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London 2012
Sitting on a little patch of grass, surrounded by tall office towers in the centre of London, I am ready to watch the London 2012 Opening Ceremonies. As we get closer to the 9pm start time, the crowds gather and soon there are hundreds of us sitting around the square eagerly anticipating the show. Even the short spurt of rain can’t dampen our spirits. At 9pm, we chant down the last 10 seconds and kick start over three hours of a tremendous show. My favourite is watching and listening as individuals and small groups within the large crowd stand up to cheer their own country’s athletes on when their national…
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Shakespeare’s Globe
There are hollywood actors — pretty faces and gorgeous bodies, and then there are real actors — talented individuals who can memorize and execute hundreds of lines of script, on cue, with passion and conviction. The latter are the truly talented ones, but little recognised thanks to our modern society’s obsession with glamour and celebrity. In London, I had a chance to watch at play at the Globe Theatre in London’s Southbank recently. Along with three other friends, we stood amongst dozens of others in the centre of the traditional round theatre and watched a group of actors perform Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, a comedy about a wild and fiery…
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24 hours in Brussels
Enroute to London, I spend a day in Brussels, capital of moule & frites, beer, and the European Union. At an internet cafe, I check my emails and Facebook and hear some shocking news that an acquaintance has died. C was actually my first scuba diving instructor, taking me through my intro to Padi course on the Perehentian Islands in 2008. I had an instant crush on him (what is it with scuba diving instructors?!) and feel like he played a role in my love for scuba diving. Such a tragedy, so young and alive, and the type of person to befriend everybody. I’m in shock and saddened. Life can…
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“We are against war, and tourist menus”
That was the slogan written on the chalk board outside a restaurant in Trastevere, a once working class but now trendy neighbourhood in Rome, West of the Tiber river. Oh how I can sympathise with that! It’s not something you think about when living in your own city — you go to restaurants you like for specific foods or try new ones based on reviews or recommendations from friends. In Sydney, I know where to go for the best laksa, I have my preferred coffee shops, and I have a long list of restaurants and bars I have yet to check out. It’s much the same for Vancouver. But when…
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Roman Holiday
The first time I went to Rome, I didn’t actually like it all that much. I was with my boyfriend at the time, it was autumn & raining, we stayed at a terrible hotel near the Termini train station, and we had gotten into a stupid argument. Fast forward to August, with Carter, as part of our Southern Italy tour, and OH EM GEE, how my attitude has changed. I LOVED Rome this time around. It was hot (too hot!), blue skies, historic, cultural, and there was so much to see. Sharing with you my favourite photos from this trip to Rome 🙂
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A boatload of Aussies
Booked for an island hopping cruise for a week, we get on our boat to find it chock full of Aussies. Carter and I are the only non-Aussies, apart from the crew. I first heard about this cruise from a friend who was in Croatia last year. Initially I thought a whole week on a cruise would be a bit much, but then came around to the idea, but when I see the boat is full of 22 year old, mainly female Aussies, I start to regret my decision. I think I’m about to live in a sorority house(boat) for a week. Cruises like this are always a gamble; you…
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Parle Anglais?
Pierre and Charlotte, a pair of French friends are a riot. They are tres French. Charlotte speaks the better English of the two and ends up translating for Pierre often. We run into them at the market in the morning as we are picking up ingredients for lunch and dinner. Back at the hostel, making brunch, they are 5 minutes behind us. I watch with great curiosity to see what these two are eating. Cucumber, tomato, cheese, and canned tuna with tomato sauce…interesting. Carter is equally amused by this pair and is happy to hear their French accents and practice un petite peu de Francais. After wandering the city in…
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Zadar
“Excuse me, but can I just burrow yous map for a minute? I just need to get me barings again”, he says. I can hear Scotland in his voice, but I ask anyway, “sure no problem, we are here right now”, I point to a spot on the map. “Where are you from?” “Scotland, Glasgow” he replies. Michael, as it turns out, is exploring Zadar and didn’t have a map with him so approached us as we were walking along into the walled old centre of the city. Twenty minutes later, as we are checking out the sea organ and the sun plate by the waterfront, we spot Michael again.…
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Impossibly Blue
Yesterday we spent the day at Plitvice National Park, a UNESCO protected area full of gorgeous turquoise lakes and beautiful waterfalls. Most of the lakes are rather shallow and cascade one into the other. The colour of the water is magnificent – blue, sapphire, turquoise, green; words don’t do it justice. The waterfalls flow through limestone and mist. The park is well touristy though, and we encounter hordes of people along the main paths. Sample of photos below.
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Thermal Baths
Budapest apparently has the most thermal baths of any major city. We decide to check one out on Thursday. Szechenyi pool has outdoor pools and indoor hot tubs, saunas, and steam rooms. All the pools have different temperatures, most are between 25- 35 degrees. The saunas and steam rooms are also heated to different temps. The hottest sauna we see is set to 60-70 degrees! On a hot day, the pools are an excellent way to stay cool. We test out several baths and pools and leave when our fingers turn all wrinkly.
