Pinch Me Moments - Travel Linkup

I have been quite privileged to travel as much as I have and to continue to experience moments that take my breath away. 

The beginning of my travels started in a conference room in a hotel somewhere near Sydney Airport where I was told I had just been picked to join an airline in the sand pit. I was so shocked that I hugged the a girl who i'd only met 5 hours earlier just because I needed an outlet for my emotions.

That job led me to several travel a pinch me moments including my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in Paris which seemed to cure me of how sick I had been that day. It also led to my first layover in London which was 2 full days of pinch me moments not to mention the truly amazing moment where I was able to pet a lion cub in Johannesburg.

More recently...One day I received a visa in my passport granting me 2 years to live and work in London. Up until the moment I saw that visa I didn't think it would happen. I was stunned, speechless, my eyes hardly able to believe it - it was the quiet before the storm - soon I was running around the house, bouncing off the walls with a smile so big my face hurt. A life in London, the whole reality of it exploded inside me but I still needed someone to pinch me because it was a dream come true.

Living in London still takes my breath away, from glimpsing the dome of St Pauls Cathedral to spotting old London in the every day like the traditional gas lamps. And two years there allowed for some great adventures and pinch me moments.

Outside of London my trip to Japan in April 2012 was full of amazing moments. There were the bright lights of Shinjuku, the cherry blossoms in bloom, real life Maiko and Geisha in Gion, Kyoto (let me tell you they are rare and when one exited private ochaya (teahouse) right in front of me I was like a deer in headlights) and the A-Dome in Hiroshima.

Also, there was seeing the Coliseum in Rome bloom out of nowhere as the bus from the airport took me to the centre of town. Cruising down the Grand Canal in Venice at night. Seeing the mesmerising Northern Lights in Iceland, though admittedly if someone had pinched me then I wouldn't have felt it i was so numb with cold, hehe. Arriving in the heart of New York City and pretty much my whole time there was unbelievable I just could not get past how surreal the whole thing felt.

Looking back on all my travels and experiences, it strikes me that I have been living an amazing dream. Being able to travel and see the world was a big dream for me and up until I was 23, I never thought it would be possible. Its truly amazing where life takes you.

As always thanks to the lovely girls Emma and Kelly and Rebecca for this travel link up. Anyone is welcome to join in the linkup, visit the hosts pages for more details.