The End Of Contiki: Paris!

You male come now
You caveman sit down
You shh don't ruin it, wow

Check please

                                                 - Like You, P!NK

Our last stop for Contiki was Paris! I have to say it was probably the place I was most excited to see too! The Eiffel Tower, The Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Disney Land...such an amazing exploration awaited us! I have to say what I did not expect was the beauty. The city is so well planned, so symmetrical and full of wonderful, large, green gardens. These beautiful gardens were so enjoyable and I made sure I found time everyday I was in Paris to sit, enjoy and soak up the sun. 

Sun!!! Real, nice, warm sun! It was amazing! 

I do not understand how it can be so close to London and yet London can have no sun at all! 

Our first night in Paris we were provided with a feast of Antipasto 

Bec and I demolished it!!! 

Then I ate the leftovers from our friends next us.... 

I couldn't eat my main afterwards though! 

After a night tour of Paris we stopped for escargot and champaign. 

So much garlic goodness! 

There was only one way to end our first night in Paris. 

The Eiffel Tower night climb. 

The view from the top was incredible!  

The next few days we did some MAJOR site seeing: 

*The Arc De Triomphe

   

*Shopping on the Champs Elysees   *Macarons at Laduree

*The Louvre

*Notre Dame

* Amazing Nougat. 

* The Peace Monument (That the artist refuses to finish until World Peace has been achieved)

I even found the Japanese symbol for peace (exactly like it is on my wrist)!

It was amazing! Even just walking along the Parisian streets was breathe taking! 

We feasted on AMAZING food, including the night we shared a traditional Parisian meal:

Cheesy and delicious Onion soup as a entree. 

A tender and scrumptious beef bourguignon main. 

A light and tasty cheese platter. 

          A rich and moist chocolate cake for dessert.

And a perfect espresso afterwards. 

It was a delightful dinning experience! 

That night a small group of us headed to the iconic Moulin Rouge...

We had an AMAZING time! The show was spectacular! Gleaming, bright costumes and sets, talented, funny in between acts and a thrilling performance. Performers hanging from the ceiling, swimming with pythons and the can can!!!! So much fun!!!! 

The next morning Kelsey and I  left for one of the most magical places on earth...

DISNEY LAND!!!!

and we were blown away! 

It truly is a magical place. We went on so many rides, saw parades, met some characters and truly relived our childhood! 

Where Dreams Come True!!!!!! 

I even got to hang out with the beautiful 'local' Susie and eat Baguettes! 

That's the end of both AMAZING Paris and the AMAZING Contiki experience! 

It could not have been more fun! What a great idea Mr Cotton and I am so glad I got to share these experiences with you! 

Fantastic, beautiful new friend from all over the world! Which mean I should never have to pay for accommodation again. Right? 

Oh and remember I love you more than the French loves snails.

For more photos of my Parisian adventure click the link below:

Paris

Contiki Part 2. Tyrol Valley, Venice and Switzerland.

Love is nice when it’s understood
Even nicer when it makes you feel good
You got me trippin' why our love is old
Come on baby, let the good times roll(s)

                                                                      - Let It Roll, Flo Rida. 

...after our shortage bus ride (of only three and a half hours) we arrived in Tyrol Austria! 

I began to feel hot. My stomach began to cycle. I had to take off my jacket. 

My body refused to sit still. My legs jiggled. My hands fidgeted. I rocked. 

I was excited. I was nervous. 

We began the drive up the mountain. However, we did not stop. We kept driving. The six of us looked at each other and then back out the window. 

Why has the driver not stopped. The distance between us and the village got wider and wider. 

But still he kept driving.

The people, the houses, the trees, grew smaller and smaller. 

And still he kept driving. 

My breath became heavier. Had I made the wrong choice? 

Finally, the driver stopped. We crept out of the car. 

Grace was the first to go. Then the man looked at the rest of us. 

"Next?", he asked. 

It was my turn! 

Once all the equipment was set up and we were locked in. 

I was given the instruction to run.

 To run and not look down. 

To run even when it felt like there was no longer ground beneath us. 

So, I took a breath, and ran! 

Paragliding in Austria baby!!!! 

It was truly amazing and surprisingly peaceful.

Once up in the air all the drama I put myself through seemed completely unnecessary. 

I truly felt like I was flying! I loved it. From the minute we were off to the minute we landed! 

It was such a wonderful way to view the Tyrol Valley and an amazing experience! 

Half way down Karl (my instructor) began speaking again, "Do you like roller coasters?"

"Yea", I replied.

Before I knew it we were spinning left and right. 

Suddenly, I was staring into the sky with the ground under my head and my feet in the air! 

It was crazy cool! 

After our little high, we went out to discover the small valley we were staying in over night. 

It was so beautiful! 

The carpentry was insane! Every single house was an absolute spectacular. 

So much detail and precision. Surely we had stepped into the land of fairytales. 

We loved this place and took it all in! 

It was a beautiful, peaceful and nice retreat.

We stopped at a cosy cafe for coffee and tried two scrumptious cakes. 

Cake 1 - Lemon Heaven, a delicate and light lemon cake with cream and meringue.

Cake 2 - The Bomb, a chocolate layered cake with cream and apples. 

The Bomb was  my favourite! 

The couple who owned it were so lovely.

  

The lady gave us a free slice of cake and came out to speak to us for quite a while. 

She was so bubbly and full of life and excitement! We loved her too! 

After a good night sleep we headed back onto the bus.

I think this photo says more than words can on our feelings on this!

However, eventually we arrived in our next destination. 

Channy and I were right at  home...

...in Venice! 

It was a wonderfully hot, sunny day. 

The water, which reflected the sky, was a beautiful crystal blue as we headed into Venice. 

Armed with gelato stop we were ready to hit the sites! 

 

After hanging out at the Rilato Bridge it was absolutely time for a gondola ride...

While we drank our Rosé and took in the sights the South African's were getting engaged!!!! 

Woot-Woot!!!!

We
 were
 very
 excited
 for
 them! 

Such an adventure took it out of us and so we were ready for out Italian feast! 

We found a cool, kitschy place with pots and pans hung from the roof. 

And we enjoyed ourselves feasting on: 

Marinated Vegetables

Lasagne 

Four Cheeses Gnocchi 

Peperoni Pizza

Veggie Delight Pizza

and the 'House Special' Pizza

Before indulging in more Gelato. 

Another bus ride meant time to catch up on sleep!

We were so blessed though! The only times it rained while we were on tour was when we were on the bus! Every time we landed in a city we had beautiful weather. Praise God!!!

On Monday the 29th of May we arrived in Switzerland! 

In Lucerne we saw the Lion Monument.

We walked the Chapel Bridge. 

Then we did some watch and army knife shopping! 

That night we dined on Swiss Cheese Fondue. 

The next morning Ben and I explored Lauterbrunnen at the foot of the Swiss Alps. 

It was a stunning place. We went walking for over two hours and never ceased to be amazed by the gorgeous, lush sites we saw! 

Spectacular and powerful waterfalls,

Wild and alluring, clear, flowing water.

We ended our wonderful stay in Switzerland at a quiet bar sipping on hot chocolate with run and whipped cream. It was perfection! 

The next morning we headed to our last destination, Paris...

To see more pictures click the links below: 

Paragliding.

Tyrol

Venice

Switzerland