Last 2 weeks!!

OK, let's feed the pigeons one more time (Golden Gate Park)

spending the night at frankfurt airport was interesting.....i was probably the only one who actually got some sleep there!! the flight to seattle was the best long flight i've had because i didn't have a headache the whole way. seattle was really cool and had alot of awesome shops but the best part was going up the space needle, we could see very far from every direction and the gift shop was really big. in seattle we didn't see much of jeremy the pigeon - speaking of jeremy, he now has a very big family. we spent a night on victoria island and i enjoyed the city and harbour and our hotel was comfortable. as we drove closer to the coast it got colder and we got the sea breeze blowing at us alot but the sand dune in cape kiwanda was VERY tiring. when we got to californa i really enjoyed looking at the huge redwoods a.k.a the tallest trees in the world!!! also in californa we DROVE through a redwood, it was difficult for dad to fit through it but he did it. a couple of days later we drove over the golden gate bridge to get to san francisco and fortunatly there are lots of pigeons.

well the trip is about over and i REALLY ENJOYED the time we had around the world and all the wonderful things we saw and did and i hope i never forget the things i learnt and all the special memories i have had.

Lunch with the girls in Golden Gate Park

Fitting inside the walk-thru redwood tree (northern California)

Climbing up the sand dune at Cape Kiwanda

My adventures with Jeremy the Pigeon

Leaving Rome was sad but flying to Denmark was awesome! Denmark was hot. Most of the people could speak English and were friendly. Our hotel was totally awesome! It had lots of room and big comfy beds. On our last full day in Copenhagen we went to Tivoli which is a big amusement park. The first ride I did was a really fast awesome rollercoaster. We did lots more fun rides then had dinner on a pirate ship restaurant. We were at Tivoli until 11.15pm.

The next day we got up early and got our rental car and then drove all the way to Billund, which is home to Legoland. When we found our cabin, we dumped all our stuff and got back into the car and headed for Legoland. When we got to Legoland most of the rides were closed because it was nearly closing time, but we still had a good look around. The next day we went to Legoland again and actually got to do some of the rides. First we booked for the traffic school where you drive around in mini cars on a mini road with a petrol station. It was hard at the start but it got easier and exciting. Me Stefan Lucas and dad did a pirate ship battle where we had to squirt the other pirate ships so we got totally soaked. Then we had lunch by the pirate ship battle then joined the queue for a raft ride. The raft ride had a big drop at the end which was really thrilling. We did a couple more rides, and we bought a medieval lego set, and then went back to Copenhagen.

We flew to Amsterdam where we met Jolanda at the airport and got a taxi to her apartment. And for that day we just cruised in her apartment, with her budgie. The next day we got up and went to Madurodam which is a miniature version of Holland. We took lots of pictures, then we had lunch at the restaurant at Madurodam. When we finished lunch we drove to the beach and dug a canal river through the sand. We woke up early the next morning to get ready to go to Utrecht which is the city where my Grannie was born. We looked around some shops and then took a long hot walk to the Dom Tower, and then followed some little streets to the house where my Grannie was born. The house used to have a bakery underneath, but the new owners turned it into a drycleaning place, but they let us in to have a look around. Then we had lunch by the Dom Tower at a nice cafe, and me and Nicolette had crepes.

Walking along the canals in Utrecht

Before we walked into the church that was beside the Dom Tower, we met a friendly pigeon and we named him Jeremy. The church was big, old and fun to look around. Later on we visited the train museum which was absolutely awesome. We got to see a lot of trains and walk inside the different types. There were ladies walking round in big fancy dresses that greeted us and made up funny stories. We had afternoon tea outside the train museum. Then we walked back to the train station and went home. The next day we took the tram to the Hague city and had a good look round all the shops and pretty sites. And we saw Jeremy a couple of times!

The next day we got up early and went to the airport and flew to London. It was fantastic. And we even got to take one of those original double decker bus tours around town. I learnt alot in that tour like, did you know that the great fire of London burnt 80% of London city but only killed 9 people. The great fire of London started in Pie Lane and ended in Pudding Street. How weird! After the bus tour we went to the park and saw some squirrels and fed them peanuts.
The rest of the day we just blobbed, and saw Jeremy!

The next day we went to Kettering and stayed with Colleen and David, and Ziggy the dog. Ziggy is a black fluffy dog and she is adorable. While we were in England we also visited Cambridge, Leeds, York, Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Oxford, Swindon and Reading.

York Minster Cathedral

Then we flew to hot Lisbon. We found our hostel and went out for dinner, with Jeremy and his fat pigeon friends. Since we have been in Lisbon, we have seen a very awesome castle, and a few old monuments and buildings. We went to Lisbon's aquarium and it was very exciting to see. There was a tank the size of 3 olympic swimming pools. It was filled with sharks, rays, and of course fishies. But no pigeons.

Feeding Jeremy and friends in Lisbon
Which one's Jeremy??

I can't wait for more adventures to come, and more pigeons to see.

Xanthe: News from Italy

So the Leaning Tower was actually quite small...

well we made it to our first Italian campground at about 5 o'clock in the late afternoon. the campground is pretty good, there is no pool but there is a cold, fresh water stream that has tadpoles - so while mum was cooking dinner me, Lucas and Stefan were catching and releasing tadpoles! a couple of days later we drove to Pisa and saw the leaning tower of Pisa!!! and of course its on a lean, we took lots of pictures of us pushing the tower, kicking it and leaning on it along with the hundreds of other tourists. we got to our campground in Pisa at about 3pm so we had a VERY long swim - unfortunately i scraped my top lip on the pool floor when i dived in. then the next day we drove to ROMA
( Rome )!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rome is not as populated as i thought it would be with 3-4 million, but don't get me wrong that's still heaps compared with Christchurch! on the first full day we had in Rome we got on a train into the city of Rome and went to the Vatican city and saw the pope!!! there was a big crowd though, then we walked further till we had lunch at McDonald's right outside the pantheon!!!! the pantheon has lots of paintings and statues inside. we made our way to the old, ancient, roman ruins,which were interesting. then... we... went... to... the......C O L O S S E U M !!!!!! ITS REALLY BIG - it can fit like 50 - 80 thousand people. the Colosseum is so awesome how its ancient and is still standing after 2 earthquakes!!! in the next couple of days we swam, met the other campers and went shopping. can't wait for more to come!

Someone really let this place go to ruin... (Roman Forum)

Yep, here I am (Colosseum)

Xanthe: News from the last week

At the City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia

well we made it to Spain! Spain looks quite deserty and a bit dry - maybe that's because of the heat. we spent our first day in Valencia just blobbing at the campground. the campground has a pool and restaurant and supermarket but they are all closed! in the afternoon we went to the beach to cool off a bit, but only me, lucas and mum went for a swim. the next day we went shopping in the morning/lunch and got some things. in the afternoon we went to the science museum, which is awesome. there is loads of interactive stuff and i even saw a chicken hatch. the next day we went to the oceanografic centre. there was fish, turtles, penguins, seals, crabs, birds, BELUGA WHALES ( which were so cute ) and an awesome dolphin show. then we went shopping again and bought some more stuff. the next day we drove to barcelona and saw a smallish Colosseum on the way. we took the bus into town in barcelona, looked at markets, got some snacks and then drove to France.

Swim buddies, Barcelona

Xanthe - my trip so far..

So far I'm enjoying the trip alot. Singapore was nice but far too hot! Sentosa Island was even hotter but the aquarium was really awesome. There was a Dugong! The long flight to Germany was not so awesome though, at least I got some sleep. Germany was hot too, also quite old and historical. We drove to Strasbourg in our new rented campervan and then took a long drive to Paris. Paris was really cool. The Arc de Triomphe wsa big and Eiffel Tower was crowded but they were both really interesting. I bought an Eiffel Tower necklace and some souvenirs. The campground we are staying in now is extremely awesome, there is an outside pool with islands and water slides and a steamy inside pool with warm water and lots of space. I'm loving the trip and can't wait for Spain.



Me standing by the Eiffel Tower


Feeding the cows at the campground near Gunzburg Germany

Xanthe: Thoughts before the trip

Its so sad to leave my best friends, at the end of school today we were hugging for ages and wouldn't let go! I'm also very excited, I'm really looking forward to going to Spain, it looks so pretty over there. Lego land looks cool- my class all want to go to Lego land and since I'm going there they are all so jealous. Going around the world will be a huge step for me and I will definitely learn a lot. I don't think being away from school will change my education, dad said he would teach us a few things and I'm sure we are going to some museums and libraries. I'm going to miss my dog and cats a lot, they mean everything to me and not being able to see them for nearly 3 months will be a bit upsetting and saddening!

I really enjoy learning and my teacher is ever so lovely so I will miss school A LOT! and also to think I wont be able to see my best friends for so long will be so sad! ho well at least I can e-mail them.

While i'm overseas i hope to learn a lot, see a lot and have a safe and happy adventure!