Rollercoaster ride to Surfers

After eight months of being back in my hometown of Perth, Australia - the most isolated city in the world - I was finally on my way to my next holiday... this time in Australia. The Gold Coast on Queensland's Sunshine Coast had been a place I wanted to visit ever since I was a teen and a planned family trip was cancelled last minute. Now back from London, it was on my list of holidays for the next year along with Hong Kong and Japan.

My partner and I met my cousin and her husband in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast and we weren't greeted by the best weather. Rain for the first three days and sunshine for the next four, Gold Coast definitely lived up to it's tropical climate.

Surfers Paradise beach

The Gold Coast's biggest tourist attractions are it's four main theme parks - Movie World, Wet 'n' Wild, Sea World and Dream World. We spent four days exploring these parks and enjoying all the thrill seeking rides. One of the best things was being there in off season meaning there weren't long lines, however it also meant that there were a number of attractions closed for maintenance. Some of my highlights were the Superman, Green Lantern and Scooby-Doo at Movie World; polar bears and penguins at Sea World; Tower of Terror and Buzzsaw at Dream World; and FlowRider, Kamikazee and Tornado at Wet 'n' Wild. 

On the Superman ride at Movie World

Penguins at Sea World

Buzzsaw at Dream World

Ready to ride a slide at Wet 'n' Wild

I must say after four days of theme parks, we were definitely over them. Whilst on the Gold Coast we also enjoyed a romantic dinner at Palazzo Versace, VIP treatment at Draculas including show and dinner (strongly encourage booking the VIP option as the vampires make it known who's high rolling and who's poor), shooting at the shooting range (watch your ears), a visit to the casino in Broadbeach, a night out at Sin City and Vanity nightclub, and everything else Gold Coast. 

In the foyer at Palazzo Versace

Some of the characters at Draculas

Meter Maids in Surfers Paradise

A taste of the Big Apple

New York City had been on my list of places to visit for some time now, so when it was finally booked and my last stop before returning home, I couldn't wait for it to arrive! What I wasn't prepared for though was the weather - we just happened to be there for the hottest week of the summer where high temperatures and New York's humidity equalled quite a sticky situation.

Besides the weather I thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Malado and her sister for five days (which wasn't long enough). Here are my top 10 from my trip to the Big Apple.

1) Bike riding through and around Central Park

2) Time Square at night

3) Spending the day with my family who I met for the first time and enjoying an American BBQ

4) Shopping - all the best brands!

5) Magnolia Bakery and other locations from some of my favourite TV series'

6) Rooftop bars in the Meatpacking District

7) View of the Statue of Liberty on the ferry to Statton Island

8) View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge

9) Going to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx

10) Grand Central Station... just like the movies!

I'm going to Toronto...

An eight hour flight and five hour time difference took we across the Atlantic Ocean to Toronto, Canada. I spent the next five days with an amazing friend I met four years ago while travelling on a bus tour around Europe. Malado greeted me at the airport and we made our way to her condo in downtown Toronto - I love condos!!

Quality time with my girl on top of her condo

Over the five days Malado showed me around her city, we hung out with her friends and family, enjoyed the nightlife and celebrated my 25th birthday together.

Some of the top things to do in Toronto are:

1) CN Tower - take a lift up the CN Tower, Toronto's tallest building, to get a 360 degree view of Toronto. Malado treated me to lunch at the 360 restaurant on the very top of the tower where we enjoyed a three course set menu.

CN Tower

Toronto from above

Birthday lunch at 360 restaurant overlooking Toronto

2) Niagara Falls - take a road trip to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake for the day. Buy a ticket for Maid of the Mist and take a boat to America's falls and Canada's falls where you end up soaked from the mist of the falls. Niagara is also home to Toronto's nearest casino. On the way home stop past Niagara on the Lake for more beautiful scenery.

Picturesque Niagara

Soaked on the Maid of the Mist tour

Niagara Falls - America (left) & Canada (right)

Niagara on the Lake

3) Centre Island - Take a 10 minute ferry across Lake Ontario to Centre Island for the day. Enjoy a Canadian lunch and hire some bikes to explore the island.

Centre Island

Hamburger and sweet potato chips!

Bike riding at Centre Island

4) Try some Canadian beer - Steam Whistle Brewery is in the heart of Toronto.

Steam Whistle Brewery

Enjoying a sample of Steam Whistle

5) Other cool things to see and explore are Dundas Square (a mini Times Square), The Real Sports Bar & Grill (one of North America's largest), Toronto's underground city which is populated during winter, Tim Hortons coffee, a meal at Swiss Chalet and Toronto's nightlife.

Dundas Square

Toronto from a rooftop bar

Coffee time!

Highlights of London

My decision to move to London for six months to work was life changing. Not only did I gain international work experience, I also made friends from around the world, shared a house with four other people, went on numerous weekend trips and explored the ins and outs of London.

Where it all began... in an English pub!

London has plenty to offer all travellers. It's alive with West End musicals, museums, art galleries, shopping, concerts and music festivals, famous sites, multicultural eateries, red double decker buses, amazing cupcakes and of course home to the Royal Family.

Westminster Abbey

London signature pose!

St James Park

I made the most of key celebratory days as well - having a few drinks in an Aussie pub for Australia Day, spending Chinese New Year in Chinatown, watching the Oxford vs Cambridge rowing race, frequenting an Irish pub for St Patty's Day, lining the streets for the Royal Wedding, attending Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse, watching the Pride Parade and getting a glimpse of the Harry Potter premiere at Trafalga Square.

Royal Ascot

Australia Day at Waxy O'Connors 

One of my favourite pastimes and memories from London was the many dinner parties I shared with friends and the great friendships I made. We shared meals from different cultures, frequented galleries and museums together, explored London night life and went on road trips.

Chinese New Year dinner party

Tequila for Spanish night

Some of my all time favourite London things were Big Ben, Harrods, watching The Lion King musical, high tea at the Ritz, pimms, shopping in Topshop, and Portobello, Camden and Borough Food Markets.

Big Ben

Harrods

Camden Canal

Abbey Road crosswalk

Such an amazing city with so much life - I look forward to returning one day to relive my experience!

Ending it all in true British style - pie and pimms!

Goodbye dinner with all my favourite London friends xx

Back to my roots

One of my most memorable experiences whilst travelling was a visit to my nonna's (grandma's) home town on the south east coast of Italy. Roccella in Calabria is a quiet coastal town which comes alive in summer with festivals and tourists. My great uncle (my nonna's brother) still lives in the family home where my nonna grew up and that was where I stayed with him, his wife and daughter.

My uncle's house where my grandma grew up

Over my four day visit my days consisted of a caffe latte and biscotti for breakfast; a few hours at the beach with crystal clear, warm waters; and a scrumptious lunch comprising pasta, cutlets or zucchini patties with salad, vegetables and the famous buffalo mozzarella. After lunch in true Italian style, we took a siesta until it cooled down a little and then returned to the beach. Our dinners were fairly light with cold meats, fruit and pastries. It was definitely a lifestyle I could get used to!

Enjoying the Mediterranean Sea

I visited more relatives, took a tour of the town's castle, went for a drive to Siderno and Cavalogna, was treated to brioche e gelato (a sweet bread with ice-cream), went to a festa in Monasteri with my cousin, and enjoyed pizza by the port.

Brioche e gelato!

The castle from my uncle's balcony

Visiting Roccella was an unbelievable experience! It has encouraged me to explore more of my roots and return one day.

Day trip to the English coast

When my friend was sold two return train tickets from London to Brighton - on the south coast of England - I jumped at the opportunity to take the day trip with her. We arrived in Brighton around 10.30am after a 1.5 hour train journey and were met by chilly conditions, despite it being summer. It didn't take us long to start winding in and out of Brighton's finest vintage and jewellery stores before stopping for some famous fish and chips.

Fish and chips

Following lunch we walked through the Pavillion Gardens, saw the Royal Pavillion and made our way to the beach and Brighton Pier, which was alive with people, games and rides.

Royal Pavillion

Brighton Beach

We ended the day in true English style with afternoon tea!

My delicious triple chocolate brownie!