Back at home

That's right, I'm back in Melbourne and even though the trip is over I thought I would write one final post and also show you some photos from San Francisco and Hawaii. The photos below are of the two English girls I told you about who I met in San Francisco, me in front of Lombard Street (the famous crooked street), a Christmas tree in Union Square and then me on my last day of my trip in Hawaii.

Should I say something significant or sentimental about my trip? I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity and while it has been lovely to see friends and family I was not really ready to come home. The trip exceeded my expectations and was one the most fabulous things I have ever done but I am sure I will travel again soon. Thank you to all the wonderful people who I met in my travels and to the wonderful people who welcomed me into their homes. I appreciate your friendship and I look forward to keeping in touch - you are always welcome in Melbourne!

Bye!

 

Aloha!

Yes I am in Hawaii and the weather is beautiful. I have not been doing any sightseeing but have simply been going for walks along the beach and around the streets of Waikiki and relaxing. I have discovered that I am unable to sleep in but this hasn't stopped me from having a couple of very lazy days. It is a lovely way to end my trip. The hotel has been great. I decided to stay in a nice hotel as a final treat and it has been worth it. It is not on the beach but it has a balcony with great views and I have enjoyed not packing everything each morning. In fact, because it is my last stop I have been throwing things out. My shoes didn't make it out of San Francisco. I was in a dilemma as to whether to keep them out of nostalgia and there would be absolutely no other reason to keep them as they had gone well beyond the point of respectability but when I was showing them to some friends in the hostel at San Francisco we discovered a huge hole in one of them (this would explain why one of my feet was always getting more wet than the other one!). The hole sealed the deal and they went in the bin but not before I took a photo of them! I didn't need them anyway because the weather is really warm (funny how that happens in a tropical climate!!) and very relaxed.
I can't believe five months has gone by so quickly. I leave for home early tomorrow but I won't get into final blog mode because I will probably post some photos of San Francisco and Hawaii when I get home. I am now going for my last walk along the beach. I have been told that I need to try a fish taco while I am here so I might do that as well.
See you all soon!

San Francisco - is there a song about it??

Hi all, I am at the last night of a five day stopover in sunny San Francisco. In this time I have walked up and down all the hills and my feet are feeling the pain! The hostel has been great and there are some lovely English girls in my room and most nights we have met up for dinner and chatted about what we have done. The weather has been great here. The only day that was cold and really foggy was when I went to Alcatraz so it added to the atmosphere. Actually Alcatraz would have been creepy enough without the added ambience. There were all sorts of awful people who were at the prison (which I guess happens at a maximum security prison) and awful things happened so I felt quite uncomfortable walking around. People were taking photos of themselves in the cells but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that.
The other days have been sunny and I have been able to visit Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Haight Street (centre of the sixties hippy movement), the Museum of Modern Art, Berkeley, Lombard Street (the crooked street), Golden Gate Bridge, Sausolito and the list goes on! It is so compact compared to LA so I have been taking advantage of walking everywhere and only catching the bus if absolutely necesssary.
It is a beautiful city but I think if I lived in America it would only be the climate that would keep me on the west coast because I felt more at home in places like New York and DC. Despite this it has been great having a good amount of time to explore the city. It has gone by too quickly though and I can't believe I leave for Hawaii tomorrow.
See you in Hawaii!!

Happy Thanksgiving from the entertainment capital

Hello from Hollywood! Well, not technically Hollywood because I am spending Thanksgiving in Ojai (pronounced Oh-Hi) but I have been to Hollywood! I had three days in LA and with some fabulous help from Matt and Kristine I was able to set out a great itinerary. I visited the Getty Centre which had great paintings and a fantastic special photography exhibition. The next day was a walk around downtown. The architecture was really interesting and as a special treat the doorman at the Oviat building (a fabulous art deco building) let me go up to see the penthouse which has all the art deco furniture and is now used for functions or films. I only had one day left and as tempting as it was to visit Rodeo drive or Santa Monica, i couldn't go to the Hollywood capital and not visit Hollywood. Hollywood was actually not as exciting as I had hoped but I did see the sign on the hill, Mann's Chinese Theatre and the stars. If I had more time it would have been fun to do a tour but I wanted to visit Universal Studios. I did not think I was much of a ride person but I was so very wrong. The rides were so ace. The Simpson's ride was incredible closely followed by the Jurassic Park ride. I could have done so much more in LA but I felt like I got a good snapshot of the city. I didn't get discovered for a major Hollywood blockbuster and I also didn't get some facetime with a top director to discuss my movie ideas but I feel like I laid some good groundwork for my next visit...

I am now enjoying the relaxed environment of Ojai and it is nice to be spending Thanksgiving with friends. Thanksgiving is huge here. People make more of an effort to get home for Thanksgiving than even Christmas. They also have huge post Thanksgiving sales and the shops open at 5.00am on the following day. 

Anyway, the weather is beautiful today and we are about to go for a walk so Happy Thanksgiving everyone and see you soon!

Journey to the political centre of America

Washington DC is a place I have wanted to visit for many years. Unfortunately their law about citizenship requirements for presidency have cut short my political aspirations but this is also the law that stands between the Terminator and the White House so I won't complain. Instead I do the next best thing and stand outside with the other members of the public. DC is fabulous. It is a city that pulsates with the energy of being the political centre as well as having so many galleries and museums. I was there for three full days and despite having very tightly packed days I barely scratched the surface. Some of the political highlights are below: the White House, the Hill (I don't call it Capitol Hill because in the West Wing it is called the Hill), the Washington Monument and Lincoln's Memorial. Lincoln's Memorial was very moving and I found his speeches which were printed on the walls incredible and I found myself rereading the phrases because of the sheer poetry. 

The musuems here are amazing. The Museum of American History reopened on my last day so I saw the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, the Gettysburg Address, an amazing section about the American Presidents and R2D2! If this wasn't enough I also saw Seinfeld's puffy shirt, Dorothy's ruby slippers and Kermit. The Air and Space Museum was brilliant and basically so were all the museums. One of the museums that slipped off the list was the International Spy Museum. It was partly a time issue, partly a cost issue and really I already know all there is to know about the life of an international spy!

It was a lovely part of the holiday and it was also one of the coldest parts. DC is COLD and what I experienced was only November weather. I am not quite sure how they manage in winter even though their heating is very good. I am not saying I have decided against being a senior adviser to the President but the cold weather is something to consider.

I flew to LA on Saturday and that is the end of east coast part of my US holiday. LA is certainly milder and it is fun to go from the political centre (or center if I am being faithful to the country I am staying in!) to the entertainment center but more of that in the next blog...

Photos of Yosemite...

Hi all, Here are some photos from Yosemite in order of appearance...
On one of my walks I was very close to some deer, one of the waterfalls, my climb up to Nevada Falls, Mirror Lake and the historic climb to the top of Glacier Point!

And hello Yosemite!

WOW - Yosemite was amazing! I arrived Thursday afternoon and left Monday morning so I had three full days to explore and I could have done so much more. I was going to visit Yosemite later in my trip but at the last minute had to swap things around. The timing could not have been better. There had been quite a bit of rain so the colours were vibrant and the waterfalls going strong. I will definitely post photos soon so you can see what it was like. I was staying in the park in what is called a tent cabin. Which is like a canvas covered cabin. They gave me very strict instructions when I arrived about not having any food, liquid or scented toiletries (such as soap) in the cabin but instead to keep them in the allocated bear proof locker outside. I obediently followed their instructions and went to bed happy that I had done my duty. I woke up in the middle of the night (and I should warn you that what follows might upset some nieces...) to hear a distant roar of a bear. This turned to panic when I soon heard it snuffling outside my cabin! Rational Kim stayed asleep during the entire episode while irrational Kim decided that playing dead was the best option. So here I am playing dead in a tent cabin which afforded no obvious defence against a hungry bear. Well the moment (which felt like hours) passed and the next morning I discovered that someone had left some rubbish outside. I disposed of the rubbish and meticulously followed the anti-bear instructions from then on!!
The next day the new and braver Kim (after the bear encounter) ventured out on one of the harder walks to Nevada Falls. This was an 11.3 km walk climbing 570 metres. Thankfully I met some nice americans on the way up who became my walking companions for most of the ascent and descent. It was nice to chat as we walked. One of them visited Yosemite regularly and said that the weather was the best he had seen so that was nice to hear. The following day I took things a little easier. I went on a free photography walk in the morning where I found out what all the features on my camera actually do! I wish I had known about them at the start of the trip but I guess that at least I knew about them to take some good shots at Yosemite and especially before visiting Mirror Lake which I did that afternoon.
Sunday was my very exciting day. After church in the morning I headed off toward Glacier Point which is over 15 kms and a climb of 960 metres. It took me over three hours to get to the top and I was so proud of myself for making it. I did stop quite a bit because it seemed like every step was another photo opportunity but I got there just in time for my turnaround deadline. I had decided in advance that at 2.30 pm I would have to head back because once it gets dark here it really gets dark and I didn't want to meet another bear! Anyway, I made it to the top (photos to come) and after a short rest got down just as the light was fading. It was quite slippery coming down so I am pleased I didn't leave any later. I was so happy I did it. I was almost going to do something else but someone at breakfast said it was THE walk to do because of the fabulous views of Half DOme. Yosemite has probably been the most challenging part of the trip physically but also I have found it to be quite challenging because the place is so awe inspiring that I felt a little overwhelmed at times.
Yosemite is like the natural Manhatten but instead of being surrounded by buildings you are surrounded by these amazing cliff faces that change minute by minute as the light shifts. I will definitely post some photos but they don't really capture the magnificence of the place. It is like the ultimate outdoor cathedral!!
Again, the people here are very friendly so there is always someone to chat to. People think I am English when they meet me. I think my accent has dropped but also alot of Americans can't tell the difference between the accents. When I remember I say G'day instead of hello to avoid the confusion. I stayed overnight in San Francisco on the way to Yosemite and then on the way back on the way to Washington DC. On the way back I went on a free tour of San Francisco that was run by the hostel. It was run by a friendly but somewhat eccentric economics teacher who used the tours as a way to convert people to the Henry George approach to taxation. I guess everyone has their passions and this was obviously his but he meant well. At the start of the tour he said the tour would change our lives. I immediately was worried he would use it to try and convert us to some sort of Californian new age fern religion and started formulating an exit strategy but it turned out to be a fun way of seeing the city and a few of us went out for dinner afterwards. It is late here in Washington so I should go but I will post photos soon and tell you all about Washington DC when I see it in daylight!

Goodbye New York

Hi all,
I should start by saying that I decided not to take the job at NBC (see Sam and Jane's post below). It was awkward saying no to the apartment on the upper west side, the company car and the house in the Hamptons but I don't really think weather is my thing. I think I am more a late night talk show person and there weren't any positions available. It is probably a good thing because I already have my flight booked to go to Yosemite. Seriously though, the NBC tour was lots of fun. We saw a few of the studios and heard about what happens behind the scenes. It was also fun to do it with Sam and Jane as there is no way I would have put my hand up to be a volunteer if I didn't have them on either side of me nudging me forward.
Since my last blog I have visited galleries, more museums, had lots of fun with Sam and Jane and spending time with some new friends I have made here. Some of the highlights...the Metropolitan was incredible, Ellis Island was really interesting and visiting Radio City Hall for both the Christmas Spectacular and the tour was really fun. New York at Christmas would be amazing and I think I will come back for Christmas here one year. Christmas decorations are already up in the stores and they look really beautiful. One thing I have remembered about myself is that I don't enjoy shopping. I went out to Woodbury Common and felt a little like a fish out of water as I was one of the only ones without an empty suitcase to fill and didn't run off the bus. At least I saw some nice scenery on the bus trip! Later that day I went to the Guggenheim and really loved it even though I had to miss a significant chunk of one of the main exhibitions because it was a bit yuck. The building was amazing though and I enjoyed walking through it.
Another highlight has obviously been being here for the election. It was very exciting watching it play out and sending texts to people back in Australia as it happened (maybe that's why my phone bill has been so expensive this month??). The american political system certainly makes for better television as it is simply the first person to get 270 electoral votes and as each state closes their polls and the state is called then however many electoral votes that state has gets allocated. Obama didn't really win the popular vote by a huge margin but it was a landslide because of the states that voted for him. At the JFK museum it said that he one by a very small majority (something like 51%) and the result wasn't even known until the next day but in the next few months 63% of voters claimed to have voted for him. I wonder if this will happen for Obama. He seems very tired by the whole thing so I hope he is able to live up to the expectations. So many people think he is the answer to all their problems.
Enough about the election. What to do on my last day? This was the big question as there is so much I could still do but I didn't want to rush it. I chose to visit the Cloisters which is connected to the Met but is at the northern tip of Manhatten and is devoted to medieval art and sculpture. It was a really lovely thing to do as it was different to being in busy Manhatten and quite beautiful.
I have enjoyed the restaurants here. I went to a great Thai restaurant in Brooklyn with a girl who is staying with the people I am staying with (hi Trinity!!) and tonight I went to a great hamburger place with the people I am staying with (hi Glen and Carole!). I am really sad to leave New York. I have been here now for 12 days and it has been so much fun. Bye New York!!

What Kim Is Really Doing.....

HI Everyone, Firstly let us introduce ourselves! Our name's are Sam & Jane, we are from Melbourne as well and followed Kim to New York in an effort to dispel rumours we had heard from a number of sources that Kim had been seen entering and exiting the NBC studios in the Rockefeller Plaza in full disguise. It is our job to inform you that these reports were indeed true.

As her friends , we really thought that you as her friends back home, should check out the latest weather girl auditions for NBC which were held yesterday. We have made every effort to send you this news as soon as possible !!

A great catch up in New York Kim- lots of laughs, lots of fun!

See you back in Melbourne, love S & J xx

Stars and stripes fever

New York is my town. I know you might have heard people say it is their town well I have to say this is not true - it is my town. After seeing Kath in Boston and hearing of her disappointment in New York I tried desperately hard to manage my expectations. As I caught the train down from Boston this was very hard because even the train trip was sensational. This is the best time of the year to visit New England. New England in the fall is incredible. I arrived in New York to see from the train a stunning sunset behind the Manhatten skyline and then to come out of Penn station into Manhatten was fabulous. The energy of the city is fun and the people are friendly. Thanks to some great instructions I made it to the home of my new friends in Roosevelt Island all set for my first day in the Big Apple the following day.
New York is an art deco fun park and I certainly had fun. I spent the first day walking and walking. First I went to Central Park and after a breakfast of a bagel and coffee in the park (I got such a kick out of doing this!!) I wandered around and then made my way into midtown Manhatten. So far, apart from admiring the architecture, I have visited Ground Zero (I was completely unprepared for how upsetting this would be and ended up joining the many others in openly crying as we walked around the tribute area), Ellis Island, Times Square and many other places. They are expecting some light showers over the next few days so I have saved these for gallery days which will be such a treat. I am especially looking forward to visiting the Metropolitan.
I have already met some lovely people (aside from the fabulous people I am staying with) and even met a really nice girl who I am going to have lunch with tomorrow combined with a shopping adventure. The clothes here are cheap and good quality. I have already bought a few things that I have posted home.
Now I should comment on the election. There are tables all around New York with Obama badges and hats with the odd trinket displaying McCain's name. It is a very blue city and unashamedly so. I have found it interesting talking to people here about the election and I think we have had a very select view of the election in Australia. I know it is hard to believe that the media could be biased but there you have it. I think an Obama victory has been predicted but it is certainly lots of fun to be here and watch the coverage.
It is always nice to see friends from home and I am looking forward to seeing Sam and Jane later in the week. We are hoping to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Hall. I know it is a little early for Christmas things but I think New York will do it better than anywhere else so it will be worth it.
I know this blog has been way too long but I love this city and wanted to share it!
See you all soon!
Kim

Start spreading the news...

...I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it New York New York!!

I leave for New York today and I am very excited. Boston has been fabulous. I went to the JFK Museum yesterday and have decided to vote for him at the next election. They were screening some of his speeches and they were brilliant!! This was a definite highlight of the trip followed by visiting Harvard (which I have decided to attend for a semester...is that hard to do?) and dinner at the Cheers restaurant which was a burger and Sam Adams beer followed by pecan pie. Anyway, I should go because I have a limited time frame to sing New York New York before I actually leave on the train or get arrested (hopefully it is the former). I'll write more from New York!

Hello America - well the east coast

I have finally arrived in America! It took me long enough - two delayed flights - but finally I am here and really enjoying it. I spent the first few days in a lovely town Fairhaven which is south of Boston and the home of my cousin and her husband (Hi Mike and Jenny!) and it was idyllic. Fall in New England is impossible to describe but as I have no photos to post I will have to try. The colours are amazing. The trees are different shades of red, yellow and gold with a few splashes of green to remind you of what they normally look like. I took advantage of being down south to visit Martha's Vineyard. This is an island where anyone who is anyone has a house for the summer. It is not summer so the celebrities weren't there and neither were the crowds. This was a good thing but many shops shut for the winter as well so it was hard to find things that were open. It is good I was only there for the day but it was really nice to explore.
I am now in Boston for a few days and it is a great city. I went on the Freedom Trail which is a red line around the city (this is serious!!) that takes the walker to key historical sights. I opted for having a tour guide rather than self guided and it was worth it but I ended up spending most of the day following this red line. I didn't know much of the history of the War of Independence and so it was a great introduction to the city. I also went to the Science Museum which is aimed at children but was heaps of fun. I am only here for a few more days before I leave for New York. America is great. The people here are very friendly and they like Australians so once they here me talk they are always so helpful. The accent is very strange to get used to. Boston is 'Bawston' and coffee is 'cawfee' it is quite distinctive but nice.
Tomorrow I hope to see both the Museum of Modern Art and the Isabella Gardner Gallery before going to Harvard...too much? Hopefully not because I still want to see the JFK Library! So much to see and so little time!
I should say something about the election. In Europe there was barely any news about the election but for obvious reasons it is everywhere here. Almost every t.v. station has some sort of coverage of the issues or speeches and there are signs everywhere telling people to vote. It is hard to not get caught up in the whole thing and I might find that I visit a polling booth on election day and vote just for fun...or is that not allowed?

A quick update before I leave for America...

I know I have only updated my blog to tell you more about Jordan but before I go I want to tell you about my little side trip up north. I decided to delay my flight to the US again because everyone on the Jordan tour said that London is not England and I must do some more exploring. Being the very obedient person that I am I changed my flight and headed up to Sheffield to visit Liz who I met on the tour. On the first day I visited York and it was definitely worth the visit. The Minster (main church) was really nice. I think this gothic design is my favourite and I spent quite a while wandering around and even went on a free guided tour. The next day I decided to stay away from towns and visited Chatsworth House. This is a very famous house which is still in the family who lived there when Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner there. The gardens (photo below) were stunning and there were lots of modern sculptures dotted around including a giant white baby. In a strange way the sculpture actually worked quite well and it was fun to explore. The next day was Saturday so Liz (photo below!) and I went for a really long walk around Derbyshire. The weather was sunny but cold and windy. When we got to the top of Mam Tor it felt like we could get blown off but the views were great and the walking kept us warm. The walk was a little longer than expected because of bad signposting (I like to think it wasn't our map reading ability or lack of!) but it didn't matter and we rewarded ourselves by having a delicious meal in a pub nearby.

There are so many photos I am not including in this blog and I would love to publish more but I am trying to restrain myself. The countryside in England is really beautiful and seeing it in Autumn is such a treat. I have been very fortunate with the weather which has made it easy to explore. I really only got one properly wet London day yesterday. Nic and I got absolutely sodden walking around London but it didn't matter that much and I was in a warm theatre that night so it wasn't too bad. I am not sure if I have told you much about the theatre here but it is fabulous. I better go - I have to leave before 6.00 tomorrow to catch my flight! I'll write from America!

Jordan (part 2)

I should put some more Jordan photos! I am behind in my blog because I want to tell you about my adventures in the north of England since coming back but that will just have to wait until i have finished telling you about Jordan. I have to say that the best part of the trip was the first part (Petra and Wadi-Rum) but that is not to say that the rest of the trip wasn't fun. We visited the Red Sea and Israel was on the shore opposite. In the photo below I am actually pointing to Isreal and you just have to believe me that Israel was actually quite close. I really want to go to Israel but that will have to wait and I will go on my next trip (it is sad that I am already planning the next trip!).

We visited the city of Jerash. It was as impressive as Ephesus and I really enjoyed walking around. It is quite easy to picture what it would have been like in Roman times. We also saw a show there of gladiators, chariot riders and soldiers. I thought it would be a little tacky but it was actually quite fun and interesting to learn about the fighting techniques of the Roman soldiers.

A trip to Jordan must involve a visit to the Dead Sea. I know that everyone says this but it is something that has to be experienced to be believed. You can sit upright in the water! Some people also cover themselves with the mud. I am not sure why but when in Rome so a few of us covered ourselves with the mud. I still am not quite sure of the benefits but I can say I have done it! The salty water does get a bit much after a while and before too long I felt like the little soggy chip at the bottom of the fish and chips and had to get out. I included a photo of the sign from the Dead Sea because it looked like the 'Scream' on holiday.

One of the lovely things about tours is that you meet great people. I met some lovely people in Turkey who I want to keep in touch with and I also met some really nice people in Jordan. I was the only Australian on the tour but being a novelty can be fun as well. One of them (Liz in the blue jumper below - hi Liz!) invited me to stay with her in the north of England which I did but I will tell you about that in my next blog.

The tour finished in Amman. Amman is a very busy city and I am not sure that I really liked it but I found it intriguing to explore. We were able to explore on our own for the day so a small group of us wandered around (see photo below!) and it was enough for me to get an idea of the place. I am really pleased I went to Jordan but I am not sure I will go back. I will hopefully publish another post to tell you about the north of England before I go to the US but I leave early tomorrow so you will have to wait and see!

And hello Jordan (part 1)

I am really not sure how to describe Jordan so I might describe the tour chronologically - this means you get to hear the best bits first because my two favourite places (Petra and Wadi-Rum) were in the first couple of days. I liked Jordan from the beginning and it was fun to visit Mount Nebo on the first day (where Moses saw the promised land) but Jordan can also be quite overwhelming with the crowds. By the time we got to Petra (day 2) it was much easier to negotiate.

Petra was amazing but I didn't expect anything less. Unfortunately there was a last minute itinerary change (the Royal Family booked out Petra!!) so we didn't stay as long as originally intended but the second day we got up early to make the most of the time we had. The Treasury is the most popular in Petra but I think I liked the monastery best (see photo!). It is a bit hard to see the scale of it from the photo but to give you an idea of how big this is - the ledge beneath the door at the front is taller than me!!

After Petra we drove to the desert (Wadi-Rum) to camp overnight. This involved taking a 4WD which was so much fun! I have never been to a proper desert and it was absolutely breathtaking. We camped under the stars and the next day went on a camel ride. I was allowed to ride the camel solo (not led by a guide). I am not quite sure why they let me do this but it was such fun. I named my camel Percival and I think it relished the dignity of such a name and was very easy to manage.

I could have easily stayed on in both Petra and Wadi-Rum. They were both so incredible and I highly recommend them to anyone thinking of going to Jordan.

This is only the first part of the Jordan posts. I am going up to the north of England this morning so I don't have time to write more but I don't want to forget to tell you about the delicious caradamom coffee!

Sorry I can't write more but I will write again soon.

Leaving London

This is a very quick update to let you know that I am leaving for Jordan today. It has been great to spend the extra time in London - there is so much to see! I will be back in London after the tour but only for a few days before flying to Boston. Hopefully I will have time to fit in another play before I leave London and visit another gallery!
I am very excited that a place on the Jordan tour was available. Some friends I stayed with went on this particular tour and said it was better than Turkey and that every day was a highlight. I am desperately trying to keep my expectations down and failing miserably. It will also be nice to have some warmer weather. London weather has turned cold this last week so going to warm Jordan will be a nice relief. I have to pack now. Bye!

More of London...

Hi all,

I am at the end of my second week in England and I finally have some photos to show you. The weather is definitely cooler but sunny so it is really pleasant. The first couple of photos are with Dave and Stu in Cambridge. It was a lovely town to visit. I included the first photo because we were having an English breakfast in England. Please tell me someone out there appreciates the fun in this because of the three of us I think I am the only one who loved the concept. It took us a while to actually find a place that served breakfast so it was more brunch but it was what we needed before starting off on our 'Architecture between 1950 and 2000' walk around Cambridge. It was lovely to have some friends from home to hang out with but all too soon they had to go back to their normal lives.

As they left on the Saturday I had my own adventure and journeyed down to Oxford to stay with friends. It was lovely to be out of the city again and enjoy Oxford and visit some of the surrounding villages. I got back to London on Sunday night to stay with some lovely people I met in Turkey. This week was the start of Grand Final week and here is proof that I was doing my part on the other side of the world. The scarf was the least of my efforts - I had to wake up at 4.30 to watch it live! What a game! I watched it with a group of expats and it was fantastic. They had a projector set up and we were soon cheering with the best of them. A few mid game and post game conversations with friends from home capped off what was an excellent week. Go Hawkers!!!
I am still in London but I am not sure for how long. I have seen so much and feel quite at home in London but with the extra time I would like to go somewhere else. I am hoping to go on a tour of Jordan at the end of this week but not sure if it will work out. I hope you are all well and enjoying the warmer weather!
I'll let you know what works out with the extra time. I hope it will be Jordan but if not I know it definitely won't be Turkey or England...perhaps Spain or Sweden or Tunisia???

London...where do I start?

Hi all, I have now been in England for about two weeks and the time has flown so rather than wait until I can post some good photos I will tell you a little bit about what has happened so far. I arrived in London on 14 September and it felt so familiar after Turkey. It was lovely to be able to stay with friends and feel very much at home. Another treat was to have Dave and his colleague Stu in London for the week and it was great to have some buddies to explore London with. We went to the V&A, the Tate Modern, the British Museum among other things. I am not sure if this happens to you but I sometimes get surprised about what I especially like and a definite highlight was seeing the Rosetta Stone! We went to some fabulous restaurants (Bret - I don't know you but thank you very much for the great recommendations!) and also did the obligatory architecture tours which was actually quite interesting. I was able to tell the difference between a corinthian and ionic column but this didn't quite evoke a suitable amount of respect so I chose to ask questions instead.

We went up to Cambridge overnight which was fun. Getting out of London was good and it is a beautiful town. The weather was perfect so our architectural walk (are you seeing a pattern??) was very pleasant. Dave and Stu and it was quite sad to see them go. This was compounded by having a 'mid-holiday freak out' so thank you very much to my very dear friends who talked me through this one!! It was also helped by the fabulous news of the Hawks being in the grand final and I have been wearing my Hawks scarf with pride ever since. I have had Australians coming up to me to wish me all the best for Saturday...hmmm...do they realise that I am not actually on the team?? Well, why split hairs? I will be going to a grand final party and watching it live which will be ace.

In the two weeks I have also been to Oxford which was another wonderful overnight trip and have continued exploring. It was nice to see Kath this last week and see a play with her. We saw the Mousetrap (don't you have to see the longest running west end production when you are in London?) which was really good. I have also seen Ivanov (a Chekhov play adapted by Tom Stoppard which starred Kenneth Branagh. It was pretty dark but really good. I have seen and done so many things in England but I should probably give you a rest!

I'll write more soon and hopefully put in some photos!

Go Hawks!

A few more photos of Turkey before I tell you how much I am enjoying England...

These are some random photos from the tour. 

The first one is a typical cave in Cappadocia near Goreme. This one was a monastery. The second photo is also from Cappadocia and was taken when we were going on a walk in the area ( I know - it's absolutely beautiful isn't it!!). The third photo was taken on the day we went on a boat cruise on the Mediterranean. The day was perfect. I was so happy and relaxed so I thought I would include the photo.

The fourth photo is at Kas which is on the Mediterranean. I took the photo of the sunset from the top floor of the hotel which was a terrace. Do people actually mean it when they say if you have seen one sunset you have seen them all? They should come to Turkey.

The last photo in the selection was taken at dinner on my last night in Turkey. I am having the turkish drink Raki which was very nice and toasting the end of the tour. It was a lovely holiday and I am really pleased I decided to go but now let me tell you about London...

More of Turkey...

I am in London but more of that in a later post because I want to tell you more about Turkey. I had a fabulous time and am convinced I will go back there very soon. After Cappadocia we went to many other places, I will resist relaying the entire itinerary but I will give you some highlights. As much as I loved Goreme, it was wonderful to go to the coast. We went down to the Mediterranean and based ourselves in Kas for a few days. On one of these days we spent the entire day on a boat swimming and relaxing. By this time I had pretty much decided to live in Turkey and the trip kept on getting better. I really enjoyed visiting Ephesus and walking around the ruins which are very well preserved (see the first two photos below!) and included a library, a theatre and even a public toilet! Other places we visited included an old Lycian city (photo of me posing with dramatic faces) and Pamukkale (the sunset picture below) which had beautiful cream coloured rocks.

Hopefully you will appreciate how restrained I am being because I could talk about Turkey for hours. It was one of the places I have visited where I liked it from the beginning. Unfortunately my pack is starting to shrink or it might just be the turkish rug I bought. Hopefully I will be able to give this to someone to take home for me so that I don't have to carry it around too much longer.

Sorry for being slack with emails. I didn't have much spare time on the tour to access internet but hopefully you will understand and know that I still love you!

Quick update - Budapest to Turkey

Hi all - I am back to limited internet access so I will have to make this short! Budapest was a lovely city and it was great to have the opportunity to explore the city and beyond. On the Saturday they took me for a drive where we visited a really interesting museum beautiful towns and I even saw the border of Slovakia! It was very sad to leave...

I arrived in Turkey on Sunday and loved it. In the interests of public record - Andrew you were right - I love Turkey. We are in a town called Goreme at the moment which is in Cappadoccia. This is where all the caves are (photos will be coming) and we have been able to do some exploring. Turkey is incredibly friendly. When I arrived I was supposed to be met by the tour which didn't happen. This didn't matter because someone came up and offered to help me and before I knew it I was in this comfortable shuttle bus heading to my hotel! Even when you haggle the people are friendly. It is not hard to enjoy it when they are telling you that you are beautiful! I have bought some great things including a rug which I don't have the room for. I am also developing a taste for Turkish coffee (when in Rome...) and the food is great. I got a bit of a tummy bug but it was the day we went to a magnificent vegetarian restaurant so I just ignored it and it was worth the pain. The food was amazing. I have so much more to tell about Turkey and photos to publish so stay tuned...

And now Budapest...

Hi all, Villach was wonderful. I had a very restful time with cousin Kath, Stefan and baby Maike. Sightseeing wasn't a priority but I did get to see around the area and enjoy the scenery. It is postcard Austria with lovely little houses dotted around all with flowerboxes that are overflowing with colourful flowers. While I was here I also backed up all my photos. Thank you to some of you for your offers of coloured pencils to capture the lost images but I think that any attempts might not necessarily capture the detail - I am more comfortable in the post modern (read unintelligible) genre than anything resembling realism. Also thank you for the suggestion that I change my blog name to 'what kim lost next' but I am hoping to not make this a habit.

I arrived in Budapest yesterday evening. It is a wonderful city but I think the highlight has definitely been seeing Eszter and Gabor again and meeting their daughters Hanna and Gerda. I have loved spending time with them and the girls certainly seem intrigued with someone who doesn't speak Hungarian. Today I went on the hop on hop off bus (or 'look at me - I'm a tourist' bus) which is actually a great way of getting an overview of the city. I met some lovely germans who adopted me for the boat trip afterwards. I will go back into the city tomorrow to see some more things but I have to be careful because I am on the verge of getting travel fatigue. I am not complaining about this because everything is going well but I think Turkey will be pretty full on and I don't want to get too exhausted to enjoy it.

After two weeks in Turkey (I will try and email during the trip but it might be tricky) I will go to London. Thanks to Kath, I now have my hawks scarf and will be able to wear it proudly come September. Sorry Kristina - I technically didn't pack it because someone brought it over for me. While I am in Turkey I will need someone to text me the results so I don't care who but someone needs to step up (I am thinking a Thorn might need to do this for me...)

I have just found the exclamation mark on this keyboard! Hooray - now I can properly show my enthusiasm! I know I overuse it but I think perhaps it's ok given the circumstances. I hope everyone is well and that the Melbourne weather (for those in Melbourne) is warming up a bit for you. Keep up the emails - it's great to hear your news and what you have all been up to. Kim

Prague to Vienna to Villach - the best and worst of times

Hi all, I have realised that some people are actually reading this blog so I should be a little better at updating it. Prague was my longest stint in any place but definitely by choice. The city is beautiful and has avoided becoming too touristy even though it is overrun by tourists. There are so many people there and you do get used to it but when I saw the Charles Bridge early one morning without as many tourists I realised how crowded it really is! Prague was a bit of a revolving door for friends! I said goodbye to Robyn and then Pam, Graeme and Kath arrived! We did some exploring and then Steph arrived! What was nice was that I did different things with everyone.

The Jewish quarter was interesting and very moving. I went to the palace with Pam, Greame and Kath and that was different again but this is when disaster struck (hence the title - "the worst of times") because I accidentally deleted ALL of my photos. The only photos I have of my first month are the ones I downloaded for my blog. I avoided the meltdown phase and when straight to disappointment (Pam, Graeme and Kath can vouch for this!) and now am in the philosophical phase of coping with this. I went back to my diary and wrote in more detail to help me remember things and they are just photos. I have been learning about the the jews in Prague who lost everything and how everyone suffered under communism and me losing some photos doesn't seem quite as dramatic.

I was going to stay in Prague Saturday night and then catch the train to Villach via Vienna on Sunday but eight nights in Prague felt like enough. I sent a text to a friend I met in Prague (hi Nic - I told you I would put you in the blog!) who said she would be in Vienna as well so that sealed the deal. We had a great time in Vienna and I took some photos to fill in the blanks. Over some traditional Weiner Schnitzel and great Austrian red wine we made some important holiday resolutions (Nic - we need to hold ourselves to them!) and it was a great way to end the first part of my trip.

I am now in Villach and it is so restful and great to be with family. Will write more soon!

Hope everyone is well! Kim

Paris to Prague

Paris was wonderful and the rest of the time was spent walking, resting and enjoying the atmosphere. Since my last blog I went to an amazing concert in Notre Dame and on my last day I went on a boat tour. The boat tour covered most of the places I had already visited but it was great to see them from the river and it was also a relaxing way to tour the city. It was sad to leave but once again Orly airport proved to be the airport of disasters. For those who don't know, it was at Orly airport that Deb and i missed our flight. We ended up spending a ridiculous amount of money and time and had to cope with an incredibly rude french man (he actually changed the course of my life because at that time I was considering staying in Paris forever!!). I thought I would be open minded but to no avail because Orly is now the proud holder of my credit card! This would be fine if I was still there but as I am not it is a pain. Thankfully I have a spare card and so now I just have to negotiate the National Bank (which is an adventure in itself). It has been annoying but manageable and hasn't dimmed my view of Paris.

Robyn and I arrived in Prague and if there was ever a city to help you get over leaving Paris it is Prague. I fell in love with it immediately. You will just have to imagine it if you haven't been there but it is colourful beautiful buildings, narrow curly streets and if you get lost people are more than happy to help out. I have got lost a few times but i am pleased to say that I am getting much better with my sense of direction (I couldn't get worse!) and following maps is easy. I have Moscow to thank for this because if I can noegotiate Moscow then anything is a breeze.

I am in Prague at a significant time. On Wednesday it will be 40 years since the Russian tanks entered Prague to occupy it. There was a brilliant photography exhibition of photos that were smuggled out of the country at the time and they were so confronting ( I bought the book of the exhibition) and on Wednesday they will actually have tanks rolling into to St Wenceslas Square to mark the event. I am thrilled that I will be there for this. I met a really nice English girl who is also keen to come along and hopefully Kath, Pam and Graeme will also want to see it. It will be crowded but worth it.

Oops - a queue for the internet - I better go but I will write more on Prague because I haven't even begun to tell you about the great hostel I found or the Jewish quarter!

Bye!

Kim

By the way, I changed the blog so people can post comments so if you have trouble with it let me know!

Bonjour Paris!

I arrived safely in Paris on Saturday 9 August and it has been great to be in the one place for more than three nights! Paris is a beautiful city and I am enjoying visiting galleries and exploring. On Sunday night Robyn and I went for a bike ride into the city and walked along the Seine. We rode under the Eiffel Tower and past the Musee D'Orsay. The evenings are so mild that lots of people are out walking and bands are playing. The atmosphere was very relaxed.
I have been spending my days visiting galleries and walking in the gardens. The galleries have been pretty crowded which hasn't really been a problem but it is funny to watch people walk up to the painting, take a photo and move on! I can't believe how many people are doing this.


Most days I have a relaxed breakfast and then catch the metro to visit whatever I have planned for the day and then meet Robyn after work. Tonight we are going to a concert at Notre Dame which will be fun. I am actually hoping to do a tour of Notre Dame this afternoon.


Visiting the Arc de Triomphe seems to be a requirement based on the number of people so not wanting to shirk my responsibility I joined the queue. It is over 200 steps to walk to the top but the views are worth it. I took some great photos and helped out an American family in distress who were trying to take a photo of themselves with the Eiffel Tower in the background. People are very easygoing here and most French people have appreciated me making the attempt in French but politely reply in English. Obviously my astoundingly good french accent still needs a little work!

Basically, I love Paris and could easily stay another week but Prague should be lots of fun as well. Unless I have anything I have to write about before Friday - see you in Prague!

Innsbruck

Innsbruck is a lovely town. I got a little sick while I was there so I didn't get to do much but I was able to do some exploring.

I took the cable car to the top of the mountain. It is usually for skiing but in summer without the snow there are many walkers and tourists. The view was incredible (see the photo!) and I just sat and enjoyed sitting in the sun. It seems so perfect in some of these places and the people are so nice. Language hasn't been an issue at all. Most people speak English at least a little so if my German isn't clear enough I don't get into trouble.




I stayed in a fabulous hotel in the old city. I am starting to develop a habit of alternating between hotels and hostels but it is amazing how cheap some of these hotels are. I was able to find one which was only about $15 more than the hostel in Salzburg but it included breakfast and was really central.
















I included this photo because it is typical of the scenery of the train trip from Innsbruck to Bern. It was a four hour trip and most of the scenery looked like this!!

The train was a little late so I was a little late into Bern but I was there for two nights so it didn't really matter. I had a lovely time in Bern catching up with old friends and exploring familiar territory. I also rested because I was still recovering from the tummy bug. I watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics in the afternoon and cheered Australia when they walked on. I'm not homesick yet but it was nice to see some Australian faces!!

My time in Switzerland was over very quickly and Saturday morning I caught the train to Paris but more on that later...

Extra cheese in Salzburg...

Yes, I went on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. We visited the palaces that are used as the their house (the photo below is the one used in all the lake scenes) and the avenue of trees where they played dressed in their curtain clothes and also the park where they danced around on the day they learnt to sing. I loved the movie and I was very excited about the tour but I have to say that it was a little too cheesy for me. It was however a good chance to drive around Salzburg, hear some interesting trivia about the movie but when the whole bus started singing 'Climb Every Mountain' (yes - this DID happen) I chose to sink as low as possible in my seat and put on my sunglasses. I look happy below and I was happy - I was on holiday but I also decided to try and be as inconspicuous as possible. This was the sort of tour that they might well have picked the quiet one to lead the singing for 'My Favourite Things'!

I don't regret going but take my experience as a warning!!

As a city, Salzburg is very beautiful and after the tour I wandered around the old town and enjoyed the atmosphere. There is a music festival there at the moment so there was a good atmosphere. At the hostel I met some really nice canadian girls and we had dinner and ended up sharing a taxi to the station the next day because I decided to go on to Innsbruck!