Contiki European Highlights: 29/06/13 – 12/07/13

Here’s my plans for my 3 weeks in London and Europe, with details of my Contiki Tour. For more details, click on the links 🙂

24/06 – Hop on a plane and fly to London!

25/06-28/06 – London town, with all the exciting tourist-y things such as a The Original hop-on hop-off tour, the London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace etc. Spending a night at the Royal National Hotel to catch up with my tour mates before the tour begins.

29/06 – DAY 1: LONDON TO PARIS

We leave London early this morning, and board the ferry to France. On day 1 we get to see the White Cliffs of Dover; go on an exclusive ‘Paris by Night’ sightseeing tour with Champagne & escargot; see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

30/06 – DAY 2: PARIS

Day 2 in Paris is a “free day” with an option to have a Parisian Dinner that evening and a chance to go to the Nouvelle Eve for the Cabaret.

01/07 – DAY 3: PARIS TO BEAUJOLAIS WINE REGION

Tonight includes a “special stopover” at Contiki’s French Château (Chateau de Cruix) along with wine tasting. We get to see the Château Fontainebleau as well as the Chablis, Burgundy & Beaujolais vineyards.

02/07 – DAY 4: BEAUJOLAIS WINE REGION TO FRENCH RIVIERA

Today we see the PapalPalace in Avignon. We get to visit a French perfumery and also take a scenic drive along the Côte d’Azur on the way to Antibes.

03/07 – DAY 5: FRENCH RIVIERA

Today we get the chance to explore the neighbouring towns of the French Riviera. We also get to see the RoyalPalace in Monaco and a visit a Monte Carlo casino.

04/07 – DAY 6: FRENCH RIVIERA TO FLORENCE

On our way to Florence today we get to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Tonight there is a chance to have a “Tuscan meal” with the whole group.

05/07 – DAY 7: FLORENCE TO ROME

Day 7 is a very busy day! There is a chance to discover the Statue of David, Ponte Vecchio, the MediciPalace and more on locally guided walking tour of Florence. We will also get the chance to see the Duomo, Basilica Santa Croce, Giotto’s BellTower, the Baptistry & Piazza della Signoria, after which we will learn about Florence’s leather craft with a demonstration. We also take our group photo today!

Then it’s off to Rome – starting with a special access Rome sightseeing coach tour where we will see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon & Piazza Navona as well as St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

06/07 – DAY 8: ROME

Today we have a free day to explore Rome. We have the options of going on a Vatican tour, as well as an “Imperial Tour” where we visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

07/07 – DAY 9: ROME TO VENICE

Once in Venice we get a private boat through the canals and islands of Venice and we will see the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Square. There is also the option to do a walking tour and go on a Gondola ride.

08/07 – DAY 10: VENICE TO MUNICH

We take a scenic drive past vineyards, orchards & castles on the way to Munich and also get to see the Glockenspiel & Marienplatz. We can then go on a city bike tour of Munich. Also hoping to find time for a beer hall today!

09/07 – DAY 11: MUNICH TO RHINE VALLEY

On day 11 we visit the Dachau concentration camp memorial. We will also see the Lorelei Rock and learn how beer steins are crafted. There is an option for wine tasting too!

10/07 – DAY 12: RHINEVALLEY TO AMSTERDAM

Today we see the canals & a windmill on a countryside bike tour in Edam where we also visit a cheese farm & a clog maker’s house. We will also get to see Amsterdam’s canals & gable houses by night.

11/07 – DAY 13: AMSTERDAM

Day 13 is a free day to explore Amsterdam. I hope to get a chance to go to the “Anne Frank Huis”. We can go on a canal bike tour and tonight we have the option of a canal cruise and dinner at the Sea Palace Restaurant.

12/07 – DAY 14: AMSTERDAM TO LONDON

Today we return to London after what I’m sure will be an incredible trip!

13/07-17/07 – London town again, until my flight leaves.

18/07 – Land back home, and bore everyone I know with countless retelling of my stories! Make an album and video to remember my holiday!

Full details of the tour are available at http://www.contiki.com/destinations/europe/tours/117-european-highlights

Deciding to do Contiki.

So in about a week and a half I’m heading off to London and Europe. I’m going to be spending 9 days in London – 4 before, and 5 after, with my Contiki European Highlights trip in between!

I was thinking about life and stuff, and realised that this is pretty much it. Being in my third year at University, with one year left, I would soon be out in the working world. I don’t want that. And so I decided at the end of last year that I really wanted to make my dream trip to Europe actually happen – one day on campus I went and got a Contiki Europe 2013-2014 Brochure. I’d heard about them before, but didn’t know too much about them and the tours they offered. I read this brochure from cover to cover many times. Then I made a list of the places that were “non-negotiable” for me to see. It was really only London, Paris and Rome that my heart was completely set on, so that didn’t make it much easier to narrow down the extensive options that are available. I knew I had just less than a month for my trip in total. I also knew that I wanted to see as much of Europe as possible as I don’t know when I will get to return. So that cancelled out the “in-depth” tours for me as these focus mainly on one country.

I needed to choose what kind of tour I wanted to do – camping, concept (mixture of hostels, hotels etc), and time out (hotels). I knew I didn’t want to do camping as I didn’t really want to set up tents and I’m not really a camping kind of person. I was torn between the concept and time-out option. And then I saw that with the Concept tours you get a chance to stay in a real Chateau in the wine region. I was sold. It was at this point that I also decided I would go alone.

So now I had decided which type of tour to do, it made my options less. I looked through a couple and decided on the European Highlights tour – a 14 day trip around Europe, visiting 8 countries (France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Austria (in transit), Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (in transit). I’d get to stay in a variety of accommodation (including the Chateau) and get to see many of the major sites of Europe, and visit 11 World Heritage Sites. I’ll post the detailed itinerary separately.

The tour was within my budget, ticked all my boxes and I’d have enough time to spend a couple of days in London too! Needless to say, I very quickly became obsessed. After looking at my university time table, I decided on the best date. And then Contiki told me that the date I wanted was already full. Panic. Devastation. Luckily there was a tour leaving the next day, so that worked well. Then I realised that if I took that departure date, I might not get to go into the Vatican and see the Sistine Chapel as we’d be in Rome on a Sunday. That wasn’t ideal. I booked it anyway, and kept an eye on the Contiki website departure calendar. The second that the date I wanted opened up I phoned Contiki and changed my departure date. Success! Let the 100-something day countdown begin.

Once the deposit had been paid, and my place on the tour reserved, I was the happiest person alive. And then the panic set in. Was I COMPLETELY insane?? How the heck did I think that going to Europe BY MYSELF for 3 weeks was a good idea? And then I looked at my brochure again, and began saving every picture of the EiffelTower I could get my hands on. This was real.

Over the next few weeks I booked flights, looked up everything I could about getting my visas and read every travel blog I could find. Travel blogs are incredible. The ones about Contiki made me so incredibly excited. And now, six months down the line, here I am. Almost on to the single digit countdown. About to go exchange my money. Making packing lists. Budgeting. And still reading every travel blog I can find.

It looks like my Contiki group is also incredibly awesome. So far we have 27 people (and me) signed in to the Meet-Up on the Contiki site. It will be a full tour of about 50 people. Everyone seems really excited, and those that I have spoken to so far all seem really cool. Can’t wait to meet all these new people!

Love,

The I’m-So-Glad-I-Planned-This Eager-Beaver Traveler

x

BUCKET LIST

THE BUCKET LIST. I love the movie. And I love thinking of things I’d like to do or experience or achieve one day. I recently turned 21 and realised that I am actually mid-way to my mid-life. Slightly depressing, but true nonetheless. Eek. Therefore, cue The Bucket List. Cheesy and possibly overdone? Yes. But also necessary I feel. It sort of makes my crazy travel ideas and ambitions feel more  like goals than dreams. Which makes them feel (slightly) more possible.

I’m trying to build it up to a “40 before 40” list eventually. I also pretty much end up adding to it every time I watch a programme on Discovery or the Travel Channel. Oh well. Can’t blame myself for wanting to get as many experiences out of my life as possible.

I’m crossing them off as I go, and will most likely write about the best ones and include pictures. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words.  So without further delay, I bring you Megan’s Bucket List, in no particular order:

1. Watch a live musical in London’s West End

2. Watch a live musical on Broadway

3. New Years Eve in New York City

4. See the Northern Lights

5. Get lost and find something incredible along the way

6. Do something kind for a stranger

7. Read the Diary of Anne Frank

8. Visit a concentration camp

9. Sing karaoke in front of a crowd

10. Run a 5km race

11. Run a 10km race

12. Learn to speak a new language

13. Go on a road trip around South Africa

14. Learn to surf

15. Go to Wilderness Park in Wisconsin

16. Eat Creme Brulee in France

17. Make a difference in someone’s life

18. Get my PhD in Psychology

19. Visit every continent in the world (Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctica)

20. Eat Spaghetti Carbonara in Rome

21. Start a blog

22. Watch a sunrise on the beach

23. Swim with dolphins

24. Go to the La Tomatina Festival

25. Go to Walt Disney World

26. Write a book

27. Make a snow man

28. Go skydiving

29. Go bungee jumping

30. See Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower

31. Stand in a rainbow

32. Go to OppiKoppi