2004 wrap up

Its that time of year again when the weather is getting colder and darker (even in NZ I hear - hehe!) and i have to send a big fat Christmas email out to you all. I've decided to resume my monologue writing because I have had so many good reviews ;-D sorry to those of you who don't have the time for 1500 word epics! I've included some pics so you can just check out those if you can't be bothered reading for the next hour.

I think the last time I wrote to everyone I was in Turkey way back in July and I had just dislocated my elbow. Its all better now (well not as straight as it used to be but i'm working on it). I had to spend the next three weeks relaxing and getting Turkish men to carry my bags everywhere from Fethiye in the South to Gallipoli in the NW and back down again to Ephesus before catching the ferry to Greece - where they were not so helpful! I had a wonderful last week in Turkey and found a gorgeous, relaxing, family run treehouse pension on a secluded clifftop where we could watch the sunset every evening and then share a beautiful homegrown turkish banquet with all of the guests - definately a highlight of my time in Turkey.

In Greece Soelae and I had 10 beautiful days on Santorini and Naxos floating in the sea (in my inflatable ring) and occasionally getting out cocktailing and dancing. Thanks to Niomi, who i met travelling in Egypt, for a great time and our cute wee apartment by the sea! In Athens I met up with my old Wellington friend Kyle, who lives and works in Athens. I was very lucky to get my own inner city apartment behind his flat and studio - thanks Kyle! We partied hard (leading me to delay my flight by a day) and I wandered round the city under the hot sun in the exciting but relaxed energy just a day before the olympics began!

I very reluctantly dragged myself back to the UK and London but as you can see in the photo it turned out to be not all bad! Caught up with friends there then arrived back in Edinburgh for the International Festival! Belles visited for a couple of days and we saw plenty of shows (including NZ's Flight of the Concordes). The place was going off for the next 2 weeks with tourists galore and mental performers roaming the royal mile.

I managed to score a well paid (for edinburgh anyway) temping job at a University one hours canalside bikeride out of the city so I became quite fit over the next 2 months. Add to that theatre ushering most nights and I managed to pay off my summer holiday debts, get my huge tax return and hit the road again!

Once again I cunningly (stupidly) chose the low season to visit the continent and found I was not prepared for the bracing winter weather! I landed in stylish Copenhagen, and had a couple of days wandering and cycling in the drizzle but mainly sitting in cosy ('hugge' as the danish say) bars and cafes nursing hot chocolates and beer. I then trained up to Aarhus to hunt down my cousin Fiona who has been studying there. Unfortunately she had hit the pub by lunchtime and i had no idea where she lived and could not contact her! ...Anyway I found her eventually and we got to see a beautiful Danish beach and party all night before I caught a 6am train to Berlin!

In Berlin I timed it perfectly to meet up with Amanda from NZ and my cousin Julie. Over the week we checked out plenty of quirky little bars and cafes in the bohemian East and had a couple of delicious dinner parties with Julie's kiwi friends. I also did a very informative walking tour (with a scottish guide) around all the recent historical landmarks. So Berlin lived up to my expectations even though I missed the techno nightlife!

I caught a ride (online hitchhiking) to Mainz to see Katha who did an exchange to Otumoetai College. She showed me round her cute university town, and the deutsch styles at a bad taste party (I showed them mine) and quite a few hockey games in the short weekend I had there (thanks Katha!) before heading to Munich on another internet car ride.

I saw Julie off the next day on her way to visit Kirsty in Melbourne and then met up with Jo my old usher buddy from Wellington. We had lots of fun in an old Bier Haus that we kept going back to for the swine shanks and sausages - and of course weiss bier and wonderful bavarian hospitality(tables full of drunken old men)! We had a grim visit to Dachau Concentration Camp and a day trip through the Bavarian countryside to the fairytale castle in Fussen that inspired Disney. A big thanks to Dani and Mike for having us to stay in their cute apartment - hope the packing is going well!

And then on a whim we went overnight to Prague. Arriving at 7am we chanced across an American, Jose, who offered us a couch in his apartment for the weekend (very lucky as most of the hostels were full) but I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into ;-D

Austria
London
Xmas & Hogmanay

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