I have arrived in Brighton after 2 months of travelling around Japan and Europe with Mum and Dad. I'm staying in a hostel in the middle of Brighton with a bunch of really cool people - from Spain, Portugal, Germany, England, Australia..etc etc. I'm settling in after a fairly rough and emotional start, looking for work and a good time!!
We had a fabulous 2 weeks in Japan, moving around to various different places, visiting friends and exploring wonderful places (there are too many!!) We landed in Osaka, visited Fukuoka, Koishiwara, Saga, Kyoto, Tokyo and a little place called Izu Peninsular with our friend Toru.
Next we flew to Aberdeen, Scotland, via Germany. I got the train back to England to visit my friend and Mum and Dad drove way up North to Lybster where Mum was teaching. After one week I came to Lybster too, via Inverness where Dad picked me up off the train. Dad and I enjoyed a week by the sea in a place called Sea Otter Cottage in Ackergill, while Mum worked and worked and worked! Dad and I visited the Orkney Islands, Thurso, Castletown and John O'Groats (the most Northerly point of the UK mainland).
When Mum's conference was over, the real holiday began. We drove to Glasgow, where we stayed in a fantastic renovated tenement house, and then to Brighton via the Lakes District (stopping for overnight stays in a few little towns - Tirril being one). We stayed in Brighton for a few days, to suss it out for me, before getting the train to London where we stayed in a cramped little flat in Camden (a great central location). Our days were filled finding a hair dresser for me (my dreadlocks are gone!) and visiting galleries and museums (V&A, Tate Modern). We also caught up with a friend who was at the conference with Mum. She lives in the Barbican and has a spectacular view of London from her apartment on the 26th floor.
After London, we headed to Amsterdam on a ship across the English Channel. We had wonderful cabins and comfortable beds. We thought that they were so spacious compared to the flat in London which seemed so much smaller and more cramped. Even the bathroom was better - we had HOT showers and RUNNING water, which was a welcome change from cold showers with no water pressure!
We arrived in Amsterdam early in the morning and had breakfast on the ship before disembarking. We caught the train to Amsterdam from the ship terminal, and then a tram to the flat we were staying in, where we climbed up three stories of tight stairs to our room, which was so open and spacious, and had a lovely balcony too.
In Amsterdam there were great places to eat and plenty of galleries and museums to visit, but with our limited amount of time we didn't think it was worth the 15+ Euro entry fee and we wandered around exploring instead. Of course, we had to go on a boat on the canals which was a fabulous way to view the city. We witnessed a big street march which was noisy and disruptive and downright brilliant, and we agreed that it was more exciting than visiting the galleries and museums instead. And it was free! Dad took the opportunity to take photographs of the people marching which he really enjoyed.
From Amsterdam, we headed to Paris. But not without problems - I managed to leave my bag on a tram just as we were going to catch our train to Paris. Nothing essential or really valuable was lost but all the souvenirs I had collected and made for everyone over the course of our journey were gone - and despite my efforts to locate the bag since, it has not been found! They are sentimentally valuable which can seem more upsetting!
But Paris... onto better things! Paris is a crazy city, beautiful but totally mad. We stayed in another small flat, but again we had a fantastic central location, just a quick walk from the Sacre-Couer! We watched sunrise and sunset up there, which was beautiful. Of course we visited the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower, which are beautiful. But we were more amazed with how the traffic use the Arc de Triumph as a roundabout - there seems to be no rules, as many lanes as you wish and as much beeping of your horn as you want. Watching the road rage was fantastic! We were lucky enough to visit another friend of Mum's whom she met at the conference in Scotland. She invited us to dinner at her house - coincidentally just around the corner from where were staying. Her house and art studio were just beautiful (although Pigalle, the area they live in is quite rough in parts). We had to walk past an uncountable amount of gentleman's clubs and sex shops to get there - and we decided to get a taxi home!
From Paris we caught the train to Germany where were stayed in our friend's studio, just next to their flat in Frankfurt. We have not properly caught up in years, so it was wonderful. We were right in the heart of the museum and gallery area so everyday we visited a new place - viewing incredible works by some amazing (and famous) artists (Goethe, Vermeer, etc) which made Mum and Dad very happy - and even I enjoyed it too!
Mum and Dad left for New York before I left - so there was an emotional farewell! And a couple of days after I caught the train back to London. There were many complications from the train being late to having 5 changes instead of one, to having 10 minutes to get through border security instead of 1.5 hours, but I managed to catch my connecting train in Brussels and make it to London. I was able to navigate the London underground, making no mistakes, and get the train to Brighton. I was very proud of myself!
The first couple of days in Brighton were hard, and I had many doubts about whether or not I wanted to do this and if I was capable of being away from home and my family for so long. But being in the hostel has been good, I've been welcomed into the family, and I'm no longer the new girl so I'm feeling much better. I've joined the library and am looking to start yoga classes. I'm currently hunting for a job - just like everyone else here. So the support is good. Everyone understands. I'm in a room with 3 other girls, who are lovely.
So things are looking up. Brighton is fabulous for vegan food, as I knew. There is always something happening here, whether it be a vegie/farmers market or a vintage fair, a live band playing or just a night out dancing at one of the many bars and clubs. I think the hard part will be saying 'No, I can't go out tonight!'
I'm super excited for all that lies ahead, despite missing everyone desperately. My heart aches when I think of home, or see pictures of what I'm missing. But I have nothing to complain about here - a roof over my head, a fabulous and weird 'family' and a world of opportunity and adventure in front of me. I'm meeting new people everyday and making friends. Brighton is a very accepting place, in every way.
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| London |
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| Paris |
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| Amsterdam |
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| Brighton |
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| Ackergill |
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| John O'Groats |
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| Frankfurt |
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