Rome - Italy

Rome had always been Number One on my list of places to go. The day that I left Tuscany and finally set out towards Rome was the day that one of my biggest dreams in life came true.

 

I don't know why I've always had such a fascination with Rome and all of its hidden, ancient history. I couldn't tell you even if I tried to. I just have.

 

Arriving at the campsite, I clambered off of the coach with a bottle of wine and a tube of pringles in hand.

As my fellow travellers had already established at this point, I was by far the most clumsy person on tour (my old work colleagues didn't call me Hurricane Jade for nothing. Nor did my ex dub me the oh so flattering 'Bad Day In Bosnia...').

As soon as my feet hit the ground, so did the precious bottle of wine that I had big plans for that coming evening!

The ground drank up my stunning bottle of special Italian wine, leaving nothing but scattered shards of glass around my feet.

Girl knows how to make an entrance right???

 

So, after a slight sulk and setting up camp and also giving a massage or two because after 2 weeks of camping Europe already.. we were all pretty stiff and sore (the Rome Contiki Campsite is AMAZEBALLS btw... ew. Did I really just abbreviate???) we got to take a walking tour around Rome.

I had literal tears (of happiness!) in my eyes as I stood outside of the colosseum. We didn't have time to go inside of day one because we had to get back to the campsite but it was fabulous to finally have my dream come true, while eating a pizza.... nom nom nom.

 

The colosseum.... hmm. I guess I had it in my head that it would be really isolated. Like, it would be this insanely majestic, historic ruin in the middle of nowhere. Not right across from a tube station and next to a busy main road.

It was still insanely majestic and obviously still a historic ruin... but it wasn't entirely what I had built it up to be.

I think that's the thing though... when there's a place that you want to visit as badly as I wanted to visit Rome, you build up this huge expectation of the place and that's not actually fair on wherever you want to go.

How could it measure up to what you had imagined?? Nothing in life is as perfect as we'd like to make it out to be.

So a piece of advice from one traveller to the next... even if it's a place you've been dying to visit your whole life... try to not build your expectations up to high.  

 

I also got to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain! Well - actually a handful of coins! Just to be sure I'd return to Rome :)

 

As you can see, day one in Rome was a gorgeous day so naturally tourists flocked around the fountain and it was really difficult to get to the front or even snap a worthy photograph!

After we all did manage to have a turn at being serious tourists at this major tourist spot we ventured over to this adorable ice cream shop called San Crispino where they have nearly every flavour ice cream possibly imaginable!

Even basil!!!! (Wish I'd tried that one now....)

I had ginger flavour and mango flavour I think... but I had the ginger because I was starting to feel really fluey and well... I can't really explain my logic behind why I had ginger... I just had this pathetic theory that ginger ice cream would help.

 

It didn't.

 

We all split up into little groups for a bite to eat after the ice cream (desert came first! Woohoo!!!) and myself and three other girls wound up finding this gorgeous ivy covered bistro called Cucina Romana.  The food was delicious. Of course I had pasta... my favourite pasta at that! Spaghetti Alio Olio Pepperincino! Accompanied by wine to make up for my lack of it back at the campsite.

We all met up at the Spanish Steps after we ate and ventured back to the campsite for an early (pfft, yeah right) night to rest up for another day of site-seeing the following morning.

Bohemian Muses Readers', meet the Vatican City.

No. I did not get to meet the pope. I did get to buy some cheapskate rosary to hang in my car though... and a Rome spoon. SCORE!

The Vatican City... even if you're not religious, this place is so worth the visit.
DON'T go with a big bag though because you have to hand it in at the front and the queue to hand your luggage in and the queue to get to back is GINORMOUS.

We were given these cool little headsets from our tour guide and taken on a few hours long tour around the Vatican City which was absolutely breath-taking.
I've never seen churches and architecture anything quite like what I've been able to see first-hand in Europe now... but the Vatican City is just something else.

Also, another piece of handy advice.. try run after your tour guide and stick on her heels because they move FAST! They also all have some sort of a prop they hold up so that you know which is your tour guide if you do lose them amongst the mass of people but sometimes two tour guides will have the same colour flag.
Some had their scarfs tied to their sticks or held up an umbrella just to be different, but ours was pretty boring with a blue flag like the majority of the other tour guides... so I felt like I was doing cross-country inside the buildings half the time to keep up.

After the Vatican City we had some free time in Rome to go inside of the Colosseum and do our own thang for a while, but we had to make our own way back to the campsite.
Of course I headed straight to the colosseum to go inside of it.
The queue was massive and my flu was really catching on... the sun was beating down right on me  and I just couldn't do it. I gave up after about half an hour of waiting in the queue that had barley moved and decided to go back to the campsite to rest a bit. I wouldn't have given up my lifelong dream of walking around the ruins of the colosseum unless I was feeling like I was about to die...

So... making the way back to the Seven Hills Campsite. Well, that was fun. NAAAAAAT.

First, a tube station. Then a bus. Unfortunately I didn't realize that you have to let the bus driver know where you want to get off, there are no real bus stops! So I told him as I got on the bus please take us to the Seven Hills Campsite and he sort of smiled and nodded and we gave him our tickets etc before going to relax at the back of the bus.
I only caught on that we'd gone too far way out in the countryside.
F@!k.
To make matters worse, there was no bus coming back the way we needed to go.
So... we were dropped in the middle of no where with no mobile battery to speak of and started to trudge back in the direction we'd come from... and it was so sweltering hot.

We did find our way back eventually though. Thank God.

Word of advice.... do not, EVER, under any circumstances give a Contiki tour group an open bar.... if you want well behaved travellers that will not get you kicked off of the campsite that is:

When we got back to the campsite, our lovely on-road cook, Elaine, had set up the most adorable bar for us!
As the Rome Contiki Campsite (Seven Hills Camping) has an on-site team, we got to mingle with some new faces!
I LOVED the Seven Hills Campsite. It had a pool, a club, a mechanical bull...

We threw this I Love Rome party where we all dressed up in Seven Hills Campsites 'I Love Rome' shirts and got to draw on each others shirt, writing little messages now that we all knew each other better.
At this point in my post I'd just like to thank my lovely Contiki crew for writing the most vile wonderful things on my shirt! Hahahahahaha!

Sadly and happily at this stage in our tour, some of the group had to leave us as they were on a shorter tour than us but we also got some new faces joining the team which was great! Until this point I was the only British person on tour (it was mainly a group of AWESOME Aussies) so I was thrilled when two British guys joined up with us.

It is a bit odd to have new people joining after 2 weeks of bonding and creating friendships with your original Contiki group... we were all feeling a bit weird about it because our group was so perfect already. I can only imagine how the newbies must have felt! BUT - they only added to our amazing group! We all got along straight off the bat.

In the club there was a pole... yup. Things got weird.

I'd been fairly decent until this point in tour... but then I slipped down a flight of stairs and landed face up on my back in front of another group of people that must have been in their teens. Bastards.

I decided that it was time to put myself to bed (at a shocking 9pm....... I know. I'm such an idiot) so Damian walked me back. Along our way, we bumped into two of the newbies, two Canadian guys called Chris and Kyle.

 

Chris and Kyle had a bottle of wine in their hands.

 

I liked them instantly.

 

That wine didn't last long.

 

Yeahhh.... I wound up hugging my toilet seat for the remainder of the evening.

My next travel post will be about passing through Austria where we went white water rafting and heading into Munich, Germany.

Paris

Paris was never somewhere that really fascinated me. When I heard that it was one of the places on my Contiki Europe Holiday I wasn't really 'excited.'

That makes me sound really spoiled actually.. I mean, I want to see everywhere in the world and the idea of climbing the Eiffel Tower etc did sound great but it wouldn't have been my first choice of a travel destination.

 

BUT - Paris took me by surprise and I had SUCH  a wonderful experience there!!!

 

There was so much to do and it had to be crammed into two measly days. There was no way I could have managed to do it all and for that reason, I'll just have to go back!

It was our first country to go to on Contiki and so it was the country where friendships were formed, family was made and the very first drinking missions were had. It was where we all got to know one another and that made Paris a very special city for all of us. 

 

As it was new, everyone obviously went all out. The first few nights of Contiki are always pretty manic. Actually... all of Contiki is pretty manic!!!

 

I entered Contiki completely alone, knowing no one, but by the end of the first night in Paris, I had over twenty new friends of all shapes and sizes, nationalities and religions.

We were SO lucky in our small Contiki group, one of the smallest groups in Contiki history apparently!!! We were only about twenty-seven people, which made our group really close and connected. It was intimate and homey... and no, it isn't as big of a shag-fest as people make it out to be!!!!

We settled into camp after the ferry ride across from Dover and we put our tents up for the first time. It is heart-warming just thinking back onto it!

We had to get the on-site cook, Elaine, to demonstrate how to set them up for us and the weather was just glorious.

We lapped up the warm temperatures and sun rays while figuring out which pole went where.

Night one was spent on the Contiki coach, doing a city by night bus tour.

Paris at night is absolutely breath-taking. It is so beautiful and we had the most incredible sunset painted around the Eiffel Tower as we drove past.

We were told that the tower lights up at night and it is pretty magnificent to watch, but we had to get back on a strict curfew so unfortunately we didn't get to see it.

Along the bus tour I drank up all of the amazing history that our tour guide, Bec, taught us over the microphone. My month in London had really helped me to grow as an individual and I found myself finding brand new passions for the world and its history, current news and my general surroundings. The little town in South Africa that I reside in is in its own little bubble. It is a very small, hippy town that runs at its own pace. I'd cocooned myself into that bubble for so long, having not a care in the world, so when I got to London I was overwhelmed by all the things I had not taken note of. The culture shock was intense.

 

 

At first I was sat on the bus by myself. I felt alone and awkward and didn't really know how to introduce myself and mingle with the other travellers. I was intimidated. But once the first drink was in me, my confidence came out and we had a wonderful night playing games such as Never Have I Ever to get to know each other.

 

The next day we were given a free day in Paris. We were dropped outside of the Eiffel Tower where the majority of us paid for our tickets to climb all 1710 steps to the top.

It wasn't as difficult as people make it out to be - anyone who has two fully functional legs could definitely suck it up and get to the top and it is so worth it... just to say you've done it. Something ticked off of the bucket list!!

 

 

 

 

 

We split into two groups after the clamber back down the tower - the girls and the guys.

The guys wanted to go and see some weapon museum while the girls were interested in seeing the Lock Bridge (where lovers go and lock a padlock that has their initials on, onto a famous bridge that crosses from the left bank to the Louvre museum. The lock is supposed to symbolize their eternal devotion to one another.

 

 

 

Well.... we got stuck at a cafe with delicious lunch, sparkling wine and trios of sorbet. What a feast - and an expensive one at that!  

 

 

We got hopelessly lost trying to find the Lock Bridge.... please don't ask me how. So we never ended up getting there.

By fluke we got to the Arc de Triomphe where we went underground to pop out into the centre of it. We wondered around there for a while having a look at the memorial for the unknown soldier and taking in the environment.

 

 

 

 

 

All the walking killed my feet and I got some major blisters that are still scarring my feet today. As we got close to the Louvre, where we were meeting up with the rest of our group to get ready for a real Parisian dinner, we lazed out on the grass in a beautiful open park where people were playing football or relaxing in the afternoon sunlight.

I put on my iPod and listened to the soothing sound of Damian Rice for a few minutes before we reluctantly got up and dragged ourselves outside of the Louvre, knowing full well it would be closing already and it was yet another thing we'd managed to miss.

 

The guys were outside and were full of stories about where they had been, which made me burn with jealousy but even so, our day had been a good one.

They told us that we should dip our feet into the water outside of the museum before meeting up with the group, so off we went. I swear, that water is Holy. My throbbing feet felt instantly better after swishing them around in the nippy water.

 

 

 

We changed for the Parisian dinner on the coach, having packed our goodies with us that morning.

It was the first time trying snails for many of the people on tour, which was hilarious to say the least. I'd had snails a few times already back home in South Africa, but these ones were different!

It was my first time having it still inside of the shell for a start and we were also given this odd looking clamping utensil to pick them up with. Let's just say that a number of my snails went flying.... and I was soon known as the clumsy, messy, disastrous eater from the group.

 

 

For mains I had this delicious rich duck with an orange sauce that literally made me drool. It was accompanied by a bottle of lovely red wine too.

We had this extremely vibrant woman playing the accordian and singing throughout the course of the meal which really helped to set the tone - so much so that there was a lady at another table who got so excited she fell backwards off of her chair!! (This may have been wine induced as well...)

 

 

Paris was a stunning city and one that I intend to visit again one day to see the Lock Bridge, the Mona Lisa (although they say it's small, it's still right up there on my bucket list,) visit the Notre Dame Catherdral and stroll along the Left Bank with a little more money in my purse to splurge a little!

 

After a wild night out in Paris involving a Nouvelle Cabaret Show complete with can-can girls and champagne it was time to get up painfully early and head on to our next destination:

 

Switzerland.

February Favorites

My Favorite Sunset:

 

When I am on a late shift at work, I finish at around 19h30 in the evenings. South African sunsets can be absolutely breathtaking - as can sunrises. This was one of the many sunsets I was blessed enough to watch this month from the top of the mountain where my work is situated.

My Favorite Rainbow: 

This rainbow came after a good three days of solid, much needed rain. It hung perfectly over the townships almost majestically. When I looked at it I truly thought I could find the pot of gold at the end, it was that big and close. The photograph just doesn't do it justice.

 



My Favorite Laugh:



One of my dearest friends, Kyle, has a very similar, silly sense of humor as I do. We are constantly in fits of giggles and right now our latest thing is going, 'Nom nom nom' whenever we go out for food or even talk about it. I found this photo and when I shared it with him we couldn't stop laughing. Having inside jokes is always fun - ours are just tipping the iceberg of delightful weirdness!

My Favorite News: 




My plane ticket to London and my Contiki tour has been booked!!!! I had applied for leave at work and had been anxiously waiting for a full week to see if my 5 week leave was approved... on the 16th Feb I worked up the courage to ask management who smiled at me and asked, 'Do I even have a choice?' in the nicest possible way! So when I get back from my endeavors at least I know I still have a secure, fantastic job awaiting me!

 

My Favorite Valentines:




One day late... but I arrived home from a drink at a local bar to find one of my gorgeous girls snuggled into a basket by my front door. Although Valentine's Day had passed 24 hours earlier - Guru tried her best to make herself my Valentine's gift and my heart just swelled with adoration and overwhelming love for my furry companion.

 

My Favorite Wedding Dress?!?:



Not what it looks like!!! Well - I guess it is. That's me in a wedding dress. Who would have thought? Not too shabby... but seriously, not what it looks like. I did a bridal photoshoot for a local company called Besters Bridal Boutique and from all of the dresses I tried on, this one was my favorite.

 

My Favorite Oufit:



As my travel plans have finally been set into place, I've been starting to realize that I need to do a lot of saving over the next month and a bit before I arrive in London! I honestly don't know how I am going to afford it all.... half way through the month however, I was quite literally going insane. I hadn't been out at all. I hadn't worn something pretty or seen friends, I'd been a bit of a hermit if you will... that's when I decided to head out to a local bar and watch a live band and treat myself to a few beers. A few beers multiplied and a number of shooters were somehow also added into the equation. The next day I woke up and felt absolutely awful and I realized that I don't even really want to be out and about anymore. So I apologize for the lack of fashion pics to all of you fashion-crazed bloggers who enjoy those sort of posts from me - but until I depart for Europe I fear that they will be very few and far between. All worth it in the end though, right?

 

My Favorite Inspirational Quotes:

 

This proves to be a rather perfect quote for my life at this point. Out of all of the lessons I have learned over the past two months, this one is by far the one I am most grateful for finally understanding.



I loved this. 2013 is a year of completely refreshing my life and the five W's is something quick and easy to read that reassures me of what I am doing.

I found this gigantic Ferrero Rocher.... Mind blown.

I got my St. Christopher necklace that I have been looking for for so long. My little travel companion! :)
 

This looks odd... but it is chicken breast wrapped in bacon with melted cheese on top. Heaven.

I ran out of food at home, so I improvised with whatever I could salvage from my fridge. This turned out absolutely delcious!! It is literally onion, garlic, x 2 chili's (because I like it hot....) stripped ham and green pepper with salt and pepper to season. Amazing what you can make with so little and it really was divine.

My favorite marinade - blueberries and thyme. Mmm. I made this for my folks as well as my friend, Brendon, who came to stay for two nights.

Enjoying a glass of wine with my brother and sister-in-law after a lovely swim in the lagoon. My brother very bluntly told me that I have dread-locks... and so my sister-in-law spent about half an hour trying to help me comb out extremely painful knots... my consequence of not looking after my hair for a while. Ooops. It is fixed now - just to clarify things!!! 

Kyle and I have an ever-growing friendship. He's been so wonderful to me through my tough time lately... from things with my breakup to home life with my dad and his illness. Kyle's always there to help. This day we took his boat out for a spin! It was amazing! I'd never been so close to going out of the Knysna Heads.. we literally saw the Paquita wreckage under the ocean, it was that clear!

Went out to Firefly and has loads of lovely cocktails with friends. Firefly is such a creative, funky chai bar with the most delicious curries imaginable.

And lastly... I started to read my very first Nicholas Sparks novel, 'Safe Haven.' I saw a review of it on someone else's blog and really wanted to read it before seeing the film. I have not been able to put it down! Cannot wait to see the film either... it is very nice to be able to envision Alex's character as the sexy, 'Josh Duhamel' ... who I've always had a bit of a thing for. The book also proves to be of great relevance in my life right now as it is about a woman who starts life over - which is exactly what I am doing right now. I don't want to give too much of the book away though - so trust me, just read it!

What did all of you get up to over the month of Feb? Please leave your monthly favorites below and I'll be sure to take a look!

 

Hope everyone has a fantastic month in March - happy birthday to all of you Pisces and Aries starsigns out there!

 

Signing out.

 

J