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Euro trip 2018
  • Taylor Zwan

Euro trip 2018

last minute trip. booked flights yesterday. 32 days in Europe. but first a day and half in dubai Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 19, 2018
    Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Austria

    June 3, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    today we wake up and head to breakfast, except its sunday and literally nothing is open, hangin for a coffee, finally we come across the train station and a little bakery is open there. we head straight to a paragliding place, and they were able fit me in right away. so off i go straight up the side of the mountain in a gondola. get out and we are on straight down drop hill part of the mountain. he gets the parachute all set up, and theres about 4 other people that were there before me and i asked if they were gunna go first (thinking oh well at least i get to see an example first) he says no, we are going first. oh dear. he says 1 2 3 run. and off we go, running down this hill (without the chute i would definitely be tumbling down this mountain thats how steep this was) and in about 20 steps we were in the air. alot easier than i thot it would be. and omg this experience was well worth the money. amazing view, of such a beautiful place. however, that wasnt good enough... he says "you like rollercoaster?" of course i say yes, and off we go ding spins, and flips and all sorts of kool tricks. the landing was a lot smoother than i expected too. after we headed up the mountain to a waterfall, where we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant tha sat right in front of the waterfall, so an amazing view, and ate some local tyrean food. couldnt tell you what it was called, but one was soup with cheese and bacn meatball (a lot better than it sounds) and the other was fried potatoes with steak(i think) both were very good. after lunch, hiked down to the waterfall. from here we drove up to see a glacier, then headed off to our next camp sute destination, near area 47. ready for more adventures tomorrowRead more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    first stop, dubai

    June 20, 2018 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    have been in the airport since 5am. changed twice (realized there is a dresscode, apparently daisy dukes are a no go) 7am now. gunna try to drop our bags at accomodation and then go find something to do.
    spanish iced coffee in airport is amazing    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    united Emirates hotel apartments

    June 20, 2018 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 33 °C

    from the airport we decided to go straight to our hotel and drop our bags until we could check in. so we jumped in a cab, showed the driver the paperwork and address of where we are staying and we headed that way. i felt like i was going to be sick half way there cuz the driver drove like we were going over whoops... stop, go, stop, go. it was all or nothing with the gas pedal. the 15 min drive to our hotel turned into a 45 min drive because apparently there is a "the grand hotel emirates" and that's where she took us.... and there's a "the grand hotel emirates apartments". wasnt a big deal, just a bit of confusion, and she didn't charge us for the extra time. when we finally made it there we dropped our bags and decided to go to the burj khalifa (tallest building). the tram was just outside our hotel, So that was very convenient to get there and for only a $4 (aud) round trip. bought our tickets and went up the escalator and the tram was just pulling up, so we jumped in.... i loved around us as the doors shut, and thot wow theres a lot of females on rhis tram, then realized it was all females, i turned and looked at mick and looked down at the next carriage and saw a bunch of men down there. looked back at mick and said look Around you. then i turned towards the door and read a big sign that said "women and children only" bahaha woops! i think that was the longest 1 minute tram ride of micks life. 😂 the tram took us to the mall, where we spent 5 hours just wondering the place in amazement. huge candy stores, a massive aquarium, skate rink, lots of restaurants, dinosaur display, virtual reality park, waterfalls, fountains, kids zone park, every store you could possibly think of.... it had everything. after walking around for ages, we decided to go out to a viewing deck of the burj khalifa ans the fountain. the view was nice, and the tallest building was very tall. however we decided to not go up to the 125 floor of the burj Khalifa because there was so much smog, we didnt thick the view would be worth it, we could barely see a few buildings away. anyway were happy just looking at it from where we were.
    We had booked a 4x4 tour for 3pm, for them to pick us up away our hotel, 345 came around and no tour guide to be found, so the front desk called and low and behold he was waiting at the other hotel. haha. our driver was a crazy driver on the road. he was a great driver in the dunes tho. it was a lot of fun playing in the sand dunes in Dubai (still got nothin on glamis tho) 4x4 in a land cruiser, sand boarding and a camel ride. we drove out to this random area in the dunes where they had several huts set up and thats where we had dinner. got henna, tried my first hookah (which i still don't understand what the point is) And watched a belly dance show. it was really good experience. we were definitely very tired by the end of the day.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    dubai to London

    June 21, 2018 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    today we got up had buffet breaky at hotel. (slept like rocks) went to jumeirah beach. it was really hot out, so went for a swim, but the water wasn't much cooler than it was outside, but was still nice and the sand was really soft. spent all but one aed
    and now we're off to London.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    london

    June 22, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    today we went on the underground to get to our hostel in russel square. we walked the city from about 10am to 10pm. walked through princess Diana memorial park to the Buckingham palace. then to past big ben, but big ben was pretty much all covered up due to restoration construction. then had fish n chips by the london eye on the river of thames. the weather was so perfect today. in fact it was so good that nearly every bar was empty because everyone was buying their beer and standing out the front on the street enjoying the sun. London was pretty kool, crazy to look at some if the buidings and realize how old they are. off to France tomorrow.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    London-dover-calias

    June 23, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    today we left london and headed for paris, got on a bus to dover, and then hopped on the ferry, which was more like a crusie ship. we sat out the back of the boat and enjoyed the view of wite cliffs of dover, with france iterally in our sights as we left. arrived in Calais, and stayed a night there in a small little town. had 2 amazing beers and a pub in town, and a decent feed. it was still light out at 1030pm.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    calais to paris

    June 24, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    we had to wake up at 4am to get to the bus that is taki ng us to paris at 530am. 30 min walk from the hotel. as soon as we got on the bus we both gell asleep. woke up 15 mins before arrival in paris. from there we got on the metro and went straight to our accommodation to drop our bags and get sme breakfast, coffee and croissant. walked up to this huge church that had a view of all of paris, was amazing inside and out. then walked to the Louvre which was about a 40 min walk. to be honest the Louvre and walking around in it, is the reason why i didnt travel to Europe sooner. not into the museum, love the architecture and a bit of the history behind the museum, but not all the paintings and other "stuff". from there we walk to the arc de triomphe. and down a really expensive shopping street. Ferraris everywhere. headed back to our accommodation, got dinner, pizza and pasta. then went to noevelle burlesque show. was pretty good, and funny. all in all a good day. our feet are soreRead more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    last day in Paris

    June 25, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    breaky this morning was a baguette with jam and a croissant, there wasnt much else to choose from everywhere we looked. so we sat down at a little cafe, had our bread and coffee ad then walked across the street to a little fruit market and got a nectarine each, so yummy. metro to the Eifel tower. the Eifel tower itself was pretty amazing, and even bigger than i expected. while we were in paris there was a high caution rating for terrorist activity... that being said.... the whole eifel tower was gated, and we had to go through security and bag check to get in (smh the world we live in today) . from the Eifel tower we walked over to the park in front of it, where all the grass was gated off as well :/ then walked about a 1/2 mile to a grass area that wasnt gated, and took photos. from there we got on metro and went to notre dame and had our very plain sandwiches. then into notre dame. this place was pretty amazing, and well worth the trip. took 8 centuries to build, my mind is blown by that. 8 centuries!!! the detail in this place was awesome, and it was just huge. ftom there we got on the metro again, where a fight with like 20 guys broke out, which was pretty scary actually, cuz we were underground and had nowhere to go. at one point we were running dwn stairs in the wrong direction to get away from it cuz they were coming towards us.
    later on that day we picked up a car and started our journey out of paris, as soon as we got out of the city, and into the country, we both fet like our spirits lifted, and the best we felt this far. just always felt like we were watching our back walking around the city and rush rush. driving through the lush country was great. and we are taking back roads to aoid tolls, which has been awesome so far came across a pretty awesome castle. checked into a hotel at about 1130pm. just pull in, go to this atm looking thing, pick your room and insert your card and pay, and it spits out a room key. prettu kool.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    france, Belgium, Holland

    June 26, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    today we head to Zevenhoven Holland, where Tante Jannie lives. first stop Calais.... yes back to Calias because mick left his hat and sunnies there when we stayed 2 nights ago. from there we head to Bruges , Belgium, and what a great little stop that was, old town with canals in between and around, an entrance like going into a castle. waffles, and godiva chocolate filled our bellies. off to tante jannies, we arrive around 7pm and she has dinner wating for us. watch a bit of soccer with anton and then to bed. we slept on couch and a twin mattress on the floor.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    holland

    June 27, 2018 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    today we wake up to a beautiful view of the pond/canal that tante Jannie lives on. we were pretty amazed by the area last night when we were driving in. the houses have water all the way around them, with draw bridges for a driveway. pretty kool area. Tante Jannie had breakfast for us. stayed at the best B&B in town :) dutch cheese, breads and rolls, prosciutto and of course chocolate sprinkles :)
    today we went to huis doorm kasteel (a german emperor castle) and then to Leiden, to the houses where gradma and grandpa grew up. after we stopped at tante corrie house for a coffee.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Amsterdam

    June 28, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    toda we headed to amsterdam, 20 minute train ride. first impression getting off the train and walking around, was.... dirty. we wandered around quite a bit, lost mostly lol. we went on a canal cruise, it was very hot, had a decent tour guide tho, and got a bit of history. and saw lots of crooked buildings/houses. we also went into the anne frank house, which was pretty kool to be able to put mental images to the diary readings. was hard to hear/read and take in what happened. overall a good experience. we also decided we would try a piece of "chocolate cake" and with never trying any sort of weed before we decided to just share one piece. well, turns out it didnt affect us, cuz neither of us felt anything. we also went to a sex show. just getting the whole Amsterdam experience. wasnt what i thot it would be. most of them looked completely out of it, and strung out on drugs, and just had nothing in their eyes like so disconnected. so we only stayed an hour or so and had our 2 drinks that cane with our ticket and left. went back to Tante Jannies and met another relative, one of grandpa and jannies brothers (definitely cannot remember his name... whoops). bed time and off to Germany tomorrowRead more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Germany

    June 29, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    today we head to Stuttgart. long drive. we stopped on a whim, at st. goar. and it was worth the 10ks off the highway. right n the rhine river. beautiful view. then back on the riad to Stuttgart. had dinner at bonnie and clyde and it was quite good. just had a pork schnitzel with some sort of sticky noodles and this gravy that was really good. i wantes to drink it. and even the side salad was impressve.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Germany to Austria

    June 30, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    today we head straight to a castle. on top of a mountain with an amazing view of the whole valley. then off to Ulm where we went in the tallest church in the world. from here we headed to Dachau concentration camp. this experience is well worth the stop. so much history at this one. just the different change overs it went through. and the story of different people that went through and what they put them through. it was a huge operation. and also another place that was hard to take in and really tugs on the heart strings. mick broke his thongs here and had to walk barefoot, no complaints from him tho, couldnt really cuz of where we were would've felt like an ass. from there we drove straight to Austria, picked up a tent and some sleepin bags on the way. and camped in some random town near innsbruck.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    austria

    July 1, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    today we woke up and went for a drive to find coffee.... except nowhere in austria is open on a sunday! we finally came across the train station and luckily the had a bakery open. finally some food and coffee....p.s. i dont think ive had a proper breakfast this whole trip yet, just bread and pastry :/
    after breaky we headed into the mountains for some paragliding. wow, what an amazing experience. cant even describe how awesome it was. started off running dwn a straight down mountain to get going (skeeetttcchhyyy) half way down the pilot asked me if i like roller coasters, of course i said yes, and off we went on a wild adventure. twists, and turns and flips. wow it was crazy and so kool! after paragliding we headed further up the mountain to a waterfall where we had local tyrean food. couldnt tell ya what it was called but it was pretty good. beed broth with cheese and bacon dumpling meatballs(tastes better than it sounds) and like a potato stirfry with steak. yum. after lunch we walked to the waterfall and splashed some water on us cuz we read a sign that said al these health benefits from the waterfall. lol. then off we headed towards area 47 where we camp for rhe night    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Area 47 Austria

    July 2, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    today was an awesome day. before i get into that ill say a few things while they are on my mind. "Ausfahrt" in germany, austria and Switzerland mean exit. (for a while there in germany we thot Ausfahrt was everywere 😂 like a town or something). another thing, you cant get a full cup of coffee over here, everywhere is 1/4 cup coffee and full cup phone. the traffic lights are directly beside you or directly above you, which is dumb, cuz you cant see them!
    ok back heaven, i mean... to area 47 adventure park. our options today, canyoning, white water rafting, caving, e dirtbikes, wakeboarding. we chose e dirtbikes and wakeboarding. both were awesome. we also gt entrance into the waterpark area. which was pretty amazing in itself. blob into a big pool, rock climbing and junping off into the water, tight rope, slides, and slip in slide ramp that launches you into the water and a slide you take a sled thing down and shoot across the water, trampolines, plateform jumps up to 10 meters high. the most fun ive ever had at a park by far! we were very sore and tired by the end of the day. had a couple well deserved local beers at the restaurant over the water park area and dinner.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    austria to swtizerland

    July 3, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    today we leave beautiful austria and head to Switzerland. stopping in Lucerne for lunch and a quick walk around the city. then back on the rad to Lauterbrunnen. we pass 3 amazing lakes aong the way. stopped at lake brienzersee cuz mick couldnt help himslef and had to go for a swim in this amazing blue color lake. back on the road... arrive at camp lauterbrunnen just below jungfrau mountain. had dinner here where we had fondue... was pretty good, but dont think id have it for dinner again.
    also we got a ticket today for being om a toll road without a vignette that allows you on toll road $40 vignette... $120 ticket. ouch.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    Jungfrau mt. switzerland

    July 4, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    today we got up at 6am to walk to the tram station to take us up to the top of Europe...Jungfrau mt. the views were amazing. and the way the train worked was pretty kool. works almost like a sprocket. the trip took about an hour. we got to the top and started to wander around, in to the ice caves, out to different lookouts.... it was freezing. i was wearing 2 pairs of pants, 3 layers of shirts, a jacket, snow gloves and a beanie and my hood. however when they opened up the outside area to walk around the sun was shining and it was fairly warm. the views from the top of this mountain were pretty amazing. and we got to see how lindt chocolate is made too, and they gave us 2 free samples, but the guy at the counter was aussie and he gave us like 10 truffles... score! we headed back down the mountain after lunch and walked to a waterfall near hour camp. made dinner at the campsite and spent the rest of our evening planning out the rest of our tripRead more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    switzerland to venice italy

    July 5, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    off to itay we go. but first lets pay 1.70 per litre for fuel 😖 ouch. we had quite a windy road getting out of the mountains, and in the rain. we decided to pay tolls in italy cut cut the drive time down by quite a few hours. arived at our accommodation in venice at 5pm. called "human company" just outside of venice. it was a little camping village and we loved it, had a shuttle bus that ran to venice all day so that was convenient. so we decided to go into venice for dinner. didnt exactly have the best experience in venice.... heres wha i wrote to mom "umm im not real sure. we sort of got to our accomodation around 530. and they have a bus that runs every 30 mins into venice. so we decided to go for dinner at 6 and come back at 1030. we didnt have much euro left so we were lookin for a currency exchange place and it took us nearly an hour. then the wanted 19.9% commission! uh no way. we will just use the card. so we had dinner on the canal. my pasta was really nice, and mick liked his pizza. but the service was garbage and then they basically demanded a tip at the end. then we wandered around a bit and went to a few touristy spots like san marco square and then decided we better head back, but its like trying to get thru a maze. it took us over an hour power walking. gah. im wore out. the streets and everythin pretty kool. everything looks like a movie. gondola ride i havent decided if ill do that in the morning yet or not. 80 euro for 30 mins."
    san marco square and some of the churches were amazing tho i will say. the detail that goes into some of these places is just so kool.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    venice to florence

    July 6, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    we decided to go back into venice for breakfast, breakfast was ok. i ordered bacon and cheese stuffed french toast, which was just a dry ham and cheese toastie :/mick got an english breakfast and he was happy with it. we didnt get a chance to get gelat last night so we got some after breakfast. mmm mm mmmmm. wandered around the market stalls a little then headed back to campground for a little swim and then off to florence. the camping ground we ended up at actually was the same one contiki goes to, so mick recognized it right away. nothing exciting tonight, just a couple beers, dinner and the world cup.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    florence to rome

    July 7, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    not gunna lie ive been slacking on the journal thing. today is the 15th and im trying to remember florence.... caught a bus in to town, got off at a random spot cuz we were dying for breakfast and coffee, so we had coffee and the only breakfas they had.... any guesses??? yes a croissant...again. the headed for a walk, saw some old churches, went up to michael angelo, and the back down into the city, where we stopped and had an amazing pistachio cannoli... micks new favorite thing. we were sort of done in florence after that, so we headed to the bus stop and it started pouring down rain! but it was weird cuz it was like we were walking in between drops cuz we werent getting that wet. bus back to camp then headed to rome. where we stayed in a "human company" campground.... which if i havent already recommended this place.... heres the recommendation. it was super hot, so went for a swim, and to dinner at the cao bella restaurant in the campground.... it was not good, service wasnt great, and i orderes risotto and it wasnt even cooked all the way and the flavor just wasnt there. it took over an hour to get micks pizza out... and have no idea why, cuz 4 dif groups of people that sat dwn long after us got their pizzas first. anyways, wasnt stoked with dinner.... then when we went to bed, we must've had a tweaker next to our room who was whacked out all night and bouncing off the walls and movin furniture or something... neither of us slept very well that night cuz of all the racket she was making.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    rome

    July 8, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    so we found out the hard way that the vatican is closed on sunday.... today, the day we were gunna go. its ok tho, we got a tour for the Coliseum instead. we had to walk from the bus stop to the Coliseum, which was about an hour, but a few places to stop along the way, pantheon, trevi founain. Coliseum tour was plenty fr one day. it was hot, and the Coliseum tour was a lot of walking. tour was good, im glad we did a tour cuz the stories te guide told were pretty kool and she had some good info.
    had lunch, nothing too special, pizza and pasta. headed back to camp for a swim and were so tired just grabbed pizza for dinner at cao bella again (guess we didnt learn our lesson, cuz service was bad again) and went to bed    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    santorini

    July 9, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    2am wake up call today, headed to the airport for our 5am flight to santorini.
    arrive in santorini at 8am, hopped in a taxi and headed to kamari beach. cute little town. we couldnt check in to our accommodation, so we walked down the boardwalk and found something for breakfast, we were stoked to see a place making omelets... yes eggs!!! after breaky, walked a bit further down the board walk and then went for a swim. the black sand water really small pebbles, so it was really hard on pur feet getting into the water, but the water was lovely. super salty tho, made us super buoyant. as we were walking to our accommodation to check in we saw a cliff people were jumling off into the ocean so we bolted over there for a quick swim and jump of course :)
    we decded to hop on a bus to oia for the famous sunset, and to see the white buildings on he hill. it was worth it. the sunset was beautiful, and the houses on the hills, and the view was just incredible.
    the bus ride back was funny, at 10pm and we got bak into our town, the whole town was alive and there was people everywhere, where as during the day there was barely abyone around.    Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    santorini to ios

    July 10, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    we decided to go on a scuba dive today before we leave the island. and we're sure glad we did. visibility was great, and learned sme interesting things about the islands. waer temp was spot on, and it was just the 2 of us (plus the guide) then we headed off to our ferry on the other side of the island, was a bit hectc at the port, no direction really. the boat sme in so fast and your walk on and you get to your seat and you've already set sail lol. once we pulled up at ios, us dumdums didnt get out of our seats to get off the ferry, and only realized with probably seconds to spare as we ran out and down he stairs and staff is yellingfor us to hurry. lol. whoops, made it just in time, turned around about 10 seconds later and the ferry had left. we caught a bus to mylopotus beach where our accomdations was, just a lil ways up from "far out beach club" beach looked amazing. world cup was on that night, so we had a quick swim then got ready for dinner, shared a liter of sangria and had pizza and pasta fo dinner and watched the world cup. when we left around 1030pm we noticed everyone was hopping on a bus and leaving the beach, heading in to town, so we did as well. went to the "fun pub" which was dead until a pub crawl came through. but we headed off into the white buildings and narrow paths, following the music and there was a ton of night clubs and bars. we stopped at one bar doing 2 for $5 mixed drinks and $1 shots. had a bit of fun just people watching and pickin on people. pur night ended around 2pm and we got a burrito from next door and a crepe down the street. taxi took us back down the hill for just $6.Read more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    ios

    July 11, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    woke up a bit dusty today. made it downstairs just in time for breakfast. then off to the beach where we layed on our beds under our umbrella for just 7 euro lol. spent most of our day there and in the water swimming. decided to stay another day in ios cz we were enjoying ourselves, a hopped on a bus back to ferry and got tickets for 2 days from today. went back to the same spot for dinner and to watch the world cup again. and then to bed. big day laying on the beach, all tuckered outRead more

  • Taylor ZwanEuro trip 2018Traveler

    ios

    July 12, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    today we wake up feelin refreshed, breakfast at the accommodation and then checkout, we stay at far out beach camping village tonight. our little wooden tent was quite funny (see pics). back to the beach and we booked a little boat our for today. it took us across the island to some caves we swam into. then to a ship wreck that we snorkeled. and then to a litte private beach that had some shade and beds to lay on, had some lunch and just relaxed and then back on he boat and headed back to "far out". went for a swim in the pool at far out beach club and then got some paddles and played paddle ball on the beach for an hour. back to the campground for showers. then to the mini mart for some alcohol, and we went and sat on the beach for an hour or so chatting and watching the sunset. found a little mexican restaurant for dinner, tacos yay!! :) then back to the beach to just chill. didnt make it out tonight, just back to the tent and passed outRead more

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