Planning a wedding can be FUN

If you like arty stuff and design and details... not if you don't like spending money :-S ...... So I've been spending far too much of my work days researching researching researching with the help of Google and a couple of wedding blogs. Yes, wedding blogs - some people actually start a blog where they can keep people up-to-date with everything they're planning for their wedding. They even post pictures of dresses they're considering, flower arrangements, hairpieces... and I love checking out their ideas. I would even consider making a wedding blog, just for fun and because I have collected SO many pictures. But then nothing would be a surprise! So instead here are some fun pictures that I've come across that I love. We may or may not steal these ideas and use them in our own wedding!

Did you know - weddings are expensive?

We have been looking into invitations and I found an online store that stocked pre-cut invitation cards (saves us the trouble of cutting and scoring them) for a reasonable price. They were listed as being about $25 for a pack of 25. So I called up the shop which is located in Sydney and asked for two samples cards, one in each of two shades.

The shop assistant emailed me a quote for the sample I had requested. The quote said:

Colour #1 single sheet - $1.00
Cutting and scoring service - $10.00
Colour #2 single sheet - $1.00
Cutting and scoring service - $10.00
Postage and handling - $10.00
-----
Total: $32.00

For two pieces of card!! So I called the shop in question and asked "why does it cost you $10 to cut and score each piece of card?" The girl replied "I can remove that charge if I send you a card that we have already cut and scored. Then you will only need to pay a total of $12." Me: "I can't really afford to pay $12 for two pieces of card. Why does the postage cost $10?" Her: "Because you're in Tasmania." Me: "But I can send a letter anywhere in Australia for 50c and an A4 letter for $1." Her: "Yes but we use registered post, so that things don't get lost." Me: "They're only samples... I'm happy for you to just stick them in an envelope with a couple of stamps and risk them getting lost." Her: "I'll check with my manager and get back to you."

*Sigh* Still haven't heard back.

Sydney... I Love

For the past couple of days I have been in the above city - maybe my second favourite in the world! For my job (graduate project officer in the small business section of Dept Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts) I'm working on a national project to make all business licences and related things online and accessible, reducing governemnt red-tape and all that. Because it's a NATIONAL project, I get to travel! Sometimes.

We couldn't get flights to Sydney Tuesday morning for the all-day meeting, so we flew up there Monday morning, which gave me all of Monday afternoon and evening to myself! Another girl who I work with travelled up there too. We ended up parting ways after checking into a very swanky hotel (paid for by work) and I then caught a train out to Miranda's Westfield shopping centre, 1 hour away. I was there to pick up a couple of bridesmaid dresses. I only had half an hour there, but OH GOSH I wish we had a Westfield here in Hobart! This one was huge and I decided that had I had time, I could've shopped for everything we need for our entire wedding and found it all there, in one place, all in a day.

That night I caught up with Ilise, a good friend of mine who made the move to Sydney a couple of years ago. We went out for Thai and generally had a really good catch up.

Observations of luxury hotels (we stayed at The Grace): No matter how spacious the room is, or how comfy the feather doona is, or how flipping expensive everything is, I'm not going to be able to sleep if the air conditioning does not go below 18 degrees!!

I love Sydney. I do get kind of attached and get all wistful when I get home, wishing I could go back, or maybe live there for a while. Oh, and the picture I have now uploaded is exactly why I love Sydney!

Talent

It sure has been a long time...

Nearly a year in fact! On a couple of recent occasions I've had thoughts and ideas that are bloggable so it's about time I made the effort to write them here.

My interests tend to happen in bursts. I used to write on my blog a lot, and then I had a dry period (maybe due to lack of inspiration) and then I got into it again and then sure enough was bored of it again.

From the age of about 14 I wrote in a diary quite regularly. This is most awesome and I totally recommend it because now I have the pleasure of reading back over my teenage musings and laughing a lot! Throughout my mid-teens I thought my life was far more dramatic than it was, which makes for some great reading! So I definitely recommend writing in a diary - especially when you're a teenager and you have a crazy imagination.

Anyway, I kept this up, writing in my diary whenever I had something to write about, until about last year - in fact, it was when Adrian went to Bolivia. Since then I haven't written a thing - I just can't bring myself to! It all seems like too much effort, or unnecessary, or something. This is a bit sad, because when I look back later on in life there will be a big patch of nothing, and I'll never know what I was thinking/doing for all of that time!

Maybe I've grown out of it? I truly thought that I'd be writing in a diary until I was really old. Why does it suddenly seem so inappropriate?

"The Right to Leave"

I felt kind of sick after reading this. I'm struggling to believe that this has come out of the 21st Century. Not that this sort of thing is being written, but that this is considered NORMAL, completely reasonable and not at all racist. Read on.

.

.

"Australia - The Right to Leave"

After Sydney not wanting to offend other cultures by putting
up Xmas lights..

After hearing that the State of South Australia changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered..

This prompted this editorial written by an Australian citizen. Published in an Australian newspaper.

Quote:

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It! I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their
culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.

However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia.

However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.

This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.

This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, Learn the language!

'In God We Trust' is our National Motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like 'A Fair Go', then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from.

This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this.

But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our National Motto, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE!

If you aren't happy here then move on! We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted. Pretty easy really, when you think about it.

I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends (and enemies) it will also, sooner or later get back to the complainers, lets all try, please.

No matter how many times you receive it … please forward it to all you know.

This comes a little late in the piece, but I'd like to tell you about Navidad en Bolivia!

This is a Christmas fundraising project initiated by Adrian Nickols and friends both in Bolivia and at home.

The project gives us the opportunity to directly impact the life of one of 50 Bolivian children in 3 orphanages. These orphanages rely on donations and at Christmas, it is difficult to put a gift under the Christmas tree for each child.

A series of one-off Christmas sponsorships are available, to support the children. In participating, you can choose from a list of sponsorships to either provide a Christmas present for one of the children, or assist in providing clothes, shoes, school materials, additional tuition, an eye test or speech therapy.

Sponsorships range between $16 and $130. Sponsors will receive a Christmas card to give to a loved one, containing a picture and a brief profile of the child that will receive support (a bit like the cards you can buy from TEAR or Oxfam - but professionally printed with the Navidad en Bolivia design :) ). In giving someone this card, you are also raising awareness of the needs existing in Bolivia.

It's really easy:

Step 1: Go to the Navidad en Bolivia page and browse through the list of available sponsorships.

Step 2: Contact me and let me know which one(s) you've chosen - either email renae.peters[AT]gmail.com or text/call 0439 048 202.

Step 3: I'll provide you with bank transfer details. After funds are transfered, you'll receive a card in the mail.

BUT.... Get on it soon, because sponsorships are running out (running out the door at crazy prices in actual fact). Since Navidad en Bolivia was launched about a month ago, we've raised (and this is current at time of writing) AUD $2725!!! How incredible is that! God is incredible. Our target (the total of the sponsorships) is AUD $4862. So already, we're 56% of the way there! To quote Bill Nighy from Love Actually, "It's going to be a very good Christmas."

Why I'm So Pumped About Going to Sydney!

I'm going to Sydney this weekend to work at the Sydney Adventure Travel & Backpackers Expo, on the Discover Tasmania desk. Then I get 2 days to just be at tourist. I've only been to Sydney twice before - somehow I've never had many opportunities to make it up there. The first time was farewelling Adrian in April, when we whizzed across the harbour in a ferry, and had a bit of a look at Circular Quay. The second time was a week after that, when I flew out of Sydney for Europe. I didn't see anything but the airport and a hotel. So, this weekend I finally get to see the city. Why is that so exciting, you might ask?

Well, the answer is Ruth Park. My life-long love. Since I was a little kid, I've adored Ruth Park's novels, most of which are set in Sydney. You know when a book just gets you? Something about her writing just appeals to me in a huge way - they evoke something that no other writers can! And for this reason, I am devoted to Ruth Park novels for the rest of my life. They may only be simple Australian stories, but they are my kind of story. I love them.

I particularly like the way she evokes a sense of place, and a love for her characters. After first reading the Harp in the South (my favourite) when I was a kid, I remember desperately wanting to go to Surry Hills and Narrabeen, just because I so desperately missed the people and places once I'd finished the book - it's always a sad thing to finish one of her books. They are that good. To me, anyway.

I wish I could meet her - she's still alive as far as I know. She wrote her first novels in the 1940s, when she was living in Surry Hills with her husband D'Arcy Niland (he wrote The Shiralee - and, on a bizarre note, my current boss Jen is related to him! I was so excited to find that out). So this weekend I'm going to explore the Rocks, where Playing Beatie Bow was set, and hopefully I'll get to Surry Hills as well as catch a bus to Narrabeen (where parts of Harp in the South were set). Childhood dreams come true! I'm a little obsessed, aren't I?

Something I learned when I was travelling...

What's the difference between an Australian and a piece of cheese?

After awhile you'd expect the cheese to have grown some culture.

Cafe Culture

Ok, so being a small-town girl (haha, who in Tasmania isn't - unless you're not a girl), I am intrigued by the cafe/coffee culture that is rife amongst some of my friends, particularly the ones that go to my church. I love these people. I love to observe the unspoken rules and taboos associated with buying coffee, and I wish I knew half of what there is to know about good coffee, but I will never understand it, and so I just listen and observe. I have been intrigued by this for quite some time, but tonight I had a full education in coffee connoisseurism and what is and just isn't done. So I thought I'd make a note of what I have learned:

1. There is an unspoken, but widely agreed upon 'best coffee in Hobart' - clearly Villino.
2. As for the second best coffee in Hobart - well this depends on your priorities. Do you value service first? Or is quality all that matters?
3. Villino can do no wrong. They ARE coffee.
4. Your loyalty to a cafe is of prime importance. If you change your alliegance, you should explain to the losing cafe why you are taking your custom elsewhere. Preferably put this in writing (ok I made that part up).
5. If a cafe owner goes to the effort of delivering coffee to your workplace, just for you, they really value your loyalty, and you should consider this factor when choosing where to buy coffee.
6. Service is extremely important - you have to feel like they want to be your friends. They should know your name if you regularly go there.
7. Baristas need to use the correct implement to make latte art. Like, don't use a pen.
8. If you're practising your latte art, it's important that you just use slightly older coffee - the kind that's not good enough for drinking.
9. Do not have sugar in your coffee.
10. It's important to know your tea as well. You should own at least 20 varieties of leaf tea, and know the key ingredients of each (this isn't so important - but I think it shows diversity to be versed in your tea knowledge in addition to coffee).
11. Do not even use the word "instant". That is not a real word.

I think I'm learning. Too many times I've made the faux pas of admitting that I like instant coffee. Which isn't such a bold statement, as I'm sure a lot of people do. But there is apparently some very good coffee to be had in Hobart, so maybe I will start dropping by Villino a little more often.

Facelift

I'm making over my blog! The team at Renae Across the World have decided that to increase visitor numbers, a redesign and some re-branding was required (I hope you appreciate my efforts in colour coordination!) Also, my advisors have suggested that I should write on my blog occasionally, to generate traffic. I've lost motivation to blog recently, because I have this impediment where I have to be in a 'writing mood' to write. But I'll be back here more often now, so stick around and don't give up on us yet.

This is a Wordle of my blog (www.wordle.net). As you can see, it's been pretty boring lately. I've sort of given up on my blog, as I just haven't had the desire to keep it updated - it comes and goes in phases. Very soon though I'll post something about Navidad en Bolivia, an exciting project that Adrian and I (and others) are getting ready for this Christmas. So stay tuned for that.

Possibly the most traumatic and devastating ordeal that I will ever live through.*

Ok, so you know when you go through something traumatic and you need to debrief with someone? Well on this occasion, a couple of people is just not enough. I need to debrief with EVERYONE. Read on, and behold the horrors of my morning..

So for the last few months, I've been applying for jobs, particularly ones that use my uni degree, in the hopes of not rendering it pointless! Finally, last week, a job came up with Tourism Tasmania. I could go for it! It was a level 5! All week, I worked on the application, writing slightly over a page for each of the six selection criteria. Last night, I stayed up quite late completing it. When I eventually went to bed, all was finished except for some final proof-reading and rewording.

About five hours of sleep later, I woke up and recommenced completing the final touches. The applications were to close at 5pm today. I was just tacking a little more onto the end of criteria 3, when a dialog box popped up. From then on it's all a blur. The box read something like "Windows is losing data", followed by "error", followed by a window in which I was given a few options to deal with this error. I chose the wrong one.

Word shut down. Desperately, I reopened my USB drive and looked in the folder... Nothing. Adrian and I were chatting in MSN at the time of the disaster. I told him that I had just lost my whole document and promptly cried my eyes out, while Adrian leapt into action suggesting the most logical steps to getting it back.

I searched the recycle bin.. I searched every other facet of my computer that I could think of.. Oh yes, I was mad. And very, very upset. Adrian talked me through searching for temporary files that could have been left behind, and for AutoRecovery files, and for every other trace that it could have left. We searched high and low.

After a long time, Adrian ran back to his host family's house to get some dinner, and while he was gone I had the ingenius idea to search on the internet for a program to recover it. I found one which looked very trustworthy. I downloaded it, and it searched and found several AutoRecovery copies of my file! But then it asked me to register before it would give me access. Registration was $39.95. I paid up. (I also noted their 100% satisfaction guarantee, "or your money back" - so I'm counting on that).

Typically, the licence key that they gave me didn't work. Adrian came back online and I confessed having paid way too much for a program that probably waits 24 hours to approve your registration. We searched, coming closer and closer to the file.. but alas, it was not there.

Applications close in 2 hours time. I could write another one. But after I got over my frenzy of tears and frustration and death threats directed at my computer, I decided that any application I wrote now would be rushed and of poor quality. Each of the criteria should be at least a page, and I had it SO worked out before.. I could never write another one half as good. I will just have a holiday.

So thus endeth the most devastating, traumatic experience (involving a lost file) of my life. Do you feel my pain??? Oh my gosh. Well I'm over it now, and I accept that I wasn't meant to apply for that job. There is a reason for everything, I am told, and I will never know the reason why Word ate my file.

Thanks for listening. I feel a little better now. I know you will sympathise with me, and I hope that you never have to go through such a crisis in your lifetime. I will write a book about it someday.

* A little bit tongue-in-cheek. But only a little.

*snicker*

A Quote to Frighten Your Day

I've read a bit of "The Great Omission" by Dallas Willard, and he talks about how we are meant to be inhabited by God, and living by his power, not our own.

Quote:

"Human life cannot flourish unless it pulses with the 'immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe' (Ephesians 1: 19)."

Then this:

"But, someone will say, can I not be 'saved' - that is, get into heaven when I die - without any of this? Perhaps you can. God's goodness is so great, I am sure that He will let you in if He can find any basis at all to do so. But you might wish to think about what your life amounts to before you die, about what kind of person you are becoming, and about whether you really would be comfortable for eternity in the presence of one whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence. And He is, after all, one who says to you now, 'Follow me!'"

Adrian in Bolivia

Follow this link to Adrian's latest video with some random images of life in Bolivia.. it's hilarious!!

It's nearly time for him to leave Bolivia. He goes on the 14th of this month, but before then there is the national referendum on the 10th, which could mean he has trouble leaving the country. From his blog:

"On the 10th, Bolivia will vote to keep or remove Evo Morales in its national referendum. If the vote is NO, then Evo must go, but not before he serves the remainder of his term (he has two years remaining I think). If the vote is YES, those who have voted against him are likely to pursue other channels to have him removed. Either way we feel this will be a bumpy month for Bolivia. We will be in lock-down over the weekend, enjoying a sleep over at Matt and Elsas with net-time, movies, and the Olympics (go AUSSIE, go BOLIVIA). Church will not be on, and neither will baby-washing, as the police attempt to prevent groups from forming in the city on Sunday."

Read more at www.fixmypix.com.au/blog

So if you have the inclination, please please keep praying for Adrian. The next month will bring a lot of challenges for him.

Thanks
:o)

My Europe Videos

They're up on Youtube. Some (ok all) are poorly shot but they do give you an idea of what a place looks and sounds like.

http://www.youtube.com/user/renaebellepeters

Living like you mean it?

So I'm reading this book called "the Great Omission" by Dallas Willard (how American can one name sound??) It's interesting.. but before I get to that, I was thinking the other day about how much Christians love books.. there is a definite trend. People who are truly trying to be disciples of Jesus (usually) are reading, discussing and looking for the next book to read. Even those who admit to having finished in the range of 5-10 books in their life, and who are admittedly bored stupid by reading, make an effort to read Christian books, in an attempt to build themselves up in their faith and knowledge of God. And the written word has to be an important part of being a disciple. I mean, God inspired and commanded his followers to record history in what is now the Bible. Clearly God speaks to us through words written on a page. So, I think the love of reading and the skill of writing are gifts.

Back to this book! It's talking about the trend in the majority of Christians to see discipleship as optional. Quote: In churches of the Western world "one is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship." People are becoming "Christians", but not imitating Jesus in his example and the things he taught.

The Great Commission, in the Bible, is presented by Jesus in Matthew.. he sets some goals for the early church. These are to 1) with God's power, to make disciples without regard to ethnic differences and 2) to baptise these disciples in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This author talks repeatedly about the two Great Omissions from the Great Commission. In place of Christ's plan, we substitute "make converts (to a particular 'faith') and baptise them into church membership." So, people are not taught to be disciples. Quote: "it was not a part of the package, not what they converted to." When they read about Christ's teachings, they are puzzled and simply can't relate to them, thinking "what does this have to do with us?"

More summarising: A disciple desires above all else, to be like Jesus. There is no other way. The non-disciple, whether professing to be a Christian or not at all, "has something "more important" to do than to become like Jesus Christ ... Something on that dreary list of security, reputation, wealth, power, sensual indulgence, or mere distraction and numbness, still retains his or her ultimate allegiance." (Distraction and numbness.. that relates to something else I have to write about later. )

He goes on: If our minds are cluttered with these excuses, true discipleship can seem like a mystery to us, or even something to be dreaded. But there is no mystery about desiring to become like someone. That in fact is a common thing. In this case, it involves "learning how to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, walk the second mile with an oppressor..." and live out the "inward transformations of faith, hope, and love."

The cost of non-discipleship... it costs peace, hopefulness that stands firm in the worst circumstances, and the power to do what is right amid evil. "Non-discipleship costs you exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring!"

John 10:10: I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL. (Jesus' words).

A Leo Tolstoy quote that is so, so true: "Man's whole life is a continual contradiction of what he knows to be his duty. In every department of life he acts in defiant opposition to the dictates of his conscience and his common sense." Willard then mentions the popular bumper sticker that says "Don't follow me. I'm lost." He suggests that its popularity possibly comes from the way that it touches on the universal failure referred to by Tolstoy. It has become an object of humour.. when in the case of "a man's whole life" it's actually quite serious. Perhaps that failure is what causes people to doubt that they could actually stand in the world as a beacon of light among darkness, showing people the Way.

Another quote: "We are not speaking here of perfection, nor of earning God's gift of life. Our concern is only with the manner of entering into that life." He says that while we can never earn our savedness (sounds better than salvation doesn't it ;) ) through our own merit, we still have to act as though it is ours. Own your salvation.. don't just stand back and look at it.

A clear problem.. the 21st century evangelical church has had very little impact on societal problems. For some reason or another, churches have practically agreed that discipleship to Christ is optional to being a member of a Christian church. "Thus, the very type of life that could change the course of human society - and on occasion has done so - is excluded or at least omitted from the essential message of the church." (Just look at how many changes Jesus brought.. he was a true social revolutionary!)

So we need to think.. are there certain things that we're holding more important than being like him? Are we disciples, or just Christians by current standards? "Being unwilling to follow him, our claim of trusting him must ring hollow. We could never credibly claim to trust a doctor, teacher, or auto mechanic whose directions we would not follow."

He summarises.. Ignoring the need to live in the steps of Christ is depriving yourself of life's greatest opportunity. Truly following Christ is not just necessary, but the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities.

That was some messy summarising. I hope it's legible.

I know discipleship is a much-talked-about thing, but it's a fundamental part of what we're all about as Christians.. Jesus famously said to go and make disciples. It's false to define ourselves as "Christian" ONLY because we have made a decision to follow Christ at some point in our life. Instead, we should think.. are we going through with that? Or did it stop there? Rather than stopping at a decision, we need to convert that decision into an ongoing desire.. to be like Christ.

It's SNOWTIME!

I've been lucky enough to make two trips up to the Welly for playing in the snow this past week! I'm pretty sure it has all melted now. It was so lovely up there! On the first visit with my lovely flatmates Simon and Allie, we stayed til dusk and then the lights of Hobart came out (the few that there are.. but lights nevertheless!) The moon was shining on the snow, and it was quite beautiful. The next day, I trekked back up the mountain with Georgie and Astrid, where we had a killer snow-fight. Who doesn't love snow??

Reflections #1 - Trip Highlights

The best of the best destinations I traveled to in Europe:

1. Bornholm. This is a tiny island off the coast of Sweden, which belongs to Denmark. To get there, we trained from Copenhagen, across the southern tip of Sweden to Ystad, and then caught the ferry to Rønne, the little capital of Bornholm. The island was amazing. There was always a really brisk cold wind coming off the North Sea, and it was always incredibly bright, with a big blue sky. A lot of big ferries come and go from the port of Rønne. When we got off the ferry, we walked up to the white church and behind that was a maze of narrow cobblestone streets, on one of which my friend lived. It was just so quiet there. You'd go out in the morning and there'd be a few people pedalling past on bicycles, and Danish flags flapping on practically every house, but mostly it was quiet, with distant sounds of the port. The rest of the island was beautiful too; really green, with a lot of little fishing towns and windswept beaches. But I liked Rønne the best.


2. Bremen IBC. I didn't enjoy Bremen itself that much, because it was the first place I ventured to by myself. But on the Sunday, I went to the International Baptist Church of Bremen, and that was really cool. I'd previously been observing how Atheist Bremen seemed to be, and even how cold and stand-offish the people were. So it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to meet a bunch of lovely people at IBC. I was the only visitor there, so a couple of Australian expats were pretty happy to meet another Aussie! A few of us went for ice-cream after, and eventually a very cool person called Christian and I wound up chatting down by the Weser river until after dark. It was so refreshing to meet Christians in that place, and hear about what it's like for them in Atheist Germany, and see how joyful and passionate they are! Truly awesome people. And so welcoming.

3. Berlin. This is by far my favourite place. I spent 6 nights there earlier on in my trip, and then after doing Busabout, spent another 3 nights. That's a fair while to stay in one place when you're travelling around. But I wish I could've spent longer. It's hard to explain why I loved it so much. It just has a completely different vibe to any other place I been to. Because of its past, which is nothing short of ugly, it's had to rebuild itself and is clearly dealing with that past in some very interesting ways. It doesn't deny those things that happened, but seems to put them up on show, to mask that guilt that the country undoubtedly still has. I was constantly fascinated by the legacy of Berlin's past. How they treat the bombing of the Reichstag - they build a big glass dome on top, to represent transparency of government. They still publish that picture of a Russian soldier waving the Russian flag up on top of the bombed out dome.. And the Berlin Wall. It's there for all to see, with a huge exhibition of its history, detailing how people were still being shot as they fled across the wall, right up until the late '80s. Some of the buildings still have smatterings of bullet-holes in them, from WW2 street fighting. It's amazing.. and yet when we were there, there was a big street party to mark Labour Day. On this day, demonstrators of all sorts, including neo-Nazis, come out and riot. It's a bizarre mixture of suppressing the past and trying their absolute hardest NOT to suppress the past. They have all of these glaringly obvious symbols of the past - like the TV Tower, originally built in the East as a statement that Communism isn't backward or stuck in the past, and which happens to show a big symbol of a crucifix when the sun shines on it at the right angle (an accident of course, which the East tried desperately to cover up.. the West replied "what you're trying to deny is staring you right in the face"). See?? Interesting!! On my first visit to Berlin, I met a bunch of Canadians and we had a great time looking around and getting right into the Insider Tours of Berlin, which we went on three times.. and on my second visit, I went on the Insider Pub Crawl, which took us to a few good German bars. Most of all, I like the area around the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag - big, green, grassy, open spaces. Also the Alexander Platz area, Museum Island and Unter den Linden. It really is a beautiful city and I would happily live there.


4. Prague. Czech Republic is gorgeous. It is so unlike Germany. The language is madness, as are all of the Slavic languages, and you'd have a pretty hard time being an expat in Prague, particularly as the Czech people are extremely cold to anyone and everyone!! When I got to Prague, I'd been reading a book by a woman who did that - simply moved over there. And she was fascinated by everything Bohemian.. so I imagined tiny little underground bars selling absinthe, lots of miserable artists trying to make a living selling oil paintings to tourists, you know, that sort of things. Well it was a bit like that! Mostly though, it was a tourist city. It has a completely different feel to Germany though. Everything is just so Czech - and the pointy red rooves and spires are gorgeous from up above. I spent my time with three other Australians, getting lost at times and generally enjoying each other's company. The main area tourists stick to is from Wenceslas Square, across the Charles Bridge, and up to Prague Castle. I loved the Charles Bridge at night. On one night, we went out to the biggest dance club in Central Europe - Karlovy Lazne. This was brilliant!! Especially the retro floor! All in all, Prague is fantastic. It is beautiful, quirky, and a lot of fun.


5. Cesky Krumlov. This is a tiny Czech town south of Prague. It's a medieval town, with a river encircling the town and a castle standing up above it. It was nice to go into a little restaurant on one of the cobblestone streets and come out on the other side, where it backs onto the river, and sit at an outdoor table watching kayaks and rafts go by. We went rafting from a nearby town into Cesky, and conquered a few small rapids!


6. Vienna and Salzburg. Both Austrian cities were beautiful and seemingly relaxed. I like Vienna, and spent a lot of time walking around looking at the buildings, which were mostly white and quite beautiful. Salzburg was beautiful also, with a big fortress up above it and lots of snow-covered mountains nearby. The best views were just out of Salzburg where there was true Sound of Music countryside. It did make you want to sing.. it's true. ;o)

7. Bruges. This is in Belgium. It was a gorgeous town with lots of canals and cobblestone streets and chocolate shops. Most of all, I liked the chocolate.

8. Swiss Alps. I just caught the train from Luzern, Switzerland south to Milan, Italy. The train trip surprised me when it took me right through the breathtaking Swiss Alps. I'm talking huge mountains covered in snow, glaciers, rushing rivers, big blue lakes.. oh my gosh. The schoolkids on the train thought I was a brainless tourist probably, for taking so many photos out of a train window. But WOW!

9. Nice. The French Riviera. It was so lovely! Not really beautiful in the usual sense of the word.. but it had such a great atmosphere! The beach was only pebbles, and the cluttered French streets were quite dirty, but not as bad as Paris. But it was just so sunny and buzzing with people of all different kinds rollerblading along the Promenade, sunbaking on the beach, windsurfing... it was a lot of fun. It had such an energetic vibe, and definitely a lot of American influence. But it was nice. I really felt like I was on holiday!!


10. Santorini. I can't describe it!! Firstly, it was extremely HOT. I think it was around 36-38 degrees when I was there. You'd have a shower and walk outside and be sweating instantly. Nice. I stayed in Karterados, in the middle of the island and 30min walk from the main town, Fira. When I first walked to Fira, I walked up a steep street and came to an enormous view of the caldera. Aahhh! It was SO beautiful. The side of the island has dropped away when the volcano erupted, and they've built whitewashed buildings all down the steep sides, and those blue-domed churches. But most stunning is the enormous Aegean Ocean, which stretches for so far and is that amazing dark blue. While in Santorini for a week, I also caught the bus to the black volcanic-sand beaches of Kamari and Perissa (Perissa was my favourite) and also the red beach at Akrotiri. I also saw the famous unbroken sunset from Ia. This place was so photographable. I went crazy. I loved it there. I want to go back.