Back to reality...

I am now back in London after the best summer holiday ever! We got back late Sunday night and although it has been good to sleep in a proper bed and actually sleep, I am feeling sad that it's all over. At least I only have 2 weeks until we go to Germany for Oktoberfest! We ended our trip with a one week sail of Croatia. Out of all the places we visited it was the cleanest and the most relaxing. I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday while we were there. It was the first time that I have ever had a warm, summer birthday. It was 38 dgerees the day of my birthday and we spend the day eating ice cream, laying on the beach. Croatia was beautiful, the perfect way to end summer.

Croatia!

We arrived in Croatia on Friday after a 17 hour journey through the night by train, it was really long and we didn't get much sleep. We arrived to 35 degrees and not a cloud in the sky and that is how its been the entire time we've been here. On Saturday we started our one week sail around Croatia from Split. It has been just glorious so far. We are on a boat with 30 people in total and our days consist of eating, swimming, reading, and napping while we sail from island to island. It is just beautiful and I cant think of a better way to celebrate my birthday on Thursday!

Venice

After some minor set backs with the train system we arrived in Venice to spend our last two days in Italy before we went to Croatia. We had been told that Venice was really expensive but we found the cheapest gelato in all of Italy! It was so cheap that one of the days we had four. (Gelato = icecream). We spent our time cruising the canals, eating ice cream and savouring our last pizzas and pastas! Italy was hard to say good bye to and is a country I will 100% be back to!

Photos from the last 3 weeks

 Katie and I in Paris

                                                       Nick, Lauren, Katie and I in Nice

                                                              With the Leaning Tower of Pisa

                                                  Lauren, Katie and I in Switzerland

                                                     Katie and I in Rome

Katie and I in Venice    

Naples - Italy

I'm on the train leaving Naples and I have to say I'm feeling sad to be leaving. When we arrived in Naples on Monday and walked out of the train station my initial reaction was to turn around and get back on the train to Rome. The streets were so dirty (covered in rubbish), there was graffiti everywhere and a lot of homeless beggars who approached us immediately. But first impressions were kicked to the kerb because our hostel couldn't have been any better. We were welcomed and the man that owned the hostel planned two days of activities for us so that we could see the 'real' Naples. We went on a walking tour on the first day, but when the guide never turned up, two Italians who saw us looking lost took us on a tour of city themselves. It was so lovely and the language barrier was hard at the start but we really got to see Naples in all it's glory from a local perspective. We ended that day eating pizza on the beach where pizza was born! 
Day two was an early start with Pompeii first on the agenda. We caught the train out there and to avoid the heat went right on opening.  It was really fascinating seeing the site and everything that I had learnt about in school. We made our way back to Naples and then down the coast to our kayaking tour along the coast. We had a tour guide called Armando who took us to all these secluded beaches and places that only the locals know about for 4 hours. We were exhausted by the end of it but it was probably the cheapest and most enjoyable thing I've done over here. The ocean was so warm and the scenery was out of this world. It was a great way to end our time in Naples. 

Rome - Italy

Roma! Wow what can I say? We spent an extremely busy 3 days in Rome. On the first day we went to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican. We went through a tour company so that we could avoid the queues. It was beautiful. Hard to describe the pictures imprinted in my mind. Saint Peters cathedral was the king of all churches, I'm not sure I should bother seeing any more in Europe! We stayed in a really nice hostel and in our room were two kiwi boys from Dunedin, it really is a small world! Day two was when the heat really hit us. Lining up to get into the colosseum in 35 degree heat was really exhausting. We cut the queue again by jumping in a tour group. Which I'm  so glad we did, when we got out the line hadn't moved much. The colosseum was awesome to see in real life and the guide on our tour made it seem like we were there watching gladiators fighting. We then went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the famous ruins of the roman times. Day three consisted of the Pantheon, Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps. On our last night we went out for dinner (more pizza) and then went to a concert with fire works at the Spanish steps, a memory I'll treasure. I could easily say to anyone thinking of going to Rome that you could spend a week there. We had a very busy 3 days but the early mornings, lines and heat were most definitely worth it! 

Florence and Pisa - Italy

We just spent two days in Florence, we stayed out in a camping ground in one of their hostel rooms. It was about an hour from Florence and really pretty. We had a big pool and they had a restaurant that served the best Italian food. While we were there we did a day trip to Pisa. We spent the day exploring the town and of course getting photos with the leaning tower. While we were there we went to a small italian restaurant that did the best pasta I've ever had. It was hard to pack and leave Florence, easily could've stayed longer. But off to Rome we go for more pizza, pasta and gelato! 

Nice - France

Today we left the beautiful city of Nice. I feel a bit like I am repeating myself all the time, but it just was truly amazing. Everywhere I go is so unique and has something special about it. Nice was on the beach and was far less busy than Paris. We went for a walk up a hill to see the view of the city, walked around the 'old town' and then spent the rest of the time at the beach. The beach was packed and it was so hard to get into the water walking on stones. I fell into the water after slipping on the stones. It was pretty funny, thank goodness the water was so warm! We went to the markets in Nice and ate the freshest summer fruits, delicious. I really could have spent another week there but today we moved on to Italy. We arrived in Florence today and we are camping in Tuscany for the next two days.

Switzerland

We spent the last two days in Lucerne (Luzern) in Switzerland. When we arrived it was pouring with rain and after spending 8 hours on the train we were a little disappointed with the weather. We found our hostel really easily and then decided to venture out for dinner. After some looking at menus we realised why people had told us that Switzerland was very expensive! We found a restaurant that served us quite nice food and didn't totally blow our budget. The rain stopped during dinner and we were able to explore that night. Yesterday (Sunday) we woke to heavy rain. We started sight seeing (in our summer clothing) and after a couple of hours the rain stopped. However it was too cloudy to go up into the Swiss Alps, which was really upsetting as it was our only chance. I guess I'll have to come back here one day! We did a lake cruise instead and saw the sights of Lucerne from the boat. It was beautiful. Then we went and brought chocolate, cheese and crackers and had our own traditional Swiss afternoon tea. For dinner we found a Swiss pub and mingled with the locals. We left Switzerland at lunch time today and are currently on our way to Nice in France. 

Paris

Hi all from Paris! We arrived yesterday and so far have been to the eiffel tower, louvre and done a 4 hour tour of the main highlights of Paris. It is beautiful here. I have been having a lot of trouble with a wisdom tooth and last night decided to find a doctor. The address we were given was actually to the Army hospital but I was so upset by the time we arrived that they felt so sorry for me and a kind French man unlocked the iron gates and let us in. They made Katie, Lauren and Nick wait in the entrance near the sign that said 'STRICTLY NO TOURISTS ALLOWED', while I was taken away. I realise now how crazy this all seems! The director of the hospital was away but his son was friends with the frenchman so he called him and he came to assist. It was very embarrassing and hard considering they didn't speak good English and didn't know what a wisdom tooth was. Eventually we came to the conclusion that I would have to leave and see a dentist the next day. Today the hostel staff rung a lot of dentists but turns out most French people leave Paris in august to get away from tourists! So I am now on painkillers and salt water rinses, will venture to a hospital if things get unbearable! Have got two more days in Paris and then heading to Switzerland. It has rained a little today but it's still warm. We are going to do more sight seeing tomorrow! 
Big hello to my grandparents who are just learning how to use the Internet! 
Love to all 
Kate

Belgium

In our last couple of days in Amsterdam we went to the Anne Frank house and then went out of the city into the country side and visited a clog making factory, cheese factory and the windmills, it was beautiful!
We then made our way to Belgium. Our first stop was Antwerp and it rained the entire time! We saw the biggest church I have ever seen while we were in Antwerp.

We then went to Brugge. It was by far the coolest place we have been to! It was founded in the 900's and the history was amazing. We did a canal cruise, and there was just so much to see. The city had a real medieval feel about it, it's so hard to describe and the photos just don't do it justice! If anyone is ever thinking about going to Belgium I would just recommend Brugge. We ate lots and lots of chocolate while we were there, ended up feeling a little sick, there are chocolate shops everywhere.

 We finished out trip in Brussels. We ate way too many waffels and more chocolate while we were there too!
All in all a fantastic place to visit. Bring on France next!

Us in Brussels



Amsterdam - Photos

 Katie and I in front of one of the canals in Amsterdam.

 Katie and I eating 'frites' in Amsterdam

 Katie, Braden and I in a giant clog in Holland

 Braden, me and Katie in front of one of the windmills.

Katie and I outside the clog making factory in Holland.

Belgium

We arrived in Belgium two days ago, but I only have literally one minute left of internet so I will update this tomorrow or the next day! Brugge is amazing and I am loving it!

Amsterdam

Hello from Amsterdam. We arrived on Friday and it has been so much fun so far. On Friday we did a 3 hour walking tour of the city and learnt all about the history and the red light district. We then did a canal cruise through the city, it's beautiful here! On Friday night we went out for dinner in China Town (does every major city have one of those?) and expoorer the city at night. On Saturday my cousin and her boyfriend arrived first thing and we went on our own walk around the city, to the markets and Anne Franks house. Then the rain started and it hasn't stopped since! We had a fun Saturday night out. Today has been pretty low key as it's Pouring down. Tomorrow we are catching the train to Antwerp which is in Belgium. Hopefully we can get in a day trip tomorrow to this cheese factory outside Amsterdam if the weather improves.

The Summer Adventure Begins..

Well the adventure is about to begin. Braden arrived from New Zealand yesterday and we are just preparing for the first leg of my summer trip. Only two sleeps until we leave for Amsterdam and Belgium. The next 6 weeks are going to be so busy and I have no idea what to expect, but I'm so excited! We have just finished paying for most of the travel and accommodation side of things, so now I just need to get the spending money in order. This blog is probably going to be the best way to keep track of how I am over the next little while. It's been cold and wet in London the last few days so I'm keen to get out into Europe and the sun! Next time I blog will be from Amsterdam..

Spain - Pamplona - Running of the Bulls

Last night I got back from spending a week in Spain. We went to a place called Pamplona for a festival called San Ferrmin, which is held there every year. On the opening day it is traditional for everyone to wear white and for the local people to cover you from head to toe in Sangria. It was a lot of fun. We watched people running with the bulls and had some really hot weather. Spain was beautiful and I hope that I can go back one day to explore more. I have two weeks left of work until the summer holidays. I am getting so excited about going away travelling for over a month. Bring it on!

Beautiful Brighton

I am ashamed to say that I have been away for over 4 months and had not yet adventured out of London into any other parts of England, until this weekend. On Saturday we went to Brighton for the day. It is about 45minutes on the train from London and I wish we had done it sooner. It was a warm 25 degrees and we spent the day at the beach and exploring, there was so much to see and do. I got my first sun burn in England, I didn't think it could happen over here! It was a great day and once we get back from our huge summer adventure I can't wait to see what other sights this beautiful country has to offer. However, tomorrow I am off to Spain (via France) for a week and I can't wait. We are going to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls festival. Bring on the sun and sangria!

Scottish Highlands

I realise just how slack I have been in the last few weeks. I just returned from spending a week in the Scottish Highlands last night. It was so cool. We went kayaking every morning (when it wasn't raining), hiking, fishing and 4 wheel driving. I loved it! I am eating a prawn stirfry in one of the photos, we caught the prawns and then cooked them that night, fresh is the best! I had 3 days of heavy rain while I was there but the rest of the time it was reasonably mild, I even got a bit burnt one day! It was such a relaxing holiday and I can't wait to get back up to Scotland to explore some more. I am working 3 days this week and then off to Spain on Monday! It's a hard life.. funds are looking low, so if anyone wants to donate to my 'Send Kate around the World' fund feel free! hehe

Hectic

Hi all, Just realised it's been a while since I've written. Life is so busy at the moment. Am working at every possible moment, trying to save up for when I go travelling for 6 weeks over Summer. Have been getting a lot of work at the same schools and some have booked me out until the end of July, which is nice. London really is my second home, I love it! We have got 3 new flat mates at our place and the vibe is very cool. Like a little family, tonight we've been out in our yard playing ping pong and having a BBQ.
Next week Fergal and I head off to visit a friend of mine in the Scottish Highlands for a week. I can't wait. Bought some hiking boots on the weekend! I'm hiking to the most remote pub in the UK while I'm there. Will post some photos upon my return.
This weekend we are off to the Royal Ascot Races with a big group of friends.
Love to everyone at home after hearing about the earthquake today.

Ibiza

 Fergal and I at our hostel!

On Friday morning Katie and I returned from our mini-break to Ibiza. We spent four days there. When we arrived it was cloudy and not very warm but on the second day we went to the beach and it was beautiful! We were staying in a hostel that had a pool. We were lucky enough to get to spend time relaxing and checking it out. We met two friends there and went out one of the nights we were there, which was interesting! It was a good break from our life in London and was great to see the sun!

Rugby 7s and more

On the weekend we went to the Rugby 7s at Twickenham Stadium. It was a great day out. The theme was 'At the Beach' and even though the weather wasn't that tropical we still had fun. It was a shame New Zealand didn't make it to the final.
This week I'm working a full week before we head off to Ibiza. A friend of mine from Australia arrived yesterday from Italy to stay with us for a week, which is awesome. So my quiet week is looking far busier!
Life is just ticking along nicely here, with the count down to our big summer trip on!

News of lately..

I had a really good weekend, Katie had some of her friends from home here to stay for the weekend. We went out on Saturday for my cousin's birthday and then on Sunday we went to The Church, which is an Australian and New Zealand pub that only opens on a Sunday from 12-4pm. It was an experience! I don't think the photos need to be shown.
I have got work all this week and the following, which is perfect since I will be in Ibiza in just 10 days! This weekend we are going to the London Rugby 7's with a big group of friends. We are going on Sunday for the finals and we have friends staying that we met on Paddywagon tour in Ireland.  I just have to find a costume for the 'beach' theme.
Off for a run at the park with Katie now and then skyping friends from home. I can't believe it's almost three months since I left home.
I got a parcel from Dad and Mitchell yesterday, lots of New Zealand goodies, so thanks Dad if you're reading this, I love you lots.

IBIZA BABY!

Katie and I just booked tickets to Ibiza in 17 days. We have a one week mid-term school break so decided to bite the bullet and head away somewhere. We are going for 4 days. I'm so excited! Will be interesting to see what it's really like and to be somewhere warm before summer hits England!
What a great week! Just need to keep the money coming in with work in the next two weeks before we go!

I forgot I was in London

Here I am living in London with a day off work and I was considering having a quiet day at home! What on earth was I thinking? As my sister said to me "Kate, I feel like you're wasting London when you don't do exciting things".
I rung a friend that I met in Ireland on Paddywagon and met up with her this morning. We went to the British Museum for the morning. It was huge, we didn't see everything! Lots of ancient Egypt things there, including Cleopatra's mummified body!  That was pretty cool to see.

We then jumped on the tube and went to Notting Hill. I've been obsessed with the movie for years, and I can't believe I've been in London for almost 3 months without going there yet! On the way we found a cupcake shop that sold the yummiest cupcakes ever!
When we got to Notting Hill we had a look through the market and then went to find the Blue Door and The Travel Bookshop. I took Fergal along for the ride too. It was so much fun!

I think I remembered that I need to take every opportunity to look around while I'm here. I won't be here forever after all!

Life as a local..

This week has seen my first day of missing home terribly! It only lasted a couple of hours though. Had a 'moment' and then pulled myself together. At least my bad day, was a bad day in London!
Work has started to pick up, the only down side to being a supply teacher (well not the only) is not knowing when you're going to have work. I had to do a day this week as a teaching assistant which is less pay, but money is money!
Next week I have 3 days booked in already and should be able to get work the other 2 days, so it's all go!
Summer is on it's way and if you lived in Wimbledon you would have seen Katie and I out pounding the pavement on our runs.
This weekend we are going to an ANZAC Challenge day on Saturday. The ANZAC Challenge is Londons biggest Australasian Sports event and is a day a day of Sport, Culture, Entertainment and Remembrance. It has live music, men playing each other in various sports (Kiwi vs Aussie) and a BBQ! Best of all it's meant to be 25 degrees! I can't wait.

Such an exciting week!

Ah I'm so excited! This week started with a public holiday on Monday. So Katie and I decided to book our tour to Oktoberfest in September. We are doing a 6 day coach tour, stopping at some sights along the way.
Work has been pretty slow this week because it's the start of the school term but is picking up.
In 4 weeks there is a mid-term week off, so we think we will book a holiday in either Portugal or Ibiza. We are undecided at the moment on which one to choose, and need to wait until our pay comes through next week to book! The bank balance has been very low since Ireland!
My last piece of exciting news is that my friend Braden from New Zealand has booked flights to come and see me in 8 weeks! AHH! We are going to travel Holland and Belguim over 10 days before I head away on my big 1 month away.
What a fantastic week, now I just need to keep the money coming in so I can afford all this!

Royal Wedding Fever

Wedding Wristbands

Being in London on Friday was a really exciting experience. The city had been building up to the big wedding day for months! We decided to get a group of our Australian and Kiwi mates together and spend the day in the sun watching and celebrating the wedding. It was a lovely warm day in the end and I really enjoyed it. We were lucky enough to bump into the 'real' Will and Kate!

Ireland Photos

Fergal and I at Blarney Castle

Cliffs of Moher

Giant's Causeway - Northern Ireland

Incredible Ireland

WOW! I flew in about three hours ago from the best holiday of my life. Ireland was beyond words. The people, the scenery and the atmosphere in that country was more than I could have ever expected. I did a 6 day all-Ireland Paddywagon tour. The name of our driver was Seanie and he was quite possibly the funniest person I have ever met. He made the tour 10x more fun I'm sure. On day 1 we set out from Dublin to Northern Ireland. We stayed in a city called Derry. While we were there we did a walking tour and learnt a lot about the troubles in Northern Ireland. It was a hard subject to get our heads around. That night the whole bus headed out for group bonding and by day 2 we were like long lost friends!
On day 2 we headed from Derry to Belfast. Stoppping at castles, cliffs and beaches along the way. It was a beautiful day and we got plenty of beautiful photos. When we arrived in Belfast we did a Black Cab taxi tour of the city. We got to see peace walls between the Catholics and Protestants that are still being used today. This was a real eye-opener and we could still feel the tension that remains today.
On day 3 we drove from Belfast to Galway via Sligo. In Sligo (the home of three of the westlife boys) we stopped at the famous Poet W.B Yates' grave. We headed out for a group paddywagon dinner in Galway and Seanie showed us how the locals party.
Day 4 was a very slow morning, made even worse because someone had tried to break into our bus over night and we couldn't close any of the doors! We had to wait for over an hour for another bus to come and collect us. That day we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. That night we stayed in a small town in Kerry County and stayed at a backpackers called 'The Randy Leprechaun'. We had a whole bus karaoke night that night at the local pub, it was probably the best night on the tour.
Day 5 we drove to Cork. This was the first and only day that we saw rain in Ireland. We stopped in Killkenny to have a horse ride through the local park. It was beautiful. We arrived in Cork at about 6pm and it was Good Friday. Everything was closed so we had the last night of our tour playing cards in the lounge at the hostel.
Day 6 was probably the best sightseeing day for me. We stopped at Blarney Castle first of all and climbed to the top to kiss the Blarney Stone. It was really scary, to kiss it, you had to lay on your back and hang over the side of the castle and kiss it upside down! My heart was racing so fast. We then made our way back to Dublin stopping at the Guinness Factory along the way. I had my first ever pint of Guinness, not too bad!
The tour ended in Dublin and there were tears all around. It's fair to say I met some amazing people and made some great friends. It was 6 days I'll treasure forever.
To end our time in Ireland, Katie and I spent 3 days in Dublin over Easter. This was lots of fun and we got to see a huge amount of the city. I now know all the words to many Irish songs! Back to reality now..
I only have 2 days of work this week and the Royal Wedding on Friday! I think I'll be dreaming of green fields, irish jigs, clovers and the memories for a while to come.

Greetings from Belfast

Today is my 4th day in Ireland. So far our tour has been to Dublin, Belfast, and Derry to stay. Today we are off to Galway. Our tour leader is Irish and possibly one of the funniest men I've ever met. I am having a blast. We have got only 6 days left here and so much to see and do. Better go have breakfast before I miss the bus! Photos to come on my return to London.

Ireland here I come...

This week has been really busy. I worked in a Year 3 class at a Catholic School. It was a really enjoyable week. On Thursday night Katie and I met up with about 8 of her friends from Australia and went out in Leicester Square. It was the best night out we've had here so far, I'm spending so much time with Australians that one of the Kiwi's I've caught up with over here thinks that I have an aussie accent! (That's not good). This weekend has been very quiet. Last night we went out for dinner with two of my cousins. Was good to get a dose of 'home'. Tomorrow morning we are flying to Dublin, Ireland. I can't wait! I'm not sure how I'll be able to sleep tonight. We start our tour of Ireland on Monday morning. We're there for 10 days in total. We get back to London 2 days before the Royal Wedding, which is going to be really exciting, the whole city is covered in Royal colours already! I will blog from Ireland, Fergal is very excited about checking out his native country! hehe.

The six week mark

In Hyde Park

Check out the blue sky!

Well it's over 6 weeks now since I left Christchurch. I have to say time has gone so quickly, yet so much has happened in that time. London has really put on a show the last 5 days. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it got to 23 degrees! It was beautiful. The weekend has been pretty nice too with 18 degrees on Saturday and 20 degrees today. Yesterday we went and brought a picnic blanket and spent the day in Hyde Park with a group of friends in the sun. It was so nice and there were literally hundreds of people there. Today we have been to do our groceries and brought a printer/scanner. On our walk to the shops we found 'Christchurch Street'! Fergal and I got a photo. I am in a Year 3 class at a nice Catholic School called St George's all this week. Then we go to Ireland on Sunday! I can't wait.

Recent Outings

At the theatre for our first show.

Telephone box and me (they really are everywhere)!

Katie and I at Ripley's Believe it or not Museum.