All posts filed under: Travel

Post #49: Only in San Francisco…

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Ah, San Francisco. You’re a city of such contrasts. Riding BART to work last week, I noticed a woman buttoning up her jeans as she stood next to me. As you do. She had make-shift grillz and asked me for money. I gave her my usual response. She pushed on to the next carriage and left a parting gift of urine that snaked its way down the carriage floor to pool at my feet. On Sunday, the Canadian and I were afforded one of the most ‘San Francisco’ days either of us have ever experienced. Dottie’s True Blue Cafe is renown as the best brekkie in town and lines are usually over an hour long. They recently moved from the Tenderloin, to SoMa. And SoMa is obviously short for ‘So Much Worse than the Tenderloin’. So there we were outside Dottie’s new location on Sixth, minding our business camouflaged in a line of about thirty hipsters. Residents in the SRO opposite kept chucking trash out the windows at us. Local types camped out on the …

Post #30: A Visit to Wine Country

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Welcome to the thirtieth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. I always had a sneaking suspicion that Sonoma was the poorer, younger sister of the Napa Valley. But not anymore. On Saturday, Sam the Canadian and I spent the day up in wine country, relaxing after Sam’s tough week sitting the Cal Bar exam. It was a balmy 22 degrees C/ 73 degrees F: a marvellous winter’s day for a trip up north.

Post #26: Upgrade!

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Welcome to the twenty-sixth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. …or this should really be called “I only fly business class long haul from here on in.” Over the holiday season, the American and I took off for Europe. Thankfully, the cold snap had not yet arrived, but it was great to get away. With only two weeks holidays per year, it was certainly the fastest jaunt we’ve taken as travellers.

Post #21: Austria

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Welcome to the twenty-first post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in ton Thanks to Rai for today’s topic. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. I really want a piece from you about “Austria” – whatever you associate with it, be it your trip here or something completely different like what you were thinking growing up or when it first appeared on your mental screen. — Rai I cannot say for certain when the country of Austria first popped up on my mental map, but no doubt it had everything to do with the Sound of Music. Like many children in the English-speaking world, the Sound of Music was such an integral part of my childhood. And most of what I knew about Austria was framed through the eyes of that film. …

Post #18: Barcelona

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Welcome to the eighteenth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. I fell in love with Barcelona the day I arrived. The city is so vibrant, and so interesting. I could imagine a life for myself there. We stayed in the old town, just off Las Ramblas, in a former brothel frequently patronised by Picasso. We wound our way through the small lanes, and rarely taking the same route twice. Having just arrived from frigid Switzerland by way of torrential rain in the Basque region, the warm Mediterranean city with a laid back vibe had me hooked instantly. I had anticipated the German-speaking legs of the trip to be more my style, so connecting with Barcelona was unexpected. We ate, we drank, we walked, …

Post #14: Learning a Second Language

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Welcome to the fourteenth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012. Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone. Thanks to Rai for today’s topic. If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com. Taking language classes is difficult. I have had about a month off since my last class ended and already, I feel as though I’m starting right back at the beginning. Ah, shade. I find that I’m just not able to retain the words as easily as I used to. Perhaps this is what they mean about getting old… But with the difficulty comes reward. It’s rewarding to learn new things, meet new people and string it all together. Eventually, I want to be able to converse in German. Why? Just cos. Learning another language and being bilingual is something that I have always wanted for myself. I …