Chilly Season!

Hej from Copenhagen! November was a very busy month for me but certainly a good one. One of the best I’ve had since my travels began.

At the end of October, I had a quick run around Scotland featuring Edinburgh, Glasgow and some of the Highlands. Edinburgh almost immediately became one of my favourite cities; so much Harry Potter charm! A gorgeous city that I’d definitely return to as I only had a short stay. Glasgow was also nice, more of a working city but plenty to see and the Highlands were fantastic. I’d love to come back, probably in summer, and do some hiking here. It felt a bit strange to say goodbye to the UK, I spent three months here and was certainly accustomed to their way of life, but I was also ready to move on.

My next adventure was something that had had me excited from the moment of booking; nine days in Iceland! I booked this while I was in the thick of covid so it’s amazing that I booked the rights dates and flights etc. Iceland was always on my list, but I wasn’t sure if I would get there. I’m so pleased I made the call. I arrived into Reykjavik and its chilly temperature to find I had somehow lost my beanie in transit. Doh! Despite a cold noggin I found my way into the city and very quickly went beanie shopping. Unsurprisingly, this was no challenge, and I am now the owner of a very warm, mink lined beanie. As it was Iceland, it only cost me around $7000. Arriving in the early evening I went for a wander around the city (with a toasty warm noggin) before getting some food. A couple hours later I was full of fish stew, Icelandic gin and real love for this city! Such a vibe! I’ve now collectively spent near a week in Reykjavik and I’d definitely list it as one of my favourites! Easily top five. The city is gorgeous, easily walkable and never have I ever felt safer to walk around at night. I knew this would be a great trip and I’m happy to report it exceeded my already sky-high expectations. I travelled primarily with an Intrepid tour which was a great decision; a brilliant guide and group made for an unforgettable week! The nature across Iceland is so spectacular; we were joking somewhere mid-way through our tour that all we say is “beautiful!” “oh my god” “spectacular” “how is this real?” and that we need to think of some different words! Somehow each stop still managed to shock us with its beauty, the novelty just didn’t wear off. It’s difficult to put into words everything I got to see here so you might need to consult my various FB posts for photo’s. But, my highlights: Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach – can you possibly imagine a black sand beach covered in large ice blocks that are so clear they could be diamonds? Something you must see to believe. The lagoon is perhaps the most amazing sight I have seen, literal icebergs of incredible colour floating around with the backdrop of an enormous glacier and mountain - my favourite site from seven months abroad. The Northern Lights – we were getting good aurora conditions for the first few days but weren’t in locations where they were visible which was driving us nuts. Because we (tour group) all really wanted to see them we booked a bus trip to take us out of the city and see them we did! Our first sighting was something we could barely fathom, so incredible! Our guide told us we got a ‘once a month’ level of lights so we were super chuffed with ourselves to have seen such magical neon greens across the sky! My ‘camera hand’ was so cold and most of pictures were blurry from shivering but as I took 1000 shots some were fine! It was a late night out and we were all chilled to the bone and boy did our alarms come around quick the next morning but so worth it! We weren’t to know this wouldn’t even be our aurora highlight. The following day we travelled out to the Snaefellsnes Peninsular and stayed in a remote hotel. I don’t think I can do the story justice, but a ridiculous unfolding of events involving lactose intolerance, modern medicine, tiramisu and sheer luck took us straight outside of our hotel to see THE most incredible lights right over our heads! All the greens and pinks just dancing endlessly across the sky! We were running around like five year olds on Christmas morning taking photos for each other and making excited noises! Weeeeeeeeeee! Even the hotel staff were outside with us, which I think demonstrates just how impressive the lights were! HOW IS THIS REAL on repeat. We were shamelessly excited. We all stayed up and had wine to celebrate. Side note: surround yourself with people who will get obnoxiously excited about cool stuff, life is never better. Also FYI, our whole group was using aurora tracking apps to try and maximise our chance of seeing them, but they were completely useless – don’t waste your time. Find a website or FB page that gives live updates. Ok moving on. I cannot leave out geothermal springs as a highlight, because as I am now an enthusiast, I went to three different springs! 38 or so degree natural spas really are the best especially when it's cold cold cold outside! It came as no surprise that Iceland was chilly. The regular temperatures were around freezing but real feel was more like -5 to -7, for those curious. I was meant to go hella boujie and visit Blue Lagoon but unfortunately seismic activity was going hell for leather whilst I was on the island and the local volcano was threatening violence so no Blue Lagoon. A shame, but far worse things have happened to me than my boujie spa day being relocated to a slightly less boujie spa. You do what you gatta do. The volcano was never threatening to my personal safety, FYI. It did threaten to disrupt travel as it is located near the airport but I was fine with staying longer if needed.. because I was obsessed with the place. They could use me for a tourism campaign. - I'd do it. We otherwise spent our days chasing waterfalls, glaciers, canyons, Icelandic horses, seals and black sand beaches. It was mesmerising.

To summarise, Iceland is a truly incredible place where crime doesn’t happen, people are happy (I surmise due to lack of crime and pretty nature), the food was good (I didn't have the fermented shark), and the sights are at a level of stunning that not words nor pictures can do justice. But for all this, you do pay a pretty penny. It’s outrageously expensive to the point that it’s comical. Happy hour drinks are well worth finding. And I did. I have no regrets and to me it is well worth the hole in the budget. I want to go back! I’m thinking that I will, Icelandic summer say whattt.

Sad it was over but happy it happened. My next stop was Amsterdam for a few days. I don’t have a lot to report here other than it’s a nice city to roam around. It's definitely hyped up, but to me it is a mid-range city. And, unpopular opinion, the bikes are annoying. As a pedestrian it felt impossible to know when to cross roads. I’m a supporter of bikes, for sure, but it feels unnecessarily chaotic here. I did an obligatory hot lap of the Red Light District and was both amused and a little grossed out – which I think is the prevailing opinion. Not a single male sex worker sighted, whateven is the point. I had a day trip out to Utrecht, a lovely town towards the center of Holland before I left here to reunite with my Slovenian tour buddies in a small town outside of Groningen called Scheemda. An incredibly cup filling weekend spent with my new European friends doing bouldering, spa-ing, and celebrating an early Danish style Christmas! So much schnapps! My cup was full and my energy was highly diminished, strong signs of a good weekend. I left Holland with my Danish friends and drove all the way back to Copenhagen!

Back to Scandinavia! I was not mad! My bank account, however, was a little irritated. A day of sightseeing in CPH had me all warm and gooey for Christmas lights and mulled wine. Europe does Christmas well. The long bouts of darkness and cold weather definitely help the festive vibes, Australia can’t really do much to bridge this gap although Tasmania often tries its best. I only had a quick stay here as I will be back to CPH to see my European friends again so I went to Stockholm the following day. I loved Stockholm! A truly beautiful city! And truly freezing! The temperature fell but so too did the snow, so I was fine with it! Stockholm was a winter wonderland most of the time I was there. Unfortunately, I was struck with a particularly bad episode of my long covid (self-diagnosed long covid, but after 2.5 months of symptoms I think it’s reasonable) and I spent the best part of the following week in bed again. Not ideal. I have since, begrudgingly, removed exercise from my daily activities and accepted that I am still not recovered and need to schedule more rest. And probably less schnapps. I am now feeling much better after a week of easy days and allowing myself to sleep in etc. If anyone has any tips for overcoming covid I am all ears! Covid is so dumb. I am really missing running and well-functioning lungs.

My next stop was Oslo. Oslo is quite different to the other Scandinavian cities; much more contemporary. As I was still on light duties from my covid episode I didn’t get out as much as I would have liked – I really wanted to go to Bergen but I guess that just means I’ll have to come back to Norway so that I can - silver linings. I still managed to have a good look around the city and have a trip around the Oslofjord which was beautiful and very relaxing – perfect for this virus-stricken traveller! The Christmas markets have now started *happy dance* so I entertained a few trips to Oslo’s Winterfest for mulled wine and Christmas treats! I also tried reindeer for the first time, but I have mixed feelings about this being near Christmas time. Sorry Rudolph. Oslo was also very very cold, down to -9 (real feel -12) which is the coldest temperature I have experienced. Prior to my Iceland visit I was a little intimidated by the cold climate, but I don’t mind it. Turns out as a native Tasmanian I have been training for it my whole life! I am still getting use to sunset occurring at 3:30pm and I am finding I start looking for dinner very early because daytime activities have to end early in the afternoon and I just don’t know what to do with myself. I took a ferry, just last night, from Oslo back to Copenhagen. It snowed almost all day today and CPH dusted with snow is like a fairytale. When I leave CPH next week it will be for Germany to chase more Christmas markets which I am really making my whole personality. I don’t know who doesn’t vibe with fairy lights and mulled wine but if that is you, let me know so I can unfollow you. I was meant to do a tour in Germany but upon closer inspection of my booking I realised I booked for December 2024 LOL, killing it Sandy. Fortunately, I am now rather good at taking myself on tour so all is still fine and good and German beer awaits! Prost!

In a surprising twist that no one saw coming, Spotify Wrapped told me yesterday that Taylor Swift is my top artist for 2023. Shooketh. Who would have guessed. I only saw the Eras Movie twice.

I’ve had a really fun month (six weeks or so actually) making new friends, reconnecting with others and seeing some truly magical stuff. Feeling very grateful for my journey!

North England and Wales

 The last six weeks or so has been a real hap-hazard period of my travels. I unfortunately picked up COVID in September and have been struggling to kick those longer lasting symptoms, so I have spent as many days in bed as I have out and about which has been a bit of a bummer and the primary reason I haven’t put a blog together. Guys, I have been tired. Running has had to take a break while my lungs are like deflated balloons and I'm still struggling with the classic covid cough and some pretty intense insomnia but. The show must go on. It took me a while to discover that whilst running made me feel like death by emphysema walking made me feel really good – it seems to be an intensity issue rather than a volume concern so hikes and walking are at the top of the activity agenda until I recover fully.

Nevertheless, the last several weeks have been full of adventures in different cities and featured a quick trip to Barcelona (I believe I picked up Covid from the airport, what can you do). Barcelona was super fun and the weather was stunning. I also got to catch up with my work buddy Karen which was great! My UK travels re-started in Bristol, strategically positioned for visits to Bath and Stonehenge. Both were great. My initial honest reaction was that the stones (of Stonehenge, not Bath) are much smaller than I thought – not that I had specifically researched their size but for whatever reason I was expecting much larger! Still, very cool and worth seeing. Bristol itself is also pretty cool, for the size of the place the number of restaurants and bars is insane. The markets in Bristol are also top-notch, particularly for food. They really like food here, I appreciate that. From Bristol I went to Cardiff, my first taste of Wales but it would not be my last. I was sick most of the time I was in Cardiff so I wasn’t able to enjoy the city properly. There were a lot of brew pubs and the food scene seemed great here too, I lost most of my sense of taste so I could not appreciate any of it, saddest of times. The weather also got cold fast, having left Spain in lovely high twenties weather the single digits were a shock to the system. I have not experienced winter since 2022. The city of Cardiff is lovely and a visit to Cardiff Castle is worthwhile. I think I’d appreciate another visit with my taste and ability to sleep intact.

My next destination was Birmingham. There is a bit to unpack about Birmingham; firstly it’s a really beautiful city! One of my favourite cities of the journey to date, perhaps the first time I have genuinely thought to myself this is somewhere I would live. It’s very clean and the canal network makes it very pretty! Its also a nice size; big enough for city things but small enough you can walk everywhere (if you are committed and it's not raining). Whilst I was still shaking illness I got out a little more and loved my time exploring B’Ham. My time here also coincided with the AFL Grand Final – despite the distance and time zones I had been following the results closely all season (I tried listening to the commentary on the radio like an elderly person but PSA there is no worse way to follow football) and was SO excited that my Lions had made it to the big dance! I was far less excited to realise the GF would be happening at 5:30am English time, but I was committed. My thoughts at 5:28am: "Darcy Moore is very tall" and "Boo Collingwood" and "Time for a big coffee". The 5am alarm was arguably not worth the heart break I was feeling around breakfast time but to be fair I’m not sure how I would have celebrated had we won as it was around 9am Saturday morning. A solo bottomless brunch, probably. The other interesting part of my time in B’Ham was that Shania Twain was playing whilst I was there! It made getting in for dinner a pain in the tookus but I absolutely loved seeing a slightly older demographic dressed up in pink leopard prints and fluffy cowboy hats! Slayyy! I was a bit disappointed in myself for not realising this cross over early enough, what a vibe. Yee-Haw get it girls! I mean, Lets Go Girls!

From Birmingham I went to Liverpool and based myself here to see the Lake District and Northern Wales – both were spectacular. Whilst I got some pretty average weather at The Lakes (there is an unflattering photo below that captures this) I still absolutely loved it! Beatrix Potter has my eternal respect for her efforts in conservation of the National Park, it was also fun thinking about Peter Rabbit when in the gorgeous towns like Grasmere! I also got the proper gingerbread, almost incomparable to the gingerbread we know – more crumbly and the spice flavour is much stronger. It’s also not shaped like ‘men’ or iced. My takeaways from Wales; absolutely beautiful, the people are very friendly and helpful, they value good food, drink a lot and their language is straight up gibberish. Yeah I said it. Literal nonsense. No wonder it’s dying out. Liverpool is also a nice city, particularly along the river! I really enjoyed Liverpool and arguably adventured too much here causing my covid to flare up pretty bad and forced a few days in bed. No fun.

From Liverpool I went to Blackpool. I only went there as I had got tickets to see Jack Whitehall live! Jack did not disappoint! Many manyyy laughs. I love stand-up! I will say that while I’m so glad I went to see the show, Blackpool is not a place I would go back to or recommend. It’s rough. You’d think a seaside town would be a lovely place to visit but it was one of the few places I didn’t feel safe walking around.

From here, I went to Manchester and then to Sheffield. I got explore the Peak District quite thoroughly from both cities and it was excellent! I think the Lake District gets most of the attention (understandably, it’s spectacular) but the Peak District is also beautiful and has a lot more towns to explore – it’s also well connected with public transport so much easier to see without a car. There is a never-ending list of hikes to do in both the Lake and Peak Districts, so I feel like I barely scratched the surface. I would go back to both areas in a heartbeat!

I don’t ever try to hide the fact that I am a big old Swiftie (Taylor Swift fan – almost time for 1989 TV! Woo!) but despite my BEST efforts I have not been able to get tickets to any show of her Eras Tour. Heartbroken. But, I did manage the next best thing and went to the Eras Tour Movie in Sheffield! It was amazinggggg. It was Fearless. Enchanted, even. As good a 2h48mins as I have spent. I can only imagine how good the real thing would have been – my Wildest Dreams. Considering I was very close to spending $800USD for a re-sale ticket in Chicago I figure I have saved over a thousand dollars by going to Odeon instead – by the way getting a recliner at the theatres is game changing. I’ll probably go again. ‘tis the damn season after all Don’t Blame Me. #sorrynotsorry you can be really creative with TS song titles.

I also signed up for a gin-tasting tour in Sheffield, I’m not necessarily a massive gin person but I have found that tours including alcohol are usually fun and I get to meet other fun people (I’m putting myself into the category of 'fun people' but you can make up your own mind) and try some new things. I turned up to find that I was the only one! I thought about calling it but instead I had a one on one tour (how intimate) which was actually a lot of fun as my guide was a cool guy and he gave me far more tastings than I would think was standard. You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need. I had no intention of this being such a musical update. I do not plan these posts at all – I just write.

At this time, I have enjoyed 3x cream teas. Surely I can sneak in another one. I believe in me.

I am currently typing away in Leeds on a chilly but sunny Sunday afternoon with a glass of Savy B – life is good (apart from the covid). Another city that has surprised me with how pretty it is! I’m still managing my post-covid health but I’m getting a lot better at doing so – no full days in bed for a fortnight! I only have one more English destination (York) left on my itinerary and then onto Scotland for approximately 10 days before my travels move on from the UK! Somehow, I’ve been here for 10 weeks so it feels a bit surreal that these days are almost over. However, I am very excited for what’s to come so no time for sad feels! OTTNO.  

N.b.: I am at the annoying age where a large chunk of my online social world only uses FB and another large chunk only uses the Gram so I have to use both to reach everyone. Millennial life is so annoying. I'm sorry to the other millennials that get my double-ups but I know you understand. Also, for the FB demographic - if you want my daily updates you have to get Instagram. I'm not doing FB stories, I will not do FB stories. 

LOL

The UK so far!

I’ll be honest, I’ve been a little surprised by how time has flown by the last few weeks. I’ve been in the UK for over a month and struggling to accept it’s been that long since I last collected my thoughts about my adventures. It’s approaching five months since I left home – some days it feels like a lifetime ago I left Brisbane Airport for LA and others it feels like yesterday. I have a day, every now and again, where I think going home might be nice. Then I go to bed, wake up and laugh because the nomad lifestyle is as much suited to me and my personality than any other way of life I’ve tried so far. Do I sometimes find myself a little lonely? Yes. But I must remember, I was desperately lonely living in Tasmania feeling like an outcast; the little black sheep that doesn’t fit in. It gives me some perspective that a return to my hometown is unlikely to be a winning formula for me and onward travel is undeniably the best course of action for now. And travelling is great.

After a few days seeing sites in central London, I left to be based in the charming area of Kingston. I loved it there. Kingston is a beautiful river-side town with more running trails than you can poke a stick at. Add in great food, great coffee and a great Airbnb host I was thoroughly in my element! The Kingston/Teddington area is also the home of the first ever Parkrun (Bushy Park) and I loved getting a chance to participate in such a massive community event – a bucket list item ticked off!  They have over 1000 runners every week which is incredible. A Saturday morning well spent! One of the local Teddington Pubs even had a stand-up comedy night which was brilliant and gave me a great chance to meet some locals and have my accent mocked a little more! I was in Kingston during the Matildas recent epic run at the World Cup – I did pluck up the courage to watch the semifinal at a pub and oh my was I scared. I did not speak the entire time I was there as I didn’t want the local angry soccer people to know there was an Australian in the room... but I did involuntarily let out a little yell and fist pump for Sam Kerr’s goal. Terrifying times. I made it out in one piece but that is probably because we didn’t win… but up the Tillies all the same! #ytg

I left Kingston for Brighton by car. This is an important detail for later. I spent a week based in Brighton and got to explore a fair bit of the south coast area which is stunning. My highlight was seeing the Seven Sisters cliffs; one of the most magical and beautiful areas I have ever been! The dramatic cliff faces and countryside are something else, photo’s don’t do it justice but best believe I tried my best to capture this area as best I could! Having the flexibility of a car meant I could also explore the smaller towns in the area. I spent half a day in Litlington – a small village with a local brewery (yes I sampled – my first warm beer caught me off guard) and a beautiful tea room. It has taken me three weeks in England to come across scones/cream tea which was shocking to me – I has assumed scones were just served up everywhere, alas no. But my Litlington cream tea was proper English delight that I thoroughly enjoyed! My next little road trip I took some very narrow rural roads (read: stressful driving) to a small-scale vineyard called Blue Bell. Despite a tricky drive I had a fabulous lunch and wine tasting here. Unfortunately, my good day was destined to turn to shit when the clutch of my hire car decided to pack it in the vineyard car park. Joy. I did pay the extra for roadside assist (responsible AF) but nevertheless it took them over two hours to get to me. The staff at Blue Bell were incredibly hospitable and generous to me during this long afternoon wait – they brought me coffee and chocolate and even drove me to the nearest train station so that I could get back to Brighton as the car was in no way drivable. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit – great wine, beautiful estate, and amazing staff. At the time I write this, my hire car troubles have not yet been sorted. After several tedious phone calls, I'd got nowhere. Then, they charged me over $440 (extra) with no warning or heads up I think because they thought they should charge me extra days of car rental... because the car was at the mechanics. Which I was having none of. I don’t want to bore you with litigious details, but my contract was silent on the matter of mechanical breakdown, so they have no legal standing to charge me for it. I will continue the good fight for my refund. Stay tuned for details.

*Update (because I have been dragging my feet on finishing this post) I got an almost a full refund on my hire car once I talked to the right person. All is good again and I don’t need to argue with anyone else #winning

On my first morning in Brighton I got locked inside my flat – oh great start Sandy. After a trying *very* hard to get myself out I conceded and called my Airbnb host for help. He was in Scottland (handy) but was able to talk me through getting out via the fire escape! An adventure I did not see coming - the things that happened while travelling! My Airbnb host was quite horrified I'd been locked in, and boy did he give me a glowing review! (I get a bit too pumped about good Airbnb reviews, reminds me a bit of school reports... apparently, I like people saying nice things about me)

Car issues aside, getting a hire car to travel this area is a must if you are interested in getting out of Brighton/Hove. These excursions were brilliant and really made my week in the south a good one. One side note for anyone thinking of going to Brighton with a car: parking is a nightmare. Parking is very limited, expensive and will require you to use the local parking apps – this can be tricky for internationals depending on your bank and access to the internet. I ended up booking a space online, the closest space I could book was almost a kilometer away from my flat. I think I spent near 80 pounds on parking – ouch. But, Brighton/Hove is a really fun, bustling place (in summer) and it was nice to get back to the coast – I forget how much I miss it.

I returned to central London and stayed almost a week in Hackney/London Fields and I honestly loved this area. There were parks and paths to run on and close to shops, cafés, restaurants, and pubs. So basically, I ate and drank and ran around a lot – I am basically a Labrador. I also found a local brewery and took their Saturday night tour and tasting for something to do. No regrets. The weekend market scene here was also top notch – much amazing food and other typical market goods. My last few days in London I stayed in Shoreditch which is a super hipster area. Great coffee there and the nightlife scene was pumping although I think it would be a better area to visit rather than stay as the nights are noisy. During this time, I also finally got myself to the Harry Potter Movie Set at Warner Bros Studios where I fangirled harddd and lost my shit for hours. For all the other HP nerds out there definitely put it on your list! You get to walk around all the actual movie sets, some that they have set up with the special effects used for filming. I was like a kid in a candy store (or a Hogwarts student in Honeydukes hehehe). You get to walk along the Hogwarts Express too, I was loving life a little too much and taking just so many selfies. I’m also now the proud owner of a Gryffindor jumper. Worth every penny.

I get to talk about running again! Post heatwave I have been running plenty and the greater London area has had a lot to offer! I’ve mentioned Bushy Park and I can now confirm it’s a fabulous place to run and yes there are deer everywhere! I ran along the coast at Brighton every day and was reintroduced to a sea breeze, always great to run along the ocean. In Hackney I discovered London Fields which has a 1.6km perimeter loop but the real gem was Victoria Park. This is my new favourite place to run – a flat and pretty 4.2km loop with both road and dirt trails. It’s wide enough that you don’t have to dodge and weave through the walkers and it’s got plenty of shade which is fortuitous as I encountered the early autumn London heatwave so temps were over 30 degrees again. This same area also has close access to the canal path which runs through London, it’s beautiful running although busy during peak times and no shade but that’s only an issue if there is a heatwave. I also had a few runs around Hyde Park which is nothing to be sneezed at – beautiful but very busy in patches. It’s been lovely bringing my fitness back up, I always feel a lot more myself when I’m running most days.

Things to note about London; it’s beautiful, public transport is great, heaps of parks, the pub scene is excellent (ciders and sours everywhere too), it’s easy to eat healthy, people are super polite - but it is as expensive as they say. The Aus dollar being weak right now does not help! My only real pet peeve about the place: they do not seem to know if they want to keep left or keep right. I do not mind which side we go but holy guacamole can you just pick a side? It's infuriating. Unless you are travelling on the tube... where they can all agree to the point of violence that keep right if you're standing on the escalators and left for passing. Why this sort of organisation hasn't been adopted for all other types of pedestrian walkways has me flummoxed.

From London, I am having a quick pitstop in Barcelona to catch up with a friend and get my fill of tapas and wine again! I will be back to the UK after that with plenty more English destinations on the list.

Heatwaves to Floods.

 I arrived into the port of Saranda, Albania on yet another sweltering day of the heatwave. Had I known at this point that things were going to get far worse before getting better then I may well have skipped Albania and headed north. I’m glad I didn’t, Albania was a very interesting and beautiful place but, again, had I known I was headed for weeks of near or greater than 40 degree days and absolutely no air conditioning I would have made other arrangements. Albania was not just hot. It was also very humid – a Tasmanian’s worst nightmare. So first challenge: overcome my own poor attitude. After surviving the first night where the temperature barely made it below 30 degrees and only a sad, miserable fan (and the occasional power outage just for kicks!) preventing insanity I realised it wasn’t getting any worse than that and I would be fine and gave myself a good attitude check and I was happy (and sweaty) from there on. I stayed in Saranda at a place called Wallaby Hostel – owned/ran by an Australian! I had thought that might be fun, I doubted I’d see any aussies in Albania but who knows. Ooft was I wrong, the place was almost entirely Australian’s which I found hilarious – one staff member was even wearing a Richmond jumper around the place. I felt very at home. I also had lovely and fun dormies too which makes a big difference. I changed to a different hostel after four days (planned well in advance to manage a transport clash) and was thrilled to find a new and powerful AC in my room! Hallelujah! It was remarkable how much better I was at being a human once I could escape the heat for a while. In Saranda I spent a lot of time by the beach. I had a day at Ksamil which was lovely and otherwise spent a lot of time by the local beaches in Saranda.. under the shade of umbrellas. I also visited Butrint National Park (ancient city ruins), the Blue Eye natural spring (I was amazed that during the heatwave I found water that could be considered too cold.. but what do you know it was hecking cold at the Blue Eye) and took in the city views from the Castle of Lekurisi  (stunning).

 I next headed to the Albanian capital Tirana. It was a balmy 41 degrees when I arrived. Splendid. Tirana is an interesting city, a miss-match of old and modern from its past under the communist regime to a tech-forward city with strong ambition to become highly contemporary. Tirana was less touristy than Saranda and it felt a little more authentic Albanian. So authentic that I couldn’t communicate with a local laundromat well enough to get my clothes washed yay. A personal highlight was finding a hidden athletics track in the middle of the city park and doing my first faster session is quite some time. There was an older gentleman there having a potter around the track and I was super chuffed when he started encouraging me each lap saying “Grande! Grande!” which I’m pretty sure loosely translates to ‘get it giiiirl’ in Albanian. On the other hand, my saddest Albanian moment featured on my first night in Tirana, I had ordered dinner from a menu that was pictures rather than words (turns out that’s a red flag but at the time I thought it was very helpful due to my very poor Albanian. Haha.) and believed I had ordered some kind of vegetable casserole, possibly in a tomato based sauce. What was returned to me was, however, mushroom soup. Browny-grey soup topped with slices of mushroom. And I do not like mushrooms. What a fail. I ate it anyway because I figured it was my own fault but it wasn’t good. The following night I ordered a lasagne to be safe.. and was mortified to find that that was also filled with mushrooms! I know what you’re thinking; was it vegetable lasagne Sandy? NOPE it was run of the mill regular beef lasagne. I don’t understand why this is happening but from this moment forward I order nothing without verbal confirmation that the meal is mushroom free.

I only did a few runs in Albania – I think I mentioned it was hot? Way too hot for running. When the temp got back down to 33 degrees I thought it was amazing and went straight out for a run! And then again the next day! And then I had another break because 33 degrees is still really hot for running, actually.

I needed another few weeks in Albania as I missed some towns I would have loved to see. Fortunately (but its actually unfortunate) I failed to change my Albanian Leke over before leaving the country and it turns out you cannot exchange it anywhere else! Love that for me. So, I may have to go back to spend it or it’s a souvenir worth 240 euros… doh. While I’m on the topic, Leke is stupid. It’s just euros with two extra zeros, it’s a stupid waste of time. The country also runs almost entirely on cash, but they sting you 8 euros to get money out! That’s about $13 per withdrawal. I’ll never complain about the threefiddy Australian atms usually charge ever again.  

Moving north, I left Albania (and the heatwave, yass) for Slovenia (with the best tan I’ve ever had) – starting in the capital Ljubljana. Yes I am spelling that correctly.. you say it Loobalana.. locals told us this I didn’t make it up. So, I loved Ljubljana! It’s a beautiful city that I felt was almost like a fairytale! Lovely buildings, a farmers market and a pet ostrich named Nando that wanders the streets looking for pats. Yes read that again, not a word of a lie. I really adored the city. I had booked an outdoorsy tour in Slovenia and I met with some of my tour group on my first night here. You never do know what you’re going to get from a tour group so I was quite relieved with how much fun we had on our first night after just meeting. I had a feeling it was going to be a good time and I was not wrong! Our tour was based in a small town called Bohinjska Bistricia which is around 20 minutes on from Bled/Lake Bled. For a week we hiked, rafted, kayaked and canyoned, sauna-ed, drank wine and laughed endlessly and it was one of the best weeks I have had! The scenery was stunning, the activities were great, and I met a bunch of awesome people! For anyone interested, my tour company was called Join the Crew and it was a fabulous balance of organised and flexible; with a great guide the whole time but nothing compulsory, and the group could decide on what extra activities we did. It was a great way to see such a magnificent country – a lot of the more adventurous activities I wouldn’t be able to do on my own and it was a safe way to tackle some decent hikes without fear of getting lost. All of my tour buddies were European (so they made fun of my accent A LOT) which gave me a great opportunity to get to know people from different backgrounds. I loved it. It was a really cup-filling week and if I’m being honest I’m still recovering a week later!

Just so you know, the temperatures here were mostly between 18-25 degrees… what a place.

If you have been following international news, we did encounter the days of torrential rain and thunderstorms that caused widespread flooding in Slovenia. Sadly two Dutch people were killed from a lightning strike and the floods caused a lot of damage in some areas. We weren’t affected (other than getting wet) but we did prepare for evacuation just in case. Our outdoor activities were taken inside to the sauna and bowling alley during the rain. I am not real good at bowling. It’s about on par with my swimming but significantly more enjoyable.

After a final night in the city with the tour group we had to say our goodbyes and go in our different directions – sad times. I left Slovenia for London with a short stop in Munich. Here a border control staff member referred to my passport as a ‘kangaroo passport’ and then asked me a friendly question about my travels.. which is unheard of at border control, you may recall my interrogation at LAX. I then got to skip the line and go through the electronic gates. So long story short Munich is now my favourite airport.

I’ve now started my journey through the UK, I’ll be here a while to stay out of the Schengen Zone. If you don’t know about the complexities of the Schengen Zone you will have to google them yourself because I’m not explaining it. I am looking forward to a slower pace through the UK (but running faster I hope) and ticking a lot more things off my bucket list that definitely includes several Harry Potter themed activities. I am truly living my best life.

Italy and Greece

 I’m currently writing this in Saranda, Albania sweating absolute bullets at my hostel as we suffer through the Europe heatwave (Heatwave Cleon). It feels like a lifetime ago I left the USA for Europe, wearing pants and jackets has since left my clothing routine! If there is something I am currently missing about America (and home) it’s how much air con is used and appreciated during hot weather. Europe apparently doesn’t feel the need and BOY am I craving some cooler temperatures. Anyways. My writing hiatus was always temporary as my travels over the last five weeks have been fast paced and not solo, leaving little time for my silly little blog. So, what have I been up to?! So much.

My first stop; Rome, Itay. After 14 or so hours in transit I was happy to check in, have a quick run, eat some pasta (the first plate of many) and have a good sleep ready to meet Kirsten (my sister) the next day. We started a Contiki Tour around 36 hours after Kirsten arrived, if you have never done a Contiki Tour then you can just take my word for it that we were cooked chooks 15 days later. Our tour took as around Italy, finishing back in Rome. My personal highlights:

Cinque Terre – technically five places, but coastal towns signified with colourful buildings and stunning coastlines. It was here I had the best gelati of my life to date (and I have sampled a lot over the last month or so); a coconut scoop from an unassuming café at the train station. Bellissimo!

Amalfi Coast – We took in Capri, Amalfi and Positano and it was spectacular. Did I spend the money to lay on a front row lounger at Positano? You bet I did. Did I get an Aperol? Surely. Did I have the limonchello from the lemon farm? Uh huh! Do I love limonchello now? Absolutely not. Turns out that stuff is strong and it burns. But their lemonade was delicious!

Tuscany Region – We visited a few towns and cities in the region. Florence was lovely, I had a beautiful run along the river and purchased an Italian leather belt. We also drank a fair bit of wine and every drop was excellent. We also got to see the Statue of David (very cool). I need to pass on this public service announcement for anyone wanting to see it also; tickets will sell out a few weeks in advance AND and I cannot stress this next part enough; make sure you spend the extra money for ‘Skip the Line’ tickets. We did, we still waited in the searing hot sun for around 45 minutes which paled in comparison to the regular ticket holders. I would estimate a three hour wait. The same can be said for Vatican City. Do buy skip the line, it is 1000% worth whatever the extra fee is.

Rome – I’ve heard people don’t really enjoy Rome but I thought it was a beautiful city with so much to see. We barely got around all the main sites. The history is incredible, its fascinating to hear Italians refer to their ‘new’ buildings which are far older than Australia (as we know it post colonisation). Rome at night is stunning and I really enjoyed my time there. I also got to celebrate my birthday in Rome (21 again! Woo!) and had a great day and night with Kirsten and our Contiki group. If I’m still overseas for my next birthday I think I might book another Contiki to celebrate it! There are some lovely runs around the city, I got a few in here before the tour and the weather really kicked up.

Venice – For whatever reason, I had imagined that Venice wouldn’t be all that nice. I thought it was just the novelty of the canals and gondolas. I was wrong! Venice is stunning. We spent most of our time wandering the streets, looking for bridges and eating. Our Contiki took us over to Burano Island too, this was a gorgeous town with colourful buildings and a vibrant town center.

Lake Como – we didn’t spend long here (not that we could have afforded to!) but this area is spectacular. I would love to go back and spend a day or two. With someone else’s credit card.

Other things; the pasta is different, fresh pasta is chewier. I liked it. The wine is not particularly comparable to back home as they grow completely different grapes. Gelati is always a good idea. Margherita pizzas in Naples are delicious but Naples is not the nicest or safest sort of place to go (I wouldn’t go back). Pompeii was super interesting as were the Roman Catacombs. The ocean off the Amalfi Coast is so salty that I can *almost* float there (I cannot usually) which was a novelty for about 8 seconds before I started to sink again. Going to Italy means seeing a lot of marble dicks. Like so many. The Tuscany countryside is gorgeous.

Downside of Italy – it is extremely busy with tourists. Crazy busy. Everywhere you go. Which is understandable as the country is so beautiful and interesting but the tourist crowds can become a lot. Which, I know, is a very hypocritical thing to say as I was one of them but still worth mentioning. If I ever go back I would go either before of after peak season. Milder weather would also be good thing.

After leaving Rome (tired, disheveled and a little hungover following my birthday celebrations I don’t know about you but I’m feeling thirty twoooooo literally every day of it that morning) we arrived in Athens, Greece. We had three days here and Kisten and I were both sick for virtually the entire time. Probably with Covid. Kirsten had it worse than me but neither of us moved far for a few days. We dragged ourselves into the scorching heat to see the Acropolis (because we had already paid for tickets) and despite sweating profusely we were glad we went. I had my first Greek coffee here too, better than America’s dirty water but not as strong as espresso. It’s an earthier flavour but less bitter, I didn’t mind it.

We left Athens ridiculously early to board an early ferry out to the islands, first stop Mykonos. We also visited Paros, Ios, Santorini, Crete and after saying goodbye to Kirsten I also went on to Corfu. Every island was good, I don’t think you could have a bad time on a Greek island! Whilst similar, they are all unique with their own vibe. I think Paros was a favourite for both Kirsten and I – it was far less crowded, and the food scene was excellent. The sunsets were also beautiful here and extremely accessible compared to Santorini not to mention for a fraction of the price! N.B Santorini is unbelievably beautiful and worth the exorbitant price though. You can also get some pretty stunning photo’s to make your friends jealous. The downside of Greek islands (for me), the running is no good. There are very few areas to run, the roads are very narrow with no shoulder or footpaths and intense traffic. They are also very hilly. And the beaches are usually full of loungers and umbrellas so no room for exercise. Whilst I got a few short jogs in I didn’t do a whole lot of running in Greece. By the time I got to Corfu, Cleon (stupid Cleon) was in full swing so a few morning jogs is all that is on the agenda until either the heatwave ends or I acclimatise. So, probably no long runs until August when I get to the UK!

We only almost missed one ferry. It was a very stressful three minutes or so that involved us running is unsuitable footwear with our baggage in extremely hot weather. We were sweaty, but we made it. Transport in the Mediterranean is total chaos.

Perhaps one of the best Greek experiences we had was our first night on Crete, which was Kirsten and I's last island together. We got in fairly late and went straight out to get dinner. There was somewhere close by that had a really high rating (4.7 I think) and when we got there it was a small and very greek looking place. We figured why not. The food and service here was incredible. It was an older couple who ran the whole place and it really did feel like a homemade dinner with your grandparents (ahem sorry your Yiayia and Papou). We only spent two nights on Crete or we'd have been back there no question. The food was incredible, they gave us extra bread when they noticed we still 'had some sauce left' and unbeknownst to us there was a small fruit platter and local alcohol for shots included! I think Raki. We loved it. Definitely a 5 star rating in my eyes.

Overall, I really loved Italy and Greece. Stunning countries with just fabulous food – so many carbs. It was great having Kirsten around for the last month or so but the solo quest now continues! I’m in Albania for the next week or so before I start moving north, next stop Tirana before leaving Albania for Slovenia!

 

 

Chicago

Having come from Boston, my fav US city to date, I was a little concerned that every other destination remaining in this leg of my journey would pale in comparison. But, Chicago has always been a city that interested me so I had my fingers crossed I wouldn’t regret the nine days I booked here. As it happened, nine days went by in a blink – Chicago is cool AF with so much to do (especially when you spend a chunk of your time running every day). I had a fantastic time here. Distinct from Boston and hard to compare directly, but Chicago is now running a very close second place!

Early in my time here, my debit cards had arrived in Australia which gave me the ability to add them to my digital wallet *happy dance* I can now tap and pay and use my cards to book things in online! So, I booked lots of super fun things! The re-call of Uber to my travel inventory was probably the best part – public transport can’t get you everywhere and I was getting sick of walking long distances with my baggage.

I stayed in the Lincoln Park area (you have no idea how much self-control I exercised to not post to my IG story with Linkin Park music everyday) which was one of my better decisions. Lincoln Park has a heap of great places to eat and drink (including a fab acai bowl joint) and I was in short walking distance to the running trails along Lake Michigan yiew. The trains also go straight to the Loop every few minutes so I could easily get to downtown.  

It didn’t take me long to get myself to a comedy show, I got my stand-up fix at Laugh Factory but my highlight was a sketch/improv show at the Second City. I have never laughed so hard for so long. I had tears running down my face uncontrollably. The cast were phenomenal. God I love comedy. How good is laughing?

The day I arrived in Chicago was Memorial Day so most thing were closed, but in my local walk around (I do this as soon as I get in somewhere new to get my bearings) I noticed a little coffee place that looked like an actual coffee place so I made a mental note to give that a try the following day. Turns out my instincts were on point and café Ludlow Charlington’s was my latte option eight days straight! No flat whites on the menu but beggars can’t be choosers.

It took me a few days to find a deep-dish pizza restaurant (entirely from a lack of trying) but I eventually tried Lou Manati’s to see what the deep dish is all about. In short, delicious. If you are unfamiliar, the pizza is on a corn-based crust (basically polenta) that gets super crispy. The toppings are around an inch thick and just super cheesy-tomatoey goodness mm mmmmm. I had locals suggest trying Pequod’s for another authentic experience. Neither disappointed, the deep dish is goooooood. Sandy approved. I’ll probably never have pizza in Australia ever again.

I learned myself a thing or two about architecture in Chicago from the exceptional vantage point of the river (on a boat, not doggy paddling). I thought these tours might be a bit of a tourist trap but every single local I asked recommended the architectural cruise and told me that Chicagoans also do them for fun every so often. A very relaxing way to see the city!

I did a brewery hopping tour in a barrel styled vehicle, aptly named the Barrel Run. I had too many beers that day and a lot of fun. I suspect this business model would be wildly successful in Australia, which I told the CEO (who was our guide).

The history museum here was excellent. I now know all about the fire. And Abe Lincoln.

I ummed and ahhed about whether to head up to the top of Sear’s Tower (its official name is Willis Tower but Chicagoans get very snarky when you call it that) mostly because it was a bit pricey. But I decided a trip to Chicago is not complete without seeing the Skydeck. 103 floors above the ground, the views are extraordinary. I’m glad I spent the money. I did also do The Ledge add on where you walk out into a glass box 440m up! I’m not particularly bothered by heights so I absolutely loved it. It was wild though. The most annoying part of this experience is that you only get 60 seconds to take in your ledge views. Although I understand that some would argue that’s 60 seconds too long, it’s not long to take in where you are and then hastily take a few photo’s so you can freak out your family and friends. One of the coolest (and slightly unhinged) things I’ve done so far!

I also entered myself in a local fun run, I had expected that this wasn’t going to be the most serious of races given that the name of it was ‘Run for Beer’ haha (it started/finished at a local brewery, yes I have now been to a few). A portion of your entry fee supports local non-for-profits and the motto of the organisation is ‘Be Active, Have Fun, Give Back’ so I figured it was a good idea. I had so much fun that day. A very relaxed vibe and a very relaxed course (we had to cross a heap of roads that were not closed including a five-way intersection – chaos!) but everyone there was running without complaint, and I even happened to get myself a little victory – unsurprisingly rewarded with more beer for my effort! Everyone was so friendly, and I got to chat with a few like-minded locals which was great. This was one of those real cup filling mornings.

So. Running in Chicago, at least as a tourist, is brilliant. The running/cycling paths along the lake are just suh gewd. I think the south bound run from Lincoln Park is in my personal opinion (which is what you signed up for) the best urban run you could do! There are views of the city skyline, Navy Pier, various beaches, the marina, and you can run all the way down past The Observatory. The north bound run was also great, whilst slightly less visually spectacular it’s a little less busy so extra points for getting in faster sessions without the crowd. Around/through Lincoln Park are a few ponds which also have running paths around them that are lovely. Whilst it was a little out of the way I took myself out to the ‘burbs and ran the 606 which is meant to be the Chicagoan version of the High Line as it’s a path of old train tracks. The NYC high line is prettier as it runs through the skyscrapers but the 606 is much more running friendly, you couldn’t run it in NYC as it’s too crowded. Despite the fact it runs a dead straight line it’s not a boring run, it’s a little undulating and the paths run through residential buildings. The path is tree lined too giving a bit of shade - summer is here ooft. Garmin says I am 100% heat acclimatised now, first time for everything – lol. Throwing in my little fun run and I’ve had a great bunch of runs here and starting to feel nice and fit - hoorah!

Just something I feel like I want to share – the lake here looks a whole lot more like the ocean than the ocean did in Boston. But I swam (briefly waded) in it and it’s definitely a lake. A very cold lake. And some people were swimming in it (like, swimming for fitness not for recreation) and I just do not know why.

Once again Taylor Swift followed me to another city – once again I got to glare at every Swifty I saw running around in Eras merch or dressed up for the show. I came very close to forking out a lot of money to go because I just really want to. But I will wait until she goes to Europe and let her stalk me there too.

Two more instances of being asked for help with the subway here. It just keeps happening.

Chicagoans have been distinctly better at recognising my Australian accent – I like the people here.

I leave Chicago a happy little vegemite and ready to head back to the West. Although my preference is firmly with the East, I will keep an open mind. I’ve only got a week left in the States (where has 6.5 weeks gone wow) which I’m splitting between Seattle and Portland. States 9 and 10 coming up!

 

 

Boston

 I left NYC on a day pouring with rain which always makes the travel day a little less fun. Nevertheless, I got to New Haven for a quick pitstop overnight. It rained almost the entire time I was there, but I did get a run in, had a reasonable look around Yale and it also featured my first Chipotle experience. For the record, far better food that I expected.

It turns out, I have inadvertently picked travel dates that are chasing ivy league college graduations around which certainly explains why the accommodation costs were high in the east. I’ve followed graduations of NYU, Yale, Boston University and Harvard so far! I poked my head into the Harvard event whilst I was there, unsurprisingly I can confirm that American’s go wayyyy harder on their ceremonies than Utas does. I feel robbed. The Yale event was so big that they had police blocking off the streets and security at every entrance. I can confirm that Yale is the most beautiful school I’ve ever seen, and I have major envy for all Yale attendees and alumni. If I ever feel a need to study again that will be my first pick (and no doubt first rejection).

Given the rich running history with Boston I had been sure that this would be a city I would enjoy. I also speculated it would been a great place given it’s one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. My expectations were high. But still, I hadn’t set them high enough. I could stop writing right here and end with I love Boston. But that wouldn’t be good blogging.

Boston isn’t an enormous city (around 650k) so it’s less hectic than others. Despite being smaller, the amenities of the city are great (IMO anyway, the locals don’t seem to know how good they got it). The city is full of old (and beautiful) red brick buildings that are to die for. I could have strolled around Beacon Hill forever, it’s so stunning and surprisingly quiet given it’s essentially in the middle of the city. If I ever have more money that I know what to do with buying a holiday home in this suburb will top my wish list. The parks (Boston Common and the Public Gardens) are beautiful, and I spent several sunny afternoons filling in time lazing and people watching here. In the days leading up to Memorial Day (public holiday to commemorate military service personnel) Boston Common was adorned with hundreds of small American flags – over the top for sure (like everything in this country) but nevertheless a rather spectacular display that stopped me mid run to gaze at.

I almost didn’t bother going to the Public Library, because I thought... it’s just a library honestly how good could it be? Fortunately, I decided that it might be worth a look. The Library is stunning. The more well-known reading hall is quite spectacular, photo’s look great but don’t do it justice.

If day-time Boston was impressing me then night-time Boston was an absolute serve. The night-time city lights are just something else here. Dreamy. I became much more of a night owl that I usually am chasing the city lights every night! This wasn’t a bad thing, it led me out to different areas for dinner each night, so I got a good look around and ate differently. Speaking of eating, the food here was off the charts; from italian in the North End to pubs in Cambridge I feel like I got all the food destinations in! I found eating nutritiously much less of a task here than other cities, salad bars and meals that include vegetables were much easier to come by. Paired with a good deal of running and I’m physically feeling the best I have since landing in LA. I did treat myself to a cannoli from Mike’s (a dessert institution in Boston) on my last night. I had to line up down the street to do so but as I have no responsibilities, I had the time.

The coffee here has been almost Australian level good (I know, this place just keeps getting better). They even know how to make a flat white which seems to bamboozle the rest of this country, which I find absurd given all the 10000 options of coffee-somethings you can get at Starbucks. If you like a coffee that isn’t a litre in volume I recommend ordering a Cortado if you’re in the States. It’s a smaller, stronger latte – bigger than a piccolo but smaller than a regular coffee.

And the running. If you follow my Strava then you will already know I have been frothing the running here! My highlight is running along the Charles River, this is the quintessential Boston run and it’s stunning. The river path is, firstly, a really decent flat path (my cooked ankles were not at risk here), and it’s incredibly beautiful with foliage and river views, cute foot bridges and parks. You can easily get a 15-18km run in and it’s lovely the whole way. I also went out to Arnold Arboretum and really enjoyed the peaceful scenery. There are plenty of paths around Boston Common and the Public Gardens but do avoid Sunday afternoons as its full of people. I also did a hike in the Blue Hills Reservation. I tackled the Skyline Loop which was a moderately challenging rocky hike. Not runnable as most of if is rock scrambling, but there are plenty of options for trail running here too if you consider flat city runs boring. I did also manage to find a public track which lead to a very cup filling session! I’m embracing road running but my heart is still with the track. Ultimately, running in Boston is as good as you’d imagine. I did have a look at the marathon finish line too, didn’t attempt the course though (maybe one day when I live here in my fancy house in the most expensive neighbourhood in the world hahahaha).

As I had a decent amount of time here it gave me the flexibility to venture out of the city. I spent a day in Salem learning more about witches (lol) and the witch trials – really interesting. I really wanted to meet some Wikkans, sadly I did not that I know of. The city of Salem is almost 400 years old meaning the history is pretty incredible. I also visited the famed ‘House of the Seven Gables’ which again, is a 397-year-old building on its original footings. Quite amazing. Whilst I had heard of the novel, I didn’t know anything about the story, the author, nor the long history of the house - it was well worth the visit. On a particularly warm spring day here (30C) I even got out to the beach! Got nothing on Australian beaches but there was sand and water.

I continue to be asked for help on subways. I’m starting to think it is me.

I have been experiencing a strange occurrence lately of people mistaking me for someone they know. I have been a Brooke and a Miss Adams and some other person called me a movie star but that might have been different. I always thought I was relatively unique in appearance (remember how someone thought I was Persian ha) but perhaps, in-fact, I look just like everyone else.

For anyone that has been following my IG and also NBA might have noticed the overlap between my time in Boston and the NBA Playoffs which are currently featuring the Celtics. For those curious, pubs/bars/restaurants/the hospitality industry goes off on gameday. It’s a sea of green everywhere. It’s very commonplace to go watch the game in a public venue rather than at home. For those not following NBA, Celtics are closing in on (apparently) the best comeback in history, so things have been hectic. Men in bars love telling me things about NBA I didn’t ask about. I do usually watch the games, but I try to find a quieter bar with less aggressive customers.

It has taken five weeks, but on my second last night in Boston I finally got asked the question I have been dying to hear:

“Would you like fries or tatter totts with that?” Welp stick a fork in me, I am done. Finally got my totts and they were phenomenal.

I have still been making my way around using cash only. This, at times, has been a nuisance but all-in-all I am managing. I’m already getting sick of explaining to various operators that I can’t use a card or pay with an app! If I could I would, but I can’t so I shan’t. It has, however, forced me to be really financially accountable so I have been living very economically. I can’t wait to have my cards back again in a few weeks! There are just so many things that can’t be done without an online booking or payment these days. It meant I’ve had to find mostly free and easily accessible things to do (no boujie wine trips haha). Big picture, no big deal I am still on the trip of a lifetime and grateful to be so. I mostly enjoy moseying about seeing what’s what anyways.

I’m sure you will also be pleased to know that despite staying in a hostel I have been sleeping well. I’ve had a bunch of interesting roomies here including a girl who has recently moved from Ukraine to the USA to flee the war. She came to Boston alone and was ready and rearing to hit the clubs by herself the moment she arrived! I adored her independence and spirit.

I’ve loved my time in Boston, it’s jumped straight to the top of my favourite US cities list meaning Chicago has big shoes to fill! I will soon be able to deliver the verdict on deep-dish pizza and lobster rolls! Can’t wait!

The good, the bad and the ugly.

I left DC in a pretty poor mood, I’ll be honest. The last two nights of my trip I had been treated to the gift of a snorer in my dorm and as a light sleeper this resulted in two sleepless nights. T’was 3am on night one of this misery when a dishevelled Sandy made her way to reception to purchase some ear plugs, the reception staff member was very sympathetic to my cause but alas they had run out of earplugs (ffs). I was further disgruntled that said snorer had also checked into a dorm sick as a dog, not wearing a mask or anything. By the time I was checking out I could feel a sore throat coming on and as I was already tired and cranky I was primed and ready to use good and proper strayan curse words at whomever bothered me next. Given that this is my blog and these thoughts are entirely my own I don’t mind saying that IF YOU SNORE, DO NOT BOOK INTO A DORM YOU SELFISH DICKHEAD.

I continued to Baltimore and unfortunately by the time I got there I was feeling pretty sick. I spent the first 24 hours in Baltimore sleeping like a baby but seeing very little. Once I had recovered, I mostly spent my time in the harbour. I found it really beautiful there, the pace was much slower in Baltimore and I enjoyed moseying around in the sun.

My journey out of Baltimore was not particularly smooth either, my bus was three hours delayed and when I finally got on it someone was sitting in my assigned seat and wouldn’t move (wtf). So, I had to sit elsewhere and yeah let's just say a lot of people don’t want anyone sitting next to them. But I eventually made it to Philadelphia.

Whilst in planning mode for this trip I had been lamenting whether to go to Phily because for some reason the accommodation was crazy expensive. I sucked it up because I wanted to go. Turns out, the hectic prices were due to Taylor Swift playing three sold out shows in Phily every night I was there. Given that Taylor is the queen I accepted the price because Long Live the queen (Speak Now TV coming just in time for my birthday yasss), Tay Tay is the best etc etc. There were so many swifites running around in their Era’s merch and I hated them all because I tried to get tickets and didn’t even make the main queue. There were heaps of kids too which really made me wild because they weren’t alive for half of the eras and so could not possibly appreciate the magnificence before them. But, alas, I had a liberty bell to see (lick, IFKYK) so I had to get on with my life.

After a day sight seeing in Phily that included the Liberty Bell, Rocky and a cheese steak (not what I expected but tasty) my day was about to get exponentially worse. Whilst I was out having dinner my handbag was stolen. All of my credit cards, debit cards, cash and ID (other than passport, thankgod) were taken. I was instantly stuck with no money nor access to money. After spending the whole night on the phone to banks (and my sim card provider, international calling) I was left with the rather shocking realisation that there was nothing that could be done to give me access to my bank accounts, I would have to wait until my cards are posted to Australia and then forwarded onto me in the states. Cue major panic. I was also still a bit sick from the douche canoe (I said what I said) in DC which didn’t help. After a sleepless night, my sister had organised a Western Union cash wire where I had a total break down when asked for two forms of identification to allow it (because I only had one left following the burglary). She also victim-blamed me hard which was so unnecessary. My fight or flight instinct had truly kicked in and I was having a very hard time thinking logically like I normally would in a situation. Fortunately, I am an organised traveller, so I was able to get myself to New York as planned (albeit with some very long walking commutes with my baggage in warm weather) and pay for my accommodation in cash (like a drug dealer) and go from there. In the following 48 hours I spent a lot of time on the phone, repeatedly hearing the phrases “there’s nothing we can do for you” and “I’m sorry we can’t help” and possibly the most frustrating of all “we don’t have a policy for that”. I thought I would be coming home given that I had only a few hundred dollars cash left and no way to get more. I can honestly say that this was the most isolated and terrified I have ever felt. The intense stress had started having strange effects on my body including all the skin on my face peeling off, intense thirst and a fatigue so strong I almost fell asleep sitting upright on a park bench. If you’re wondering, I tried multiple banks (including the US affiliate of my bank), Mastercard’s emergency line, Australian Consulate, attempted to use to prepaid debit cards (I couldn’t activate one without a social security number) and to utilise my digital wallet. Nothing prevailed. I was really worried Western Union wouldn’t be an option after my first experience was questionable, however another go at this proved successful and is the only reason I have been able to remain overseas. Upon receiving extra cash, my stress subsided enough for me to think more clearly about what was in front of me. I could then see that, actually, I had booked almost everything that required a card and, yes, cash could get me through until my cards could be delivered to me albeit a few other obstacles to overcome. Luckily, I have great support from home that helped me through this absolute shit storm. Anyways, I’m doing much better now, my skin returned to normal as soon as my stress went away and I’ve got back to doing my thing in NYC with a few tough lessons firmly under my belt. One of the most frustrating parts of all of this is that I had thought hard about all of this before I left. I’ve travelled plenty and not naïve to overseas safety. I had two different transaction accounts with different banks and a credit card to safeguard me if something happened to one of them However, I made a critical error in not keeping one of those cards in my suitcase/hotel at all times- this is the biggest lesson that I hope someone else can learn from. The second biggest lesson is that if you lose all your cards overseas you will be totally screwed and no one will be able to help you – it’s not a situation I would wish on anyone. Not even that bad banana from DC.

But eventually I left my hotel and saw NYC! Reallyyyy lived up to the hype! Easily my favourite destination so far! The city is so cool, there are so many things to see and there is something about the pace of this city that just seems to agree with me. I love that the ‘green man’ (although its white here) is very much a formality when crossing roads and how people and traffic and everything just goes. Central Park is even more beautiful than I imagined, as is the Brooklyn Bridge. I thought the subway would be quite intimidating but it’s great – hectic, but no more complex than anywhere else. Unless you want to take the 6 downtown, that train eludes me I don’t know why. It hides at every station. Chelsea Market would be my unexpected highlight, coolest indoor market ever and the food options are top notch. I opted for a Taiwanese noodle soup and it was incredible.

The pizza here is as good as they say. Now I’ve had a taste of the good stuff, it might have wrecked all other pizza for me, but I can die happy now I’ve had the quintessential experience of folding my pizza and it going everywhere amazingggg.

The coffee has been a big step up on everywhere else – and by god did I need a good coffee. And a strong margarita. This has never been my go-to drink but they are a standard happy hour inclusion, and the Mexican vibes are strong here, so I have leaned into it.

I’m sad I lost two full days here in meltdown mode, I would have loved to have spent more time in Brooklyn than I did (I mostly wandered Dumbo) as that area felt like a real vibe. I also wanted to see the Natural History Museum (well, dinosaurs) but ran out of time.

Other things I did here that were great/worthwhile: the 9/11 Memorial, walking the High Line, Staten Island Ferry, Times Square, Four Seasons Park on Roosevelt Island and watching people play pickleball in Central Park lol (mostly is looks like adults playing a game for children, idk smh).

For the runners, Central Park is so good. There is so many paths and the trail around the lake is for runners/walkers only and probably the only totally flat track in the place – it would be perfect for a threshold/tempo run. I’ll be honest, after being robbed I lost my mojo for a few days (and physically was not in a good way) and only putted around here but you could do any session you wanted. The perimeter loop is an undulating 10km that is as iconic as you could imagine. The only thing missing is a synthetic track! Beggars can’t be choosers, but a girl can dream. Roosevelt Island has a great jogging path around it and out of the bustle. The cable tram over is very cool too. There are miles of flat running down the Hudson but, I’ll be honest, unless you’re staying in the Upper West Side (and I don’t know why you would be) then it’s not the easiest to get to. I’m staying on the East Side of Manhattan (Midtown) and it’s a pain getting the subway over there, it’s like a three-transfer and a walk situation.

Putting the robbery behind me (easier said than done), I ended up seeing plenty and really enjoyed my time in NYC. People rave about this place for a reason. I continue to Boston with a short stop in New Haven on the way. I’ve been looking forward to Boston since I decided to go to the USA, it remains to be seen whether it lives up to my own personal hype.