Christmas lights already?

I'm one of those people who denies Christmas is coming up until about the 10th December when I realise I have about five seconds to buy a million expensive presents for everyone. It's kind of hard to ignore though when such a fuss is made in London over something so seemingly small as switching on a few Christmas lights. Last week, Oxford Street was crammed for the traditional switching-on ceremony, with the switch-flicking being done by such 'high-calibre' celebrities as Leona Lewis (winner of the UK X-Factor) and Westlife. Admittedly, the lights are beautiful, even if every year they are centred around a tacky Disney movie theme (this year it is something called Enchanted I think, at least that's better than Ice Age 2, like it was last year). The lead-up to Christmas is definitely a beautiful time to be in London. Yes, it's dark and yes, it's freezing but there's nothing quite like walking down a frosty Oxford St in your coat and mittens with a million sparkling lights shining down on you. Try to ignore the frantic Christmas shoppers and it really is lovely.

Nerd abroad

I just love London. Last night I dragged Paul along to a book event in Waterstones (read: gigantic multiple storey book shop) so we could meet Patricia Cornwell. Yes, it's somewhat embarrassing that I love these book events, but I have been a fan of her Kay Scarpetta novels for a good ten years. She has just released her 16th Scarpette book so a book tour (and apparently her only book signing in the world for this novel) was held. It was actually a really good night - although we did have to go for drinks afterwards since, unlike the last book event I went to, there was no wine provided at this one. (I know, disgrace, what do they think I paid my 3 quid for?!) Patricia Cornwell was great to see though - she is really down to earth although, somewhat strangely, talks about her characters like they are real people. To the extent of answering questions in the form of 'I'll ask Kay and let you know'. But it was all done with a sense of humour so I don't think she's a real crackpot. I guess the other excuse is that she has been immersed in these characters for a good 20 years, so can be forgiven for beocoming quite attached to them. She also had these two massive security guards, complete with earpieces. Must be the downfall of being a forensic thriller author - I can imagine she attracts a few psychos. Anyways, book events are definitely my tip for cheap, enjoyable nights out in London (if you're into this kind of thing). You only pay £3 and you get that deducted off the price of the book being promoted if you buy it on the night to get signed by the author. Not bad (especially when you get the free wine). Tonight Russell Brand is promoting his new book at Waterstones. but I can't be bothered queuing. I think he might just be a little more popular than PC.

Spanish highlights

One of the best, and most unexpected, delights of our fab trip was a visit to the Arab/Hamman baths in Cordoba. We were walking through the dusty cobblestoned streets when Kimberely spotted this mosaic oasis and suggested we go for a spa and a massage. Not being one to complain about these sorts of things, I raced back to our hostel to grab our cozzies and then returned to a blissful few hours in the most peaceful and relaxing place I have ever been. After a brief flashing incident on my behalf (seems these things always happen to me) we first spent 10 minutes in the warm pool you see in this photo. Then we moved on to steaming hot baths in a darkened room lit by candles (very nice but a little weird if you happened to be sharing the same bath as a hairy spaniard - we tried to avoid him). After the hot water opened the pores you then were supposed to go into the next stage of baths filled with freezing cold water. But since this was pretty unbearable, I mostly skipped these and went back to the warm baths (probably negating all the good things that were supposed to be happening to my skin!). if that wasn't blissful enough, we then had massages. All for a smart 28 euro! Bargain if you're spending pounds, and not too hefty in Aussie dollars either..

Check it out - Hammam Spain

Back from Spain

I've been really slack with posting lately - been too busy with work, life and holidays which is not a bad way to be I suppose! The last two weeks were beautifully spent sunning myself in Spain, a holiday I have been wanting to take for a long time and which was even better since it was spent with a friend from home that I had not seen in ages. I revisited Barcelona (could still go back there a million more times), then flew to Seville, train to Cordoba, bus to Granada and then flying back to Majorca and back to good old Gatwick. Although I will always hold Barcelona in a very special place in my heart (this city just has so much to offer!), I have to say that Andalucia is stunning and definitely worth a visit. The Islamic influence in the religious buildings, history, architecture and even in the shops is so beautiful and interesting, and of course the sun shines hotter in the south!

Some highlights:

• The largest cathedral in Europe in Seville - this place is gigantic and is home to the tomb of Christopher Colombus and a tower you can climb up for a view over the whole city.
  
• The BEST TAPAS IN SPAIN (yes I'm going to go out on a limb and say it). This place we found by recommendation in Cordoba was everything you want from a tapas restaurant - authentic, fresh, extremely reasonable and completely delicious. It's called Meson San Basilio. Definitely the best tapas I have ever had. The tomate con sal (tomatoes with salt) is possibly the most simple, yet most delicious dish ever.
  
• L'Alhambra in Granada - a majestic Islamic-inspired palace which sits on the hill overlooking the city. Filled with stunning architecture, dramatic gardens, peaceful courtyards and outstanding views over the city.
  
• Our Spanish villa in Granada, Vista Alhambra - rooftop views over the city and directly next to the Alhambra. Completely reasonable for a self-contained apartment and lovely people. Many an afternoon was spent basking on the roof in the beautiful sun.
  
• Crazy nights out in Barcelona - if I had any idea the places I was, I would recommend them! Oh, and Arab baths in Cordoba (these deserve their own post - it will come soon)


• The sumptuous lifestyle in Mallorca - could anyone say no to million-dollar yachts, a stunning poolside (and beachside) villa and the best Japanese restuarant to be found in Spain?
  
• There are more, many more, but for now will just put some piccies:

The beautiful Alcazar (palace and gardens) in Seville:
On the Costa Brava:
Once I get my Flickr account sorted out, there will be more... Meanwhile back in London, the clocks have changed and we're settling down for a cosy winter.

World Cup? What World Cup?

We came, we saw and we....ummmm, tried really hard and failed to obtain the revenge we so richly deserved after victory was so cruelly snatched from us in October 2003, by a fetchingly handsome blonde man in some little white shorts. And that's all I will say on the matter. Fair play to England - they have done well and if they can manage to crawl back from the 36-0 earlier defeat to SA (or whatever it was) then they deserve to retain the cup. I just don't want to hear any gloating about it, at all. Having an English boyfriend, you can imagine this is quite problematic.

So, I won't have to put up with any of it this weekend though as I'm off to Spain! Considering there are still plenty of rays of sunshine to be caught at this time of year in the beautiful South of Spain, I am heading over for 10 days. Starting off in Barcelona and the Costa Brava, Kim and I are heading down to Seville, Cordoba, Granada and then back up to Mallorca to visit a friend. The days in London are wavering between cold and bearable, so it will be nice to get some sun. Seville, Cordoba and Granada in particular look beautiful and I'm very excited. The great thing about being a working holiday maker, is that I don't feel an ounce of guilt that I just got back from a two week jaunt in the US and am already taken myself off on another adventure. Love it.

Another year, another 10k

Well, no matter what you say about Londoners, at least we know they will turn out and make an effort for a good cause. Thousands of runners and supporters turned up on Sunday for our 10k run for cancer research. It was a lovely day and I am proud to say that Paul and I raised just under £200 - ok so it's not that much but every little bit helps right? I was very thrilled because i ran the 10k in just under 61 minutes, beating my time from last year (and this one was run on grass, not concrete!) I feel a huge sense of achievement and am quite proud of myself, thanks very much! It was such a nice feeling though - all those people out to support you and cheer you over the finishing line (even though I was looking hideously red and exhausted by that stage). I'm sure they raised thousands, and since pretty all of us know someone close to us who has been affected by cancer, then it really is the least we can do.

Sin City

Vegas - what can you say? It's nothing short of completely mental - the weirdest place I have ever been. But so, so cool. We were only there for two nights and that was probably long enough (considering I'm the world's worst gambler). Although my Nan taught me from an early age the best tips for pokie playing, I'm afraid I was a little out of my depth when it came to the hardcore gamblers that you see by the thousands in Vegas. I was more excited to wander around soaking up the atmosphere and seeing the bizarre sights of a rollercoaster in a casino, a complete replica of Parisian monuments, an indoor replica of Venetian canals and in fact the entire Italian city (see pic), snowlions alongside palm trees, tobacco chewing gallon-hat wearing texans playing roulette, the famous water show outside the Bellagio, and all the fabulous crazy sights that make Vegas the wondrous fantasy it is.

The City of Angels

OK, so I have been really bad at writing anything lately about my trip. I think because it was such a good time and we did so many things that choosing to write about any aspect of it is a little overwhelming!

Everyone is interested in LA I guess, so that's what I'll talk about. It's not as great or as glamourous as you would think. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, and there are so many cool things to see and do, but it's a bit of a pain to visit as a tourist, everything is massively spread out, and if you don't know where you're going, you're screwed. And Hollywood Boulevard is pretty tacky. I wasn't expecting the streets to be lined with gold or anything, but I was a little disappointed at how cruddy bits of the city were. But then there are the glamourous bits too - Rodeo Drive (great to wander around and pretend you can afford stuff), Orange Country (not technically LA but close enough), Santa Monica (verging on tacky but quite nice still) and lots of beautiful little boutiques (once you know where to go). I think LA is the kind of city you would appreciate much more if you actually lived there - it's quite difficult for a tourist to fall in love with in a few short days.
Although when I was sipping a Mai Tai cocktail in the lavishly decorated Ashton Kutcher-owned Geisha House, I definitely felt my affection growing. We didn't make it to Disneyland unfortunately, instead choosing to head to Orange County for some gorgeous beaches and cruising with the top down. It was actually at the next beach around from Laguna Beach (of MTV fame) that I took a proper plunge in the ocean for the first time in the holiday (everywhere else was too cold and I just froclicked by the water's edge like an idiot) and it was wonderful to feel that exhilaration you get from swimming in the waves. That feeling is definitely nowhere to be had in London!

Back to reality

Getting back from a holiday and going straight back to work is exhausting - I think I need another holiday already! At least I have some cool photos to look back on. I will put some here and upload the rest on Flickr when I get the chance. Unfortunately my pics from San Francisco aren't the best because my camera, which has served me loyally for four years or so, decided to pack it in on the second day of our holiday when we were on our way to Alcatraz. It's just died. Typical! Luckily we had a camcorder with us (yes, blatant tourists) which took some still, but they weren't great quality. So I used that as an excuse to go shopping and buy a new camera - after which my pics dramatically improved. These are some of my favourites from San Francisco - there's more to come, don't worry!...

Having coffee in the square on a Sunday, watching the art exhibition and passersby..
The sign that greets you when you enter Alcatraz...
The famous streets of San Francisco...

When I have uploaded some more, i'll put a link up.

In other news - since I got back, I have been frantically trying to go to the gym (when I say frantically, I mean twice this week) because Paul and I are doing a 10K run for charity in a couple of weeks and I don't want to collapse half way through. Paul is still trying to get out of it (I think two weeks of eating in the US has taken it's toll) but I am definitely still dragging him along. We are running 10K for cancer research UK on Sunday 30 September. Any support in the form of donations are muchly welcomed - as I want to feel like the blisters and pain are really worth it! If you are able to sponsor us, we have an online donation page here. Thanks for any support! And I will of course let you all know how it goes.

America, America.....

This will just be a quick one as I'm scabbing free internet in a library in Austin, Texas. Yes, I've been quiet the past two weeks cause I've been having too much fun in the US! We have been having the best time and I'm not exactly looking forward to getting back to 'real life' in London. Just quickly, some highlights (and there have been too many to mention here) have been:
- touring the spooky enclaves of Alcatraz in San Francisco
- clam chowder, fish tacos, fresh oysters in California...and wine tasting!
- singing 'take me out to the ballgame' and eating garlic fries watching the San Francisco Giants play ball (ok, so the garlic fries were NOT a good idea but at least they were memorable!)
- the breathtaking coastline between San Fran and LA: secluded beaches, sea lions, mesmerising fog, thick forests
- sunbathing in Malibu and imagining I'm in Baywatch
- touring Laguna Beach and the amazing beaches of Orange County and imagining I'm in a MTV reality series/The O.C
- cocktails in Ashton Kutcher's Japanese-inspired LA nightspot, Geisha
- penny slots in the Bellagio in Vegas! (I was too scared of the tables but Paul had a go)
- swimming in the natural watering hole in Austin and gorging on Tex-Mex food!
- shopping, everywhere

So much fun crammed into two little weeks. We still have a couple more days to explore Austin - the 'live music capital of the world'. I have to say, i have enjoyed the US a lot more than I thought I would. The friendliness and hospitality of the Americans is supreme (even more reason for me to continually berate, much to the annoyance of all my lovely friends, the appalling levels of service you get in the UK). And the heat! God bless the heat. I have bought lots of beautiful summer clothes that I'm sure the UK is already going to be too cold for, but I have been deprived of this kind of sun/heat too long and must take advantage :) I'm hoping I can still squeeze some more skirt-wearing into what's left of the UK summer - can't let this 'tan' (sunburn) go to waste.

Will put up some photos etc when I get back to London - on Monday. See y'all!

Four days to go...

Only four days to go till I hit the sunny sands of California! We're flying out of Gatwick early on Saturday morning and I can't wait. Who would have thought going on holiday could be so stressful though? I'm beside myself making sure everything is organised - hotels in four different cities, rental cars, insurance, tickets for various events, etc etc. Lets not even get started on packing. I might need another holiday to get over this one! It's the longest one I would have had in ages though. Since moving to the UK I have been the queen of mini breaks - managing to see countless cities and countries on weekenders and four dayers. My longest holidays have been only a week or 10 days, so I'm relishing two whole weeks of relaxation. I just hope Paul and I don't kill eachother - living together and holidaying for two weeks together are two different things! :)

We're flying out of Gatwick, so will avoid the protests going on at Heathrow against the construction of a new runway and the consequent affects on climate change. While so many people are bagging out the protestors and dismissing them as 'dirty, troublesome hippies' I for one are thankful that there are people out there making a stand when so many of us are too lazy to bother. As a traveller in complete appreciation of the wonders of seeing other places and countries, I still feel guilty about the impact all my air travel in the past year has had on the environment. And I think more measures should be put in place to reduce these impacts - and of course it is major operators like BA, other airlines and major airports need to think more about. Sure, I am feeding the market just as much as other people, but we use these services because they are available to us. If Heathrow needs to build another airport to relieve congestion - fine. If it's going to result in even more opportunities for air travel and more airlines, then no, it's not. Maybe we'll all just have to learn to take the train more instead.

Homesick...

Well - that's it. I'm all alone. My family has completely abandoned me. Not only did my sister choof off home from Germany in February but now my brother went and got his work permit rejected and flew back to Australia for good yesterday. How inconsiderate of them all. I guess it's perhaps my fault for choosing to live over the other side of the world...

Being apart from your family sux. And it's not like my family is a huge lovely-dovey/can't live without eachother entity - but it still sux being over a 20hour flight and a couple of time zones away from the people who've known you since you were a snot-covered, nappy-clad little brat and love you anyway. It's times like these when I have to focus hard on the cool things I am doing over here - my flourishing (?) freelance career, my impending trip to the US, etc. Getting homesick is definitely a big part of living overseas, for me anyway, although you will find plenty of people who it doesn't bother at all. Something tells me no-one would knock back a cuddle from mum/dad/the family pet every now and again though.

Land of Smiles

Since this is a travel blog, I didn't think it was too off-topic to spruik this cool little documentary my little sis has made. Check it out - Land of Smiles is a snapshot into life in Thailand and the refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border where she visited and worked for a few weeks.

Weekend in Bristol

The trip to Bristol was a massive success - and I'd highly recommend it for a day trip or weekend out of London. If you don't mind quite a smallish city, or students, I think it would also be quite nice to live there. Eight of us went there for a couple of nights last weekend - some by car and some got the National Express bus for about 15 quid return (if we booked earlier, the prices were at about 5 quid return - bargain!). We stayed near Clifton which is one of the nicest areas in Bristol, with endless cafes, boutiques and rows of stunning Georgian houses. There is also the world's first suspension bridge (see pic), which spans the river Avon and a massive green gorge - a landscape that reminded me of Australia. My photos from Saturday aren't that great as the sky was a bit grey - but we did do a little boat cruise around the canals of the city which was a great way to explore (and was only 4 quid - another bargain!). Friday and Saturday nights were spent frequenting the wide variety of bars/restaurants/pubs in the city (some definitely better than others) and Sunday was spent walking up to the gorge, and down it for those who could be bothered (not me). After stopping for a late morning Pimms at the beautiful Avon Gorge Hotel we then spent a really nice afternoon at the Bristol Zoo and Gardens (complete with a Calippo - something I always used to get when visiting Taronga Zoo as a little'un).

All in all, Bristol was better than I expected. It has some fascinating architectural sights and an interesting history - in the time it was basically the centre of the British slave trade and since this year celebrates 200 years since the abolition of slavery, there are a few interesting exhibitions and a lot of awareness being raised about the event and this part of Bristol's past. Bristol is also the home of the 'art terrorist' Banksy - and his great artworks/designs/graffiti (whatever you want to call it) can be viewed in various spots all over the city, most notably his design (see pic) which is on the wall of a sexual health clinic. It was a really interesting, fun weekend - so Bristol definitely gets my recommendation as an English destination.

Sunny summer times

It's been a brilliantly sunny week (finally!) and obviously I've been too busy out and about to update my blog more regularly... This weekend, in our quest to help Ben see as many UK cities as possible in his last couple of weeks, we are off to Bristol. I picked this destination completely randomly, so I'm hoping it will be ok! I've heard some nice things thankfully and to be honest, all we need is a couple of nice restaurants, some bars and some sunshine and we'll be happy (although Shell is campaigning for a visit to Bristol Zoo). It's the children's magazine editor inside her.

Since he is departing UK shores in a couple of weeks, Ben has taken himself off to Edinburgh and Newcastle this week. He was a big fan of Edinburgh (I hope he did the ghost tour I never got to do) but I think he hasn't been that impressed with Newcastle! Ah well, there's only so much excitement you can get from a mini replica Sydney Harbour Bridge I suppose. I quite liked Newcastle but I think it's the kind of place that is better to go with a group rather than on your own (at least you could then compete with the hideous amount of stags and hens). London-wise he's still go to on the Eye, and we all went to see Avenue Q a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if I mentioned it, but it was brilliant! It is hilarious and well-worth seeing, but perhaps not with your grandmother. It's possibly the only musical I will ever see that involved a puppet sex scene.

There's also a new Dali exhibition on at the Tate I want to go see. So much to do, so little time....

The day I met JK Rowling

One of the great things about living in a top-class global city like London is that there are always glitzy events and premieres happening on your doorstep! OK, so you may not always be able to get IN but chances are when you move here, you will spot a half-decent celebrity in a matter of months (and no, we're not talking Hayley from Home and Away standard - PROPER celebrities). Anyways, last week I had the joy of attending the UK launch of the new Harry Potter book at the Natural History Museum and met one of the hugest author celebrities of my time - JK Rowling. The four of us won four of only 1700 tickets and had the privilege (?) of queuing at intervals from midnight to get our free copy of the book and met JK herself. They even did the museum up to look like Hogwarts (see left). By 2am I was a little sozzled after some G and Ts in Soho, so I was severely struggling by the time we made it to the hallowed room where JK herself sat - at about 4am. But it was worth the wait. She was almost ethereal - and really is stunning up in person. It is captivating that she has produced fantastical stories that have travelled through the hearts and minds of children and adults the world over - and there I was completely toasted when she signed my (now very much coveted) book. oh well - this just wouldn't happen back in Sydney. Reasons why I love London #467

When oh when will I go home...

Had some good news this week - got my passport returned to me with a big fat Residence Permit in it, thanks very much. Although the process is now quite smoother for people, it took me almost a year to organise my HSMP! Have to admit, this was not only down to the daft worker who miscalculated my earnings (causing my first application to be rejected) but the fact that I left it five months before applying for my Leave to Remain. But now I have it in my hot little hand - permission to stay until 2009. I know I probably won't be here till then, but it is so nice to have the option should I choose (especially since that without my visa, I would be shipped off home in a matter of weeks). I do feel like I have betrayed Australia a little -having 'UK resident' stamped in my passport. It does make me think about how much i miss home. I thought this was nice - towards the end. It's how I'm sure I will feel about Sydney when I go back.

In the meantime though - there is lots of fun in London to be had. Tomorrow night we are going to see a comedy musical Avenue Q which has been receiving rave reviews and has been recommended to me by countless people. It is supposed to be hilarious so am looking forward to it. Have also spent this week planning a farewell weekend for my brother in Bristol. Yes, I'm being abandoned by my big brother who is leaving the UK after two years to return home to Australian shores. So, Bristol here we come...

Snow (well, almost) in July

Now, don't want to put anyone off who is perhaps sitting around in an Australian winter looking forward to a UK summer - but it virtually snowed here this week. Apparently there was some surge in heat which contrasted with the quite cold temps we have been having, which resulted in a whole lot of snow-like hail being dumped over London (only in England, honestly!). This night I was on my way to try out a fab new bar in Clapham with one of my partners in crime, got off the bus and my completely unsuitable snow footwear was submerged in a pile of ice. See photos...


Most smart people are jetting off to Portugal, Croatia, Spain etc in the hope that when they return the weather will have improved slightly - while I am just sitting here looking forward to my two weeks in California (less than 8 weeks to go - keep plummeting US dollar, thank you!). I am trying to plan a weekend of camping in Cornwall for August (the beachy corner of England) and am currently looking into caravans and tent bookings. Takes me back to my childhood years running amok in Narrabeen caravan park - oh the memories!

A rainy day at Wimbledon

You must understand that getting up at any time before 10am on a Saturday morning is a big thing for me - I just love to sleep and there is no better time to do this than Saturday morning. So getting up at 7am to go to Wimbledon was a big commitment - but i was excited. I was excited...so chose to ignore the ominous clouds and smatterings of rain - perhaps this was not such a great idea. But we went to join the famous queue (even getting a sticker saying 'i queued at Wimbledon 2007' for our efforts) and we stood in the rain for two hours building with anticipation before finally entering the hallowed, manicured grounds of Wimbledon. I was thrilled to be there (albeit dressed in a fetching poncho I had procured for free with a purchase of the Daily Mail) so I didn't mind so much that it was grey, rainy and packed. Understandably, I was extremely disappointed when after 8 hours there, both drenched, we decided to call it a day having only seen 40 minutes of tennis. This sounds disastrous - and I have to say I wasn't the happiest camper - but believe it or not, I had a great day. There is something wonderful about finally actually visiting a place that you have heard about and watched on TV since you were a small child. And it does have a festival atmosphere - despite the rain, everyone was happily standing by the courts, devouring strawberries and cream or even standing by the champagne and Pimms tent in the rain. And there were plenty of Aussies around, draped in the flag or in green shorts and yellow clown wigs, there to join the Wayne train. So yes, it was a successful day. And, what makes it the best UK event I have attended so far? It rained, so we get our money back! Now you don't get that at Glastonbury! Best 18 pounds I've ever (not) spent!

Tiger Tim and Wimbledon

Yes it's tough being a freelancer. I've currently got my feet up in the office watching Wimbledon streamed live onto my computer. Tim Henman is playing Carlos Moya and might actually win (he's known for being a bit of a choker). Everyone is quite excited as he is the only British hopeful - as Scot Andy Murray bowed out over the weekend with an injury. I love the 'popping' sound of tennis balls resonating around a silent stadium packed with thousands of people.
I'm praying for the sun to come out in force cause I'm planning to brave the queue for Wimbledon on Saturday. I think visiting the hallowed tennis ground, drinking Pimms and eating the iconic strawberries and cream is something every Aussie should do while here - especially since being Australian has meant that we're usually glued to the tournament every year since birth. Apparently you have to queue for a couple of hours - so it better not rain. We can't have soggy strawberries!