I am back in London and I'm sooo jet lagged, and have a week to pack up my flat. I'm going to write a proper blog entry about each country (later), but for now, if you're desperate, I'm posting links to all the various photo albums and videos I took while I was away.. Enjoy!
Videos: (various) 1: me jumping off a 3 story platform into the ocean in the Greek Islands, 2: Niagara Falls, 3: the whirlpool near Niagara Falls.
Photos albums:
New York
Canada
Egypt - Luxor
Egypt - Aswan
Egypt - Dahab
Egypt - Cairo
Egypt - Hot Air Ballooning
Greek Islands
Turkey
PS: I get back to Australia on 29 November!!
Friday 21 November 2008
Thursday 2 October 2008
Where on Earth is Amanda?
Well, it's official. I have given 2 weeks notice at work and resigned and I'm off on a BIG holiday before I head back to Oz at the end of November. If you're wondering where on Earth I am and where I'll be, here's all my flight details :)))
Depart: London Gatwick (North), Sunday 19 October, 4.30pm
Arrive: Athens, Greece, Sunday 19 October, 10.00pm
Flight number: Easyjet 8587
Greek Islands & Turkey Cruise info
Depart: Athens. Greece, Saturday 25 October, 00.50am
Arrive: Cairo, Egypt T2, Saturday 25 October, 01.45am
Flight number: Olympic Airlines 325 (1 hour, 55 minutes)
Egypt Explorer 15 day tour info
Depart: Cairo, Egypt, Saturday 8 November, 5.10pm
Arrive: London Heathrow T1, Saturday 8 November, 8.45pm
Flight number: BMI - MS 9230
Depart: London Gatwick, Tuesday 11 November, 9.50am
Arrive: Toronto, Canada, Tuesday 11 November, 1.00pm
Flight number: Air Transat TS 123
Depart: Toronto, Canada T3, Saturday 15 November, 4.35pm
Arrive: New York – JFK T4, Saturday 15 November, 6.30pm
Flight number: LAN 533 (1 hour, 55 mins)
Depart: New York – JFK T4, Wednesday 19 November, 10.05am
Arrive: Toronto, Canada T3, Wednesday 19 November, 11.45am
Flight number: LAN 532 (1 hour, 40 mins)
Depart: Toronto, Canada, Wednesday 19 November, 7.45pm
Arrive: London Gatwick, Thursday 20 November, 7.55am
Flight number: Air Transat TS 322
Depart: London Heathrow T3, Friday 28 November, 11.30am
Arrive: Hong Kong T1, Saturday 29 November, 7.05am
Flight number: Cathay Pacific 252 (11 hours, 25 mins)
Depart: Hong Kong T1, Saturday 29 November, 12.35pm
Arrive: Brisbane, Australia T1, Saturday 29 November, 11.20pm
Flight number: Cathay Pacific 157 (8 hours, 45 mins)
Depart: London Gatwick (North), Sunday 19 October, 4.30pm
Arrive: Athens, Greece, Sunday 19 October, 10.00pm
Flight number: Easyjet 8587
Greek Islands & Turkey Cruise info
Depart: Athens. Greece, Saturday 25 October, 00.50am
Arrive: Cairo, Egypt T2, Saturday 25 October, 01.45am
Flight number: Olympic Airlines 325 (1 hour, 55 minutes)
Egypt Explorer 15 day tour info
Depart: Cairo, Egypt, Saturday 8 November, 5.10pm
Arrive: London Heathrow T1, Saturday 8 November, 8.45pm
Flight number: BMI - MS 9230
Depart: London Gatwick, Tuesday 11 November, 9.50am
Arrive: Toronto, Canada, Tuesday 11 November, 1.00pm
Flight number: Air Transat TS 123
Depart: Toronto, Canada T3, Saturday 15 November, 4.35pm
Arrive: New York – JFK T4, Saturday 15 November, 6.30pm
Flight number: LAN 533 (1 hour, 55 mins)
Depart: New York – JFK T4, Wednesday 19 November, 10.05am
Arrive: Toronto, Canada T3, Wednesday 19 November, 11.45am
Flight number: LAN 532 (1 hour, 40 mins)
Depart: Toronto, Canada, Wednesday 19 November, 7.45pm
Arrive: London Gatwick, Thursday 20 November, 7.55am
Flight number: Air Transat TS 322
Depart: London Heathrow T3, Friday 28 November, 11.30am
Arrive: Hong Kong T1, Saturday 29 November, 7.05am
Flight number: Cathay Pacific 252 (11 hours, 25 mins)
Depart: Hong Kong T1, Saturday 29 November, 12.35pm
Arrive: Brisbane, Australia T1, Saturday 29 November, 11.20pm
Flight number: Cathay Pacific 157 (8 hours, 45 mins)
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Vienna
Vienna City Photos
Vienna Zoo Photos
Friday night: hideously long bus journey to Heathrow straight after work. Saw the new Terminal 5 – lots of shops and decent places to eat. Had sushi. Mysteriously had a business class seat on the plane! Told the guy next to me we must have someone really skinny sitting in between us (business class seat dividers squish the middle seat – German / Austrian guy didn’t get it and decided to give me a speech on business class seats). Plane sat on the tarmac for a good half hour. As we took off, saw a big queue of planes, about 10 waiting to take off as well. Why does British Airways always serve crappy sandwiches? Landed 2 hours later. Kerri (my cousin) was also delayed. Caught a taxi to the hotel. Oohed and ahhed at the pretty buildings on the way. Very tired and very late, we went to bed not long after checking into the hotel.
Saturday: huge insane buffet breakfast. Best bacon I’ve ever eaten – wafer thin. And smoked salmon *drool*. Time to get out, discover Vienna and get lost. And we did. However, we did see a cute street market that looked like an old person’s house had been emptied – lots of old tins, prints, photos, frames, clothes.. After our “diversion” on a few trams, trains etc, we finally ended up back at the Museum Quarter, and wandered around some grand and gorgeous buildings and parks. Eventually we ended up at the Belevedere Palace, walked through the gorgeous grounds and saw the one thing – the entire reason why I came to Vienna. To see Gustav Klimt’s painting, “The Kiss”. I stared at it for so long. To see it up close was so different to seeing it in books. You could see the texture, the real colours, the strokes. Not only was there gold, but also silver used in the painting. I kept coming back after looking at the other paintings to see it over and over.
We then hired some bikes and peddled around Vienna along the parks and riverbank. SO much better and faster than pounding the pavement. Highly recommend it, and loads of bike paths. There’s just sooo many buildings to see. Eventually we went back to the hotel, kicked our feet up, had a couple of drinks and then went upstairs to get ready for the opera. The opera house was stunning. We had champagne to celebrate and our own box on the balcony. Choosing seats is quite hard and also, thank GOD – we had little screens that translated what they were singing into English. Other seats didn’t have that. The opera singers were amazing. No microphones whatsoever – their voices filled the vast, tall area. Afterwards, we went out for a late bite to eat and slept very well that night.
Sunday: the Spanish Riding School. Basically, very well trained white horses, who dance, do ballet and jump around lots to music. Beautiful horses. Enjoyed the second half where they did the ballet, dancing and jumping the most. Afterwards, we went to the Vienna Zoo.. OMG: highlights: mum and dad tiger with 2 baby tiger cubs. 1 leopard and 2 black jaguars all climbing over each other like best buddies and the panda, including the baby panda bear. Great zoo - they even had a delicous restaurant there too! We had dinner and wine there, headed back to Central Vienna on the Underground and found a mexican bar and downed a jug of strawberry marguriatas.
Monday: Kerri had to fly home very early that morning, which left me to my own resources for the day. So after a hearty baconny breakfast, I headed to the Museum Quarter to the Leopold Museum and saw more Klimt paintings and other Austrian art. I then hired a bike and peddled over to Augarten - a huge park. Ended up at Stephenplatz - big Notre Dame like Cathedral, had a bit of retail therapy, found a gorgeous old cafe where you can see the pastry chefs making everything from scratch and had the most insane delicious iced chocolate EVER. Headed back to the hotel, picked up my bags and made way for the airport. Had another amazing seat on the plane - emergency exit row, loads of leg room, an almost empty plane and no one sitting next to me - yay!
So, thanks to my cuz Kerri for a wonderful weekend together - I had such a great time :) xoxo
Vienna Zoo Photos
Friday night: hideously long bus journey to Heathrow straight after work. Saw the new Terminal 5 – lots of shops and decent places to eat. Had sushi. Mysteriously had a business class seat on the plane! Told the guy next to me we must have someone really skinny sitting in between us (business class seat dividers squish the middle seat – German / Austrian guy didn’t get it and decided to give me a speech on business class seats). Plane sat on the tarmac for a good half hour. As we took off, saw a big queue of planes, about 10 waiting to take off as well. Why does British Airways always serve crappy sandwiches? Landed 2 hours later. Kerri (my cousin) was also delayed. Caught a taxi to the hotel. Oohed and ahhed at the pretty buildings on the way. Very tired and very late, we went to bed not long after checking into the hotel.
Saturday: huge insane buffet breakfast. Best bacon I’ve ever eaten – wafer thin. And smoked salmon *drool*. Time to get out, discover Vienna and get lost. And we did. However, we did see a cute street market that looked like an old person’s house had been emptied – lots of old tins, prints, photos, frames, clothes.. After our “diversion” on a few trams, trains etc, we finally ended up back at the Museum Quarter, and wandered around some grand and gorgeous buildings and parks. Eventually we ended up at the Belevedere Palace, walked through the gorgeous grounds and saw the one thing – the entire reason why I came to Vienna. To see Gustav Klimt’s painting, “The Kiss”. I stared at it for so long. To see it up close was so different to seeing it in books. You could see the texture, the real colours, the strokes. Not only was there gold, but also silver used in the painting. I kept coming back after looking at the other paintings to see it over and over.We then hired some bikes and peddled around Vienna along the parks and riverbank. SO much better and faster than pounding the pavement. Highly recommend it, and loads of bike paths. There’s just sooo many buildings to see. Eventually we went back to the hotel, kicked our feet up, had a couple of drinks and then went upstairs to get ready for the opera. The opera house was stunning. We had champagne to celebrate and our own box on the balcony. Choosing seats is quite hard and also, thank GOD – we had little screens that translated what they were singing into English. Other seats didn’t have that. The opera singers were amazing. No microphones whatsoever – their voices filled the vast, tall area. Afterwards, we went out for a late bite to eat and slept very well that night.
Sunday: the Spanish Riding School. Basically, very well trained white horses, who dance, do ballet and jump around lots to music. Beautiful horses. Enjoyed the second half where they did the ballet, dancing and jumping the most. Afterwards, we went to the Vienna Zoo.. OMG: highlights: mum and dad tiger with 2 baby tiger cubs. 1 leopard and 2 black jaguars all climbing over each other like best buddies and the panda, including the baby panda bear. Great zoo - they even had a delicous restaurant there too! We had dinner and wine there, headed back to Central Vienna on the Underground and found a mexican bar and downed a jug of strawberry marguriatas.
Monday: Kerri had to fly home very early that morning, which left me to my own resources for the day. So after a hearty baconny breakfast, I headed to the Museum Quarter to the Leopold Museum and saw more Klimt paintings and other Austrian art. I then hired a bike and peddled over to Augarten - a huge park. Ended up at Stephenplatz - big Notre Dame like Cathedral, had a bit of retail therapy, found a gorgeous old cafe where you can see the pastry chefs making everything from scratch and had the most insane delicious iced chocolate EVER. Headed back to the hotel, picked up my bags and made way for the airport. Had another amazing seat on the plane - emergency exit row, loads of leg room, an almost empty plane and no one sitting next to me - yay!
So, thanks to my cuz Kerri for a wonderful weekend together - I had such a great time :) xoxo
Monday 22 September 2008
Switzerland and York photos
August - what a month, from Turkey at the beginning, to beautiful Switzerland staying with my cuz, to a quaint day trip up to York.. Off to Vienna this weekend and lots more to come!! Enjoy :)
Switzerland photos (album 1)
Switzerland photos (album 2)
York photos
Switzerland photos (album 1)
Switzerland photos (album 2)
York photos
Friday 29 August 2008
The sun doesn't shine
The sun doesn't shine in London
The clouds are permanently set
So dull, so weary –
Her people march lazily in her shadow.
No sunrise, no sunset.
The clouds push down,
Unemployment rises, inflation rises.
Nobody smiles, eye contact is minimal, wrinkled faces distort.
A trail of smoke lingers from every hand with its mandatory cigarette,
While rain comes down and dampens our clothes and our spirits.
The hiyas, dyouknowwhadimeans, the youalrights?
The queues, the crisps, the chips, the pints, the stodgy food
No wonder they drink so much, smoke so much, eat so much, complain so much.
Her only hope, is to break through the grey,
And escape by plane to a cleaner, warmer salvation called Europe.
Apparently there were good days
Where the summers here were dry and long.
But the only summers I remember,
Are in the place where I come from.
And I ask myself this question, where do I belong?
By Amanda Home.
The clouds are permanently set
So dull, so weary –
Her people march lazily in her shadow.
No sunrise, no sunset.
The clouds push down,
Unemployment rises, inflation rises.
Nobody smiles, eye contact is minimal, wrinkled faces distort.
A trail of smoke lingers from every hand with its mandatory cigarette,
While rain comes down and dampens our clothes and our spirits.
The hiyas, dyouknowwhadimeans, the youalrights?
The queues, the crisps, the chips, the pints, the stodgy food
No wonder they drink so much, smoke so much, eat so much, complain so much.
Her only hope, is to break through the grey,
And escape by plane to a cleaner, warmer salvation called Europe.
Apparently there were good days
Where the summers here were dry and long.
But the only summers I remember,
Are in the place where I come from.
And I ask myself this question, where do I belong?
By Amanda Home.
Friday 8 August 2008
Turkey - 30th July to 4th August
Photo album 1 - Istanbul site seeing
Photo album 2 - Istanbul cats
Turkey -the land of honking cars, no road rules, no seatbelts, ruled by a city of homeless cats. If you like corn, pretzels, icecream, spirographs, shoe shining and kebabs - you have come to the right place - there's one of these stalls or trolleys every ten metres. Drinking tea, smoking waterpipes and playing boardgames is a must. Singing, dancing and clapping along at dinner if you're out at a restaurant is the norm. It's so vibrant, colourful, full of life and fun.
Here's what I got up to:
Wednesday: got up stupid early and hauled arse to Heathrow. The flight was fine. Landed in Istanbul. The longest passport control queue awaited me. Dropped off my bags and headed off to the Grand Bazaar which is one of the biggest indoor maze of markets I've ever seen. Had some tea at this lovely cafe restauarant run by some young boys. Walked down to the water by the Old Town, stopped at an *amazing* pastry shop where I had CHOCOLATE baklava - which was insanely yummy. B then stopped off for a shave at a barber shop, then we went back to the hotel, had drinks on the terrace and headed out and had tea and smoked a water pipe whilst listening to music and watching a Turkish dancing man spin around, and around, and around.. And then headed to bar for some drinks with the lovely Barman "Murat" and had a late dinner.
Thursday: checked out the hotel and checked into a deluxe suite at the Marmara hotel - which was just *stunning*. Thank you B. The views from our room were breathtaking. We had panoramic views of the Bosforus (waters). Went for a swim in the pool and relaxed in the sauna and jacuzzi. We then went for a walk down the Istakal - a big stretch of shops, restaurants and cafes. We then walked to the music district, full of music shops with guitars etc. Bought a cute skirt. That night we ran around looking for the sunset. We found a flower stall that had *purple* flowers, so B bought me a purple rose :) We then ran around found a place to see the sunset which turned out to be outside a tv station and government building - the security guards didn't really like us being there, so we moved along and found somewhere for dinner. Afterwards, we went to this place called the Crab Cafe where a Turkish Metal Band was playing. They took traditional Turkish songs and beefed them up metal style - they were actually an amazing band, and the guitarist played these insane solos. I got up and danced even though I didn't know the music - it was great music and very catchy. More dancing and more drinks, the night paused as the police came through and checked everyone's ID. And then more dancing and drinks :)
Friday: Hangover from hell. B dragged me down to the exclusive lounge floor for deluxe suite guests and we had a buffet breakfast. I felt like a pile of junk. Some food and a swim soon got me moving again. Eventually went to the "stripey" restaurant, where all the decor and furniture was covered in red stripey material and the food was INSANE and fresh and delicious. More walking around side streets and back streets. Got a manicure and a pedicure (total bargain). Back to the hotel, and down to the Fish Market Street to a traditional Turkish restaurant for fresh seafood and traditional live music and singing and clapping. We then found a comfy cafe and had tea and a waterpipe and B taught me how to play draughts..
Saturday: we went to the Palace Topkapi - which was stunning and had great views of the Bosforus. Then onto the Ayasofya a converted mosque from Byzantine times. Amazing inside to see the mix of architectures, religions and styles. Back to the Grand Bazaar and lunch at our favourite cafe. Caught a tram and metro back to the hotel and got ready and went to the Sunset Grill for cocktails (note, you don't actually get to see the sunset at this place). We then came back to the hotel and went up to the Hotel Restaurant and had a absolutely beautiful dinner.
Sunday: yummy toasted Turkish sandwiches for brekky, then off to the old town to the Turkish Bath - lots of bubbles and scrubbing and washing. Then off for a ferry ride around the Bosforus which was lovely, back to the hotel and dinner at the stripey restaurant again for our last night. Then more tea, draughts and waterpipe..
Monday: off to the airport and back to grey, rainy crappy London :(
So that was my trip - probably one of the best holidays I've had.
PS: I'll be coming back to Australia in December - and I have no idea if it's going to be short or long term - everything's up in the air as I'm still waiting to hear about my visa. All I know is I'll back on 1st December.. In the meantime, I've got lots of more trips planned - going to Switzerland at the end of this month and staying with my cousin, and hoping to cram in a couple more weekend trips - to Vienna and Barcelona before time runs out!
Photo album 2 - Istanbul cats
Turkey -the land of honking cars, no road rules, no seatbelts, ruled by a city of homeless cats. If you like corn, pretzels, icecream, spirographs, shoe shining and kebabs - you have come to the right place - there's one of these stalls or trolleys every ten metres. Drinking tea, smoking waterpipes and playing boardgames is a must. Singing, dancing and clapping along at dinner if you're out at a restaurant is the norm. It's so vibrant, colourful, full of life and fun.Here's what I got up to:
Wednesday: got up stupid early and hauled arse to Heathrow. The flight was fine. Landed in Istanbul. The longest passport control queue awaited me. Dropped off my bags and headed off to the Grand Bazaar which is one of the biggest indoor maze of markets I've ever seen. Had some tea at this lovely cafe restauarant run by some young boys. Walked down to the water by the Old Town, stopped at an *amazing* pastry shop where I had CHOCOLATE baklava - which was insanely yummy. B then stopped off for a shave at a barber shop, then we went back to the hotel, had drinks on the terrace and headed out and had tea and smoked a water pipe whilst listening to music and watching a Turkish dancing man spin around, and around, and around.. And then headed to bar for some drinks with the lovely Barman "Murat" and had a late dinner.Thursday: checked out the hotel and checked into a deluxe suite at the Marmara hotel - which was just *stunning*. Thank you B. The views from our room were breathtaking. We had panoramic views of the Bosforus (waters). Went for a swim in the pool and relaxed in the sauna and jacuzzi. We then went for a walk down the Istakal - a big stretch of shops, restaurants and cafes. We then walked to the music district, full of music shops with guitars etc. Bought a cute skirt. That night we ran around looking for the sunset. We found a flower stall that had *purple* flowers, so B bought me a purple rose :) We then ran around found a place to see the sunset which turned out to be outside a tv station and government building - the security guards didn't really like us being there, so we moved along and found somewhere for dinner. Afterwards, we went to this place called the Crab Cafe where a Turkish Metal Band was playing. They took traditional Turkish songs and beefed them up metal style - they were actually an amazing band, and the guitarist played these insane solos. I got up and danced even though I didn't know the music - it was great music and very catchy. More dancing and more drinks, the night paused as the police came through and checked everyone's ID. And then more dancing and drinks :)Friday: Hangover from hell. B dragged me down to the exclusive lounge floor for deluxe suite guests and we had a buffet breakfast. I felt like a pile of junk. Some food and a swim soon got me moving again. Eventually went to the "stripey" restaurant, where all the decor and furniture was covered in red stripey material and the food was INSANE and fresh and delicious. More walking around side streets and back streets. Got a manicure and a pedicure (total bargain). Back to the hotel, and down to the Fish Market Street to a traditional Turkish restaurant for fresh seafood and traditional live music and singing and clapping. We then found a comfy cafe and had tea and a waterpipe and B taught me how to play draughts..Saturday: we went to the Palace Topkapi - which was stunning and had great views of the Bosforus. Then onto the Ayasofya a converted mosque from Byzantine times. Amazing inside to see the mix of architectures, religions and styles. Back to the Grand Bazaar and lunch at our favourite cafe. Caught a tram and metro back to the hotel and got ready and went to the Sunset Grill for cocktails (note, you don't actually get to see the sunset at this place). We then came back to the hotel and went up to the Hotel Restaurant and had a absolutely beautiful dinner.Sunday: yummy toasted Turkish sandwiches for brekky, then off to the old town to the Turkish Bath - lots of bubbles and scrubbing and washing. Then off for a ferry ride around the Bosforus which was lovely, back to the hotel and dinner at the stripey restaurant again for our last night. Then more tea, draughts and waterpipe..Monday: off to the airport and back to grey, rainy crappy London :(
So that was my trip - probably one of the best holidays I've had.
PS: I'll be coming back to Australia in December - and I have no idea if it's going to be short or long term - everything's up in the air as I'm still waiting to hear about my visa. All I know is I'll back on 1st December.. In the meantime, I've got lots of more trips planned - going to Switzerland at the end of this month and staying with my cousin, and hoping to cram in a couple more weekend trips - to Vienna and Barcelona before time runs out!
Friday 25 July 2008
Photos - Cotswolds, Bath and Belgium
Cotswolds & Bath photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133220&l=87f0e&id=863765297
Belgium photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133212&l=8dfe7&id=863765297
Will post more soon.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133220&l=87f0e&id=863765297
Belgium photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133212&l=8dfe7&id=863765297
Will post more soon.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
I love Berlin
I've just gotten back from Berlin and I LOVED IT.It's green, it's beautiful, it's old, it's new, it's clean, spacious, unpolluted, not overcrowded, there's hardly any cars, there's no traffic, it's cheap, there's outdoor beach bars everywhere and beautiful deep foresty parks, winding "Sprees" (canals)... it goes on and on.
Then there's the history. The Prussian era, French influences, World Wars, the Nazis, the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, rebuilding and rebirth. What an amazing place and the whole world has come together to build a new Berlin and it is truly spectacular. New buildings by world class architects are everywhere. Old buildings are being rebuilt. Most of the buildings in Berlin are less than 10 years old including what look like the oldest buildings. This city has such a beautiful personality and truly blossomed from the ashes it had to emerge from. This city truly puts London to shame!
Here's what I got up to. Firstly - the weather was PERFECT. Blue skies. 30 degrees. Stunning. On my first day, we did a bus tour, and then checked into the hotel. Then I walked into the city Centre into to the Hackescher market area with loads of outdoor bars, beach bars, shops, covered courtyards. More random wanderings and ended up on Museum Island. Afterwards, had a beer in an outside bar outlooking the river and museums. Just gorg. And its the law that beer cannot be altered with preservatives or additives in the beer making process - so strangely I really like German beer. Afterwards, back to our hotel, which was in the Turkish Quarter of Gesundbrunnen (really yummy kebabs there - nice and light, not heavy and greasy).
Saturday, I did a walking tour from 10.30am to almost 6pm. Our tour guide Tom was like a walking history book. I felt like I was on the best school excursion ever! All those boring modern history lessons in highschool suddenly came to life through our very animated guide - I was enthralled. We started at the Ostbahnhoff train station which is MASSIVE. The architecture was amazing and the majority of it is actually underground, so the grand building you see from the outside, is only a proportion of the real actual size. Then onto the Reichstag and another history lesson (or a few history lessons). Then onto the Brandenburg gate. And onto many many more buildings.. more stories, more history, Checkpoint Charlie - its just endless. Stood above the bunker where Hitler shot himself. We saw so much. At the end of the walking tour, we went to the stop of the Reichstag building to the glass dome and watched the sunset. Afterwards, we found a guy with a bike and sat in the back while he peddled us into the Tiergarten to an outdoor beer garden in the middle of this massive mysterious thick forested park. It was dusk, and I felt like I was stuck in some sort of dream, racing through this park. We also passed the victory column (with the big angel on top) and it was closed off to traffic because they were filming a movie there (loads of movies are filmed in Berlin). Anyway, we some beers and headed back to the hotel. Interestingly in the day time in this massive park, there's nude sunbathing, of course segregated into straight naked sunbathing, and gay naked sunbaking.
On our last day we went to the Topography of Terror - an outdoor photo exhibition. Then onto the Jewish Museum with a detour into a market and then onto the East Side Gallery - a part of the original Berlin Wall, still standing and preserved with amazing art and graffiti. I never realised there were 2 parts to the wall - the east and the west with a sandy no mans land in the middle.Anyway, I have 2 photo albums of photos -make sure you check them both out and everyone - you HAVE to go to Berlin - amazing beautiful city - keen to go back in a flash...
Sunday 4 May 2008
Cardiff
Another quick and lazy blog entry....
Cardiff day trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108714&id=863765297
Food floor party and the French Bar in Battersea:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110087&id=863765297
Cardiff day trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=108714&id=863765297
Food floor party and the French Bar in Battersea:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110087&id=863765297
Monday 7 April 2008
Lazy blog entry - Easter trip to Scotland, and my new house
Hi everyone,
Well this is going to be quick blog entry.
For easter, I went up to Scotland - visited Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands - which were just gorgeous. And it was insanely cold! And I got snowed on for the first time.
My other news is that I also moved house! I'm now living at Clapham Junction and absolutely LOVE it. The area is great - I'm a couple of minutes walk away from the train for work and still close to London (10 minutes on the train). And my flat is just lovely! Very roomy, and it has a cute little garden. And the area is great - everything is so close and there's tonnes of shops, bars, restaurants.. Very very happy.
Anyway, here's the photos for Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103297&l=ed344&id=863765297
And here's the photos of my new flat: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106303&l=fe00b&id=863765297
Enjoy!
Well this is going to be quick blog entry.
For easter, I went up to Scotland - visited Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands - which were just gorgeous. And it was insanely cold! And I got snowed on for the first time.
My other news is that I also moved house! I'm now living at Clapham Junction and absolutely LOVE it. The area is great - I'm a couple of minutes walk away from the train for work and still close to London (10 minutes on the train). And my flat is just lovely! Very roomy, and it has a cute little garden. And the area is great - everything is so close and there's tonnes of shops, bars, restaurants.. Very very happy.
Anyway, here's the photos for Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103297&l=ed344&id=863765297
And here's the photos of my new flat: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106303&l=fe00b&id=863765297
Enjoy!
Sunday 2 March 2008
February Fun - birthdays, Paris, Disneyland, rollerdisco and more
Photos - Paris etcPhotos - rollerdisco and more
What a crazy month - here's what's been happening!
12 Feb: met my friend Karen from Canada at Heathrow for her 2 week stay with me.
13 Feb: the grand tour of Brixton. I’d caught an evil cold – it was starting to set in. Sent Karen off to Oxford Street for some shopping and exploring, whilst I rested. That evening we went to the crazy bear cocktail bar for drinks. I had fruity non-alcoholic cocktails.
14 Feb: my birthday! Still sick. Got up at 4.45am – was so early I didn’t even realize it was my birthday. Karen and I caught the Eurostar to Paris. It was FREEZING. Went to Montmatre, Musee D’orsay, a Korean bbq restaurant for my birthday dinner, and to the Eiffel tower that night. It was so cold, you couldn’t even see the top of the tower as it was covered in fog. Ate delicious nutella crepes.
15 Feb: still sick. Haul ass on the interesting train system out to Disneyland. Went on loads of rollercoasters which are all indoors and in the dark. Lots of fun, but very cold and very sick.
16 Feb: get the train out to Versailles. Walk around the Palace gardens (which are massive), then inside King Henry 8th’s apartments, which are insanely luxurious. Then venture into the food markets and buy fresh ingredients to make baguettes. See an amazing cake shop. French food is amazing. That evening we came back to London.
19 Feb: went to the Tutankhamen exhibition at the O2 stadium.
21 Feb: rollerskating at the rollerdisco! Got all dressed up silly. Only fell over the once on my bum. Amazed I remembered how to skate (last time I skated was in primary school). My friend Liz fell over and broke her wrist :(
23 Feb: Karen’s birthday! We Will Rock You – the musical. What a great show. The story is great – set in the future when all musical instruments are banned and its all commercialized crap, and rock and roll has been “erased” from history and of course we have our heroes / rebels or bohemians who try to get it back, sung along to with Queen songs. Bohemian Rhapsody was awesome at the end – it was amazing and very emotional. Went out for dinner afterwards to a Korean and Japanese restaurant in Chinatown – very yum.
24 Feb: I’m finally better after my horrid horrid cold. I attribute getting better to drinking this “interesting” fresh carrot and ginger juice at work every day this week, multivitamins, andrographis capsules and yakult. Hate being sick. Karen is away doing a weekend trip. My plans for the weekend: SLEEP!
25 Feb: Karen leaves :( Hope you come back soon Karen – will miss you.. and London is waiting for you..
Things to come: Edinburgh for easter long weekend (4 days), April - trip to Cardiff, May - Long weekend away in Cornwall (by the beach - yay!). Hope everyone at home is well.. Amanda :)
Wednesday 30 January 2008
Australia Day and other random stories
Photos are of my Australia Day in London are here.
How do you spend Australia Day in another country? For me, I cooked up a huuuuge roast lamb, invited my Aussie and New Zealander friends around (Liz and Emma), drank Aussie beer and finished with pavlova. We also listened to the Triple J hottest 100 countdown over the internet.
We then engaged in some silliness with the cardboard cutout of George (Clooney) who I found sitting outside our house the other week, conveniently already cut out where his tongue is (hmmm). And we also had champas.
....And then cocktails at the pub around the corner where more Aussies were to be found. Good thing the pub is only 10 or 20 metres away - makes for a quick trip home! Did not prevent me from having a pounding headache the next day though. Must drink more water. Oh well.
Other random stories - public transportation (and stories about crazy people).
I have 2 stories to share. The first is of catching the tube home one afternoon on a weekend. The tube wasn't packed (for a change). We pull into a station. I can hear loud music coming from somewhere - which is odd - because you never hear loud music down in the tube. There's no mobile or radio reception, and people generally listen to their the ipods or read newspapers. Communication or interaction is not encouraged, unless you're with a friend or shamelessly drunk.
Anyway, the source of the loud music happens to be this very straight looking 50 year old man with a boombox over his shoulder pelting out the tune of "I'm every woman". It was really funny, but again, eye contact is not encouraged. He stumbled off the tube a couple of stations later, boombox and can of beer in hand. Personally I think it's very hobo to drink booze on public transport - but everyone seems to do it here - it's the norm.
My second story occurs at an overland (above ground) train station on the way to work one morning. An old man starts talking to me (whilst I'm thinking "here we go" and rolling my eyes internally). Turns out he wanted to make sure he was getting the right train for his station - which happened to be where I was getting off/going anyway. He also wanted to make sure he didn't fall asleep as well. So I made sure he got the right train with me and we sat on the train together. He'd just bought some fresh fruit as well, and gave me some to eat (I was starving), and made sure he got off the right station with me (he did nodd off a couple of times). So I guess not everyone is crazy here. Although, they are entertaining.. :)
How do you spend Australia Day in another country? For me, I cooked up a huuuuge roast lamb, invited my Aussie and New Zealander friends around (Liz and Emma), drank Aussie beer and finished with pavlova. We also listened to the Triple J hottest 100 countdown over the internet.
We then engaged in some silliness with the cardboard cutout of George (Clooney) who I found sitting outside our house the other week, conveniently already cut out where his tongue is (hmmm). And we also had champas.
....And then cocktails at the pub around the corner where more Aussies were to be found. Good thing the pub is only 10 or 20 metres away - makes for a quick trip home! Did not prevent me from having a pounding headache the next day though. Must drink more water. Oh well.
Other random stories - public transportation (and stories about crazy people).
I have 2 stories to share. The first is of catching the tube home one afternoon on a weekend. The tube wasn't packed (for a change). We pull into a station. I can hear loud music coming from somewhere - which is odd - because you never hear loud music down in the tube. There's no mobile or radio reception, and people generally listen to their the ipods or read newspapers. Communication or interaction is not encouraged, unless you're with a friend or shamelessly drunk.
Anyway, the source of the loud music happens to be this very straight looking 50 year old man with a boombox over his shoulder pelting out the tune of "I'm every woman". It was really funny, but again, eye contact is not encouraged. He stumbled off the tube a couple of stations later, boombox and can of beer in hand. Personally I think it's very hobo to drink booze on public transport - but everyone seems to do it here - it's the norm.
My second story occurs at an overland (above ground) train station on the way to work one morning. An old man starts talking to me (whilst I'm thinking "here we go" and rolling my eyes internally). Turns out he wanted to make sure he was getting the right train for his station - which happened to be where I was getting off/going anyway. He also wanted to make sure he didn't fall asleep as well. So I made sure he got the right train with me and we sat on the train together. He'd just bought some fresh fruit as well, and gave me some to eat (I was starving), and made sure he got off the right station with me (he did nodd off a couple of times). So I guess not everyone is crazy here. Although, they are entertaining.. :)
Saturday 19 January 2008
Holidays at home and ahead
Brisbane photos are here.
Well, I went home for 2 weeks over Christmas / New Year. I arrived on Christmas Day at 7pm after an incredibly long flight with very little sleep. I got to fly on one of those new A300 airbuses (the double decker one). My Mum, sister and her boyfriend met me at the airport. Ash broke away from the barrier and gave me a huge hug. I was back in Brisbane. It wasn’t as hot as I thought it would be – it had been raining. And the rain didn’t stop the entire time I was there, except for may be 2 days. Apparently I brought the weather with me.
Highlights
I got to catch up with and see my family and friends.
I got to see my Dad’s new house. It’s huge. There’s a pool and a big outdoor barbecue area.
I went to all my favourite restaurants, and ate all the food I had been missing so badly.
Australian bacon is the best – English bacon just doesn’t compare. Same goes for seafood.
It was nice wearing summer clothes for a change, leaving the cold English weather and 500 layers of clothing behind.
I stayed in a beautiful hotel in the city at the beginning – the Stamford Plaza Hotel – thanks to Bahadir, it was lovely.
I went to the beach / Noosa twice.
I had a big barbeque at my Dad’s house and invited heaps of people over.
I guess I was kind of spoilt while I was home.
Lowlights
It rained almost the entire time – I came back and the weather in London was better than Brisbane (which is seriously wrong). So I didn’t end up staying at the coast or doing any of the day trips such as Byron.
I had to find a new home for my cat Kiddy, which was stressful / challenging, but turned out well in the end, I think. He’s now living down the Gold Coast.
Did I mention it rained, constantly?
All these things aside, it was interesting going home to Brisbane. Brisbane itself hadn’t changed much, and there still wasn’t a great deal to actually “do” there. There were little changes, like new shops etc. But living in Australia, you very much embrace the outdoors, and nearly everything revolves around and is dependant on this. When you are forced indoors (due to weather), there really isn’t a lot to do (apart from watching boring daytime tv or going shopping), and you are forced to make your own fun - if you’re motivated to do so.
I also visited my old work, which was very weird. Everyone had moved desks, there were some new faces - it was good seeing my old work buddies though. And it was funny seeing my face plastered over all the screensavers there. I got to have my chai latte from the cafeteria which I *adored*. Hot drinks over here in the UK are never hot enough, or your cold drinks are never cold – they just can’t seem to get it quite right.
Something random – a lot of people commented on the watch I was wearing. It was of course purple, and I bought it new off ebay a few months ago. But if you want your own – you can buy it from this site: http://www.blingwatches.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Swiss+Balance+Ladies+Mosaic+Watch
Anyway, I’m back in London now and looking forward to the year ahead. I’ve got a few more trips if all goes to plan – hopefully Edinburgh, Switzerland, Devon, Cornwall and Paris next month for my birthday with my friend Karen who's coming out to stay with me for a couple of weeks from Canada! We're also going to Eurodisney while we're there. I’ve also decided to apply another visa so I can keep working - I feel as though I've barely scratched the surface with all the travelling I want to do over here. I’ve also decided that when my lease is up at the end of April, I'd like to move out of (dodgy) Brixton and over to Clapham Junction. It’s a great area – lots of cute shops, restaurants, bars – it’s very lively and also right near a major train station – so it would make getting to work a hell of a lot easier and it's still only 10-15 minutes outside of Central London itself. I’m really looking forward to moving and discovering a new area.
So that's my holiday at home and my plans for this year..
Well, I went home for 2 weeks over Christmas / New Year. I arrived on Christmas Day at 7pm after an incredibly long flight with very little sleep. I got to fly on one of those new A300 airbuses (the double decker one). My Mum, sister and her boyfriend met me at the airport. Ash broke away from the barrier and gave me a huge hug. I was back in Brisbane. It wasn’t as hot as I thought it would be – it had been raining. And the rain didn’t stop the entire time I was there, except for may be 2 days. Apparently I brought the weather with me.
Highlights
I got to catch up with and see my family and friends.
I got to see my Dad’s new house. It’s huge. There’s a pool and a big outdoor barbecue area.
I went to all my favourite restaurants, and ate all the food I had been missing so badly.
Australian bacon is the best – English bacon just doesn’t compare. Same goes for seafood.
It was nice wearing summer clothes for a change, leaving the cold English weather and 500 layers of clothing behind.
I stayed in a beautiful hotel in the city at the beginning – the Stamford Plaza Hotel – thanks to Bahadir, it was lovely.
I went to the beach / Noosa twice.
I had a big barbeque at my Dad’s house and invited heaps of people over.
I guess I was kind of spoilt while I was home.
Lowlights
It rained almost the entire time – I came back and the weather in London was better than Brisbane (which is seriously wrong). So I didn’t end up staying at the coast or doing any of the day trips such as Byron.
I had to find a new home for my cat Kiddy, which was stressful / challenging, but turned out well in the end, I think. He’s now living down the Gold Coast.
Did I mention it rained, constantly?
All these things aside, it was interesting going home to Brisbane. Brisbane itself hadn’t changed much, and there still wasn’t a great deal to actually “do” there. There were little changes, like new shops etc. But living in Australia, you very much embrace the outdoors, and nearly everything revolves around and is dependant on this. When you are forced indoors (due to weather), there really isn’t a lot to do (apart from watching boring daytime tv or going shopping), and you are forced to make your own fun - if you’re motivated to do so.
I also visited my old work, which was very weird. Everyone had moved desks, there were some new faces - it was good seeing my old work buddies though. And it was funny seeing my face plastered over all the screensavers there. I got to have my chai latte from the cafeteria which I *adored*. Hot drinks over here in the UK are never hot enough, or your cold drinks are never cold – they just can’t seem to get it quite right.
Something random – a lot of people commented on the watch I was wearing. It was of course purple, and I bought it new off ebay a few months ago. But if you want your own – you can buy it from this site: http://www.blingwatches.co.uk/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Swiss+Balance+Ladies+Mosaic+Watch
Anyway, I’m back in London now and looking forward to the year ahead. I’ve got a few more trips if all goes to plan – hopefully Edinburgh, Switzerland, Devon, Cornwall and Paris next month for my birthday with my friend Karen who's coming out to stay with me for a couple of weeks from Canada! We're also going to Eurodisney while we're there. I’ve also decided to apply another visa so I can keep working - I feel as though I've barely scratched the surface with all the travelling I want to do over here. I’ve also decided that when my lease is up at the end of April, I'd like to move out of (dodgy) Brixton and over to Clapham Junction. It’s a great area – lots of cute shops, restaurants, bars – it’s very lively and also right near a major train station – so it would make getting to work a hell of a lot easier and it's still only 10-15 minutes outside of Central London itself. I’m really looking forward to moving and discovering a new area.
So that's my holiday at home and my plans for this year..
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