Europe with a hint of Australia

It's almost a five months since I set off on this year's summer adventure, but better late than never! So this year, myself and Sophie (a best friend since working as a counselor with her at Camp Timber Tops, USA, last year) decided to take on Europe!

As cliché as it sounds, since travelling last year around America, I think it's safe to say that I can diagnose myself with having the infectious travel bug! We decided on Europe because... 1) I thought it seemed very underestimated compared to places such as the US and Asia and any other place which has a time zone 8 hours in front or behind the UK! 2) There were actually a lot of places in Europe which I hadn't seen so I wanted to explore those! 3) We didn't just want to stay in one location and wanted to explore around the continent and so were keen on booking a tour!

After umming and ahhing over a which tour to book (all looked so good! Definitely recommend checking out Tourradar!) we finally decided to go for the 'Eastern Exposure' tour from the tour operator, Topdeck (BEST DECISION OF THE SUMMER).

So on 22nd July, Soph and I jetted off to sunny Croatia, where we spent 3 days exploring the Old Town in Dubrovnik and its mazes of cobbled streets; island hopping; sunset watching; making friends with tour guides; changing our diets to ice-cream and having a well deserved break on its beautiful beaches before the tour began...

*My photographs do not justify any of these places*

Having had our mini break, it was time to meet the tour. Little did we know that we'd be touring majoritively in a coach full of Australians and only being 2 of 3 Brits...

IT WAS SO FUN!

The first night included a three course meal where we were all able to get to know each other and our new bunk buddies. The tour we joined had already been touring around places in Europe so Soph and I were some of the newbies. We all had a great night and it ended with Steph (future bunk bud who adopted me as her personal photographer) running for the bus back to the hotel having danced in the Revelin (nightclub inside the walls of the Old Town) for too long!

During the rest of our time in Croatia, we experienced a guided walking tour of Old Town, more naps on the beach and sea kayaking (probably one of the scariest moments I had on the tour but also one of the best and definitely most memorable)!

So our next stop was Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Here we watched divers splash into the 5m deep water below the Start Most (Old Bridge) which is 24m high and exploring the local shops...

We spent the night in the capital, Sarajevo, where we had an early start the next day to Serbia, Belgrade. This acted as our stop off destination on our way to Budapest. In the evening we had a lovely meal (SO CHEAP!) where we were serenaded by Serbian music...

Our next stop was Budapest, Hungary! This has to be one of my favourite places visited! The city was so much bigger than I expected and there was just so much to do and see! On our first night we went to one of the traditional baths where we splashed the night away at a 'Sparty!'

The next day we were given a 'day off' and could explore the city however we wished. We decided to hop on one of the tour buses and explore both Buda and Pest which was really useful — just wish we could have had more time! The cities both have really interesting history as well as great shops! It's definitely an ideal place to go if you're travelling with a group — there's something for everyone!

The evening was one of the best experiences of the trip! Initially, Soph and I weren't that interested in going on the dinner cruise but it turned out to be so much better than anticipated!

As the sun began to set we tucked into our meal where we were able to try the country's traditional Goulash and Strudel. Whilst sailing, the tour guide explained what each building was called that we past and it's unique history. By the time we'd finished the meal the dark had crept in and the buildings had lit up brilliantly! It was such a lovely evening, full of great company and stunning views! I definitely recommend going on this cruise in Budapest! Its even made me consider going on one at some point in London.

Our next destination was Vienna, Austria. This was a stop-off point for us whilst on our way to Berlin. Known for it's legendary coffee and 'Mozart Balls' (a ball of pistachio flavoured marzipan and nougat covered in dark chocolate - ACTUALLY DELICIOUS!) we began to explore the city. There were lots of little, decorative boutiques and endless streets of cafes and restaurants with lots of shops to explore, not to mention its charming palace!

Next on the tour was Prague, Czech Republic. I'd heard a lot of good things about this city and was excited to see what all the fuss was about!

We arrived late afternoon- the hottest day in Prague we were told, and saw the John Lenon wall. I loved it! It was so vibrant and cheerful and I loved how people had kept adding lyrics to it! Then we had a walking tour of the city before heading to our hostel.

We spent the next day at the Warhol and Dali exhibition which was really good! I'm a big fan of both their work and was so pleased I got a chance to them ...of course I made a purchase at the gift shop! Woohoo!

Up next was Berlin (also stopped at Dresden on the way). We arrived in the evening and luckily had enough time to make a quick visit to the Berlin Wall. I was so excited to see what the artists had done to it for myself and I wasn't disappointed!

The next day we had a walking tour of the city where we found out about its rich history and culture. After that Soph, Kate, Steph and I went up the Berliner Fernsehturm. The look of this TV tower was amazing and it reminded me of something you'd see in a sci-fi film! Its views were even better than expected and you could see for miles around the city! On the way back we visited the Ritter Sport shop where we basically stood drooling at all the flavours of chocolates.

In the evening we went on a street art tour of the city. I didn't realise just how much art was around Berlin! One of my favourites was SOBR - A french artist who decorated the city with dancing girls and confetti. I also really liked Karl Pegulau's Ampelmännchen (Ampel Man) which is used as the 'green man' sign on the traffic lights in the city.

And for our final stop... Amsterdam! I think out of all the places visited, this one surprised me the most!

For one, you could get a free ferry over to the city as apparently "you wouldn't have to pay to walk over a bridge, would you?" Also, it was a lot bigger than expected and had lots of little unique shops but then still the larger retailers — so the best of both worlds! Again, it was a city full of art and architecture, like Berlin, that you just wanted to photograph every five minutes!

As for our Amsterdam adventure, we began by visiting a small farm near the city where we were shown how clogs were made and what certain ones are used for as well as trying some delicious, homemade cheeses! By the evening, we had arrived in the city where we had a delicious tapas meal (as you do when in Amsterdam, obviously) with Kate's old friend, Caroline, where the restaurant looked out onto the water. It was such a calm setting and great way to find out more about where to visit, seeing Carol was a local. She took us to the top of one of the hotels in the centre of Amsterdam, which had stunning views that evening too! This made me so excited to explore the next day!

So our first full day consisted of walks around the city. It's such a beautiful place but at the same time, slightly like a maze, as there're just so many bridges which all look the same! I loved the little independent shops and their waffles were amazing!

We decided to look around the Van Gogh Museum. This was great to see and was really interesting as you saw how his style developed through time and it told you the artist's story as you went along - Definitely worth a visit! After that we continued to explore. We didn't realise that it was Gay Pride whilst we were there, so there were street festivals going on which added to the fun too! We rode on the tram; went past the red light district; squeezed in a look at the 'I Amsterdam' sign (and battled other tourists for a photo with it) and even got to see the outside of Anne Frank's house (and the huge queue to get inside it! Note to self - Pre-book tickets!).

That evening we went on a dinner cruise around the city which was a great way to finish our trip altogether as we got to spend it with the whole tour group and get a last little bit of the city's culture and history in before leaving for London in the morning - Home time!

So overall I feel so lucky to have gone on this trip! I had an amazing time, made some incredible memories and learnt so much! I couldn't have asked for a better summer and its just made me want to go and explore the world even more (sorry Mum)! I can't wait to go on my next adventure!

P.S Don't ever let an Australian convince you that 'Dropbears' are real!