Zoe's+travel+page

this morning we got a train to Naples where we then got another train to Pompeii. we spent the afternoon looking at the ruined town of Pompeii. it is amazing looking at it that is all used to be covered in volcanic ash. Another interesting thing about is how well its been reserved. they were very organised in how they set out their town.it was all very straight and regular. after lots of walking yesterday I spent my day shopping with a friend of ours apart from that nothing else happened. today we saw some of the tourist hotspots. the coliseum, the roman ruins and Trevi fountain. first we walked to the trevi fountain from the train station. the meaning of trevi fountain is that if you throw a coin in you will return to Rome. the coliseum was another amazing site. another thing off my bucket list. its quite scary when you think about all the animals and gladiator tortured and killed there. After getting our fill of the coliseum we then went to the roman ruins just next the coliseum. this is where the gladiators trained and slept.it is also where the senators lived. Senators were the rich and wealthy people of the area. 2nd day in Rome. another amazing day. we went and had a look at the saint Angelo castle museum which is about Michael the arch angel. after that we meet up with our friends again at the Vatican so we could see the Vatican at night. after that we went and had look at the Sistine chapel which is indescribable. it is beyond beautiful it has no words. unfortunately no photos are allowed to be taken though I doubt even if they were it wouldn't have done it justice.
 * Monday the 28th of June**
 * Sunday the 27th of June**
 * Saturday the 29th of June**
 * Friday the 28th of June**



3 days in Rome. sound pretty special doesn't it. today was the 1st of one of them. We saw meet with friends who were staying there as well. they had already been there for a day. they showed us around the Vatican then we went into the church. though church doesn't seem to explain its splendour.it is an amazing site a definite must do. we caught the train from Switzerland to Venice today. since our hotel was on mainland we had to catch a bus from the hotel to Venice island. to make it a real Venice trip we took a ride in the gondola. we also got some venetian glass. we saw a small portion of Switzerland to day. that small portion of Switzerland one of their main cities called Zurich. to see as much of Zurich as possible we went on one of the classic trolley cart rides which gave a tour of the town. we also went on boat tour on the lake. it is amazing how much you can see of one place in such a short time. after doing the various tours we had a look around the shops and bought lots of switz chocolate **.**
 * Thursday the 27th of June**
 * Wednesday the 26th of June**
 * Tuesday the 25th of June**

for our last day in Paris we went on a tour bus and looked at the Louvre, Notre dame church, Eifel tower, arch de triumph plus many more.
 * Monday the 24th of June**

Paris was beckoning as today we caught the train to Paris. as it was a long train through the channel tunnel which is the tunnel that runs through the channel between London and Paris we walked around the area of our hotel and went a bout tour along the river. after that we were very tired so we decided to just go to sleep for the night. Brighton is a coastal town. this is where we visited today. we took the train out there for a day visit with friends of ours. it really is a fun place. along the pier the have shops, rides and games which made the trip very enjoyable. part of the day was indulging fish and chips and for the adults a glass of champagne. [|brighton pier]
 * Sunday the 23rd of June**
 * Saturday the 22nd of June**

Larissa my sister took a day off work today so she spent the day with us. we went to Madame Tussads which is a waxwork museum full of pop stars, movie stars and more. they also have marvel 4D, a spirit of London ride, and a horror section. after visiting there we went to the natural history museum and had a look around. they have a really good dinosaur section which had dinosaur animations. when we had finished looking there we went and met Greg (Larissa's partner) just outside the tube to go to a musical called wicked. it was a great day [|nhm] [|madame tussads] [|wicked] I saw the stone henge today. it was very busy because the following morning will be summer solstice which is the longest day in the year. on the morning of summer solstice the sun rises over the heel stone and right between 2 rocks. after that we drove to bath which is named after the only preserved roman bath in the UK. last of all we went and saw the chalk kiwi located at bulford. it was made by the new Zealand soldiers after WW1 while they were waiting for a boat to take them home. the reason for this is because they didn't want the soldiers causing riots. [|Stonehenge] [|the kiwi] [|roman baths] after visiting our friends in York Bruce had business to do in Hinckley which is a town just out of Leicester. so while Bruce and his college chatted mum and I looked at the war of roses museum also known as Bosworth.it is all about the war between henry Tudor and Richard the 3rd in which henry won. after that we headed back to base at Guildford. [|bosworth war centre] next we visited friend in York which is a very old city that has a great big wall guarding it.it was also the Viking city over 1000 years ago. to emphasize that the built a centre in the exact place where they found the now underground village. you hear, smell and see what you would if you were there 1000 years ago. then we went to the Richard the 3rd museum. He was supposedly meant to have killed his nephews but were not sure. then we went home. after staying a night at Norwich we progressed to Tickhill which is close to Doncaster and Nottingham to stay with friends. we didn't do much that night apart from eat. we headed towards Norwich today to catch up with my cousin Evelyn. we visited the Norwich castle and the cathedral grounds. which are both really amazing places filled with rich history. Then we went for a walk around the town. during our walk we found a house that was really crooked. [|norwich castle] [|norwich cathedral] after arriving back in England we had a rest day in which we simply slept or read a book. as we drove from Dingle to Ennis mum & I did some more shopping. rained for a bit in the morning but nothing out of the usual. I am disappointed that we are leaving Ireland.
 * Friday the 21st of June**
 * Thursday the 20th of June**
 * Wednesday the 19th of June**
 * Tuesday the 18th of June**
 * [|jorvik viking centre]**
 * [|richard the 3rd museum]**
 * Monday the 17th of June**
 * S****unday the 16th of June**
 * Saturday the 15th of June**
 * Friday the 14th of June**

I had money burning a hole in my pocket today as I had a look around dingle. I brought lots of little treasures. then we went and had a look in one of the smaller older churches. the shops I went to have a link following. then we went had had dinner at the beach where a family friend ate crab claws. [|shop one] [|shop two] [|shop three]
 * Thursday the 13th of June**

after today I think I will loathe stairs for the rest of my life. the reason for this is because today we walked up 600 stairs. to get to the dreaded fate we had to take a choppy journey to the skellig Michael island. St Michael is the patron saint of high places. this is where a group of monks 1300 years built a monastery and they lived there for 500 years. [] [|the type of boats monks would've use]
 * Wednesday the 12th of June**

today we did a bit more than usual. we drove along the dingle peninsula. Then we had a look at the blasket islands centre which contained lots of information and interactive activities all to do with the traditional life in isolation. after we went and saw the dun an or which translates to castle of gold. there were 600 Spanish men killed there. [] [] we saw a bit Irelands history today. we drove across from Ennis to dingle via the ferry to meet with friends. then we went and saw an oratory which is like a little stone hut. then in the evening we went and experienced traditional Irish music. last of all the adult went drinking at a pub. it has been raining a lot. [] we visited the scenic cliffs of Moher today. but before that we saw the Lahinch beach. I also watched a game of hurling which is only played in Ireland. it was a really neat atmosphere to be in because the crowds really got into it. I wish I was spending more time in Ireland so I could watch more games. here are some you tube links
 * Tuesday the 11th of June**
 * Monday the 10th of June**
 * Sunday the 9th of June**

[] []

I saw my first glance of Ireland today. it very much like new Zealand apart from having a lot less trees. we went and saw blarney castle and grounds. I had the option of kissing the blarney stone but chose not to. just a bit of background information about the blarney stone is that it is supposed to give you the ability to speak fluently. also on the blarney grounds is a druid rock garden in there is wishing steps which legend says that if you walk up the stairs twice with your eyes closed there was also a stone called witch's stone that supposedly hold the blarney witch's spirit. we stayed the night at one of mums old friends. [] today I saw my sister who I haven't seen in about 2-3 years which was the highlight of the day for me. we meet her for lunch at the Cheswick house then I went and saw her work. London was the next place we visited I saw the London eye, Buckingham palace, big ben and Westminster abbey. tomorrow I leave for Ireland where we will spending a week. arriving at England was a definite eye opener for me. all the old houses full of history makes me wonder how much history NZ contains. where we are situated is in Gilford. the parks and the whole town in particular is one that you would expect to see in a fairy tale. we are within walking distance of the statues of Alice and her sister and the white rabbit based on the story Alice in wonderland by Louise Carroll. the heat, the clothing, the difference was everywhere yet I did not want to leave. it amazes me how acquainted with a place that you have only seen once. so to make the last day remembered mum and I went for a walk down the Corniche then cut across to the souk or better known market. we spent the rest of the day looking at stores. Abu Dhabi is a place I will not forget. excitement was only one of the many feelings I experienced this morning. I didn't no it but today would be one of the most remembered days of my life. the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the only mosque that allows non-Muslims to enter. women are not allowed to enter if they are wearing inappropriate clothes such as not having your arms and knees covered. you also have different entrances for men and women and you are not permitted to go inside until you have removed your shoes. we also visited the Souk which is a modern yet authentic market which is based on one from the old ones. The way we got around these places was with a bus company called big bus tours. below are links and photos feel free to look at them [] [] today was probably the most adrenaline packed day of my life. from being on level 124 of Burj Khalifa which is currently the tallest building in the world to doing a free-fall in a wind tunnel. apart from that I went shopping at the Dubai mall which is has four floors and about 1300 stores, an aquarium, an ice rink and stores which you could only shop at if you were a billionaire. below are some photos and links please have a look
 * Saturday the 8th of June**
 * Friday the 7th of June**
 * Thursday the 6th of June**
 * Wednesday the 5th of June**
 * Tuesday the 4th of June**
 * Monday the 3rd of June**

[] []

After the long 17hr flight my eyes fought to stay open though it seemed impossible that would happen. The heat was definitely not helping even though it was only 6 am it was 28 degrees Celsius!!! Mixed emotions rushed through me scared of being in somewhere foreign, Anxious to start doing things which are beyond NZ and the one thing that will never go during this trip homesickness the want to be back in your own special house.
 * Sunday the 2nd of June**

.