Shoot: Indonesian Instagram Diary

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Hello again! I mentioned in my last post – some 3 weeks ago – that I was off to Indonesia for a holiday of sorts. I was visiting family so was largely based in Bandung. While I had intended to update the blog with travel posts while overseas, the internet situation was much worse than I had anticipated. I was mainly limited to mobile internet – namely Instagram and Snapchat. Plus, who really wants to be sitting at a computer when on holiday? Now I’ve just got to sort through and edit a tonne of photos while also recovering from a stupid post-holiday cold. I’ll be back with photo diaries and travelling tidbits in the coming days but in them meantime these are just a few of my favourite shots that you may or may not have already seen over on my Instagram. 



because bastille day

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When I visited Paris two years ago, our trip was timed so that we left France two days before Bastille Day. You could say this was a bit of an oversight on our part. The apartment we were staying in was just around the corner from Place de la Bastille so we would have been smack bang in the middle of Bastille Day celebrations. Anyway, I took tonnes of photos on my trip but only shared a few on this blog in the immediate post-trip blogging aftermath. Because it’s Bastille Day, and in keeping with the theme of all things French, I thought I’d share a few more random snaps from my time in the French capital.

1. I see you, Eiffel Tower.
2. The Notre-Dame Cathedral in the midst of summer visitor crowds.
3. Staring out onto the Seine.
4. Looking out over Paris from the second viewing platform of the Eiffel Tower.
5. Saint-Sulpice church. I mainly remember there being dead pigeons around the fountain.
6. Stumbling upon the Luxembourg Gardens.
7. Despite staying just around the corner, I didn’t actually take any photos of the Place de la Bastille. The closest I got was this shot of the Génie de la Liberté’s behind, which I took from our apartment window while testing the zoom on my camera.

reminiscing: versailles

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After watching Farewell, My Queen at the French Film Festival the other day, I’ve had all things French and Versailles-related on the mind. The very next day I watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, whose frothy cinematography was a stark contrast to the perceived realness of Farewell, My Queen. Then I started going through photos from my trip to Europe in 2011 (I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years – it feels like yesterday). I realised that at the time I only shared a snippet of the photos I took at Versailles. So here are a few more photos from my day there to give you a case of wanderlust or cause you to reminisce about your own past travels.

 

travel photos: bits’n’pieces

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These are just a few photos that didn’t really fit into any other posts. This will probably be the last of the travel posts – or until I get my last roll of Diana film developed, anyway. After Berlin it was back to London for a few more days before heading home. The extra time in London was spent catching a few more sights that I missed the first time round as well as doubling up on old favourites such as the Camden Markets and the V&A Museum. Although, when I got back home I realised I had missed something monumental (to me, anyway), and that was a trip to Liberty! Cue facepalm. The first photo is actually of a little courtyard in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Isn’t it adorable? I want to call it home!

travel photos: berlin

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After a short stay in Prague, it was off to Berlin where I had planned to stay with a friend. After a bit of miscommunication, phones running out of credit, and a rude introduction to the U-Bahn  – we met at what I later learnt was one of the more notoriously dangerous stations – we made it back to her apartment in one piece. Unfortunately she was leaving for the weekend and wouldn’t be able to guide us around Berlin, but she left a more than comprehensive insider’s guide to the city (read: a jam-packed A4 piece of paper covered in barely legible notes). So when I wasn’t off visiting famous monuments such as the East Side Gallery, Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag; I was living like a local in Neukölln. Unfortunately I didn’t get many photos of the ‘local’ stuff because I felt like a bit of a dork whipping out my camera while everyone was going about their day-to-day business. There were a lot of missed photo opportunities but I’m not too fussed – you can’t capture every moment. Below are a few places to check out if you’re ever in Berlin. These were the ones I actually remembered. There were a lot of other places that I forgot to take note of. Like the slightly derelict garden that was home to a double decker bus and cafe. Or the bar I went to on a Monday night with the cool decor and cheap beers. Travelling fail, I know.

– Noewkolln Flea Markets which are on the third Sunday of each month. We timed that one pretty well. If I actually had room in my backpack I would have gone crazy buying stuff.
– Hamy Cafe for amazing and cheap Vietnamese food and fresh fruit smoothies. The daily offers are always under 5€ and they are big serves too.
– White Trash Fast Food for finger licking good (and slightly greasy) food. They also make a mean vodka and freshly squeezed lemonade. And vodka and freshly squeezed orange juice. And really strong Old Fashioneds. They even played Edward Scissor Hands on the TV at the bar! I really liked this place, in case you couldn’t already tell.
– Cinema Cafe and the adjacent alleyway (Rosenthaler Straße 39). Make sure to follow the alleyway to the very end and go up the graffiti’d staircase where you’ll find a cool bookshop. Very underground. Very Berlin. Although much to the chagrin of my friend, who is a Berlin local, even this is now apparently too touristy. I found that comment a bit ironic considering the circumstances. The shopping in this district is pretty good too.

I seriously could have spent weeks and weeks exploring Berlin. What was initially going to be a three night stay ended up lasting nearly a week. That’s how much I loved this place!

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