Good Morning. It's now almost a full month since my lovely friend Sarah arrived in Yorkshire from Australia and we began our 11 day adventure whilst she was over in Europe. Many people have asked me about our trip so I have tried to create a little overview for you in one blog post. Very difficult when I have so many selfies photos to choose from. I earned the trip on a cruise round the Med with Stampin Up a good while ago and Sarah just missed out on earning the very same trip. As Mr K was unable to come with me due to looking after the boys, one with exams, I asked him if he minded if I asked Sarah to be my guest as I was desperate to see her again and knew how much a trip to Europe would mean to her, having never been at all before. After much planning and anticipation the day came round fairly quickly and on Weds 18th May we set off to collect Sarah from Manchester airport, complete with Aussie style hats and a flag!
It was an emotional reunion. After over 2 years of talking on Skype and Facebook I could hardly believe that Sarah was here in person and admit to looking at her constantly to make sure she was real!
Once we got home and had lunch Sarah was keen to head down to my craft studio and we had an impromptu afternoon tea whilst we crafted. I put Sarah straight to work on card making for my class on the Friday.
On the Thursday I had arranged for a trip on the train to York with an afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel, which was just lovely. We wandered the streets of York and soaked in the atmosphere and lost count of the times that Sarah remarked on everything being "so english". I must admit that showing Sarah my home town and little bits of Yorkshire has made me see everything in a whole new light, from a new pair of eyes. We take for granted the greenery and endless fields that we have, whilst also being very close to a large city.
Thursday night involved a lovely meal out with friends and on Friday it was all about stamping and running my last class before we headed for Barcelona on the Saturday morning.
Even though Barcelona is only a 2 hour plane ride away, we ended up having to take 2 flights with a 3 hour gap in between so our journey ended up taking most of the day. We arrived in Barcelona at tea time and spent the evening seeing other lovely demonstrators and having some food before our "Epic" journey the next day. We checked in very smoothly onto the Norwegian Epic ship around lunchtime, so exciting.
We had a lovely cabin with a balcony and luckily we had no issues with the fact that there was barely any gap between the beds at all, well maybe about 5mm!
Spending time in such a confined environment could have taken its toll but we never stopped giggling all week, often at the most random of things and such great fun was had. Monday was an at sea day and involved a lazier day, but did include a visit to the gym and a lovely evening watching the Cirque Dreams and Dinner show.
Tuesday was our much anticipated trip over to the island of Capri and we were so disappointed that the trip had to be cancelled due to rough seas. Everything turned out well and we had a private trip around the Amalfi coast, Sorrento and Positano with a lovely taxi guy Massimo.
Of course you have to partake in the lovely gelato on these occasions!
Wednesday saw us head into Rome for a tour of some of the highlights of Rome. Was a much hotter day in Rome and very busy but wonderful to see such amazing sights.
Thursday was Florence day and I was on a mission to get Sarah to treat herself to an Italian leather handbag. After a few hours we were successful in said mission and she has returned to Australia with the most lovely soft leather bag.
We had many lovely party nights, seeing shows and we danced until the balls of our feet were throbbing. I thought I would share these photos, the second of which is hilarious. These are our photos of the beginning of the night and the end of the night! We were at a glow stick dance party on an outside deck of the ship, such a fun evening!
Stampin Up really spoiled us this year with the gifts, which all arrived in these wonderful decorated boxes. We received some amazing things, including products and gifts. I have added a photo of all the loot once I got home, however the biggest gift of all was getting to spend so many wonderful days with my lovely friend Sarah. Thank you to my wonderful team members, my amazing class attendees and fabulous shoppers who help me to achieve the wonderful things I have experienced. I truly am so grateful to you all.
Before long I had to say goodbye to Sarah (twice). Was very emotional but we have so many lovely memories. Thank you Sarah for being the perfect travel companion. Best Week Ever!
What a lovely blog post Julie. It seems a great time was had by all! It was great to read about your week. Well done on your achievements. Xx
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