Marpessa's VirtualTourist Home Page

Hi and welcome to my pages on VT!

I first started travelling at the end of 2003. I had just finished university and had been working for a year, and decided to spoil myself with a little trip up the coast to Sydney and Cairns. Seven months after that I spent 5 weeks in Europe (Rep. of Ireland, Scotland, England, France and Norway), a year after that I spent 8½ weeks in Europe (England, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Austria, Czech Rep., Rep. of Ireland, Scotland and Denmark) and a year after that (July 2007 if you're counting) I left my home in Australia to live for a year in Sweden, to study and do a masters course.

Whilst living in Sweden, I took the time to explore the country and also to go and explore other parts of Europe as well (Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary). Some of these countries I only visited one or two cities, others six or more. Through all of them I found something I loved - the culture, the people, the architecture, the landscape... and through a lot of them I have met people I can now call good friends.

Before arriving in Sweden I also had a stop-over in Hong Kong, which has made me dream of future trips to the Asian continent.

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Casually waiting for a train in Melbourne...

Since returning home, I have been travelling and enjoying the sites of my own country. Such varied beauty in the landscape, that I regret a little that I have not seen it earlier.

I am happy to be home, but still dream of Europe... and Asia... and thoughts of America and Africa too...

My travels (2009):

February:
Australia: Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Uluru and Phillip Island.

May:
Australia: Sydney and Ourimbah.

October:
Australia: Great Ocean Road, Lorne, Port Campbell, Healesville and Melbourne.

Australia: Sydney and Canberra (briefly).

New Zealand: Christchurch, Queenstown, Glenorchy (Paradise), Te Anau, Milford Sound, Auckland, Raglan, Waitomo and Taupo.

Upcoming Travels:
(Next year)
? Canada: Nova Scotia and surrounding area ?
and
? USA: New York and Boston ?

OR

? Peru: Cusco and Lima ?
and
? Argentina: Buenos Aires ?

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One of the Triplet Falls, Cape Otway Ranges

Travels in Australia

I have spent most of my time in Geelong in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is a great place to live as the city is not too large, it sits right on a bay and it's close to the bush and some great beaches (found further south).

I don't think that I could live anywhere that was too far away from the beach (or a really large lake or something). I love the water. I love walking on the sand, rock pools, waves, beach cricket... the beach is just fun! Even in winter when you can have it all to yourself.

Besides travelling around my own state, I have also been to Sydney (New South Wales), Cairns and Fitzroy Island (Queensland). Plus a page for my recent trip to the Northern Territory will be coming up soon (as well as an update on my Sydney page).

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"I'm not mankind. No one is. We're all individuals"
-Christopher Pike, "The Starlight Crystal"-

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With friends the morning after a big party...

My current favourites...
(from the photo, hanging out with my friends is always a favourite of mine :D)

-songs-
*Nordpol/Südpol* by Jupiter Jones feat. Jana Pallaske.
*Evacuate the Dancefloor* by Cascada.
*Release Me* by Agnes
*I Gotta Feeling* by the Black Eyed Peas.
*The Lightning Strike* by Snow Patrol.

-currently reading-
The Girl Who Played with Fire (eller Flickan som lekte med elden) by Stieg Larsson
Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman

-just finished reading-
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain De Botton

-sport- Soccer/Football: Australia!! Go Aussies!!
also * I love English Premier League and support Liverpool!

-miscellaneous- TRAVEL, building VT pages, learning about different cultures and their history, trying to learn languages and of course MUSIC!

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"One way or another, no matter which theory of our journey is correct, it's myself I address."
-John Barth, "Lost in the Funhouse"-

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Linköping, SE ('08)

My passions!

I love books :). I am a fan of Harry Potter (and the films, although I like the books better) and The Lord of the Rings (even though they are a hard read, I love the mythology, history and depth of it). I also like Christopher Pike, Tony Hawk (English comedian - not American pro-skater), Dan Brown, Robert Harris (brilliant and scary mix of history and fiction), Brian Thacker, A.S Byatt, Christa Wolf, George Bernard Shaw and specifically 'Hamlet' by Shakespeare and I thought the Kenneth Branagh cinema version was brilliant.

Also I like reading travel books (guide books or travel related books).

I have a BA in literature and history, and went to Sweden to do a masters in Scandinavian history (however my thesis is yet to be completed). Living and studying in Sweden for a year was definitely a memorable experience.

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"Your words in my memory are like music to me."
Snow Patrol feat. Martha Wainwright
(From the song: 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar')

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'Sound and Light' show, Hong Kong.

Music!
Friedrich Nietzsche once said "without music, life would be a mistake" and I agree. I have an eclectic taste in music which suites my eclectic moods. I love rock, pop, country, jazz, heavy metal, soul... old stuff, new stuff (although not too much of a fan of people just remixing old songs with new beats). I constantly have my iPod with me, whether it's for a 15 minute bus ride or an 8 hour train ride, I never go anywhere without it. I don't always have it on, I can appreciate the sound of silence, the sounds of nature or the sounds of the hustle and bustle around me... but it is nice to have my own personal soundtrack selection with me.

Groups/artists I like:
The Music, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Gotye, Dishwalla, Beatles, Sheryl Crow, Robyn, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Die Happy, Guns N' Roses, The Rasmus, HIM, Natalie Imbruglia, Muse, Tool, Kings Of Leon, Pearl Jam, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, Dixie Chicks, Snow Patrol, Box Car Racer, Foo Fighters, Tracy Chapman, Bon Jovi, America, Pink Floyd, Sarah McLachlan, John Butler Trio, Frou Frou, U2, The Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, Aerosmith, The Darkness, Everclear, Strung Out, Fleetwood Mac, Kent (på svenska inte engelska), Rage Against The Machine, Interpol, Motion City Soundtrack, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Bodyjar, Jebediah, Grinspoon, Eskimo Joe, Motor Ace, The Superjesus, Killing Heidi, The Living End, The Butterfly Effect.... and many more.