Hello

So it's been like a hot minute or two since I've written anything here. It's funny because no one reads this. It's really just been for me up until this point. However if I write like I'm writing to myself it seems even weirder than if I just pretend like I'm writing to someone else. So life, what's been happening since 2016? I think that was the last time I actually posted. Well I met a guy and we got married. I have started finally studying what I have always wanted to and that is cosmetic chemistry. Plus we have just sold our first house and are on the lookout for our future family home (no I'm not pregnant). Life has been good, it's never the easiest ride. But I really have nothing to complain about.

So where to from here. I still want to document my adventures. They have been few and fair between for a while. Life sometimes just happens and your finances are required elsewhere. But I firmly believe that travel is one of the greatest things that you can put your money towards. Travel will always give back ten fold what you invest into it. So my husband and I are going to Bali in August. He hasn't travelled much. His first time overseas was for our honeymoon in April 2018. So I'm super excited to show him some places that I have been before and to also explore and see some new places with him. We plan on doing a trip to Europe at the end of next year for at least six weeks. So I want to document the planning for that here. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and daunting to find exactly where you want to go and book accomodation and transport. We aren't exactly the book a one way ticket without any plan and see how it goes kind of people. We both like to be organised and know that we will have a place to sleep each night and how we are going to get there. But I also do want to relax more. I don't what to overthink what's going to happen or how every little detail will come together. I want to truly learn to relax and explore. I want to be able to just wander around, get truly lost and see what amazing things we get to find in this beautiful big wide world of ours.

Lyon

Lyon quite commonly known as the stomach of France. Is famously known for its amazing cuisine. Lyon was the fourth stop on our Europe trip and it didn't disappoint. We arrived as found our hotel which was on the newer side of Lyon. We were both confused when we arrived because it looked nothing like the pictures. However we did some research and found out Vieux Lyon or Old Town was where it was all at. Old Lyon is compromised of many little nooks and side streets, many of which are incredibly steep. We made our Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste, breathtakingly stunning inside, pictures could never do it justice. It was Rachael's birthday whilst we were there so we decided to splurge a little on dinner and headed to a bouchon restaurant where they serve traditional Lyonnaise cuisine. I had French Pike Quenelles. A form of fish mousse fried in a quenelle, served with a creamy lobster sauce, rice and deliciously buttery greens. It was amazing, like unbelievable. Lyon is seriously beautiful and I wish we had more time to explore and a budget to really try all the food. Looks like i'll just have to go back one day. 

Contentment

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” -C.S Lewis

I find myself repeating this quote to myself a lot. It holds such clarity as to why I so often desire so much more than this world can give me. God didn't create us as human beings to live the way we do, and desire worldly possession as we do. I so often wonder what a world without sin and evil would look like. A world where we weren't fighting to survive, or competing with each other the way that we do for success or fame. I so often desire more, more out of this life, more from myself. I put so much pressure on myself cause I can't shake this feeling, when in reality I'm never going to be satisfied here. 

Contentment is something that I have really been struggling with lately. I am the sort of person who is always waiting for the next thing and I rarely live in the moment. I have an extremely over active imagination which doesn't ever really slow down. I always just feel like I have to get through the days to get to the next "thing". Then when it arrives I'm not even thinking about it or enjoying it, I'm just looking to the next "thing". I think a big part of contentment is gratitude. Stopping and thanking God for what we have been given. For the opportunities and experiences that he has provided for us. Knowing that what we have is a gift from him, to be valued and not taken for granted. I know that I will probably never find true contentment on this earth. But I also know that I need to enjoy the moments in this life and be thankful for them. My discontent continues to drive me to do better and do more. But there does become a point when I think you must find contentment in the season, to enjoy and be grateful for what's in front of you. This is what I want to work on. I'll always remember C.S Lewis words, it helps me understand my feelings. But I also desire to live a great life that I have been blessed with on this earth.

Annecy

Annecy, France is one magically stunning place. The town is a gateway to the alps. The mountains that tower over the incredibly blue lake Annecy can't even be described. Pictures, although beautiful, can't do this place enough justice. Rachael and I were in Annecy for only one night, I wish we could have stayed longer. We took a paddle boat ride across lake Annecy on what couldn't have been a clearer more beautiful day. We explored part of the old town which is magical within itself. Ate gelato and enjoyed just wandering lazily in the sun. I would love to see this place in Winter, it's a little town that always adapts to the season and thrives. From beautiful hot summers spent boating on the lake to Winters skiing in the Alps. Annecy has it all, including that lovely small town feel. Not overly touristy and the people are friendly and actually smile and help you when lost. I highly recommend Annecy to anyone even if it's just for a small stay, it has to been seen!

Paris

The next destination on our Europe adventure was Paris. I mean I couldn't not go! Paris was exactly what everyone had told me. Beautiful but dirty. The buildings were truly spectacular. The whole city architecturally blends in a majestic way. My advice is just look up, don't look down at the streets and don't breathe through your nose too often, as a hint of urine might smack you in the face. Paris though is such a romantic city, one to defiantly visit with someone you love. I feel like I only really saw a tiny portion of what Paris has to offer. It's the sort of city that you don't visit on a budget, it can be done, but I don't recommend it. We visited all the hotspots and walked for miles along the Seine. We experienced some interesting locals, apologized again and again for not knowing french, pedaled a bike in the train station to charge my phone (that was a more testing time), ate crepes and macarons and mastered the metro like champs. Paris was beautiful and a little scary, but I would defiantly go back. 

London Take 1

Having the opportunity to travel is something that I will never take for granted. I know that not everyone wants to travel or has the ability to. But for me I can't experience enough. I think that the thing I love most about traveling isn't seeing the famous sights, or being able to Instagram that I've been to Paris. It's getting to experience the culture, the languages, the food, history. Everywhere you go in the world in so different in terms of what is considered the norm. How people greet each other, what is and isn't socially acceptable, tolerance of people from other countries, kindness, generosity, and sincerity. I always find that my mind and heart are expanded when I visit a new place. All of a sudden you meet someone new, they come from a completely different country to you, their native tongue is not yours. But you are both human beings and you find that you have so many things in common. You could talk to this stranger all day and night and never run out of things to discuss. Everybody has something to bring and that's the beauty of us all being different. No you might not hit it off with everyone and some people will just pass through your life for an hour, maybe the evening, sometimes longer. But all these different encounters and interactions shape who we are as people. It's how we choose to use our experience that really defines who we are as individuals. I know that when I travel it's when I get to experience the most, it's often overwhelming and unexpected. When we you come away and think about it all it's an incredible memory, a lesson learn't, a friend made, a situation that you can laugh about. All these things are special in their own way and I treasure each of them.

So London, the beginning of my little taste of Europe. I spent four nights there and of course it rained nearly the entire time. But I just felt like I was experiencing the real London.

London is an incredible city, it has all the good of a large city, but I felt like there was still room to breathe. Plenty of greenery, parks, and space. I love British people too and their accents make me happy. We saw all the famous sights in a day pretty much so we had plenty of time just to explore London. I loved Soho area. Notting Hill was gorgeous. It's easy to walk along and photograph the Thames all day. We ate some great food and of course drank plenty of coffee. We had a couple of fun nights with some friends we met at our hostel, I love that most about traveling, it is so easy to make friends. London just has such a cool vibe, its the sort of place I could be very happy living in. I was glad that we were coming back at the end our trip!

Next stop Paris... 

Europe 2015

I have just recently returned from Europe. I had the most incredible time. This was my first time there and you could say I fell in love and will defiantly be back. I visited England, France where we went to Pairs, Annecy, Lyon and Nice. Then over to Rome, Italy. Then back to London. I was traveling with my friend Rachael who has been living in England for the back 5 months. We were traveling for around 25 days and it was awesome. We met so many incredible people and had some very interesting experience, learn't a lot about myself and defiantly developed some traveling skills that will come in handy in the future. I will be doing a post on each place with pictures. So keep your eyes peeled for that. I majorly have the travel bug and just want to go again. It's aways weird re-adjusting to normal life after a trip and I can say I'm a little bored. Oh well back to uni and work and saving for that next trip.