Donna Webeck

Freelance Writer ~ Copywriter

Europe Encountered – The French Finale

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Sunset, Eiffel Tower Style

Tis time to fill you all in on the French Finale, which will draw a long overdue close to this novel-like travel reflection. Drum roll please…….  


Day 10 dawned on our merry little Contiki crew, many of us greeting the day with heavy heads as a result of over inebriation from the previous night’s onslaught at Space Electronic. Needless to say, the bus trip from Italy to France would have to go down as the quietest in all the sixteen days as there was not a soul on the bus (except for Pete the bus driver of course!) who wasn’t feeling any ill effects from the night before. Sleep had been in desperate short supply, and it was as if we all just hit the wall simultaneously!

However, once we caught that elusive first glimpse of the stunning aqua blue Mediterranean Sea, we sprang to life as the realisation of where we were about to embark was upon us…..two nights on the famous French Riviera. Ahh… Bliss…   

As our bus weaved its way down and around the winding road we each oohed and aahed at the magnificence of the scenery and silently pondered just how fabulously the other half (that being the extremely wealthy half) lived.   

That night we visited the principality of Monaco, and after dining in Monte Carlo, sat sipping cocktails in a casino that overlooked the spectacular harbour, Mohammed Al Fayed’s yacht swaying delicately in all its majestic glory, seemingly gloating at we mere plebs.  

Our respective reverie’s broken, we boarded the bus again and were treated to a trip around the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit, and although the Rainbow Bus could not quite match it with the makes of Mikka, to Pete’s credit, he certainly did his best to imitate those mad racing moguls, screeching the breaks, squealing the tyres, and answering our chants for more by revving the bus to its max.   Slowing down to a calmer speed, we drove by the Royal Palace of Monaco, and noted with interest that the royal flags was flying, an indication that the family was in residence that night. And considering this was a decade prior to playboy Price Albert’s wedding you can imagine the excitement this caused for some of the girls travelling with us.  

We continued on partying to the early hours of the morning at a local nightclub, with the enticing thought of having a full day off the next day keeping the adrenaline pumping. It didn’t matter that I had had about a total of three or four hours sleep in two days – I had all day to lay in the dazzling sunshine the next day to soothe my sore bones, and recharge and revitalise for the last few days on tour.  

Sunning ourselves on one of the most famous stretches
of coastline in the world: The French Riviera

And, oh, what a glorious way to spend a Sunday! At 11am we sauntered down from our closeby hotel to the one of the world’s most well known stretches of coastline, where the famous frolic, and the powerful people play, accompanied on this day by a small group of Contikians trying their hand at imitating this luxuriating lifestyle.   We lolled about on deckchairs, alternating between soaking up the divine sunshine, and diving into the refreshing sea all day long and just when we felt as if we had successfully mastered the technique of being waited on, it was sadly time to go…  


Raw from the excessive exposure to sunlight meant that the next day was a bit of a struggle for me. My skin had succumbed to the “Pommy Factor” after living in London, and it did not handle the sudden change to climate too well.  A few good lashings of Aloe Vera were indeed in order so as to enable me to even walk!  

We called in to the Papal City Avignon and witnessed the Palace of the Popes as we strolled through the busy streets. The heat was stifling, and the air conditioning of the bus was never more than a blessing than on this afternoon as we headed north towards Lyon. 

I was really quite taken with pretty little town, strolling through its centre til we found somewhere special to eat a fantastic and hugely filling dinner, washing it down with a couple of bottles of sweet wine. It was here I decided to stretch my rather limited palette and attempt to devour a traditional French delicacy – snails! I have to admit I was more than a little dubious as Roberto passed me the fork laden with a tiny sample of this slimy cuisine. Squeezing my eyes shut, and willing myself not to think about the fact that I was about to eat something that was commonly found in my parent’s garden, I took the plunge and bit into it. And, surprise, surprise, I loved it!  

The Golden City of Paris was to greet us the next day and from the very first glance of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, I became totally entranced with this pristine city. I know without a moment’s doubt in my mind that this was my favourite destination, as I was utterly overcome with awe each and every time we passed yet another famous landmark. It was just divine.  

Climbing the Eiffel Tower too, was mind-blowing! Being up there it felt as if I was finally fulfilling a dream. This was something I had always hoped to do, and thank God my vertigo didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the outlook from the top. I was just so entranced any queasy thoughts vanished!

In the evening we were treated to a twilight tour around the main monuments of Paris. And the final effect – it further fashioned my love for this city that was just so swollen with patriotic pride. 

Group shot in front of Paris’s most
famous attraction

 We had the whole of the next day to envelope ourselves in the ambience of Gay Paree, visiting the gothic, yet overpoweringly beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral (at the time declaring this was where I’d be holding my future wedding, no less!), climbed the horrendous amount of winding stairs to reach to top of the Arc De Triomphe, strolled down the Champs Ellyses, and can now also lay claim to the fact that I have witnessed the enigmatic Mona Lisa up close in all her surreal mystery whilst at the Louvre. To actually get close enough to get to the front of the queue required the implementation of some of my ‘Tube Techniques’. ie, elbows out and just push!, and hey presto, you are front and centre!  


The Arc De Triomphe was also an event within itself!!  There is an accident on this most famous roundabout about every six minutes, and after seeing for myself how the crazy French motorists drive, I am not surprised! We witnessed many near misses, and it was quite a hilarious spectacle to behold from the safety of our high deck bus. (Though I would not have liked to be a passenger in any of the cars attempting to safely enter the fray!)   And, I was also not aware until the seconds prior to our turn to negotiate the roadway, that no one was covered by Travel Insurance at this time.  Not a comforting thought if you have no faith in your driver, but Pete, of course, did not let us down!  

And then, before I knew it, the dreaded Day 16 had arrived and it was time to say goodbye to all my fantastic new friends who had become like family to me.   It really was a more sombre mood that day, heightened for me by our stop in at Vimy Ridge, a WWI Canadian War Memorial.

It was eerie as I walked towards the impressive monument, an ominous thunder rumbling in the distance. It was as if one could almost feel the pain still lingering in such a sacred place, the horrific effects of war seizing control the atmosphere for all time. And the undulating fields that surrounded the area as a result of Trench warfare added to the overall poignancy felt as I stood in silence surveying the scene before me. It did not matter that I was wet from the rain falling above; that was nothing compared to the events played out here some 80 odd years before.  

Our final blaze of Glory (and “Safety Dance”!) was to come after we returned to our starting point in London, partying at the London Pub and Cheers Bar, one last assault as a Contiki group and time for some teary goodbyes after one of the most memorable times in my life.

Put your hands in the air like you just dont care...

The 22 year old in me will eternally cherish the carefree days of encountering Europe via Contiki; it was character building and inspiring in every possible way! From what started out something nervously akin to a Year 8 Excursion with all the rules and regulations meted out to us on Day One, we successfully produced many magical moments and amazing friendships that still linger with me a decade on. 


“We can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
And we can dance” *


*(‘Safety Dance’ by Men Without Hats, Contiki Theme song 2001)
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