The Rose in the Lily Pond

Trevi Fountain There is something a bit magic about Rome. Since returning from a four day sojourn, I have been on a movie binge, watching anything and everything set in Rome. This has led me to watch some terrible romantic-comedies in the process which have made me wish for the 2 hours of my life back, but also some wonderful stories - mostly about love. I got a thrill seeing settings I had just visited such as the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Vatican City portrayed on screen. The Colosseum And there is definitely a reason that so many love stories (and terrible rom-coms) are set in this city. When the backdrop is Roman ruins, beautiful detailed sculptures, fountains and works of art, it certainly sets the stage for something extraordinary to happen. I found myself walking around with a dopey grin on my face, awe struck most of the time, loving everything I was seeing. Found inside a small church Colourful buildings with purple flowers spilling over t...

In the space of eating a waffle on the streets of Brussels, we saw a guy wearing a top hat riding a bike, a homeless man rip up a loaf of bread and throw it in the gutter while yelling obscenities, and a whole lot of other weird and interesting sights. It was like the whole spectrum of human existence was passing our table with every skin tone, culture, subculture, sexuality, social class, and religion imaginable. The capital of the European Union is the second most diverse city in the world, after Dubai, with more than half its residents not born in Belgium. Mural found on the streets of Brussels - destruction while flying a peace flag Coming from Auckland, which is in the top five most diverse cities in the world, it was so refreshing to see an array of people who didn’t look like me. I felt at home among the multi-cultural vibrancy and it also meant we got to try an array of food. Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai - pretty much any cuisine you coul...

I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. A day where a city stops churning and everyone takes to the streets, or to the water, to party. People from all over the Netherlands, as well as us tourists, descend on Amsterdam to celebrate King’s Day. The city is transformed into one giant festival for the King’s birthday and whether you support the idea of a monarchy or not, it’s a great day to be a part of. Small stages are set up outside bars with djs and artists playing and party goers dancing to one harmonious positive beat.   Amsterdam is usually a hazard nightmare to walk around - I have developed a fear of trams and imagine my early death getting squished by these frequent and convenient metal trolleys every time I step out of the train station. And if it isn’t the trams that you have to watch out for, it’s the cyclists who seem to have a vendetta against pedestrians. However on King’s Day, pedestrians rule the roost. Public transport stops in Amsterdam and vehicle...

The Brandenburg Gate wasn't accessible to east and west Beliners during the Cold War, but now it's bustling with activity.   Grit. If I could describe Berlin in one word, this would be it. It has grit. It is grimey and cool. Its residents are diverse in ethnicity and lifestyle with diversity celebrated - after all embracing the differences is what seems to unite them as Berliners. We saw a homeless person selling magazines on the subway interacting with the people on the train - instead of people pretending like he wasn’t there and avoiding eye contact at all costs. The area where we stayed in Neukölln is home to a lot of middle eastern cultures, as well as students, artists, hipsters and punks. For a city that was once the headquarters for one of the most divisive and brutal regimes in history, it has separated from its past, and you get the feeling by all the alternative haircuts and colours that it embraces people as they are. I have never seen a city w...

A tulip field on the bike ride to Lisse. Love those cherry blossoms in the background! The Netherlands is in bloom. Yellow and white daffodils, cherry blossoms, and brilliant and radiant tulips of every colour are patched together in the fields to make one giant, colourful quilt. The colour, combined with warmer temperatures and the promise of summer, has moods lifted. People are shedding their winter coats, sitting outside in parks and cafes and enjoying the sun - even if that means shivering in 14 degree temperatures. So much blossom Coming from the temperate climate of Auckland where the changes in the seasons are subtle, it’s wonderful to see Haarlem transform from winter to spring. When even a sniff of sun pokes through the clouds, a festive atmosphere develops, with people queuing for gelatos and playing in the park. Blue sky is something to be cherished and celebrated here, not taken for granted, especially when coming out of a grey and gloomy winter.  ...

The Grote Kerk, Haarlem, Netherlands “Mmmm to the left to the left, everything you own in a box to the left.” These Beyonce lyrics may one day save your life. If you come from a left-hand driving country to one that drives on the right, this will be your anthem and constant reminder to look left when crossing the road. I, along with friends, adopted this technique when I was studying in Salamanca, Spain and got a swift reminder to reinstate singing this little number every time I step out the door in Haarlem, Netherlands. I automatically looked right, stepped out and almost got taken out by a bike. Its rider managing to come to a stop centimeters away from me while yelling something in Dutch which I feel fortunate enough to not yet understand. I had a camera around neck, a massive branding mark that I’m a tourist, and I apologise in English. It feels almost like a rite of passage to nearly get run over by a bike in my first week, but I also feel clumsy stumbling around, k...

It took a sweet little old lady who barely spoke a word of English to remind me that Christmas isn’t all bad. Whether you are a Christmas lover or hater it’s an extremely stressful time of year. I am more in the hater camp and resent that I have to spend some of my holiday time in queues. Aucklanders spend enough of their lives waiting around in traffic during the working week. The supermarket and shopping mall become a cesspool of stressed out, strung out people who look likely to snap at a moment’s notice. It is supposed to be a time of giving and generosity, but on Christmas Eve, shopping is my least favourite task imaginable. I hadn’t left myself much choice however as I tend to operate on a last minute, or not at all, basis and I was on a mission to get shortbread, mascarpone and strawberries. I had to go to three separate stores and line up in three incredibly long queues to buy the items individually, due to stock being depleted by the hoards of last minuters. I ...