you know youve hit america when one of the first people you see is a movie star...ok....not a huge movie star by any stretch...in fact i don't even know his name (help me out....was in superbad...looks like richard crabtree...!! 1st to name him wins a prize...) but we saw him coming out the backstage door of the late nights with david letterman show...random. let me back up...
we are of course, in new york city. jetlagged, emotional, sick....but happy to be in the land where everywhere you look is patriotism (anything to do with elections or are there always star spangled banners at every turn?) and service is always with a smile...
going into hsbc to solve a banking dilemma (nothing to worry about...not broke yet) i found a kindred spirit in the form of a young customer service representative who could have chatted all day about where i should go shopping for designer handbags (i quite like the fact that i look the type to purchase designer handbags in nyc...the backpacker chic look is obvioulsy working!) and who went so far as to google and print out the name and address of a bar she was recommending with apparently awesome cocktails and chocolate fondue....a combination that almost had me jumping in the next yellow taxi.
we walked for hours today - through central park, down avenues of fancy apartments and along broadway....the whole time feeling like we were in a movie. complete with stars...
the script has yet to be written for tomorrow but for now theres jetlag to overcome...
xx
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Of Bubbles and Butterflies
I have never pretended to possess anything but extreme naivety...some might call it trust...others, probably more correctly, would call it gullible...whatever you want to call it, when our amazing friend Mel told us that she wanted to treat us to a special surprise meal on our last night in the UK I was touched and honoured...looking forward to relaxing with a glass of red and something delicious after a long day of packing and sorting (...and nose blowing..!!). Indeed it was a busy day and when Mel and Liam suggested that Liam take Matt and I to the Norfolk before dinner so Mel could get on with the cooking, i tried to plead out. Excuses flowed....i wasnt dressed appropriately for going out (one doesn't need to 'dress' for the local, mel insisted...true). I had too much to do...(Mel looked pointedly at my loaded backpack). I wanted to help with dinner preparations (apparently i had been banned from the kitchen)...so with the promise of that glass of red even earlier than expected I decided that a trip to the pub probably was exactly what the dr ordered and that my friends knew best as always...and happily toddled out the door...
In hindsight i now realise that in between and around convincing me to drink (who would have ever thought i would need convincing?!!) Mel had been acting rather oddly i guess...answering the door and conversing in hushed tones with the 'neighbour', writing long texts with no explanation...but it wasnt until we got back from the pub (after only 10mins and only half of my vino because suddenly 'dinner' was ready....) and walked into a room filled to the brim with some of our dearest friends and a 'bon voyage matt and kirsh' banner across the window that i put 2 and 2 together and realised we'd been had - and that my reluctance to go to the pub had almost ruined an amazing surprise party!! thank you so much liam and mel – once again you've outdone yourselves as incredibly generous and thoughtful friends....to spend our last night surrounded by some of the people who have meant the most to us over the past 4 years was just so special...being toasted with bubbly champagne and laughter and the most sincere of well wishes polished off a week of being completely spoilt and loved by so many special friends.
and as i woke at 4.30 this morning with a bubble induced headache i felt butterflies in my stomach...nervous yes....who wouldnt be with such a trip before them...? but, the excitement had finally set in and i was finally ready to go...
so as i write i'm on the flight to NYC....Ive just watched the 'Sex in the City' movie once again and lapped up the scenes of the girls striding round the city in their jimmy choos...I cant believe im only 4 hours away from being that girl myself (minus the heels...see previous post on backpacker chic)!
and now to sleep off the champagne hangover...is there any better kind of hangover?
stay tuned for adventures from new york city!!
xx
In hindsight i now realise that in between and around convincing me to drink (who would have ever thought i would need convincing?!!) Mel had been acting rather oddly i guess...answering the door and conversing in hushed tones with the 'neighbour', writing long texts with no explanation...but it wasnt until we got back from the pub (after only 10mins and only half of my vino because suddenly 'dinner' was ready....) and walked into a room filled to the brim with some of our dearest friends and a 'bon voyage matt and kirsh' banner across the window that i put 2 and 2 together and realised we'd been had - and that my reluctance to go to the pub had almost ruined an amazing surprise party!! thank you so much liam and mel – once again you've outdone yourselves as incredibly generous and thoughtful friends....to spend our last night surrounded by some of the people who have meant the most to us over the past 4 years was just so special...being toasted with bubbly champagne and laughter and the most sincere of well wishes polished off a week of being completely spoilt and loved by so many special friends.
and as i woke at 4.30 this morning with a bubble induced headache i felt butterflies in my stomach...nervous yes....who wouldnt be with such a trip before them...? but, the excitement had finally set in and i was finally ready to go...
so as i write i'm on the flight to NYC....Ive just watched the 'Sex in the City' movie once again and lapped up the scenes of the girls striding round the city in their jimmy choos...I cant believe im only 4 hours away from being that girl myself (minus the heels...see previous post on backpacker chic)!
and now to sleep off the champagne hangover...is there any better kind of hangover?
stay tuned for adventures from new york city!!
xx
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Backpacker Chic
I have been surrounded by sick people for weeks and only yesterday was patting myself on the back for having managed to steer clear of the dreaded flus/bugs/colds etc which are buzzing around the place at the moment, only to feel a slight tickle at the back of my throat. Fast forward to today and I have had raging fevers, streaming eyes and a niagra falls style runny nose, curled up in bed with the novel I bought especially for long, boring bus rides on the journey (Stephen Clarke's new one - 'Dial M for Merde'...funny so far and perfect for fellow francophiles ;-))...hence how i come to be home on a Saturday night - my last in England for some time - considering bed at 9pm while a brilliant party rages on without me. But I must get rid of this flu NOW as New York awaits and I doubt runny noses are the fashion of choice in the chicest bars in town...
Which brings me to my next rant. Through a mountain of tissues, I have today been packing. Now, for those of you who have spent any time with me at all over the past month you will know that I am definitely steering clear of my normal packing style (chuck it all in a backpack the morning you leave and hope for the best - usually resulting in a pile of clothes I never wear and a gaping hole where, say, a ski jacket might well have been more appropriate than a bikini) and have, in fact, been completely obsessed with 'what not to wear' in order to maintain my (if i may say so myself) generally fairly trendy/stylish/chic fashion sense whilst remaining relatively practical. It is, let me tell you, easier said than done. The highlight of my year so far was finding what I considered to be the perfect trousers for the kind of 'backpacker chic' look i'm going for. Tailored, lightweight (makes for easier washing and less backpack weight than jeans you see..) ...are they jeans? are they not? who knows??!! comfortable and flattering. perfect. Practical yet stylish shoes are a WHOLE other story...one best told another time...perhaps when I'm feeling better and less likely to sob into my lemsip about the unfairness of the shoe industry that they have not considered the 'chic backpacker' market. There's a business idea in there somewhere...dragons den anyone?
So my bag is packed - usually I take a 75 litre backpack travelling - for 2 weeks...this time I'm taking a 50 litre one...for 7 months. See my dillemma? But it zipped (ok - it doesn't have my jewellery yet and, lets face it, that could well take up half the pack - but i'll try to keep a handle on the bling...seriously - seven months with little bling?? What AM i thinking?!).
well...i'm off to blow my nose (*sniff*).
x
Which brings me to my next rant. Through a mountain of tissues, I have today been packing. Now, for those of you who have spent any time with me at all over the past month you will know that I am definitely steering clear of my normal packing style (chuck it all in a backpack the morning you leave and hope for the best - usually resulting in a pile of clothes I never wear and a gaping hole where, say, a ski jacket might well have been more appropriate than a bikini) and have, in fact, been completely obsessed with 'what not to wear' in order to maintain my (if i may say so myself) generally fairly trendy/stylish/chic fashion sense whilst remaining relatively practical. It is, let me tell you, easier said than done. The highlight of my year so far was finding what I considered to be the perfect trousers for the kind of 'backpacker chic' look i'm going for. Tailored, lightweight (makes for easier washing and less backpack weight than jeans you see..) ...are they jeans? are they not? who knows??!! comfortable and flattering. perfect. Practical yet stylish shoes are a WHOLE other story...one best told another time...perhaps when I'm feeling better and less likely to sob into my lemsip about the unfairness of the shoe industry that they have not considered the 'chic backpacker' market. There's a business idea in there somewhere...dragons den anyone?
So my bag is packed - usually I take a 75 litre backpack travelling - for 2 weeks...this time I'm taking a 50 litre one...for 7 months. See my dillemma? But it zipped (ok - it doesn't have my jewellery yet and, lets face it, that could well take up half the pack - but i'll try to keep a handle on the bling...seriously - seven months with little bling?? What AM i thinking?!).
well...i'm off to blow my nose (*sniff*).
x
Sunday, September 21, 2008
7...6...5...4...
The clock is well and truly ticking now...7 days from tomorrow we will hit american shores and the neon lights of the big apple. How on earth has this coming week crept up so fast!? anyone who knows me knows i'm not great with goodbyes. who is really? and this weekend marked the beginning of a dreaded week of them...but luckily it was also marked by significant amounts of partying which somehow made the reason for the parties seem slightly easier to bear...
my lovely work colleagues gave me a fab send off on fri eve - we're talking a million cocktails (give or take a few...), a lot of laughs and memories...and, for the die-hard amongst us, a late night mexican feast washed down by a tequila cocktail. my colleagues are a fun, talented, amazing team...they make going to work a laugh...and i'm going to miss them so much.
scotland is a long, long way away. especially when you're traveling by train...albeit first class sleeper! but my incredible friends Kirsty and Terri made the trip to spend time with us this weekend and to boost the aussie numbers at our leaving do. Thank you so much girls - it meant the world to me that you were here.
And the party itself...? well, i had of course been planning this event for months and it went off with a bang! our local, the norfolk arms, did us proud. you gotta love sharing a party venue with a pink panther and mr cat in the hat...random. but we loved having all our gorgeous friends from all the different parts of our life surrounding us and wishing us well. Thank you everyone...we had a great time. luv you all...
and now for the week im kind of dreading. but it's not goodbye really....just see ya lata....
my lovely work colleagues gave me a fab send off on fri eve - we're talking a million cocktails (give or take a few...), a lot of laughs and memories...and, for the die-hard amongst us, a late night mexican feast washed down by a tequila cocktail. my colleagues are a fun, talented, amazing team...they make going to work a laugh...and i'm going to miss them so much.
scotland is a long, long way away. especially when you're traveling by train...albeit first class sleeper! but my incredible friends Kirsty and Terri made the trip to spend time with us this weekend and to boost the aussie numbers at our leaving do. Thank you so much girls - it meant the world to me that you were here.
And the party itself...? well, i had of course been planning this event for months and it went off with a bang! our local, the norfolk arms, did us proud. you gotta love sharing a party venue with a pink panther and mr cat in the hat...random. but we loved having all our gorgeous friends from all the different parts of our life surrounding us and wishing us well. Thank you everyone...we had a great time. luv you all...
and now for the week im kind of dreading. but it's not goodbye really....just see ya lata....
Thursday, September 11, 2008
And so it begins...
I couldn’t tell you exactly when I was bitten by the wanderlust bug. It seems to be something many Aussies are born with – perhaps remnant genes from our ancestors who travelled across the world in search of a better life. I remember going to my parents when I was 16 and telling them that one day I would travel the world even though I knew of no one else who had done it and didn’t even know if it was possible. I remember working out how much it would cost me to travel for a year and reading and dreaming about the sights I would see and the things I would do. Then real life took over and it’s taken 12 years to get to the point where I could live out my dream to hit the road for an extended period of time and I’m glad I’m doing it now – older, possibly more able to appreciate what I am seeing, travelling with my husband so we can share the experience and already with significant travelling experience under my belt.
Already we have been lucky enough to travel extensively – admittedly limited to Europe (and Australia I guess, but that doesn’t count to me!). The experiences we’ve had over the past 4 years that we’ve lived in England and travelled so much in Europe have, I hope, prepared us for this ‘trip of a lifetime’. Sometimes I wonder how we can beat the experiences we have had – even just in the past year! Cruising down the Almalfi coast in a black convertible, top down, hair blowing in the wind; partying poolside to Ministry of Sound djs under the stars in Mykonos; eating kebabs and oogling mosques in Istanbul, the Call to Prayer ringing in our ears; waking at dawn to the last post in Gallipoli on Anzac Day; watching fireworks burst from Disney’s fairytale castle in Paris on New Years Eve…and that’s just in the past 9 months!
As Matt says we are fitting a LOT of intensive travel into 7 months. We are so excited about seeing and experiencing places we have only ever dreamt about, hanging out with old friends all over the world, meeting new friends, eating and (particularly) drinking new flavours…and so it begins…!
Check in regularly and keep in touch – we’ll be missing our friends and family!
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote - the one I live by:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Unknown)
Already we have been lucky enough to travel extensively – admittedly limited to Europe (and Australia I guess, but that doesn’t count to me!). The experiences we’ve had over the past 4 years that we’ve lived in England and travelled so much in Europe have, I hope, prepared us for this ‘trip of a lifetime’. Sometimes I wonder how we can beat the experiences we have had – even just in the past year! Cruising down the Almalfi coast in a black convertible, top down, hair blowing in the wind; partying poolside to Ministry of Sound djs under the stars in Mykonos; eating kebabs and oogling mosques in Istanbul, the Call to Prayer ringing in our ears; waking at dawn to the last post in Gallipoli on Anzac Day; watching fireworks burst from Disney’s fairytale castle in Paris on New Years Eve…and that’s just in the past 9 months!
As Matt says we are fitting a LOT of intensive travel into 7 months. We are so excited about seeing and experiencing places we have only ever dreamt about, hanging out with old friends all over the world, meeting new friends, eating and (particularly) drinking new flavours…and so it begins…!
Check in regularly and keep in touch – we’ll be missing our friends and family!
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote - the one I live by:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Unknown)
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