Sarah Jane's Travels

Cinderella will go to the ball, actually to the beach! As many of you know, from my travel memoirs and blogs, the beach has always been my thinking place for major decisions. Whether it's a rain and windswept Cornish beach in Looe, before deciding to move to Australia. Or, Marion Bay, Tasmania, deciding to relocate to France to be nearer our grown up children in the UK; these life changing decisions have been made looking out to sea for inspiration, clarity and maybe some divine guidance. Therefore, it was only fitting that I gravitated to the nearest beach before leaving Sydney. Day 2- Bondi Beach, Sydney Walking out onto the balcony at the hotel bore no comparisons to the previous day when I was met by sun, warmth and a freshness in the air from the brief overnight rainfall. Today my morning welcome consisted of  smoke, limited visibility and poor air quality. Undeterred, there was no way that a visit to one of Sydney iconic beaches was going to be missed. Destination - ...

My adventure begins: Arriving at London Gatwick in the early hours of Sunday morning I was overcome with a mixture of emotions. The apprehension experienced in the previous few days when I was uncertain, due to the escalation of the bushfires, about if I could, or should, still travel had now been replaced by excitement and the reality that I was about to travel alone for the first time to Australia. Fortunately, once in the North Terminal, practical Sarah mode kicked in: check in, bag drop, through security and breathe, now I am on holiday! I love travelling. It fills me with a passion that can be all consuming, but which also meant that many of my initial fears and anxieties about doing this alone were quickly dispelled. On board the first flight, in my favourite window seat, I instantly found myself in movie heaven.  Watching movies that I have missed at the cinema, and discovering new ones is one of the things I love about long haul travel, (as well as the food, especially ...