Older Doesn't Always Mean Easier

I really wish I didn't have to write this post, but I feel I would be doing myself a disservice by not writing up the last couple of weeks. After my last few posts being really positive, upbeat and mainly about me excited for the future, happy with life and travelling, this is going to be much more sombre and for me, heart-breaking.
Life has a way of punching you in the face when everything is going well.

I'm struggling to even to write this.

Things were going well last weekend, I was having an amazing time in Vienna, as you will see from my Vienna post, but then I got that phone call that pulled my feet out from under me. You know the feeling when the whole world seems to swallow you whole. I was standing in the middle of the street in Vienna when my mum called to say that my 92-year old grandfather, otherwise known as 'Pappy' was back in hospital, and this time it was it. He had been in and out of hospital since September last year, and for a man of his age it wasn't surprising. Yet, when you are thousands of miles away and not coming home for two days, what do you do? I was on standby, ready to rush to the airport to come home early, but luckily that wasn't needed. As soon as I landed on Monday I drove straight from Egham to Bath hospital, pretending to myself that I wasn't going to say goodbye, although I knew that deep down that's what I was heading for.

I like to think that, having seen all of my cousins, he was waiting for me. I know he was in pain, and it wouldn't be fair to him to have wanted him to be around for as long as possible, but the selfish part of me wanted just that. Yet after spending all day sat at his bedside on Tuesday and then heading back home late that night, I woke up early on Wednesday morning to the news that he had slipped away in the night.

Once again, I'm stuck in that feeling of things being not quite real, there's all the talk of funerals and estates etc. and what will happen to my grandma now and it's all so overwhelming. Getting to 92 is an achievement in itself, and Pappy could not have had a better life, a happy 62-year marriage, three children, 9 grandchildren, a wonderful home, and even being in the navy in WWII. But still, at the end of the day, it is sad. It saddens me because, after such an amazing life, he had to end it in pain, but also, selfishly I know, it makes me think about my own mortality and that fucking scares me too. I know it has to happen to all of us, but that doesn't mean I'm not terrified.

I know this is going to happen more and more as I get older now, the goodbyes are going to become more common, but this doesn't mean that they are going to get any easier.
So all I wanted to really say way, I'll see you later Pappy, I love you, we all miss you so much and I know I'll see you soon.

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Lots of Love, Desmond Rae Harris 5 December 1924 - 8 February 2017

SPOTLIGHT ON: VIENNA

Oh Vienna, your beauty astounds me.

So this week's focus is on the wonderful city of Vienna in Austria where I was lucky enough to spend a weekend at the beginning of February. Today's show, although being a bit late, was all about what to do if you find yourself heading to the wonderful city. Vienna is also known as 'little Italy' so be prepared to find Italian restaurants everywhere and some of the best Italian food outside of Italy.

• STA Tour: 48 hours in Vienna: includes a half day city tour including museums, wine bars and the opera and one night in a hostel

TOP TIP: Vienna is small so a long weekend in more than enough. Don't buy an underground ticket, everything is within walking distance. If you do, get a 24/48/72 hour pass for between £10-£15 from the ticket machines, although there are no ticket barriers or guards so if you are feeling less than honest...

Easiest way to get there:

• Fly Direct from Gatwick or Heathrow with British Airways or Austrian Airways, both at a similar price of £100 per person
• Or make it part of your inter-railing journey (for which there will be a special show at some point in the future)

Vienna from above

Where to stay:

• Wombat's City Hostel: £17 per night for a dorm room which includes free Wifi
• Das Capri Hotel: includes breakfast for £80 per night for a double room (but features in a very good BA deal at ba.com) 

Spanish Riding School

What to do:

• Museums: There are many many impressive museums in Vienna that can be quite pricey, but they are all free on the first Sunday of each month if you can time your trip to fit in with this. Otherwise, it might be worth purchasing the Vienna card that can bring you discounts, free tickets and travel, and is also available from all hotels/hostels and online in advance
• Walk the Ringstrasse: Give yourself a guided tour of Vienna's historic highlights or hop on the tourist Ringstrasse Tram for approx. £5
• Spanish Riding School: This famous riding school is a must when in Vienna. Head over to the Winter Arena in the Hofburg Imperial Palace and get to watch the morning practice to music, every morning Tuesday-Saturday 10-12 for £10 with a student card. Tickets cannot be bought in advance so make sure to get there around 9:30 am to be guaranteed entry and get yourself a seat!
• Danube Tower: Take a trip to the tower on the outside of the city where 171m up, you can have lunch in the revolving restaurant with a view. Take a look at picture-perfect mountains that surround Vienna.  
• Praeter: Head to Praeter for the old time fairground rides and what Vienna claims to be one of the oldest Ferris Wheels in the world, and certainly one of the most romantic places - combine your ticket with the Danube tower for £14.50

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Working Girl

Now I've got your attention, I'm sorry to say this post is not revealing that I have suddenly decided to become an escort, let's be honest, I'd be out of your price range anyhow.

No, unfortunately, I've just been working a hell of a lot, as every third-year university student around this time of year. If it hasn't already been handed in, the dreaded dissertation has started to rear its ugly head and needs as much attention as it can be given while trying to juggle every other essay, all of which seem to have the same deadline, along with impending exams appearing over the horizon of Easter break. All this madness, combined with the fact that nearly everyone I know has some form of part-time job along with sports or society commitments, it is official, in third year there is no time anymore.

I find myself thinking in weeks ahead rather than days anymore and having to schedule meetings with friends either at the last second or weeks in advance, just to make sure our plans actually happen.

In all of this, I think we need to make sure we set aside some time for ourselves, just to breathe. I know saying that is fairly hypocritical coming from me as I never let myself stop, partly because I don't want to, but also because I get really bored doing nothing and need something productive to do. That was really part of the point of this blog in the beginning.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that its okay to be busy, but make sure you are busy with what is making you happy and enjoy the feeling of being busy, but do let yourself stop once in a while and take stock of everything and be proud of what you've managed to achieve. But don't forget your friends and family on the way around, they'll need to be scheduled into your busy life too!

Have a busy, productive and amazing week my lovelies,

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

SPOTLIGHT ON: CANADA

Today's show was about Canada and I have to say I think it may be one of my most favourite places in the world. Apart from having the most amazing Prime Minister ever in the form of Justin Trudeau who, especially after the week from hell the world has just had the courtesy of Mr Trump (thanks for that you big orange oaf), PM Trudeau has opened Canada up to those people who need a place of safety most. And what a place it is!
Canada has something for everyone and is literally one of the most amazing, friendliest and beautiful places I have ever been. I am so in love with Canada that after my Masters degree I plan to move there for a year with the BUNAC program that I will write a blog post about another time.

Anyway back to the point, Canada is so vast that there is no way you could ever visit everything in one trip, I've been 5 times and still not seen everything I want to.

Taste of my Passport

Easiest way to get there:

• STA Blue Tickets: Flights with Air Canada, West Jet or British Airways to collect air miles. Depending on what time of year you go flights can vary anything from £300-£900 at peak times which are usually the school holidays.
• Travel Hack - fly to the east coast and travel across the country as it will be cheaper.  
• Great deals can be found at lastminute.com

Where to go?

• East Coast:
• Quebec: a French-speaking area, old world like that of an old French town with cobbled streets built on a hill and home of the Canadian classic, poutine. Poutine is chips (or fries), gravy and cheese curd, it is so common you can buy it in Maccers! It might sound horrible but it tastes amazing.
• Montreal: built in two sections, above ground and an underground city to deal with the cold weather, home to one of the oldest roller coasters in the world, full of casinos and home to the St Lawrence River and its grade 4 rapids (considering Niagra Falls are a grade 6) which I would highly recommend going on a rib ride through. 
• Toronto: the largest city on the east coast, English-speaking and full of things to do and see. Home to the Toronto Blue Jays ice hockey team and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Day trips to Niagra falls can be done from Toronto, as well as visits to 1000 islands on the border of USA and Canada. While you are there check out the CN tower to get a full view of Toronto and rest your feet up in the Steam Whistle Brewery opposite to try out a true Canadian classic beer. 

• West Coast:
• Vancouver: English-speaking, home to many museums, art galleries and culture hotspots, while from Vancouver you can take day trips whale-watching and trips to Vancouver Island. 
• Whistler: two hours north of Vancouver and my favourite place in the world, home to, in my opinion, THE ULTIMATE SKI RESORT IN THE WORLD, oh yeah and they hosted 2010 Winter Olympics. It is a pretty cool place in the winter for skiing but doubles as a bike/walking resort in the summer. 

Whistler, British Colombia

For both the East and West coasts, doing it on a budget, Canada has a chain of hostels called Hi Toronto, Hi Vancouver, Hi Montreal etc. which have rooms for about £26 per night. Otherwise, I'd recommend Airbnb as things can be pricey in Canada.

If you need any help planning your trip, give me a shout here, I'd love to help get you started!

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx

Let's Talk about Politics

Even the title of this post already fills me with dread. I know I am no way qualified to talk about politics, but in this day and age with the media storm that surrounds politics all over the world, who really is qualified to talk about politics anymore?

What can I say except sigh and throw my hands up in the air in true exasperation? Everyone knows the situation, it feels like the apocalypse has come, Donald Trump is President, Theresa May is a wet blanket, the opposition in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party is useless, the NHS is going to shit and the only two lights in the darkness are Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London and my favourite politician, Justin Trudeau, but even they can't seem to stop this chaos.

When Trump was elected I was disappointed, but then what was the alternative? Clinton wasn't much of a better candidate, and none of the other options for Republican or Democrat nominee was a good practical choice either. The same could be said over here, both the Tory and Labour leadership races had no real candidate of personality shining through. So when did all our politicians get so boring? And why are we surrounded by more of the same middle/ upper-class white men (and occasionally women) who couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery and have the personality of a dirty sponge. Why does it seem that there are simply no other options?

Love Trumps Hate

In a fabulous world where we are progressing by the day towards a future of freedom and equality, why does it suddenly feel so archaic? Trump's ruling on women's abortions and the Muslim ban announced this week are so similar to the Augustan rule over 2000 years ago that the similarities aren't even funny anymore. Women are suppressed and being told how to live their lives by someone unqualified to do so echoing back to Augustus' familial laws introduced to promote family growth and prevent adultery. While the regulation of people entering the country is so similar to the restrictions of those who could live in the eternal city of Rome it is scary. Why are we making less progress in 2017 than citizens of the ancient world in 18BC? It might be the classics student in me, but frankly, I'm not okay with these comparisons, I could go on.

So what can we do? It might feel futile for an ordinary, everyday person like you and me who are so overwhelmed by what is happening that all you want to do is curl up and hide in a corner until it is all over. We've gotta stay strong and it is really the little things that will make the world of difference. Go to that protest march, sign that petition, make your voice heard, retweet that hashtag on Twitter, tell your friends about that article you saw on Facebook, keep talking and tell everyone who will listen to spread the word. Yes, these people may have been voted for, but I didn't vote for them and I don't agree with them, He is not my President, She is not my Prime Minister, They do not represent me. If we can call this democracy, and we have a right to it, then surely we have a right to protest and be heard.

He is not my President, She is not my Prime Minister, They do not represent me

However, the most important thing in this is to love each other. Love each other as we have been doing all our lives. Don't judge people on their views and opinions, everyone has a reason for why they think and act the way they do, love them anyway, it's the only way we can hope to repair our countries and relations with the rest of the world. Hold hope that love can mend us piece by piece, for it is all we can do right now. But like I said, how am I qualified to talk about politics anyway?

Lots of love to you all my dear readers, from the bottom of my heart.

Have a good week my loves!

Lots of Love, Kate xxx