This time of year is always a time of mixed feeling for me. I'm sure it is for many people, although probably for different reasons like not achieving new year's resolutions etc. Although maybe that comes later as it's not quite new year's yet. This is the time of year when I moved to live … Continue reading My year in Japan: my first white Christmas
Ok, so if you're reading these blogs in order then you will know that I am currently travelling as part of a mini-fellowship, which is funding me to visit a number of different research institutes and attend conferences as part of my postdoc research work. First stop on the trip was to visit the CDC … Continue reading Amsterdam: pancakes, bicycles, and everything in between
I recently went to America for the first time in my life. I've always been much more motivated to go places where there is really old, tangible history; places like Japan (which obviously I've been to a bunch) and Europe. So, America from that perspective wasn't as appealing. I had also heard all the obvious … Continue reading A week in Atlanta (or, omgosh squirrels and the CDC!)
I'm currently in Bali for the first time. Actually, perhaps weirdly given I'm from Australia, it is my first time in any part of South-East Asia! My friend (Maggie, who has an excellent blog, which you should definitely check out here: http://www.theycallmemaggie.com/) suggested a somewhat spontaneous trip to Bali when Jetstar was having a good … Continue reading Mt. Batur: hiking to meet the sunrise
I haven't had a chance to make it out to the Tesselaar tulip festival this year (though there's one weekend left and I'm hopeful!) but I got a chance to go last year and loved it. Tulips are my favourite flowers. I lived in Japan for a year and loved the cherry and plum blossoms … Continue reading Frolicking in fields of flowers, aka: Tesselaar Tulip Festival
I was lucky enough to get to head down to Tasmania recently (specifically to Hobart) for a conference in early July this year. I'm currently in the final stages of a PhD looking at transmission of bacterial pathogens using genome sequencing, so that was what the conference was vaguely based around, or at least parts … Continue reading Hunting for the Aurora Australis (and failing but having a blast anyway!)
During my year in Japan I made an effort to really go some of the places I hadn't managed to get to before. One of those places was Okinawa! It had always been a bit out of the way for my other, shorter trips to Japan, but living there it suddenly seemed much more feasible. … Continue reading Summer in Okinawa
I've been pretty slack recently with blog posts. Problem is, I had an amazing time in Europe in late January-February and then have been playing catch-up for the time I missed from my PhD. The trip was amazing and absolutely worth it though, so no complaints! And now I am finally getting around to updating this … Continue reading Budapest by night
Nabana no sato flower park in Mie prefecture (Japan) has to be one of the most brilliantly coloured places I've ever been. During the day (in the right seasons) park is filled with thousands of gorgeously coloured flowers, including fields upon fields of tulips. At night, over Winter (usually slightly longer than Winter; November til … Continue reading Nabana no Sato winter illumination (or: the most fairy lights you’ll ever see!)
Wakakusa Yamayaki is by far one of the most impressive things I've seen in Japan. The big Buddha (Daibutsu) in Todaiji (the largest wooden building in the world, and is only a fraction of the size of the original!) , and Kinkakuji (a pavilion covered in gold leaf) are definitely amazing to see, but Wakakusa Yamayaki is … Continue reading Wakakusa Yamayaki
Claire, here and there 