"Plant a expectation; reap a disappointment"

So as a rule of thumb i hold myself and everyone else around me to a very high standard. With this said i am very often let down.

That is why when i head off on my travels starting in London on the 5th of September (anyone around?) i have decided to have no expectation from any of the places i go.

This has already served me well, when i went to Scotland (which i will blog about soon, promise) i didn't have much of a expectation of anything. Where i was staying, the people i would meet, the Military Tattoo, the cities themselves or even the Haggis tour i did (again post coming soon).
And guess what i had a AMAZING time.

So this busabout route above is where im heading i land in Amsterdam on the 18th of September and finish in Paris on the 29th of October.
But guess what im going to have fun with it, take it as it comes and go with the flow (which is hard for me).
I also have 10 days pre Europe travel aswell.

I will be taking you all along for the ride blogging in a rota along with so many AMAZING guest bloggers. I will also be meeting some bloggers along the way which will be great fun as they can show me around there city of choice.

In most places i am staying 2 full days, so i will do some kind of tour on the first day and then spend the second exploring.
I'm excited!!!!

****If you are a blogger in London, Dublin or any of the above cities on the map and would want to meet up and show me around i would be happy to. Either leave me a comment or email me at alexslifeafter20@gmail.com******

Mikes bike tours - Amsterdam

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Whilst looking into things to do on my European travels i have come across some great tours (i am aiming to do one per city) but Mikes bike tours appears to be calling my name.

Details of the tour I'm looking at doing below!

Duration: +/- 4 hours
Weather: We provide rain gear - which can often be necessary in Amsterdam. (A note on the weather, if you come to town and it’s raining, you have two choices as we see it; either you sit bitching in your hotel room and don’t see anything, or you put a jacket on and come join us on the tour! Nobody has drowned yet!! But some have gone swimming).
We meet: at 11am on Kerkstraat # 123 (where our tour garage is located at)
Operates: daily at 11am March through November and from December through February every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11am.
RESERVATIONS NOT NECESSARY Just show up at our shop where all tours will depart from. Large groups should however call ahead to warn us.

What do you think?

Planning for Amsterdam!

As you all know Europe is fast approaching so I'm planning what to do in each city, here are some places i think I'm going to like in Amsterdam.

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De 9 Straatjes (The 9 streets)

Shopping, canals, cute coffee shops. See you there.

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Vondelpark

Considered the nicest park in Amsterdam, maybe i could stop here for lunch one day?

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Waterlooplein Flee Market.

Branded as the most interesting and one of the oldest flee markets in Amsterdam. I have been told the markets in Amsterdam are by far some of the most interesting in the world (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

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Anne Frank Museum.

I'm a little bit of a history buff and enjoy anything to do with wars throughout Europe, so a stop at the Anne Frank museum is a total must. I think this will be something i do on my first day there.

What else should i be doing? Please leave comments below!

The Busabout amazing race!

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So if you follow me on twitter (which really you all should) you will know that today i tweeted something like this!

So i got some great tweets back and we have a winner and some losers. I have decided to for sure head to La Spezia and we have bumped Ancona and Milan off the list. So that leaves me with one more place to fill and 6 places to choose from some people have suggested Siena or Lauterbrunnen.

What are your thoughts?

What to pack and what not to pack. Help me out!

Found here!

So i need your help as you all should be well aware i am headed off traveling (i have even set a date) during Sep/Oct this year.
You all know where I'm going, if not find it here so my area where i need your help is what exactly to pack ie how many shirts, skirts, shorts, jackets etc.
I am going for roughly 40 days and obviously need to take into account where I'm going, the weather, and what I'm doing.
Keep in mind i am not a big going out person and spend my holidays exploring places of interest as opposed to going out every night.
So help me out guys I'm starting to plan already and need some URGENT help.
Get commenting!!!!!

Total Busabout excitment!!!

Happy Friday everyone,

As you can tell by the title of this post i am so what excited, no actually ecstatic about what i found on the bus about website this morning.

I went on to do my stop 2 Amsterdam but that now has to take a side not to what i have to tell you.

First of all the sight has changed, it looks great and i LOVE the layout. Only thing that i didn't like was before the destinations where in the order you go through them now there alphabetical. Minor i know, but on there twitter (here) they ask for feedback.

BUT with that said as looking through the website (planning dates) i almost squealed out loud because i read this:

"Get a Haggis 3 Day Skye High Tour for FREE when you book any Busabout Hop-on Hop-Off Pass of Europe in 2011. Both tours must be booked at the same time (select 'book more trips' in trip basket). Book by 1st May and Enter Promo Code 'SkyeHopper' "

OH MY GOD that is AMAZING.

So if i book the trip which i was already going to take there going to give me another totally free????

Yes please.

I will blog today about the Haggis 3 day Skye High tour.... TO EXCITED

Busabout:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Stop number 1. Paris

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Hotel des invalides and Dome des invalides (war museum) - This building is partially a war museum and the other is a church.

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Musee de l'Armee (The War Museum) - You will see a trend here, where a city has a warm museum i will go. This is where my fascination lies.

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Notre Dame, another must see when you go to Pairs.

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DISNEYLAND PARIS!

Who has seen those TV ads for Disneyland Paris? Well i am just like those excitable children!

I cant wait to make the trip (i am aware this is not in Paris) I'm unsure as to how many days i will need here. Ideas? I'm thinking at least 2 which will mean finding somewhere to stay within walking distance, again ideas?

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The Eiffel Tower - Of course i need to see the amazing Eiffel Tower (I'm not sure you can actually go to Paris and not see it).

Porte de Clignancourt (Paris flee market) - I love markets and especially love finding quirky antique reminders of places i have been (i already have a few from around the UK). This is open over the weekend and on a Monday i will have to time my travel plans around this.

Question? Does Paris have a underground city that is accessible by a tour (legally)?

Is there anything else people think i should be seeing?

(Either blog followers or readers who have found this via Busabout Facebook)

Please leave in the comments below!

Something exciting to share, A busabout adventure

What is this? The North & South Busabout loop.

When will it be done? Later this year.

Who will be doing this? ME.

Is it exciting? HELL YES!

Later in the year i will be traveling around Europe, i will be taking ruffly 40 days and heading off on a Busabout adventure!

Busabout is a hop-on hop-off bus that takes you through Europe so you can travel independently, and the most exciting thing is i will be taking you along for the ride.

This includes before i go doing posts on all my stops, i will research the place and post the things I'm going to see and do there. It will also give yourselves the opportunity to enlighten me with some other things that you think i should see and do!

The map above shows you the places i will be going and later this afternoon i will be starting with what i will be doing on my first stop in Paris!

See you soon : )