Tales of a Yank

Welcome back to Where In The World Wednesday! Last week I took you all with me to Israel for a camel ride. This week, I’m sharing with you one of the most famous posed photos there is that can be only taken in the small Italian town of Pisa. I literally stopped in Pisa for an hour lunch-break before heading down to spend a few days in Florence. I did what everyone comes to Pisa to do: I held up the leaning tower.

Well, I almost got the perfect shot! I still, to this day, wish I had gotten a photo of the sidewalk. It may sound like an odd thing to photograph, but the row of people shouting “Tip your fingers forward! Okay, now lean back!” accompanied by a second row of posers performing balancing acts would have been quite a sight to capture!

I can’t say I’ll ever make my way back to Pisa, at least not intentionally, but I am pleased that I got my cheesy photo.

Where In The World will I be next Wednesday? Check back to find out!

Where In The World Wednesday is back and this time I’m taking you to the Middle East! That’s right, today’s location is Israel.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit this country on two occasions and have been in love since I stepped off the plane. History aside, the beauty of this tiny country that is the size of New Jersey – but with a terrain as diverse as the whole of the United States – is unbelievable.

This photo was taken on my second trip to Israel where I went courtesy of Birthright. Who in their right mind would turn down a free 10-day trip overseas? Not I!

My best friend and I are pictured here enjoying a camel ride through the Negev. We were very fortunate that Thomas (as we named him) did not spit on us and was pretty well-behaved as camels go.

If you decide you’d like to participate in Where In The World Wednesdays feel free to include a link to this post so that I can check out where you’ve been! The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you in someplace in the world… it doesn’t have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider travelling.

Looking forward to seeing your installments!

It’s Wednesday again and you know what that means… Where In The World Wednesday is back!

The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you in someplace in the world… it doesn’t have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider travelling.

Before I left on my Euro-trip in the summer of 2008, I spent a few weeks in Belize with my Dad and Brother, primarily scuba diving and exploring Ambergris Caye in our little golf cart… an island where the only cars are taxis!

On our few off-diving days, we went back to the mainland to go zip-lining through the rain forest and (on this day) to head to Lamanai, the site of ancient Mayan ruins. We hiked to the top of this very vertical climb (thanks to a handy guide rope) and the views were incredible. I loved this holiday because incorporated my beloved beach and diving time with exploration and history.

Keep your eyes peeled for next Wednesday’s installment!

In an effort to revive this blog, I have decided to participate in Where In The World Wednesdays, the brainchild of the lovely Classy in Philadelphia.

This Yank has travelled far and wide, and although my time in Australia is coming to a close (for now … more on that later), I thought this would be a good way to celebrate my travels.

To kick-off this new Wednesday tradition, what better place to start than where my whole Aussie adventure began: Santorini, Greece.

A trip to the Greek Islands was exactly what the doctor ordered after my whirlwind trip around Southwest Europe. Lounging along Perissa Beach with my girlfriend sipping a Mythos and munching on a Greek Salad was how I spent most of my days, but on this particular day we decided to be a bit adventurous and rent quad bikes. We scoped out red sand beaches and our many wrong turns led us to the most breath-taking views. Santorini was my favourite Greek Island and I highly recommend taking a holiday to relax there… or to enjoy the typically cheap 3 Euro cocktails, either one.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s locale!

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money.

Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” – Susan Heller

Living on a Working Holiday visa, I am always thinking about my next move as nothing is set in stone. Ideally, I would love to stay in Melbourne for a few years, but the odds have been stacked against me. Finding sponsorship is a difficult task, especially in an already competitive field like public relations. I essentially scrapped that plan a few months ago and opted to enjoy the flexibility that temping had to offer.

Temping has allowed me to escape on holidays to Indonesia and to take impromptu trips up to Brisbane. It has allowed me a sense of routine when needed, but also the ability to decline a day of work when I’d rather hit up the beach in St. Kilda. It has been a great way to help me enjoy my time in Australia by supplying a semi-regular income.

After being away from Philly for nearly a year and a half, the idea of settling somewhere is very appealing. That being said, I feel like I still have a year left in me to be unsettled and to find that city that I’d like to call home. The ultimate goal of my traipsing about the globe is to find somewhere that I fall into step – a city where I share the rhythm. Some days, I feel this way about Melbourne. Living as an expat is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything, but I would like to find a place that I could actually warrant laying down roots, without fear of deportation.

My one hope for the New Year is that I find a place I can tolerate calling home – a place that I’m allowed to stay.

What are you hoping for in the New Year?