Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 18: Greece (Corfu)
We arrived at mainland at 6:30am and waited for another ferry which departed at 7:45am. Finally, we arrived at Corfu around 10am. Our hotel was beautiful but hike to get up to our rooms (minor). We had a free day so I laid by the pool for the whole day (yes, vacay), ordered gyros and drank frozen juices. Later that night we got ready for our Ionian dinner. We started the night with a shot (literally bonjela), fish egg & tzatziki dip with bread then a baked potato. They then served a sausage, cheese puff pastry and salad. We then watched traditional greek dancing which was very entertaining and interactive (we joined in). We then had fruit for dessert, followed by more dancing. Slept like a baby.

Day 19: Greece (Corfu)
This morning we went into town for a little shopping then caught the bus back and chilled by the pool for the afternoon. I had more gyros for dinner and creme caramel for dessert. We then got ready for our toga party. We were given sheets to try and assemble into an appropriate toga, then head down to the poolside for drinks and dancing. By 1am I was in bed, snuggled in my toga.

Day 20: Greece (Corfu)
Today we have Georges Boat! It was freezing, windy, cloudy and rainy all day (perf for a boat ride…). George was funny and flirty but too god damn cute. We had spicy chips and salad with bread for lunch. We saw sea lions and stopped off for crazy people to have a swim. When we got back I slept until dinner (living my best life). Ate dinner, then slept some more (riveting).

Day 21: Greece (Athens)
Early this morning we packed out bags and boarded the ferry back to mainland Greece. While driving to Athens, we stopped at Amilochilda and had gyros. We continued driving and saw the Rio–Antirrio bridge and made a stop at the Corinth Canal. We were only suppose to stop for 25 minutes but fellow contikiers decided to bungy jump off the canal so we were 1.5 hours and late for dinner. At dinner, there were other contiki buses at the same public restaurant. They were being very loud, rude, drunk and obnoxious which our manager explained is how contikiers usually act on tour (we were so tame!). We were suppose to have goodbye drinks at the rooftop bar but barely anyone showed up, however the view at night of the Parthenon was amazing. I went to bed for the last night of my contiki!

Day 22: End of tour
I awoke at 5am to my room mates and a maid frantically towelling the carpet and the bathroom as someone flushed toilet paper in the toilet which caused the flood (greece=bad pipes=no toilet paper). We had breakfast at 8am to be on the bus at 9am for a driving tour of Athens then a walking tour of Parthenon Acropolis. I really enjoyed this walking tour and seeing the history of Athens! We couldnt stay long as the bus had to drop us off at Syntagma Square for those who needed the airport ASAP. We all said our goodbyes for the last time. I grabbed a cab with two other friends and we headed to the airport. We were all at different gates so we decided to go through customs then meet on the other side for lunch, but then got separated and never said goodbye! Shortly after I boarded my flight back home…. (until next time, Europe!)

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 15: Rome
Today we go to Rome! The first drive was 3 hours, which I slept the whole time. I got a lasagne at the servo and prayed for the best. The next drive was 1.5hours and we made it to Vatican City. We did a 2 hour walking tour through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. It was the busiest apparently its ever been (sardine city), and I thoroughly apologise to every person I was squashed against who witnessed all my phlegmy coughing (breathing, who?). That night we were suppose to do a Rome by night tour but it got cancelled due to rain so we just went back to our cabins in the campsite (its in the woods). We had dinner at the campsite restaurant and bought a €10 pizza. We also bought I♡Roma shirts for €5 for the I♡Roma Party on at the campsite bar. The squad and I (yeah) got some polaroids in our cute shirts, then got everyone to sign them (really good memory idea). I chose not to drink that night, but still tried to have a good time with the others until 1am (solid for a sick gal).

Day 16: Rome
When in Roommmeee! Today after breakfast we took the train into Rome city. We started off seeing the Spanish stairs which were under constructions and I tried some cannoli. Once we were in the city, we saw the Fountain de Trevi, Pantheon and had Alfredo pasta for lunch. After lunch we went for a half hour to the Colosseum, where we did a walking tour of the Colosseum and Rome Ruins. We headed back to the campsite and I skipped dinner as I wasnt feeling real good (what?! really!?) and went to bed at 7pm. I woke up 1t 10:30pm and found everyone at the bar. I decided to collect my laundry from the laundry lady but she didnt have it. I then searched for the other contiki girl who I shared the load with (cheaper option) and she didnt have it either (laundry thief?). I gave up and went to bed again.

Day 17: Rome/Pompeii
This morning I went hunting for my laundry again, and finally found it with the Laundry lady (is she okay?) However I was late to the bus by 30mins but luckily so was the tour manager so they didnt leave without me (they would have). It was a 2.5hours bus drive to Pompeii and then did a guided tour which was pretty cool (yay, learning). I had a gourmet lunch in Pompeii, which was stone cold carrots and beans in a pool of olive oil (delicious, nutritious). After Pompeii we drove for another 3 hours then a service stop, then more driving to the dock. We said our goodbyes to Joao, our driver, as we didnt need him while in Greece. We then boarded the overnight ferry to Greece!

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 13: Florence
Today I woke up feeling fab (sinus shot for shit, voice no where to be found, 40 drums inside my head and my chest constricting on itself) so we headed off for Florence! It was a 2.5 hour drive with a 45min stop, then played eye spy for the next 2.5hours but this time stopped at Pisa. I got my candid photos with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then had to buy something from McDonalds in order to pee. We arrived in Florence 1.5 hours after, with 45 minutes to get ready for dinner and karaoke. For dinner we had lasagne, salad and garlic bread (did I? couldnt taste it) and I’m feeling amazing (no voice but thunder coughing). I decided to try and attend karaoke, praying a cup of ice will save my soul (it didnt), but only lasted an hour and decided to go back to campsite. It was a super cold night and I could barely swallow. I took myself down to the cafeteria and asked the lady for some lemon and honey in hot water. To my utter delight, she didnt speak english, so I was desperately trying to explain to her what I needed (We got there eventually). I plodded myself to bed to get ready for the next day.

Day 14: Florence
Today I was still feeling on top of the world. We drove into Florence city and had a walk around while I casually vomit on myself in public (again, cant take me anywhere). None the less, I powered through the vom and headache to see naked David, the duomo dome cathedral, all while it pissed down with rain. I decided to treat my body good with chicken and green vegetables for lunch (followed by gelato), praying it would give me the strength to last the day. Spoiler alert: I felt worse (if thats possible). We drove back from the city to our campsite and got ready for our Tuscan dinner and group photo.  Appetiser was eggplant prosciutto, bocconcini cheese and salad. First course was spaghetti and ravioli. Second course was beef, parmesan cheese and peas. Dessert was tiramisu. Im sure it all tasted amazing! (I wouldnt know, tastebuds who?). The space disco was on after dinner, which I made the decision to go home by myself as I was actually dying. When I got back to the campsite, I had a long hot shower and went to bed early (definitely needed mum).

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 12: Venice
Today after breakfast, we drove for 3.5 hours with a 40min stop, 2.5 hours with a 45min stop, finished off with a 2 hour drive to arrive in Venice! We stayed at the Fusina Campsite and hung around the bar meeting a few of the contiki teams around. That night we settled into our glorious cabins (you like ticks?). At 7:30 the next morning, we took a 30min boat over to the islands of Venice. It rained aallll day! We got to see St Marks Square and Basilica, then attended a walking tour. I wasnt feeling real well at this point, so I wandered off to the chemist to get some throat lozenges and vitamin c. Venice was so beautiful with its bridges, little shops & cafes and its views. I got very wet as I forgot a jacket and my shoes were soaked all day (rookie error). I got myself a traditional pizza at a really cool restaurant with an amazing view of the grand canal. Another contiki kick back tour was a class on how to make lace and glass. Interesting. To finish off the day, we went on a Gondola ride (did I mention its storming now?) which ended in me having a meltdown due to a fear of water, choppy canal water, rain, cold and motion sickness (cant take me anywhere!). By this stage of my trip, I had produced the ‘contiki cough’ and lost my voice….(yay). For dinner I had the most expensive ravioli of my life, but couldnt taste a thing due to loss of taste buds (sickness-1 kahla-0). We finally ended the day by getting the boat back to our campsite and getting ready for a night at the campsite bar with 2 other contiki buses. I called it an early night due to my illness I caught, but couldnt sleep because of coughing, the music and the thunder (overall, it was an amazing time in Venice, yay).

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 10: French Riviera
At 8am today we had breakfast then headed off for a long drive to the French Riviera. We drove for 3 hours with a 45min stop at a super busy servo then continued to drive for 2.5hours with a 1 hour stop in Arles. Followed that was a 1.5 hour drive, in which we arrived! The hostel here was in the middle of an industrial area, very far out from the city. It wasnt that clean and it annoyed me that the showers were in a carpeted hallway with no actual room to get dry/changed (it was just wet showers) (it’s all about the experience, right?). We were all on level 3, and there was no lift…. only a flight of single stairs that we had to carry all our luggage up roughly one at a time (great fun). In spite of the amazing hostel we did have a fancy beachfront dinner at an Italian restaurant (reminder, we’re in France again) and I got a really good carbonara and lots of wine. Later on we crashed in our concrete beds for the night (yay).

Day 11: French Riviera
Today we were told to pack our fanciest outfits as we were going for a casual day trip to Nice, then to Monaco for dinner. At Nice, I took a lift up to their lookout which was so incredible. We went for a walk and found cheap baguettes (love me more bread) and went for a walk in the main city, window shopping. We then had nutella crepes at a really expensive cafe, in which you need to pay to pee. I, however attempted to speak french to the waiter, which he was clearly impressed as he gave us free tokens to pee (hell yes). After that free time, we had a Contiki kick back tour to attend at the perfumery. I found this interesting enough, but it wasnt necessary to the trip (not complaining, its all about the experience). We all got changed in the bus (yep.) at the perfumery carpark (just think: makeup, tits, tears, selfies) before heading to Monaco. We had dinner in the Monacan palace city (burger queen), then we headed to the famous Monaco Casino (rich celebrities go there apparently) which was really dead for a Monday night (why no one gamble?). We met the bus at the famous hairpin turn for the F1 Grand Prix racetrack which was pretty cool to see. We then had a 3 hour drive on bendy, steep roads back to French Riviera to crash for the night.

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 8: Barcelona
After breakfast, we started our long day of driving to Barcelona, Spain. Our first leg was 3 hours with a 1 hour servo stop, then 2.5 hours with a 40min stop followed by another 2 hours of driving before arriving in Barcelona. Before checking in our hotel, our driver took us to the look out that overlooks the whole of Barcelona. It wasnt beautiful, but it was definitely amazing to see how people lived differently. After that stop, we did a drive by in the centre of Barcelona and got a little history lesson on Ghaudi (look at me, I’m learning). I was rooming with my squad again (I know, I’m sorry) but this time in the smallest, yet coolest room, in bunk beds. Dinner was downstairs of hotel, consisting of a chicken schnitzel with lettuce and mince pie lasagne (macca’s would have been better, sorry). The bar inside the hotel had the coolest vibe, so we stayed for a while and thought it was a good idea to down those Sangria’s like it was water (bad idea). After that bar, I stumbled with the other do another bar called Stinger which we got kicked out for singing happy birthday to a fellow contikier (oops). The group had split by this stage, so we just kept stumbling along to find another bar. We found a little laneway bar that gave free shots (convinced it was gasoline) and a guy from our group shouted more sangrias. Afterwards we got hungry and had to try chocolate filled churros, and were not disappointed (hell yes)! Myself and another girl was calling it a night at 2am so we called a cab to take us back to our hotel. We got in, drove around for 10 minutes, was charged €9 (rude) for the round trip, only to realise we were on the same street as our hotel, 50m ahead of us (do not drink, kids).

Day 9: Barcelona
Hellllllooooo hangover! Today I was up and ready by 7am (kill me) to have a city tour of Barcelona. We saw the Gothic Quarter, La Rumbla Street and Sagrada Familia. I had traditional chicken paella for lunch then went shopping at H & M. I had a well deserved 3 hour nap (thank the lords) when I got back to the hotel, then got ready for a tapas dinner and flamenco dancing. The food was good, the dancing was okay (again, not my thing) and everyone else was super drunk by this point. After dinner we went to a bar called Jaeger Bomb, which we stayed at all night. That bar was so god damn fun, playing all the bops and there were so many people we got chatting with! I called it an early night (1am) and got a discounted cab home (bless his Spanish soul), then crashed for the night.

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 6: Chateau
Today we are driving to Contiki’s Chateau! We stopped off at a servo and I got a ham and cheese baguette (not sorry) and a chocolate frappe (diet, who?). Oh my goodness gracious, the chateau is incredible! For a really old, shabby, little mansion, the vibe and the history made it special. There was also a golden retriever called Baxter (I’m sold). The rooms at the chateau are quad share, so I roomed with new roomies from other countries. These girls became my squad (yes, I’m cringing too). Our first night at the chateau involved a ‘P’ themed party down in the private bar/basement. I went ‘pregnant in pyjamas‘ which was inspired from my earlier choices of bread and the frappe which bloated me (also shoved my neck pillow under my shirt for the full effect). The bar down there was charging €4 for a Smirnoff ice in a glass bottle, which I wasn’t mad about. Indeed, a few people hooked up and sadly, ya girl here wasnt one of them. But I still had an amazing night.

Day 7: Chateau
So today we’ve been told we are going on a beautiful picnic stroll to the ‘top of the world’. They lied. It was a fucking hike. I had flat, sweaty sandals on, a maxi dress with no undershorts (chub rub problems), forgot my water bottle and a jacket. In other words, not at all the type of attire to be hiking up a steep rocky hills for over an hour. None the less, after we saw a snake, lost our group, tripped and tumbled a few times, we made it to the top. The view was pretty and thats all that mattered in that moment. We had our lunch (baguettes with ham + brie, chips, fruit and mars bar) then make our trek back to the chateau (send help). When I got back from that life changing experience, I had a nap for 2 hours then sat out on the grass in the sun with group for an hour. We had dinner the dining area of the chateau and we had chicken and vegetables with mousse for dessert. Later on we had a trivia night in teams of 6 which got really funny and competitive but was loads of fun.

Profile
Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Day 3: Paris
All aboard to France! I got up nice and early (5am UK time) to meet the group for breakfast at 5:50am, to board the bus at 6am. Once at our bus, our luggage was weighed and we checked ourselves off the list and found a seat. It took a few hours and a few servo stops (they also have tolls?!)  to finally arrive in Paris. Our driver Joao took us for a little drive around the heart of the city, where I laid eyes on the famous Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the love locks on Pont des Arts bridge. We are staying at the Ibis Hotel which is in a pretty dodgy area. The room was so small, it was one of my first cultural shocks of the trip (ps. I got over it). Tonight, we had our first dinner as a group at the La Sultan, just down the road from our Hotel. We tried escargot (not the worst), with chicken and salad (nothing special, at all) with some champagne. Afterwards we jumped on the bus again to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal. It was dark by this stage, so it was lit up beautifully. I went up to the 2nd floor, had a hot chocolate, then made my way down to ground level. The illegal street vendors were so. god. damn. annoying. which kinda dampened my experience of this gorgeous architecture. Our bus driver had left us by this stage, so groups of us took the metro back to our hotel to get ready for bed.

Day 4: Paris
Bonjour! Today is jam packed. After an early breakfast, we all went to the Louvre to see some artwork. It was a public holiday therefore the crowds were INSANE. I managed (after an hour) to get the front of the ‘mosh pit’ of tourists, to see the Mona Lisa (tick off the bucket list) and eventually made it out the other side of the museum alive and well. A small group of us girls had a quick lunch stop to McDonalds (still at the Louvre) (which was also tasted really interesting) before making our way to Disneyland Paris! We had a free day to explore the city, but we asked our manager if we could go off the beaten track and see EuroDisneyland (which he said was fine). It was about a 2 hour train ride there and it cost €75 for an entry ticket (not bad). I bought some candid Mickey Mouse ears, and strolled my way through the park with tears in my eyes. The Disney Castle was so beautiful, I just couldn’t believe my eyes (childhood dreams came true). We went on a couple of rides (Haunted house, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear) before seeing the Disney Parade (ugly crying). We were all pretty knackered by 5pm so we headed back to the train station, and met the rest of our group back at the Eiffel Tower for a champagne picnic underneath it. It was so nice and a lovely way to top off the day.

Day 5: Paris
Today we had breakfast at 9am then took the bus for a day out to see Versailles. Now, before this trip, I had 0 knowledge about anything, anywhere so every place we visited was a new discovery for me. Our tour manager Joel, was so so informative and explained history in a way that actually made me want to listen (shock, horror). Anywho, Versailles. Just beautiful. The line to get inside the Palace was literally back to Australia, so we just bought tickets to see inside the gardens which was €8 (plus a buggy). Unfortunately, only persons over the age of 24 could drive the buggy and only 4 passengers at a time was allowed (inc. driver). We had a group of 10 people and only 2 people after 24 years of age, so we broke the rules and added extra people onto the buggy…. but had a great time seeing the gardens! After seeing versailles, we went back to Paris city and had crepes on the main street for a late lunch. We then went back to our rooms to get ready for the ‘Parisian dinner’ and cabaret show that Contiki had planned. There was soup/snails for entree, meat variety for mains, a mousse cake for dessert and plenty of Rose wine (can i get a hell yes!). After dinner we went past Moulin Rouge (candid selfie) before lining up for our cabaret show, Nouvelle Eve. The show itself was a little boring (not my thing) but the comedy skits were hilarious (crying with laughter at some points). When the show was finished, we went to a club called O’Sullivan’s which had good live music and vibe. It was a good night!

Well this is only 2 years late. My last post left you on a cliff hanger as I was on a plane on my way to experience my first solo overseas trip. So without further a due, here is my day by day experience with Contiki Europe 2016.

Company: Contiki
Tour: London to Athens
Age: 19
Dates: 28th April 2016 (2 Days in London solo)
1st May 2016 Started Tour
22nd May 2016 Ended Tour

Okay.  I might divide these posts by city/country. Bare with me.

Day 1: London, UK
I have arrived! It’s 12pm UK time and I am so tired but the adrenaline is keeping me going. I checked in to the Contiki Basement to leave my suitcase there as my room at the Royal National isnt ready yet. I cant believe I am in another country….? After a 15 minute pep talk (to leave the basement), I finally hit the streets to discover London. I attempted to find my way to the heart of the city without a map (why?) and got very lost and more scared (great job Kahla) however I eventually got there! I face timed my mum as soon as I saw the Big Ben and London Eye (duh) and was just in awe that I was really here. A lady dressed as a mime came up to me and asked for a selfie cause I had a cool ‘Aussie’ accent, so I took one with her and she demanded £10….silly me. I kindly let her know that I literally had no cash on me as I just arrived in the country an hour ago and kindly deleted the photo (she still wasnt happy but jokes on her, I took 2 selfies with her). Hungry. How does a shy, anxious, introvert order food at a restaurant/cafe without the comfort of drive thru? She walks around and tells herself she isnt hungry… But that didnt last long. I ended up finding a Starbucks (yay, familiar) and grabbed myself a coffee and sandwich then stayed inside the cafe for 2 hours on wifi (yay anxiety). I was pretty chuffed at myself by this stage (no longer hangry), and decided to go for another walk around London. Only 10 minutes in, it started to hail, so I plodded along until I got back to the hotel to check into my room. The Royal National Hotel is nice. Nothing fancy, but not dodgy like a hostel either. I got a room with 2 beds (score!) so I used the extra bed as my suitcase holder. I took a nap and when I awoke,  I saw on messenger that a few people from my tour were organising dinner for that night. I normally never partake in social events, but being on the other side of the world just changes a girl (haha). I met up with 3 other Contikiers from my tour, we went for a walk and found a nice Italian place to eat dinner. Im glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to meet them, it made me feel more comfortable knowing a few familiar faces before the tour started. Afterwards, I went back to my room and crashed for the night.

Day 2: London, UK
This morning I woke up around 7am UK time, rolled over to check social media on my phone and saw my suitcase on the ground…and a person in the spare bed. I dont think I’ve ever been so scared/shocked/embarrassed in my life. I tried to investigate this person from the comfort of my pillow (pretending I was still asleep) but had no luck. I decided to just ignore this sleeping person and continue to check my phone until I willed myself hard enough to get up. Shortly after this decision, the mystery person woke up, looked at me and said ‘Good morning’. Turns out I was booked into a twin share room that meant I was buddies with a stranger (I had no idea what that meant haha). Also turns out this stranger is also a Contikier (not my tour though) and she lives in the same state as me back home (small world)! We got talking about our solo travel decisions and anxieties and bonded pretty quickly. I had no plans for today, neither did she, so we agreed to do something together. After we got ready, we went for a walk to grab breakfast. We found a little cafe called the ‘Pret’ which I absolutely loved (we need one in Aus). Me and my roomie booked a ‘Hop on, Hop off’ tour bus to explore London some more. We saw St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. We walked for ages, talked, laughed and got lost. I really enjoyed myself and was much more excited for the experience ahead of me. That night was my meet up with my tour manager/driver and Contikiers at the Contiki basement. Here was where we handed over travel documents, got to know the basic ins & outs, met with our passengers and got the low down for the next morning (6am start, weh). We all decided to head down to a bar for dinner and drinks to get to know each other better. It was a good night meeting everyone, we all got along so well already and my tour manager seemed amazing already! (Bless you Joel)