Travelling time

I have been in London for over a year now - yea I know, time goes by fast... but it has been a long and cooped up road for me. One of the attractions of being in the UK, is that Europe is just a sneeze away - it's cheap, it's close and it's there for the taking.

Unless you are a South African.

Then you need a Schengen visa, and these are not that easy to get. I have waited patiently for a year, while my Australian friends (who can go pretty much anywhere they want on their passports) go to Germany, and Croatia, and Greece and this place and that place. The list is endless - and I have been left behind every single time. But, I waited. Patiently.

I am in the process of getting my Irish passport - for 2 reasons: so that I can stay and work in the UK for as long a I want, and so that I can travel Europe freely. I had grand plans for this to come through before the end of August, so I finally started making some travel plans for after that - Pamplona, La Tomatina and Oktoberfest - I had my heart set on it. Until I realised just how useless the SA government are (yes I know, I'm a slow learner), and that my Irish passport was still many months away.

Shattered, I resigned myself to the fact that I would never see Europe (and yes, I can be overdramatic). Until my lovely friend Lauren gave me a wonderful idea... France. Supposedly, getting a Schengen visa is really easy at the French Embassy. And she was right.

I officially picked up my passport with my newly printed Schengen visa in it this morning. It's so pretty. And, I am officially going to Paris for the first time next weekend. I have missed out on Pamplona (there is always next year), but I am going to La Tomatina! Spain here I come :)

From here on out this blog will be filled with not only my travels in the UK, but also Europe, and hopefully many other continents and countries. Travelling is what I was born to do - and now I finally have my ticket to do so...