My Tour of America Revisited and My Journey 'Home'

Back in the UK now after 12 months working and travelling in Australia. 

I had a fantastic time and learned a lot about myself but I'm glad to be back in the UK (for now) settled and working on a multitude of new projects including music and writing.

 

Once I'd made the decision to head back to the UK I knew there was only one way I could go - through the USA. After my tour of the west coast in 2013 I was hooked.

This time my partner and I decided we weren't going to do things by halves: we would fly into San Francisco, drive across the states and fly out of New York. A little ambitious but it was so worth it! Simply put, this was the most amazing experience of my life so far!

I've decided to revisit the My Tour of America posts and write about my extended trip across the 27 States I managed to pop into on my way back 'home'.

To get a general idea of the grandeur of the trip, here's a rough map of the route my partner and I took:

One Vivid Night in Sydney

It's been a while since I've talked about my time in Australia and I think I'm almost ready to discuss my next adventure.

But before I do...

Sydney has so much to offer, there's always something happening. Writers festivals, food and drink festivals, fashion shows, fireworks displays just for the fun of it. You really get caught up in the magic of this vibrant city.

The current offering is a spectacular display of light, music and ideas all put together to form Vivid Sydney, a plethora of light shows and installations throughout the city.

Highlights of Vivid Sydney 2014 are Martin Place, Customs House, Darling Harbour's fabulous light show (every hour on the hour) and of course the world famous Sydney Opera House which displays a stunning timeline of the development of architecture, civilisation and technology.

My partner and I spent a whole evening wandering around this amazing event; taking photos, shooting footage. We've then edited the whole thing into a nice little video with one of our Chasing Ourselves songs over the top.

Here's the link to our experience of Vivid Sydney 2014...

And here are just a few of the shots I took using my Nikon D5100 with an 18-200mm lens.

For more information on this years Vivid Sydney visit their website here or follow them on twitter @VividSydney for highlights and traffic updates.

I'm back...

Well that lasted little over a month!

I decided, although I had other projects to work on, I couldn't abandon Polygarble, I missed her too much.

As you'll be aware (I rambled on about it enough) I've recently relocated to Australia, I'm currently living in a little studio apartment in the Sydney suburb of Potts Point. 

It's taken a while to settle in and has felt very much like an extended holiday up to now with lots of visits to restaurants and cafes and I have decided its about time I cooked for myself again (plus I'm swiftly running out of money).

I'm a great believer that you can cook a really tasty meal in whatever kitchen you have available to you. In my mini kitchen I currently have an electric cooktop (2 burner) and a microwave oven.

Over the coming months I'll be experimenting with a variety of recipes, which I'll share with you, these may be particularly useful for (but are definitely not limited to) travellers and holidaymakers staying in self catering apartments, short stay hostels and those using camping equipment. They'll be tasty but super simple so wont be time consuming. 

I hope I can inspire you to whip up a storm in your mini kitchen.

The Big Move - Arriving in Sydney

So we finally arrived after a laborious 13+hour flight. Rushed through immigration surprisingly quickly and ushered ourselves swiftly into a taxi. We were literally shattered, hadn't slept much on the plane due to lack of space and it was incredibly uncomfortable.

All we wanted at that point was to get to our guest house, shower and sleep as quickly as possible.

However nothing prepares you for Sydney. Anyone you know who's been will tell you what a spectacular sight it is but you'll never fully appreciate it until you see it for yourself. Only one word sprung to mind... 

WOW!

The harbour bridge and the opera house are set against high rise buildings and multiple bays and coves. Being the main tourist attractions in Sydney they are instantly recognisable but no less incredible than you would imagine.

After wandering through Sydney centre for the last few days I began to get the same feeling I had when I visited Hollywood, it has a similar sense of creativity and success. 

I'm so excited to be starting my travels here.