Dear So and So....

Dear driver who pulled out in front of the bus I was on the other day:
Really? Did you not notice the bus approaching at all? I would have thought a great big bus was rather hard to miss, but I could be mistaken......its been a while since I've driven a car.

Sincerely,
A passenger on the bus who was very glad the bus driver was paying attention.

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Dear girl on the bus who tried to purchase her fare with a 10 pound note:
Firstly, I applaud you for using public transport. Saving the environment, and cheaper (particularly at the moment) then trying to run a car (in my opinion). But, do you think it is really fair to expect the bus driver to have  enough change? Try and have some coins to hand next time.

Sincerely,
A fellow bus user who tries her darndest to have the correct fare/enough coins to hand.

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Dear British Weather,
We've had words before, I know. However, I am currently grateful that you seem to be turning your attention towards more spring-like weather, with a couple of days of blue sky and somewhat warm sun. Any chance of this continuing for a while? I would really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
A girl from oz, who really appreciates the sun and blue skies.

Story behind the photo - Venice

Venice. Ah, Venice. Even just typing the city name brings a big grin to my face. My mum had visited Venice as part of a trip to Europe a few years previously, and had raved about it. I had high expectations for our day here, and, I'm pleased to say, the city didn't disappoint.

We were staying on the mainland bit of Venice, so it was an early start to the day to take a boat across to the islands. I can still remember the first sight of the city from the boat....it took my breath away. And it was the start of me having an ear-to-ear grin on my face for the entire day. I remember thinking, 'I can't believe I'm here, I'm in Venice, in a city on water.....WOW' (or something to that effect, anyway)

This photo was taken while we were on a gondola ride around part of the city. It was one of the 'optional excursions' you could elect to do, as part of the tour through Europe I was on. A gondola ride in Venice - totally touristy, totally cliche, but TOTALLY worth it. The 30 minutes weren't long enough......and watching our gondolier texting on his mobile phone made the experience kind of funny too.....At the end of probably my favourite day on tour, I knew one thing - I would be back to Venice at least once while living in Europe

Story behind the photo - Rome

The next stop on our whistle-stop tour of Europe was Rome, where we had a roughly a day-and-a-half to explore the city. The first night, we were taken on a walking tour, which covered many of the main sights of Rome. So far, so good, and I was enjoying the city.

Then our full day in Rome happened. It was a Sunday, and happened to be the last Sunday of the month - which means people can get into the Vatican Museums for free. As you can imagine, this makes for long queues. And a long time standing in the queue. And people who don't know how to queue and/or don't understand the concept of personal space. The queuing was worth it though......when we made it inside the musueums, the people I was with and I made a fairly speedy trip through the amazing collection of artworks to the Sistine Chapel.....one word: jaw-dropping. We weren't able to get into St Peter's Basilica, so left the museums and had lunch close by.

Which is where this photo comes in. After lunch, we headed towards the main part of Rome, walking past Castel Sant-Angelo (which was featured in Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons, and also in the film of the same name) and across the bridge in this photo, the Ponte Sant'Angelo. Originally built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, it is now a pedestrian-only bridge (and really busy, too). You might not be able to tell from this photo, but all the statues are of different angels.

For a few reasons (crowds + the Giro d'Italia being on + me being a little bit tired of the constant travelling) Rome didn't live up to expectations. Next stop (and the city I was perhaps looking forward to the most) Venice.

An observation

Don't get me wrong. I love my technology (as previously mentioned). But surely, if you are placing an order in a restaurant, you should make eye contact with your waiter/waitress and not be focussed on your mobile phone?

Or is it just me....

On a serious note

Back when I was in my last year at university, I decided I wanted to take a trip somewhere after I finished studying - kind of a 'present to myself' if you like. At the time, money was the main consideration, so after researching, I decided on a week long tour around New Zealand's South Island.

It was my first 'big girl' trip (the first trip outside of my home town that I did by myself), and I loved it. There is amazing scenery in the South Island, and its so different to what I'm used to back in Australia. I also had a couple of nights in Christchurch before the tour started and after it finished. I don't have photos to remind me (I did this trip back before I had a digital camera), but I remember Christchurch as being a lovely city, much like my home town, with some beautiful old buildings.

So when I heard about the earthquake that happened there today, I was shocked. There's been more than enough natural disasters in that part of the world recently.....my love and thoughts are with the people of New Zealand and Christchurch as they work to find survivors, and then the work of rebuilding their city....

Still more music

Eventually I will get back to posting more travel related stuff, but I just wanted to highlight this AMAZING song...a live performance at the BRIT awards (like the Grammys or ARIAs) about a week or so ago :

Also can't stop listening to this band...

this is Mumford and Sons, a London based band. Can't remember how I found out about them, but I like them.....a lot.