Hello from bonnie Edinburgh!

Its amazing to be here during "summer" and im having a gret time. Even todays typically Scottish weather only served to add a bit of an authentic air to my tour of the West Highlands, castles and lochs ;) Cant wait to share more with you but for now im off to bed to rise early to search for the loch ness monster for another tour tomorrow so here is little taste of what I have been up to in Edinburgh and Scotland so far to keep you company till the next installment of my adventures in Scotland!

Edinburgh Castle in the sun

Love the name of this pub on the Grassmarket

Couldnt agree more!

For Monty Python fans

Just beautiful!

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Favourite Travel Photo #Linkup

The lovely ladies Kelly, Emma and Rebecca are at it again, this time they seeking to peek into our photo archives for our favourite travel photos. My last linkup was a couple of months ago, having missed a few purely due to life pressures and being at a loss as to what to write about. This time however, the moment I read the theme, a photo popped into my minds eye.

New York City - Top of the Rock

I love this photo. It was taken by my friend J and I confess that it was totally staged. BUT, that day, there was a reflective moment which could have mirrored that photo. It was the end of my first trip to New York which had been entirely surreal; from finding myself in the middle of Grand Central Terminal to picnicking in Central Park, to walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, to seeing the Statue of Liberty. It felt so whirlwind that I had to stop and simply take in where I was, really absorb it, appreciate it and remember it. And that's what this photo is for me. A bitter sweet moment, on the cusp of leaving New York but loving the magic of being there those few days.

I have so many other photos that are favourites so I might do a separate post where I share one favourite photo from each destination. What do you think?

Before I go, here is another favourite. It was taken in 2005, my very first day in London. Ever. You can tell a lot by my smile. And I still have that guidebook!

What is your favourite travel photo?

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The Village Bizarre at The Rocks, Sydney

The Rocks has to be one of my favourite areas in Sydney. Its the "historic" part of the city, one I visited for a touch of history and nostalgia before I visited London and realised how young it was in comparison.

The Rocks is most famous for the weekend markets where you can pick up all sorts of hand crafted items from soaps and candles to jewellery and dresses. There are a number of things to do even when the markets are not on. You will find museums, galleries, walks (haunted and regular), cafes and pubs, shops, an old cottage from 1816 and the Sydney Observatory just to name a few.

Among other locations around Sydney, the Rocks hosted a number of art installations as part of Light up Sydney and prior to the Village Bizarre being introduced, during the summer months, the markets went nocturnal in The Markets by Moonlight.

Anyway, for my Friday the 13th last week, my brother and I headed over to explore the Village Bizarre. If you are going this Friday and you want to be surprised, stop here. This is a spoiler alert! I will be revealing what is behind the curtain...well in my case anyway ;)

We collected our masks from the information stand and followed the feathers to a pop-up bar along George St. Stepping inside we were greeted with white surroundings, fellow mask wearers, nests and fluffy pouffes you could sit on while sipping drinks and listen to the DJ or chatted away. Winding our way to the top floor we found a projector screening images of skies, birds and the like creating the "Hole in the Sky" the bar is named after.

Leaving the bird house, we head out to find out what was behind those red velvet curtains. Behind one along Jack Mundey Place we found the Illusionist, an act which had nothing to do with magic and lots to do with laughs.

The Parlour was host to a few different stalls including one tent where we found a puppet afraid of the dark and cute rhyming story that kids in the audience loved. Through the Parlour the Cabinet of Curiosities tent was found tucked away behind Kendall Lane. It was guarded with inflated clowns and inside we treated to a number by the hottest cross-dresser I've ever seen! Not only could he pull off bubble-gum pink hair but damn, he was better than me at walking (and dancing) in heels!

We walked past the markets, fortune tellers, another pop-up bar, outdoor public karaoke for the courageous, and a silent disco where i had fun shaking my tail feather and watching my brother laugh his head off at me.

The Village Bizarre is only in its second year so there is room for a little improvement but i had a great time exploring and, all in all, for a free event, it was a fun way to spend a few hours and it was a lot of laughs. Grab some friends and check it out this Friday 20th Dec for its last night before wrapping up for the year.

If you have been, what did you think of it?

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First Ski Trip at Borovets, Bulgaria

When you're on your butt staring at the sky, your limbs splayed in all directions and no idea how you got there...that's learning how to ski. Welcome to my own personal nightmare. Yes skiing, and to all you ski lovers out there currently yelling at these lines...exactly when did you learn how to ski hmm?? Bet it was when your were a LOT younger than me. Yes there is nothing more humiliating and hilarious than seeing little 4 and 5 year old kids whizzing by while I'm standing there wondering if I'm going to be able to stop and 'snow-ploughing' for dear life!

Day one on the Borovets bunny slopes

  
As you may already know through my newly launched Twitter account (@TravelsbyVP), i spent Christmas on the Borovets ski slopes in Bulgaria learning to ski and getting sore, shins, butt, thighs and arms in the process.

I had a week of beginner lessons, ski and boot hire and lift pass and it was a challenging week. On day two when nothing was going right i almost quit. I had a seriously mortifying meltdown on the slopes in front of my group and wished for all the world the ground would open up and swallow me but alas,to my horror and humiliation it insisted on leaving me above ground. My ski instructor Tseko did coax me back though, and aside from taking a day off, i stuck out the rest of the week till i was pretty confident on a green slope.

Meeting the snowy locals on my "day off" from skiing

Drag-lifts by the way, are the most awful lifts ever...there was not a single time i was on one where i wasn't completely focused on making sure i didn't fall off it, on one of the longer ones i even had a running commentary going in my head..."just a bit more VP, just over that bit of slope, try not to move, watch your skis, just a bit more, you'll make it.." yep, I'm not a fan, and I'm not the only one.

Chilling at the top of the mountain - no skis = no falling = happy VP

I fell a number of times while learning to ski, it really is unavoidable. My three most spectacular stacks are forever etched in my memory, one of which was actually quite terrifying.

"And that is where VP fell on her butt, yet again!"

Blue slopes and blue sky-This rather amazing stack happened as we were crossing a bit of Blue slope to get to a drag lift. there i was skiing and managing well i thought till a left turn took me from being vertical to seeing sky in seconds. I do not know how it happened. All i know is that i was on my butt in seconds and even though i tried to stop myself by moving my skis so they were horizontal against the slope, i still ended up with one leg above me, one below, my arms in other directions and my group at the top of the slope laughing their heads off (and i cant blame them really) before Tseko came over to help me up.

View from the top of the Borovets mountain

Getting cosy with the Fence - This fall happened on my second last day. I'm not proud of it and it was one of those falls that give you the time to realise how stupid you are. On yet another left turn i lost control, panicked and, instead of trying to fall on my left, i fell backwards...on to my skis...which makes you go faster, and i couldn't stop...and wham! i crashed into a log fence on the side of the slope so hard that my boots got firmly lodged underneath them and i simply could not move at all. No joke, i could not get up, turn, slide back out, nothing. Tseko came to the rescue again although he gave me a very  strong "No VP, that's very dangerous, don't do that again. You should never do that". As if i did it on purpose! But i deserved it, and i think i gave him a fright!

Queuing for the drag lift...can you see my excitement?

You call this a green slope? - This had to be my scariest fall. Our group was doing a long green run that went around the mountain - I actually really enjoyed this run (aside from the fall of course) and was sorry it was closed the rest of my stay due to lack of snow - anyway, it ran through some other runs, blue/red/black and it was as i was crossing the a red one when i fell and went sliding to the edge of it before someone stopped me somehow. Had i gone over the edge like that, i was sure i would have broken something, or many somethings. I was so terrified that even as i was being helped up i fell again and crashed into the other side of the green run which - thankfully - was more like a hedge of snow. I found out later that one of the guys in the group had a fall in a similar fashion and went so far over the edge that his legs and waist were over before someone managed to stop him and help him clamber back. He was terrified and rated it his scariest moment of the whole trip.

Borovets Gondola

Mountain lodge

Ok enough stories of falling. I have to mention my ski instructor - Tsvetan Draganov - known to us a Tseko. He was the sweetest and i think that made all the difference to my experience. He was very passionate about skiing being an ex-professional himself and he had a lot of patience with our group.
During our "awards ceremony" at the end of our stay the MC introduced him as the best known character at the ski school. And he was, the number of harmless practical jokes he tried on me often made me laugh out loud. Its great having someone teach you who has a sense of humor. That's not to say he was always joking around. He was very professional too, he gave encouragement, coached each person in the group with their weak points and made sure everyone was ok, happy and having a good time. I can say with absolute sincerity that i was lucky to have him because i did hear that some other people were not happy with their instructors.
Honestly though, i think he did struggle with our group, everyone was really nice, but they were couples or families and were not as social as they could  have been. Everyone sitting silently around the table at the awards ceremony was absolute agony, and bless him, Tseko did try to get a conversation going, he even tried to engage a couple in a party trick with a coin in the hopes of starting some kind of interaction.

Tsvetan Draganov and I at the "Graduation Ceremony"

Anyway, now i have:

• A ski certificate that says i can parallel ski-turn (hmmm...not sure about that one)
• Learned a new skill
• Know how to stop
• Can enjoy a long green run and
• Best of all, i have some great stories to tell :)

Not at all bad in my books.

Posing for the mandatory ski photo with friends

Ok so here is my recommendation for the trip. Bulgaria is one of the cheapest places to ski, they have two main resorts (Borovets and Bansko). Boro Sport is the ski school i went with though i cannot guarantee you will have as great a ski instructor as Tseko. If you have never tried skiing, be afraid, but give it a go, be careful and you will definitely have a memorable experience.

-Vanishing Point

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London Olympics Torch Relay 26th July 2012

Hi All,

Just a quick one today.

Ive been out to see the Olympics torch relay in London...I saw it in Sydney for the year 2000 Olympics and 12 years later, here i am seeing it in London! very cool :)

Some photos...

Looking forward to the buzz of Olympic fever in London...only one ay to go!

VP

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Cherry Blossom Viewing in Tokyo, Japan

Hanami is Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japan. It is the main reason i scheduled my trip for late March/early April. When all the trees are in full bloom it is truly a spectacular sight.

My first taste of a cherry tree in bloom was in Kyoto. Unfortunately due to the cold snap and a typhoon that hit i didn't get to see Kyoto cherry trees in full bloom, but on my last night while wandering around, i came across a beautiful tree in Maruyama Park. I could see that, in preparation for the festival, food stalls had been set up and people had their picnic spots already marked out and secured waiting for the other cherry trees to follow suit.

Cherry Blossom tree in Maruyama Park (Kyoto) at night

Cherry Blossom tree and food stalls in Maruyama Park (Kyoto) at night

I was, however, lucky enough to bear witness to the beginning of the season in Tokyo this year and to be there over the first weekend. It was the last few days of my holiday when the clouds of pink finally appeared. First stop was Shinjuku-Goyen (Shinjuku Park). It was a Friday and as the park charges a small entrance fee - i didn't see the crowds i later saw at Ueno Park. This was lucky as i managed to get some great photos of the rows of pink blossoms. Be warned, this is a photo-heavy post!

Pink cherry blossoms

Simple pink Sakura blossom

Cherry blossom cloud - Shinjuku-Goyen

Cherry blossoms

Sakura photography at Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

Cherry blossoms in Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

Cherry blossom close up

Early picnickers at Shinjuku Goyen

Sakura blossom close up

Low hanging cherry blossoms - Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

Capturing the perfect cherry blossom - Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

A canopy of pink - Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

Pale pink, dark pink and white cherry blossoms - Shinjuku Goyen, Tokyo

Family picnic

"Salary men" picnic

Cherry blossoms and picnics - Shinjuku-goyen, Tokyo

There are so many places people go to view Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo. Some of the more unusual recommendations were cemeteries. I'm not kidding. Below are some photos taken in Yanaka Cemetery. People had no qualms about spreading their picnic blanket among the grave sites and tombstones and doing their cherry blossom viewing there. I have to say though one of the most amazing sites i went to was Aoyama Cemetery - the main traffic thoroughfare through the cemetery is lined with cherry trees and in bloom they were S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!! Unfortunately my camera battery had run out when I'd visited so i don't have any photos but i did dig some up on the Internet. Sleepwalking in Tokyo has done a whole post on Aoyama cemetery complete with lots of photos, but my fav is this one.

Cherry blossom viewing among the graves at Yanaka Cemetery

Picnic among the graves - Yanaka Cemetery

Sakura lined avenue - Yanaka Cemetery

Yanaka Cemetery - cherry blossom season

Sakura canopy in Yanaka Cemetery

Ueno Park is perhaps the most popular (certainly the most crowded that i saw) destination for Hanami in Tokyo. The cherry tree lined avenues were in full bloom and the crowds were out in full force, you could not squeeze through the throngs of people even if you were a shadow...i think the photo below speaks volumes.

Cherry blossom crowds at Ueno Park, Tokyo

Sakura viewing at Ueno Park, Tokyo

Hanami at Ueno park, Tokyo

Sumida Park on the banks of the Sumida river was also a popular choice...they light up the cherry blossoms at night but i didn't get the chance to see that.

Sumida Park cherry blossom viewing

Yoyogi Koen (Yoyogi Park) i found to be more popular with the younger crowd (maybe due to its close proximity to Harajuku) and expats. Still quite full of people enjoying Hanami, it had a more relaxed vibe and more space for people to play games, stretch out or manoeuvre between picnic camps without stepping on someone. I did enjoy myself there far more than the other parks so i highly recommend it if you ever find yourself i Tokyo during cherry blossom season or other festival holiday.

Yoyogi Park picnickers

Yoyogi Park fountain and Cherry trees

One place that was quite beautiful and had a lot of cherry blossoms, i came across purely by chance. I was in Kagurazaka, a place that isn't usually high on a tourists list but apparently this is where the French expat community have settled. Cherry blossom trees line the river and while the footpath beside the road is not too wide, plenty of people were out taking a walk and taking in the lovely view. Those that could afford it (or had the time to line up) could enjoy the view from the cleverly located Canal Cafe over a bite to eat or from the river after hiring a small boat.

Kagurazaka cherry blossoms

Cherry tree lined river - Kagurazaka, Tokyo

I took so many photos of cherry blossom trees and people enjoying their picnic, of a line of trees, bunches of blossoms and single blossoms that i could hardly fit all of them here, and even if i did, it really would not convey how breathtakingly beautiful they are. I love that Japan treats such a gift of nature as something to celebrate, other than buying food and drink for the picnic, there really isn't much commercial about this celebration and it is all about chilling out and spending time with family and friends.

VP at Shinjuku-Goyen

Hope you enjoyed this very blossom-y post...

Vanishing Point

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