Paris

Another early start was in order. Two train rides, a car journey and a couple of miles of walking were on the agenda, but if all went to plan we would be standing in the centre of Paris within 5 hours of waking up.

The usual doubts bounce around inside your head before the first leg of the journey. Do we have everything? do we have the tickets? Do we have the passports? We normally find the answer to all these questions to be yes.

We packed and organised the night before but we still end up questioning these details, like somehow our passports are no longer going to be in the compartments of our bags or had magically disappeared over night. Double and triple checking, the time soon rolls round to make the first step towards Paris.

Bags loaded into the car, the trip into Birmingham is smooth. Very little traffic. It has become noticeable over the years how traffic on Fridays seems to becoming significantly lighter, with traffic on Mondays going the other way and becoming significantly worse. With it been Friday, this worked in our favour.

Having left with plenty of time to spare, we were at the station early. We took this time to stock up on the classic boots meal deal and to have a wonder around the new station. Time soon passed and our platform was displayed on the large departures board. Platform 2.

We were taking the virgin train. Birmingham to London Euston. With a very respectable estimated journey time of one hour and twenty four minutes. We left on the dot and pulled in after one hour and twenty six minutes. That’s not bad going. Step over Japan.

The journey down to London was uneventful. A few brief stops to collect additional passengers. Our seats were okay, we actually landed ourselves a table seat. Although this sounds like a bonus, it is quiet strange sitting literally face to face with a complete stranger about a foot apart.

Being the quintessential British people, all four of us avoided eye contact. But as mentioned, because we were all sat opposite each other it eliminated the possibility of looking dead ahead. This left all of us looking out the window, up at the ceiling or down the isle. Meg soon found the perfect way around this and dropped off to sleep shortly into the journey.

We were lucky the train was so punctual. Our plans had been constructed for everything to run efficiently with only 15 minutes for unforeseen circumstances. We pulled into Euston with 26 minutes until the eurostar gates closed (they close 30 minutes before departure). We were at Euston and we had to get to St Pancras, approx 0.6 miles apart. The race was on.

We stood at the train doors like greyhounds waiting for the traps. Annnnddd we’re off. Round some of the more cumbersome passangers who were dragging the entire contents of their homes around with them, round the toddlers who decide the most effective route is that of a zig zag, and a quick dodge of the charity totes asking for the entire content of your wallet.

10 minutes later we’re at St Pancras and waiting inline for security and passport checks. John managed to set the metal detector off so had to be padded down, but nothing was found other than he had left his belt on and Meg once again got trapped between the two automatic door where the passports are automatically read. But neither caused any major delay.

The seating in the station is at a premium and no surprise with our arrival time, all had been snapped up, presumably a fair while ago. We managed to carve out a little space for ourselves next to gate nine and a view of the departures board. Hundreds of eyes fixated in the board waiting for the platform number to be revealed.

We had been in the station 7 minutes when the board flicked up with next eurostar departure from platform nine. Why thank you very much. The gate opened and we lead the heard of people up the moving escalators.

The train came into view. We located coach 4 and took our seats in numbers 95 and 96. Paris here we come.

The journey was smooth and before we knew it we were rolling into gard du Nord. The usual commotion followed when the conductor announced that we’d be pulling into Paris shortly. Pretty much every man and his dog sprung up and dragged their luggage down from the overhead compartment. Very Little disregards were given for other passengers.

Following the bag grabbing frenzy, there is always a couple of awkward minutes when the culprits realise nobody can actually disembark before we’ve come to a stop. Passangers filling the the corridors, bags at their feet due to no room to swing a cat. Other Passengers are trap in the awkward, half standing, half seated position. Eventually the doors open and the mob filters out the doors. We let the majority pass before we calmly collect our luggage and step out onto the platform. Welcome to Paris.

Like most major train stations, the surrounding area could always do with a bit of TLC. As we were staying a fair distance from our departure point, we didn’t spent much time in the area and made started our walk towards our accommodation.

We walked about 3 miles before we conceded and headed underground to test out the French metro. We’d heard good things about the vast underground network, so had our hopes high.

First impressions were just how far underground are these tracks. A gigantic esculator descended us deep down into the earth only to turn the corner and be greeted by an equally as long esculator going even further into the depths. As we stood patiently on the moving steps, we discussed the unlikely possibility of a manned ticket office this deep underground and we currently had zero tickets.

The esculator continued the steady speed down and down and down. As the end of the belt came into sight we were expecting to be greeted by Satan himself welcoming us into his lair, but to our somewhat pleasant surprise, down in these depth there was a manned terminal.

We approached the kiosk and a chance for meg to try out her duolingo French. Turns out the man spoke perfect English. Meg will have to wait to put her French into action. We gave the name of the station we were aiming to head for. It turns out our target destination was one stop outside of the Paris zone, meaning a two zone ticket would have to be paid for. A little unlucky.

It turned out, the random metro station we had elected to opt for was the RER system. In Paris they run a metro and an RER line. The RER line is a higher speed more direct route to the major stations, while the normal metro is the original system the French have come to love. The metro line is a little slow calling at every stop and certain lines are lacking some of the newer features that can be found on the RER line such as the electronic system indicating where you are along with future stops.

No surprise with the newer RER line a premium price tag gets attached. If you want to get form A to B on the new network in record time and modern facilities, you are expected to pay for the privilege. The tickets were €2.80 each and we were on the train for 2 stops or 6 minutes to be even more precise.

6 minutes later we exited the train and proceeded to start the ascend back to the surface. Expecting to be walking out into fresh air we were greeted with a mall. A super sized mall. By now we were flagging. We had been up early and neither of us getting a particularly good rest. We had made it to Birmingham New Street, a dart across London to catch the eurostar, a two and a half hour journey, a three mile walk and a metro ride. We were quite ready to be checking I to our hotel not walking around the shops. We must have been tired as not even Meg wanted to go browsing at this time.

If you thought the French metro was a laberinth the this mall is definitely a contender. Floor negative two we started at, we had already ascended flights upon flights and now we are on level negative two. No worries, let’s get to ground zero and get ourselves out of here. Up one escalator

And another. Floor zero. We walked from one wing of the mall to another, no exits. Something we started to realise about the French is that sign posts are nearly none existant and trying to exit somewhere is near an impossible task. Stumbling across a guard we asked for directions out the mall. He directed us to the next floor up, along with a few other directions in quick French.

Having only made out the ascend one floor, we followed a noticeable breeze to exit the mall. We were greeted by a very unusual square building and a large courtyard. Very clean, very modern. The square building you could ride an elevator to the top to give you pamaramic views of the city, perhaps something we’d get round to.

Pleased to be outside, we still has 1.2 miles to trek to our accommodation for the next couple of days. The only other public transport avaliable was a bus that would take us one stop in the general direction cutting off about 200m from the journey. Due to this fact we decided to walk the entire distance.

We would like to say the miles flew by, but this would be a lie. They dragged. When our hotel finally came into sight we were more than pleased. A slight concern we had was with the reservation. For the first time ever we had made a hotel reservation through groupon. After placing the order we merely got a notice saying, thank you for your order you don’t have to do anything else. Always a slight worry when you’re not armed with a confirmation code or email.

Preparing for the worst, we were greeted by a very pleasant receptionist. Again, perfect English and check us in with no hassle at all. He even went as far to mention that the room he had given us is quite small but does have a view of the eiffle tower. However, if we felt the room was too cramped, just pop down stairs and he would give us a lager room at the rear of the building but it wouldn’t have view. Very accommodating member of staff indeed.

Collecting our key card we took the exceptionally small lift to floor 4. The lift stated it could accommodate four people, not sure the size of these people, one can only assume it meant children as it was more than a tight squeeze for us!

The room was as stated, on the smaller size. A bed, two side tables and a bathroom. But as promised a superb view of the eiffle tower. Due to the view alone, the iconic symbol of France, we stayed with the smaller room.

View from our hotel room

It was 5pm. Having done some research previously, we were aware the louve has extended opening hours on Wednesday and Fridays. Instead of closing at the usual 6pm it is pushed back until 10pm. We agreed to give ourselves one hour to recover from the days journey and we would head back into the heart of Paris at 6pm.

A quick shower, a change of clothes and a moment to catch our breath we were ready to go. We enquired at reception if there was in fact a faster way to the metro stations that we had perhaps overlooked. The answer was no. So it was another 1.2 mile back to the station.

The station was busy. Surprisingly busy. We had gathered information to purchase a 10 ticket book to reduce the cost of the metro. First port of call to find a ticket kiosk. Turns out they all close at 6pm, which judging by how busy the station was, was a little strange.

We queued up at the service desk to ask where we could purchase tickets. Judging by the signs adorning every inch of the windows they were frequently asked to buy tickets from them. “we do not sell tickets here”, “no ticket sales” etc etc. The fact they have to put these signs up indicates that the actual ticket office shuts way to early. But we didn’t want to buy tickets from them, we wanted to know where we could buy tickets. The lady pointed us to a machine.

Only select machines accept cash and the first machine we located that did accept cash was out of tickets. We did find one and purchased a book of ten for €14,90. The tickets come in 10 individual tickets which was ideal for us as one book of ten would suit us for 5 journeys each.

Next train heading to the louvre was the M1 line and that would drop us outside the front doors.

The metro was okay, a little busy and a little slow. Each additional stop people would cram on and you’d start to question how you’d make your exit once your station appears. Finally our station rolled round and after a bit of shoving and pushing from everyone we popped out of the carriage and on to the platform.

Following the signs for “sortie” which is exit in French we arrived at the louvre. The large pyramid standing proudly in the courtyard, surrounded by the ancient building on three of the four sides. It really is a sight to behold.

We entered through the centre of the glass pyramid. A few mandatory security checks and we were in the foyer. The layout again seem to make little sense but with Meg been under 26 entrance would be free simply by showing proof of age. A nice bonus. The remaining ticket cost €15 and we were in the louvre.

The museum remind us very much of the Uffizi that we visited late last year. Very large and lots of extraordinary art work, sculptures and artifacts. The center piece is of course the Mona Lisa. We heard that the majority of the visitors to the Louvre make a b line for the famous masterpiece, spend a couple of minutes admiring it and then leave.

While we took a slightly detour route to Leonardos most recognisably work, it was high on our agenda.

The masterpieces was, as suspected surrounded by eager tourists all trying to capture a glimpse and a photo of her. Shoulder to shoulder people tried to push their way through to the front, filling sny small gap that appeared almost instantly.

The security of the mona Lisa is taken seriously. Sitting behind bullet proof glass and inside a perspex box which is resistant to vibrations along with been temperature and humidity controlled.

Two guards sat either side of the painting, presumably to prevent what happened back in 1911 with the theft of the painting or in more recent history, a Russian woman launching a mug that she had brought from the louvre gift shop.

It is said that the mona Lisa was so famous due to how her smile appears to alter depending on the angle at which you viewed the painting. Which apparently is a very unusal effect. Due to the size of the crowd, we only got to view the smile from the one perspective. Maybe next time we’re in the louvre we will stay to the left and report out findings.

The Egyptian section, which resides in the lower basement of the building, is said to be well worth a visit. Having a curiosity about the ancient Egyptians we were excited to see the collection of sarcophagus and other priceless artifacts. So down the flights of stairs we went.

True to French form, the information was lacking. It wasn’t until we rocked up at the entrance that a velvet rope and a guard informed us that the ancient Egypt section was closed today. It turned out we were not the only ones disappointed, we bumped into another couple who were just as discombobulated with the situation.

There were of course countless other relics and masterpieces throughout the louvre but we couldn’t help feel disappointed at a handful of sections been closed, in particular the Egyptian section.

A few hours of wandering the endless halls and meandering into the countless rooms, we made our exit. By this time night had rolled in and Paris was lit up.

A rare sign post pointed in the direction of the eiffle tower. With the eiffle tower, towering above all the surrounding building, it was about the only monument that didn’t require a sign and yet had one. The irony.

We followed the river seine, which runs through the heart of Paris, keeping the tower in our sights. We may have misjudged the distance between the two landmarks. It was a shade over two miles, 3.5km. So it was a good 40 minute walk between the two.

The streets were still bustling as we ate up the meters and grew ever closer to the eiffel tower. 

We ducked a left perpendicular to the river, followed by a right and there she was. In all her glory the eiffel tower stood in front of us. No more than 150m away. The clock struck the hour and the light show began. We couldn’t have timed it better. Lights jumped like fairies on the collusus steel frame from one beam to the next, the tower was sparkling from the ground to top.

We stood admiring the structure for the duration of the light show. A short 5 minute spellbounding performance that takes place on the hour. Once over, the structure remains illuminated with the classic searchlight perched at the summit imitating that of a lighthouse.

More touts than tourists were to be found around the base. Each selling identical wares. An array of small, medium and large Eiffel towers that light up. While we understand that people need to make a living it can get rather frustrating when you’re trying to get a photo or spend time together and a constant stream of “good deal, only one euro” follows you.

Walking around the perimeter, we decided to call it an evening and take the metro back to our hotel. Well as close to our hotel as we could get. We forgot we still had a two mile walk once we were off the underground and after covering 15 miles already the additional 2 felt more like 20.

Our hotel came into view and we we made our way to the fourth floor and back into our petite room overlooking the eiffel tower. Brushing our teeth, we headed off to bed ready to be up early for a fun filled day.

The following morning we made our way down to breakfast. It was located on the ground floor, just behind reception. It was sit anywhere and serve yourself buffet.

Been on the continent, it was a continental breakfast. Cold meats, baguettes, cereal and pancakes. The highlight for Meg were the pancakes. Taking the stack, Meg hoped for them to be replaced but the staff were rather lackluster with the replenishment.

Fresh juices were avaliable in the flavours of apple and orange, the orange had the nice little touch of freshly squeezing it yourself. The breakfast was more than adequate to start us up for the day, make no mistake, we would always take a cooked hot full English but for what was avaliable it was a decent breakfast.

Refuelled for the day we had planned a rather intense tour around the main sights of Paris. Taking in the arc de triumph, a walk down the Champs-Élysées to the jardin of Champs-Élysées back past the louvre to see the pyramid during the day, over to notre dame, down to the pantheon and back across to the eiffle tower. Time permitting we were also ambitious to try and squeeze the sacre coeur but via the metro system as its located slightly further afield.

Setting off from the hotel we set off for the arc. Approximately two and half mile from our accommodation. The walk was pleasant for about 95% of the way and things took a turn for the worse.

The arc de triumph came into sight and we were closing in with every step. No more than 250 meters from walking beneath the arch explosions began. Quick successions of bangs were coming from in front of us. One after another. Smoke started to rise and the explosions refused to cease. Sirens could be heard faintly and getting louder.

One of the smaller explosions

Masses of people were on the street, kitted up with gas masks and home made weapons. The yellow vest were on the protest and it wasn’t a peaceful one. Near by cars were set alight, hammers and metal poles were launched into shop windows. Atm were been ripped from the walls. It was time for us to leave.

We turned to make an exit to see another wave of protesters marching towards the epicentre. Blue lights tore through them with the sole aim of getting to the arc. Armoured vehicles with battering rams at the front and a tank for good measure rolled in. Thousands of police poured out the rear doors. Armed with shields, guns and gas masks they made a solid wall with interlocking shields.

Protests launched tear gas, debris and anything they could grab at police accompanied with a chant that seemed to be saying something about death to the police.

With the action been merely meters away the gas drifted into us. Unfortunately we hadn’t come prepared with a yellow vest or a gas mask so suffered the consequences of been gassed. Burning eyes and an uncomfortable itch at the back of your throat that you cannot shake. Memories of the volcano climb in Indonesia came flooding back to us where the high concentration of sulphur would occasionally drift into the crowds and you could do nothing other than keep low and wait for the winds to change.

Our path back was now blocked with a row of police shepherding the protesters into one area. The arc de triumph is layed out like a bike wheel, with twelve spokes coming off from it. As one path was blocked, we had another eleven attempts.

Our second attempted for escape was greeted by the loudest explosion yet. Turns out a home made ramp had been constructed and a bike drove over and exploded into one of the blockade. On to plan C. Ducking down another road police refused to let us past. We were in danger of been cattled into the protest.

The police didn’t seem to be willing to let anyone past. We tried to explain we had nothing to do with the riots but were often greeted with a raising of the shield and a move along signal with the hands. Eventually a bit of luck went out way and down one of the roads the police hadn’t quite gotten the entire street locked down. The width of a footpath was avaliable. We rushed and squeezed through the brief window and were out of the main commotion.

Looks like stop one on the agenda was off the list, along with walking down the avenue Champs-Élysées. We loaded up Google maps and found an alternate route to bring us out by the gardens. Unsurprisingly the detour was a fair bit longer than the direct route. Random streets were road blocked, causing ud to constantly alter our path. We did eventually make the gardens to be greeted with ever gate been on lock down. Nobody allowed in.

Three for three cancelled on our walking tour. As we had lost time been forced to take the lesser travelled routes we planned to make up some time by utilising the metro.

The metro stations are easy to see with a big M and a set of stairs leading down into the subway. A station can be found at pretty much every major tourist attraction and many more in-between. Spotting one close to our location, we crossed the road to access it, only to find the city metro system had been temporarily shut down. Due to protestor using it to move around the city, the police had shut it down to restrict movements. Looks like we are walking.

Zigzagging our way through side streets, trying our best to avoid yellow vest and police road blocks, we ended up back at the louvre. As it was now peak time on a Saturday, it was far busier than last night. Coach loads of people periodically turned up. We would have struggled to have gotten in if we had wanted to!

Stopping briefly to capture the museum in a different light of day we continued our walk towards the eiffle tower with the goal of walking up and admiring the views of Paris.

Having walked from the louvre to the eiffel tower the previous day we were aware a good few miles of road still lay in front off, plus the additional distance to detour to check out some of the other historic sites around the city including that of notre dame.

The miles soon ticked by and Notre Dame could be seen in the distance. Standing proudly on its little island. The street leading up to the cathedral were lined with vendors seller their wares, only marginally better than the tat been sold round the base of the eiffel tower last night! Claims of original copies been advertised for hundreds of euros with no proof other than a sticker that the vendor had placed on themselves. The benchmark of authenticity.

The footpaths were narrow enough with the stalls taking up a good half of the walkway, so any customers Succeeded in grinding the rest of the tourists to a holt. The occasional gap in the wall of vendors allowed for a couple of different angles of the majestic Notre Dame. We snapped a few shots from across the Seine and serval more once we crossed the bridge.

Slowly been dragged along in the current of tourists we ended up outside the front of the Catherdral. Definitely a sight to behold, hundreds of years of history standing before us. The secenes this place must have seen over its long life.

As with most tourist traps now, basic toilets facilities are avaliable, but at a cost. But when you’ve got to go you’ve got to go. €2 for the privilege. We spent a little time walking the perimeter and had a short rest on one of the walls located outside the front. Renovation work was taking place at the time and we were unsure if the wait to get in to see the interior would be worth it, plus the additional time we lost with the lack of metro we decided to push on to go and climb the eiffel tower.

The miles racking up we approached the tower from the opposite direction that we did the previous day. To see Notre dame we had gone further past and looped back round the opposite way. The new approach meant we approached from the garden side, arguably the side you’re suppose to come from. A run of green grass for about 400 meters and the giant metal structure dominating the middle.

About every hundred meters you could duck in to centre yourself up to get the perfect picture. We took several from all the different distances. After witnessing the tower both during the day and at night we both agreed the tower is most impressive during the night. All lit up and doing the light show. Don’t get us wrong, it’s still impressive during daylight hours but just has an extra dash of magic to it at night.

The queue was long. The queue was actually a queue just to get into the grounds. Once in the grounds then you’d have to queue for tickets and then queue to use your tickets. So really, the queue was a preliminary queue for a queue for a queue. Anyway. We queued.

The line was teaduously slow, it operated the same as airport security but without the efficiency. If you just laughed at the lack of airport efficency, then you’ll understand how slow this queue was moving. Bags and coats off, any metal into the tray and step through the scanners. But wait, there is no x-ray machine for your items you just decanted into the small grey tray. A man physically has a mooch around and manually passes the tray to another assistant to give back to you. And if you’ve bought a bag, you’ve just delayed everyone in the another 2 minutes. They have to wait for you open before prodding around with a little stick and randomly getting people to enter the contents. Throw children into the mix as well and you’ve pretty much got a stationary queue.

The only positive were the queues were split into six streams in an attempt to speed up the process. Every queue was as slow as each other but if they were all merged into one we would be looking at hours and hours just to get in.

After about an hour we were at security and our turn to go through the turnstiles. We both proceeded through them and questioned why it was taking people so long. Finally we were in. The entrance we had taken were one of two entrances into the grounds of the eiffel tower and there was only one ticket office open with four windows operational. That’s twelve queues now condensed into four. Turns out perhaps the preliminary queue outside was actually short. Scary thought.

A security lady was standing at the base of as very quiet entrance so we thought we would double check where to get tickets. The majority of people wish to take the elevators up while we were quite fancing the walk. Not only would you get to enjoy the views for longer, its far healthier and not to mention cheaper. Only a couple of euros, but its still cheaper.

It was at this point we were informed that there was a marathon taking place on the stairs. Some sort of special event they do each year where people run up and down a copious amount of stairs. Due to this event, no public access. Closed. Not the best piece of news we had today. We continued our conversation with the lady who also happened to inform us they are only operating one of the lifts. Final nail.

To obtain a ticket for the lifts, which is not the way we wished to ascend, would take at least an hour and the queue which was snaking round the base would take between 3-4hrs. This was ridiculous. Looking at between 4-6hrs to get to the first level of the eiffel tower. We sat down to discuss a plan of action.

We concluded that although not ideal we would leave the ascent of the tower this time. Being in the very fortunate position of living just 3 – 4hrs from the centre of Paris we will have another opportunity to climb the magnificent beast. And when we do climb the tower, it will be via our preferred method of the stairs.

Slightly dejected from the news we spent some time underneath the structure, walked around and had a browse in the only gift shop on site. The gift shop was selling identical wares to the Nigerians outside. Obviously the gift shops usp was “authentic” which in French obviously means 15x the price. The small statue of the eiffle tower was been priced at 15 euro. No wonder the street sellers do so well with prices like these!

The exit was a lot more streamlined than the entrance. Masses of large revolving doors. We were unfortunate enough to get stuck behind a coach load of kids, presumably on a school outing. A one in ten chance and the sub group of kids we ended up behind for one of the exits turned out to think he was the class clown.

The one child decided not to exit the revolving door when avaliable. These doors move slow, you have about 30 seconds to exit. He made the active choice not to leave but to remain. As the opportunity for him to leave disappeared we were in the next compartment waiting to step out. And then the entire door stopped. Turns out they have a mechanism built in that if anyone decides to be funny and stay in the revolving doors it will stop. Which makes perfect sense otherwise people could bypass the fun security queue.

Our door was now stuck. The clown in one compartment, who was not laughing any more and us in the next compartment waiting to leave. When this happens you just have to wait for a guard to turn up to assess the situation and reverse the doors. You could see by the unimpressed look on the guards face this happens all to regularly.

Finally out, we still wanted to see a few more sights around Paris. The only thing going agaist is was the time. We made our way to the pantheon and had to make a call whether to try to get to sacre coeur or head back to the hotel. By this stage we were only about 3-4 mile from our hotel so should be able to walk it within the hour and as the light started to fail that was our decision.

Our legs were showing signs of slowing down. We had been on them all day and covered some serious ground. So near the end of our journey when the bright red lights could be seen in the distance and the words pizza hut scribbled across them, we were sold. Pizza for dinner.

Two medium pizza, two sides and a 1 litre bottle of coke, €30. Definitely a little on the high side and that was their big promotion. According to the poster that combination would normally set you back €46 so apparently we got a bargain.

Pizzas in hand, our hotel room was calling. The pizza hut was merely 200, 300 yards from our hotel. We are never sure if you can consume take aways in the hotel or whether or not its frowned upon, so taking no risks we consealed our dinner and made our way up to floor 4.

Pizzas open on the bed, megs phone buzzed. A text message. It was off eurostar. “we are sorry to inform you that your 11am train tomorrow morning has been cancelled, sorry for the inconvenience”. We had to check the date.

It wasn’t April. This was an actual text off eurostar. What an unbelievable joke. Cancelling a train with less than a days notice and merely apologising and giving no form of an alterative.

We both were due back at work Monday morning so needed to get back. We had approximately 2-3hrs to sort a route back home. No problem we thought, we’ll just book a flight. Eurostar had obviously sent this message to thousands of people as flights were expensive. £300pp plus luggage was the cheapest going and that was at 5am in the morning. The prices continued rising for the more reasonable timed flights.

Reading the terms and conditions that eurostar sent us for eliminating our transport home stated they’d reimburst for their tickets (how kind reimbursing the tickets they cancelled) and will examine each case individually for any additional costs incurred. Loosely translated as unless you’re important we ain’t reimbursing you for anything! So we couldn’t take the risk of paying over £700 for the cheapest flights without the guarantee of getting it back. We needed a plan B. Perhaps even a C and D.

Understandably we were both annoyed how eurostar had essentially left everyone stranded without a care in the world. It seems to be the case these days, that as long as you’re a big company the little man at the bottom matters very little. So a trip that had been planned, organised and paid for has now been thrown into disarray with an additional cost on top.

Planning began. Coaches, buses, trains, taxis, car rentals, flights from across France were all looked at. Even flights from neighbouring countries in case it was cheaper to make a 6 hr detour into Germany. Hours ticked by and we had a resemblance of a plan. With the potential of others following suit we had to take the calculated risk and purchase the tickets in advance dispite some pretty close transfer times.

1am in the morning, time to get some sleep. We need to be out the hotel by 7:05am.

It felt like we had barely shut our eyes and are alarms were going off. Poor quality of sleep, probably due to the stress of the evening before along with the anticipation of hoping today runs smoothly. We threw on some old comfortable clothes, brushed our teeth, packed the last items of luggage and slung our bags on our backs, here goes nothing.

We went down to reception to check out and grab breakfast on the go. The hotels breakfast ran from 7am-10am, which is why we set our departure at 7:05am so we could grab a couple of croissants and bread rolls to tide us over for the morning. Just so happened this morning breakfast had been pushed back to 8am so they were extending breakfast to be 8-11 instead of 7-10am. Not a great start. Looks like we’re going hungry.

A light drizzle was in the air and we had almost 2 miles to the metro. Our legs were heavy from the previous two days of long walking. The distance seemed like a slog with the weather, the tiredness and our bags. We were pleased when the metro came into sight.

Down the never ending stairs and towards line 1. We had hardly used any of the book of 10 tickets we purchased due to the closure of the underground system yesterday. We placed our ticket in and received, ticket rejected. Meg tried one, John tried one and the same message was appearing for the tickets we were trying. Not what we needed.

Scanning around the sparsely populated Station, a sign said information with a teller in. One person in front of us in the queue, at least its a better queue than the eiffel tower. We waited our turn and explained to the lady that these tickets we purchase yesterday are not working. She took all our remaining tickets and put them through her machine. She informed us that these tickets were not valid, she pointed to one of the two small piles she had created in front of her and the others were okay. The reject pile was all but two of the tickets. This was not right.

We explained the situation yesterday and the fact we only bought the pack of 10 literally a day or two ago. After a broken conversation she agreed to reactive the invalid tickets for us. Honestly we just wanted another set of valid tickets incase we ran in to further problems down the line when time is really of the essence. Actually, what is the time. Our train is due to leave in 8 minutes.

Recall us saying that at least the queue wasn’t as bad as the eiffel tower. Well it was slowly becoming a contender. The operator must have sensed we were in rather a hurry. Probably by the glance at his watch John did to check the time. All of a sudden she seemed to slow down. She informed us she would print new tickets instead. Taking each invalid ticket she placed a red Cross through then and manually recored each ones number on a clip board. Watching someone write out a multiple digit number when youre in some what of a rush is painful. The attendant did this for six tickets, six. A queue had formed behind us and you could sense they were getting disgruntled as well. The new tickets finally began to print.

With new tickets in hand we bounded for metro line 1. Tickets in. Green light. Go. Go. Go. Down and down we went. Been one of the terminuses the train was already in station with the doors open. We slipped in with another gentleman about a minute behind who was in the queue behind us. The other unfortunate souls missed this departure, but for us we were on it.

To get to gard de nord we would require to switch lines about half way through and would be dropped about 300m from Paris’s international train station. After about 9 stops, which felt like way to long, we exited our first train and made our way to our second metro link. We started at a brisk walk to the next platform which upgraded to a jog and then a run ad we watched other passengers in rather a hurry heading past us. Chances are that the individuals on the metro at this time are local commuters and known the timings far better than we do, so if their running, we’re running.

You can imagine a race commentator in a rather pacey voice giving an overview of the transfer “Aaaaaand their off, John and Meg towards the rear of the pack after a great start out the traps the other contenders have over taken, but what’s this, a late sprint finish from Meg and John sees them making up lost ground”

We made our connection. We were in the last little group of four or five to make the closing of the door. The shutting beeps started as we dived through the doors and they shut just seconds afterwards. The metro trains run every 4-7 minutes but we didn’t have that sort of time to play with after the breakfast saga and the ticket issue.

We recovered our breath on the train and anxiously kept clock watching. Estimated 25 minute metro ride plus a 300m walk and our tain is set to leave in 34 minutes to calais. Each station the train pulled up to you hoped it was quite so no delays would incur. Finally a little luck on out side, a smooth journey within Paris.

We left the train, and made our way into the street looking for the station. The station was in sight and we left hot footed towards it. Pretty sure we lapped Roger bannister. We ended up entering the station via the taxi exit and scanning the board for our platform number. Number 18. Where were we. Platform 1. Approx 4 minutes til departure. Time to run again. Platform numbers ticked by, 1, 5, 9, 14, 17 and there’s us, platform 18.

We had downloaded our e tickets onto megs phone the night before as we didn’t have the facility to be printing them. We loaded the tickets up and got the bar code ready. Placed the phone on the gate scanner and nothing. We tried again and again nothing. Turns out the new iPhone update, turns you phone into your debit card for apple pay when you turn it upside down. A little novelty trait that’s suppose to make life convenient was currently making it rather inconvenient.

Approx 2 minutes til departure. A guard must have seen our obvious struggles and trundled towards us.Wielding a scanning gun in hand, he must have seen this before. We exchange words briefly and he scanned megs phone. Carriage one. The train consisted of 26 carriages. We were currently standing at carriage 26. Let us tell you that when you’ve got 60 seconds , those carriages are long. Running down platform 18 john tells Meg that if we run out of time just jump into the nearest door way and we’d make the remainder of the journey to put seats via the interior of the train.

We made our carriage. That or the guard was good enough to delay the train a few seconds as boarded because as soon as we were on, the train was in motion. Trains in Paris, like much of Europe are two tired. We were sitting in the top half. Just a set of stairs to deal with while moving and our seats to locate before we could relax for the journey ahead.

Panting as we placed our rucksacks in the overhead racking the couple opposite us said “eurostar”. They turned out to be English and in the same predicament as ourselves. We had a small chat and discovered they were in fact from just outside Dover, so a ferry wasn’t the worst option for them. We settled down for the hour and a half journey.

Unbeknown to us. The calais train stop is actually a 15 minute drive from the center. In fact, the other couple on the train were also unaware of this fact. We exited the train as instructed and made our way outside the station. Middle-of-the-nowhere. We spotted a van in the carpark stating calais centre printed on an A4 piece of paper. That’ll do.

We discussed with the driver, two euro fifty per person and got ready to jump in when our friends from the train appeared and asked how we are getting into the centre. Explaining that we were just about to jump in the back of this van, they seemed a little hesitant. Repeating “this van”. Reluctantly they followed us.

The van turned out to be legit and dropped us in the town centre. We had booked on a ferry for two hours time. Each ferry required yiu to check in an hour early for passport control and security checks and would have been cutting it too close to get the earlier ferry. The extra hour didn’t faze us and gave us time to locate food, seems that we hadn’t eaten since the previous evening.

Craving some hot food we meandered round some of the cafe but the continental breakfast options were poor at best. We eventually stumbled on a medium sized supermarket where we picked up some croissants, sandwiches, crisps and drinks. We added a few extra pieces for the ferry ride and subsequent travel ahead.

Sitting down outside the shop on a concrete slab a local lady walked past and said something in French before laughing and walking off. We assumed it was something along the lines of how homeless we looked. No sleep, already a long journry, all our belongings with us and starving hungry. Past the point of caring we dug into the food we just purchased.

Finally feeling full, we picked up all our bags and began the mile or so walking to the port. The foot passenger entrance is a little difficult to spot. It was meg who located what looked like a security gate with a pin pad on that was actually open and intended for passengers. We tentatively pushed it open and followed it up and round when we ended up in the ferry terminal.

We did the formalities and were told to wait for boarding. Not too long passed, when a lady popped up and asked the small group that had now congregated to follow her. We were ushered onto a small bus and driven the short distance to passport control. Passport control was fairly smooth, but an unfortunate couple ahead of us were rejected boarding for some unknown reason. All we heard the security guard say was “we don’t just let anybody in”.

Boarding back onto the little bus we made the final short drive to the ferry where we disembarked and boarded. The foot passengers were first on the boat, so we picked prime positions in the cafeteria next to the window and a booth. We treated ourselves to a hot chocolate or two and waited to leave Port.

We watched the final few vehicles been directed on and were on our way. Right on time.

Somewhere on the calm seas, we manged to lose 45 minutes putting us perilously close to missing our onward travel the other end. We had an hour to play with if the crossing was smooth but had now lost 45 minutes of that for some unknown reason. The white cliffs of Dover came into focus and a relaxing journey was turning into another stressful one. 45 minutes pulling in to port and to add insult to injury they appeared to have forgotten about the foot passengers and unloaded all the vehicles before even lowering the bridge for us.

The good news was that the bus was already waiting to take us to the ferry terminal. The not so good news, due to our late arrival in the docks another ferry had pulled in ahead of us and was already in the process of unloading. This mean would could not move until the ferry had completely offloaded. We watched the seconds tick away.

The last few wagons left and we made the ferry terminal with about 8 minutes until our train was due to leave from Dover prior to London St Pancras. Exiting the bus at the same time as ourselves was a couple from Ashford. We found this out during our taxi share with them.

As we stepped off the bus, two ferry loads of people were exiting at the same time and just 3 taxis were in the rank. The guy next to us said to his partner run like the wind and sent him off in the direction of the last few taxis. At this point John enquired to the slower of the two guys whether they were heading to Dover prior and if so may we taxi share. The answer to both was yes. With the guy doing the hard work of sprinting to the taxi we all piled in. 6 minutes.

All four of us explaining to the taxi driver out train departs in 6 minutes, can we make it the 2 mile to the station. The driver rather calmly said of course. That was about the only calm thing about that journey. The driver floored it. Leaving rubber marks on the tarmac we pulled in with just over 60 seconds. The two guys only had access to euros at the time as their sterling was in there larger cases so John covered the cost of the taxi.

All four of us raced into the train and took up seat on either end of the carriage. We pulled out shortly after. A few minutes passed and one of the guys who we shared a taxi with came and found us and gave us there half of the money for the taxi. Although we said it wasn’t a problem, he insisted and said we’re all in thr same situation. So that was very kind of the guy.

This leg of the journey happened to be the shortest, yet the most expensive as we were riding high speed rail one. Just over an hour passed and the announcement was played for London St Pancras.

We disembarked and proceeded to make the 12 minute walk from St Pancras to Euston. We arrived at Euston with twenty four minutes to spare. You heard that right, a whole twenty four minutes early. A big change to the 30 seconds we had been accustomed to today.

A slow walk to the assigned platform and the train was already in. You could sit anywhere in the front four carriages for destinations past Northampton. It’s surprising how many people struggle to follow this direction. As we arrive in Northampton people flock in their droves into our carriages, leaving some standing in the corridor.

The train ride was close to two and a half hours. We disembarked at Birmingham International and had a lift arranged to take us home. After 14 1/2hrs in transit we were finally home. An eventful weekend to say the least. Next stop Croatia.

Italy

Our trip started early. Alarms set for 6.00am on the 17th November and By 7am we were on our way to Birmingham airport.

The flight was as expected when choosing Ryanair. No frills, but low prices. Ryanair had in fact just changed their baggage policy. All passengers are allowed to bring a small bag (think the size of a medium sized ladies handbag) for free and if you wish to take a larger rucksack or wheely case then priority must be purchased for an additional cost prior to the flight.

As we were only taking hand luggage in order to eliminate the waiting around time for the baggage carousel, we opted for the priority pass.

Security was swift and the usual mundane mandatory waiting around in over priced airport. Then the charge for the gate begun once the flight number was announced “Ryanair flight to Verona”.

The boarding queue was theoretically split into two lines. One for non priority and one for priority. No surprise with the new baggage allowance the priority queue was twice the size of the standard queue. What was rather worrying was the amount of people in the non priority queue that appeared to be transporting rather large cases and rucksacks.

There appeared to be little advantage to paying the extra cash for priority. Both lines were processed at the same time, meaning that actually the non-priority boarded well before half the priority passengers and very little notice was taken by the staff at the large cases that were making their way onto the aircraft.

By the time we made it onto the plane and managed to secure our bag in the overhead compartment a stewardess removed johns bag and informed him that it would have to go under his seat in front of him, eliminating all foot room and pretty much voiding any reason at all for paying the premium price. Rather annoying!!

We were sat several rows apart, meg located more towards the rear of the plane and John a couple of rows ahead. The flight itself was pretty smooth and only marginally late arriving.

The only issue was about ten minutes prior to landing a young child sat adjacent to meg decided he couldn’t contain his breakfast. Aged about 10 years old he promptly brought the morning meal back up all over his dads suitcase and causing a large spattering of vomit across the three seats. As we were already in decent there wasn’t a great deal that could be done besides a few napkins handed out and waiting to land.

With the smell of vomit filling the plane, the pilot brought us down safely. Everyone disembarked the aircraft and was filed onto a small bus to transfer us approximately 20 meters to the terminal.

The usual chaos ensued. Everybody desperately trying to gain extra places in the queue so they can all go and wait at the baggage collection first?? The system at Verona border control was lacklustre to put it politely. Over an hour to get one plane load of people through seemed a little excessive.

The airport was equipped with the new automatic passport gates. The ones where you scan your passport yourself, step through the gates, have a scan and then on your way. Unfortunately due to the poor signposting passengers without the microchip capability were accessing the self check out and causing further delays as they couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working.

Once the passengers had finally been filtered out, John went through the gates with no issues. Quick scan of the passport and through. Unfortunately meg managed to get through the first set of automatic gates but then the machine refused to recognise her. Leaving meg trapped in between two little doors. Unable to go forwards or backwards. We had to wait for one of the border control officers to finish with the other passengers before pressing a button to let meg escape her little prison.

Finally through all the security checks. We headed for he buses. Again not great with the sign postage. We figured where we had to be and began queuing. It was only when we spotted someone with a ticket we asked if we required a ticket before boarding, to which the answer was yes.

Back into the terminal we went. Looking around we managed to locate the bus ticket machine. If we thought the security checks were slow, We think this ticket machine was running on a hamster in a wheel. Not to mention it only give a maximum of 1 euro change, resulting in is having to process the tickets individually rather than together.

Tickets in hand we headed back to join the queue for the bus. Running approximately every twenty minutes, it was the shortest we had to wait all day. We witnessed several people getting rejected from the bus due to a lack of a ticket, so we were pleased we had figured this out before this happened to us.

The tickets were rather overpriced and the trip itself takes about 15 minutes. The airport is only located about 4-5 mile outside of Verona with one drop off which was outside the train station.

The drop of location was ideal for ourselves as we would be using the train later that day to get us to Milan. By starting our day at the train station not only could we get our tickets sorted but also knew where we were heading when it was time to depart.

By now the time was 1:30pm local time (we had lost an hour as Italy is an hour in front of the UK time) but still with plenty of time to explore he city and be back to catch our 2hr train to Milan at 18:00.

One of the main attractions of Verona is the fact it is the setting of a rather famous Shakespeare play. That of Romeo & Juliet. So with a personal invitation from Juliet herself we went off to visit the famous balcony.

The balcony is located down a small alley that has been inscribed by many of loved up couples signatures. Following down the alley opens up into a small courtyard, greeted by a statue of Juliet and the balcony in the far right corner.

Juliet’s balcony

Apparently it’s good luck to touch Juliet’s breast!

A selfie in front of signatures left by tourists

Unsurprisingly, space was at a premium. We managed to locate ourselves on a couple of steps opposite the balcony and grab a few snaps before joining the queue to touch the bronze statue. Touching the bronze statue of Juliette is said to bring good luck so couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The rest of the day was spent wondering the ancient streets of Verona, including walking around what we assumed to be an old fortress located on the river.

A few snaps from our walk around the river

Racking up over 11 miles we had a pit stop at a McDonald’s. A common theme throughout Italy is the total lack of public toilets, and if you do happen to find some, expect to be paying between €1-€2 per person. This is a rather annoying cost as the toilets are poorly kept and leaves you wondering what the extra tourist tax the Italian government has imposed is actually covering?

At least this meant the advantage of having a quick bite to eat at McDonald’s was the use of their toilet. Once you had purchased your food there would be an access code at the bottom of the receipt which you then use to enter the bathrooms. Normally even in fast food restaurants the toilets are kept to a fairly high standard. Not here. Locks that don’t work, no toilet seat, no toilet paper and a flasher handle half hanging off with urine pretty much everywhere except in the actual toilet bowl. The less time we spent in there the better!

Refuelled, we headed back to the train station and it wasn’t long before we were on our train and heading towards Milano.

The trains were good. Large seats, comfortable, charging points and little bins at each set of chairs to keep the carriages clean. Unsurprisingly meg fell asleep for two hours and woke up with the announcement we were pulling into Milan.

The central station in Milan was comparable to that of central in New York. The multi stories and layout echoed the same vibes we had experienced a few months back in America. Very lively, lots going on, people rushing about their day to day business.

We disembarked the train and headed for the tram. We actually ended up working about another mile to catch the tram and only realised later we could have caught the metro from central station to the tram stop.

As we arrived on a Saturday evening about 8pm we were expecting it to be a little more lively on the main streets. During our brief walk to the tram we only saw a handful of restaurant open with a handful of patrons eating. But non the less it was still an enjoyable stroll around the city at night.

Hoping on to tram number 11, it stops about 10 meters outside our hotel, Hotel Raffaello.

The short walk was much appreciated after knocking up over 12 miles for the day. We handed our passports in for scanning, signed for the room key and made our way to our room located on the 3rd floor.

The lift was cozy and sort of reminded us of the tower of terror. No more than two people could possibly fit and the lift would bypass the requested floor by about 6 inches and have a sudden drop to compensate. Rather unnerving the first time when it’s so unexpected!

The hotel itself was gorgeous and the staff were very friendly with a good understanding of English. Our room was a large double with a king size bed and a modern en-suite bathroom.

A free iPhone to make calls and use the internet.

One of megs favourite parts of the hotel was the shower. Very modern and with about 25 functions. It wouldn’t be out of place in Japan. A particular favourite was the steam room option, where the shower boils water and emulates a steam room. There were also options for a “Scottish shower” which turned out to be extremely cold jets of water from the ceiling and a spray booth option which lightly dusted you in a mist of water. The shower also came equipped with a built in radio and light mooding which alternated between five colours.

After a wonderful nights sleep we had breakfast included which surpassed our expectations. A selection of hot & cold foods. Bacon, sausage, toast, fried egg, scrambled egg plus an array of cold foods such as cereals, ham, cheese and even cakes and croissants. The freshly squeezed orange juice and thick hot chocolate were a particularly nice touch as well!!

Well fed, we both went up for seconds, we headed into the heart of Milan and to the Duomo.

The Duomo is a sight to behold. Taking over 600 years to construct the sheer size and the level of detail is impressive. The entrance fee is extremely reasonable being only €3 but the queue was almost lapping the cathedral. The impressive Milan Duomo

Located next to the Duomo is a gelato counter. The artistry in the ice cream was worth buying a cone alone. You select three flavours and then watch the masterpiece been put together. John opted for chocolate, hazelnut and caramel while meg went for pistachio, chocolate chip and hazelnut.

Ice cream flowers!

After admiring the Duomo we moved a little further out using the metro and went to visit the canals. The canals were originally designed by non other then Leonardo da Vinci and apparently most of the city was connected via a canal system but as time progressed roads were built over them.

It was a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. With the sun shining many, including ourself, enjoyed a picnic with the ample seating dotted around. Finishing up lunch we opted to walk along the canals and find our own way back into the city centre.

Canal designed by Leonardo

Milano been at the forefront of the fashion world many unique outfits were been advertised in the abundant designer shops. If you can name the brand, it was in Milan and with the price tag to match. Gucci, Prada, Tiffany’s to make a few.

We took part in some window shopping as we walked through the arcade adjacent to the Duomo. I’m not sure how a patchwork tracksuit is fashion let alone worth €1,200, but then again living out of a backpack so what would we know.Designer shopping centre by The Duomo

Sforza Castle

A meal out for the Birthday Boy!

The Arch of Peace – Porta Sempione

Sforza Castle

L.O.V.E – The middle finger statue

After checking out a few more tourist spots we headed back to our hotel. We ended up falling asleep by 7pm and waking up 11 hours later!

Filling up on the equally impressive breakfast as the day before, we checked out and headed back to the main train terminal to catch our afternoon train to Pisa. The scheduled time was just over a four hour journey.

The train wasn’t quite the same standard as the one we rode on earlier in the trip, but still of good quality and comfortable. This time we were sharing a small table with two others. We both got a window seat opposite each other but as the sunsets around 5pm and nothing but darkness can be seen, there wasn’t much of an advantage.

The people sitting next to us rotated round every few stops. It appeared we were one of the only few who were on the train for the long haul. A couple of the more memorable characters was a slightly older lady and gentleman, probably in their 50s who somehow managed to maintain a conversation for almost two hours without a single breath. This wouldn’t have been too much of an issue if their breath didn’t wreak of stale coffee and cigarette, which turns out to be the staple of the Italian diet.

One other lady of note was of an older generation, knocking on he door of 70 if not past. Who despite not breaking the 5ft mark appeared to take up the entire two seats with John pinned to the window. She leant on the centre divide and craned over to read her book in the most unusual position. At least she was comfortable, John certainly was not.

The stops passed by and the terrain slowly became empty. By the final stage it was just us and a couple of others who would be departing. It didn’t help that the train journey was scheduled to be just over 4hrs and ended up been five and a half.

Pisa was a lovely little quaint town. Walkable from one end to the other in no more than half an hour. This also meant our walk from the train station to our Airbnb apartment didn’t take any more than ten minutes.

The host greeted us very pleasantly and guided us to the apartment. All the buildings have an old charm about them. We passed through a hall way and into a courtyard and finally into our apartment. Our host supplied a little breakfast basket and gave us a few local tips on places to eat and visit.

As the time was already closing in on 10pm, we soon turned into bed ready to be up early the following morning to go and visit the famous leaning tower.

Enjoying the breakfast left by our host, we didn’t hang around too long. We packed up our stuff and was on our way. As we were already in the heart of Pisa it was only another 10-12 minutes before we were in the grounds of the tower.

Originally designed to be a bell tower the foundations began to sink which gives the tower its iconic lean. It has since been re-stabilised but maintains its classic pose. We obviously joined in with the standard tower pictures, acting as if we were pushing the tower over.

Due to how renown the tower has become, the other buildings on site appear to get overlooked but are just as impressive. Thanks to our host we were informed that it is possible to climb the old wall that surrounded the city of Pisa between the two forts on the river.

Walking along the old wall

If it wasn’t for this local piece of knowledge it would have been impossible to tell or find the fact that you can walk along the wall around the city. We were armed with the information and still spent 30 to 40 minutes trying to locate it. We asked at information that couldn’t give concise directions along with a few other random shop owners who appeared to have no clue, that or they didn’t want to help.

Finally venturing into a remote part of the grounds. The far, far top left hand corner, over some grass which looks like you’re not allowed to tread on, round the corner of a building is a walled tower with a very small door. That was the entrance. No signpost, no signs. But we found it!!

There was a €3 price tag attached to the walk, but was well worth it. Not a single other person was on the wall and we had a unique overview of the tower and other constructions on the grounds.

The wall stretched out in one direction, so we followed it. And followed it. And followed it. Mile after mile ticked by. The wall was far longer than either of us had anticipated. The went through a few strange places, like through a university but seeing the change of scenery made the distance past quickly.

Oddly enough, after about two and a half mile of seeing no one, we came across a young girl sat in a chair. It was obvious she worked for the group that the leaning tower fell under by the attire she was wearing. Her entire job was to tell you to take the next left to continue along the wall.

The wall stretched around the entire perimeter of the ancient city and we walked it all. We were a little upset when the wall ran out and we descended down a modern wooden tower. But we crossed back over the river and headed to go and find some lunch.

As we hadn’t tried any original Italian dishes we were eager to try some spaghetti. We decided on a small restaurant and was invited inside to have a seat.

We browsed the menu and both opted for the tagliatelle and shared a 1 litre bottle of water. The dishes were okay and maybe that is been generous. The portion sizes were laughable as it would struggle to fill a child up and the cheese to accompany the dish was served in 10g packet.

When we wrapped up the meal, which didn’t take long the cost was £25. Turns out we had also been charged for sitting inside, we were surprised not see a charge for the air we were breathing. It was a little steep for two spoons of pasta and a glass of water.

Our first taste of Italian Spaghetti

Before long it was time to board our 1:15pm train from Pisa heading to Florence, where we would be spending the next 3 nights. The journey was a short hop, with us pulling into the station at 2pm. Once again we collected all our belongings together and headed towards our accommodation for the evening.

The apartment was a little disappointing. The photos displayed on the web were definitely showing the place in its best light. It was a lot more dated than the pictures would have you believe, a tad on the cold side and not really a warm atmosphere about the place. It was sparsely decorated with only the bare essentials. On the positive side we had the entire place to ourselves and an ideal location. 10 minutes from the centre of Florence and 5 minutes from a local supermarket.

As we had arrived early in the afternoon we capitalised on the extra time and made our way up to the Michelangiolo plaza which gave stunning panoramic views of the city.

As it happens we were situated on one side of Florence with the view point been located on totally the opposite side. This equates to about a 2 mile one way trip with the last 500 meters been a steep uphill incline and stairs. But the effort is most certainly worth it when greeted with the views over the city. Unfortunately, with the overcast weather we didn’t quite get to see a spectacular sunset, but still incredible and the extremely pleased with what we did get to see.

With the weather threatening to become even worse, we called it an evening and made the trek back to our apartment. We added in a slight detour, pit stopping at the local supermarket to grab some food for the evening along with breakfast ready for tomorrow

Returning back to our apartment we were reminded that it was a little on the grim side. Located three floors up a smell of stagnant water filled the stairwell. This unpleasant odour would not be leaving for the duration of our stay!

The heating was theoretically on a timer. The most peculiar timer. It appeared to be off for pretty much all of the day, resulting in waking up in a rather chilly room and always seemed to be off when we arrived home on the evenings. The only time it did kick in was about midnight and would roast you alive.

The following day we woke up from the sauna sleep and took a walk out to see Florence’s Duomo. Just as impressive as Milan’s cathedral. The red dome really stands out among the Florence backdrop as we found out At Michelangiolo plaza.

Florence Duomo

The street beggars and touts circled the periphery’s of the ancient structure, attempting to place bracelets on your wrists for “free”. Even a stern “no” was sometime hard to discourage them from continuing to trying to flog you some tat.

Admiring the detail and architecture of the Cathedral, while keeping a close eye on any valuables we finished up walking round and headed to the most famous museum in Florence. The Uffizi.

As we are in low season, (difficult to tell with the amount of crowds) the museum Uffizi operates on a two season ticket banding. High season €20 and low season €12. This might have been the first year they are trialing the different price brackets, but worked out nicely for ourselves.

Due to the value of art housed in the Uffizi, security is that of an airport. No liquids, all coats, belts and jewellery off to be x-rayed on a conveyor belt, step through a metal detector and no bags allowed. Bags were to be stored at the cloakroom, where you received a tag to collect your belongings later.

The museum was large. Three large floors of spectacular art work and statues. One of the largest exhibitions was of a modern Chinese artist, GUI Xiang. All his art work was created with the use of gun powers and setting them alight. Maybe it was the smell of the gun powered but there was most certainly a funky smell in the five rooms dedicated to Xiangs work.

Probably the most famous piece of worked housed in the Uffizi is that of Botticelli. In particular, The birth of Venus. Having seen the painting both in books and on tv it was quite something to see it in person. Luckily we didn’t suffer from Stendhal Syndrome.

Unfortunately, the Uffizi doesn’t host the statue of David. That honour belongs to university in Florence. The statue used to be in a public space for all to see, but was relocated to protect it from pigeon droppings. Unfortunately they also added a price tag, so we looked at the replica on the street and gave David a miss for another time.

Our final day in Florence was short but sweet as we had to catch our Flix bus at 1.05pm to Venice (€12 per person). Think megabus for the UK. We did attempt to go and walk around gardens but apparently they were reserved for he guest of the four season hotel. Sorry for being poor.

The coach journey was about 4hrs, with a pit stop about half way through. Due to some sort of regulations, no passengers can stay on the bus without the driver present so everyone had to disembark.

The service station operated a one way system, so as soon as you entered you were swept along. A similar process to that of Ikea. Through the gift shop, through the cafe, through the restaurant, down the stairs, through the supermarket and out. Better hope you didn’t forget to pick anything up at the start.

We were surprised at the amount of business the services were doing. The prices seem to reflect that of post war Germany. £5 for a bar of chocolate. Luckily we had already stocked up on a few snacks before we departed Florence.

The coach dropped us much closer to our next apartment than we were anticipating. Venice is now split into two parts. The island, which is what everyone classed as Venice and the mainland. The mainland is connect to Venice by about a 4km bridge, called liberty bridge. We heard the bridge was commissioned and opened by Mussolini.

For our stay we would be residing on the main land. For the primary reason of the cost, and would commute across via the local transport for about €1.50pp.

The vast majority of venetian now live on the mainland. The popularity of Venice have caused house prices to become unrealistic for the average person so now live across the river. From what we understand from talking to the locals one meter square in Venice is worth about £80,000. I don’t think we could even afford to be homeless in Venice for then prices!

When booking the tickets for the Flixbus the final destination was indicated to be on the island of Venice. This was no real concern as it would have just meant jumping on a bus back across the river. However, as luck would have it, the bus also makes a stop at the mainland. Stopping about 100m from a supermarket and an 8 minute walk to our apartment!! Wins all round!!

We grabbed the necessities from the store and made he short stroll to the apartment. Our host was there to greet us and gave us a tour of the place. Much nicer than the Florence stay but just as cold.

The electricity in the place was comparable to that of an hotel. You have to put a card in the slot to have any sort of power and once removed everything switches off after about a minute.

Once the tour had finished, we were informed to drop the keys in the letterbox with no name on check out and given some local tips about busses and Venice which were much appreciated. The host did hesitate a little on his way out, everyone having said their goodbyes he sort of loitered in the hall way and we were unsure whether to be like “okay, bye”, kicking him out of his apartment. We didn’t, we just waited the extra minute or two for him to depart.

The following day we took up the local advice given to us the day before and purchased a 24 hour travel card for €20 euro each. This would give us access to both buses and water taxi as many times as we like within the 24hr period.

If we had managed to do a little more research we could have actually gotten a three day pass for busses and boats for only €22 each as Venice operate a youth card for those aged 16-29. That’s right, all the way up to 29. John was pleased to still fall under the youth category. But unfortunately we came across this information too late.

Anyway, with our 24hr passes in hand we thought it was most beneficial to utilise the ferries. A one way cost on a ferry is €7.50 so you can really see the saving in the €20 card.

One of our first trips was take a ferry all the way down the grand canal. The grand canal is largest canal in Venice and meanders it’s way all the way through the city. It turned out we stepped on board the express ferry so only made the two stops. One at the beginning of the canal and one at the end. We were even lucky enough to secure two seats outside be boat to enjoy the view.

Venice was suffering with high tides during our stay and because of this factor, some ferries couldn’t operate the set route. The tides were so high in fact, that special raises platforms were been rolled out across he city as the water overflowed the banks around the town.

Flooded Venice!

The changes to the ferry schedule didn’t overly concern ourselves. We were quite happy jumping on and off any ferry and enjoying the views. Despite been low season, we only managed to get a seat on a Ferry once. The rest of the time we were confined to standing and in one instance we were in the luggage hold!

Pictures from exploring Venice

With Venice been made up of over 100 islands one of the more famous ones is that of Murano. Famed for it glass. If you want to buy Murano glass, word of advice, don’t buy it from Murano. The prices are super inflated and much cheaper on the mainland.

One of many glass shops

The trip over to the island of Murano turned out to be a little awkward. As mention before due to high tides, the main ferry which transported passengers from the primarily hub to Murano was not operating. This meant you had to get to the other side of Venice and then catch a ferry that was going across the straight.

A couple of ferries and some walking later we reached the opposite side of Venice and could see Murano just a stone throw across the straight. We waited patiently for the ferry that would transport us across the water and right on cue it turned up. Boarding the ferry we were on our way.

The island of Murano was getting smaller. We had boarded the ferry going back to where we had just come from. Anyone that has been to Venice will tell you that the sign postage is rather lacking or confusing.

To give you an idea, you use the same boarding area for travelling both ways and in busier areas they have piers called A,B,C,D etc all with the same boat numbers arriving and departing but going different ways. Very strange. We were glad we were not the only lines struggling as we saw plenty for tourists confused by the layout.

An Asian couple were ahead of us trying to board the same ferry we were also heading towards. Numbers match, time tables matched, pier D, all seemed well. As they went to board, the captain asked what they were doing and that actually we are suppose to get the boat from B and not D. Very confusing.

Having to do a switch of boats we eventually landed on the shores of Murano. A very peaceful section of Venice. We spent time wondering the streets and admiring all the glass works. We must have walked past over 100 shops all selling slightly different varieties of coloured glass.

The next day we had booked onto a €85 private gondola ride with a lesson in riding the boat lasting 90 minutes. Our air BnB host had recommended this group, Row Venice instead of the standard half hour gondola ride you get for €80.

Reading trip advisor reviews the standard gondola ride can be very hit or miss, with more than a fair share giving 1 star reviews. Complaints about gondoliers just talking among themselves, chain smoking and on mobile phones, with a common census of rides lasting between 20-25 minutes rather than the 30.

The operators state that the time begins once your foot hits the boat not when they start paddling and that the fares for the journeys are set by the government. €80 for 30 minutes and €120 for 45. If you wish to have a romantic ride after 7pm got sunset the prices are hiked once again. Not willing to take a gamble on the quality for the price paid we opted for row Venice.

We had a fabulous time. You get a 5 minute safety and training brief before you’re on board paddling.

Training session before we set off

Yes it was rather difficult to remain balanced whilst stood up steering. Both of us were wobbling all over the place and the technique is much harder than one would believe.

We had two teachers on our boat, so received one on one training along with the option to paddle at the front or at the rear and could switch anytime we wanted. We both had a go front and back and both concluded that the rear of the boat was far more difficult and scary.

Riding the gondola on our own!

We came out of the quiet canals and ended up in the large lagoon area that had high tides and high waves. We both looked like Bambi when we were trying to steer the gondola from the rear in open water. On more than one occasion we thought we were in the drink!!

The time flew past and we got the full 90 minutes which we were impressed by. The last challenge was getting out of the gondola. Having to balance on the nose of the boat you make a leap of faith to dry land. We are pleased to report we both made it but wouldn’t recommended you choose us as your next gondoliers!!

We timed our ride almost to perfection. As we floated into the harbour the heavens started to open. We jumped into a near by boutique hotel which we were allowed to use, apparently, as there are not public toilets near by and if you’ve used row Venice you just mention the name. Not to sure what impression we must have gave, standing in a high end boutique hotel in damp clothes. But we didn’t mind, we had a great time, so we dried off, used he bathroom and headed on our way.

The final day we spent walking the many streets of Venice. We were not surprised to hear that even locals find themselves lost occasional. A labyrinth of small ancient streets, some greeted by dead ends, other water and others that go on for miles.

We made sure to go and visit the famous bridge of sighs along with the large courtyard. The story goes that prisoners crossing the bridge were on their way to execution and the last sights they see before it’s all over were of Venice and as they crossed the bridge they gave out a sigh and that’s how the bridge is said to have received its name.

Although we couldnt walk across the bridge of sighs an equally impressive bridge that we could walk across was that of Rialto which was one of our last actions for the day and for Italy. A truly beautiful country and I’m sure we shall be back on our travels here to explore the heart and south of Italy.

Our route of Italy

Malta

Our trip to Malta began with an evening flight with Ryan Air from Birmingham airport. Unfortunately the flight was delayed and one of the women on board had a fear of flying which resulted in her getting off the plane. Waiting at Birmingham Airport for our flight.

Eventually we arrived in Malta International Airport at 2am. After a short wait we boarded our pre booked transfer and headed for our hotel, San Anton.

The room was spacious and the bed was comfortable. However neither of us slept well due to noise outside of the room.

The following morning we headed for a local cafe for some breakfast, 4 euros each for a English Breakfast. The temperature was warm with a cool breeze which felt just right.

Shortly after breakfast we dropped our bags off at our new hotel, Bella Vista. We were staying in The Bella Vista for the remainder of our trip which also included daily breakfast and dinner. We then took a 20 minute walk to a bus terminal to purchase our weeks bus pass, costing 21 Euro each.

We had a lovely afternoon walking around Valletta. The streets were pretty and clean. There were lots of tourist shops and restaurants but also quieter walkways to explore which lead to the sea or to the park. Valletta streetsFew snaps from exploring Valletta

Later on we checked into our room at the Bella Vista hotel. We were pleased how much cleaner the room was to the previous hotel. We then rushed to the restaurant to make it in time for dinner. We were impressed with the food.

The following day after a much better nights sleep we enjoyed breakfast and headed out to make the most of our day.

We caught the bus to a area called Marsaxlokk where we headed to St Peters Pool. St Peters pool was surprisingly busy. We enjoyed sitting in the sun for a short while before we went on a walk to check out some of the view points. View point on the way to St Peters PoolSt Peters Pool

Miles later we got the bus back into Valletta where a big Malta Festival was starting to take shape for the bank holiday. We decided to head back to the hotel so we jumped on our second bus back to Bugibba.

The next day the weather was pretty windy and not as warm. We were pleased as John had burnt his neck/scalp and meg had burnt her legs so we had a cooler day to recover. After breakfast we headed to Rabat and continued into Mdina. We looked around the pretty towns and went for a cup of tea in a cafe. Mdina is known as the ‘silent city’ and is also the oldest town on the island. Mdina is also home to the only cathedral on the island.

Later on we went to visit the Catacombs. There were 24 different sites to look round with information dotted about. The entry fee was only 5 Euro each so we felt we had good value for money.Inside the dark & narrow catacombs!

Thursday was a wet and windy day (the only one of the week luckily). We had previously opted to go on a boat tour but we didn’t know if it was running due to the weather so we decided to go to Gozo instead.

After a 45 min bus journey we reached the ferry port which was insanely busy despite of the bad weather. The ferry was rather rocky and cold but we made it to Gozo in 30 minutes. We then went to visit Azure window where we saw the remains of the archway. Despite the windy weather we really enjoyed watching the rough sea and taking a walk around. On the bus!

We then took a walk up to a shrine which is a must see in Gozo as miracles as supposed to of happened to those who visit. Shortly after hiking to the top of the hill to see it the clouds opened and we got drenched. After being soaked through we decided we would head back to the hotel.Corn fields on the walk leading up to the miracle shrine.

On Friday we headed for the Blue Lagoon where we hoped to go on a tour boat around the caves. Unfortunately the boats were not running which left plenty of tourists a little lost. We decided to walk around the coast and see the caves by foot.Checking out the Blue Lagoon by foot.

Later on we decided to jump back on the bus and head to dingli cliffs. We took a stroll and enjoyed the views wishing that our holiday wasn’t coming to an end. We also found some caves which John particularly enjoyed exploring!John hiding in the caves!

Later on that afternoon we went back into Mdina where we decided to do a train ride with a audio tour. Our carriage was fairly empty so we had a bench to ourself to get the best pictures/see as much as possible.On the train ready for our audio tourSome of the sights from the train tourOur train!

On our last day of our holiday we went to book ourselves onto a self drive boat experience. We paid €80 for a 3 hour slot which was booked from 3-6pm. As our booking was later on we headed for Golden Bay beach.

Golden Bay beach was very picturesque and very popular with the tourists. We had a paddle and watched the waves before heading back to where we were renting our boat for the afternoon.

Following visiting the Golden Bay we got the bus back to where we were picking up our boat. After the safety talk we were a little nervous after hearing about all the cruise ships and divers that we might in counter. We had a absolutely fabulous time and the three hours flew by. We parked up in two of the bays where we jumped off the boat and went for a swim in the sea. We didn’t anticipate how long it would take to sail back so we drove back at top speed! Both having a go at driving the boat.One of the bays we parked in.Not as warm as it looks!Luckily there was a little ladder on the back of the boat to get in and out of the water.Driving back to land.

Later on that evening we went to visit Johns mum Caroline and her partner Michael. We had a great catch up in a near by bar.

We were very sad to be leaving Malta. We had a fabulous time and really were quite depressed to be getting back on the plane to Birmingham. We ended the trip with a hot drink outside of the airport. A fantastic trip and brilliant memories.

Day 754: Ireland

On the 18th December we were due to leave our accommodation in New York and head to Ireland, Belfast.

We were up at 9am to be out of our room for 10am. We gave our best attempt at killing time since our flight wasn’t till 10.30pm!

After a short walk we caught the public bus into New York City and got some lunch.

Once we had killed a little more time we caught our coach at 5.15pm and headed for Stewart International Airport. Despite the baby crying/screaming for the whole journey the ride was pleasant. There was traffic but luckily we had allowed plenty of time.

After a hour of waiting in the check in line we eventually got our tickets – luckily sitting together. Johns camera set off security and Megs suitcase of needles and medicines didn’t turn any heads whatsoever (?!).

At 4.30am New York time we landed in Ireland, Belfast. We managed to befriend a Irish man on route so our sleep was limited due to unwanted chit chat and card games. We got off the plane feeling pretty groggy and tired. Unfortunately we couldn’t check into our next accommodation until 4pm.

We killed time at the airport by sipping large coffees in cafes and dreaming about when we could get some sleep.

Luckily at 10.40am we got a message from our air bnb host, Bevan. Bevan told us we could now check in from 1pm, we were thrilled!

After waiting under an hour rather than 4 hours we got on a public bus, costing a pricey £5.20 each for a single trip. We soon felt right at home when we saw lovely green countrysides rather than big cities and roads – the air felt fresh rather than polluted.

After a 2 mile walk we reached Bevans place. The room was modern and clean – not that we would have noticed if it wasn’t due to how tired we were! We paid $51 CAD for the one night.

After a shower and a walk to the shop for some food we could finally relax, what a long day it had been! There’s quite a few red heads in Ireland!

The next day we were up at 4am due to the time change, luckily we managed to sleep for a couple more hours before we got up. We had decided to get a rental car as the places we wanted to visit were a little far out (and public transport was expensive).

By 9am we had the manual rental car which John drove very well. We headed for Tesco (oh the excitement to be at a supermarket we knew!) and then onto Dark Hedges. The Dark Hedges is a location used to filmed in the series Games of Thrones. The road is in the top 5 ‘Beautiful Tree Tunnels’ in the world.The Dark Hedges Trees as seen on the Game of Thrones The characters that were part of the Dark Hedges scene

Next we went to a bridge named Carrick A Rede which is a rope bridge that you can cross for £7 each. The walk was lovely and had some beautiful views. The bridge was smaller than expected, we thought it should be £7 total rather than £7 each but never mind. Taking the walk before and after the bridge with lovely scenery The rope bridge Some of the scenery from the walk

We then went to Giants Causeway, which is a natural rock formation allegedly made by two Giants. To visit the Causeway was a pricey £10.50 each, fortunately the ticket includes a guided tour.

The walk was lovely and the rocks were impressive. We were a little annoyed to find a car park that wasn’t listed on the map that linked up to the walk way which was a free entrance. We later asked a worker in the visitors centre if entering this way was free, he confirmed it was – no wonder it wasn’t on the map! Natural formation of the rocks Natural rock formation John at the top of the rocks!Meg at the top of the rocks (abit nervous of slippy rocks!)

We then found a route that climbed up to a view point of the Causeway from above. We had to move quick as it was starting to get dark.John listening to the audio tour – sat in front of the giants organ! Again, all naturally formed.The views were impressive from the top – well worth the 162 steps to get up!

We then started the drive back to our new accommodation which was over a hours drive away. We were staying with a lady called Tanya and her diabetic cat called Rosemary. Tanya’s 3 storey house was beautiful. Our bedroom had the theme of Narnia, we paid $105 CAD for three nights.Rosemary the Diabetic cat

The following day we had a wonderful nights sleep and were feeling much better than we had previously.

First we headed to the Inch Abbey Ruins. Inch Abbey is one of the Anglo Norman monuments in County Down And was used as a monastic settlement since 800 AD.

We walked around the remains reading about the kitchens, bake house, well, infirmary and the guest house. It was very interesting to imagine how busy the place once was.

We also read about the Cistercian and monastic standards to find out what areas were used and at what times of the day including the Chapter house, Cloister, Nave and the Transepts. John and the Inch Abbey remains John and our rental car

Next we went to Tollymore Forest Park where. It cost £5 for the car parking, it is free to walk in by foot. We took a 5.2km walk which was well maintained and only had the occasional incline. The scenery was lovely and there was only the odd one or two people about so the forest was nice and peaceful. We felt we certainly had value for money. Some of the views we managed to capture by camera during the walk

We finished the walk faster than planned so we decided to take a scenic loop in the car around the mountains. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of fog but once it cleared we enjoyed the drive.

As it was our final day in Ireland we returned the rental car at 9am. We then walked into Belfast town centre and headed for a coffee shop to wake up properly. After a hot chocolate and a Chai Latte we were feeling less groggy and went off to explore.Enjoying a cuppa at Cafe NeroWe took a walk around Belfast’s German MarketSanta’s Grotto at the German MarketYet another Christmas tree I couldn’t help but take a picture as it’s so pretty!Belfast town hall Birmingham have a famous Bull, so Belfast have a fish! Known as the ‘Big Fish’A busy mall with everyone doing last minute Christmas shopping – with lovely Christmas decorations.

Later on after exploring we found a local pub to have a drink to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. We had a drink each and shared a half pint of Guinness to try! Turns out Guinness was better than we thought!Officially tried Irish Guinness!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ireland despite the jet lag. We spent the night packing and watching movies with a bottle of alcohol each. Now we’re on the road home for Christmas – first one in the UK for two years!

Cheers!Rosemary enjoyed a good bye fuss too!

We managed to catch a Uber taxi for the trip to get to the ferry port. For the 5 mile ride it cost us £11.

The ferry was much nicer than expected with a children’s play ground, restaurant, free cinema and much more! Since it was our anniversary John splashed out and paid for a private cabin for us. The cabin had its own bathroom with a shower and two beds plus a television. It was well worth having the cabin as we could catch up on sleep and lie down. We took advantage of the free cinema and enjoyed relaxing as we sailed to Liverpool.

Now it’s time to spend some time at home with loved ones before heading back out.

Day 746: New York

On the 14th December we departed Washington D.C and set off for New York. Again we travelled with Mega Bus, tickets costing $2 USD each including an optional $1 reservation fee. This journey was only 4 hours which was nice in comparison to the usual 6.

Turns out the journey was 5 hours in the end. When considering we also had a hours train journey to arrive at Mega Bus, looks like it was a 6 hour journey after all. Unfortunately as the journey was meant to be 4 hours we didn’t have a scheduled break stop so we were a little cramped/stiff by the time we arrived.

After five and a half hours on the coach due to heavy traffic we also experienced an extremely busy city. People and cars in all directions. The major delay was due to an accident in the city. As we lined up for our next bus we had no idea how long it would be before we were in our bedroom for the next few days.

Finally we reached our accommodation (took even longer than necessary as the pavements were icy!). We were staying in a huge house (6 bedrooms just downstairs alone!) with a nice man called Richard – costing $203 CAD for 4 nights. Richard seemed to be transforming his house into a hostel type environment as he was setting up social media pages marketing the bedrooms and he also had a vending machine in his kitchen?!

Our bedroom was spacious and Richard kindly provides breakfast should you want it. After what felt a very long day we found a near by supermarket and shut off for the night.

After a good nights sleep we took the bus into New York City costing $3.50 USD per person, one way.

First we headed to Times Square. There was so much to look at and do it was quite overwhelming! We popped into a few shops, we didn’t buy anything but what with the flashing advertisements on the big screens and all the promoters in the street we felt it was nice to look around. Times SquareTimes SquareTimes SquareCold day in NYC Times Square!John in Times SquareMeg in Times Square

After some more walking and some more picture taking we headed for the Rockefeller Building where there was a ice rink set up for the festive period.

The Rockefeller Ice Rink The Rockefeller Christmas TreeThe Rockefeller tower

After some more sight seeing and some more walking we reached the famous Grand central train station.Inside the busy Grand central train station.

Of course, we then had to visit the Empire State Building, the impressive 102 story skyscraper.

We then went on the High Line Walk which is a free 1 mile walk around part of the city. Whilst on the walk the snow showers began! The snow started to fall quite heavily and continued for the rest of the night. John the photographer capturing the city scenes. Caught in the snow!

On our second day in New York we jumped straight onto the bus to go to the city centre followed by the metro to take us to the ferry port.

We managed to get a single ride ticket for $3 USD each rather than buy a metro card. This train would take us to the South Ferry.

We then boarded the free ferry which is a 25 min ride around the Staten Island is where we could view the impressive Statue of Liberty! We were glad to have got a spot on the very busy ferry where we could see the statue. It was very cold and windy so taking our gloves off to take a picture made our hands numb – but it was worth it! View of part of the city from the ferry The Statue of LibertyBraving standing outside in the cold to be able to get the best pictures!The Statue of Liberty in the background – the stranger who we asked to take the photo was a little slow!

After departing the ferry we took a walk into New York’s financial district where we found Wall Street. We then continued on to see Brooklyn Bridge.

The famous Wall StreetNew York stock exchange building Financial district Christmas tree!Brooklyn BridgeUs with Brooklyn Bridge

We then went to see the 9/11 memorial which was beautifully done. Every individual name of the people who have passed is engraved onto the wall. The memorials are huge as they are the same size of the base, where the towers once stood. The 9/11 Memorial

Next to the memorial was the world trade centre where the building is designed to look like it goes up into infinity- impressive!If you stand underneath the building like in this picture you can’t see the top!

We then decided to try ice skating! It cost $20 USD each ($15 if you have your own skates). To start with we couldn’t leave the sides and it was rather embarrassing so see everyone gliding around and us holding the railing for dear life. However you are allowed 90 mins on the ice so after an hour we were wizzing round like all the others – don’t think we are quite ready to audition for Dancing on Ice! We had a brilliant time and a real laugh we were so glad to have tried out the ice rink. The ice rink Our skates on ready to go!Trying to balance on the ice whilst trying to take a photo! Once we got used to it we were wizzing around

Once we had returned our skates and traded them for much comfier trainers we headed for China Town. As the name suggests the streets were filled with Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores and a few dodgy fake designer shops. We didn’t buy anything but it was nice to look around and have a glimpse of Asia again. Enjoying NYC at night, especially the Christmas decorations China Town

Right next to China town we found the Little Italy area. Little Italy was full of restaurants of all types of cuisines. Even though it was a Saturday night we were really surprised to see every single diner jam packed regardless of how small or big it was. Little Italy

After walking a little further out we found the famous ‘Friends’ building exterior. Friends wasn’t filmed in the apartment block itself but the exterior of the building is well known from appearing in the show too.The famous shot of the exterior of the Friends Flat

To round off the evening we took a walk back through Times Square to see the city by night. The city was even more manic than the day time with both people and cars. We stopped off at ‘Arbys’ to get John a buffalo chicken sandwich then got back on the bus to call it a night. We had yet another wonderful day! Times Square at night time John with his Buffalo Chicken Sandwich from Arby’s!

On our final day in New York we were sad to be choosing our final activities but happy to of had such a fantastic time during our stay.

Before we could enjoy our last day we had to withdraw money from the bank and also find a library to print our details for the flight the next day. All of which sounds like easy jobs but of course it was fairly time consuming.

Later on we managed to find a well known and well recommended cheese cake shop. John had been looking forward to this cheesecake for a while so it was a real treat. We shared a slice of plain and a slice of devils chocolate. We decided to eat it in Times Square.Famous Cheesecake shop called JuniorsEating cheesecake with a view!

After wondering around Times Square we headed to Central Park which was really beautiful with patches of snow on the grass and the lake that had frozen over. We continued to walk until it got dark. We then headed back through Times Square for the last time. We were feeling pretty sad to be leaving New York as we had such a wonderful visit. Walking around Central ParkThe lake completely frozen over New York City from Central ParkAnother Christmas market not far from the park

Before we caught the bus back to our accommodation we tried a New York hot dog, costing $3 USD. The hot dog is another popular snack that appeared regularly in street vendors stalls. John trying a New York hot dogBusy Times Square!

We are sad to be leaving New York but we are pleased with our time spent in the city. Later on we caught the bus back to our room to pack up for our flight the next day. We both agreed New York is one of the best places we have visited.

On the 18th December we were due to fly out of New York, at 10pm! As we had to check out of our accommodation at 10am we had more than enough time to kill. We took a walk down to one of the cities viewing areas to stretch our legs and enjoy the view for the last time. We then treated ourselves to a hot drink before heading back to the house to collect our bags. Now onwards to Ireland!

Day 742: Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to Washington

We departed from Chicago on a sunny day. Our Mega Bus (costing $10 USD each) left a little later than planned but we had reserved seats at the front, behind the driver this time.

We arrived in Cincinnati in the downtown area. We then took a two mile walk to reach our accommodation. We were staying with an Vietnamese/American couple who lived on the outskirts of Kentucky ($153 CAD for 3 nights). Our room was spacious with a comfy bed along with lots of maps and tourist information, should we need it.

Cincinnati was much smaller than Chicago so after a couple of hours we had seen the place – unfortunately not much to look at either. Our visit to Cincinnati was more of a rest stop whilst on the way to Pittsburgh. Regardless of how much there was to do in Cincinnati our bodies were glad of the rest and the reduced amount of miles we were walking per day! The Taft Museum of ArtThe first concrete sky scrapper in the USA built in 1903A very cold yet sunny day in Cincinnati View of Cincinnati City from the bridge

Cincinnati City

The crossing between states

On December 9th we left our accommodation. After a 2 mile walk we had reached Greyhound coach station. At 12.30pm we were due to take a coach to Pittsburgh, the coach costing $55 USD in total, without reserved seats and a 35 minute lay over in Columbus.

As it stands we definitely prefer Mega Bus over Greyhound. Just to add to our not so great review of Greyhound we discovered our coach was delayed for 3 hours. The delay will mean we miss the lay over coach so we were really hoping Greyhound would sort themselves out.

At 12.30pm Greyhound managed to pull a favour with another coach company. We set off as the snow was falling hoping that all the was sorted – fingers crossed! Luckily we managed to make the connection coach, this was the last change before reaching Pittsburgh.

The journey was the most uncomfortable one we had been on to date. We didn’t stop once in the 4 hours to stretch our legs, plus we could only have one bag under the bus so our knees were by our chins to accommodate for our bags being at our feet. Just to top all that off, the couple sitting in front of us had their chairs reclined for the whole journey so our space was limited even more.

After a 20 minute walk we reached our next accommodation. A private room in a cosy house, our most expensive accommodation yet at $210 CAD for 3 nights. The host lived in a house next door and rents out the three bedrooms for guests. Our bedroom was lovely and the house was very well equipped. We were 300m away from a supermarket and a easy walk away from the city centre.Our room during our stay in Pittsburgh

After a good nights sleep we headed out to Pittsburgh city to explore. First we decided to go up to the cities view point that you can reach via a inclined tram. The tram is classed as public transport so luckily the price remains regulated by the government at $2.50 USD each one way.Walking through the city centre Wrapped up warm on a very cold/windy day in Pittsburgh The inclined tram ride to reach the cities best view point

After admiring the view for a while we decided to take a scenic walk back into the city rather than get the tram. By the time we had done some more exploring and stopped to take plenty of pictures it was starting to get dark. One of Pittsburgh’s American Football stadiums. A match was taking place the evening we took this photo.Trying our best to get a picture of us with the city in the background!John with Pittsburgh city!Pretty church we found at the top of the hill, pretty busy what with it being Sunday.We managed to find a quieter view point so we had all the space we wanted to get a picture!

There were a fair few tourists in the city on this particular evening as there was a big American football game on at the stadium. Therefore the city was filled with fans dressed in black and yellow, a few of which were staying in the same house as us – they had travelled from Austin, Texas to see the match.

On our last final full day in Pittsburgh we went to explore the ‘down town’ area. The weather wasn’t as cold/windy as the previous day so it was much easier to walk around.

‘The Strip’ which hosts the Market (rather pricey) containing meat, fresh produce and American Football merchandise Muriel of Pittsburgh Quite a large Christmas nativity scene in the centre of townPittsburgh courts

On the 12th December we awoke at the early hour of 6AM to leave our accommodation in Pittsburgh and walk to the coach station to depart at 7.30am. It was still dark when we left and it was starting to snow – just like when we left Cincinnati. Our Double Decker Mega Bus

To our surprise a double decker bus turned up! Our seats were located on the upper level. For this journey we had paid $2 USD each ($1 was for the optional reservation fee).

Unlike Greyhound, Mega Bus leave dead on the minute of departure. Once on board it was rather cosy watching the city wake up as we headed for Washington DC. The journey went well and we arrived at the scheduled time.

We then had to catch the metro to reach our accommodation. The metro card cost $2 USD each and the trip itself cost $4 USD each – annoying when a 300 mile trip cost less than a 5 mile trip!

After a 20 minute walk and a total of 9 hours in transit we reached our accommodation. We were staying with a man called Frances for a total of $76 USD for two nights. Frances had told us he would be at work when we arrived. Little did we know Frances works from home so we jumped when we found another man in the house!

Our room was pleasant and we had a television which was a nice treat. We didn’t fancy a 3 mile work to the supermarket so we ordered some food in while we got to know Frances.

On our one and only full day in Washington we decided to go sight seeing. We caught the train at 11am costing $3.05 USD. First we went to look at the multiple grand buildings, The US Capital building followed by The Liberty Congress Building.The US Capital BuildingThe US Capital Building Cold yet sunny in Washington!Us both with The US Capital Building Walk around the lakeThe Liberty Congress Building

Next we went to a free art museum called The National Gallery of Art it was nice to warm up too! The gallery was beautiful and absolutely huge. We only had time to see a small section as there was a lot we wanted to see but it was certainly worth the visit.Entrance to the Art Gallery John with Louie XIVWe found a painting of the church we visited in Amsterdam when we first started our travels in 2015!The Art Gallery Gardens

We then went to the Natural History Museum which was also free and equally impressive! Unfortunately again we had to rush around the museum just so that we could fit everything in. We were extremely impressed with The Natural History museums, the exhibits were fantastic as well as the sheer size of the place. Even better that we went in for free!Luckily we’ve never met a real bear but this was close enough!The ocean section of the museum

We then made it to the White House where unfortunately there was building work going on in the gardens! Once we got a picture avoiding the JCBs we got a few snaps of ourselves. Us at the White HouseOne of The Trump hate camps – somebody was living behind that!

There were a couple of ‘camps’ set up directly in front of the house exclaiming their hate for Trump. We managed to avoid protesters by being standard tourists and gawping at the scenery and big sniper guns pointed out from the roof.

Next we went to see the Abraham Lincoln memorial followed by the Obelisk that represents George Washington. The monument was created in 1884 – back then it was the tallest building in the world.The Abraham Lincoln memorial The George Washington Obelisk

After walking 15km we decided it was time to head back to our accommodation before it got too dark out. We had a wonderful day in Washington, our only wish was that we had a bit longer to visit all the museums and attractions.

We spent our evening packing back up ready to head to New York the next morning!

Day 734: London to Detroit to Chicago

After 4 months of working at Bill Gosling we decided to leave and go do some exploring with the money we had earned. We presumed since Bill Gosling has a high turn over that us leaving wouldn’t be a big thing. We were touched how many individuals made an effort to say bye and pass on their email address to keep in touch.Wearing the call centre headsets for the last time!

It was strange leaving Emmalines house after staying there for a while but we were excited to get back on the road. Our last day in London consisted of boring jobs like printing visas and packing but we also had one cinema ticket to use.

On the 1st December we finished packing up our room at Emmalines place. After not being on the move for a while we had lost our touch in bag packing which resulted in cramming items into our bag with the zip nicely strained. It was ever so weird leaving Emmalines house and slightly depressing, good byes are never pleasant. Our last night with Emmaline, a fabulous host!

Emmaline very kindly gave us a lift in her car to the coach station. We then boarded the bus at 10.50am, luckily we were able to sit together. The coach journey was with greyhound, the seats cost approx $23 CAD each. The journey to Detroit was lovely what with it being a sunny day and pretty scenery. The only downside being the smell from the toilet. Nevertheless we crossed the border control without any issues and set off to stay in another air bnb house, our host named Joseph.

Once we were off the coach we searched for a public bus to try and get a fraction nearer to where we were staying. An hour later we managed to get on the bus (costing $1.50 USD each) juggling around our bags as to avoid them swinging into some poor local. Twenty minutes later we were off the bus and 2 miles away from the house. We were told by the US border control security the further from town you stay the tougher the area. With that information in mind we hot footed it to our accommodation.

On arrival at Joseph’s house we discovered nobody was in (perfect luck) so we waited on his door step expectantly. We were there for a good 10 minutes which resulted in us collecting his post for him. A few moments later a lady appeared next door who turned out to be Joseph’s wife. She let us in and gave us a tour of the house, also advising us not to go out after dark. Two girls were also staying in the house with us, the hosts comment understandably made the girls worry about the well being of their car! Our room was pleasant with plenty of room and a comfortable bed. Despite being out of the city the room was $40 USD for one night.

As we didn’t want to go out in the dark and walk aimlessly looking for a supermarket we ordered in. Despite the food being 2 hours late we were happily fed and watered for the night and certainly ready to go to sleep! Later in the evening we managed to meet Joseph himself. He was a nice man who enjoyed talking about his 5 children, his own travel experiences and his views on Donald Trump!

After sleeping soundly for a good 10 hours we woke up fresh and excited for another day ahead. Our next coach wasn’t until 2pm but Joseph had kindly told us we could check out whenever we wanted.

We planned to leave the room at 12pm. Having a lazy morning was all fun and games until John discovered the bus was at 12.15pm. We managed to do a 10 minute walk with one minute to spare with 10kg on our backs and a wheeled suitcase in our hands. Nevertheless we made it in time and managed to get a seat – costing $1.50 USD each.

A few random snaps of Detroit on route to the bus terminal

Our next trip, Detroit to Chicago was with Mega Bus – we preferred Mega bus as they leave on time and have reserved seating. We were seat 3 and 4, little did we know we had front seats – a prime view! The tickets cost about $11 USD including booking and reservation fee.

By 2pm we were on route to Chicago and nicely fed with a sandwich John managed to find for $16 USD total. Although the weather was chilly it was lovely and sunny – a good day to watch the scenery pass us. On the coach on the way to Chicago

By 4.30pm we stopped at a rest station to stretch our legs and use the toilets or ‘washrooms’ as they call it. John spotted a handbag for sale in the shop, which turned out to be a fashionable gun carrier! The label quoted “keep calm and carry weapons” – no thank you!

We arrived in Chicago around 7pm (we dropped a hour, now 5 behind the UK) the city was clean, plenty of people about (not gangsters) and the general feel of the place was great. Despite Chicago also being known for being a little on the rough side we wouldn’t of known whatsoever. We are staying a few blocks from the University so there are plenty of students walking around. Lovely views from the sun setting as we arrived in Chicago

We reached our accommodation, an apartment owned by a man called Juan. We already knew before we arrived that Juan wouldn’t be in the apartment when we got there but we knew where the key was etc prior to arrival. We were greeted by a loveable house cat who seemed to love fuss. The apartment was lovely and clean, our room a little small but we were only planning to sleep in there and be out for the day. A furry friend for the next 5 days

The following day we went exploring. We did a lot of walking but we managed to see a lot. We were very lucky with the weather too as it wasn’t too cold and the sun was shining all day – we even got too hot at one point! Chicago City Centre

By 1pm we managed to stop for some lunch at a convenience store where we got a packed lunch for $9 USD total. By 3.45pm we had walked 11km so we enjoyed a 20 minute flop on the sofa we found in a mall!

After walking around for a little bit longer to see all the Christmas lights lit up in the dark we eventually headed home. As soon as we realised we had walked a total of 20km we understood why our feet were throbbing. We had a fantastic day and Chicago is definitely one of our favourite cities, plenty to do, see and explore.

The ”Bean’ sculpture, full name ‘Cloud Gate’ that was designed to look like liquid mercury! The City by night! & Johns furry friend enjoying a back rub

The following day we bought a one day travel card for unlimited use throughout the day. The card cost $10 USD each. First things first we headed for Chicago’s free zoo. We were a little sceptical to if the zoo was free or not but only one way to find out. We caught the train there and only had to walk for ten minutes or so before we arrived at the zoo.

The zoo was indeed free and also very impressive, they had tigers, snow leopards, monkeys, gorillas, camels, kangaroos and a variety of birds including penguins. Luckily the zoo was quiet as it was a Monday and the animals were all very active. Admittedly we did expect the zoo to be full of sheep and equally not so exciting animals but we were pleasantly surprised.

After a couple of hours at the zoo we then went to visit the theatre and the alley where the famous criminal John Dillinger was shot after being on the run from the police for years after seeing a theatre production.

We then took the train to see one of Chicago’s German markets. We walked around and took in the delicious smell of mulled wine whilst looking at the overpriced stalls and ice rink with Christmas carols playing in a the background. It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our next activity was a comedy show which we had bought tickets for on the previous day. We then went back to the apartment in the hope of having a shower and having a hot meal. When realising it was a 40 min bus journey to get to the show we swapped a shower for a change of clothes and a hot meal for a cereal bar.

We then ran to the bus stop to catch the bus by the skin of our teeth to discover our 24 hour travel pass had cut off after 8 hours meaning the bus ticket was yet another fare out of our pocket. We then ran to the train station to discover the pass was working so we’d lost money for no reason. Perfect.

Two trains later and we arrived at the comedy club. We were seated right at the front, practically on the stage! We treated ourselves to a drink each which came with a pricey bill as well as the tip (?!)

Unsure whether or not our humour varied massively to those in the USA but the show was not one bit funny. Whilst everyone was loudly laughing we were wondering if we’d missed a hidden punch line somewhere?! At one point one of the ‘comedians’ was stood right by John on stage so unfortunately the spot light was on him also. As John was also in the lime light he had to pretend to laugh so that we didn’t look confused/unamused Brits for the night!

Nevertheless it was nice to officially see a show in Chicago and it was good to see everyone in good spirits.

The stage! (And how close we were)The rather forced smiles we painted on our face for the night

The following day we needed to find somewhere to exchange money. Such a simple task you would expect to take 20 mins or so. However unlike in the UK, banks will not exchange money unless you have an account with them. We spent two hours looking for somewhere.

Eventually someone told us of a place called Travelex Currency Service. We discovered Travelex didn’t open till 3pm so we headed for a hot drink in a cafe as the winds were painfully cold on our faces and snow was starting to fall.

The currency rate was shocking at the exchange shop so we ended up withdrawing from an ATM. It was rather amusing as the banker thought we were millionaires when we told her we had bank accounts in England, Canada and Australia! The bank we withdrew from was called BMO Harris, the conversion rate was better than any other we had found.

Later on we braved the cold winds and did some final sight seeing around the town – we even bumped into a girl from London UK!

Ice rink in the town centre The crown fountain that shows a series of moving faces before spitting water out! Luckily the water feature had been turned off but we stayed at a distance just in case!The famous Chicago Art Institute A strange frame made of old tyres?We re visited the Bean to capture the city sky line in the reflectionTaking a picture of anything Christmassy – of course!More Christmas lights to pose with!Our final pictures of Chicago’s impressive city!

Overall we have had a fabulous time in Chicago, we wished we had a few more days there in fact. We have been waking 20km each day and have still not seen all the city! Would certainly recommend the visit and we would defiantly return given the chance. Next stop…Cincinnati!

Day 700: London to Toronto to Niagara Falls

We managed to find a job in London, Ontario pretty quick after arriving. We worked for Bill Gosling, an outsourcing company that provide emergency road side assistance to hundreds of insurance companies within the USA and parts of Canada.

The work was in the form of a call centre, we spent eight hours a day with a head set on with angry Americans shouting in our ears. Some of the days were dull and long and other days were speedy, however the money made was going towards our next trip which made it all worth while.

Our English accent seems to amaze some and confuse others. Both of us have had Americans asking if we speak English or can they be transferred through to someone who does speaks English. Re-assuring them that we do in fact speak English as our mother tongue is usually met with disdain followed by a handful of abusive words and ending with them calling us liars. We do get the occasional nice client, who is very understanding and helpful but these seem to be few and far between. In typical human fashion everyone believes

they are the most important and should be serviced instantly and priorities to the top of the list. So when informed that they may have to wait an hour for service, the verbal abuse starts up once again.

The job was located in the city centre, in London’s main shopping mall. The term, shopping mall should be used loosely. It housed two discount stores going by the names Bulkbarrel and Dollarama, a spattering of clothing stores along with a college and the call centre.

We stayed with a friendly lady, Emmaline for a short while before having to move to another ladies house, Janice. Although Janice’s has two loveable cats we preferred Emmalines location due to the walk to work being shorter and the area being more friendly.

The two cats at Janice’s house were named LuLu and Laila, which we nicknamed fat kitty and little kitty. We will let you decide if you can work out which one was which. Little kitty was four years old and loved to play not to mention mischievous. Fat kitty was a little bit more relaxed and enjoyed to pass the days by lounging on our bed, spread out to take up maximum space.

Both of the cats seemed to enjoy waking us up in the morning in their own unique way. Fat kitty would insist on jumping onto the bed and would cause quite a fright making us jump out of our skin. She would then hurriedly curl herself up in the warm spot where we had just jumped from. Little kitty would much prefer to paw through our belonging until she found something of interest, whether that be John’s trouser toggles or a set of batteries which she managed to open and chase around the bedroom. If you’re wondering how loud a set of batteries on a wooden floor is, we assure you it is loud!

Despite both cats being little devils we certainly missed them as we made the three mile walk to settle for the last time at Emmelines. Finally having a place where we would be stationary for a good couple of months we could now focusing on arranging other things. In particular, a halloween night out, a trip to Niagara falls and our American road trip.

Being one of Johns favourite holidays we made an effort to get our Halloween outfits together for a weekend in Toronto. We were excited to check out the nightlife and to see Canada’s version of Halloween in comparison to Australia the previous year. Previous years have seen us go as The Joker and Harley Quinn in England, The Mad hatter and Alice in wonderland while in Australia and Captain hook and Tinkerbell for this year in Canada. Always preferring to put costumes together ourselves another visit to charity shop was in order.

Judging from promotions alone, halloween is a much bigger holiday in North America than Europe or Australasia. Only a handful of clubs were available for a night out in Australia while every club in Toronto seems to be selling tickets for some sort of spooky event, there are even two cruises heading out to sea for party goers, aptly named ghost ships.

On the 27th October we headed for Toronto, where we stayed with a lady called Cheryl. We took the Greyhound coach to get to Toronto. We couldn’t sit by each other as the unsociable group on our bus all wished to sit by themselves taking up two seats each so all families and couples were split up for journey. As expected the group was already a little rowdy and getting impatient as the coach was running late. We couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the driver as it wasn’t his fault that there had been accident on the highway.

We arrived in Toronto, got off the coach then took a 45 minute walk to arrive at a shop. Little had we known we were going to be living above a shop for the next few days. Cheryl turned out to be a lot older than expected, perhaps in her 70s. We got the impression that Cheryl prided herself as having a hippy lifestyle, as she took us on a tour of her small apartment. She seemed a nice lady and seemed willing to chat to us and give us tips about the neighbourhood.

After a good nights sleep we decided to head out despite the rain. We ended up buying a day pass and getting the train around the city to explore. We also visited Mckenzie house where we saw how the old newspapers used to be printed.

Later on in the day we headed out for our Halloween celebrations as Captain Hook and Tinkerbell. Unfortunately after all the planning and outfit preparation we ended up in a extreme gay bar unknowingly which wasn’t really the vibe we were after. After blowing our budget on entrance to the club and one drink each we were sober and fed up which resulted in a early night – nevertheless it had been fun to dress up.

The following day we decided to go for a walk in a national park. The autumn trees were beautiful and it was really lovely to stretch the legs, get fresh air and make the most of having nothing to do. At 2pm we stopped for a picnic lunch then by 3.15pm we headed back into the city. We spent the remainder of the afternoon/evening exploring. We managed to see the harbour, the Flat Iron building, the Distillery District and pretty much everything in between as we did the majority by foot.

On our last day off we went to visit Niagara Falls. With a early start of 8am we walked with our belongings to the coach station once again. After a fast paced 5km walk with heavy bags on our shoulders we were sat on the coach, we even managed to sit by each other this time!

When we arrived in Niagara the weather was pretty miserable. With a 3km walk we arrived at the Falls. Time seemed to go extremely quickly as we walked up and down to view both the USA and Canadian side of the Falls. We then decided as we would only get the chance once that we would take a ride on the ‘Maid of the Mist’.

The Maid of the Mist was a 20 minute boat ride in which you get extremely close to the Falls. We had a really fantastic time and got absolutely drenched in the process. For once in our travelling lives we were more than happy to be carrying round the majority of our belongings as it meant we could change out of our soaking clothes – if not we would be in our wet clothes for 5 + hours.

To round up the day we headed for a local coffee shop to warm up and to get some refreshments before the descent back to London.

We had a really fantastic time in Toronto despite the not so great weather and looked forward to our next adventure. Another bonus was that we only had to go back to work for two days before we could have another two off!

Day 606: Iceland to Canada

On the 19th July we left Iceland and headed for Toronto, Canada. The Iceland airport had poor organisation but we eventually took off for our 6 hour journey.

With on board entertainment and regular free drinks the flight seemed to go quite fast. We arrived at 5.30pm UK time, 12.30pm Canada time. On the plane from Iceland to Toronto, Canada.

Due to having a working holiday visa we had to join a line before we could collect our bags. An hour and a half later we could collect our bags which had been dumped on the floor since they were the last bags of the flight.

We then discovered we needed change for the bus. Having not eaten for 12 hours (and that was a apple and a slice of bread) we decided to break into a note and share a sandwich.

We eventually got on the public bus on the way to our air bnb accommodation. The temperature was 27 degrees so we felt pretty warm dressed in thermals and coats!

We were staying in someone's converted basement which had a full kitchen, dining room, bathroom and bedroom. First we went to the supermarket which was a refreshing change to be able to afford food again!

After a great nights sleep from a combination of it being dark (after 24 hours of light in Iceland) and jet lag we decided to spend the next day exploring. We instantly looked like tourists from the amazement of seeing a skunk and a black squirrel in the park!

Unlike the day we arrived, the day that was dedicated to sight seeing was pouring down with rain which was unfortunate. We still enjoyed walking around the city and getting a feel for the area and people. Toronto in the rain!Standing undercover waiting for the rain to calm down!

The few Canadians that we have spoken to have highly recommended a coffee shop called Tim holtons. As we were far from the apartment and in the rain we decided to get lunch and a hot drink – for a fair price we were impressed! Our first Canadian Coffee!

Eventually the rain stopped so we continued exploring. We went to st Lawrence's market which is a 'must see' followed by a walk to Ontario lake where we could see the city sky line and tallest tower in the world, CN. St Lawrence MarketPlenty of tourists at St Lawrence's marketToronto CityLooking at Toronto City by Lake Ontario The tallest tower in the world, called CN

By early evening the sun had come out! So we spent a few more hours looking around. After walking 13 miles we decided to go back to the apartment and rest – we had a fabulous day!

On the 22nd July we headed for London. However our train wasn't until 5.30pm and we had to check out of our air bnb at 11am. We ended up taking our bags with us to a coffee shop and sipping a coffee slowly!

By 3pm we were at the train station with our tickets to hand. The train station was a lot busier than expected! We boarded the train at 5.15PM, the seats had enough leg room for us both to lie down! We were going to be nice and comfortable for the 3 hours. On the train ready to departWe were impressed with our leg room!

We arrived at our next air bnb place at 9pm with a very friendly retired lady called Emmaline. She even gave us some spaghetti since we hadn't eaten.

After a good nights sleep we went exploring through London city. It was a warm sunny day too which was a bonus.

We spent a few days finding our feet, opening a bank account, getting a social insurance number and looking for work.

We managed to both get a job in a call centre where we answer the phone to Americans who have broken down in their cars and need picking up. We continued to look for work in the hope something better would come up.

On the 30th July we went to watch the Pride festival in the street, it was a lovely day and many of the locals had appeared to sit on the grass and watch.

As expected there was a selection of people there including drag queens, gay choirs and much more! Somehow we obtained loads of free gifts including flags, beach balls, beads, sweets and fly swatters.

The following day we had our first day at Bill Gosling Call centre. Let the work begin!

Day 594: UK to Iceland

On the 13th July we departed from the UK after a fabulous 3 weeks of catching up with everyone. We packed our bags full with warm gear and a pair of new walking shoes each.

At Birmingham airport ready to board

At 1.30pm we left for Iceland! By 5pm English time we were out of the airport and we ‘found’ our rented car- rented from someone we weren’t even staying with on air bnb. The car was left in a hotel car park with the key hidden on top of a tyre. The car was much bigger than expected! John had to quickly adjust to right sided driving- luckily the car was automatic too.

Just landed and found our rental car

We arrived at our air bnb apartment 30km later. The host wasn’t overly welcoming but the room was pleasant and we were only staying for one night. 
We survived our first night of constant daylight! We felt like we were taking a nap at 1pm rather than going to bed for the night. 
First we took a drive to Reykjavik and went exploring by foot. The city centre was a little underwhelming and grey but we had a nice walk and managed to see a few views. For lunch we shared a pack of £2 crisps, the supermarkets were extremely pricey, for example a box of cereal for £10, £27 for beef mince and a bag of grapes for £9. 

Reykjavik lake

Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Reykjavik

We then popped to the petrol station where a man decided to fill up for us (despite not doing it for anyone else?) which unfortunately meant we had to pay £45 (5p extra per litre) this was a bit of a sting to the £100 budget. 

Later on we reached our new accommodation, another air bnb apartment. The apartment was new and was owned by a young man who worked nights meaning we would be able to have plenty of time to ourselves.
The following day we decided to take the Golden Circle drive, a 140 mile round trip looping from Reykjavik to the southern uplands of Iceland. 
The drive to the Golden Circle was beautiful, the sun came out and the green views were spectacular. We even managed to see wild Icelandic horses on the route. 

The start of the Golden Circle drive

The three primary stops on the route are the pingvellir national park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermal area in Haukadalur which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. 
Though Geysir has been mostly dormant for many years, Strokkur continues to erupt every 5–10 minutes. Other stops include the Kerio volcanic crater, the town of Hverageroi, Skalholt cathedral, and the Nesjavellir and Hellisheioarvirkjun geothermal power plants.

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

Pingviller

After a fabulous day we decided to go back to the apartment and rest. The following day we decided to head for the places we had missed.
Our first stop was Selfoss followed by Hella and Vik. We also went to see the remains of a crashed plane and to a black beach. We then went to a second black beach and we managed to see some wild puffins! – unfortunately they were a little too quick to get a picture! 

Black Beach in Vik

Black Beach in Vik

Black Beach in Vik

Vik

Black Beach

Black Beach

Black Beach

Vik

Vik

Taking the 3 mile walk to see the plane wreck

Beach where DC plane was abandoned

Plane Wreckage- DC plane in Vik

We were ever so pleased with our sightings for the day. The 3 hour drive home was just as stunning, green open land for miles and miles.
On our final full day in Iceland we went to visit the Blue Lagoon. At a pricey £60 each we had taken a big blow to the budget, however 80% of tourists visit the lagoon and we didn’t want to leave without taking part. 
Our time slot was 7am meaning we had to leave the apartment at about 6.20am. Unfortunately the weather was pretty miserable so we were hoping it would brighten up by the time we got there. 
We spent a good four hours in the lagoon and we had a brilliant time. We both agreed the experience wasn’t worth £60 each but we were glad to of made the trip. We had a free face mask included in our ticket so we had two of those whilst in the water. The weather was pretty poor whilst we were in the water, strong winds and cold rain hit us but luckily the water was 37 degrees so we were lovely and warm. 

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon

In the Blue Lagoon with our face masks!

The Blue Lagoon at 8am

The Blue Lagoon

It’s pretty hard to have a kiss with face masks on!

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon

After a wonderful time in Iceland it was time to pack up and prepare for the 6 hour flight to Toronto, Canada the following day. We had a great time and would recommend the visit – just bare in mind the cost!