Heading Home: From Amsterdam to Auckland

I left Amsterdam at 2pm on Sunday the 2nd of July, and arrived in Auckland at midday on Tuesday the 4th of July. The journey consisted of two long flights. The first was 11 1/2 hours from Amsterdam to Hong Kong where I was in transit. The second flight was 10 hours from Hong Kong to Auckland. I dont remember any of the flights being exciting, in fact they were fairly boring. I did not sleep at all on any of them, instead i enjoyed watching the on flight movies.

In Hong Kong I spent 14 hours in transit, from 7.30 in the morning until 9.30 at night. I was so confused when I arrived at the airport. I didnt know where to go, or what to do, and I spent the first hour getting lost in the huge airport! Its huge, and shaped like a aeroplane too. I ended up storing my luggage in the luggage department and signed up to go on a transit tour around Hong Kong city for a couple of hours. There were only five of us on the tour - a dutch man, an indian guy, a german guy, an australian lady and myself. We climbed on a lovely airconditioned bus, and Willie our tourguide, took us on a tour around the city, showing us spectacular sites - the longest bridge, the highest tower, an antiques market, and a temple. I was very tired by the end of it, and very bored. It was a waste of money, but a good waste of time. The aussie and myself got some lunch and looked around some shops, then headed back to the airport. For the rest of the afternoon and evening I signed myself into a travellers lounge to pass the time. I got myself a package where I could have a shower, a 2hr sleep in a really comfortable bed, use free internet and eat as much food from the buffet, and drink as many drinks from the fridge as I wanted. Some of the others from our tour also came into the lounge, so I had fun hanging out with them. It was sad when I had to depart them to go on my second flight. I honestly couldnt believe that I was only halfway home, and that I still had another 10 hours to go.

Arriving In Auckland was really exciting. For the 3hrs prior I was ready for landing, watching the plane make its way slowly across the screen in front of me. Landing in Auckland was very remniscent of Landing in Schiphol earlier in the year...Lots of grey cloud and freezing cold!!!But it was such a wonderful feeling to be on home soil. From Auckland I flew to Christchurch, where my sister Chris met me at the airport. Everything felt familiar. It felt like home.

Oh Europe, you were so exciting.
New Zealand, Ive missed you and its great to be home.

Ive been away too long,
and every day i missed you more,
You look like you did before, only prettier,
Everyday I love you more. - Racoon

Goodbye to Europe

Thursday morning was mums birthday, so it was sad to have to leave. I departed them at the train station and made my way to the airport. At the airport I spent a while lining up in the easyjet queue (who i usually fly with) and then at the last minute realised I was flying with another company. When I got into Schiphol Hannie was there to pick me up. I went back to her house for the night, and the next day i went for a walk with Hans around the area. It was such a lovely hot summers day. Later in the afternoon I took the train to Barendrecht where Ada met me. I was going to stay with them for the rest of the time in Holland. Ada has the best house, its apartment style and really cool and modern. For dinner Ada, Inge, Liesbeth, Marten and I went out to an indian restaurant for dinner in Rotterdam. On the saturday Liesbeth, Inge and I went to a dutch beach for the entire day. This was so great, the weather was fantastic and it was great to say that I went swimming in the dutch ocean on a hot sunny day, even if it was the day before I left. The beach was very crowded, the sand was hot and there were lots of topless women which once again made me feel uncomfortable. The sea was very warm, but very shallow with no waves, and there was lots of seaweed floating everywhere - perfect for seaweed wars! In the evening we all went around to Liesbeth and Martens apartment for a barbeque dinner, prepared earlier by Ada. It was such a fun night, we ate great food and sat out on the balcony until it got dark. Then I needed to go back and pack for the next day..which was so hard, i ended up leaving alot of gear behind for mum and dad to take back to New Zealand with them. Saturday night I couldnt sleep because I was so nervous and excited about going back home. On Sunday morning we went to church in Den Haag because Paul's son was getting baptised. It was a lovely service, but incredibly boring for me because the whole service was in dutch. Liesbeth, Marten and I busted a move early to get me to Schiphol in time. I said goodbye to them at the check in and made my way into the duty free shops. So this is it...Im heading home sweet home!!

Crossing the Border: Cerbere to Barcelona

Cerbere

On the east coast of France, dipping its feet in the mediterranean ocean, lies Cerbere, a small french seaside town on the france and spain border. We arrived on the saturday, only to find all accomodation 'booked out' due to a festival on that week. Trying their luck, mum and dad walked up to a hotel, sitting on the edge of a cliff. Fortunately they had one room left, with a balcony and a milliondollar view.
The first plan was to hit the beach - the hotel had its own path down to a private beach. We spent the afternoon sunbathing. Come 4pm we wandered down the road to the centre where the festival was starting up with some traditional dancing and singing. It turned out to be a choral festival. The dancing was hilarious, it reminded me of the folk dancing we used to do at primary school. For dinner we had pizza on the beach - and observed backpackers trying to find accomodation for theirselves. There was a choral concert in the evening that we watched. Fun at first, but after 3hrs I was definetly over it.I had a sore bottom, and was cold and restless.
On sunday we slept in, then spent the majority of the day just relazxing on the beach..sunbathing, reading, eating, drinking and swimming. Its a dream come true to be swimming in the mediterranean. There was a cool raft to swim out to, and the water was very warm and very bouyant. Its hard to believe that Im over here getting sunburnt and swimming in the ocean in the middle of june, while its winter back in New Zealand.

Barcelona
On monday we left the hotel very early and took a train over the border into spain. We stopped at Port Bou for an hour, then continued onwards to Barcelona. The train trip started out incredibly boring, but then we striked up some conversation with two american girls in the seats next to us. Arriving in Barcelona was just as I had imagined it. Its a beautiful city, but very busy!And hot! We rested in a park, the missioned to find our hotel - which turned out to be in a great location- close to both the city and the beaches.It was only a 10 minute walk to the beach, we had to weave our way through the masses of teenagers coming back from the beach. There are 7 or so beaches going down the coast. The beaches are very european - lots of beach umbrellas, deckchairs and topless sunbathers! We walked down the beachside then made our way up past the zoo, then through the Parc de la Ciutadella, and through downtown - peeping in the windows of some amazing clothing shops. We headed towards La Rambla (the main street) looking for somewhere to eat a meal. La Rambla is very busy with lots of entertainers - breakdancers and human statues. We finally ended up somewhere back near the hotel for another 3 course meal.

On tuesday morning, we headed down to the food market on La Rambla. The market was amazing, jam packed with everything edible - lollies, nuts, fruit, veges, meat, cheese, bread, and living seafood! Some people were giving away free drinks which was nice. We bought some food and found a nice park to eat it in. I was by now very over the bread and cheese diet. On the way we had passed Gaudis gothic cathedral, but we were not allowed inside because mum and I were wearing inappropriate clothing. We walked up to La Sagrada Familia - Gaudis famous (huge) cathedral which was never completed - and I doubt if it will ever be completed. I got a ticket to enter and take a look around. There was really unusual architechture. The funnest part was climbing to the top of the spires for a fantastic panoramic view of the city. For dinner we had the worst doner kebabs on the beach - they nearly gave me food poisoning.

Today was a very uneventful day that im not even going to bother writing about it. We spent the majority of the day in the internet cafe because mum and dad were trying to find accomodation for next week. Tomorrow Im leaving the parents to head back to Holland for a few days before flying back to New Zealand. It is sad, yet a relief to be leaving the parents. Ive had such a fun time going around france and spain with them, but It will be nice to be more independant again. So Ill say goodbye to Barcelona. Ive really enjoyed Barcelona, I definetly think Ill be back here one day.

Canal Du Midi

The adventure begins! On saturday afternoon we took a taxi to Negre, to where the Locoboats base is, and where we would pick up our canal boat and venture down the canal for a week, ending in Argens the following saturday.

We spent most of the afternoon waiting for our boat 'Preuilly' to be serviced and cleaned. It is the cheapest and most basic boat you can hire. Its like a caravan that floats on water. There is a double bed for mum and dad, plus a poor excuse for single bed. There is a tiny bathroom with a toilet and a shower, plus a kitchen with a table that folds down into another double bed. That is where I have been sleeping - furtherest away from mum and dad. We hired a bike for the week. Its lime green with a basket and a bell that rattles. Its got lots of gears too. A huge step up from my dutch bicycle. I went for a quick ride while waiting, and discovered that there are bicycle paths down the canal - no doubt the whole way. Just when we had enough of the midges biting us, our boat was ready late in the afternoon. We were given a brief introduction and then set off! The boat travels at a steady 8km per hour. Our first Lock was exciting, but very stressful. It took me a while to figure out the purpose of Locks - but they actually make a canal a canal by blocking the water at intervals, instead of it rapidly flowing down towards the sea. Locks build up water depth to allow calmness and boats to travel through, and create an esculator type system towards the sea. When you enter a lock, the gates open and close and you have to hold your boat steady against walls with ropes while the water levels go up or down.

Our schedule each day was fairly similar. Rise and Shine, then spend a few hours putting along the canal, going in and out of locks, which take up most of the time. Then we would find somewhere to moor each evening, and explore random little villages. And I cooked dinner each night! Its been so nice being able to cook for more than one person. Some days I chose to bicycle the whole way instead. This proved to be good exercise, and a good way to get away from mum and dad for a while. I also like biking because it gave me a good chance to enjoy the nature and landscape more. I could go at my own pace (far ahead of the boat) and top whenever I liked to take photos. The landscape was pretty constant - lush green grass and chestnuts bordering the canal, and then golden fields of wheat or other cops, with farmhouses dotted here and there, ending with the hills in the distance. Some days I biked up to 20km. When I wasnt biking, I was soaking up the sunshine on the front of the boat and reading books. I think I got through 4 or 5 books in a week.


On our first night we moored at Gardouch. I cant remember this being a very exciting place.I remember wandering around the canal and the village, where we met some australians on another boat. The village was pretty dead because everyone was shut inside.

On Sunday night we moored at Castlenaudry. This was a lovely place. On the monday morning we explored all the markets in the hot sun. Not a very great market, compared to Florence anyway. But great for food - especially breads and cheeses.

On Monday night we moored at Port De Bram. We walked into the town of Bram at night. Nothing there - the most ghostly town so far. Probably because of the huge sewerage issues.

On Tuesday night we moored at Carcasonne. Fantastic Place. It was exciting being in a big town again, after all the little random villages. I was dissapointed though, because there was no H&M. On Wednesday morning we explored the city, both the new city and the old medieval city that lives up on a hill. Its a giant castle,partly ruined. But its walls surround the coolest little city inside. There were lots of touristy shops and cafes and even houses up there. I loved it, I couldnt tear myself away from the shops.

On Wednesday night we moored at Trebes. Interesting little town. Mum and I could not find a laundry though. After some family domestics, mum and I wandered the town and came across a random little music festival that was happening. We sat and listened to some music for a while.

On Thursday nigth we moored in La Redorte. Not much to this town either. Mum dubbed me on the back of her bicycle to the supermarket which was pretty scary. We lost the bell off the bike, and during the night some mysterious person thieved off with our bike lock as well.

This evening, friday evening, we made it to our final destination in Argens. It is nice to be at the end of the trip. I dont think I could have handled another night being crammed in the boat with hot temperatures. This evening we cleaned the boat until it was sparkling. Tomorrow we will wave our boat goodbye, and we plan to catch a taxi to Narbonne, where we will await a train for our next destination.

Welcome to Southern France

13th June - Destination Marsielle

Most of tuesday was taken up by making my way to the airport - tubes and trains. I wasted my time at the airport by eating McDonalds for lunch. Such a bad move, I dont know why I always eat McDonalds at the airport because it never satisfies me. I think it is just out of convenience. The flight to Marsielle wasnt long. I took a shuttle from the airport to the rail station and got to experience rush hour traffic. I got to see wonderful views when coming into the city. Marsielle is a Port town with a huge port! The sea looked beautiful, and high on a hill was a church looking over everything. Mum and dad met me at the station. It was so great to see them again. We took my luggage back to their hotel and went for a walk into town. Marsielle as a city is quite dity and quite noisy, but there is a lovely atmosphere around the waterfront where there are lots of restaurants with specials to entice you. We had dinner at one restaurant where we got a 3 course meal for only 12euro! Bargain! I had another steak. The only bad thing about the evening is that we had to shift tables three times because everyone was smoking, and I couldnt breathe due to my hayfever.

14th June - Destination Orange

On Wednesday morning we went to the internet cafe, then made our way to the train station. We waited there for a while, eating lunch, then finally boarded a train. I was glad to escape a scary guy who was following me around the station and blowing smoke in my face. There really are some looneys who like to hang around train stations in Europe, or so I have noticed.
I really liked Orange. Mum liked it too - but mostly because of the dutch ancestory. We stayed in Orange until the friday. We stayed at this nice hotel, and spent our time there wandering around streets, eating in the square, and going to the internet cafe. On the friday mum and I walked up this hill to overlook the town. It was hard to find the way up because the side of the hill holds a huge classic antique roman amphitheatre - the best preserved stone theatre. The theatre is huge and was undergoing some huge reconstruction. In Orange I also got to see the Arc de Triomphe, similar to victory arches that I used to learn about in Classics.

15th June - Destination Avignon

On the thursday we visited Avignon for the day. Apparently it is famous for its song about the bridge Sur Le Ponte. It is an amazing town, and it was amazing weather. We spent the day trying to resolve conflicts between my parents and I about whether we should make a schedule and go see as much as we can, or whether to just 'follow our noses'. We visited the palace of the popes and ate lunch on the stairs. We walked up around the palace where there were some stunning views of the river that runs through the city. We visited the bridge Sur Le Ponte. But instead of paying to go on the bridge, we sat on the river banks and read our books in the shade. It was a good way to escape the heat of the day.

16th June - Destination Villefranche

Today we took the train to Villefranche. There is not much to say about Villefranche. We are just using it as a stopover before we start our Canal Du Midi Trip tomorrow. The funny thing is that it really does resemble a stop over town, kind of like Culverden. Its the whole 'one street then you're through' thing that does it. The hotel we are staying in is really cool. It has a huge window with shutters, with a fantastic view overlooking the countryside. The thing i love about houses here in France is the shutters. But they are quite a barrier - they are always shut. People disappear into their houses and shut the shutters to keep the heat out. Towns seem like ghost towns, especially in the evenings. We went out for dinner this evening and there was nobody about.

England Re-United

1st June - Destination London.

I packed bags and said my goodbyes to my flat, my cousins, Holland overall. Ready to begin my adventure - one solid month of travelling and not feeling guilty for not doing schoolwork. My cousin Cor drove me to Schiphol airport, where i spent about four hours in the airport entertaining myself because the plane was delayed - so duty free shops were the go. Making my way from Gatwick airport to Louisa's place in Shepherds Bush was a mission, this time i had three different bags to cart through the UnderGround Tube stations. I was getting very stressed out because i was going so slow and kept stopping in awkward places to regain grip..while everyone else was in a rush to get past me. It was nice to see Louisa and Rod again and sit and take a breather. I was feeling very faint from the humid temperatures of the tube - especially because i was dressed in my winter gears - it had been raining in Holland all day.

On the friday i slept in until a ridiculous hour and spent the day reading my book 'The Virgin Blue' - I managed to finish it too. Im not too keen on doing too many touristy things in London this time, because I did it all last time. Also, because im running out of money. Im just going to use London as a stop over, somewhere I can chill out. Sounds good to me. We went out for dinner at night. Lekker.

3rd June - Destination Manchester

On Saturday morning I took a train up to Manchester to stay with Jake and Justine Grieve. The train was packed with people - due to a Bon Jovi concert, and a rugby match. After a few inconvenient delays I arrived in very sunny Manchester. It was fantastic to see Jake and Justine again, but odd that it was in Manchester and not Dunedin. They took me on a brief tour of the city centre, and then we stopped for lunch in a park - Jake already armed with a picnic lunch. I swallowed down yummy sandwiches while Jake pointed out the Scallys in the park that I should watch out for. Manchester is an interesting place, but I cant say its a very exciting place to visit as a 'tourist' - theres just not much to do. But Jake and Justine like it, I guess thats because they have good jobs and good friends to keep them busy. Everyone has Coronation style accents in Manchester. Its hard to understand a word that anyone says. In the afternoon we went to check out Liverpool, which is even less exciting than Manchester. I think that the only interesting thing about Liverpool is that it is where The Beatles came from, and the city holds onto that dearly. We went briefly into the Beatles Museum, and decided it was a rip off so just browsed around the shop instead. We went for a walk around the docks, and also briefly visited the Liverpool Life museum - and i mean briefly. Then we headed back to Manchester because we had run out of things to do in Liverpool. I cant say Liverpool would be on my list of places to go back to. However I did see a sign that said that Liverpool had been voted 2008's cultural city of England, so i may just change my mind. At night we went out to dinner at this Italian restaurant to bid farewell to a NZ friend of Jake and Justines. It was great being around fellow kiwis again and talk in NZ slang. Ive found that a lot of the words I usually like to use are not understood in Holland at all.

On Sunday morning we went to church. Then we drove for a few hours in the rental car (Justines work car), and crossed the border into Wales. My first impression of Wales is that it is absolutely beautiful. Sunny day, fresh air, lush grass and wild flowers bordering the main roads. Fantastic views of mountains on my left and to the right classic british beachsides, very remniscent of New Zealand landscape. Our destination was Snowdonia, Our mission was to climb Mt Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. I was quite excited, it had been a while since I've done some good exercise apart from climbing up church towers and riding my dutch bicycle. It had been a while since I had seen mountains as well. The climb should have taken us about 5hrs or so, but we pushed it in about 3 1/2hrs because we wanted to get back to Manchester for a good kiwi roast. I think that was my main motivation to get to the top. It was hard going to the top, very rocky terrain - a lot of scrambling involved. And the sweating never ceased. There were stunning views from the top - the landscape so similar to that of around Otago.Slightly dry, rocky terrain with lots of little lakes everywhere that are crystal clear. It was so great to get to the summit. We did discover that there is a train that takes you to the top from the other side, but you have to pay 20 pounds. What a rip off! On the way down we took a different route, winding us around the side of two other peaks. We found some sheep along the way grazing. The really funny thing about the sheep was that they have really long tails that drag in the mud.
The drive back to Manchester was horrible. We got stuck in the worst traffic jam I've ever participated in. We were driving at about 20km/hr for about 1 1/2hrs - trying to wind in and out of lanes to pass cars and cut time. It turns out there was an accident up the road. Honestly I'll never complain about slow traffic on Riccarton Road again. We did get back in time for the roast dinner, and oh it was so good. I think that is one of the first things that I will have when im back in NZ. A good roast chicken with stuffing, and gravy, and pumpkin, kumara, potatoes, peas..mmmm...lekker.

On Monday I had to entertain myself while Jake and Justine were at work. I slept in, then spent the morning emailing. After lunch I spent a good hour considering whether I should attempt going into town on Justines mountain bike. I gave it a go, boy was that the wrong move. It was so hard getting used to wearing a helmet again, and using a bike with gears, handbrakes and a normal shaped seat. It was also a mission getting used to biking on the left hand side again and trying not to get killed by buses. I nearly got killed by a sportscar though, he thought he could try and cut the corner before me. But I showed him where to go. I got horribly lost, It took about an hour to get into town and then find the train station. I waited in line at the train station for a sold time to get a ticket to Cambridge, and to change the remainder of my euros into british pounds. Ouch. I then headed back to the house, and got lost again. Jake and Justines place is pretty cool, I'd compare it to a motel room - its that small. Just big enough for a small kitchen, small bathroom and a bedroom/lounge about the size of two double beds. For dinner we had Thai Red Curry and watched 'Peter Kay', a british comedian. Can't say im really impressed with British humour.

On Tuesday I slept in again. Surprise Surprise. Jake was off work, so we had lunch together and then went for a mission into town. We spent the afternoon trying to carry my luggage around town, and trying to find, and wait for busses that could take us anywhere the Imperial War Museum. By the time we got there, we only had about an hour before I had to make my way to the train station. So I guess it was a waste of money, because I've never been that interested in the war. However I did learn the positions of an airforce crew, and it was nice to see another part of Manchester. I boarded a train back to London late afternoon, but after 15 minutes of waiting the train was cancelled due to 'technical problems'. I switched to the next train, but during the process I somehow lost my train ticket. I dont know how, It still remains a mystery. I immediately jumped off the train and began to panic, frantically searching throughout all my bags and pockets...but nothing. So I managed to sweet talk the conductor, who gave me another ticket, because he was sympathetic towards my not wanting to pay another 100pounds for a new ticket. Finally I made it back to basecamp in London, just in time for Big Brother, British style.

7th June - Destination Cambridge

40minutes train ride north of London lies Cambridge, the most beautiful English town ever! I had been really excited about this part of my trip, because I got to hang out with Sarah Carey again. Having spent the first semester in York working in a hostel, Sarah was finally offered a contract to work as an OT - here in Cambridge. She moved here just a few weeks ago. She met me at the train station late Wednesday afternoon. We walked home to her residence at Addenbrookes hospital, stopping off at the cinema to get some movie tickets on the way. The residence where she lives is very basic - like a hall of residence. She lives with two others, though Ive hardly seen them the whole time Ive been here. But I have always smelled them - one of them is Indian and is always cooking up Indian dishes. Everytime I open the door into the flat it is like walking into India - the aromas mixed with the humidity and lack of fresh air is enough to make anyone feel sick. In the evening Sarah and I went to see the movie United 93 - a movie about the September 11 attacks. I got to talk to Jane in Australia at night as well, that was very cool!

On both thursday and friday I had to entertain myself during the day while Sarah was at work. Armed with a map, I spent each day exploring the town via foot. I did alot of aimless wandering - exploring the colleges, window shopping, reading my book and picnicing for lunch in parks, and adoring the old english houses. I came back each day exhausted, with swollen and sunburnt feet, as the weather was very hot and humid. Honestly im so impressed with the British weather. The nights were fun too, because Sarah had lots planned for us to do. On the thursday night we went to some of her OT friends house for dinner - and to secretly suss it out as a potential flat for her to move into. Friday night was the most amazing. Sarah had a surprise planned for me weeks in advance. It was a treasure hunt with clues - one that took us on a train to Covent Garden in London, and the treasure was an evening watching the LION KING MUSICAL! woohoo! We had cheap seats, right at the top with binoculars to view with. It was amazing, I cried about 3 minutes into it. I was blown away by every little detail that went into it to make it so visually entertaining. And I loved singing along to all the songs, because I knew all the words! After the theatre we went for a walk down Southbank - down past the Millenium wheel. London is so beautiful at night- the lights, everyone out and about, jazz musicians busking..its wonderfully romantic. We got back into Cambridge very late at night, after putting up with alot of drunken firefighters on the train. We had a brilliant midnight feast of pizza, then icecream with mars bar sauce. Then we hit the sack.

On Saturday morning we slept in, then met the OT girls and walked into town with them. One thing that is a must while in Cambridge is to go punting on the river Cam. That is what we did and it was so much fun. We spent a good hour punting up and down the river, admiring all the grand colleges. I relaxed in the boat for the majority of the time. I did try my hand at punting, but i wasnt so good because I could hardly lift the long heavy pole. After we ate a yummy picnic lunch at the park among hundreds of english soccer supporters watching the first english soccer match on a big screen. Not being so interested in soccer, Sarah and I left after a while and hit the shops instead. Late in the evening we went to a birthday party of one of Sarahs friends from church. I was the worst guest ever, unfortunately my energy levels had dropped -nauseus due to the worst combination of both hayfever and sunstroke. After about an hour we called it quits and decided to start walking home until a bus came. We ended up walking the whole way home. Im not sure how I made it. I think I just wanted to lie down so bad. I do remember stopping for a 15 minute break at a bus stop though.

So I spent the whole of yesterday morning lying in bed, feeling pretty horrible. I have no recollection of what we did for the rest of the day, Im pretty sure we just lazed around her room all afternoon. I took a train back to London late afternoon. It was sad to leave Sarah, but I know ill see her again one day soon. Im just stoked I got to hang out with her twice! Double stoked!

12th June - Destination Guildford.

What a mission. Id planned a while ago to try and catch up with my friend Karen in Guildford before I left. We had sort of left it to the last minute, for tomorrow I fly out to the South of France. So we decided Id come out tonight after she had finished work so she could show me around Guildford and Surrey. I wasnt feeling the best due to hayfever, but I went anyway. I boarded a train around 5.30pm that said Guildford. Disaster! It turned out it was a slow train. Bigger Disaster! Due to a fire at Clapham our train got stopped for an entire hour. It was horrible because it was the hottest day, and there was no air con. I was cramped in between lots of people and I was sweating like anything. What should have ideally take 40minutes turned out to take nearly 3hrs. Karen was waiting at the station when i arrived. We had no time to lose, so she drove me out to this really lovely old english Pub in Shere where she shouted me dinner. I felt really bad because I couldnt eat my meal, because I was sick, but also because my steak was very heavily processed and put me off. However, despite the huge mission it took to get out to Guildford, It was worth it to see her again one more time before I head back to NZ.

All good things must come to an end - My last week in Utrecht

My last week in Utrecht. So exciting, yet so sad.

I ended up getting assessed a week earlier than other students, which was great. The assessment was on the spot, and didnt go so bad. I was definetly hanging on my last strings with my project, so it was great to get it all out of the way and be able to enjoy my last week in Utrecht stress free.

The weather turned on me again. I spent most of the week huddled inside, sleeping in and reading books, emailing and beginning to pack...that sort of thing. I did venture out a few times in the week. Mostly to go shopping, but everytime i ended up swimming home on my bicycle and getting soaked through like a drowned rat. Some highlights of the week were:

On the tuesday night i went to our last international bible study. This was so great. This bible study has probably been one of the best parts of my time here in Utrecht. Its just been a real good way of getting to know other people and ill miss them heaps. It was kind of a farewell party for Rosy and I. We decided to thank them by making a pavlova - give them all a taste of New Zealand. Was interesting making a pavlova in a dutch microwave oven. Didnt work so well, but it was edible in the end and everyone liked it.

On the Wednesday some of my room mates and i had dinner together which was really nice. Originally just Anniek and I were in, and attempted to scramble together an omelette out of our leftover bits of food. It nearly ended in tears when i burnt it though. But Rob and his spanish girlfriend also decided to join in, so we decided to bin the omelette and go get chinese takeout instead. Its funny to think that the whole four months ive been there ive never really been able to sit down and hang out with these guys at the same time. After dinner Anniek and I watched a movie and drank some tea for the last time. It was great to hang out with her, im going to miss her heaps, shes the room mate ive probably got to know the best. But its all good, i know ill see her again one day - when she comes to NZ!

On the thursday night i went out to an exhibition opening of 'English whores' - performance and installation work by two exchange students from Leeds. This was a fantastic night. It was my last time to hang out with the exchange students. They had this great dutch electronica band there, so i put my dancing shoes on and had a good boogie. Fantastic.

On the saturday i decided to go on a massive bicycle mission to IKEA. Id heard alot about this shop, but had ever gone. So i decided it was a must see. On the complete other side of town, but with my trusty biking and map navigation skills, i finally made it. What an amazing store ay. And so cheap too. I was really dissapointed i wasnt able to by a sofa and take that back on the aeroplane with me. I did however invest in some icecube trays and a duvet cover. In the evening Rosy and I had dinner at Elvira and Rancos (bible study leaders) and then went to an evening church service. My last time at CrossRoads International.

In the last few days i have mostly been packing up my room and cleaning, and throwing some things out. Stressful. 20kgs is absolutely nothing - thank goodness im able to leave some stuff for mum and dad to take back in August. Mum and Dad are now in Europe. Travelling through Prague and on their way to Switzerland. It will be great to see them again. Tonight im enjoying my last night in my room, and making the most of my last night with computer and free internet access. Tomorrow morning my uncle Piet-Hein will come and pick up the house keys, and also my bicycle. It will be hard to part with my bicycle. My cousin Cor will also come and pick up the computer and also take me to the airport. Tomorrow on the 1st of June i am starting my month long travelling adventure. Starting in London, England. Im ready!Bring it on!

Den Haag

This weekend i jumped on a train to Den Haag to stay with another of Mums sisters Els, and her husband Hans. It was great to get away again. Not much time left in Holland, i feel like im hanging on my last strings here in Utrecht. Knowing theres only one week of 'study' left, im getting restless and just want to move on and go travelling!

I arrived in Den Haag about 8pm and took a tram in the direction of Kraayenstein. Uncle Hans picked me up at the last stop. I had some really good Nasi goreng for dinner (way better than my mothers) and spent the evening watching a really cool DVD. The DVD consisted of two of my Oma and Opa's wedding anniversarys, one in 87 and the other around 92. I remember watching these before, but i think the last time was when i was about 10 years old. It was great watching my first visit ever to Holland as a child of 2yrs, and seeing my brothers as cute little kids and laughing at my mothers antics. It was also great to be able to recognise all my cousins who ive been meeting this semester as little children. It was good laughs all around.

Saturday was a huge day! the weather wasnt so great, but we filled it in really good. We drove into town and walked through Den Haag parliament buildings to the Maurits Huis. The Mauritz house is a seventeenth century urban palace, its interiors are beautiful, and on its walls hang world famous paintings from the Golden Age. I usually find paintings from this period really boring, but i got to have an audio tour so was able to access interesting information about nearly every single painting there at the press of a button. I looked at the 'Dreaming of Italy' which i loved, but I think my favourite thing about the museum is that i got to see the painting 'girl with a pearl' by Johannes Vermeer, voted this weekend as Hollands favourite painting. Honestly its amazing, this painting actually gave me goosebumps.

We then took a walk to the MC Escher Palace. This was absolutely amazing. While Van Gogh inspires me to paint and be spontaneous and daring, Escher totally speaks more to the 'perfectionist' side of me, and makes me love Printmaking and want to make really amazing, precise, beautiful works. I saw all his great works, and even got to wear one of those cool virtual reality masks as well and explore his world in 3D. It was amazing. We also got a photo taken, in this room that totally screws with perspective. Amazing. I rate this museum , even more so than the Van Gogh museum!

After we had some lunch together, Els went off to work, and Hans and I carried on with our mission. Our next stop was Madurodam. Ohhhh my goodness, if you loved things like dolls houses and micro machines and minuture train sets as a child, you would love Madurodam. Its like nearly the entire country of Holland made on a scale of 1.25. I wandered around, awestruck, recognising all the landmarks of Holland and watching little cars drive past on motorways, and Boats putting up canals etc. (photo - standing next to a dutch windmill)


We went to another museum after this. The Photography museum. I had heard that Loretta Lux was having an exhibition, and i desperately wanted to see it. Im glad i did, it was amazing. If you have never heard of her work, she makes these really beautiful works of children that cross painting and photography. The children look like dolls. She shows childhood as a paradise lost.

We then headed out to Scheveningen, a beach resort. Oh it was sooo great to see the ocean again, but i didnt really enjoy Schaeveningen that much because it was really really ridiculously windy, and the beach is really really commercialised, the beachfront is covered from end to end with bars and shops etc. We walked out to the end of a pier, and also got an icecream. That was nice. (photo - view from pier)



Then absolutely shattered, we returned home for some Pizza and a night in front of the TV watching the Eurovision song final. Good times, but this really satanic rock band from Finland won.

I slept in this morning, i was really shattered from yesterdays events. I spent the morning looking at some photo albums from when my mother and her sisters were children. We then went to visit Hans and Els' son Paul (my cousin) and had tea and applecake, and checked out their babyroom, cos they have a baby due really soon.

I lazed around in the afternoon, and watched this cool DVD called The Mission. Then caught the train back to Utrecht.

In the evening, I went to see Aefke, my friend whom i havent seen since we flew the whole way from New Zealand to Holland together in January. It has been a pity that i havent been able to see her until the end of my time here, but we have both been really busy, and she has been really sick with glandular fever. We had a lovely evening though, Her flatmate Des, and a guy from Tim from New Zealand were also there, i had met these guys at the Christchurch airport before i left. We got takeaways for dinner, and spent the evening watching one of those dancing competition reality TV shows. It was such a good night, Im really glad i was able to hang out with Aefke again before i leave. I hope we keep in touch. (photo - Aefke, Des and I)