but better. The hills were alive just like the song said they would be. 

  

After one night in the Rhine Valley (somewhere pointless in Germany), it was coming to the end of our trip and what a better way to finish it off than in Amsterdam. We all know what Amsterdam is and boy it is crazy fun but do you want to know my favourite part? Pomme frites with frites sauce. Translation: the best hot chips you have ever tasted with some delicious mayonnaise sauce that has led to a serious mayonnaise addiction. Seriously, I consider myself a great foodie but I have to say the pomme frites got the best of me. They won.

Then that was it; I had reached the end of my five and a bit week whirlwind of Europe. But hey, that's ok because instead of going home I am here in London - insert squeal of girly excitement - to stay, live and hopefully work for as long as I can, even if it is only for a couple of months. So stay tuned for stories from London town!

Britt ox

p.s yes you got me, I do like a good jumping photo