Tour Begins!

So tour begins!! To top off my European travels I am doing a Topdeck tour around Paris, Switzerland, Florence and Rome! I am three days in but it feels like a lifetime! :) Already I have gotten to know the crew really well (comparatively small with only 24 people but nice)…and we have already done so much! Right now I am in Switzerland which has blown my mind more than I could imagine. We are staying in Lauterbrennan which is at the bottom of Juangfrau - the "Top of Europe". We caught a 2 hr train up there today and got to play in the snow and see the spectacular glory of the Swiss Alps! It was absolutely breathtaking….it blew me away more than Paris by miles. I have discovered that maybe I am just one for the scenery and nature! I love it!! We head off tomorrow nice and early for Florence! So excited!

Paris was OK! We began our tour at the crack of dawn to check in , catch a 2 hr bus to Dover (yet again - the white cliffs of Dover - spectacular), jumped on an 1 1/2 hr ferry to Calais and took another 4 hour bus ride to Paris. It was chatty cathys all the way as we had just met a bunch of new people so it was a good time to get to know everyone. Complete with introductions at the front of the bus with a list of questions to answer! I put on my best comedic effort!

The first night in Paris we did a city lights tour which is absolutely beautiful. Paris is all for the enhancement of it's architecture with lights. The next day was a free day to explore with optionals. We chose to do the Seine River cruise (which I fell asleep on - WHOOPS) and walked around Paris! It was kind of frustrating. Paris is not the romantic city it is portrayed to the world! Yes, the architecture is AMAZING! The history is fascinating and it is definitely worth a visit purely for these things….but between the tourists (Paris has the highest amount of tourists than any other country in the world) and the gypsies all swarming you to buy their crappy little trinkets and possibly steal your money - it  really is a frustrating city. We also only had one full day to enjoy it so trying to cram so much into it probably added to the frustration. However, the night time brought a spectacular French dinner and a night time French Cabaret. Possibly one of the most entertaining shows I have seen. I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Paris. It was a really great night and most people from the tour came so we had a great time together and had a little karaoke session on the way home to top it all off!

The next day was a drive day which means we took the long trek from Paris to the Swiss Alps crossing the French/Swiss border.  It was about a 10 hour drive but comfortable as there is so few people on tour. The long drive was well worth it when we started driving into the heart of the Alps and arrived at Lauterbrennan! This village is breathtaking. It is in a valley with vertically cut mountains as the valley walls. It is spectacular. And although there is snow  everywhere up above the horizon it isn't that cold so it is adding to the attraction of the place. It has really been a ball here and am thankful for the opportunity. I suppose it isn't something I would do on my own agenda so I am happy I had the opportunity on tour. We are off to Florence tomorrow….I am so beyond excited and I hope it lives up to the romanticism more so than Paris.

I realised today that it is 1 week until I fly out to China…this is altogether scary and absolutely amazing! I can't wait to start this new venture but I can imagine it isn't going to be as easy as traipsing around Europe! But I have been so excited for Asia for a long time so here it is! I got a really good mark on my TEFL course final grade so clearly I am capable of teaching English to ESL students so fingers crossed I've got this!! :) Time is flying. I have been in Europe nearly two months! That is crazy!

I get to go back to Prague for one night before I fly out to China! I can't wait to go back and Hi to the guys still there! I realised how much I really did love Prague! It was a fantastic city! The tour I am on is going there in a few stops time (I am doing the short part) so I have given them a tonne of tips! I am so tempted to continue with the tour and do the whole leg but I have an itinerary to stick to for the moment and money to earn so off to China I go! Then in six months time I will start the travel thing all again!

It's my mummies birthday today! I just want to call her now but I am sure she wouldn't appreciate the 6am wake up call! Will have to get in mid day! :) Got to talk to a very close friend today. It's always nice to feel the support of the people you love!

I am completely on a high right now….life is exciting and the adventure is thrilling.

Love to you all…

HJ xx

London Town....Week 2!

So I am on route from Paris to Switzerland right now but I still have another week of London to blog so I am gonna spend some time catching you all up on the adventures of London and the tour I am currently on! It has been an absolute whirlwind and I am so dizzy! Haha! I feel like I have been on tour for weeks but it has only been a couple of days!

Friday - second stint of London Town!

Friday was the first day of being shameless tourists as Sarah had arrived and I wanted to make sure she was thrown into all things culture, history and cuisine as soon as possible!

Friday it was raining so we thought an indoors visit to Madame Tussauds would be in order but with lack of pre-purchased tickets we were doomed to a 2 hour wait time to buy them so we opted an excursion to the London Eye and London Aquarium! This was fantastic. It was my second time on the eye but the day was slightly clearer which was nice! We also indulged in a treat of the most amazing waffles with strawberries, ice cream and chocolate sauce! I cannot even describe how good they were….unfortunately the coffee did not match - the worst by far….worse than Prague! The night was a date with Anna for all you can eat sushi at a place in the city….some amazing sushi going on there…was mighty fine! We then went out for a dance and drink to some cheesy RnB songs!

Saturday was Borough markets! I am not sure if I should even begin to describe this place…it takes too many superlative adjectives and salivation on my keyboard to describe!  It was a foodies dream with cheese, cured meats, breads, olives, sauces, brownies, cakes etc in so much abundance it hurt! I couldn't buy anything as I wasn't staying long enough to enjoy it but I definitely made the most of the taste testing! I enjoyed tasting all the hot sauces the sellers warned me not to try….but of did I enjoy it! Let's see if my Dad can handle the sauce I am sending home his way!  We spent all day there…long enough to thoroughly wear ourselves out. Saturday night we decided to join a pub crawl….it was so great….not for the tacky bars….but for the fact we met some various aussies and kiwis and formed a crew that took us through the night! Great fun, dancing and meeting new people!

Sunday Sarah was feeling a bit sore and sorry for herself but I was bouncing off the walls with energy so we decided to meet Anna at a VERY english pub for a good old fashioned Sunday roast and some down time….unfortunately Sairs needed to go home so we put her in a cab to Anna's not far away and we went to find Gelato!!

Sunday night was sleeping and a late dinner of Thai food!!

Monday - probably the most fun and entertaining and interesting day of our shameless tourist days! The sun was out in all its possible glory in England so we decided to take an open bus tour around London to get some info…the tour guide was classic and really kept us entertained and well informed! We checked out Buckingham….unimpressed….we checked out an English pub for lunch again seeing sarah was a little unable to eat any of her English lunch the day before. We then headed towards the London Tower (for me the most exciting part of the tour with all it's history and focus on Tudor England). It was so interesting and I got to check out the place and take photos of the place Anne Boelyn was beheaded which for me adds to my obsession with Tudor England. We then took the river cruise down the River Thames with yet another hilarious amateur guide.

We then met up with Terese…a friend I met through Anna….for a chocolate experience at the Chocolate Bar @ Harrods! OMG! Harrods is something to behold! This was a little too much for the savoury lover within but it had to be done!

Monday night was WICKED @ the victoria theatre! Now I know why my friends rated it so highly! It was AMAZING! We were up the back at first because of a ticket mix up but the kindest of ladies found seats for me fourth row back from the front at half time. It was an incredible performance!!

Dinner was a Cornish Pasty on the way home….had to be done!

Tuesday was probably the most miserable day of London by FAR! Unfortunately too much stuff went wrong and people were annoying so angry HJ came out and wouldn't go away!  Poor Sarah had to put up with me the whole time! I totally broke my resolution of just going with the flow….I realise when you are stressed…things just seem to get even worse than if you had of stayed calm! Between a series of disasters we managed to finish our bus tour, get to Madame Tussauds (way overrated) and eat nutella and strawberry crepes! AMAZING! We also got to the London Dungeon….very entertaining. We had to change accommodation to a different place that our Topdeck tour was leaving from. FYI if anyone wants a great hostel in London - stay @ Equity Point Paddington! I rate it highly….

Dinner was at OXO Tower…very fancy indeed and amazing food! Anna had gotten some last minute deal for it so it was a nice treat and chilled me out after a stressful day…lots of laughs with the girls was exactly what I needed.

Wednesday was nice and simple but a highlight of the tour. We booked a day trip tour to Windsor Castle, the Roman Baths and Stonehenge….all of which were amazing and highlights I really wanted to see. The tour was great…and someone else organising it was a dream.  I was clearly tired as every time I got on the bus I fell asleep….but the sights were amazing!! Windsor Castle was a huge highlight for me with all it's history. I took a photo under the King Henry VIII gate! Very cool….I also got to see where he was buried with his favourite Queen, Jane Seymore.

And that was London done! It went so fast but I feel like I saw a lot and ticked a tonne of boxes! I really loved London more than I expected…there is definitely more to see and do and can't wait to tick a few more boxes!

HJ xx

London Town....Week 1!

HELLO LONDON!! Wow! What a trip it has been since Prague! Non-stop! All I was hoping for was reprieve from study and a chance to just chill, sight see and play tourist but heck! It has been crazy! London is great…sometimes I feel like I am in Aus and sometimes I feel like I am in a completely other world and sometimes it's just hardcore UK! But all in all I have had a fantastic time so far and still more to come!

I arrived Saturday! A bit worse for wear (I was asleep before takeoff from Prague) after our crazy couple of last nights in Prague but ready for what London had to offer! I was so sad to leave Prague and all the crew and memories but excited for London! Still speaking Czech, I made my way around saying "dekuji" , "proseem vas" and "nasledanou" before realising I am now in an English speaking country…it took me a while though! One of Anna's flatmates aussie friends even mistook me for American….wow! That's what I get for hanging around them 24/7 for 4 1/2 weeks!! Haha!

UK Border….what can I say? Hardcore! After the very long wait in line in what I thought must have been the wrong country as I was the only Caucasian in sight….I was intently interrogated by the border control officer about my intentions in London…unfortunately he was far too attractive to take seriously and thus the questions continued. Lucky for me I am freakishly organised and have my entire itinerary mapped out in my head so I was able to reel off all my dates of departure. Unfortunately, that did sound a tad rehearsed….anyway it got me my stamp of entry…that's all I needed to continue on with my journey!

 I immediately began my mastery of the London underground system with my venture from the airport to Clapham North to meet Anna, my housie and bestie from Bris…of course she had no intention for me other than to go out and experience a bit of London nightlife…so off we went! Exhausted as I was I was determined to not let London down! Although the earliesh night home at 2ish was fair indication of how tired I was! Lucky for me in a house of 6 or so I managed to score a bed for the night…and an extra visitor in the form of Terese….one of Anna's friends and now an active part of my London discovery!!

Sunday we had the grand idea of hitting the Borough markets for some food and more food! Apparently the most amazing markets in town…unfortunately closed!! It was Sunday, clearly a day of rest for the foodies! Not for us though! I was looking for some good English tucker….so along came the English pub! The best of England in a meal and a meal fit for a king and his men! It was huge!!! I filled the void til overflowing and still hadn't dented the beef, mushroom and beer pie that came with a tree of broccoli and vege patch of carrots! Probably the cheese before hand hadn't helped the situation! That cheese was amazing! If that wasn't enough we needed to sample something sweet! Oh, and I needed my COFFEE!!!  Prague left me with a sour taste in my mouth when it came to coffee and I needed a fix real bad! So we found a cute and quirky little teahouse to munch on cupcakes and cheesecake and gulp down my first decent coffee in 5 weeks!

Needless to say, dinner was a light omelette and a cup of tea to aid the digestion of such a ridiculous amount of food!

Monday called for a sleep in! I landed myself a mattress out the back of Anna's so I had a little space to sleep the morning away…and that I did! I was intending to get up early and run some long overdue errands…like wash clothes….but sleep was far too enticing and very much needed! So 12:30 came and went and I finally decided to crawl from out of the covers and into the cold reality of England! I had clothes to wash, new boots to find (Prague cobblestones, although beautiful and quaint reek havoc on your shoes…my boots were destroyed), shoes to take back for An and postcards to post which didn't quite make it in Prague. I hit Oxford St for some very tempting window shopping….fortunately for me I have no choice but to NOT buy clothes….so I was good and just returned Anna's shoes and had a few glimpses at the alluring fashion of London! Although I must say….so preppy! It's amazing what climate can do for fashion! Then I was off to Westfields London…awesome! I found my boots first thing so I was a happy little vegemite!! (Awwwww….I miss vegemite!)

It was then time to head home where I was requested to put on a feast of meatballs! I cooked them once for Anna and I was reminded to make them again! So after tackling Sainsburys…so much easier than Billa in Prague…I found what I needed and whipped up a feast! Yum!!

Tuesday brought another sleep in….but not too long cause I needed to DRY the clothes I had washed and get into the city in time to meet some friends from Prague! I was so excited to see them even though it had been only a couple of days! But gees….it's amazing what a couple of days can bring…so much happened since my departure! I raced into town to meet Chelsea and Lindsay and start the day off at an English pub right in the heart of Westminster square! A burger and a cider (such a nice change from beer) and a big catch up and laugh over the events of the days prior to leaving later and we were  on our way for some sightseeing and being shameless tourists…Big Ben…The London Eye…and Westminster Abbey were the attractions of the day! We even got into the abbey for Evensong (pretty much a church service) and shamefully needed to leave (be escorted out) in the middle of it - with the whole Abbey staring at us disapprovingly. So embarrassing!

Anyway, I had a dinner date with Anna to get to! Indian!! And the best Indian in town! OMG! I was blown away at how amazing it was and CHEAP!!! Australia is such a rip when it comes to Indian food! So far two countries and two very much cheaper prices!!

Wednesday brought yet another big sleep in! I have become a sleeping machine now I have left Prague! So tired but feeling ok now I have gotten the extra shut eye! I was desperate to get accommodation organised for when sarah came so I hung around for that and finalised it after some stressing out. Then packed up my stuff and headed off to the British Museum for a day of nerdy history lessons! I LOVE that kind of stuff! It was overwhelming and made you feel so insignificant but at the same time empowered to make a difference in the world! Corny I know…but it's my deal and I love it! The night brought Anna's nachos, Jodie's place……and PENIS man! Yep…the guy across the way was determined to continue to flash us all night! Crazy but hilarious!! Attempts to get photo evidence were unsuccessful however at least Jodie was proved sane in her rants about penis man!! Haha!

Thursday - ST PADDIES DAY!!! It was time to celebrate with the Irish….I happened to find out later from a friend that went to Dublin itself for St Paddies that the Irish reckon the Aussies know how to celebrate St Paddies better than anyone else….followed by New York and THEN Dublin! Unbelievable!

I took my time getting ready to go meet SARAH @ the planned tube station but got there early so that we could get down to an Irish bar and save seats for the rest of the crew attending….unfortunately UK border took their precious time getting sarah through customs. After a few hours of people watching on the tube, I finally caught a glimpse of my bestie! I couldn't be more excited. We lugged our huge suitcases all the way to the accommodation (surprisingly clean, friendly and altogether awesome) and spent the night trying to find the best St Paddies Day celebrations with my new and old friends….quite unsuccessfully I might add!! But hey, at least we had glitter badges! Thanks Anna!!

That was week 1!!

HJ xx

Goodbye Prague...Thanks for the memories!!!

Once again....posting a little late...internet was touch and go at Prague airport!!

Wow, I didn't realise it had been so long since posting! So much has happened in that time!

I am sitting in the Prague airport awaiting my flight to London town to go hang with my bestie, Anna who lives in London  and another from Aus who is meeting me there in a few days!

Last night was celebration night!! We all completed our TEFL course and received our certificates and right of passage to the world of teaching English and beyond! What a full on 4 weeks this has been! The hard work, intense stressful moments and sleep deprivation was all worth it in the end! The minute I was certified I looked back and thought…."this wasn't so bad after all" HA!

So now I am responsibility free and ready to go have a little adventure through London, Paris, Switzerland and Italy! Cannot wait for the fun to begin! Hehe!

I am so exhausted though! It has been the craziest most fun couple of days of my life but it has left me energy less and wishing for a younger, fitter body that can handle the pace my mind is trying to set! Haha! Wow, and I am only 24….

I said to the girls this morning….when you have DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from dancing…you know you are going hard!

I am getting really excited about China! I think it is going to be amazing! And being in the course with that in the back of my mind made it bearable! I was so sad to leave everyone this morning! 4 weeks living with people brings you pretty close and moving on from them is so sad! They are your friends and family for all that time and then separated so quickly! Some of us have made travel plans though so that is exciting…I am sure we will cross paths again. I am back in Prague in three weeks time so I will get to see a couple of the boys again which will be nice!

I suppose saying goodbye to good friends along the way will be all part and parcel of the whole travelling deal! We will always have the memories though!

Got to talk to my mum and dad the other day! It was so nice and made me just so happy and appreciative of supportive parents. They haven't had one negative thing to say about this crazy trip and have been excited for me the whole way! I couldn't have asked for more…it just makes the whole thing so much easier!!

I am so exhausted and delirious right now that I am struggling to put these sentences together but I will post again soon!  I will have a few days of chill time with Anna and some time to myself during the days while she is working…will be nice to just CHILL!!

I met an Aussie guy at this club the other night…he was from Cairns! Wow!! After four weeks in Prague with a gazillion expats I hadn't yet met a fellow Aussie! Seriously, I just forget how down to earth they/we are! It was very refreshing! Haha! It was great swapping stories and comparing notes!

Love to you all….and a massive shout out to my Prague crew! We did it, we rocked it! Aussie…Aussie….Aussie…keep working on those accents! Haha!

HJ xx

Milestones....

A few milestones today! It's been a month since I left Aus for this crazy adventure….it's a month until I get to China to start a new crazy adventure and I have only one week left of this crazy, intense, all consuming TEFL course that I have been doing! So I am feeling pretty good and excited right about now! It's an awesome feeling!

I have a huge assignment looming and it is due on Monday so I am feeling a little apprehensive at the moment and doing what I always do when I have a huge assignment looming….procrastinating! :) I finished school early today so I have been catching up on Greys Anatomy and participating in the emotional roller coaster that greys' is! :) I will get to it and finish it in time as I always do..but for now I am just thinking about it!

Last night we went out on a 'school night' - haha! It was spontaneous and fun and I got to have a really good dance which is always good for the soul! Felt great, but a little weary today. Lucky I didn't have to teach today and just got to chill in the arvo after class. One of my lecturers successfully annoyed the hell out of me today and managed to get on my bad side….so I was seething for most of the day…but then realised…to hell with him! I am done in a week and freedom to do as I please is looming!

My friend, Martha, got offered a job in China today and she has accepted it. So she is headed to Hangzhou which is just below Shanghai. That is so exciting and nice to know someone will be in the same boat as me. I was checking out a few of the locations I have available to me today. Beijing is where my placement agency is, so most of the locations are around there…but I have decided the lower the better…after a bout of this cold in Prague I am not too excited to go to a similar climate by any means. Shanghai and the surrounding area, or as close to it as I can get sounds perfect for me! Warm, humid and altogether wonderful is what I am hoping for. I won't find be able to choose a location until a week before when they know exactly what is available on my arrival date. I am busting to find out now!!

Off to London town next week….it's time to hang with a bestie and travel France and Italy - without having to worry about lesson plans and teaching grammar!! Hallelujah!

Going to check out the Prague Zoo tomorrow - YAY! I love zoos!! Apparently it is huge and has some cool animals that we don't have in Aus! Can't wait!

Anyway…back to Greys and procrastinating for now! :)

HJ xx

GET ME OUT OF HERE ALREADY!!!

It's March!! Where the heck has this year gone already?? Wow! Well two more weeks and I will be able to breath again! This course is so intense!! So full on and today was the worst of it so far!! Eeeek!

I had so much going on at once and it's just crazy…no room to drop the ball - you have to just keep going and going and meeting expectation after expectation. We have a big assignment to do this week coming so I am dreading but also anticipating that that means the end to this this craziness and I will be able to relax!

Everyone is job searching and figuring out what they are going to do in two weeks so I am definitely relaxed and relieved that I already have a contract in China and can rest easy.

I am really looking forward to my travel in Europe…just sight-seeing and not feeling guilty that I should be doing this or working on that. Just pure pleasure!! It also means the start of a break from study for a few months which will be well earned, that's for sure! But knowing me, I will be itching to get back into it soon enough!! It keeps me grounded, keeps me focused! Haha!

Well I have had several emails wondering where my blog has got too…I am sorry!! It seems that it has become the start to so many people's day and I am letting them down by not delivering. I have honestly been so overwhelmed by trying to get all of this coursework under control that I haven't even had the brain capacity to put my time into words….which is unfortunate. But here I am!! Haha! Sorry, I don't have much to say though!

Last weekend was a complete flop! (Well not completely, I did get to an Indian restaurant with Chels and Steph on Friday night) I had a one on one with a Czech student at 3pm on Saturday so I couldn't go hang out with all my friends doing touristy stuff and then Sunday I spent feeling sorry for myself with a killer headache! I did go out briefly Saturday with Mike and the boys but that just added to myself feeling sorry for myself! Haha!  We had a 2000 word assignment due on Monday, so I spent all of Sunday meaning to do it but procrastinating the hell out of it! I didn't start until six so I was kinda annoyed that I could have gone out for the day instead of just thinking about writing 2000 words! In the end, we didn't even have to hand it in (it was for our own benefit) so I was massively annoyed and couldn't believe I had wasted so much time thinking, stressing and procrastinating about it!! Ahhhhh!!

I have been pulling 1:30/2:00am nights doing all this crazy coursework! But like I said, 2 weeks until freedom! I couldn't be more excited.

I just talked about my travel plans with my one to one student. Telling someone else makes it all that more exciting. I still can't believe this is the deal! It blows my mind!! I am so lucky right now!

Anyway, off to eat some homemade Indian (yep, I seriously have a problem) and do yet another lesson plan and begin my 10 page assignment due on Monday!! OMG! Get me out of here!!!!!!

HJ xx