Over the course of my travels, I’ve lost count of the number of times people have asked me to describe Australian food. My response tends to be “Um…..lamingtons?” (Not really. My real response is Pavlova, but I’ll get into trouble from the New Zealanders for that one.) Truth be told, it’s not an easy question … [Read more…]
When visiting Melbourne in Australia, many tourists head to the Yarra Valley, Victoria’s flagship wine region. But while Yarra Valley is well worth a visit, I personally prefer Red Hill, a comparatively small wine region about an hour from Melbourne on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. So much so that I make a point of doing … [Read more…]
When you’re living away from home, Christmas can make the distance feel all the more great. As the locals down tools and return to their family homes, I’m reminded that mine is on the other side of the world. But being a ‘Christmas orphan’ isn’t all bad. The upside is spending time with an adopted … [Read more…]
Post updated December 2018 with details about the Christmas Markets in Tegernsee, an hour’s drive from Munich. To an Australian, the festive season in the Northern Hemisphere is basically Christmas on crack. Cheap and cheesy Christmas sweaters become perfectly acceptable attire, wine is served piping hot, and the streets are an overdose of colour exploding … [Read more…]
Eight years ago, when I told family and friends that I had decided to pack up my Australian life in the midst of the global financial crisis and move to London, the first response was consistently, “But you can’t!! What about the coffee?!” A restrained and perfectly understandable reaction. And one that did leave me questioning the … [Read more…]
I love the Scandinavians; their outlook on life, their progressive attitudes, their easiness on the eye… Stockholm, therefore, has long been one of the cities on my must-do list. I’ve meant to go each summer, when the days are long and life moves outdoors. My first visit, however, ended up being in November, when it … [Read more…]
Alas, the days in London are shrinking yet again. But just because summer is over does not mean you have to put your passport back in the draw! The shoulder season that follows a European summer is perhaps my favourite time to travel. Pick the destination right and the weather can still be warm, plus … [Read more…]
When I was 13, I remember telling a teacher who I had a crush on that ABBA was one of my favourite bands, just because I knew she was a fan. How confused I was… Flash forward a couple of decades, I can now say with absolute certainty that I am no ABBA fan. And so, … [Read more…]
As I’m writing this post, I’ve helped myself to a delicious, crisp glass of the white I brought back from Douro Valley, and I’m thinking, ‘Portuguese wine really is underrated’. Just like the wine it produces, Portugal as a wine destination can be unfairly overlooked. If I mention enotourism, you probably first reach for the … [Read more…]
Every year, for the past seven years – just after the long UK winter and just before London’s weekend of summer – I toy with the idea of packing it all in and moving back to Australia. Sure, winter in London is never really that cold, but damn it, it is grey. Relentlessly so. … [Read more…]