My Top Five in Greece

1. Chrysomallousa - an entree that involves a thin piece of cheese enveloped in a crispy pastry envelope then smothered in that famous Greek honey and topped with black sesame seeds. Amazing.
2. Sea kayaking around South Paros - despite getting badly stung but jellyfish whilst snorkeling, we got to see some of the bluest, clearest waters and had a really lovely guide.
3. Agios Prokopios beach, Naxos - clear, warm waters mixed with a relaxed beach and add some super cheap, amazing seafood along the beachfront and you've got yourself a winning combination.
4. Mykonos in the morning - OK it's super touristy and a little hectic but I had a lovely stroll through this picturesque town at 8am on our first day. Just me, a few locals and the morning sun cats. Stunning.
5. Sunset in Oia, Santorini. There is nothing like it on this planet so get a bottle of wine, find a nice spot along the cliffside towards the windmill and just relax.

Savouring Spain

Spain has been a culinary delight. Years from now I will look back on my 8 days here and my tastebuds will yearn for the plethora of flavours, the fresh seafood and the best iberico bellota ham in the world. Forget paella and Churros, my favourite discoveries were razor clams and combining salmon, yoghurt and honey. 

Another pleasant surprise was a triple meeting with our Aussie friend Duong, who landed here three weeks ago to embark on a courageous life change. She quit her stable job as a radiologist to make her way in the world teaching English as a second language. As she spoke of her non-concrete plans in the future to live in Nepal or Argentina, I could clearly see the excitement in her eyes and only feel a sense of kindred spirit. 

It's a beautiful thing when life is so fully appreciated. This undefined pathway, so open to limitless opportunity. So here's to chance meetings across the globe. Over delicious meals and glasses of sangria. I'll cheers to that.

How To Apply for Tier 2 (General) UK Visa + Partner (Dependent)

The UK Visa application process can be a bit of a minefield. Misinformation, lack of Visa office contacts, no real clear outline of necessary paperwork - especially for partners. It's all cause for stress. Though really, it needn't be.

Why Are We Applying for a New Visa?

We were both on the Tier 5 (Youth Mobility) Visa which was due to expire in a few months. There is no possibility to extend this and we were facing deportation (slight exaggeration). Since they had recently got rid of the Tier 1 (Skilled Migrants) Visa the only real option was that one of us had to be sponsored which would make us eligible for the Tier 2 (General) Visa which is for 3 years and entitles us to live and work in the UK.

Now, if I thought the Tier 5 application process was a bit stressful, then I was literally about to have a panic attack about putting through Tier 2 for both myself plus prove that my (non married) partner and I were in a legitimate relationship so he can piggy back off mine as a dependent. But in hindsight the whole process was very straightforward and relatively speedy. So despite all the scary stories of one inch thick application forms and separate trips back to Australia to have them done here's what we did and it worked!

What is a Tier 2 Visa?

This is a 3 year visa which allows you to live and work in the UK. You can also apply to bring your dependents over on it as well as long as you can prove that your relationship is legitimate. Contrary to popular belief you can apply for both yourself and your partner at the same time though no where on the website or policy guidance does it specifically mention this. Also, I heard that this is the only Tier 2 Visa that will 'count' towards dual citizenship. An interesting idea, so if we stay for the necessary 5-6 years then we can apply for a UK/EU passport which would means we can be rid of this Visa kafuffling. The catch, the primary person has to stay with them company or find a new company to sponsor them if they want to leave.

What Documents Do I Need?

1. Your company needs to provide you with a certificate of sponsorship which has your certificate number on it and outlines your role, pay and that they they have met the resident labour market test (ie cant find anyone locally to do the job) and they they will maintain you (ie they are an A rated sponsor) and if so you will NOT need to prove you have enough funds in your bank.

2. Submit an online application. through the Visa4UK website. This is just basic contact information, you will need all your old passports and the birth date and place of your parents. Most painstaking part was having to input all our travel history. Eventually I just filled out the whole section before I was even done.

Note: I couldn't apply for this whilst in the UK because one of the sections asks for when I departed the UK last so just wait til your back in Australia.

3. If you're in Australia, great! Just book in your biometrics appointment, pay the $977 fee and print out your application plus bring in your supporting documents. I however was already in the UK so flew back to Australia to sort it out.

4. At the appointment they will ask you for your:

- Passport (plus all previous passports)

- Printed and signed visa application form

- Payment of $190 in cash or card if you wanted priority service. This means a 5 business day process time versus 21 business days. As I had  return flight back to the UK to make, I went with priority.

- Freshly taken passport photo

- Certificate of sponsorship + Letter of maintenance from my employer

- I brought my appointment confirmation form too but no one asked for this and it's a bit defunct.

They also took my photo and scanned my fingerprints.

And true to their word that Friday (my appointment was on Monday) I got my passport with freshly printed Visa in the mail. 

How To Apply For Tier 2 General - Partner

This is the exact process with one tricky exception. We had to prove that we were in a legititae relationship which generally means you've been living together for 2 years. This is the policy guidance for what you need but it's really confusing. Contrary to popular belief you an apply for both Visa's at the same time and it's the exact same process but with slightly more documentation as we were trying to prove our de facto relationship. Here's a list of the documentation for 'proof of relationship'.

- Joint bank account statement (with bank stamp)

- Tenant ledgers from real estates

- Letter from bank confirming when the joint account was opened

- Bills with our name and address on it (not all were in both names but it proved we were at the same address)

- Photos printed on paper from previous holidays together

- Electoral registration forms to again, prove we lived at the same address

- Letter of maintenance for dependents as well as the primary person AND recent bank statment (we only need one or the other but it's good to be safe).

We looked into registering a civil relationship as we are just not the marrying type but this would have taken 5 weeks to come through and as it turns out, isn't really necessary.

This came back on the sixth business day. So now we're both ready to go back to the UK in full force. Though it's an expensive process and a little arduous, it's worth it at the end of the day and feel like we're taking a positive step in developing both our professional careers as well as living that somewhat carefree life balancing travel with London socialising. But until then I'm going to soak up all this glorious sunshine and head to the beach (this hot turn in the weather has been a lovely surprise considering it's still only Spring).

My Heart for You Sydney

I left Sydney in a huff. I was bored and restless and I needed to see more of the world. In our first 3 months of travelling I was telling everyone not to go there because it was boring. But I was wrong. Living this past year in London has brought to light all the things I overlooked before. 

The beach. Oh the glorious beach! Bondi beach at sunset, a warm glow in the air. You're in the water and you catch your first wave (body boarding that is). And then you just relax and sit back and soak it all in. Maybe grab some hurricanes ribs or a strudel on the way back home.

And then there's the food. I dreamt about the food last night actually. I was back in Sydney and was so happy because all my favourite foods were laid out in a buffet and I was stuffing my face. Then a tiger ate me. But the food! After scouring the chinatowns of New York, LA, London, France and even Vietnam, I firmly believe that Cabramatta has the best Asian food in the whole world. It's a bold statement but I stand by it. We had 'banh mi' 20 years ago before it became 'a thing'. And we call it pork rolls. Because banh mi just means bread dummies. Yum cha, lobster, ox tongue, paw paw salad, pho, sugarcane drink, jackfruit, roast duck, crispy chicken, pork rolls. Oh if only I could tattoo the tastes on my tongue so I can savour them whenever I go.

I sorely miss the sun. Sure we get some sun here and the Summer nights are long and ocassionally balmy. But there, the sun makes an apperance even in the Winter. No one cares about making the most of good weather. Because it's just always there. You can go about your business without having to constantly try to cool or warm yourself. You're just always in a good thermoneutral zone. It's not going to start hailing on you when you're in a summer skirt and tshirt.

Yes, I'm a fair weather friend. However I am enjoying London. I'm making the most of the experience. I may not want to leave for a few years. And yet my heart belongs to Sydney. I send her little mental love notes in glass bottles and hope they wash up on her shores. And one day, I'll inevitably float back too.  

Living the Life in Copenhagen

Yes life is good in Copenhagen. And it should be as it's known to be the word's most livable AND bikable city. During our 2 1/2 day stay there we were kindly invited to crash with Maria and Greg, whom we met in NYC last year. Maria is a Dane but Greg is a Jersey boy and they had met in Australia years ago. Since then they'd been building a long distance relationship until late last year when he moved himself permanently to Copenhagen, changed career paths and is learning Danish (a very difficult feat). It's all very romantic.

Well these locals gave us an insight into what it was like to live here and it sure does sound sweet. 'They don't like us very much in the business world because we don't work very hard' Maria told me. Her day seems to involve a few hours work at home in the back yard on her laptop (she's a journalist) and then a short bike trip to the local harbour pools for a swim during the longer summer days. Where do I go to sign up?

Our days there involved renting the public bikes which are electric and have an inbuilt GPS, making it very easy to get around the city. And at 25 kroner per hour, it didn't break the budget either. And Copenhagen has spacious bike lanes all throughout the city, so it's very safe and you get to see so much of the city so easily. Kevin and I rode along the beautiful canals, through the assistens cemetary (where the infamous Hans Christian Anderson resides), around the Tivoli pleasure gardens, through Frederiksberg Garden (where you can see Elephants from the zoo next door) arriving at Brygge island. 

At Brygge Island we met up with Maria who joined us for a swim and Kevin and I did the big jump of the high platform which can be fun yet painful if you land oddly like I did. Maria has yet to do it as she says she's heard some of the loud slaps from people landing in the water and isn't keen on the experience. We ate ice cream. And lay in the sun. And I only wished that London had something like this. Not that we'd use it all that much with the weather and all. But still. It was the perfect day.

During our chats, Maria also tells me about the progressive nature of Danish society. On how child rearing is divided 50/50 amongst the sexes, how it's not uncommon for men to take the woman's surname and how children are raised unisex so they can decide on their own what they want to be. A university education is free and the government actually give you an allowance to study. In fact most young people are still in their studies until they're in their late 20's. I guess without the financial pressures why wouldn't you?

Yes, we biked, swam, strolled and ate our way through Copenhagen and given the chance, I'd move there within a heart beat. Any spare Danish princes left? 

The Hyper Reality of London

A lot of people come to London with the view of using it as a base to travel around Europe. Coming from Sydney the main weekend travel option is Melbourne. But here you're only a few hours from a whole myriad of interesting and diverse countries. Isn't that a romantic idea?  Whisking away to foreign lands for a Bridget Jones style mini break. All your friends in Australia will be insanely jealous as you flood their facebook newsfeed with you eating seafood on the Almafi coast, lounging on deck chairs in Santorini and drinking wildly at Tomorrowland. It's not real life but some form of hyper reality.

The reality of the situation is travelling is tiring. And people who do those weekend trips on a regular basis are REALLY REALLY tired. They've had to work all week just to rush to the airport on a Friday night, run madly around a new city for 36 hours, then catch a late flight home before flopping into bed at 2am just to wake up 6 hours later to start the working week again. There are countless tales of expats booking all these wildly ambitious trips only just burn themselves out after a few weeks or months at best.

Don't get me wrong, I love travelling and I'm really enjoying London. But after spending 6 months around the America's, spending 36 hours in a city doesn't seem enough to get to know it. To build up bonding memories and feel like you're discovering something new. One person even told me they weren't sure which place they liked best because they all just ended up blurring into each other.

So I've thought through my London game plan and decided that what I really want out of London is not to travel out of it but to enjoy living in it. Take a week off every now and then to go to gigs and try different restaurants and just sit around in parks when it's sunny. Sure I'll go on the occasional trip away but only if I am actually interested in the place and for at least 5 days at a time. It's a luxury but I think in London, you can get away with it. And if  I want to see more of it then I'll do it after our Visa runs out for a good few months. To slow travel. Just how I like it.

London's Best Macaroon

So I set myself the arduous task of finding London's best macaroon. As food trends go, this one seems here to stay. Unlike the unwarranted hype of the cronut or the weather dependent deliciousness of gelato, macaroons have it all. Looks, flavour, portabililty and all year round desirability. Yes, it's all there in one snack sized package. And luckily, Europe is the hub of macaroons so I thought I would take advantage of the locational fortuity and scope the field.

In London all the macaroons shops live with the posh people out in the West. So one moderately sunny day I took a walk from Knightsbridge to Picadilly Circus to encompass four macaroon stops, picking the top three from each and conducted my own study which involved three separate sessions of me sampling a little bit of each, with sip of tea between each bite to cleanse the palate. Yes, I know. Very scientific. I did after all, spend a mind numbingly boring semester studying biometry at Vet school. Just an excuse to eat lots of macaroons? How dare you! Leave this page at once, you don't deserve the ocular feast I have prepared below.

And here are the results from best to worst.

1. Pierre Herme

At first I didn't like Pierre Herme. I bought a few back in December when they had their Christmas range and was completely unimpressed. But since sampling different flavours which change and looking through the variety they have in both Paris and London I have done a complete 180. These babies are a front runner by far. They're creamy, soft and supple and have so much flavour without being oversweet. They come in pretty colours and the flavour combinations are very interesting and on most parts - work well. Mint and red berries was my favourite. The Jardin des 8 with all those fancy flavours I think got a bit lost in it's conception, when you have too much going on, there's nothing to make you go "Wow, that really does taste like _______". It's just a mash. But regardless, top points for bravado. I will be making this my go to place for macaroons from now on.

Flavours (left to right): Jardin des 8 tresor which includes lotus seed, red date, wolfberry, rosebud, dried orange peel, dried longan fruit, chrysanthemum and osmanthus (yes, that was just the FIRST macaroon). Olive and Mandarin. Mint and Redberries

Best flavour: Mint and Red berries (though I have yet to try his signature macaroon, the 'Ispahan' which has lychee, raspberry, rose and white chocolate). 

Cost for three: 5.55

Location: Stand alone store in Knightsbridge and counter at Selfridges

2. L'Orchidee

Slightly small and not as soft and gourmet as Pierre Herme but otherwise a great combination of interesting flavours, nice biscuit base and creamy, centres. Slight smaller but also cheaper so you do get decent value. Only thing is that it's a little store in the middle of Westfield so not as nice of a 'shopping' experience I guess. Stratford store has a much better variety if you're planning a visit.

Flavours in the bottom right photo: Popcorn, salty caramel, watermelon, mojito, tutti frutti, wild orchid

Best flavour: Popcorn

Cost for three: 5.10

Location: Stratford and Shepard's Bush Westfield

3. Fortnum & Mason

These only narrowly beat Lauderee and that is mostly due to flavour. Though not imaginative at the very least they are interesting. My favourite has always been lavender but I found the violet one pretty good and the red velvet ceamy and pretty to look at. The dissapointing thing is the lack of care in their creation. Sometimes a bit wonky in shape with the cream mushed up to one side - sadly they do not present themselves very well even though F&M is supposed where the royalty do their shopping. Go to Pierre Herme, Kate Middleton, if she is reading this.

Flavours (left to right): Red velvet. Lavender. Violet

Best flavour:  Lavender

Cost for three: 4.50

Location: Piccadilly Circus, their Kings Cross mini store does not anything besides teas and picnic baskets.

4. Lauderee

I remember the hype in Sydney when Lauderee opened it's mini cafe in the Westfields. Though the shopfront is much nicer here in London (without the unjustifiable line) and even more so in Paris, I still find a visit to Lauderee disappointing. Their flavours are very traditional and even though I picked their most interesting flavours, my taste buds still fell asleep halfway. You'd think that the Marie Antoinette tea flavour would taste more fancy and less like a digestive. At least it was a pretty colour. Licorice was probably the best of the lot but even though - no where near as good as Pierre Herme. Like F&M macaroons, the shell was a bit dry and not as a chewy. Also, they were a tad too sweet.

Flavours (left to right): Orange Blossom. Marie Antoinette Tea.Licorice

Best flavour: Licorice 

Cost for three: 5.25 pounds

Location: Piccadilly Circus

5. On Cafe

This one was the wildcard of the bunch, much smaller in production, I found a few of them in a small section in the Harvey Nichols. I mostly liked how well decorated they were and the Asian flavours but after drooling over the sakura and cherry flavoured ones online I found the flavours that were available in store to be a lot more stock standard. This a great example of all looks, no substance. They were so dry and the consistency was all wrong. Maybe they had been sitting there for awhile but still, not impressed. Also the salted caramel and charcoal tasted like Milo and the triple critus tested like lemon (not the worst thing but at least add something else to it). Even though they were the cheapest they were also the smallest as well, not going back.

Flavours (left to right): Salted Caramel with Charcoal, Triple Citrus, Green Tea and Red Bean

Best flavour: Salted Caramel and Charcoal (but only becaue it was the prettiest)

Cost for three: 3 pounds

Location: Counter at Harvey Nichols

Our First European Christmas

It's weird for an Australian in Europe at Christmas. When we're usually at the beach or picnicing, we're now rugging up and staying indoors. It's just not right. But it sure is fun. Yes, it did actually feel like something big was happening this year. There's a buzz in the air. People look happier. We're all wishing each other 'merry this' and 'happy that' at the end of every sentence. It's infectious. 

We spent Christmas in France. Because Kevin's sister's partner ,Simon, is French. His parents live in a rural town in the Burgundy region (somewhere in the middle, a few hours south of Paris). So that's where we spent Christmas, in a large barn converted house doing fun family things like playing fuse ball and water volleyball in their heated indoor pool. They also have a timeshare in the French alps a few hours away so we did a bit of skiing after Christmas as well. Throw in a few days in Lyon, the second largest city in France and a 6 hour stopover in Paris and that's pretty much a recipe for a Christmas like no other.

Here are some things I learnt over my 10 days in France:

- There are at least 5 courses in most French meals - entree, main, dessert, cheese, fruit. Pace yourself.

- French people drink A LOT of wine.

- On Christmas day you go down to your cellar with family for a customary drink and snack.

- If you get bedbugs in a hotel, tell them the second you see it rather than staying up the whole night getting bitten.

- Though I have enthusiasm I am not a good skiier.

- Only eat Bouchon food (in Lyon) in a good restaurant otherwise the food will be terrible. It will also contain things like brains, tripe and liver. Be prepared.
- Do not wear your slippery sneakers you got from Peru to the snow, you will slip in a snowball fight and hurt yourself. 
- Do not go on a blue run if this is your second time skiing, you will have a death defying time trying to get down.
- Walk around the French countryside, it's beautiful.

- The macaroons in France really are the best.

So many thanks to the Maniora's for taking us under their wing this Christmas and teaching us the true spirit of Christmas.