NETHERLANDS

Our Netherlands experience began by a park in the cute town of Roosedaal.  As we woke hungry and ready to start our day, we drove to the city center where we stumbled upon a beautiful little produce market in the main town square.  We bought a half kip (chicken), some smoked cheese and beautiful fresh bread and decided sandwiches would be on the menu for breakfast/lunch. We drove then to Rotterdam, the Netherlands ‘second city’.  Unlike the rest of the towns we had visited that were historic and often quaint, Rotterdam was unique with its architectural masterpieces, from modern bridges like Erasmusbrug to incredible buildings and sculptures. It was here was found the best Frites of the trip so far. We had been on the search for the classic Frites Special, which consists of Fries with mayonnaise, curried ketchup and raw chopped onions.  We found it by the harbour at a small snack shack in Rotterdam, sounds horrible but it was incredibly delicious! We spent the night, cooking in our camper and we enjoyed our meal with a bottle of wine by the water while we watched the sun go down. As chefs, you rarely see the sun go down due to long dinner shifts, so to see such a beautiful sunset from the pier in Rotterdam was truly spectacular and not be to taken for granted. 

The next day we spent the morning at the skatepark in Rotterdam then caught a car ferry to Kinderdijk where nineteen 17^th century classic Dutch windmills still stand today. That night we stayed in Delft cooking fajitas from our campervan and relishing our gypsy lifestyle with a bottle of wine. Waking the next morning, we strolled into the little town of Delft.  We walked through an antique market by a canal while enjoying our first fresh Stroopwaffle. Only one word can describe the invention of a waffle filled with syrpy goodness. Perfection. Okay, two words. Moreish. We then found a cheese shop, tasting every variety of Gouda, aged, smoked and flavoured- devouring endless samples with accompanying pickles, before deciding on a purchase. The rest of the day and following day were spent exploring the little towns of Den Haag and Leiden, pitching camp during the nights.

The following morning we spent a day in the stunning Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. This beautiful collection of tulips attracts over 800,000 visitors a year during the short flowering season and it is easy to see why. Rows of vivid colours are exquisite and the garden is so peaceful even filled with people. Matt and I enjoyed a beautiful picnic of Dutch Gouda, Filet American and other delicacies while basking in the sunshine amidst the sea of tulips.

Then the day had come; we had finally arrived in Amsterdam! Staying at a campsite a mere fifteen minutes from the city, we headed out on a first day with a clear picture of a party city awaiting us. Amsterdam is notorious for its legal marijuana and red light district, and although the scent of weed was prominent in the air, the city itself was a beautiful surprise. The never-ending winding canals lined with cafes and restaurants bustled in the sunshine. The streets were packed with tourists from far and wide as the much-anticipated Kings Day celebration was only a day away. With no time to loose with walked the streets and visited all the famous sights and attractions include the floating tulip markets and albert cuypert market, until we could walk no further, calling it a night. 

Waking the next day, we dressed in Orange (as tradition for Kings Day- Amsterdam’s biggest party of the year in celebration of the King of course) and headed for the town. Food vendors and pop up liquor stands lined the streets and second hand knick-knack stalls filled in between.  The canals were filled with boats crammed with people and DJs playing music. We bought a few drinks and joined the party, finding DJs and great spots along the street to dance, it was a citywide festival with more people than we had ever seen. The electric atmosphere was infectious and such a great experience to end our time in Netherlands on. Tomorrow we drive to Germany. Another day. Another country. 

BELGIUM

The adventure began at Folkestone, England boarding the Eurotunnel to France. Still at this point we couldn’t comprehend the trip we were about to embark upon. First stop was Ypres, Belgium. Navigating our way from Calais to Ypres was a mission- from French words to Dutch, to driving on the opposite side of the road and the reckless nutcases who drive the other vehicles. Eventually we made it to Ypres alive, to find a quaint little town steeped in war history.  Every way you turned you would face a church or a historic site, it was hard to take it all in. However we pulled up in Kermit by a beautiful river, close to a skatepark of course, and decided that this quiet parkland would be a safe place to spend our first night.  

At sunset, 8pm, we walked to the awe-inspiring Menin Gate down the road for the last post memorial. This memorial is performed every night to honor those fallen war heroes who bravely fought in World War I. From the British, Canadian, French and Australian soldiers who fought alongside the Belgian soldiers to protect their land, many lost their lives with 54,896 names inscribed within the walls that were unable to be given proper burials. This particular night, an Australian choir stood forth and performed our national anthem during the silence. It was incredibly moving and made me feel proud to be an Australian, singing the words silently with them. The sacrifices that have been made by our fallen soldiers have lead to the incredible life we now lead and this is celebrated and remembered every ANZAC day around the world and every single night in Ypres. It is truly incredible.

We spent this next morning, after a quick waffle breakfast (with some chocolate, of course in Belgium!) immersing ourselves in war history with the Flanders Field Museum, learning more about World War I. However after mid morning, we found ourselves historied-out (yes I made this word up) and ready to move on to the next town, Bruge. At lunchtime we made it to Bruge, just in time to enjoy some Moules and Frites (classic Mussels and Fries) by the canal. Bruge is known as little Venice, the historic city is filled with 17^th century churches and canals. Bruge is simply picturesque. We spent the next morning at the Chocolate Museum learning the history of chocolate from its use in Aztec currency to mass production now in Belgium for sale globally, fascinating for everyone, especially those who enjoy a free chocolate bar.  We then drove on to Ghent, after a “short” hour stop at a skate park, planning a short stop over for the night.

Ghent was a pleasant surprise. Entering the city we were greeted by stunning castles and canals, little Bruge it is often known as. Although Ghent had a more modern feel in some parts, with less tourists and more young people enjoying a bier (beer) down by the canal in the sunshine. We immediately fell in love, dubbing it our favourite and most picturesque city so far. We spent the rest of our time in Ghent wandering the streets and enjoying some traditional Flemish food.

The following day we made it to Brussels, which was somewhat of a let down, so after a walk around the city we moved on quickly to Antwerp.  We spent a night at campsite outside of the city that was a kids dream come true. The site was filled with obstacle courses, slides and all kinds of fun attractions that delighted Matt and I- we played for hours pretending we were ten again. We spent the next day in Antwerp city, window shopping in all of the high-end fashion lanes and marvelling at the copious amount of diamond stores. Fun fact- Antwerp is where 80% of the world’s un-cut diamonds are traded.  That afternoon we found ourselves searching the skate parks of Antwerp before calling it a night over the border in the Netherlands.

We thought we were roughing it before… well welcome to the life of the gypsies. We spend most of our nights by parks using nature’s finest facilities or local public toilets, unless we decide to sneak into campsites to use showers with hot water that feels like showering in rainbows and kisses. Splashing out is a full blown campsite, with power and water- luxury at its finest. Our bed becomes more comfortable with every night, especially after a long day or a few glasses of wine.  The adventure continues the following morning from Roosendaal in the Netherlands. 

London, England- WEEK 4

Reflection. It is the time for reflection.

These past four weeks in London have been a wild ride. A trip down memory lane. A wake up call for the cost of living. A relaxing, exciting start to a beautiful holiday. Leaving home and moving to a new city can sometimes be daunting, although when you have great friends here and you are with a significant other, it makes it feel like home. The transition was so seamless that I often forgot I was in London altogether, minus the weather of course. It feels like home, not quite a holiday just yet as we are building towards the real beginning. During our time in London we have been fortunate enough to have met some incredibly humble and generous people that are in need of a thank you. Starting with Amanda, she opened her door to complete strangers and allowed us to live and base ourselves in her room while she was away. To Dan and Victoria Fernley, true friends of my parents, who have made every aspect of this trip less stressful, even enlisting their parents and their property to store our beautiful van. Lastly, to Jan, a beautiful woman who sold us Kermit, even leaving us with a bottle of champagne to toast our new adventure. Without these incredible people Im sure we would't be driving away with such ease tomorrow. 

Now our dream is knocking at our doorstep. The van is packed. All insurance is in place. There is nothing left to do but drive. Drive to Europe. The dream is becoming a reality. Materialising right in front of our eyes. Its happening. We are really about to drive around Europe. Tomorrow will we be in France and possibly even Belgium. This is it. Wish us luck. Au Revior. Arrivederci. Auf Wiedersehen.  Adios. 

Now to show you where we go from here

London, England- WEEK 3

Productivity and more revelations have filled the third week in London.

Firstly the camper van! Meet KERMIT! This green machine will be our home and transport for our incredible journey that begins in a mere seven days time. Unfortunately Matts lack of photography skills don't do our beautiful van justice- so there will be more photographs to come.

This week we found ourselves in Story, a one michelin star restaurant. After almost two years out of the fine dining scene- since Becasse closed- I was returning to the harsh reality that nothing had changed. For those of you who don't know, the fine dining scene is brutal. 80 hour weeks. 15 hour days. No time for food and barely any water. Not to mention the heat. Oh the heat. The food and your passion is what drives you to persevere through all of the harsh conditions in order to work for the best and be the best chef you can be. 

Matt and I have a passion for cooking the highest quality produce sustainably. Nose to tail eating. Utilising all of the animal and every aspect of the land in order to respect the gift of the produce. However, after our latest experience at Story, I fear the fine dining world has lost sight of that. Even those claiming to be "foraging" are wasteful and ignorant. Beautiful fresh leaves cut into tiny shapes and the rest discarded. Beautiful whole produce wasted into ash and oils with very little flavour. I love molecular cooking, but not if altering the original product comprises the flavour, texture and every aspect that made the original product so beautiful. This is the revelation. However, we have not given up hope just yet, still striving to find those restaurants that love and respect food, the way we do. The restaurants that will teach us. That will inspire us. Those life altering moments in your career. These are hopefully still to come with confirmed stagier in Copenhagen's Amass and Relae. 

Other adventures have included reuniting with friends, markets and the boat race. As I have previously stated, it has been five years since I have visited this place I once called home. I have spent years missing London, mostly missing my ACS Egham friends and the person I became here. Reuniting old friends reaffirmed just these feelings and showed myself that I am still that same person I always was (just a few years older haha) and it was a blast. 

Finally on the last day of week three, we found ourselves on an adventure through the streets of Brick Lane filled with market stalls and heavenly food vendors, all the way to the waterways of the Thames at the beginning of the Oxford vs. Cambridge boat race. Rain and all, Londoners love a bustling Sunday and nothing will stop them from having a good time. This place is contagious. I look forward to the last week before we continue our journey! 

London, England- WEEK 2

There are simple normalities in life we take for granted. Food. Water. Shelter. Most of all our parents. Then there are the luxuries that we become so accustomed to they can often be perceived as normalities. For example, a comfortable bed. I never knew how much I would miss my mattress. There is one simple factor that effects your perception of what is a normality and what is a luxury and that is COST. It all comes down to cost. The cost of living. As a child, you are blissfully unaware that this term even exists. Little do you know that you parents are dealing with these costs everyday, while you live in your beautiful house and go on your fancy holidays, your parents are crunching numbers and working budgets. And when I say you, I am really referring to myself, because I can't believe how blissfully unaware I was. I always knew I was lucky. I always knew that I was well provided for, but wow. My parents were and still are magicians because they made all this travelling and maintaining life look so damn easy. They say that Sydney is the fifth most expensive city in the world to live in and London is only at number fifteen. This I truly can't believe. The cost of everything is twice as much, due to the weak Australian dollar. Knowing we have a budget to last 6-9 months of straight travel without paid work, London somewhat terrifies us. We had to find a balance of having fun and saving costs. So far, so good.

It is now week 2 of London and the realities have kicked in. This past week has revolved around our mission to find the perfect camper van. We have travelled far and wide from Dartford to Essex to Bedford (paying a small fortune!) searching for a camper before narrowing down our choices. However, before making decision, came the logistics and research. Research on car insurance, european break down cover, tax and registration. There was so much to consider. Numbers. Budgets. Unanswered Questions. Instead of exploring London and seeing the sights, we spend days inside trying to find answers and get realistic quotes. This is the part of travel I never knew existed. It is harder than we thought.

Although the outcome has been positive, we have made an offer on a camper! We have an insurance quote and everything sorted. We are now just waiting to collect and pay for it all.  The real adventure is about to begin. Travelling the open roads of Europe and exploring the little quaint cities- there is so much to look forward to. In the meantime, the rest of our London experience will be (hopefully) from the inside of Michelin starred restaurants and we trial and experience some of the greatest kitchens London has to offer. I think the fun is just beginning. Stay tuned!

London, England- WEEK 1

It feels like I am home. Stepping off the plane, I am stepping back in time. London hasn't changed one bit. It is brisk outside yet beautiful and sunny. The feeling of this city is unique- quiet, calm, and bustling all at the same time. Day 1 was spent walking the city, getting our bearings and pinching ourselves. We had finally made it to London, after five years waiting to return, it was an exciting realisation. We saw all the famous sights during our day long walk from oxford street, leister and trafalgar square, big ben and everywhere else in between, resting only for a moment to enjoy a traditional pub lunch and a cider.

We spent the next few days exploring in more detail. Spending our saturday morning at Borough market. If heaven exists then this is what it looks like. Borough market is a chefs playground- beautiful fresh produce, from every variety of mushroom and truffle, as well as cheeses and meats and fish. We sampled. We bought. We fell in love. Breakfast consisted of a variety of treats from honeycomb caramel doughnuts, classic freshly fried scotch eggs as well as french raclette cheese on potato and pickles, all washed down with some mulled cider. An odd combination yet completely delicious. Lunch was also bought- freshly baked foccacia and aged compte cheese, followed by a dessert of turkish delight in every flavour imaginable. Perfection is the only word to describe it. 

Of course, Matt spent the next day exploring every skatepark in London (all four of them- haha), while I continued my market adventure. This time finding myself in camden market. Camden market is the home of tourist nick-nack shops, art and punk culture in general. The atmosphere is electric and the excitement contagious. There is a strong smell of incense in the air and the bright colours in every store shine in the english sun. They sell everything from vintage clothes and leather shoes to candles, art works and old paperback books. As the small lane ways lined with market stalls twist and turn, you find yourself lost, wondering if you are going in circles. I didn't mind though, I could walk in circles in Camden all day just soaking up the atmosphere. 

These first few days have been quite the adventure.  Although it is time to get down to business, there is work to be done before leaving London in a month. We have begun our hunt for the perfect camper van, that we can call our home for the next six to nine months while we travel Europe. There are places to see, people to meet and old friends to visit- so stay tuned because there is much more to come for London, England.

Kowloon, Hong Kong

The journey has begun. First stop Kowloon, Hong Kong. The weather is almost eerie. A thick fog covers the concrete jungle below. It looks so foreign and unfamiliar. I have never felt so out of place before. It is a fascinating place however, a blend of asian life and western influences. The streets are packed and the night markets bustling. The back streets filled with little run-down restaurants and nick-nack shops while the main streets are lined with international clothing and food brands. It seems as though the city never sleeps. The nights are bright and chaotic, exploring the back streets is where the most fun can be had. The food is varied between traditional Chinese food and dumpling houses to pasta, pizza and other western delights. We spent some of our time exploring the Hong Kong botanical and zoological gardens, listening to the loud songs and cries of the gibbons and orangutans, and visiting the aviaries full of rare and unusual birds. We walked all of the streets of Central just exploring, always thinking of our next meal and struggling to make a decision with the many options offered. 

The highlight, however, was the wet markets, filled with produce I had never seen before. So fresh and vibrant. The smell of stunning flowers mixed with asian hole-in-the-wall noodle houses filling the air. The seafood so incredibly fresh it is either still alive in the water or still twitching once prepared. The butchers housing mostly offal or unusual cuts of meat- that the locals love but I can't seem to get my head around. It is fascinating how for such a modern culture they still utilise every part of the animal, in-keeping with the ancient traditions. Although the treatment of the animals can often be cruel and saddening and such a contrast from our modern techniques and views.

The last two days have been such an eye-opener. A glimpse into another world filled with tradition and culture. Although it is time to move on. This is only the beginning after all. There are many more adventures to be had, all over the globe. So thank you, Hong Kong, for such an incredible experience. Next stop London, England.