When we finally arrived at the Colosseum we did a walking tour of the Roman Ruins with a local guide. Along the tour we saw such wonders as the Arch of Constantine, the Roman Forum and the Monument to Emanuele as well as hearing some of the history about the Collosseum.

After we finished the tour, Josh took us to the Vatican City. As we didn't have a lot of time we headed directly for the Sistine Chapel and were amazed by the artwork we saw on the way to the Chapel. The Chapel itself is absolutely amazing. It is hard to believe the logistics of actually painting such a masterpiece which contains approximately 300 different scenes and figures. It also contains such notable works as the creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood. It also includes the painting, The Last Judgment. The work is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. The Last Judgment is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. The souls of humanity rise and descend to their fates as judged by Christ and his saintly entourage. It is a breath taking piece of artwork.

After the Sistine Chapel we were able to go through the group entrance into St Peter's Basilica which is the Pope's principal church. There are over 100 tombs located within St. Peter's Basilica and some of these include 91 popes. It has the capacity to hold 60,000 people and is regularly used for services.

After the Vatican City we headed back into Rome to have some lunch before a group of us went to see the Colosseum. We both really wanted to see the inside and although we were short of time we are so glad that we did. The Colosseum was originally capable of seating 45,000-50,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. Although heavily damaged over the years, there are alot of remaining structures that help to depict what the Colosseum would have been like in Imperial times. It was definately a highlight of our time in Rome.

After the Colosseum we went to see the Capuchin Monks which is a collection of over 4,000 bones of Monks that have been creatively displayed into different displays. Even the light fixtures have been created out of the bones of the Monks. It was very interesting although a little creepy.

We decided that we would walk to the Spanish Steps and after seeing the Steps, we walked down Via Codotti and Via del Corso two of the main streets in Rome before heading back to the Colosseum where the remainder of the group was waiting to go back to the hotel.

Arriving at the hotel we had a quick dinner before collapsing into bed. It was a very long, busy day but we saw so much and are so glad that we had the opportunity and experience. Rome was definately a highlight of our trip.

Monday 22nd January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After arriving home in the early hours of this morning we were up again to do a short orientation of the city with our tour guide before attending a leather demonstration.

After the leather demonstration we headed to the Galleria Dell Accademia to see the statue of David along the way we were able to see the Duomo. Michelangelo's David, sculpted from 1500 to 1504, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture and one of Michelangelo's two greatest works. It is a massive 5.17 meter marble statue that portrays the Biblical King David at the moment that he decides to do battle with Goliath. It is absolutely massive and it is hard to fathom the logistics of creating such an iconic piece of artwork. The attention to detail is mind boggling!

After seeing the statue of David we returned to Piazza della Signoria for our walking tour with a local guide. The tour included the Diffizzi Galleri, The Ponte Vechicco Bridge, Palazzas Vechicco and then the Duomo but we left the tour before arriving at the Duomo as we had already seen it and we still had to manage to fit in some lunch before meeting back at the bus.

After the walking tour and lunch we all headed up to the lookout where we had a group photo overlooking Florence. We then made our way through the Italian country side and into Rome.

When we arrived in Rome, Josh, our tour guide conducted a walking tour of Rome which included the Colosseum, Vetorino, Trevi Fountain, Column of Marcus Aurelius, the Pantheon and the Temple of Hadrian before finishing in Piazza Navona where we had dinner.

Sunday 21st January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After leaving our hotel this morning it was a short drive before we stopped for a special demonstration at a perfume factory called Fragonards. It was really interesting to learn about how perfume is made and what is required in order to make it. It was one of the better demonstrations we had although the smell was extremely overpowering and when we were taken into the gift shop and allowed to try some of the samples we were a little alarmed after Katie developed a strong reaction to the scents. We declined on the offer to purchase!

Safely back on the bus, and with no permanent damage, we spent travelled through the amazing landscape of coastal France before decending into Italy. We went through something like 192 tunnels during our travels along the coastline so when we finally arrived at our afternoon stop, we were all very relieved.

Our afternoon stop was the little town of Pisa which is most famous for its Leaning Tower and we quickly filed off the bus to get the photo opportunities. It was especially significant to Katie as she has baby photographs of her in her baby carrier on her mums back as they climbed precariously up the inside of the tower.

Unfortunately we were not able to climb the inside of the tower due to time constraints but it has been re-opened to climbers after a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilisation efforts. As we didnt have alot of time in Pisa we took the obligatory photographs before returning to the bus and making our way into Florence.

Tonight we had an amazing Tuscan dinner (one of the best on the tour) which included an Opera singer and musical entertainment. After dinner we all headed off to Space Disco Tech a mazzive nightclub where we were able to dance the night away.

Saturday 20th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Today was possible one of the nicest days we have had one tour and after our first and only late start of the entire tour we walked along the Promenade des Anglais which runs along the beach. It was an amazing day although not warm enough to tempt us to go swimming. Nice is one of those cities that enjoys a pebbled beach and some of the areas along the beach are reserved for 'hotel guests' which translates into 'those with money' and since we were not dressed for the occassion we were quite happy to observe the wonderful views.

After walking along the Promenade we found a great local flower and food market which was an amazing thing to see. Completely run by locals we were able to sample different types of food (mostly olives) and see all kinds of beautiful flowers and we both felt very cultural for the experience. We decided that we would have some lunch overlooking the market in this great cafe and feeling very french we ordered the traditional food - Crepes!

After lunch we reluctantly walked up the hill the Le Chateux which offers amazing views of Nice and of the water looking back towards Cannes. We got some fantastic photos before heading back into the city down Avenue Jean Medecin which also happens to be the shopping avenue of Nice.

For tonights entertainment we headed to Monaco and had a fantastic Montesque dinner before viewing the Palace du Prince and views out over Monaco. We then headed into the city centre and visited some Casinos although we avoided going into the Grand Casino as just the entry fee was $10 Euro. Monaco is an amazing place and is the world's most densely populated country and second-smallest independent nation; with a population of just 32,410 and an area of 1.95 square kilometers. It also boasts more millionaires per capita than any other country and relised heavily on its casinos for revenue. Another great thing about Monaco is that its residents dont pay any taxes so we are under the distinct feeling that the casinos help out alot!

Friday 19th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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At one of our stops today we were able to visit a walled city in France called Aigue Mortes. Unfortuently most of the city was closed but we were able to walk around for a while and we found a great little cafe that was able to make us some pizza's for lunch before we needed to get back on the bus again. It was a shame that most of the stores were closed as the city seemed to have alot to offer and it really was like stepping back in time.

After arriving in Nice we went to dinner at a wonderful restaurantbefore heading out to see the local nightlife.

Thursday 18th January remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After breakfast this morning we started our tour of Barcelona which included such sights as: Montjuic, the Olympic Stadium, the Waterfront area of Barcelona, the Arch de Triomphe of Barcelona and the National Palace.

After our city tour we watched a leather demonstration before taking a walking tour of the city with our tour guide Josh. Josh took us to see the Placa de Catalunya, the Cathderal, Palaca de Ray, Temple of Augustus and St. Philipe Nero. The amount of history in this place is truely amazing!

After finishing our walking tour we were able to explore the city ourselves and we headed down Las Ramblas which stretches from Placa de Catalunya to Monument a Colom and is a 1.2 Km walkway through the very heart of the city centre. Here you are able to see all sorts of stalls, restaurants, bars and street performers along with the many thousands of people on the promenade. It is a very weird and wonderful place.

After strolling down Las Ramblas we stopped for a quick bite of very late lunch before returning to the hotel as Katie was feeling a little unwell. While Katie rested Kylie headed down to the internet to update the website before returning to the hotel to get ready for tonights entertainment - A Flamenco Show!

Upon arriving at the Flamenco show was were treated to an amazing 4 course meal including the local speciality - Paella (either Chicken or Seafood variety - the chicken was better!) while watching the local family perform. Flamenco involves the use of the body, the feet and the hands to protray the message of the dance. It also uses the music to portray the mood and the performers we all very accomplished as they showed us each different element to flamenco dancing. Once again another wonderful experience!

Wednesday 17th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After arriving in Barcelona we headed straight to see Gaudi's famous La Sagrada Familia which is a large Roman Catholic basilica that is still under construction today and is unlikely to be finished until 2026 which also happens to be the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death, although the likelihood of meeting this date is disputed. Considering that construction began in 1883 it is possible the longest running construction project ever, and to be totally honest both of us struggled to see validity of such ongoing construction. It was amazing to see, although neither of really liked it all that much, but we can both appreciate the enormity of the project and the amazing detail and vision needed for such a project.

After the Familia we headed to the hotel where we were able to find internet and check our emails as we were feeling a little cut off from the outside world before having dinner in the hotel.

Tuesday 16th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Today one of our stops was at Fountain Bleu where we were able to view the Chateux of Fountain Bleu which is an amazing Chateux with breath taking gardens. The gardens are absolutely massive and expand for as far as the eye can see. We were able to walk around a very small part of the gardens before heading back to the bus to continue our journey into Lyon.

Upon a arriving in Lyon we checked into the hotel before walking through the Historic area of Lyon where we had dinner. We were both very courageous a tried the French delicacy Escargot (snails) cooked in garlic and parsley. It was definately an experience and they actually tasted alright (kind of like Mussels) although we dont think we will be trying them again any time soon.

Monday 15th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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This morning after breakfast we headed into Paris for our free day to explore the city. As it was a Sunday, our first stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral. As the Cathedral closes to tourists after 9.30am for private services we luckily arrived in the nick of time and were able to enter the Cathedral just as the service began. It was amazing to walk around inside as the serivce progressed, listening to the amazing vocals which echo through the Cathedral. The Cathedral has amazing stained glass windows and it is a truely beautiful sight.

After Notre Dame, we headed along the River Seine to the Louve Museum. We were told that the lines would be quite large but when we arrived we were able to walk straight into the Museum and purchase tickets in a matter of minutes. Our first stop in the Museum was naturally the Mona Lisa. It is an amazing sights and we are still not sure if she is smiling or not, a true mystery. We then visited Venus de Milo before venturing to Napoleons Appartments and then French Gardens. We could have spent an entire day at the Louve alone but as we were running out of time we headed outside to Rue de Rivoli where we had a quick bite to eat.

After lunch we mistakenly found ourselves outside Jardin Du Luxembourg which is a famous Parisian park where the locals love to hang out. It was beautiful day in Paris and so the locals were out in force and as we strolled through the park we were taken back by the fact that we were in Paris hanging out with the locals.

After leaving the park we walked around the Place de la Concorde before deciding to head back to the park for a few minutes before catching the bus. We had originally decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower but after careful consideration and as we were running out of time we decided to sit in the park instead and get more a feel for the local life. We found ourselves some chairs and arranged ourselves in front of the pond where we were able to write a few postcards and enjoy the wonderful sunny day. We then headed back to our meeting point to catch the bus.

After returning to the hotel we quickly changed before we headed to our nightime entertainment - The Moulin Rouge.

Moulin Rouge was absolutely amazing. Words cannot explain how wonderful the show was and it was definately a highlight for us both. The show is definately entertaining with various acts including dancing, contortionists, magic shows and multiple variety acts, an all round entertainment extravaganza.

After the show we headed to the bar next door where some of the dancers from the show tend to go after their performances and we were able to see some of them there. After a quick drink we headed back to the hotel where we collapsed into bed after an exhausting day.

Sunday 14th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We woke early this morning and checked into our tour before boarding the bus and traveling across the english country side and into Dover. In Dover we had our passports checked by immigration and we then boarded the bus which then boarded the Ferry which took an hour and a half to arrive in Calais. We then drove through the French country side and on into Paris all the while listening to our orientation speech for the contiki tour. Upon arriving in Paris we checked into the hotel and had some dinner before we did a night time tour of the city.

The tour included icons such as: Arch de Triomphe, Champs Elysse, Palace de la Concorde, Notre Dame Cathederal, the Louve Museum and Mussee Dorsey before taking us to the Eiffel Tower. We arrived just as the Eiffel Tower was doing its hourly sparkel which was an amazing sight to arrive to and everyone quickly scrambled for their cameras.

We waited patiently in line to ascend to the third floor of the Tower but as we were given a deadline in which we needed to be back on the bus we arrived at the top of the Tower with about 6 minutes in which to 'enjoy' the views before starting our decent back down. It was rather disappointing not to be able to spend much time at the top as the views are amazing but the experience was still fantastic. We arrived back at the bus with seconds to spare before we returned to the hotel (minus a rather large group who were not able to make it back down in time!) where we headed straight to bed.

Saturday 13th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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St. Pauls is an amazing place and alot of money has been spent on the Cathederal to restore it to its former glory, although this makes it quite expensive to enter and we decided that we would not go inside as we would be seeing so many Cathederals during our travels through Europe.

We then headed down to the Tower of London which has had many uses throughout its history and still houses many employees (called Beefeaters) who operate tours through the complex exploring its deep history. The tour lasted just over an hour after which we went to see the Crown Jewels which were amazing. We were very lucky that there was not a big crowd so we were able to view the Jewels quite easily and linger over them which was quite an experience.

After the Tower of London and a quick bite to eat we headed down to Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was absolutely beautiful and a very humbling experience. We were able to walk through most of the Abbey and see some historical sites including where Queen Elizabeth I is buried and also Poet Corner which includes such literary icons as John Dryden, Tennyson, Robert Browning and John Masefield. Many writers, including William Camden, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy are also buried here. The Abbey is also where every monarch since William the Conqueror, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII who were never crowned, has been crowned in the Abbey. It was an amazing experience.

After the Abbey we quickly rushed back to check into the Hotel and get ready for our Contiki Meeting. After the meeting we almost ran to the closest laundry to do some much needed washing as we were informed that laundry services would be in short supply. After spending an enormous amount of time, and half of our yearly savings (laundry in London is expensive!) we checked our emails and had some dinner before retiring to bed for an early start the next morning.

Friday 12th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Again this morning we boarded the Orginial Bus Tour of London as we had a two day ticket and we headed down to the London Dungeon. It was extremely scary but very entertaining. We were both scared out of our wits for the duration of the show with poor Katie covering under her jacket for some of it. After the frightful experience at the London Dungeon, we drove over Tower Bridge and past the Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, the Bank of England, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament before hoping off at west end. We had a quick dinner at a lovely Thai restraint before going to see The Phantom of the Opera. It was an amazing show!

Thursday 11th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Wednesday 10th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Tuesday 9th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Monday 8th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After our walk through the park, Annika had arranged to for us to meet some of her friends and we had a scrumptious cake Annika had made for us. It was great to meet some of Annika’s friends and here about Annika’s time in Australia. We spent the remainder of the afternoon with the family before having some dinner and watching a movie and then heading off to bed.

Sunday 7th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Arriving at our hostel in what was a long but fast journey, we tried to check inbut we told that we couldn check in until 1pm. And since the shops and attractions didnt open until 9 or 10am we settled on the couch for some sleep. We woke up exactly at 1pm having completely over slept and both with raging headaches we checked into our rooms and climbed into bed for the next few hours. The jet lag had really kicked in!

We woke up later that evening and went down stairs for dinner before having showers and catching some more sleep (cause we hadnt slept enough!). We both fell straight to sleep so obviously we needed it!

Saturday 6th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We caught a shuttle to airport which was rather interesting with 11 people in the shuttle all with bags and some with 2 bags each. We eneded up having bags stuffed in every available space in the van and it was a long tight trip to the airport! We checked in for our flight and Katie got one of the last remaining checkin seats meaning Kylie had to get her seat assignment at the boarding checkin. The flight was overbooked so Kylie was very stressed about missing her flight and hounded the boarding checkin ladies for a seat which she eventually got but was seated as far away from Katie as possible. All was fine until boarding and Katie discovered someone else in her seat and they soon worked out that they had both been check into the same seat so the hostess dragged Katie down the plane to the only available seat which just so happened to be next to Kylie! What luck!

The flight was fairly short and we were given dinner quickly followed what seemed like only an hour later, breakfast. The flight was quite quick and we didnt get much sleep at all. Hallo Germany!

Friday 5th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Today we headed down to Wall Street and then went to the Rockefeller Centre where we did the Top of The Rock tour which basically means going to the top of the building and looking out on the city. Since we had seen the city from the Empire State Builing at night it was great to see it during the day and in all honesty it was probably better from the Rock. You got amazing views of Central Park from the Rock that oyu didnt get from Empire State. We stayed at the Rockefeller Centre for a while before decending and looking around the building including the famous skating ring. We were going to go ice skating but the line was huge and neither of us wanted to make idiots of ourselves in front of all those people!

We then did some (window) shopping along 5th Avenue before arriving at Central Park where we took a Horse and Carriage ride through the park. It was really beautiful and a great experience.

Since we hadn´t had lunch yet we went to a restruant for dinner before heading back to the hostel to pack our bags and then bed.

Thursday 4th January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Wednesday 3rd January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Tuesday 2nd December 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After the tour we went to Times Square for some shopping and then we had dinner at a place called Applebees which is a really american restraunt. It is amazing how much time flie when your having fun!

Monday 1st January 2007 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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This morning was had a great breakfast in the cafe next to our hostel and then we headed off on a walking tour across the Brooklyn Bridge. The Bridge itself is about 1 mile (or 2.4 km for everyone in Australia) but it was well worth the effort. It is a beautiful bridge. After arriving on the other side we went to lunch at a place called Juniors which is well known for its cheesecake. We tried a cheesecake which wasnt really that nice but still we at it all!

After lunch we headed to times square to see what was happening with New Years and once there we decided that with all the people flowing in we had better pick a spot and stay there. That was fine except that most places were blocked off so we walked for blocks before we found one that was open and we were not allowed to go in because we had backpacks. In times square they put up huge barriers which are like pens and they lock you in! So we kept going up the street until we turned the corner and got onto broadway which was not so heavily patrolled and we strolled right down the street (by this time we had hidden the backpacks under our clothing) and managed to make it into the same pen that the girls we had left behind had made it too. Freaky conicidence considering there was 1 millon people there and we found the girls within the first five minutes!

We then settled in for the long 7 hour wait for new years. As time went on we slowly got packed closer and closer and at new years it went completely balistic! It was an awsome experience but we probably wont be repeating it again next year. 1 million people is alot and getting back to the hotel was difficult we were didnt even attempt a taxi or the subway, we walked the entire 25 plus blocks back to the hotel. So overall, we walked over 5 kms that day! We finished off the evening with some of the girls and a quick snack before going upstairs for bed!

Sunday 31st December 2006 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After finishing the meeting we headed out to the buses and towards the Statue of Liberty and stood in line for 2 hours to get onto the boat. We walked around the Island and saw the statue (obviously since it is so huge), and we had our group photo taken at the statue of liberty as well. We then got back on the boat and headed back to Manhattan to start our tour of the city. We went to the Ground Zero site which is under construction and then we had lunch. We started our tour and drove through areas such as: Greenwich Village, Bleecker Street, NYU University, Broadway, Soho, Canal Street, Chinatown, the Tribeca Area, Wall Street, St. Pauls Capel, Tiffany´s and the Trump Towers, St. Patricks Cathederal, Rockefeller Centre, Empire State Building, Central Park, Upper West Side, Harlem, 5th Avenue, Museum Mile, and Upper East Side. Phew, what a tour!

After our tour we checked into the Hotel and then went to dinner at Caliente Cab Co. where we had mexican style food. After dinner we went to the Empire State building to stand in line for another 2 hours before making it to the top. It was so cold we barely took pictures before our hands froze over but the view was beautiful!

After the empire state we piled into a limo (yes we travel in style) and headed to this night club called Coyote Ugly which is actually very similar to the movie. Although getting there in a limo is nice and all we swear the limo was owned by the mafia as we were sure we were being kidnapped and were taken to the back streets of we have no idea where before we finally made it to the cab. Scary!

The bar was nice but it was now midnight and everyone was heading off to another club and we both decided that enough was enough and went back to the hotel to enjoy our creature comforts we missed so much!

Saturday 30th December 2006 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Friday 29th December 2006 remains copyright of the author kyliesyme, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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