Topdeck: Rome

Rome. The Eternal City. This is somewhere I'd wanted to visit for ages and it didn't disappoint.

We headed straight out into the city on a walking tour to see the major sights, including the brilliant Trevi Fountain, which was packed with tourists...

The Pantheon is even more impressive. It's almost 2,000 years old and still has the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. I was in Rome for 3 days and went back on every one of them just to marvel. 

Phil's panorama shot of the interior of the Pantheon.

Our walking tour finished outside the Colosseum, where there was still time for one last group photo before we headed back to the camp-site pool for our last night on tour.

The next morning we visited the world's smallest state - The Vatican City. We paid for a guided tour and it was well worth it. Our guide spoke 4 languages and knew the answer to pretty much anything you asked him. Unfortunately they didn't allow photos in the Sistine Chapel, but we did get one inside the Basilica itself. 

La Pieta inside the Basilica was very impressive. Sculpted by a 23 year old Michelangelo, it makes me feel fairly inadequate having not yet sculpted a masterpiece of my own.

That night after a quick nap in our hotel, me and Phil had to say goodbye to our fellow travellers. It wasn't easy - it'd been an amazing 10 days and we'd made some friends for life. The rest of my time in Rome wouldn't quite be the same...

The next morning I was feeling pretty good though. I'd had my first proper night's sleep in a real bed since July and I was ready to see the parts of Rome I hadn't managed to the night before, starting with the Roman Forum, followed by a look around the inside of the Colosseum.

The weather was so hot that day, I retreated to my hotel pretty early and spent the last of my euros on Fanta and Pringles. While sat watching the news in Italian in my underpants it hit me that another trip was over. Topdeck part two was fantastic - I got on with everyone on the trip, we had an excellent crew and the destinations were all brilliant. This won't be my last trip with the company, I'm sure of that.

Topdeck: Florence

Like Pisa, I'd been to Florence before. It's a beautiful city with some of the best architecture that Europe has to offer.

On our first night in the city we were taken to a local karaoke bar where James and I sang "Man, I feel Like a Woman" and got really drunk. A good night all in all though!

The following morning we went on a walking tour to the magnificent Duomo.

We stopped off on the famous Ponte Vecchio too.

The weather was incredibly hot, so we retreated back to camp until the sun had gone in. We then spent our night overlooking the city from the hills while the locals tutted at us for being loud. Brilliant view though!

Next Stop: Orvieto, Italy

Topdeck: Pisa

Pisa is a bit of a dump. There's no other way to describe it really. The only thing worth seeing is the Leaning Tower and I'd seen that before, so I spent the hour or so we had there going to McDonalds, then playing rugby with the Aussies next to the Baptistry. After a couple of minutes we'd drawn a reasonable crowd of Chinese tourists and I got a round of applause from them after taking a high bomb from over my shoulder. A very surreal moment.

I did find the time to take one stupid photo though. You can't really go to Pisa and not...

Next Stop: Florence, Italy

Topdeck: Monaco

We didn't have too much time to spend in Monaco, in fact it was under 3 hours, but I'm very glad I went, even if only to tick the world's second smallest state off my list.

We saw the cliff-top fortress which has housed the Grimaldis since they seized power in 1297 before wolfing down the cheapest pizzas we could find (most restaurants were charging at least 20 euros for a starter and most of the cash machines were paying out in €100 notes!) I couldn't resist the temptation to wash it all down with a Leffe though.

Afterwards, me and Phil walked part of the F1 track, including the tunnel and start line before toasting to 10 years of friendship with our legs dangling into the harbour where the billionaires keep their super-yachts - a fine way to end our time in the principality.

Next Stop: Pisa, Italy

Topdeck: Nice

It was a long drive down the the French Riviera, which seemed like another world compared to Switzerland.

We wasted no time after setting up camp - we threw a decent mix of spirits and juice into a big plastic box and mixed it up before making our way to the beach across the road for a sunset beach party. Things got quite messy quickly and I'm certain this was the night when the cold that lingered among us for the rest of the trip started spreading. After drinking punch in the Mediterranean while looking both up at the stars and across at the illuminated Nice, everyone went back to camp, where the next morning was spent waiting to see who would emerge from which tent while we ate breakfast.

On our free day in Nice, some bright spark had the idea of renting roller-blades. I hadn't done it for at least a decade, so I was quite shaky to start with. I dressed accordingly with short-shorts and a headband which got me plenty of looks on the promenade - I can only assume they were jealous stares.

After stopping for a prosciutto and gelato break (not at the same time, don't worry), we spent some time on the beach before getting ready for the next leg of our journey.

Next Stop: Monaco

Topdeck: Lauterbrunnen

They say a picture paints a thousand words. Well, I fear not even a thousand words would be enough to describe the sheer beauty of Lauterbrunnen.

This was my first time in Switzerland and the view I was greeted with as I stepped off the bus was one I'll never forget.

After setting up camp and marvelling at the scenery for a good hour or so we hunted down the bar for a 6 or 7 pints of the local beer - Rügenbrau. Phil was ecstatic to find that they sold Magners after having to stomach Desperados in France due to their lack of cider (he hates beer!) 

One by one people started retreating to their tents until only Me, Phil and Candace were left from our group. We went back and laid out under the starriest sky I've ever seen and talked about this and that until we fell asleep, or so I thought. In reality the other two had gone back to the warmth of their tents while I was left outside without a sleeping bag in the middle of the Alps overnight. Still, I've woken up in worse places... 

We awoke the next morning in the middle of a heavy storm. The thunder sounded amazing echoing off the valley sides - luckily it'd stopped by the time we'd eaten breakfast. The sky was clear within an hour and we walked into town to rent some bikes. We decided to ride up to some nearby waterfalls along a small trail with yet more amazing scenery. Unfortunately the ride was all up-hill and took about two hours with a stop for lunch. After seeing the waterfall though we figured our best route would be on the road - we were right. I think I pedalled once and that was to set off. We basically coasted all the way downhill to our camp-site. If you've got the legs it's a great way to explore the Alps.

After dropping our bikes back off we explored the town before going back for a few beers at the camp-site while we cooled off in the glacial stream that ran through it. 

Next Stop: Nice, France

Topdeck: Paris

Standing outside the Clink Hostel near Kings Cross at 6am was hardly the most glamorous start to our tour. I'd been hoping for a good group of people on our trip and on first impressions we weren't disappointed. The first people we met were Brett and James, a couple of Aussies better known as "Badman" and "Goodman" for unpublishable reasons. Brett had previously spent time on trial at Hull KR, so he understood our excitement at escaping the place, even if only temporarily.

The rest of our fellow travellers slowly filtered in and we were introduced to our trip leader, Sarah, who would soon become known affectionately as "Mum".

The crossing to France was fairly uneventful - me and Phil sat by the bar until they deemed it late enough to serve us a pint. Everyone was still quite reserved. The Aussies and Kiwis compared home towns, while the British minority explained the horrors of theirs. We met our driver, Portia, and our chef, Tobin, upon arrival in Paris and everyone soon got talking that night when vodka was introduced into the mix.

Before that though, we took a short trip to the Eiffel Tower for a photo-op. 

The next morning we were free to do as we pleased, so Phil and I went with a few others to see the Louvre. Partly for Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa, and partly because I'd just finished re-reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, in which the Louvre features heavily. It was a huge place stuffed with tourists, especially in the room that houses the Mona Lisa. After a while the artwork starts to lose meaning, it's hard to focus your mind on one thing at a time. 

One of my highlights was the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" which is over 2,000 years old. Two Chinese tourists tried standing on it for a picture while I was there and I'm pretty sure the guards took them (quite rightly) straight out to the guillotine. RIP Chinese Tourists.

After a quick lunch in a cramped Parisian café we headed off to the Eiffel Tower for a second time for a bike tour of the city. After a full morning of walking the bikes were ideal. The highlight was undoubtedly Les Invalides, the tomb of Napoleon. We stopped for a break on the grass outside with a couple of cans of Kronenbourg and enjoyed the view.

We met back up with the Topdeck crew for a picnic by the Eiffel Tower, which was excellent. Me and José were the winners of the snail eating contest too!

Before making our way back to the camp-site for the night we watched the sun set over Notre Dame from a nearby bridge. It would have been romantic if I hadn't been with another man.

Next Stop: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Topdeck: London

I wrote this blog on the floor of Rome's Fumicino airport on the back of a tatty bit of paper while using two weeks of dirty washing in my bag as a back-rest. I figured I should commit my most recent trip to paper while it was still fresh in my mind - it was one of my best so far after all! So, here we go...

Me and Phil headed down to London bright and early on July 31st in anticipation of the start of what was to be my second Topdeck trip. I always knew my 3 week jaunt from Istanbul to London wouldn't be a one-off - it's just a shame that it took me three years to travel with the company again. Before joining the tour though, we had a free day in our nation's capital. Unfortunately our bags had to come with us too.

After an uneventful megabus ride down, we headed straight to St Paul's Cathedral - the first of many impressive churches we were to see over the next two weeks. The mere fact that Wren's masterpiece survived the Blitz is an incredible piece of good fortune because the place is absolutely stunning.

With no real solid plan for London we decided to follow the crowds across the Millennium Bridge towards the Globe Theatre. Given more time I'd have liked to have gone in, but the queue was full of Chinese tourists.

Our next stop was the newly completed Shard - I wasn't quite sure what to think about it. It's big, but it definitely lacks character.

A short walk later (while still pulling our suitcases) we came across Tower Bridge - the first time I'd ever seen it.

We sat down smack-bang in the middle of some German tourists once we'd seen the Tower of London, so Phil sat back and enjoyed the view over the Thames while I made sure I hadn't forgotten German over the year since I graduated by asking Germans if they wanted their photos taking.

A full afternoon of walking had knackered us, so meeting with Alex at the Parcel Yard (pub) in Kings Cross was a godsend. He regaled us with stories of ethical investment and Blue and Green Tomorrow's recent successes over a couple of pints before we got to reminiscing about our 2010 tour, something which made me feel a strange mix of nostalgia, excitement and nervousness.

The sun had set by the time we'd left the pub, but there was still time to revel in the beauty of Buckingham Palace.

Our last stop before heading back for an early night was the Houses of Parliament. Looking up at the clock tower I couldn't help but wonder what the next 10 days had in store for us. Luckily we didn't have to wait long to find out...

Next Stop: Paris, France

Japan: Wakayama City

My last weekend in Japan before returning home for the summer was a lot more low key than I’d hoped. I didn’t finish work until 7 on Saturday and the few drinking buddies I have here were either out of the city or busy, so I settled for a mammoth portion of fried chicken and a couple of beers at a local restaurant instead.

I headed to Wakayama on Sunday, which is about 2 hours away by car. It’s not one of the great cities of the Kansai area like Osaka, Kyoto and Kōbe, but it’s still worth a visit – mainly because the local tourism bureau is so desperate to bring in visitors that they let you try on samurai hats and handle a sword.

The main attraction in Wakayama City is its castle. Unfortunately, just like Osaka castle, this is not the original – it was firebombed by the Yanks during World War Two and rebuilt in concrete instead of wood after 1945. A man dressed as a ninja started talking to me in English when I arrived at the foot of the castle (in fact I think he was possibly flirting). I had to make a quick escape when he asked for my number and facebook, so I didn’t even get the chance to take a proper picture of the building, but this is the view from the top.

The view of the keep from the top of the castle.

Inside the castle grounds where I was safe from the ninja guy.

The adjoining museum had some interesting translations.

Be careful to Steps – it would be a tragedy if you hurt H.

The castle gardens.

After the castle and some much needed food, I checked out the beach with its pretty impressive bridge before making the long journey home – traffic turned a two hour journey into a four hour one. Wakayama City wasn’t all that bad, but there are far more interesting places to see closer by.

Japan: Shirahama

Shirahama is a seaside town about 2 and a half hours drive south of Sakai City (the place I’m living now). I was told before going to expect a Japanese version of Scarborough, but what I found couldn’t have been further from the truth. The original sand on Shirahama beach was swept away years ago, so they imported some from Australia to replace it, meaning that it’s one of the best beaches in the country. There’s a tonne to do and they even have pandas at the zoo!

Unfortunately I was too busy building sandcastles to take any pictures at the beach, but I found this gorgeous little harbour behind the place I had lunch.

My first stop after the beach was Adventure World – a poor man’s Universal Studios with a zoo and aquarium attached. It was almost empty – apparently despite the fact it’s been topping 30 degrees almost every day here the Japanese still don’t consider it summer.

These are the previously mentioned pandas. They had lions, tigers, elephants and everything. I even touched a zebra!

This little guy was posing for photos with his nappy on. I’m quite glad, because having a monkey crap on my head is not high on my bucket list.

The dolphin show was good. Not quite a spectacular as Discovery Cove in Florida, but still impressive. Before the show they were panning the crowd with a camera for images to put on the big screen and managed to display a picture of the back of my head for a good 20 seconds in between the happy Japanese families, much to everyone’s amusement.

Of course I couldn’t pass up the chance to beat Japanese children at go-karting.

Walking around the park had knackered me out, so I was glad of 5 minutes in a hammock out of the sun.

After leaving Adventure World I went to try my first Japanese onsen. It’s basically a hot spring where people go to relax – imagine a really big public Jacuzzi. The only strange thing was the mandatory nudity. At first I didn’t have that much of a problem with it, but after a while I realised I was basically having a hot bath with a bunch of old and soapy Japanese men, most of whom were staring in amazement at my non-Japanese genitalia. I was freaked out so I retreated to the games room where I played ping-pong (don’t worry; I did put my clothes back on for that), then headed for pizza before the long drive back to Osaka.