Paris - bonjour

So this website isn't really compatible with my iPad so sorry no photos going up here and having trouble changing text size etc.

Anyway back to the trip, took the ferry from Dover to Calais which was not too rough and thought the Dover cliffs were beautiful. Was a little bit sick from jet lag on first day so missed the city night tour on the bus and therefore didn't get to see the Arc de Triomphe :-(
Only had one full day to see the sites. Went to the very top of the Eiffel tower which was fun. Very foggy and cold but the view was amazing.
Next moved on to a river cruise down the Seine to check out the main sites along the river. Then the Louvre which you need about a week to get through and it is really hard to navigate how to get out. Saw the Venus de milo and Mona Lisa (got right up to the barrier and got an awesome photo.) went to see a painting by Vermeer but after thirty minutes changing floors and walking from one side to the other found that it was being refurbished. (sigh).
Later went to the Notre Dame cathedral and saw a mass. Couldn't understand a word but the singing was really pretty and it was somewhere warmer to sit and wait for tour to go to dinner. It has some amazing architecture. Still feeling a bit ick but slowly getting over the jetlag and tiredness.

Today I have a 10 hour bus trip to Switzerland where it is fore at for -12degrees ick. Could be problematic as it takes an hour to put chains on the bus tires depending on the weather.
Hotel I stayed at in Paris is really good for the rating but is a little far out of town. (hotel b and b if you are interested.)

gotta go.
Au revouir
Stacey

Planes, trains and strikes.

25/26 of December 2011
Quote of the day (yes Pete I am copying your cool idea) -
"ladies and gents I will be dimming the cabin lights for take off to enhance the appearance of our flight crew."

First leg from Melbourne to hong kong was really bumpy and crowded with people wishing to tackle boxing day sales. 8 1/2 hours in total, eyes closed the whole time and No sleep despite taking off at midnight after an eventful Christmas day. Lucky there were two really cute and spunky babies who after their long nap kept us entertained. Only positive of this flight was the awesome roast chicken dinner.

Didn't get to see much of Hong Kong airport as we basically were lined up through security checks in transit and then got straight on the plane again.


Second leg is so far a bit better. Got some sleep in hourish stints here and there. Helped that I have two seats of the row to myself. Lucky person behind me got a row of four and has basically been passed out the whole time. Watching the on screen map has been some what fun and some what depressing as it helps be know when to get up to look out the window, but the countdown timer appears to be faulty. What feels like an hour has only been fifteen minutes. Hence I am killing time by prewriting this ready for when I get to the hostel.
Saw some amazing views of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. Unfortunately no Everest. Hoping to see some of the Swiss Alps later. So far it is six hours to go (just over half way) and we are only just reaching the middle east, no where near the western point of Russia.
Well that's it for now. Hopefully my ears can stand another hour of headphones so I can watch another movie.
Au revouir
Stacey


Have since seen the palace, big Ben and Westminster abbey.

Now waiting to board the ferry to France.

Can't put photos on here so check outnfacebook.

1 more sleep!

I am off on my trip tomorrow and wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Managed to pack everything I had on the list with some extras.

The countdown is well and truely underway.

So there are officially 8 days until I leave for Europe and I am starting to get very excited / anxious about the journey. Anxious mainly about how am I going to get things done, particularly the last 4 days at school. Also about what to pack and what to leave behind. Lots of what ifs I cannot control and need to just get over and let go of. 

What do I have planned for my trip?
I'll be heading off on Christmas night to London via Hong Kong on the longest flight I've been on (25 hours). After one night in London I'll kick off my tour with Top Deck which goes to Paris, Swiss Alps, Flornece, Rome, Venice, Salzburg, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam. Phew. All in 18 days. Then on to London for 5 more days before heading home. Its fast but time in the holidays is limited and I will try and go back again if I miss things. 

Fingers crossed my packing decisions go well. Check back for photos and updates from my trip :-)

Advent time

So it's that time of year when I'm busy again and avoiding doing real work (coz really I shouldnt be doing real work at home). So I finally got around to making an advent calendar. Most of it is paper, little bit of paint and some other pretty bits.

 Full view

 

Thats the last of the scrapping for now. The next month will be about my travels :-)

Christmas countdown - 9 days!

Scrapping Stress relief

So over the past week I have come to the realisation that the more my class play up because the year is coming to a close, the more I throw myself into my scrapping projects. Productive yes, helping me get to bed early no. 
Main focus of my projects has been to complete Christmas cards. I have also created a hanger and count down tree. I am now working on the kaiser craft advent calendar. I am also totally in love with the silly season paper from kaiser craft.

Here they are below:

 Gift card box

 

 

 Thats it for now. Cya