Things to try

While I'm waiting for my bus to the aiport, I thought I would do a quick post on the foods and drinks that I tried overseas.

In Japan I had a Fanta Grape Zero which was a nice change the usually fizzy drinks. In Britain I had my fair share of Diet Cherry Coke. Yum, yum.

Italy, where do I start? We tried fresh mozzarella cheese in Italy with fresh pasta and pesto. Devine. We also drank red vino, which is amazing. Even the cheapest of brands were drinkable unlike the stuff we get in NZ. NZ red wine tastes kinda woody. Italian red wine was smooth.

In Austria and Germany try the gigantic pretzels. They come in several flavours, cheese, Nutella, and pizza just to name a few.

In Belgium we tried raspberry beer and cheery beer. The former tasted like lolly water and the latter was more like beer with a hint of cherry. Worth trying.

I'm running out of time so I will leave the post here.

More lessons

Something else we can learn from Europeans is to learn new languages. In western Europe, many people speak English, which was very handy. Many of them also pick up a third language, which is, well kinda embarrassing since I'm only fluent in English. I know a few words of Japanese such as "raaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggggg saqys the panda flavoured dino-monster", which is rough translation for Godzilla... and a few words of German, Italian, and French. Still I feel this isn't really enough. I guess the reason it is common for Kiwis to only know one language is because NZ is so isolated and until recent times we only just started travelling abroad and therefore had no reason to learn new languages. Additionally our schools don't really encourage their students to learn other languages. It's not until you reach year 10, that you are able to pick other languages aside from Maori, which isn't spoken in many places.... By the way, that translation was made up, if you couldn't tell :P

Things to be learnt

Things we can learn from Europeans

• How to be more confident
• How to make good red vine/vino from the Italians and French
  
• How to be punctual from the Germans and Austrians
• How to make delcious breads, cheeses and pastries
• How to enjoy our meals and not over eat
  

Things Europeans can learn from New Zealanders

• How to be more polite and friendly
  
• How not to litter
• How to look after heritage sites
  

Things to do and see: From Jevon's and Krissi's adventure around the globe

Here's just a couple of things that I recommend that people should see while travelling around Europe.

1. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France. Metro stop Tour Eiffel. The Eiffel Tower looks amazing during the day from a distance and up close. It looks like a tower of metal lace. Once was loathed by the French and built for the World Fair and was to be torn down after the a few years. Now loved by French and foreigners. Looks even more amazing at night. At 11 pm every evening the tower has a light show which reminds me of flashing, shimmery fairy lights. But beware of the scammers. Keep your eyes peeled and your hand bags close.
2. Meet the squirrels in Hyde Park. Take the Piccadilly line to Hyde Park corner. This is the line that also takes you to the main train station and to Heathrow airport. Hyde Park is massive and bordered by a lake with many different types of avian species. Including the common duck, pigeons, swans and geese. Brings some nuts to feed to the squirrels. They’re very friendly and will eat out of your hand if you have something tasty for them to eat.
   
3. Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland. Held every August for nearly a month. This is very cool. It is a festival of performing art. Cabaret, burlesque, comedy, rock shows, plays, pop, choirs and classical music, etc etc. Many of shows a free but you’re encouraged to give a donation. Some are little more expensive, maybe costing up to 90 GBP per show. One of my favourites was a comedy sister duo called Toby. Their comedy is black and singing makes me giggle. One the highlights of their show is when one of the sisters dress up in a bear suit and ask members of the audience if they could serenade them.

My Favourite Cities

My favourite cities to visit, in no particular order:

1. Paris, France. The city of light, well at least it is the city of light in Europe. I like Paris because it is so pretty. The Eiffel Tower illuminates with a light show at 11 pm each night, the Moulin Rouge glows with neon lights and then there’s the red light district. It’s very shiny. The red light district is near the district of Montmartre. It’s filled with expensive and enticing sex shops. Ah Montmartre. The home of Amelie Poulain and the Two Windmills café, the home of cool.

2. London, England. London is great. Full old cute neighbourhoods and park squirrels and subway trains. I love to view the ancient architure scattered about this city. London is fashionable. I love to people watch in London. I love to shop for stylish pieces and to be inspired by street fashionistas. I love the quirkiness of the alternative Camden Town. Camden Town’s main street is line with markets and vegetarian eateries and music venues. This is also we close friend resides. It makes me love it even more.

3. Florence, Italy. Florence, what a beautiful name! It suits this city. Florence is one my favourite cities in Italy. I liked the quaint cobbled streets, the outdoor statue museum, the Michelangelo Piazza (which has stunning views of the city) and the gelati.

4. Bath, England. Bath is about a two hour train journey from London and a 90 minute bus ride to the Stonehenge. Bath is an old Roman spa resort established in 43 AD and has been inscribed as a world heritage site since 1987. It’s incredibly quaint small city situated in the county of Somerset. It was once home for Jane Austen and is the home to the beautiful Bath Abbey, built in the 16^th century.

5. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The tourist districts of Amsterdam smell strongly of cannabis smoke and glow with red light. The word sex is everywhere. You can catch a glimpse of the working girls in windows day or night, it’s a 24 hour a day business.

6. Tokyo, Japan. I love you Tokyo. Tokyo, so hip, so cool. So stylish, so crazy. I love the neon lit sky scrapers, the twinkling theme music of the main streets. The subway trains are so fast and clean. The streets are clean and smell so sweet. The girls are the trendiest, cute and kitschy I’ve ever seen and I adore it.

7. Berlin, Germany. Alternative Berlin. Berlin you may not be as beautiful as Florence or Bath, but you are so so interesting and mature. There are three things that will always be etched to my mind when I think of Berlin. One is the street art lining the walls of Berlin. Two is the history, the Berlin Wall, the memorial to Jews and vast information on Nazi Germany. Third is the bier bike.