It's like a fairytale.

Many years ago, when she finished school, Traveller participated in a Rotary Exchange program where she lived in the Oregon, U.S.A for one year. This was when she was eighteen and it was her first real foray into independent international travel. Wanderlust has since been a regular part of T's disposition and she wonders if she will ever really overcome it. Or if she would even want to.
This month will mark T's third year of living in London. She intended to stay for 12 months and that year has ever-so-quickly turned into three and now, well, she's not sure when she will return to Australia's shores to live permanently. Where is home exactly? T's not sure.
After many years of travel, one of the most memorable parts has been the friendships that T has made along the way. Several of the people that T met during her one year in the United States have shaped her and inspired her and encouraged her to be the person that she is.
Recently, Traveller had the pleasure of visiting three friends that she met during her exchange years - Vincent in Belgium and Corinna and Yuvia in Germany. While both countries were beautiful and extraordinary, what really made T's heart sing was spending time with her old friends and finding, once again, that time is merely a concept and is nothing between friends.
Here are some photographs of Traveller's time in Bruges, Beligum....
It truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.





Walking down the stairs after climbing to the top of the belfry - it's a must, especially if you have seen the comedy classic In Bruges.










Turkey, peas, carrots, potatoes and santa all made of chocolate!



The best chocolate in Belgium, according to Vincent.

It was out-of-this-world!

Learning how to make lace...








Snow!


Next up, Ghent, Belgium!

Reasons to smile.

two week's holiday starting in less than twenty-four hours

no aches and pains from the half-marathon

school dinners and, in paticular, apple pie and custard

incomparable friends and family

new possibilities

and...a plane ticket that's heading to Morocco in two sleeps!

{along with Traveller! - yippee!}

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Easter Love.

Traveller is officially on holidays!

Two and a half weeks of bliss.

T is looking forward to sleep-ins, catching up on a few novels, watching some movies and finally starting her running again. She has been very slack!

Today T received some chocolately loot from her littluns and also a super sweet card.

Teaching little kids rocks.

Traveller's latest adventure.

This last three weeks have been busy!

Traveller has seen two sets of parents: husband's parents and her own.

She has visited Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Kitzbuhel.

T has eaten numerous delicious meals, seen many wondrous sights and had lovely company through it all.

And now, after a relaxing weekend, she has caught up on such much needed sleep!

Here are some photos of T's time in Prague.

We loved: the Prague castle, the food and David Cerny's famous sculptures (of which you can see a few below).

Things we could have done without: the sub-zero temperatures!

(although it did mean many a glass of gluhwein)

T's favourite Cerny sculpture is of the two naked men - not for unsavoury reasons - but because if you sms'd a number, they would spell out a quotation or a name with their wee! How hilariously kitsch!

Next stop: Vienna!

Teachers have all the luck.

Both Traveller's husband and flattie had to work today because the snow wasn't quite heavy enough to deter London transport {shocking, T knows!}However, both her and Kiwi friend's schools were closed!
Yippee!
We had a lovely day trudging through Primrose Hill and Regent's Park and also enjoying a nice hot drink at a Primrose Cafe. And it gets even better... school is closed again tomorrow! The snow is still falling really heavily and as Traveller works out in Zone 5 - it's even heavier there!
The holidays continue....

T hearts Murren.

If you could only choose a few places to go in your life, Murren would have to be close to the top of the list.
It is magical.
Waking up to see the alps right outside our window in the morning was absolutely breathtaking.
We spent three lovely days in Murren, which is situated near Interlaken in the Jungfrau region. We had to take a cable-car and a funicular to reach the top. Traveller is a little scared of heights and must admit that she was glad their first trip up the mountain was at night!
During our stay, we spent most of our time in the outdoors. We tobogganed, ice-skated, hiked and ate a plethora of Swiss delights.
Traveller and husband didn't want to leave. We do, however, feel so lucky to have experienced this beautiful part of the world. You must go!

Next Stop: Normandie!

Traveller and husband are off to France this weekend!

We are going with four friends, in a seven-seater car, and T couldn't be more excited!

It is the first international trip that T has made since Easter and it is particularly special, because it is with friends.

The boys are excited to see the D-Day beaches; we are also hoping to see the Bayeux tapestry, Mont St-Michel and to eat lots of lovely Camembert (accompanied with French wine of course!).

Husband is also looking forward to some French cider.

French food, fun and friends - sounds magnifique!

photo via flickr

Happy Holidays to Traveller!

To celebrate their running success and Traveller's return to holidays, T and running friend had another spa day, followed by treats at Bea's of Bloomsbury.

Bea's savoury food is delicious, but their cakes are out-of-this-world-yummy! There was much to choose from, such as: truffle cakes, scones, cheesecakes and meringues. However, they are famous for their cupcakes, so we had to try them out {it was practically a neccessity}.

Traveller had a chocolate fudge cupcake and running friend had a red velvet cupcake with cream-cheese frosting! Delicious!

A perfect way to start half-term holidays.