My next Trip

I have some exciting news.... My next trip is all booked in.... Yah! I'm going to ...... the United States!!!! I can't wait.

Here is a bit of an overview of my next trip.

First of LA

Disney land

Universal Studios (New Harry Potter exhibition... Opens in April)

Warner Brothers Studios

Santa Monica Pier 

Star homes tour

Venice Beach

Hollywood walk of fame

Then off to San Francisco 

Golden Gate Bridge

The hills

Alcatraz 

The fur seals

The shopping outlets 

Then to Vegas Baby

Casinos 

Mum World

Shows

Married by Elvis (just kidding)

The Grand Canyon

Shopping 

Roller coasters 

Big Apple .... New York

Friends tour

Emiper state building

Time square

Central Park

Lady liberty

Shopping

The theatre

Niagara Falls

So that is the starts to my plans... Please let me know if there is anywhere else you think I should go or see while I'm there...

Good night my friends

What should you pack in your hand luggage (Female)

Good evening my trusty readers,

I hope your all well. Tonight I thought I would touch on an very important subject... What you should take in your hand luggage. Don't worry I know it's not a super important subject but it can feel like it is when your in Germany and have a migraine and the chemist doesn't sell panadol and only sells a strange brand that you have never heard of. So here it is my top tips to put in your carry on luggage.

- Panadol

- Eye mask and ear plugs (these can save your life especially when your on a long flight with screaming babies and you just want to sleep)

- Refresher wipes (these are so good when your in transit and you don't have time for a shower. A quick wipe over and you will feel refreshed)

- Hand sanitizer 

- A small pouch of tissues

- Hair tie and small hair brush

- A tooth brush and a travel tooth paste

- A change of clothes and spare pair of underwear

- A plastic bag (to put your dirty clothes in once you have a shower)

- A small soap and a small travel dry towel (Most airports have free showers that you can use. The dry towel helps you can wipe your self and pop the towel back in the bag and not get everything else wet)

- A pair of socks (flights can get quite chilly and a pair of comfortable socks can make all the difference)

- A jacket (flights get cold)

- Headphones ****noise cancelling are better*** (you can uses these to listen to music or use the on board flight entertainment system)

- something to do (book, magazines, a lonely planet book on your destination or a

puzzle book)

- A waterbottle (I buy this after I go through customs)

- Snacks (On a 14 hour flights you only get feed twice once at the beginning and the end. It's great to have something to snack on to get through the flight. I always buy my snacks in duty free before a flight)

- A watch (I wear it on the plane and set it to the time of the destination. This helps you to work out when you should snooze to try and not be jetlagged by the time you arrive)

- A neck pillow. (I like to use it as a pillow to lean up against that window and sleep)

I hope this list helps you pack your hand luggage for your amazing holiday. Any questions or is there anything else you wanna know comment below or follow me on my social media. 

S xxx

                           

  

P&O Dawn Review

Cruising was never ever something I wanted to do. The thought of being on a ship in the middle of the ocean made me want to curl up in a ball in the corner. No one could convince me to get on a ship... until the other day. Yep... I did the unthinkable and went on P&O Dawn. 

P&O as a cruise liner gets a pretty bad wrap. Before I went on it people would say the following
- "its just like a floating Sizzlers"
- "P&O is for Bogans"
- "wasn't that the ship that everyone got sick with gastro the other week"

Ok. I know. I know. All very valid points but here are my thoughts of the thoughts below.

P&O Company History

FACT: P&O as a company have been doing cruises out of Australia since 1932.... So they know there shit. There fleet consisted of 4 ships and they have recently added 2 more... Aria and Eden. These ships use to be old Norwegian Cruise Liners, so these 2 newly renovated ships are magical. Plus the limit the amount of kids allowed on board. Whats not to like about that.

The ship - Dawn

The ship I got to go on was the Dawn. The ship itself is pretty large but from looking at it from the outside it has alot of rust on it. I know... the seawater does it. Buy Im just telling you what I saw. I went through customs and made my way up the plank into the foyer. It was pretty impressive. When I walked on I didnt even feel like I was on a ship. I felt like I was in a hotel. Inside the ship heading towards the rooms it looks like it needed a bit of a revamp. The carpets look like they were in an casion from the 70's. The top of the ship look cool though. Big pools, spas, a stage where they have performance. A running track, an adults only area (best invention ever), bars, the edge (activity centre) and kids club.

The rooms

I dont know what I was expecting in regards to the rooms on the ship. I thought they were going to be the size of a hotel room but they were so small. I was lucky enough to see all the room types while I was on board. Interior rooms which are smack bang in the middle of the ships surprisingly have a bit of room in them. Although I dont like that you turn the light off its night time and you turn the light on its day time. The oceanview rooms were a bit smaller than the interior with a little port hole (that doesnt open) so you can see out. And the balcony rooms were just as small with a teanie tiny little balcony that just had enough room for two chairs to fit. Theses 3 rooms are quite small. Enough room for a double bed, a walk in room and the worlds smallest bathroom. Or you can get two single or bunk beds and a double bed. 

If I was to recommend a room type to you I would say go with the balcony room. You can open the doors and let the cool sea breeze in or just sit there on your private deck and watch the world go by.

Or if you have extra coin and want a bit of extra space upgrade to a suite. They are amazeball. You get a bedroom, lounge room, coffee machine, priority check in, big bathroom and bathtub. Plus double the size balcony. I take back my recconmendation of the balcoyn room.... you should definitely definitely get a suite.

The food

Ok ok... now we get to what you have all been waiting for. ... the food!!!!! So Dawn at the moment still has the floating Sizzler which appeals to some peeps. But my favorite place to eat was in the waterfront restaurant. This place is amazing. Its an alacart restaurant thats included in the price you pay to get on the ship. And... every dinner/lunch you can have a 3 course meal if you want to. Do you want 2 desserts, as well as trying 3 mains and 4 entrees? You can have that aswell... they just keep bringing you food. If your after something a bit more fancy they have the salt grill restaurant, a chinese one and another one that wasnt really too interesting. 

If your after something abit different try the chefs table which is a 7 course degistation menu matched with wines. Yum! This experience is an intimate one and books out fast. 12 people get to go here a night. The chef will also take you for a walk through the kitchen and show you the gally of the ships. Its incredible to see how it works. The have a NZ ice cream shop on board and a little burger joint for your afternoon snacks....Cheap too... 

Side bar for the future: P&O are getting rid of the buffet and replacing it with 'the pantry'. What is the Pantry? Im glad you asked. Instead of a buffet its a food court. This is included when you purchase your tickets to get on board. They will have mexican, burgers, dessert bar, sushi ect that you can go up and order it fresh.... so cool.

Activities

Up on the main deck was pretty cool. They have a flying fox that flies over the ship and pools. Pools, spa's, a activities area with rock climbing and walking the plank activities. My favorite area was the adults only area. I could sat in one of the spas or the deck chair and watched the world go by all day. They also have a theatre where they do nightly shows, a day spa, kids clubs a shops

$ on board

The ship is $ free. You can set up accounts that attach to your room. Pay it daily or be left will the bill for the end of the trip. The choice is yours... They do have atm's on board if you do want to use cash..

Celebrating an special occasion?

Tell your travel agent or P&O before you board and they will tee a little special something for you. I wont spoil the surprise...

Whats include in your ticket

Your room, breakfast, lunch and dinner, being dropped at the different destinations, theatre shows

What you have to pay for

Shore tours, activities (called the Edge: eg flying fox), day spa, drinks and booze, snacks (ice cream & burgers), onboard shopping or buying P&O merchandise.

So I hope my review helped. If you do have any questions feel free to hit me up below.... Until next time.

S xxx 

Wellington 2015

So before I crossed  the ditch people told me that Wellington had the Nickname Windy Wellington. And boy did it live up to its name. Flying into Wellington was awful. Really bumpy and up and down because of the windy.

The first day we landed at 7am and went and had some breakfast at the Maranui Cafe. This cafe is about a 5 minute drive from the airport and looks over the ocean.  Even though it was so cold and windy it was lovely having breakfast with that view. As the others were finishing breakfast I walked into the cold and watched the crazy surfers brace the ice cold wind and water. All I could think of when I watched them in the water was "Stuff that!"

We jumped back on the bus and headed to the Weta Caves. I hadnt done alot of research on the Weta Caves before we went. But from the sound of there name I was expecting a ride? Something scary? I didn't really know. When we got there I was shocked that it wasnt what I expected at all. It was a workshop where they made all the Lord of the Rings Props and costumes. And a few other feature films props aswell. It was actually pretty cool. We got a behind the scenes tour. Got to see props and hear about what it takes to make all of this.

The tour went for over an hour. And then we got back on the bus and headed to Te Papa Muesum. This Muesum was located right on the bays edge and in the centre of town. When I saw Te Papa on our itinerary I wasnt to fussed if I saw it or not. A museum is just a museum right.... Wrong! It was amazing. We had a bit of a rushed tour, but we went in an Earthquake simulator, we got taught alot about NZ history and there marine life. But the absolute  best part of Te Papa Muesum was there world war 2 exhibition. I know your probably thinking...... Really Sar? An exhibition about the war? But it was really amazing and you cant miss it. The exhibition is made up of 8 peoples diaries from the war. A nurse, solders, capitians ect. Its done in a war that it is very interactive and emotion. It shows the condition that these soliders lived in, who many lives were lost, what they ate. What they thought.

The weta caves made life size statues of these people who kept diaries to tell there stories. There is one man (statue) in the exhibition who is sitting down eating a can of spam. This can and him is covered in flies. They explain that those flies were every where, on the soliders, on dead bodies, on there food. It was a real eye opener for me for what they psychically went through. I would highly recommend. 

We then had lunch next door. And headed on to our seal safari. We got into this little 4wd and drove half an hour to see the seal colonies.  Amazing... the bumpy drive was so worth it. 

After seeing these little fur babies. We ended up going back to the hotel getting changed and going out to india for dinner.... such a busy but amazing day.

New Zealand October 2015

A few days ago I had the pleasure of going to Auckland & Wellington New Zealand. This wasn't my normal solo adventures I actually won it through work. All expensive paid holiday. I couldnt believe my luck.

This trip was amazing! I had done a little of the South Island before but never the North Island. If you have been to New Zealand than you will know how beutiful and breathtaking it is. And if you haven't you should definitely go.

We started by flying in late in to Auckland with Air New Zealand. I love there Men in black safety video. We arrived a bit after midnight got horded onto the bus, taken to the hotel, allocated rooms and sent to bed at a bit after 3am. So freaking tired.

I was allocated a room with an older lady who worked up the gold coast. She seamed nice enough. Im not a huge share a room person. But it wasn't to bad. We were told that we needed to be up 3 hours later for breakfast for a full day of seminars. On 3 hours sleep this was a huge mission for me. Dont worry I will skim over this bit. By putting what happened and what i can remember we did in dot points

- breakfast
- 3 sessions
- The creater of Contiki spoke about his journey. This was amazing. (Ask me if you would like to know more about what he spoke about)
-morning tea
- 4 sessions
- Lunch  ( a cooking demonstratiom from the head chef of the sugar club)
- 4 morning session  (falling asleep)
- afternoon tea
- wine tasting

So over all apart from falling asleep through alot of those sessions and not getting to see any of Auckland the day was pretty good/tiring.

After tasting all of the wine we had one hour to get ready before being taking to a mystery location for dinner.

Turns out we were having a cocktail style party at MOTAT.  Muesum of Transport & Technology. Really amazing to see. My photos dont do it justice but there were old planes hanging from the ceiling. Big planes, small planes, planes ftlrom WW2. It was just incredible. We also had the guy who won xfactor perform. That was pretty cool. I didn't watcg xfactor so it was sorta wasted on me. But non the less I can appericate how much of a unique opportunity it was to be on this trip.. The party finished at 11pm. And we were back in our hotel rooms by one. We had to be up at the ugly time of 3am for our next flight. Ahhhh man.... I was exhausted.

Athens -Australia. Day Thrity-four & thirty-five

Day 34

I woke up at 5am to say goodbye to Shannon and then went back to sleep until 7am. There is no doubt about it that I am absolutely wrecked. My transfer car comes at 12pm today to take me to the airport to go home :( 

I've been away for over a month and I could keep going. I went downstairs and had breakfast with a few of the top deck people who hadn't left yet. It was a nice way to say goodbye to some new friends I have made. I went back upstairs and repacked my bag and my bag for the plane. I had to make sure since I was going to be travelling for another 32 hours to get home that I have clean clothes in my bag. 

At 11:00am I got a call up to my room that my car had arrived and was an hour early. My transfers have all been so prompt. When I was walking out of the lift I tripped and broke my thong. I was so devastated as those are the only shoes I have. I limped to the transfer driver and thought I would just get some at the airport. We got to the airport at 11:30am and my place was due to leave at 4pm. I had to find shoes. 

I limped through the airport trying my hardest to keep my wrecked thong on so I didn't have to walk bare foot. Since I couldn't check in and go through the gates yet to where the good shops are I found a little shop that sold clothes and shoes. I couldn't believe it that the only thongs they had in my size looked like they were made for 2years old. I didn't have much of a choice so i got them. I asked the lady behind the counter to get rid of my old broken shoes for me.

                     

Excellent. I'm sure having these pretty pink thongs will make traveling home more fun. 

When I was planning my trip I was tossing up the option of not doing the top deck tour and doing the Greek Islands by my self. But it was way to expensive. I ended up choosing the top deck tour because it was the cheapest tour, it was cheaper to do it in a tour then by my self, most meals, accommodation, ferries were included and I didn't have to spend time on a bus. 

Things I liked about the top deck tour 

- You feel safe in a group. 

- Parts of your days are planned and your don't have to think about what to do next. 

- You have a local guide all of the time. Who you can ask questions to about the culture and what to do.

- most meals, transfers, accommodation and ferries were included

- there was a lot of free time involved 

- not much time on a bus at all 

- that you make instant friends 

Things I didn't like about this top deck tour.

- The trip back to Athens from Santorini was 8 hours by ferry and you arrive back at midnight. I kinda felt like this was a waste of a day. It would be great if they had an optional extra for flights. Santorini to Athens by plane is about an hour. I would of loved to have stayed longer that last day and fly out and meet everyone.

- The first and the last days are nothing days. They shouldn't be included in the tour. 

- I didn't get as much time as I would like in each place. Realistically we were in each place for a day and a half. I feel like they should make the trip a bit longer so you can have 2-3 days in each place. As 1.5 days wasn't enough. 

I really did enjoy seeing the Greek Islands. I would highly recommend it. But I would say try and get on a longer tour with more days on the Islands. But if you are looking for a short taste of the Island this tour was great. 

If your looking at travelling on your own for the first time doing a tour is great. Your family will worry less as they will know that your always with people and you will feel a lot safer in a group.

I ended up lining up to check in at Athens airport and I was the first ones in line. My first flight was with Emirates and flew into Dubia. At least it was only a 5hr flight. I checked in and waited for my plane. It took just under 5hours to get to Dubai and I had to wait until 3:00am for my next flight. So I had a look around and did a big of shopping.

                     

Day 35

3am came and I boarded my second plane. I am so so tired. I was falling asleep at the gate waiting for my plane. My next flight was 8 hours which was to fly in to Singapore. I tried to sleep on this flight. I wasn't too successful. So I just ended up watching movies. 

When I got to Singapore I freshened up. I had a quick shower, changed my clothes and had some dinner. I also ended up relaxing on there deck chairs.

I flew emirates airlines. I had always heard good things about them and they lived up to their reputation. The only thing I didn't like about emirates is the planes were so full. When I booked in at the airport in Athens for my 3 flights returning home I requested a window seat for my second flight. Because I knew I would want to sleep. The plane was so crowded. That all 6 flights I took with Emirates I had two people sitting beside me and there was no spare seats.

They had plenty of movies, music and games on offer to help make the time that you spent on a plane go by quicker.

I landed at Singapore at 3pm and had to wait until 8pm. I then got on my next plane at 8pm and landed in Australia at 5am on my 36 day. This flight was so full that I was sitting right at the back in the middle isle of the plane. I cannot wait to jump back on another plane and explore the world some more. I have had such a wonderful holiday. 

Santorini to Athens Day Thirty-three (Greek Island Hopper Top Deck Tour)

Day 33

We leave today. :( We got up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel. Shannon, Sylvia, Massa and I walked into town to get some food for the boat trip back and also food for lunch. I can't believe our time in the Greek Island is over. It has been so amazing. 

                         

We went back to the hotel and collected our luggage. We caught the mini buses down the huge mountain to the dock to wait for our ferry. The ferry was running 2 hours late. Which pushed our time of arrival in Athens to 2am. Our tour guide told us it roughly takes 8-9hours to get from Santorini to Athens. But top deck upgraded our seats so we could sleep if we wanted to.

                        

When the boat finally arrived we found a spot on the deck overlooking the ocean. The day was so beautiful. So a few of our perched our selves on these chairs to relax for the next couple of hours. 

                      

When night time rolled around the wind started to pick up so we went to the back of the ship to watch the fair off lights of the Islands in the distances.

8 hours on a boat. There's not a lot to say about it other than it was boring and long. The boat was massive and had 8 or so levels with food stores, cabins and shops. The boat must of picked up some speed but we were in Athens just after midnight. And our coach picked us up and took us back to the Novus hotel. We arrived at the hotel just after 12:30am and got assigned our room key. Shannon my room mate had to go use the computer for a second so I took the room key up stairs. Once I got up stairs the key didn't work. So I came back down stairs and they said they gave me the wrong key. Once again I went back upstairs to another room. When I opened it there was only a double bed in the room. I mean I know Shannon and I had got quite close over the tour. But we weren't at the point that we wanted to spoon with each other in the same bed.n

So again I went down stairs and went to the front desk. The clerk at the desk was so room and snapped at me "what do you want?" I was taken back by his attitude. It was a bit harsh. I told them about the double bed problem and they gave me another room key. 

Finally at 1:30am I walked into a room with two single beds. By this time Shannon was back in the room. She had to get up early to catch a train to Rome so we went straight to sleep.

Santorini Day Thirty-two (Greek Island Hopper Top Deck)

Day 32

Today is our last full day on the islands. Sadface. This morning we had a pirate boat ride, jumping off the boat, volcano hike and a donkey ride planed to do. I woke up this morning feeling sick. So I let the others go and said if I was feeling better I would meet them in town after they finished.  So I just stayed in the hotel and relaxed.  Which wasn't at all what I wanted to do on my last day.

View from our hotel balcony 

By lunch time I was feeling alot better so I headed into town and did some shopping. I also met the girls after they finished there half day tour.

We went for a bit of a walk and got some lunch. We were walking around town when we came across this day spa. What better way then to finish our holidays. We went and had a look. Sylvia and I organised a massage. We also got to spend time in the spa before the massage.

After we got our massage we did a bit more shopping and got a gelato. Santorini is so beautiful. I dont want to leave. 

We walked back to the hotel and got ready for our farwell dinner. As we were walking back to the hotel we we were walking down a slippery road. All of a sudden I slipped and I put my hand out to steady my self. Turns out I didnt steady my self but I smack a lady in her down stairs area accidentally. I felt so sorry for the lady. She would of just been walking along and received a hit on her lady bit. And she just would of heard me say sorry and keep walking. Sylvia who was infront of me didn't see what happened but definitely found it hilarious when I told her. The dinner was in a restaurant overlooking the sunset and was 3 course.

The sunset was beautiful. We watched it disappear behind the volcano as we wined and dined. Photo's never do a sunset justice. It was amazingly beautiful.

The 3 course meal which was included in the price of our tour included wine, salad and breads for entree, fish, chicken or pork for main and greek yogurt for dessert.

After the sun had well and truly vanished our tour manager took us to the club. For some reason today I am so clumsy. I was walking up one of the many flights of stairs at the restaurant and I tripped and smashed my shoulder against the wall.

When we got to the club we smashed down a lot of shots and cocktails. As we had to be up early to get back on the ferry the next day we decided to call it a night around 1am. We may have stop on the way back to the hotel to get froyo. 

Paros to Santorini Day Thirty-one (Greek Island Hopper Top Deck)

Day 31

I've been overseas for about a month now and I have no regrets about it. I love the feeling of waking up every day and wondering what they day will hold. Traveling is amazing. You lean so much about over cultures and so much about yourself.

Today we got up and had breakfast ready for our ferry ride to Santorini. Santorini is definitely the place I have been looking forward to seeing the most out of the 3 islands. After breakfast Shannon and I dropped our bikes back and met everyone down at the port for our ferry ride to Santorini. This boat ride will take us 3 hours to get there. It was an uneventful boat ride and 3 hours later we arrive at Santorini.

The island was definitely not what I expected. No one told me that Santorini was located pretty much smack bang ontop of a mountain. We got our luggage and found our transfer mini buses and up the step mountain we went. The road was very thin and there was big drop off beside the road. One false move by the driver and it was all over.

It took us roughly half an hour to drive up the mountain until we arrived at our hotel. Our hotel was located about a 20 minutes walk out of town. But at least the walk was on flat ground. We arrived received our room keys and took our bags up to our room. 

We only had an hour or two before we had to be ready to leave to go and see the sunset at Oia Cliffs. A few of us walked to the supermarket and got a late lunch before the cliffs. 

At 7pm we left in a coach to see the sunset. We drive down windy roads towards the cliffs. Once we got there our top deck guide said that these cliffs get over 15,000 people visit the sunset a night. We had about 30mins before sunset. A few of us girls tried to find a good spot to watch it.

It doesnt look packed in this pictures but there were so many people here we could hardly move. Lisa and I ran around from place to place. Accidentally through peoples back yards until we found a place that we could watch it.

People were standing on the top of rooftops, and sitting on fences to see the sunset. And when the sun finally vanished everyone clapped. I wish we knew earlier how packed it was because I would of loved to have got there earlier to get a good spot to see it.

We quickly, well as quickly as we could walk back to the bus through the dense crowd of people. 

We got to the bus and drove back into town where we had a late dinner at a hidden restaurant. The place we had dinner was up to flight of stairs and didn't even have a sign out the front of it. You wouldn't of known it was there.

After our late dinner we headed straight out to a club. The club was pretty big and had a few people there. We had a free cocktail and a bit of a dance.

A few girls and I were a bit over dancing so we decided to get some froyo. We went to this store called chilliebox where you could choose your ice cream flavours and your toppings. It was amazing. You could have melted dark, white or milk chocolate, lollies, or fresh fruit on top of your yogurt. Yum.

Paros Day Thirty (Greek Islands Hopper Top Deck)

Day 30

We didn't have anything locked in until this afternoons traditional BBQ dinner overlooking the sunset. So we had the whole day to play and explore. Shannon and I had breakfast and then walked down one of the side streets to hire some push bikes. I loved riding the bikes along the road. Although it was a bit weird because in Australia we drive on the other side of the road. So going around roundabouts was a bit strange over here.

We road down to the bubble park (inflatable water park). Which would of been a half an hour walk but only took a 5 or so minutes by bike. 

                                      

Shannon and I pitched our towels under a tree and went for a swim. It was amazing. The water was a beautiful temperature and was so clear. After about 5minutes in the water my eyes started to sting and burn. Like they did when I was in Venice. I went and laid down on my towel and closed my eyes to try and make them stop stinging. After a little while Sylvia another chick that I got along with quite well out of the top deck tour group came over to say hi. She suggested to try and flush out whatever was in my eye. And we used my water bottle to flush out my eyes. It actually works. Turns out it was my sunscreen that was burning my eyes. It wasn't water proof so it ran. Shannon went and played in the bubble park while Sylvia and I sun baked and chatted. Such a nice day. We were so blessed with nice weather this trip so far. 

After going for another swim we decided that we would head up to the shops and get some lunch. We ended up going to the supermarket and getting some fresh fruit and snack good for our bags. And we just had to visit the bar we went to yesterday go get another fresh fruit smoothie. 

                                      

Late in the afternoon we went and swam in the pool before getting ready for dinner. We had a traditional BBQ dinner on the outdoor balcony over looking the sunset.

                                   

The sunset was just magical. And the food wasn't too bad either. After dinner we went to a shisha bar which was only a could minutes walk away from our hotel. 

                                 

I had never done shisha before and I didn't really know what to expect. They gave us a free shot and a few free green apple shishas to try. I put my hand up to go first. I wasnt sure why I did, maybe to just say that I have done it. 

                                        

I tried the shisha and it wasn't too bad. Although the aftertaste was horrible. After a few of us tried it they told us that it has tobacco in it. Not being a smoker no wonder I hated the taste. 

Quite a few of us did it and then most of the group headed back to the hotel. 

A few of the girls and I walked back to the hotel. We wandering into a few clothes stores, a cathedral and a lolly shop on the way back. 

Paros is amazing. I would definitely recommend it. 

Mykonos to Paros Day twenty-nine (Top Deck Greek Island Hopper)

Day 29

Today we are going to the Island of Paros. I haven't really done a lot of research about Paros but I thought I would just wing it when we get there. I was so thankful this morning we were up at some ridiculous hour. We just had to meet in the foyer with our bags at 9:45am to catch the ferry.

We catch the bus transfer down to the dock and waited for the blue star ferry to arrive. The boat wasn't as big as the last one we went on but it was still massive with 6 or so levels. A few of the girls and I found a place to sit out on the deck over looking the ocean and settle in for the trip to Paros. It was only an hour ferry ride there. We definitely beats the 5.5hr ride to Mykonos from Athens that we took a couple of days ago.

                                 

When we arrived at Paros we were relieved that most of the Island was very flat. Our hotel was only a 5 or so minute walk from the dock but we were going to start off with a walking tour. A mini bus arrived and we piled our luggage in. At least we didn't have to do the walking tour with our suitcases. The walking tour was a little under an hour. Our top deck guide showed us where the oldest bakery was in the Island and around the shopping section. 

                             

He also pointed out where we could hire bikes. When we arrived on the Island we also noticed on the other side they had an inflatable water park. 

We walked up to our hotel. The hotel was located right on the edge of the ocean. With a restaurant out the front of it 

                               

. The lobby was very modern, the restaurant and pool was lovely but the rooms themselves were old. But they had air conditioning.

                             

We all met in the lobby and got issued our keys and our room numbers. We all tried to all log onto the free wifi. But since we were all trying to get onto only a couple of us did. They also let us know that we could only get the wifi in the lobby. We got the rest of the afternoon to explore.

                                      

Shannon and I decided to go for a swim. We got our togs on and walked a 100m down the road to the beach. The water was freezing cold. So we didn't swim for long.

                                   

We decided to go venture into the village and get some food for lunch. We went to the old bakery that our top deck guide suggested. And then went to the pub straight across from it and got some fresh fruit smoothies. We meet up with a few other girls from the tour in town. And we all decided to got yiros for lunch. After lunch we kept exploring and came across a fish foot spa. I had to try it.

                                 

All four of us had a go at it. It was the strangest thing. After exploring and shopping a bit more we walked back to the hotel and went for a swim in the pool. 

After swimming for awhile we went back to our rooms had a shower and got ready for dinner. The restaurant wasn't too far away. Only a couple of minutes walk. It was a bit strange though because we walked into this shop, past the kitchen and out the back where they had a few tables set up for us. Being gluten intolerant I wasn't too sure what I could have on the menu. I asked our guide if the calamari was gluten free. He said yes. So I decided to order the calamari. Little did I know it was going to come out as a whole squid.

                               

It was absolutely massive. At every place we went as a group with the top deck crew we always got a free drink or something free. We got a free fruit platter for dessert which was nice. After dinner the own came out with a bottle of home made alcohol. And he is telling us to all to open our mouths while he pours it in. A few people did this and then a couple of them threw up because of this. We also got a free shot of this home made mixture. 

After dinner we walked along the Main Street to this little bar which was decorated with London decorations. It was pretty funky. It was very chilled out. We had a cocktail and a free shot. But it seamed like not a lot of the group were keen to drink or dance. A few of the girls and I went an explores Paros a bit more and went back to the hotel and sat by the water and admired the view. 

Paros is somewhere I never researched or I wasn't to phased if I went or not. But Paros is so beautiful and relaxed. I love it.

Mykonos day Twenty-eight (Greek Island Hopper Top Deck Tour)

Day 28

We got a tiny bit of a welcomed sleep in this morning which definitely helped us with the hang over. No one booked on the optional tour in Mykonos so our tour guide told us for those of us that were keen we will go to the beach.

About 15 of us walked with our top deck leader into town and caught a very old coach to the beach. Which cost us a few dollars to do. We walked along s few beaches and along the cliffs until we got to paradise beach.

                                 

Hashtag no filter. It was just a stunning walk. As you can see the water looked amazing. We couldn't wait to go for a swim. The walk was so hot! We were told to wear running shoes but not many of us packed them.

                                        

About an hour later we got to paradise beach which was just a beautiful as these other beaches that we walked past. The beach had a few food shops and bars along it. And the actual sand was full of deck chairs and umbrellas that you could hire for around 6 or so euros.

We found a patch of sand. The sand was made out of small rocks. Which burnt our feet as we walked down to the water. 

                                        

I cannot say enough amazing things about paradise beach. If you go to Mykonos definitely go to paradise beach. It's so beautiful. We jumped in the water and it was nice and cool with hardly any waves. 

We spent a few hours on the beach and we decided to head back into town and do some shopping. We walked to the bus station. Which was just a bus stop outside a convince store and paid 3 euros for the bus trip. Our tour guide before he left told us it would take us 45mins by bus back to the centre of town. No joke it took us ten minutes by bus. 

We got back into town and I left the girls and began to shop and have a look around. I brought a few gifts for friends back home and had yiros for lunch. 

                               

I walked back up the hill in the heat to get to the hotel. No joke I had to keep stopping to catch my breath as it was so hot. By the time I got back to the hotel I jumped straight in the pool. And I joined a couple of the people from the tour for a sun bake.

Later that evening we ended up meeting by the pool to walk down for dinner.

                               

A few of the people that were on the tour hired a jeep so they told me to get in and we would drive down. We squeeze 6 people in this jeep and drove down to meet the group for dinner.

                              

By the time we found a park the sun was setting. And it was truly amazing. 

                              

We meet the group at a restaurant that overlooked the water and the sunset. We just ordered off the menu and spilt the bill.

                                       

After dinner we headed to our first club. And had a bit of a dance. It wasn't as good as the night before so a few of us decided we would go and get gelato. Best idea ever. We got our gelato and sat by the water admiring Mykonos. It was about midnight and the city was so full of life. 

                              

Traveling really opens your eyes to different situation people are in. It was midnight and there were 4-7 year olds running around begging for money. Some had pets with signs saying my dog is sick.  And we couldn't see their parents anywhere. 

We ended up walking back up the hill to our hotel and going to bed. Another big day tomorrow.