Europe with Mannuela

Ever thought there must be more to life than just working? If so consider Europe as your next holiday destination, it’s packed full of things to see, do and you will absolutely love it!
My husband and I recently returned from our long awaited European holiday. We started our trip with a stopover in Dubai, with enough time to take in a city tour, desert safari, the Atlantis Hotel on the Jameriah Palm and the water slides at Aquaventure Park.
After our stopover we set off to visit 17 countries in 8 weeks, these included England, France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, San Marino, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Ireland and Scotland. It seems as though we covered most of Europe and considering the amount of time we had, we really captured all the highlights of these countries and had some amazing experiences!
We spent the first 3 weeks on tour with Contiki and then we travelled independently through southern Italy taking in all the sights, we used local trains, and hired a car through Sicily. We then welcomed our Royal Caribbean- Mediterranean, 12 day cruise, it was a great way to relax and unwind after our hectic travels. After our cruise we flew to Ireland and Scotland to visit family and friends before our long flight home. I’d love to share all my experiences with you, so if you are thinking of travelling to Europe let me know and I can certainly put together a great itinerary for you.
As for my favourite places I would say that my favourite beach was Taormina in Sicily. Prague, London and Paris were definitely my favourite cities, with so much history and things to see and do. Switzerland was my favourite country and boasts landscaped mountains and scenery that just takes your breath away, and of course the best place to have a drink is at the the Temple Bar in Dublin.
Europe has so much to offer every traveler, if you have not been, put it on you’re to do list in 2010!

China

In China everything is different to what we are used to, you need a good sense of humour and adventure to accept history, culture and attitudes so unlike ours. You will certainly see sites and experience smells which you will not see in Australia so don’t be too surprised. Although China is booming and developing it still lacks some international standards of infrastructure, toilets can be very basic. I would highly recommend an escorted tour, Wendy Wu Tours employ English speaking guides and local guides at every city who are very professional, knowledgeable and helpful.
In November I was invited to attend the Wendy Wu Mega Famil alongside Agents from all over Australia and South Africa. We flew into Shanghai via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific. Shanghai is a bustling, contemporary city with history, style and culture. There we saw the Yu Garden, Yuan Bazaar, Nanjing Road, (the world’s longest shopping street attracting 1 million visitors per day), Jin Mao Tower, China’s third tallest skyscraper. On the eastern side of Huangpu River, Pudong is full of skyscrapers and the financial hub of Shanghai. Shanghai is also the hometown of Jackie Chan and this year will host a world expo from May through to October. Before our flight to Xian we took the Maglev train to Pudong airport, the journey takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the distance of 30km, the train reached 431 km an hour ( I have the photo to prove it).
Xian is located on the banks of the Yellow River and has a history dating back to 1000BC, it was also the starting point of the Silk Road. Xian’s ancient city wall is the best persevered in all of China and has one of the largest military defensive systems in the world. One of the highlights of the trip was going to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb had an army to protect him in the afterlife. Thousands of workers worked for more than a decade to create the life sized army. Altogether over 7 000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons have been unearthed from the pits.
As the saying goes “you have not been to China until you have climbed the Great Wall”. A must do when in Beijing, China’s capital, the panoramic views from the wall are amazing and then you imagine all the hard work that went into the construction of the wall. After the exhausting walk on a section of the 5000km wall, we visited the 2008 Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre.
China a must do on your travel list!