Italy

Rome was absolutely amazing!

On the train to Rome we met two other Australian travellers who happened to be staying very close to us in Rome. We decided to meet up for a drink later that night once we'd gotten settled in at our hostels. They had been to Rome numerous times before so they took us out on our own personal night tour. That's when we stumbled upon a cute little bar over looking the Colosseum and the 'Wedding Cake'. After a few beers Oscar dissappeared for an hour and when he returned he was absolutely wasted, the guys at the bar were giving him free shots. He then started acting really weird towards our new friends. For those of you who know me and about 'shimmy', talking while breathing in and our other weird jokes you'll understand what I'm talking about. Oscar started doing these things to our fellow Australians and trust me, they were seriously creeped out. But i was loving every second of it. It was a great start to Rome.
Unfortunately that night ruined any chances of doing anything the following day. Oscar was way too hungover.

We stayed at Alessandro Palace which was a great hostel. Free breakfast and dinner so we could spend our money on other things such as beer during happy hour. We met some cool Australians there, ones who Oscar didn't creep out.

We felt like being American and decided to go on one of those city sightseeing buses, which was an awesome idea. You can hop on and hop off so we had transport everywhere. We went to the Vatican but we were only able to go into the Basilica because we got there too late. But it was still amazing, definately my favourite place in Rome. Oscar loved the Trevi Fountain the most. We saw most things, but obviously not all in detail, there is so much to see and we were only there 4nights. It was strange to walk down the street and without even trying you would stumble across something historical and magnificent.

After Rome we made our way to Florence, a beautiful little city. We stayed at the Archi Rossi and I had my first experience of a shared dorm. It's a great way to meet people and it's kind of like a lucky dip, you never know who you're going to be staying with and you just hope that they're good. The only thing Oscar was dreading was someone who snored. The hostel had quiet time from 11pm-7am.. that put me off. But the food was good and the people were nice. It also forced us to have an early night so we could make more of our days.

We went to Accademia Museum and saw Micelangelo's David. It blew me away! I never realised how big he was and how intricate some of the details were. I could see the veins in his hands and arms!

On Monday most of the museums are closed so we decided to hire a bicycle. We rode all around Florence and saw the Basilica San Lorenzo which is the oldest church in Florence, home of Micelangelo's steps. We could only see the steps by stealthily peeking through the entrance to the library. You had to pay extra to see them and we're on a budget! We rode across the River and went exploring through the mountains. It was epic. We went up a never ending hill, such an effort. At the top we had the most amazing view of Florence, and we got to see it for free! Saved us having to pay to go to the top of the Duomo. The way back down was so much fun.

So now we're waiting for our train to take us to Torino! Oscar has a friend there so we've decided to go and stay with him for a few nights. It will nice to see a quieter part of Italy and I'm in no rush to leave! We have a while to wait so we're going to go to the Uffizi Gallery to see the Birth of Venus.

Ciao! xx

CIAO

hello everyone! this is the first time ive managed to get to a computer so sorry for no updates!
ill sum up our travels so far. we arrived in Split, Croatia and spent a night there. we saw some crazy building, but I forgot what it was called. we then took a ferry to Hvar. Such a beautiful island! unfortunately we were only there for one night so we just chilled on the beach and admired the view from our hotel room. the next day we were off on another boat trip to Dubrovnik. we spent 2 nights here. Oscar and I hired a scooter and explored the place which was amazing. Old city was incredible. we went on a sea kyaking tour that was seriously epic. we had to battle some crazy waves and it was a whole lot of fun. we went to an island named Lokrum. its a nature preserve so it was incredibly beautiful and full of peacocks (we saw an albino one). then we went to Montenegro and spent two nights there. it was a nice place and not what i expected. not my favourite place but we bought 6 beers for $6 ! so that made it pretty cool. then it was back to Dubrovnik and on to a boat to Bari. just one night there then we headed to Naples. we spent 3 nights there. Oscar and I enjoyed to water which was a lot warmer then in Croatia. we explored Pompeii and were amazed at how big it was. it was really something to be there and look at Mt Vesuvius. now we are in Rome! we only arrived a few hours ago. Oscar and I are now on our own which is kind of exciting.
Anyway hopefully ill be on a computer soon and can tell you more!
CIAO x

Croatia!

So we're off to Croatia today and I am so excited!! Time to get some sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much else going on, we have been preoccupied with preparing for our trip.

We did go out the other night which was a lot of fun! I'm sure most of you have seen the picture of me from another wild night out. I won't go into details about that night because i really don't know any. But the other night I do remember and we had a blast. Made some new friends including an Australian girl who hates Australia, which resulted in a few friendly arguments about who's country is better. Oscar had fun offering people hot chips then, when they accepted, he would refuse to give it to them. Met a nice German fellow during his escapades.

The night life here is epic! So many places to go and even more people to meet. When we get back from our little trip we're finally going to go and check out Fabric and Ministry of Sound, should be crazy good.

Not much else to update you all on except that the next time you here from me it will be from another European country, so I'm sure i'll have a lot to say then!

love x

WADDUP

We went to see Avenue Q on Thursday which was hilarious! i seriously recommend going to see it. It was one of the best musicals i've seen and was so entertaining. Gary Coleman is in it and plays himself.

We went to the Tate Modern but didn't go into any exhibitions because we didn't have money. but we did see all the free stuff! There is some weird contemporary and surrealist art there which was pretty cool. i don't know a lot about art so some things just seriously confused me. i didn't enjoy the paintings that i realised i could do myself. like a canvas with different coloured squares on it... but the majority of it was amazing. my favourite were the Picasso paintings. although that could have been because he's the only artist i knew.

Today we went to the London History museum and i really enjoyed it. Some parts were interactive so i was entertained AND educated. we saw the lower jaw of a mammoth right up to the city London is now. there were a shit load of ancient artefacts but i was disappointed when i found out that some of my favourites were only replicas of the real deal. such a rought. i got to touch clay floors from when the Romans occupied London. surprisingly it didn't feel much different to dried clay now.

I bought myself a cool analogue camera. Oscar and i have been having heaps of fun with it and are about to get our first roll of film developed. i got the Diana Mini. the cheapest one.

We also went to Camden Markets yesterday which has been my favourite place so far! The markets are huge and crowded! but most things are cheap and there is some weird and wonderful stuff. We had a blast checking everything out and doing some shopping. it did rain but it was a blessing because it didn't last long and it got rid of a lot of people. mainly tourists! woohoo!! the best store was the raver shop called 'Cyberdog'. i thought of you Riley. it was 3 stories of raver gear. the music was pumping and the lazers were strobing. there were dancers up on podiums, glowing in the ultra violet lights. the people who worked there were freaking me out. one guy was so over the top in weird head gear and robotic outfit. i think it was unrealistic to ever wear something like that to a rave, he could barely walk. even his hair was glow in the dark. these people were dedicated.

So i think that sums up everything so far. this week Oscar and i are going to finish organising our upcoming trip!

lots of love!

SHIMMY

I SAW A SQUIRREL! i thought it was exciting. they're so cute!

we went to the 'London Dungeon' on Thursday (http://www.the-dungeons.co.uk/london/en/index.htm). very scary stuff. it took us about 2 and half hours to get in. the line is insane. and it's like that every day! we walk past it every time we go to the station so after observing the line for a few days we realised there wasn't going to be a time when we could just walk in. it really appealed to us (well mainly me) because we had a two for one voucher and thought "why not?". Oscar said that it didn't scare him but when we were walking through a pitch black room, only able to see when the strobe light went off, and some freaky woman suddenly appearing in front of you, he grabbed on to me for protection. it went for 90minutes so the wait was worth it.

We went to see some free theatre down the road from us which was really entertaining. i have no idea what the play was but they were amazing, i don't know why it was free. On the way to the play we walked past the scene of a Bollywood film currently in progress. there was a small crowd watching them making it. on the way back the crowd had grown tremendously! it was impossible to get past them all.

Yesterday we met up with Peter and he took us to some of the parks. it was nice to walk around and get some pictures of the swans and geese and to look at all the flowers. we also went down new bond street where all the designer stores are. we didn't bother going into any of them because i was sure i would be refused entry looking like i obviously didn't have any money to spend. i was also worried that i would break something and end up spending the rest of my life paying it off. but we did stand outside looking at the displays at the jewellery stores. i was amazed at how many diamonds could be crammed into one watched. i was actually surprised it worked. i got to see where the beatles had their unannounced concert on the rooftop of 3 Savile Row. we then went to Hamleys toy store where i realised that there is a heaven on earth. i loved it. it's just 5 stories of awesomeness. they have some sweet toys. i wish to work there haha.

anyway, i have probably left things out but i'm in a rush to go out! so CIAO! xoxo gossip girl

hello everyone! i've been lazy and haven't written a post in a while! but i'm back.

oscar and i just got back from shopping on oxford street. second day of shopping and we're both buggered. it's awesome! the fashion is amazing but the buildings that the clothes are sold in are even more so. the history and beauty of these buildings is astonishing. everytime i walk down the street i'm amazed. we went to a shopping center where everything was ridiculously expensive. i wasn't surprised though, prada, chanel, louis vuitton and many other designer stores. sarah, you would be in heaven! hahah

we met up with peter and he showed us around his area in covent garden. we walked past all the street performers which was amusing. there was a guy who painted his face like a dog and stuck his head through a hole in a table with a dog house on top. the effect was pretty cool, he actually looked like a dog chilling in its house. it looked rather uncomfortable though. another guy looked freakishly like jack sparrow. but all he did was sway on a stool looking drunk. lots of fun!

i've was sick for a few days so not much else has been happening. we're planning on going to the theatre soon and doing some more touristy things and at the end of the month we're off to croatia! i can't wait!!

i keep forgetting to take my camera with me but here are a few pictures from where we're staying! i'll keep you posted!

much love!

HERE AT LAST

oscar and i have arrived safely in London! it was a long trip but we've made it!

however a few dramas along the way. at sydney airport i was randomly selected for a drug/explosive test, which i thought was rather exciting. they rubbed some probe on my hands and in my bag and then put it through a machine. unexpectedly the test proved positive for explosives which surprised everyone involved. so they repeated the test with the same results. they then asked for my passport and boarding pass. i then realised that i had misplaced my boarding pass! luckily they found it and we could move on with the procedure. i answered a few questions and they let me go. so we moved on and boarded the plane! oscar and i were very fortunate and ended up with all 4 seats in our row to ourselves (on both trips!). we were able to get some decent sleep then. when we arrived in bangkok we both couldn't wait to buy some decent food and have a rest. unfortunately we expected to board our next flight as soon as we arrived! we were both hungry and exhausted. oscar then decided to misplace his boarding pass which we never found. they had to print him another one. but we made it!!! the weather is beautiful and we're able to enjoy some sun at last!

no pictures this time but i'll keep you all updated!!

lots of love

p.s.

oscar wishes to share this blog. it will be easy to tell who's post it is though as oscar is going to be very anal with his grammar, capital letters and all.