From across the globe

So I've been in Australia just over a week now, and it's about ten days since I left home, although it seems like an age ago. Despite taking a good few days to get over the jet lag, I've squeezed quite a lot into these first days, including two visits to the schools that my Aunt and Uncle work at, half of a hen party, a few wanders round the suburb I'm staying in and a couple of trips into the city. 

It's felt a lot more familiar and it's been easier to settle in than I had expected, although maybe I'll get a delayed culture shock, who knows. Now, the job hunt begins in earnest; I desperately need something to do a few days a week at least, or I'll end up going crazy. And of course any travels require funds!

Here are some of my first glimpses of Melbourne city centre

The iconic Flinders Street Station entrance, Australia's oldest train station

Looking towards the CBD from Federation Square

Australians seem to take their coffee pretty seriously...this one made for a lovely break from city seeing

The CBD from St Kilda Road Bridge

Great idea for a bar

Gorgeous stained glass roof of the National Gallery reflecting in my sunnies

Inside the State Library

Street art on the lamp posts

Flanders

A slightly overdue post about my trip to Flanders in July/August. I spent a week of nights sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a school classroom in Oostende, and days filled with music making, socialising, discussing and getting to know some of the best people I've ever met. 

Ethno is a worldwide organisation dedicated to bringing young musicians together from dozens of countries, in order to share, teach and learn each others' musical and cultural traditions. 

I participated in Ethno Sweden three summers ago and was so keen to get back to another in my summer holiday this year. It was slightly daunting heading to Ethno Flanders alone, not really knowing if I would know any of the people there (it turned out I did know a couple already), but also really refreshing. I got there completely by train which was slightly lengthy but really fun, and I found it a lot less stressful than flying. 

I intended to document my trip as fully as possible in photos, but turns out I was having too much fun as I didn't end up taking many at all. Sometimes that's the best way.

Pianos available for public performances in St Pancras Station

Hundreds of bikes lined up outside a station

Our playground/workshop space

The church outside my classroom/bedroom window

A windy evening on the beach

Violins

Afternoon sun and beers and Dranouter Festival

Dancing in Ghent after our concert

Final countdown

3 weeks until I leave for the Southern Hemisphere. For up to one year.

I'm heading to Melbourne, to meet and stay with family, and hopefully to work and live.

I am going to miss some things here incredible amounts. But at the same time I am incredibly excited about a new adventure and seeing another country!

I will be updating this blog whilst I'm away, and I'm looking forward to sharing new scenery and experiences with friends and family in all other parts of the world. 

Fear not, there will also be a generous amount of sunshine to make those of you heading towards winter suitably jealous!

Things I've heard about Melbourne seem to be focussed on the city, the cafes and interesting backstreets, and the beach. I think I can cope with that.

Photos found here, here and here

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!

Everybody loves la bella Italia

It's nice to find other people's experiences and accounts of visits to and travels around Italy sometimes, and know that I'm not the only one that has a huge travel crush on this country! 

Almost everyone I know that has ever been absolutely loved it, and wants to go back. And despite, or perhaps because of being faced with challenges to my ideas about the way things should be done (pre-Erasmus I was fairly stuck in the British way of doing things) I can't wait to return, this time hopefully to work! 

Here are some of my favourite images at the moment...

The Fresh Exchange - this is a blog run by a husband and wife duo of designers from Northern Michigan. I'm so happy I stumbled across it; their ideas and photography are sublime. 

photos of the Northern region of Piemonte and the West coast paradise of Cinque Terre found here and here

Travelettes - I've been following this travel blog run by girls for a year or so now, and find it my 'go to' source for information and tips about a new place. With several contributors from across the globe, it is a perfect collection of articles for any female traveller.

photos of Trastevere, Rome and 'the longest portico in the world' in Bologna here and here

Life and Times of Victoria Rose - one of my friends from university is currently on her year abroad in Parma, at the Conservatorio I attended on my Erasmus year.It is so nice to see another point of view on the charming little city.

photo of Parco Ducale in autumn found here

Italia, ti voglio bene. 

Procrastination or Planning?

Procrastination is something I'm pretty good at, having had four years of a degree to work at it. One of my favourite methods of procrastinating is to look at flights. Rather than open a new tab from the journal I was reading and type 'face...' I'd often find myself heading towards budget airline sites.

Knowing that the possibility of booking a flight to somewhere exotic is in reach, literally at my fingertips, is something I absolutely love. That thought came in especially handy when the pressures of uni work were getting me down, and it still lifts my mood a little.

(Cagliari, Sardinia)

Of course, some of these dream travel searches are just that, a dream. But every now and again, the stars align and something becomes viable, a friend gets on board, and suddenly, I'm jetting off somewhere in a matter of weeks. 

(Scooters in La Spezia, Italy)

Then I end up then delving into guide books and web reviews of the best places to visit in a town or city, what not to miss, and how best to fill my days. Sometimes, as in the case of Amsterdam, this works perfectly. But other times the guidebooks get left in the hostel, only the map makes it out for the day and seeing what happens is a lot more fun. 
I found this especially when Interrailing with my friend Lydia for 3 weeks at the end of my Erasmus year. Walking tours were our staple source of history, geography and random facts about the town or city. I think one of the best ways to discover smaller places is to simply wander, read plaques, talk to people, and read any free leaflets or information that you come across. 

(Preko, Croatia)

This kind of exploring resulted in stumbling across some great little cafes, streets, and shops, and seeing places that we otherwise wouldn't have found, and maybe would have had even less chance finding if we'd stuck to general guidance for tourists.

(Looking out over the border between Italy and Slovenia)

Having said all that, every trip is different, and I think the control freak in me can't bear the idea of visiting somewhere and not see some of its most famous landmarks, learning something about what it's known for and doing or eating something truly local. Perhaps I find researching travel so exciting and enjoyable because I'll feel that I'll have minimised the chances of missing out on something, and therefore got the most out of my trip. 

As with everything, a big part of whether a trip is enjoyable or 'successful' is often down to who you share it with...but that doesn't stop me getting that giddy excitement when I see that email 'Confirmation of your flight...'

I'm interested to know how others go about planning their trips and travels...any top tips?