The Following 11 people are my most respected makers of movies, the people behind the blockbuster hiding behind the camera, In no Paticular order (except for the one's in red who would be in my top 3) heres:

Ridley Scott

An Oscar nominated Director, Scott prides himself with making quality film after quality film throughout his generation. Such c1assics such as Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and of course Bladerunner has been the highlights of his career.

Quentin Tarintino

A man who needs no introduction, QT is a filmaker with guts defying physics, ethics and history in his screenplays. His honourables mentions include Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds.

Francis Ford Coppola

A legendary Director and One of the most influential people of film. Responsible for exploting the talents of Marlon Brando, Giving me my next favourite director and making such films as the Godfather Series and Apocalypse Now.

Sofia Coppola

I absolutley adore her work, each one of her films affecting me in a way I couldnt imagine. an underated director indeed Plus daughter of Francis. Her resume of films include Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides and Marie Anntoinette.

James Cameron

Yep, he had to be on here, even though there are alot of random haters on him for his movie Avatar, I still regard him as one of the best directors of all time. My personal favourites Aliens, Terminator 2, True lies and Avatar are some of the masterpieces he has created.

Stanley Kubrick

Here, the piccasso of filmaking, I hold this man in high reagard, his movies transcends boundaries and have reaccuring themes and motifs that could drive one crazy trying to analyse and depict. His movies are works of art, his artworks include 2001 a space oddessy, A Clockwork orange, The shining and Eyes wide shut

George Lucas

ahem...Star Wars nuff said, but seriously he is the father of the greatest saga of all time and the creator of the special effects company Industrial light and magic. Cool dude!

Steven Speilberg

One of the most reknowned directors of this age, Speilberg truly knows how to make a movie and entertain an audience, movies such as Saving private Ryan, Schindlers List, Jaws and Indiana Jones are just a few of his marvellous accomplishments.

Zack Snyder

A model Director, all directors should be like Zack, and give the people what they want, I mean Watchmen felt like a die hard fan directed it. It was that close to the source matierial, more films of his are 300 and Dawn of the dead.

Christopher Nolan

I feel like this guy can direct anything an make it good, being a literal hero and restoring the Batman films to the glory it should have (take that Joel Shumacher). But yeah he also makes some really intense movies eg. Memento and The prestige.

David Fincher

His gripping Stories and great cinemetography is a recipe for success out of the good filmaking book. His talents have giving us such films as Se7en, Alien 3 and Fight Club.

Fin

I hope you have gained some insight from my Directors, feel free to object or agree or even share your Favs. Oh and have a go and guessing the movies next to the director, first person gets a cookie, they are pretty easy so it wont be choc-chip.

Heres the links to Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them

Now my number 1 all time favorite movie is...











*Drum Roll*

1.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

What can I say, I grew up with Star Wars, my father is a Star Wars fanatic seeing all the sequels in cinema as a child and seeing all the prequels with me as an adult. I have watched the Star Wars saga so many times I have lost count, I have a place in my heart for each of those 6. But to sum it up in one movie and to hold the place for greatest movie ever, it has to go to The Empire Strikes back. Everything about this movie is exceptional in every way.

I could write 60 page essays on this movie. I will do no justice to my liking of this movie by writing about it in this blog. Its that good!

You all know the story, so I'm not going into it. The story is legendary and chains up with all other 5 movies, The characters are superb, feels like they have been with me for a lifetime, acted out perfectly as if they were living thier roles. The directing is excellent, George Lucas is the man and created a beyond a masterpeice film. It has the most memorable scenes and quotes in this movie, my favorite scenes are;

1. The Hoth battle
2. Luke Vs. Darth
3. meeting Master Yoda

Whoever you are I'm sure you have heard of Star Wars. They Truly are magical movies that will be a milestone in cinema to be talked about for thousands of years ahead. Here's the order I would put the 6 in, you already know 2 of them.

1. Empire Strikes Back, 2, Revenge of the Sith, 3. A New Hope, 4. Return Of The Jedi, 5. tie Between The Phantom Menace and Attack Of the Clones.

The Empire Strikes back truly has it all and honors the saga and film. Revenge of the Sith was great but The Force is strong with this one...

That Concludes my Top 11 Films of all time, hope you enjoyed it.

Make sure to Read Part 1 if you missed it.

Part 2



3.

The Dark Knight (2008)
This may be a cliche among top movie lists, but still this is one top movie, pushing the boundaries of cinema and making a cinematic god of a film. This heavyweight title was a blast from beginning to end. This is truly the ultimate Batman film overshadowing all predecessors and in that fact the ultimate Hero/comic book flick. Christopher Nolan has brought Batman back to its peak following the disaster of the Joel Shumacher movies (also in my "to kill list")

The plot follows the vigilante Batman (Christian Bale) as he follows the chaos and destruction of the anarchist and ultimate arch nemesis of the dark knight...the joker (Heath Ledger), this is the darkest batman movie out and it shows. The roles are acted out perfectly and Heath Ledgers performance is exceptional being the outshine of the bunch. The Cinematography is beautiful giving wide and awesome shots of the recreation of Gotham city. And the music and score is just phenomenal and really gives more weight to the movie. All these factors contribute to the excellence that this movie is, that's why i love it and that's why it deserves the number 3 spot.

2.

Aliens (1986)
James Cameron is a brilliant director not only giving me my number 5 spot but now second place. Aliens is an example of a perfected movie, this is the greatest sequel ever made ( except for my #1 spot ) It gives the perfect mix of horror, action and suspense. I completely love this movie, in my eyes it has no flaws, it is just a perfect movie which I feel cinema has learned and developed off, you could even say games as well like Dead Space.

The plot continues from Ridley Scotts Alien, when contact is lost on the colinized planet LV-426, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and highly trained colonial marines initiate a rescue mission. Sigourney Weaver seriously kicks ass in this movie, every line and facial expression is done perfectly. The story is mindblowing, the twists and turns the plot takes is incredible. The Aliens are so terrifying in this movie and the effects have stood the test of time. This movie is incredible to say the least, I could go on and on about how great the film is...but I think you get the point.

Number 1...Part 3

Enough about games...until Mass Effect 2 of course, pre-ordered and all just to let you know. Time to explore the realm of Cinema, specifically my tastes...Not yours!

Im splitting this blog into 3 parts
Part 1: 11-4
Part 2: 3-2
Part 3: 1

Here it goes, my Top 11 Movies of all time. Why 11?, cause I like to go one step beyond!
In honor of my favorite Movie critic; Doug walker (AKA the Nostalgia Critic)

Part 1.

11.

Se7en (1995)
Se7en was just exceptional, it did one hell of a number on me and left me speechless at the end. Its a movie that keeps you alert but vunerable to any shock that comes along the way. The plot involves two cops hunting for a muderer using the 7 deadly sins as his motives. Its edgy and its dark and really affected me, following a perfect cast as Morgan freeman and Brad pitt as the investigators. The story is pure genius along the same lines as Death note and Saw.

10.

Bladerunner (1982)
Bladerunner is amazing, this movie presents a haunting depiction of LA in a punk future, Corruption and fear spread the city as all respectable beings have fled to off world colonies leaving all the scum and villainy on earth to rot, Harrison Ford plays a Bladerunner a bounty hunter specialing in killing Replicants, artificial humans programmed to serve. Something about this movie seemed so Dark and even chilling, it presents themes like what it means to be human and what is the meaning of life in an evil reality. The cinematography is mindblowing, every shot is dark and bland with rain immersing you in the feel of hopelessness among the people. Even though this movie is a tad dated, it is still a movie the proves movies get better with age.

9.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of the Sith (2005)
Let me explain, This movie was Excellent and seriously was so much better than I had anticipated, The story is complete Hysteria and showed the downfall of Anikan Skywalker and how he turned to the dark side of the force. You know why I love this movie so much, cause when comparing this to the first 2, this is a masterpiece. The first 2 weren't THAT bad even though 2 characters from the movies made it on my "To kill list" (one small annoying boy and one CGI alien) its just that they did no justice to the sequels which Episode 3 did. In all seriousness this was a well done movie I will always cherish

8.

Lost In Translation (2003)
This Movie is just so unique, it keeps you thinking, even now as I'm writing I'm still thinking about it, Bill Murray plays a depressed middle aged married man tied down by life who goes on a business trip to Japan(perfect setting much) to shoot commercials for this foreign city, and in the midst of loneliness meets Charlotte played by Scarlett Johansson who is a neglected wife searching for life's answers. This isn't a romantic love story, its like a life experience through connections. I was so surprised how much I liked this movie. Its a movie I can relate with and in which defys the moral principals in set. I love this movie and whats not to love; Japan, Scarlett, dialogue, its all there.

7.

Back To the Future (1985)
Pure Entertainment, this movie is just so enjoyable and fun. Micheal J Fox plays Marty McFly a 80's teenager sent back to the 1950's by a time machine built by his mad scientist friend, Dr.Emmet Brown played by Christopher Lloyd where both performances are so brilliant they provided me with plenty of laughs and acted this movie out so well. The whole premise is so smart and witty involving the space time continuum and contrasting the past to the future, where Marty accidentally prevents his parents from ever meeting leaving is whole exsistance at stake. And surprisingly the story adds up quite well with little to no plot holes. This movie is a c1assic and will never get old.

6.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
This film is a genuine masterpeice, no words can really describe the intense feelings I felt tjrough this film, The film showed the dirty realism of World war 2, the realistic violent way speilberg portrays this film makes the messages he sends very powerful. The camera work is inspiring adding more weight to the story, Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller who he and his band of US soldiers travel across enemy infested territory in Normandy to rescue a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. This is tom hanks finest film and it shows

5.

Avatar (2009)
Ok, ok this is kinda naive for me, I feel bad for placing this film so high since its pretty recent, but truly this was a fantastic movie,I'm a fan of James Cameron so I knew that it would be good, but not this good. Its a revolutionary movie not only visually spellbinding but how the world JC created feels living and breathing is amazing. The story and characters revolve around Jake Sully who travels to a planet called Pandora to negotiate with natives using Avatars. Its clear that this is a instant c1assic and alot of effort was put into this. Not only was this a great movie but an amazing experience.

4.

Watchmen (2009)
I cant tell you enough how much I like this movie, I was always a fan of the graphic novel having read it quite a number of times. The movie is very faithful to the comic having very little differences besides the ending. The Characters are the best Ive seen in any movie each having a psychological flaw, each actor playing the role perfectly for the movie. The movie is set in 1985, the threat of nuclear annihilation is in notion, a former colleague of the vigilante Rorshach is killed which sends him to uncover the truth, unraveling conspiracy's along the way. The directing and screenplay is terrific and it looks so good. The movie questions justice and right and wrong, and what it means to really save the world in a alternate 1985.


3,2...next part

Game of the year Awards 2009 pt.2 - For the Win, runner ups & honourable mentions, disappointments and year in review.

The Top 5 of 2009 stand at;

5. Infamous
4. Uncharted 2
3. Halo 3:ODST
2. Call of Duty:MW2

And my Number 1 Game of the year is...

1. Assassins Creed 2

The Assassins Creed 2, not only was this game my most hyped for this year, my game of E3 but it is now my Game of 2009. Ubisoft have created a masterpiece, it is an example of a stunning success. No game this year could amount to the awesome that this game holds. I was a fan of Assassins Creed 1 it was good and came in 4th place in my GOTY 2007, there were some major flaws in this game though such as repetitiveness, glitches and having an underwhelming feel to the story and gameplay. For Assassins Creed 2 I found no problems, Ubisoft put in so much effort in assassinating each problem head on creating a really enjoyable game.

One of the Best things about this game is the setting in Europe, Italy. This is the best possible setting they could do, not only am I part Italian and can understand it which is big help in the games dialogue, but if you have been following my blogs you would know that I went to Europe this year and to Italy in the exact same cities as the ones in the games which are Florence, Tuscany, Venice and Rome. You could say that this added more of a hype to the game which is true.

I mean in Florence me and my father walked up the Florence Palazzo Vecchio and now in the game to climb up and eagle jump off it is just amazing bringing back so many memories from my trip, same with walking across saint marks harbour in the game, just remembering it was full of people and market stalls including lots of gypsy's. It's quite awesome just seeing locations you remember being there and seeing them recreated for the 14th Century in the game.

The Story is great picking up where the first left off, The Story is so much more fleshed out than the first and bringing it up a notch. It follows Desmond as he continues his confusing ride alongside the Assassins vs. the Templar's. Desmond is taken to join the assassins but first he must get back in the animus(a machine to network the memories of one's ancestors) to get a memory of a ancestor in Italy while getting his skills and knowledge of being an assassin and Overall uncover the conspiracy hiding the truth about a magical artifact know as the piece of Eden. This is where we get introduced to "Ezio Auditore de Firenze" a ancestor of Desmond and experience his quest for revenge and his turn to follow the Assassins Creed. Ezio is so likeable and lifelike and in which you actually care for him and how he develops in the story not like in the original game where Altair had no background story, he was just a random badass which you couldn't really have feelings for him as you don't even know what he has been through like Ezio. The Story is overall amazing, I don't want to ruin anything so I won't say anymore though at the end it does get confusing but epic.

Ubisoft paced the game perfectly, the first few missions of the game is like learning to be an assassin basically a tutorial which matches to the story. The characters you encounter are realistic and likeable and actually have an Italian accent not like the first game where all you hear are Americans. The characters you encounter are great, and the Italian women "mama mia" they are perfect. In the game you encounter Leonardo de Vinchi which is one of the best ideas and characters to have in this game, Ubisoft are genius for including him in the story, he is likeable and ties in with the story so well. Missions range from a stealth kill of a high public figure to equipping your sword and distracting guards so that you can rescue allies in jail

The gameplay is exceptional fixing it up from the first one and adding new mechanics and weapons such as double assassinations and the ability to disarm opponents. Killing someone is as satisfying as ever with that amazing sound when your hidden blade comes in contact with you prey. Escaping I found is much easier than the first, you can hide in much more places now but the AI is actually smarter looking in haystacks and splitting up. You can buy, customize and collect so much stuff. Seriously there is so much to do in Italy from collect feathers to upgrading your villa.

There are many cameos and eagle motifs making it a very deep and enthralling game. I had and still am having so much fun with this game, it has perfected the problems from the first game, Respected and honoured my heritage and made my year a very enjoyable one. I can't wait to see more of this franchise, In the meantime I'll still be following the creed...

Review Score: GS-9.0/ME-10

Sub Categories

Runner-ups for Top 5

1. Batman Arkham Asylum - Perfect Batman game, everything I wanted in a Batman game is included in this game.

2. Forza Motorsports 3 - In my gaming life only 3 racing games have stood out and helped me to like racing games, Gran Turismo 2, Need for Speed Underground 2 and this game, This is a very high honour!

3. Killzone 2 - This was one crazy FPS for the PS3, was a fun game for the ps3 and played some good hours of online for it.


Disappointments

1. Halo Wars - Yes I'm serious, I wouldn't of played this if it wasn't for Halo even though it didn't even feel like Halo, It was soooo boring and this is from me, a Halo lover. The RTS gameplay was buggy and Tedious, you can't even zoom up on your units for god's sake.

2. Borderlands - *puts shield up*, It feels like I'm the only one who can't get into this game, the graphics are terrible, the gameplay is average and the story is "Meh".

3. Left4Dead 2 - This is an obvious one if you're Australian.

Year in Review for Games.

Overall Console Report Card

• Microsoft Xbox 360 - rating: A-
• Sony Playstation 3 - rating: A
• Nintendo Wii - rating: C
• PC - rating: B
• Nintendo DS - rating: D
• Sony PSP - rating: C
• Apple Iphone - rating: D

This Concludes my Game of the year awards for 2009, I hope you enjoyed the awards and I hope you gained some more insight on my taste in games. I look forward to 2010 and be sure to catch the next GOTY awards 2010, same dynam3 time, same dynam3 channel...

I may do a MOTY, be sure to catch the next blogs I do for this year...If I do, Oh and congratulations to everyone who guessed Assassins Creed 2 for my GOTY.

2009 has been a great year for the gaming world, It takes a great big effort to efficiently produce successful games for the gaming market. Here are my 5 games represented as highlights this year who have been successful in making my year a fun filled, action packed year to remember

Game of the year awards 2009 - Top 5.

5. Infamous

This game was one electrifying title to come out this year, I had alot of hype built for this game from the 2007 E3 and I honestly felt it delivered. This game had mixed reactions around the public. I did notice that my real life friends hated this game though my peers on the Internet thought it rocked, interesting!

I had both prototype and infamous and I believe infamous is the superior game. The story for infamous is great about Cole MacGrath a normal civilian delivering a package which blows up right in front of him and destroying Empire city and after giving him extraordinary abilities including giving him the power to manipulate electricity. Cole must take back the city from gangs and criminals to bring Justice or Havoc to the city once more, infamous brings a very engrossing story but The gameplay is where infamous truly shines, being able to control lighting from the force of your hands is amazing. One of my favourite gameplay mechanics is superpowers and to add free movement and an open world makes it a recipe for fun. Infamous feels like a interactive comic especially displayed from the art cutscenes and also the ability to choose your justice or corrupt path, this explores the trials and tribulations of a superhero which I hold dearly in my Hero ideal. You truly feel like a god on this game from zapping petty thieves to raining lighting from the sky you name it.

Infamous is a very successful game in my eyes. Powerful moral choices combined with a great combat system which overall helps unravel the shocking conspiracy at the end of infamous. Superheros don't only translate well to movies but video games as well.

Review Score: GS-9.0/ME-8.5

4. Uncharted 2: Among thieves

What can I say but PS3's highlight title of the year, Uncharted 2 has blasted its way to my top 5 this year. I remember playing the first Uncharted and wanting more, Uncharted 2 left me speechless, it's exhilarating, suspenseful and intense campaign rocked. Naughty dog knows truly how to make a campaign, what I love about this game is how they paced the story making you emotionally attached to the setting and characters, for example in the first few moments Nathan is hanging from a crashed train over a mountain cliff with a gunshot wound to the chest bleeding rapidly. I was biting my nails with a passion in the opening. They balanced the cutscenes and gameplay perfectly giving you "OH-SNAP" moments at every twist and turn.

Nathan Drake is the main protagonist of the story and is a cross between James Bond and Indiana Jones. The story is somewhat overwhelming travelling to location to location in search of an answer and few riches. Naughty dog presented realistic characters with new and old characters coming back to manipulate the story and meld it to become an unforgettable experience. Nathan is as likable as ever with his witty remarks and Drakes luck still traps him in peril (I call it "Drakes Fortune")

The gameplay is still very satisfying, perfecting the first games formula and adding new weapons and techniques and a few more puzzles this time around. Oh and the graphics are unbelievable, the detail is so impressive the movements and combat of Drakes model look so impressive making it a realistic 3rd Person shooter minus the superhuman Stuff. .They even added multiplayer which is good but not as amazing as the campaign.

Among thieves put in effort and it has shown they put this game to thrilling depths of awesome to make it a very successful game which I wasn't bored of for a second. I hope to see the best treasure hunter again in more adventures in the future.

Review Score: GS-9.5/ME-9.0

3. Halo 3:ODST

Thankyou Bungie, thankyou for making another masterpiece, increasing depth of the Halo Mythology. Since combat evolved I've been a loyal fan of Halo, it is one of the best gaming franchises ever and now that ODST has dropped in it proves that bungie is still going strong.

Halo 3:ODST was a pleasure playing, it's set between the events of Halo 2 and 3 and tells the story and trials of a group of Orbital drop shock troopers. ODST's are elite soldiers trained to fight at first contact, provide backup and undertake special operations against the aliens known as the covenant. Playing an ODST is as good as a Spartan, I still remember thinking how awesome ODST's were through the Halo trilogy and now playing one is just so surreal.

The first mission "prepare to drop" is now one of the most memorable moments in my gaming history, you saw the Helljumpers drop in Halo 1, 2, 3 and now you experience it, feet first into hell. How bungie makes a story is inspiring with the great dialogue and switching the main protagonist roles by implementing a flashback segway. The gameplay is legendary same as Halo 3 obviously but adding new weapons and perks which is all I need in a fresh halo game. I admit the campaign was pretty short but action packed and should be played again on legendary difficulty, and what a better thing to do after the game but play the new firefight(Horde) mode which is a fabulous new addition to this franchise. Now to mention the musical score, all the Halo games have had a fantastic soundtrack, it emphasises the story making a more emotional effect and adding more of a motivation feeling when in combat.

All of these aspects have put this game as my number 3 this year, you should see my aspects on Halo 3, and it would be two pages. I would like to now salute the creators and I really look forward to Halo: Reach, I'll be feet first into Reach.

Review Score: GS-9.0/ME-9.0

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

If Modern warfare revolutionized the shooting genre then Modern warfare 2 has perfected it. The creators have done a marvellous job of simulating modern warfare through the eyes of American and British soldiers. Call of duty has taken the public by storm, excusing some minor flaws MW2 is a perfect experience with Campaign, multiplayer and extras being as fabulous as ever.

The story overall gives you a pump on killing terrorists, and who wouldn't with the kick ass arsenal you get to win the war. Not many shooters can match up, I had and I still am having so much fun playing this game. Even though the campaign is short it is action packed like ODST, The story presents a new violent ultranationalist terrorist threat against the world and also some very controversial aspects like the brutal killing of innocent civilians and the Russian invasion of the United States. The story included dramatic moments and brought back old friends from the original As you complete the story you gain access to new locations around the world making the story a bit overwhelming but picking the gameplay to counter that.

The gameplay is by far the best aspect of this game, giving you a range of new Assault rifles, machine pistols and Predator missiles at your disposal with a much smoother first person gun mechanic. Each mission had something different coming whether it's a Sniper covert op, Vehicle massacre or a foot manhunt, this is what I love about the Call of duty franchise. The game brings back co-operative play which we gamers have had a drought of these days, it has an awesome mode call spec-ops with mini missions and snippets of the campaign to have some good fun with friends or solo, lots and lots of fun in this mode. Then there's the multiplayer which is just so awesome, it is leagues ahead of the first when comparing. The levelling up system is perfect and still has that awesome guitar solo when you level plus the callsigns and emblems which is such a minor but exceptional idea for multiplayer. Seriously if you do not have this game you are either crazy, a girl, Micheal Atkitson, broke or a pirate...pick one!

On a serious note, if Bungie can make a story, infinity ward can make a game. Stay Frosty!

Review Score: GS-9.0/ME-9.5

1. To be Continued...Next Blog

Stay tuned for next blog with...Number 1 game of the year this year, disappointments, MOTY and year in review.

Heres Last Year: (2008 part 1) (2008 Part 2)

My fifth and final entry into this series of blogs

Dobru from Slovenia

From France I and my family took a plane to Italy, we actually hired a car from the airport to drive from Italy to our destination, Slovenia the beautiful home country to my father. It was actually funny driving there and watching my dad driving on the wrong side of the road and in a manual to add to the humour. My father did manage the trip well with no accidents which was a good start.

Slovenia is a heaven on earth, the atmosphere is so beautiful. The colours are filled with light green and blue. It was honestly the country with the most beauty. In Slovenia it was not so much sightseeing as it was visiting the relatives and experiencing the culture that they held dear to themselves

Ironically my relatives were really in to video games, they loved them. It was funny though, they were still in to the 6th generation playing the Playstation 2 and Gamecube. They never heard of the 7th generation. I Had great times getting pwned by my hardcore relative gamers. I think I gained a few pounds at Slovenia as my relatives loved giving my family loads of food, I got really spoiled.

We did lots of activities and Slovenia, I visited my Grandmothers old house where she grew up, saw her farm and sisters. It was a real eye opener and helped me understand more of my background.

Some sights we saw were of the wondrous Lake Bled, such a magnificent site, The lake was very light blue, the sun was shining and I was in Europe, very good feeling to have. We did a bit of swimming in the clear water and that really was a memorable experience. We also went to lake Bohing but in comparison to Bled, it was inferior. After the swimming we took a gondola ride to a small island in the middle of the lake and had lunch there near a church.

Another site we saw was the Postonja caves, it was pretty cool walking through the caves and seeing the eerie and marvellous beauty of it. It was freezing cold in the caves and boiling hot outside, felt weird.

Overall Slovenia was great, It was so very much better than I had expected. I loved it for its beauty and how peaceful and nice everyone is. If there is a zombie outbreak in the world, Slovenia would be a safe haven.

________________________________________________________________

Nihao From China

After Slovenia we travelled to Hong Kong in China, we didn't spend a long time in Hong Kong, only 1 day really. But still it was our last day overseas, so I cherished it.

The first thing that hits you about China is the air, it feels so constricting against your lungs and the heat feels unbearable. Lucky it didn't smell, so I could live with it though it was hard.

Most of the time if not all of it was shopping, you can find heaps of cool stuff in Hong Kong it reminded me of Japan. The prices in HK were actually expensive, the reputation for China made it out to be cheap but it wasn't true. You can find anything in China and I swear every second shop I saw was a pirated DVD shop. Shopping in HK is really fun though, you never know what you can find.

To end the day in China we saw the renowned skyscraper laser show while on a ferry in the harbour, It looked freaking awesome and the lights were all in time, the Asians know there stuff.

To end China and me and my family's holiday trip we had dinner at a Thai restaurant and soaked up our holiday trip in detail. Tomorrow we head home back to reality.

BaiBai, End of Part 5

________________________________________________________________

G'day, Back to Reality

Thanks for all who read and commented in these series of blogs, it was a pleasure writing them. I hope you enjoyed it.

This maybe will be my last blog on Gamespot as I'm moving to a new one on blogger, where all the cool people hang. I might do one more blog to link you guys to my new blog at blogger.

Previous parts

Japan + England

Amsterdam + Germany

Austria + Italy

Switzerland + France

Thanks again

That concludes dynam3's Road To Europe, feel free to ask questions or seek advice from me. As an ending note to this blog:

Japan + England + Amsterdam + Germany + Austria + Italy + Switzerland + France + Slovenia + Hong Kong = BEST HOLIDAY TRIP EVER!

My fourth entry in this series.

Now this is a very late entry!

I've been a bit pre-occupied with school and other things. I hope you guys enjoy my blog entry nevertheless

Grüetzi from Switzerland *enter cow "moo"*

From Italy we (me and the Trafalgar tour, if you forgot) drove to Switzerland, it was the longest drive of our trip, lots of stops and lots of exhausting traffic. By the time we all reached there, we were so tired. So we went straight to the hotel room and slept. The next day we were ready for Switzerland. Switzerland is a much disciplined country I thought, very polite but very stern.

Interesting piece of trivia: When you finish school, it is a law to join the army + every household in Switzerland must own a bomb shelter and an armed firearm.

First up we went shopping at Switzerland, got the usual Swiss Army knife and watch and after had lunch at a fondue resturanunt , which was so fun. They of course served fondue and we had some great Swiss entertainment like a Swiss band and some yodelling.

Following the Fondue stop it was time to walk up the Mount Pilatis. Where tales tell of the mystical dragons which reside on top of the mountain, some say they were all killed off but others say they can still hear their screeching roars haunting the mountain. When I reached the top, it was a beautiful sight, it was like a scene out of the lord of the rings, the fog was pretty heavy, but we could still make out the atmosphere.

To finish the day we went on a peaceful cruise across Lake Lucern, which was magnificent seeing the mountains of Switzerland.

Overall Switzerland was great, I actually learned alot and enjoyed it, it felt like a stereotypical European country and is wonderful.

________________________________________________________________________

Bonjour from France *enter lady marmalade!? (Out of ideas)*

Time for the wonderful country of France, we drove to Paris the city of beauty, love and the most famous landmark in the world next to the pyramids in Egypt.

When we got to Paris we did our own thing for the time being. We then went to the famous church, The Notre Dame (and NO I'm not the hunchback). It was great outside, but when comparing the Notre Dame to the churches in the Vatican, they look very inferior.

After a Bus ride around Paris, to get familiar with the streets and numerous historical objects of importance, it was time for a night cruise on the Seine River, where you could see the Eifel tower glowing. About 5 minutes into the cruise, a mini hurricane erupted, hail and torrential rain stormed Paris, our boat was glass and because of the hail, the glass cracked a bit OMG!, it was so fun though, I'm glad it happened, The boat ride was a bit dull anyways.

As we got off we were off the boat, the Eifel tower was in front of us in all its glowing glory, The jewel of France, the Metal monstrosity, the pride of Paris. It was 10pm, time for it to sparkle...and it did!!! So epically. Seriously Breathtakingly awesome.

The Next day arrived, which was an action packed day and the last day with the tour groupL. First up, we actually went UP the Eifel tower. It was great but so damn cold. Next off was to the Louvre museum (and no I'm not Tom Hanks – Da Vinchi code reference). Obviously we couldn't look at every painting and sculpture.

Interesting piece of trivia: If you look at every piece of artwork in the Louvre, you'd be in the Louvre for 4 weeks.

But we did see the most famous one which was the Mona Lisa, to be honest, it's so overrated. Nothing special, Just a random painting of a woman. They say Leonardo took it with him everywhere, I guess it's important, Meh!

Ok now back to the hotel to freshen up before we got to our last dinner with the tour watching the French CABERET, the cabaret is basically a clone of the Molun Rouge, the show was quite entertaining, it was a compilation of professional HOT women dancers doing such dances and performances like the famous "can can". They often had topless women which was honestly a good touch for the performances. The filler acts included magic tricks and clowns. It was a fun night had by all and a good way to say goodbye to the friends we made on the tour.

Me and my Family still had 2 days left in Paris, which we spent sleeping in, relaxing, soaking up Paris and eating snails, crepes and frogs legs yummy. And saw such sites as The Assemblée National, Les Invalides ( Naploean Bonaparte's tomb)

Overall France was a pleasure being in, Paris is just a place to love and adore, the landmarks and history make up the culture and I could easily come back for a second serving.

Au revouir End part 4

Next: Slovenia + Hong Kong

Preveious parts

Japan + England

Amsterdam + Germany

Switzerland + France

My third Entry in the blog series

dynam3's Road to Europe

Sorry this blog is really late, Ive been a bit preoccupied with school. Hopefully you guys are still interested.

Servus Austria *enter the sound of music Soundtrack*

As me, my family and the Tour enter the borders of Austria, you can already see how beautiful the countryside is, the mountains and lakes are just breathtaking. This country is my idea of a beautiful winter paradise.

We than arrive in Innsbruck, a quiet little town where people are very friendly and nice. We than viewed the glorious golden roof and we marvelled at that for a little while, after that we went to the famous Swarovski shop where Austria's famous Crystals and jewellery are there, I think my mother and sister appreciated it more than me. After that we did a little bit of shopping and saw some good souvenirs like for example there was a shirt say "no Kangaroos in Austria", LOL *I see what you did there*

In the Afternoon we went for a walk along the normal streets of Austria where the mountain side was in view, we soaked up as much of the atmosphere as we could and called it a day.

Overall Austria, even though I didn't spend much time in Austria, it still was a great experience and a relaxation stop from the busy trip.

Tschuess Austria

Buongiorno Italy *enter the Godfather Theme*

Venice

The First Destination in Italy was Venice, I was really looking forward to Venice since Assassins Creed 2 is set there, looking at Assassins Creed 2's gameplay Ubisoft were spot on, on recrating Venice for the game.

Ok to enter the City, we had to ditch our tour bus, and go on a Taxi boat for obvious reasons being...that there are no roads in Venice. *where were going we don't need roads*

We all than arrived at St Marks Square overlooking St Marks Basilica which was a church we went in to have a look, it looked pretty good for 1000 years old. We than crossed a number of bridges across the canals of Venice. We arrived at a Glass blowing factory and had a demonstration. The man who did the demonstration made Glass blowing look easy.

After we felt hungry and craved some traditional Italian Pizza, we ordered 2 pizzas, Magarita and Procuutto pizza and some drinks. And then that infamous Bill came, and you all know how much that was. 80 Euros = $160 AU. Rip!!!!!!

In Venice there is like an infestation of pigeons, you hold your arm up, and no kidding at least 3 pigeons will land on you. After we killed some time by looking at the hundreds of stalls and shops flooding the square, the plan for the afternoon was a peaceful authentic Italian Gondola ride.

The Gondola ride was the highlight for the Venice, my family went in the same Gondola and we all drank champagne. We expected a peaceful ride, but the thing is the Gondolier a very friendly man named Alberto was the most talkative Italian we've seen. Making conversation with the other Gondoliers like we weren't on board, It didn't bother me I actually liked it.

Rome

The Next day it was off to Rome the most powerful city in Europe. As we entered the big gates of Rome, you could already imagine this what this place would of been like 1000s of years before.

The first historical place was the Spanish steps which we was like a marathon going up, the place was just crowded with tourists since it was summer in Europe. Next we saw the Spectacular Fountain Di Trevi, it's hard to believe this was done 1000s of years ago. It looked amazing. The fountain is famous for throwing coins in the water, 1 coin you will come back to Rome, 2 coins you will find love, 3 coins you get divorced. I threw 4 coins in for lols. There are a lot of fountains in Rome, each of them unique and breathtaking.

Next we went and saw the Panthanon, there was a service being held so we couldn't go in. No matter, the outside was so much more awesome. For the rest of the day we walked around and soaked up the atmosphere and history of Rome and ended it off with a Gelato.

The Next day in Rome we had a big agenda, first stop the Tivoli gardens, the gardens of Rome were so clean and peaceful, and it wasn't crowded so that was great.

We than headed to St Peters square in the Vatican, Where we were lucky enough to hear the Popes address, That was a great experience, he also very surprisingly at the end of the speech singled my family out saying "And I'd like to welcome the family all the way from Australia who could join us today". My family and I were the only ones cheering. No jokes.

After the Vatican we went to the highlight of Italy, the Magnificent Colosseum in all its glory. Words can't explain how awesome that was. Just imagining the Gladiators and games that took place there made me anxious. Inside and out was amazing, I felt like watching Gladiator so badly then. We also saw the arc of Constantine, but the Colosseum stole the show.

We than ended our last night in Rome, with our whole tour in a famous authentic Italian restraint with Entertainment of Opera singers.

The Next day we had half a day in Rome left, we entered the Vatican Museum which was great with the ornate ceilings and tapestries on the wall. The Sisteen chapel followed, I was blown away by this place. Michelangelo is truly a genius painting every detail on the wall with some hidden message or meaning. We couldn't take photos so that was a bummer. It was a beyond a masterpiece I thought, it felt very angelic and majestic. The most famous one was in the middle of the ceiling, the one with god touching a man with his finger. later than we Went in St peters Basilica which was just wow, I do not know how back than they built this religious monument it was just wow., It was nice to end of Rome with this.

Florence

Later that day we passed The Florence which was just beautiful. I and my mother climbed the thousands of stairs to the bell tower where we had a glimpse of the beauty of Florence. We than Went shopping for the rest of the day.

Pisa

We started the next day by heading off to Pisa. It was just full of junk stalls and cheaply made Italian stuff probably from China. Of course we went and saw the Leaning tower of Pisa and wow, Someone had too much Gelato building it. It was a great sight to see, I loved it. And that was the end of Italy.

Overall Italy was the Best Country of Europe. I had a fantastic time with my tour. It was the highlight of my trip and will always remember it. I recommend everyone to go to Italy, the beauty. History and awesomeness is just such a great experience.

Arrivederci Italy, End part 3

Next: Switzerland + France

Preveious parts

Japan + England

Amsterdam + Germany

My Second Entry in the blog series

dynam3's Road to Europe

Hoi for Amsterdam *enter GTA4 Theme music*

After London is now the official starting day for my 2 week Tour, The Tour was organised with Trafalgar Tours, the tour was with numerous families and couples and with a brilliant tour guide and Driver for the bus we would be getting on, But first before the bus, before Amsterdam we have to cross the English Channel. We will be going on this voyage by boat obviously. And so the real adventure begins. While crossing the English Channel a remarkable sight is in view. The beautiful White Cliffs of Dover, What a sight that is!

After the Boat ride, we were all ready to board the bus. We travelled through France and Belgium on our way to Amsterdam.

As we arrived at Amsterdam it was time to enter the Notorious red light district, before I get there I should tell you people some facts, In Amsterdam marijuana is legal and so is prostitution as people in Amsterdam take it seriously as a serious occupation. Part of the tour is seeing the red light district and its shocks(for obvious reasons no photos were taken). Let's begin!

As we all enter the RLD you can already see all the Sex shops around selling their goods, there was so many of them around there, Oligopoly much! As we went deeper there are Coffee shops, looks innocent from the outside but coffee = weed, and trust me you can really smell it. Nasty! Don't go down the alleyways in the RLD, windows will open and give you a sight of women advertising themselves. And not the women you would want to see. Overall the Red light district was really dirty and seedy, not my recommendation to see it. But it was a GTA4 experience nevertheless.

you really wouldn't want a Coffee in there!

After the ugly side of Amsterdam it was time for the historical side of it, Amsterdam boasts they have more canals than Venice in Italy. It was time for a ferry ride across the canals. There we saw beautiful bridges and building of all make. We saw a glimpse of the Anne Frank house (you will know what I'm talking about if you paid attention in history)

In Amsterdam there are so many bikes around, everywhere you look you will see a bike and if you're not careful crossing the street you will be hit by one. After that we all than went to a Restraunt which served Authentic Dutch food where we could relax before we get to the hotel which was the best hotel of the trip.

Overall even though I didn't spend long in Amsterdam and ignoring the dirty sides of it, it was an interesting place to be in. If I could sum it up in one sentence it would be this

*Grand Theft Bicycle: Amsterdam* minus the crime and add a little history.

Doei

Guten Tag for Germany *enter 99 Luftballoons by Nena*

As we travelled and arrived at Germany, it was time to start the day and see the beautiful Church of Cologne, it was a really gothic ****building with gargoyles all around it (Trivia: it was the only structure still standing when cologne was bombed in WW2, ps. Don't mention the war in Germany). But really it is magnificent even inside it was great, Could match the brilliance to the Vatican. Could have stayed there for ages but time didn't let us as we were on a schedule and running behind it thanks to the German traffic on the way.

We went back to the bus to our next destination in Germany, now it was time to take a cruise on the Rhine River in Rhineland. It was a peaceful voyage showing the country of Germany and how beautiful it was. Through the cruise it made me forget of all the wrongs Germans have done in the past also the Call of duty series. Nearly the whole tour was on the top deck of the boat, In Europe it was summer, so the sun was shining and the water sparkling. On the boat I had a taste of some German beer (Trivia: apparently German beer doesn't give you hangovers as they don't add some ingredient). The view was absolutely gorgeous!

Photo: me and my Dad about to drink some German beer, in 2 years I can drink it legally.

The next day we headed to Munich, The tour guide than let us explore on our own. Munich was great. It was really fun with all the shopping and modern German stuff. In Munich we had practically had no time, again thanks to the German traffic so we had to rush things, we entered the Hoffenbrau a famous German pub, to have a little food and drink with my family. We waited for some service but it never came, we asked the waitress but she rudely ignored us like we were infected with swine flu. My theory is that Germans think they are superior to us. We tried to get her attention but she simply replied to us and said "Nein" = No. So we just left and went to explore more of Munich.

We than went shopping in some souvenir shops, took photos and saw the awesome Glockenspiel in all its glory. I should also add Germany have some really beautiful women there. I regret not spending enough time in Munich but time was of the essence in driving to Austria

Overall Germany was fantastic and I would love to come back to this awesome place.

Auf wiedersehen, End of Part 2

Next: Austria + Italy

Previous Parts

Part 1: Japan + England