Day 1 - London

Nearly all Contiki European tours begin in London, which I thought was fortunate since London was on the short list of places I wanted to visit in Europe but it wasn't actually part of the tour. It was nearly midnight by the time I got to my hotel, so beyond a car ride and meeting my London roommate, I really didn't experience much the first day.

On my full day in the city, I woke up before my alarm - London, or at least the hotel I was at, was VERY loud! I was running on little sleep but was excited for the day. I first made a stop at Pret a Manger, which I soon found out is EVERYWHERE in London - it's like Starbucks in the US, but worse because you can't really go a block without finding one. Thankfully, it's also tasty and serves fresh food and coffee. And has free Wifi! I had a coffee and sandwich for breakfast and sent my mom a quick email to let her know I got to London ok and was safe.

Then I crossed the street to the Russell Square train station and bought a day pass. I quickly learned that the London tube is SUPER easy to navigate - I was able to just look at a map and figure out what I needed to do to get to my first stop, the Tower of London. I did at one point hop on the wrong train, but that was because I wasn't paying attention (shocker), not because of the train system itself. I was pleased how easy it was to figure out I was in the wrong place, get onto the right train, and get where I was going.

I had to switch trains at Kings Cross, which was actually awesome because I got to see platform 9 and 3/4 - the place you would go to get on the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter books! Truthfully, it wasn't that impressive. But it was kind of fun to see anyway. Obviously it's not real but you could use your imagination.

Platform 9 and 3/4

Once I switched trains, it was just a short ride to the Tower of London. When I got out of the station, I was disappointed to find that it was starting to rain - and I had forgotten my umbrella and rain coat in the hotel. Thankfully it was just a short walk and there were places to stand outside of the elements.

The Tower of London was a neat place, though I'm not sure it was really the one "must see" thing to do in London. I picked it primarily because I had seen it recommended several times on a travel message board, and because it was close to Tower Bridge and the starting place of the tour I was taking in the afternoon. In hindsight, I am glad I visited the Tower but I probably could have hit some other places I wanted to see more (Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye) and still made it by tube to my tour in plenty of time. I had no idea how easy the trains were when I planned my day, though.

With that said - I am glad I did go to the Tower. The Tower of London  is a former palace and royal fortress with a lot of history - there were many public executions held there, and the crown jewels currently reside within the fortress (which was my primary reason for visiting!).

The Tower of London fortress from outside

Unfortunately, it was raining and despite joining a tour led by a Yeoman Warderer (Beefeater), I did not get to see as much of the fortress as I would have preferred - the tour essentially walked us to a chapel and gave a talk about the blood and gore of the executions that had been held there. If it wasn't raining, I think he would have walked us around more. Regardless, it was a neat place and very different from anything we have in the US - so it was an interesting first stop on the trip.

The "Traitor's gate"

A square near where public executions were held!

One of the towers, it was neat to see the fortress

The crown jewels were my favorite part of the visit - not just viewing them, but actually learning the significance of each piece and learning how the coronation works. I didn't realize the Queen had been Queen for so long - the last coronation was in the 1950's. I'm not exactly a royal follower, I guess! It will be neat to see when the Queen steps down and the next King is crowned. You could not take pictures inside so I don't have any to share. 

The closest thing to a picture of the crown jewels I could get was a picture of the building they are housed in

The Tower of London actually has several museums, and I wish I had more time to look at them. There was an armory and a big museum with tons of historical information about wars and battles and such. I ran through it REALLY quickly because it was huge and crowded and I knew I didn't have much time. In retrospect it was a good first taste of how my trip was going to be - I got to see a little of a lot, but didn't get to spend as much time as I'd like in any one place.

By the time I was done with the crown jewels and a little looking around, it was raining harder and I only had about 2 hours before my afternoon tour. I decided to leave the Tower of London and head in the direction of the tour to find lunch. The Tower Bridge is right near the Tower of London and the tour was on the opposite side of the River Thames, so it was a good opportunity to walk across the bridge. 

Tower Bridge

Walking across the bridge

A rainy walk across the bridge

By the time I got to the other side of the bridge, I was pretty soaked and ready for a break from the elements. I stopped into a little restaurant and ordered fish and chips - I couldn't leave London without trying them. I was pleasantly surprised that they were good - I had heard that London fish and chips are very different (in a bad way) from what we're served in the US, but I found them pretty comparable. The only thing I found "odd" was that the tartar sauce came in a little jar with a spoon, which didn't seem very sanitary. 

After lunch it was time to walk over to the London Bridge tube station and meet up with my tour. Choosing this tour caused me a bit of angst ahead of time - I was so indecisive about what to do in London, and came across Muggle Tours on TripAdvisor a few days before I left. The reviews were so good and the temptation to experience London from the perspective of a Harry Potter fan was too great. Still, I was nervous I had made the wrong choice and would sacrifice precious time for sightseeing.

The tour was really fun. It rained throughout but thankfully another tourist had a free poncho she wasn't using so she gave it to me. The guide, Kaitlin "Tonks" did a nice job of bringing us around the city to see several of the Harry Potter movie sites, some areas that inspired J.K. Rowling while writing the books, and also walking past some major London landmarks, such as Big Ben, Parliament, and Trafalgar Square. I felt this was actually a surprisingly nice way to see London as I saw some areas I probably would have missed without the tour and it was enjoyable listening to her passion about the Harry Potter series and envisioning J.K. Rowling visiting these places and creating her stories around them. Kaitlin also did a nice job of sharing stories about the movie premieres, creation of the books, etc. that were just generally interesting. 

If you get thrown into the "Clink", this is the prison being referenced. Also the inspiration for Azkaban 

Got off the tube right by Big Ben!

I didn't have time to go on the London Eye, but got to see it at least

Parliament 

This was #12 Grimmauld Place in the HP movies

The alley that inspired Diagon Alley

The tour lasted about 2 hours and ended up near Trafalgar Square. I could have jumped on the tube to go back to the hotel at that point, but I decided to spend a little time wandering instead. The rain had slowed to a mist and I had some time.

I wandered back to Trafalgar Square:

Then wandered over to St. James Park, which was so pretty.

I hadn't actually planned it this way, but I realized as I was walking through the park that Buckingham Palace was close. I had wanted to see the Palace and didn't think I'd have the time, so I was pleasantly surprised to find I was only half a mile or so away. I walked around the park until I got to the Palace.

Honestly? I didn't find it that impressive. And I'm really glad that I was in London first, because I saw a lot of really amazing palaces and castles around Europe and Buckingham Palace was probably the least impressive. I guess British architecture is not my style. I'm glad I stopped by but I'm also glad it's not something I planned my day around.

Buckingham Palace from the square in front

One of the guards - he was standing completely still but was behind the gates

By this time, it was getting late in the day and I had to make it to the Contiki Kick Start meeting at 7pm, so I headed back to the hotel. Overall, I was very pleased with my day and while I wish I had had more time to see more of the sights, I think I actually did pretty well seeing a lot of highlights in only about 8 hours. I was already exhausted from walking so much on little sleep, but London was such a neat place to explore that I didn't care. 

That night was the Kick Start meeting in the Contiki basement. The meeting itself wasn't anything too exciting, but it ended quickly and the group went up to the hotel pub for drinks to get to know each other. I'll admit, I felt pretty awkward. I recall meeting Brittney, Krste, Danielle, Alyssa, Phil, and a couple of others that night. Not everyone was there but those who were were very nice. I had 2 beers and called it a night. The actual tour was starting at 6am the next morning, so it was time to get some sleep before hitting the road!

Final conclusion on London

London was a really neat city. After visiting so many on the tour, I'd say it ranked near the top. I felt very comfortable walking around as it was very clean and easy to navigate. There were tons of things to do, the food was good, and the people were friendly. I would love to return and spend more time seeing the other things I missed. 

Review - Contiki European Highlights

I really wanted to write a review of my trip, partly for the memories and partly because I hope it will be helpful to others. I did a lot of research before (and let's be honest, shortly after) I booked the trip, and I found it difficult to get a true feel for what I was going to experience. The Contiki website has reviews, but they are all overwhelmingly positive. I don't trust reviews without balance - it seems like they were screened just to show the good comments (disclaimer: I have no idea if Contiki screens reviews). I found a handful of random posts online on places like Yelp, but unless there are a lot of reviews I tend not to trust those either since it seems like most people only write a review if they want to complain.

So. Here's my review, if anyone is interested in traveling with Contiki or doing a similar trip. It may get lengthy so if you aren't interested please skip to my more interesting posts!

Sightseeing

This was the most important part of the trip, obviously. I picked the European Highlights tour because it visited many of the top places I wanted to see - Paris and Rome were particularly important to me, but I also really wanted to see Venice and since my family is German, it was important to me to get to Germany. This tour hit all those places and many more - it started in London and then went to Paris, the Beaujolais Wine Region (French countryside), the French Riviera (we visited Nice), Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich, St. Goar (Rhine Valley), and Amsterdam. Not counting the two travel days, it was a 14 day whirlwind trying to experience all the different sights and cultures in a short period of time.

I felt Contiki did an amazing job of fitting everything in. Our tour manager, Sarah, was very knowledgeable about the different sites and always gave us some background information when we reached a new country or new city. When we arrived in Paris and Rome, she took us around and showed us many of the highlights (the Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Louvre, Arc de Triumphe, etc.). This was wonderful because we got to see a lot of places quickly, and it would have taken a lot longer to find them on our own. I will say it was pretty rushed - it would have been nice to hang out on the Spanish Steps for a little while, for example - but I also completely understood why. There was just so much to see and not much time to see it! I think if we had spent longer at any one thing we would have missed other things.

The coach bus was very comfortable and my group lucked out because there were only 23 of us so we each got 2 seats of our own. I think it may have not been quite as comfortable if we had a full bus, but it would have been fine. The coach was nice because it had huge windows so you could see a lot of the country while driving from one destination to another, and it was great for driving around cities (such as Paris) and seeing things the tour manager pointed out.Sarah did a really nice job of getting up and talking to us about Europe while we were en route and also when we got to our destinations. She had great historical anecdotes to share and also just some funny stories and tips. She always gave us recommendations of what to do in each city, told us about how much we should pay for a cab if we are taking one, and just generally gave great "insider" tips. She was amazing.

There were many things included in the tour package - I won't bore you with all of them since they're on the website if you want to know what they are (website is found here). I felt generally pleased with everything that was included, though it's worth noting that some of the stops seemed more like sales pitches than something where you actually learned anything (the perfume shop in the French Riviera and the beer stein shop in St. Goar come to mind). With that said, they were short stops and not high pressure so I don't feel like they really detracted from the trip either. They just weren't necessary.

"Me time" optionals

These were for the most part really good. I ended up buying all of them (except the t-shirt) and overall I was very pleased.

If I had to do it over, I would probably skip the night out in France - I did not feel it was a very good value for the money. The dinner was ok - most people had duck and thought it was great, but I'm not always a big duck fan so I opted for beef. I thought it was salty but acceptable. The wine was free flowing, which probably provided the best value for the price, but I ended up overdoing it because it was so free-flowing and as a result, the Cabaret is a blur. I don't think many shows are worth 80 euros anyway - I've paid much less than that to see really spectacular theater on Broadway. My initial plan was not to do either activity, but I fell into the "everybody is doing it and you don't want to be left out" trap. I should have stuck with my guns on that, though at the end of the day it was fun and not worth regretting.

I also felt that the two tours in Rome could have been skipped - but don't skip their destinations! I did the Colosseum/Roman Forum tour, and the Vatican tour. While I am very glad I went to those places, I think the tours were a bit dry and long. I think I could have done the Colosseum tour in particular on my own and saved a little time and money. We got there early before the lines were long, and actually ended up standing around waiting longer because we were on the tour than we would have if we had just gone in ourselves. The Vatican has huge lines that we were able to skip, but I felt the tour was too much. I more or less would have liked to wander around and maybe had some things pointed out to me, and what I got was a really in depth description of a lot of art and other things I really didn't care that much about. That being said - I was exhausted and sick that day, so my perception of the whole thing might be skewed. I don't think I was alone in feeling that way, though. If I had to do it over, I'd explore Rome on my own (or with my friends!) rather than doing two tours.

The other downside to the Rome tours was that they literally took all day. We had about 1 hour at the end of the day to explore on our own before heading back to the campsite (or you could stay longer, but find your own way back and potentially end up on a really long out of the way train ride). By the end of the day I was exhausted, but I felt like I missed out on seeing much of Roman culture or spending any time just enjoying the city.

I really enjoyed the other optionals and activities, though. In particular the dinner in Florence was absolutely delicious, the bike tour in Munich was really fun, and the gondola ride in Venice was something you really can't miss. Most of the group did most of the activities, so that also added to the fun - I do feel like I would have "missed out" on a lot of fun adventures if I skipped things. So, my recommendation would be to do most of the activities but if there is something that you're unsure about, don't be afraid to skip it either.

Accommodations

I don't really have much positive or negative to say about this one - I went on a budget tour and for $2,000 American I think I got a very good value. I would not go on this trip expecting luxury because you won't find it, but overall the hotels/campsites were adequate. The rooms were shared, but you could pick your roommate and if you picked wrong one day, you could pick someone else the next. I've read that you can pay extra for your own space, but nobody on our trip did that. I partnered up with Danielle the first night and we roomed together the entire trip, but some nights we had a 3rd or even 4th roommate, which was fun. For the most part the people I shared rooms with were great, and it was fun to get to know them better that way.

The rooms were small and many included bunk beds. I never had to share a bed with anyone, but sometimes you were pretty close to the other person. It sounds funny but it was never an issue - you bond with people pretty quickly under these circumstances and everyone I was with just went with the flow. I am usually someone who can't stand water on the floor in the bathroom or listening to other people breathe and need my own space. I just made up my mind on the first night in London - when my roommate (not Danielle) soaked the bathroom floor with water from the shower and my towel was paper thin and the mirror in the bathroom wouldn't stop fogging up - that I was not going to worry about it, that I was not in Europe for comfy hotels and that I was not going to let the fact that I was outside of my comfort zone impact my trip. And you know what? It totally didn't. I hardly slept anyway and certainly didn't spend time hanging out in hotel rooms.

Some of the sites were better than others - the hotels in Paris and St. Goar were both decent, the hostel in Munich was alright, and the campsite in Florence was pretty nice (at the campsites, we were always in cabins - so not true camping). We didn't have hot water in Venice, which was bad, and I wished that there was soap provided in the bathrooms in the cabins because inevitably I'd be all packed up and then use the toilet before leaving and want to wash my hands afterward. But again - this was really not the important stuff on the trip and I think I got a good value for what I paid.

There was Wifi in maybe half the places we stayed, but it was generally slow/unreliable and often was only available in common areas. There was no opportunity to Skype and most days I could barely even log into email or Facebook. To be honest, this did not bother me much. I was busy experiencing Europe and the people I was with, so there was very little time to even worry about connecting with home. However, I know this bothered some people and I do wish I had been able to make the choice not to connect rather than it being made for me.

Included Food

I thought this was another "you get what you paid for" thing. Breakfast was included every day except the first day (leaving from London at 6am) and about half the dinners were included.

I am not a good breakfast eater in general - I really like eggs and smoothies, and not much else. I don't eat cereal and I'm not into pastries and other carb-y breakfasts or anything sweet in the morning. The breakfasts provided were by and large continental type breakfasts, often with something hot included like pancakes, ham and cheese sandwiches, or french toast. I typically ate something at breakfast but it often wasn't much since nothing appealed to me. The best I can say is that Contiki provided food if you want to eat it. If you're picky like me, that's really not Contiki's fault.

I can't really complain about the dinners. I don't eat much meat normally, so I thought they were a little too meat heavy. I probably should have told them I was a vegetarian but since that's not completely accurate I thought it would be easier just to eat what was provided. There was typically a meat, a veggie, and some other side, but it varied. Often there was an appetizer and/or dessert. No real raves or complaints, in particular I liked the dinner in Rome (chicken parm and pesto pasta with salad!) but nothing was too amazing or too awful.

The people

As a solo traveler and as a 31 year old, I was a little hesitant to book with Contiki. I wasn't nervous about being alone - I am pretty independent and do a lot of things on my own in my regular life, so the idea of spending 2 weeks doing stuff on my own didn't bother me at all. I was hoping I'd meet people, but I felt pretty ok with the possibility that I wouldn't, too. I was definitely a little concerned with Contiki's party reputation and didn't want to be stuck on a bus with a bunch of kids who were more into partying than sightseeing and potentially being obnoxious, puking on the bus, whatever. I also was afraid that at my age I'd be the oldest and that I'd be with a bunch of college types that I had nothing in common with.

It turns out my concerns were completely unfounded. There were 2 other girls who were also 31, and two guys (who were kind of oddballs anyway) who I think were older. The rest of the group's ages varied - we had two 19 year olds, a few people in the 22-24 age range, and several in their mid to late 20's. I spent the majority of the trip with another 31 year old, a 26 year old, and a 27 year old, and age was pretty much completely irrelevant. Some of my other favorites were 19 and 22. It really didn't matter. We were a group of people who all had similar personality types/interests - independent people who wanted to see the world and experience the tour.

Some of us having fun at the Tower of Pisa

If someone is solidly against partying, this may not be the tour company for you. You aren't forced to do anything, but a lot of the activities in the evenings center around socializing and having drinks and doing things like dancing in bars and karaoke. If you don't want to do those things, you do have the option of going off on your own or staying in. But my best advice to those who are on the fence - just do it. Just experience being with new people in a new place and have fun with it. I did a lot more drinking and socializing than I ever would have predicted, and I had a blast and enjoyed nearly every second of it. I had the unexpected experience of finding that I still have it in me to stay out late being social, and I found the energy of the younger crowd very refreshing and contagious. It was like revisiting college and my early 20's. It was awesome and made me feel years younger than I felt before the trip.

Making friends was not difficult - we bonded quickly and had a blast together

Beyond the party aspect, I think Contiki just does a really good job of putting people together. We had introductions on the bus the first week, and plenty of opportunity to sit near other people at meals and chat while walking in a group. We did form our little cliques, as is typical in any group, and I spent far more time with a few people than with everyone else. But I thought there was plenty of opportunity to get to know everyone and even with my little "family" to come back to, I had plenty of opportunity to form other friendships too.

These people really "made" my trip - love them!

I would not hesitate to travel alone again - in fact, I would almost prefer it. I think I had a totally different experience starting out on my own than I would have if I had brought along a friend or significant other. I also got really lucky that out of 23 people, 19 of us were on our own, so nearly everyone was in the same boat and was open to meeting people. I met some amazing people and had some wonderful experiences with them. I miss them like crazy now that I'm back!

Another thing I loved was that people were from around the world. I was one of two Americans - which is something I've never experienced before. There were a lot of people from Australia but also two from Canada, two from South Africa, one from New Zealand, the Phillipines, Ecuador, Malaysia, and a few others from places in Europe. One of my very favorite things about the trip was discussing other countries and similarities/differences between them. I learned so much. It was fascinating and I felt it really enriched my overall experience. There are few things I love more than learning about other people and other places - so this trip really was perfect in that regard.

Listening to other accents the whole trip was really fun too!

Overall experience

To be honest, I am not sure I have ever done something I was so happy with. Contiki did a great job of making the tour educational, fun, and comfortable. The budget tour was very "no frills" but I had everything I needed and then some. I think I got an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night the entire trip, but you could nap on the bus and I was honestly so happy and excited to be there that the exhaustion was really a secondary concern. I'm normally such a creature of habit - I need to eat at certain times, sleep at certain times, get some alone time, and generally be clean and organized. That all went out the window on this trip, and I wouldn't change a thing. I did end up getting sick about halfway through the trip - I actually had no voice at all the day I was in Venice - it didn't matter. I've had several people ask me about the weather - again, not a concern. I was cold most of the trip and it was overcast or rainy sometimes - who cares! We saw so much and did so many things that I've always wanted to do. I laughed more than I have in years, and I danced and saw some of the most amazing places in the world.

I do think attitude helps - openness to experiences and cultures and people really makes a difference. Thankfully the majority of people on my trip seemed to be open to everything, as I was. We had the best time because of it. I guess I can't speak for everyone but I think my friends all really enjoyed the trip and getting to see the world and getting to know each other. I did not sign up for this trip expecting to feel the way I did about the people on it - I was in tears on the last night (which I can't believe was already a week ago) and it breaks my heart a little to know I may never see any of these people again. That sounds so cliche, and was so unexpected for me, but it was wonderful.

The group in Edam during our bike ride

I would absolutely do another Contiki tour, and I actually hope to. I am worried I am getting a little old since the next time I could do it would be at age 32 at the earliest (and that's assuming I start saving ASAP!). With that said, I worry less about the age thing now that I've been on a tour and seen how little age matters. I have a feeling at 35 I'll have just as much fun as the 22 year olds, and probably bond with them as much as I did on this trip! So, it may be time to start dreaming about what's next.