Travel Tips

I am back from Europe, and have been thinking about the trip of my lifetime since I returned. I have some tips for any of you who are thinking of travelling.

1. Book your international trains. Eurail says that you don't need to, but I would do it to be safe. Trains caused us a few headaches throughout our trip, and we even had to book one flight because we couldn't get a spot on a train.

2. Do every free walking tour that you can. I learned more on the free walking tours that we went on than anything else we did. It is a great way to familiarize yourself with the city, learn about the monuments and meet new people. It is a very affordable way to see the city. Usually hostels will have information about the tours, or you can google them online.

3. If you know people who live in the city you are visiting, stay with them. We were lucky to stay with friends in Paris and Warsaw. We got to see and experience the city the way residents of the city experience it.

4. Bring a lot of underwear and socks. Laundry is not fun to do. Make sure to bring thin socks because thick ones won't dry in time for your departure.

5. Eat local dishes. Find a good restaurant and have at least one meal that is unique to the country you are in. Some of my favourite memories come from experiencing the food in every place.

6. Keep a blog. Writing a blog is the best way to keep everyone updated on your journey. It is also a way for you to keep track of your memories.

I hope that you have all enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Until my next adventure...Ciao for now.

That's Amore

Please forgive my typing. I am trying to write this with q french keyboard, and it is difficult.

The last few days we spent in Naples (Napoli) and Rome (Roma).

The pizza is Naples was the best I have ever had. The city itselft was not the nicest, but we got to visit Pompei, which was really neat.

Rome was amazing. The people were so nice. I loved the sights, especially the Vatican and the Colesseum. I think we did the most walking in Rome, compared to the other cities we have been to.

Now we are back in Paris. It is hard to believe our trip is almost over. It has been a blast, and I will never forget it. When I am back in Canada I will write one last blog about my European Adventure.

Ciao for now.

Island Paradise

Santorini is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. Since my last post we have been very busy.

Our Day Tour

First Stop: The Volcano

We hiked up a volcano and learned about the history of the island. We even got to feel really hot rocks from the active part of the volcano.

Second Stop: Hot Springs

They took us to the "hot springs." I put that in quotes because they were "luke-warm springs" at best. It was still pretty cool to swim in, athough we felt really dirty afterwards.

Third Stop: Therasia

This was an island that we stopped at for lunch. It was cute. We relaxed in the sun here.

Last Stop: Ia

This is the prettiest (in my opinion) part of the island. To get from the port to the city you either have to hike up a huge hill...or take a donkey. After all of the hiking we did earlier, we opted for the donkey. The donkey ride was definitely an interesting experience. Ia is the part of the island that has all the cute buildings in blue and white. The sunset was supposeed to be gorgeous from here, but just as it was about to set, clouds rolled in.

Today we rented ATV's and went to Red Beach, the light house and Fira. In our 3 days in Santorini, we were able to visit the entire island.

Next we travel to Naples and Rome.

Ciao for now.

Ode to Greece

I love Greece.

We arrived in Athens very late at night, and slept at the airport. We found a quiet carpeted area, and managed to sleep for probably around 3 hours.

After that we took the first bus to our hostel and toured the city. The hike up the Acropolis was difficult because we didn't have as much energy as we thought we did. To boost our energy and our spirits we had a delicious Greek lunch. The salad was amazing. I think I like Greek food best out of all the places we have been so far.

The people in Greece were really nice to us. Our hostel was okay. It was good for what we needed it for.

Last night we took the ferry to Santorini. I love it here. We went snorkeling today. The water was so clear it was awesome. The weather has been excellent. Tomorrow we will go on a tour to the hot springs, and a volcanic island.

I don't want to leave Greece. When we leave we will only have 1 week left of our time in Europe.

Ciao for now.

Auschwitz

My visit to Auschwitz changed my life. Words cannot describe the feelings that I felt when I walked through the camp.

I saw the faces of many prisoners in photos throughout the camp. Their faces showed strength. Not a single person showed the fear that they must have felt in the concentration camp.

The images of Auschwitz will be forever in my mind and heart.

There aren't any photos to accompany this post. I did not take any photos out of respect for the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their lives at Auschwitz.

I cannot describe the camp. It is something that you need to see to truly understand.

Checked out of Czech

I just left Prague, and am now in Krakow.

The journey to Prague started off a little difficult when we had train delays. After the delays it was hard to meet up with our friend from Manitoba who was meeting us there. The language barrier in Prague was more dominant than any other country so far. I'm pretty sure that people were swearing at us in Czech.

Once we finally got settled, and through the difficulties, we got to see Prague. It is one of the most beautiful cities that I have seen on my trip.

We did a free walking tour, and I got to learn a lot about the history of Prague. It was very interesting, and a good way to see all the sights, learn about the city and stay within budget.

We had a unique Czech dinner. There was beef, boiled bread, gravy and cranberry sauce. It sounds awful, but it was fantastic.

I was ready to "check out" of Czech Republic when I first arrived, but I am glad I gave it a chance. It was an amazing city.

Ciao for now.

My Favourite Things: Sound of Music - Salzburg, Austria

Since my last post I have been doing so many awsome things. We spent a day in Verona, where we ate gelati, and saw Juliet's Balcony. From there we went to Peschiera Del Garda, where it was 25 degrees celcius and was beautiful. We ate the best pizza, and drank a bottle of wine that only cost $5 CAD.

But now I will tell you about my favourite time ever so far this trip. The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, Austria. First of all, you have to understand that Julie Andrews was my childhood hero, and The Sound of Music is my all time favourite movie.

This morning we had a four hour tour of all the sights the film was shot at. I was in my glory. I got to skip down the road Maria skipped down, see the gazebo where the love scenes we shot. See the church that Maria and the Captain were married in, and so many other things. It was absolutely amazing. I also learned a lot from the tour guide about the filing of the movie, as well as the real Von Trapp family. It was very interesting.

I love Austria. It is defnitely one of my favourite things. The mountains are beautiful, the people are great, my hostel is fun and of course the Sound of Music was filmed here.

Random Sound of Music Fact: In the I have Confidence scene in the movie, the real Maria and her two children are in the background. The real Maria wanted to be in the movie, and this was the part she got.

Ciao for now.