Melbourne: White Night

After seeing photos of Melbourne's first 'White Night' festival in 2013, I was very excited to check it out this year and see what it was all about. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept, White Night is an all-night festival that celebrates and showcases the arts. It originated in St.Petersburg and has since inspired several major cities to become open spaces for amateur and professional art, film, music and performance. My friend and I decided to get in pretty early (at around 8 pm), and even at that time, the crowds were ridiculous. We had to meander through several alleyways to make our way to Flinders Street Station, where (we thought) much of the action would take place. 

Crazy Crowds 

The light projection on Flinders Street and the surrounding buildings was stunning. I can't begin to imagine how much effort would go into that. However, I found it so difficult to navigate my way through the crowds to see any of the performances! I saw a couple of short film screenings on Collins St. but other than this, my experience was limited to the light spectacle. This was a bit of a shame because I had a look at the website and there seemed to have been some great performances, but the lines to get to them practically encircled the buildings- if you could make it to them, that is. I suppose overall, White Night is in its early stages in Melbourne, and it can only get better, so I am hopeful about that. 

Flinders St. Station

And let's just take a moment to appreciate what a pretty city I live in:

Did anyone else go to White Night? What did you think? :) 

Seeing snow (for the first time)

 One of the most scenic places I have ever visited was a little town called Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. With a population of less that 3000 people, Lauterbrunnen is the home of several small businesses and the best hot chocolate, ever. 

It was around 11 pm when I arrived, so it was a bit of a shock to wake up and find myself surrounded by giant mountains covered in snow, and houses that looked like they were made of gingerbread.

We decided to make a day trip to Wengen, the train ride was like something out of a fairytale- nothing but snow-covered houses and trees along the way. There are a lot of great activities in Wengen (skiing, snowboarding, hiking etc). We decided to be super adventourous and hired some sleighs! which turned out to be so much fun. However, walking in snow is freaking hard! Make sure you wear shoes with excellent grip, or prepare to be covered in bruises! Another little tip is to make sure you have a decent amount of money on you. Switzerland is expensive; and there are so many lovely things to buy (fresh gingerbread, cheese fondue, warm cordial, chocolate etc), so make sure you budget a little bit extra. A good idea is to buy some francs before arriving, so you don't have to pay high conversion fees.

Lauterbrunnen Station

Wengen!

Presents!

So the past few months have been quite festive with Christmas, New Years Eve, summer in general...AND I recently turned 21 (yippee!). To celebrate, I had a party and received some lovely presents from my friends. I thought I'd share a couple of travel-related presents I got, because I think they're so handy! It's easy to find travel items that are practical at the expense of aesthetics, but I think these two definitely strike an excellent balance between the two. 

Left: Travel Diary from Briony; Right: Genuine leather Passport/travel document holder from Maddy (who is currently in Lyon!- lucky goose). 

I think it is so handy how the diary has a little pocket where you can put things like train tickets, museum ticket stubs, postcards, and whatever else you'd like to save as souvenirs. I find these little things make me more nostalgic than say, a snow globe, when I find them a few months after my holiday. The passport holder opens up 3 times; there's room for things like bank cards, foreign currency, boarding passes etc. 

Much of the diary is filled with lined pages with questions, where you can fill in your answers plus write whatever else you like. In addition to this, it has a few pages where you can write about the interesting people you meet along the way- which I think is so cute. I have had so many great conversations with people while waiting for planes and trains, standing in museum lines, in the coat-check lines at bars etc. I wish I had some record of them all! Encounters like these are so transient but a great way to learn more about people. It also has some information that can be really handy when you're stuck without wifi and need to find out about temperature and measurement conversions, and most importantly, clothing and shoe size conversions ;) If you're super forgetful like me, there are checklists of important things that you should take with you, and make sure you still have with you when moving from one place to another. I think this is going to be a lifesaver for whenever I travel again. While photos are a wonderful way of documenting things when travelling, I think it's great to have some written documentation of your experiences and what you learn along the way, because there are so many lessons! 

Cheeky motivational message from my friend on the last page

I know the travel diary is from Typo, but I am not sure where the passport holder is from- I'll post it on here as soon as I find out. 

I am so excited to use these the next time I go on holiday, I think they're so gorgeous and practical at the same time! 

Providence, Rhode Island

Adventuring alone

As I have mentioned before, the first time I travelled all alone was at the end of 2011, when I visited the U.S. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was the diversity of each of the cities I visited, even though they were so close to each other, particularly in the East Coast. After some time in New York, I Megabus-ed it over to Providence, and even though it was just a few hours away, it was so different in comparison. It was really quaint, and laid-back and it just had such a nice vibe to it, I was pleasantly surprised. 

New York City

Travel Challenge

            Which was your best holiday, and why?

This one is really difficult to answer because I believe each holiday I’ve been on has had something unique and significant to offer. However, if I must choose one, I’d pick New York City, 2012, mainly because it was the first time I had been in a new city all by myself. I remember being really worried and apprehensive (I was 18 at the time), and then gradually overcoming this, and feeling really excited and adventurous. That really stuck with me. 

Which was your worst holiday, and why?

Again, every bad holiday teaches you something, so I don’t think there is a ‘worst’. Although, I have to say, agreeing to go on a jungle safari in Yala, Sri Lanka with amateur trackers was not my wisest decision. We got bogged down in mud, late at night, surrounded by wild elephants. Word of advice: thoroughly research who you plan to go on safari with and make sure they are experienced professionals who know what they’re doing! ;)  

Where is the best accommodation you’ve stayed in?

Hotel Home Latin, Paris. It was reasonably priced, clean, the staff were really welcoming, the location was excellent and I felt very safe. Being a young female traveller, safety is something I always prioritise, so it was lovely to feel really secure at this hotel. This was kindly recommended to me by Darcy.  

Which is the worst accommodation you’ve stayed in?

Worst, yet oh so amusing: The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam.  

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

A little bit of research, an open mind and a decent map. 

What do you always take with you?

The essentials (travel documents and currency), photocopies of these, and good shoes.  

What’s the biggest packing mistake you’ve made?

Taking a really thick red knitted jumper to Europe. I ended up ditching it in a hotel somewhere, it was weighing me down so much! I also had 2 large bottles of Bioderma leak in my bag because I hadn’t packed them securely.  

What’s your best piece of travel advice?

I plan on posting a few things on my blog, so keep an eye out for that and then you can decide :)  

What do you love most about holidays?

I love the whole process of researching and booking your tickets and accommodation. It is really stressful sometimes, but you know it will be worth it when you finally get there. I love the people you meet along the way and the little things you learn from them. And I also love the feeling of finally being in a city you worked so hard to be in!  

What do you hate about holidays?

Post-travel blues, organising dates and date-changes around work and study and what not, and getting sick; although that’s never fun I suppose!  

Where do you want to go next?

Too many places! South America, Canada, Portugal and Morocco would be my top 4… for now.