Memories

In the absence of real work (oh, work, why don't you call me?) I have been reviewing old photos from the last 5 years or so. I went through a phase of trying to make my photos artistic in someway as I had a vision of covering my walls in my own art. Not something that someone else created but my memories, shot in a way that I wanted to see it. I love travelling and seeing new places and thought I'd share a selection of the lovely places I have been to over the last few years:

Greece:
A holiday with one of my best friends. I was nervous initially about only travelling with one other person but have since discovered that it is my preferred way of travel. It makes it much easier to get consensus on where to eat!

Greece, country of amazing antiquity, islands galore, fresh salads, feta cheese, warm seas and relaxation. The sense of the ages that hits you when you look at something like the Temple of Zeus right in the centre of a bustling modern city like Athens is something to be experienced

It doesn't seem to matter how much time I spend in hot climates, of varying degrees of heat and humidity, I am always take aback when I initially arrive. I remember climbing up to the Acropolis, in what felt like searing heat under a bright sun in a blue sky.

Unfortunately it was under repair and getting a shot without scaffolding in it was difficult but the overwhelming sense of age and splendour was amazing.

Greece's many islands are all too often home to hordes of teenages, out for their holiday in the sun complete with more alcohol than you should need in a lifetime. Fortunately on Santorini I found the peace and quiet that I was looking for. It was a girly holiday, with colourful cocktails, much lying in the sun, gossip and giggles. I remember whitewashed buildings glistening in the sun, high on the cliff overlooking the cauldera. Waves washing over the beach from the deep blue ocean. Blue and white, the two colours that stand out in my memory from my time there.

Budapest

It was the first time we went away together. I was nervous leading up to it, thinking of what they say about travelling together revealing what you are really like. I realised shortly beforehand that I knew what he was like and he knew me. We knew before we ever got together officially. And, aside from my stonking hangover when we started out at 5am (foolishly I went out the night before) it was as perfect as I imagined.

The bridge joining Buda and Pest. We had been out walking around all day, getting to know the city and its quirks. We stopped for mulled wine when it started to rain, stumbled on a Mozart recital in the cathedral and got chilled to the bone crossing back over this bridge to our hotel. I had seriously underestimated the drop in temperature that we would encounter in Eastern Europe but it was all the more excuse to cuddle in close to my personal hotwater bottle!

It was a magical weekend where we really got away from our normal lives and revelled in being with each other, alone, for the first time. He organised a trip to the opera as a surprise for me. We visited the baths that are so famous in that city. And as we wandered the streets, admired fabulous architecture and floated in hot spring water we discussed how we were going to manage the impending separation, the beginning of what would be two and a half years of long distance love. We clearly got something right in our discussions!

All photos: Me