Travel Bug.

Traveller's first overseas trip was when she was 13.

Her dad sent her mum and her to California to visit Disneyland and L.A.

T loved it.

She loved the different accents, the different foods and the way that you could be on a plane for a few hours and end up somewhere so completely new and unusual.

A few years later, Traveller went back to North America and lived in Oregon for a year as an exchange student. It was one of the best years of her life and gave her a deep-seeded, irrevocable need to travel. Since then, she has visited many continents and countries and the need has grown rather than diminished.

There has been one country that has been on her 'list' for years. In fact, it has been on the top of her list. Traveller can't remember when or why it was added but she knows that since her late teens she has always imagined her visit there as being perfection and well, it's going to happen tomorrow!

Traveller is flying to Greece tomorrow to sail around the Docadenese Islands for a week with a dear friend and she can.not.wait! Learning to sail, eating seafood, swimming in the sea and taking in the beautiful landscape are all things that are high on her to-do-list and T does not know how she is going to sleep tonight!

The only worrying thing is being able to survive the high temperatures; Traveller is, of course, a weather-hardened Aussie, but London has weakened her ability to handle the sun and with temperatures in Britain never really rising above the early twenties, T is a little overwhelmed at the thought of being in the high 30s without air-conditioning! Oh well, at least she'll be on a boat and clear azure water will be around her for days and days.

Sounds tough, doesn't it?

{image}

Living up to the name.

Traveller recently teased you with a hint that she might be travelling soon...
and the thing is...

she is leaving in two sleeps!

She is off to seek the sun, the sea and an adventure on the beautiful Dalmation coast in Croatia!

It's a holiday of firsts for Traveller.

It will be the first time she's stayed in a hostel.

{can you believe it?}

The first time she's taken part in a tour.

And the first time she's bathed in the Adriatic Sea...

She.cannot.wait.

The tour travels for eight nights around the islands of the Dalmation Coast (on a sailing boat) and

visits a new island everyday along with the beautiful cities of Split and Dubrovnik.

The thing Traveller is most looking forward to is swimming in the sea everyday. If there is one tangible thing that T misses from OZ, it's the beach. That feeling of diving under beautiful cold water is one that Traveller loves.

So, T is going to try and post a couple of times while she's away, but the reality is that she mightn't have access to a computer for over a week. So, this isn't a dedicated blogging break, but a travel break!

T can't wait to share stories when she's back.

Until then, enjoy your summer!

{and for those Antipodeans out there - enjoy the lovely cold winter!

T apologises for the teeny amount of glee she feels when she writes that!}

image found here, here, here and here

London for a Fiver: Swimming with Ducks

Hampstead Heath is one of Traveller's favourite spots in London.

It is a vast expanse of gorgeous green fields and once arriving you feel completely out of the city.

The Heath has various bathing ponds; and, as the weather in London reached 'hot' this weekend, T and RF headed to the Heath in search of a tan and a swim.

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We picnicked, swam and enjoyed the sunshine.

The water, however, was beyond freezing!

The screams coming from the pond should have been enough to warn Traveller, however, sometimes she likes to think she's tougher than she is...

Let's just say it took about five minutes to regain all feeling in her hands and feet.

{too cold..too cold}

The best part? The pond only charges £2 - so it is a beautiful and affordable day out!

A bit of cul-cha

Traveller had been looking forward to her summer holiday for weeks, whereby she imagined days and days of doing whatever she wanted in one of the most exciting cities in the world. However, what T didn't anticipate was that London is also one of the most expensive places to live and travel; how was she going to entertain herself without spending all of her hard earned cash?

Well, truth beknown, that while London is expensive, it probably has the most free events of any city that T has been to. You can watch free concerts, have free entry into museums, experience free tours, watch free plays, and anything else you can wangle your way into!

Upon reading a fantastic book about the things you can do in London (after borrowing it from the library of course!), T uncovered a wide range of fun activities that will keep her occupied for the next month and a half.

The most recent free event that T attended was a free lunchtime talk at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

The lectures are featured at the museum's theatre from Tuesday to Saturday at 1pm every week of the year. Yesterday's lecture was on the musuem's current focus painting, Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus'. It was a 45 minute discussion of why the painting was so extraordinary and the learned chap that spoke also pointed out many interesting parts of the painting and what they were symbolic of - so fascinating!

T understands that this isn't really everyone's cup of tea, her cousin's fiance is her case in point as he fidgeted his way through most of the talk, however, she is not deterred and can't wait to go and experience more of what Free London has to offer. Perhaps she should now go under the pseudonym of Thrifty Traveller?

Holidays are Bliss!

It would seem that full-time teaching has led to Traveller being an inept blogger.

The last few months have been full of many experiences - some fabulous, some quirky and some, quite simply, dreary. There has been a long weekend in Barcelona, a day in Brighton, a few concerts, a couple of plays and loads of school work.

No matter how busy being a teacher can make you, the one insurpassable positive about the profession is the weeks and weeks of holidays! Traveller is currently on nine weeks holiday (week 2) and is looking forward to doing some serious blogging! She is going to aim for a blog a day (feeling the pressure already!) and fill you -blog-readers - in with as many details as you can possibly handle.

The most important thing to mention is that T and her lovely hubbie are just peachy. We love our new city and the many adventures it has brought us so far.

"Summer" in London

Summer in London, at the best of times, is a fickle thing. It can be very warm for a week, raining and freezing the next and then blistering hot for a few days after that. It is unpredicatable to say the least.

However, Traveller's most favourite 'Londoner' characteristic is their willingness to proceed even in the most extreme weather. This characteristic was best exampled when T, hubbie and their flatmates went to Somerset House for a Summer Screen session. This is the perfect opportunity to watch a film in the courtyard of Somerset House, whilst basking in the summer air, and perhaps even have partaking in a picnic. A lovely summer activity.

Well, a lovely summer activity if there isn't a torrential downpour....

All day T and her flatmates had been watching the weather. It was sunny, then cloudy, then rainy and then sunny again. We decided to brave it and head for the summer theatre. The film of the day was 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' and T was super excited, and apparently everyone else was as well because the session was completely sold out. This was when T witnessed the stoic nature of the Brits.

As they exited the tube, the rain started to pour down - the umbrellas were taken out and we hurried towards our destination. What was surprising, was that everyone else came along as well. The cinema-goers came in hoards decked out in ponchos, with umbrellas and picnic bags full of nibblies and wine. Traveller's own British flatmate taught us a lesson in preparing for outdoor events in London - she packed oodles of garbage bags, picnic blankets, umbrellas and even pillows to make sure we were organised for whatever weather the elements threw at us.

As the weather cleared before the entertainment began, T and friends made themselves comfortable on their picnic rug, with blankets and pillows (yes, blankets in summer). Then, just as the film hit its stride, it began to properly chuck it down (Note: that's an English expression for 'it began to rain quite heavily'). T and friends quickly covered themselves with umbrellas and garbage bags, ensuring that they covered every inch of their clothes and bodies. They then relaxed, and simply enjoyed the atmosphere, however cold and soggy it became!

The film was truly funny, but what was best, was seeing hundreds of people braving the rain in order to watch it in such beautiful surroundings.