Contiki European Adventurer

Today we were leaving Paris! I had really enjoyed my time there, but I was ready to go somewhere new. Somewhere I'd never been to before! I was having such a great time on the tour, but I still missed home a lot. I really regret that now. I shouldn't be thinking about home when I am travelling around Europe! Honestly, I was finding our tour to be a little cliquey, but everyone was still really nice. I was really hoping the tour wouldn't be like high school and have lots of drama. But so far so good!

We left early for Beaujolais. On the coach we got to hear our day song for the first time - Well Thought Out Twinkles by the Silver-Sun Pickups. I was hesitant at first, but it turned out that we would all love it by the end of the tour! Before our first services stop we did speed dating. It is just a way to get to know each person in about 30 seconds. It is fun at first but gets really tiring after asking the same things over and over again. After services we did coach introductions. I hate talking in front of people, so I went third to get it over with. We just had to say things like our name, where we were from, where we work, our age, our "status", and our most embarrassing moment. I said it was when I crashed my car in the field at my school, but then later created a new embarrassing moment when I apologized for not being single. Hahahaha.

After our second services we got told all about the different optional activities we could do during the tour. I was already familiar with most of them but it was still interesting to find out what everybody was planning on doing. I was still undecided, but luckily we didn't have to make all of our choices right away.

We arrived at our destination at around 4:30 pm. The region we were staying in was so beautiful! It is somewhere that I would definitely like to go back to. We were staying in a chateau that is owned by Contiki, and it was very nice (on the outside at least). There was a big pool too, and the weather was awesome today. I was rooming with Teresa, Chloe, and Jill for the next two nights. We lucked out and got one of the biggest rooms. After settling in we all got organized before going for a wine tasting. The first of many alcoholic drinks we would have that night. The wine was all really good, and we got to learn how they make it. Next was dinner, and then we all got ready for the whiteboard party. We all wore white shirts and had markers so we could write silly notes on each other. Originally I didn't feel like drinking or partying, but I forced myself to go out. Ended up having quite a bit to drink, including 2 of the "eau de vie" shots (water of life). They are like 80% alcohol, and disgusting! It is like instant-drunk. Probably the worst night for drinking I had. Ended up throwing up in the bathroom before passing out in bed at who knows what time. Ughhhhh.

What did I learn today? It really is best to stick to just one shot of eau de vie...

This morning we had the option of going to see the palace of Versailles outside of Paris. Only about half the tour decided to go - I'm guessing the others had either already been or were too hungover from the cabaret the night before. I heard it was totally crazy. I woke up with a bad sore throat this morning, I was really hoping I wasn't getting sick. I was expecting the Contiki Cough, but not for a while yet.

I was excited to go to Versailles, I'd heard it was very spectacular. It is enormous! And the lineups were just as long, they seemed to go on forever. There were 2 lineups: one to get tickets, and another to get into the palace. Me, Colleen, Debs, and David waited in the wrong line at first, only to get to the front to find out we still had to buy tickets. So we ended up waiting in three lines and wasted a lot of time. It started raining right before we got our tickets, the first sign of bad weather on the tour so far. After getting our tickets, and finally getting inside the palace, we started our tour. The inside was SO crowded. Easily the most crowded tourist attraction I've ever been in. It was interesting to see the inside, but not worth fighting with the crowds. It would have been better to see the gardens, which were very beautiful, especially once the sun came out again. The one thing our group was really interested in seeing was the famous Hall of Mirrors, but once we finished our tour we couldn't remember seeing it, so we assumed we had missed it. Turns out we had walked all the way through it, plus even stopped for photos, without even realising we were there. Duhhh.

After seeing Versailles, we were driven back to Paris and dropped off at the Notre Dame cathedral. A big group of us decided to try to find the Catacombs. We got there to find that the lineup was all the way down the street and it would be over an hours wait. We decided to skip it, because it was getting to be the afternoon and there were lots of other things we wanted to do. We all stopped at McDonald's to get something to eat, then some of the group decided to go back to the hotel to sleep. The rest of us got lost trying to get the metro back to Notre Dame. We went inside the church, got lots of photos, and did some souvenir shopping. We had to buy a white shirt because we would be having a whiteboard party at the Chateau (our next stop). We ended up walking all the way back to the Louvre, our meeting point for that evening.

While waiting for the bus to pick us up, a few of us got some beers and drank them out in front of the Louvre. It is very strange being able to drink in public in Europe. Something that we definitely can't do at home! Back at the hotel we got changed and ready for our first optional dinner as a group. The dinner was pretty good (compared to average Contiki food), and there was lots of wine, yummm. We actually stole some of the bottles that were leftover, so that we could drink them at the Eiffel Tower later. After dinner our coach took us to the Eiffel Tower so that we could see it illuminated at night. It was so beautiful all lit up. We all got comfortable in our sleeping bags and sat in front of it drinking our wine. We were a bit drunk, and it was so much fun hanging out with all of my new friends. It was a great night!

What did I learn today? Never give up a bottle of free wine, especially when you have a large purse...

Today was our first of two full days that we had in Paris! Breakfast was at 9 am, then we all got on the coach to drive into the city. Our first stop was at the Eiffel Tower. I'd been up it before, but decided to go again since everyone else was. We bought tickets and then climbed over 650 steps to the second level. A really good workout! I'd been up the Eiffel Tower before, but decided to do it again since it was much nicer weather today, plus that's where everyone else seemed to be headed. We took lots of photos at the top, where we could see very far out. The views of Paris were incredible.

Once we descended the tower, we started walking to the Arc d'Triomphe. Our group today was me, Verity, Teresa, Jason, and Rosi. On our way to the Arc, we stopped at the tunnel where Princess Diana died. I hadn't seen this last time I was here, and it didn't seem like it was a huge tourist site, so it was interesting to see. There is a golden flame memorial there for her. Soon we arrived at the Arc, where we spent some time admiring the architecture. We decided not to wait in the long line to go up to the top, and instead we took the underground tunnel across the enormous round-a-bout. There was a couple who decided to risk their lives and run across it...luckily they survived, barely!

We decided to walk down the Champs Elysees, where are the expensive shopping is. Along the way we stopped at a McDonald's for some burgers and beer. Same as my last experience in Paris, there were people all over the place begging for money, praying on their knees on the side of the road, and trying to sell cheap Paris souvenirs to everyone who walked by. I learned my lesson last year, so I didn't pay any attention to them. Once we reached the end of the Champs Elysees we were at the Louvre!

I went in the Louvre again hoping to see a lot more than I did last time. But by this point my feet were hurting like crazy and all I wanted was some food and something to drink, so I only ended up seeing the Mona Lisa before I left on my own to relax for a bit. I hung out in Starbucks then visited the super busy souvenir stores next to the museum.

By the time we were finished at the Louvre it was time to meet back up with the rest of the group. We all got on the bus and headed back to the hotel. I had decided in the end not to do the cabaret, so I had an early night after making my first calls home to my mom and my boyfriend. Made me even more homesick!

What did I learn today? Don't skip out on something that everyone else is doing. Be a sheep and follow the flock. Or else everyone will have fun without you!

I woke up really early this morning. I had a really bad sleep and lots of nightmares :O But I was so excited to be starting our tour! Me and Christine went down early to check in and weigh our bags. I weighed in at only 18 kilos! I think they rig the scale in the Contiki Basement so that you think you have more than you actually do. Sneaky! We all waited in the courtyard of the Royal National along with a second Contiki group to wait for our tour bus. We got a purple bus! My last bus was purple too. This was one of the older buses so it wasn't as fancy and comfortable as my last tour, but still not that bad. I sat near the back with Christine. I couldn't wait to get on the road! We were actually starting our tour on Friday the 13th, hmm.....

We drove for two hours from London to the coast of England. We were going to be taking a ferry from Dover over to France. We had to show our passports and clear customs before we could get on the ferry, something that we hadn't had to do the last time I'd been here. Guess we had got lucky that time! The ferry is a huge passenger boat, it was very similar to the ferries that I take to get off Vancouver Island. However, the waves made the boat rock like crazy, and we could barely stand. It was the most seasick I've ever felt. Nothing like the smooth ride back home! Once on the ferry we went up to the top deck to see the White Cliffs. It was a beautiful day today, so we got some great views. Nothing like last time I was here, when there were grey skies. I tended to compare this trip to my last one a lot. Even though they were very similar, my two experiences as a whole with Contiki were very different. Anyways, once the ferry left Dover, we went back inside to get some food and hang out until we arrived in France.

We arrived in Calais two hours later. I was so excited to be back in France! Back on the bus, Seb gave us a really long speech (the first of many haha). We learned about all the things we'd see on our tour, the bus rules, which optional activities were coming up, and lots more. After another two hours of driving we stopped at a service stop. There are very strict rules in Europe with regards to driving coaches. The drivers can only be on the road for a very specific number of hours before they have to stop. If they go even one minute over, we could be stuck somewhere and it would throw our whole tour off. Typically we would drive for 2 hours, stop for 45 minutes, drive for 2-4 hours, stop for 45 minutes, then drive for another 2-3 hours. Sometimes we would stop at service stops, and sometimes we would stop at a monument, or other tourist attraction. The service stops in Europe are amazing, especially Autogrill. You can get anything you want there: snacks, full meals, alcohol, fuel, souvenirs, clothing. Way better than the typical gas station in Canada. :P

On Contiki you are able to participate in optional activities. These are extra things that Contiki offers for an additional cost. There were two optional activities we could choose to do in Paris: a dinner in the Montmartre district, and going to a French cabaret - Nouvelle Eve (alike to Moulin Rouge). I wasn't interested in Nouvelle Eve, simply because I didn't care about seeing half-naked girls dancing around, and also because it was almost 100 euro (after drinks, etc.) I was on a really tight budget for this tour, so I didn't want to spend money on things I was only doing because everyone else was. But it seemed like everyone I talked to was really excited for this optional. I decided to figure that one out later.

Back on the bus we had two more hours before we arrived into Paris. I was having a great time on tour already, but I still missed home and my boyfriend like crazy. Before I had left, I was regretting going through with the trip because I wasn't sure it was such a good idea leaving home and a serious relationship for a six week Contiki. But I decided to try not to dwell on home because I was in Europe, and I had spent a lot of money to do this, and I didn't want to waste my time here! The last time I'd been to Paris with Contiki we had stayed at the budget accommodation - wooden cabins on the outskirts of the city. It was probably the worst place I'd ever stayed while travelling. This time we were staying at a hotel which was actually pretty nice, although it was still located in the "ghetto" of Paris. A lot of the places we stayed at were in the "ghetto". Still better than wooden cabins though!

I'd only been hanging around the Australians for a few days now, but I already found myself saying all those funny words they say. For the next three nights I was rooming with Jessie. After we settled into our room, everyone met for dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel - our first taste of Contiki food, yuck. All in all it isn't too bad, just not a very big variety. After dinner we all got on the coach to go back into the city for a "Paris Illuminations" night tour. It is such a beautiful city. We even drove through the crazy roundabout at the Arc d'Triomphe. Krzysztof maneuvered our huge coach through it like it was the easiest thing in the world. We even did it again just for fun. We also got to witness how the French park - basically they would bump their way into the spot, not caring if they hit the cars behind and in front of them. Crazy! I had an early night tonight, it had been a very long day.

What did I learn today? I really like Aussie slang :P

Today was my last day in London! I decided to use my last day before the tour started to sleep in, considering it would be all early mornings from now on. At 11 o'clock I had to check out of my triple share room because I would be checking into my included double share later. The Canadians/Americans get the night before the tour included with their tour cost, but for some reason the Australians/Kiwis don't. We also get free sleeping bags. Guess we are just special! :D Down at the Contiki basement I weighed my suitcase - it was 24 kilos!! The limit for Contiki was 20 kilos, so that was a bit distressing. I'd definitely have to do some rearranging later on.

I headed out to do some more sightseeing on my own. I had already bought a ticket to see St. Paul's Cathedral, so I headed that direction first. It was in an area of London that I hadn't been to before. It didn't seem very touristy, more like how I envision Wall Street to be - a business district. The Cathedral was beautiful though. I decided to climb the 528 steps to the top of the tower. I thought it would be best to get used to the exercise. I'm super lazy at home, so I was hoping to lose a few pounds on this trip. There were three parts to the climb. The first were some wide stone steps, then a tiny, spiraling stone staircase, and finally, an even smaller, metal staircase. I'm proud to say I was able to climb all the way to the top without stopping! Took me forever though. The views from the top were amazing, definitely worth the climb. I'd do it again if I'm ever back in London.

On my way back I stopped in Starbucks to write in my journal, then made my way back to the hotel. I got really lost trying to find my way to the nearest tube station. I wandered around in circles for about an hour, before finally finding it. It was past 2 o'clock so I was able to check into my new room once I arrived back at the Royal National. Turns out I was rooming with Christine, my tourmate I had met the previous evening. Once in my new room I spent some time organizing my suitcase. I had already acquired way too many new clothes, and my suitcase was way too heavy for Contiki standards. This meant I had to move 4 kilos of stuff into my handbag. All in all I had my purse, a big lululemon bag to carry with me on the bus, and then my suitcase. Luckily I was able to get it down to 20 kilos. I chatted with Christine for a while, before we both headed down to the Contiki basement for our pre-departure meeting. Contiki holds these meetings on the evenings before every tour departure, in order to check in, and get to know your tour manager and driver, as well as your fellow tour mates. Tonight I was able to meet the majority of the people I'd be travelling with. Lots of them I knew from our Facebook group. It was really exciting meeting everyone in person. Some people were totally different than how I thought they'd be, while others were exactly as I was expecting them. We met our tour manager, Seb, and our tour driver, Krzysztof. They gave us a run-down of what would happen the next day, and what we could expect from our tour. By this point I was so excited to start!

Most of us went up to the hotel lobby and got some dinner and drinks. I didn't want to stay out too late because we had an early morning tomorrow, so I was in bed by 11 pm.

What did I learn today? I CAN climb 528 steps! Ha!