Hong Kong, 3:33am, 2/08/2013

Has anyone ever been in a plane whilst it tried to land during a typhoon? No? I have. Guys - i thought I was going to die. We circled the airport for almost 40mins waiting for a signal to land - in the meantime it felt like we were dropping out of the sky. Holy cow. We ended up landing but everything had to be offloaded manually because of umm...something. Man...what an ordeal! 

Andy was at the airport waiting to pick me up and reassure me though, which is nice. 

Also I eat too much. 

Andy's dad won't let me go anywhere unless I can get there via underpass. He said he's worried i'll fly away. Boo :( 

My flight may get cancelled. We'll see

Love you guys. Missing you all xxxx

-C.

London, England 8:48pm 31/7/13

So, this is basically the end of my trip. I'm sitting in Heathrow airport now waiting to board my flight to Hong Kong.

Travelling by yourself is hard. You have to do absolutely everything yourself and mostly because you have to take all your bags with you when you go to pee. Ok, maybe that's not the biggest issue. It's quite mentally draining. I mean you need to plan everything yourself. You have to look up addresses, schedules, opening times, ticket prices, train timetables and bus routes all on your own. Nobody helps you with your bag and nobody is there to also be on the lookout for any danger. It's all up to you. 

I can proudly say though that I think I took it all in my stride. Admittedly, when I was sitting in emergency of Berlin Hospital I wanted to change my flight to go home straight away. I'm glad I sucked it up and came to London anyway. It has been a great end to my trip. 

Travel is an eye-opening and life changing thing. I've learned so many things about history, places, people and even more about myself. I have done so many things and dealt with so many things in the past 3 weeks that I would never have expected was within my capacity. 

Thank God for looking after me during this time, for giving me a job so I could afford to do this and for giving me a loving and supportive family for me to be excited to come home to. 

Home bound. 

London, England 6:36pm 30/7/13

So, I have just under 48 hours in London. Landing in Heathrow, I was a little overwhelmed with relief that everyone was speaking English. People in Berlin either speak perfect English or no English at all - including the doctor at the hospital. 

Berlin is a great place. It's just a pity that I couldn't enjoy it because I got sick. We had to change a lot of our plans on account of lost time.

Nonetheless, we both agreed that Berlin is really great and the first place that we've seriously considered moving to. Getting to Tegel was an adventure! I had to take the bus to the train station and then another bus to Tegel. I haven't flown with British Airways since I was 14 years old and I didn't have a pleasant experience. This time the crew were actually English and they were great. The steward added "wee" to everything. "It's really hot so watch your wee hands, won't you?"

Anyway, arriving or landing in Heathrow is like a half day event. I landed at 12:30pm and didn't clear customs until almost an hour later. No baggage claim anxiety as the belt had already delivered everyone's bags by the time we reached the belt. Yay.

My hostel is one huge trek from Heathrow. I alighted at St Paul's and made my way to the hostel. It's literally right outside St Paul's cathedral. Amazing location - no wonder they charge premium prices and make me pay for my wifi....

Basically as soon as I dropped my bag off, I grabbed a map and set off for Victoria underground station. I managed to get a ticket to see Wicked at Apollo Victoria Theatre on the same night. After purchasing my ticket, I walked to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament. The weather was amazing so I sat in the park opposite Big Ben and just watched clouds whilst eating my lunch. Picnic!

I though that since I'd actually already seen Wicked before i would get a less expensive ticket (more money for Harrods, right?) I got row 43. Wow. Elphiba was like this weeeeee ant. But the show has been running for so many months yet it was still packed and I can see why. I must admit the standard of performers exceed the Australian cast. 

This morning I got up early to fight for a shower. To my disappointment, the weather did not hold up and it was pouring its rain when I left the hostel. Hyde Park is really not amazing in the pouring rain but I went for a (quick) stroll anyway. I thought I'd be a real smartness and get a good spot for the 11am change of guard at Buckingham Palace. I got there at 10:30am and there was absolutely no way I could get a standing spot anywhere close to the gates. Nonetheless, I stayed along with the hundreds of other people to ...listen to the change of guards. What I don't understand is why English people go..it happens every day! You'd think they don't find it that interesting anymore.

After change of guards I went to Harrods. I literally spent the whole afternoon there. When i checked in at Tegel my bag was only 13kg (i know - amazing)...i'm not sure what it is now but not 13! 

I got a little homesick this morning. Am missing everyone. And my little Latte. Thank you Steve for reassuring me and encouraging me to push through. Love you. 

I bought a voucher for the London Eye through my hostel so I made my way there with my relatively large bag of shopping. To my horror, when we were almost at the top a very large woman in Muslim attire started smoking - inside! An English man who was with his 2 daughters spoke up and told her to put it out because in the UK you are not allowed to smoke in enclosed areas. She insisted that there were no signs and as such she refused to do so...she said if he had breathing difficulties she could move to a corner. She clearly had issues. Everyone was waiting for her to put out her cigarette but she refused claiming she had a smoking addiction. I couldn't stand around and watch like everyone so I said to her, "There are children and even babies, I suggest you put out your cigarette immediately. We don't all have to suffer because you have a smoking addiction." She ignored me. So I hit the emergency button and told the operator. Lol...it's funny what you have the guts to do when you're in a foreign place. Anyway, the operator told the woman it was definitely against the law and that if she did not out it out immediately, the police would be waiting for her at the bottom. Everyone clapped and the English man came to shake my hand.....

I also had a real english High Tea at a cute little cafe in Charing Cross which i passed on my way to Trafalgar Square. 

London has been great. I want to live here also...although if they are sending out extreme heat warnings on the underground at 21 degrees, i cannot imagine (or handle) anything that isn't summer. 

Hong Kong tomorrow. Home stretch! 

Bye now. 

Berlin, Germany 7:11pm 27/7/13

Don't worry everyone - I'm still alive.

I've got to say that considering I've had such a nightmare trip, I'm in relatively good spirits. I flew from Venice to Berlin arriving at 11pm. I discovered that I have baggage claim phobia now. I had to take a cab from the airport to the hostel cos it was too late to be taking a train on my own - cost me €45...

When I arrived at the hostel, I walked into the reception and was greeted by Charlotte who arrived that afternoon. We started catching up on the last 2 weeks of each others lives and for a moment I completely forgot I was in Germany because it felt just like Sydney! The room was really hot and gross considering we paid so much for it...we thought there'd at least be an A/C. Nope. Lift to get up 8 flights of stairs? Nope. Wifi in room? Nope. 

Anyway, we basically went straight to sleep - I was exhausted. The next morning we set off early to visit some sights. I can't say that German sight seeing is that great...there's not much to see really because all the history is about it getting destroyed? We did a bit of shopping and also went to have our first real German sausage! 

Did you know that the difference between "west side" and "easy side" sausages is that one has skin and one is without skin? It was delicious...and just so much sauce! I You would LOVE, Steve.

For some reason it's really difficult to get around Berlin because you seriously have no idea what anything is...in Italian you can kind of guess but German is completely foreign. People here either speak perfectly fluent English or they don't speak English at all.

Anyway, that night Charlotte and I went to a neighbouring suburb and ended up in some tiny bar with a live band. That's when we met Stefan and friends from Sweden. I'm not a big "meet stranger in bar" person because they all only want one thing. They were nice enough though and we got chatting about Sweden and our travel adventures. I'm not going to lie....I got really drunk. I remember sitting on the floor of the bathroom at some stage. I wasn't very interested in the Swedish guys so I don't recall any striking conversations. On our way out we saw that one of the Swedish guys was passed out on the floor of the bar. By the time we got back to the hostel, it was already 5am and the sun was coming up. 

Surprisingly, we were both up at 8am the next day and after breakfast we set off to Charlottenburg to visit Charlottenburg Palace. This is the former summer palace of Queen Sophie-Charlotte, grandmother of Alexander the Great (something like that). Again, a lot of the things weren't authentic because it was destroyed in the war but the garden has been kept as per the original design, it is the most amazing garden I have ever seen. Seriously. We did an audio guided tour of the palace...the Queen had a particular interest in China so there were heaps of really extravagant dinner sets etc. 

After the tour we had a nap in the palace's garden. We had a sundae in the palace cafe and headed to Story of Berlin where we visited a bunker. It's actually really creepy to think about living during that time. Modern research shows that everyone inside would've died anyway from lack of oxygen. The Story of Berlin is basically a museum dedicated to the history of Berlin. 

We made our way back to the hostel and got ready to meet the Swedish guys again. They suggested that we go to a night club in Berlin which is in an old factory building that's 5 storeys high. It's supposed to be the most exclusive club in Berlin...as such, Charlotte and I got in and the Swedish boys were told to go somewhere else. Annoying. So we had to find a different club.

We headed to Water club or something where we strategically broke the group up and finally managed to get everyone in. It's still a very exclusive club...people were getting turned down for no reason at all. Anyway, I just wasn't feeling it but I held our until 5am. When we got back Charlotte was major drunk and ate all the cheese in the fridge....

That's when disaster struck and I got carted off to hospital...200 euros later, i got discharged and we're back in the hostel (who i might add, handled the situation very well). 

Anyway, the most exciting thing...Dan and Lach are also in Berlin! We managed to coordinate a meet up at Prater Beer Garten which is the oldest and biggest (don't hold me to that - i think that's what Charlotte said) beer garden in Berlin. They are the cutest - ironically we spent more time together in Berlin than we do in Sydney.

I'm genuinely really looking forward to coming home. Missing everyone.

Right, my eyes are closing...need to sleep off the drugs before dinner. 

x

Venezia, Italia 7:30pm 24/7/13

So it's my last 90mins in Italy - I'm at Marco Polo airport waiting to board my flight to Berlin.

I've truly had an amazing time. I still remember feeling my stomach suddenly flip when I turned the corner and saw the Colosseum for the first time. That was the moment that it really hit me how far away from home I was/am. 

Since then I've just been in awe of everything..how different this side of the world is. So Sean, Jenny and I spent some time researching and apparently toilets do not flush in the opposite direction but tornados really turn in the opposite direction. I didn't even know we had tornados.... 

It's been nice having Aunty Cyn and Uncle Elvia around. I've been eating three meals at restaurants like a high roller....paying €15 for salad :O:O:O. Thanks to Uncle Elvis I also managed to tick Venetian gondola ride off my bucket list...thank God for Uncle Elvis! I know it's totally ridiculous to think of skipping the gondola ride in Venice but did you know it's €80 per person!!?? Seriously mate, i'm just a backpacker and you're just a rowboat. 

People go to Venice as a day trip cos there's really not much to do. I visited Murano and Burano - the little islands just off Venie which are famous for glass and lace respectively. The glass making is incredible! Funnily enough the people who make these amazingly intricate glass decorations...are fat old Italian men in singlets. They look as far from "artist" as possible.  

Arrivederci Italia. Its been a blast. 

Berlin, here I come! 

Venezia, Italia 10:56am 23/7/13

According to my map, i'm sitting in a park called Biennale Di Venezia. Its basically just me and all these old people.

Venice is full of old people. Probably because the pace is so slow here. I woke up at 7 and went for a walk outside and there wasn't a soul around. Everything is also very expensive here with the average meal being at least €12 exclusive of service charge. I'm getting pretty sick of drinking my coffee whilst standing. So, no more €2 breakfast. I went to the supermarket and bought 6 apples for €2 instead, so I will be eating apples only for the next 2 days. 

(That speck on the left is the moon. Sean was trying to capture it. It's actually huge in reality but iPhone didn't do it justice.) 

The hostel I'm in is quite secluded. That being said it's a 5min walk to San Zaccaria station and 10mins from Piazza San Marco. I booked a bed in the 6 person mixed dorm. When i arrived nobody else had checked in and I didn't see a single other person at the hostel - small freak out. 

After a rest, i went out to buy my apples and was relieved to find upon my return that 2 other people had checked in. Jenny and Sean are Chinese Americans who graduated from the Morgan Stanley finance program. Sean went to Princeton! They are both really nice. 

At around 7pm the three of us headed out to tour the island. Yes, we managed to do all of this in one night. Sean and Jenny are on a gelato expedition so we made 2 gelato stops - i only participated once. 

We made it to Piazza San Marco and what can i say - I fell in love. Honestly, there's nothing to do in Venice so I wasn't loving it. But sitting in that square at 9pm listening to the live music and the crowd singing along - how do you beat that! The musicians are incredible, by the way. 

Something i don't understand is the fascination with pigeons. I mean, they are gross and carry diseases but if you go to San Marco during the day, people are paying to have them sit on their heads etc. Gross! I was too worried that i'd be sh*t on to stay in the vicinity for longer than 5mins let alone have them climb all over me. 

I discovered that the sun sets a lot earlier in Venice (9pm) and by the time we headed back it was completely dark. We saw some dodgy stuff on the way back including a drunken man and woman covered in blood (!!) and naked ladies in windows whistling and clicking. Ew? Sean and Jenny are heading to Milan today so needless to say, tomorrow I will be home in my bed by 8pm! 

Rule of thumb in Venice is that if you see something in a shop that you really like - just buy it because you'll never be able to find your way back there again. So true! What a gigantic maze...also street maps don't include all the street names here. And police patrol on boats. 

Venice is such a bizarre place. Better get here before it sinks cos there's really no place like it!

Ok - off to try and bump into Aunty Cynthia and Uncle Elvis!

Bye now. 

Firenze, Italia 11:38am 22/7/13

Today I depart Florence for Venice.

God has been so good to me on this journey so far. 

On my first day, I was so exhausted and in pain due to my SIJ that I sat down at a random restaurant just outside the Duomo. The owner was very nice and I stayed for really long as they had free wifi. It wasn't as though he needed the seat but when he gave me the bill I thought he was chasing me out. I paid and quickly left. He came running down the street after me - I had paid him €52.60 for my €12.60 meal and walked off without my change. What an idiot!

Last night I booked a final cycle tour of Florence. I was supposed to go in the morning but it was too full and they asked if I could kindly go on the night tour instead. It was a city tour and I'd actually already been to all the sites in the city...I just wanted to cycle. 

I arrived at the office at 5:30pm for a 5:45pm departure. I met my guide Mario who advised that I was the only one. Private tour! Mario asked which sites I'd seen or wanted to see. Turns out that he is also the guide for the free walking tours which I'd been on over the past two days so he knew exactly what I'd seen and hadn't seen. As such, he told me that we'd do a custom tour of the area on the other side of the bridge as long as I felt physically able. Sweet! 

Florence is such a great city to cycle. The roads are flat and there are lots of cycle paths. There had been a cool change and by the time we set off, it was a cool 22 degrees with a light breeze. If I had gone in the afternoon it would've been a full tour of 6 cyclists and more like 35 degrees. We stopped for a gelato at about 8pm where I met a Taiwanese family struggling to translate the flavours into Chinese. Admittedly my assistance was limited...who knows how to say "pistachio" in Chinese? 

After watching the sunset from a different vantage point, we made our way back to Florence city. We even cycled past the restaurant owner who recognised me and waved. I asked Mario if I could borrow the bike if I promised to return it before the office opened at 9am - he said no problem. So this morning I got up at the the crack of dawn (for real) and made my way back up to Michaelangelo's hill to watch the sunrise. 

The boys at the Tuscany Bike Tour office were already there when I got back and invited me to join them for a croissant and coffee. The company is run by a combination of Italian and English men who share a passion for cycling and Tuscany. They mostly do country cycling but took in Mario last year to lead city bike tours. I highly recommend that anybody who is visiting Florence go look for these guys. They are friendly, professional and you can count on having a good laugh when they're all together. Best decision I made in Florence so far. 

Before I left last night, I went to say bye to the guy who mans (see what I did there?) reception at night. We had a glass of wine and got talking. He's been in Florence for 21 years, originating from Florida. I later learnt that all the amazing paintings that were hung up were done by him. He showed me a copy of the work he had been commissioned to do for a gallery in Boston. Amazing! 

The girl I met in Rome, Emily, came to meet me before I headed to the station and we did some quick shopping in the leather markets. She is heading to Pisa today before going back to Rome. It was so nice to have a friend in Florence and it made meal times so much more enjoyable. 

It's sad to say bye to Florence but I truly had a great time and hope to be back again one day. 

Venice, here I come!