New York

I spent a day travelling to NYC and arrived exhausted at my hotel around 6pm. It was a great walk especially because it led me right through times square to my hostel which is in a great location, pretty much on the corner of 63rd West and central park west. I was up early and caught the subway downtown and got on the Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I enjoyed seeing the statue of liberty up close but I had seen it before as this is my second visit to NYC. However I was very impressed by Ellis island. Ellis island is basically a tiny island off Manhattan used to process the immigrants but holds so much history and really tells the story behind America's reputation and why it was given the name "the land of the free". After this I decided to once again visit little Italy but I was once again disappointed in the fact that china town is over running the place. Also the fact that I believe Little Italy is not as authentic as China town but more a tourist attraction. Because when you enter china town you could actually feel like you are in china and I wish I could say the same for Little Italy. That afternoon I visited ground zero and was very impressed with the memorial. The memorial is two giant cube waterfalls in the ground where the towers once stood and around the outside it has the names of the lives lost. After a full on day I headed uptown to have dinner at a restaurant recommended by Connie. It was really good apart from eating by myself. The next day I went to the high rise which is an old rail track(suspended above ground) that has been converted into a boardwalk/park and is full of art and surprises as you walk and I would defiantly suggest to anyone who visits NYC to go check it out. That afternoon I met up with Mary and her friend Elizabeth. We grabbed some pizza for dinner and then headed into Brooklyn that night for a party. It was good fun and what was even better was that overnight we stayed in Elizabeths friends apartment on Park Avenue! The next day we just hung out, ended up back in Brooklyn so the girls could catch up with a friend and then in the afternoon the three of us went our separate ways. I went back and packed and had an early night as it was an early start to fly out of JFK and back home to Perth!!!


This was the trip of a lifetime and I can not wait to get out and explore the world again!

Maine

After reuniting with Connie and Ed my host parents we had dinner in Bangor and then drove straight out to their holiday house(camp) just under an hour away. I spent the next couple of days relaxing, eating good healthy home cooked meals and having fun in the lake. There are so may fun things to do at camp and I spent my time swimming, kayaking, lying on the giant water trampoline and sailing Ed's little boat. I eventually made it back to town, went to a party and caught up with old friends and crashed in Mary's basement for the night. The next day I was straight back out to camp and had a great day with everyone and was joined by my host sister Cami, her husband Sam and their new cute puppy Tank. It was just another day in paradise with sun and water, good food and fun people.

After two more nights at camp I headed down to Bowden university with Mary to see our mate Karl who is working there over the summer(thanks to Connie who was driving south and went out of her way to drop us off) we stayed two nights in his small apartment on campus and had heaps of fun. During the day we explored the town and in the evenings we caught up with his mates for some drinks and had some fireworks as they had just become legal in Maine. It was sad to say goodbye especially after such a short visit but my next stop was NYC for four nights.

After all my travelling I have realised how much I like Maine. It is one of the places in the world where I feel a similar comfort I have from being at home.

Reggio Emilia in Italia

I was met at the Reggio Emilia train station by Lucas and Gabriele. After a quick shower at Gabriele's place we drove over to Daniele's house where his family was having a barbeque as it was lucas' last night. It was great to catch up with old friends as the last time I had seen Gabriele was half a year ago in Australia and Daniele the same but it had been a few years. The food at this barbeque was great! We started off with different cheeses(all local) and really good quality prosciutto. As for the wine Gabriele and Daniele's fathers buy the wine by the barrel from the winery's and bottle it themselves and it taste delicious. Like many barbeques we had too much meat, a whole mix of sausages and meat cuts and everything was great quality. We ate, drank and talked until late and finished with some grappa and amazing ice cream!

The next morning we prepared Lucas as he would be departing that afternoon for Milan and then begin his travel back to Australia. Before he packed we went to buy some cheese to bring home and I also purchased some and am looking forward to eating it when I arrive back in Australia. That afternoon Lucas and I said goodbye once more and Gab and I relaxed the rest of the afternoon. That night we went into town and caught up with Gab's friends and they showed me around the different Piazzas in town and their favourite bars. We spent the next few days sleeping in late, eating good food and catching up with mates. On the Sunday Gabriele, his parents and I traveled to Lake Garda which is a couple hours north. It is beautiful there with the warm sun and bright blue water surrounded by green hills. We met some of gabriele's family including his grandparents and ate out at a restaurant for lunch. The rest of my time there was spent socializing and just eating amazing food and practicing my Italian. My time in Reggio Emilia was great and I'm so glad I got to catch up with a good friend and I hope he can make it back to Australia soon. I said goodbye to Gabriele after staying 4 nights and caught the train back to Milan. From there I flew to London and then the next morning took a flight to Boston in USA. Once in Boston I caught the bus up to the state of Maine to the city of Bangor where I was reunited with my host parents Connie and Ed!

Prague and Pilsen

Karl and I got a train from Berlin and met Martin at the main station. It was so good catching up as it had been three years since we had all been together and decided to stop off for a beer on the way to our accommodation . We were so lucky as Martin had organised for us to sleep at some offices used for the young conservatives organisation of the czech republic which he is a member of and it has a few beds and a bathroom. We headed out that night starting at a whiskey bar and then continuing around town tasting many of the different beers Prague had to offer. The next morning we were up early as Martin took us on a tour of the city, we started at the palace and continued down past Charles' bridge and finished in the main town square. Prague is a beautiful city and really does make you feel like you have stepped back in time with all of the old buildings and stone streets. So then that afternoon we grabbed our things and Martin drove us to his home town Pilsen which is just under an hours drive. That night we went into town and drank delicious beer. I had never tasted beer like this before and all my questions were answered when Martin told us that this beer was connected to the brewery via a pipe line about 400m away and has not been pasteurised and was unfiltered. After that pub we went to another which is part of a chain of pubs were you sit at your table with its own tap and even a glass cleaner and every time you pour your beer you can select your tab which is heaps of fun. Once again we were up early and went into Pilsen to do some sightseeing of the town, we climbed the cathedral tower which is the tallest one in the czech republic, admired the old buildings and streets and most importantly went for a tour of the Pilsen brewery. There we learnt the history behind the beer and the impact it has today on most of the beers around the world. The best part of the tour was when we were brought underground into the natural fridges of the brewery that they use to use for the storage of the beer and had a glass of beer that had been brewed and stored in a barrel. That to date is the best beer I have ever had. After the tour we had lunch at the restaurant and ate more traditional czech food which consisted of meat with dumplings until we were stuffed. That night we were all so tired that we had a night in. After a sleep in and a BBQ lunch we were back in Prague and doing what we do best. Later that night we went into the 6 storey night club which was good fun, the different levels played different types of music so we spent our time going up and down the levels getting a little bit of everything. The next morning I departed for the airport and got a flight to Milan and then a train to Reggio Emilia. At the station I met another friend Gabriele who lives in Reggio and and is letting me stay at his places and also met Lucas who was staying his last night before he flew back home to Australia.