The closest an Aussie gets to Turkey

Someone once made me fall in love with the Middle Eastern gem after quoting a joke as told by Canadian comedian Dane Cook. It was something about stealing Turkey and “naming it Chicken”.

Since that moment last year, my eyes have seriously been set on hitting up the salt slopes of Pamukkale, the cultural hotspot of Istanbul, and the politically rich Ankara. So it comes as no surprise that yours truly had to raid his kitchen when he got home from Europe in search of some yummy turkish flavours, but when I got there, the cupboard was bare…. and so, I headed to Pasha’s in Newtown with some friends and gorged on some of the finest Turkish cuisine in Sydney.

These photos are a couple of weeks old, but all I can say is Turkish food + Shisha + BYO + 6 friends = pure happiness. :]
Enjoy…. and if you’re in the neighborhood, head over to that lovely little restaurant!

Lots of love,
Ryan! :]
x

The near impossible goodbye.

For Agustina ‘Gusti’ Cora,

Everybody on this [relatively] green planet is aware that at some point in time, they’ll lose a person dear to them, whether by death, moving overseas, or an incredibly messy breakup.
I myself have come to this point in my life at numerous occasions, all unfortunately in relation to the big D. However, recently I had to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends here on exchange, someone who’s been on my side for the past year and who became a sister to me.

Last thursday I met up with her a few hours before her flight and had some lunch at her house (her host mum’s an amazing cook by the way). Afterwards, her, her host parents and I, all drove to München Flughafen (Munich Airport) and waited out the long check-in process,  the heavy amount of tears between her and other exchange students who wished to see her off, and the countdown before she should head through security, not to be seen again for a horribly long period of time.

I vowed to stay strong and didn’t cry whilst waiting on her exit home to Argentina. It wasn’t until she passed through security and we had to part ways that my heart decided to finally show a bit emotion and I bawled my eyes out like a school child. Saying goodbye brings out the worst in people. But it also brings out the best… because after sobbing to myself for twenty minutes I realised how much I cared for this person… and in that way it was hardly a goodbye at all.

In theory and in length of time etc, it may be a while before I can even afford a plane trip to Buenos Aires, but the one thing I can say I feel ok about now is that it wasn’t a goodbye, because it wasn’t permanent. It was just a good ‘ol “see ya later mate” with waterworks involved. She’ll be in my heart forever. :] She won’t be gone that long though!

Best not to think about it as goodbye. We’ll get our catch up time soon enough.

Here’s hoping that flight costs don’t inflate any time soon.
Will never ever forget you, sis. ;]
And neither will Augsburg, Bayern and Augustus Beer.

Lots of love,
Ryan
x

Out with a bang.

This was not a reference to a bomb explosion… relax, people! :]
This was in fact a reference to two things… although both ironically similar to a bomb, well, explosively speaking at least;
a) fireworks
and
b) firecrackers.
Both of which I encountered in a single New Years Eve celebration in Berlin.

You may often [or not] hear the expression “it was like war”. Well, let me tell you something; if you’re not one of those lucky 1,000,000 people who make it onto the two kilometre ‘Party Mile’ before they close the entrances, you’ll feel like you’re on a European warfront. Apart from the booming of the midnight fireworks (as well as unofficial, and unscheduled firework demonstrations throughout the night), there was a cacophony of bangs surrounding us for the duration of the evening. Firecrackers, as well as the loud smashing of glass bottles (not to mention the “duck or you’ll be sprayed with shatters of glass” dance) led us to hitching  ride in a taxi back to my host dad’s apartment a little after one in the morning.

Oh the joys of exchange. ;]

I’m telling you now… I certainly won’t forget my most recent, and [unfortunately] last, trip to Berlin.

Highlights:

• Cheese fondue before heading into the city for New Years.
• Roncalli Circus, and seeing german actor Christoph Waltz in the flesh
• Seeing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in the Berlin Philharmonic
• Having Elton’s Your Song sung to me by a drunk german
• Spending an hour in Zara
• Watching the musical Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the Vampires) in German.
• Viewing a visually erotic cabaret called Wunderkammer performed by a Brisbane acrobatic troupe in Berlin’s beloved Chamaeleon Theater

Here’s a few pictures… I had a major fascination with the Berliner Dom on this trip…. fascination, not a fetish.

Enjoy.

A highly excited Ryan
x

We are young…

In the noble words of former Britpop band Supergrass (and no I’m not referring to keeping our teeth clean, although dental hygiene is important), “see our friends, see the sights, feel alright. And that’s exactly what I intend to do… make the most of my youth, in fact the most of my life. :]

You never know when one may just kick the bucket…

So quite recently I took to seeing those upbeat lyrics in action and rounded up a few friends and explored Augsburg’s amazing alleys, main streets, christmas lights, and cinemas… (yes, that’s a plural). Photos can be seen below. ;]

So get outdoors kiddies, and I don’t mean kick around a football… try something new…
because we are young, and before arthritis and wrinkles kick in (I hear it happens sooner than you think), we seriously need to live the true meaning of being a fun-loving teenager.

Ryan
x

Rainy ol’ Regensburg

This past weekend was a tough one for me…
it was officially the last time I would be with all the other exchange students before my return home in January. Saying that, it was a rather emotional outing to Regensburg for our Christmas weekend, and I tried my hardest to keep in the tears when we had to say our “goodbyes”, or as I preferred it, “see you soon’s”.

Thankfully I will see some of them again soon… namely the english speakers and those living in my town. :] I’ll definitely try to visit the others all around the world!

Here are some of the photos I took over the weekend. The main sights included the Regensburg Cathedral and the Turn Castle, where we wandered through the stalls of the lovely Christmas Markets.

Christmas is getting closer! :]
But I really don’t want my time here to end. :’[
Ryan
x

“Relax, It’ll be ok”; a letter to a slightly younger me.

Inspired by a Freshly Pressed post, I felt highly encouraged to write myself a letter… to myself. So here it goes, a letter to a chubbier, pimplier, and more enigmatic 11 year old me.

 

I’d love to read any letters to yourselves. :]
Send me an email.
ryanaubersonwalsh[at]hotmail.com

Looking forward to Weihnachten (Xmas)
Ryan
x

Interested in Innsbruck?

Not so much as I am, for sure. I have a little crush on Austria, I’m not going to lie. Ever since wandering by in April, I’ve craved a trip to one of Österreich’s gorgeous cities.

A country of culture, Innsbruck certainly doesn’t let down that reputation. Heading off with my host mum, Sam and that gorgeous French girl from the day before, we stopped numerous times on the way to take in the gorgeous views of the Bavarian Alps. :]

Some of the lovely little stops included Ettal Abbey, Klais and Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal World).

We eventually made it to Innsbruck’s centre just before sunset, and had enough time to head up to Hungerburg with a cable railway, where we visited a tiny little Christmas Market claiming to be at the highest altitude of any in Austria. From that point, we could peer over the vast valley that was Innsbruck.

Here are some of the photos from our adventurous day!

Lots of love from snowy Europe,
Ryan
x

We’re off to see the market, the wonderful market of Nürnberg.

The title of this blog entry was meant to be sung. I hope all the Wizard of Oz fans out there figured that out quickly enough.

The past weekend was one of my most special to be had during my entire exchange year… and why? Because I saw the world famous Nürnberg Christkindlmarkt with two lovely people; a classy French VIP and a crazy girl from Washington, USA.

With a whole bunch of mischief up our sleeves, we headed off to Nürnberg early Saturday morning and returned later that evening…

Whilst there, we wandered the streets of the old town, ventured into towering churches and ate the most delicious lebkuchen and Nürnberger Würstchen.

Here are some of the photos I captured on our day out. :]

Is everyone enjoying the festive season?

Ryan
x

Glass case of emotion… with snow as an appetiser.

Tonight marked the beginning of the end. My lovely time here in Germany is rapidly soaring by, and to make the most of it, I’ve begun organizing goodbye dinner’s and what not. This evening I “enjoyed” the first of many goodbyes to be had, strongly holding back the tears.

Being an exchange student at this point in time is tough, especially at Christmas, the time when we’d be with our families back home. Currently I’m stuck in a “glass case of emotion”… I’m torn between home and, you guessed it, my new home. It’s strange though… i’ve had homesickness (although not extreme) for the past month and I’m quite glad to return to Sydney and get on with my old life, but the thing is, I’ve loved living in Germany and I’m not sure if I want to give that up. Bit of a pickle if you ask me.

All I can do is not count down the days, but make every single moment count… so it was quite nice to see the first snowflakes of winter on my way to dinner this evening… it seemed even Mother Nature was celebrating my time here in Europe. :]

There was some lovely photos we took during the evening, and I even scored myself some free pasta! Concluding the evening, we slowly wandered through the thin layer of white to the nearby Christmas Markets and snapped a few more shots, taking advantage of the small crowds. A lovely evening to be had!

For all the other exchange students starting to say goodbye, we’ve all got each other when we get back home… it ain’t all that bad. ;]
So buck up the strength, we’re almost home.

Ryan
x

Meet some friends. [Animails #2]

Thanks to Kim’s crafty skills (and access to a scanner), we’re underway with the Animails project. So here’s an introduction to our three characters up close… with a little hint to what they’re all about and what adventures they’ll be illustrating. :]

Nice work though Kim.

See some more info about Animails in the navigation bar. ;]

Love Ryan :]
x