Post ANZAC day, our little crew had the fortunate situation of having a late check out from Lille before our onward journey of Trélou-sur-Marne. I, ever the morning person, used this time to go for a run. The weather was still overcast and drizzly, I had had the foresight to pack some of the winter based running gear I haven’t used in three years. No one likes cold ears. Out I set, with a plan to run towards Lille’s ‘Menagerie” about 3km away, thinking that I’d add some kms in on the way back once I roughly knew where I was going. My phone is limited to wifi for any…
The Western Front
Tonight I finalised and posted the tale of Paris and all the riches it entailed. I had a discontented feeling about posting that today due to today's date: 25th April. This day should not slide past without mention or reverie in the space of this blog. It would go against all I have seen and felt over the past three days. Fitting that I should finalise and review a post about how life had occurred to me in a dream like manner, floating through the opulence of Versailles and stumbling into world-renowned restaurants by chance, on the day where history has allowed me to do just that. 100 years ago…
Is this real life?
What does one say about spending three days in Paris? My running path took me through the Tuileries gardens, popping out by the Lourve, before running across and along the Seine and back up to Monte Marte. The running faces were the same, the scenery slightly more cultured! When I first visited Beth in Edinburgh in 2009 on my way to the Canada the first time, I fell in love with the notion that all of these buildings had been touched, trodden and tended to over the centuries prior to me laying eyes on them. I would pause whilst standing on a set of stairs in an apartment building and…
Start as you Intend to Finish
It became facebook real, then it became “Hi stranger whom I'm sitting next to on the plane for the next 8 hours” real. I totally won. My travel buddy was this delightful Canadian man called Jay, who was off to India for work for 2 weeks. Originally from Edmonton, now lives with his Australian wife in Brisbane. We were both friendly, open for a chat, and managed to get the perfect balance of small talk: movie watching without that awkward 'well, I'm going to put my earphones in now' moment. Delightful. First hour and I've made a new friend! Yay! Roll into Changi and I wander through the terminals to…
The sleepless nights of the ‘Sleep Countdown’
2 sleeps. Bah! Two sleeps! I will be sitting at the international departures lounge in Brisbane in 48 hours time, probably watching Entourage and avoiding reading all the nice cards I've begun to collect “to read on the plane” from my friends as the hours count down. Ideally, I'll have the giant list of things I need to do, done. Hm. Yes. Things. What I'm really aiming for is that when I leave Brisbane for this dog leg style adventure (referencing the round about nature of this trip, it's not a stream line direction. Slightly chaotic by design) is that all my family and friends know how I feel about…
Time to jump once more
There are 17 sleeps left until I get on a plane bound for adventure. In the great duration since the initial post, the world has changed, yet fear and uncertainty are still lingering! Happy Wandering will finally get a chance to find the legs it was initially seeking back in 2012. I’m now staring down the barrell of 32 years old and in true Hayley style, am treating myself to a 6 month adventure to celebrate. How else do you top skydiving on your 25th birthday? Ha! The adventure: Solo to Singapore (though always up for making new friends on the plane) with 18 hours to explore in the city…
New beginnings – First Steps
Agh! New beginnings! So full of excitement and trepidation all rolled into one. This is a new beginning… Life in word. How will it work out and will there be any kind of response? All questions based out of fear and uncertainty – two strong factors that limit me (and humanity I’m sure) on a daily basis. I consider myself an optimist, regularly telling people I live in a world of rainbows and sunshine, always looking to make a positive out of an awkward or downcast situation. This view is fairly well ingrained in me at the ripe ‘ole age of 29; however I can see how easily the view…