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Published: April 22nd 2009
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Well I’m almost about to take my flight back to Vancouver (via Seattle - always on the hunt for the cheapest flight options!).
I’ve had an amazing four months since leaving Vancouver but I’m super excited about my return, the chance to return to a more relaxed lifestyle (travelling will become few and far apart) and the prospects of a Vancouver summer.
Upon my return to London from Paris, I had a hectic Easter Sunday making a return to the stunning Natural History Museum to catch the Charles Darwin exhibition to celebrate what would have been his 250th birthday. The exhibit was fascinating showing various specimens he collected on his life-changing five year journey on the Beagle. Stories of eating Armadillo and shooting trips were less appealing!
I also went to the nearby Science Museum to catch an exhibition on inventions based on the Wallace and Gromit claymation series. The exhibit was more designed for kids but I still had fun!
Not wanting to rest, that night I caught a concert by David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame for the 80s kids out there). Although not a huge fan, the concert was excellent not just for the
music but for the choreographed dancing that went with the music.
Easter Monday saw me head to Brussels for a few days. The purpose of the trip was to see Antony and the Johnsons again (yes, that makes three concerts now!) and also catch a gig by Whitest Boy Alive, eat lots of chocolate, drink yummy beers and have my fair share of frites.
Other than visiting a few galleries and taking a half day trip to see the Atomium World Expo structure, the rest of my time in Brussels was spent in parks relaxing, reading, soaking some rays and sleeping. A nice time indeed.
Budapest proved more exciting and a worthy last holiday in Europe for the foreseeable future.
Everyone I know who’s been to Budapest has raved about the city and they weren’t wrong. There are some stunningly beautiful landmark buildings (St Stephen’s, Parliament, Mathias church etc) and even just regular buildings are intricately beautiful in their own way.
Two highlights of my trip: firstly the very sombre ‘Terror House’ and its exhibits showing the atrocities during the Nazi and Communist periods. To think of the millions killed and that the Terror House
was the location of the Nazi headquarters and after that for the Communists.
Second highlight was taking part in the Critical Mass / Earth Day / Car Free Day celebrations. Riding around Budapest with travel buddy Dan and some 85,000 other bikers was awesome - the sense of freedom riding along bridges, through tunnels and around the city centre and totally free from cars was truly special.
Now back in London I’ve done some last minute shopping, had a nice final dinner with Vaughan and Lucy and then farewell drinks with Janice, Michelle and Lyz.
Next I'm off to Vancouver, via Seattle, and then time to look for a job - wish me luck!
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