AT the moment, we are on our way to Barcelona - SOOOOO exciting!!!
I had a great time catching up with the boys and Katelin in London, but I am more than ready to go off, just Ben and I, and do what we came here to do! But, of course, there were some stressful points that lead us to where we are now...
Because of the, somewhat, overcrowded state of Katelin's room (6 of us all crammed into the room), Ben and I were up early. Although we were really tired, we decided not to waste our half day in London and got up and out by 8 to have some breakfast.
Ben knows London relatively well, as he lived here for 6 months only 2 years ago. It's times like tday where this is helpful - when you just want a coffee and some breakfast in a nice area of town!
We headed into Convent Garden where we ended up wandering around for quite some time trying to find somewhere to eat brekky. I found it really interesting how few places served big, hearty, Australian-like breakfasts. The best we could do was scrambled eggs on toast! Bakery's and coffee stores are certainly a much bigger thing in London as opposed to Australia. I think this is because a lot of people travel to work and leave early, so just want something quick to eat, not a sit down meal.
After breakfast I was craving a chai latte, so we found a 'Caffe Nero' (very big in London) and had one. This seems like an irrelevant point, but wait for what happened next...
It was about 10.30, so we decided to head back to Katelin's in the hope that everyone would be up and ready to go and do some stuff before we headed to Barcelona. Of course, on the tube ride home, I was looking for my Iphone.. looking... looking.. looking... NO IPHONE!!
I felt my stomach drop and immediately thought the worst! We were halfway home, but I think Ben saw the look in my eye and we decided it was worth going back to see if it was there - but not believing it would be!
We jumped of one tube and onto another then sprinted to Caffe Nero. When we arrived there was no phone, we asked the waitress - no phone, the waitress asked the barista... SUCCESS! Thank Goodness!!!! I doubt my phone will be far from me now!
Finally, we arrived back at Arnos Grove where everyone had just gotten up and seemed to just be plodding along - something we had no time for with only a few hours until we had to be back at Katelin's and out to the airport.
We caught the tube to London Bridge. This took quite some time and really only left Ben and I with one hour to play with in town. Unfortunately this meant we had no time to do anything. The boys and Katelin got a bite to eat and then we had to say our goodbyes as time was EXTREMELY tight!
Luckily we had packed our bags before we headed out for the day because we were literally running to get them. We had to be at the airport by 4.20pm and by this stage it was 3.15pm, and for someone who hasn't travelled before - I was trying to be on time and not risk missing any transfers.
Unfortunately, you can't rush the tube and before we knew it, it was 4.20pm and I was assuming the worst. The tube was packed, hot and sweaty.. struggle street was near!
We finally arrived at the airport at 4.50pm and I was sure we would have missed check-in, but Ben was positive we would be fine, so we sprinted (let me tell you - it is a longggg way from the stops to the terminals) to our desk to check-in, where we were told we only needed to be there 45minutes prior for EU trips - I will remember that for next time!!!
We are on our flight now and I am extremely excited to arrive in Barcelona. I have heard great things, and most of all, I just want to bake on the beach and relax after a few stressful days.
Some close calls today, but I am praying this means the stress has been left behind us!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
You Sound Like You're From Lun-dun
Today marked our first whole day in London... although we were a little too tired to take advantage of it!!
But before I get to that, let me talk about the night before. Upon arrival, I was sooo relieved to get off the plane and be at our final destination!! We got through customs really quickly and with no hassel which was surprising because I had heard some horrid stories about Heathrow.
Unbeknowence to me, the worswt was yet to come. There was a 45 minute wait on out bags once past customs, made worse by the fact that Ben's was 'missing.' After 20 minutes of looking we eventually found it at a help desk, for no reason whatsoever.
By this stage I was struggling to keep my eyes open - it was beyond a joke! Unfortunately, we had an hour tube ride before we got the Katelins and this only made my head/ eyes/ body more exhausted and yearning for bed.
Katelin lives on the outskirts of London in Arnos Grove. The area seems to be predominately ethnic, but has restaurants, etc. nearby.
We skipped dinner and headed straight to Katelins, but she was unfortunately out so we met her two housemates, showered and hit the sack - finally!!!
This morning I woke up to see Katelin sitting on her bed and didn't connect the dots that she hadn't left for work until I checked my phone and saw that it was 6am! I could not believe how early it was - before I went to bed I thought I would sleep for days!
It was good to see Katelin though and catch up on her London life. She seems to enjoy her life here, but was very excited to have visitors to greet her!
Once she left Ben and I went back to sleep and slept until about 10.30. I woke up feeling OK, but knew the day would be a tough one to push through due the the past 2 days of travel. I had to perk up though because we were meeting friends today - Sutho, Brocky and Noye who have all been travelling for 5 months.
We waited... and waited... and waited...
Eventually they arrived, fresh from Barcelona, but having to endure the Heathrow traffic and tube ride, they were a little later than we expected!
It was so great to catch up with them all. They sound like they have had an amazing time together and it just makes me more and more excited for the times I have ahead of me.
Before we knew it we had been chatting for hours and it was 5.30! Katelin arrived home and we got ready to go out for some dinner and then meet up with some more friends from Australia.
We had dinner at a pub in Camdentown. It wasn't too bad, but after plane food for the last few days it was nice to eat something freshly made! We watched the soccer for a bit and then headed off to meet our othre mates.
Admittedly, I was already feeling a bit of jet lag by 9pm - I was exhausted and dredding the long tube ride home, but really wanted to catch up with my good frien Pat Frisby while I could.
We met Pat, Sam Frisby and Matt Smale at their hostel - 'The Generator' - where they were all wildly out of hand, but GREAT entertainment!!
They told us some crazy stories of their first week in London, but Pat sympathised with my jet lag and understood that at 12am it was time for me to call it quits and get the last tube home... BEST IDEA EVER!!!
Tomorrow... Spain here we come!!!
But before I get to that, let me talk about the night before. Upon arrival, I was sooo relieved to get off the plane and be at our final destination!! We got through customs really quickly and with no hassel which was surprising because I had heard some horrid stories about Heathrow.
Unbeknowence to me, the worswt was yet to come. There was a 45 minute wait on out bags once past customs, made worse by the fact that Ben's was 'missing.' After 20 minutes of looking we eventually found it at a help desk, for no reason whatsoever.
By this stage I was struggling to keep my eyes open - it was beyond a joke! Unfortunately, we had an hour tube ride before we got the Katelins and this only made my head/ eyes/ body more exhausted and yearning for bed.
Katelin lives on the outskirts of London in Arnos Grove. The area seems to be predominately ethnic, but has restaurants, etc. nearby.
We skipped dinner and headed straight to Katelins, but she was unfortunately out so we met her two housemates, showered and hit the sack - finally!!!
This morning I woke up to see Katelin sitting on her bed and didn't connect the dots that she hadn't left for work until I checked my phone and saw that it was 6am! I could not believe how early it was - before I went to bed I thought I would sleep for days!
It was good to see Katelin though and catch up on her London life. She seems to enjoy her life here, but was very excited to have visitors to greet her!
Once she left Ben and I went back to sleep and slept until about 10.30. I woke up feeling OK, but knew the day would be a tough one to push through due the the past 2 days of travel. I had to perk up though because we were meeting friends today - Sutho, Brocky and Noye who have all been travelling for 5 months.
We waited... and waited... and waited...
Eventually they arrived, fresh from Barcelona, but having to endure the Heathrow traffic and tube ride, they were a little later than we expected!
It was so great to catch up with them all. They sound like they have had an amazing time together and it just makes me more and more excited for the times I have ahead of me.
Before we knew it we had been chatting for hours and it was 5.30! Katelin arrived home and we got ready to go out for some dinner and then meet up with some more friends from Australia.
We had dinner at a pub in Camdentown. It wasn't too bad, but after plane food for the last few days it was nice to eat something freshly made! We watched the soccer for a bit and then headed off to meet our othre mates.
Admittedly, I was already feeling a bit of jet lag by 9pm - I was exhausted and dredding the long tube ride home, but really wanted to catch up with my good frien Pat Frisby while I could.
We met Pat, Sam Frisby and Matt Smale at their hostel - 'The Generator' - where they were all wildly out of hand, but GREAT entertainment!!
They told us some crazy stories of their first week in London, but Pat sympathised with my jet lag and understood that at 12am it was time for me to call it quits and get the last tube home... BEST IDEA EVER!!!
Tomorrow... Spain here we come!!!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
LEAVING ON A JET PLANE
27/06-28/06/2010
The last two days have been spent watching a stupid amount of movies and eating a stupid amount of food, whilst being on three seperate planes for a stupid amount of hours!!
We departed Brisbane (flying Emirates) on Monday morning (AEST time) at 2:30am. My aim for the tripwas to not sleep until the second seven hour leg of the trip - not easy!! I struggled to stay awake, but kept myself entertained watching movies and television series'. Ben slept quite well, but, admittedly, he had me annoying him which probably made it more difficult (woops!).
Before I knew it we were at our first stop - Singapore. It was 8.30am (Singapore time) and we had a very quick 30mins off the plan to refresh ourselves and move our legs a little bit.
Round two of the trip was by far the longest and toughest part of the trip to get through. Ben and I watched more movies and had a (small) nap, which was the only sleep I had for the entire 24 hours.
After arriving at our second stop in Dubai, I was ready to quit and spend 4 weeks there rther then getting back on another 7 hour plane ride!!! By this stage I could have killed for a shower and my bed, but the best Dubai could offer was A LOT of Duty Free shopping (which we didn't indulge in) and a Caeser Salad.
The airport was soooo massive so travellers should NOTE: save money on for the trip home to spend duty free at Dubai... Singapore does not have as much variety unless you walk out of security, and we didn't have the option.
Unfortunately, we had to get back on our flight and finish our final leg of the journey (it couldn't come any sooner).
As I write this we are only 46 minutes away from touch down in London - AH!!!!
This whole experience/ journey I am about to undertake still hasn't hit me - I would never of seen myself doing this 12 months ago, and I guess I have to attribute a lot of it to Ben!
Once we arrive in London, Ben and I are staying at Katelin Kennish's place in Arno's Grover which should be good... although right now all I am thinking about is getting in a solid 12 hours of zzzzz's!!!
I am looking forward to the next four weeks I have ahead of me, and I am grateful to be doing it with someone who I feel very safe with - that security is second to none for me, especially because this is my first trip overseas without my parentals!!!
43 minutes to go...
Lauren, xx
NOTE : The Emirates service was extremely good.. great food, great staff and great entertainment!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Viskies Dive into the Thick of it!
Dysphagia is a medical condition which affects 35% of elderly people in aged care facilities. Sufferers of this condition have experience pain and/ or have great difficulty swallowing foods, liquids and sometimes even saliva. Inevitably, an inability to swallow certain products has been found to lead to a struggle for sufferers to get a sufficient intake of nutrients, and has led to starvation in the past.
Luckily for our ageing population, five student engineers from the
The Viskies believe they have found the answer to this issue – ‘The Viskimetre.’
The aim of The Viskimetre is to provide dyshpagia sufferers with a product that is a 'one-off' purchase, easy to use and is accurate in producing the appropriate thickness of liquid, suited to a range of sufferers.
This product works by applying pressure in the form of weight on the top of the Viskimetre. It drains all the liquid out and uses a gravitational force to measure the thickness. Student engineer, Mr Enrico Hadde explains that “the weights have been manipulated to drain the liquid quickly; in 15 – 20 seconds,” and says the product “…is really simple, anyone can use it.”
The Viskimetre is proposed to be the only portable viscosity measuring device on the market and a much more affordable ($50 one-off payment) alternative to the current 'premixed/' packaged options, and other recommended maneuvers and medical tests available.
Upon completion, The Viskies have said that they hope to see their product available in chemists, hospitals and in particular, aged care facilities.
Having more alternatives for sufferers of dysphagia to explore is a would come as a sigh of relief for speech pathologist and deglutitionist Dr. Julie Cichero. She believes that dysphagia is a serious health care problem in
The Viskies and their mentor, Dr. Timothy Nicholson, strongly believe that The Viskimetre has the potential to change the health, safety, and life span of sufferers, as well saving them money and allowing more choice in the products they consume.
If you, or anyone you know has troubles swallowing, please consult your health care practitioner, or find out more information through this site supported by Dr. Julie Cichero's: http://www.nofussfeeding.com.au/index.htm
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