Eurotrip 2008

14 August - Arriving in very nice Nice

After a quick EasyJet flight from London to Nice, we caught the bus into the city and checked in at our pokey little hostel. The view from the balcony was lovely, and the location excellent - right near a fresh fruit market, amazing boulangerie / patisserie and the train station. We even worked out how to get free wi-fi from Subway and spent each night checking emails and facebook updates. The only downside was the slightly mouldy shower, which was only separated from the bedroom by a shower curtain (not a real door)! Strange...

We settled in, then did some sightseeing - walking through the busy streets (trying to avoid dog poo) to the rocky beach front, then up almost a thousand steps to get an incredible view of the city. It wasn't till dusk that we returned to the room with a couple of cans of Kronenberg 1664, to play with our new camera (purchased at the London airport just before our flight). We also got to meet our roomies Claire (from Canada) and Phillipe (from Paris), whom we shared stories with till late.

15 August - Cannes day trip

This windy day we took a day trip to Cannes (the film festival town), and got to see an almost sandy beach! Unfortunately the wind brought a storm with it, but it went as quickly as it had arrived, and actually only rained when it got out to sea.

We spent the afternoon gaping at super expensive charter boats in the marina (where we spotted some celebrity rapper and his tennis-player-type girlfriend on their boat), and felt underdressed as we walked the exclusive shopping and cafe-dotted streets. Close to the marina we spotted the venue where they show the films in the annual Cannes film festival, and learnt a little about the festival's beginnings.

Afternoon turned quickly to night, and we spent the evening drinking cheap (but delicious) French wine with our room-mates - with a delicious apricot tart from La Royale for dessert. Sandra fell in love with our travel mascot 'Waa-li' (short for koala) and almost kept him to herself! It was an excellent way to finish the day.

16 August - Beach by day, clubs by night

A lovely sleep-in had us feeling fresh yet lazy, so we decided to test out the 'beach' (or rocks) with a good book and some smurf-blue sunscreen - don't ask... after about two minutes, we decided our towels alone weren't comfy enough on the rocks, so we bought some cheap inflatable lilos for €5 each, then whiled away the afternoon sardined amongst the smoking masses. Going for a swim was wonderful - the water really is that luminous turquoise colour, and its so salty its difficult to dive underwater - but we missed waves and sand regardless. We spent most of the day at the beach, and didn't get a hint of sunburn (thanks to the smurfscreen).

When we arrived back at the hostel, we decided to head out to town with our roomies Phillipe and Claire. On the walk into town, we came across a talented bunch of breakdancers who put on an excellent show (to old school hip hop music). We ended up at some dodgy bar that smelt of mouldy shower blocks (it was in a cellar below ground level), but we still had a blast. Drinks were RIDICULOUSLY expensive, but we were still humming along from our cheap wine consumed at the hostel earlier, so all was good. After a long day in the sun, Trav and I were pretty tired, so we turned in early - eager for another beach day tomorrow...

17 August - Nice

Waking up to another perfect sunny day, we spent the day exploring more of Nice before heading to Vieux Nice (old Nice) for a splurge on dinner.

On our way back from dinner we had a hilarious moment which I wasn't able to capture on camera - so I've provided a commentary below to illustrate it.

Trav: I like the French language, but what's the difference between 'la' and 'le'?
Lici: Well, its used in front of nouns to make them masculine or feminine. For example, a bus is 'le' bus - probably because it looks phallic - and a woman is 'la' femme. So 'la' is feminine, and 'le' is...

At this exact moment, both of us stop dead in our tracks... because approaching us on the footpath is a man and his date - a cross-dresser in a skin-tight turquoise mini dress, with stuffed bra, red shoulder-length wig and strappy heels! It takes us a few seconds to register the hilarity of this sight, given our current conversation... and then we both double up with laughter.

Lici: (wiping tears of laughter from eyes) ...as I was saying, ahem, 'la' is feminine, and 'le' is masculine... well, most of the time!

What a sight!

18 August - Last day in Nice

On our last day in the heart of Nice, we decided to see the contemporary art gallery (which was full of silly 'art' neither of us really understood) before packing early and spending the day reading lazily in a park. We munched on fresh baguettes with barbecue chicken and salad for lunch, before being tempted by the patisserie once again (mmm those pastries!).

When it was time to catch up with our Aussie friend Dr Zac, we lugged our packs to the bus station and asked some very friendly French information staff how to buy tickets. Trav was adorable as he tried to ask in French, but began the sentence with 'au revoir' (which means goodbye, not hello!)... they giggled and smiled - the ladies can't help but love him! Tickets were only €1 to any destination (which surprised us, as some places were HOURS away) - so we purchased ours and boarded the comfy coach.

The trip was full of pretty scenery as we climbed higher and higher into the hills towards Monaco. At La Turbie, we hopped off to meet up with Dr Zac - who had booked a hotel room for the night (as he had been given faulty keys to his parents' apartment, and couldn't get in to the house!). We made plans to see the locksmith the next morning, then enjoyed a mould-free shower before a luxurious French meal at Cafe de la Fontaine (a very ritzy restaurant with an ever-changing menu that has customers from Italy and Monaco coming back every week).

It was wonderful to spend some time with an old friend again, and we got to try limoncello (a very strong Italian liqueur) after dinner. Delicious!

19 August - La Turbie and Cap d'Ail

Waking up from a delightful sleep-in, we visited the locksmith's shop only to find it closed (and it took us about 20 minutes to translate the sign on the door!). So we then visited the local police station to explain our situation. Although it took some time to translate our situation about being locked out of Zac's parents' holiday home, the police were extremely helpful - and ended up getting the locksmith to come help out despite it being his day off! It took about 45 minutes for the locksmith to break into the place, and another few hours before they returned with a replacement lock and keys - but we enjoyed checking out the gorgeous views and apartment while they were fussing around.

Eventually all was fixed and we had keys that worked, so we drove to a stunning beach called Cap d'Ail. Reclining on some lounges, we sipped on cocktails and read books until the sun was practically set. We had an amazing time until we got the bill for the cocktails (and the sun lounges... which we thought were free if we paid for drinks!). €100 later we all agreed it was a great (yet bloody expensive) day out.

Having a quiet night in with some delicious bordeaux wines and great pizza, we watched an incredible storm approach across the ocean. We played with our camera settings and ended up getting some cool lightning photos!

20 August - Monaco and La Turbie

On our last day with Dr Zac, we drove to Monaco to spend the day sightseeing. Driving carefully past the hairpin bends on the cliffside roads, we got there safely (thanks for driving us Dr Zac!), and found a carpark in the heart of the city. The first thing you notice about Monte Carlo is the cars - Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Rolls Royce, super luxe Range Rovers and Porsches (to name a few). Trav and Zac were in their element gazing at the paintwork, interiors and tyres...

We then wandered past the famous casino towards the castle, and stopped for gelati at the marina. The charter boats in the marina were even more impressive than the cars, and we wondered how to get a job on board... some boats had their own hot tubs / spas on deck - in case the ocean wasn't warm enough, we guessed. Luxury plus!

Being a little too casually dressed to enter the casino, we decided to return to La Turbie for some sightseeing - and to get dolled up for dinner in Monte Carlo later.

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Back in La Turbie, the sun was just beginning to set when we returned to take a stroll through the 'old part' of town. A gorgeous cat posed for a couple of shots, and snuggled up to Dr Zac as well! We played 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Rapunzel' on a beautiful set of stairs, then got ready for dinner back at Dr Zac's apartment.

We drove up to the castle in Monte Carlo for dinner, and found quite a number of delicious-smelling restaurants with reasonable prices. We settled on an italian-influenced place, and enjoyed some well made meals (along with some well made wine, of course!). After dinner we looked around the castle grounds, and were blown away by the city's nightscape. We acted like big kids on some cannons and cannonballs, then checked out the famous casino (which is actually super small, really smoky, and kind of disappointing - except for the self-cleaning toilet seats!) before driving home around midnight.

We said goodbye to Dr Zac the next day, as he dropped us off at the train station in Nice. Next stop Venice!

As teenagers, my sis and I once watched a documentary about Ibiza, the clubber's paradise, and dreamt of going there to party together someday. We saw footage of 'superclubs', with thousands of people dancing like they were in a trance, hypnotised by the music - and we wanted to be part of that. Finally, this year, we got to see it for real! An early birthday celebration for Becca's birthday and a holiday bonding session.

10 JULY - RIDICULOUSLY LATE ARRIVAL

To save money, we (Becca, her long-time friend Susanna and myself) all booked late-night flights on discount airlines, which meant we arrived in Ibiza close to 1am. Then we had to get transfers to our hotel in San Antonio Bay, and find our hotel (without a map) to check in close to 2am. Being centrally located in the heart of the clubbing district, there were thousands of high-spirited revellers, zig-zagging across the streets in drunken states. And although we were all tired and not in the mood (for being hit on and called after), I must admit most of the party animals were well behaved...

We grabbed a bite to eat and some juice for the morning, before heading to bed at our (quite tidy and spacious) fourth-floor apartment.

11 JULY - IBIZA TOWN AND BORA BORA BEACH PARTY

After a cheap and cheerful breakfast, we briefly explored the local streets and markets before catching a local bus into Ibiza Town.

We traipsed around the town getting wonderfully lost, and explored some of the shops (with gorgeous shoes!) before heading to Bora Bora beach. We had to walk a couple of blocks, and on the way Becca and Su bought some lush beach towels. We also found really cheap vodka (8 euro for a litre of Smirnoff), which we mixed with softdrink for the beach party (you can BYO drinks or buy from the bar - but on a budget BYO is the way to go!).

We laid in a gorgeous shady spot, watched people for a while, then had a giggle in the warm, calm water. It was lovely to see a sandy beach again - and go swimming in the sea! Funny what you miss when you've been in London for four months. We spent a great deal of our afternoon chatting with other backpackers, dancing to the 'doof-doof' music on the beach, and swimming. We even met some Spanish boys who were on a buck's night (a fun group who were interested in English-Spanish translations), and saw the cutest black kitten (though it gave Becca a nasty scratch at one stage).

Around 7pm we headed to the amusement park a few blocks back from the beach, where Becca and Su got temporary tattoos on their ankles. Then we had a delish pizza for dinner (which was expensive but so worth it), before heading back to our room. Lici was feeling quite queasy when we got back - and we realised it was probably from drinking the tap water at Bora Bora - recycled sea water that was super-salty to the taste. I had a little snooze while Becca and Su went exploring, and woke a couple of hours later, fully revived and ready to party!

Again, due to budget restraints, we decided to explore the free entry clubs just downstairs from our room (rather than paying up to €50 each just to get in to one of the superclubs). Surprisingly, the music was quite good - kind of like the clubs we used to go to when we first started clubbing - and we really got into the dancing, finishing when the club closed at 6am! What a night!

12 JULY - SUNSHINE, PYROTECHNICS, DRUG DEALS AND SERENADES

A nice late sleep-in followed by fresh croissants, nutella and juice - what a great way to start our second day in Ibiza! Today we explored the market stalls and bought some jewellery before catching another bus to the stunning Calla Comte. We spent most of the day relaxing on the beach, taking turns swimming and shade-baking (under a beach umbrella), and gossiping about the hundreds of topless bathers about (only in Europe!). It was lovely and sunny, with a light breeze - just a perfect beach day, and a perfect location!

We caught the last bus back to San Antonio Bay, and walked to Cafe Del Mar (a famous cafe on the west coast) for the sunset and a cocktail or two. Cafe Del Mar started promoting cocktails and smooth music at sunset years ago, and became internationally famous when they started releasing compilation CDs of their music worldwide. We had to watch at least one sunset there! We also wanted to eat dinner there, but unfortunately Cafe Del Mar only does cocktails - so we decided to eat next door (at Savannah - where superclub promoters hold Hed Kandi's pre-party each week). What a treat! All of us decided that: dinner and a cocktail + people and sunset-watching = heaven.

After dinner we got to sit at the legendary Cafe Del Mar and enjoy a cocktail, though by now the sun had really set. Fortunately for us, a duo of fire-twirlers had set up directly in front of our table, and gave us an amazing pyrotechnic show! Susanna had difficulty concentrating, however, as a cute Welsh guy came over to our table and was trying to get her attention (and her number, hehe!). Sadly for him, she didn't oblige - she was out for a girls' holiday, after all! We finished our cocktails and took a short walk along the waterfront, before heading home.

Still in people-watching mode, we stood on our hostel's first floor balcony for a while, checking out the outrageous costumes clubbers had put together. Then Su (or was it Becca) noticed something a bit suspect... drug deals taking place right in front of us! We were fascinated, and watched in amazement for the next two hours. The scene went something like this - a dealer (posing as a necklace seller - but only holding three necklaces in his hand) would stand around at a very public corner, waiting for clubbers to approach him. Somehow the clubbers would always seem to know who the dealers were, and approached them boldly.

We watched as money changed hands right under our noses, and pills (or packets) were handed over. It was amazing the police didn't catch them - but it looked like a very professional operation - there were 'spotters' everywhere (people who were trying - not very successfully - to blend in by wearing nondescript clothing) who seemed to be watching the streets like meerkats. Fascinating to watch...

We then noticed that WE were being watched - by a group of lovestruck Italian boys who tried getting our attention by serenading us. It was funny and kinda cute, but we weren't interested (again - a girls' holiday) and eventually went to bed.

13 JULY - WHAT? MORE BEACH TIME?

Another day another beach - this time to the North-West of Ibiza, to a much quieter beachside town called xxxx? After a cool gelati, we read our books, chilled out on the beach and watched locals playing some sort of badminton-cum-ping-pong on the beach. We spotted some adorably cute Spanish boys (literally toy boys - waaay to young for us, but still...), who ended up calling out to us ('bella, bella!') but were too afraid to talk to us - it was a real laugh! We caught a late afternoon bus home and had to rush our packing to get to the airport on time (and I thought I lost my favourite purple undies), but we did make it and got to grab some dinner at the airport.

The island was beautiful from the plane windows - wish I'd taken the camera out then - and it was sad to leave so soon. It was fun to share a flight and train back with the girls. We were so overtired on the train we got very giggly and laughed till our sides hurt at the 'mind the gap' announcements.

We said goodbye at Clapham Junction, where I had to change trains, and I hugged my sis till her eyes nearly popped out. It was fab! We had a great time bonding on this girlie trip, and I hope we can all catch up again for another girlie holiday soon.

14 JULY - SUNRISE AND TIME TO REFLECT

Waiting for my second train at Clapham Junction, I saw the most amazing sunrise. It really put a magical glow on the whole experience. Reflecting on the trip to Ibiza - If I could go again I would stay for a week, away from San Antonio Bay (though the bus station was very handy), and I would save lots more so I could go into a couple of superclubs. Other than that, I would do everything else the same - beaches every day, late nights, late sleep-ins, BYO drinks and lots of market shopping.

I completely fell in love with Spain on this trip (Pamplona began to pull at my heart strings, and Ibiza captured it completely), and will definitely be going back.

What is the best way to see the annual San Fermin (Running of the Bulls festival) in Pamplona, Spain? Why, with a tour group of course! We booked a four day trip with 'On the Go' tours, and enjoyed every minute of it.

4 JULY - LOOONG COACH TRIP

After spending the morning around Angel Islington and Camden with Lici's beautiful sis Becca, we met up with the tour group near the London Eye. Lici had a 'small world' moment when a high school friend (Tarni) spotted her in the crowd and ran up for a hug. We swapped stories quickly before we had to head to different coaches, where we packed our enormous backpacks underneath, took our seats and got comfy for the (20-odd hour) trip to our campsite.

The trip itself was fairly ordinary until we got to the ferry at Dover (we got to see the port up close and personal this time!), where we bumped into Emma and Fiona - some friends we had made on our ANZAC day tour (another small world moment!). As it turned out, they were travelling with the same tour group as us - just on a different coach!

We caught up with the girls on the trip to Calais, and watched in amazement as the ferry turned into a drinking festival. It was a little disgusting actually - girls were stumbling about, tripping over and hitting their heads (one split her ear open, and another knocked herself out!) - and guys were so drunk a few were sick in the bathrooms. We only had one pint of beer each, but weren't in the mood to get wasted (we were having fun catching up with friends, and figured there would be plenty more opportunities to drink later on). So instead we bought some duty free vodka and ate dinner before getting back on the coach.

The coach stopped at a petrol station in France (at some unspecified location) for breakfast, so we got a french breadstick (baguette?), some cheese and orange juice. When in France, do as the locals do - it was heaps cheaper than buying a croissant with ham and cheese, and was just as nice! Lici spoke a little French to the sales assistant, but then got in over her head (when she asked 'how are you?' in French, the assistant thought Lici understood the language fluently...) and had to back out of the conversation sheepishly.

Back on the coach we slept a lot between petrol and toilet stops, and watched DVDs on the coach's TV. As we got closer to camp, we took some photos of the Spanish countryside, which was beautifully green.

5 JULY - SOCIALISING AT CAMP

We arrived at camp Estella late afternoon - next to a beautiful, quaint village in a very rural part of Spain - about 30 mins' drive from Pamplona (the bull-run city). Unrolled our sleeping bags on our bunks (thank goodness we got a dorm room! It was so much cooler than the two person tents), then headed to the pool area for a drink.

Spent the afternoon swapping travel stories with Emma, Fiona and our new room-mates (Alana, Simon and Leah), laughing at our 'cankles' (where your calves connect in a straight line with your ankles - due to water retention from sitting on a coach too long), and tasting sangria and spanish beer (not bad), before the DJ (read: guitarist) started singin' 'Land Down Under', 'Khe Sahn' and other cheesy Aussie songs.

Another 'small world' moment! Trav spotted Jess - a backpacker we had met back in March in Hammersmith, London - on the dancefloor! We managed only a brief catch up before the singing and dancing took over again... Amazing (and lovely) that we would have so many 'old friends' on the same tour with us - and fun to make new ones too!

Very very cheap booze, and lots of it... but hangovers can wait! We spent all night dancing, singing and catching up with friends...

6 JULY - OFFICIAL OPENING, SANGRIA SOAKING AND 'FOOD FIGHT'

Ick hangovers - too much sangria and beer, and all of us were feeling a little under the weather (some worse than others). Nevertheless, we all changed dutifully into our all-white ensembles, and were given red scarves on the coach into Pamplona for the Opening Ceremony at noon. We had to begin with our scarves around our wrists, then at noon wave them in the air as the cannons boomed throughout the city, then afterwards we could tie them wherever we liked.

The first thing we all did when we arrived in Pamplona was find alcohol (how crazy) - sangria and champagne was abundantly available, and super-cheap (3 euro for 2 litres!). It was also terrible, until Trav realised you could mix the two together and make them more bearable. We explored the city a little before settling into a spot a little outside the town hall, where we could stretch out on the grass.

We started squirting sangria and champagne over each other almost as soon as we opened the bottles (none of us realised that we weren't supposed to start the food fights and sangria soakings till noon) - so we had to contend with some nasty glares from locals who accidentally got sprayed in the process... But we had a BALL turning each other's pure white outfits into a purply shade of stickyness! The photos are blurry because we had a plastic zip-loc bag over the camera (to 'waterproof' it)... but you get the idea.

Eventually our hangovers subsided (we did actually drink some of the sangria and champagne - as well as throwing it over each other's heads)... and we had a lovely sticky day in Pamplona. We elbowed our way through the PACKED streets calling to people on the balconies for 'Aqua! Aqua!' - hoping to get a bucket of cold water dumped on our heads.

And we visited the Muscle Bar (a fountain that's almost two storeys high) to watch stupid, drunk Aussies and Kiwis climb up and jump off into the crowd (crowd surfing). It was stomach-churning and really horrifying to think that every year, there are fatalities and serious injuries here... We only stayed a short while, thankfully, before returning to camp to shower and relax by the pool.

7 JULY - TORO TORO TORO!

A super-early wake-up call and we piled onto buses in our white-ish clothes once again, headed for Pamplona and the first bull run. There was an air of nervous anticipation on the coach, as many of the group were going to be running for their lives today. Trav decided to watch the run from the grandstand with our friends today, to see what it was like.

On arrival, after an excellent chocolate croissant and coffee, we bought tickets from a scalper for something like 12 euro each (we could have got them heaps cheaper if we'd lined up, but we didn't know where the ticket office was) and got seats in the bull ring. We discovered we had a very funny (and very drunk) Spanish guy behind us, who entertained us the entire time with songs, chants and catcalls. He was hilarious! A small marching band was playing Spanish songs in the arena to pass the time, and every now and then they would stop to let the big-screen TVs show some short doco or footage about the festival.

The grandstand eventually filled right up, and when the cannons went off - marking the release of the bulls - there was an awed silence. Everyone was literally on the edge of their seats waiting to see the runners and bulls come bursting into the arena.

When the first thousand people ran in, there was an almighty 'boo' from the grandstand - these guys had clearly not even seen the bulls, let alone run in front of them. Then the next thousand ran in faster, and the next thousand ran even faster, then the runners seemed to surge in like an enormous wave and the bulls almost exploded into the arena!

On the TV screens, we had seen that the bulls ranged in size from 470kg to 625kg! So when they burst into the ring, we all cheered our heads off (I think in amazement that nobody got punctured while we watched). We took heaps of photos and videos, and really enjoyed watching the runners when the organisers released some steer into the ring (their horns had corks on the ends, so they couldn't cause any real damage to people besides a little bruising). It was like watching a slapstick video.

Some of the runners didn't seem to know the proper etiquette about manhandling the bulls, and a couple of guys actually grabbed the steer's horns... Boy did they get a lesson from the Spaniards! Anyone who intentionally harms or tries to control a bull or a steer (by grabbing their horns) gets into big trouble with the locals - who often take turns holding you and punching you in the stomach to teach you a lesson! Whoa nelly! Nice to know the bulls' freedom is respected (until the bull fight, that is - where they are killed slowly and painfully)... but not so nice for those few people who don't do their research before the run, and decide to touch a bull's horn to show how macho they are...

Anyhow, after the bull ring entertainment finished, we went back to camp for a late breakfast - then headed back to Pamplona for a walking tour. On the tour, we learnt some interesting history (which I've forgotten already - except that bull fighting originated in Pamplona before becoming popular across Spain) and got a walk through of the actual bull run.

Our guide was very knowledgeable, and shared his personal tips for running with the bulls, which made us all think we could do the run safely. Then he warned girls considering doing the bull run that 'you may be shoved, slapped and spat on - but you shouldn't take offense' because the run has been a 'man's thing' for the past 200 years. Apparently the locals don't like women doing the run because it de-macho-fies the event. Interesting...

After the tour we found some local markets to enjoy lunch (mmm fried sardines!), and bought some helium balloons from the balloon sellers (just for fun). Then we sat in the town square most of the afternoon, drinking sangria, people-watching and playing pranks on each other. After a fun afternoon resting, we were ready to hit the 'clubs' and went in search of a suitable venue. Somehow during the club crawl we split into three smaller groups and lost each other for a while.

Around 10pm we started making our way back to the coach meeting point (via some food markets where we ate some delicious churros - like donut sticks - with chocolate dipping sauce), and watched fireworks from the street. Someone bought a mini-megaphone and we had a hoot singing terrible karaoke songs all the way home. Back at camp the DJ had started up again - but after a long day all we wanted was sleep, so we had an early(ish) night.

8 JULY - ESTELLA AND LOOONG TRIP HOME

We half-woke for the bull-run wake-up call this morning, but when we saw it had been raining, we decided the cobbled streets would be too slippery (and even riskier) to do the bull run. Besides, we were hungover again, and extremely tired. So we slept through and enjoyed breakfast when we woke properly. We spent the day by the pool and exploring Estella, and decided that Spain was a lovely country with a lovely language.

At 1pm we swapped emails with our new (and old) friends, hopped back onto the coach for the trip home, and slept 98% of the way. What an exhausting (and fun!) adventure!

We would definitely do it all again - though Trav would like to go back with more mates so he can participate in the bull run another time (without having me waiting around, worrying about bull horns), and I would like to see other parts of Spain like Barcelona, Madrid and Granada (especially the beaches and markets)... any takers?

I'm off to visit Ibiza in Spain with my little sis next, while lucky Trav gets to work work work. Hope you're enjoying the blogs! Let me know what you want to hear more / less of, and I'll try to oblige!

xoxox Lici n Trav

Ros and Frank (Lici's house-swapping parents) got to catch up with us in England while they were on a short break. We were thrilled to show them our workplace at Silvermere, before heading to Ashford, Kent (where Lici's parents had accommodation at a 'swapped house' - thanks to www.homelink.com) for a few days' sightseeing.

21 June - Hampton Court Palace

Lici and her parents visited Hampton Court Palace for a day trip while Trav worked, and boy was it a big day! Enormous parklands, stunning rose gardens, entertaining guides playing traditional Tudor music, a maze with sound effects, and stately apartments in the Tudor-cum-Baroque style castle. We walked and walked taking heaps of photos, and by 4pm even stale scones with jam and cream couldn't revive us. We returned for a yummy dinner and an early night.

22 June - Sunday Carvery and Frank's birthday

After a lazy morning drinking loads of tea and eating a full English breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, tomato, baked beans and fried or toasted bread), Trav and I took my parents for a walk through parts of the golf course. They got to see real bunny burrows and the stunning greenery we are lucky enough to work amongst.

When it was time for the Sunday Carvery, we headed upstairs to partake in four courses of stuff-yourself-silly deliciousness. Sharing a glass or two of wine and eating a belly full of roast (with yorkshire pudding of course), Lici's dad seemed extremely relaxed on his birthday. After pigging out for a couple of hours, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that there was no charge for the entire lunch! Seems Trav and I work well, and the bosses think we're worth it (lunch should have cost over 100 pounds). A lovely birthday surprise indeed! Here's some pics mum and dad sent through (thank you!):

We all drove to Ashford (in the south-east of England) that afternoon, where my parents had been staying in a 'house swap' arrangement for a few days prior. Dad cooked a gorgeous tender steak with rich mushroom and onion gravy, and we chatted over a glass or two of wine 'til late - catching up on stories from Oz.

23 June - Rocky beaches, Rye, Hastings, farm fresh raspberries and Ashford

With our explorers' hats on, we drove to a rocky beach near the town of Rye, to see what English beaches really looked like. Trav was blown away by the size of the pebbles (and lack of sand) - and Lici tested the water with a curled up toe (yes, it was cold!). We stopped at Rye for a quick look-see, and took a couple of pics on my parents' camera, and a couple on Trav's mobile (forgot to take our camera!). Great views from the top of a cobbled street! A pretty little town which used to be a cinqueport (a defensive look-out port, if you like), its worth a visit to try the seafood.

We then drove to Hastings for an afternoon of adventure, stopping briefly at a roadside stall to buy fresh raspberries and fruit for the trip (we tried to feed some to sheep, as you can see below). At Hastings, we learnt about the history of the battle of Hastings, and went on a cheesy tour through 'Smuggler's Cove'. The caverns themselves were fascinating, but the tour was a bit childish... Outside on top of the hill, the views across the Channel were amazing, and we had a beautiful day for sightseeing.

We had lunch at a pub (sitting opposite a place that seriously looked as if it had been part of 'Pirates of the Carribean' movies), then played mini golf together to pass the afternoon away. We finished the afternoon enjoying icecreams with sherbert edging (very interesting flavour), and trying to avoid getting our fingers bitten by enormous seagulls. It was a fantastic family day out!

24 June - Canterbury and Dover

Aah Canterbury. A busy university town with a great vibe! It would be fun to spend a couple of nights here in a backpackers' hostel to explore it in more depth. Very trendy shops, great cafes and seemingly nice pubs everywhere. Trav and I visited Canterbury Cathedral while my parents explored other parts of the city, and we were blown away by the architecture! The minute you walk inside, your eyes are drawn heaven-ward (no pun intended) - and an aura of peace surrounds you. Even though neither of us really follows a particular religion, it was a very spiritual experience - and we both got teary when reading the prayers people had written on post-it notes.

When we were done exploring the Cathedral, we caught up with Ros and Frank for a canal tour (and history lesson) through the city. The canals were crystal-clear, and the tour guide was well-informed and funny in his retelling of the town's history. If I can remember the tour company I'll put it in. We then enjoyed some delicious pasties (Pirate Pastie Company was the name of the place, I think) as we headed to the white cliffs of Dover.

Dover was amazing for two things: the cliffs (of course), and the port (apparently the busiest in all of Europe). Trav and I took heaps of silly photos with the cliffs, before heading back to Ashford.

Trav had to head back to Silvermere (in Surrey) for work this evening, so Ros drove him back. Unfortunately, she got a little lost coming back to Ashford - and took over 5 hours to complete (what should have been) a 2 hour trip. Frank and Lici were getting a little frantic when the local police station couldn't answer our questions, and were so relieved when Ros walked through the door they all got teary-eyed! A good lesson in keeping the full phone number and address of your accommodation on you at all times (plus a mobile phone in case you need to use it). Phew! A late night and lots of hugs ensued.

25 June - Ashford family catch-up

Waking up rather late, we had tea and toast before spending the day catching up and cleaning. This evening we were expecting guests - Janet (the daughter of the Ashford home's owners), and her partner Richard. After a quick trip to the supermarket, we started dinner party preparations. The roast lamb was divine, and Janet and Richard were lovely people - even offering us a room when we wish to travel through the UK more extensively. All in all an excellent night.

26 June - Early morning farewell

An early wake-up and quick clean-up to the Ashford house, and we were ready to go. Back to work for Lici, and over to France for her parents (to see Mont St Michel and Le Tour de France - lucky buggers!). We said our 'see you later's back at Silvermere, after a million more hugs and kisses, and promised to write more often. It was so lovely to see family over here (even briefly), it reminded both of us that we will definitely always call Australia home!

PS: We booked our return flights to Australia during this visit - we return on 5 March 2009, and would love to see you soon after!

PPS: We have got Skype on our laptop, so you can catch us for a free Skype-to-Skype chat from time to time... download Skype for free, then search for my username - lici-bird - and you should be able to add us to your contact list to see when we're online.

Sarah (a Gold Coast local who works with us at Silvermere as one of the chefs) and I had a blast at Portsmouth on one of our rare days off work. We visited the Historic Dockyard, saw the HMS Victory, ate real English fish and chips, spent a fortune in pennies at a seaside arcade, and generally acted like big kids all day! Here's a run-down (and brief blog) in photos:

When we first arrived from the train, we stopped by the tourist info centre close by as we walked past the ship, and picked up a bunch of leaflets explaining the sights in Portsmouth. Next stop was the Historic Dockyard, which was full of interesting things to see - unfortunately for us, arriving later in the afternoon, many of the exhibits were just about to close. So we chose to visit the HMS Victory at the far end of the Dockyard, and we weren't disappointed! A very kind guard allowed us in without a ticket (we were supposed to purchase them for £9.50 at the Dockyard's entrance, but it was just about closing time, and the entrance was a fair walk away - so he let us in for free and asked that we make a donation at the end! What a legend), so we made our way along the guided track.

Here's the lowdown on the HMS Victory: it was Lord Nelson's Battle of Trafalgar flagship - in a huge battle (and win) against the French. Lord Nelson is Britain's greatest naval hero, and his ship is impressive! Walking through the different levels (and having to climb the super-steep stairs / ladders and duck under doorways) made us think of the convicts and first settlers in Australia - what a creepy, dank way to travel! Icky...

After the HMS Victory, we found a traditional English 'chippy' (fish and chip shop) to have a late lunch. We got mushy peas to complement the fish, and found it to be quite tasty (though it was probably from a can)! Took some silly photos to remember the moment.

We then trekked across to Gunwharf Quays - a shopping precinct that is fairly recent, and very chic (and was also full of French schoolchildren there on an excursion). The super-modern Spinnaker Tower is 170m high, and looks so space-aged it really doesn't fit in with most of the town (apparently you can book tickets online at www.spinnakertower.co.uk and save 10%, though I have no idea what admission costs were like). Lucky there are a bunch of new shops / cafes surrounding it, to help it blend in a little. We had a herbal tea (how hippy of us) and checked out a couple of shops before following the Heritage Trail (a line of patterned pavers - clever) through the streets to the old fortified walls and pier.

We checked out the pebbly beach as we went, and saw an interesting old church / graveyard along the way. It being Friday the 13th, there were some interesting halloween-type costumes on what we assumed were buskers - who were walking along the fortified walls hamming it up for tourists. A short walk along the wall, and we arrived at the pier - which had an amusement park on it! I've never seen one in Australia (only in movies) so this was a real treat! Sarah and I went inside and played a game where you drop pennies on a shelf that moves, and try to get your penny to push others off the shelf (into the prize bucket). We literally spent hours there - glued to these silly machines! But we had fun and didn't spend too much - plus we both got prizes at the end! So much fun.

After an icecream, we followed the Heritage Trail back to the train so we could get home before midnight. Arriving at Weybridge Station, we helped a woman lift her friend (in a wheelchair) up the stairs - the lift wasn't working - and they offered us a ride home. The car was modified so the wheelchair-bound friend could drive, and we chatted happily as they kindly dropped us back (saving us £7 on a taxi). A great end to a great day!

Portsmouth struck me as a lovely, sleepy fishing town. Most of the houses and shops are ancient and have peeling paint, but that adds to its character. It has heaps of interesting naval history, and it is definitely worth a day trip to the Dockyard at the very least. It was also heaps of fun having a day out of Silvermere doing social things with workmates - it's not often that we get to do this type of thing. Thanks Sarah!

xoxo Lici