"To Travel, is to Live"

One month gone already in 2013 and hardly any countries visited in 2012. What has my life come to? A life simply revolved around work?  What happened to my excitement and passion for living? What happened to the smile on my face by visiting different cultures and places? What happened to the woman who had inspirations, time to write, time to keep in touch? The woman, who loved to explore, travel, go on an adventure?         

This letter is not only to my friends and family in America or the UK, but I think a letter to myself. How has my life been this past year? Well, lets see.... it depends what you value most in life.  A great career, great paying job, expensive apartment, lots of THINGS. Well, my life in California, to some, would seem amazing. Sunny San Diego, living here, sure has its perks. Its beautiful, sunny and warm (but not too warm!) all year long. 

What do I do with my time? Well, work of course. My life is spent only for the weekends, as I only get the weekends off work. Sometimes, I am too exhausted to do anything on the weekends due to my much longer than I am used to working hours, compared to the UK. When I am feeling energized, I go for a bike ride, go kayaking, walk along the bay. Trust me, I do feel lucky that I can soak up the sun.... but I think I mean, if I am lucky. I only get the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine  one time a week. 

Well, how am I REALLY doing? Like I said, it depends what you value in life. For me, its family, friends, my health and travel. Where have I been since I have moved to California? Nowhere. 

How often do I get to see my friends and family? About one weekend every other month. Equating to about 12 out of the 365 days a year. 

 How many days do I get off work to attempt to go see the beautiful sights of America, South/Central America, and Canada have to offer? FIVE Days last year which I used up because I got sick and I wanted to see my family over the holidays. Yes, I had to use up my vacation time to be able to spend time with my family.      

My Health is also important to me. I had to go to hospital a month ago and am now looking at a $4000 bill WITH Health Insurance. Luckily, I am healthy and able to work my butt off to pay this off. However, it still frustrates me to no end that my doctor made me go to the hospital, yet I am fronted with the bill. 

Please, again, don't get me wrong, I LOVE San Diego. Its beautiful and California is beautiful...  I just wish I got the time to enjoy it more. I wish I got the time to travel and continue writing about my travels. I thought that moving back to America would mean more time with my family. It's not.

I have many goals for 2013, I want to be able to see my family more, I want to be able to travel more. What do I value most? Friends, family, travel, the right to my health, the right to see my family during the holidays. So how am I? Like I said, it depends what you value in life, right? I am successful in every aspect of the "American Dream"... however, am I truly Happy? I don't know, you tell me..... 

I think Hans Christian Anderson got it quite right, in the simplest of ways, "To Travel, is to LIVE". 

Malta, January 26, 2012 - January 30, 2012

Malta, Malta, Malta, where to begin?! Not going to even try to deny that I am slightly obsessed with Humphrey Bogart so when the opportunity arrived to go to Malta where the famous "Maltese Falcon" was from, I just had to go! Ironically enough, even though the Maltese Falcon was fictional, I still wanted to go... anything Bogart!

Valleta as the sun sets...

Well, Malta was very interesting and strange! It had a unique blend of cultures being off the coast of Sicily: Italian, English, French, Middle Eastern, and North African.

Malta is filled with a ton of history as its been invaded and conquered throughout the years, including Napoleon's attempt might I add! Malta was different, but blended the cultures into its own. One thing I did LOVE, was the food as it was heavily Italian influenced. I instantly found a cafe I loved, Cafe Jubilee, where I ate at every day, anything and everything from wine, coffee, cheese, pasta, and Maltese Cake (pretty much English Pudding without the Brandy).

Vittirosa

My favorite area of Malta was Vittirosa, it was beautiful with old churches and buildings, with cobblestone streets and vines running up and down the homes. It was a tiny peninsula surrounded by Yachts, and was very romantic as it was empty and we had the entire town to ourselves.

Valleta is the capital of Malta and is also the smallest capital in the world. At noon every day there is a traditional cannon firing which was very fun. Around sunset, the city transforms into shades of gold due tot he hue of the sun and coloring of the buildings.

Marsalokxx

We also adventured to small towns with strange names, such as Marsalokxx, which was a fishing village with colorful boats. Malta was small, cute, old, and a blend of many different cultures. It was a short, small (literally) and fun trip! If you want to visit an old European town and cant decide on where to go, go to Malta. Its an entire country with a small town feel and has influences from Franc and Italy, so where can you go wrong? Its definitely worth a visit! You can see the main attractions in just a few days, then its time to people watch, enjoy the food, and relax!

Homes in the capital of Valleta

Prague, Czech Republic: Where Fairy Tales Come True!

Prague, Czech Republic... January 22, 2012 - January 25, 2012

... and they lived Happily Ever After...

View from Petrin Tower.

Mala Strana

On Charles Bridge!

Prague must be the place that inspired Disney to create their fairy tale cities and happily ever afters. Prague is beautiful with large Gothic architecture wrapped with cobblestone streets; It is like walking into my dreams when I was a young girl, dreaming of being a princess hoping to find my Prince Charming.

Our time in Prague consisted of climbing to the top of the Petrin Tower, pretending to be royalty in the Prague Castle, peeing with the Peeing Men Statue, walking back and forth across the Charles Bridge, laughing at the Astronomical Clock, testing our history in the Jewish Quarter, checking out the modern architecture in New Town, enjoying coffee and beer at night in the Grand Cafe, and simply just enjoying the city.

Getting lost in Mala Strana and Stare Maesto's Old Town was like going back into the 1400's & 1500's where old Kings and Queens ruled, and I was the princess on my own adventure. Luckily I've already found my Prince so I was able to live out my fairy tale!

Not only was Prague an elegant enchanting city, it was filled with modern surprises. Being lost near Prague's castle, we turned a corner to see the hilarious Peeing Men Statue! Stare Maesto is filled with a ton of modern art and young artists exhibitions.

What I loved about Prague is that you could be enjoying a hanging modern street exhibition, then within just a few steps, you're standing in front of the large yet fascinating Astronomical Clock. If you were lucky, you would be there on the hour where it opens and hoots with a rooster and dancing men. It was hilarious and had an "Its A Small World After All" feel to it. Yes it was humorous, but simply knowing that it did this same dance and jingle hundreds of years ago in front of Queens, Kings, Princesses, and peasants was also quite spectacular.

Prague is a city filled with wonderful things for everyone. From architecture, history and art, but the best thing about Prague is just exploring this diverse city and playing out your own real-life fairy tale.

Enjoying being lost on the cobblestone streets...

The Famous Being Men Statue... Jayda joining in on the fun!

Young Artists' Modern Art, Outdoor Exhibition

Astronomical Clock & Square

Charles Bridge & Prague Castle