What a way to start this blog than by posting about one of the most amazing things I have ever done.
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to join an amazing group of people for a 3-week adventure around Europe.
This just so happens to be the second attempt at this post and to be honest with you, my last one was so so long that I knew I needed to try again. So this time around I will focus more on the photos as I know that's what everyone is really after right??
I touched down in London on the 24th April and was lucky enough to spend the first few days relaxing with family before the tour.
Day one was spent getting to know everyone and making our way from London to Paris via the ferry crossing from Dover to Calais. That night we went on a bus tour of all the main sights.
The next day was our first free day. We had the whole day ahead of us to be Parisian and I must admit it was magical. I was under the impression that I wasn't going to be a fan of Paris but boy was I wrong. I fell in love.
Arc De Triomphe and the view from the top.
Notre Dame
Pont Alexandre III
Day three we were back on the bus and making our way through the mountains and valleys to arrive at the swiss town of Engelberg which was at the base of Mt Titlis. That even we had a good time getting to know each other more by playing drinking games and adding everyone on Facebook.
The next morning we headed up the mountain and were greeted by a chilly -9 degrees. It was so cold that even my hair started freezing - impressive right?
The ride up the mountain by cable car was magical and the snowy outlook was amazing. The air was pretty thin up there but who can't be happy when they're surrounded by snow??
The next morning we knew we were going to be in for weeks of early mornings as we rose with the sun and started our journey towards the south of France to sunny Nice and a few nights by the seaside. Tonight was our first "real" night out as a TopDeck family and many many drinks were consumed. In fact, we had just the right enough to perform an encore of Les Miserable on our way back to the hotel.
We woke a little dusty to another free day and the weather could not have been more perfect. We had an amazing day getting lost in this beautiful little town by the sea.
Lunch as the locals call Moules Frites
That evening we boarded the bus to get a taste of how the rich and famous live as we set off for Monaco. I must admit the journey was interesting. Whilst our lunch was amazing for most it, unfortunately, did not sit right with our poor bus driver as he got a touch of the vomits on the way. I must admit though I am wildly impressed with his skills of driving whilst being sick. Anyway, we made it to Monaco in once piece and had a night to remember exploring the Monte Carlo Casino (where I may add I tripled my money) and enjoying the amazing views.
The Monte Carlo Casino
The church where Grace Kelly got married.
Our first family photo.
We were now leaving France and making our way through so beautiful Tuscan countryside on our way to Florence.
Unfortunately, there were no sunflowers for me to "ooh" and "ahh" at but it was beautiful just the same.
We stopped in Pisa on our way through to get a look at the famous leaning tower and to grab some lunch before continuing on to Florence.
That afternoon we had a leather demonstration followed by a walking tour of the city where we were introduced to Florence's star resident, David, before enjoying what was quite possibly one of my favourite meals of the trip.
The next morning we had half a day to explore Florence on our own. Which was definitely not enough time! This is a city I must return to.
In the afternoon we made our way to Italy's beautiful capital of Rome. Once in Rome we were met with the world's most epically long walking tour (but I must admit it was worth it) We took in all the sights; Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, Hadrian's temple, pantheon, piazza Navona, Pompeii's forum, piazza Venezia, Trajan's forum, imperial forum, and finally finishing up at the Colosseum.
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Piazza Venezia
Another family photo at the Colosseum
The next day started with an amazing tour of the Vatican City followed by an epic hike back to the Colosseum where we took the train back to the hotel for a well deserved afternoon of wine.
We then headed to Venice with a quick pit stop to catch up with everyone's favourite couple Romeo and Juliet in fair Verona.
Juliet's Balcony
When we got to our hotel we were all super impressed it was by far the best place we had stayed so far..... unfortunately, this did not last long as it turns out the trip leader had been given the wrong information and we were at the wrong hotel.
Again the following day was a free day to explore the beautiful city. and beautiful it was!
Enjoying gelato in St Mark's Square.
We now had to say Arividerchi to Italia as we headed east to Croatia and the gorgeous coastal village of Pula. Pula came at the perfect time after a few days of non-stop action it was glorious to finally have some down time to relax and not walk quite as much. We were lucky enough to have a hotel less than 5 minutes from a secluded little beach where we spent both nights having some drinks and spending some time with the group.
(photo credit to Ben for this shot)
Next, we made our way to Ljubljana in Slovenia where unfortunately we were met with some very wet weather. Despite this, we had a walking tour with a local guide. This was another city we did not get to spend enough time in as there was so much more to explore. That evening the group divided as half decided to try out some traditional Slovenian food whilst the other half (myself included) thought that a nice Mexican feast is what we wanted (including tequila) dinner was followed by a game of beer pong which was followed by many more drinks than anyone could ever need.
The next morning was an interesting one as the 5 of us who were out the night before were quite possibly still trying to process the amount of alcohol we had consumed the night before. What made this worse was that it was a travel day - what a way to spend a hangover. Today we were off to the home of the Sound of Music and the birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg. Not before stopping at what should have been one of the most amazing lakes, Lake Bled, unfortunately, due to the weather it was not as picturesque as I knew it could be.
We had to improvise wet weather gear.
Lake Bled
After Salzburg we had our sight set on Prague, unfortunately, the roads had another idea and we were sent on a detour through the back roads of the Chezch Republic. We made it eventually where we followed our new tradition of a walking tour of the new city followed by dinner followed by absinth and a night some of us would rather forget.
Charles Bridge
John Lennon Wall
Church of our Lady before Tyn
Astronomical Clock Tower.
Onto Deutschland, we stopped in Dresden for lunch where we got a taste of currywurst, and it's delicious even if you do decide to be brave and taste the super hot currywurst. There was a super cute market what we got to explore a little.
Back on the bus and bound for Berlin. Berlin was a breath of fresh air after all the amazing but fairly cramped old towns in Berlin you felt like you had some space. Unfortunately, we were there on a public holiday but we were still able to explore the sights and I think we definitely got our money's worth.
Pork Knuckle and Beer - can't get much more German than this.
Brandenburg Gate
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Berlin Cathedral Church
The hotel where Michael Jackson held his baby over the balcony.
We ended our time in Berlin with an epic pub crawl and a night I'll never forget.
The last city we stayed in was Amsterdam. We started Amsterdam off right by going to a Sex Show, something that I'm sure I will never recover from. We had a tour of the Red Light District and an amazing bike tour around the city.
We finished the tour with a bang (and an awful lot of shots)
Finally, it was time to make our way back to London with a quick stop for lunch in Bruges.
I'm beyond happy that I did this trip. It is an experience I will never forget and it definitely has changed me as a person. I met some of the most amazing people and have made friends for life. I can't wait for my next TopDeck adventure.
