The Months Gone

First thing to recap on, New Years! Since i still had some days left over on my pass from the christmas holidays, and had such a blast with the awesome people of belgium, on a whim, i decided to head over for the evening! It was only three hours by train, and luckily i had made up my mind to go just in time for me to get the last train there for the evening:)
I knew of an after party a cs friend was hosting, but had nothing to do until 3 am..so wandered around the city centre of brussels. And man was it crazy!


It was absolutely crazy downtown! The fireworks were very pretty, and there was a laser show for good measure...the place was also extremely crowded! whole little alley ways were blocked for one way human traffic by police officers to try and keep some control, and people were setting off firecrackers and all sorts of small fireworks, a lot of the time directly into the crowds, causing people to scatter this way and that. Oh, not to mention the fact drinking on the street is totally fine in belgium...so there were botles everywhere to be crushed under foot!


Despite the craziness of it all, people were in good cheer, and it wasn't long befre i was yelling out happy new year in horrid french like the rest of the crowd, and swinging back the odd beer when i felt like it of course.
It wasn't too long before three hours were up! and i slowly made my way towards where i knew this party would be (i love google maps!), and after a bit of confusion with the metro and then the street names (my map was in dutch, the street names i saw were in french...until i figured out the dutch signs were usually ont he other side of the street to the french ones).
Anyway! good times were had at the party once i got there, with many fellow couchsurfers, and eventually our host;) It wasn't long before i was running off to catch the first train home!

Hmm, next travel was a random trip back to belgium some weeks later for a party in Bruges, which i ended up getting a lift to with a cser from the frankfurt community- rocking ralf. and let me say- i was certainly angry at myself for not getting out to the frankfurt community a bit more, cos this dude really did rock!! I spent the friday night with my awesome cs host who i had the previous time i was there over christmas, and then on the saturday went out to Bruges for this huuge party held by two csers to celebrate their birthday:)
The night ws epic! and at 6 am a big group of us ended up heading back to the lovely lady whos bday it had been, and crashing in various rooms/places. this lady was a pro! she even had rooms set aside just for csers^^

To use up the two final days of my rail pass that still had some time left on it from the chrisie holidays, i decided to visit my Austrian friends in Wien one last time. Only they had a better idea- Linz had recently been named the capital of culture in Europe, so we decided to meet there for an evening!
Linz really was gorgeous! But not really a place i would live...It was a cross between a city and a town, and what i loved most was once you hit the edge of the tall city buildings, yu were surrounded by beautiful mountains! The old town was also incredibly beautiful... and we spent our night with a cs dude we met walking from bar to bar trying to find some decent music!
Konst and Linn were super cool, and it was great to meet a local from Linz:)

Few, so, thats the most exciting part of the last two months...now- the next leg of my european journey (for now)...i finish my job here in Frankfurt in just two days! And have six weeks of travel before i must catch my flight back to oz!! Incredibly excited to be out on my own again!

updates!!

So for sure i neglect this blog..i either write in my myspace one or bodymod site, but i do want one blog kept purely for my travels so here i go on the updates!
Spent xmas travelling, and was oh so greatful to get away fromt the host family for a while...
Started off in Hamburg and stayed with a member i'd met off a bodymod site,,he was sweet and bought me dinner and took me on the whole tourist thing through hamburg (which was absolutely freaking freezing and rainy!!).
Luckily there were enough stalls for mulled wine, and christmas markets for applewine and sweets to keep us warm:)


After two days i left for amsterdam...but now, i think i am the only person who goes to amsterdam and stays in a christian youth hostel to get started on an essay due in three weeks time?? (hey! its my first since i left school so i'm freakin gout a bit..)
But the i surely appreciated the no drugs/alcohol policy cos i had no absolute peace and quiet^^
the dorms were named after bible characters and i was invited to bible staudy,,,but this i could live with because the staff were friendly (i got free candy and xmas dinner^^) and the showers were clean:)
Next stop was Brussles. Now, although i was only gone for a week. I was absolutley broke, and by this time (four days in) i was pretty damn lonley. So, i decided coucsurfing was a goer!
Now, i wasn't really expecting any replies,,usually people like a weks notice, and it ws xmas day! but i had quite a few offers, which i was just plain stoked about, and took the couch closest to brussels, in Asse:POnly, cos it was xmas eve, obviously he couldnt meet me til late..like 11pm late..so i was wondering if he was gonna show, and our meeting point was at an old creepy church. I sat in front of some sleeping bums, and was relieved to have the company of the security guard who stood with me til rob arrived. Can't say how relieved i was when he showed up!(the pic is of my host Rob, haha hes trying to hide from my camera:P)
He was a real sweety and let me stay two nights there..(i'd only planned one but loved brussels too much!!)

So, while i was there in Brussles, I also took a side trip to Brugge, which is an absolute beauty of a town to vist! Plus i had exceptional weather^^ (look at that sky!!)

I think the best part of my trip there though, was my last evening! Not wanting to stay at robs for too long, also since he had another surfer coming, i was happy to recieve an eamil from a chick id met from another bodymod site, inviting me out with her and a group of couchsurfers.
They were all just so damn sweet! We went out to a techno club and although the music wsan't really my thing..the company made it great! I'd thought to leave in the morning by tram to the main train station to get on the IC, but then nico gave me a lift there and they all came with me to the train station, carried my bags bought me coffee and hung around til my train left!!
I mean shit, i would never expect that of my closest friends let alone a bunch of strangers. So, yeah, it was rad to have them around^^Aand finalyy (sorry can't be arsed flipping the pic as i have the wrong program open:P), my last stop was Köln! Another bodymod member i'd been chatting to offered to show me around the city (with me stinking like cigarette from teh club..and generally lokking like crap from having no sleep!). Needless to say, it was a great way to end my holidays:D and ralf and i spent the whole afternoon walking the city, chatting and drinking tea^^ The pic is the cake a friend of his gave us for free in one cafe..and damn was it goood:D

Schneeeee!!

So the weekend just gone, I spent in Marburg with the couple i mentioned in the previous entry. They were soo nice, and i was even able to stand an hour at the oratorium listening to bach (ok, my mind was really on the incredibly crazy looking conductor and the ceiling...). We spent the weekend sight seeing,eating at the christmas markets and sledding...i feel so jaded being stuck near frankfurt when theres other german towns as pretty as Marburg!




No european afternoon is complete without kuchen, weihnachts buscuits and glühwein!




On the sunday we drove to some nearby ski slopes(winterberg) and went sledding^^ there was more snow then i'd ever seen in my life, and was so awestruck by it all i went a little snappy crazy:P


Yeah, look at that grin:P i was impressed.

And yes, i was spoilt so much, i didn't even have to walk back up the slope^^

A few weeks back, i got a phone call from a german guy, saying he and his wife had just been to australia, and had met my mum. Turns out they live only an hour from me here in germany, and they have invited me to stay with them next weekend as they would like to return the hospitality my mum offered them. These are some photos they sent me..made me feel a teensy longing for oz. Boort is the closest town to my mums farm, and this photo below is of our shearing shed (it was a merino stud farm, but we had to sell all the sheep off in a really bad drought a few years back as there wsa just no feed for them).




(Haaa no shit. we've been in drought for hmm i forget how many years now)




And this one, i'm fairly crtain my mum would kick my arse if she knew i'd posted it, seeing as she looks a bit old and her eyes are closed! But eight months ago, the last time i saw everyone, my sister was only up to my shoulders. Now she's as tall as my mum, which means as tall as me!!:O she really has shot up like a beanstalk:) (oh, the photo is at a neighbouring farm.)

newest holidays

are in just under a month yeeeee.
bought a rail pass for belgium, austria (though i don't plan to go there until feb), netherlands, and germany.
soo plans are: a day in dresden, two days catching up in hamburg with a friend there, two days in amsterdam with the prospect of staying with a couchsurfer and meeting a fellow modder from a bodymod site: shes uber cool so i hope that works out. then to hitch hike/use shared ride site, to get to antwerp, a few days there, then through brussel and onto brugge, where i will be meeting another couchsurfer and exploring the local city's beer halls and chocolate stores:D
caaaan't waiiit!!!!
oh yeah, and i forgot i have another friend to meet on my way home in köln, so i get to see that city, too^^

in other news? my uni boks have arrived and i've already read through them, twice. oh, and have fallen in love with a russian....

guess who is now offically...

a university student:P
hahah and here i was thinking i would never do it. well, theres still plenty of time to freak out and a.) quit, or b:) fail.
i ordered my books today^^

O_o

went and saw 'Otto', or, 'Up With Dead People', the other night. uh. i do not know what to say. i was left completely speechless! There were a bunch of couchsurfers going, they posted if anyone wanted to join them, so i decided to tag along. And i will admit, i was very happy to discover the malsehkino..it kinda reminded me of melbourne, and made me hate frankfurt just that little bit less.
I'm not sure if i've just turned into a complete prude, i mean, there were laugh out very loud moments, but haha next time i shall do a little more research on the films i go to see. I don't know which part grossed me out the most, the zombie fucking his dead boyfriend from his gouged out stomach, or the zombie orgy. >.<
i think i...enjoyed it? maybe. i still don't know how i feel about it. it was just one of those movies!!
(i also feel very wrong for being attracted to the lead.)