Friday, May 30, 2008
Beeb Beeb - Jamie has won a Bafta
In case you're wondering what a Bafta is go look here http://www.bafta.org/
Monday, May 26, 2008
Contiki Craziness - Parts 10 &11
Day 10 - Lucerne, Switzerland to Paris, France
The 4 captains had an early start the next day and rushed off in the morning (leaving a good 20mins before everyone else) so that we could get the 4 front seats in the bus. We thought that it would be nice to have a good view for the longest leg of the journey. This saddened a few of our fellow passengers as they had had these seats for the majority of the journey and didn't want to give them up.
During the journey we had a huge French history lesson from Nanny Nat, most people fell to sleep halfway through but Captain Sparrow was enthralled by talk of guillotines, Kings and Napoleans exploits. As we crossed the border into France we entered into some heavy snowfall. It was really pretty and we were lucky enough to get some time to play in it when we stopped for lunch.
Finally after a huge day in the bus we mde it into Paris and had a night tour of the city. It was amazing to see the sites and we got a few good photos when we were allowed to stop and get out of the bus.
Day 11 - Paris, France
After a delicious breakfast of croissionts and fruit and yoghurt (were not in Italy anymore) we all headed of in the bus to none other than the Eiffel Tower. It was a cold morning in Paris and the queue was already quite long. Finally we made it to the front of the queue (after about 35-40mins, not too bad really) and got our tickets to go all the way to the top of the Tower.
We had to take 2 lifts to get to the very top, but once there the veiw was AMAZING!! and just to top off the experience it started to snow, so you can imagine how cold it was being up soooo high. Captain Barboasa even managed to make it up and not feel too giddy from the height.
After we had finished at the Eiffel Tower we decided to take the metro to the Arc de Triomph (we were way too cold to walk around and explore that day) where we saw the war memorial for the unknown soldier. The arc is in the centre of the busiest round-a-bout in Paris and was built between 1806-1808 by the Emperor Napoleon I.
Following this we went to see the Lourve, unfortunalely we couldn't go inside as it was closed for the day, but even just to see the courtyard out the front and the controversial glass pyramid was really cool. As it was such a cold day we all decided to head back to the Hotel early so we could have a rest and get warm before the nights entertainment began. Capatins Hook and Morgan opted to have a sleep while Captains Barboasa and Sparrow took advantage of the Hotels spa and sauna facilities to help them get warm.
Feeling well rested we headed out to the Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show. The meal and show alike were amazing and the costumes left little to the imagination, you wouldn't catch me in one :)
Bon Voyage
The 4 captains had an early start the next day and rushed off in the morning (leaving a good 20mins before everyone else) so that we could get the 4 front seats in the bus. We thought that it would be nice to have a good view for the longest leg of the journey. This saddened a few of our fellow passengers as they had had these seats for the majority of the journey and didn't want to give them up.
During the journey we had a huge French history lesson from Nanny Nat, most people fell to sleep halfway through but Captain Sparrow was enthralled by talk of guillotines, Kings and Napoleans exploits. As we crossed the border into France we entered into some heavy snowfall. It was really pretty and we were lucky enough to get some time to play in it when we stopped for lunch.
Day 11 - Paris, France
After a delicious breakfast of croissionts and fruit and yoghurt (were not in Italy anymore) we all headed of in the bus to none other than the Eiffel Tower. It was a cold morning in Paris and the queue was already quite long. Finally we made it to the front of the queue (after about 35-40mins, not too bad really) and got our tickets to go all the way to the top of the Tower.
We had to take 2 lifts to get to the very top, but once there the veiw was AMAZING!! and just to top off the experience it started to snow, so you can imagine how cold it was being up soooo high. Captain Barboasa even managed to make it up and not feel too giddy from the height.
After we had finished at the Eiffel Tower we decided to take the metro to the Arc de Triomph (we were way too cold to walk around and explore that day) where we saw the war memorial for the unknown soldier. The arc is in the centre of the busiest round-a-bout in Paris and was built between 1806-1808 by the Emperor Napoleon I.
Following this we went to see the Lourve, unfortunalely we couldn't go inside as it was closed for the day, but even just to see the courtyard out the front and the controversial glass pyramid was really cool. As it was such a cold day we all decided to head back to the Hotel early so we could have a rest and get warm before the nights entertainment began. Capatins Hook and Morgan opted to have a sleep while Captains Barboasa and Sparrow took advantage of the Hotels spa and sauna facilities to help them get warm.
Feeling well rested we headed out to the Moulin Rouge for dinner and a show. The meal and show alike were amazing and the costumes left little to the imagination, you wouldn't catch me in one :)
Bon Voyage
Contiki Craziness - Part 9
Day 9 - Florance to Switzerland Lucerne
Nat our fearless tour guide explained to us 'always double bag, after a masscive night out on the Contiki Craziness' and as you can imagine, we felt sick and the rest of the bus was feeling down right ill! The Captains slept it off as we were used to a big night on the rum.
Though the rest of the land lovers were throwing up left right and centre, luckily they didn't throw up in the bus toilets otherwise as the bus driver Jordi said 'if anyone throws up in the toilet or takes a crap, it'll get into the bus air conditioning and stink the whole bus out', thankfully this didn't happen but I can just imagine the consequences on a long bus ride.
The pirates sat zombied out from such a big night, people re-counted their stories and exploits from the previous night at the disco, it was very amusing. The bus stopped for another Italian grill and back we went to Burger King and McDonald's to the small queues, we're such tourists ahhh well.
The Contiki bus crossed the border and Nat gave us a huge talk on Switzerland and their part in wars and how they are a neutral country.
- Not part of the EU
- Crrency Swiss Franc
- One of the few counties not to enter the world wards
- Defensive country, all roads and entrances can be blown up by the Swiss Military
- Farms have underground tunnels, train tracks and bunkers so they can initiate immediate response to a threat.
- Very defensive as all neighbouring countries are very powerful i.e. Germany, Italy, Austria and France.
- All houses are equipped with guns, bombs and shelters.
- Extremely pretty place though cold
The captains arrived in Lucerne and were shown a Swiss army knife shop, they didn't look any cheaper than normal however it was a public holiday and they exchanged our money there and we were happy with that. Captain Barboasa had the money changed and divided the plunder between the captains, we were all running very low on funds at that stage however we managed to find ourselves in a nice cafe overlooking the city square.
Captn Morgan gave Captn Barboasa an informative lecture on saddlebags because Barboasa wasn't quite up with the captain code but after a little training Barboasa'll be just tops. After that we got ready to go to our accommodation 'The Jail House'. Nat asked us to pack a night bag and carry our bags across a bridge, I'm guessing this is because our tour driver and guide didn't want to waste the time in taking all our large bags out, it wasn't exactly that hard to get to.
It did save us some time though and we found our rooms no problem, they were pretty make shift but did the trick. As there was hardly any ventilation, being an x-jail they were a tad smelly, though the three course meal bought us up a notch or two. That night we got an early sleep though Captns Morgan n Cook were haunted throughout the night but people smoking outside and the smoke entering their rooms and water from the showers running directly through their room at 3am!!!!
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha
Nat our fearless tour guide explained to us 'always double bag, after a masscive night out on the Contiki Craziness' and as you can imagine, we felt sick and the rest of the bus was feeling down right ill! The Captains slept it off as we were used to a big night on the rum.
Though the rest of the land lovers were throwing up left right and centre, luckily they didn't throw up in the bus toilets otherwise as the bus driver Jordi said 'if anyone throws up in the toilet or takes a crap, it'll get into the bus air conditioning and stink the whole bus out', thankfully this didn't happen but I can just imagine the consequences on a long bus ride.
The pirates sat zombied out from such a big night, people re-counted their stories and exploits from the previous night at the disco, it was very amusing. The bus stopped for another Italian grill and back we went to Burger King and McDonald's to the small queues, we're such tourists ahhh well.
The Contiki bus crossed the border and Nat gave us a huge talk on Switzerland and their part in wars and how they are a neutral country.
- Not part of the EU
- Crrency Swiss Franc
- One of the few counties not to enter the world wards
- Defensive country, all roads and entrances can be blown up by the Swiss Military
- Farms have underground tunnels, train tracks and bunkers so they can initiate immediate response to a threat.
- Very defensive as all neighbouring countries are very powerful i.e. Germany, Italy, Austria and France.
- All houses are equipped with guns, bombs and shelters.
- Extremely pretty place though cold
The captains arrived in Lucerne and were shown a Swiss army knife shop, they didn't look any cheaper than normal however it was a public holiday and they exchanged our money there and we were happy with that. Captain Barboasa had the money changed and divided the plunder between the captains, we were all running very low on funds at that stage however we managed to find ourselves in a nice cafe overlooking the city square.
Captn Morgan gave Captn Barboasa an informative lecture on saddlebags because Barboasa wasn't quite up with the captain code but after a little training Barboasa'll be just tops. After that we got ready to go to our accommodation 'The Jail House'. Nat asked us to pack a night bag and carry our bags across a bridge, I'm guessing this is because our tour driver and guide didn't want to waste the time in taking all our large bags out, it wasn't exactly that hard to get to.
It did save us some time though and we found our rooms no problem, they were pretty make shift but did the trick. As there was hardly any ventilation, being an x-jail they were a tad smelly, though the three course meal bought us up a notch or two. That night we got an early sleep though Captns Morgan n Cook were haunted throughout the night but people smoking outside and the smoke entering their rooms and water from the showers running directly through their room at 3am!!!!
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Contiki Craziness - Part 8
Day 8 - Rome to Florence, Italy
After having stayed in Rome for 2 nights it was time for the Contiki group to venture off again and explore somewhere new. Another exciting breakfast of dried bread, then off to Florence. The birth place of some very famous artists (Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo all born in Tuscany).
When we arrived in Florence we were all taken to the central Piazza where we had a group photo of the group taken. It was supposed to be a professional job, but was just shocking. The photo wasn't all that great and a waste of time and money really.
Following the photo we had another guided tour around the city, it was really quite amazing and the Tuscan people are really proud of the art heritage. Their city is said to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, there were statues on nearly every corner of the city.
That night we had an optional dinner at a Tuscan restaurant which was absolutely amazing. There was an opera singer and some music being played throughout the meal, and they were really looking for some people to join in and have a dance. Captain's Sparrow and Barboasa answered the call and carved up the dance floor for the length of one very long song. Captain Barboasa was feeling a little dizzy afterwards. Following the dance display the opera singer paid close attention to Capt'n Sparrow, and serenaded him, then took him for a dance of her own. It was highly entertaining.
Following an great meal we were well primed to go to the 'Space Electronic Disco'. When we arrived it was mainly just our group there, but it didn't take long before the place filled up and we got our groove on. They have these weird cards they give you, where the first drink is free but if you want another one they just stamp the card and total it at the end of the night. No need to carry cash around, however it would be really easy to loose track of your funds.......
On the main dance floor there were large LCD screens that lit up an the announcer called out 'Contiki...Australia.....New Zealand.....America' etc. you get the picture, but it was really cool. After they called out each country the screams got louder as we all tried to out do each other. The one thing that really stood out was the fact that single girls were being hounded by the locals and there was reports the next morning saying that 'we have never felt so violated'.
As we were headed back to the hotel, Captains Morgan and Hook got a bit lost trying to find the cashier counter to get a leave pass from the disco and ended up at the bar getting another drink, an expensive mistake that one. Captain Morgan then proceeded to rike up the taxi driver and nearly got us kicked out of the cab. Luckily though we made it back in one piece, for Captains Morgan and Hook to be told off by Nat the tour manager for partying in the hallways at 3am and keeping everyone awake. They were not too popular the next morning and we were all very tired.
Keep partying Captains xoxox
After having stayed in Rome for 2 nights it was time for the Contiki group to venture off again and explore somewhere new. Another exciting breakfast of dried bread, then off to Florence. The birth place of some very famous artists (Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo all born in Tuscany).
When we arrived in Florence we were all taken to the central Piazza where we had a group photo of the group taken. It was supposed to be a professional job, but was just shocking. The photo wasn't all that great and a waste of time and money really.
Following the photo we had another guided tour around the city, it was really quite amazing and the Tuscan people are really proud of the art heritage. Their city is said to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, there were statues on nearly every corner of the city.
That night we had an optional dinner at a Tuscan restaurant which was absolutely amazing. There was an opera singer and some music being played throughout the meal, and they were really looking for some people to join in and have a dance. Captain's Sparrow and Barboasa answered the call and carved up the dance floor for the length of one very long song. Captain Barboasa was feeling a little dizzy afterwards. Following the dance display the opera singer paid close attention to Capt'n Sparrow, and serenaded him, then took him for a dance of her own. It was highly entertaining.
Following an great meal we were well primed to go to the 'Space Electronic Disco'. When we arrived it was mainly just our group there, but it didn't take long before the place filled up and we got our groove on. They have these weird cards they give you, where the first drink is free but if you want another one they just stamp the card and total it at the end of the night. No need to carry cash around, however it would be really easy to loose track of your funds.......
On the main dance floor there were large LCD screens that lit up an the announcer called out 'Contiki...Australia.....New Zealand.....America' etc. you get the picture, but it was really cool. After they called out each country the screams got louder as we all tried to out do each other. The one thing that really stood out was the fact that single girls were being hounded by the locals and there was reports the next morning saying that 'we have never felt so violated'.
As we were headed back to the hotel, Captains Morgan and Hook got a bit lost trying to find the cashier counter to get a leave pass from the disco and ended up at the bar getting another drink, an expensive mistake that one. Captain Morgan then proceeded to rike up the taxi driver and nearly got us kicked out of the cab. Luckily though we made it back in one piece, for Captains Morgan and Hook to be told off by Nat the tour manager for partying in the hallways at 3am and keeping everyone awake. They were not too popular the next morning and we were all very tired.
Keep partying Captains xoxox
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Contiki Craziness - Part 7
Day 7 - Rome, Rome, Roma
We awoke to a glorious morning and had another dry piece of bread for breakfast Italian style. The sun was out and boy we were ready for a day of fun in the sun!
As per usual we all piled onto the bus and were taken in Rome for a day in the capital of Italy, obviously the bus was piping with excitement. Nat our fearless tour guide, told us we could do the Saint Peters' Basilica and then the Vatican in the morning, and catch-up with another tour guide in the afternoon.
In Italy you have to have a degree to be a tour guide and pass some special tour guide tests and get a piece of paper from the government and council no doubt.
So our Contiki guide wasn't qualified to show us around town and if she was caught pointing our sites n stuff would be fined HUGE money, that left us pretty much on our own for the morning.
We went through the Saint Peters' Basilica which was pretty massive and you could tell all the marble in their was plundered from the Colosseum. We even went through the tomb downstairs, dead Popes n stuff...... yuck. All and it all was just another Church and wasn't to exciting for the captains, after we finished up there we took one look at the Vatican line(2 hours+) and decided to instead walk down Tiber river.
Captains Barboasa and Hook were in charge of navigating and looked at the map a lot, which was funny as I took these great shots of them, having a camera is great because it gets you off doing the orienteering.
Shortly after viewing the maps Capt'n Barboasa showed us how to cross the road, a large group of people were waiting at a traffic controlled crossing for the cars, having failed to see the red man on the traffic lights and fearlessly made the international stop sign with her hand, walking across the road with a sway in her stride and a grin on her face. Exactly how our tour guide had told us to cross a busy intersection, providing of course there were no traffic lights.
Stunned the three of us looked at each other as Capt'n Barboasa had just crossed one of busiest intersections and stopped traffic using nothing but their hand all the while a little red man was displayed on the traffic light. Luckily the cars were a bit grid locked and stopped one by one as they crossed, I'm glad they did, otherwise the fockers would have had me for breakfast, lunch or dinner one of em anyway. We all had a huge laugh about it afterwards and carried on our merry way.
After a short while we reached the river and I took some stunning photo's, Captn's Morgan and Hook were rushing it up to the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and the Mouth of Truth, where a few more photo's ensured, boy were we tourists or what. Then off to a cafe, it seemed to take forever to find one but once we had, we had a tasty Italian meal.
At the end of the meal this homeless man came begging for money and Captain Sparrow gave him a few coins and was rewarded with a hug, no one else gave any plunder. The homeless man didn't speak any English but he started making signs as it wasn't enough, so Captain Sparrow let a few canon balls go, it would have been the modern day equivalent to a cluster bomb. The poor man rushed away and the rest of the pirates laughed and cringed at the same time!
After that we rushed down to the guided tour at the Colosseum, the tour lady was pretty good and talked up the Roman ruins and gave us some interesting facts about Rome. After that we waited for our organised dinner. It was so HORRID I didn't have hardly anything, I swear that place re-cooked up the previous nights food, I would have rather bought another meal, far out. And then went to a tube station which was closed!!!! So that meant running to another one in the pouring rain, this was to be blamed on the Pope as he was talking that evening and attracted a massive crowd....
All in all we made it back in one peice and throughly wet, good old Rome a day to remember arghhh me harties, arghh, arrgghhh, arrrrrggghhhh
As per usual we all piled onto the bus and were taken in Rome for a day in the capital of Italy, obviously the bus was piping with excitement. Nat our fearless tour guide, told us we could do the Saint Peters' Basilica and then the Vatican in the morning, and catch-up with another tour guide in the afternoon.
In Italy you have to have a degree to be a tour guide and pass some special tour guide tests and get a piece of paper from the government and council no doubt.
So our Contiki guide wasn't qualified to show us around town and if she was caught pointing our sites n stuff would be fined HUGE money, that left us pretty much on our own for the morning.
We went through the Saint Peters' Basilica which was pretty massive and you could tell all the marble in their was plundered from the Colosseum. We even went through the tomb downstairs, dead Popes n stuff...... yuck. All and it all was just another Church and wasn't to exciting for the captains, after we finished up there we took one look at the Vatican line(2 hours+) and decided to instead walk down Tiber river.
Captains Barboasa and Hook were in charge of navigating and looked at the map a lot, which was funny as I took these great shots of them, having a camera is great because it gets you off doing the orienteering.
Shortly after viewing the maps Capt'n Barboasa showed us how to cross the road, a large group of people were waiting at a traffic controlled crossing for the cars, having failed to see the red man on the traffic lights and fearlessly made the international stop sign with her hand, walking across the road with a sway in her stride and a grin on her face. Exactly how our tour guide had told us to cross a busy intersection, providing of course there were no traffic lights.
Stunned the three of us looked at each other as Capt'n Barboasa had just crossed one of busiest intersections and stopped traffic using nothing but their hand all the while a little red man was displayed on the traffic light. Luckily the cars were a bit grid locked and stopped one by one as they crossed, I'm glad they did, otherwise the fockers would have had me for breakfast, lunch or dinner one of em anyway. We all had a huge laugh about it afterwards and carried on our merry way.
After a short while we reached the river and I took some stunning photo's, Captn's Morgan and Hook were rushing it up to the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and the Mouth of Truth, where a few more photo's ensured, boy were we tourists or what. Then off to a cafe, it seemed to take forever to find one but once we had, we had a tasty Italian meal.
At the end of the meal this homeless man came begging for money and Captain Sparrow gave him a few coins and was rewarded with a hug, no one else gave any plunder. The homeless man didn't speak any English but he started making signs as it wasn't enough, so Captain Sparrow let a few canon balls go, it would have been the modern day equivalent to a cluster bomb. The poor man rushed away and the rest of the pirates laughed and cringed at the same time!
After that we rushed down to the guided tour at the Colosseum, the tour lady was pretty good and talked up the Roman ruins and gave us some interesting facts about Rome. After that we waited for our organised dinner. It was so HORRID I didn't have hardly anything, I swear that place re-cooked up the previous nights food, I would have rather bought another meal, far out. And then went to a tube station which was closed!!!! So that meant running to another one in the pouring rain, this was to be blamed on the Pope as he was talking that evening and attracted a massive crowd....
All in all we made it back in one peice and throughly wet, good old Rome a day to remember arghhh me harties, arghh, arrgghhh, arrrrrggghhhh
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Contiki Craziness - Part 6
Day 6 - Venice to Rome, Italy
That morning we got up late and were hungry from the previous days adventure, we rushed downstairs for a nice meal. However breakfast was a piece of bread and some chocolate thing in plastic. Italian hotels don't really do breakfast all that well.
That morning Captn Barbossa N Sparrow were late to the bus and were relegated to the back again, however Captn Morgans n Cook made it to the centre as they were speedy goons. It was another long bus ride and there was alot of traffic coming into Rome. The driver Jordie even had to make an unscheduled stop as he was only allowed to be on the road for a limited duration.
At the stop we managed to eat Burger King in 45 minutes at a rush, so fast food in Italy ain't all that fast. The landscape changed again on the journey and there were mountain villages all the way into Rome it looked really pleasing to the eye, there were another few camera shots taken from the bus.
We arrived in Rome and were drove around the major sites for a look around, it was really amazing as we saw the ruins and coliseum, they look nothing like the movies, it was like another world. The bus did an illegal stop in the middle of the city and we popped out quick smart before the tourist police came and smacked the driver with a heavy fine.
The sun was coming down and we rushed around the major sites and threw afew coins away for goodluck at one the Trevi fountain. Captn Morgan was really impacted by this place, although everyone had some real wow moments. We found dinner in the centre of the city and had a huge meal. Captn Jack Sparrow decided to get some seafood for an entrée but it was as big as the pizza's we got for the mains so it wasn't all finished.
The guy at the restaurant was really entertaining and spoke to us in English and then spoke to a couple in a language we didn't understand, we enquired and he said "It 's Dutch and in Rome you're expected to speak everything f**n^%$g language, it's crazy" and laughed.
That night we had an early rest and awaited for the next big day to explore Rome.
Captain Jack Sparrow
That morning we got up late and were hungry from the previous days adventure, we rushed downstairs for a nice meal. However breakfast was a piece of bread and some chocolate thing in plastic. Italian hotels don't really do breakfast all that well.
That morning Captn Barbossa N Sparrow were late to the bus and were relegated to the back again, however Captn Morgans n Cook made it to the centre as they were speedy goons. It was another long bus ride and there was alot of traffic coming into Rome. The driver Jordie even had to make an unscheduled stop as he was only allowed to be on the road for a limited duration.
At the stop we managed to eat Burger King in 45 minutes at a rush, so fast food in Italy ain't all that fast. The landscape changed again on the journey and there were mountain villages all the way into Rome it looked really pleasing to the eye, there were another few camera shots taken from the bus.
We arrived in Rome and were drove around the major sites for a look around, it was really amazing as we saw the ruins and coliseum, they look nothing like the movies, it was like another world. The bus did an illegal stop in the middle of the city and we popped out quick smart before the tourist police came and smacked the driver with a heavy fine.
The sun was coming down and we rushed around the major sites and threw afew coins away for goodluck at one the Trevi fountain. Captn Morgan was really impacted by this place, although everyone had some real wow moments. We found dinner in the centre of the city and had a huge meal. Captn Jack Sparrow decided to get some seafood for an entrée but it was as big as the pizza's we got for the mains so it wasn't all finished.
The guy at the restaurant was really entertaining and spoke to us in English and then spoke to a couple in a language we didn't understand, we enquired and he said "It 's Dutch and in Rome you're expected to speak everything f**n^%$g language, it's crazy" and laughed.
That night we had an early rest and awaited for the next big day to explore Rome.
Captain Jack Sparrow
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Contiki Craziness - Part 5
Day 5 - Innsubruck, Austria to Venice, Italy
Venician Casanova's gallivanting in Gondola's
After feeling overslept and still abit groggy we rolled out of bed and faced the showers, every hotel had a different setup and the most important part was the shower. That morning the shower was cold and quick however the breakfast was heaps better with yoghurt, cereal, ham and fruit, this was the last of the normal breakfast's to be digested.
And with that we had a devious plan to change the seating, the back of the bus was hot and there was a little bit of animosity was being fostered so we all turned up to the bus early and moved ourselves to the middle of the bus. For the most part people were used to their seats but now they had to find new ones and a few poor souls found themselves cramped and hot in the back as a big heater is located at the back of the bus.
In our travel to Venice was passed gorgeous vineyards and Terracotta housing which littered the landscape. Venice itself is only accessible by boat and usually floods, forcing the shop owners to put out planks so the shoppers don't get to wet. Nat our tour manager told us to wear good shoes, weather proof jackets and the like, however it turned out to be the most stunning day we'd seen.
So we all got off the bus and piled into a small boat, we sat at the front and lapped up the sun, everyone's mood changed for the best and we arrived at Venice. Venice itself isn't that big but it sure was easy to get lost. There were loads of little alley ways and very few signs, though somehow we didn't get lost. Guess that was Captain's Hook and Barboasa on directions or something, the place wasn't actually that big.
Now the day was at it's peak and we had an arranged gondola tour around Venice, we were told some drivers even sang to you. As it was we were the four pirates of the high seas and Nat the tour driver read our names out as we had written them for the booking ' Captains Morgan, Jack Sparrow, Barboasa and Hook'. We all had a laugh and hoped on, the tour through the canals was very relaxing and we all had a good time. There were a few foul smells but nothing to shocking, all and all it was dam fine.
Contiki had arranged us to view and purchase some glass blowing stuff, we all huddled into a small room and viewed some dude making little horse figurines out of glass. I'd rather not have gone into these little nick knack stores as our time was always very pressed. We wandered round the shop didn't buy anything but used their facilities, which we found to be a little different. In Italy the toilets don't seem to have seats..... hmmm well for the majority of them.
So we wandered round Venice explored the little markets and waited for our organised dinner which was to be that night. The dinner was an optional extra, which we paid for and boy we were hungry by the time they served up the meal. The food was great and the entertainment was spectacular.
There was a couple of guys with musical instruments playing in the background and then all of a sudden they were in the foreground. Capn Morgan was being serenaded by an Italian and we were loving it. Out the camera's came and snapped up the entertainment and embarrassed diners - us. Well it was such a good night, towards the end Capn Barboasa and Capn Sparrow got up for a dance while the other two pirates just took it easy.
Then we had an festive boat ride to our next hotel, where we all had a very good sleep.
Captain Sparrow
Venician Casanova's gallivanting in Gondola's
After feeling overslept and still abit groggy we rolled out of bed and faced the showers, every hotel had a different setup and the most important part was the shower. That morning the shower was cold and quick however the breakfast was heaps better with yoghurt, cereal, ham and fruit, this was the last of the normal breakfast's to be digested.
And with that we had a devious plan to change the seating, the back of the bus was hot and there was a little bit of animosity was being fostered so we all turned up to the bus early and moved ourselves to the middle of the bus. For the most part people were used to their seats but now they had to find new ones and a few poor souls found themselves cramped and hot in the back as a big heater is located at the back of the bus.
In our travel to Venice was passed gorgeous vineyards and Terracotta housing which littered the landscape. Venice itself is only accessible by boat and usually floods, forcing the shop owners to put out planks so the shoppers don't get to wet. Nat our tour manager told us to wear good shoes, weather proof jackets and the like, however it turned out to be the most stunning day we'd seen.
So we all got off the bus and piled into a small boat, we sat at the front and lapped up the sun, everyone's mood changed for the best and we arrived at Venice. Venice itself isn't that big but it sure was easy to get lost. There were loads of little alley ways and very few signs, though somehow we didn't get lost. Guess that was Captain's Hook and Barboasa on directions or something, the place wasn't actually that big.
Now the day was at it's peak and we had an arranged gondola tour around Venice, we were told some drivers even sang to you. As it was we were the four pirates of the high seas and Nat the tour driver read our names out as we had written them for the booking ' Captains Morgan, Jack Sparrow, Barboasa and Hook'. We all had a laugh and hoped on, the tour through the canals was very relaxing and we all had a good time. There were a few foul smells but nothing to shocking, all and all it was dam fine.
Contiki had arranged us to view and purchase some glass blowing stuff, we all huddled into a small room and viewed some dude making little horse figurines out of glass. I'd rather not have gone into these little nick knack stores as our time was always very pressed. We wandered round the shop didn't buy anything but used their facilities, which we found to be a little different. In Italy the toilets don't seem to have seats..... hmmm well for the majority of them.
So we wandered round Venice explored the little markets and waited for our organised dinner which was to be that night. The dinner was an optional extra, which we paid for and boy we were hungry by the time they served up the meal. The food was great and the entertainment was spectacular.
There was a couple of guys with musical instruments playing in the background and then all of a sudden they were in the foreground. Capn Morgan was being serenaded by an Italian and we were loving it. Out the camera's came and snapped up the entertainment and embarrassed diners - us. Well it was such a good night, towards the end Capn Barboasa and Capn Sparrow got up for a dance while the other two pirates just took it easy.
Then we had an festive boat ride to our next hotel, where we all had a very good sleep.
Captain Sparrow
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