EuroTour 2004, Bus Number 3, 17th June - 3rd July 2004
After being dropped off at the Linkebeek train station an hour early, I finally make it to the Brussels Central Station to meet Rachel and Erin. We caught the busy train to Liège and ended up with no seats and a lot of heavy luggage. We were standing in the entrance between compartments when a woman walked up to the toilet door and slammed it shut saying, "There's someone in there!" I didn't see anyone, and thought it was bizarre as I didn't see anyone walk in there since I had gotten on the train. Then shortly after the first stop, it had happened again, and this time we actually saw someone sitting on the seat with his pants down. It happened again a third time and we couldn't stop laughing. The guy opened the door and told us to shut up, obviously drunk and trying to get out of paying for a ticket. We eventually arrived at the hostel to Liège and met the other exchange students there. We had dinner, I spilt soup and then we had a conference where we organised rooms, showed passports etc. That finally ended and we went to our rooms and I met everyone and chatted. I was sharing a room with Sam, Kristen, Mona, Pamala and later during the night, George because he didn't have a bed. Eventually everyone fell asleep and we were all ready for an early morning and long drive to Munich.
Ran into several traffic jams to Munich and arrived at the hostel just in time for dinner. After dinner we went into the town and found a concert of Germans in green shorts and suspenders playing reasonably good music. We spent the evening jumping around and dancing. We headed back to the hostel, who were holding a discotech. So we all headed down and danced some more. They even played a song from NZ, which was really exciting, because one doesn't realise how popular these songs become! (How Bizarre by OMC) Then we headed back upstairs, me, Erin, Gail and Rachel, to get ready for the drive to Prague the following day. It was a really good evening, but we were all disappointed that we couldn't spend more time in Munich.
One the way to Prague, we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp. They first showed up a shocking video before walking around the grounds. I didn't have enough time to check out the crematoriums, but it was still a shocking and emotional experience and the feeling is indescribable. It was the quietest I have ever heard exchange students, ever. We then got back on the bus and headed to Prague. We had free time, so I tried to show my friends where the Old Charles Bridge was, but by time we got there, it was shut, so we walked around for awhile. There was some art expo thing going on and we saw a statue of a teddy bear and a women holding a gas pump. Some guy came up to us and asked if we liked his art and if we knew the philosophy behind it. We looked at him puzzled and he replied, "Well, in Czech, we believe all men are teddy bears and that women are just there to fill them up." I laughed and walked away, while the other girls just stood there disgusted. The guy couldn't stop laughing at them. Anyway, we found a KFC, had popcorn chicken, did a little souvenir shopping and went back to the hostel. Gail almost fell off the top bunk, we all laughed at her, then she started rearranging the whole room, before she decided that it was safe to sleep on the top bunk.
The following day we had a guided tour of Prague. Wasn't all that interesting for me, because I had already seen everything from when I went there with school. Eventually, we finished and had a typical Czech lunch - goulash. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon on the Old Charles Bridge and did some browsing. We looked at every painting stand on the bridge, because Victoria wanted one, and I got a photo of the bridge. After dinner, we went to the Black Light Theatre, but dinner was late, and we were in a rush and ended up leaving some people behind. It was Gulliver's Travel and Alice in Wonderland, which was well presented, but the story lines were changed and made really odd. Then, evening finished and it was back to the hostel.
Arrived in Vienna the following evening. Dropped our stuff off at the hostel and Rotary took us out to try some Vienna wine. We were given a whole mug, and it was really strong! I had one glass, and I already felt light headed. Some people ended up ordering seconds too. So... the bus ride back to the hostel was amusing because the majority were rather drunk, including the Rotarians. It was really funny, because Marie-Claire was so giggly, she was so cute.
The next day was really busy. First we had a short guided tour of Vienna. Saw the gardens, some palace thing and the cathedral. I was in the French group and we ran into the English group at the cathedral. Everyone in the English group had a story to tell. Apparently, one of the chaperones, Jules, was unhappy that the guide didn't show them the way back to the bus, and he ended up "assaulting" the poor tour guide, who had explained that she was short on time, had another guide to do, and gave oral instructions how to get back with a map, giving her apologies. Jules, ended up grabbing her handbag and pulled her to the ground, violently. He has anger issues, hey?
Afterwards, we had free time, and I found a muchly missed Starbucks and had a delicious Strawberry and Cream Frappucino. I ended up staying in there for the rest of free time, chatting with Jon, Erin and Kat. Eventually, free time ended and we went to meet everyone at the fountain to have dinner then, go to the opera. The opera was amazing. Okay, so I did end up standing to 3 hours, which was painful, but it was Romeo and Juliet, in French - in Vienna! I loved it.
Next stop - Salzburg. (which means Salt City in German.) Dropped off angry Rotarian at the train station, who said he was going back home for "personal reasons". Sure thing. We went swimming in a very cold lake near the Alps and did a little boat cruise also. Beautiful there. When we arrived, we went to a concert, of a student doing a violin exam. She was amazing, and showed, just how much of a musical city Salzbug is. Afterwards, went to a little café with some other exchange students.
Following day, I had another very interesting tour of Salzburg. Saw Mozart's Tomb, markets, amongst other things. Afterwards, I went to meet Kate (it was soo good to see her again!), one of the NZ exchangees, staying in Austria. Kate was very kind as to show us around - taking us to the gardens where Sound of Music was filmed. We ran up and down the stairs singing, "Doe a Deer...". Afterwards, she had to leave, so Pamala and I went shopping. It started raining, so we ran to a café and had a cake and coffee. It stopped raining, so we went out shopping again. I bought a new bag and Pamala forced me into getting a caricature together. The artist made me look after 10 years older and increased my chest size by like 2 cups. Then, before dinner, Rotary took us to the chapel where the wedding was in Sound of Music. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant and had Austrians doing typical dances for us and then taught them to us. It was so much fun, but I forgot my camera! Drats. Then...back to the hostel.
Long bus ride, this time to Venice. I swear, half the EuroTour is spent on the bus. This one was especially long though, because traffic kept getting stopped for hours at a time. Never seen a traffic jam like this one though, because there were kids who got out their jumping ropes or where drawing on the freeway with chalk. Pamala and I walked along the freeway, singing "I Will Survive" at the top of our lungs. Arrived at the hostel at 9pm, so I had dinner, then went for a little walk around the island where our hostel was. Venice was extremely pretty at night.
Had another exceptionally interesting tour guide, very spirited. Then we headed off for lunch. I had pizza and a gelato. I ate far too many gelatos in Italy. Then we did some more souvenir shopping and went exploring. Somehow crossed a bridge and ended up on another island, but ran into some American tourists who helped us find our way back. After dinner, got ripped off on a gondola ride, but it was fun nevertheless.
After a very eventful night, our tour bus wouldn't start for for another 3 hours the next day. So we all sat around in the parking lot, listening and singing along to Alex and Harry's guitars. The bus eventually started and we arrived in the hostel problem free. It was a really cool hostel, we met many other backpackers and I finally managed to get some laundry done. It was just a good dy for chilling out and relaxing at the hostel grounds outside.
The last guided tour the following day. It was really boring, the guide talked too much, but I saw some cool statues (like a copy of David), and stuff. Next, I had lunch in a little side street cafe with Pamala. We thought we were dining really cheap, until we got charged an extra 5 Euros, just for sitting at the table. Be warned, Florence is expensively sneaky. Went through the markets, then we got some more gelatos. Erin and Jon ended up accidentally ordering a 15.50 Euro ice cream each! It was really funny, as it was also a huge ice cream. Then, after walking around the markets again, we dragged Jon into a department store for air conditioning and ended up in the cosmetic and lingerie section. ;) Later, we sat down, ate cherries and tried tying knots in the stems with our tongues. Went back to the hostel and spent the night writing in my journal, sad that Italy was over.
Arrived in Nice during the evening, after seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa and taking photos. Went out into the town with Jemma, Pamala, Erin, Jon, Kat and Emma. We decided that it was necessary that we try champagne in Southern France, so myself, Pamala, Jemma and Erin each had a glass of champagne. We checked out the beach and then headed back to the hostel at 11pm. Met some Texan backpackers on the bus, who thought I sounded Americain and also an old Australian women who had been married for over 42 years to a Frenchmen. It was so sweet, and she still had her accent!
June 1st - Canada Day! Everyone got dressed up in white and red, wore flags in our ponytails and put temporary tattoos on our arms and faces. One of the girls even had a really cute beanie in the shape of a red maple leaf. First we headed to Monaco and I went to the aquarium and spent the hour there. It was really interesting and I watched them feed the sharks. Then we took off to Cannes, after a long walk to the restaurant and bus. We got to Cannes and had a swim in the Mediterrenean, which was gorgeous! Then we had a BBQ for dinner and did some more swimming, it was heaps of fun. Got back to the hostel late and spent the night talking to the girls in my room.
Next day - Lyon. Got there in the evening and had a really good dinner. Then a Lyon Rotarian showed us around a little and took us to a little café. It was are last evening together. The Rotarians bought us an ice cream, and we scared the staff members and guests by bursting out into our several songs. (we’ve got good spirit.) Next, we walked back to the metro station to get back to the hostel. We made so much noise by linking arms and singing and jumping around. It was a really good last night together.
The last bus ride back to Belgium. I spent the hours reading pages of Harry Potter in French, out loud with Sasha. We watched the taped version of the Rotary Talent Show I was involved in back in May with some other exchangees, which was rather embarrassing. Then 6pm came by and the tears were falling from everyones eyes. Who knew when we’d see each other again? We’d never be together again in one big group like this either. So we all eventually said good–bye, hugged and I took off to the train station with memories of an amazing two weeks.
Ran into several traffic jams to Munich and arrived at the hostel just in time for dinner. After dinner we went into the town and found a concert of Germans in green shorts and suspenders playing reasonably good music. We spent the evening jumping around and dancing. We headed back to the hostel, who were holding a discotech. So we all headed down and danced some more. They even played a song from NZ, which was really exciting, because one doesn't realise how popular these songs become! (How Bizarre by OMC) Then we headed back upstairs, me, Erin, Gail and Rachel, to get ready for the drive to Prague the following day. It was a really good evening, but we were all disappointed that we couldn't spend more time in Munich.
One the way to Prague, we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp. They first showed up a shocking video before walking around the grounds. I didn't have enough time to check out the crematoriums, but it was still a shocking and emotional experience and the feeling is indescribable. It was the quietest I have ever heard exchange students, ever. We then got back on the bus and headed to Prague. We had free time, so I tried to show my friends where the Old Charles Bridge was, but by time we got there, it was shut, so we walked around for awhile. There was some art expo thing going on and we saw a statue of a teddy bear and a women holding a gas pump. Some guy came up to us and asked if we liked his art and if we knew the philosophy behind it. We looked at him puzzled and he replied, "Well, in Czech, we believe all men are teddy bears and that women are just there to fill them up." I laughed and walked away, while the other girls just stood there disgusted. The guy couldn't stop laughing at them. Anyway, we found a KFC, had popcorn chicken, did a little souvenir shopping and went back to the hostel. Gail almost fell off the top bunk, we all laughed at her, then she started rearranging the whole room, before she decided that it was safe to sleep on the top bunk.
The following day we had a guided tour of Prague. Wasn't all that interesting for me, because I had already seen everything from when I went there with school. Eventually, we finished and had a typical Czech lunch - goulash. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon on the Old Charles Bridge and did some browsing. We looked at every painting stand on the bridge, because Victoria wanted one, and I got a photo of the bridge. After dinner, we went to the Black Light Theatre, but dinner was late, and we were in a rush and ended up leaving some people behind. It was Gulliver's Travel and Alice in Wonderland, which was well presented, but the story lines were changed and made really odd. Then, evening finished and it was back to the hostel.
Arrived in Vienna the following evening. Dropped our stuff off at the hostel and Rotary took us out to try some Vienna wine. We were given a whole mug, and it was really strong! I had one glass, and I already felt light headed. Some people ended up ordering seconds too. So... the bus ride back to the hostel was amusing because the majority were rather drunk, including the Rotarians. It was really funny, because Marie-Claire was so giggly, she was so cute.
The next day was really busy. First we had a short guided tour of Vienna. Saw the gardens, some palace thing and the cathedral. I was in the French group and we ran into the English group at the cathedral. Everyone in the English group had a story to tell. Apparently, one of the chaperones, Jules, was unhappy that the guide didn't show them the way back to the bus, and he ended up "assaulting" the poor tour guide, who had explained that she was short on time, had another guide to do, and gave oral instructions how to get back with a map, giving her apologies. Jules, ended up grabbing her handbag and pulled her to the ground, violently. He has anger issues, hey?
Afterwards, we had free time, and I found a muchly missed Starbucks and had a delicious Strawberry and Cream Frappucino. I ended up staying in there for the rest of free time, chatting with Jon, Erin and Kat. Eventually, free time ended and we went to meet everyone at the fountain to have dinner then, go to the opera. The opera was amazing. Okay, so I did end up standing to 3 hours, which was painful, but it was Romeo and Juliet, in French - in Vienna! I loved it.
Next stop - Salzburg. (which means Salt City in German.) Dropped off angry Rotarian at the train station, who said he was going back home for "personal reasons". Sure thing. We went swimming in a very cold lake near the Alps and did a little boat cruise also. Beautiful there. When we arrived, we went to a concert, of a student doing a violin exam. She was amazing, and showed, just how much of a musical city Salzbug is. Afterwards, went to a little café with some other exchange students.
Following day, I had another very interesting tour of Salzburg. Saw Mozart's Tomb, markets, amongst other things. Afterwards, I went to meet Kate (it was soo good to see her again!), one of the NZ exchangees, staying in Austria. Kate was very kind as to show us around - taking us to the gardens where Sound of Music was filmed. We ran up and down the stairs singing, "Doe a Deer...". Afterwards, she had to leave, so Pamala and I went shopping. It started raining, so we ran to a café and had a cake and coffee. It stopped raining, so we went out shopping again. I bought a new bag and Pamala forced me into getting a caricature together. The artist made me look after 10 years older and increased my chest size by like 2 cups. Then, before dinner, Rotary took us to the chapel where the wedding was in Sound of Music. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant and had Austrians doing typical dances for us and then taught them to us. It was so much fun, but I forgot my camera! Drats. Then...back to the hostel.
Long bus ride, this time to Venice. I swear, half the EuroTour is spent on the bus. This one was especially long though, because traffic kept getting stopped for hours at a time. Never seen a traffic jam like this one though, because there were kids who got out their jumping ropes or where drawing on the freeway with chalk. Pamala and I walked along the freeway, singing "I Will Survive" at the top of our lungs. Arrived at the hostel at 9pm, so I had dinner, then went for a little walk around the island where our hostel was. Venice was extremely pretty at night.
Had another exceptionally interesting tour guide, very spirited. Then we headed off for lunch. I had pizza and a gelato. I ate far too many gelatos in Italy. Then we did some more souvenir shopping and went exploring. Somehow crossed a bridge and ended up on another island, but ran into some American tourists who helped us find our way back. After dinner, got ripped off on a gondola ride, but it was fun nevertheless.
After a very eventful night, our tour bus wouldn't start for for another 3 hours the next day. So we all sat around in the parking lot, listening and singing along to Alex and Harry's guitars. The bus eventually started and we arrived in the hostel problem free. It was a really cool hostel, we met many other backpackers and I finally managed to get some laundry done. It was just a good dy for chilling out and relaxing at the hostel grounds outside.
The last guided tour the following day. It was really boring, the guide talked too much, but I saw some cool statues (like a copy of David), and stuff. Next, I had lunch in a little side street cafe with Pamala. We thought we were dining really cheap, until we got charged an extra 5 Euros, just for sitting at the table. Be warned, Florence is expensively sneaky. Went through the markets, then we got some more gelatos. Erin and Jon ended up accidentally ordering a 15.50 Euro ice cream each! It was really funny, as it was also a huge ice cream. Then, after walking around the markets again, we dragged Jon into a department store for air conditioning and ended up in the cosmetic and lingerie section. ;) Later, we sat down, ate cherries and tried tying knots in the stems with our tongues. Went back to the hostel and spent the night writing in my journal, sad that Italy was over.
Arrived in Nice during the evening, after seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa and taking photos. Went out into the town with Jemma, Pamala, Erin, Jon, Kat and Emma. We decided that it was necessary that we try champagne in Southern France, so myself, Pamala, Jemma and Erin each had a glass of champagne. We checked out the beach and then headed back to the hostel at 11pm. Met some Texan backpackers on the bus, who thought I sounded Americain and also an old Australian women who had been married for over 42 years to a Frenchmen. It was so sweet, and she still had her accent!
June 1st - Canada Day! Everyone got dressed up in white and red, wore flags in our ponytails and put temporary tattoos on our arms and faces. One of the girls even had a really cute beanie in the shape of a red maple leaf. First we headed to Monaco and I went to the aquarium and spent the hour there. It was really interesting and I watched them feed the sharks. Then we took off to Cannes, after a long walk to the restaurant and bus. We got to Cannes and had a swim in the Mediterrenean, which was gorgeous! Then we had a BBQ for dinner and did some more swimming, it was heaps of fun. Got back to the hostel late and spent the night talking to the girls in my room.
Next day - Lyon. Got there in the evening and had a really good dinner. Then a Lyon Rotarian showed us around a little and took us to a little café. It was are last evening together. The Rotarians bought us an ice cream, and we scared the staff members and guests by bursting out into our several songs. (we’ve got good spirit.) Next, we walked back to the metro station to get back to the hostel. We made so much noise by linking arms and singing and jumping around. It was a really good last night together.
The last bus ride back to Belgium. I spent the hours reading pages of Harry Potter in French, out loud with Sasha. We watched the taped version of the Rotary Talent Show I was involved in back in May with some other exchangees, which was rather embarrassing. Then 6pm came by and the tears were falling from everyones eyes. Who knew when we’d see each other again? We’d never be together again in one big group like this either. So we all eventually said good–bye, hugged and I took off to the train station with memories of an amazing two weeks.
