Wanderlust Wednesday - A knitted bicycle in New York City

Sometimes when you're traveling it's not the monuments or the big bull on Wall Street that makes you stop and look twice. Instead, it could be guerilla knitters that have knitted and chained a bicycle to a pole. Very unexpected and very peculiar!

Looking Back on my Year of Travel - From Bali to Melbourne, Boracay to the Greek Islands, London to New York City

Sunset in Seminyak, Bali

On my 24^th birthday last year I was standing on a beach in Seminyak, Bali when I made the monumental decision to move to London. It was something that I’ve always dreamed about – travelling around Europe, working overseas and making the most out of life. It was finally time to get out of my comfort zone and actually do it!

The London dream is shared by thousands of twentysomething girls. So I admit I don’t feel like I’m unique, as I am but just another girl working in Central London catching the Tube each day. Yet I still feel a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes I feel like pinching myself – that I actually moved all the way across the world with nothing but a 12 kilogram backpack!

A Western Australian sunset at Cottesloe Beach

A Melbournian start to 2010

Soaking my feet in Torquay, Victoria

I started the year in Melbourne, devouring a book about living and working in the UK whilst enjoying balmy summer evenings. I went jogging with my brother in the Royal Botanical Gardens, walked along the beach in St Kilda and spent quality time with my best friend drinking cocktails in secret laneway bars and having high tea.

A Filipino Getaway

Boracay's White Beach

Pagsanjan Falls

In April I embarked on, and survived, a group holiday to the Philippines. I was astounded by the beauty of Boracay – the white beaches with sand so fine that it’s used for day spa treatments, the fresh value for money seafood and crazy beach bars. Most of all, I was humbled by the generosity of my friends and their family in Manila.

Once my UK work visa came through and I quit my job there was no looking back! 

A European summer

Falling in love with Santorini

Octopus handing to dry in Paros

I’ve always wanted to ‘summer in Europe’. Landing in sticky, hot Athens the weather didn’t disappoint my travel buddy Kassie and I. We sailed around the Greek Islands, enjoying beautiful sunsets in Santorini and even hiked up the volcano. On the Amalfi coast we ate spoonfuls of gelato every day and then ventured to Rome to be immersed in history in the hidden churches discovering Michelangelo in the unlikeliest places. Paris meant plenty of macarons, an escape to Disneyland before we relaxed in Nice and gambled some Euros in Monaco. 

Sacre Coeur in Paris

Capri, Italy

Then I sailed the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia on a 7 day cruise. The scenery in Croatia is simply stunning – untouched national parks, pristine beaches and imposing mountains. My biggest feat was climbing to the top of a 16^th Century pirate fortress!

London -  a home away from home?

Serpentine bridge in Hyde Park

In London the holiday was officially over. I needed to get a flat and a job asap. In four weeks I traipsed all over London looking at 10 flats, meeting with recruiters and interviewing for jobs. How would you describe yourself in one word? Exhausted!

Time escapes you when you’re endlessly hunting and by sheer chance I ended up living in a hostel run by nuns. Despite the weekday lock out by 11pm it was the best experience of my life! It’s here where I met my ‘London family’. Having a support network is the most important thing you need when you arrive in a big city. Even though you never know who’s going to stay in London as the hellos and goodbyes are always constant, my friends ground me when the grey skies and cold causes bouts of homesickness.

Weekends away in the UK

It's exciting to be able to escape London for the weekend. I visited Edinburgh and was charmed by the amazing B&B we stayed at and then also drove around Inverness in one day! In Bath, I channeled Elizabeth Bennett and went to the thermae spa, browsed the charming Christmas markets and enjoyed eating a cinnamon butter Sally Lunn bun.

View from Edinburgh Castle

Bath Abbey at nightfall

I’m ending this year on a high in NYC with my brother Ryan – I survived my first blizzard and am looking forward to seeing the ball drop. 

This year has been a tough, challenging, emotional roller coaster. Travelling is always about big highs and lows. My biggest high this year is waking up every day in a new city, feeling like my next adventure in 2011 is just around the corner. 

A Christmas Mission in Perth, Western Australia

At the registration desk a small crowd has gathered in the summer heat.

“Chow family,” my father announced to the volunteer.

Shirley wore tinkering Christmas bell earrings, “Ok my dears, Mr and Mrs Chow are table hosts and Natasha - this is for you.”

She handed me an enormous blue t-shirt which proclaimed STEWARD.

A rainbow of balloons filled the marquee, tied to hundreds of plastic chairs. My mother placed her handmade Christmas tree compiled of gold gumnuts at the centre of the table.

After greeting guests of all ages, I brought out lunch trays of turkey, salad and mince pies. Crackers continually popped whilst a choir sang Jingle Bells.

Lynette was savouring her lunch when my mother surprised her handing her a present. She tore away the wrapping to reveal a handbag. All ten guests at the table cheered excitedly.

“Do you like it?” Mum asked.

“I love it, I haven’t had a present in years.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “Thank you so much!”

Lynette wrapped her arms around my mother tightly.

A motorbike roared to life outside the marquee. Santa had arrived on a Harley Davidson. He wore red shorts and sunglasses and greeted children with a hearty “Ho ho ho!”

My family’s new Christmas tradition is volunteering at the Mission Australia luncheon in Perth. Christmas Day lunch is provided for hundreds of people – their simple Christmas wish is to have a welcoming meal in a safe place.


This post has been entered into the Grantourismo HomeAway Holiday Rentals travel blogging competition. www.holidayrentals.co.uk

The Most Beautiful Christmas Trees in New York City

New York City has Christmas trees in every building, shop, park and sometimes even on street corners! It's a heartwarming sight to behold, particularly at night when the lights of the trees glow majestically. It may be very cold and chilly outside but every Christmas tree you see gets you into the holiday spirit.

Union Square Park

Wall Street

Trees near Ground Zero

A Christmas tree made out of broken CDs in Chelsea Market

The most famous tree of all with the Swarovski star at Rockefeller Centre

How to Host a Cross Cultural Christmas Dinner

When it's cold outside, having friends over for dinner warms up your spirits instantly. My friends in London speak a mix of Italian, Spanish and English. Hosting a festive dinner party with them involves eating new foods, having discussions with big hand gestures and learning new vocabulary.

My main tip for hosting a dinner party is to be flexible. You can’t plan for everything – for guests to be on time when there’s snow outside and for all dishes to be perfect. The unexpected fun and frivolity is the best sort though!

Have a starter with lots of oozing cheese and bread

For starters we enjoyed caramelized red onion, olive, sundried tomato and brie tarts. This was also accompanied by baked camembert cheese stuffed with garlic and fresh thyme and drizzled with olive oil. Ciabatta bread was on hand to mop up the cheese.

Learn to make an impromptu dish – Le Con Tomate

Maria showed me a very easy Spanish tomato and bread dish which I incorrectly called bruschetta. On a piece of ciabatta grab a tomato sliced in half and squeeze it onto the bread. Rub it against the bread so all the juice soaks in. Add a sprinkle of salt and olive oil. You can top this up with more cheese or ham if you like too.

Make your oven work overtime

Before dinner the oven was pumping out Christmas cookies right before it finished off roasting the main course - a whopping 3.3 kg roast pork! The crackle was crisp and crunched nicely in your mouth it was perfectly roasted by Lorraine.

We also devoured Chiara’s Italian ragu – she makes her own special tomato sauce.

Improve your food vocabulary in Spanish and Italian

Did you know that salad is called ensalada in Spanish and insalata in Italian?

Have a hands on dessert like fondue

For the seriously decadent finale we had not one, not two, but three separate desserts. I made a sticky date pudding with Baileys dessert sauce and a cheesecake from Tesco. The cheesecake was surprisingly good!

Fondue is fun - dipping strawberries and grapes into chocolate feels naughty but oh so nice! Since there’s fruit involved you feel somewhat healthy even if there's 300g of melted chocolate to get through. The only thing left to do was to wash it all down with mulled wine and cider.

It’s not a Christmas party without crackers!

Bad jokes and hats are mandatory for a Christmas celebration, no matter where you’re from!

In Search of Jane - Pieces of Jane Austen in London

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen fan must visit Bath when living in England. Jane lived in Bath from 1801-1806 and it was the setting for her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. I’m heading to Bath tomorrow and am very excited.

In the past few months since living here, I’ve come across pieces of Austen in museums around London.

In the National Portrait Gallery one of the only real paintings of Austen is on display. The pencil and watercolour by her sister Cassandra is very small and you have to peer into the glass case to get a good look.

At the British Library, you can see handwritten notes from Austen’s notebook and the place of her creative expression - her wooden writing desk in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the
British Library: Literary manuscripts and printed books permanent exhibition.

When in London Jane Austen stayed in Covent Garden with her brother at No. 10 Henrietta Street. Today this address is an outdoor clothing store.

Of course it’s terribly cold to be searching for Austen at the moment. Without leaving the warmth of your home, you can see her own account of the 'History of England' penned when she was only 15 in the online collection of the British Library. 

How would Jane Austen cope with this cold London weather?

Cheap Thrills in London - Ice-Skating in Queensway

It may not be as glamourous as ice-skating at Somerset House, at the Natural History Museum or in Hyde Park, but Queens Ice-skating & Bowling is the cheapest place to hit the rink in Central London.

On Monday nights it’s only £6.50 to ice-skate from 8 - 11 pm.  The disco lights and pop music gets you warmed up and doing figure eights in no time.

For beginners, an ice-skating rink can be a daunting place. The urban myth of getting your fingers chopped off if you fall and someone skates over them is highly perpetuated. If you do fall, this is pretty unlikely, mostly you’ll just end up with an icy bottom!

The only thing to be careful of is avoiding the wannabe pro’s that speed skate around the rink like they’re extras from the Mighty Ducks movies. 

For the price alone, it’s lots of good natured fun on a usually quiet Monday evening, without the crowds at the outdoor rinks. 

QUEENS Iceskating & Bowling, 17 Queensway, London W2 

Edinburgh in 24 Hours

How much can you do in Edinburgh in only 24 hours? The answer is...a lot! 

For my very first weekend trip away since living in London, my friend Chiara and I planned out a grand itinerary for our weekend in Scotland. It consisted of our main priorities:

• Eating Scottish food eg. porridge, shortbread, neeps and tatties
• Drinking tea and sampling whisky
• Soaking up Scottish culture

Edinburgh smells like...

Sweet corn. To be more precise, it's actually barley or "hops" from the Caledonian brewery. Depending on which way the wind blows, the air is permeated with this lingering smell. 

The autumn weather was slightly chilly but we basked in the sunshine and walked everywhere, breathing in the fresh "sweetcorn" air. 

I officially love B&Bs...

We stayed at Duthus Lodge, a quaint bed and breakfast. I've never stayed at a B&B before and now I understand why they're so popular. Greeted by Bracken, the bulldog, upon entering the B&B - it was warm, welcoming and utterly charming. The hosts were friendly and very helpful, even though it appeared that our booking hadn't been confirmed.

Our twin double room was bright and sunny, with a view overlooking the front garden. The room itself was well equipped with small touches like the white teapot, biscuits and chocolates making us feel right at home.

The breakfast on Sunday morning was the best part of our stay! We were incredibly pushed for time as we had to duck onto a train ride to Inverness. However the breakfast was better than any hotel breakfast I've ever had. It was a substantial Scottish breakfast with sausages, bacon, a poached egg on a pancake, baked beans and toast. A heartwarming feast.

Must Do's in Edinburgh

Visit the National Portrait Gallery
The NPS is incredibly patriotic. It boasts of its Scottish artists featured in the lowest level of the gallery with a large collection of William McTaggart. His watercolours were my favourite, evoking a sense of calm.

Visit Edinburgh Castle
This isn't just a castle, it's almost a miniature village as it's comprised of several separate buildings. We joined a short and sharp 30 minute tour which gave us an overview of the castle complex. Definitely check out the sombre War Memorial, the small but peaceful St Margaret's Chapel, which had only just hosted a wedding for its maximum guest space of 25 people, Mons Meg, the giant cannon and the Crown Jewels. You can also see the Royal Apartments where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James VI.

We lunched at Queen Anne's, eating wild boar sausages with tatties and gravy and Scottish brew so thick you could stand your spoon in it!

Walk the Royal Mile
Although it's touristy in some parts where there's wall to wall shops selling tartan, kilts and toy bagpipes, the Royal Mile brings you to the heart of Old Town. St Giles Cathedral is located further down the Mile. You can almost imagine royal processions taking place in yesteryear.

Savour an Afternoon Tea
A ladies weekend always involves afternoon tea - preferably with scones gently warmed just so your strawberry jam and cream can melt in your mouth. There's no such thing as too many scones...We enjoyed our scones at the Scottish Cafe.

Party at...Frankenstein Bar
On Halloween where else would you go but a bar named Frankenstein? The three level nightclub was full of zombies, witches, cats, lions, a Spongebob Squarepants and an Amy Winehouse. The bar's mascot Frankenstein made an appearance, as the mannequin was dropped down from the ceiling and brought to life on the table!

A typical Saturday night in the heart of London

I don't believe there's such a thing as a typical Saturday night in London. An autumn evening begins with a fair amount of layering up - adding on a coat, scarf and boots before jumping on a rather empty Piccadilly line to Covent Garden.

Drinks at Tuttons
I warmed up with an Espresso Martini at Tuttons. Tuttons is an intimate bar and restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden. Attracting the theatre crowd and patrons of all ages, Tuttons has a standard cocktail menu, although I didn't try the Covent Garden Sunrise, and tempting bar bites. It has a relaxed atmosphere and a busy restaurant area.

After a tipple, we wandered to Leicester Square where the Christmas Fun Fair had begun. Unfortunately my lack of height and ball shooting skills were tested for 2.50GBP and I failed to win any Winnie the Pooh teddy bears.

Tempted by nutella crepes.

But not by the spinning, nausea-inducing ride!

An Autumn Sunday in London, Spitalfields market

When the sun actually shines in London, there's no excuse not to be outside!

Start the day with a big, greasy English breakfast for only 4.90 pounds!

Be tempted by pastries at Old Spitalfields Market

Or by the endless stalls offering vintage and designer threads.

Or perhaps just settle for some Turkish delight - but which flavour to choose from?