Reset search
Europe 2018Europe 2018
SatelliteEdit route

Europe 2018

May 2018 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by Jess Read more
Currently traveling
  • 15footprints
  • 7countries
  • 2,182days
  • 89photos
  • 0videos
  • 5.2kkilometers
  • 2.2kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerEurope 2018
    11
    Day 1

    Amsterdam 1st - 3rd May 2018

    May 1, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Day 1 of our trip and luck just isn’t on our side. An early start saw us at Bristol Parkway for 4.30am to catch our first train at 4.55am to London St Pancras. Filled with excitement we arrived at the train station (thanks for the lift Dad 😂) all ready for our big adventure. Into the train station we went to find a sign informing us that our train had left half an hour earlier than scheduled too😡 (thanks for letting us know GWR).

    Now filled with panic... onto trainline we go to see what time the next train would get into London. We can make it in time we all discovered (panic over- or so we thought). After the longest hour and a half wait of our lives we finally board the 6.05am train to St Pancras, a bacon sandwich and hot choccie cures the nerves and panic for 5 minutes. As we are approaching London the train slows down to just above walking pace and we are informed that there is a slight delay (PANIC!). It then went something like panic panic panic running through Paddington trying to find the correct tube to Kings Cross then panic panic panic running to St Pancras station lugging our 15kg suitcases (Note to self: should of packed lighter). It’s 8.03am and gates for the amsterdam train shut at 8am. We run up to security who then let us skip the queue to get through security quicker and onto our train which we made with 5 minutes to spare😂. 8.31am and we can finally relax and cry tears of joy that we actually made the Eurostar, we are finally on our way to Amsterdam.

    As we are approaching Amsterdam we start to spot things we don’t often see in England such as pretty dutch windmills, shutters on windows and lavender which I then point out to Katie is actually solar panels 😂 (I know I often get the 2 confused). After a comfortable and relaxing journey we arrive at Amsterdam Centraal. Stepping out the station we could already tell that we were going to love this city. Out into the busy main road I step and quickly learn that you have to look the opposite way in a foreign country and not only that, you must look out for the bikes, trams, people and cars (the roads are a nightmare to cross... first you must cross a bike lane then the main road. Oh and zebra crossings... yeah well no one stops at them for you... and then beware of the trams that come out of nowhere).

    Our first stop was to collect our tickets for the ice bar and a canal cruise. After having done so we decided it would be nice to walk to our hostel and take in the sights of this beautiful city. Wheeling our cases along getting a few strange looks we suddenly realise we probably should of made the most of public transport (another lesson learnt). Nevertheless we soldiered on with blisters and heavy suitcases before finally arriving at our hostel (Menninger) where we were all pleasantly surprised (the lifts were touchscreen). We had a room of 6 females in total and the room was clean, well kept and modern, what more could we ask for.

    After a quick breather it was back out into the centre, this time 3 minutes on the train, to explore. We spent hours wandering the streets taking in the views and bizarre things Amsterdam has to offer before arriving in Rembrandt square where we stopped for a first night meal in a restaurant.

    We had a few hours to kill before our Ice bar experience so we went and had waffles for pudding and looked in some of the souvenir shops. 10pm hits and we are entering the ice bar where we are handed tokens for free drinks, a coat and gloves. The whole experience told a story about being on a ship and then ending up in the arctic in freezing temperatures. As we entered the ice bar the temperature dropped to -9 degrees and drinks were handed to you in ice glasses. We lasted roughly 12 minutes in that part of the bar before we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes and retreated to a warmer area 😂.

    After a really lovely evening we found our way back to the hostel, Katie and I top n tailing as to not disturb the other girls who were asleep, and we all went to bed 😴    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 2

    Amsterdam

    May 2, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    After a good nights rest we are up and getting ready for Day 2 😁 First things first... breakfast! We had a delicious continental breakfast at the hostel and they had chocolate sprinkles!!!!!!!! Back on the train we hopped heading back into Amsterdam central.

    First of all we went on a 1 hour boat cruise of Amsterdam learning about the history of the city taking in sights such as the fanciest hotel we had ever seen and the bridge where James Bond was filmed. It was interesting looking at how grand and tall the houses in Amsterdam were and we learnt that the buildings there are slowly sinking, therefore making them look wonky. After having been dropped off onto dry land we decided to head to one of Amsterdams most famous coffee shops, the bulldog, for a drink.

    All refreshed onwards we went thinking what to do next as we browsed some souvenir shops. The sex museum is where we ended up next where Katie and I were as immature as ever laughing at everything we could see.. leah finding it I quote “rather interesting”. The museum was an experience I can say that much... 😂

    Feeling rather peckish we decided it was time for lunch so off we went to get a toastie to refuel us in a local restaurant. Next, following google maps (what would we do without it) we decided it was time to find the famous I AM AMSTERDAM sign and the one place we’ve been dying to go.. the duck shop. Half way we came to the shop whereby we all fell in love with the ducks and went on to buy a few🦆🐥

    Passing through what I would call the arty area of Amsterdam admiring the unusual paintings and tiny cars that exist in the city we came to the most stunning building, the Rijksmuseum. We walked under the building listening to a street act performing classical music that we actually recognised 😂 to find the sign and a beautiful park with a water fountain, flowers and chairs just out the other side where we sat down to relax for a while.

    After a full on day seeing the sights of Amsterdam and all its weird and wonderful things we felt obliged to walk through its most famous area should we say.. the red light district. Again.. another very interesting and insightful experience 😂 (no photos allowed for obvious reasons). Just as it started to rain we made it back to the train. We decided to find a supermarket tonight and buy some microwave meals which we could then heat for our tea in the communal kitchen at the hostel. It seems so normal now to share a kitchen with a load of people you don’t know. The rain continues to pour outside so we made the group decision to spend the evening having some drinks at the hostel bar before retreating to bed.

    Amsterdam has been an amazing first stop and I would definitely come back again, it’s weird and wacky ways make it intriguing and interesting and every step you take you discover something new that you’ve never seen before.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 3

    Next stop Berlin...

    May 3, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After a much comfier sleep with the whole bed to myself it was our last morning in Amsterdam 🙁 We decided to use today as a morning of recovery from our very busy first 2 days. After a quick stop for brekkie downstairs at the hostel it was time to pack up our suitcases and make a move (our suitcases now struggling to close with our rubber ducks in them).

    With the morning still free we decided to go for a wander around the area near to our hostel, buying our lunch at a local spar shop which we then sat and ate in the sun on a bench overlooking the railway. It was then just a short train journey back into the centre of Amsterdam where we ventured out once again to do some souvenir shopping. There was an hour left until our train so we decided to explore the train station finding walkways we had not yet discovered with shops!!!! Amsterdam is one step ahead of everyone I felt after spotting a contactless fast food dispenser machine 😂 After a relaxing drink at a cafe down one of the walkways it was time to head to platform 10b where we then caught our train from at 14.48pm.

    Praying this train journey would be a lot easier than our first we quickly boarded the train and ran to grab a table seat 😄 SUCCESS! However there was no need to run as the train was quiet and our journey was straightforward with no changes. Luck seems to finally be on our side. After 6 1/2 hours on a train we finally arrived in berlin! First impressions were good!

    Eventually we found our way out of the train station (its massive!) and found the tram we needed to get to our apartment. The signal in Berlin is rubbish so google maps was no help at all. (Probably should of bought good old fashioned paper maps 😂) We managed to just about load a map once we got off the tram however we ended up walking 3 sides of a square instead of a straight line to get to our apartment. However we got there so surely thats all that matters.

    Once we had arrived at our apartment we were overjoyed to find it looked exactly like the photos on air bnb (it feels like the kind of place you should be meditating in) 🙌🏻. By the time we arrived it was getting late and so a quick trip to the shops to grab a pizza for tea was exactly what was needed before bed.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 4

    Berlin 3rd - 5th May 2018

    May 4, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    It’s time to explore our second stop... BERLIN 😁
    We started the morning with moi cooking the others eggs on toast for breakfast (my time at Shellys Cafe has come in handy). I then ventured out on my own to the shop across the road to buy some drinks for the day ahead and made sandwiches for our lunch to take with us (mother Jess!)

    We then caught the tram just a short way to the centre of Berlin. Luck was not on our side again. In Berlin you have to stamp your tram ticket in a machine the moment you get on as Katie and I did. Leah unfortunately failed to do so and just our luck a man came along to check the tickets to find Leah’s wasn’t stamped :/ Straight off the tram we were all pulled (luckily at the stop we wanted anyway) and leah was fined €60 😬 We didn’t let this spoil the mood and it was onwards to the tv tower of Berlin where we then found a hop on and off bus tour of the city.

    The first stop on the tour was the Brandenburg gate, the gate which once divided the city! It was then onto see an impressive looking building, the reichstag. The bus then took us round to see many other historical monuments of germany. We decided to get off the bus for a break along the shopping quarters of Berlin where shops like Michael Kors, Tommy Hillfiger and Gucci can be found! It was here that we stumbled across the famous Hard Rock Cafe where we decided to have cheeky afternoon cocktails! Little did we know how strong they would be and so we all came away feeling a little bit drunk 😂 (swear the alcohol is a lot stronger abroad).

    After a quick look around the designer stores dreaming about what we can’t afford but acting like we can, we boarded the bus again to take in the rest of the sites of Berlin whilst consuming our sandwiches I had previously made with the intent of sobering up quicker 😂 The architecture is amazing in Berlin (something gavlar would love 😁).

    Once back to where we started nearly 5 hours after we first boarded the bus we decided to go and have a look around the museum of German history. I managed to talk the woman into letting us all in at a student rate ;) It was extremely interesting but also very sad to learn about Hitler and the Jews. It was then time to relax and so we found a nice cafe in the middle of the street in front of the brandenburg gate where we sat and had a drink and some chips. We sat in the cafe watching the sun go down, making use of the free wifi, until it went a bit chilly and we thought it was a good time to head back to the apartment.

    On the way back to the apartment I realised there were statues of bears all across the city and so that was me occupied for the next hour taking photos of all the bears I could find. We managed to get back using the only tram we were allowed on that day after leah forgot to stamp her ticket. A quick trip to the shops to buy a bottle of wine and we were 3 happy girls chilling in our apartment and enjoying our evening.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 5

    Prague here we come :)

    May 5, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today we had a leisurely get up, packing up our suitcases once again to move on to the next destination. Amazingly we managed to find our way back to the train station with no problems. With an hour to kill we decided to look round the shops in the station. It was then off to platform 3 to board our train to Prague. When we first boarded the train it was packed full of people with every seating compartment full and so it was a painful 1hr perching on our suitcases, the floor, against a wall, stood up, basically we just couldn’t get comfy and being in front of the toilet door just didn’t help the situation. A quick game of eye spy and an episode of Orange is the new black lightened the mood and made time fly.

    Finally we reached the first stop off where the majority of people disembarked the train so into our own little compartment we went with our cases 😁😁😁. The journey was beautiful crossing through the bohemian Switzerland national park which is on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic.

    At 3.35pm we arrived into Prague! After figuring out how to use the underground and what ticket we needed it was off to find our apartment. We had to collect the keys from a cafe across the road. We were in and decided to have an hour having a nap (travelling and sitting on a train doing nothing is surprisingly tiring) 😂 All rejuvenated we put nicer, fresher clothes on and boarded the metro taking us into the old town of Prague.

    The first sight we found was Charles bridge over the Vltava river, looking at it from another bridge. We then wandered a bit further and found ourselves in the old town square containing the astronomical clock of Prague and lots of restaurants where we then decided to have some food. Just our luck it is marathon day tomorrow in prague 😂 so we will see how easy it is to get around in the morning.

    After a lovely meal we walked further into the old town around all the side streets looking in the shops, searching for bars and finding the nicest looking sweet shop whereby every sweet had been placed in a specific position fo create patterns. Considering Prague is stag central we saw hundreds of stag dos but couldn’t figure out which bars they were coming from. Our solution... follow them... we eventually found a nice cocktail bar, which was also an art gallery, (the bar made out of leaves and moss) where we sat and had a cocktail. When finished we walked a bit further to find ourselves actually crossing over charles bridge looking at Prague castle in the distance and for a brief second believing we had walked to France with what looked like the Eiffel tower in front of us. After a quick google we found out it was the Petřín Lookout Tower which was in fact inspired by the Eiffel Tower and looks out across prague and on a clear day across the whole of bohemia.

    It was approaching the last train time so we found our way back to the train station and made our way back to the apartment, leah and I sleeping on a double bed bunk and Katie on the sofa bed. Night.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 6

    Prague 5th - 7th May

    May 6, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Waking up to sunshine and heat is something I could get used. We’ve been so lucky with the weather😁🌞 Today it is hot outside with temperatures in the 20’s so choice of attire was slightly different to the 2 previous destinations! We didn’t have any food in our apartment so we had to skip breakfast and decided we would just have brunch instead.

    We hopped on the underground, now understanding the system, with an app that takes you through getting place to place step by step (what would we do without modern technology). With the underground they have a system whereby you buy a 3 day pass and stamp it the first time you travel to validate it. We suddenly noticed we had stamped ours the wrong way round so every trip on the train after that we were praying no one asked to see our tickets, avoiding being fined. 😂

    Once in the centre of Prague we crossed over the river to find a nice cafe where we then sat and had lunch. In the distance we could see Prague castle and so when we had finished our meal we thought we would go and explore. After a steep walk up to the castle we were met with some incredible views of Prague looking down on all the terracotta roofs. On our way up there we saw a man with doves on both his arms giving them a drink out of a water bottle.

    As you enter the castle grounds you get searched and are more than aware of the massive guns the police and guards are holding 😬 After a quick stop to buy some water (feeling rather dehydrated after the climb) we started to explore. We started off by looking around the Old Royal Palace which was the original residence building built in the 9th century. Next it was into St Vitus Cathedral which was stunning! The stain glass was more vibrant than I’ve ever seen before and the scale of the building was incredible. After a quick coffee break, whereby Katie and Leah ordered ice coffee which came out as ice cream with a shot of coffee and then cream on top, we had a look in St George’s Basilica before wandering down Golden Lane, a lane which was once inhabited by defenders of the castle and servants.

    We spent much of the afternoon at the castle. On our list of things to do was to have cocktails overlooking Prague so we found a roof terrace (part of a very posh hotel) where we sat in the sun having cocktails with the clock tower behind us overlooking the old town square. Next on our agenda was to go straight back to the sweet shop we had previously found and get some to take home (not sure if they will make it home yet 😝) Walking around Prague we had noticed these unusual looking things called trdelnik. They look like a doughnut and are filled with ice cream. It seemed only right to try the local delicacy.. our thoughts... nothing special 😂 We had also noticed a lot more bars and clubs during the day which we had missed the night before and so we went into ‘one club’ (that’s the name of the place) for a glass of wine and to listen to the DJ. We noticed a sign on the door saying club night 22.30pm and so that was it our evening was decided.

    Back to the apartment we went to get ready, have a drink and sing along to the only English radio we could find on the TV before heading straight back to the club for a night of dancing 💃🏻 We had the best night and ended up being more or less the last people in there. After a quick McDonald’s (how you end every night out) we realised the public transport had stopped running and so we had a 25 minute walk up a very steep hill back to the apartment although time seemed to go pretty fast. 😂 It was straight into bed and I’m pretty sure we were asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 7

    Prague

    May 7, 2018 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Even after getting in at silly hours of the morning we were up at 9.30am and out the apartment by 11am, leaving our suitcases behind to go and collect again later. First stop... to get a drink. We had one in the coffee shop opposite our apartment, Leah and Katie ordering lemonade which came out as tap water with raspberry bits and flavouring in (they’re not having much luck with ordering drinks).

    We hadn't had breakfast and so decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe (yes we may of fallen in love with this place, 2 down, 189 to go). The food is just amazing and tastes heavenly (that’s no exaggeration), although we are all craving a roast and some vegetables now after nearly a week of eating very unhealthy.

    We spent the afternoon looking around some shops and introducing Leah to the world of Hamleys the toy shop. It has been extremely hot today and having been walking around for a good 2 hours now it was time to stop for a drink break, this time in Starbucks where they actually understand what an iced coffee is 😂. Time was getting on and we had a train to catch at 6.01pm so we made our way back to the apartment to collect our belongings and then found our way to the train station to catch the first of our three trains to Rome 😁 This journey in total will take 18 hours 😬

    The first journey to Linz HBF in Austria went quite fast. We passed the time by catching up with people back home on FaceTime. We also noticed houses in Austria are clearly built for very small people as they were tiny 😂 After a 40 minute stop off we were boarding the night train at 22.58pm.. excited but also very nervous not knowing what to expect. We were in a compartment with 3 other people and I can only describe my nights sleep as sleeping on an ironing board suspended from a height 😂 It was very cramped! We managed to get some sleep however it was extremely loud and the rocking motion all night was very strange. We arrive in Venezia Mestre at 8.12am tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    1
    Day 8

    When in Rome...

    May 8, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We were rudely awakened at 7am and given bread rolls, butter and a drink for breakfast (could do with some flavour). Leah and I being the top bunks couldn’t even sit up straight so we sat with our heads at an angle on the ceiling trying to eat.

    We got into Venezia Mestre at 8.12am and it was a quick change to our final train which would take us to Rome. Now on the train we could finally feel comfortable as the seats and the train were nicer than the overnight one. Our train got delayed during the journey and so we arrived in Rome an hour later then scheduled at 1.10pm.

    After figuring out the Italian metro system we found our way to the metro station we had been told to get off at and then proceeded to wander to what we thought was the apartment. Stood outside what we thought was our apartment I suddenly realised we had walked to number 23 not 233 😂 (silly Jess typing the wrong number) A short walk back to basically where we started and the owner was stood outside waiting to give us the key.

    We were all exhausted by this point and so to get some energy back we all had a refreshing shower and relaxed in our room for a few hours watching the rain pour outside and listening to the thunder.

    The heavens have well and truly opened but nothing stops us, the three musketeers, from getting to a restaurant for food! We found a pizzeria where we had some delicious Italian cuisine and I had the nicest glass of prosecco I’ve ever tasted 😁🥂🍾 Italians know how to make pizza 👌🏻 it was AMAZING!!! The owner gave us free shots of limoncello to finish off our night.

    Once finished we literally had to swim back to our apartment as it was that flooded already. My choice of footwear (sandals) was perfect as I could just walk straight through the flood :) Once back in our room we decided to get an early night so that we were all ready and awake to see the sights of Rome tomorrow 😁.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 9

    Rome 8th - 10th May

    May 9, 2018 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    We aren't having much luck with sleeping lately. Our apartment is on the 4th floor yet it still sounds like you are sleeping in the middle of the m5! The Italians feel it necessary to beep their horns at each other constantly. The moment one car beeps it encourages them to all join in and before you know it they are playing you a tune (not a very nice one, especially when you are trying to sleep). However I understand why they feel the need to beep as they all think they are F1 drivers going in multiple directions, ignoring all traffic signals... It's chaos 😂

    We were up at 8am today and on the tube by 9 on our way to our first attraction, the colosseum. Stepping out of the train station and seeing it for the first time is pretty surreal and you have to almost pinch yourself that your actually there. There were so many people around to help you know where you were going and we bumped into a very helpful man who said we could upgrade our tickets we already had for a bit extra to have a guided tour and enter the colosseum via a special entrance taking you straight out into the arena. By doing this we skipped all the queues and learnt a lot about the history of the place with the most energetic and engaging tour guide I've ever met. She was also English which helped!

    The colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built and construction began in 72 AD finishing in 80 AD when Titus was in power, however further modifications have been made since. It could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 people and was used for many things such as gladiator battles, recreating mythology, execution of criminals and re-enactments of famous battles. One thing that stuck in our heads from our tour guide was that the colosseum was not just a place of murder and death it was in fact entertainment which is very hard to get your head around in the present. Around the outside of the colosseum is a white line showing where once upon a time the walls came out to, however an earthquake had caused damage to the building and then robbers came along and nicked a lot of the fallen stone.

    Once out of the colosseum it was then onto the second part of our tour where we met another enthusiastic tour guide who made jokes throughout his tour which were terrible but actually by the end you found him funny. He showed us around Palatine Hill which is one of the most ancient parts of the city standing 40 metres above the Roman Forum. The Romans built palaces on this hill. We learnt that back in the Roman period if you were seen to be wealthy then the people of Rome would hate you and most likely you would be killed therefore early emperors did not want to show their wealth and so built smaller palaces on the hills. Whilst walking up the hill you pass the arch of Constantine which is a triumphal arch erected to commemorate a Roman victory. If you walk under the arch then you would be commemorating something therefore it is fenced all the way around so that people can't walk under it. Part of where we were walking was actually once underground and appears outside now due to it being dug up.

    After a pretty full on morning taking in some of the most famous sights in the world, we wandered in the direction of the Trevi fountain looking for a place to have some food. Along the way we spotted a street artist doing paintings using spray paint. Leah and I bought a painting each (we will see how that one survives the journey home 😂) We stumbled across a cafe called Euromania which sold mini €1 sandwiches and looked similar to subway. Once at a table we discovered none of the menus had any English on and so with help from google translate we figured out what we could order. It took us about 20 minutes to figure out how the system works. You have notepads and pens in the centre of the table and each item on the menu is numbered. You then have to write which numbers you wish to order on the order form and take it to the counter. They then hand you a buzzer and when it goes off you go and collect your food. This gave Leah and I ideas for a business venture back in the UK 😂

    When finished it was a short walk to the Trevi fountain. Along the way we were approached by a man dressed as a gladiator who wanted us to take a photo with him for money! He gave us no option but to take a photo and after giving him 10 cent we legged it. The Trevi fountain was extremely crowded as expected but also extremely beautiful. Whilst there each of us threw a coin into the fountain in our right hand over our right shoulder and made a wish (can't say what the wish was otherwise it might not come true).

    It was then a short train ride to the opposite side of the river to see the Vatican City. When there it was straight in skipping the 3 hour queue as we already had tickets. The Vatican City is a separate state within Rome and is ruled by the pope. If I'm completely honest we learnt nothing here as we were more interested at looking at the architecture, paintings and statues. We went down into the Sistine chapel where you must cover your shoulders to see the artwork on the ceiling which was pretty impressive. It was extremely crowded everywhere we went and so after about 2 hours we had enough and headed towards the Oxford Street of Rome... Via del Corso.

    This place was our idea of shopping heaven. Straight to Sephora we headed where they sell high end make up brands and demonstrate how to do it. Unfortunately mine and Katie's budget wouldn't quite stretch to be able to buy anything however Leah had a field day and came away with lots of goodies. Very aware of how much we could get back in our suitcases we were hesitant to buy a lot and so after our look around wishing we had brought a spare suitcase we decided to grab something to eat in an Italian fish restaurant (I was not impressed as I hate fish). However after spotting the only thing on the entire menu I liked, spaghetti carbonara, it was fine and actually extremely delicious (best carbonara I've ever had)😄.

    We had been so lucky with the weather all day but our luck had ended as we came out the restaurant to heavy rain (luckily we were all armed with umbrellas). The roads were all flooded once again and even the entrance to the tube station was like a swimming pool, and so following a group of Italians that looked like they knew what they were doing, we found ourselves at another, drier entrance to the train.

    Back in our apartment we were hit with another hurdle. The train we need tomorrow is fully booked! After a few hours panicking and trying to figure out ways around it I found a solution and we could all sleep knowing we would make it to Paris😄    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2018
    Day 10

    One long day travelling...

    May 10, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our new train was scheduled for later than the one we had planned to get therefore we had a lie in till 9.30am 😁 It was then back to Roma Termini to catch our train. We bought some sandwiches for our lunch and then grabbed a McDonald’s breakfast. Once on our train we ate our breakfast. A burger with bacon and cheese is not our idea of breakfast and I ended up leaving mine although I can now say I’ve tried a McDonald’s burger (never again).

    I have to say this train journey was highly entertaining with so many things that made Katie and I giggle. First we spotted a woman who had so much lip filler her lips looked like they were going to pop 😂 Next a guy walks past with spiky hair almost like a hedgehog, he must of used a whole pot of gel to achieve this look put it that way. Then finally we our sat in our seats minding our own business and the man on the table next to ours starts reading his book out loud for a good 2 hours 😂

    We made it to Torino Porta Susa where we then had an hour to kill so went to grab a drink and some provisions for the rest of the journey. Long journeys seem to fly by now because we have become so used to it. Our next train was at 16.11pm and it was direct to Paris. The first part of the journey was very picturesque through the Susa valley with views of mountains covered in snow and very very high. The houses were cute as well all made out of wood and stone and quite small.

    Crossing over the boarder into France we were asked to show passports to the police. A few people were frisked and taken off the train. Next thing the police are walking down asking who’s suitcase the rose gold one is... that would be Leah’s! They immediately put it back and carried on wandering looking at bags. Not going to lie it was extremely scary.

    The journey continued and we realised the guy on our table spoke no English, Italian or French. People kept coming over and giving him food and then asked us if we could tell him to get off at Paris. He kept getting phone calls and every time the phone went off an old lady, who we then nicknamed the queen of the train, would come up to him and tell him to go somewhere else for his phone call.. very strange and also very rude. We just told him to ignore her.

    After figuring out the French metro (so confusing) we found our hotel. 😁 It’s very very nice! We had lindor chocolate balls in our room on entry with glass bottles of water (we haven’t had these luxuries on our travels so far). It was getting late and so Katie and Leah decided to have a tea before bed! The kettle decided to boil over and not stop boiling and so the only option was to catch the water in the bin and empty it in the bath😂 Second attempt and Leah pulled the plug before it boiled to solve the issue... puts the milk in the tea and it’s gone off 😂 Third attempt and they finally have their cup of tea each. Time for bed.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English