After a full month of planning, my sister finally arrived in London in early Feb.  Her feet barely touched the ground the whole time she was in the UK - I had a full itinerary planned for her.  …From 6am runs with me before work, to musicals, curry in Brick Lane and bar hopping at night.  It was lovely having her stay with me and to see my home in London, work and meet some of my friends.

After 5 days of Steph exploring London, we both set off on our trip to Scotland.  First stop was Glasgow, where we stayed with our cousin and enjoyed a weekend of football, shopping, wandering, night life and The Barras!  Before setting off on our road trip around Scotland, we visited Govan - the area of Glasgow where Dad was born and grew up with his Ma, Da and 8 siblings.  This was a highlight for us as we visited a number of important landmarks, places that we’d heard so many stories about over the years.

When we were finished in Govan, we set off on our way to Edinburgh.  Edinburgh, Scotland’s historic capital was beautiful and oozing with history but very different to the Scotland that we knew through Dad’s stories.  We visited all the main sights, with the highlights being the Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh Castle and the best steak pie and mash ever!  From there we headed to Stirling, with the historic battle-fields, William Wallace monument and breathtaking views/scenery. 

Crail was the next port of call, a coastal fishing town in the region of Fife.  Similar to Govan, Crail was also important to us and a highlight of our trip as Dad used to visit this town with his family when they set off on a break.  It was absolutely freezing in Crail but we felt this added to the experience of this cute fishing village with a picturesque rocky coastline - we both loved Crail!  From there we started our journey north, through St Andrews, then Blair Atholl, to Aviemore and eventually Inverness.  Driving up into the highlands was like nothing we’d ever seen before, with snow tipped mountains as far as the eye could see. 

When it was time to start our journey South again, we drove along the side of the huge Loch Ness - unfortunately no sightings of Nessie but the Loch itself was absolutely breathtaking.  We continued down to Fort William and then through the Great Glen to Glencoe and Crianlarich.  Taking a slight detour off the main A82 added to the fun - it was a real adventure, stopping whenever we felt and spotting highland cows and a deer!  It was pourring rain as we made our way along the side of Loch Lomond, to Balloch.  From there we had a short drive to Glasgow the next morning…it was the end of our unforgettable ‘roadie’ but we were on a high and ready for our next adventure - Italy.

There goes another 2-3 months!  Since Marrakech I haven’t been on any more o/s trips but I did venture up to Manchester for a weekend with my flat mate in November before preparing for a busy busy busy December and January.  Had a fantastic time in Manchester…lots of fun!  December was then a busy month both with work and social life - there was a certain feel in the air in London…although it was cold, everyone was in the festive mood and there was so much going on.  I would have to say December has been one of my favourite months here in London. 

To add to the Christmas spirit, Phillipa took me to see the Nutcracker at the Coliseum and I went to the Emirates to watch Arsenal play Bucharest in the Champions League.  …Early in December, it was freezing - so cold I considered buying pocket warmers to stop my fingers going numb - but just before Christmas the weather eased off a bit and lost the chill that was in the air.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s still cold.  There’s something about wrapping myself up in layers, with a scarf, beanie, boots, gloves and jacket that I’ve grown to love.

Before the Christmas break, I had my work Christmas party at Battersea Park - you’ll see pics in the photo gallery - a fantastic night and one I’ll never forget.

My first Christmas away from home.  I missed my family more than ever but I still had a lovely time and these memories will be with me forever.  …It’s amazing the simple things that you miss - like Mum’s shortbread or Dad playing Christmas carols so loud the neighbours can hear, while we all prepare for Christmas dinner.  This year I spent Christmas in Bath with Dan’s family, which added to my British Christmas experience.  …No rest Boxing Day, as we ventured down to Clevedon where I participated in a 4 mile fun run.  My first British fun run and although it was freezing, it was a lot of fun and a beautiful finish running down along the coastline.  Over 1,000 runners - I was surprised by the turn out considering it was Boxing Day! 

New Year’s Eve 2007/08…Lindz, Dan and I partied away in Bristol - well, actually in a cute English village outside Bristol.  Before I knew it, I was back at work for the beginning of 2008!

I’ve updated a lot of pics - including various London parties and friends, Christmas and Boxing Day, NYE and ice skating at Somerset House.  Ice skating at Somerset House was so much fun and the surroundings were beautiful, it was gently raining which added to the experience with a thin coating of water over the ice but didn’t seem to turn any skaters away! 

My next big trip will be with my sister, when we spend some time in Glasgow before heading off on a road trip around Scotland.  We’ll then be travelling around Italy before returning back to London.  Soooo excited about my sis visiting… the planning is part of the fun so the next few weeks will be building up to our big trip together - look out!

Another 2 months have flown by and it’s now the lead up to Christmas.  London is such an exciting place to be at this time of the year - there is so much going on.  Although I have no big trips planned at the moment, I have a lot to look forward to over the next month or so with football matches, theatre, wee trips to various cities around the UK and let’s not forget - parties!

October and November have been exciting months, with trips to Prague, Turkey and Marrakech.  Each trip was amazing and unforgettable in it’s own way.  Again - many adventures and fantastic memories.  Check out the pics from each trip in the photo gallery.  …Until next time!

Prague pics have been updated - beautiful city and fun, fun, fun.

Wow, the last month has just flown by…I’ve been on 2 fantastic trips and have many memories that will be with me forever.  Prague was freezing cold but so beautiful.  So much to see and do in Prague…Greg and I covered a lot of ground and made the most of the local drinks on offer!  Also had an amazing time in Turkey, covered a lot of ground and experienced both the local villages as well as the coastal, more touristy areas.  Thanks to Bianca, I got a great taste of Turkey - from Izmir, we drove to Sirince for the night.  The next day we moved on to Ephesus then back to Denizli where we stayed for a couple of nights.  I spent my birthday with Bianca and Ozan in Denizli and Pammukale - had a Turkish bath in the afternoon!  Topped my birthday off with a beautiful traditional Turkish meal…  The next day we headed to Oludeniz, on the coast.  From there, we enjoyed the sun and sea…visited Fethiye and the ghost town - Kaya.  Kaya was definitely one of the highlights.  On our final road trip back up to Izmir, we stopped off in Mugla for some ’watery food’ and baklava. 

Well, it’s been non-stop and I’ve finally had a chance to upload some more pics from my travels.  …Have loads of photos so it’ll be a gradual process but I’ll keep uploading small amounts at a time!  I’ve made the move from North London to South London and am now living with lovely flat mates in a small ex-council flat.  Tiny room but great flat!  Work is fantastic but extremely busy.  Managed to squeeze in a few trips - Belgium (Brussels, Bruges and Gent) and Berlin.  Prague in a couple of week’s time - hey Greg!  Seen some amazing places - fell in love with Belgium and was taken by the history of Berlin.  Also been getting around the UK - Bristol, Bath, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Bicester, Gosport, Portsmouth.  Lots of memories and lots of stories to tell…

To all of you who have been checking my blog for updated photos…I know I’ve been slack but plan to start uploading photos this week.  I now have so many photos I don’t know where to start!

Well, I arrived a month ago today…the time has flown by!  So much to do in London, always seems to be something happening.  Having an absolute ball just getting used to the London lifestyle but of course I still miss home now and then.  Moved into a house in North London so have a base and starting to plan a few trips here and there.  I’ve posted a few pics so you guys can see what I’ve been up to.  PS  Hasn’t stopped raining but that hasn’t stopped me doing anything…getting used to it now!

As most of you know, I leave Aus Saturday.  This is where you will be able to keep a track of me on my adventures overseas.  A big thank you to Phillipa for setting up my site…brilliant!  This is probably the last spare minute I will have before I board the plane for London Saturday morning.  I’ve posted some pics from my going away last week, see the gallery.

 …Let the journey begin!

As a going away present, I’ve setup a website (complete with gallery) for Rachael’s adventures overseas. Good luck Rach! Have a great time and remember we’ll all be thinking of you while you’re off traveling the world!

- Phillipa xo