San Sebastián, Spain

the beach. the sun. prawn and crab salad. paella. icecream. bogans. boobs. losing track of days and dates...this is basically what I can tell you about Sam and I's stay in the glorias San Seb.

We arrived and new immediately we didn't want to leave. After finding our hostel losing our bags and doning our bathers we went to the beach ( this is where beach and the boobs come in) and this is pretty much were we remained. The sun was hot and lasted long into the night, the beach was busy and the water was delicious.

We were meant to stay for 2 nights but we stayed for four. On the second night, at hostel #1 we were in a room with three bunk beds, in the space were two should fit. Firstly we were introduced to two nice boys from Perth ( we never met a single person in San Seb that wasn't Australian) and we had a pleasant chat about ipads, as it turns out one of these boys wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and left is ipad on his bed and his pillow. So later that evening after another stint at the beach, we came into the room and suddenly two of the biggest bogans, from victoria, greeted us in a way which was not exactly pleasant for anyone else to see, so we left them to right themselves and went to brush our teeth, or my return, the lady bogan had her mits on the perth's boys ipad - there was a pause - me " that's not yours" man bogan " yer, but she has one like it so just wanted to have a look"...ahh yes and she just happened to come across it under someones else's pillow and thought no two ipads are the same so i better have a peak! Sneeky Bogans. Later they would delight us with further ridiculousness.. ie. turning the light on for a long period of time at 3 in the morning, then when Sam turned it off, lady bogan suggested he would be more suited to a private room...this was approximately 3 minutes before the bogans would begin to have sex...which an non bogan like myself might think was more appropriate for a private room.

Other delightful episodes in San Seb included but are not limited too..

On the first night we arrived we choose a little table at a bar in a large courtyard of bars. We began with a drink or two, but quickly this escalated into too many drinks , and us not being able to afford to pay our bill. So Sam trotted off to find an ATM, whilst he was gone ( it would later came out that he got terribly lost) one by one the other patrons left, and the bar staff began to pack up the tables until, there was just me. on my one table, on my one chair ( Sam's had been packed up) with two wait staff, who only spoke Spanish staring at me. At this point i thought this would be one of the most awkward moments of my life, however it would be topped only a couple of days later. It even got to the point where i considered lighting one of Sam's cigarettes, even though i've never considered smoking in my life, luckily as i picked one up, I broke it in half...a clear sign i should just wait patiently. Eventually, after what seemed like eternity Sam returned and rescued me from further humiliation.

To finish this blog, as there isn't much more to say as we just lay on the beach all day and swam in the lovely ocean, i will tell you the very most awkwardest moment of my trip. To begin dinner time in Spain is about 8.30/9pm a perfect time for Sam and I who were eating little, due to the lack of doing anything, and who got up late. Except this one day we didn't eat all day so it got to about 7pm and we went to a restaurant we had been to the night before. At this point we hadn't really noticed how early it was, as hadn't been keeping time. So we entered, and said " table, restaurant" and pointed towards the stairs we had gone up the previous night. two employes then had a conversation and then one reluctantly took us up the stairs. At which point it became clear they hadn't even opened the dining space up yet. the lights were off, the tables were unset. So they switched the lights on, sat as at a table, and took our order. then the poor waiter just had to sit there the whole time waiting for us to eat and leave again, so he could continue watching the big soccer match on TV. i can't even explain how unenticing that meal was even though all the food was so yummy, as it was just so awkward.

I didn't even take a single picture in San Seb, even though it was beautiful. I suggest everyone goes.

Paris, France.

Sam and I spent 7 nights in Paris in total. First 4 nights in a row and then a little break in San Seb, Spain before returning for another 3. This post will just be on Paris as a whole.

I remember we found Paris overwhelming, beautiful and full of tourists.

Writing this post from near the end of my whole trip I can say Paris was not a highlight of my trip or even of Europe. It is not that I didn't enjoy the place, or the company or regret how I used my time. It's just I think that anyone who doesn't know French, might struggle on their first visit ( if it is a short visit like ours) to fully appreciate what it has to offer. We marvelled at the beautiful buildings and enjoyed the wonderful pastries and crepes. But we both felt we were a bit hesitant due to our lack of french and perhaps knowledge of the culture in general, which made us unable to really relax and to take in anything that wasn't on the surface. So i think i would like to brush up on my French and then spend a few weeks just drinking coffee and walking the streets or alternatively don't brush up on my French and just bring my mum!

We arrived in Paris in the late afternoon, and used all the power in our legs combined to make it up the many many stairs from the platform to outside of the metro station with our large bags ( the next day we would find there was an elevator) having spent our energy we found our hostel and went to bed, we would not even rise for dinner, we awoke the next day. With renewed energy we used our poor French to order pastries and baguettes for breakfast and took a long walk to the meeting spot for the free walking tour. We met our guide Halley who was French - Canadian who had a real love for the city and was able to tell us so many great stories along the route of our tour which went from Saint Michael's Fountain, past the hotel de ville, the Notre Dame (which we went back for another look another day), walked through Musee Du Lovre, then walked through Jardine des Tuileries (a really beautiful garden), before going through the place de la concord, and ending somewhere between the grand palis, and peti palis. After the tour Sam and I headed down the Avenue Des Champselyses and went to look at the arc de triomphe and the crazy roundabout of death, which is in front of it.

We finished the day with what we become or regular dinner cheese, salami (for sam) and baguette, which we ate on the steps next to our hostel.

We had enjoyed our tour with Halley the day before so thought we would join him on abother tour on the second day of our stay which was around the neighbourhood we were staying in, Montmartre. In the past the neighbourhood was full or artists and venues such as the Moulin Rouge. We started off at the Moulin Rouge before heading to Sacrecoeur, then the restaurant where the film Amelie was shot, past the last windmills in the district, and the last vineyard in the district too (apparently the used to be lots, but this one doesn't make very nice wine), past Van Goughs old house, and generally winding ourselves around the windy hilly streets of the district.

The following day we walked from the hostel to Opera Garnier, but rehearsals were on, so we couldn't go inside! But it looked like a beautiful building from the outside. So we returned home and napped before walking all the way to the Eiffel Tower, which was quite a way. I loved loved loved the Eiffel Tower. We took the stairs and laughed at the line for the elevator and made our way to the first and then second tier - it was delightful but very very windy. It was impossible to take any pictures that were even remotely true to how it was, but at least i have the memory in my head. After we came down we grabbed some crepes and laid in the grass park to marvel at the structure. So ugly but so great.

We headed to the train station the next morning thinking we would leave for San Sebastian, Spain... but alas they were full so we were left to find accommodation for the night. We found a hostel near by on our map and headed towards it. Unfortunately Sam got his sense of direction out of whack so we walked in a circle for 45 minutes, which is a very long time with your pack on your back. Finally we headed in the right direction but upon finally arriving at the hostel we found out if was booked out, ut the receptionist was nice enough to book us a 2 star hotel " around the corner'.. Another 45 minute walk later we entered the worst hotel ever. And exhausted went to bed until we rose in the dark to treck back to the station in the very early hours of the morning. You will find our adventures in San Seb in my next post...however for now.. a few days later we arrived back in Pairs.

This time we had booked a apartment which was a tiny little thing in the same area we were last time. so we got in at night and settled in - we had Chinese takeaway of the sort we would never of had at home - it was all precooked sitting in the cabinet and they weighed the amount you wanted and then you went home and reheated it.

The next day we had a late start, Sam found some nice markets while i continued to lay in bed and he brought some yummy things to eat like olives and cheese. Then we he returned we just went for a big wonder all over the hood and went to Garden du Luxembourg for a long nap. For dinner we had a yummy platter we cheese and olives and smoked salmon and prosciutto - yum yum.

The following morning we headed to the Palace of Versailles and we wondered around the vast gardens ( a lot of which were closed which was a shame) and had a nap next to the lake.

After this we wondered in Queen Marie Antoinette gardens, which included a little farm.

It was all really nice and i would definitely want to go back for more of look especially inside the palace itself. That night we were lucky enough to have a visit from Bianca and we met up with her friends Willie who was living in Paris. Bianca and Sam shared a really yummy Duck dish at a place called Lete en pente douce, and then after we went for a drink at a bar down some steep steps, and met up with some rather loud middle age Aussie women.

First thing in the morning Sam was heading back to Aus, Bianca and I continued napping in bed before she headed to Willie's and I headed to the train station to figure out where I would be heading next, turns out I would read my book all day and get the night train to Berlin. This was the only overnight train I took which I didn't have a bed, and I hope I wont have to do it again to soon!

P.S My camera ran out of batteries just after the Eiffel Tower, so I only took film images which i haven't got processed yet, so i have offered a couple of Sam's.. ie the one of the goats :)

Lille, France

Early one morning Sam and I grabbed a train and arrived bright and early in France. After grabbing our first of what would be many breakfasts consisting of pastries we had nothing better to do than spend our first day in Lille, laying on our picnic blanket in the park, listening to an accordion player. It was a perfect way to start our time in France.

In the late afternoon we grabbed our stuff and walked through the city to meet our couch surfing host Tilbult. After a small rest we headed to a bar were a whole the whole Lille Couch Surfing Community was meeting to celebrate Lille Braderie, which is what we were there for, and is basically a giant flea market that takes over the whole city, but more on that later. For now we arrived at this bar, and worked our way through conversations slowly, as we could not speak French, and no one was very confident in English. People were nice enough to shout us a few beers, unluckily for Sam i don't drink Beer so he was drinking two for everyone else’s one. We didn't get to eat until about 11.30 at night, and we hadn't eaten since our croissants at 9 am... so we were pretty hungry. We ate the traditional Braderie meal, of mussels and fries... I’ve never eaten a bowl of mussels so fast. Everyone was very friendly but we were exhausted and were super keen to head back, there were also 3 other couch surfing girls and our hosts girlfriend (who spent the whole night crying, but she didn't speak any English, so I never knew why she was so sad) and we all walked home together.

We were super lucky because even though our Host, Tilbult, was a major jerk he did have a very nice location for his apartment - looking right over one of the main streets of Lille. The morning starts with a marathon, of which we of course did not participate but did however watch from the window of the apartment. As soon as the marathon ended the people who had been sleeping in their vans all week, marking their territory leapt into to action to claim the most coveted spots. We witnessed from our window a battle to secure a spot. Apparently the “red” team had been waiting to claim the spot all week, and then at the last minute, the “blue” team swept in and began setting up their store. A both very vocal and then physical as someone from the “blue” team picked up and threw a chair of the ‘red” teams. The blue team ended up being triumphant in the end, and the streets quickly filled with stores full of junk and cheap Chinese imports. It spread across the city so quickly; it would take us two whole days to walk through the crowds to sort through the junk.

On the first night of the market, which is usually a huge party night were people don’t leave the streets til dawn, a huge storm hit, wiping out many stalls and forcing everyone in doors, this was a pity, and apparently the first time in the long tradition of the Braderie this ever happened. We watched from the window of the apartment, seeing people running everywhere getting drenched, and rubbish and bits of debris swirling around the streets. We spent the night with 5 other couch surfers, + our hosts and his girl friend having a couple of drinks and watching videos of Tilbult’s favourite band (which was pretty lame).

In the morning many of the stalls set up again and we continued to walk around the junk, before taking the train to Paris in the afternoon.

It was a weird introduction to France, but a interesting experience all the same.

England Road Trip.

This photo is actually just me at the tube station, nearest to the home of the Fenton's.. but i forgot to put it into an older post.

Now for this post..

On our return to London from Leeds, Sam and I began dreaming of a road trip to Bath, so i could vist the setting of two of Jane Austen's novels, and her our residence in the later part of her life. So we hired a car, borrowed the GPS and a Map, booked a night in a hostel in Bath, and began our journey... when i say journey, Bath is only a couple of hours out of London and we only planned to make one stop to Shakespeares home town, Stratford - Upon- Avon.. so a journey wasn't what we were really expecting... however a journey is what we got.

After picking up the hire car, picking up some supplies ( red bulls and a cord so we could play the ipod in the car), we were off. Only to discover that the GPS wasn't working ( we later realised a small part of it it was left in another car)...so this left us with a Map and as Sam was driving my Map and Direction skills. Everyone who knows me should at this point realise, this put us in the dangerous position of being constantly lost, as i can't read maps, and still have difficulties in telling my left from my right. However this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we made more than the schedule stops and ended up having a whole day of driving which turned out to be one of the highlights in both Sam and I's trip.

First we stopped at Oxford, were we munched on a delicious lunch, grabbed some yummy treats for a picnic later on,a and signed a petition to save a car park.

Next Stratford -Upon - Avon - where we sat down by the canal and had a lovely picnic lunch, whilst watching bubbles float past, and listening to a terrible busker. We wondered around the town and too the Swan theatre, though unfortunately it wasn't the right time for a tour or a show. So then we wondered down to Shakespeares's old house and had a tourist photo.

From here we went through a tone of little towns which were all very country England ( which makes sense because thats where we were) - some of these places included Worcester, Cheltenham, Glouster, Stroud, Dursley,Malsberry, and Chippenham. between these places we got out of the car now and again and would look into a forrest or over a breath taking landscape.

Finally, about 7 hours later we arrived in Bath. We had planned to go out for dinner and a drink, but even though it was only 8'oclock in the evening we collapsed into our bunk beds, and didn't wake until the morning. After rescuing our car bright and early from ticket inspectors of the car park, we were able to take the beauty of Bath in. We began with the Roman Baths, which are utterly amazing, both beautiful, breathtakingly interesting, and the ancient but constant use of the same site is intensely interesting. We got a free audio guide there, that was narrated by Bill Byson that was super informative.

From here we had a lunch break, of super yummy sandwiches in the village square, before taking a bit of a walk. Sam went for a nap in the middle of the circle ( a circular street of amazing houses with a park in the middle) - where if i recall correctly he woke up to a smart car pulling right into the park, close to his sleeping spot, where a couple started seating on the car posing for photos... weird.... meanwhile i was at the Jane Austen visitor centre, where it turned out i knew just as much if not more than they did - so it was short lived visit. So we headed to the Royal Cresent, another famously beautiful strip of houses, we also visited other places such as the Assembly Rooms, which feature in Jane's novels ( i feel like if i lived in the 1800's we would of been on first name basis).

Finally we headed back to the car, and began our journey home. We travelled though Caine, Marlborough, Newbury and Reading before arriving back in London. The only notable point on our return journey being that we got stuck in Reading in Peak hour, continually hitting traffic jams, as we couldn't find how to get out of the damn town.

I feel like the English countryside needs a whole trip dedicated to it, as it is outstandingly beautiful, and road trips are perhaps my favourite things ever.