OVERVIEW - NOW THAT IM BACK HOME

What a ride, 126 days, 63 cities, 13 Countries, 39 hostels, 11 hotels, 1 sailing boat, 2 houses, 18 plane rides, 9 ferry trips, too many bus rides to remember, 2 tattoos and 4 pairs of thongs/jandals/flip fops and Kiwichicks Travels for 2012  is over.  Thank you to everyone i met along the way that made my trip the trip of a lifetime. You all played a special part and it wouldn't have been the same without each and everyone one of you. Both the good times and the bad, not that I can remember any bad ;)  Today is day 1 of the next adventure. I wonder what it's gonna entail?  Bring it on. I must say it does feel very strange waking up this afternoon. It's been a long time since I've  woken up and haven't had to jump on a bus/plane/car/train or boat.  What am I gonna do with myself - hmmmmm

MY NIGHT WITH MADONNA

This is something that I have been looking forward to for such a long time, seeing Madonna again will be amazing, The last time was back in about 1991 or 92 in Melbourne the first and last time she ever came down there.  This concert did have a lot to live up to especially since the last one I went to was awesome, more of a show than a concert.  I spent the day just walking around Vegas checking out all the Casinos on the inside, these place are unbelievable, you will never see anything like it in NZ or OZ.  They are out of this world, totally amazing and no expense has been spared in the making and finishing off of these places.  Highlights would have to be the Veneitian, Caesars, Wynn, Encore, Cosmopolitan and that is just to name a few.  Probably spent 5 hours getting lost in the Casinos on the Vegas strip.  Didnt get back to the hotel until 5.30 and I had to be back at the MGM Grand by 7 for Madonna to open the doors.  As it turns out I didnt get there till about 7.30, i stood in line for ages and brought a t-shirt, training jacket and a 2012 MDNA Programme.  So excited.  Went and found my seat and plonked myself in and just took in the atmosphere, spoke to everyone around me and it turned out that I was the one that has some the furtherest away. No one could believe that I was only in Vegas to see her :)  Martin Solveig was amazing and such a cool warm up to Madonna, definitely got you in the mood.  Madonna came on about 10pm and she sure made her presence known.  This woman sure knows how to put on an amazing show.  She is an inspiration, the things she can do at her age is nothing short of impressive.  She is a true performer and so are all of her dancers, one part in particular that I was amazed by was when about 12 drummer men came out from behind the curtains suspended about 3 meters in the air playing the drums like they were marching into war, it was so impressive.  She entertained for 2 hours and not once did I sit down,  I couldn't and didn't want to miss out on anything.  I was so impressed and im happy to report that this concert was even better than I last remember.  It was Lolas birthday that day also so she dedicated her new song Mona Lisa to her, it was such a lovely dedication, ive always loved that song and now it seems even more special.  I was so disappointed when 12am rolled on and she finished up. The entire night went way to quick and I just wanted it to go on and on and on.  h well I walk away from here knowing that I have had the most amazing night and did not regret for one minute that I spent all those dollars on he concert.  Oh what I wouldn't do to follow her round the world and just relive the night over n over n over again :) I go to sleep and get to leave Vegas knowing that I am one very happy kiwichick that actually got to see her idol one more time. I cant believe Vegas is over but still pinching myself that I got to ride a horse, fly in a chopper and get to party my last night with Madonna :)  Perfect xx

MY GRAND CANYON ADVENTURE

So excited about what was in front of me.  Can't believe that I'm about to see the Grand Canyon and to go in a Helicopter to see it to.  One very lucky kiwichick right here.  It was an early start but it didn't bother me, I couldn't wait for it to start.  The bus picked me up at 7.15 out the front of the hotel and we then picked up the rest of the crew that were doing the tour that day.  The drive to the Grand Canyon Ranch was a funny one, Paul our driver was hilarious.  He made the drive go really quick.  We got to the Ranch and checked in. Had a look around then went and had a real cowboy lunch consisting of ribs, beans, bread, corn and a cowboy beer.  Yummo.  After lunch we went on our Horse ride to go see the Bison, my horse was pretty cool, he was so tall though, freaked me out a bit.  We didn't get a chance to see any bison up close but it was still a really cool ride, the cowboys loved my new cowboy boots to :)  These boots were definitely coming in handy and impressing more people than I had imagined lol.  Now it was time for the helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon, I was the lucky one and actually got to sit in the front with they pilot,  It was awesome being up the front.  It felt like I was the one flying the Helicopter.  Went took off and flew for about 6 minutes before actually entering the Canyon, when we entered the canyon and the ground under you disappeared so did my stomach.  It was a horrible feeling and I didn't think it was going to end.  We went a way down into the canyon and then flew around inside it up n down both sides, it was fantastic.  An experience that Im not going to forget in a hurry.  The scenery there was something that I have never ever seen before and not likely to ever see again unless I do the Canyon again.  It definitely is a very unique landscape.  The Joshua Trees were amazing and to know that some of these were over 9000 years old and that they only grow upto 1 inch every year is amazing.  That 1 inch is spread out over every branch so in actual fact this tree only grows about 1.6mm every year.  The Helicopter ride went for about 30 minutes and i would be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed that it was over.  Coming into land was pretty awesome to though.  When I got off you couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  We got back to Vegas after 6, I got back after visiting Freemont Street and seeing the lazer light roof and a band plus the lead singer from Poison, pretty pissed I didn't realise who he was until it was to late, he was watching the band next to me and was that close he was actually touching my arm at one stage.  Man for an old man with extremely long hair and lots of makeup he deffs is bloody good looking. Got back and then had to get ready for my night out on the town with Guy.  Went to a couple of clubs in vegas and had an awesome time, the clubs are nothing like I have been to before.  Definitely is the land of the beautiful.  I was having the best time people watching.   I only stayed for a few hours as I was exhausted after my big day plus I had Madonna the next day after another long day of visiting the Casinos but this time visiting the inside.  I walked in the door and crashed about 3.30am. My 2nd day in Vegas was definitely a very memorable one.  Really loving it and also regretting that I only have 3 nights here, There is way too much to see and do and 3 days is no way near long enough to do even half of it.  Anyway tomorrow night is Madonna, something I am really super uber excited to see to.    

VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS

WOW I arrived here very early and got to the Hotel before 10am so checked in, threw my bags in with the Bell Hop as my room wasn't ready and just took off, I couldn't wait to get out there and see what this place was all about.  It took all of 5 seconds to impress me, this place is crazy.  Even in my hotel I had no concept of whether it was night or day.  The place was going off, there were people everywhere.  I decided my first port of call had to be the Pawn shop where Pawn Stars is filmed.  Dad watches this show all the time so went to get some pics for him.  I didn't really have any clue as to how far away it was but it didn't really matter so I just took off.  It took about an hour to walk there but on the way I stopped in at the Grand Canyon Tour desk and booked in my Helicopter flight for the next day, so exciting.  When I finally got to the shop it was packed, you had to line up to even get in to look.  I wasn't  going to bother but thought I had walked all this way so what the hell, why not.  I got in there and man the stuff they had was cool, some of the stuff I had seen on the show so that was pretty cool, I got my pix and then got out of there,  walked back past the famous chapel of love, the Stratosphere, tattoo shops, hotels and many many homeless people.  It was quite sad seeing so many people so destitute in such a full on money oriented city.  I got back to my hotel, checked into my room, had a little rest before taking off for a night time explore of all the lights.  I bussed all the way down to Mandalay Bay and then got off and started walking all the way up.  It took about 4 hours all up but I was in awe of the lights and the amazing hotels.  I stopped by most of them and took picture after picture.  I didn't do into any this time as it was just an outing to see the lights in full swing.  Exploring the actual inside of the casinos was going to be left for another day.  I did however go into the Miracle Mile Shopping strip, this place was crazy, the whole inside was like you were actually outside.  I met a a guy called Guy in one of the shops and we got chatting, he invited me out to a party that night but I couldn't do it as I had to be up bright n early for my Grand Canyon Tour in the morning.  I told him to let me know if he was going out the next night and I would go with him then.  All was cool, I got back to the hotel after midnight and crashed.  Had to be up by 6.30am to be ready by 7.15 to catch my bus.  I was pretty excited about the Helicopter Ride and the Horse ride.

DALLAS COWBOY

Dallas was not what I had expected.  It was meant to be a fill in between New Orleans and Vegas and almost didn't happen.  I didn't arrive until quite late. Got to the hostel and Ivan wasn't even there to check me in so I just chilled on the couch and watched a movie, it was actually quite nice to just relax for a few hours.  I eventually got checked in then went and got something to eat.  I was in bed by about 11pm that night.  In the morning I had planned to go into Dallas for a looksee.  I ended up going in on the train with a kiwichick I just met at the same hostel, turns out she is currently living in the US.  It was good to explore Dallas with a fellow Kiwichick.  We went to the JFK Museum and stood at the same window that he was assassinated from, also saw the grassy knoll and saw the exact spot that he was shot, this is marked with a dirty big X on the road.  It was actually quite freaky being up there and looking out the exact window Oswald was on that horrible day.  The museum was quite  interesting even though I had already seen alot of what was there.  We then went and got some food as we were both starving, I had ribs and onion rings, the onion rings were massive!  5 of them took up an entire large plate, they were yummy but man it was so so so much food.  We took off and came across this awesome shop called "Wild Bills Western Store"  Renee was dead set about getting a pair of real cowboy boots and I was keen to go looking but didn't have any intention of buying any.  But I walk in and the first pair that I see I fall in love with, I had to buy them, I couldn't help myself.  They are AMAZING.  We walk out of there about an hour later really pleased with our purchases and head for the Longhorns.  This artwork was awesome.  There was about 20-30 bronze full size longhorn statues all being hearded down this hill in the middle of Dallas by 2 men on horses, it was a massive site and totally amazing, it was set in one of the routes that the cowboys used to use.  Walking in amongst these things actually was quite a weird feeling.  They were that big that sometimes I caught myself by surprise walking amongst them.  Before heading back we headed to a pub for a quick drink.  We were pretty keen to get back to the hostel as that night we were going to go to a Cowboy night complete with Country n Western dancing lessons and music.  I couldn't wait.  Carlos the dude from the hostel picked us all up and we went on down to the Red river to learn us some new moves and to ride a mechanical bull.  I had the best night, my dance partner was Angel from Mexico, he was lovely and we learnt some new moves after much practice, I thought I sucked at it but with Angels encouragement he said I did really well lol.   I rode the bull and man that was a funny experience, when I finally got on I was to scared to fall off as I was afraid the big horns were gonna stab me as I fell, I eventually thought it was OK and I wasn't gonna get hurt so just went flop on the ground, I couldn't get up from laughing to much, it was so funny, I thought I was gonna wet myself.  It wasn't to late a night as I had to be up at 3am to be at the airport for my flight to Vegas at 6.30am.  I was a little disappointed that the night had to end cause we all had the most amazing night.  Dallas much to my surprise was pretty cool and I was glad that I decided to call in on the wall to Vegas.  Definitely a good decision on my part :)  But now for Vegas in the morning, bring it on.

NEW ORLEANS - HOME OF JAZZ, JUMBALAYA & GUMBO

Well I didn't really know what to expect from New Orleans.  I arrived quite late and ended up watching the NFL on TV that first night.  Met a few people but was glad to see my bed when I finally went upstairs.  In the morning I caught the Trolley to the French Quarter to have brekkie, I went to Cafe Fleur De Lis and had the Hash Brown Heaven - this consisted of grated potato (hash brown) bacon, sausage patty, cheese and their special gravy - OMG it was to die for.  I then found my way to the bank of the Mississippi and decided to go on a Paddle Boat ride up it.  Had a nice ride, met a nice older couple from Australia, the guy Merv was actually from Palmie though originally, such a small world.  Us Kiwis cant fly but we sure can travel :)  After the boat I just walked around the French Quarter, it was really interesting, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, the markets, had some Alligator on a stick.  I walked around the streets for a couple of hours before heading back to India House.  Started chatting to a few of the others staying there and we all decided to go out for dinner then to a Jazz night, dinner was good but the Jazz night was amazing, it was 5 guys just playing what they love, they were awesome, they even took requests.  We then went to an Irish Pub which was in actual fact a piano bar, now that was cool to.   The next day we got up not to early though but decided to go on a walking tour of the Garden District with Clare, that was cool.  Walked through an old New Orleans Cemetery and learnt why the bury their dead above ground.  Some of these tombs can have in excess of 50 people inside them, it was pretty gross really.  Saw lots of famous peoples homes and ex homes like Nicholas Cages before he went bankrupt and had to sell it, the house where Jefferson Davis died, John Goodmans house (formerly Trent Reznors home), the house that Benjamin Button was filmed in and Sandra Bullocks home - this was amazing.  They all were in fact.  So amazing to see such beautiful grand homes and then to see the other side.  Its such a huge difference.  Got back to the hostel and bummed around for a bit before going down to get some Jumbalaya (cajun dish traditionally made of shrimp, chicken, vegies and rice.  It was delicious.  Had a pretty relaxed night just sitting round the dining table chatting with about 8 of it, it was really good.  Met an Irish guy called Owen and in the morning we arranged to go to Mothers Restaurant, (featured in Man vs Food)  I had a Beef Po-Boy, this thing was 12 inches long and jam packed with beef, debris, gravy and mustard, this to was amazing but I would only eat half, took the other half back to Clare.  I was not going to waste something so amazing.  Also picked up a slice of Sweet Potato Pie and a slice of Pecan pie.  We shared them when we got back to the hostel.  These to were awesome.  The food in New Orleans was pretty amazing all round.  Very impressed.

I WAS IN MIAMI BITCH!!!

Well I made it to Miami. Excited as all hell to be here but so nervous also for what was about to happen. After all I was meeting Ami James tomorrow?  I got to the hostel, it was so cool.  Looked like a bit of a party place.  Turns out it was and it was also voted one of he top 10 party hostels on the planet.  I got checked in and went out.  I walked down to the Miami Ink just to check that everything was still cool and all go for Friday.  Turns out it was so now just have to wait.  I went for a walk to South Beach for a look, it was pretty cool, not to many people there though cause it was getting quite late. I the went and found a Buffalo Wings Bar.  This one looked pretty cool. I ordered my wings and a beer.  I tried the garlic and parmasean.  It turns out the guy behind the bar was from Croatia , he noticed the sticker on my tablet, apparently he has the same sticker.  It was his first night work there, he had come to Miami 10 days earlier for a holiday and decided to stay.  We chatted off and on for most of the night. I left about 11. Don't want to be having a big night before my big day.  Had a little sleep in the next day then got up and had a look around the place, this place is hot,  it actually reminded me a lot of the Gold Coast.  It was time now, time to bite the bullet and go meet Ami James.  Time to stop being nervous and time to get excited.  As you all know I meet him and the boys and they were awesome  and the tattoo went much better than I had imagined so i I walked away a very happy little camper.  Organised to do an Everglades tour the next day.  Something different, I've never been on an Airboat before so looking forward to it.  The shuttle picked us up at about 10 and we made our way out to the Everglades.  As soon as we get there waiting in the line there was one right next to where we were standing he was jsut sitting in the water looking at us.  Scared the crap outta me.  We now get on the Airboat and take off into the Everglades, our guide wasn't to confident about seeing an alligator as he had already been out 3 times today and hadn't seen one.  But we were lucky, not only did we see one but we saw 2.  It was amazing, they were just sitting in the reeds at the side of the water.  Apparently they were a male and a female.  They wouldn't leave each other alone.  We were on the boat for about 45 minutes, when we got back we got to go and see an Alligator show. This show had 3 massive Alligators in it, the guy had no fear, he was just standing there with a bucket of chicken, not a fear in the world.  After the show he brought out a little bubby one,  it was so cute.  We were able to hold it and have picture taken with it.  Surprisingly though it was soft to touch and really squishy, not what I had imagined. Once all that was all finished we walked around the rest of the park and then ended up at the restaurant, I ordered Gator Bites with Buffalo sauce, OMG it was so tasty, tasted like chicken just a thicker texture.  Very impressed. Spent the afternoon back at South Beach and watched a Barstarzz competition.  These guys were amazing, they use their own body weight and do some pretty amazing things.  Before I knew it I had been sitting there watching these guys do their stuff for over 3 hours.   Time for dinner I think.  Spent the night chatting and not really doing too much, was a little tired, think I was a little exhausted still from the tattoo.  Getting that done is a pretty big thing physically and it obviously took it out of me more than I had thought it would plus it was time for me to leave for New Orleans in the morning so wasnt up for a big one.  All excited for the next adventure - Bring on New Orleans and only 9 sleeps til I get to see my boys.

MY BRUSH WITH MIAMI INK AND AMI JAMES

Well it's done. This morning I was so nervous about the whole thing.  But once I got there my worst fears were gone. They are all so awesome there and will do anything to help. It was great. I met Ami and we talk about what I want, he seems pretty cool with the whole idea/concept. He goes off and starts creating. In the meantime all the guys at some stage come over for a chat and ask about what I'm getting. I honestly have no idea why I was so nervous. Ami comes back with his design and I like what he's come up with.  He transfers it into my back and double checks that I'm happy with the position. It's all good so all systems go - its time to get this party started.  He tattoos for a solid 2 1/2 hours. The pain wasn't that bad, it was prety good actually.  I wasn't prepared when he said it was over.  He takes a pic and shows me, I was instantly impressed and in love with it, it was way better than I imagined it could be. He was really happy with it to and Yogi and Darren gave their approval - it was cute :) Had my pix taken with the boys, had one last chat then it was all over. I can't believe it's done, it was months in the making and now it's all over. The are the coolest bunch of guys and Ami James is just your normal artist just one very talented one.  We had a few jokes and talked a bit so all in all it was an awesome experience and another highlight of my trip. That's another thing ticked off my bucket list. I tell ya I'm killing this bucket list pretty quickly :) One very lucky Kiwichick :)

NEW YORK

Even flying into this place was amazing. Got through customs, bag collection and immigration in less than 30 mins, this place rocks.  As soon as you leave the airport you see how everything is so big, their cars are MASSIVE!!!  The drive to my hostel in Uptown Manhattan was Awesome, drove past some recognisable sites. I was so excited to be here and i must have looked like a right tool just staring at everything with my big mouth wide open :) couldn't wait to throw my bags in my room and take off to explore. I started in Central Park, man that place is HUGE. I started at 106th St and walked to the end which is 59th Street. It took me 2 hours. It was amazing. Now for Times Square, u see this place way before your even there, it's massive and so bright. I have no idea how I didn't fall over or bump into people because I was walking around looking up everywhere. I ended up walking round for about 5 hours then booked in for a Blue Bus Tour. $54 and I got a tour of Uptown, Downtown, (these both hop on hop off) Night Tour, Tour of Brooklyn and a cruise - awesome value. I jumped on my first tour and that was the Downtown one. Man this place just comes alive at night, it never sleeps. We went downtown to Wall St, Ground Zero, SOHO, NOHOk, China Town, Empire State Bldg, Chrysler Bldg, saw apartments of the likes of Speilberg, McEnroe, Tiger Woods,  Chris Martin & Gwenyth, Tyra Banks, beyond & Jay Z, Dakota Fanning, John Mayer and so many more. Didn't see anyone famous tho. Took lots of pix and got back to Times Sq about 9ish. Walked around for a bit more then started walking back to my room. Got back just before midnight. A long day starting with a long flight from London but man it was an awesome day.  Day 2 was going to be a day of Tours. Started at 96th Street and the Uptown tour. This went down as far as Times Sq then  up past where Captain Sully landed the plane in the Hudson River in 2009 then all the way up to Jazz City AKA Harlem. Saw the Dakota which is where John Lennon was shot. Other famous people's apartments like Sting, Samuel L Jackson, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Al Pacino and of course Madonna. :( no Madonna sightings!! My head wash all filled with everything that I had seen the last 2 days, it was crazy. After this tour I took the other tour to Battery Garden to catch the Staten Island Ferry across and past the Statue of Liberty. I didn't wanna get off and go up I just wanted to look from the water. The ride out there was spectacular when u looked back towards Manhattan and saw the skyline, amazing. Just as awesome was the Statue of Liberty. Pretty amazing.  I am definitely well n truly in Love with New York City. Decided to take the night time tour. This one pretty much goes to all the major spots in NYC plus over to Brooklyn. The guide was cool, typical American tho, arrogant, laughed at all his stupid jokes, loud as, i mean the world had to heat him and everything he had to say not just our bus but all in all he was cool. It was good driving round and seeing things again but this time at night and Brooklyn looked pretty cool. Walked back to my room through Central Park and got back about 12. Day 3 = early start, moving to Downtown Manhattan today in the Financial District. I was gonna do the whole taxi thing but though I would walk a little ways cause it was such a beautiful day, I packed my little bag into my big bag and off I set. It was so hot and I was enjoying my music and the sights before I even realized that I had walked from 106th St to 14th Street with my big bag in toe. It was a long way and took about 1 1/2 hours. I had had enough though and hailed a cab to take me the rest. My new pad is pretty cool. Once again threw my bags down and took off for Battery Park and time to take my Water Taxi tour. This was awesome, went all the way upto the Brooklyn Bridge, past Liberty and Ellis Island, Uptown 1/2 way up the Hudson past the infamous landing then back again. I could not have asked for a better day. Day 4 was a day to start my shopping and shopping I did, took the Metro to Times Square and just went from there. I shopped and shopped saw so many cool things. Still have my fetish for shoes. Got back and had a bit if dinner with Sophie, an English girl I met. We then decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was drizzly but so warm. That was nice, bit foggy tho but still good. Next day was my last day to do anything as I was leaving early so what else to do but shop! After all I am in NYC!!!! Yes more shoes, clothes, it was ridiculous.  I've only been in America 5 days and I've filled both my suit cases to the max - dam!!!!  Sophie is staying in NY for 9 weeks so shes been busy finding a more permanent place to stay. She had a viewing at 8pm so I offered to go with her if she wanted a friend. That as good to, nice pad, nice guy. It was close to Times Sq so we walked back there, had a look around and went into Wonkas :) came out and who do we see????? Snoop Dog & Pharrell.  Well we don't really know but man they were doubles. Complete with entourage. We didn't care if they were or they weren't it was still fun. A good way to finish up my NEW YORK adventure. To sum it up I absolutely LOVE New York and am definitely coming back here and definitely for a lot longer than 5 nights. Im sitting here at Newark airport a little sad I didn't have longer here to explore but excited also for Miami and meeting Ami James :) Till My Miami adventure is over - see ya xxx

LONDON AGAIN WITH MAX AND KERRY

No sleeping on the doorstep this time, I got in late so arrived at a respectable time.  Kerry had the day off so we headed into town for a bite to eat before Maxs hospital appointment. Lunch was good so was the walk around while Max was busy. Got home, got dinner and just had a cruisy night with lots of laughs, it was so good being around them again. Just spent the next 2 days chilling and relaxing at home with Max, it was so nice to not have to be anywhere and just Staying in my pjs all day. It was great. Wasn't looking forward to the goodbye tho. But like all things do come to an end so did this, it was sad driving away in the taxi but I'm definitely coming back next year and bringing the boys. I couldn't do it without them again, well not at least until they leave home :) see ya London and by my 2 very special people :) 

IRELAND DAY SEVEN - DUBLIN

The morning started with a Black Cab Tour of the Protestant and the Catholic area of Belfast City with a local. Our was Protestant, others had Catholics. We visited the Loyalists and the Republican heartlands, saw the famous murals and Kearny about the trouble that has plagued this beautiful place in the past. It was actually really humbling being in a place like this that had so much horrible history and not to long ago either.  We stopped at the peace wall and saw more murals before heading into the Catholic area to Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden for all those lost in that small area in the fighting, some innocent and as young as 4!!! Such a waste. Makes you appreciate just how lucky we all are. Tour finished and we had a few hours to kill before the bus left for Dublin. We set out to do a little sight seeing along the water but also visited the markets. Such good food. Had a last Guinness at the Crown Liquor Saloon. Back on the bus again and heading to the Monastic site at Monasterboice which contains 2 of the best 9th century high crosses in Ireland. It's really amazing looking at things this old and seeing just how good a condition they are still in. Dublin bound and time to say goodbye to some good people again and no goodbyes to some not so good :) Julie and Chelsea left the gang that night while 6 of us went out for dinner to The Hairy Lemon, OMG this placed served the most amazing food. After we headed to Whelans Pub, this is the pub which featured in the movie PS I Love You. Wow it was going off, more music, it was nuts. So glad we made it here. Spent the next day on a tour of Dublin and just walking around before going out for dinner with Scotty. Went to another Irish Pub, yes more Irish music and more guinness. The guys at this pub were singing all traditional Irish songs and the locals were really getting into the mood. So good to watch. Last day in Dublin :( spent it with Harry, we events to museums and saw bog bodies, men sacrificed and put in the bog and their bodies were preserved only to be found 100's of years later, pretty freaky actually. Gross to! Did the touring the Guinness Factory and saw how it was made, I tell u the Guinness there tasted heaps better than anywhere else in Ireland. Said our goodbyes then it was time to heap off to the ferry terminal and back to London. The last leg of my European adventure was well n truly coming to an end :( oh well I get to see my babies soon :)

IRELAND DAY SIX - BELFAST

We head off to the ancient medieval walled city of Derry, the home of Bloody Sunday is probably what it is know for all over the world.  When we get here we are given the opportunity to go on an award winning walking tour around some famous sites. The tour was great, learnt a lot about the battles between the Protestants and the Catholics and saw places where lots of the turmoil unfolded. It's so sad to see but good to see that things have been pretty good there for a while. However it still looks segregated tho. In the Protestant area we saw some famous murals that were painted on the sides of buildings in memory of certain events. Walked past the Bloody Sunday Memorial as well as a plaque and flowers in memory of an 11 yr old boy that was killed by rubber bullets during fighting, so sad. It was a very interesting tour. Back on the bus and heading for The Giants Causeway the 8th wonder of the world and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The Giants Causeway is it Giant or Science is how Carroll put it to us, it was for us to decide. There r an estimated 37,000 basalt colums whose tops form stepping stones leading from the clifftop and disappearing under the sea. The then reappear in the island of Straffe. This is where the giant legend comes in. Did the giant Finn McCool build a road across to Scotland then run back tearing it up leaving the gap in the middle???? All I can say is that it was an awesome site and can see why it's known as the 8th wonder of the world. Off to the rope bridge now, this crosses a gap 20m wide and 23m above rugged rocks and the ocean. Hmmmm a rope bridge hey!!!! How bad can it be??? We had the perfect day we could actually see all the way over to Scotland and Mull of Kintyre. The bridge was good, got a little hairy when someone decided to bounce on it but other than that it was OK :) and yes more pics . In the bus and heading to Belfast. Nice a night out in the big smoke, dinner and drinks then back for a card game and drinks with everyone at the hostel. Such a good day.

IRELAND DAY FIVE - ENNISKILLEN

More amazing photo ops and traveling on bog roads (gross, so bumpy) as we head into the area know as Connemara, it's an amazing rugged looking area described by many as the REAL emerald of Ireland. We stop at Matt Molloys (from the Chieftans) world famous drinking house for a beverage :) and a photo op to of course.  Here is Killary Harbour, one of 3 glacial fiords in Ireland, it forms a natural boundary between Galway and Mayo. It's 16km long and over 45 m deep in the centre. We also visited Cong, a romantic Ashford Castle. John Wayne's movie The Quiet Man was filmed here. We have now crossed into Norn Iron or Northern Ireland as the rest of the world knows it as :) A night in Enniskillen and yes more Irish music and dancing and of course Guinness to be had. 

IRELAND DAY FOUR - INIS MOR, ARAN ISLANDS

Man a bit over these early starts but they have all been worth it so far. I'm sure Inis Mor will not disappoint :) Took a 45 min bus ride to the Ferry. Now this was one ferry ride that I was so happy to see finish. The sea was so rough and I was so sick, I got off that thing green! I settled pretty but swore black n blue that I was now a permanent resident of the islands :) We had choices here, we could either hire a bike, a horse n carriage or just walk around the island for the day. Me Julie and Chelsea decided that the best way was the horse n carriage as someone couldn't ride a bike eh Chelsea ;) Turns out it was the most fun way, had a cool guide and our horse was called Dolly :) We were taken to an area where we had to get off and walk about 20 mins to  Fortress Dun Aonghasa, this place is a 3000 yr old iron aged ring fort perched on the edge of a 300m cliff above the water .  You could actually lie on these ones and hang right out over the water depending on how brave you actually were. I did a little but Jatini, man she went all out :) The horse n cart was waiting for us once we got back to the drop off point.  We were then taken on a tour of the rest of the island.  We saw some seals, old ruins, miles n miles of stone walls,  3000 miles of them  in fact. The locals of Inis Mor speak fluent Gaelic, it's pretty awesome to listen to. Not one I think I would have a hope in hell of learning ever :) Dolly out horse could smell home and close to it she bolted, she couldn't wait to get home. We still had some time before the ferry was going back, yes I changed my mind I was ready to face the wild seas and risk looking green again :) We stopped into a restaurant and had a good feed of a massive serving of Fish n Chips, so delicious but seriously it was massive and boy do the Irish know how to fry an awesome chip!  However much to our horror some weird chick had decided it was a good idea to strip down to her underwear and go for a swim in the harbor,  it was freezing, but i guess as the saying goes "no brain no pain" Now time for the ferry ride home and yes is was a good one, the seas had calmed down so I felt ok. Got back to the hotel but no one was very hungry so we decided to just go to a pub for some good Guinness and some good Irish music. Had a good night chatting and laughing with new friends.

IRELAND DAY THREE - CLIFFS OF MOHER BEFORE HEADING TO GALWAY

Ok another early morning, heading to the famous Cliffs of Moher today. Looking forward to another awesome day filled with even more spectacular scenery. This place is one of Ireland's top visitor attractions. They stand 241m high and go for 8km around the Atlantic Ocean.  On the cliffs stands O'Briens Tower.  We were told that if we were lucky we may see the Puffin bird, we didn't :( But James and Janelle did come away from there engaged :) That was pretty awesome.  After here we head to Burren, this place is freaky, Ireland is known for its green lushness - well not here, it looks like a lunar landscape and home to fairies and leprechauns.  Carol has already told us some pretty amazing tales about these as well as Giants. It's actually quite fascinating listening to them all. She is an awesome story teller, when she has kids they are gonna love her. It's hard to believe that the scenery over here can get better but by the end of every day it just gets better. Hmmmm now for a night out in Galway, started out with dinner then drinks at The Kings Head with live Irish music then off to what I would have to say the worst night club in the world - Coyote Ugly - OMG it was horrible, needless to say we didn't last long :) Inis Mor one of the Aran Islands in the morning, pretty excited about that :)

IRELAND DAY TWO - KILLARNEY TO ENNIS

Well a good night was had in Killarney but it was an early start.  Heading for Ennis today passing through the Dingle Peninsula. Dingle is the home of Fungi the resident famous Dolphin. Apparently he's been around since 84. They say it's the same one and he even has wrinkles lol. We also stop in at Lahinch Beach which is apparently famous for its surf, too bloody cold to surf if you ask me but hey there were dudes there doing it. We also visit Coumeennole Beach which is the set in which parts of Ryans Daughter was filmed. It was beautiful.  We also pass what is known as the Beehive huts. These date back thousands of years and look exactly like beehives, amazing.  Time to head to the town of Ennis for the night. Apparently more good pubs - dam those Irish pubs. All in all today the scenery was unbelievable but it did remind me so much of NZ.

IRELAND DAY ONE - HEADING TO KILLARNEY

Had to be down in the foyer for 8.15 to met the tour guide and the rest of the crew going on tour.  Today we were heading to Killarney.  Carrol was our guide and as we were to find out she knew her stuff. Born n raised in Ireland she had all the history, knowledge of the locals, stories of Giants and Fairy's ready to entertain us over the next week. 1st one was about the Kerry Men.  Apparently there was a ratio of 3 men to 1 chick in Kerry.  The girls got a little excited with this news then there was the BUT!!!!!  These guys have a love of check shirts and high wasted jeans, they also like to tuck their shirts into their high wasted jeans.  We all had a little giggle and were looking forward to seeing these Kerry Men for ourselves.  The drive to Killarney was pretty cool, the scenery is amazing.  It actually reminds me so much of New Zealand.  We stopped at Tipperary, reminded me f the song mum used to sing when we were little.  There was the ruins of an amazing castle there.  Further down the road we stopped at Cashel.  Here we found Cashel Castle, here we were going to be able to Kiss the Blarney Stone and Kiss it I did, I wonder If it was going to give me the gift of the gab like they say it does.  Man good luck everyone if this is the case, i dont shut up now so imagine how bad I will be after this lol  We get time also to look around the grounds of Blarney Castle, they are amazing.  You wander around these gardens that are so magical complete with wishing steps, whitchs Cave, Whitches Stone, Druids Stones and so much more.  Off to the town where the Kerry men are famous for things I guess most men would not want to be famous for and out for a big night lol.  We have 2 questions that we have to ask the Kerry me 1) What sort of Tractor do they have and 2) How much frontage do they have lol

DUBLIN - IRELAND

Arrived in Dublin after a long ferry ride but it was pretty cool, meet a couple of Irishmen on it, made the trip over fun and go very quick.  Got my first taste of an Irishman and I hadn't even hit the ground yet :) Got to my hostel after a walk through the Temple Bar area, now that was pretty cool.  So many people around.  I as per my normal plan I throw my stuff into my room and take off for an explore.  I saw a few sights like Dublin Castle, O'Connell Bridge and the River Liffey. It was time for a bite to eat so I thought why not hit an Irish Pub.  Im glad I did, it was very nice and so much fun.  Wasn't a late night as I had an early morning the next day for the start of my week long Ireland Rocker Tour around the Emerald Isle.

LONDON, KERRY, MAX & CAMDEN RD MARKET :)

I got back to London albiet 3 hours ahead of schedule.  Instead of arriving at Kerry & Max's at 8ish I rocked up on their doorstep at a little after 5am and there was no way I was going to wake them at that time so decided to bunker in and have a little snooze in their entry way.  I was cosy, I had my bags to shelter me plus a towel to sit on and a big fluffy towel I brought in Monaco to wrap around me, I was as snug as a bug in a rug.  I can tell you thought I probably wouldnt have done this 12 weeks ago, backpacking accross Europe has well n truly hardend this little black duck up.  I wasnt wanting them to find out that I slept on the door step for 3 hours so was planning to be at least upright and have knocked on the door not be discovered sitting all ruged up in the corner as Kerry opened the door as he was on his way out to the shops - dam - sprung big time :)  Oh well we all had a massive giggle, then brekkie was on the cards.  Had a pretty chilled out time in London in preparation for Ireland, I did go to Camden Rd Markets and man this was awesome.  The shopping was amazing and the shop front artwork was just awesome.  Kerry and I spent a few hours just walking and shopping, he spent up storm and so did I.  London is pretty cool, i find it a nice place to just chill.  It is so cool to just sit and chill with Kerry and Max, love their company, its a shame we live so far away from each other and man can Kerry cook, he has some cool recipes up his sleve to.  Spent the last day getting ready for Ireland, had to go buy some winter clothes, not happy about that, I havent worn much more than shorts, singlets, bathers and thongs for 3 months, these winter clothes are a scary concept lol  Oh well Ireland will be worth it, cant wait to get there, I have really been looking forward to this part of the trip for a while now.

HMMMM PARIS.......

OK now after my very first day in Europe and not really feeling Paris I was a bit apprehensive about Paris again but hey im gonna give her another chance to prove me wrong. So we arrive into Paris around 9ish and I get my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, this I did not see on my first visit as it was just a flying visit and I didnt really get a chance to leave the area in the direct vicinity of St Christophers. So already she has impressed me, ET looks amazing at night time im now chomping at the bit to get to see her in the daylight tomorrow. Took over an hour to get to the hostel as the traffic in Paris is just nuts. It was a pretty cool drive in, our driver and guide took us past lots of sites. It was after 1 when we finally got our rooms and crashed. Day 1 was going to be jam packed with sight stop seeing, I only had 2 full days here and I was going to cram in as much as I could. 1st things first and that was ET, I met up with a kiwi chick and we took off on our mission. Metro is pretty cruisey, so easy to use. We got off it and walked about 20 meters and then as we turn the corner left our entire vision is just filled up with the Eiffel Tower, it was pretty amazing. I couldnt wait to get up close and personal. the line to take the lift up to the 2nd level was massive so we decided to do the stairs, I mean really how hard can it really be. We under estimating my chest infection it was kinda tough but only because of my coughing, we made it and it only took about 20-25 minutes so it wasnt that bad at all, we did have a pic stop on the 1st level and from here the view of Paris was amazing. When we got to the 2nd level you have to take the lift to the top. We jump in the lifts and all is cruisey until Ariana says gee this reminds me of the Giant Drop, nice one chick. Well after the body calmed down from the height and Arianas comment the views were just amazing. Lots of pix taken and from up there you could actually plan your site seeing walk. After taking in the awsomeness of the Eiffel Tower we headed towards the Arc de Triomphe. WOW this place is just nuts. 12 streets run into this thing and just by entering it in your vehicle you void all your insurance for the time you are on it. On average there is a crash every 8 minutes. To sit and watch the traffic on this thing is amazing, hundreds of cars just going everywhere and it looks like they just close their eyes and pray for the best. Man there were even cyclists on this thing!!! Off to Notre Dame now. Was kinda looking forward to seeing this because I remember watching it when the boys were little plus we watched it on one of the bus trips in France, I was half expecting to see Kosi and Esmeralda though lol. The Notre Dame was beautiful, just like in the Disney Movie. Crossed one of the Lovers Bridges, this is amazing, thousands of locks all over it, ahhhhhh young love lol. Did notice alot of the locks are now combination locks - I guess true love is not forever even in Paris lol. Couldnt believe the day was coming to an end, I had to get to my bike tour under the Eiffel Tower. The tour was pretty cool, drove around alot of Paris at night, this place is something else when the lights come on, its just beautiful and the Eiffel Tower is so much more spectacular at night. The tour finished with a boat tour down the River Seine for about an hour, seeing the tower again from this angel was different again. It was time to go back to the hostel, it had been such a massive day. I had been out since 10am and it was now close to 1am. Tomorrow was my last day in Paris and I had to still do some shopping and also go and see the Princess Dianna Memorial. Well got up and checked out, threw my bags in the locker and took off for my last day. Got to the Memorial sight and it was this massive gold flame set up on top of the tunnel where the crash happened, being the 15th anniversary just a week before meant that there were flowers and tributes all over it. It was kind freaky to seeing the entrance of the tunnel and remembering the footage of the night of the crash. Anyway did all that and finished my shopping then headed back to the hostel to chill before i had to leave for my bus. VERDICT - I did end up loving Paris and yer its another one of those cities that I will definitely be coming back to to spend a bit more time and do way more exploring. But im proud with my efforts, 48 hours and I saw the Eiffel Tower in the day, on dusk and at night, all times were spectacular, saw and explored the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, The Lourve, Lovers Bridges, saw where they have the have the Moulin Rouge, Champs Elysees, Invalides and the Pantheon. I was pretty happy with my efforts. Now off to London again and to see Kerry and Max :)

TOURS

Well after Bourdeaux I wasn't sure what to expect. We arrived pretty late in the day but that was cool, went to our hotel and it was the cutest little hotel I think I have stayed in the whole time I've been away. The woman was so nice and so friendly. She could tell I was sick and kept asking if I needed anything for my throat. It was all cool. I went unpacked as per the norm then took off for my mandatory exploration of the city to get my bearings.   Tours is tiny & so cute. I headed towards the Old Town but ended up at the river first. The river was ok but not that spectacular. There was a market going on down there with all handmade jewelry and clothes, the stuff was beautiful.   I brought a couple of necklaces.   I wandered off into the old town meandering through the streets, being a Sunday night it wasn't particularly busy but still enough people around to get a good vibe for the place.  Got some food then got back to my room about 10ish. Jumped into bed and watched some Telly before drifting off to sleep. It was so nice having a private room again. The lady downstairs obviously heard me coughing she called my room asking if I wanted a honey tea, how could I say no. She brought it up, it was so nice. Had a really awesome sleep.  Went and had brekkie about 9 & caught up with Madison and Matt. Madison and I had arranged to go out exploring so we set off just b4 lunch. It was nice just walking. Stopped in the Old Town and had a bite to eat.  Did some more exploring then got back to the hotel for a little Siesta. We were meeting up again later for a bite for dinner.  I could get used to this chilling let me tell you.  We met up later to try find this Beer Garden we were told about, no such luck tho but we did end up back in the Old Town at a lovely restaurant for dinner.   I tried Escargot, was a little freaked out by the thought but I just pretended they weren't what they were and chowed down. They aren't the easiest things to eat and they weren't the worst things I have ever eaten, they were very garlicky, tiny and quite tender even though I tried not to chew them too much. I finished 5 of the 6 as I gave Madison 1. I was very proud of myself. I have certainly surprised myself with all the different types of food that I have tried while being away.  After a lovely meal we headed back to our rooms and crashed for the night. Had to be up, packed and checked out before 9 as we had our Chateaux Tour booked in for the morning.  Went to 2 Chateaux's had the worst driver in the WORLD. The 1st Chateaux was beautiful, it was called Chateau of Chenonceau, it was built in the 16th Century and King Henry 11 donated it to his favorite lady, Diane de Poitiers. Henri's widow Catherine de Medici removed Diane and totally transformed the gardens and the Chateaux. In 1589 Louise of Lorraine withdrew to the Chateau upon the death of her husband Henry 111 where she went into mourning until her death in 1691 and this marked the end of any royal presence at Chenonceau. We walked through rooms and rooms of exquisite artwork and furniture. I'm telling you people back then were tiny though, they had the smallest beds you have ever seen. But the biggest chairs & fireplaces lol. My favorite room was Louise's bedroom. It was all black with white feathers, silver tears, grave diggers shovels, widows cordons, crowns of thorns and the Greek letter lambda (initial for Louise) intertwined with the letter H for Henri 111. This room was stunning to say the least. The next chateaux was Amboise. Seriously this was a disappointment after coming from the last one. In all honesty it was magnetic in everything from the outside but when it came to inside we only had access to 3 rooms. Those three rooms had nothing on Chenonceau. In 1431 Louis d'Amboise was condemned to death for plotting against Charles' favorite La Trenouille. Louis was finally pardoned but he had to relinquish the Chareaux. Charles VII had Archers stationed here. The future King Charles VIII, son of King Louis XI was born here where he lived with the queen. In 1516 Leonardo was invited to join the French Court at Amboise. He was installed on the Manor of Cloux (Clos Luce) with a salary of 700 gold crowns. He devoted his time to drawing and teaching, concentrating on building canals, urban planning and architecture. He was very close to the King. He died in his Amboise Manor on 2nd May 1519 and was interred according to his wishes in the chapel at Amboise.  In 1815 the great grand-daughter of Louis XIV, Louise-Marie-Adelaide de Bourbon the Duchess of Orleans inherited Chateaux d'Amboise. 

BEAUTIFUL BORDEAUX

Well here I go again on my rant about how beautiful another European city is, but seriously it is. Every place I go to just seems to get better and better. Bordeaux is NO exception. My thoughts on Bordeaux before getting here were that it was going to be small, not exciting and pretty boring, man was I surprised!!! The drive into Bordeaux would have to be the most beautiful drive into any city so far. The river on one side and the old town on the other, such a contrast. Im still sick but I cant wait get out there and explore. I drop my stuff in my room and take off camera in hand. 1st impressions did not disappoint, every corner you turned there was another photo opportunity. I spent about 4 hours just walking and walking, it was beautiful. I spent alot of time walking along the boardwalk looking back into the old town. This place is just magical. Where im staying is really close to the Old Town so really easy to come and go. Also loving the single room I have, dont have to worry about my coughing during the night. I had a snooze on my bed for a couple of hours before heading out again to see how Bordeaux looked in the dark. It was even prettier. Had a pretty lazy morning again, got up round 12 so didnt head out til around 1ish. I went and took my computer with me to the boardwalk to catch up on all my homework. What more beautiful spot to do this than here. It was pretty hard tho cause it is so hot here, where I was sitting was like a sauna, I had to move. I sat on the steps where there is this cool water feature and watched kids play in it for about an hour, every time I got too hot it was my turn to get up and have a play to. I am so loving Bordeaux. Spent about another 5-6 hours just wondering the streets, looking and everything. This is one place I could definitely move to, its beautiful, the people are so friendly, the men a drop dead gorgeous and so easy to talk to, the lifestyle looks so awesome, at night everyone seems to head down to the boardwalk and picnic, skate, rollerblade, bike or just walk up n down. Hmmmmm one day I could see me coming back here for an extended stay but not just yet, my babies are still way to young and 18 weeks away from them is way to long to do again. Im glad my impression of Bordeaux was nothing like what I have actually experienced. Very pleasantly surprised. Now off to Tours for 2 more days of RnR.

SAN SEBASTIEN

So excited to be here, not happy to be here sick though! Oh well all I can do is soldier on and do the best I can do. The Busabout guides had organised a pinchos/pub crawl for that night, I was excited to go along and try the famous San Sebastien food, it was fun but it was a shame as I couldnt really taste anything, it all tasted the same, dam this bloody flu :( Oh well I stuck it out til close to midnight then headed home with some of the others. Tried to have a good nights sleep but the dreaded cough had started so kept myself and Beck and James up most of the night with it. Morning came and it was time to go see Jesus - well his statue at the top of the hill anyway. Met up with Tash and Ashlea and a couple of other newbies from their dorm. Started the climb, man it was tough with this chest thing I have going on, I felt so unfit and I was wheezing like a person with emphaciema - it was horrible. I made it in the end and was pleased I pushed through, It was beautiful up there, shame the sun wasnt shining but it was still good anyway. We stayed up taking pictures for over and hour before decending. Didnt really do too much for the rest of the day was starting to get worse as the minutes went by. Went to dinner with Bec and James that night and had canniloni - not very spanish I know but it was still good from what I could taste. Went home after and had an early one. Third night was James and Becs last night so the crew had a last supper, we went to the supermarket and brought lots of tappas things, lots of red wine, coke and fizzy so we could make our own calimucho (red wine and coke mix) and sangria, it was beautiful, had so much food tho, ended up throwing most of it out. I didnt get up til lunchtime the next day, im loving this spanish time, loving the siestas to, something I could so get used to. Went to the beach and spent about 4 hours down there just chilling and doing nothing but listen to music. I gotta get rid of this sickness. Tash and Ash left the next day so again another long sleep in and the rest of the day at the beach, im sort of feeling a little better, think the antibiotics may be working. Well if nothing else I did manage to top up the tan in San Seb, I did love the place, it is such a nice place to relax at and just get lost in the Spanish culture. This is it for Spain for me its now back to France in the morning. Bordeaux here I come. Thanks Spain for being so AWESOME. I'm definitely coming back to revisit one day.

MADRID

Who would have thought that there would be so much shopping to be done in Madrid???? Not me. The shopping here was amazing. Spent all day just wondering round the shops, everything is so cheap. In Europe there is this chain store called H n M - OMG it is amazing. Think of the popularity of dare I say Supre but with the class of more like Bardot maybe. It has your casual wear but it also has every other look you are after, some of these stores are 4-5 stories high and carry everything from underwear to shoes to make-up to accessories. They are amazing and sooo cheap. Anyway enough of that on to the real Madrid. Did the walking tour of Madrid the morning after we arrived. It is always a good idea to do one of these as it gives you your bearings on a city and also lets you know a little bit about the history of that city. As always we saw lots of beautiful monuments, cathedrals, fountains and we were shown little things that you wouldn't come across if the guide hadn't been there to tell you. For instance in the sidewalk in the middle of a normal city street there was a picture of a bear trying to get berries off a tree. The story behind this is that there is a tree in Madrid that has berries a little bit like cherries but after about 5-6 of these straight off the tree you will be as drunk as if you had been on vodka, the bears loved these berries so were always trying to get them. So whenever you were in Madrid (years ago of course)the chances of you seeing a bear in this very same stance were pretty likely, hence now that being the national symbol of Madrid. Its really interesting finding out those little facts about the places I'm visiting, may seem mundane to some but pretty cool to me. You get to a point when cathedrals, statues and museums all just start blending. Never have enough of fountains tho, they are always amazing. Anyway Madrid is beautiful, Soccer is the be all and end all of everything here, I guess that's cool because they do have the best soccer team in the world. They also have some of the most amazing food I have tasted in all of Europe. We went to a restaurant called Ginger the first night, I had Iberian Secrecy - it was pork on a bed of mashed potato unlike anything mash I have had and it came with this devine satay type gravy but 100 times better. It was beautiful and cost under 10 euros. The sangria here is good to. Other than shopping the other thing we did here was try lots of different food, the Pintoxs here was amazing, I had peppers stuffed with fresh crabmeat, eggplant parmigiana, baby eel, every cheese in every way, mussels the list goes on. It was so fresh and so well presented, you just couldnt get enough. Lucky each portion was no more than 1 or 2 mouthfuls and lucky im only in Madrid for 3 nights lol. The 2nd night I was here we went to a Flamenco Show with Tash and Ashlea, jeez this was good, they sure know how to move, you come away wanting to be a Flamenco dancer when you leave. It was really cool. Well I must say that I was indeed very impresseed with Madrid, now in the morning it is off to San Sebastien. Really looking forward to this as I have heard so many rave reviews about it. One more taste of Spainsh to go on my European Adventure 2012.

VALENCIA

What a come down from the Ibiza Blast Tour. Wasn't sure what to expect but as we were driving in I couldn't believe just how modern Valencia is. I had a 3 bedroom apartment to myself, it was awesome, air con, space age shower, queen size bed, kitchen, lounge room, 2 TV's & 2 bathrooms and all for 20€ a night. It was heaven. Didn't get in til pretty late though cause the ferry back from Ibiza got in about 7.30ish then the bus ride to Valencia took forever!  Anyway all good. I set my alarm for 5.45 because I was going to do La Tomatina in the morning. Well alarm went off and thought it a much better idea to just roll over and wake up naturally. I needed the extra sleep, only got about 6 hours the whole time I was in Ibiza.   Eventually woke about 10, showered then got my way into the old town, pretty amazing place, saw the old cathedral first, it was beautiful.   Didn't have a plan just wanted to walk the streets and see where I ended up, saw lots of beautiful things, walked through the park for over an hour, it was magnificent, so beautiful but also so very hot!  The park was an old river bed that has been re-routed because in the 50's it flood and absolutely ruined the city, it now goes around Valencia and not though it.  Franko the ruler at the time wanted to put in massive motorway but this had many protests and eventually is was turned into a park, I think 17 bridges cross this park and each of the 17 sections and bridges were commissioned buy different artists. This has lead to some very spectacular parks running for miles and all separated by the artists bridge.  I walked forever and eventually came back to where I started. I'm getting so good at not getting lost and being able to navigate my way round lots of different cities without freaking out. Was gonna catch a taxi back to the house to get my bathers and head to the beach.  On my way I bumped into Lauren, she was just walking back from the La Tomatina. They were all going down to The Americas Cup Port for a swim before the pub crawl, this was built the year Valencia hosted the Americas Cup and the year the Sweedish won.  It was the biggest and cleanest beach I think I have ever seen! We spent 3 hours down there. I lay down, got hot, went for a swim them came back and slept for over an hour, it was the best sleep ever apart from the fact that I kept waking myself up with my snoring lol.  The water on this beach was soooo warm, I could have stayed in there forever.  I didn't. We left and went back to Laureens to clean up and get ready.   Got pinchos on the way, this is unbievable spanish tapas.    OMG it was beautiful.  I'm trying do many new foods, it's starting to freak me out :) met up with the crew to get on the pub crawl but in the end decided against it and ended up going shopping instead. Got home again about 11 and packed a little, had to be at the pick up point at 12 to head off to Madrid. Another flying visit of another city, still not sick of it all, just a little tired tho after Ibiza still. Off to Madrid next. 

PASCHA & TIESTO

Of all the clubs we went to in Ibiza this one was by far my least favorite. Everyone that worked there were so rude and just downright horrible. Not to mention the fact that they had oversold the tickets by at least half! You couldn't move in there at all, it was horrible. Tiesto came on and he obviously just wasn't feeling it. He didn't engage with the crowd at all, it was like he was just going through the motions. Needless to say I left there round 2ish with Sam and Troy, got back to the hotel to find that the majority of the crew was already back anyway and all had the same feeling about the club. I would never recommend anyone to go to Pascha? All the other clubs we went to were so awesome so there's no need to even go there.  Seemed a shame that the Ibiza experience ended on a bum note but even still it didn't ruin an awesome 3 days of non-stop partying.

USHUAIA, DAVID GUETTA, FEDDE LE GRAND & NERVO

Now this was one party we were all hanging to get started. We spent a few hours down the beach soaking up the rays before heading to a bar for some Pre-drinks. Everyone was a little excited about what was coming up.  The fact that we were gonna see David G and also going back to Ushuaia. I love this club!  It's so cool how u can just rock up in what u wore to the beach, it has that real beach party vibe without being manufactured.  We got there grabbed a drink or 2 then waited for the man. We didn't have to wait to long as we stayed having Pre-drinks until fairly close to the time he was gonna come on.  When he made his entrance the place went nuts. He also is a true performer and being his closing party at Ushuaia he wasn't holding anything back. I was a little surprised to hear his voice though, he has the squeakiest voice and the accent, hahaha it took me by surprise actually.  He performance was a show also, he had girls dressed up in some of the most amazing costumes. I have some awesome video footage of him that my boys are gonna love watching when I see them. They are so jealous that their mother is seeing everyone that they like. Poor babies ;) he played a new song that was pretty awesome do looking forward to hearing that on the radio when I eventually get back to the world of media. They also threw out hundreds of massive foam glow sticks that you can switch off n on, I managed to catch 5, gave 2 away and kept 3 for the boys. Gave 1 to Paula as she had my phone videoing this the whole time. I can't believe another dance party is over. It just dosent seem fair. Ushuaia finished with a bang by having this chick suspended below hundreds of large pink helium filled balloons with 2 guide ropes being held by about 6 big burly blokes. She pretty much covered the entire area of the club with the help of these dudes, flipping and flying through the air, it was amazing to see. Home now to go get ready for Pascha & Tiesto.  Be back soon ;)

PRIVILEGE & STEVE AOKI

Wow all I can say is that this man is a performer. He loved his crowd and man did he play up to us. We had the Champagne Showers, the crowd surfing, the confetti, the dry ice guns, you name it he had it. I think he was having more fun than anyone at the club. Privilege is a pretty cool club to. You walk up to this non assuming club surrounded by trees and it's not until you walk through the doors don't get a true feeling for what your about to experience. According to the Guinness Book of Records this is the largest Night Club in the WORLD, it holds upto 10,000 people.  This place is mad!  It also has a small pool in the middle, obviously blocked off do no one can swim in it but the visual effects of it being between the mixing station and the stage was pretty cool. We had prime spot again. This time to the right of stage and up on this platform. A 100% totally un-obstructed view of everything that was going on. The vibe here was unreal, the water was cheaper here to, only had to pay 10€ for a 330ml bottle not 15€. The clubs in Ibiza can charge what ever the hell they like for drinks, alcoholic ones ranging from 20-40€ and water from 10-15€.  Thank god for the Pre-drinks is all I can say, 2 cocktails for 10€, do much better.   I was loving the show, Steve Aoki is amazing. He had everyone captivated and waiting on his every move, I was really disappointed when he finished, I was so not ready to go home. Had another act, can't remember who but he was pretty cool to and Steve Aoki hung around and joined him for a little bit. It was now about 6.30am and the club had finished. There was only 2 of us left standing, caught a cab home and eventually walked in the door of our rooms round 8. Such a good night, definitely did not want this one to end. Oh well time for a couple hours of sleep before time for the beach and then it's David G time. (not allowed to say his name or it's skull time)

SUNSET CRUISE PARTY BOAT

On our way to San Antonio for our Sunset Party Boat Cruise. Not sure what to expect as its in the English side of the island. We were told that the majority of people on this cruise apart from us would be from the UK. Well Murray was right but man were they fun, met 2 lovely girls that we continued to party with on the boat. The first hour was free cocktails, pretty basic tho but it did the trick. The DJ's on board were pretty cool, they kept the party going. The entire cruise was really rough. We found it so hard to even stand up, I guess that made it all the more fun. Had a couple of thong blow outs do the good old thong bong came out. So gross. As the brochure said we were gonna see a sunset and what a sunset it was. It was stunning.  Had such a fun night and totally glad we did the sunset cruise and not Ivicci. Home to get ready now and back out to Privilege to see Steve Aoki in action. Can't wait for that.

SPACE AND BURLESQUE

The Burlesque show would have to be the most amazing show i think I have ever seen. It could be partly due to the fact that the male dancers were outta this world gorgeous & had moves to die for. Space is a massive club with 5 or 6 rooms, each with its own theme.  However we just stayed in the one spot mesmerized by the Burlesque Show.  Ibiza is a funny place. Everyone is chilled and even though we were there late we were able to just walk up the front. No one pushes and shoves here, it's so cool. Our entire group was right up the front along with a few undesirable females, it's amazing what some people will do and how low they will go.  I guess they thought it was Finger Licken Good!!!! Anyway had an awesome night, so happy to be in Ibiza. Our guys are just the best to party with. Looking forward to the next couple of days. 

USHUAIA AND DEADMAU5

Walking into the club was amazing, it's an apartment complex with a massive pool in the center and a stage at the front with a smaller pool towards the back.  This place was unbelievable, got there around 9ish I think, we were all just amazed at how cool this place was. Murray told us all to go to the bar at the front and order then he would take us on a walk around the place. I got a Strawberry Mojito for 15€($19 oz) I think, so refreshing.   That was my last drink for the night other than water which at this bar cost around 12€ ($15 oz)for a 250ml bottle.  Well anyway the club was pumping. We started off down the back getting an awesome view of the club from the pool. It was so cool to just stand in the pool and enjoy the music. It was time to go watch DEADMAU5, we managed to get right up the front, he was amazing. None of us wanted the club to end but it was all good cause we had Space and Cafe Ole to look forward to.

IBIZA ADVENTURE BEGINS

IBIZA BLAST - WHOA!!!!! Well I had no idea what to expect with this one, I was in 2 minds about going, not to sure but thought stuff it, if I don't like I can just chill on the beach for 3 days and that wouldn't be to bad. Boy was I surprised and so pleased I went. Got to the hotel about 9am, threw my stuff into the luggage room, met a few of the others on the tour, chatted then decided to go for a drink, I can't believe I started drinking early in the morning the first day of Ibiza, hmmmmm was this a sign of things to come?  Caught up with Murray our guide for the 3 days and the rest of the crew, got our rooms, our itineraries then headed out on an orientation of the city. Was given a list also of the line up at the clubs and had to chose 2 per day, man it was hard, we didn't all have to do the same but as it turned out we did anyway which meant we all got to party together the entire 3 days which was perfect.   Our places of choice were - Sat afternoon Ushuaia to see Deadmau5 who was headlining, then after midnight it was off to Space to see Roger Sanchez, Pablo Sanchez, Marcoloco and a Burlesque show not to mention about 9 other DJ's featuring on the night, Sunday afternoon was a Sunset Cruise Dance Party over on San Antonio, then Privilege to see Steve Aoki headline but also Sidney Samson and a few more I just can't remember, then Monday afternoon was Ushuaia again for David Guettas  F*** Me I'm Famous closing party with none other than the man and Fedde Le Grand & Nervo then the night time rage at Pacha to see Tiestos closing party. Man were we pumped for what lay ahead the next 3 days.  Not only did we have the 6 dance parties to look forward to but also a few cool places to eat as well. My Ibiza stories are going to have to be in parts, too much went on to just through it in the one entry. So hoping I don't bore the shit out of you all with the tales of the Ibiza Crew 25-28 August 2012

BARCELONA........

Barca bound.  Got in about 4 so plenty of time to explore. Dropped my bags and grabbed a map and just went out. Walked around for a few hours saw some pretty cool stuff.  Walked round the many back streets and found some pretty cool stuff. Some pretty amazing little courtyards n stuff. People everywhere. Saw some amazing artists and there inly tools were spray cans, some cardboard shapes, newspaper. This dude spent 10 mins and he made a pic of 3 pyramids, a massive sun behind them and the reflection on the sun in the water at the front. So much talent, if only i could bring a piece back without it getting trashed. Got back to the hostel and dropped my stuff off before heading out for food and to see the magic fountain.  We were told about this fountain on the bus.  It only runs during the summer months and only certain days of the week. Lucky for me it was running. Made my way towards the general direction about 9.30ish. The streets were packed, the nightlife in Barca goes off but it was also the night Barcelona were playing Madrid        in the soccer. The whole town was nuts and the majority of people were dressed in the Barcelona team colors - it was a pretty cool atmosphere to be in. Walked thru the back streets to get to this fountain, looking back I should have stuck to the main road, it was pretty safe just lots of dark side streets and drunk dudes everywhere. It was all ok. I heard the fountain before I saw it, a long time before!  It plays classical pieces. The fountain goes on time with it at the same time it lights up all the colors of the rainbow. It was pretty spectacular. The entire area around the fountain was awesome also. I stayed there for about an hour. Got back to the hostel around 11ish and a girl I met in Amsterdam was there with her friend, they asked me out for Sangria so of course I had to go ;) Spent over an hour just walking and drinking in a square, it was a cool night.  Didn't get into bed till about 2.30 again. Had a bike tour booked for 11am.  All good managed a sleep in.  The bike tour went for 3 hours and we went everywhere and saw so much. Saw where the Olympics village was, old cathedrals, some freaky as buildings,  stopped at the beach for a drink, I had beer mixed with a lemon squash, quite tasty. Got back to the hostel about 3 and had to book my ferry to Ibiza tonight. That was all good, booked and leave at 11.30 tonight. Get in at 8.30 tomorrow morning. Jobs all done, sites all seen now time to hit the beach for a few hours of r n r. Man am I in need of that. It's been mid to high 30's today and I spent 4 hours out in it biking. Beach was awesome, so hot but with a nice sea breeze. Spent 3 hours there. Headed back about 7. Gives me 3 hours to get back, cleaned up and fed. Have to be at the ferry terminal at 10pm. Gonna taxi even though it's just a 15 min walk cause my bags are way to heavy. Hoping the ferry ride will be ok, looking forward to Ibiza now even though it's taken me a bit to get into the swing of it. Up until yesterday I wasn't feeling it but then I spoke to a guide that does Ibiza and now I'm excited. So until Ibiza see ya later ;)