Category: Travel

& I would fly 6000 miles..

There’s nothing like feeling at home. Maybe it’s the smell of your Mums perfume, the taste of your favourite home cooked meal, catching up with the people who knew you when you were 14, or maybe it’s hearing your family’s song playing randomly 6000 miles away.

Driving in the back of a black convertible, in the middle of Hong Kong with my best friend I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Within half an hour we were out of the city’s towering skyscrapers and polluted air into the countryside, something I once believed unimaginable in Hong Kong. I mean who would have thought Hong Kong had beaches?! But it does, and it has grass, and trees and lakes.

As we made our way back into the city after exploring the outer suburban areas, we were caught in the expected rat race of traffic. As the car slowed down to a halt the sun was setting, projecting and creating the most magical sunset over the peaks of Tai Tam. The surreal-ness and contrast of being surrounded by nature whilst in the jam filled with stress and impatience was overwhelming. As I looked behind and above I had gained a great perspective of what it truly feels like to live in the moment. I could be in both lanes of the world, impatient to get going and carve my way but needing the balance of calm and faith. Nature doesn’t wait for someone to tell it what to do and when to do it, it just lives and breathes.

There’s nothing like feeling at home, and in that moment of gazing beyond the peaks into the sea a familiar tune started playing. Everyone from the west coast of Scotland will be familiar with Deacon Blue’s song Dignity. It has become a staple of ambition, hopes and dreams, and more often than not a staple Wedding/New Year song to be sang at full volume surrounded by your near and dear ones;

“& I’m telling this story, in a faraway scene.. And I’m thinking about home, and all that that means.”

In that moment I was thinking about home. I was thinking about how lucky I am that I could come to Hong Kong and see the contrast that most tourists do not. I was thinking about how much I wished my family could be here to share this experience with me. I was thinking about how I was going to explain to them how Dignity had come on… in the middle of Hong Kong of all places.

Most of all, I was thinking how strange it is that you recognise signs/feelings/confirmations that tell you that you are in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time. Home is where you make it, and maybe it’s scattered all over the world ready for you to find, one unexpected night.

A love letter to Budapest.

Walking down to the River Danube after a very long and stressful train journey from Zagreb, I had high hopes. Budapest is a city that captivates and attracts many tourists and travellers on their trips around Europe, and finally I was getting the opportunity to witness it first hand. As me and my friend turned the corner into parliment square our jaws dropped.

The Parliament building is often the most recognisable archictecture structure within Budapest, with its turrets akin to something out of a fairytale book. Not only is the building itself something to marvel at, but the surrounding location could not be more perfect. Situated on the River Danube, it gives the most of what Budapest has to offer. I often imagined that I could spend hours simply sitting in that one spot, overlooking the river into Buda and seeing the tops of the towers of Buda Castle and
Matthias Church nestled amongst the pretty skyline.

Although a beautiful city, it’s hard to be ignorant to all the troubles and sadness that Budapest has endured over the past years. Throughout the city there are reminders in the form of statues, memorials and sculptures in rememberance of all those that were lost within the wars that affected Budapest and Hungary. The shoes on the Danube and the Holocaust memorial seem almost out of place in a city that is now so vibrant in culture and life, and give a poignant reminder to Hungary’s troubled past.

There are many reasons why Budapest entices those who visit. The architecture is beautiful and drastic, rapidly changing from building to building. It’s big enough to warrant more than a weekend, yet small enough to ensure nothing is missed out within a week. It combines culture and fantasy with life and truth. It isn’t ashamed of it’s past and it does everything it can to remember it. Lastly, the overall feel of the city makes you feel safe, and after weeks of travelling it makes you feel as if you are home.

We arrived at at 7pm just in time for the Summer sun to set over the River Danube, and as the other-wordly purples and oranges hazed together I couldn’t help but think how truly lucky I was to be in the most beautiful city in the world.