2016 in review

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with three of my friends to set fire to 2016. In the garden, under the full moon, with candles. We each wrote down what we want to leave behind in 2016, and what we welcome for 2017, then we read them out to one another and set fire to them. It was cleansing and very good to focus our attention on something tangible, rather than howling at the horrors of the year (though that is also valid and important). Now, as the sun sets on New Year’s Eve, I wish I could say I’m feeling cheerful and ready for the year to come, but I’ve got a disgusting cold and have had to cancel my plans, as I’m unlikely to be awake at midnight. My impulse is to try to counter that with relentless positivity, but even I can’t manage that on its own, so I’m trying to look at the year in balance.

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Salmon Fishing In The Yemen – Paul Torday

What does it take to make us believe in the impossible?
For Dr. Alfred Jones, life is a quiet mixture of civil service at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence and marriage to Mary—an ambitious, no-nonsense financier. But a strange turn of fate from an unexpected direction forces Jones to upend his existence and spend all of his time in pursuit of another man’s ludicrous dream. Can there be salmon in the Yemen? Science says no. But if resources are limitless and the visionary is inspired, maybe salmon fishing in the Yemen isn’t impossible. Then again, maybe nothing is.

Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher

“So now, will you come on a journey with me? We’re going to start at death, but then we’re going to double back and go all the way through an emergency room (where they know me), through Watergate, back through Vietnam to birth. My birth.”

An extra big adventure: Budapest

Budapest is, as Lauren almost managed to say, the Budabest – we finished on an absolute high!

An extra big adventure: Zagreb

We’ve been in Zagreb since Wednesday, and it has been hot. 

An extra big adventure: Ljubljana

We’re leaving Ljubljana later today for Zagreb. It’s been an absolute delight.

An extra big adventure: Vienna

Vienna is gorgeous. As Lauren said, they really know how to build stuff. Everything is very big and very impressive.

An extra big adventure: Prague

We went from Berlin to Prague, where we stayed until this morning.

An extra big adventure: Berlin

We’ve been in Berlin since Saturday and we have been incredibly busy! We’ve walked miles (very tired feet) and seen a huge amount.

An extra big adventure: it’s time to go!

Today’s the day! After seven months of planning (and the five years that we’ve been thinking about it), it’s finally time for me and Lauren to go interrailing! We have a very detailed shared OneNote document, and a very detailed shared GoogleDrive Map, we have insurance, we have backpacks, I have a bumbag, and a selfie stick, we are ready!