I love NY.

Generic post title I know. Anyway there was not a whole lot to do in Helsinki so thank god we were only there for 2 nights. The city itself was nice but very quiet and chilled out, not a lot happening at night. I dont mind being in a city where there are not that many actual tourist attractions to go to because sometimes it is more about the vibe of the city or lifestyle which is how I felt about Gothenburg. I really liked Gothenburg because of the lifestyle and the general feeling of the city more than actual attractions that were there, however Helsinki is just really......simple. If I ever went back to Finland it would definitely be to Oulo or something like that.

Anyway Helsinki was good to relax anyway before we got to New York. The flight was ok, I watched Office Space on the flight and annoyed the guy next to me a bit with my loud laughing ha ha. We went past the Van Wyck expressway on the way to our hostel which made me laugh because of Seinfeld. Our hostel is right next to Broadway in Times Square so its pretty crazy. As soon as we stepped out of the subway onto the street we couldnt wipe the smiles off our faces because it was just so confronting. Billboards EVERYWHERE and bright lights. Our hostel is ok....enough said. We are going to another hostel for the last 5 nights which I think will be a little better. It is kind of expensive here which sucks, the first day we went for a stroll through Central Park and had a stroll down Broadway and saw Carnegie Hall etc. We also saw Trump Tower and the Columbus monument and spotted a few things I recognized from Seinfeld and stopped for a Cosmopolitan. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art to see a screening of the Mogwai film Burning which was really good and saw the Guggenheim etc. Today we went to the free Broadway on Broadway concert in Times Square hosted by Kelsey Grammer and saw a few songs performed by the cast of The Lion King and a few other musicals on broadway at the moment. We saw the building where David Letterman is filmed, The Empire State Building, Madison Square Gardens etc. Some guy that I bought a bagel from thought that I was a movie star which was kind of funny. Its been making us laugh listening to some of the conversations American people have ha ha.

Tomorrow we think we will go see the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street etc and maybe make the trip into Brooklyn. Still have to take a trip to the Bronx and Harlem etc.....still so much to do. We are really enjoying ourselves here though, off to San Francisco next but that isnt till the 19th. Not long now until we are home but I think we are both definitely ready :)

Stockholm Syndrome.

So we didnt do anything too crazy whilst we were in Gothenburg, on a whole there are not a lot of touristy things to do in this city its more just about the lifestyle I suppose. We chilled out a lot at our hostel, watched a bit of MTV cause Swedish TV is mostly in English with subtitles and wandered the streets of Gothenburg going out for dinner etc. Everyone in this city is really stylish and all the men have the same haircut, its really strange. Swedish men dress really nicely too :)

We rode the big wheel for a view of Gothenburg and on the last night we met up with our Swedish pal Dunken who we met at Hellfest and Wacken. We went to a metal bar called Rock Baren and had a few drinks and ended up pretty spastic. Met an Australian guy there who lives in Sweden and was a bit of a racist dick. I didnt like it from the beginning though because he said Melbourne sucked. Met a few other nice Swedes and partied to Bloodbath and Satyricon before having my first snus experience. Dunken has been trying to get me to try the stuff since Hellfest but I refused until this night. It burnt my gums at first but then I got used to it and it was alright. Had an awesome vege burger on the drunken stumble home.

We headed to Linkoping after that to see some more of our Swedish friends from Wacken. Linkoping is sort of between Gothenburg and Stockholm. I pictured it to be a real one horse town but it was actually pretty big but I still felt like we were in the middle of no where ha ha. We were staying in a nice hotel where it was good to have a room and bathroom to ourselves for a change and watch some movies on TV. One night Global Metal was on which made my night. Timmy came and met us at our hotel and took us to get some beer and what not before meeting Jesper at a soccer field where they all sit around drinking beer before the show we were going to because it was a drug free event ha ha. Needless to say I felt like I was 16 again back at the Arboreetum at home. So we had some beers adn watched one band then went to Tommys ridiculously clean place for a visit. We had some drinks there and some of Tommys friends came over who were really nice and we listened to some nostalgic music ha ha. We went to Pitchers aka Hitlers after that for more drinks before Timmy, myself, Manda and Kim went back to the Mooses house. After that most of the night was a blur but we some how made it back to the hotel. The next night we did much the same except we went to one of Timmys other friends houses and met more of his lovely friends and then our time was up. We said our goodbyes and were off for Stockholm.

Stockholm looks like a huge city and its strange because there are so many old nice buildings around but new factory looking buildings seem to be wedged between them all? So it makes it hard to get a nice picture of the city. Anyway I liked it here, we had some nice meals out on the harbor as our hostel was right next to it and we made a trip to Sandsborg Cemetery to see Quorthons grave. It was kind of confusing when we first got there to find but we eventually did.

We are at the airport now waiting for our flight to Finland where we will be for 2 days before heading to New York. Only about a month to go now, I cannot believe how time has flown. We are staying in an Olympic stadium in Helsinki which should be interesting.

Its been a while.....

Well I have been super lazy and havent updated this thing in ages so here is a brief attempt at summing up what we have been doing since Party San.

We headed to Dresden after Party San for a few days recovery before we went to Nurnberg to go to Summerbreeze. Dresden was a cute little city and the area we were staying in reminded me a lot of Brunswick street. Lots of hippy types and tattoo covered people etc. Everyone was so trendy and there was a nice Vegan place nearby. We made our way into Old Town which was very pretty and spent most of the time relaxing and recovering yet again.

Summerbreeze was good but it was way too hot, it was the complete antithesis of Party San. There was little to no shade in the festival so you had to stand in the sun which sucked. Most of the time we would make a trip down to the shops to chill for a little in the shade or nap in the park ha ha. We saw some great bands though, Anathema were fantastic as well as Insomnium, Pantheon I and GWAR! They were hilarious ha ha. We were camped next to some Spanish guys who made us laugh. We certainly werent upset to say goodbye to our tent as we are totally over camping at this stage.

Next stop was Switzerland where we traveled to Bern first. This city was really beautiful and we were right in the centre of the old town. We made a day trip to Gruyeres for the H.R Giger Museum. The little town was so beautiful!! It reminded me of one of the little towns from Zelda. The museum itself was also amazing! They had a life size Alien there and room after room of amazing artwork including Gigers own personal collection, his Academy Award etc. They were playing the first Alien movie and all I wanted to do was sit down and watch it in its entirety ha ha. We went to the Giger bar afterwards which is soooo cool, all the chairs and tables, the ceiling etc all designed by Giger. All in all it made a really nice day trip.

We went to Zurich after this and didnt really do any sightseeing cause we had a flight to Norway the next day. I was so excited to arrive in Bergen!!! We had no issues finding our hostel, really we were just thankful we had a place to stay. We were up in the hills with really nice views of the mountains and the city below. We went to the Fantoft Stave Church which Varg burnt down for those who know anything about the Norwegian Black Metal scene and the woods surrounding it were really nice so we went for a wander. The city of Bergen is really nice, all nestled between the hills. We went to Hole in the Sky on the Friday and Saturday night and saw some amazing bands including Venom and Nunslaughter who were really good! We ran into a whole bunch of famous people including Ihsahn, Cronus, Abbath, Apollyon, Frost, Cathedral and Nunslaughter.

After this we headed to Oslo where the train ride was really scenic and it snowed and it was just beautiful, the countryside in Norway is breathtaking! In Oslo we visited the sculpture park, the fortress and castle etc and tracked down where Helvete used to be again for those who know anything about the Norwegian Black Metal scene. Anyway it is a coffee shop now but still cool to be there. Presently we have just arrived in Gothenburg in Sweden where we will spend the next few days before heading to Linkoping to see our Swedish friends from Wacken for the weekend :)

Recovery.

So I havent updated this in a while....after Wacken we were in Erfurt for 2 days and didnt really do anything because we are still recovering from Wacken as we speak ha ha. Erfurt was a small quiet town with friendly people, we also met another Australian who was also heading to Party San. We were pretty sad for these few days because we just wanted to be back at Wacken all over again ha ha.

Party San was full of complications getting there, from getting the wrong train to getting off at the wrong stop and having to walk half the way. Once we were there it was fine, we met some nice German lads who let us camp with them and gave us some beer. Unfortunately one of the Germans in that area was a Nazi, yes a full on Nazi. So he was saying inappropriate things the whole time and he was a dick. We met a few more nice Germans and some lovely Danish men who kept us entertained. The only downfall was excessive rain which led to ridiculous amounts of mud all over the festival!! Our boots were completely caked all weekend long and you could only walk at a snails pace to avoid falling over. All in all the festival is very small though so only one stage which was kind of nice, if you met someone the night before you were sure to see them the next day, not a good thing if you were drunk around them the night before ha ha.

Aura Noir were fantastic to see live as well as Napalm Death surprisingly. All in all we had another great weekend which is good considering the weather could have made it a bad one! Now we are in Dresden which is a lovely city and the area we are in is a lot like Brunswick st with hippies everywhere and people covered in tattoos and weird hairstyles ha ha. We wandered through the Old Town which was very pretty but again spent most of the time recovering before Summerbreeze tomorrow!!

Sue I am going to post a link to my Facebook here so you can check out our photos for yourself.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/WhereTheSlimeLive

Click on this link above or copy and paste it into the web browser and once it takes you to my page click on the tab that says PHOTOS and you will find all the different folders of photos from all the different countries :) xx

Wacken 2010.

Words simply cannot describe so I wont even try, all I can say is this was the best weekend of my entire life and I am going to try and go back every single year to relive that feeling. We just purchased our tickets for 2011! Thanks so much to the amazing Swedish boys that we camped with, you are all insane!

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

So our last day in Berlin was solely dedicated to visiting the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which is located about 30 minutes outside of the city centre. The camp was somewhat revolutionary in terms of the Holocaust as it set a standard for many of the camps that were built after it. Our tour guide was fantastic as he had studied the Holocaust, Hitler, WW1 and 2 etc so he was extremely knowledgeable and had toured this camp many times. He had also been to Auschwitz and several other camps and thought that Sachsenhausen was the more interesting. This made me happy as I really wished we could have made it to Poland to see Auschwitz.

I dont feel I can really accurately describe everything we saw and the ins and outs of the whole experience other than to say it really was amazing. Our tour was extremely thorough, not skipping one single detail and some of the stories left me with goosebumps. Watching interviews with survivors of the camp describing the guards who had become bored with their everyday routines taking prisoners caps and throwing them into the "death strip" and forcing the inmate to retrieve it knowing full well he would be shot. Seeing the actual device which was made to resemble a height measuring tool which actually used a mechanism to reveal a crack in the wall where inmates were shot by a guard in the next room. Seeing the crematoriums....

I had tears in my eyes nearly the entire time but one quote I will never forget by an inmate telling what an SS guard said to a new influx of inmates;

"There is a way to freedom, but only through this chimney".

We will also be visiting Dachau and Buchenwald as well. On a lighter note we got drunk at our local Indian on free booze again and we are off to Hamburg today and Wacken is in 2 days!!! Cannot believe it.

Good Morning Germany.

So we had a big day of sight seeing after our day trip to Kutna Hora and we began with some morning Mojitos after crossing the ridiculously tourist ridden Charles Bridge. We basically hurried across to get away from everyone. We got stuck talking to an American girl whilst drinking our Mojitos, your typical solo traveler desperate to talk to somebody who speaks English. She was nice enough but it was impossible to get away, we had shit to do! So finally escaped and made our way to Prague Castle which was really cool. Saw St Georges Basilica and the St Vitus Cathedral which were the highlights. We also made our way up a mammoth hill near the Monastery and mini Eiffel Tower for a kick ass view of Prague.

We had an amazing meal at a Vegetarian restaurant as well where we had sundried tomato and peanut pesto and I had vege burritos with goats cheese salad etc and it was seriously unbelievably good. We were lucky to get a table because it is a well known restaurant. The following day we explored the Jewish quarter where we saw one particular synagogue where the walls were covered in the names of the Jews who died that once lived in Czech Republic, it was really overwhelming. We visited the eery Jewish graveyard which was also at this site and then we made our way to the miniture museum. Now this was really awesome. Tiny little drawings and metal structures the size of a pupil. There was a jesus portrait on a poppyseed, portrait of John Lennon the size of a pinky fingernail etc etc you had to view them with a magnifying glass.

We saw a performance of Vivaldis Four Seasons at a local chapel which was really cool. So lovely to listen to music like that whilst in such an amazing building. Aside from a lack of party vibes Prague was a really cool place. Just a shame that if you wanted to go out at night you had to know exactly where you were going because there is no designated bar strip or anything like that.

So we got a cheap as chips bus ride for 25 euros to Berlin that only took about 4 hours or so. It was really weird because we were watching "The Good German" just as we were crossing over into Germany near Dresden. We got to our hostel called Helter Skelter and it turned out that we had accidentally booked for the month of August instead of July :S but the lovely metalhead at reception sorted us out. The place is really cool, they play good music and breakfast is included and we are in a really good location so its great. We have found an Indian restaurant just around the corner where we have got drunk the past 2 nights because they feed us free cocktails ha ha. We saw one of the Wall memorials on the first day and went to the Topographies Des Terror which really got to me. We spent a good hour in there just walking around the exhibition from beginning to end and the entire time I could just feel the tears in my eyes, it was so hard not to cry. Probably one of the best museums I have been in that detailed all about the Gestapo etc and the building is actually in the same site as where the original SS headquarters was.

We also visited Checkpoint Charlie which was kind of....surreal. The portrait of the 2 soldiers is really eery. Then its kind of weird how there is a little beach cafe in the middle of it. We saw the Brandenburg Gate of course and strolled past the Berlin Dome which was actually a really impressive building the the TV tower etc. We also went to the Book Burning square and what not. Probably the biggest highlight has been the largest stretch of the Berlin Wall where all the graffiti is. This stretch of the wall was nothing short of AMAZING! Some of the artwork on there was stunning and some really moving. I really like Berlin so far, only downsides have been that my ankle is really hurting which has been a pain with all the walking we have done. I cannot believe Wacken is not this weekend but next! So crazy!

Prague and Kutna Hora.

So to begin this post in a more positive way than the last one ended our bags arrived around 3 the next day and we got all of our clothes washed at the nearby laundromat. Had a really good sleep cause our hostel really is awesome. Super dooper clean and comfy beds and loads of space in the rooms and clean showers and bathrooms, its more like a hotel. We wanted to celebrate getting our clothes and shit all washed and having our bags back so we headed into the city centre to find a place to drink. I had the address of 2 metal bars but we couldnt find one of them and the other one was really far out so we decided to head directly into the centre and have a look. Basically there is no set area in Prague for bars etc it is mostly cafes and restaurants. So we came across the people that run the pub crawl who basically said all the bars and stuff are scattered throughout the city and there really arent many. So we went with him to where the pub crawl starts and took one look at the type of people in the line and decided to bail, so we left. We wandered around and saw a few of the sights like the Clocktower and the Powder Gate etc which looked really pretty at night time and found absolutely no bars. We went back to our hostel pretty defeated.

Another good nights sleep and then it was time for our Kutna Hora field trip :) I have been looking forward to this throughout our entire trip cause seeing the Sedlec Ossuary is like a dream come true. So we joined a tour group for this one so we didnt have to mess around with transport getting there etc. So we got a little info about Kutna Hora and its ties to Prague and were on our way. We started with St Barbaras Church which was one of the best examples of Gothic Architecture I have seen, it is still a very modest church but when you look closely the detail is amazing and it has been so well preserved. It actually has the biggest organ in Central Europe which was quite impressive. We saw the Plague Column and a few other little buildings around the area and got some really interesting information on some of the local history and its people.

Last but not least was of course the Sedlec Ossuary and it really was amazing. It is so small inside but so intricate and awesome. I really couldnt believe I was laying my eyes on the main centre peice, the chandelier made out of every bone in the human body. An interesting fact was that there are just over 20 thousand people living in Kutna Hora but there are 40 thousand sets of human bones in the Ossuary, so more than there are alive ha ha. The coat of arms of the family which purchased the land and contracted the organisation of the bones in the ossuary was also very cool. So after spending a good 20 minutes or so inside we headed back to Prague, thanks to Eva who was a lovely and informative tour guide.

So we are pretty pooped after a long day of walking and train travel so just going to lay low tonight cause we also have a big day of sight seeing tomorrow if we want to get it all done so we can take a day trip down to Brno.

Two womens erotic journeys from Olympos to Prague.

SO we had a great send off from Olympos! Manda and I went up to Chimaera to see the flames that naturally burn from the earth. Once they were much bigger but now they are 5 seperate small flames which legend says is the breath of some Mediterranean monster or something. The hike up there was brutal and really took it out of us but it was worth it once we reached the top. The drive to Chimaera was about half an hour from Olympos and on the way the driver stopped to do some grocery shopping and drop it off to his wife ha ha. It was funny seeing all the little houses in the middle of no where, it reminded me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre ha ha.

So after the flames tour we headed back and proceeded to get extremely wasted with the boat cruise crew plus one turkish man and his half asleep wife. I convinced him to buy us tequila shots and then convinced the bar owner we should get more free shots because we were the only ones drinking, bad idea! A few puffs of a sheesha or whatever its called later and everyone was wasted and decided to head to Orange Bar which is a little barn like nightclub in Olympos. As 4am rolled around I was far too drunk and had to retire to my room to refund my food and pass out on my bed but the rest of the crew soldiered on.

Woke up with a killer hangover and had to jump on a 1.5 hour bus ride to Antalya...brutal!! The Air Con was dodgy and the seats were cramped and Manda and I were basically wearing next to nothing because of the heat offending Muslim women left right and centre but we couldnt care less at that stage. We finally made it and set out on our journey to our hostel in Antalya for the night. Antalya was actually really nice and it would have been awesome if we could have stayed longer. Our hostel was clean and the dude was nice and we had an AMAZING meal at the place down the road! Unfortunately we both woke up covered in bites in the morning :( we wandered around and saw Hadriens Gate etc before our bus ride to Istanbul at 9pm. It was so bloody hot though that we had to retire back to the hostel earlier.

The bus to Istanbul was average. It was 11 hours and I didnt really sleep and my bites itched but I guess it could have been worse, Manda came off it with massive cankles ha ha. Got to Istanbul where it is a horrible hot heat and found our peice of shit hostel! The owner was asleep on the couch which turned out to be his bed and attempted to wake up to tell us we cant check in till 1 so off we go to get breakfast and we both felt like crying. Our bites were SO itchy and we wanted a shower and it really was the worst day we have had so far. Our room was tiny with no Air Con so it got so stuffy and horrible and the showers were yuck, I cannot believe people gave this place good reviews!! The only positive was that it was in a really good location, right in the party centre near Taxim Square.

We came across a great metal club called Docken and decided to get wasted in order to forget our bites and how shit our hostel was. Many a beer was consumed and many a metal tune sung whilst Detroit Rock City played on the tv in the background. Met some nice people, some a little too nice and managed to stumble back to the hostel. We hit up Sultanahmet the next day to do a little sight seeing but the weather here is so yucky hot that its hard to wander the streets without feeling like passing out. It was raining in the morning which was a pleasant surprise so I was in jeans and then later it was stinking hot so after visiting the Grand Bizaar and catching a few glimpses of some Mosques we headed back. Had a nice meal and met up with the boys from the cruise then hit the hay.

Headed back to Sultanahmet again and went inside the Blue Mosque which was really cool, being decked out in cloths and all. We also wandered the gardens of Topkapi Palace which was nice and shady and did a little Jewellery shopping. It is such a bizaar experience wandering the streets during prayer time when all the Mosques start airing the Turkish prayer music throughout the streets. Got hassled by many a Turkish man throughout our entire stay, highlights were the pick up line "Dont you wish your boyfriend was hot like me?" They also use tokens here for the trains etc instead of tickets ha ha. One of the worst moments in Istanbul was when we went to a bar for beers with the boys and I went to use the bathroom and when I came out of the cubicle the bar tender was standing in the door way. He mumbled something to me about how he loved me and then in many an untasteful word said he wanted to have sex which I obviously did not agree to and then he tried to take me into the guys toilets but I pushed my way past and got out of there. Manda went to the toilet after me and he propositioned her aswell. Its kind of messed up when you have to worry about the employees at a bar! We didnt intend to but we ended up getting trashed at Docken again tonight and I had an amazing vege burger at this great restaurant, best meal I have had in ages.

So awoke with a killer hangover once more and headed for the airport to get our flight to Prague with a stop over in Budapest. Had no hassles what so ever until we arrived in Prague to find out our luggage was still in Budapest so I cried. I so wasnt in the mood for this, our mozzie bites finally begin the heal and everything is working itself out and now this. So basically tomorrow we have a wasted day of waiting for our bags to arrive at our hotel because we have nothing!! On the brighter side our hotel is awesome and I know we are going to have a great time here. I cannot wait to get to the Sedlec Ossuary :)

Ahhh Musky aka The Cat.

So what an amazing couple of days! After leaving Athens we had a horrible day waitıng for the Ferry in Piraeus and I will never ever return, not even just to catch a ferry because this place was an absolute shithole! The ferry ride was fairly painless. Got a little bit of sleep and we were in Rhodes where we stayed ın an awesome hotel wıth a pool and our own room wıth balcony and bathroom and aır condıtıonıng. Met a few guys that were ın the Navy and hung out by the pool drınkıng 4 euro cocktaıls untıl we went to a Mexıcan place for one of the best meals of my lıfe!! Rhodes was really nıce and had heaps of thıngs to do so ıt was a shame that we were only there for the one nıght but oh well.

We got the hydrfoıl to Marmarıs the next day whıch only took an hour and from there were able to get straıght on a bus to Fethıye. The people ın Turkey are so helpful and got us organısed ın lıke 5 mınutes flat. The scenery on the bus to Fethıye was lovely and ıt was only a 3 or 4 hour rıde. Met some nıce French ladıes on the bus. When we arrıved ın Fethıye we got a free shuttle bus to our hotel but ıt turned out they have 2 hotels and we were at the other one 5 mınutes down the road but the receptıonıst offered to drıve us there. I dıdnt really care at thıs poınt though because saıd receptıonıst was UNBELIEVABLY good lookıng so I was kınd of ın a daze. So he took us there and we were ın a kınd of swanky hotel rıght on the harbor wıth an amazıng vıew so ıt was good. We stıll used the pool at the other hotel and had a meal and hıt the hay to get ready for our cruıse the next day.

So I was a lıttle dısappoınted ın the begınnıng because all of the passengers on the boat were Australıan except for 2 Germans 1 Brazılıan 1 Belgıan and 1 Englısh but everyone turned out to be really nıce and cool so ıt was fıne. We had a really awesome crew on the boat too. One younger guy named Ozzy who spoke a bıt of Englısh and 2 other Turks who could only say 'you are welcome' and 'bon appetıte' and an adorable Chef wıth a lımp, they were all really nıce and funny. I can never really properly descrıbe how amazıng the cruıse was.....along the way we explored some Ruıns and saw the Sunken Cıty and a Pırates Cave etc. Sleepıng on deck under the stars every nıght was just amazıng. Goıng for mıdnıght swıms where there were glow fıshes ın the water lıghtıng up. It was just lıke that movıe The Beach but better. We went snorklıng and on the last nıght we went to a Pırate Bar that ıs lıterally just on the sıde of the ocean and got rıdıculously drunk! The Long Island Iced Tea over here ıs poıson. I chılled out wıth the bıg dog there for a whıle whıch was adorable and spoke to a few Danısh guys that were really nıce. Ozzy followed Manda around all nıght ha ha.

We had the most amazıng meals every day. Omlettes, bread, fruıt etc for breakfast and rıce, salad and pasta etc for lunch and stuffed peppers etc for dınner SO good. The water the whole way was such an amazıng blue green colour and ıt ıs so clean and crystal clear! The scenery ıs just amazıng. Turkey ıs stunnıng. At the end of the cruıse we arrıved ın Olympos. A tıny lıttle hıppy lıke camp ın the mıddle of no where wıth no banks etc and a lovely beach surrounded by ruıns. We are at an awesome lıttle treehouse hostel wıth the most chılled out beer garden area wıth hammocks etc. We head to Antalya tomorrow then the next day we get a bus to Istanbul. Thıs past week has really been one of the best of my entıre lıfe. So much fun. Everyone from the cruıse ıs stayıng at thıs hostel ın Olympos too so the party contınues.

Our favorıte aussıe boys are here and they are so funny ha ha. Good old Jed, Snodge, Muscat aka The Cat aka Dodge and hıs younger brother Junıor or Moosey ha ha. They have me ın hysterıcs all the tıme.

Blue Cruise here we come!

So I am trying my hardest to stay positive considering the fact that I have bug bites all over me and they are really really itchy! I even have one on my cheek on my face :( and typical me this makes me not want to leave the hostel cause I feel like a dirty disgusting pig ha ha. So the other morning I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself then decided to get up and not ruin Mandas time as well as my own. So I braved the harsh light of day and we made the trip down to Acropolis.

Stopped on the way for a tasty Swedish and Brazilian baguette and then headed to Hadriens Arch to get our entry tickets. Upon purchasing my ticket the dude looked at my tshirt and said "What is this? Bathory...you like the Black Metal? Venom ey?" and this totally made my day and made me smile. I never realised how many metal heads there were in Greece? I feel like everywhere we go I see at least one.

So Acropolis was amazing to say the least. It was super hot which made the climb up the hill suck but it was totally worth it when we made it up there. The view for starters was unbelievably beautiful! All the buildings in Greece are different shades of white or pale colours of some kind which made the sunlight bounce off of them and look like the city was glistening. The remains of what is left of Acropolis really are something to see. The size of the columns are so imposing and confronting when you walk up close to them and I found the whole experience really bizarre. So strange to be walking through a place so old and thinking of those that walked there before you and what life was like then. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip thus far and was the main reason for coming to Greece so it made it worthwhile.

When we got back to the hotel we chatted to the adorable English boy in our dorm, Nick. Decided to head out to dinner so he came along and it was lovely. I had a really nice pasta dish, Manda salmon salad and Nick took about an hour to finish his open burger ha ha. Manda and I had polished ours off before he was even half way through. Finished our complimentary deserts, made a few jokes about the prostitute with half her ass hanging out looking like she was doing business from the restaurant bathroom then went back to the hotel for a few beers.

Met some more idiot Australians back at the hotel. It seems like 90% of the Australians we meet overseas are complete douche bags. They make me embarrassed to be seen with them, hence why we turned down their invitation to go out for a drink. We hit the hay earky and got some much needed shut eye.

I was feeling really sad last night. These bug bites are really annoying me because I am constantly scratching and they make me feel like I need to shower 10 times a day. This one on my face is driving me insane as well. I was also sad because I thought we werent going to be able to book our cruise in Turkey and I broke my favorite pair of earings. Turns out we can book this cruise now and I am in the final stages of completing the ridiculously low payment of 175 Euros for 4 days and 3 nights breakfasts included etc. I am really excited for it :)

Dont let the bed bugs bite.

Okay so last night was a bit of a blur, this is my attempt to remember it and get it written down in the blog before I forget it completely ha ha. We went to a metal bar called the Underground Cafe in a pretty sweet area of Athens. There were little metal shops and metal heads walking around everywhere and lots of nice bars and cafes etc. There is supposed to be a metal shop in Athens which is owned by the ex bassist of Rotting Christ that I want to track down. Anyway at this bar we drank ridiculous amounts of beer that came in massive glasses so I think we drank the equivalent of about 5 or 6 jugs of beer each.

The waitress gave us free tequila shots I assume because we were the only ones at this bar that were really drinking, it looked like everyone else was drinking coffee. It was awesome to throw a few beers back whilst listening to Black Label Society, Satyricon, Pantera, Opeth and more :)

So I got waaaaaay too drunk and ended up throwing up in the bathroom where the door didnt close properly so I had to do it whilst I kept my foot positioned on the door keeping it closed. When we decided we had finally had enough we made out for home where I cannot believe we actually made it because I could barely walk. Manda had to pretty much carry me the entire way ha ha but we made it in the end where I passed out in bed and in true Manda fashion she continued to drink at the bar in our hotel to the wee hours of the morning ha ha.

We had planned to go to Acropolis today but were far too hung over so we slept in then got some food and ice cream etc. I also think that I have bed bugs :( because on the backs of my legs I have what look like little mozzie bites and they itch SO much. Got some cream from the pharmacy, hopefully they go away soon.

I am on a boat.

So we left Giovanni which was sad and headed for our bus to Bari in order to catch the ferry to Greece. At this point the only dodgy occurence we would experience in Naples happened. We spent forever just trying to figure out where our bus would arrive because there was zero organisation going on there and once we did we sat down to wait for the bus. A guy came up to us to tell us to watch out for the 2 kids playing behind us (one about 3/4 years old the other about 1/2). So these 2 kids proceeded to get right up in our faces demanding we give them our Iced Teas and looking realling suspiciously at our bags and putting their hands out for money. It was just a really disturbing feeling to be scared that a toddler was going to steal your belongings.

So the bus ride was fine, no dramas and got a taxi straight to the port and boarded our ferry. It was actually a really nice boat, the facilities inside were very nice. We were greeted by a friendy staff member, Evangelos. He gave us a short tour and some free cokes. We only had deck tickets so we stored our baggage somewhere and just wandered for a while. We had some dinner on board and I played my DS and proceeded to embarrass Amanda because I was playing Mario Kart and I cannot be quiet when playing this game, so we got a few dirty looks.

Evangelos kept coming up to talk to us and said we should come up to the helipad at midnight for some wine. Now I assumed this dude was married with kids and was just being friendly cause he thought we were stupid tourists that would either a) tip him or b) spend ridiculous amounts of money on alcohol. So when he said this I thought he meant there were nice views from the helipad at midnight and some of the waiters go up there and serve wine, wrong! So we go up there and out comes Evangelos out of uniform and he gives us some red wine and rum and coke. So we struggle to have a conversation in broken english with him for about an hour just drinking. He starts saying how he will come to Athens with us and that we should come downstairs with him, AAAAAAH how do we get ourselves in these situations!!?? So he finally got the hint and left only for a German and Belgian to approach us to ask us to come and have some drinks at the bar. So we did because they were paying and it involved cookies so I was sold.

Once they started offering to take us to Athens in their truck and then to Turkey and that we should sleep in their trucks tonight etc that is when I decided to leave so I went to find somewhere to sleep while Manda stayed and drank with them till 6am. So i found a spare seat to attempt sleep on but the dude next to me kept touching me with his feet so I freaked and bailed. Found a little patch of unclaimed carpet and set up camp there for a few hours of interupted sleep. Got up, Evangelos gave me free cookies and a hot chocolate, had some breakfast and slept on and off on a couch I managed to score. The whole trip was really bizarre, it felt like it never happened.

Arrived in Patras to get on the bus to Athens and this bus ride was super comfy cause we had 2 seats each to ourselves. Our hostel was really easy to find once in Athens, its in a good location and its clean and the staff are nice etc. The only downside so far is that it is even hotter here than Italy! So we are currently trying to get Turkey sorted out, its difficult because we are trying to find a way around having to pay 150 Euros for a flight. So we will head down to Blue Star Ferrys today cause we have a plan in mind, we now have an extra night in Athens.

Ciao!

So today is our last day in Naples and it is kind of bittersweet. We have really enjoyed our stay here. We went up to Pompeii to see the ruins which stretched on for miles. The eeriest part of that experience was some preserved bodies from the disaster. A plaster had been poured over the bodies which cast them in the positions in which they died so some of the images were really disturbing, people with their head in their hands etc. We also climbed Vesuvio after this which was one of the best experiences of my life. The view from the top was amazing and the crater was huge. We thought we were going to die on the bus ride up there because the roads are windy and tiny and we were in a massive coach bus which had to beep its horn when going around corners in case another car was on the other side.

We had the best pizza of our lives the other night as well. Giovanni kindly went down to get it for us because when we went down the lady wouldnt let us inside cause it was so busy, not even for take away. So we are happy to be moving on to the next place but Naples has easily been one of my favorite places to far. So now we are off to Bari then from there we get a ferry to Patras where we get another bus to Athens. We have saved at least 80 Euro doing it this way opposed to getting a direct flight so despite all the traveling it will be worth it. We have decided to skip the Greek Islands as it is expensive and we hear that they are a bit overrated. So instead we are going to do a cruise on the coast of Turkey, ten times cheaper!!

In the grottooooooooo (sung in the tone of Elvis Prestley)

So we have been having a swell time in Naples. Wandered around the city were yes there is garbage and graffiti everywhere but the city is really....charming. The only way I could describe it is to say that the city looks "lived in". I think we are having a much better time due to being in a really good hostel. The hostel owner took me on a 2 hour motorbike ride around the city and once we had got onto the freeway I had to ask where the hell we were going, he was planning on taking me to Vesuvio ha ha which is ages away. He had left Manda in charge of the hostel while we were gone and I said we had to head back or she would get worried. But it was amazing, driving through the crazy traffic.

We caught the ferry to Capri, an island off the coast of Naples and got another small boat to the Blue Grotto. It was a bit of a rip off, 32 Euro for a return ticket from Capri to Naples. 12 Euro for the boat to the Grotto, then 11 Euro to get on the row boat that goes inside the Grotto. The Grotto was really beautiful though, extremely dark and you can only see the cave walls and the bright blue water. One of the boat captains was singing in Italian which made the whole experience quite surreal.

Afterwards we lay on the beach, the beaches here have no sand, it is all pebbles! We went for a swim, the water was PERFECT! So relaxing. Headed back to the hostel and cooked up an amazing pasta salad. Off to Pompeii tomorrow.

Napoli.

So today we got up super early so we could swing by the Vatican before we got the train to Naples. We didnt really sleep much anyway because it was disgustingly hot last night so up around 5 am showered and packed and out the door by 6 30. We were at the very beginning of the line for the Vatican and waited for 2 hours to be let in at 9am. This gave us at least 2 hours which was good but we only took about 1 and a half.

Some on the ceilings were really amazing and obviously it was surreal being in the Sistine Chapel however I didnt find the whole experience as awesome as I thought it would be. I literally expected to be completely blown away the entire time but I found myself feeling that I had been in the presence of much more outstanding art before but I guess its just one of those things you have to see. There was some Salvador Dali paintings in there too that we didnt know were there?

We had no hassles getting the train to Naples other than the fact that the train ride was really uncomfortable, the seats sucked but at least we got some. Other people had to stand the entire time! When we arrived we were a little scared in the cab ride to our hostel cause they drive like maniacs here! Vespas everywhere and our taxi driver side swiped one of them. The streets are ridiculously narrow. It really is amazing how different this place is to Rome, its like being in a completely different country. The whole city looks so dodgy and seedy but beautiful at the same time.

We are staying at a really great hostel. It is basically this guy named Giovannis house and when we got out the cab trying to find the place he was looking out the window calling my name ha ha. He had two cups of fresh water waiting for us when we climbed the ginormous stairs, the house he is in is really really old. There were two Canadian girls sitting at reception and we found out that when they arrived he said "Holly should be arriving soon so we will wait till she gets here before we start" and he was able to pick that I was Holly when we arrived, spooky. He sat us down and talked about the city etc for about an hour. Telling us how Naples used to be the capital etc and gave us some really interesting information about the place. He marked all the Mafia areas etc and pointed out all the good places to go. We will be making a day trip to Pompeii and Capri as well as a few other places he showed us pictures of that look amazing. I really think we are going to enjoy our stay here and I think I will simply put that down to being in a hostel where somebody is really friendly and passionate about the place he lives in and genuinely enjoys helping tourists to make the most of the place.

When in Rome...

So we got the bus from Barcelona to Madrid which was an 8 hour journey but it wasnt all bad, kind of good to chill out and sleep on and off listening to some tunes. I just wish I could read but I start to feel ill when I read on the bus, plane, train etc. I was stuck next to a dude with really furry arms which kept rubbing against me which sucked and a big biker dude in front of me that smelt bad. But we rotated and Laura had that shift for the tail end of the journey.

We went out for a meal in Madrid and a bit of a wander, not really much of an opportunity to see too much of Madrid but from what I did see I liked Barcelona better but like I said I dont have much to go by. We were up super early the next day to get our 7 30 am flight to Rome. Flight was fine, fairly short and we all snoozed. Arrived and got a shuttle bus straight to our hostel Happy Days which was really convenient. The hostel is good except for a few annoying things. Firstly the dude at reception is really good looking which is always a bonus, he looks a bit like Jim Morisson so we have been calling him Jimmy and he has a really sexy Birmingham accent. You dont get keys to the place though, you have to buzz the door to be let in and the rooms are locked from 11 till 4 which is really annoying and is something they neglected to mention on the website. There are some nice people staying here though and it is fairly clean and is in a really good location too.

We have had a fair few good meals since we have been here with really friendly service. The best one being the night we went out for dinner when we arrived we went to a classy restaurant with seperate drinks and food waiters, ooo fancy. I tried the first red wine I have actually thought tasted nice and had kick ass home made pasta and a calzone. We had a pretty funny evening, wandered to a pub after where we were recieving far too much male attention to the point where all the staff were asking where we were staying and we thought we were part of some massive kidnap and rape plot that the whole restaurant was in on. We were given free beer and were joking it may have had drugs in it ha ha but it was all in our head, we were fine. We went to see the Trevi Fountain at night which was great, you can just drink in the streets of Europe so we were buying travellers from the venders on the side of the road and roaming Rome drinking ha ha.

We defiled a few Roman statues and monuments and thought the security guard was coming to tell us off but when we asked if it was ok he said it was fine and then we got a photo with him ha ha. We ended up getting lost with no map and wandered for a good hour and a half trying to find our hostel. We finally used the river and the Vatican as a way to find our way back. We went to the Colosseum and the ruins which was great but I wish there had of been more interesting factual information inside the Colosseum but oh well. It has been so hot here that you feel really drained at the end of the day!

We were planning on going to the Vatican on Tuesday but then we found out it is closed due to a public holiday which is really unfortunate because it is Lauras last day. But Manda and I are going to try and go tomorrow morning before our train to Naples because I would be really upset if we missed out on it. Strict dress code applies which is annoying because it is so hot! Excited to get to Naples, we will have a day trip to Pompeii and maybe Capri as well. Then we are getting a ferry to Patras in Greece from there.

Barcelona Burns.

So we nearly missed our flight to Spain. The train ride to the airport took longer than expected. Ran into an Easyjet employee at the platform to double check the terminal, got to the airport with like 10 minutes to spare and an employee told us to head in the wrong bloody direction!! So we ran pushing a trolley nearly knocking people down for 10 minutes to be told our terminal was at the other end of the airport. Ran again and just made it in time to check in.

Arrived in sunny Barcelona where the place already looked stunning with all the palm trees lining the roads etc. Made our way to our hostel with no worries and Laura was standing in the lobby! We all screamed and hugged and nearly cried etc. The hostel we are at is really good! Super clean and friendly staff, free breakfast etc. We had a few vodkas and caught up then went out for a nice dinner where we drank Sangria. We were given some complimentary almond liquer which we all shot and Laura threw up right next to our table ha ha. I had to finish it off cause Manda and Laura couldnt handle anymore.

Srumbled back to the hostel a little boozy for a few more drinks then bed time. The next day we spent the entire day on the beach where it was lovely and sunny but with a cool breeze. The water was far too cold to swim though. Had some more Sangria and nachos on the beach then went for a stroll on the boardwalk. Definntely got a little sunburnt. Hilarious sunburn pictures to come on Facebook soon. Today we have rented bikes and are cruising around the city to see some of the Gaudi architecture etc. Off to Madrid on the 26th for a night then flying to Rome the next day, pretty pumped about that.

One HELL of a festival....see what I did there? Ey ey!

So just got back from Hellfest....my god twas amazing, one of the best weekends of my life. As far as the campsite etc was concerned it wasnt the greatest as the toilets were not emptied regularly so there were basically piles of shit in every one of them. The tents were just scattered everywhere and there were no proper lights at the back of the campsite but in regards to everything else it was birlliant!

So we made the stupid mistake of not checking our tent before we left so once we set it up it was ridiculously small and barely fit our packs let alone Manda and I. It rained the first night and we discovered our tent was not waterproof! So there we were sleeping in the fetal position freezing cold whilst our tent leaked ha ha worst night ever! Didnt take long to be hassled by some men, one of which proceeded to explain his documentary that would be a "cult classic". Quotation marks because its a load of bollocks, bollocks because the dude was English. It was to be called 'Pursuing Miss Watson' and would detail this idiots journey to making Emma Watson his girlfriend.

So we saw a ridiculous amount of good bands including some I hadnt heard before. We had people asking to take our picture left right and centre for either their own personal collection or for websites, magazines etc. One was for the official website so maybe it will be up there soon? Watched Sigh first who were really good, awesome stage presence. Instead of listing every band I will only go over those worth an individual mention but you can have a look on the site at all the bands on the bill.

I saw a few bands which I will look into that I had not heard before including Negura Bunget, Secrets of the Moon and Obscura. Saw Nile and they were far better than when I saw them last in Australia and happened to meet Karl who was an extremely cool guy. Decapitated were tight but I think that Covan's absence was really felt but the dude on drums did a swell job. Alice Cooper was amazing as well as Twisted Sister showing the oldies have still got it. Dee Snider made a tribute to Dio which made me a little teary :( Lemmy rocked out with his cock out! Which reminds me of the amount of male nudity we were forced to endure during this weekend ha ha.

Katatonia was also amazing as well as Ihsahn. Was really something to see both Ihsahn and Anders Nystrom in the flesh. I am afraid my obsession with Anders has only increased now. Of course Bloodbath were the highlight of the weekend where I got front row centre for the entire show and managed to score the setlist as a momento of the occasion.

Exodus got one of the biggest circle pits happening that I have ever seen and a dust storm ensued!! Beer was cheap so we got a bit plastered :p was awesome to see Ghost Brigade and also saw Swallow the Sun who I hadnt heard before and were pretty cool. Had a chance to see some awesome black metal courtesy of Behemoth, Marduk, Watain and Dark Funeral who did a rad cover of Slayers Dead Skin Mask. Was good to see Nevermore again and have a good old sing a long to The Heart Collector and Inside Four Walls.

Was absolutely stoked to be able to see My Dying Bride and it was awesome when they played She is the Dark!! We saw Uver, need I say more. However I think I would prefer them in a more intimate setting than at a festival but was great none the less. Got a chance to catch a few tunes from Brant Bjork which was good to chill out to. Ended the fantastic weekend with none other than Kiss which was unbelievable!! Paul Stanley on a zip wire flying over the crowed, the outfits, the podiums, the lights, the explosions, Gene Simmonds tongue etc just so over the top and awesome!! Then the festival finished with a fireworks display.

So many hilarious stories in between with not enough time to write it all down now but none the less some things stay at Hellfest and wont be spoken of again ha ha. Either way the weekend was all we hoped and more! Never had so much fun, some of the best times of my life so far, cannot wait for Wacken!

T-minus your life and counting...

So Hellfest is currently only 2 days away and we are getting really excited!! I really dont know what I will do with myself, so many amazing bands it will be like I have died and gone to heaven. Met up with Sam last night at Cafe Oz where people were watching the soccer. 10 euro entry fee but its all good because that got you 2 big ass cans of Fosters. We had amazing paninis for dinner mmmmm and did the old switcheroo, one euro plug for one double adapter, thank you Sam you saved our asses!!

Charged all our things ang got up bright and early to hit the Eiffel Tower. Chocolate and Vanilla croissants for breakfast followed by an hour or so of lining up just to ascend the tower whick meant more lines for the lifts etc. Once we were up add another few lines just to get down the bloody thing. Just as we reached the bottom a storm broke out so we had to walk in the rain where I nearly ate shit 3 times due to my crappy thongs with no tread on them.

To escape the rain we went to the Museum Du Moyen Age where we saw a lot of cool stuff dating as far back as 200 AD. Lots of creepy statues, drinking horns \m/ and intricate wood carvings etc. There were Gallo-Roman baths there too which were awesome. I had a Nutella Crepe for lunch which was amazing, I have totally rediscovered this magnificent spread. We did our grocery shopping pre Hellfest after this cause the weather was too miserable to walk around in.

Tomorrow we will explore more of Montmartre and visit the Sacre Coeure as well as 2 cemeteries and possibly another museum if time allows and then it is off to Nantes the following day where we will spend the night then get the train to Clisson for Hellfest the next day. No internet access until we arrive back in Paris on the 21st to spend the night before our flight to Barcelona!

France.

So we finally made it to Paris without too much complication. We are in a hotel this time, not a hostel so we have a private room and bathroom etc, soooo good and its really cheap. We were worried initially about the location but its actually really close to the city, only 5 minutes by train. We have been having baths everynight which are pretty much saving our lives and trying to brush up on some French by watching the movie channel, its not working.

We hit up the Louvre straight away and saw some amazing art. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa, its so ridiculous that people go so apeshit over this painting when there are so many more amazing art works here that deserve more awe and praise. The Venus De Milo was really cool to see in person and made me giggle thinking of The Simpsons.

Highlight of the trip so far, The Catacombs. Oh. My. God. They were unbelievable! So spooky being among thousands of actual human bones and skulls. It takes about 30 minutes just to walk the full length of the ossuary. You werent supposed to take photos with a flash but we did anyway. I took so many inappropriate photos which I cannot wait to upload. I picked up one of the skulls for a photo and got scared when we were leaving cause they search your bags and after he searched mine he said something about questions and I was worried I was in trouble for picking up a skull but then he just said it was fine?

We went out for Mandas birthday to Montmartre in the Red Light District, walked past the original Moulin Rouge. We had some cocktails and dinner and ended up drinking with some french dudes at an irish pub. So many sleezy guys in this area, we were getting hit on like every 2 seconds. There are more sex shops in this strip than there are in Amsterdam I swear. The guys we were drinking with paid for a cab to Cafe Oz where we wanted to go then they got a bit too touchy feely so we ditched them and they tracked us down!!! Then I felt bad cause they told me I was a bad person ha ha but one dude kept trying to make out with Manda so you cant blame us.

Still got a few more days here then we are off to Hellfest!! Cannot wait.

In Bruges.

So we were only in Brussels for one day because we heard Bruges is way better, we heard right. There really wasnt much to see in Brussels except for Cafe Delerium which has an insane amount of beer on tap! We went to a few little cafes etc for cocktails and it was like 30 degrees out!! I left our stupid EU plug at the hostel which has really made things difficult but thankfully Sam is helping us out and giving us one of hers for a double adapter in France.

So Bruges was one of my favorite places so far. The town itself is so pretty and the buildings are quite breathtaking! Particularly the church which held Michelangelos Madonna with Child which was one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. The chocolates, waffles, omelettes etc were all amazing and the best Hot Chocolates EVER! The Cappacinos there were so good, I dont even like coffee but I liked them. I have now decided I like mushrooms too.

So we saw what is supposedly Christs blood and they were making people pay to touch it which I find so ridiculous. I am not a religious person but if God is supposed to be for the people etc then why should you have to pay to touch something that should rightfully belong to all "Gods children" etc. I dont know it just seems stupid. "Hey everybody please hear the word of God and change your ways, but please pay 50 Euro cents to make the leap of faith".

Anyway our hostel had a bar and restaurant which was good and the staff were very helpful to get us on our way to Paris.

Amsterdam...I think.

So this is a bit belated cause we have been so busy and havent had much internet access. Amsterdam was amazing but 3 days was definitely enough. We didnt really know what to expect soà we were pretty pleasantly surprised at how pretty the actual city was with the canals and little bars etc. It was good because virtually everyone there speaks english and I think they must have a lot of vegetarians there because there were plenty of vege options. We didnt really sight see cause honestly we were pretty out of it most of the time ha ha. We went for a bike ride around the city though, pretty annoyed that we didnt set aside a designated sober day to sight see because there are lots of good museums there...oh well. Met up with Auntie Angie who took us out and we had a blast at The Grasshopper! She let us use her hotel room to have a good shower etc. I fell in love with Cherry Kriek Beer mmmmm. We wandered through the Red Light District where the girls stand in their booths on the street waiting for customers. So bizarre how many attractive women end up there?

Belfast.

So we have been laying about, stuffing our face with food, watching tv etc in preperation for what will be our epic arrival in Amsterdam. Caught up with Gramps at the caravan, saw the countryside of Belfast through the thick fog. Went to a Viking Festival which was more like a small gathering ha ha. Were yelled at by a scottish dude who wanted us to stay longer. Not much to report as yet, we are heading into town tomorrow so maybe more to document after that...

Last Day in Dublin.

Last day in Dublin today. Woken up again by the stupid guitar playing guy in our dorm, add to that 4 obnoxious stereotypical American guys saying things like 'totally dude' etc. We ended up at a Gallery this morning where we saw the Francis Bacon studio which was pretty cool. We went to the Wax Museum afterward which was lots of fun. Saw some cool characters like David Bowie, Darth Maul, Yoda, Michael Jackson, Boy George (ha ha), Madonna, Batman, The Simpsons etc etc. Took some ridiculous photos as expected.

Headed to the Guiness Storehouse after that but didnt want to pay 15 euros to get in so we took some photos and headed to a pub instead for a pint of Guiness. Just did a bit of general wandering today coming across some cool sites as we went which is what we have done in most of the cities we have visited thus far.

Tried to hit the hay early, was woken in the night by a half naked man entering the room who proceeded to get completely naked and hop into one of the American girls beds, thank god said American girl was not in the bed at the time but got a shock when she lifted the sheets to find this creep completely starkers!!

Had an awesome breakfast the following morning at a pub on Oconnel Street then headed for the train the Belfast. We were blessed with really good weather during our entire stay in Dublin and we knew it was bound to come to an end at some point. Upon arriving back in Belfast it was freezing and pooring with rain!!

Relaxing tonight, Dad and Emma are arriving tonight and Muriel tomorrow so it will be a McBride reunion. All in all Dublin was really awesome, the city itself was really nice the only let down was how crazy expensive everything was, especially food, wouldnt want to be living there due to that. Looking forward now to a few relaxing days in a proper bed with a good shower some lovely food and good company before we are off the Amsterdam!!! Woohoo.

Dublin Day 2.

So today we headed straight for Graffton Street to find the Phil Lynott memorial, we got a little lost but finally found him and he was awesome :) we went to Captain Americas for lunch on said street and I had one of the best Vege burgers I have ever had!! Manda had a tasty vege enchilada. There was some rad memorabilia on the walls but typically we got stuck in the U2 section, I HATE U2!!

We went and saw the Oscar Wilde house but was pretty pissed they don't do tours through it anymore. Walked along the river Liffey etc and saw some nice buildings etc. We went to Dublinia which was Viking and Medievil Museum and that was awesome. Dressed up in some Viking costumes and took plenty of ridiculous photos.

Went out to some pubs for a drink tonight and paid an obscene amount of money for 2 Vodka and Lemonades, it really is expensive here! Stuck to beer after that and got a little hammered and headed back to the hostel after getting some hot chips and having a hot chip sandwich mmmmmm. There are a bunch of loud American dudes in our room now who are another addition the the equally annoying dude who makes way too much noise in the morning!!

Not sure what we are up to today, maybe the Wax Museum, probably the Guiness Storehouse...who knows. Booked our accommodation and flight to Amsterdam, so excited!!!

Welcome to feckin Dublin.

Arrived in Dublin, weather is still amazing!! Extremely hung over so short blog entry. Hostel is good, nice and neat and tidy and nice people. Metal club across the road from the hostel, aaalright. Went to the grocery store to stock up on some food. Went to a little pub to sink a few brews. Got a few sixers from the Off Licence, headed back to the hostel. Played Beer Pong with a few Irish chaps and an Aussie and completely dominated. Ended up far too drunk listening to Thin Lizzy and Metallica. I slipped away off to bed cause I couldnt see straight, followed by Manda who munted on herself on the way to bed ha ha ha. Welcome to feckin Dublin (in the voice of Al Swearengen).

Ireland.

So we were both rather ill on the last day in Edinburgh. We havent been able to eat properly since we left and I think it finally caught up with both of us so we were at the hostel most of the day. We left for a walk in the afternoon down a nice little path along a creek and we went and bought a few beers from the shopkeep and downed them on a park bench outside a church ha ha.

We hit the hay pretty early as we had to be up early to check out, we shared a single bed on this night because we were supposed to be in seperate rooms but would rather sleep together. Worst sleep ever. Woke up, packed our stuff, Holly accidentally left her mobile in the toilets and some jerk stole it!! Should be able to get a new one through travel insurance when we get back so she had to buy a really crappy one worth £7.95 and it is such a piece of shit ha ha.

Got to the airport super early, caught up on some reading, got some lunch etc. Finally checked in and went through the usual routine of being looked at like criminals, Hollys bag tested for drugs, take off our shoes etc. Our flight was delayed by half an hour and when we got to Belfast we discovered that Hollys Aunty was at a different airport. With the help of a nice policeman we got sorted out and made our way to Aunty Iris with the help of some lovely Irish people along the way.

Had a few Budweisers then headed to bed for an awesome sleep. Amazing shower in the morning followed by a delicious breakfast. Just chilling today till we get our train around 3 to Dublin where we will probably hit up a metal pub tonight as there is one on the street where our hostel is, aaalright. Cant wait to visit the Phil Lynott memorial rocking my Thin Lizzy hat throughout the streets ha ha. Peace.

Edinburgh.

So we got to the airport with plenty of time and had some awesome cold salads whilst we waited for our flight. Boarded the plane and were in Scotland in about 1 hour. Thank god our flight wasn't cancelled. We got a bus from the airport into the city centre and found our hostel really easily. The hostel is awesome, it is an old cathedral that has been made into a hostel so the ceilings are huge and the exterior is amazing.

After checking in we found we were sharing a room with some Spanish girls and immediately realised that there will be naked women everywhere in Spain as they have no problem nudeing it up in front of us. They are really nice even though they speak hardly any English so its all good.

The hostel has kitchen facilities, tv, dvd player, pool table, showers etc with a decent sized common room with a bar etc so its a pretty sweet set up. We headed into the city the next day, only about a 2 minute walk from where we are staying. Saw the Edinburgh Castle and a whole heap of old churches. Had a look around the Edinburgh Dungeon, found some cool shops on Market St and had a vegan baked potato, soooo good.

The city itself is really beautiful and the people are really nice. We went to the tartan weaving mill and found our family shields and tartans etc and bought a few things. We basically wandered all over the city except for a few parts which we are going to see today.

Finally booked our flights for Belfast, hopefully they go ahead without any trouble. Looked up a few metal type bars and clubs so hopefully if its not too cold tonight we can go out drinking, its actually pretty hot today :)

Speak soon xxx

Uncle George's, Frog Manor and London.

We arrived in England last Friday, and after a long and exhausting flight (which was about 12 hours) we were very thankful that Holly's uncle George picked us up from the airport. We then had a long drive of around three hours back to his house which was in Crewe, but it was so beautiful out there we didnt really mind the long scenic drive, especially knowing we would soon be enjoying hot showers and more importantly real food!!!!

And boy did we eat, with the starters of hot crusty bread dipped in melted camembert cheese (that George's lovely girlfriend Elaine cooked for us), we then had vegetarian fajita's that were sooo good, not to mention about fifty cups of earl grey tea.

Early start the next morning and off to Wales, and boy was that worth it. George and Elaine drove us in to see the Conwy Castle which was just enourmous, photos will never do it justice. It was so old and so beautiful.

We also stopped off at Betsy-Corp (well thats not how you spell it but we couldnt remember) and here we had Welsch tea... It was amazing!! It was scones with jam and cream and welsch bread and this lovely little cake thing that were the highlight, they were just so good.

We drove back to George's house and quickly got ready to go out for our long awaited dinner, and this was probably one of the highlights of our trip so far. We were taken to a restaurant called Frog Manor. It was actually more like being in someones home. It was so crazy, we all sat in this sitting room which looked like the room of someones Grandmas house, it had a tv and lounges and was all crazy and cluttered. There were frogs everywhere (toy one's) hence the name Frog Manor. We chose from the most amazing menu as well, everything sounded sooo good it was too hard to choose. We also had to choose three courses which we have never done before. We ended up in a dining room with a big table that we all sat around and ate our delicious meals, and we really are not exaggerating, it was one of the best meals we have ever had! Thanks Uncle George!!
After our final sleep in a comfortable bed with our full stomach's we awoke early Sunday morning to prepare to head down to London and find our hostel.
The train ride was long and it took even longer finding it. We came into luck again as they had over booked so we got a room of our own.
We will be sure to update you all on our adventurous day in London as soon as possible!!!!
Missing everyone lots and lots and heading off to Scotland tomorrow.
Hope your all doing good we are about to head off to the pub and get some beer and food!!!
love Holly and Amanda!!
(and boy people sure arent lying when they say London is cold!!!!)

Imperial Palace and the Thunder Dolphin!

So we slept in a bit today and then headed straight for the Imperial Palace in Central Tokyo. You cannot enter the actual Palace you can only wander around the Eastern Gardens etc which is what we did. They were indeed very beautiful, especially the tranquil pond and waterfall. It was super hot today which made it really uncomfortable walking up all the hills. We then headed to Tokyo Dome City which turned out to be a real chore in terms of finding the right stations, buying the right tickets and wandering the streets in confusion. Thank god for Mandas navigational skills or we would never have found it. A nice young chap on a bike approached Manda to tell her that her atmosphere was very attractive and that he wanted to `make friends` with her. She tried to refuse his advances and decline his request for an email address but he didnt understand. So after providing him with a fake email address we finally reached Tokyo Dome City. Bought our tickets for the Thunder Dolphin which was a kickass rollercoaster and had an awesome time! We got the funniest photo of the two of us on the rollercoaster! We cannot upload photos from these computers as they are too slow in case you were wondering why there arent any yet but we will as soon as we get to England tomorrow!! We have to be up at 5am to make sure we get to the Airport in time tomorrow, those annoying men in our dorm room better be quiet tonight or there is going to be hell to pay!! Grrrrrrr.

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My!

So today we headed to Ueno to visit the Zoo and some neighbouring shrines. Was easy as to get there and only about $8 AUD to get in! Unfortunately the last Panda the Zoo had past away in 2008 of heart failure so we didnt get to see any Pandas expect for the plastic and stuffed ones. We saw some rad Polar Bears and HUGE Grizzly Bears. Lots of cute Monkeys and Gorrilas as well as the cutest little Armadillo I have ever seen. Tigers and Lions were also there as well as Penguins and Seals etc. We had some delicious Pancakes with Ice Cream and Iced Tea for lunch. Our cameras batteries went flat towards to end so we filmed some stuff and took a few photos with the video camera. Afterwards we looked around some shrines and temples around the area and headed back to Shinjuku. We went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building which has free admission to the observatory which provided some amazing views of Tokyo. It just goes on and on and on for miles! Finally we started making our way back, Manda finally got some sushi, dinner time :)

Roppongi.

So today was especially heinous weather, super cold and raining non stop but it actually turned out to be a nice break from how hot and stuffy it has been. We headed into Roppongi after we finally found an ATM, as we were running out of cash and had to settle for Ritz crackers and vegemite for dinner last night. So we found our way into Roppongi and finally had our first decent meal however it wasnt Japanese. We went to Bagel and Bagel and had awesome bagels, iced tea and muffins for lunch!! Felt so much better afterwards. We continued to wander in the rain and found an awesome WW2 bomb site which was made into a small Japanese garden and shrine, got some rad photos. We stumbled upon Roppongi Hills where there was another nice Japanese garden as well as a statue that looked exactly like the Spider Beast you fight in Gears of War. Found some cool buildings around the area and a MASSIVE cemetery that went on for miles. Took us about an hour just to walk through it and the tombstones looked amazing, some of them were really huge. We made our way back to Shinjuku and had a quick look around but we still need to go back and have a proper look. Scored ourselves a free umbrella, aaaalright. Going to hit up Tokyo and Ueno tomorrow to visit the Zoo and some more temples and shrines.

Shibuya.

So today after another epic sleep we headed back to Harajuku to try and spot some more of the Harajuku girls and boys, there were a few there but we would see more later on our way back. We basically just wandered and ended up in Shibuya which is a rad town. Definitely the party spot, we found a Karoaoke bar we want to visit later and a shop which sold nothing but condoms! We visited this massive record store which had about 10 floors and found Kiddy Land which was a 5 story toy store full of awesome Star Wars toys etc. We found some awesome shoe stores with more Dr Martens that I have ever seen in my entire life and we had to really fight the urge to start browsing. We ended up in Yoyogi park where a massive festival was going down and there were Japanese hippies EVERYWHERE! Didnt even know such a thing existed. A man wasnted to take a picture of Holly`s blue eyes and hair in the middle of the art exhibition. We were hassled by a few drunk Japanese men but finally made our way out and strolled through the lovely park where people were playing voilins and guitar. On our way back out we saw a Lady Ga Ga lookalike and more of the Harajuku boys and girls.....more men dressed as women. Our feet hurt from walking so much because the subway system is so hard to figure out. Back at the hostel now and after a few Asahi`s we`re feeling a little drunk....

Harajuku and Yoyogi.

So we had a pretty awesome sleep last night but we keep getting super confused with the time? We got up super early thinking it was much later and go ready to head out to Harajuku. We had Ice Cream for breakfast which was rad and jumped on the train to Yoygi first to see the kickass park we saw from the bus on our way to Shinjuku from the airport. We found it and it was really lovely. It reminded us of the Dandenongs back home. We walked for ages through the park to the centre where there is a massive shrine where there was a Japanese wedding going on. People were praying in the temple and there was a massive tree where people hung prayer cards all around it which looked really cool. We finally made our way to Harajuku where there were so many cool shops! Lots of lolita clothing etc. We got some jewellery and some awesome bathing suite sets which we cant wait to wear when we git to somewhere hot like Spain. Going to attempt to find this metal club tonight. Toodles xx

Our Sweet Little Ace Inn

We finally arrived at our hostel with great difficulty finding it. The staff here are really nice and speak fluent english so that already made us feel more at home. Our first run in with luck for the day was that there was a stuff up with our beds, but luckily instead of being in two seperate beds in the room with about ten other people we have a sort of shut off room with shutting doors and two comfortable beds on the floor, so its kind of shut off from the other beds. It really made our day.
We made some friends from Canada, New York and London already that are in our hostel and im sure we will have some great nights partying with them.
Lastly we found a family mart store down the road and attempted to get some dinner, ended up with yoghurt, lollies, and some weird ice tea milk due to Holly being a vego.
Anyway just about to experience our first shower thank god.
Wish us luck.

We have arrived!

So we have arrived in Shinjuku! The flight went pretty fast and we got some sleep so it was all good. When arriving at customs in Japan Holly declared her Bullet Belt and due to the laws in Japan she could either pay for them to hold it till we left or leave it behind. She has another one at home so she left it behind. The computers here are hard to use.....we struggled with our packs finding an internet cafe. We nearly cried when we logged into Mandas Facebook, we miss our friends already!! Going to try and hit up a heavy metal club called Metal Gods tonight, if we can find it. But first we have to find our hostel!!! Wish us good luck. Love and miss everybody xx

65 days to go.

So we will be departing in just 65 days! Just a quick post to make sure you keep the 1st of May free (Saturday night) as we will be having a going away party at Holly's Dad's house in Ferntree Gully!