New adventures: Amsterdam

Some people say that I tend to do quick turns in life.

I wouldn't say that they are completely correct, although I can see their reasoning.

My mind is constantly thinking about the next steps in life. I have always been a planner, having 5 different plans ready. So, when an opportunity presents itself, I'm all ready to go.

That's actually what has been going on again.

I had started to think about moving on from Malta and had already set my mind on Amsterdam. I have met some absolutely fantastic people on the rock, and of course the way we live there can be considered luxurious. But from the start, Malta has felt claustrophobic.

Sure, if you have no goals in life and enjoy living in a minimalistic village without anything to offer and don't mind giving up all efforts for a private life, Malta is heaven.

To me, it was just making me unhappy. In so many ways.

And then suddenly, I was in the midst of finding a new job. And I realised that I really don't have a perfect plan ready to leave the rock with, but the thought of staying for another year was too horrible.

Because I had already made up my mind about what my next step would be. The timing was just a bit crappy. For a week and a half, I was torn. I did have some interesting job opportunities going on, but I always came back to the thought 'I don't want to be here'.

And when talking to a recruiter, it became so clear. I just needed to book the flight and hope for the best. After all, I knew exactly where I wanted to be, I just didn't have any safety net installed.

So, a week ago on Thursday I booked the tickets and on Saturday I landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands ready for a new adventure. Was it quick? In a way, yeah. In honesty I was thinking of this more like a fishing trip.

'I'll go and have a look, do a few interviews and be back in a few weeks'

Well, that won't happen. I will be back at some point but only to get the rest of my stuff. I know I didn't really clue in that many about me leaving, but it wasn't supposed to be a 'forevah and evah' trip.

A week from landing, I have a great new job that I am extremely excited about and I am living in a really nice apartment.

Was it worth the risk? So far, definitely. I still need time to get a normal life rolling, but I couldn't think of anywhere else I would want to be right now.

I've got to get away

Fever.Travel fever.With a bit of running dreams and chills of frustration.

First time in ages I don't have a ready travel plan to look forward too. Need one need one need one so badly.

Regarding the continents, Africa will be next. I was thinking of same timing as Japan,so around my birthday in August,but that's almost a year from now! Can I save up enough before uhm February?Hmmm.

I really need to go somewhere.Don't have too many leave days left,but a quick weekend getaway would be great.Don't really have a clue where and how and with who.

If I learned anything from Japan,it was that traveling alone is not my thing.

In a way it would be grand going to Dublin.Even if I just an hour ago put some of my dearest friends there in a cab after their week on the rock.And still have 2 on Gozo that I'll get to see this weekend. 

Then again,there's so many new places to see.Maybe Croatia. Or Poland. Still dreaming of Sarajevo. Germany??

Why does this have to be so haaaaaaardddddd???????

Busker alley at Shinjuku station

Okay, those who know me, are aware that I have a weak spot for buskers and live music. Musicphotography was the reason I bought my first real camera.

Buskers were my favourite thing ever in Dublin. The first time I felt at home at Malta was when a young sweetie started standing with his guitar next to my office. I walked down everyday to have a chance to give him a few cents. I remember one day when I skipped lunch because I gave him my last coins.

So, imagine the joy when I walked by Shinjuku Station one night and started to hear someone singing. And someone else. And someone rapping. And realized that oh wow, the whole boulevard was filled with buskers. Propably spent an hour just enthrilled by the different acts. Everything from the nervous 'girlpunk'band to the hypnotized schoolgirls around the cute guy crooning to the scary lady screaming.

Look in the sky

This needs some background music.

I've pointed this out earlier, I'm a citygirl through and through. Which might be suprising regarding that I'm born on a farm in the middle of nowhere. But the countrylife and tranquility has never been my thing. I find full serenity in hearing the citynight outside my window or watching over a cityview. So the skyscrapers and the neons were my thing. Amazing beauty. 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office offers a no-entrance observatory in both of their towers. I went to the north one, unfortunately it's was a bit cloudy so no view of Mount Fuji. But the city. Omg. There are no words. 

There is a little restaurant up there, and I paid for both the cover charge and the "live-music" fee to get a glass of excellent red wine while the darkness was setting over the city. A moment I wanted to stay in forever. 

Hanazono Jinja Shrine

It's not only skyscrapers and cars and neonlights. In the middle of everything is a little magical silent corner in the form of Hanazono Jinja Shrine.

I don't have much information about it, I think there was a infosign...in Japanese. I did however find out it's a Shinto shrine from the 17th century with lovely little details everywhere.

Nice little break in the midst of everything. But even better is a little park alley close by that completely surprises you. It's so easy to just walk by the entrance, but just a few meters in it feels like a fairytaleworld where the cityhussle is only a distant memory.

Kabukichu - grittywittyhomefromhome

One of my favourites was walking around in Kabukichu. It is the "red-light district" but specially during daytime it's perfectly safe and nice even for a lonely girltraveller. To me, this became my new home and I always found my feet walking back to Kabukichu.

This is the area where geishas and Yakuza still roam, but daytime I never spot them. It is a bit of a maze, and somehow I found a new alley everyday to look at or a new wonderful detail I had somehow missed.

(oh,maybe I shouldn't admit to exploring backalleys at a redlightdistrict on a blog my mother reads...)

Robot restaurant. Yes, that's real girls operating massive girlrobots. That's Japan!