It is, yet again, a fairly long time since I last posted. Six months, or thereabouts. Enough to need a new post.
I have been overseas, and it was a fair amount of fun. Got to see lots of different things, and meet a lot of new people, and not understand a word of what some people were saying! The joys of travelling in Europe: a new language nearly every single day! Overall, I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend anyone doing it.
I went through Contiki for my trip, and chose one that went for 3 weeks. Trust me, that amount of time is enough for anyone travelling. You are pretty much on each other's nerves by the end of it, and are sick of living out of a suitcase with NO clean clothes left, unless you were lucky enough to wash some somewhere along the way. I achieved washing some in Vienna. I had the room to myself, and used the bathroom.
I got to see several amazing cities, many for the first time: Lucerne, Nice, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam. I had been to Paris and Munich before, but in Munich I can now say that I've been to the Hofbrauhaus, and in Paris I can say that I've been to the Moulin Rouge. When travelling in Rome it is an absolute must to see the Vatican City (definitely a must!!) as well as the Colosseum and the Roman ruins. We unfortunately had rain the day we were in Rome, but that just added more fun to the adventure. I also got to see the Mouth of Truth, made famous in the movie 'Roman Holiday' with Audrey Hepburn (who won best actress Oscar for the role) and Gregory Peck. Both very fine actors.
To me, Venice and Amsterdam are very similar in one respect: there are canals everywhere. However, where Venice is sinking quickly into the mud, Amsterdam just has buildings that are tilting due to foundations. I'm not quite sure which is worse! Both cities, though, are extraordinary in their creation, and will be a highlight of my trip memories every time I think back on it. I also got to wander around both of them on my own, trying to make sure I didn't get lost in Venice (which is apparently very easy to do, but I didn't achieve it - YES!), and finding my way to the Rijks Museum to view the Dutch Masters. Venice is charming due to all the lovely canalways and gondolas, and walkways and bridges. However, be prepared for some smell if you go on a gondola. Yes, the waterways do smell. Only in certain back ones, though. Amsterdam is beautiful as well, and very easy to walk around due to all it's flatness.
Anyway, I have other things I must attend to. Write something new hopefully another time during the year.
Oh, and the title of the blog refers to my birthday on Tuesday. Not having a party of friends coming around - have lost touch of Sydney ones. Hopefully, though, it'll be a lot of fun anyway.
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