Melbourne, here we come. :)

Hey bloggys :)
It's 2:59am and I'm on my way to the airport! Looks like I might be able to update you all after all.
If I don't get time to come on here, I'll be updating Twitter as I go and you can see the live Twitter feed on the right side of this page. :)

I'm super excited!!

Tashhh x

TomorrowTomorrowTomorrow!

Guessssss whaaattttttttt?

I'm heading to Melbourne TOMORROW! :)

It's one of those super fast, slightly spontaneous trips and Mum and I plan to make the absolute best of it. :) Before I go, I thought I'd let you guys know what I'm doing while I'm there. :)

I originally planned to give you guys live updates while I was in Melbourne, and let you know what was what going on, and the highlights of the city etc... but that can't happen now because I can't take my laptop or my iPad. :(
But it's ok, I'll be back in like, 2 days! And you'll get the lowdown then. :)

Ok, so I leave bright and early tomorrow morning on a 5am flight, and we arrive at 7:30am - 8:30 their time. On Tuesday we plan to just explore, and see where we end up. Our hotel is very conveniently located  right in the middle of the city too. :)

It's Wednesday that I am super excited about...
Those of you that either know me, or have read my blog since the start, know my love for Egypt, and more specifically, Tutankhamun.
Well, on Wednesday, Mum and I are going to the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Melbourne Museum!

I can't even explain my excitement.

I'm all packed now, and I'll take lots and lots of pictures... I promise. :P
Anyway, I must be off! I have to be up at 2:30am to get to the airport in time for check in.

I can't wait to tell you all about my adventures! :)

Tashhh x

Stereotypicalllll.

So I did something super stereotypical and cliche.

So, I guess this post will be somewhat the same.... apologies.

I'm not sure if any of you read my other blogs, but one is about how Brisbane is my Temporary New York, but I never reaaaallllyyyy meant it (don't tell ;) )... I mean, how could Brisbane City compare to New York? It can't, really.... but I have learnt that it is kiiiiinda amazing.

Sunday night, my gay friends dragged me to a 'gay night' FLUFFY Halloween Party, and a few of my straight male friends came along too. I was so reserved. I mean, I have nothing against gay people what so ever, but could I handle going to an actual gay night event?

The answer is a massive yes! :) And, I would go again.

Never EVER thought I would say this...

Drag shows are awesome. Like, really awesome.

The night was held at The Family nightclub in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. It was an awesome place already, but you should have seen it all 'Halloweened-up'. That night they also opened a roof top bar, which became our haunt for that night.

It was stereotypical movie style. The bar overlooked the city lights and at times your vision was impaired by the clouds of cigarette smoke emerging from the group around us. We were perched on stools at a high table and took pictures, had a few drinks and chilled out. It was at around 1:30am that we decided to leave.

Here's the problem. Trains stop running at 12:30 in Brisbane. And I'm too cheap to pay for the $25 taxi. ;)

So, we decided to waste 3 and a half hours in the city. 

Best. Idea. Ever. 

We started the night...well, morning, roaming the city to find a pool place that my friend insisted was open 24 hours... it wasn't. So we continued wandering. We reached the middle of the city. At that point there is a wide open space. Not a square, just an open space. During the day its generally full of busy city folk, rushing around for work, or shopping. At night time it is a lot different though. 

The square was secluded, but not in a creepy way. There were remnants of the day that had passed being removed by the cleaners on the graveyard shift. But, the awesome thing? There was 50's style waltz music being played over a speaker throughout the night, over the town centre. We mucked around and danced, until the cleaners swarmed the area and we moved on.

We next found ourselves at King George Square. 

My friends and I mounted the kangaroo statues... and I wasn't going to post the photos at first because... well, you know... they're special or something. 

BUT for the sake of travel blogging, I must! ;)

This is where it gets really stereotypical. 

As the night drew on we were running out of things to do, so we stayed in King George Square.

The three of us decided to lie down in the middle of the city and star gaze. 

It was awesome. :)

Later on, we noticed light in the horizon and trekked to the bridge over the Brisbane River and watched the sun rise. :) It was at that point that our lack of sleep caught up on us, and with half an hour to go, we headed to Pancake Manor, and only at that point did we learn that the place is open 24/7 AND they let you sleep there!

Finally, after a breakfast of awesome pancakes, we found our way - delirious and sleepy - to the train station... and I headed home. 

It was an awesome night, and that, along with explorations of South Bank during both day and night, have made me appreciate the city in a whole new light. And I've learnt to love Brisbane. 

A lot. 

Tashhh x

A REAL travel blog!?

I'm so so sooo sorry guys..

Two words can describe my timely absence.
Assessment Period. Urghhh
I've been so crazy busy... literally hardly enough time to eat, let alone blog.
But, I'm finished.. so I'm back.

With good news. ;)

I'm going to Melbourne! :) In exactly on week today, I will be sat in a quaint Melbournian restaurant with my mum having lunch, planning our adventure.
So... you know what that means?

A REAL travel blog! :)
I'm not saying that mine aren't real... I just mean, it will be current and up to date; not memories of past experiences. So I'm super super excited about that, and I can't wait to share my experience with all of you.
But for now... I'm going to write you a little piece, as a sorry gift for ditching you all for so long.

Ciao!

Tashhh x

Homesick.

I'm homesick...
Not for my parents home on the coast, but for my 'true home'.
For England.

I keep remembering parts of my holiday at Christmas...
Wandering through the ruins of Thornton Abbey; or nativagating the streets of York.
The old, yet somewhat contemporary buildings of London; the freaking British Museum.
The little English cottages, the churches.
The snow.

So, once my stupid  Archaeology assignment is finished, I'll revisit the memories of my holidays in more depth, and get to work on a new post for you all. :)

The big question...
Should it be on The Shambles... York itself... or Thornton Abbey?
Hmmm.

Tashhhh x

The Best Cookies in the World?

So, I'm sat in my Ancient Rome lecture drinking an amazing 'Mococoa' from Zarraffas... Its just like a hot chocolate but it has caramel in it... And crushed malt biscuits and cream on top. :)
This is making me want to tell you guys about one of my memories from Greece... It'll make sense soon. Trust me. :)

So, I know I've already told you guys all about 'Spagbol Island' but I have another prevalent memory from my holiday in Greece...

A bakery.

You're probably thinking, what? Really? You were in GREECE and one of your favorite memories is a BAKERY!? But, this was no ordinary bakery... It was ahhhh-mazing!

I can't remember how we discovered the bakery, because it was a fair walk from our hotel, but every morning we would get up at 5am (or some similar ungodly hour) just to go get some of the cookies that this bakery sold. It was the only time we could get them, because they were so amazing that they sold out ridiculously fast.

So, every morning, my mum, dad, little brother and I would make the trek down to the bakery.
It was a traditional Greek old style bakery. I don't remember exactly what the building looked like, but I remember it was really old and made of uneven stones. The people that ran the shop were Greek and only spoke broken (and terrible) English, but they loved our English accents. ;)

We bought a pack of assorted Greek cookies every time - never anything different. I remember that they were all cool shapes- my brother and I used to try and dismantle them before we ate them.
There were plaits, rings, knots and just normal cookie shapes, and I remember one day there was a heart shaped one too. They were all glossy and shiny and... Ahhh I would do anything to get another one of those cookies!

Since that holiday I have never ever tasted anything quite as good as those cookies... The only tastes that I have found to be close are Chai Lattes or these tiny little Gingerbread Men that they sometimes have in the speciality sections at supermarkets.

I would literally go back to Greece just for those cookies.
That's how amazing they were... The best cookies in the world, perhaps? :)

Tashhh x

P.S. Just so you can be as hungry as me... Check em out. ;)

Greek Cookies :)

Drum Roll please......

IIIIIIII'm back people!
And better than ever. :)
I now have the Blogger App on my iPad and iPhone, so even though I am super busy, I have no excuse for not posting now! :)
Whether on my daily commutes or while I'm laid in bed at night, posting will happen more regularly... I promise. :)
And just as a bit of a makeup gift... I'll post an extra special blog today. :)
Get excited! ;)

Tashhh

Sorrrrrry!

Heyy guys.

Sorry I haven't posted in ages!
I got knocked down with the flu and a throat infection for over a week, then I had a housewarming weekend to organise... but, alas, I am backkk!

Stay tuned, there's a new post coming up ASAP. :D

Tashhh x

The British Museum.

I don't think I'll ever be able to describe the way I felt when I visited the British Museum.
Ever.

 My visit to the British Museum was the first time I had ever been close to Egyptian artefacts, and for me this was such a big thing!! Let me explain...

Egypt is my thing. It always has been. It always will be. It's essentially my lifeblood, my passion, perhaps the very foundations of my soul? Few of you will understand... most will think I'm crazy. :)
This is because of my Nana. She is my biggest inspiration in life, and although she is gone now, she still remains a massive part of my life -to the extent that I am getting a tribute to her inked eternally into my skin in a few weeks. She went to Egypt when I was about 2 years old, and when she returned to England she brought back postcards and souvernirs... I was amazed. She told me stories of Egyptian gods and showed me pictures of tombs and pyramids. The feeling I experienced then was like nothing ever before - I needed, needed, to know who the Egyptians were. I wanted to know what they built, why they built it, why they wrote in heiroglyphics, what they thought,, how they were different to us... I wanted to know absolutely everything. As a young child, Ancient Egypt captivated me... and that feeling has never changed.
When Nana passed, she left me all of her Egyptian things - amongst them was a scarab amulet that she had wore for as long as I can remember. It is my single most treasured possession, and I doubt that that will ever change.

ANYWAY! Back the the British Museum!
When Mum and Dad told me that we were going to England for a holiday, I demanded that we needed to go to the museum. In fact, I remember telling them that if they didn't take me, I'd make the trip myself. (We were visiting Northern England, by the way, so we weren't close to London at all.) So, near the end of our English adventure, we planned to visit London. My parents fervently hate cities, so we were going to the museum and only the museum. No arguments.

We awoke at 4am and piled into the car ready for our 3 hour drive down to London. I can't even remember what the temperature was, but I remember it hurt. A lot.
I slept most of the way, and when we got into London, we found a car park way too easily. Everything was falling into place. :)
It was a delightful -4 degrees - Welcome to England. 

I was so so sooooo excited...
When we got in there, it was... amazing. The museum itself is a masterpiece. If the artefacts were removed and the building alone remained, I would pay entry just to see it again.

This is the inside of the British Museum. It boasts perhaps the most beautiful contemporary Romanesque architecture I have ever seen.

We toured the whole museum, but there were only a few rooms dedicated solely to Ancient Egypt. While they were amazing, I was devastated. In my head I had envisioned towering Egyptian statues, but they were no where to be seen..... yet. ;)

In the Egypt room we encountered countless artefacts; including mummies, canopic jars and jewellery- lots and lots of jewellery... and not only mummified people either - no, no, no... mummified animals too! There was a mummified Water Buffalo, Falcon, Ibis, Baboon and an Eel. 'Twas pretty cool, if I may say so myself.

An Ancient Egyptian mummy.

 Some people were creeped out by the mummies, but I personally think they're pretty damn awesome. I mean... theres a body of an Ancient Egyptian... an actual Ancient Egyptian... right there, underneath those wrappings...  Can you imagine what that person would have experienced?! That person once lived, breathed and saw Ancient Egypt in all of its glory.
I'm so jealous of that person lying there, encased in thousands of years old bandages.

I wandered these rooms encapsulated by the displays for what felt like only 20 minutes, turns out it was about an hour. I photographed everything, every single little thing, hoping to relive my visit when I flipped through my photo albums but, of course, it will never be the same.

We came across the other Egypt room by sheer chance. And I'm so so SO happy that we did.
One of the things I wanted to buy at the museum was a book that has essentially become my bible over the years, 'The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt'. Previously, I had been continually loaning it from the local library and copying out the pieces that intruiged me most, as the book was not sold in Australia. As it is quite big and heavy, the postage charges from another country would have been almost painful. My mum and I found it in the main gift shop, but the cover was all scratched and marked, and being quite perfectionist about the condition in which I keep my books, this simply wouldn't do. So, I took to the map to find another shop, and found a book shop inside the museum. To get to the book shop, we had to go through a massive room - but the map didn't say what was within this room... turns out this room was an Egypt-lovers heaven.
Thankyou so much for scratching those books, unknown British Museum worker... without you I wouldn't have found one of my favourite places on this Earth.

 I vividly remember walking into the room.
It literally took my breath away. 

I was surrounded by statues, towering iconic Egyptian statues, the kind that I had dreamed about seeing for over a decade. I can't even begin to describe what they were like... There were simply incredible. 

If there is ever a zombie apocolypse, THIS is where I am going. I want to - scratch that - need to live there, and this is the only situation in which this will become possible. If any of you guys become zombies, and come looking for me - that's not cool. 

Tashhh x

'Spagbol Island'

It wasn't an island made of Spaghetti Bolognese.
I just thought I should clear that up... incase any of you were jumping at the thought of an amazing island adorned with mountains of Italian goodness. I wish.

No, this was an island in Crete, Greece. It's real name is Spinalonga Island, but I was only 10 years old when I visited... Spagbol Island was easier to remember. :) At the risk of sounding painfully cliche, I'll set the scene. It was an amazing, sunny day and I wanted to stay at the hotel. We hadn't been in Greece for long, and the hotel was so enticing! It boasted the most beautiful clear blue pool, and a bar-tender that made me a special kids 'traffic-light mocktail', complete with plastic animals, coloured straws and umbrellas. But, alas, at the request of my family, I boarded the tiny air-conditioning-less tour bus with an older couple who was also staying in our hotel...

I don't remember the trip over to the island, I just remember that we took a boat - and that my dad was sea-sick, but that's no suprise, it always happens. :) Once we got onto the island, we were surrounded by ruins, and the tour guide told us the story of Spinalonga.

Spinalonga was used as a lepar colony from 1903 - 1957, and the last inhabitant of the island, a priest, left in 1962. I remember that there were two entrances to the island. One of them known as 'Dante's Gate', the leper's entrance, named so because patients were unaware of what was going to happen to them once they arrived at Spinalonga. As sinister as this makes the island sound, the leper's were actually treated well once they arrived, being provided with medical attention and social security payments, along with neccessities, like food and water.

Of course, this wasn't the only use of the island. Spinalonga was present throughout Greek history, especially in the Cretan Revolt when the island was used as a Venetian fort. But, I want this too be a travel blog, not a history lesson so, alas, I will move on and leave Google with the task of helping those of you who want to learn more. ;)

I have one prevalent memory of the island. There was a church in the centre of the island that the leper's used as a shrine. They begged and pleaded their god to save them from the disease he had placed upon them, and mourned those who had already suscepted to the illness. As a part of this, the lepers made small bronze amulets signifying the infected parts of their bodies. So, of course, their were countless amulets with images of arms and legs scribed upon them, and these hardly affected me... it was those which had babies on that haunted me down to the bone. The mood in the church was... I can't find the words to describe it... At only 10 years old I could feel something I'd never felt before. I'm not going to try and describe it, because I simply can't.

I must say, I'm awfully glad I didn't stay in the hotel. My visit to Spinalonga Island is still with me today... the feelings I felt when I stepped into that church almost haunt me when I relive the memories, whilst the ancient ruins I witnessed are perhaps one of the key things that unleashed my passion for ancient history. And who knows, maybe the island itself is responsible for the fact that I quite enjoy Spaghetti Bolognese? Doubt it... but who knows?

Tashhhh x

Bonjour, Hola, Kon-nichiwa, Ciao.... Sup? :)

Hey guys, my name is Tash Turgoose. Nice to meet you. ;)

I am 18 years old, and an aspiring travel and history journalist.

I have the biggest travel bug at the moment... I need a holiday!!
But, unfortunately, I am a poor full-time university student. I live out of home, so naturally, the cost of a holiday doesn't even equate into my budget. Not for now anyway...

I am studying at the University of Queensland, doing a dual degree - a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts. In the Arts I am currently doing a double major in Ancient History and Archaeology but I am changing it to an extended major in Archaeology and a minor in Ancient History. :)

I live in Australia, but I am actually English. I moved over here almost 7 years ago now, when I was 11 years old. I've been back once, and I'm staying in Australia for sure. ;)

Seeing as I am too poor to travel at the moment, but I am still keen to start a travel blog, I figured I could share my past travel experiences and also write about places I've been in Australia. Then, one day, when I fiiiinally get enough dosh for a holiday, I can write about that too!

Tashhh x