Fitzroy

Trendy, bohemian, vintage shops aplenty, Fitzroy is too cool for school.

I wish I hadn't eaten breakfast before I arrived on Brunswick Street mid-morning - there are too many good looking eateries to count. Next time I go back will be with an empty stomach so that I can take advantage of the delicacies on offer.

Wandering up and down Brunswick Street alone took me a good few hours, as I popped into a dozen or so clothes shops, jewellery shops and record stores.

The buildings are of the old style, with embellished rooftops and window frames adding to coloured walls ranging from neutral to bright to pastel tones. They remind me of the buildings that house the Portobello market in London. And even though there was cloud overhead and the rain poured down for most of the day, the chairs and tables left outside the cafes and bars was a pleasant reminder of the good weather to come and the outdoor lifestyle that will be possible for the next few months. 

Whilst looking down some of the side streets leading off Brunswick Street, I came across a cafe set up in a container, Grace, and just around the corner from that, Industry Beans. As well as these little treasures that I'll definitely be going back to, Rose Street is home to some of Melbourne's famous street art.

When the wind and rain got all too much I sat myself down in Newtown Social Club for a deliciously sweet and spicy chai tea and a leaf through the flyers and music magazine I'd picked up earlier. A seat in the window was the perfect spot for people watching and jotting some thoughts and notes down in a lovely, brand new book.

In other news, I think my efforts to find some musical activities here might be starting to pay off, so watch this space...

Wandering

Burano - Split - Prague / Whitby / London / Beverley / Venice / Monterosso al Mare / Parma / Alberobello / Copenhagen / Zadar / Budapest / Krakow / Vienna / Prague

Small streets are one of my favourite things to wander around and to photograph, and I think are often overlooked by people when visiting places or even walking around familiar towns and cities. In recent years, I have found several photo and travel blogs that have inspired me to step away from the beaten track and see what else is on offer...and I've found that it doesn't have to be a million miles off the tourist trail, often a hundred metres or so and you're in what feels like a different place. These quiet, often narrow back and side streets are where you might be able to find some lovely local people, hanging out in front of their houses or shops, chatting to neighbours. It's where you might be able to smell what is being cooked for dinner, a truly authentic dish. Where you are more likely to hear snippets of the native language rather than your own. And also where there might be more people-free photo opportunities!

However, it's not always essential to get away from the crowds. Sometimes it's just as nice to be amongst the masses, among the excitement, and let's face it, typical tourist and travel routes aren't frequented by thousands for no reason!

København

Four days in the beautiful little Danish capital.

I stayed in the Islands Brygge area with one of my best friends from university, Jenny. Half Danish and having lived there for five months already, she made the perfect guide.

Copnehagen struck me as a very homely city. I don't know if it was because I was with Jenny but it didn't feel like a hugely foreign country. I felt quite comfortable straight away, and I found it so relaxing to be somewhere that felt safe, and being able to let myself become absorbed in conversation and really enjoy my surroundings. 

Jenny and I took similar courses at university, and both studied in the same city in Italy for a year, so we've shared a lot as far as new experiences go, both good and bad. To be able to see her and reminisce about all those experiences, how they've affected our perspective, and really talk about how we feel about our lives now and the directions we're going in was quite therapeutic. I am lucky enough to have lots of people around me to talk things through with, loving and supporting family and friends, but there's nothing quite like that kind of chat with someone who's 'been there and done that' at the same time, as it were. I think we both really needed that.

We occupied ourselves with lots of walking, thanks to the (mostly) lovely weather, seeing sights such as the Little Mermaid, took advantage of the abundance of delicious danish pastries, and visited some of the most notable buildings and monuments in the city. Here is a small selection...

Views from the outside steps of the Church of Our Saviour. Not for the faint hearted or vertigo sufferers, the steps start off in the bell tower and continue on the outside, winding around the spire. 

Part of the International Sand Sculpture Festival, at Havnegade. 

Den lille havfrue - The Little Mermaid, the iconic statue of Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale.

A traditional Danish kanelsnegle - cinnamon bun. So incredibly tasty!

Sun filling an exhibition hall in the National Gallery.

An evening stroll through Rosenborg Palace Garden, in glorious sunshine.

Nyhavn, possibly one of the most photographed and recognised areas of Copenhagen. It certainly doesn't disspoint; there are dozens of cafes and restaurants from which to sit and watch the world go by, or ice cream and waffle shops from which to buy some sweet treats and sit on the harbourside, as I did.

Palace and church towers in the sunset, at about 10pm. I was so pleased at how long it stayed light, and warm. Made for a very pleasant walk home. 

Breakfast on Islands Brygge on my last day. A morning dip in a cold harbour followed by lazing in the sunshine was the perfect end to my trip!

Escaping to the city

Living in a small town, surrounded by moorland and sea, and isolated from major urban areas is an absolute pleasure at times. But increasingly I am itching to get back to big city life. So off I went for a weekend in the biggest of the UK's big cities, el capital itself.
I visited Sarah, one of my closest course friends from university. Having seen her for an all too brief breakfast date on my way home from Amsterdam I knew I had to go and spend some more time with her. In final year we spent a lot of time in the vicinity of each other, alternating hard work with great conversation. I think it would be fair to say we were a good team.
My first evening was spent chatting, catching up on recent occurrences in both of our lives, and like the organised ladies that we are, planning the weekend. As Dr Lahiri very wisely points out in The Mindy Project, 'You have to have an itinerary. It's how you maximise fun per hour.'

Portobello Road Market and a wander around Kensington and Chelsea.

One thing I always love to see is coloured buildings, especially in gorgeous pastel shades, clashing and complementary at once. I think in a way it reminds me of being in Italy (streets such as the penultimate photo in this post) or Europe in general. And I especially loved the colour of this door - to walk home to this would make me smile every day. 

A luxurious lunch at Dock Kitchen, at Portobello docks. 

The owner and head chef at the restaurant co-presented Spice Trip, a short series focussing on spices in six countries around the world. I had seen it when it aired on tv at the end of last year, and was completely inspired to travel, to cook and to eat, and so to go for lunch at his place was somewhat a gastronomical dream come true.

To start with, I ate pea and ricotta ravioli, and Sarah had an ajo blanco with melon, then we shared an incredible lamb biryani with tandoori bread, pomegranate seeds, cashew nuts and coriander. And yes, that is gold leaf on my tandoori bread. It was truly one of the best meals I have ever had, in a wonderful setting, all washed down with a bottle of delicious French Vermentino wine and a cheeky espresso.

From the moment I mentioned heading down to London, Sarah insisted we go to the V&A museum. Having browsed the gallery titles on the website, I was hooked. I'm open to going into any gallery, especially when it comes with such good recommendations, whether it be classical art or modern, but I was especially excited to see the ceramics collection here. The two of us spent a good while in just one room of ceramics, mostly fawning over the intricate and beautiful patterns and vivid colours of the Islamic and Middle Eastern bowls, pots, plates and tiles. Unfortunately photography was not permitted in one of the rooms and I was too busy looking to really take any pictures. 

As luck would have it, another university friend was having a birthday party on the Saturday night, so an impromptu reunion occurred. Unexpected but delightful. 

Sunday morning was gloriously sunny as we made our way eastwards to the Columbia Road Flower Market, by way of Highbury Fields. It was lovely being in such a vibrant atmosphere of viewing, buying, selling, bustling activity. Sarah and I both loved the little antique, arts and homeware shops along the side of the street, allowing us plenty of dreaming about our future abodes. 

All in all, a wonderful couple of days. And testament to a true friendship that I returned home feeling revived and relaxed - I never thought a city break in London would have that effect...I think I'll be returning in the not too distant future. 

Les couleurs

A few of my favourite photos from a wonderful way to document one of the most interesting cities in Europe; The Paris Color Project, by Little Brown Pen, where elements of life in Paris are grouped together according to the colours they share. I came across it months and months ago and have only just rediscovered it. I love so many of the photos and find the categorising by colour a really cool way of looking at surroundings, something I'm definitely going to try in the future, either on travels or just at home.

You can see the collection of photos here.

Has anyone ever done anything like this? Or do you have any other good ideas for photography projects?