Harassed

Let it go
So far, the trip has gone remarkably well, without any incidents or accidents. Well, until Istanbul. Walking home from the hamam and the restaurant on Tuesday, I passed into my neighborhood, an area of Beyoglu that is clearly poorer, more run-down than the blocks around Istiklal street. The houses are old, some abandoned, the streets […] Read More

Just a dream

Let it go
One week ago I was strolling through Tokyo on my last day. Then I flew home and spent a couple of days there, seeing friends and family… and I had a feeling of familiarity, that kind of made the memory of the first trip vaguely bizarre… as if I had only dreamt it all up. Being […] Read More

75825 kilometers

Let it go
As I really like statistics and numbers, like the longest flight, the plane models etc, I kept track of all that data on my travels. After the first trip around the globe, here are the statistics: In total I travelled 75825 kilometers, which is roughly 1.9 times the circumference of the Earth. This figure includes the flights, the […] Read More

Osaka

Let it go
These two weeks in Tokyo have passed way to fast. I do regret a bit that I did not stick with my initial plan to stay four full weeks in Tokyo. I had feared I would be lost in translation (and I am!) and be bored like in the movie… What a big error. There’s […] Read More

Train ride through Nippon

Let it go
Next week, I’ll get my Japan Rail pass. I ordered it in New Zealand, as you can only acquire it from abroad. Two weeks for 330 Euros, (nearly) all trains except some few super-mega-express Shinkansen trains. But most of the high speed Shinkansen trains are covered… You just can’t beat that. So I had to […] Read More

Heading South

Let it go
I woke up to a great sky and decided I’ll hit the road early, no detours…  choosing the fastest track, an easy-to-navigate highway. The cliché that there are more sheep in New Zealand than people is surely true. I stopped counting… Farmland, forests and hills make up most of the scenery. Sheep, cows and bulls! […] Read More

İstanbul’a hoşgeldiniz!

Let it go
It took some time to figure it out, because I have no idea about Istanbul and because there were so many offers on Airbnb. Prices varied a lot, too. Some places looked fantastic and had corresponding prices, some looked great, and the price was ok… I think I found middle ground. I’ll be there from […] Read More

Mr. & Mrs. Howell

Let it go
On my last day in Melbourne I finally made it to the restaurant where Kate works: Mr. & Mrs. Howell. Mr. & Ms Howell is located on bustling Sydney Road in Brunswick, a lively neighborhood in the north of Melbourne, not unlike Fitzroy. It got its name from two characters from the US sitcom Gilligan’s Island. […] Read More

Nakameguro

Let it go
If you have the impression that I am doing nothing else in Sydney than preparing the rest of the trip around the world, you are (partially) right. The thing is: I really need to get going and book. I was sometimes too lazy and indecisive to prepare, but it’s really better to do it earlier… […] Read More

Darlinghurst home

Let it go
The flight was good, then I took the train from the airport, which got me into the center pretty fast. I dragged my luggage to my new temporary home – through Sydney’s rather old, elevator-less metro, saving the cab fare. I’m pretty central, very close to Oxford Street, in a little Airbnb home, with two […] Read More

Melbs (Part II)

Let it go
And I found my place for the little two-day return to Melbourne at the end of February, in between Sydney and Auckland. It’s a bit a result of mis-planning, I was so slow to decide – or better: I was too lazy to take any decision at all – that Kate already had another host […] Read More

Ponsonby

Let it go
I feel like all I am doing is booking an checking out itineraries lately. I had to plan the rest of Australia, Tasmania, Sydney, check hotels and airbnb, flight, best prices… (don’t book on expedia.com.au but on expedia.com – it’s 20% cheaper if you go via the US site – same flights….) I urgently needed […] Read More