Highlights 2014

This last year has been an interesting one. Until July I was living and studying in London, coming back home in the summer, and readjusting to life in beautiful Vienna. Travel-wise this wasn't my most exotic year - no long distance travels, no new countries visited. But I saw a lot of exciting, interesting and beautiful things, enjoyed a few musicals, watched some powerful films (for example The Normal Heart), went to a couple of concerts (Chick Corea, anyone?), perfected the art of Skype, rediscovered my home town and so much more. So here I present to you: my highlights 2014! :)

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Chinese New Year Celebrations in London

Canterbury Cathedral

Springtime in London

Bath

A Visit to Sweden

A Boat ride on the Thames

Kent: Ramsgate, Margate, Broadstairs, Deal

 

Wales
Just one quick picture- read (and see!) more about it here.

Falling in love with Vienna all over again

This post here was all about my return to Vienna.



Kalymnos

 

Full post here!

 

London - again!

 

Post will follow soon!

 

 

Christmas Market in Sopron, Hungary

 

 

It has truly been an amazing year - I met a lot of lovely people that I hope to see again in this new year! I also hope to explore new corners of the world, close by and far away! Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for take-off!



It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I always miss Thailand. Some weeks just a little bit, some weeks I almost forget, but around Christmas it hits me the hardest. The explanation for that is simple: For many years, my parents and I traveled to Thailand over Christmas during my school holidays. Opening a gift and on a roof terrace or having dinner in a lovely garden setting in Bangkok on the 24th of December was the norm for me.
Ever since I started university, we stopped travelling to Thailand during that period, so Christmas went back to 'normal', whatever that means. We're home, the family comes together, it's cold outside - the usual.

And I love it -  I love Christmas and the whole holidays. But I was four years old on my first visit to Thailand, and since then we've been there regularly. Thailand has practically always been a part of my life - and I miss it. I miss the wave of humid heat that greets you as soon as you leave the airport. I miss the sound of the Thai language. I miss the noises and smells of Bangkok streets. I miss the peace and calmness of a temple, and the bustling business of the shopping centre next door. I miss the Christmas songs they play over and over, even after the new year. I miss the kitschy Christmas decorations. I miss the fake trees and the ability to put them everywhere - I once saw a decorated tree inside of a big fish tank. I miss the smiles of Thai people, and the way they ooh and aah in a group. I miss the food, and the way it is shared, even in restaurants. I miss the markets where you can buy everything you don't need. I miss the fact that there is always something new to explore behind a corner. I miss the cool coffee shops where you can get overpriced sweet ice coffee in modern surroundings, and for a second you could be anywhere in the world. I miss the announcements on the Skytrain and the underground. I miss the people, and their positive energy. I miss sitting in a taxi, exhausted after a long day, being stuck in traffic for over an hour and listening to the radio. I miss our friends, and exploring new things with them. I miss the beaches. I miss Thailand.

Ten years ago the horrible Tsunami destroyed so many lives, not just in Thailand. We were in Bangkok during that time, so we weren't affected physically. But it still left a mark somewhere, somehow. I feel connected to Thailand. So much so, that I start to see similarities between Thailand and wherever I am all the time. The Christmas market in Sopron reminded me of Thailand. Kalymnos as a whole reminded me of Thailand. I'm starting to think that places don't have anything to do with Thailand, I just try to create a connection in my mind, to feel closer to a country I love that sadly is quite far away. I also seek out traces of this country everywhere I go - London being the perfect example. While I was studying there I visited the Thai temple in London, Wat Buddhapadipa. It's is amazing how authentic it feels - like a small piece of Thailand, in Wimbledon.

On my latest London visit we went to a restaurant called East Street, just off Oxford Street. It does a variety of Asian food, also Thai of course. I walked in and the smell of Thailand welcomed me. It was a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by all things Thai, but also slightly sad, knowing I'm not actually there. Nostalgia would probably be a fitting description.   

The food was excellent and, considering you are in central London, almost cheap. The atmosphere was lovely, nothing fancy, but not too hectic either. And the big bonus - on the ladies toilet they were playing recordings of the announcements from Bangkok airport. I felt right at home!
This was just one of my new London discoveries from my last trip - I will write about the others very soon.



 

As you have noticed, this is not your standard Christmas post. But I do wish everyone happy holidays and a happy new year too! Sawadee pee mai kha! May it be the best one yet!

    

The 5 stages of travelling

It has started again. The days have grown shorter and darker, and no one knows whether it's ten in the morning or four in the afternoon since it's always grey outside. The sun got shy and only shows itself sporadically. It has to be November.
It's the beginning of a period that makes you want to stay in bed all day. Christmas is the light at the end of the tunnel, but we all know that there's another tunnel just behind it, leading us at least until the end of February.

But there is always the option to escape. London has been calling out to me for some time now. After my return in the summer I had enough of all things British for a while, which surprised me, actually. But I should have known that it wouldn't last long. Soon the yearning to go back to this magnificent city grew so strong I just had to book a flight. It was a win-win: It would shut up the voice inside of me and help me through the November depression. So in a weeks time I'll be spending four glorious days in London (an I'll definitely report back).

But it got me to thinking about the power of anticipation, and about the steps involved in planning a trip, so I present:

The 5 stages of travelling

(or, my 5 stages anyway...)

1. Deciding to go
It's easy to dream about leaving your everyday routine, even just for a weekend. But it's quite a different thing deciding to go. This crosses the line between fantasizing about something and actually doing it. The rest is all fun and games, or as Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet said: 'All you've got to do is decide to go and the hard part is over. So go!'

2. Where to?
The choosing of a destination is one of the best parts of travelling. The world is literally waiting for you to decide what to explore next, and everything is possible. That is until you find out how expensive the flights are and that everything is already fully booked.

3. The Anticipation
Ah, the fun begins. Once you know where you'll be and how much time you'll have, it's time to start the research. I never plan out every minute of every day, but I still like to know what there is to see and do. So I would look up the major attractions, find out what neighborhoods might be fun to explore, and maybe even pick out a café or restaurant to go to. I also like to make the effort and at least learn how to say 'hello' and 'thank you' in whatever language is spoken at my destination. Depending on how much I'm looking forward to the trip, or on how much time there is in between the present and the departure date, I'll go a bit further. I might read stories or watch films set in the soon to be visited place, listen to music connected to it, look up customs or think of what I will bring back home. These steps vary, depending on whether it is a first-time visit to somewhere new and exotic, or whether I'm returning to an already familiar place.

4. The actual trip
There are a lot of stages within this one, maybe enough to write a different post soon, but the actual trip involves them all, from packing, to the journey, to the arrival, the days (or weeks if you're lucky) of living a different life, to the return back home. This is the part where you realize, no matter how much you've prepared, everything will be different anyways, and it will still be amazing, maybe even just because of that.

5. Home again
I wrote about this stage already here. This seems to be the hardest part, for me at least. It's not that you feel sad because you're back home - unless you're 'home' is a horrible place, but let's assume it isn't - it's just that the past days, weeks, months, we're so incredibly exciting, and you've felt so alive, that it seems strange to go back to doing anything that doesn't make you feel like that all the time. But if you've done it right, this will only inspire the next trip, and you can start this lovely process all over again.