New Zealand

I've booked and paid for a Contiki trip to New Zealand over September! I get to travel on the North an South Island and discover many places within the country. I need to save up some spending money, so hopefully I can get enough in just over 4 weeks! :D
Checklist of thing to organise:
-Passport
-Travel wallet/document holder
-Travel blow up pillow
-Raincoat
-Runners/Sneakers

We go to Surfers Paradise this week! Woohoo! Can;t wait for the sunshine and time away with my man.

Organisation

I've required a lot of organisation this week. Work, a birthday, shopping and transport for when we're away. This week I was Anna twice, Jenna and Kath at work! With a total of 46 hours I'm not sure how I'm still standing, let alone had the time to organise everything else.

I traveled to and from Chadstone and Southland to shop for Jordan's birthday presents. I organised parking at the airport for when we're away and return transfers from Coolangatta Airport to our accommodation in Surfers Paradise.

I'm looking forward to the beginning of this new week. I get to spend sometime with my man, eat some great food and have a break from tying balloons and cutting fabrics. My thumb joint is actually a little bit tired and even hurts to type today. One more day of work before I can have a little bit of a rest and relax.

Marionettes of Prague

I stumbled along a toy shop that sell gorgeous, hand crafted marionette puppets. The main fact that excited me the most, was, I may have a chance to see them whilst I'm over in Europe. They are hand crafted by artists in Chezch Marionettes in Prague and can be made for order.

Have a look at Lady Simone...


Look at the detail with her fascinator and make up..


And then there's this cute old couple..


Adorable.

I would love to visit one of their studios whist traveling over there. Have a look at the website!

http://www.czechmarionettes.com/

Friendship

Today Ashley, Leigh and myself learned and weeped about true friendship. We attended a late english teacher's funeral and were truly touched by the stories from her friends and family. Especially her friends, who were by her side the entire way through her journey. Whether they were celebrating birthdays, graduations or even meeting over a coffee, they supported each other every day. Tears ran freely when the friends made a promise to her, to surround her children with love, support and laughter, to continue on their book club and toast their champagnes in honour of her. Today I take time to appreciate my friends and what we do for each other. I accept them for who they are, and will continue to cherish their individuality and support them with what they would like to achieve.

European Vista Contiki tour

This is the route the 21 day, Contiki, European Vista tour takes during the winter months. It is a lot cheaper than travelling during the summer periods and I'm sure the queues for all the attractions will be a lot quieter.



The total cost for the tour in October 2010, is $2759 which includes 20 breakfasts, 11 dinners, tours, all accommodation and transportation during the trip. It works out to be about $140 a night which is fairly descent price for what is included. I was worried about having some free time in the cities. After talking to a travel agent and fellow friends that have been on a Contiki tour, I discovered that you can choose whether to attend tours or do your own thing during the day. I'll need to study up on the countries so I have an idea of what I would like to see in my free time to make the most of it!

Camberwell delights

Today we had an afternoon tea stroll around Camberwell, with hopes of some inspiration for my high tea 21st function. Have a look at some of the yummy thing we found..


Pistachio profita roll..


Peach, Raspberry Jelly, Passionfruit and Blood Orange chocolate..


Pistachio, Strawberry and Mango-Passionfruit Macaroons..

Queensland, part2

Boy am I organised today. I'm really surprised after working 5 days in a row with massive sales at work. I am organised though! I have booked in accommodation and knocked off $25 a night of the price. Have a look!

http://www.stayz.com.au/20393

This stayz company has some real jems with them. You do need to do your research carefully and talk with the owners to make sure everything is up to scratch. I stayed in this particular property in 2008 with some girlfriends. It was amazing. They have a lagoon, indoor pool, restaurants and coles underneath the building. It's a short walk to the beach and the night life if that interests you.

Now to work out how to pack enough with the 7k limit on our bags hahaha. Oh and I may have stuffed up the flights, so that we need to have one night stay in sydney. Not sure where we'll stay for that, but we'll find something shortly!

Queensland!!

Jordan and I are going away to Queensland for a week in July! Now to look for accommodation and organise transport to get around the Gold Coast! I'm looking forward to some sunshine and time away with my man. Eating out, sleeping in an having a swim now and then!

Workahollic

Today I was an over-energetic, happy person this morning, until I got into work and discovered that we were short staffed and had a huge sale on. My cheeks and lips are sore from talking to customers and smiling. Today was unproductive with my list, but I was in over drive at work. Time to get in my pyjamas and snuggle up with a hot chocolate.

Contiki Tour

Today I visited a travel agent to get some information on Contiki Tours around Europe. There are so many routes and optional extras you can select! I find the Europe Inspiration 19 day tour pretty interesting. The hotel, transportation around the destinations, tours as well as, all your breakfasts and half your dinners are included. It works out to be A$140 a night. Amsterdam, Venice, Paris and London are a few places along the way the tours stops off at.

A few work colleagues have very different opinions about Contiki tours. I'm not a big drinkers, maybe the occasional glass of wine to celebrate at a function. The only problem is, half the people I've spoken too believe Contiki tours are a party bus. On the other hand, no one would be dragging me out to party, and I could relax or go for a walk around the city centre.

http://contiki.com.au/tours/121-european-inspiration-winter

Above is the link to the tour I'm particularly interested in. If anyone has been on a Contiki tour, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Limbo List

I'm in limbo at the moment. Kindergarden, Primary School, High School, Tafe and a semester of University. Motivation to achieve high marks and live a balanced life have changed for me. People questioning what I will become, what job I'll automatically get into after completing a course. To be honest, I do not know. All I know is that what I love and aspire to achieve.
To give my limbo time some direction, I've decided to write a list of things I'd like to achieve.

Things I would love to achieve.

-Continue working at Spotlight
-Gain a passport
-Start painting and drawing again
-Travel overseas
-Enjoy time off to discover myself and what I'd like to achieve in life
-Complete short courses that will give me the skills to help with my course of choice
-Visit markets and art galleries
-Join a dance or aerobics group
-Finish a scarf from all my wool
-Redecorate my bedroom