So life returns to the routine of summer…

I have the Giro d’Italia keeping me occupied for the moment (as of publishing the blog I am behind in watching the stages). The Giro begins the season of all the grand tours and with Contador aiming for a Giro-Tour double I am sure that I will be watching like a hawk.

There’s been an interesting few weeks recently with me being ill and trying to return to my usual. (I can’t seem to get away from the doctors’ currently but I am working on it). In the middle of all this I travelled to Lourdes for a week with HCPT and had a blast as always-reflections to come. Lourdes came at the right time and it was a very emotionally charged week but I came back with a new energy and straight to another little break in Germany with uni friends.

Germany was great. I enjoyed spending more time in the sun and getting more freedom of choice at the itinerary for the day. We visited Munich and I took an abundance of photos to share when we returned.

In the recent week or so the focus has been on exams, not as exciting as jetting off to other countries but they needed to be done in order to finish second year of uni. This realisation scares me as it means I am halfway through my degree and will be qualified to work in my chosen field fairly soon.

Now is the time to catch up with friends and spend more time with family before my summer work begins and I am painted as a “dragon” again.

Well this was a challenge....

Question 1: If you could invite one author and one of their fictional characters to tea, who would you invite and what would you serve them?

 

For me, I'd be most likely to invite Marcus Zusak and Hans Hubermann  from the Book Thief. I'd serve them a variety of food and ask lots of questions.

 

Question 2: What book do you wish the author would write the prequel for?

My answer to this question is kind-of as expected. J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter series with more information about Moody, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs-especially Padfoot! I wouldn’t mind also having a prequel for Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hana Jansen or Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park.

 

Question 3: Which two characters (NOT from the same book) do you think would make a good couple?

 Maybe Margo Roth Spiegelman from Paper Towns and Four (Tobias) from the Divergent Series. Interesting partnership!

 

Question 4: If you ran into your favourite author on the subway and only could say one sentence to them who is it and what would it be?

My favourite author…I adore Marcus Zusak, Khaled Hosseini and J.R.R. Tolkien (I know this is not possible).  If I did meet any of them then I’d thank them for their writing of the books if I could actually get words out of my mouth.

 

Question 5: What book made you a reader and why?

The first book I remember capturing my imagination and making me want to go and visit Norway one day is The Witches by Roald Dahl closely followed by A series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

 

Question 6: Your bookshelf just caught fire! What is the one book you would save?

Aaargh! That’s just mean…I don’t know, one book….probably dependent on the mood I was in would alternate between Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

 

Question 7: Which dystopian world would you want to live in and why?

Ooh, what a question since most dystopian worlds seem to destroy themselves pretty quickly, but since I’ve just seen Insurgent then I’d probably say I could live alongside them.

 

Question 8: What is your most Epic Read of all time?

Oooh, em….lots…I think the 1 that impacted most recently was The Book Thief and then The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul.

Where in the world?

The idea for this post occurred to me a short while ago when I was doing my usual, gallivanting (wandering around) places in the world and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to share with you all the beautiful places which I have had the joy to visit. See if you can guess where I am before you read the description....

1. AUSTRIA- The beautiful Zell am See. This is one of my all time favourite photos, the scenery here was breath-taking. I spent two weeks here on a family holiday and by the end of it we still hadn't explored enough of the country. If you are ever there then I'd recommend visiting Kitzsteinhorn and if you're a skier or snowboarder take full advantage of the chance to ski on a glacier! If not, go through the tunnel to Gipfelwelt 3000 and the highest altitude in the Salzbourg region.

Another must-see places include:
Sigmund thun klamm gorge
Krimmel Waterfall (the 5th highest in the world)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Orkney-The Italian chapel! This one was on my mum's bucket list. The Italian chapel was built by Italian POWs during the Second World War. They wanted to build a place of worship while they were building bridges between all the small islands that make up Orkney, this was the result a gorgeous chapel which still holds regular services to this day.

 

If you are ever in Orkney don't miss this....or these:

 

The Ring of Brodgar

Skara Brae

A trip into Kirkwall/Stromness

St Magnus' Cathedral, Kirkwall

The Stones of Steness

Scapa Flow

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. France-Lourdes! A pilgrimage sight for millions of Catholics and non-Catholics alike, this building is the Basilica of the Rosary. I just adore the atmosphere and beauty of Lourdes, it is incredible to feel that sense of belonging when you share the same belief as many around you. I can't describe the feeling I get when I visit and I hope everyone who wishes gets a chance to experience this at some point in their lives.

 

Other places:

Take a day trip to Bartes

 

 

 

4. You've guessed it, haven't you?

 

NEW YORK!

 

This photo is of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge looking towards Manhattan. What an experience! It was a glorious day as we sauntered along, not exactly the quietest walk in the world as the cars pass by to the right of you but it was lovely none the less. What else can I say other than....

Look out for:

The Empire State Building (for obvious reasons)
Top of the Rock (for the best view of Central Park)
Wander into Central Park and make the most of the sunshine!
And take a day trip to The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island :)



That concludes the first "Where in the world?", I'm sure that there will be more in the future!