I went to Manyana

I went to Manyana and had the time of my life...

Like every single time we go, it's a period of pure glee and joy and happiness. It becomes a symbolic place. Every year it provides me with an opportunity to reflect upon my year and continue forward where I'm lacking in mobile cell reception, unwanted visitors and all other forms of technology. I can reach a place where I'm so in touch with nature and my passions. I listen to music and surf and walk and every single day I fall asleep and wake up to a view of the beach. I can detoxify not only my body but my mind. I can hear the waves and have time for myself and have the support and connection with my closest friends and family. I laugh constantly and smile and feel free. I don't know anyone else. I don't know anywhere else I feel so at peace and at home. I know the area like the back of my hand. We have been for 8 years straight now. A fair few life stages.. for all eight of us. Many New Years Eves', countless surfs and rekky's (both successful and unsuccessful), the loss and gain of our nearest and dearest, new friendships, new careers, a new dog... or two.... but always a pleasure, every year.

Elena xxx

Passion

Passion, taints my sanity and changes my mindset, it warps my judgements so that I become spontaneous, sometimes irrational but free and intoxicated.

The feeling of infinite positive human energy. Likeminded people in a screaming,dancing singing mess. A joyous atmosphere and an endless passion. Happiness within friendships, happiness within new people and new connections, good music, a packed car and meaningful and genuine conversations. A virtuous feeling of insanity and defeat. A daze and disconnection from reality. No sense of time and responsibility. A feeling of indescribable bliss and comfort. A surge of vitality. 

I feel charged with inspiration and ambition. Ready to take on the world with an open mind and a realistic view of future hardships. 

Learnt, is the idea that emotions stretch beyond ordinary everyday life and prove to be so much deeper than a smile or a frown.

Elena, xx

Travel- Florence

I'm Day #1- 24th December 2014

- 3 hour train ride

- Markets

- P'uome church

Day #2- 25th December 2014 (CHRISTMAS)

Christmas was quite strange. We didn't do the whole present giving thing that w would usually do in Sydney and tried to embrace our time in Florence instead of dwelling on missing our loved ones.

- Brioche and coffee in a cafe

- 1 hour walk to the other side of Florence to Gabs apartment

- Christmas lunch with Gabby, Patrick, Steve and Dani (our neighbors from Sydney who were doing air BNB and offered their cost apartment for Christmas lunch

- A walk in the main centre

Day #3- 26th December 2014

- The morning was spent in the laundromat

- Long walk and getting lost

- Met an old little Italian man

Day #4- 27th December 2014

- Ufizzi gallery

- Italian fine dining

Day #5- 28th December 2014

- 2 hour train ride to Pisa

Day #6- 29th December 2014

- 2 hour train trip to Sienna

Next stop- Venice

Elena, x

Travel- Rome

I absolutely loved Rome. I love the food and the culture and it's historic significance.

Day #1- 20th December 2014

- Shopping

- Exploring and finding our bearings

Day #2- 21st December 2014

- Colloseum w/ historic audio tour

- Spanish steps

- Art markets

- The Roman Forum

- Capitoline hill

Day #3- 22nd December 2014

- St. Peter's church

- The Vatican

Day #4- 23rd December 2014

- Walk around town

- Clothing markets

- Local markets

- Unkown church

Next stop- Florence.

Elena, x

The Glory of Foreign Travel

As far as I'm concerned, the glory of foreign travel comes from the ability to loose yourself in a foreign culture. I can't think of anything that excites me more than being completely and utterly oblivious. It's the same feeling you got when you were five years old... Everything excites you. You can't read anything. Only a rudimentary sense of how things work, how the world works, how people work. Your whole life, your whole existence, it becomes a guessing game. It becomes a series of interesting guesses.

And I'm not against looking at the huge icons of each country, I've been doin that and it's unexplainable. I think that it's great to take a squizz once but then to take it into your own hands, take a unique route and explore. I'm not too fond of ticking things off the list and collecting half hearted, semi treasure that will be placed in empty draws in dusty rooms. I want to learn more about my world than the newspapers accommodate and travel to bring what little I can, in my ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the world whose riches are differently disposed. Rather I want to explore a country and become part of it. I want to discover the small coffee shops in Italy and France and Switzerland. I want to walk through the Italian hills and get lost talking to unique people with a unique story. I want to meet people like me and people different to me, the people I can like all the same. I want to take pictures of people and places and things. To see things through new eyes. Most of all, I want to look at a map and remember  how I was transformed by the places I've been and the things I've seen.

I'll tell you what sparked this... This week we went in a walk and got so lost... For about 10km. A little Italian man saw my mum taking a photo and saw the little Australian flag in her fitness first backpack and stated "are you Australian? I love Australians!". We walked and talked. Dad and I got engulfed in a philosophical conversation. 

The first sentence he said was as he pointed to the nearby monestary was "I don't think I understand this whole religion thing. I believe in something else",  "poetry, art, love" I said and he chuckled and ecstatically said "yes, yes, poetry. I think poetry and nature". We went on to talk about the Italian government and I explained the parliament in Australia at the moment. At age 73 years old he had the dreeam of travelling to Australia with his wife. He said he had always desired to see the architecture in Sydney (he is an architect) and liked the "beautiful Australian women". This has to be one of the most lovely experiences since being in Europe and I would like to eventually, have many more.

TATA for now, Elena. 

Xx

My Ultimate Travel Playlist

I'm only 10% through my trip and I've been on aeroplanes and trains for atleast 50 hours.... Music has been a necessity. 

1. Childs Play- SZA ft. Chance the Rapper

2. Arthur remake- Chance the Rapper

3. The Wolves- Ben Howard

4. Creature Fear- Bon Iver

5. Say You Love Me- Jessie Ware

6. Toothpaste Kisses- Macabees

7. Wide Awake- Josh Record

8. Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover)- Daniela Andrade

9. To Build a Home- Cinematic Orchestra

10. Home (RAC Remix)- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

11. Everyday People- Arrested Development

12. 99 Red Balloons- Nena

13. Asleep- The Smiths

14. All I Want- Kodaline

15. Nina- Ed Sheeran

16.  The Boss- James Brown

17. Heartbeats (Filous and Mount Remix)- Jose Gonzalez

18. Liquid Spirit (20syl Remix)- Gregory Potter)

There you have it. My top 18 songs in my ultimate Europe/Travel playlist. 

Elena, x

P.s. Sorry I don't have YouTube links but I have limited access to computers so it's all on my phone...