Jakob's+Journey


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** 17-07-10 Jakob **

Hey room 2,

Today I landed in San Francisco, it was a 12hr flight,it was long and tiring. We are staying at the Mariot hotel. It's really flash! We also went to a baseball game today. It was the San Francisco Giants vs New York Mets. The San Francisco Giants Won 8 - 4. Here are some photos of me at the game.

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20 - 07 - 10

We had to go to the SF domestic airport to leave to New York. It was a 6 hr flight. The next day we went to Central Park, it was HUGE! We hired an electronic boat so we could ride it in the lake. I tried to crash into ducks and other boats. The Empire State Building was big as well, we only got to go up to the 86th floor. If you wanted to go up to the 102nd floor, it would cost more, but we didn't. here are some photos of the lake and the view of NY.



22 - 24 July 2010

We went to Times Square and got ourselfs on one of the TVs. It was cool as!!! Our flight was at 10:30 at night from NY to Heathrow. At Heathrow I saw a person from our school. He was Riley Duncan. Then our flight was from Heathrow to Manchester. I slept for the whole trip. Finally we arrived at 8 The Penines after 1hr of driving. Now I live with nine other people.



26 - 28 July

On the 26 of July we went out for my cousin's 21st birthday. My butter chicken was yellow instead of it being red like in NZ. But it was fun. Next day we went into town and I bought a Liverpool shirt it's so cool!!! It is HORRIBLE weather over here but I bet it's the same over there.

2 August 2010 - 5 August 2010

Scotland

Edinburugh was a historic part of Scotland because it had the Edinburgh castle and the Old town.The castle was fantastic and the building was great.We also went to the Loch Ness exibition centre in Inverness.The lake was ginormous it was 37km long.We stayed in Hotels on the outskirts of the big citys to feel what its like to stay in the countryside.Glasgow was a dump.It had some dodgy people around a it had rubbish and dog turds around the streets.But there was also some good shops to shop at such as Apple, Nike and even Rolex.And that was the end of our 4 day Scotland trip.

= ﻿  =   Gran Caneria!!! We headed off to Gran Caneria for two weeks. Gran Caneria is one of the canary islands and gets really hot. One day it got to 50 degrees!!! My favourite part was when we went up to a big mountain and we were above the clouds. It was really amazing. We also went to a Theme park called Holiday world, it has alot of rides but there all short. Terror is a little town up in the middle of Gran Caneria it reminds us all of Italy because of the way the streets are and he houses. I bought a Spain football t-shirt for 60 euros. Our villa was a cool one because it had a pool and a big area. But the worst part was when I jumped in the pool I hurt my toes and 2 days before we were going to go!!! On the day we left we had to get a wheelchair for me because it was to sore to walk on and we couldn't go to a doctor because they don't speak English, they speak Spainsh. So we had to wait till England. It was a good expereince on a wheelchair because we got taken on a lift down to where all the planes were and we got put on a ramp and it lifted so we we could get in the van. Then we got drove to our plane then somehow the whole car got lifted up and level with the plane door. We had to leave the wheelchair behind and hop on the plane for a 4hr flight. It was tiring because it was at 8.45 at night and the plane landed at 12.45. By the time we got home it was 2.30 and I only slept 8hrs. Here are some photos. LONDON We decided before we go to Europe we should go to London so we did. It was a tiring drive but eventually got there. But first we had to go and visit some family. We stayed the night there .Then in the morning, we shot off to London. But we stopped again for some KFC. Then we arrived at our hotel, I was all pooped out, but we had to go on the London Underground train to get to Harrods. The train goes really quick and the tunnel fits the train, JUST! We arrived at Harrods. I thought it would be bigger but not as flash. It was owned by an Egyptian guy but he sold it, so it had pharoh statues and all this Egyptian writing on the wall. We couldn't afford to shop there cause it was SO expensive. A chair cost 5000 pounds!!! It was unbelievable. It had a lot of designer brands and it also had a pet store! We could only afford a tin of coffee. After Harrods we took another train to Piccadily Circus and wandered around. It was exactly like NY. It had the big TV screens and lots of people. We also saw the famous Nelson Monument. It was jam packed with people and luckily didn't lose anyone. We had some pizzas for dinner then took the train back home.The next day we woke up early and headed off for Buckingham Palace. When we arrived it was mad, it was busy, loads of police on horses, and a lot of fighting going on between the police and crowd. We thought the queen was going to come out but it was the changing of guards parade. The guards would trumpet off, then the new guards would come with the trumpets and drums. It was boring. Then we walked down Bond st to the train station and took a train to The London Eye. It was a big ferrice wheel with about 20 capsules to fit 30 adults in. It takes about 30 mins to go around, But from at the top you could see the whole of London. Big Ben, Westminister bridge and the parliament and river Themes. After that we went to a free 4d experience thing. It was probably better than the London Eye, it had a smoke machine going, bubbles coming out and water falling on your head like if it was rain. It was fantastic. Then that was about it for our london trip, but the biggy is coming up in about a week. EUROPE!!!! ALCHESTER Today we drove our rental car all the way down to Alchester. Alchester is near Stratford apon Avon. It was a long tiring drive but we eventually made it, it was a really small town and didn't have much there. We didn't do anything that day because it was too tiring. But the next day we drove to Sratford apon Avon to visit Anne Hathaway's house and also the legendary William Shakespeare's house. First we visited Anne Hathaway's house and it was really small because her family was poor and the kids had to eat leftovers and had to stand up. Next we went to Shakespeare's house and it was amazing because his house was completely different to Hathaway's house. It had a a big table, alot of bedrooms and they were also relly rich. Shakespeare went to school but later couldn't afford to go to college. Shakespeare and his older and younger siblings were born in there room but nobody knows if it is true. After Shakespeare's house we drove to Bath, it was a long and tiring drive, but it was really cool because most of the buildings were old and made of stone and brick. First we walked around were it was really busy and went to the famous Roman Baths. The baths were really dirty and full of algae but they were really big. Around the main bath was all the statues of the emperors, that included the famous Julius Caesar. Inside was a whole lot of information of the baths. And all together was about 6 baths and 2 of them naturally heated form underground. Then we stayed the night in the outskirts of Bath, it is called Beckington. The next day we went to London again because we didn't do the Tower of London, but on the way we went and saw the famous Stonehenge. Stonehenge was built over 5000yrs ago and is now covered in green linchen. People do still not know how the stones got from west Wales to South London because each stone weighs over 5 tons. The stones were perfectly aligned so the rocks were inline with the sun so the sun sets through the stones. And in the middle was the altar stone which is shaped like an altar. The drive to London didn't feel long but we were too early to check in so we Tower of London. First we went for a guided tour with a Yeoman, but it got really boring so we did our on thing and we saw way more things. We saw king Henry V's bed and we even saw all the kings and queens crown and coronation things. All the things were made of real silver gold and diamond. One of the crowns had 12,000 diamonds on it. Then we went to our hotel and went out to get some dinner from Covent garden, but there wasn't anything there, so we got our normal pizza place. The next day we went and stayed at some friends house outside Cambridge. We stayed there the night then went to the American cemetry. At the American Cemertry all the people who were buried had white crosses only but some of them had star ones and they were all in a row. All the Germans killed them in war. Then we went to the famous Kings college, the college is part of the Cambidge university and it even has a huge chapel. It has a huge organ which Henry VIII gave to Anne Boleyn as a gift but then later on he executed her because he thought she was cheating on him. At the back of the chapel was a huge painting of a group of people holding some babys and in 1961 the owner donated it. Outside was big and it had a huge area of grass you were not allowed to play on it. On the other side was a river which you could hire a row boat and swim around. Then we got in the car and drove back to Preston Lancshire. Europe  Switzerland & France Today we left for John Lennon airport, Liverpool to get on our flight to Geneva, Switzerland. Yesterday our flight to Paris France got cancelled because the France air control had gone on strike. So we had to drive 40mins back to home in Manchester. Liverpool airport was shocking because once we passed all the other requirements to get on our flight we went to security and it was crammed with people, It took about 30 – 40 mins to get to the front of the queue. The ding dong rang for our flight and said that the gate was closing, so we asked the man if we could cut through because our flight was leaving, he said OK and we could go through and we had to sprint fast to our gate and we made it just in time. Our flight was 2hrs long and the kid behind me was making loads of noise and getting me angry. When we arrived in Geneva we could see the 140m water fountain, Jet D’Eau and also the famous mountains Mont Blanc. It stank in the airport and in the airport were some electronic doors which entered you into France! We got our rental car and drove to Lyon in France. Communication is really hard around Europe because most of the countries speak their own language. So when we ordered a Hawaiian pizza, we had to draw a pig to get ham on the pizza. The next day we drove to Old Lyon across the bridge and went to St Jean’s cathedral. The security guard wouldn’t let us take any photos and he reminded me of Inspector from Pink Panther. It had a huge circle made of glass and it had glass stained things on it and it had a smaller one at the front. I couldn’t see much because some people were doing church singing and walking around. After we drove to a bascilla called Fourpierre. On top of the bascilla was a golden statue of Jesus. On the way were a whole lot of kids standing on the road smoking and swearing at us when we beeped at them. Up at the top you could see a great view of Lyon, it had a row of houses going diagonal and a big nuclear plant. Inside the bascilla it was all gold and had a HUGE picture at the back of a lion and people crowding it. The roof had 5 domes made of glass and a statue of Mary holding Jesus. Downstairs was a mini chapel with the same stuff but a few more ainting. We left the bascilla then went to the city centre and got some lunch. Geneva was a short drive and we did it without stopping. On the way we went through really long tunnels but one of them was 27km long!!! We checked in to our hotel then we went to Lake Geneva and it was a pretty long and big lake. The JetD’eau goes140m high and lets out water as fast as 200kmph!!! After that we got some dinner and finished off with a rest. The next day we didn’t do much around Geneva because there wasn’t much to do. We walked to St Peters cathedral, it had really big pillars and it had a organ called ‘ The Great Organ’ It had about 30 pipes with angel statues on top. Next door was the chapel of Macabees, On the roof it had a big painting of a person calling angels with stars in the background. After that we went to the nearest McDonalds and it was SO expensive. A Fillet-O-fish cost 13.70 NZD. After a expensive lunch, we walked back to our hotel and rested and got ready to leave to Zurich. At Zurich we quickly checked in and set off to the centre of Zurich. There we went to a church which had the tallest glass stained windows in Europe. When we walked in we saw a organ and loads of seats so people could sit down. But everybody was turning left into a small room and in there was 2 huge glass stained windows. The windows didn't have much on them apart from a really bad painting of a woman. I personally thought that they weren't that good and i've seen bigger ones but dad said that the windows that were bigger probably weren't glass stained. We exited the Fraumunster church and saw a big clocktower and a lake called the Munsterbruke. There were some cruises going on on the lake but we didn't have a clue if it was famous or not, so we didn't go on it. We crossed the bridge and had a afternoon snack at Papa Joes. We were satisfied with the snack and after walked up to the famous cathedral in Zurich, Saint Peter's cathedral. We were excitd to go in, but I tryed to open the doors but they were closed, they were all closed. So w they e crossed over the bridge again and drove up to a viewpoint. On the way we came past the home of FIFA. None of my family found it cool because they're not into football, but I loved it it had a really fancy sign outside and inside was gated off and inside was all the gear. But the Fifa headquarters were for mainly the decisions. Anway we dorve right up to the top and some people were there sitting on the sets enjoying the sunset but we weren't doing that sort of stuff, we just looked at the view, the Swiss alps and the houses on the hills. The alps were covered in snow. It was really cool. We rove back to our hotel and watched James Bond in German. LYON       GENEVA     ﻿   SALZBURG   Today we drove down to Salzburg, Austria, but on the way we wanted to see the Swiss houses and stopped at a little village called Arnegg. We saw a big house with window shutters and a big Switzerland flag outside the window. We drove down some more and came to a farm which had a dog, 2 men and a big barn. The man said we could wander around and take photos, but he also told us the cows were coming to get fed. They blocked it off so the cows couldn't run off. The cows mooed at my mum heaps and some of the cows had really big udders and collapsed every 10secs!!! After that we left said bye to the men and the dog and headed off o Salzburg none stop. At Salzburg we quickly checked in and drove to a castle which took people up by cable car. It wasn't a famous castle but it was good and from up there, you could get different views of Salzburg. It was just like any other view, loads of land and buildings. We walked around and saw a tower which was built in the 1400's!!! You weren't supposed to touch it but I touched it anyway. We walked back down, but we didn't catch the cable car and we walked into a huge square. It was all light up with a statue and a girl singing. She didn't really look like a woman though. We walked around the corner and saw a carnival going on for kids. But we walked past it and went to a fountain which was 3 tiered and we walked down some more to witness a Mozart statue. Apparentally Mozart was from Salzburg and had a huse around our area, so we thought we would go and visit it tomorrow. We drove to a restaurant and went through a tunnel carved out of stone and it had carved people and on one of the sides had some big paintings of horses and a fountain of some horses. The best part was that tunnel was around the corner. In the morning we woke up and packed to go to the capital, Wien (Vienna). But first we had a look around town, first we walked down to Mozart's house. It included his first piano, violin and a strand of his hair. Then we walked down to the Mozart muesum and we rushed it because we want to go and see the ice caves, so we quickly did it and drove to a little random town which had the ice caves. We paid to take the cable car up and we had to walk 20mins up to the cable car and 20mins up to the ice caves. These caves were the biggest ice caves in the world. I started throwing rocks down the REALLY REALLY steep hill and couldn;t hear them touch anything but I could see it. It was really freaky. At the top we waited for our tour guide and while waiting, we stayed in the sun for 40mins. When the guide opened the door to the ice caves, wind burst at you, but I didn’t know how it happened. After the wind we entered a room which was 0 degrees and we walked along the paths with our lanterns they gave us. I touched the ground with my feet to check if it was ice, but turned out to be stone. We turned a corner and saw a big, tall sculpture which was clear. It was an Ice sculpture that looked like a tsyuami and was about 20m tall. We moved on, my hands numb and very cold. Next we moved on and entered a room which looked like animals were living there. It included otters, seals and even a whale!!! It was naturally made. We were near the end, but first we went into a room which was 140m tall. It was full of ice and had some icycles in it. Finally I saw the door to the outside. I wanted to get outside ASAP but there was a queue to get outside. But when we went outside it felt like a sauna. We walked back down and were hoping to get in the car quick so we could make our way to Vienna. It was a hike back down, but made it and drove to Vienna.

Vienna

As we drove through Vienna it was really busy and a lot of big buildings. Our hotel was near the motorway and we couldn’t wait to get a good rest. Our hotel was called hotel Cryston. The next day we woke up, had some breakfast and took a train into town. We went to one of the famous markets in Vienna. It is called the Nashmarkt and includes food, Footy shirts and clothes. A lot of people working there were trying to give olives to taste, but they looked really dodgy so we didn’t have any. We whizzed through the market and walked into the middle of the city. We got into the middle of the city and saw a building which stood out from the rest. It was called the Mozart and Strauss theatre and it is where the plays and musicals are shown. We caught a tour bus outside the theatre and toured Wien/Vienna. On the tour we saw Mozart’s house where he stayed for 3yrs, the parliament and also an amazing cathedral called the St Stevensdom. It had big spires and miny spires around the cathedral and also kings around the top of the cathedral. We went inside and it was packed with people, every where were people and pillars. 3 areas were there to pray and at the front was a big picture. We took the lift to the balcony of the cathedral, so we could see the view of Vienna and it was a great view. We saw a building that was sloped to one side and some that were big at the bottom and got skinnyer and skinnyer till the top. We walked right around the cathedral then went and had some lunch around the corner at Mcdonalds. After lunch we walked around to another church which had a really old green dome stuck on top. We went inside, but couldn’t go in any further because something was going on. People were hanging around the back trying to take photos, but the guard would tell them not to. We left and walked to the tour bus stop and caught the bus to the largest shopping mall in Vienna. It was all designer stuff and really expensive, so we walked around, had a quick look and then went out and had a coffee and a frapachino at Starbucks. Then we walked back to our hotel for a couple of hours then went and got some dinner in town where we went today.  POLAND - Oswiecum

Today we set off to go to Poland and we had to drive through Brno in Czech Republic. The drive was 5hrs long but felt quick. We got into Poland and got to our hotel while my dad went to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The concentration camp is where the Nazis conquered Poland and made camps to make lives hell. The man behind this was Adolf Hitler. We had lunch at the restaurant next door to our hotel and I had some turkey. My dad came back after 5hrs and said that it was really sad, but interesting. We rested for 1hr then went back to the restaurant and had dinner. The next day me and my mum went to the Auschwitz concentration camp. At the entrance it said people 14 and under shouldn’t go in, but I’m a tough boy so I went in anyway. It included the Jews hair which the Nazis kept, there suitcases and even medical experiments on them. In this camp about 1million Jews were killed. You will find out more later.         PRAGUE- Czech Republic

From the Auschwitz concentration camp, we drove straight to Prague and had some dinner. Today we took a train to Mustak and got some quick breakfast. Then we turned a corner and were on the famous Wenceslas square. We went in some shops but they were expensive and we didn’t dare to buy. In the middle of the square was a patch of grass which was a memorial, for 2 girls who sacrificed himself for there king. We went into a museum at the end of Wenceslas square which you had to pay to go in. If it was famous we would go in and pay, but we didn’t. There was a meteorite which was there that landed there 1 million years ago. I touched it. We caught a train near the famous Powder tower. It was really cool and you could walk up it to see the whole of Prague. We thought about it but we had a lot to do today so we didn’t. We walked down a busy street which had the famous statue the black Madonna. Some people didn’t notice it cause it was on top of a building. We walked down until we reached a square. A UEFA champions league tour was going on. And I wanted to go in SO bad because inside was the UEFA champions league trophy. We went inside without charge and suddenly saw the trophy whic people were taking photos with. First we went past all the famous people’s shirt like Figo, Messi and Ronaldo. Then we walked past Beckham’s shirt and Ronaldinho’s shirt and headband, then came to the trophy. We weren’t allowed to touch it but only take a photo with it. I did and it was awesome. It started raining so we took some cover and planned our route. 





BERLIN – GERMANY At night we relaxed and got some dinner. Today we went down for brekkie and then caught a bus to the Sony centre it had a glass roof but it was all outside and it was really good. We went in the Sony shop then went and caught a bus to Checkpoint Charlie. It was when tourists could go through the east and West Germany. We went inside the museum, then had a look around the area. Then we walked down to one of the most famous walls in the world. Berlin wall. It was all graffited over and had some parts of it taken out or damaged. People from east and west Berlin tried to get over, and some did while others got killed or really injured. We read about it at the bottom and then we went to the top to have a deeper look. The wall had green algae on it because it was built in 1961. I touched the Berlin wall when you weren’t supposed to. After that we caught a bus down to the Brandenburg gate. It started to rain and we got our jackets on in the tour bus. The Brandenburg gate was really big an had some sort of statue on top. The pillars were really big and I also learned that Adolf Hitler made all his announcements and speeches here. We wanted to get out of the rain and quickly got on the tour bus. We walked down the footpath to our hotel and on the way we went out and got some dinner. <span style="color: #984806; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">﻿         <span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> POTTSDAM-AMSTERDAM- NETHERLANDS Today we head out to Netherlands. First one of my dad’s friends in NZ said to stop in Potsdam. So we did and it had a really big palace. Again this palace was modern and really clean. But today tickets were sold out so we could only get into the gardens. The gardens were one of the best I seen and had a really cool fountain in the middle. The gardens were cut to perfection and the palace gardens weren’t even that busy. After that amazing scene, we had to drive to Amsterdam because it was a 6hr drive. We finally got there but it actually felt like 10hrs. We checked in and got some dominos for dinner. Today we caught a tram into town to visit the attractions. It was a nice walk along the streets because we saw people in there house watching people on the canal and stroll around. But a horrible smelly situation we came across was doggy doo doo. It was everywhere and apparently the dogs were allowed to poo and wee where ever they wanted. We got some breakfast at the outskirts of town. One of my mum’s friend’s sons is staying in Amsterdam to study and we are going to visit him later on. First we were deciding to go on the cruise or a pedal boat for an 1hr. We decided to make a decision fast and go on the pedal boat. I pedalled for the whole 1hr and my legs were sore afterwards. After that we had to go met the ‘student’ at Centraal station. On the way we bought souvenirs for cheap. We picked up student and then had some lunch with him. After lunch we decided to go see the most popular attraction. Anne frank huis. It was really interesting and they had to climb some really steep stairs called the back breaker stairs. At the end was her diary and all the notebooks she wrote stories in while she was hiding. People said it was really interesting but i didn’t have a clue what she wrote. After the tiring, walking day we had some coffee and drinks at a pancake place. ‘student’ had some studies to do so he caught a train back to Tilburg to go do them. We also caught a train to our hotel. Again we had to have dominos for dinner because that is the only thing to eat around our hotel.



ZAAN SCHANES

Today we left to Belgium and stopped at a small village called Zaan Schanes because it had the famous Dutch windmills and a clog workshop. It was raining so we parked up and walked down to the clog factory and saw how the clogs were made and then we left to the cheese factory where the cheese is made and you could try every single Dutch cheese they had. Then we walked right up to the windmill and got tickets to stand on the balcony an fell the wind of the blade go past.

= ANTWERP =

We woke up and had to drive into Belgium, but first visited students uni room. It was quite big and the toilets were quite unhygienic. The university was in a small place called Tilburg. We then drove 40 mins to Antwerp and when we got there, we parked up and then wandered around the town centre. We went to a big square and inside were 2 big churches and none of them were open because of a mass and renovations. So we walked around, bought souvenirs went inside some shops and left to Brugge before it got dark.

BRUGGE We woke up early and caught a bus into town. We got some brunch on the shopping street called Steenstraat. Then we went down some backstreets and came to a church called ‘The Church Of Our Lady’. This church disappointed me, but it had a cool statue made by the famous person called Michelangelo. After that disappointing experience we went to a diamond factory. It had a crown made of diamonds from the 1400’s. Also a big box full of cut diamonds. It was quite interesting and then we left and went to go find the basilica which included Jesus’s blood. We couldn’t find the basilica and everybody was getting annoyed and grumpy, so we bought some refreshments. The refreshments must of done something because 2mins afterwards, we found the basilica and went to the bottom half first. Me and my sister was running around trying to find the blood, but it was actually at the top half. So we went up the stairs and then on the right was the priest holding the glass case which included his blood. I thought it was a load of rubbish, but it looked pretty old and when you went up you could touch it and make a prayer. Each time someone touched it the priest would wipe away the marks. All our family did it then we went back down Steenstraat and my mum shopped. Eventually, it started to rain and we went back to the bus stop and caught a bus back to the bus station. We then went back to the hotel dried up and got ready to leave to Paris, France.

BRUSSELS,BELGUIM Woke up at 9am and drove to Brussels. When we got there and we tried Belgium’s famous waffles. I had a Brussels waffle with caramel syrup and strawberries. In the morning wasn’t a good idea and half way through, it git quite sickly. After that nice brekkie, we went through small shops and saw loads of rubbish things to buy. We then left to a big square which had a big town hall and car parking. Someone was also getting married in the town hall and she was a big mama. It started to pour down, so we got our umbrella out and walked down the street which has loads of souvenir shops and currency exchange shops. And then a crowd of people crowding around the famous Manneken pis. It was jam packed and it was only a mini statue of a kid peeing. We got to the front and saw it was dressed in a costume, but we didn’t know what it was based on. We then went through the famous markets with a funny name. We ran to the car and quickly got in the car and had to make tracks to Paris. The ride was 5hrs and we weren’t actually in the centre of Paris, we were in a suburb near it called Torcy. We got some dinner and then relaxed at the hotel.

PARIS,FRANCE Today we woke up early and caught a train to the one and only, Eiffel Tower. The train stations are quite filthy and dangerous. We made it out safely and entered the busy streets. My mum knew that it was coming because she had been to Paris before. But when we saw it, it was HUMOUNGOUS; it was really big and very, very detailed up close. We queued up to go up it and it didn’t take very long. We went up on the elevator and couldn’t be stuffed, and on the top floor had some really good views. Up the top on the Eiffel tower was really windy and nothing that big to take photos with except for the Eiffel tower, but we couldn’t cause we were on it. We took the elevator back down and walked down the stairs from the 2nd floor. We took some photos from the ground and then caught our tour bus to the Louvre. We queued up and it took ages because today it was FREE!!!! When we got inside, we decided we would walk to the Mona Lisa and look at the statues and paintings on the way. On the way we saw bones, cups and even the Last Supper! Then in the middle of the long room was the Mona Lisa. It was impossible to get to the front, but me and my sister managed to squeeze through. It was just a painting from ages ago and everybody says it’s famous because where ever you go, it’s eyes follow you. I tried it and it was all load of rubbish. After some photos we left to see the Aphrodite, it had no arms and is famous. Then we caught a train back to Torcy and rested for the day.

The next day We caught a train to the pantheon and didn’t go inside because it was quite dear. So we walked down to the Notre Dame. It had a big queue to get inside and when we got inside we got an audio guide and heard it through the dark cathedral. When we left it started to rain, so we caught our tour bus to the famous street, the Champs Elysee. We went in some shops and decided to go to the Arc De Triomphe. We had to go underground to get to it and were underneath where the roundabout was. There was a tomb for the Unknown Soldier and cool decorations under the cross bit at the top. After that we went to the Eiffel Tower and caught a train back to our hotel. Today we went to Versailles and went to the palace of Versailles, it was really difficult to get a parking nearby, but luckily we got to park in the palace of Versailles parking. We queued up for ages, got our tickets, went through security and we were in. We went through the kings and queens rooms and went and had a look at the gardens. It was pretty cool and then we drove to our NEW hotel in Montervain. After a well deserved rest, we thought it would be good to see the Eiffel tower at night, so we drove a 1hr to get to it and it was REALLY REALLY REALLY good. It sparkled for 5 mins every 1hr and just lit up gold the rest of the time. We got some dinner at a nearby restaurant and then went back to the hotel. Last day today for our 3week trip and today we drove to the Sacre Coeur. It was made out of sandstone I think and it was pretty small on the outside and quite big in the inside. People were sitting on the stairs watching a football juggler and a singer. Then we headed off to Charles de Gaulle airport. We had to hang around there for about 6hrs. Our flight got delayed 30mins but apart from that it was fine.







ITAILIA ( ITALY ) FIRENZE ,Florence Today we woke up to go to Italy and land in Rome. Unfortunately our flight was at 6:40am and we had to wake up at 3am. My uncle dropped us off at Liverpool airport and we had to hang around for about 1hr for our gate to open. We boarded the plane and set off to Rome. The flight was 2hrs and we flew over the Swiss Alps and Zürich. When we got out, it was very nice weather and we went to the car rental place and picked up our car from SIXT. We drove down to Florence and it was really busy traffic. The drive was supposed to be 3hrs, but it was 6 because of traffic. On the way we saw signs going towards Napoli, Rome and small towns with farms and vineyards. We arrived at our hotel and didn’t do anything. Today we had an early start and we caught a shuttle bus into the centre of Florence. We went to the tourist info and then went to see the church saint Maria novella, but it was closed for mass. So we walked down to the main cathedral, the Duomo. It has 2 big red domes and inside the dome the biggest painting in the world. We then walked down to the parliament buildings and looked at the famous statues brang from all over Italy to this one place for everyone to look at. In front of the parliament buildings was the famous statue made by Michelangelo, the statue of David. But it was a replica and the real one was in a museum. So after that we walked down to the biggest one in the world, Santa Croce. It was huge and inside had lots of peoples tombs including Michelangelo’s also with a bust of him. The floor was really slippery with all the tourists walking around in the wet rain and coming in and leaving water in the cathedral. After that we walked down to the bridge which used to have all butchery shops on it, but then got turned to all jewellery. The shops were hanging off the bridge and if not well supported, it would fall into the river below. We walked across and on the other side got a world famous gelato from Italy. It was superb and very yummy. Then our final stop was the Duomo, it had nothing inside apart from at the front which had the famous and the biggest painting in the world painted by Michelangelo called the Fresco. After that we caught a shuttle bus back and rested. Pisa Today we went back into town and walked on the Michelangelo Bridge for the last time and we bought a gelato from where we got it from last time. We then went back to the car and drove to a place which is called Lido Di Camoire and was near the tourist attraction Cinque Terre. On the way we went to Pisa and went into the most beautiful square in the world called Knights square. It had the baptistery, a museum and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. We got some lunch and then entered the rain and bought some tickets to go up the Leaning tower. We then went to the baptistery and then went to the tower and entered walking up the stairs. It went around and around and when you came to the platform, it told you how many degrees the leaning tower was leaning. We went right to the top and the tower was leaning 7 degrees! We took some photos of the view and it was really windy. We went up to the bells and went around then went back down and got a few pieces of the tower. We then left to Lido Di Camoire. We entered the UNA hotel, the flashest hotel in the area. We rested for the night and got ready to leave to Cinque Terre tomorrow. CINQUE TERRE- 5 Villages Today we drove to the Cinque Terre and drove through La Spezia and saw super yachts and a mini Westpac stadium, but it was a church and it was still pretty huge. We went up really windy roads to get to the first town which was Riomaggoire. We parked up and entered the first island. Here are some info on them and what they were like IN ORDER: RIOMAGOIRE: typical Italian houses, had a small butchery, post office and a kitchen shop, we walked to the train station and caught a train to Monterroso it was the last island MONTERROSO: Walked along the coast and saw the Mediterranean Sea and took photos of the views, we walked into town and got some lunch, not many people and little cars driving around, caught a train to Vernazza VERNAZZA: Went to the shore and saw loads of walls of the vineyards, learnt that all the vineyard walls in Cinque Terre add up to be longer than the Great Wall of China CORNIGLA: Caught a bus to main bit, we saw a big vineyard, walked down where the houses were and a tabby cat followed us around MANAROLA: a small town with a lot of houses and a big vineyard, had a hot chocolate made of REAL chocolate, it was very strong We then caught a train back to Riomaggoire and drove back to Lido Di Camoire. Venice, Italy

Today we woke up and drove to Venice. We stopped of at a town called Lucca and had a look around. There was a big wall made which could be seen all over town and was made by hand and was brick. We then looked for vineyards, but had no luck. So we drove to Venice and got there parked in the biggest parking lot in Europe and had to catch a water taxi to San Zaccaria, it was very busy and our hotel was down back streets, but luckily Venice isn’t dangerous. DAY 1 & the last one

First we went to St Marks square and tried getting into the basilica, but it was opening in 15mins. So we wandered around and then dropped our bags off and then we queued up for the basilica. It was a bit like the Sacre Coeur in France but smaller. We then collected our bags and walked down the backstreets and saw Gucci, lactose and a big D&G Shop. We then went for a gondola ride for 30mins around the canals and saw a bookshop on water and a music school on water. It was very weird. We then walked to the rialto bridge caught some photos and then went back to the hotel. Later we got some dinner from around the corner. Roma/Rome Today we caught a water taxi to tronchetto car parking again and drove 6hrs to Rome, it was supposed to be 4hrs but we had to stop for petrol, lunch etc. when we got there we checked in and then went to drop off our rental car back to SIXT. We went through the busy streets, past Rome Termini and drove on the famous roman cobblestone streets. We dropped it off, then went for dinner and then went back to the hotel. DAY 2 Today we woke up early and caught a tour bus to the colosseum and on the way we saw Saint Maria church, vitoriano and then finally the colosseum. Next to it was also the arch of Constantine, the colosseum was broken from the earthquakes throughout the 1000yrs and is in pretty good condition for that long ago. We bought some tickets for a guided tour and while waiting got stone of the colosseum and stored them safely. When our tour guide came he took us around the staff area only to the ground. The entrance we came through was the entrance the animals came through. The battle ground wasn’t in the middle anymore, but in the middle was underneath the stage which was elevators to pull the Romans and animals up and down. The tour guide told us about that. Then we went upstairs to where the civilians watch the battles and we got taken to the terrace where you could see the roman ruins, Palatine hill and the arch of Constantine. It was cool and then the tour guide left us and then we bumped into a New Zealander who nearly got his passport stolen by someone and he was flying to Dubai the same day. He was VERY lucky. We then left to the pantheon and when we arrived got McDonalds and sat next to the fountain eating our lunch. Then we went inside the pantheon and then came straight out because there wasn’t much there and walked to the Trevi fountain. Loads of people were there having coffee and gelatos and others were throwing coins in for good luck. We did it and then again walked down to Piazza Navano. It was packed and we quickly had a look and left back to the hotel and rested to go and have a look at Rome at night. It was really nice and pretty cold so we wrapped up warm. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">DAY 3 – VATICAN CITY <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Today we left to another country called the Vatican City. It is the smallest country in the world and is actually part of Rome. We caught a tour bus there and when we got there, we queued up to go inside the basilica. We went through security, past the chairs for Wednesday mass and entered the front part of the basilica. We stood underneath the pope’s balcony where he stands outside and waves to people. We went inside and first saw a big brown chair like entrance to the altar. We then went to the right and saw the famous Pieta. It was made by Michelangelo and was one of his sculptures which he was proud to say he made it. It got broken by some people, but got fixed up at night and is the only sculpture which has his signature on Mary’s chest. We then walked around the basilica and looked around and my final comment of it was that it one of the good ones and it was the most well detailed basilica of all of the ones I’ve seen. We couldn’t go into the famous Sistine chapel because it was closed and was also designed by Michelangelo and has his paintings ‘the Raphael rooms’. So we went and had a look at all the pope’s tombs. People were getting quite emotional over the latest pope who died and getting on their knees for him. We then left to the Spanish steps and walked down a street which was the high end street of Rome and was really expensive. We then came to the steps and were disappointed and left soon after. So we then walked back to the hotel and rested for a bit. Then later on we walked down Nazionale and shopped.