Europe May 2007 London, Greece, Rome, Venice, Salzburg, Paris and beyond! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-03-25:/blog/?domain=staceystravels 2007-05-22T13:45:00Z staceyhofe img/travel-blog-feed.png Silly European Keyboards!!!!!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-22:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=11&entryid=61999 2007-05-22T13:45:00Z 2007-05-22T13:45:00Z Greetings Everyone! Location Update: Paris, France As you all know by now we are in the city of love at the moment and just like every other European city the keyboards are completly messed up!!! I hate it! Oh well ... what can you do! I could not find the question mark on the keyboard so I had to use an explmation point. I have some time so I thought I would fill you guys in on what we have been up to ... Greetings Everyone!

Location Update: Paris, France

As you all know by now we are in the city of love at the moment and just like every other European city the keyboards are completly messed up!!! I hate it! Oh well ... what can you do! I could not find the question mark on the keyboard so I had to use an explmation point.

I have some time so I thought I would fill you guys in on what we have been up to since we left Greece. I can't really remember what I have told you so some things may repeat.

From Athens we flew to Rome where Andrea and I discovered travelling alone is a huge shock to the system after a Contiki Tour. I kept expecting to run into someone I knew at the Vatican or at our hotel.

While in Rome we enjoyed the simple task of doing laundry!!!! It may not seem exciting to all of you back in Canada but when you are living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks it's pretty much one of the most exciting things in the world.

From Rome we took the train to Venice. Andrea and I fell in love with this city. We took our second day there to get lost in the streets and wander around. It is so beautiful!!!!

That afternoon we took a tour to Murano and Burano. Murano is famous for its glass and Burano is famous for its lace. The tour was amazing and I recommend it to all who visit Venice!!!!

From Venice we travelled to Salzburg by train again. The countryside is unreal during the 6 hour train ride north. Everything that you see in The Sound of Music is what Austria is. Moutains, streams, little villages, and much more.

Once we were in the city I fell in love with it. I felt completely at ease and I did not feel like a tourist at all. During our first evening in the city we ventured down to "Old Salzburg". There are tons of shops and restaurants there and you can see the mountains at all times.

On our second day in the city we went on a Sound of Music tour. This was one of my personal favourites of the trip. Our train left for Paris at midnight so we killed some time at our hotel then boarded the Orient Express. That is a plug for you and 3rd semester TPRD Jona!!!!!

Our time in Paris has been great. I am glad that people warned me about the city being rather dirty - because it really is!!! We have visited most of the major sites and we are taking a break for a bit in our hotel room before ze venture off to the Eiffel Tower again to see it in the evening.

This will be one of my last blogs from Europe - if not the last. The last three weeks have been a blast and I am sad to see them come to an end. One the other hand, I am very excited to see some familiar faces in London when we all meet back up for our flight home and of course to see my family back home in Canada!!!!!! And I can't help but be excited for my birthday on Sunday and to actually start my new job one week from today!!!!

Anywho, I must go and attempt to fit all of my things in my suitcases now.

ttfn

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]]> I SAW MY NAME ON A SIGN!!!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-19:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=61706 2007-05-20T11:19:57Z 2007-05-19T15:05:30Z So...I am in Salzburg and within moments of walking down the street I see my name on a sign! HOFER!!!!! GAH! I was rather excited and don´t worry. I got a picture of it. Venice was amazing! I loved it - a lot more than Rome. That was´t a very hard contest though. Andrea and I overdosed on Gelato and had a blast walking the streets/canals of the city. It is sooo beautiful. We got to Salzburg a couple hours ago ... So...I am in Salzburg and within moments of walking down the street I see my name on a sign! HOFER!!!!! GAH! I was rather excited and don´t worry. I got a picture of it.

Venice was amazing! I loved it - a lot more than Rome. That was´t a very hard contest though. Andrea and I overdosed on Gelato and had a blast walking the streets/canals of the city. It is sooo beautiful.

We got to Salzburg a couple hours ago and are going to explore "the old city".

Oh, the keyboards are really messed up here so if something does not make sense that is why.

Anywho, off to explore.

Jona - tell Mary-Ann that I will enjoy Salzburg a little more just for her!

:)

Blog ya later!!!!

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]]> 2 Thumbs down for Rome tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-16:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=61185 2007-05-16T11:44:08Z 2007-05-16T11:44:08Z As you can see...we are in Rome now and we are not having the times of our lives. After all the build of up Rome and looking forward to it the most - I am not a fan. I am glad that I came to see it but as of now it is at the bottom of my list for favourite destinations. Do not get me wronge - I am sure its a great destination but I am not a ... As you can see...we are in Rome now and we are not having the times of our lives. After all the build of up Rome and looking forward to it the most - I am not a fan. I am glad that I came to see it but as of now it is at the bottom of my list for favourite destinations. Do not get me wronge - I am sure its a great destination but I am not a fan.

We leave for Venice tomorrow morning then up to Salzburg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see I am rather excited for that!!!!

I will update as soon as I can.

stace

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]]> Good Bye Mykonos tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-14:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=8&entryid=60755 2007-05-14T13:05:42Z 2007-05-14T13:05:42Z Yia sou!!!!! (Hello) As you can see - my Greek is picking up! We are on the ferry at the moment that is taking us back to Athens. Mykonos was unreal! Beautiful! Breathtaking! Unlike anything I have EVER seen! AND I have tons of pictures to prove it. Our first full day on the island we laid on the beach the entire time- and our second day we laid on the beach in the morning and then went into Mykonos Town ... Yia sou!!!!! (Hello)

As you can see - my Greek is picking up! We are on the ferry at the moment that is taking us back to Athens. Mykonos was unreal! Beautiful! Breathtaking! Unlike anything I have EVER seen! AND I have tons of pictures to prove it. Our first full day on the island we laid on the beach the entire time- and our second day we laid on the beach in the morning and then went into Mykonos Town and then came back and caught some more sun!!!

The Contiki Resort came with some ups and downs but overall we were all very sad to leave. One person left for his next destination straight from Mykonos this morning but the rest of us are going back to Athens for one more night together then we all go our seperate ways.

Tomorrow Andrea and I fly to Rome - where we are for 2 days then travel up to Venice for 2 days then to Salzburg then on to Paris before we head back to London.

I will try to update soon - but as my history has shown ...I'm enjoying the sites and not updating a great deal! I'll post pictures once I'm back in Canada.

Right now - it's nap time before we dock in Athens!

YAI SOU!!!! (Good bye)

Stace

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]]> 35 Degrees anyone?!?!?!?!? tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-10:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=60161 2007-05-10T19:36:30Z 2007-05-10T19:36:30Z BOO! So we are finally done the land portion of our tour. We started 4 days ago in Athens where we stayed the night and then moved on to Olympia the next day. As most of you know - I'm kinda obsessed with the Olympics so this was a MAJOR hightlight for me. In Athens we toured the Acropolis and in Olympia we toured the site where the Olympics Games were held. We then moved on to Delphi - which is ... BOO!

So we are finally done the land portion of our tour. We started 4 days ago in Athens where we stayed the night and then moved on to Olympia the next day. As most of you know - I'm kinda obsessed with the Olympics so this was a MAJOR hightlight for me. In Athens we toured the Acropolis and in Olympia we toured the site where the Olympics Games were held. We then moved on to Delphi - which is the sweetest little village!!!! We toured the sites in Delphi today and drove back to Athens where we are right now. We are spending the night and then heading to Mykonos tomorrow on the ferry.

The weather has be UNREAL in Greece! 30 Degrees pretty much every day! And it will be most likely be warmer in Mykonos. Our resort has a computer cafe so I will be updating from there.

I'll update soon - miss you all! see you soon!

p.s. my picture count is nearing 1000 :)

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]]> 30 DEGREES IN GREECE! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-09:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=6&entryid=59948 2007-05-09T15:59:51Z 2007-05-09T15:59:51Z Hey! Sorry for the lack of updates! We've been bummin around Greece for the last few days! Athens, Olympia, and now Delphi...I don't have a lot of time now...so it'll be short and sweet! I'll update in a few days with more details.... stace ... Hey!

Sorry for the lack of updates! We've been bummin around Greece for the last few days! Athens, Olympia, and now Delphi...I don't have a lot of time now...so it'll be short and sweet!

I'll update in a few days with more details....

stace

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]]> London, London, London tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-06:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=5&entryid=59370 2007-05-06T14:59:23Z 2007-05-06T14:59:23Z Hello All, As you can see - we are still in London but tomorrow we leave for Greece!!! London has been great - the weather has been perfect! Not too hot - not too rainy/cold! Andrea and I spent the day with Jeremy who just moved here 6 weeks ago from Toronto so it was nice to have a personal tour guide ... and of course to see a familiar face! We've been all over London and today we are going ... Hello All,

As you can see - we are still in London but tomorrow we leave for Greece!!! London has been great - the weather has been perfect! Not too hot - not too rainy/cold!

Andrea and I spent the day with Jeremy who just moved here 6 weeks ago from Toronto so it was nice to have a personal tour guide ... and of course to see a familiar face! We've been all over London and today we are going to go down to Oxford Street - one of the most popular shopping districts in the city.

Our flight to Athens departs @ 630am tomorrow morning so I'm not too sure how much I'll be able to update this until we get to the resort in Mykonos.

p.s. the temp in Athens has been 35 degrees!!!! HAHAHAHAH! Just thought I would rub that in!

that's all the time i have for today...talk to you soon!

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]]> greetings from london tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-04:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=4&entryid=59158 2007-05-04T22:34:38Z 2007-05-04T22:34:38Z hello all its been a long day that has only included 4 hours of sleep since wednesday morning but I AM IN LONDON!!! the flight was delayed but great. the weather in london today was great. we got in at 7am and got to our hotel around 1030 then andreas, melissa, andrea and myself hopped on a double deaker tour bus for the afternoon. we saw trafalgar square, buckingham palace, big ben, westminster abby and more things that my brain ... hello all

its been a long day that has only included 4 hours of sleep since wednesday morning but I AM IN LONDON!!!

the flight was delayed but great. the weather in london today was great. we got in at 7am and got to our hotel around 1030 then andreas, melissa, andrea and myself hopped on a double deaker tour bus for the afternoon. we saw trafalgar square, buckingham palace, big ben, westminster abby and more things that my brain can't remember right now. andrea and i went to go see the phantom of the opera this evening as well.

sorry for the short update - more to come soon!

don't worry!!! there will be tons of pics once we are back home to show you all the fun we had!!!!

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]]> 0 DAYS!!!!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-03:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=3&entryid=58821 2007-05-06T15:00:22Z 2007-05-03T15:39:23Z Hey Guys, As you can see - the countdown is at ZERO! I leave for the airport in an hour and then our flight leaves around 230pm. This update is short & sweet - I'll see you guys in a few weeks and hopefully update this while I'm in London! Stace ... Hey Guys,

As you can see - the countdown is at ZERO! I leave for the airport in an hour and then our flight leaves around 230pm.

This update is short & sweet - I'll see you guys in a few weeks and hopefully update this while I'm in London!

Stace

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]]> Final Countdown tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-21:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=2&entryid=56440 2007-04-21T21:54:18Z 2007-04-21T21:54:18Z 12 DAYS AND COUNTING... We are under two weeks away from leaving and my to-do list somehow keeps on growing! Andrea and I have pretty much everything booked for our adventures after Greece - so we don't have to worry about those details anymore!!! The final few days leading up to departing Calgary are going to be extremely busy...I am in Vernon for a retreat from April 30th until May 2nd or 3rd and then fly back to Calgary and then ... 12 DAYS AND COUNTING...

We are under two weeks away from leaving and my to-do list somehow keeps on growing! Andrea and I have pretty much everything booked for our adventures after Greece - so we don't have to worry about those details anymore!!!

The final few days leading up to departing Calgary are going to be extremely busy...I am in Vernon for a retreat from April 30th until May 2nd or 3rd and then fly back to Calgary and then fly out of Calgary once again.

I have one last exam on Wednesday and then I will have completed the Travel & Tourism Diploma Program at SAIT. Even after my graduation on May 30th my time as a student will continue at SAIT. For those of you who do not know - I will be working with the SAIT Students' Association as VP of Student Life & Development. I officially take office on April 30th and I couldn't be more excited.

I must keep this entry short and sweet!

Stace

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]]> 39 DAYS!!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-03-25:/blog/?domain=staceystravels&thisblog_entryid=1&entryid=51655 2007-03-26T05:15:06Z 2007-03-26T04:29:32Z Hello All! As you can see this is the first blog entry of what I hope to be many more to come! I've created this profile and blog to keep you updated on my upcoming trip to Europe and all of my upcoming journeys around the world! I can not guarantee how many times I will be able to update this while I am in Europe in May but I hope to give up updates at least once in every city. ... Hello All!

As you can see this is the first blog entry of what I hope to be many more to come! I've created this profile and blog to keep you updated on my upcoming trip to Europe and all of my upcoming journeys around the world! I can not guarantee how many times I will be able to update this while I am in Europe in May but I hope to give up updates at least once in every city. I have attached a map below that shows what city we are in on each specific dates - all you need to do is move your mouse over the city you are interested it!!!

So far the planning of our trip has been great! The first few days we will be in London then we move on to Greece to begin our Contiki "Spotlight on Greece" which will include stops in Athens, Delphi, and my personal favourite - OLYMPIA! Then we move on the Mykonos. We will be staying at the Contiki Resort for 4 days then we will be going back to Athens for one more day. At this point we will all be going our separate ways. Some people are flying back home to Calgary 2 days after Greece, some people are visiting friends and relatives around Europe, some are visiting the Scandinavian countries, and some are visiting popular destinations such as Paris.

Andrea and myself will be flying from Athens to Rome to explore the "Eternal City" and of course visit the Pope. It is not very likely that we will be witnessing any gladiator fights - but we will still enjoying seeing the Colosseum up close and personal!

From Rome we will travel to Venice and from Venice we will leave passionate Italy and travel north to Austria. Salzburg will be our one and only stop in this beautiful country but we intend to make the most of it. We, of course, will be going on a "Sound of Music" tour - which is something that I am looking forward to the most! We will also be visiting Mozart's home while we are there as well.

Leaving Salzburg on an overnight train we will be moving on to "The City of Light"! Paris, of course! At this time we may be meeting up with some friends from school to spend two and a half days exploring the French Capital and all it has to offer!

From Paris we return to London for one night before we begin our journey home to Calgary! I'm sure we will be lacking in sleep but will have many stories to tell! This covers just the basics of my adventure that still awaits me - so stay tuned!

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

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