You should be rolling with me..

Rome – Tuscany –  Siena – Pisa – Florence – Cinque Terre

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Cinque Terre

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscan Countryside

Siena

Siena

Pisa

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Florence

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

We jumped in our super rad pink-palm-tree covered van and hit the road. North, was the direction, Florence was the obligatory stop. However, first we cruised through the tuscany country side, bought some delicious cold cuts and wine in Siena, had ice cream in Pisa and a flat tire on the outskirts of Lucca.

With a flat tire we parked for the night in a secluded spot with a great view of a mountain. Daniel started to cook us a delicious dinner while I pulled a few sassy badass moves and changed the tire. Amanda provided moral support of the finest kind and snapped a few photos.

The next morning we rolled on to Florence where we checked in to a cheap hotel for a shower before suiting up for a day on the historical streets of beautiful Florence. After a day of drinking delicious wine and eating a decent amount of Italian cuisine in the artistic metropol of Europe we hit the road once again, to spend a night by the coast in the stunning region of Cinque Terre.

Italy is as delicious as it is gorgeous, and we were excited to see what the most northern end had to offer as we sidetracked past Portofino before bypassing Milano on our journey towards Switzerland.

Rome

When life gives us lemons, we squeeze out a Eurotrip. 

This is the quote that made sense of our spontaneous idea of embarking on this crazy roadtrip with such short notice and on a tight budget. The three of us have been living in Australia for the last five years together, two inseparable bestfriends, two soulmates and three partners in crime. But sometimes life just happens, life changing things just show up on your doorstep and whether you like it or not, you have to deal with it. This trip was about taking on one of those life changing things by making lemonade out of the lemons. It was a remarkable trip, which we knew would end in a heartbreaking movie kind of soul-wrecking goodbye. But if two soulmates were to part after 9 years of companionship, one last adventure together is a must. To close the chapter to what has been an amazing 9 year journey, the three of us set out to explore central Europe.

This great adventure started in the staggering City of Rome.

We fell in love with Rome, but who wouldn’t? It is a remarkable place, filled with so much history, architecture and culture, not to mention the gorgeous food and wine. We spent our days just wandering the streets for hours, making sure we passed by some of the main attractions, such as the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and Colosseum.

However, we also made sure that we just took it all in, not just the touristy bits, but the actual wandering on the streets of this ancient city. Let atmosphere be a key word here.  

We of course ticked both Roman Forum, Colosseum and the Vatican of our bucket lists, which were all staggering, but what we fell in love with most of all was the neighbourhood Trastevere. Narrow alleyways, with gorgeous old architecture covered in greens climbing across from all angles. Bars and restaurants reeking with the smell of delicious food, and street artists trying the sell their perception of the unexplainable atmosphere of Trastevere portrayed on canvases.

Cheese platters, if we are anything we are cheese platter fanatics, red wine included. And we found heaven spread all over Europe. In Trastevere there is a little place called the La Prosciutteria, with an unforgettable tasting platter and ambience. This may have been our first cheese platter on this trip but it sure was not our last. After three wonderful days in Rome we hit the road towards Tuscany, Cinque Terre & Florence. The trip had only just begun..

Cambodia

What an adventure..

Cambodia, what a stunning country. Filled with such horrifying history, wonderful people, remarkable temples and amazing french colonial architecture. I am in love.

Kalbarri Road Trip

Those spontaneous road trips where you sleep in the trunk of the car, have country music on repeat, experience stunning views and drink cold beers… 

DCIM107GOPRO

DCIM107GOPRO

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DCIM107GOPRO

DCIM107GOPRO

Stirling Range Part II

Bluff Knoll / 1099m / Stirling Range National Park / South West WA

Stirling Range Part I

Moingup Springs Camping Area / Stirling National Park / South West, WA

Toolbrunup Mountain / 1052m above sea level / difficulty rating 5 out of 6

This hiking, exploring and adventuring thing has really got us hooked. So many new doors have opened once we realised how awesome nature is, and how a view is so much more stunning and gratifying when it requires blood, sweat and tears. It is not just about seeing the world, it is about experiencing the world. (Isn’t that a sophisticated bunch of inspiring words.)

Anyways, we love to travel, which should not be a surprise to those who know us. It is almost an addiction, on which our last pennies are being spent. This little get away was on a tight budget, and with a limited amount of time, but still absolutely amazing. It’s not always about how far you travel. About 6 hours was enough for us to feel like we were on an adventure in another world.

Just above Albany in South West of Australia, the Stirling Range National Park emerge with its stunning mountain ridges and numerous peaks, tickling the clouds.We headed down early Friday morning to this magical place to spend two nights in our three-man tent, in the cozy bush camping area Moingup Springs. Saturday morning we set out to conquer the second highest mountain in the South West, which is one of the most difficult mountains to summit. And they were not kidding when they assigned the difficulty rating on this mountain. When we finally reached the top peak, the first question was “how the heck are we gonna get down from here?”. A long breather and a lot of photos later, we descended down the mountain, and quickly realised that the over enthusiastic idea of climbing another peak that same day was not really viable. We gave our sore legs a rest and headed to Albany where we got a wave from Prince Charles. Random much?

Denise

Dolphins & Blue Tongues

We woke up in a decent time this Saturday morning, and decided that we should head out for a walk or so before the storm arrives and leave us wet for a couple of days. We headed to the coast in our workout gear, with a power walk and maybe some squats in mind. However, in the car I (Denise) get a sudden burst of energy and the thought of a run hits me. I share this thought out loud, and the look of horror on Amanda’s face was just priceless. She seldom minds a run but she doesn’t like the sudden change of plans when it comes to such activities. Nonetheless, we set out on our 5k run, which we quickly regret as it has been a while since last time. Luckily we’re a pair of tough nuts, stubborn to the bone, so we drag ourselves the 5k and attempt on what probably looked like a pretty pathetic last 100m spurt. Very pleased with ourselves, we head home to feast on this delicious sallad and smoothie, after a pit stop at the bottleo to pick up some red wine for the night.

Ps. The title is inspired by what could have been a tragic accident for a blue tongue lizard, who almost got crushed by me, as I was too busy dragging my heavy exhausted body forward while looking at the dolphins. Poor guy.

The End of an Era

 

Graduation

That feeling when you tick another one off the bucket list!

I have now officially graduated from ECU, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, Criminology and Justice. It has been a rollercoaster ride and the best decision I have ever made. Not only have the education expanded my knowledge within the fields that I have studied, but it has also provided me with tools to broaden my view of life and people. I have gained a better understanding of how the world works, from methods and theories of research to the biology and psychology of people. But more importantly I have learnt to appreciate the oh so important element of critical thinking. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey of mine, who have supported me, laughed and cried with me, but most of all inspired me!

“ipsa scientia potestas est” / ‘knowledge itself is power’

Down South Road Trip – Part 2

A picture say more than 1000 words, but it would never ever describe the feeling on that spot, in that moment.. I just want you guys to know that travelling and embracing adventures is the best thing you can do in life. Don’t be afraid of trying new things, it will either be a great story for your grandchildren to hear, or just an embarrassing moment that you will have a great laugh at later… So go for it, love life and don’t let your dreams only be dreams!

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.”
Oprah Winfrey