Gallipoli on ANZAC Day- Amazing Experience or Huge Mistake?

Posted on May 18, 2013 by wanderlover

Turkey is not off the beaten track anymore. It’s just not. More and more people are going there, which is great for its economy. And westerners gain a lot from the rich history and culture of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. For Aussies and Kiwis, there is another particular draw: Gallipoli.

Making the ANZAC pilgrimage to Gallipoli will probably always be popular. I talk to a lot of people about Turkey because I’m lucky enough to have visited there three times now. On my first visit, I went to Gallipoli. I can’t recommend it enough.

April 25th being not too long ago, I got to thinking. Would I go there on ANZAC Day?

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is, someday, perhaps.

The reason is, I’ve already had my perfect Gallipoli experience. Sans ANZAC Day. Sans a bucketload of other Aussies and Kiwis descending on a small area for a few days of madness. With nothing but a few other tourists, a perfectly gloomy, cloudy, atmospheric day, and a lot of time for quiet and reflection.

But that’s just how I liked it.

Maybe you’ll only ever go to Turkey once. Maybe you want to experience it on this emotional and important day for Australia and New Zealand. If that’s the case, then the mass gatherings on ANZAC Day might be for you.

I read a rather critical article around Anzac Day accusing those who go of simply trying to tick off something on a list when theyve been everyhwere else. I think it’s unfair to judge anyone’s motives for wanting to visit any kind of site relating to war. I do think a lot of young Aussies go there not necessarily understanding what it’s all about, which means they hopefully learn a lot. I know I did.

I encourage everyone to visit Turkey, because it’s one of my favourite countries. I also encourage a visit to Gallipoli, because it certainly deepened my understanding about the First World War and the Gallipoli campaign, as well as how our respective nations have treated its memory since.

A Turkish cemetery

An original trench

I encourage you to think long and hard about what kind of experience you want there. I am a bit of a loner, so going there in the off season suited me perfectly. That said, I think I would like to experience the community of the ANZAC service there one day. There’s no right or wrong way to do things, just personal preference.

Lest We Forget

Has anyone been or is anyone thinking of making a trip to Gallipoli at any point?

As always, like, comment and share! x

Three Months

Posted on May 7, 2013 by wanderlover

Three months can seem like an eternity, or it can seem like no time at all.

Three months is roughly the amount of time I spent just in Eastern Europe last year. It’s one month longer than the two months I spent with my friend Georgia in Asia to begin my big adventure last April.

And it’s the exact amount of time I’ve been back in Australia, as of today. We’re still a week away from the day I returned to Adelaide and my “real life”, but nonetheless, today feels auspicious.

A lot has happened in the last three months, although in many ways, it seems as though nothing has happened. In any given three months out of last year, I traveled to countless ancient sites, learned phrases in any number of different languages, met a thousand people, some of whom I would Facebook friend, and worried constantly about missing my next bus/plane/train/taxi, and getting robbed or losing my passport/wallet/camera/laptop.

In many ways the last three months have been incredibly relaxing compared to life on the road. I know by the end of the ten months, it was wearing on me. I wasn’t feeling healthy, I was a little stressed, and I started to forget, lose, or misplace things. I needed a break.

Yet the coming home was incredibly stressful too, in its own way. I didn’t particularly want to come home; as much as I love Australia, my heart just isn’t here right now. I want to travel, meet people, eat exotic food, and learn other languages. I’m not sure if that will ever go away, and it’s certainly not gone anywhere at the moment.

Then there was the stress of figuring out where I fitted into life back here. Not knowing if I will be going away again in the foreseeable future meant that I needed to make an honest go of living my life here again, for the time being.

But it was hard.

I knew it would be, which was partly why I dreaded the homecoming. My “reverse entry culture shock” as it’s sometimes referred to, after my first overseas trip to Africa in 2009, was one of the worst periods of depression I’ve ever experienced.

It was a period where no one could help me because I couldn’t help myself. I was in a place I’d always liked living in, but my world had been turned upside down. I missed my new friends, my old friends didn’t understand me, and I felt helpless to deal with all the feelings I was having. I eventually got over that period, and have tried to incorporate the positive lessons I learned from my Kenyan experience in life ever since.

I’m not sure if I’ve always succeeded, but remembering those few months made me so aware of how things could turn out when I came home this time.

It has been tough, but I think I’m through the worst of it. I’ve got a job, I’m basically eating my parents out of house and home (and loving eating my way through Adelaide), and I’ve got some good things happening in regards to writing. I have spent loads of time with people who a year ago, I would never have predicted I would, and I have spent almost no time with the people I would have sworn I’d be inseparable from. I’ve felt loved, missed, hurt, neglected, misunderstood, and appreciated. Sometimes all at once!

To everyone who’s made the effort, you can’t ever know how much it means to me. I know I make the choice to leave and I don’t expect life to simply stand still. But I’m so appreciative of those who understand why I need to do the things and go to the places that I do, and welcome me home with open arms.

To everyone who has continued or started to read here even though I am no longer traveling, it really means a lot that people are enjoying hearing what I have to say.

I hope to continue bringing stories of exciting and exotic food, places and people from all over the world for a long time.

Has anyone else experienced a tough time when coming home from overseas? Or found it easier than they expected?

As always, like, comment and share x

Eating my way through Melbourne

Posted on May 3, 2013 by wanderlover

I’ve been pretty shocking at blogging lately and I don’t have a great excuse. I’ve been busy but not THAT busy. Anyway, I did go to Melbourne last weekend and I managed to do a fair amount of eating at different places which is good. I’ve been going to Melbourne since I was a teenager so sometimes I think I am a bit hopeless at recommending the great things there because I tend to just catch up with friends. So, I don’t necessarily know all the good things to do, but my Melbourne friends and family always take me to great eating places!

Bridge Road sunset as I walked home one day

When I first arrived I went to a trendy lunch place called Three Bags Full. Now, I don’t like to rave (alright, that’s a lie), but this place is truly great. The pricing is standard for Melbourne, and the servings are huge. The quality of the food is also just exceptional, not to mention there are some really inventive dishes on the menu. I had the poached truffled eggs with prosciutto and pecorino. Bliss.

Heaven on a plate- truffled poached eggs

I went back a few days later and enjoyed their special of ‘Eggs in Hell’, which was eggs served in a smoky chorizo sauce. Also excellent.

The eggs might have been in hell, but I sure wasn’t. Bam!

For lunch the next day my sister took us to a little alley in the CBD where she often goes for lunch. It was full of great looking places, frequented by those in the know, but I ultimately settled for half a fugazza and a small bowl of soup (for only $10!) from Fugazza. Holy crap do these guys know how to make bread. And soup. And probably everything. My eggplant parmigiana fugazza and Tuscan bean soup immediately made me want to throw in the towel and move to Tuscany. These guys definitely know what they’re doing!

Don’t miss Fugazza when you’re wandering around the CBD

Such a great lunch for only $10

I also dined at George Calombaris’ new venture, Mama Baba, which is a mixture of modern Italian and Greek. Now, it was good, although I wouldn’t order my prawn saganaki tortellini again, although the ouzo vegetables were great. But it was my own fault, I was deciding between that and the gnocchi and other people assured me the gnocchi was great so, next time! Or the Wild Boar hilopites, which I had a taste of- amazing. It’s also really reasonably priced, and offers a good selection of wines.

Saganaki prawn tortellini with ouzo doused sea vegetables

The ambience of the place is also a reason I would recommend it, but the main reason would be the dessert. We shared some Nutella filled bombolini and Italian Mess. I know you’ll understand when I say the Mess was eaten so quickly I didn’t get a photo. But here’s the bombolini!

Not a great photo but trust me on this

Finally, I went to a set menu dinner at hip Seamstress. We were so hungry by the time we finally got our food that I’d eaten all the entrees before I realised I hadn’t photographed them. So, sorry! All I can say about this is, whilst pricy, I really enjoyed my first ‘modern Asian’ dining experience, with particular props to the tofu curry. It was unbelievably good. And their house made ice cream was divine.

Well there you have it! A few culinary notes from my time in Melbourne. I go there a lot to visit family so if you’re more in the know than me (not hard!) suggest some places! As always, like comment and share x

Lisbon’s Faded Glory

Posted on April 18, 2013 by wanderlover

I had no idea what to expect from Lisbon. Pure chance took me there; the cheapest way back to Australia in February 2013, when I booked my flight in April 2012, was from Lisbon-Milan-Abu Dhabi- Melbourne. But, I was excited to have the chance to spend a few days in a city that, I shamelessly admit, I had only ever thought about because in ‘Casablanca’, Lisbon is the city everyone is trying to get to, to escape the war.

Thus, in my mind, Lisbon was this mysterious, exotic city, full of intrigue and excitement. The reality I encountered was quite different, although not disappointing in the least. To begin, I visited in low tourist season, which combined with the still pleasant sunny weather, made for a relaxed, laid back vibe. People still sat in outdoor cafes eating and drinking, and there were plenty of restaurants open for dinner, but somehow I have a feeling that in summer the city is much more abuzz with tourists and locals alike, partying until the small hours of the morning.

My taxi driver was about the friendliest guy I have ever met. Until I checked into the fantastic Lisboa Central Hotel, where the guy on the reception desk made me feel like I was a long lost relative. Fantastic start to this country!

Although I was dead tired due to my early flight from Dublin, I finally dragged myself out to venture down the main drag to the centre of everything.

As I promenaded (ok, I walked, but in my mind I was in an old 1930s film) down the main avenue, I was immediately charmed by this city. The wide sweeping boulevards, the oversized, once beautiful buildings, now with faded and peeling paint. There was no pretension here, and no apology- just a sense of former greatness, and of current welcome. “Hello!’ it seemed to say. “Nice of you to finally join us!’

I could imagine the glamorous aristocracy in the 1930s exiting their beautiful cars in front of the many grand yet now run down theatres; mingling with European royalty and drinking champagne late into the night.

Simply wandering these streets around the centre I lovely, but I also took the bus over to Belem, where there is an impressive monastery and tower, and the best custard tarts to be found in Lisbon.

Belem Monastery

It was a beautiful suburb, but I think we all know I was there for the tarts. They did NOT disappoint. Unfortunately the photo isn’t great. But trust me on this.

Secret monk’s recipe tarts!

I also enjoyed dinner in Bairro Alto. Whilst not exactly the buzzing area I had expected, I once again felt transported to a fantasy land of European summer night romance, as my friends and I dined alfresco, washing down our delicious mezze and mains with pleasingly cheap sangria.

Trust me when I say this cheese was awesome

I was extraordinarily sad to say goodbye to Lisbon, as I had far too short a time there. I know I barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer. I can’t recommend it enough.

Has anyone else had a good or bad time in this great city? As always, like, comment and share. Cheers

Photo of the Week: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Posted on April 18, 2013 by wanderlover

I spent the day in Abu Dhabi on my way home from Europe. Just thinking about that trip makes me shudder, but I suppose it’s part of being a world traveler. I really enjoyed my day in the UAE, although I wish I hadn’t been quite so tired. The friend I made in the airport and I ended up falling asleep on the sofa’s in the EXTREMELY fancy, 7 star, Emirates Palace Hotel! Luckily no one caught us. Before heading back to the airport for our connecting flights, we made a stop at the wonderful Grand Mosque. It is such an impressive building from the outside, I was really in awe. The inside is completely hideous, but I’ll save that for another post!

Terrorism and Travel

Posted on April 17, 2013 by wanderlover

Like most of the world, I’m sure, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the bombing at the Boston Marathon. I know it is not confirmed that this was an act of terrorism, but the bombing itself has made me think about our attitudes towards terrorism, or what we see as the level of ‘safety’ in any given country.

From the first moment I decided to go on my first overseas trip in 2008, I was met with judgement and questions from my family and friends, because the destination was Kenya. I suppose a lot of people I know haven’t been to Kenya, or can’t really imagine what it’s like. And, let’s be honest, we all have a vague notion that all of Africa is dangerous, and you’re going to be raped or murdered or robbed, or all three. I went as part of a volunteer group, and I never felt unsafe, although I do understand that there are risks. Then again, there’s risk in living all over the world, regardless of how much money have.

Before I went to Morocco last year, a friend who had been there gave me some advice. Among that advice was a general caution to ‘be careful’, because a bomb had exploded in a cafe in Marrakech not too long before. I was baffled. How, exactly, is one to ‘be careful’ regarding terrorist attacks? I know that our government issues guidelines to help with that but they’re all along the lines of ‘avoid crowded places’ and so on, and not particularly practical.

I understand that some people simply don’t want to visit certain places around the world. That’s fine. But I can’t stand people who simply parrot the incorrect and agenda driven media that tells them how much of the world is ‘unsafe.’ Simply because you don’t share the same language or religion doesn’t make a place any more dangerous for you to visit. It might make you feel more threatened, or unsure of your ability to comfortably get around, but these are all things within your mind.

I’m all for exercising caution, and above all else, researching your destination. That’s so that when stupid people make stupid comments about places being ‘dangerous’ you can correct them. If you’re stupid, and do something like cross a border where there are known guerrillas or terrorist groups operating, then you have a higher chance of getting into trouble. If you do everything right, you could still be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s that simple. No one expected 9/11, or 7/7, or what happened in Boston.

I don’t want to be negative in saying that ‘anything could happen anywhere’, but the reality is that it could. Instead of letting that scare me into thinking my home is no longer safe, I choose instead to live by the philosophy that most places in the world are more or less safe than here. It saddens me that terrorism is even a factor in thinking about travel, or indeed life, today, but since it seems as though it’s not going anywhere, it would be a tragedy to avoid experiencing the world because of it.

Has anyone else experienced negative reactions about their travel destinations? As always like, comment and share

Fork on the Road

Posted on April 16, 2013 by wanderlover

I will never again complain about living in Adelaide. Alright I will, but not while the glorious Fork on the Road continues to exist. Appearing as part of other festivals around Adelaide, Fork happened again last Friday night as part of the Adelaide Food and Wine Festival.

Basically, it is a gathering of food trucks. Yes. Food trucks. As if I didn’t love street food enough (one of the reasons I find many other countries superior to Australia is our lack of portable, cheap and delicious food), but to put like twenty food vans together! In one place! MADNESS!!!

Exactly the kind of sign one likes to see, no?

Anyway one of the greatest things about Fork is the variety. You have your usual suspects like Burger Theory, some churros, heaps of great looking Mexican/Spanish stuff, and some curries and so on. But then you have these random vans I’d never even heard of, although my friend tells me some of them appear at Gilles St Markets and the Night Markets in town, so forgive my ignorance.

One of my personal highlights was my mushroom haloumi burger from Veggie Velo.

How cute are these guys

Mushroom and haloumi burger

I also sampled the delicious, buttery cheese goodness on offer from Little Big Cheese Co. No regrets. Get yourself a toasty from these guys ASAP. For dessert I treated myself to a pastizzi from Archie the Pastizzi Bus. I can’t even- just do it. Do it as often as humanly possible.

Ricotta and chocolate pastizzi. Unbelievable.

Fork is about bringing together the novelty of food trucks, but I think it’s more than that. My favourite thing about most of the vendors is that you can see they’re individuals, not a conglomeraition. The girl whose brownies I bought, the people running Veggie Velo, the young guys behind Little Big Cheese Co- they’re all young, local people, putting out great tasting, quality food at a good price. It’s the sort of food that makes me happy to eat because I feel like I’m supporting small Adelaide business. Plus, the better they all do, the more Forks will hopefully be run!

Quite a good turn out

If you missed out this time, keeps your eyes and ears open for news of the next one. I promise, it won’t disappoint! If you have any doubts, just look at how much I enjoyed my burger.

A picture is worth a thousand words

WanderLove- A Solo Female Travel Blog

Stories from a girl who couldn't stay in one place