A Minha Vida

Barcelona 2009

Art Experience at Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Trip 2009

Açores Tourism Trailer

Destinations Rated: Islands

The world's most appealing destinations—islands—are the ones most prone to tourism overkill. Our 522 experts vote on which ones avoid the danger, which are succumbing to it, and which hang in the balance.

ourism is a phenomenon that can cook your food or burn your house down. In other words, we all risk destroying the very places that we love the most. 

Nowhere more so than on islands. Islands symbolize vacation. Escape! Their very insularity makes them more attractive than a comparable piece of real estate on the mainland. They are worlds unto themselves—their own traditions, ecosystems, cultures, landscapes. That's what attracts us. But as micro-worlds, islands are also more vulnerable to population pressure, climate change, storm damage, invasive species, and now, tourism overkill.

To see how the integrity of islands around the world is holding up, Traveler and our National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations conducted this fourth annual Destination Scorecard survey, aided by George Washington University. A panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship donated time to review conditions in these 111 selected islands and archipelagos. The scores that follow reflect the experts' opinions. Quoted phrases from their remarks suggest the thinking behind the scores. 

The results show that beach-blessed islands draw sun-and-sand resort tourism development that can get out of hand quickly, although there are exceptions. Multiple cruise-ship crowds can also overwhelm an island, transforming it. 

No surprise, then, that cloudy, beach-poor islands score well. Yet even these cooler islands are sometimes losing traditional families to soaring real estate prices.


Get an illustrated version of this article as it was published in the November/December 2006 issue of National Geographic Traveler. 
Download PDF now. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.) 


All the islands that follow, even the lowest scoring, have great experiences to discover. To protect them, to restore them, we must value them as much as resort developers and cruise companies do. Even more.

Guide to the Scores:
0-25: Catastrophic: all criteria very negative, outlook grim.
26-49: In serious trouble.
50-65: In moderate trouble: all criteria medium-negative or a mix of negatives and positives.
66-85: Minor difficulties.
86-95: Authentic, unspoiled, and likely to remain so.
96-100: Enhanced.  
 
Meet our Panelists
 
About the Survey
 
Click on a part of the world below to read a sample of our panelists' comments.

Africa
Caribbean Region
East & Southeast Asia
Indian Ocean Region
Mediterranean
North & West Europe
North America
Pacific/Australia/NZ
South America

The list, by score

87     Faroe Islands, Denmark
84     Azores, Portugal
82     Lofoten, Norway
82     Shetland Islands, Scotland
82     Chiloé, Chile
81     Isle of Skye, Scotland
80     Kangaroo Island, South Australia
80     Mackinac Island, Michigan
80     Iceland
79     Molokai, Hawaii
78     Aran Islands, Ireland
78     Texel, Netherlands
77     Dominica
77     Grenadines
76     Tasmania
76     Bora Bora, French Polynesia
76     Fraser Island, Australia
76     Bornholm, Denmark
76     Hydra (Ídra), Greece
76     Falkland Islands (U.K.)
75     Corsica, France
75     Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
74     Vanuatu, Melanesia
74     Santa Catalina Island, California
73     Upolu and Savai'i, Samoa
73     Isle of Man (U.K.)
72     Palawan, Philippines
72     Moorea, French Polynesia
72     Block Island, Rhode Island
71     Ilha Grande, Brazil
71     Sardinia, Italy
71     Hvar, Croatia
71     Jersey and Guernsey (U.K.)
70     San Juan Islands, Washington State
70     St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
70     Seychelles
70     Anguilla  (U.K.)
70     Nevis
69     Palau, Micronesia
69     Cook Islands
69     Prince Edward Island, Canada
69     Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, British Columbia
69     Mount Desert Island, Maine
69     Réunion (France)
68     Bonaire
68     Sicily, Italy
68     St. Vincent
68     Yasawa group, Fiji
67     Pemba, Tanzania
67     Hawaii (Big Island)
66     Out Islands, Bahamas
66     Bermuda, North Atlantic
66     Tobago
66     São Tomé and Príncipe
65     Cyprus, Turkish side
65     Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
65     Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
64     Solomon Islands
64     Jeju/Cheju, South Korea
64     Ocracoke, Outer Banks, North Carolina
64     Kauai, Hawaii
64     St. Lucia
63     Nantucket, Massachusetts
62     Martinique (France)
62     Corfu, Greece
62     Crete, Greece
62     Lombok, Indonesia
62     Barbados
61     Tonga, Polynesia
61     Madeira Islands, Portugal
61     Tortola, British Virgin Islands
61     Islands of Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia
61     Sanibel, Florida
61     Santorini, Greece
61     Maldives (except Malé)
59     Grenada
59     Capri, Italy
59     Tahiti, French Polynesia
59     St. Kitts
58     Viti Levu, Fiji
57     Maui, Hawaii
57     Bali, Indonesia
57     Cape Verde Islands
57     Curaçao 
55     Isla Mujeres, Mexico
55     Malta (all islands)
55     Guadeloupe
55     Mauritius
54     Mykonos, Greece
54     Federated States of Micronesia
54     Mallorca, Spain
53     St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
53     Zanzibar, Tanzania
52     Canary Islands, Spain
51     Puerto Rico
51     Cyprus, Greek side
50     Antigua
49     Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina
48     Aruba (Netherlands)
47     Grand Cayman
47     Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras
47     St. Martin (Netherlands/France)
47     Cozumel, Mexico
46     Oahu, Hawaii
46     Key West, Florida
46     Phuket, Thailand
45     Hilton Head, South Carolina
44     Jamaica
44     Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
37     Ibiza, Spain
37     St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Source: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/features/islandsrated0711/islands.html 

Trip to Rome

Day 1 started off with a comedy of events.

4am and the alarm went off. It was time to make the first part of our journey, to the Airport. We were due to catch the 4:36am train from Hendon Station to Luton Airport, however, when we got to the station we had just missed the train, which meant that we ended up sitting around for nearly 30 minutes.

It was really cold and wet not to mention that we were the only two people waiting around at the train station (Maybe because any sensible person would have been in bed!). The next train was due to arrive at 5:36am, which would have meant that the likelihood of missing the flight would have been high, so we decided to order a taxi instead of waiting.

From what I can remember, I was very short tempered but Henry dealt with me very well. I am sure that if the roles were reversed I would have probably abandoned him! (Joking)

It was 5am when the taxi arrived. He was very friendly and efficient. That was until he missed the exit coming off the M1! Still, he managed to get us to the airport on time (6am).

Once we had arrived at the check in hall, I very quickly realised why I hadn't ever travelled on a bank holiday weekend. The queues were pretty impressive and there was a whole lot of orderly chaos. Everyone was in a rush to be at their holiday destinations!

Eventually we boarded our flight, however, we didn’t end up sitting next to each other. This was my fault because I was insistent that we should wait until everyone else boarded the flight. All because I couldn’t be bothered to wait in a queue! Anyway, Henry pretended to sleep for pretty much most of the flight whilst I befriended a couple who were staying at the same hotel as us.

When we landed in Rome I was disappointed because the weather was windy and rainy, not too different to the weather in London! We waited ages for our bags but that was nothing compared to when we had to wait over an hour for the Terra Vision couch to turn up! To top it all off it was pouring with rain and we had no umbrellas or macs!

On arrival at the Termini Station (public transport hub) we were wet and parched and were on a mission to find a café for coffee and carbs! We ended up circling the block only to end up in a café that would have originally taken us 2 seconds to walk to from the bus stop!

I am sure that from what I have written so far it may seem that the trip was doomed, however, on the contrary Henry and I were actually very cheerful and optimistic! I suppose it was either that or we would have killed each other!

En route to the hotel, which I have to add that I found through my great Portuguese navigational skills, we bumped into a couple from Spain who were lost. They had initially tried to ask Henry for directions but of course he doesn’t speak Spanish! So, I tried my best to point them in the right direction by speaking to them in Portuguese instead. Henry thought I was acting like a show off though! Oh well, I guess it pays to be bilingual!

Some more walking and we got to the Midi Hotel (Via Giovanni Giolotti 415, Rome, Lazio, 00185). The area was not that great. There was loads of graffiti everywhere but I thought that it added to the character of the place. The hotel room was small but clean and we had our own balcony which overlooked the neighbours’ pretty gardens! We were both exhausted, having been up since 4am. We both took a shower and then fell asleep for most of the afternoon.

When I woke up I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining. I was so determined to start exploring the local area, even though it was a bit of a ghetto. Having refreshed our energy levels, we got dressed and headed out towards Piazza di Porta Maggiore and caught the number 8 tram. Initially, we had no idea where the tram was heading and after about 5 minutes we realised that we were going in the direction of a residential slum! As Henry quite rightfully put it, "You know that you are going in the wrong direction when there aren't any other tourists on the tram"! We quickly got off at the next stop and got on another tram that went in the opposite direction.

After taking a little heritage tour of the slums and ghetto we eventually made it back to the Termini Station. We then found a tourist information centre and sought advice on how to use the public transport system, i.e. maps. We were told to purchase a Roma Pass, which for €11 is suppose to give you unlimited usage of the public transport system (for 3 days) as well as access to museums. We were told that we had to purchase these passes from either a tobacconist or a newsagent. The challenge was that no one actually stocked these passes, so we ended up purchasing a normal 3 day pass (without access to museums) for the same price!

At that end of all the drama / trauma, we decided to have dinner. Again, being Evete and Henry, nothing is ever straight forward, so we walked up and down several streets before agreeing on a restaurant! 30 minutes later and we ended up at a trattoria called La Mensa de Baccus. It was a nice little trattoria with an outside terrace. The only downside was the wine, which tasted like it had been diluted with water! The food was very nice, we had pizza and tiramisu!

After dinner, Henry and I stopped off at a little delicatessen that sold wine and food. Henry purchased a bottle of white wine and I insisted that we also purchase Italian chocolate mini rolls! Henry was a little tipsy from drinking too much white wine!

Day 2 and we were on a sightseeing mission.

We missed breakfast and overslept. Our initial plan was to visit the Colosseum and then the Vatican but that soon changed when we got onto the wrong Metro train (Metro A instead of Metro B)!

Our next plan was to visit the Trevi Fountain and then make our way to the Vatican, but that changed too when we missed our stop and just carried on towards Ottaviano San Pietro (St Peter's Square)!

We walked a short distance, to eventually arrive at St. Peter's Square quite breathtaking really, especially as everything is so large. We were going to view the Dead Popes' chamber but the queue was ridiculous! Instead we went inside of St. Peter's Basilica, the paintings and the architecture was amazing. To be fair it is one of those places that you would need to visit and see for yourself, in order to truly appreciate it. Apparently, you can attend confession in order to obtain absolution. The problem was that we had only scheduled 1 day to see the Vatican! It was a sunny day and quite warm in comparison to London. We walked around the courtyard for a while and I was quite amused by the fresh water drinking fountains, which have been around since Ancient Rome.

Our next stop was the Vatican Museum, to see the Sistine Chapel. We walked through several nicely landscaped court yards. I stopped to take a picture in a little court yard that had calla lilies and ferns growing from a small pond / fountain. We carried on walking through several galleries; one which was particularly interesting was the gallery of maps, which had paintings on the wall of the conquered lands under the Roman Empire. The maps were a little off in terms of geographical boundaries, but that is understandable considering the Ancient Romans didn't have the benefit of satellites!

At the end of all of these halls and galleries we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel and all I can say is WOW! I can remember studying Michelangelo and his contribution to the Renaissance, most famously the Sistine Chapel, but nothing could have really prepared me for seeing it in person, as oppose to an A5 page in my World History Book! It would have been even more amazing if there weren't so many people pushing me around and stepping on my flip flops! Still, my conclusion was that Michelangelo must have suffered with some serious neck pains!

After our cultural art tour, we tried to find our way back to the Metro. On the way we stopped off for a rest and some gelatti (ice cream). We revisited my torn tourist's map of Rome and the Metro, to figure out where we were going next. My feet were really killing me by this point! Anyway, we agreed to visit Piazza di Spagna, to see the Spanish Steps.

I can't remember there being anything crazy or extraordinary happening, i.e. falling off the Metro platform, etc. We did make it to the Spanish Steps and by then I was complaining so much about my sore feet that Henry went off to buy me some plasters! Whilst I waited I admired this very pretty fountain called Fontanna della Baraccia, which is located at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Again, I was quite amused by watching people drinking its water! It was quite a warm afternoon and people were sitting / lying down on the Spanish Steps. We walked to the top and then both of us decided to do the same, a little sun tanning. You could see Via Condotti from the top of the Spanish Steps, as well as all of the shopaholics and tourists! An hour later and we had enough and were ready to move on to our next site.

My feet were really killing me and the plasters wouldn't stick because my feet were too sweaty (sorry). To calm my frustrations, I visited the Godiva Chocolate shop and purchased some very yummy truffles and chocolate covered strawberries! I think that I took too long in there because Henry had to come and find me!

We eventually walked back to the Metro station and headed back to the Termini Station to go back to the hotel. OK, I really believed that my feet were going to fall off, so I had to stop off at this shop to buy a pair of shoes! Normally I would be enthusiastic about buying shoes but I was desperate by this stage and well, that is the excuse I have been using for buying this hideous looking pair of black polka dotted tennis shoes. I just don't have the courage to show you a picture!

When we finally made it back to the hotel, we had a shower and fell asleep, again! Our plans for the evening were to take a taxi to one of Rome's popular night spots to have dinner. So, we got dressed and Henry went down to reception to arrange for a taxi. 10 minutes later he came back to the hotel room to tell me that we wouldn't be able to get a taxi for another hour (at 9pm), as this was rush hour!  We were both disappointed but made the best of the evening by eating at a restaurant close to the hotel. It was an experience to order from Italian menus as neither of us understood what we were reading! In the end, I ordered this lemon chicken, which didn't taste that great, however, Henry's choice was apparently fantastic (balsamic steak).

After dinner, we were very tired, so we headed back to the hotel.

Day 3 and it was more sightseeing.

We woke up at 11:15am and it was really overcast (but warm) outside. Today's sightseeing plans would have us visiting the Colosseum and the Ancient Roman Forum area. We both got dressed and headed off to the Termini Station to have coffee and to make our way to the correct platform this time! Things were great, so we thought, until I realised that the train we were on was going in the opposite direction to the Colosseum! We got off at the next stop and then caught the next train going in the right direction.

When we arrived at the Colosseum, it was pouring with rain outside. None the less I was really impressed with the view of this great ancient stadium. When we eventually entered the Colosseum, it became very clear as to how magnificent it would have looked in its day. Despite there being a lot of damage, the structure was still very much intact and in some areas you could see the detail that went into its construction. We managed to capture a picture of us whilst we were inside of the Colosseum.

Separate to how the Colosseum looked inside, the views of the landscape outside were breathtaking in particular, the Palatine Hill, the Arch of Constantine, and the Arch of Titus.

Our next site was the Palatine Gardens, which to be honest, we didn't see much of. However, the view from the gardens was amazing, especially as you could clearly see pretty much most of the whole Ancient Forum as well as the Colosseum. So on that note, we decided to walk through the Ancient Forum. Despite it looking like a bomb had hit it, in terms of there being not too much intact, it is very obvious that this area would have been magnificent in its day.

We walked for ages, not exactly knowing where we were going! Until eventually we stopped off in this public courtyard to view the Fontanna delle Tartarughe. I was then able to locate where we were as this was one of the recommended sites to view as per our travel guide. So we then decided that we were hungry and of course we made a challenge out of finding a venue; we ended up eating pizza!

After lunch we then headed back to the hotel. This time we caught a bus and what do you know we actually caught the right bus! When we arrived at the hotel, we fell asleep again! However, this time we arranged for reception to order a taxi for 8pm. Our plans for the evening were to visit the Trevi Fountain and then have dinner.

The taxi arrived at the hotel, an old Mercedes. Yeah, we didn't have to walk, except for a short distance when we arrived at Piazza di Trevi, as the road leading to the Trevi Fountain was too small for a car.

I was very impressed with the Trevi Fountain, despite the pictures not coming out that great! It's a very glamorous fountain. The only downside was that there were just too many people there! 10 minutes later and we decided to find a restaurant for dinner. En route, Henry bought me a pretty handbag!

Initially, we decided to eat outdoors and we found this restaurant that was suppose to serve authentic Roman food. We ended up indoors by the end of the first course, as it was a bit breezy. The food was OK and the wine tasted better, apparently! We both reflected on the last couple of days. We were pretty worn out from all of the walking and rushing around, trying not to get knocked over by cars (joking)!

After dinner, we stopped off at a Gelatti bar to sample some of "the best ice cream in the world". There were so many flavours, which made it difficult to choose a combination that wouldn't make your stomach turn! I think I settled for pistachio, vanilla, & raspberry!

Day 4 saw an end to our journey.

We had planned to wake up early, showers, pack, and eat breakfast. Nope, we didn't do any of those things in a calm order. Instead we woke up late, but thankfully we had booked a taxi to collect us from the hotel and drop us off at the airport! We rushed around to take showers and then to ensure that we didn't leave anything behind. The taxi ride was long but it was great to see the landscape as we ventured out of Rome. It was a beautiful day, I was feeling sad to have to leave such a nice climate to go back to clouds and rain!

It was manic when we arrived at the airport departures hall. The queues were long and people were very irritable and so was I at times! When we got our boarding cards we then decided to have breakfast. I had chosen to sit near the window. I thought I was so lucky to find a seat near the window, especially as the airport was so busy. That's what I thought until the construction workers outside started drilling holes into the buildings foundation! By the time Henry arrived at the table with the coffee and pastries, I no longer needed caffeine to wake me up. Instead I needed vodka to calm me down!

After breakfast I did a little shopping and purchased some Italian chocolates and biscuits. We then went through security to get to the departure gate. We must have stood in another queue for over 45 minutes. The best part was when we were walking to get on a couch that would take us to the plane and a guard stopped me and demanded to go through my hand bag! The bastard made me throw away my Aloe Vera Vaseline lip care! I later found out that I was allowed to carry that item in my handbag, given all the other hand baggage restrictions.

On the flight I felt really ill! The good news was that Henry and I got to sit next to each other. The bad news was that after 5 minutes I am sure he was happy to sit with anyone else! I kept getting up to be sick in the toilets! Eventually, 1hour and 45 minutes into the flight, I was beginning to feel a little better and was quite enjoying the view of the Mediterranean and the Alps.

When we arrived over London it was extremely cloudy, so the landing was interesting. We got off the plane and whilst walking to the arrivals hall I could recall Henry commenting that he wouldn't have to wait in a long queue because he is an EU National. I have to say, I had never come across such an unpleasant Immigration Officer until I met the one at Luton Airport! The remarks that she made were absolutely not necessary!

When we got our bags we headed for Luton Airport Train Station. We waited ages for a train and we were feeling really tired and we were relieved when we got to the flat. I went to bed and fell asleep immediately and Henry followed shortly after.

Looking back on the trip, I had a fantastic time and I couldn't have gone to Rome with anyone else! I love you Henry and thank you for coming with me.

You can view the photo album by clicking on this link. http://www.evete.com/italy/   

Romance or not in Paris the city of lights and smells...

We'd arrived at Waterloo and before the journey had even begun; I had successfully managed to lose my friends somewhere in the station! For some bizarre reason my mobile was not accepting calls nor text messages, which made things a little tricky in terms of trying to locate them. Eventually, after having asked EuroStar to page Nurit's name over the intercom, I spotted all of them at the top of the escalators. Three women with excess baggage and a Security Guard chasing them. You see, Nurit had made a comment about a suspicious bag and a commuter had over heard this and sought the attention of security, it didn't help that it was the day before the one year anniversary of the London Bombings. You wouldn't believe it but she had jokingly implied that my bag was suspicious, so the Security Guard looked at me and my red bag and then began asking all sorts of questions. I was completely oblivious as to what he was going on about. The girls were laughing hysterically and eventually Natasha told everyone to shut up whilst Nurit then explained that there was no suspicious bag and in her marvellous attempt to call his bluff she managed to get rid of him.

The train ride to Paris was hilarious and fun. The girls managed to consume four bottles of wine, a bottle of Cava, chocolate, cherries, sushi, etc... Opening the bottle of Cava caused a bit of a riot though, as Nurit jokingly was aiming it at both Natasha and me as well as the ceiling and other passengers. One thing led to another and the cork popped out hitting the ceiling and spraying Natasha, me and the majority of the passengers in our cabin (literally). The people behind us were not impressed, especially the mother who kept cursing at us for wetting her husband's bald head.

When we arrived in Paris, we had our first hand experience with the pong of the Metro. It smelt like a urinal; Nurit later mentioned that apparently people wee along the drainage areas, that mixed with some serious B.O. and the smell of super strong deodoriser, one can only but imagine that the Paris underground is merely an extension of their sewage system!

Having got our Metro tickets we then came across the next hurdle; yeah, Paris doesn't believe in escalators and Mary doesn't believe in packing light! When we eventually got on the next train I noticed that Nivea had posters advertising deodorant (later realised this applied to all of the trains), what an ingenious idea, pity that not many people seemed to bother with using some!

It was almost midnight when we arrived at Nurit's flat, we were all exhausted; however, this didn't mean we went to bed right away. Instead we all sat in the kitchen, chairs and floor, talking about anything, in fact we talked so much I can't remember what we were talking about.

Day One

It wasn't long before we were up again, ready to start our day! Four women sharing a flat with one bathroom! That's all I am going to say, I will leave the rest to your imagination (for the record there was no lesbian activity).

That morning we decided on a quick breakfast, so we went to this little bakery at the end of the road; fantastic pastries. I can't recall there ever really being a plan for that day but somehow I ended up visiting the Louvre and this shopping centre located under it. The architecture of the Louvre was really impressive, as far as museums go, and when we got inside we eventually got around to seeing the Mona Lisa, which was much smaller than what I had imagined. Due to getting lost so much, by the time we did find what we were looking for we were exhausted. It also didn't help that we didn't think to rent the headsets with the English translations.

After the Louvre we took a walk through the shopping centre and stopped off at Sephora. Of course being me nothing is ever straight forward. The Shop Assistant (whom had redefined the meaning of Customer Service) was running around spraying a ridiculous amount of different fragrances to try and find my personality in a bottle of perfume! "Mademoiselle, are you Woody, Fresh, Spicy, Fruity, etc..." Thirty five minutes later and I had lost my sense of smell; however, we found my personality (fragrance), Be Delicious by DKNY!

The remainder of that day we visited tourist attractions, Notre Dame, which was also very impressive, and enjoyed fine French food as well as experienced Parisian pride at its best (not). Now I know that my conversational French is not the best by any means but damn it these Parisian's were not backing down. I spoke in English they replied in French, I tried to speak in French they continued to reply in French, I tried talking with my hands and they still replied in French! Despite the language barrier somehow I always got what I wanted but it was never easy. 

We eventually made it back to the flat, all of us with sore feet and legs, did I mention that Paris doesn't believe in escalators!

That evening we had dinner at this little French restaurant that had an out house with a hole in the floor - the toilet! It was hilarious using this funky contraption notwithstanding that it really stank! I would give you the name of the restaurant but Nurit might kill me (joking), apparently the restaurateurs don't advertise, as they are keen to maintain the restaurant's exclusivity. I do have to say that the food was really delicious.

After dinner we walked to the Metro and took the next train to Champs-Elysées where we went to Le Pershing Hall (http://www.pershinghall.com/), which was both very trendy and extraordinarily expensive, still it was an experience.

Our last stop was this Tapas Bar that served shisha, so of course we chilled out there for the rest of the night / early morning.

Day Two

The following day, some of us were just exhausted whilst others were hungover as well. The plan was to get dressed visit the Trocadéro, summit the Eiffel Tower and then have brunch.

We figured that if we arrived at the Eiffel Tower early enough we wouldn't have to wait in queues for long.  I guess we seriously miscalculated this as we ended up waiting for two hours in order to take a less than six minute elevator ride to the tower's summit.  Despite the long wait, the views were amazing.  Everything was so white and elegant; breathtaking.  There was even a toilet on the Eiffel Summit, which was pretty cool, as far as toilets go!

Finally, by about 2pm in the afternoon we made it to the Brunch venue, which served white chocolate spread!  I ate white chocolate spread on everything from croissants to my boiled egg (accident).  I even purchased a large jar of it to bring back with me. 

Having stuffed ourselves we then went to les Galeries Lafayette with retail therapy in mind.  On the way there we stopped by the Old Opera House with the Chagall painted ceiling. I guess I was not too impressed with the whole shopping element of the trip, as I could do this anytime in London.  However, I did purchase two dresses from Mango.

That evening we went to Yamamura (Japanese Restaurant) and ate really good sushi.  We also met up with Nurit's friend Laurent, who was the most naturally witty person ever.  He was exceptionally entertaining and a down right fun person to hang out with.  This proved to be so when we went to Le Comptoir Nomade (Arabic cafe) and he went a bit mad smoking the shisha / s!

When we were eventually moved on from the Arabic cafe, as it was closing time, we decided to walk back to the flat, singing our own version of the French song Champs-Elysées .  Whilst we were walking I had a sudden craving for crêpes with sugar and lemon juice, so we decided to visit the local Crêpe Man whom we had befriended on the previous night.  It was a great evening and the crêpes tasted pretty good as well.

Day Three

The alarm went off three times before it actually dawned on Nurit and I that we needed to get up and pack in order to catch the train back to Waterloo.  We all rushed around trying to get everything back into our bags, realising that we accumulated a bit more than what we had initially come with.

When the taxi arrived, sure and behold the Driver only spoke to us in French.  We were all feeling rather subdued, it had been an unforgettable experience with a group of great friends.  The train ride back to Waterloo seemed to pass by very quickly, we had some wine and toasted sandwiches for breakfast and pretty much reflected on our trip.

When we arrived at Waterloo, Mary had decided that she wanted to process the pictures from my digital camera.  Of course the experience wasn't straight forward and we ended up wasting over an hour.  Now the challenge was to get Mary to Gatwick on time, which we were all convinced wouldn't be a problem.  So we said our goodbyes and went our separate routes to get home.

That night when I arrived back at my flat, I unpacked my bags, made some toast with white chocolate spread and uploaded my Paris photos onto my website.  My mobile had rung a couple times but I wasn't familiar with the telephone number, so I didn't answer.  The caller decided not to leave a voice message, so I assumed that it wasn't anything important.

I arrived at work the next day and bumped into Nurit.  I had asked her about her evening, we discussed the trip and then I asked her if she had heard anything from Mary i.e. did she arrive home safely.  Nurit went really silent and replied, "Oh no you didn't hear then? Mary phoned me last night.  She got to the check in gate a couple of minutes to late and missed her flight.  She stayed the night at my flat and went off to the airport again this morning."  I wasn' t sure how to react with the news so I started laughing hysterically.

We didn't think anything of it, in our minds Mary would be back in Ireland by the afternoon.  Well, you wouldn't believe this but she missed her second flight as well.  Apparently, she had made it past check in this time but instead she was too busy in duty free and overheard the intercom message asking her to board the flight!  The good news was that she did eventually make it home, three times lucky I guess.

Written by: Evete Van de Saar

Snow Storm

Typical I turn up and the first snow storm hits the region.  It looked great but I got terribly bored so managed to convince my sister into cruising around the city. 

My sister figured she could drive up one of the steepest roads in New Bedford, which happens to be the road my mom lives on, anyway she got us stuck.  The highlight was when she asked me if I was scared; I took a deep breath and replied, "no why!?"  she says, "you've gone really quiet." I replied "that's because I am trying to stop myself from laughing."  We both burst into laughter when we looked back to see a queue of cars stuck behind us, she put her foot on the excelerator and after burning some serious rubber she managed to get in the drive way.  Of course by that stage we had an audience of people looking out their windows laughing at us!

Trip to Boston

I have arrived in Boston as planned (now I can check off the first box on my agenda).  I don't really have much to say about the journey other than we had about 2 hours of bad turbulence.  The first hour and a half was cool but I started to feel a little sick after that.

Boston is so cold and it looks really different from the last time that I was here.  I met this really cool man who helped me with my luggage; he was telling me about his wife being in Hong Kong for Christmas visiting the family.

Anyway, I got to my mom's house in the end and it was so nice to see her.  Even though I am 21 now (not 12) she still treats me like I am this incompetent child; the woman keeps making me food!

It is 4:50am and my daughter has decided not to sleep anymore; she has gone about on a mission to make sure she can wake everyone.  I think we are going sale shopping today?