Wanderlust Wishlist 2016 - January Travel Linkup

2015 saw me travelling far and wide, literally and emotionally. I spent the 14/15 New Year watching the fireworks over the Thames (and working on a party boat), spent a weekend in Brussels with my best friend, explored Cambridge, met new 'family' in Scotland, travelled to Portugal with work, saw where the Von Trapps lived in Salzburg, caught up with friends in Hanover, got lost in Berlin, made new friends in Vietnam and Cambodia and surprised family in Thailand! 

I also broke up with my boyfriend, quit my amazing job, packed up my life, moved back across a (couple of) oceans, made it back in time to be part of my best friend's wedding, saw my nieces for the first time and got to spend Christmas and New Years with family and friends for the first time in two years. 

goodbyes

If I have my way, 2016 will be just as big as it's predecessor.

 September will see me and a few friends soaking up the rays in LA, hunting alligators on the bayou and visiting a white house in Washington and a green lady in NY. Yup! We're going to America! And squeezing it all in by doing a 26 day Contiki tour. 

We'll be topping it off with a holiday from our holiday, relaxing on a beach in Hawaii. 

http://www.astonhotels.com/assets/slides/690x380-Hawaii-Sunset.jpg

Norway

Particularly, would LOVE to see the Northern Lights. And how could you not want to when you've spent to look on Instagram and come across photos like this?

photo from Christer Olsen https://www.instagram.com/christerolsen_

Moscow

photo credit to Anastasia Sviridova https://www.instagram.com/anastasia_svir

St Petersburg

Ever since reading The Bronze Horseman, I've been a bit obsessed with visiting Russia.

https://www.instagram.com/o_st.petersburg/

The biggest travel move I'm going to make this year (hopefully) is transporting myself back to my second home - LONDON! 

This is my first blog at the Travel Linkup, but I have been following Emma for a while now and thought it would be good to add another resolution to my ever growing list: blogging more (and with some sort of purpose!) 

How to link up your post

"Just pop your post up over the first week of the month (the 1st - 7th January 2016), add it to the link up widget found on Emma's, Angie's, or Jessi's blogs from the 1st.

As ever there are no real rules – basically all we ask is that you check out some of the other cool bloggers that are involved in that months travel link up; tweet a few of the posts out to your followers that you think they will love and make a few comments here and there. It really is a great way to meet some new travel bloggers and share some blogging joy!" - Emma 

Jersey Boys

A couple weeks ago a few friends and I found a great deal on Groupon - tickets to Jersey Boys for £30 each! 

To be honest, I really had no idea what this was about, just that it was a musical and that I may know *some* songs. 

Missing one of the posse, four of us met up earlier for a bit of deliciousness. 

This plate of mouthwatering meat feast was found at Jamie Oliver's Diner in Picadilly.

Luckily for me I could actually eat the ribs as they were gluten free! 

According to Cara, our house rib expert, these babies are rated 3.5 out of 5 (apparently Wetherspoons do better - sorry Jamie!) This was because they were more spicy and less saucy, so it really depends on the individual. 

Being the punctual people that we are (besides Chantelle who had to trek from work on the opposite side of the city) after dinner we still had an hour before the show started.

What to do in Central London to kill time? Go to the pub of course! We met up with Chantelle on the way back to the theatre (the 10 metre walk from the pub) so unfortunately she missed out on a cheeky pint.

Jersey Boys is the story behind the 50/60s quartet The Four Seasons, mainly concentrating on the frontman Frankie Valli.

I was surprised at how many of the songs that I actually knew! I think the old bloke sitting next to me was getting a little (read: a lot) annoyed as Cara and I were singing along with the guys on stage. 

How can you not sing along to this classic?

Although I may have thought that it was a relatively new tune by the Bubes (Michael Buble)  *hangs head in shame*

As well as the singing, the actors were really good and believable, although it did take a little while to get used to the (assuming) faux Jersey accents. 

From left: me, Cara, Emily, Cushla and Chantelle

We got very lucky with our tickets, we weren't able to select them online, so were at the mercy of the Piccadilly Theatre. 

 After climbing many, many, many stairs we reached the very top circle - it's very Grand - and were directed to our seats.

The very front row!

Jersey Boys is on at the Picadilly Theatre, Denman Street, London. 

The Bucket List

Something that everybody should have and attempt to do is A Bucket List.
The good thing about a Bucket List is that it can be fluid, forever changing as you cross things of and add others.
Here is mine so far...


Places to Visit:

• The Eiffel Tower (June, 2013)
• The Colosseum (July, 2013)
• Anzac Cove, Gallipoli (April, 2014)  blog post here
• Niagara Falls
• Cinque terre, Italy
• The Palace of Versailles, France
• Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
• Taj Mahal, India
• The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland (November, 2013)  blog link
• Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Uluru, Australia
• Visit all 7 continents (Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australasia)
• Laze on a beach in the Caribbean
• Harry Potter Studio Tour, England (September, 2014)
• The Dead Sea
• The Crooked Forest, Poland
• The Grand Canyon, USA (September, 2016)
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa (June, 2013)
• Pearl Harbour, Hawaii (October, 2016)
• Stonehenge, England
• Dachau, Germany (2013)
• Auschwitz-Berkenau, Poland (October, 2014) photo essay
• La Sagrada Familia, Spain (July, 2013)
• Red Square, Russia
• Dubrovnik, Croatia (July, 2013)
• Valley of the Kings, Egypt
• See the cherry blossoms of Japan

Adventures to Have:

• Walk the Kokoda Trail
• Go to La Tomatina (2013)
• See the Northern Lights
• Skydiving (Switerland, 2013) Scariest thing ever!
• Go sea cave canoeing (Phuket, 2012)
• Stay in a treehouse (April, 2014 / May, 2014)
• Do a Segway tour
• Attend a football (soccer) match in England
• Drive in a country where they drive on the opposite side of the road (Switzerland, 2013)
• Go white water rafting (Phuket, 2008)
• Go parasailing (Phuket, 2008)
• Ride a helicoper (Australia, 2004; Switzerland, 2013)
• Ride in a hot air balloon (Cappadoccia, Turkey, 2014)
• See a play on Broadway (October, 2016)
• See a play in the West End (Book of Mormon, January 2015, Jersey Boys, March 2015)
• Ride in a gondola in Venice (2013)
• Go on a safari
• Ride a camel in the desert (September, 2014)
• Go on a cruise down the River Nile
• Go abseiling (Australia, 2009)
• Go caving (Australia, 2009)
• Go to Mardi Gras
• Drive rather aimlessly around a foreign country
• Sail the Croatian Islands
• Sail the Greek Islands (2013)
• Cage diving with crocodiles (Darwin, Australia, 2010)
• See a polar bear
• Take a Gap Year (2009)
• Live in another country (moved to London, August 2013) 
• Visit the Grand Bazaar, Turkey (April, 2014)
• Drive on a race track (Monaco, 2013)
• Go ski-ing (Bulgaria, March, 2014)
• Go to a random festival (British Summer Time, July, 2014)
• Travel on the TransSiberian Railway
• Travel on the Ghan

Food and drink to Try:

• Es Cargot (snails) (France, 2013)
• Frog's legs
• Haggis (July, 2014)
• Crocodile (Australia, 2012)
• Kangaroo (Australia, 2011)
• Cheese Fondue (Switzerland, 2013)
• Jerk chicken (London, 2013)
• Fugu, 'Pufferfish'
• Stroopwafel (Amsterdam, 2013)
• Pizza in Naples
• Spacecake
• Borscht (Poland, 2014)
• Gumbo
• Sauerkraut (Munich, 2013) 
• Absinthe (February, 2014 - thanks housemates!)
• Rosti (Switzerland, 2013)
• Steak and Guiness Pie (London, 2013)