Home, Sweet Home: Part 1

Over two years ago, I started this blog with the intention of documenting my experiences living, working and travelling abroad. Predominately, it would focus on my time teaching in Korea, though I always planned to backpack across Asia afterwards as well. For the longest time, my return to England seemed so far away it was barely worth considering. I was wrapped up in a new life, preoccupied by new friends, new environments, and of course, a new partner. Though I kept in contact with friends and family back home via Skype and Facebook, living abroad often felt like living in another dimension.

Valenciennes

By the end of October, Angela and I had been travelling for eight months straight, rarely stopping in one place for more than a week or two. Asia was far behind us, and we were quickly edging our way back to England via pit-stops in Sweden and France. Our very last stop before crossing the Channel would be Valenciennes, a town in northern France, close to the Belgian border. Angela lived and worked there for nine months back in 2012, not long before coming to Korea, so there were fond memories and lasting friendships drawing her back. In fact, one of her old friends, Libby, still lived in Valenciennes, and when she found out we'd be doing some travelling in France, she invited us to come and stay at her place for two nights.

Two Lovers in Paris: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

The next day, we went to the Eiffel Tower, enjoying some gaufres along the way.

Two Lovers in Paris: Part 1

The very first day that Angela and I met, one of the first things that brought us together was our mutual love of France and French culture. We'd both visited the country several times - Angela even living and working there for a year - and we loved sharing our stories, musing about potential future trips through Provence, Aquitaine or Normandy, and practicing our French with one another from time to time. During our time in Korea we even visited several French-themed tourist sights, such as Petite France, Seoul's French Quarter, and Paju's Provence Village. Nothing beats the real thing, however, so we were always looking forward to going to France together someday.

A Weekend in Stockholm: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

The next morning we explored Södermalm, a creative and trendy district just south of Gamla Stan.

A Weekend in Stockholm: Part 1

It's strange how the act of travel so frequently defies our expectations. Rarely does a country feel precisely as we imagined it, and no matter how many stories we've heard or photos we've seen, nothing compares to living and breathing the real thing. One thing I've learned from travel is that no country or city is a fixed constant, that they are always evolving, and places never feel quite the same when you return to them for a second or third visit. I think part of this is physical change - change of weather, new buildings, fashion trends, and so on - but the traveller's internal changes can also have a marked effect on the surroundings. Your mood, your energy, your circumstances...these can change the atmosphere or quality of a place in immeasurable ways.

Rishikesh - City of Yoga

Barring a brief return to Delhi, our final stop in India would be the small city of Rishikesh. It was only a half-hour tuk-tuk drive from our previous stop, Haridwar, and it's said that if you visit one you may as well visit the other. Plus, we'd met some fellow travellers who'd recommended Rishikesh to us for its relaxing, zen atmosphere, as a place to escape from the craziness of so many other Indian cities. Known as the yoga capital of the world, the Beatles famously stayed at an ashram there before returning to the UK to record the White Album.

Haridwar - City of Colours

It's pretty cool that after leaving Varanasi, which must have been the greyest, gloomiest, most shadowy city that we visited in India, our next destination was Haridwar, easily the most multicoloured, vibrant city on our journey. Like Varanasi, it's a holy city where people from all around flock to bathe in a river, though up here in the mountains of Uttarakhand, it's a much cleaner affair. In Varanasi, the Ganges looks like a fetid, moving swamp, whereas in Haridwar it's much cooler and more crystalline. Granted, this is India so I'd be surprised if it's that clean, but at least it looks the part. In any case, while it might not have the same wow-factor as Varanasi, it's a much more accessible, relaxing place for a tourist to explore, with fewer touts and a much more sanitary atmosphere.

Varanasi - City of the Dead: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

Varanasi - City of the Dead: Part 1

I've been keeping this blog for over two years, and for most of that time I've updated it at a steady pace, rarely documenting anything more than two or three weeks after the event. However, since Angela and I finally made it to the UK towards the end of last month, and since we've been visiting friends and family that I've not seen for two years, as well as doing lots of job-hunting, I've now lost all motivation to finish these remaining blog posts. Well, not all motivation, otherwise I wouldn't even be writing this. But let's just say I'm too preoccupied by other matters to churn out these things at the rate I once did. I'll finish, eventually. But I don't know if I have the energy to put out more than a few per posts month, and I may not always write them with much depth or clarity of thought.