"Aarhus, in the middle of our street..."

Today I write from Amman, Jordan, where I have spent the last couple of days in intense relaxation mode after what has been a week of extreme walking, climbing, and subsequent aching muscles, as I explored the ancient city of Petra, and the impressive sand dunes, rock faces and wadis of Wadi Rum. It’s been a sensational week, however I did learn the hard way never to trust a Pharmacist from Northern Ireland – as my planned leisurely stroll through the city of Petra turned into a waterfall-scrambling, rock-climbing, flab-converting race against the setting sun, as a seemingly straightforward adventure off the marked tourist trail dramatically turned into scenes reminiscent of Man vs. Wild. More of that in a future entry of course!

Later this afternoon, the next chapter of my adventure begins, and after a 26hr journey (including what is sure to be a thrilling 12hr overnight stopover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), I will be well and truly back in the southern hemisphere, as I begin the ‘Overland Africa’ leg of my adventure in Cape Town, South Africa. It is set to be one of the more unusual journeys of my trip – a distance of over 8000km, crossing the Equator, and both the Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer – however while I will end up at a latitude just 1° north of Adelaide, the entire journey will take me across only one time zone! Having only ever travelled long haul to or from Australia, it seems preposterous I can travel that far without feeling the effects of jet lag… however I may feel the effects of sleeping on the floor in Jeddah Airport!!!

My last entry covered my travels up to Mamma’s Potatoes in Odense, Denmark, where I will pick up from today.

Mermaids, Mates and Mamma's Potatoes!

View from my room!

I write today from Cairo, Egypt – a country with evidence of human inhabitation dating back to the 10^th millennium BC, home to the famous Great Pyramids, Sphinx, River Nile, and The Valley of the Kings, and a country so recognisable it even has its own dance-move!!! However, even while surrounded by such rich history, and so many of the most iconic tourist attractions the world has to offer, it is in fact another aspect of Egypt which is more prevalent in my mind today – street food! It turns out my sensational dinner last night of Eggplant Baba Ghanoush, Arabic Bread, Ful Medames, Mahshi, Tahini, Molokhia, Pickled Chillies and a Fresh Salad (no doubt washed in the pristine waters of the Nile!) wasn’t in fact the best decision I have made on my travels. I’m not sure if it was the food, the water it was washed in, or the street vendors stall which very much resembled a portable public toilet block, with exposed plumbing, and a small gas stove on which my meal was cooked – but somewhere along the way the meal decided it didn’t really want to get along with my insides. However, while I lie on my bed in what I would like to rate as moderate-to-severe discomfort, and my guts feel more twisted and knotted than Tutankhamun’s bandages, it does give me an opportunity to catch up on my next blog!!! I’m sure the Egyptians have a God we can thank for that.

The Starr Spangled Banner - A Germerican Celebration!!!

Hamburg, Germany

It’s been almost six weeks since my last blog update – six weeks of great adventure, great fun… and judging by the Incredible-Hulk-like appearance of my shirt today, six weeks of way too much food! With the events of Awful-August now well and truly behind me, and Sensational-September living up to its name, I am now ready to catch up on my blog entries, and update you all on the events of the past six weeks.

My last entry (if you can remember back that far!) finished up in Bremen, on my way to Hamburg. Since then I have had a jam-packed adventure seeing the very best of Denmark, the UK, Iceland, Greece and Hungary – and meeting or catching up with a great assortment of amazing people along the way. To all those who let me into their homes (only once through an open window, thanks to the conveniently-skinny Eliza) families and lives over the last six weeks, I am incredibly grateful, and thank you for helping make this adventure the great success it has been. Also a big thanks to CSI Aaron, Adrienne, Dillon, Nick and Ali, Rachel, Eliza, Ros and Paul, and of course super-mum Amanda for helping me through the dramas of Awful-August – a month I am certain not to forget!

However, more importantly, this entry also signifies the inauguration of my brand new MacBook Air into the world of blogging! Replacing my MacBook Pro, the Air is a welcome addition to my carry-on luggage, and hopefully the slimming down of the computer may be contagious, and my five-months-in-Europe body may just follow suit!

I think that’s it for introductions – it’s time to get down to business!

I'm back!

I'm back!

After a month with no computer, I am finally back online!!! Of course, this also coincides with heading to Santorini, Greece, tomorrow morning, where I am sure to find better things to do than to update my blog entries... but I will do my best over the coming weeks to catch up!

Watch this space. And in the meantime, be jealous!

Edem Beach, Athens, Greece