Movies to Watch: Part 2

Friends With Kids (USA: 09/03)



This looks like a rom-com with a difference. The cast is made up of a lot of the Bridesmaids crew, with Chris O’Dowd sporting an American accent. It also stars the writer Jennifer Westfeldt as part of the main couple with Adam Scott. The premise is that two friends both want kids but realise that they may never get to have if they keep looking for the right partner. So they decide to have a child together but not a relationship. Everything seems to be going fine until they start dating other people. I can only guess that they are going to end up together but the path there looks unique and fun for us to watch.

Detachment (USA: 16/03)



It has Adrien Brody in it, which is the only reason I need but there are some other factors. It’s a movie about teachers, which as a possible career choice for me, I find interesting. It is also about connections and how they are made and why they are made with specific people. This is a movie that appeals to me as it deals with all the sort of things I like but I’m not sure it is something everyone will enjoy.

Jeff Who Lives at Home (USA: 16/03)



As so often happens, it is the cast that draws me into the movie but the actual plot that really gets me interested. It looks slightly wacky but that’s what I love. It’s another movie that looks at relationships but this time it’s the relationship between families. The other story is that of Destiny and the idea that everything happens for a reason. I love this sort of movie and I have been waiting almost two years for this to come out and with no South African release date set I may have to wait a little longer.

21 Jump Street (USA: 16/03)



A remake of the TV series that put Johnny Depp in the spot light, with a possible cameo from him, I’m definitely going to see this. It stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, not the only time he is appearing on this list. The trailer is quite funny but these days you have to be very careful with that as sometimes all the best bits are in the trailer. However I think it looks like a good bit of fun that most of us can enjoy.

Jack the Giant Killer (USA: 22/03)



Modern twists on fairytales are very much the in thing right now, almost as popular as comic book adaptations. This is the modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk. As so often happens in these remakes it is a lot darker than the original. This time adding a damsel in distress, the princess that Jack (Nicholas Hoult) needs to rescue. As it’s a fairytale that I haven’t seen adapted before I’m very keen to see how they do it.

European Experience: Part 4

Arriving in Venice felt a bit surreal, firstly because it felt like ages since we had experience below 30°C. As we were driving into the campsite we could see a waterway right next to us with a few boats docked. Where we camped was still on the mainland and not on the actual island of Venice. When we arrived there we were told that there was a more chilled bar next to the restaurant area where that night’s party was due to happen. The parties usually are for groups that are there on their second night as they have had the day to buy stuff in the city. The theme that night was masquerade and since none of us were really dressed to theme we decided just to pop in for a quick drink, yeah right. Thankfully I had the sense not to go too big and got to bed just after midnight but it still wasn’t the chilled night we were hoping for.
In order to get onto the main island the next morning we had to take a ferry in and it kind of gives you an idea of what you are into. Venice was spectacular, so interesting and different. Those of us who had chosen to do the walking tour had such a wonderful guide. She was fun and gave us all the interesting facts as well as the normal historical facts. It may just be that Venice lent itself to that type of tour because it is so unique. After the tour it was just a quick run to the pharmacy, nose spray this time, it was an afternoon to explore by ourselves. We got lost so many times but Venice has three major spots in the city and you can always find a sign post to one of them and so it was very easy to find our way again. Although a little bit of sight seeing is done this time was mainly used for shopping. There really were so many beautiful things t buy that I had to limit myself. We also had to try to find things for the “Nautical” themed party that night. The best thing I bought was the Gelato. I bought lemon gelato in every Italian city and Venice was definitely the best. Later in the day we all met up for our gondola. We were 6 to a boat with 2 bottles of wine between us. We went around the canals with our gondolier on his phone the whole time, how the times have changed. As he took us around we sang and waved to all the other people we saw. It was so much fun and time just flew.



That night’s party everyone had some form of blue and white stripe or sailor hat and there was a lot of drinking. However before we even got there, a group of us gathered in one room to drink some of the Absinthe we had bought in Rome. First time drinking it and I didn’t think it was too bad but I couldn’t drink anything but water for a while afterwards without feeling a bit sick. The funniest part was seeing everyone’s expressions as they drank their shot. Best part of the night was running into what felt like half of Cape Town there. Everyone from CT knew at least one person in another tour group and almost all of us were from UCT, I felt a bit sorry for the one Maties guy I met. It was so much fun to party with a bunch of South Africans and it also proved how small our country really is. We partied until the bar closed and then slowly made our way back to the campsite. Another night of cyclone contiki to celebrate our last night in Italy and unfortunately a light got broken.

Leaving Italy was very hard to do as it was such an awesome country. We saw so many amazing sights and it was already starting to feel like home. I really can’t wait to go back there. Add to all that was the knowledge that we were now past the halfway mark of tour and everywhere we went was only closer to back home.
Our next country was Austria. Here we were to be staying in a small mountain town, Hopfgarten. This meant that there was no major city to be explores but they had lined up a whole lot of adventures for us to of which I was too poor/scared to do any. Before we got to the town we stopped for a few people in the group to go white water rafting. Looking back I would’ve liked to have gone but I was just so worried about money at that stage that I decided against it. When we got to our destination I think we were all quite surprised by how small this village actually was. Upon arrival we were told that the party night was that night and the theme was “tight &bright,” again. In protest to the theme repeat I wore black and grey, more out of necessity as I don’t really have tight or bright clothing. The party was quite fun and the tour guides had organised some fun guys versus girls games. A group of us had discover a game that involved knocking nails into a stump of wood with the wrong end of the hammer. This game requires very good hand eye co-ordination, which I have none of even when I haven’t been drinking and so I wasn’t very good at it. As per usual our group were the last there and until closing time.



The girls I was rooming with: Amy; Elle; Ash and I, had decided since there was nothing we had to do the next day we were going to skip breakfast the next morning and sleep in. It was really nice to get a bit of rest and just let my body recover a bit. It seemed like there was quite a few of us who had decided to do this and so we all walked through to town get lunch and explore a bit. It was a really quiet logging town but it was very cute and pretty. When we got back some of the guides were going to a nearby waterpark so we grabbed our costumes and joined them. It was a damn that had been closed in and a pool had been built next door. It was the most amusing thought that we were lying down, reading magazines and tanning in the middle of Austria. We decided to swim in the pool as the damn water was freezing. What we didn’t plan on was getting attacked by a vampire fly. Just imagine a bunch of girls in the pool screaming and waving their hands around their heads, the locals must have thought we were crazy. It was really nice to just have a very chilled day, instead of the very typical tourist activity filled days we had been having. I even managed to get a bit of a tan.
That night was meant to be just a chilled movie night, somehow the consensus landed on watching all the Austen Powers movies. Somehow there were a few of us who moved to the in-house bar and ended up playing a round of Kings. When the bar closed some of the others chose to walk to a bar in the town but I just went back to the movies and eventually to bed.

Although leaving our accommodation the next morning we weren’t leaving Austria quite yet. We were off to the Swarovski Crystal World, which has surprisingly little to do with crystals. It’s a collection of a lot of weird and wonderful artworks. From a set piece from an opera, to a crystal tree by Alexander McQueen. My favourite was an artwork with accompanying music by Brian Eno. I sat in front of it for quite a while listening and seeing how the two pieces fit together.



It was interesting and I’m glad I went but I can’t imagine would be any worse had I not gone there. It was just one of the small stop overs we sometimes made in between the cities we stayed in. Our next was the Dachau concentration camp. It’s not until you step in side and see how dull and lifeless that place is, that you realise how much the people inside really suffered. They’ve added artworks and plant life to make it more bearable and approachable for the visitors, but nothing can really hide the horrors that were experienced there. Just being able to walk out as easily as you walked in makes you feel guilty. Most of the place has been levelled with just the foundations in place so you can see the structure. They do keep one room standing so you can see how everything was. There is also a museum with full explanations of how life was. It was really moving experience it went by so fast and it was time to get back on the bus and move again.

2012 Movies to watch: Part 1

There are so many movies coming out this year that I’m excited about. Some I have been following the production on for ages and some I’ve only just found out about. I really want everyone to see them and so I’ve decided to go through a few of my favourites and why they appeal to me. I’ve decided to leave off the Oscar nominated ones as I feel they have enough hype attached to them already. I’ve attempted to order them in order of release date but unfortunately not all have be scheduled for release in South Africa yet and so I then turn to the US or another international release date. Where possible I will provide a link to the trailer so that you are able to find out a bit more.

We Need To Talk About Kevin (out)



The trailer doesn’t tell you much about the movie but there isn’t really much more to know than the basic synopsis of the movie. Tilda Swinton plays the mother to Ezra Miller’s Kevin who mass murders his classmates. This film is all about her dealing with her grief and guilt over her possible input. Aside from the chilling premise of the film I am immediately drawn to this film by the mere presence of Swinton, who has been receiving great praise for this role. This is quite a serious film and may take me a bit longer to get around to seeing as you do have to be in the right state of mind.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (out)



Widely promoted as the introduction of another, better, Olsen sister this film appears to hold much more than just that. Elizabeth Olsen plays the title character a young woman who has recently escaped from a cult and moved back in with her older sister. We see both what she went through in the cult and how she is dealing with it now. Again quite a dark film but very interesting to see how the human psyche copes in the face of fear that has already scored 5 stars under quite a few reviews. What I really want to know is who Marlene is?

Underworld: Awakening (out)



Although the fourth Underworld film to be made it is considered the third of the Selene trilogy. Kate Beckinsale is back and this time the humans know about vampires. I like to think this is not just another vampire movie, as the original came out almost 10 years ago, I only hope that it proves me wrong. As well as the human element there is also the introduction of Eve, Selene and Michael’s hybrid child. This means that as well as saving her kind, Selene will now have someone else to protect. I’m very interested to see what they do with the story line and how it plays out in the end.

Safe House (SA: 10/02)



It was filmed in and is set in Cape Town, do I really need a better reason to see it. Ok then well add the cast of Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga and Brendon Gleeson. I think even if I didn’t have a basic idea of the story line from the trailer I would want to see it. I have seen the trailer though and so I really want to watch it.

Wanderlust (24/02)



This is probably one of my least anticipated movies on this list but I want to see it as it looks like a cute story and it has Paul Rudd. There’s something about him where it doesn’t matter how shitty the movie is his character is always enjoyable. There are some parts which could be a bit off the wall or reaching but overall maybe that’ll be what makes it a bit different from your typical run of the mill rom-com.

European Experience: Part 3

By this time we were used to the early mornings but they would never stop hurting. Another breakfast, another rush to get bags to the bus and scrambling for the seat that you had deemed the most comfortable. This morning was a little bit different for although we were yet again moving on to a new city this time we were going into a new country too, Italy.
Definitely my favourite country in the tour there was just so much about it to enjoy and to me it finally felt like I was in a foreign country. Driving along the coast from France into Italy a lot of the beaches looked like driving through Camps Bay except the buildings were very different. They were beautiful, historical and there were some magnificent churches. As we got further in land I was struck by the roads and bridges they were really amazing and way beyond what you see here in South Africa. As we went across the border we had our first taste of the difference we were to experience. Nothing major, but the convenience stores at the petrol stations worked a little bit differently than we were used to, this was our first indicator that we were in a new country.
Our first stop in Italy, but not our first stay over, was Pisa. Felt a bit at home as there were Nigerians everywhere selling counterfeit goods and we were warned not to buy anything as it was illegal. Every now and then you would here a commotion and see some of these guys running through the crowd with all their goods in a blanket after being warned that the cops were on the way. Pisa is just filled with tourists taking photos, most of them trying to find clever ways to pose with the tower, so sure that they are the first one to pose in that specific way. Of course no one pays attention not to go on the grass as that is the best place to get a photo from.



This time the four South African girls: Shannon; Gené; Baaqira and myself, had decided to stay in a room together. Once we arrived in Florence we had one of the quickest changes so far on tour before we went to dinner. Add to that the fact that we weren’t allowed to use hairdryers or straighteners in the rooms and the girls weren’t very happy. Dinner was at the spar type shop on the campsite which had tables outside. Luckily this shop also sold alcohol and cheaply at that, so the drinking started early that night.
We left on the bus to hit a karaoke bar in the city that night. It was at this point that I informed the entire bus that when my mom had done this trip 30 years ago they had drunk “Zombies” in Florence and we should all have them here for traditions sake. I was not very popular the next morning as the drink gets its name from how you feel the next morning. The karaoke worked in a very strange way and so a few of us elected to get the bus back to camp when it left at about 10. This was my first experience of the party bus. The music was pumping and everyone was dancing in the isle. There were even a few attempts at planking across the chairs.
As it turned out it was karaoke night back at the campsite which ended up in a long night of sing a longs. Old school songs were played, tables were danced on and in the back of my mind I allowed myself to feel like I was in an episode of Glee. As the night got later we got a bit wilder. It was quite hot and so we attempted to sleep on our mattresses outside which resulted with a small game of hide and seek with the campsite security. Eventually we all got to sleep but our punishment was how we felt the next morning.

I woke up with no voice and the first indication that I was falling prey to the dreaded contiki cough. Italy was hot and I’m not talking a few beads of sweat and the need to sit in a pool all day. I mean trying to adjust your clothes to cover as little of your body as possible while still trying to maintain some form of decency. If we could sit down, and find any amount of shade, we did.



We were taken on a walking tour of the city which as was a wonderful way to find things out and see the city. Unfortunately it didn’t matter how interested we may have normally been the heat made us desperate for it to end so we could just find somewhere shady to eat. After lunch we had free time to roam the city and I’m ashamed to say that instead of walking around the beautiful old streets and stunning churches, I went shopping. If you ever get separated from your tour group just head to the closest H&M and listen for the coughing. After a few hours of air-conditioned shop-hopping it was time to head back to the bus.
Never have I enjoyed a dip in the pool so much despite the ridiculous rules, shower before you get in and were a cap. I get hygiene reasons but really that’s a bit extreme, although it really was the only real downfall about the campsite. Finally we actually had a bit of time to get ready for one of our really big party nights. We were going to the Space Electronic Disco, where the Jersey Shore crew had partied only a few months before, this was a very big deal to some of the tour group. It’s at this point that I must warn you that I acted very unlike my usual self. There was a certain completion happening at the club that night and a group of 8 of us from our group decided to enter. Somehow the extra 2 girls got into the final 3 but luckily our girl one. All she got was a bottle of sparkling wine but we can all say we’ve done it and had the experience. That night ended very late and so a taxi home it was where we made good friends with the driver. Unfortunately our clothes were wet and so it took a while to get past the language barrier to explain that was the reason the seat was wet.



Florence was amazing and we had already eaten so much pizza and pasta but that was only the beginning of our Italian adventure. Next stop Rome and if we were hot in Florence we were in for a big surprise. Unfortunately it also meant we were leaving behind our favourite bus driver Muffin for a few days break while another driver took over. Heading into roman traffic this had us all a bit nervous and amazed at how people could drive like that.
Before we even went to our campsite we went to do our tour of the Vatican City. Probably one of my most amazing experiences ever to walk around such a beautiful and spiritual place. Far better than any other gallery or museum I could imagine. Although the feeling of being herded through the corridors like cattle was a bit distracting.



It was packed, everywhere you turned there was another tourist taking another photo. Even in the Sistene Chapel as there were so many people it became impossible for them to police people from talking or taking photos. Even our guide said she had never seen it so full. I did feel like it was a little rushed and squashed into the schedule but I couldn’t actually bear spending any more time in such a crowded environment. Our tour leader, he was not allowed to be a guide in Rome as it is against the law to do so there without a licence, showed as a few good places to eat and then we walked down to the Pantheon. I do hate to admit it but whenever we went to any of these places I was thinking about how they fit into the Da Vinci code. Our final stop before we went to the campsite was the pharmacy. The late nights of heavy drinking, paired with early wake up times and long hours spent on an air-conditioned bus was taking a toll on us. It could only be remedied by vast amounts of cough mixture.
We got to the campsite quite late and were treated to free wifi. This resulted in a large amount of us sitting around the table outside the shop with our eyes fixed on our cellphones. Due to the heavy nights of partying in Florence the girls I was rooming with: Kit; Fliss and Hiranya, and I decided to have a chilled night and go to bed early. I think this was a great advantage to dealing with our next full day of walking around the city.

We all had our ideas of where we wanted to go but having been to the Vatican the previous day our next most important stop was The Colosseum. We had been given a tip the previous day that in order to skip the queues there we should buy our ticket at The Roman Forum and that ticket would work at The Colosseum too. The Roman Forum is now just ruins but it was once the city centre where all the market activities took place. We walked around for a bit, pulling special poses for photos and getting told off for climbing on the ruins, but there wasn’t too much to do so we decided to move on. Seeing The Colosseum in movies will never quite explain how truly magnificent it is. It’s broken down in places and old but there’s something about it that makes it possible to imagine all the emotions that people must have felt there when it was still in use. However with only a day to try explore the whole of Rome we couldn’t afford to hang around for long.



We were advised the previous day that if you want to avoid paying typical tourist prices for food then you should walk just a few streets back from the main tourist attraction. This proved very useful when finding lunch for that day, where again we tucked into some delicious pizza and pasta. At this stage we split up to try find our various destination. The day before we had walked past a small market place and wanted to try find it again. We walked around for a few hours stopping to sit in the shade, eat some gelati or drink our frozen water, it was the most amazing thing. Eventually we found it and all did a little bit of shopping. There were a few of us who were determined to go to the Trevi Fountain but it was quite far from where we were and so decided to use the underground. What we didn’t realise is that the stops were not as frequent as London or Paris and so we had to walk quite far to get there. I’m glad we did as I really enjoyed going to the fountain and here’s hoping the coins I threw in will bring me back.



It was now time to find the underground again and head back to the campsite for that night’s party. The theme was “I ♥ Roma.” During the day we had all bought those T-shirts in the city and that night we had markers provided and everyone wrote messages to each other on their shirts. As the night went on and more alcohol was consumed the dirtier the messages got. To me this was one of the really fun bonding party nights of the tour.



I don’t know what time we got to bed but I’m sure it was very late. When we woke up the next morning there was definite evidence that cyclone contiki had hit. One of the bins had been turned upside down, with the rubbish poured out and a tree had been pulled out of the ground. Needless to say the Roman campsite was glad to see the last of us.

Oscar Nominations

Every year around awards season I get overly excited for something I will most likely never be involved in and yet it is truly my favourite way to start the year off with a bang. Slowly more nominations are announced and some awards are given until the biggest nomination announcement of The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars.



Based on other awards nominations and awards already given there are certain nominations that are expected to be given and although I haven’t seen many of the nominated movies, I did have a few personal opinions on what should have been nominated.
This year there was a new voting system which meant that the best picture nominees could have been anywhere from 5-10 with an eventual outcome of nine nominees. As it turns out the exact same nine as were nominated for the Critic’s choice award best picture, except they had ten nominees. The tenth film was Drive which I have seen and really feel it should have been included in the Oscars list.



To me this was the first glaring omission, commonly known as an Oscar snub. In terms of the films that were nominated they were all rather predictable except maybe the Tree of Life, but I haven’t seen it so can’t really make any judgement yet. The only ones I have seen are The Help and Midnight In Paris and I felt there nominations were very deserved.



For the acting awards the biggest shock may be that of Melissa McCarthy’s best Supporting actress nomination for Bridesmaids as comedies are not usually considered by the academy. Saying that I am not altogether sure it was deserved. I loved the movie but of all the comedic acting I’ve seen I really don’t think this would have been my choice. Carey Mulligan for Shame or Shailene Woodley for The Descendents were expected to be nominated and maybe one of them would have been a better choice.



There is much talk of Leonardo Dicaprio for J.Edgar, Michael Fassbender for Shame and Ryan Gosling for Drive/ Ides of March all being snubbed for the inclusion of Demian Bicher for A Better Life and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Although I haven’t seen any of the movies I am so excited about Gary Oldman’s nomination as I really think this has been a long time coming. To me the biggest disappointment is the notable absence of Peter Serkis. Although his face is not always captured he is one of the best motion capture actors and this medium is being used increasingly in film making. It is much more than simply lending your voice to animation but the body and face’s entire movement, making it possible to give the character so much more emotion. It may be that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was not the right vehicle for the nomination but hopefully in the coming year he will finally get nominated for Gollum who will be re-appearing in the two new Hobbit films.



The Directors and screenplay awards I don’t feel I have a good enough knowledge to have to much of an opinion on the matter. Again, in terms of the buzz around the nominees, Terence Malick for The Tree of Life was a bit unexpected. Personally I would have loved to see Woody Allen get the director nomination for Midnight in Paris but I am very happy with one for best original screenplay.
The speciality films are quite an interesting topic with regards to the nominations that were announced. In terms of animated features there was the biggest surprise in the lack of a nomination for The Adventures of Tintin. This adds further fuel to the fire as to what motion capture films should be classified as.



When it comes to movie soundtracks I’ve always felt that the decision to only award original music was very short sighted as many movies are improved in the way they put together and use unoriginal music. Some of my favourite soundtracks are from Garden State and Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet.



This year my favourite soundtrack was Drive. Here it got it’s one and only Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Sound Editing. Although doubtful that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross would win again, I was very surprised to see that they were not nominated for best original Score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.



My Final Problem that I have with the nominations is that of Best Original Song. Two Nominations, really? Out of all the original songs to choose form they could only find two? Very disappointed and I really think the Academy needs to up there game here.
Overall, despite the supposed shocks and snubs I think the winners will be fairly predictable. I will however hold out on my predictions until close to the awards.

European Experience: Part 2

The first morning was a really mixed feeling. I was in Paris with a group of people I’d only just met and at the beginning of a whole new adventure and I was hungover. I had the feeling that a lot of the people in the breakfast room were thinking the same sort of thing especially being hungover and cursing the early start. Breakfast mainly consisted of bread and cereal, which was the staple in most places and if we were lucky at some places we got eggs.

Our first day in Paris was what was called a “free day”. The tour bus would drop us off in the morning at a certain location and the bus would fetch us there later in the day leaving us to explore the city. Renee and I had decided to stick together in the morning and then do our own thing later on. As I had spent 3 days in Paris last year there were a lot of things that I had already done and didn’t see the need to go again, except the Musee D’Orsay. Although I had already been there was a Manet exhibition on and so this is where we decided to start our morning. I can say without a doubt that I prefer the Musee D’Orsay to the Louvre. Besides the fact that it’s much easier to navigate it specialises in impressionist art, which really appeals to be. I enjoyed the Manet Exhibition but the real joy is just slowly walking around this beautiful building which used to be a train station. Being TV junkies we remembered that Blair had met Louie here (Gossip Girl) and we tried our best to find the spot, I think I did but I’m not sure. Walking around I put my headphones in and listened to the “Amelie” soundtrack only to round a corner and find myself facing the Renoir they paint in the film. A lot of the artworks I enjoyed were quite dark but really interesting and I really enjoyed the works of Degas.

By the time we had finished walking around it was nearing lunch time and so we started walking toward this little bakery that Renee had heard of called Laduree. Take everything you could possibly imagine about a French bakery and that won’t nearly cover how amazing it was. I got a lovely croissant for lunch and an adorable violet cupcake for later. Renee bought a selection of macaroons. It’s situated right near the Madeleine church and so we decided to eat on the steps in front.



It was at this point where we decided to go do our own thing. Renee went to the Louvre and I went to the Paris Opera House, the setting for The Phantom of the Opera. To get inside as a tourist you walk in the back entrance and it feels like you’re underground. I was so excited to be there I started to tear up a little bit. Again the earphones went in and I decided to walk around listening to the Phantom soundtrack. As well as walking around the halls and general areas the open the doors to two boxes so that you can see what they look at and take a peek at the stage. I tried to find the Phantom’s box but it didn’t seem to exist. It was a bit overwhelming being there so I found a bench inside and just sat and took it all in. The exit is through the gift shop and I found it very hard to not buy anything more than a postcard and a bookmark.

I still had a bit of time but unfortunately not enough to go to the cemetery which was what I was hoping to do. Instead I walked to the Tuileries gardens and lay down and read my book, yes I know only I would take a book with me to walk around Paris. On the bus back to the hotel everyone was a bit tired from there day exploring but excited for our night out. We had been giving the options of going for a traditional Parisian dinner and then to a Cabaret show, I had decided to both. When we went of to get dressed Sanjay had advised us that there would be a “short walk” from the bus to dinner and we should wear comfortable shoes, little did we know. These “short walks” would soon become infamous for being anything but. We stopped in the Montmartre district and then had to walk up to the Sacre Coeur. The view from there really is incredible, but the amount of whinging that went on climbing the stairs up was hilarious. Especially considering most of the girls didn’t listen and had worn serious heels. I think most people were very glad when we eventually arrived at our restaurant for dinner. There was another tour group there which was nice to have a big crowd. We had a lovely three course meal, I chose a starter of snails, mains of duck l’orange and I can’t remember what I had for dessert, was so full that I didn’t really eat that much of it.



It was then time for another “short walk” to the Cabaret show. It was silly, fun and the songs got stuck in your head but it cost a bit more than it was work. We were then informed that those of us who hadn’t gone to the show had gone to the Irish pub down the road and if we wanted to continue partying we could join them there. I’m not kidding you I think there is an Irish pub in every city and the Contiki people always know where they are. Was the first very wild night with almost the entire group and it ended sometime in the next morning with another cab ride back. There was a bit of an attempt to keep the party going in the Hotel but eventually I gave up and passed out in my bed.

The next morning was another early start and a fight for the elevator as we all tried to get our bags down to the bus while hungover. This would be the first experience of the zombie bus where although we were driving through some beautiful scenery everyone was fast asleep on the journey to out next location. We were going to be staying in the Contiki Chateau in the Beaujolais wine region. When we arrived we learnt about the system of cookies and dishies, were 8 people are chosen at each destination to help out with the serving and clearing of the meals. Thankfully I wasn’t one at this stage but hoped when I got picked that I’d get dishy.

Here I would be sharing a room with three Aussies Morgan, Loz and Olivia and within minutes of us getting a room it was already a mess. Our evening started out with a free wine tasting and I was pleasantly surprised. This region is known for its red wine and I’m not a big red wine drinker but I actually really enjoyed there wine. The Chateaux did also make a rosé and a white wine and the bar was selling the bottles for €8, which on our budgets was very cheap so we bought a bottle of each for our dinner table. We had been told that the party that night was a “Tight, white and bright” theme. I only had the bright but I did my best and we got dressed up and went to party in The Cave, the club in the basement. There were a few other groups there so it made for a really fun night with a lot of drinking. In what I will forever not remember as my worst show on Contiki I apparently fell on the dance floor and then passed out for a few seconds until I eventually managed to get myself back up and then Nicole and Michelle, two Cali girls out me to bed.

Waking up that next morning was not fun, I was still in my clothes from the night before, Morgan had somehow stolen my sleeping bag and I had to endure a lot of teasing. Lucky for us there wasn’t a city to be explored so we got to sleep in for a little bit. All that was planned for us that day was a little walk up a hill with a picnic lunch. Well the walk wasn’t that little and unfortunately for Alex he had the map and got blamed for getting us lost. In all fairness it was an easy turn off to miss and we probably found a better place to sit anyway but we weren’t exactly going to let him off easily. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, chilling on the hillside and trying to get to know a few more people in our group. It was really nice to have a chilled day to relax and recover although we probably could have used it more effectively later on in the tour.

That night was another theme party in The Cave, this time is was a “P Party”. Loz, Morgan and I decided to go in our pyjamas so that when we passed out later it wouldn’t be in our clothes. We decided to spice things up and wore our eye masks and socks from the plane. You think I would’ve learnt from the night before but we each started off the night with a bottle of wine and tried the special shots that The Cave had on offer. Luckily I wasn’t too bad and even slept in my own bed after kissing one of the Contiki crew members at the Chateaux. That night/morning the fire alarm went off. We were warned that some of the fire alarm buttons look like light switches and please try to tell the difference as it sucks to wake up in the middle of the night with a fire drill. While walking down to the grass to stand with our group and count heads a little part of me wondered if the crew members didn’t set it off every once in a while just to screw with the people staying there.



Once again we were on the bus and off to a new destination and our last night in France. We were going to the French Riviera, I would’ve been more excited if I wasn’t so tired. We were only going to be staying at this place for one night so Morgan, Olivia, Loz and I decided to room together again. In possibly one of the quickest changes we had to do, I think it was 30 minutes, we all had to try shower and get ready to go out to Monaco.

We were there two weeks before the royal wedding and so the city was busy getting ready for it. There were South African flags everywhere which made us saffas very excited. We went for another short walk in the city and then all split up to find dinner before heading to the Grand Casino. As beautiful as the building is there’s not much to do in a casino when you’re on a budget. I think I got more of a thrill seeing the red and white stripes on the side of the road to mark out the Grand Prix track and every now and then seeing a beautiful car taking the corners at speed.



As beautiful and extravagant as the city was we didn’t have that much time to explore it and as a last night in France it was a bit of a let down.

European Experience: Part 1

So I have decided to finally flesh out the details of my European escapades and enter it on my blog. The reason this has taken so long is because I wasn’t sure there would be any interest in it. As my mom always says, rightfully so, there is nothing worse than looking at another persons travel photos and I figured reading about them would be just as boring. However I have decided to do this for me, to have something more permanent to look back on and if I was going to the effort of typing up my experience then I may as well post it to my blog, seeing as nothing else gets put up there.

Although this was not my first time overseas, visiting dad in Saudi Arabia, or to Europe, visiting brother in England, it was my first time travelling alone, so I was a little bit nervous. I had chosen to travel with Contiki (http://za.contiki.com/) and was going on the European Experience tour. This means that I was going to travel across Europe for 20 days with a group of people I had never met. Now I don’t think I’m completely socially inept but I do find it a little bit more difficult to connect with people than others and so this was a little nerve wracking.

The other worrisome part was the flying, I’m not scared of flying, I actually really love it, more of trying to catch connecting flights, possibly loosing important travel documents or even luggage. Somehow I managed to be the only person I know who manages to start the first leg of her solo trip with her dad, who just so happened to be on the same flight to JHB. I must admit this did calm me down a little bit knowing that I wouldn’t get completely lost in the airport. As luck would have it my flight to London was on SAA’s brand new airbus, so movies galore, and the flight was practically empty so I had an entire row to myself, ensuring a few hours sleep.

Arriving in London has this great sense of homecoming for me, even if I’ve only been there once. Seriously though the only city I’ve ever loved more is Cape Town, go figure everyone loves Cape Town once they’ve been here. Thankfully I arrived unharmed with all my luggage in one piece, can you imagine the tragedy if I didn’t have my perfectly chosen European wardrobe with me, at least I would’ve got to go shopping though. Not letting that stop me I checked in at my hotel for the night and went straight to Chiltern Street. No I am not mistaken this was truly my first shopping stop in London as this is the street that I assume was originally the shopping spot for trannies. You see they have recognised that not all women are shorter than 5’8” and wear no bigger than a size 7 shoe. For someone like me 5’11” with size 9 feet this street is perfect with shops like “Long Tall Sally” and many other shoe shops that cater for the larger sizes. I’d promised myself that this trip was only for window shopping and that I was not to buy anything, how I stuck to that I don’t know, especially after visiting some other favourites on Oxford Street. Feeling happy after looking at beautiful clothes and showing some signs of self control I decided to have lunch in Hyde Park. Really felt at home after getting asked for directions, and actually being able to give them, and then I got harassed by a Big Issue seller.



As much as I loved my day in London I was really looking forward to the start of my trip. That night was the meeting with all the Tour groups and leaders of all the tours leaving the next morning. I had joked with my mom before leaving that with Cape Town being so small if there was anyone else on tour from here I would know them. This turned out to be true within a few minutes of me arriving in London and this continued to be a trend through out my trip. I met one of my former tutlings but he was on a different tour, we did cross paths in a couple of cities. Once divided into our tour groups I saw some familiar faces and realised that I would be on tour with two of my fellow future accountants, who I sit with in lectures everyday, really I kid you not Cape Town is tiny. It was lovely to get to meet some of the people that I would be travelling with as well as our tour leader, Sanjay, and bus driver, Muffin, both Aussies. As most of us had been travelling all day it was decided that we would attempt to get a good nights sleep before our early start the next morning, this would be the last time we would get to do so for the next three weeks.

The next morning started bright and early on the bus making our way to Dover. The Bus was full meaning we had a tour group of 51 people and it appeared to be mainly girls. I sat with some of the girls I’d met the night before and sat next to Renee, a Canadian, who was to become my tour bestie, never thought I’d be lucky enough to meet someone I got along with so well on the tour, never mind on the first day. Bonding was made over a shared love of music and TV shows, Glee was discussed for a large portion of time, and this eventually lead to the swapping of favourite local bands. This trend continues throughout the trip and I found some new favourite bands e.g. Metric, Angus & Julia Stone. From Dover we boarded the ferry to Calais and had our first use of Euros instead of Pounds, the things I find exciting. The ferry was huge and it was unfortunately only near the end of the ride over that we managed to find the outdoor viewing deck and so didn’t get any good parting shots of the cliffs of Dover.

The next part of our bus drive was from Calais to Paris and we were getting our first taste of the long bus rides that we were to become so accustomed to. We were also played of a national anthem as we entered a new country, I happily hummed along to this but I fear my grade 8 French teacher would not be impressed that I could no longer remember the words. Arriving in Paris was such a realisation that the tour was starting. The driver drove us right through the city to go around the Arc du Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, leading to our first experience of how difficult it is to take photos out of a moving bus’ window. We also learnt that our tour leader and bus driver had other certain songs for special moments as driving down the Champs Elysees we were listening to “Art vs. Science – Parlez Vous Francais?” This trip was nothing if not a learning curve and a lot of what we were to expect on our trip was learnt on our first day. The biggest adjusted to most of us girls was the quick change. Arriving at our Hotel, I was sharing a room with Renee, we were informed we were to have an hour to get ready, this was one of the longest changing times we had all trip.

That night was Renee’s birthday so we decided to dress up no matter what it is we were doing. Dinner was held in the hotel restaurant and then we were going on a city by night bus trip and to try snails and champagne. The last stop and the city tour was the Eiffel Tower and a group of us decided to get up and go up the Tower then. As it turned out the top was full and we could only get to the second level. Luckily I have been up the Eiffel Tower before having spent three days in Paris last year so this did not affect me too badly and frankly the second level is pretty damn high up too, you still get an amazing view.



Once we had realised that we were not going to make it to the top we wanted to go out and party in Paris. Sanjay had told us of a good metro station to get off at where we might find some places to go out. I remembered where the closest metro to the tower was and so a group of us went there. As we were walking away the lights on the tower began to flicker and it really is such a beautiful sight and we were all so obviously tourists grabbing at our cameras and hoping to get a good shot. Once at the metro station we had to figure out what tickets we wanted to get and how to get them. This took us a bit of time but it would’ve taken even longer if Renee hadn’t been able to speak a bit of French. Walking around a city you don’t know can be quite daunting and I’m so thankful I was with such an awesome group of people as we almost got lost so many times and this was just the first night. After walking around for a while, passing a few cop cars on the way, we eventually found a tiny, cheap, Spanish Bar. Going out was the major realisation of not converting back to Rands. Shots were €3 (R30) and a beer €5 (R50). Wherever we went beer was usually the cheapest drink so I drank a lot of it, what a good Saffa girl I am. There was a group of about 14 of us and the almost the only people in the bar but it was so tiny hat it felt full. One of the best parts of Contiki is that no matter where you go you’ve got a ready made party with your group. We were taking shots, the boys were trying their luck with the pretty girl behind the bar. She gave us sparklers when she found out we were celebrating a birthday. Eventually the bar closed at I think 3 in the morning and we all caught cabs back to the hotel. This was my first night out on Contiki and it was definitely a reflection of what was still to come.

I’m not going to put my entire trip into one post as I think that will be too long so that’s it for Europe: Part 1. The next post will start with my first full day in Paris.