My Blog

Florence, Italy

Stephanie — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 02:53:36 GMT

Upon arriving from Switzerland into Florence, we checked into our hotel rooms, got situated, and headed out for some dinner. The four course dinner was delicious and it was topped off by bottomless Italian red wine. Feeling a little buzzed off the wine, we walked to the Red Garter Kareoke Bar in Florence where we they served every kind of mixed drink...by the pitcher!! Seriously, who does that?! Well I guess that was what it took to get me on stage. After a few drinks, Jessie and I, took the mic and sang California Girls by the Beach Boys, naturally. We had to represent Cali! Now that I think about it, I'm kind of embarrassed cus we sang in front of our Contiki crew, locals, and other Contiki travelers from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada. Definitely worth the memories. Us girls spent the next day in Florence shopping and sightseeing. In Florence, the streets are covered with local street vendors selling everything from Italian Leather goods to postcards and sunglasses. The good thing was that you could bargain with the vendors so I did a lot of my souvenier shopping and bought gifts for others. Later that afternoon, we took a guided tour of the city which included history of the beautiful sculptures and architechture within the city. We all regrouped for dinner and shared at La Certosa Restaurant which is this quaint little Italian Restaurant with long tables for group interaction. There was also live entertainment and a dance floor in the middle of the room where we all did the drunk macarana.

Boujalais to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Stephanie — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:34:52 GMT

Switzerland was absolutely gorgeous!! When we arrived in Switzerland our crew split up, some wanted to go explore the town while others couldn't pass up the opportunity to ascend hundreds of feet inside a mountain and witness the continent's only accessible waterfall inside a mountain. Being a nature freak and adventure seeker, I chose the latter. At the base of the mountain was a magnificent white water river flowing by luscious green fields and tall trees. The water was so pure that Ross bottled some to drink for the hike back. It was delicious. There was an elevator which went up at a 45 degree angle into the mountain which would take us to the first viewing point of the fall. There we saw a corkscrew made by the fall as it furiously made its way towards the base of the mountain. As we climbed upward, we were also going deeper into the mountain. It was absolutely breath-taking!! The sun peaked through a gigantic rock structure within the mountain so everything was adequately lit. There were also various viewpoints inside the mountain where people could watch as the fall made its way through the cave and down towards the exterior of the mountain. After taking in this beautiful phenomena, we decided to descend the mountain. The elevator operator suggested we climb down the mountain instead of taking the elevator because of the view. The view was absolutely wondrous. I could see the river below, surrounded by rocky cliffs, and green fields. I was awestruck. Standing on that mountain I kept thinking how lucky I was to have experienced a place so unheard of and how I wanted everyone I loved to visit such an extraordinary place. There was no way I would have ever been to Lauterbrunnen without Contiki.

Paris to Wine Region

Stephanie — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 22:31:33 GMT

Our next destination was the Boujalais wine region in the south of France. We stayed at Contiki’s Chateau which was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of a French Chateau from a fairy tale. The Chateau was surrounded by luscious hills filled with vineyards, which could only mean one thing…'WINE! We picnicked and wine tasted. After sunset, we partied in the basement of the Chateau. In addition to the people on our Contiki, there were also many good looking Aussie-Contikiers and alcohol! A recipe for fun!

LONDON TO PARIS

Stephanie — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:25:16 GMT

We had the chance of crossing the English channel on a Ferry into France. The scenery was awesome, the rays of the sun played on the ocean with a beautiful blue sky backdrop and oh, the White Cliffs of Dover! After arriving in Paris we took an Illuminations tour of the city which is basically a night tour of Paris, the city of lights. Along the way we made stops at the Hotel Invalides (where Napoleon's tomb now rests), the Eiffel Tower, The Opera Garnier, and whizzed around the Arc Di Triumph. Later on I met up with Xavier (a friend and French local) in his Parisian apartment. We hung out and chatted about anything and everything. The next morning I walked to the Eiffel Tower and met up with the rest of the Contiki Crew. After ascending to the top of the tower, I came back down and visited Anne Ginoux, my old French homestay mom. It was like I still lived with her. She poured us some champagne and we finished the bottle between the two of us before it was time to shop. Paris is a shopper's paradise. They have all the latest fashion and we can't forget about those pastry shops. MmmMMmm. I wanted everything! After shopping we got dressed up for dinner and wine on Monmarte and the Moulin Rouge Caberet!!! The Caberet was the best live entertainment I've ever seen in my entire life. The energy level of the crowd, the talent of the dancers, the vegas-style costumes...everything was perfect! We had front row seating and two bottles of champagne split between 6 of us. IT WAS A GReAT TIME!!!!!!!!! On to the French countryside! **THE PIC IS OF US BEFORE THE MOULIN ROUGE ON MONMARTE IN PARIS**

San Francisco to London with Contiki

Stephanie — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:21:37 GMT

After a 13 hours in the air, I set foot on English soil. At the airport I met Jess B., Mark, Vili, Sara, Denise, and Cindy. We were picked up by Chris our Tour Manager and Ben our Coach Driver. While on our way from the airport to the city, Chris pointed out all the sights and gave us a little history on the various parts of London. It was so foreign, yet not. When we arrived at the Imperial Hotel, I dropped my bags off in my room, freshened up and set off to see the sights. It was early afternoon so we decided to stop for fish and chips on the patio of a nice pub. The weather was God sent! We people watched, threw back some beers and enjoyed each other's company. We decided that we should be outside since it was such a nice day so we walked to Trafalgar Square and continued on to Westminster and Big Ben. DAMN I LOVE LONDON!!!! After sightseeing our whole crew went out for dinner and drinks followed by a PUB CRAWL of course! What else would you do in London? I can't even remember the names of the pubs we went to cus I was drinking tequila like Jose Cuervo was my Daddy!! Four or five bars later we ended up at a Dance Club in the same area. Let's just say the English are a little behind in their hip hop music, but it's not their fault they're English. You feel me chap? Since everyone on our Contiki was American we of course tore it up on the dance floor. It was like American women in the middle of the dance circle and English men surrounding us!!! The alcohol really brought out everyone's crazy side and it was only the beginning of our experience. I never could have imagined having so much fun without the Contiki Crew. **THE PIC IS OF SOME OF OUR CONTIKI CREW OUTSIDE THE CLUB IN LONDON**

CONTIKI, say what?!!

Stephanie — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:17:23 GMT

Sooooo, this summer was crazy!! After returning home in May from 5 months in Paris and traveling throughout Europe, I was presented with the opportunity of returning to Europe!! Crazy, huh?! I mean seriously, who does this happen to?!?! Well, here's the story.... I had just finished my second of two summer school courses at Berkeley (GO BEARS!!). That weekend I pretty much didn't sleep at all. We went out for Blake's birthday on Friday and Saturday. All day Sunday we went tubing. The Monday after my final I was on my way to Europe with Contiki. My itinerary looked like this: Monday, August 1 - Depart San Francisco, USA Tuesday, August 2 – Arrive London - Arrive London - Transfer group to Imperial Hotel via Contiki coach - Visit of Contiki Basement - Dinner Wednesday, August 3 – London to Paris - Travel to Paris - Dinner at campsite - Illuminations night tour Thursday, August 4 – Paris - Free day to enjoy Paris (I went to the Eiffel, shopped and lunched with my French Host Mom) - Dinner and Moulin Rouge cabaret show Friday, August 5 – Paris to Chateau - Travel to Chateau - Late picnic lunch - Wine tasting - Dinner at Chateau/Theme party Saturday, August 6 – Chateau to Lauterbrunnen - Eary start today – travel past Geneva en route to Switzerland - Ascend the Jungfraujoch via cog railway - Dinner at camping Jungfrau Sunday, August 7 – Lauterbrunnen to Florence - Travel via the St. Gotthard tunnel to Florence - Tonight – dinner at leisure followed by a visit to the Red Garter Kareoke Bar Monday, August 8 – Florence - Leather demo - Walking tour - Optional - Group photo - Dinner at La Certosa Restaurant Tuesday, August 9 – Florence to Venice - Travel to Venice and motorboat transfer to St Mark’s Square - Gondola ride - Included dinner (one of 4 restaurants that we use for optional dinners in Venice) Wednesday, August 10 – Venice to Hopfgarten - Travel to Austria via the Brenner Pass - White water rafting - Dinner at Gasthof Schoneck Thursday, August 11 – Hopfgarten to Munich - Bike Ride & BBQ lunch in Hopfgarten - Travel to Munich - Visit to a German Beer Hall including dinner Friday, August 12 – Munich to St Goar - Travel to St Goar on the Rhine River - Rhine cruise upon arrival - Dinner at Hotel Montag followed by wine tasting Saturday, August 13 – St Goar to Frankfurt Airport - Travel from the Rhineland Jealous yet? Those are just the basics of my Contiki. I'll keep posting on details of my trip (stories, advice, as well as pics!) one city at a time, so keep checking back for updates. CIAO!

High off my European Discovery!

Stephanie — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:21:35 GMT

Adrenaline pumps through my veins. Goosebumps make the hairs on my arms stand erect. My heart beats so furiously it feels as if it's going to burst out of my chest at any moment. I'm on the white waters of the Tirol River in Austria. What a scenic view! There are 10 of us....we make up a third of our Contiki Crew. I'm holding onto Cindy because any slight movement could make our raft capsize. We're all piled at the bow of the raft as it stands 180 degrees perpendicular to the mighty River. As an adventure seeker, I'm on a high right now. Thanks for the memories, Contiki!