Night ten and day eleven of Contiki! Arriving with time to spare, we were actually allowed time to get ready this night, and after another extensive Italian feast, we made our way down to the "Red Garter", where two litres of cocktail were only 27€ and the karaoke was just as free flowing. Sadly, our night was ended prematurely by drunk-hoeism, and damaged karaoke technology. There was much fun and dancing, however, and Florence did impress us. The following ...

Day ten of Contiki! Another coach day, which, in my state resultant from the previous night, was long, nauseous, and exhausting. We stopped, at midday, in Pisa, to visit the leaning tower and do all things touristy to it. Pisa itself is not an inspiring place, it's hot, dusty and dirty, with a scheming gypsy community and exhausted population. Some buildings we walked past were like that of saloons, reminding me of d Western movies, or a dirty Mexico. After ...

Day nine of Contiki! The ferry trip from our hotel to Venice was punishment enough for those who had visited the pub the night before- Dylan not even making it beyond the hotel foyer. A walking tour of the city introduced us to the major landmarks, St Marks Square, the Bridge of Sighs and the great canal. Post-tour, Katelyn, Bec and I wandered the streets of Venice: shopping, sight seeing, and eating such copious amounts of gelato that Fat Katie shifted in her...

Night eight of Contiki! I.e. The night of "naked Bec". After a day of driving we arrived in Venice, the city of canals. The first night in Venice was supposed to be gentle and relaxing, which it was for Jay, Mal, Chiara and I. For Bec and Dylan, however, along with a few others, it was a drunken mess, whose messiness could only be extrapolated until the early hours of the morning. Personally, I made my way to bed, sober, just before midnight and was woke by K...

Day seven of Contiki! A 25km bike ride through the mountains and rivers of Austria. They said it wasn't a competition, but I won :) The first half - uphill - was an enormous challenge, but the reward of the downhill ride was exhilarating, and only a bit dangerous. A stunning view of Austrian countryside and fresh air was invigorating, especially after spending so much time in hot, dirty cities. Another hour spent getting burned in the town of Hopfgarten and we...