Daily Outfit: Backpacking in Europe

I thought I'd clear the backpacking backlog (I'll get there... maybe) and start sharing just a few of my adventures abroad. There were many.

I've tried to keep these in chronological order (it also gives you a bit of an idea about how crazily zig-zagged my travels were).

Picking wildflowers in Montpellier

Soaking up sun in Copenhagen

Flowers in Denmark

Mirrored art in Copenhagen

Touring Copenhagen with friends

Arriving in Budapest on "Hard Rubbish" weekend!

Jumping for joy while clubbing in Pest

A rainy day on the Buda side of the river, Hungary

Getting ready for some epic caving, Budapest

Mirrors in the fun house, Stockholm

Knee not looking too swollen!

One day tour of Dortmund, Germany

Pre nude sauna experience, Cologne, Germany

Bremen Botanical Garden, Germany

Giving Bach some respect, Leipzig, Germany

About to see the orchestra play Pictures at an Exhibition (one of my faves!)

Alarmed (in a stainless steel bathtub, DesignPanoptikum, Berlin)

Usual travel attire. Judging from the wet public transport surface, I'm going to bet this is Bordeaux

I can't really give any advice on packing a travel wardrobe (for all the climates!) as I wasn't only travelling for a few months, I had my whole life on my back. When leaving Bordeaux (and heading to Japan, hooray!) I sorted through all my possessions. What couldn't fit in my pack was either sent home, or, sent to a good home. I think things would have been different if I had a home base.

Yesterday

Yesterday I had a hankering to stay at home, reading zines in the garden.

Instead, I laced up my trainers and hiked up Mt Lofty.

And saw not two, but six kangaroos!

Lovely to be home.

I like.. Paris Edition!

Yes, oh yes (oui oh oui?), just 10 days ago I was in Paris, saying au revoir but not adieu to the City of Light.

A lovely way to bookend my year abroad (remember how I taught in Bordeaux?) and see some friends and sights.

I thought I'd collect some happy little snippets from around town.

I like/J'aime:

• The Metro station Bonne Nouvelle (lines 8, 9) and its jaunty Hollywood-style sign

It's Good News Week! Photo credit

• Donut peaches. In fact, France's produce in general is cheap and good. I heard from a friend that it is the only country in the EU that is self-sustaining agriculturally (whatever that means)


• Finding an extra 50€ in my wallet that I'd forgotten about - spent on important things at EuroDisney


• The copper depths of Metro station Arts et Métiers (lines 3, 11), inspired by Jules Verne's writings and designed like the interior of a submarine. Did you know I went to his house? We didn't have a coffee.

Photo Credit

• An ad campaign to boost bread consumption in the country of carbs: "Coucou, tu as pris le pain?"

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

• And finally, on the plane home I watched Funny Face for a lovely Hepburn hit but not knowing that it was set in my beloved Paris! A perfect farewell to France, and multiple laugh-out-loud moments 

Lovely! Thanks Paris!

More lovely things here.

Frocktober(fest?) 2013!

Another year, another month of just wearing dresses!

Sadly, I didn't do it last year while living in Bordeaux, but now that I'm back in Australia I'm keen to be dressing in dresses every day. Things might get a little interesting, seeing as I seriously slimmed down my wardrobe before heading abroad...

Will you join me?

2011's exploits can be found here.

She's BACK!

But not really with a vengeance. Just happiness!

Tried to find the most Australian photo I had. Note from hair length that this photo is... old. Anyway. Straya!

I've been trying to readjust to a totally different rhythm. Staying in the same city for more than four days. Sleeping in the same bed every night, and not changing time zones. Having a shower whenever I please. Using a diary to keep appointments.


It's weird yet pleasant. I'm seeing family and friends again (and lots!) I'm sharing time with my cat. I'm visiting my local libraries and stocking up on delicious reads. I'm cooking.

More like it! Cycling to my grandma's place on a sunny spring day.

However, I've been alternating between completely stressing myself out with trying to set up a life again, and chiding myself when I do take some time out to relax (gosh this weekend was pleasant).


Perhaps I should take some tips from when I last came home after living in France?
Any advice?

This is it.

My final night overseas.

I'm in Paris. It's bliss.

Thank you to all who have made my year abroad so special. You know who you are.

See you on the flip side (Down Under?!)

I like...

Ooh, September has been a slim month blogwise. Did I mention that I was patting cats across Canada and the USA? Getting lost in secondhand bookshops? Burying my nose in flowers?

Yes. It's been a good month.

Anyway, time for some stuff I dig right now!

• Paw prints in set concrete (and bird prints are pretty sweet too).


• Using the Notes function on my phone. I use it for everything: places to check out in a new city, books to read, life goals, dinner recipes. Now that I've changed it from the default comic sans (ew), we have a very productive relationship.


• Capsicum (bell pepper) in sandwiches. It's crispy and tangy and delicious.


• Coloured pens. They're a bit juvenile I know, but I really like updating my diary with a purple gel pen or an emerald green erasable!


• Having the exact change for the bus. Bliss.

All picked in the lane behind my friend's house. Yum!

• Wild blackberries - but watch out for the prickles! The West Coast was insane for these. YUM!


• The rich, green aroma of forests. Breathe deep.

Right near Beaver Lake in Vancouver.



• Reorganizing the apps on my phone. It feels oddly fresh.


• Related: the app from xe.com (currency exchange) - how did it take me this long (and so many countries) to download it? It works offline!


• Vancouver radio station, The Peak. I hope I can stream it when back home!


• And finally, trying new podcasts. I'm really enjoying Welcome to Night Vale. Perfect for when I want a bit of human company but am too shy to talk to anyone whilst travelling.

Any snippets of happiness you fancy sharing? The next Like List will be from homebase, Australia!

Reluctant

My friends,

You may have noticed some hesitance to post these last few months. Technology notwithstanding (how do other bloggers successfully use their tablets to post? Am I missing something?), I have been reluctant to post lately as I worry about gloating. The Australian self-effacing Tall Poppy thing.

Because if I'm being completely honest? This year has been absolutely amazing.

Sure, there have been some low days and tricky situations, but these have been few and far between.

I have grown so strong these last 12 months. In every way. I'd like to think that I'm in a really healthy place mentally, and able to bounce back to my happy equilibrium after setbacks. My confidence is back (yes, it had disappeared). I am adventurous, curious and enthusiastic about the world around me. My biceps are rippling after carting my backpack all over Japan, Europe and North America.

I have had incredible adventures. I acknowledge just how lucky I am, and am grateful to all the people who have been a part of it. You know who you are.

At the end of the day though, this is my blog, and this is (part of) who I am. If you get tired of my optimism and find my posts too saccharine, that's okay! But I shouldn't let my perceptions of others' opinions affect what I want to write on my blog.

So here we are. I'm in New York for my 27th birthday weekend. I fly to Iceland again, for the fifth time, on Wednesday to be with my handsome Viking for a week. I'm booking an adorable studio apartment for a final long weekend in Paris. And then I'm back home, reunited with my family, friends and cat friend exactly one year after it all began. I have a whole summer to enjoy before I start a new job at the end of January. My boyfriend is coming over for Christmas. I'm going to find a cosy apartment, just for me for next year. So much goodness; so much happiness.

I am blessed.

Thank you for being part of these adventures.

Thank you for still reading even though posting is spotty.

Thank you for being supportive and not thinking I'm a smug jerk.

See you soon.

Ginger for Life

Travel is the perfect opportunity for a bit of introspection, so I thought I'd use the bus ride from Seattle to Portland to start designing my "Life List". You know, those big, lofty goals that you want to achieve sometime in your life.

I'm not particularly good at goal-setting, however. This doesn't mean that I don't achieve things in my life, just that I sometimes have trouble identifying what I want specifically. I guess a lot of it is unconscious processing, solving problems in my sleep, and the direction forward evolving organically.

That is to say, my Life List is looking a bit slim for the moment.

One thing that is on there however, is one day getting a ginger cat. I in no way intend to disrespect my precious current cat, living happily with my parents while I roam the world. But one day, one day, I would like a ginger of my own.

It's funny though, I can't see myself settling down and being able to commit to a cat anytime soon, or even medium-term. I wonder if I'll always be an explorer of the world? Surely the dream of a ginger cat is incompatible with another goal on my Life List of living at least a year somewhere in Asia...

Higher Education

Friends, it has been a really long time since I used my brain powers (for good, not evil). I think I can feel my grey matter turning... grey. Not good!

In an effort to tune back in to the "real world", and prepare myself for an inevitable return (sigh.) I thought I'd look into some learning. Why not take a TEFL course when back in Australia? (for those playing at home, Teaching English as a Foreign Language)


More immediately, and realistically, I have been getting into courses through iTunes University. Astronomy? Yes please! The Science of Happiness? Sure! Calculus refresher? How refreshing!

I'm hoping that downloading these courses - and actually doing them - will stem my inevitable decline...


Have you tried any online learning? Any recommendations?