Germany and Austria

Austria

The Austrian Alps made me speechless! For the first time in my life. Most of the Contiki crew went white water rafting - but I'm not a complete psychopath! (Just a tad scared of water sports). But, whilst they were doing their extreme sport, I took a stroll around and took in the amazing view. Apparently, you can also go quite high without having to properly climb the Alps (with a machine) - so that would be pretty awesome as well.

Other then that, if you are a shopper (which I am assuming you are if you have read this far into my blog), you should make your way to the Swarovski factory! They have these crazy, trippy rooms that you would love, but also the jewellery is well.. half price. Just make sure you keep the receipt because if the stones fall out, you need to prove that its Swarovski to be able to get them replaced (anywhere around the world). 

Next Stop - Munich!

I would suggest a three hour bike trip around Munich as it does the trick. If you hire bikes from Mike's Bike Tours, they can show you around too (of course at extra cost). But you will see everything of importance which is great! 

Other then the normal site seeing, there is no doubt that you need to go to a German beer hall. They are hilarious and quite some fun! The food is great - nice and juicy meat, and the guests will skull beer and cheer eachother on... WITHOUT VIOLENCE. Different to Sydney isn't it! 

Now, in regards to clubbing - the best place to go to is Pacha. We have all heard about this in Sydney, but the best place in Munich is Pacha! Definitely dress to impress!

...bis wir uns wiedersehen...

Amsterdam

Amazing little Amsterdam.

Well my first point to make here is that it was so clean it was crazy! Pointer - make note of the bike path! As I had rushed from London to Amsterdam (as we missed the Contiki bus), I didn't have enough time to have a look at the footpath and was nearly crashed into by a bike!

Other then that though it is amazing. The red light district (although a little out there) was a ridiculous amount of fun. There are all types of shows available t watch ranging from the rating X to XX or even XXX. There are also a lot of bars which I am sure I don't need to blog about - let your imagination run! (it is one of the things that Amsterdam is known for in our generation).

It's just fascinating because I do not originate from a culture which is at all remotely like this! In saying that, it is definitely something you need to see, and as my Contiki tour guide had told us "just because it's different, doesn't mean its wrong". This definitely applies to Amsterdam.

Now apart from the crazy night-life, there is also some beautiful places you need to see! The top places I suggest you should see or do are:

1. Travel the Canal on a boat
2. Go to the Heineken factory
3. Go see a peep show (as random as that is!)
4. Go to the Anne frank museum and house
5. Visit the Van Gough museum! ( I cannot stress this enough! Especially if you are an art lover!)
6. And of course - go to the " I AMSTERDAM" attraction... seen below

Now my last tip is, when rushing to book your ticket - please CHECK THE DATE! You can access one great website here, just make sure the date is correct - as I had to buy TWO tickets to Amsterdam!

From Sydney to London

My cousin and I flew from Sydney, Australia all the way to London, England... and oh, what a flight. Twenty hours on a plane with two stops and always next to smelly people who fall asleep on me.

The whole reason for going to London though, was to meet up with our Contiki crew (which we booked from Sydney). Basically, it's a tour group led by a guide who knows the in's and out's of each city and the duration will vary depending on the tour chosen. I booked European Adventure which is available here. Unfortunately, we had the dates mixed up and missed the boat from London to Amsterdam, but alas, we were unaware. Thus we had spent the day shopping on Oxford street (which is a must whether you are a female or male). Out of all the cities I had visited, I found that London was in my top 5 places to shop! Soho was a great place to visit as well, but a little quirky... it really depends on what you're looking for. If you are the conventional shopper try going to Oxford street and Harrods but if you are out there and a little wild, definitely go to Soho. If you have the baggage allowance and you are a dressmaker, try going to the Cloth House (98 Berwick Street Soho).

I suggest if you only have a limited time in London, hop on the Big Bus Tours as it will take you to every famous location in London. This was originally planned for day 2 in London in which we never experienced.

The theatre is also great to see, personally I would suggest 'The Lion King' which was spectacular (in my opinion you can never be too old for a Disney production). It was a small theatre with an immaculate design and a safe location to walk around during the night. Meanwhile the next morning, on the way to the Big Bus Tour pick up point, we had dropped into the Contiki office to  make sure our timing was right. Sadly, we had to rush to the airport after booking tickets for a flight that day only to find out when we arrived that we bought tickets for the 7^th of july instead of the 24^th of June. The lesson here I guess is to take your time so little details such as the date are not missed. 300 pounds each later, we boarded on the correct flight and made our way to Amsterdam...