Travellin\' Girls

……….it’s over…

…as if we’d never set foot on european ground…

…never climbed the steel grates to heights of insurmontable proportions just to take in “Le Tour Effiel!”

…never walked the thousands of tiny one way streets in search of internet cafes or cute boutiques…

…never spent the night on a purely french-speaking sleeper train with two unknown males in the bunks below, jumping at every sound positive you were never going to see daylight again…

…never searched high and low in an alfa romeo for the only mcdonalds in florence or “Firenze, Italy” just to satisfy a certain nameless male cuz…

…never dashed onto a waiting metro only to be followed by yet another wantering minstrel sernading us with an acordian… 

…never heard the song, “My Life” by ol’ frankie blue eyes three times in one day…

…never ate d’ambaggettes four meals in a row…

…never widened our eyes over the incredible sight of seeing the historical waterways of Venice bustling with riverboats, ferries and people scrambling ashore…

…never drove through winding Tuscan or German streets as if it were the autobon…

…never laboured over the 342 steps to the top of yet another basilica…

…never heard the story about the pope that runs in his underwear around his Popial gardens with the paparazi hot on his heels at the top of Vatican City…

…never arrived in Ireland to spend the day enjoying the beach for the only tropical weather it had seen all summer…

…never met relatively new relatives for the first time…

…never had to say goodbye in less than a weeks time…

…like we’d never had spent 3 and half of the most incredible weeks of our lives on an English-French-Italian-German-Irish tour…

 

A man and his ladies -- (meeting up in Nice, France)

 

Nope.  I guess not. >_0.

x, C.

I can’t believe it.

I mean truly.

Over…

…already?!!

Rule No. 4

Good byes never get any easier.

After all the excitement, dreaming, planning, wishing and hoping… our days in Europe have come to an end.  Surprisingly, rather than want to kick my perpetual roommate and cousin off the nearest ledge (though she may be otherwise inclined), I am feeling like I’ll be losing an arm or leg when I go home. 

I’ll actually sleep through the night, and wake up on my own… to silence… rather than “EVERYBODY, DANCE NOW!” blarring from the ingenius toy we picked up at a McDonalds… and that I’ll actually have to wake up myself!

(She makes a fierce good alarm clock!)

Today is my birthday.

I am 26.

And as 3:00 am is staring me in the face… I don’t really care…

-yet.

I am typing this in the basement of my fabulous irish rellies… George & Trudy Sunderland.  They use dial up, just like us in the ‘hoof, so it feels like I am home.  More than that, it is home. I’ve family, friends and great food… pretty much ::awesome:: (right, Philip)

In Ballymoyle, either here or on the hill with Edwin & Wendy, we have been spoiled rotten!  From a surprise birthday dinner Sunday past to being served medieval-style in a grand banquet hall by musical servants, this last week has topped the incredibility scale for the both of us… and we can’t wait to come back!

It’s been smashing.

Absolutely perfection, really.

Rule No. 5

Travel with your best friend.

(Even when they want to hit you… they’ll stick with you like glue.)

Kudos to Tellie, for making this dream come true… I’m spending my birthday in a different country today… not only one… but Three!

Baby cuz… you seriously rock all the way around the juke-box (and I’m going to regret saying all this in the morning!) ;D lol

Cheers, Auf Wiedesen, Arivederchi, Slainte, Au Revoir…

It’s all there.

Once more, I return home…

-let reality begin.

(aw… does it have too?)

^_^.

 

Rule No. 6

Do it all over again.

Self-explanatory.

::Ireland::

::Ireland::

::Come the day and come the hour::

::Come the power and the glory::

::We have come to answer, our country’s call::

::From the four proud provinces of Ireland::

::Ireland::

::Ireland::

::Together standing tall::

::Shoulder::

::To Shoulder::

::We’ll answer, Ireland’s Call::

::We’ll answer, Ireland’s CALL::

Rule No. 7

Say it with ::Visa::

Philip & Leanne, Dale, Alan, Ian, Russel, Edwin & Wendy, George & Trudy, Edgar & Georgie, Earl, Hilton, Darryl, Derek & the many other Delaney’s and relatives who we met while on our trip to the Emerald Isle…  thanks for the memories!

 

 

Cheers!

Finally, we are back after an *ummmm* extended absence (shall we say!) Due to fabulous people and plenty of unplanned travel plans… ah, to plan. (Eloquent, I know.)

So. Though we are now in Roma! (Yes, the Eternal City!) I’ll give you the fast and furious details on our lovely stay in one of the world’s Greatest Fashion Forward Cities ;D

::LONDON::

To begin our journey…

We arrived in the Gatwick London Airport runway gorgeous as always, hair flowing in the wind like Beyonce…

 (yeah, no.)

After 10 hours on an overnight flight, we were not a pretty sight, but we were finally there and ready to take on our first destination!  After wrestling our bags to our shoulders, we mutally agreed that perhaps everyone was right to suggest the rule of *One* (One-pair-of-underwear-One-shirt-One-skirt-and-One-pair-of-pants). 

And no. We have not fared better since then.

(Let’s just say… Florence knows how to show shoppers a good time.)

RULE No.1

When backpacking… (actually) use the rule of One.

Well, after leaving the airport, we… or shall I say *I*… followed the signs to a train… luckily, the train was going in the right direction (NORTH)… but as Murphy would have it, we… I mean *I*… did not check the fee of said train… let’s just agree… we don’t hop on trains without first checking the price.

Rule No. 2

When selecting transportation… negotiate fee before use.

(Helps prevent rising bloodpressure, unforseen expenditures and unscheduled outbursts to a minimum.)

 Once off the first class train (and by first, I mean, fourth class with a window seat by Canadian standards), we reached our first of Metro Station experiences.

Let’s just say… we now understand city goers a bit better.

(And that people watching is a full-contact sport over here.)

On to the best part of London!  After the final stop, in which we found out we had “ripped off” the city metro and had to be ushered out the Handicap entrance by a tall handsome black man (it was a hardship, can’t you tell?), we stepped onto the street to find ourselves… nearly underneath our hostel… we were ready to Kiss the street about then.  In fact, we may have.

Hostel rocked. For a first time experience, rated a 7.8 in my books (7.5… too low- as it was clean, and 8.0… too high-a tad sketched and I hate sensor lighting).

Moving on.

So to unviel The Best part of London… Erik Munro!

He moved to this city nearly two years ago from his hometown near Nanaimo, BC (in my old college days) and has since been working here in this crazy city.  After getting off work, he showed us around London for the afternoon, met at Buckingham Palace, took us to Portabello Road and then the shopping paradise of the world… Harrods! Also toured us through some fun alley ways near his workplace on his “break” the next day, bought us gormet coffee, and took us to “Sufferages”… deadly store! Shoes on the entire Top Level (I got in trouble with the authorities for video tapping the high end brand name shoes… but I still got the footage! Yeeew!)    

Well… internet cafe’s pretty much few and far between… cost a fortune and when you get free access at a hostel… everyone is on them… so, this will probably be my last before Ireland during the last week… and will try catch up on all the cities… so much to talk about, have forgotten nearly it all, but we are definitely enjoying the travel life, but I have to say that every trip has it’s pitfalls, and Roma is destination “non-grata” in our books!

Italian people are either very rude, or kind to a fault… no middle ground with these dramatic people… and if there is such thing as an easy going, simple, laid back traveller… such as ourselves, he or she would be travelling with Dale.

Rule No. 3

Always have a Dale with you when travelling. Always.

Much love.

Arrivederchi, ciao… l8rz…

::go big or go home::

Umm.

Yah.

You better believe it.

Chaos can actually be planned.

(okay…planned-ish.)

     So finally, after dreaming, wishing, screaming, hoping, finger-crossing, yelling, dazing, spacing, spazzing, and all other manners one goes through while categorizing and analyzing the fact that one is about to do the rediculous… fly to Europe… we sat down to plan.

     I have to say, Vivi’s table (Chantelle’s mom) is highly conducive to travel planning (you ought to try it some time!) and the stone/wood workmanship is phenomenal; impressive since her son Darren built it.  Said table was piled with travel books, an Atlas, laptop and treats (worked nicely that Sarita, my brother Troy’s girlfriend, and I just happened in during the lunch hour)    

     Chantelle, a.k.a. Tellie, navigated us through the Atlas to pinpoint the exact locales we would be able to reach, and came up with an approximate time table.  Once finessing it all down to days including possible travel arrangements (bus, ox cart, plane, skooter, etc), we realized we’d gained 2 days! 

Nice!

(I’ll agree)

…and now, to add to our ::impossible:: excursion… is the magnificent city of Prague in the Czech Republic!

10 countries, 20 cities, 25 days… 

(It has a certain… *je ne sais pas*…)

I like it.

I am also certain this schedule is as doomed as the chubby chicken served up at our local A&W.

But, here it is!

*Mais, c’est ici!*

(pardon, just getting my practice on.)

In all it’s planned glory… the first week… (you be the judge!)

 Ta-dah!

********************ITINERARY******************

(August 10) – Fly out from Vancouver Airport

(August 11) – Arrive in London, Gatwick Airport, meet up with a contact, visit some sights, find a hotel… S.L.E.E.P.

(August 12) - Off to Buckingham palace, flirt with the guards at the Tower of London, wax museum at piccadilly square, meet up with friends… one more night in London

(August 13) – Last few sites, do the double decker bus thing, then fly to Paris for an entertaining evening at the Moulin Rouge (even sounds romantic!)

 (so glad I’m single.)

(please note the sarcasm.)

(August 14) – Explore & enjoy a scenic river tour through the city of Paris (take in a few shops, tour Sacré-Coeur, le Musée du Louvre, Cathédrale Notre Dame, etc) and do the ::culture:: thing

(August 15) –  Visit Versailles Castle by skooter, only 30 mins outside *la ville* then take the night train to our next destination

(August 16) – Arrive in Cannes… also known as the French Riviera in the South of France, for some Sun-Sand-Sea relaxation!

(Yes, I am spoilt. no questions asked.)

******************ITINERARY*******************

 

There you have it.

Week One. 7 days.

Pretty impressive… I’ll say  

(I keep pinching myself to see if it truly is my reality.)

Wha-?

Huh-?

For rea-?

Noo-

Really-?

Wait a minute-

Uh-?

Craz-

Wow-

Ah-

‘kay-

Yeah. Kinda like that.

 

In anycase, if it works out in it’s entirety, I’ll be more amazed than a yuppie at a redneck fish-fry.

Yes.

That amazed.

That… and ready for the poorhouse.

(I understand they take reservations.)

$$$$ 0_o $$$$$

Some days, I can hardly believe my life.

Nor can my parents.

Again.

*Spoilt* is all I can say.

But, in the words made famous by Americans everywhere…

 

Let’s just hope its more “Big” and less “Go Home” by the end of the 3 weeks.

C’est ma vie!

(I am living the dream.)

Absolutely brilliant. 

…

The tickets are booked.

All our tickets are booked.

I booked our domestic tickets today for August 10th.

What am I doing booking our tickets for August 10th??

-What?!

Why are we flying out from Prince George??

-Why?!

Why are we flying from Vancouver??

-Huh?

What are we doing in London??

-Oh yah.

She booked our tickets to London for 16:40.

We are going to London.

Gatwick, London.

No matter how you look at it.

I am still freaked.

10% Excited.

90% Freaked Out.

Total equals = 100% Excited Freak-Out.

(Eloquence is not always readily accessible.  Pandimonium of the mind generally is.)

O.k. then. 

Duo Syked. (can't you tell)

     “Ladies and gentlemen, please proceed to Gate B3 as flight 017 has arrived in the terminal.  We are sorry for the slight delay.  If any inconvenience has occured, please make your way to the nearest Airport Concierge; we will be happy to assist you.  Thank you for flying Just-Get-Away Airways!  And to all our guests flying à Paris this afternoon… BON VOYAGE!”

     As I am writing *cyberly* I can’t express my need to squeal like a 4-year-old kid with a brand new bike, but if I could, it would go something like this…. *YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!*

 

WHACK!

*Ouch.*

Whew.

*Thanks, I needed that.*

 

Anycase, back to the eminent and absolute reality of this very moment!  …I, Catherine A**** Delaney being of sound mine, body and soul, am finally going to travel the nether recesses of Europe!

My incroyable cousin, Chantelle Gouliquer, and I will be lifting off from YVR (Vancouver International Airport) in approximately, 15 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds. (Yes, I am excited.)  We will be leaving in August and returning 3 weeks later on my birthday, no less!

(As my aunt expressed, I’ll be celebrating my birthday for an extra 8 hours due to the time change… mostly in the air flying, but really, how stellar is that?!)

This is how excited I am.

Image the whole world jumping up and down, until the stars began falling out of the sky, the bridges began collapsing like prey-mantis’ having a giant disco party.

Yup.

That about covers it.