New York, New York!!

I have no idea where to even start with New York, what a place. It is huge and there is so much going on. The city is just so alive all the time! The Grand Southern Contiki Tour that I did finished in New York City so I decided to spend three days there before flying back to London. Three days was totally not enough time...

New York City is just busting at the seams with things to do, to see, to experience and of course one of my favourites things to eat! After spending 29 days in the US since I began my journey in Los Angeles I had encountered BIG food already - portions that could be gigantic! Starbucks even has a size bigger than venti (WHAT??!!!) that is a lot of coffee even for me (and that is saying something!). Little did I know that New York was going to pull out all the stops with the largest and cheapest pizza slices I have ever had! And wait for it the BIGGEST piece of cheesecake I have ever been served. Let's just say that I provided a bit of morning entertainment to the table of girls next to me at Carnegie Deli while I attempted to eat it. To give you an idea it was so big that I was just eating it from the side and the waitress even came over to check if everything was okay as it looked from her side that I hadn't touched it at all. For the record it defeated me but the bright side was that it was delicious and my very kind and helpful Airbnb host's scored themselves some cheesecake.

I visited Top of the Rock, walked around Ground Zero, strolled for hours in Central Park (which did you know is bigger than the principality of Monaco!), went to a Broadway Show, had drinks in Times Square, met up with some fantastic friends some of whom were on my tours in Europe, went to the Chelsea market, ate two Gray Papaya hot dogs, went to so many museums and still I barely even scraped the surface of what there is to experience in this vibrant city.

So decision made - I will just have to go to New York again and experience more! 

Here are some of my favourite shots from the Big Apple.

(Above) View from Top of the Rock

The 9/11 Memorial 

I never thought I would see the Grand Canyon

One of the natural wonders of the world 

It is the third largest canyon in the world

Its base is about 1/3 of the Earth's age 

Scientist's take an educated guess that it took 3- 6 million years to form 

At 446km long it is thought to be carved by the Colorado River 

3028 million litres of water flow through it every year

It is 548m wide at its narrowest and 29km at its widest

On average its only 16km from rim to rim

It is essentially tilted with the Northern Rim being higher than the Southern Rim. 

But beyond all of these facts the Grand Canyon when standing looking out over it 

stretches out so far that even the imagination wonders if it realises how big it really is 

or how many mysteries these rocks capturing a timeline of the Earth's history could be holding. 

Some times it is hard to believe that you are doing things that you only ever dreamt about doing. I never thought I would see the Grand Canyon. It was just one of the many places and things on my bucket list, but not only have I biked along parts of the rim of the Grand Canyon but I even did a helicopter ride over it.

It was one of the ME Time Optionals on the Contiki Holidays tour that I did and it was the one that I was most looking forward too.  It did not disappoint! I was blown away by its sheer size, colour and ability to appear barren when in fact on the base it is very much alive.

I got to sit on the edge and look out over a natural wonder of this world. I even had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. Just goes to show sometimes you do get to do the things you never thought you would. 

Dawn is coming so open your eyes in the Monument Valley

The three Mittens in Monument Valley are part of the Colorado Plateau and is located on the Arizona-Utah state line. The valley lies within the Navajo Nation Reservation. 

Ever been somewhere that instantly reminds you of lyrics to a song? Well that is what happened to me when I visited Monument Valley. For those that know me this won't be strange as you have no doubt been around when something you have said has sparked me to start singing some lyrics from a song, in a not at all good singing voice.

Monument Valley with is magnificently red and orange coloured soil and rocks instantly had me humbling this little gem called Stay Alive by Jose Gonzalez. If you have never heard the song give it a try because in the words of Jose the dawn is coming so open your eyes and look into the sun as a new days rise!

There's a rhythm in rush these days 

Where the lights don't move and the colours don't fade 

Leaves you empty with nothing but dreams 

In a world gone shallow 

In a world gone mean 

Sometimes there's things a man cannot know 

Gears won't turn and the leaves won't grow 

There's no place to run and no gasoline 

Engine won't turn 

And the train won't leave 

Engine won't turn 

And the train won't leave 

I will stay with you tonight 

Hold you close till the morning light 

In the morning watch a new day rise 

We'll do whatever just to stay alive 

We'll do whatever just to stay alive 

Well the way I feel is the way I write 

It isn't like the thoughts of the man who lies 

There is a truth and it's on our side 

Dawn is coming 

Open your eyes 

Look into the sun as the new days rise 

And I will wait for you tonight 

You're here forever and you're by my side 

I've been waiting all my life 

To feel your heart as it's keeping time 

We'll do whatever just to stay alive 

Dawn is coming 

Open your eyes 

Dawn is coming 

Open your eyes 

Dawn is coming 

Open your eyes 

Dawn is coming 

Open your eyes 

Look into the sun as the new days rise 

There's a rhythm in rush these days 

Where the lights don't move and the colours don't fade

Leave you empty with nothing but dreams

In a world gone shallow

In a world gone mean 

But there is a truth and it's on our side 

Dawn is coming open your eyes

Look into the sun as a new days rise 

Climbing Arthur's Seat

So many moons ago when I was a young and naive traveler....hahahaha who am I kidding I would probably make some of the same travelling mistakes again and again. One such travelling mistake happened the first time I ever visited Edinburgh with my sister and friend Kristin (haha yes I am naming and shaming). Well we were visiting Edinburgh and decided we would of course climb the famous Arthur's Seat.

Now we knew you could walk to it from the city centre, we could see a mountain so we put two and two together and thought of course that we had made four. We started climbing and climbing...and after walking for quite some time we were starting to doubt ourselves so we asked a jogger when they came by if in fact we needed to carry on walking. His answer was something along the lines of: "sorry girls this is not Arthur's Seat. That is it over there" cue the pointing to the mountain next to the one we had just climbed. Oh the EPIC fail of two and two making ten. We never did get to climb Arthur's Seat on that visit as time was not on our side.

BUT years later and I finally climbed the right mountain! YES :) My fellow Scotland road tripper Katie and I decided to start our Scotland Footsteps road trip with climbing Arthur's Seat. It was also the start of our road trip shoes apt;y named CON - TIKI in the spirit of making life count, enjoy!

View from halfway up Arthur's Seat

Celebrations as we reached the top. 

A Season of Learning

Have you ever had a moment when you stop, look around and think to yourself that you can't actually believe that your life is actually your life.

This time last year I spontaneously decided to join some good friends of mine from South Africa on a Contiki tour in Europe, as I was living in Scotland working at an office job that had absolutely nothing to do with the Photojournalism that I studied. So in an attempt to change things up I set off to Berlin to start a 14 day trip through Europe.
 
What can I say...it was amazing! I met so many people from all over the world – America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Korea, China and the United Kingdom. We bonded as travelers and explored Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary together. We laughed, we drank, we sang, we got lost a lot but we also opened our minds to the culture and history of these other countries and at the end it was hard to say goodbye. So I didn't. With the help and advice of my fabulous tour manager Emma I filled in my application form to work for Contiki as a tour manager.


Two interviews, one massive assignment and 66 days of training going to 23 countries later and I was a trained tour manger about to go out on my first tour. Nervous beyond belief clinging to the hope that the intensive training, that I like to refer to as a mixture of the Amazing Race game show and military training, would be enough to get me through my first tour – The European Contrast.


Since training I have been on tour for a sum total of 86 days during which I have completed four tours and taken 194 clients through Europe. I still catch myself not quite believing that my life is my life. Normal people don't have breakfast in the Netherlands, lunch in Belgium and then go to bed in the United Kingdom. They don't walk the streets of Rome describing the ancient Roman history linked to the magnificent sights to be found there. They don't get to experience different cultures on a daily basis and let their curiosity go wild. But as a Contiki tour manager I do, and as difficult as this job can be, which don't get me wrong it definitely can be, it is also the most amazing job I have ever had.


Although this year working as a first year tour manager I have not had much time to do any photographing with my DSLR I have tried to keep in the photographing habit with my mobile phone. So I decided to put some of my photos in a slideshow to give people a look into what I have been doing this past year and hopefully inspire some people to put themselves out there and apply for crazy sounding jobs that can change your life.

Prague

Fear not if you get lost in Prague's maze of cobbled streets and Gothic architecture as beer is often cheaper than bottled water and with no shortage of watering holes I have not doubt that any traveller would be able to find a place to rest their feet, make friends and find a map.  

Wenceslas Square looks more like a boulevard than a square but it is one of the two main squares in the city and is a hub of activity as its streets are lines with hotels, clubs, shops, bars and restaurants. Originally laid out as the Prague horse market 650 years ago the square has come a long way. It can be found in the heart of the New Town area of the city and can hold up to 400 000 people. At the top of the square you will find the National Museum.

Another little bit of info is that if you walk towards the National Museum on your right hand side near the top of the street you will find the Beer Factory where once you have descended the glass staircase you will be able to pour your own beer on tap at your own table. Yip, at your own table and I don't mean one of those beer towers that you buy at the bar and carry to the table but an actual tap built into the middle of the table. It even has a screen where you can keep track how who has drunk how many beers. Endless hours of beer drinking fun. The Czech Republic is well known for its beer some of which have gathered a global following like Pilsner Urquell. Czech beer can be dated as far as back as 1118 when the first brewery was built.

A John Lennon Wall in Prague may seem rather odd especially when you take into account that the man never visited the city, but the wall exists and has a long history of being a memorial and a monument to free speech. In the 1980s the youth of Prague began to fill the wall with Lennon inspired graffiti and lyrics from Beatles songs and despite numerous attempts by the Communist government to keep the wall clean the graffiti keep returning. It's message that voices can not be silenced ringing loud and clear even to this day. The wall is located at Velkoprevorske Namesti, Mala Strana and is worth the visit.

Bursting with activity and a prime meeting spot the Old Town Square is one of the most visited sites in Prague. Dominated by the monument of Jan Hus, who was an important Czech reformer and nationalist, the square is a collage of architectural styles like Gothic, Cubist and Baroque.

The Old Town City Hall can be found on the Square. It is here that civil ceremonies are still held and there is a wedding only exit from the building.

The Astronomical Clock is also housed in the Town Hall Tower which you can climb to get views over the square.

Prague Castle is definitely one of the gems of the city with its 1100 year old history you can get lost in the wonder of its stories. Towering above the city up on the heights of Hradcany you can not miss it. It has managed to survive fires, invasions and World Wars and to the people of Prague it is seen as being a symbol of the living legend of the city.
Inside the castles walls you will find a wonderful example of Gothic architecture in the form of the St Vitus Cathedral which is the biggest and most important church in the Czech Republic. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague and the burial site of many important people in Czech history.

If you time your visit to the castle just right you can observe the changing of the guards and depending on the weather you can walk the 278 steps up the Bell Tower.

When I visited the castle we had our own local guide, Shaka, who was great. She made the history of Prague really come alive. If you look closely at the photo below you will see a tower in the background which kind of looks like the Eiffel Tower. This is the Petrin Lookout Tower which was built in 1891 as an observation and transmission tower. You can access the tower either by doing the roughly half hour walk up the paths which can be rather slippery in wet weather or you can jump on the Petrin funicular railway which services the tower.

Parts of Prague will remind you of Venice has it has canals that run through the city. On the bridges that cross these canals you will find padlocks and lots of them. These are love locks attached by couples to symbolise their everlasting love.  

Love locks can even be found on the Charles Bridge which is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Prague. Charles Bridge which crosses the Vtlava (Moldau) River dates back to the reign of Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor. It's design and construction was started by Master Otto but continued by Peter Parler who saw it completed in 1402. It was called the Stone or Prague Bridge up until 1870 and is 516m long and 10m wide, which may sound large but because of its popularity now as a tourist spot the bridge can be quite crowded. It rests on 16 arches which are shielded by ice guards and is decorated with 30 statues mostly in the Baroque style which were erected in the 1700s. Although the original statues have been moved to the Lapidary (in the National Museum) and replicas have replaced them the bridge is still a magical portal joining the banks of Prague.

Bone Church in Kutná Hora

Happy New Year Everyone!

Now I know that my Berlin post was quite a few weeks ago but don't worry I haven't forgotten about the rest of the cities that I visited on my Contiki tour. I plan to in the next two weeks give you all a taste of the places that I went to through the photos that I took there.

So to pick up where we left off I was heading out of Germany and into the Czech Republic. Before I tell you all about my stop in Prague I wanted to tell you about our other stop which was at the Bone Church or Kostnice in Kutna Hora. Yes you heard me right a bone church as in a church which inside is decorated entirely with human bones. It is said that the church contains the skeletons of more than 40 000 people and is definitely a strange thing to experience.

After the Black Death mid 14th Century and the Hussite Wars in the early 15th Century there were thousands of bodies buried at this Roman Catholic Chapel. In the 1400s a Gothic church was built in the cemetery to act as a ossuary to house the remains that had been unearthed during construction. Once all the bones had been exhumed the job of sorting and stacking the remains was given to a half-blind monk. Some say that the monk was not entirely sane from spending days on end sorting bones that he began to arrange the bones into patterns and create objects such as a chandelier out of them. Whether he was sane or not we do not know but the skeletons are indeed arranged in an artistic way that most people would probably not have thought of and if you are ever in the area it is well worth a look.

A Touch of Berlin

A city flourishing, destroyed, rebuilt, divided and reunited. Berlin is a city with many tales and after visiting it for a few days in October while on the Berlin to Budapest Contiki Tour I find myself feeling like it is a Janus like city. Janus the Roman god of beginnings and transitions is usually depicted as having two faces so that he could look both at the past and towards the future. Similarly I feel that Berlin as a city struggles with simultaneously looking at its past and future.

Its turbulent World War I and II history, combined with the horrors of the Holocaust and Cold War have left  the landscape of the city and country as a whole marked with deeply embedded scars. Yet the city is hopeful and have done well in attempting to address issues of whether to commemorate or condemn some of its history.

It is definitely one of the most diverse cities that I have traveled to as of yet, with something to offer every traveler. If museums are your thing then Berlin has an entire island of them. I kid you not, in the central Mitte district of Berlin there is an island in the Spree river that is home to five world class museums. The museum complex is even listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. For the military enthusiast and history buffs there are plenty of museums and exhibitions like the Topography of Terror and outdoor museum on the site which previously housed the headquarters of the Gestapo and SS. There is also the Check Point Charlie Museum where you can spend hours wondering through the corridors of escapee history as people tried to cross the Berlin Wall. For nature lovers the Tiergarten near the mighty Brandenburg Gate is a lush and beautiful garden in which to stroll, relax and forget that you are in the middle of a city that is nine times bigger than Paris.

I found that the best way to explore Berlin is by doing a walking tour. Contiki offered us one as an option on our tour and it was marvelous. Our guide was an American named Rick and he was extremely knowledgeable on German history and explained it all in a way that after a roughly four hour walking tour around the city centre I felt I had learnt more about German history than I ever did at school. He encouraged us to ask questions and really think about how history is taught and represented in the present day.

Well that is enough of me talking for now, why don't you take a little wonder through parts of Berlin yourself with the help of my photographs.

Berliner Dom or Berlin Cathedral is the largest church in the city and its still referred to as a cathedral although technically it has never been the seat of a Bishop 

Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and the only remaining one of the series of 18 that were used to enter the city in the 1730s.

The Alte Nationalgalerie is one of the five museums found on Museum Island.

Some entertainment for the young and old on Museum Island.

In 1993 the Neue Wache (New Guard House) was rededicated as the central memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the victims of war and tyranny. Inside they replicated and enlarged a sculpture by Käthe Schmidt called 'Mother with her Dead Son'. The sculpture is located directly under an oculus (rain-hole) allowing it to be exposed to all measures of weather as people in war are exposed and battered. 

'Labour makes (you) free'

This phrase was a widely used slogan over the entrances to concentration camps and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp located in Oranienburg about 35 kilometers from Berlin was no exception. Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 and was used mostly to imprison political prisoners and as a training ground for the SS (Schutzstaffel).

'Appellplatz' is word used in concentration camps to refer to the roll call  that was a daily occurrence and source of punishment for prisoners as they served the purpose of not only helping to count the prisoners but also to intimidate, inspect and humiliate them. Prisoners worn thin uniforms and had to stand still in all weather conditions while thousands of prisoners were counted no matter how long it took. If you were late or did not stand still enough you would be beaten or even killed.

About 200, 000 people passed through this camp between 1936 and 1945.   

An anything but neutral zone. 

The camp consisted of a 3 meter high stone wall and then an area for the soldiers to patrol. Then there was the lethal electric fence and a gravel strip referred to as the 'death strip'. This strip was a forbidden area for prisoners and anyone stepping into it would be shot on sight. 

Morgues and medical rooms leave you shuddering as you read about the many brutal medical experiments that were carried out on the prisoners. 

One of the many memorials that can be found outside the concentration camp.

After the concentration camps were liberated prisoners struggled with the concept of being free. They had lost their families, homes and some would say themselves. Some of them remained at the concentration camp as they had nowhere else to go. 

Checkpoint Charlie or checkpoint C is the name given by the Western Allies to this Berlin Wall crossing during the Cold War. It is also well known for the stand off between Soviet and US tanks that occurred there in October of 1961

A wall to divide, a wall to conquer, a wall to express. 

'The Kiss' was painted by Russian artist Dimitri Vrubel in 1990 just months after the wall was opened to artists from around the world. 117 artists from 21 countries painted the 1316 meter long section of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery which runs parallel to the River Spree is the longest remaining piece of the wall. 

 

I was lucky enough to arrive in Berlin for the last two days of the Berlin Festival of Lights which was fantastic and a great way to bring historical buildings alive at night. 

The TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. 

Streets of Berlin. 

Images projected onto the Berliner Dom as part of the Festival of Lights. 

The Altes Museum.