Postcard perfect - A quick stop-over in Zurich

Still intent on revisiting my holiday which was over almost a week ago, I decided to take a look at some of the photos I took while on a stop-over in Zurich. Most people think I'm crazy, having a stop-over when I'm going back home, a flight to Tel Aviv from London would usually take about 5 hours, but I absolutely hate flying so in recent years started booking in-direct flights with a stop-over, that way I can get a break between my flights and also step out of the airport for a few hours and explore a city I might have never been to. My favourite stop-over city has always been Amsterdam but this time around I found a really cheap flight through Zurich and it was a great opportunity to visit a city I last been when I was 6.

Zurich is a great stop-over city as it's just a 10 minute train ride from the airport and the airport authorities actually encourage passengers on a stop-over to venture into the city if time allows. 

I have very fond memories from my first visit to Zurich when I was a kid so I was really excited when I got into the city and had a chance to walk around. Despite the cold weather it was still a great way to take a break between flights, I had a chance to walk around the city centre and munch on some great Swiss chocolate and pastries (which I deeply regret not buying more of to take back to the UK!). I have to admit the city was even prettier than I imagines and the air felt so fresh and clean, the very few people I had a chance to speak with were lovely and it made me think of how much I would love to go back for a proper visit to the city. 

Resurfacing - Goodbye to 2013

Happy new year !

It seems like the past two weeks have flown faster than I could imagine, only two weeks ago I was still doing a mad 72 hour shift at work which ended just hours before I boarded the plane to Tel Aviv to spend Christmas with my family, it was a trip I planned months ago that was meant to be a happy and relaxing. Little did I know that in the time between booking my tickets and boarding the plane my trip would turn from happy and relaxing to a trip full of sadness and reflection on life. 

In the two months before my trip my dear grandmother passed away, unfortunately I was unable to attend her funeral, it was one of these heartbreaking things I still find impossible to adjust to so on my way to Tel Aviv I spent hours crying because I just couldn't cope with the feelings, it got even harder when I finally got there and the realisation that I won't be able to knock on her door and sit down and chat with her. It was also hard because everytime I go back to visit I realise how fast everyone is getting old and how fast things are changing when I'm so far away from home. This lead me to spend a large part of my time at home trying to spend as much time as I can with my family rather then running around and sightseeing. I just wanted to feel at home for the week and it was a very emotional week but despite that I did venture out to meet my friends and walk with my mum in our favourite spots, I promise that next time, hopefully under happier circumstances I'll be able to spend more time and take more photos at interesting spots in the city. 

I didn't want to go into too many details about my experiences of 2013, it was certainly a testing year from me, I moved from the West Midlands to London for a new job and managed to lose it, I went through a period of doing contract work which also had its ups and downs and eventually found a job in a place which I really hope I'll be able to grow in professionally, hopefully despite the sad events of 2013, the new year will be much better and positive, my main resolution so far is to try to learn how to think more positively.

In the meantime, until I recover from the events of the past two weeks and get used to 2013, enjoy some of my last photos of 2013, from my home-town Tel Aviv. Happy new year!

Gift search - part 2 - the little brother

My brother is probably one of my best friends, we have a seven year difference between us and growing up we definitely had our moments of bickering and arguing. He used to be a bit of a wild kid and definitely a bit of a nightmare when I was left alone at home as his babysitter, but through the years and especially since I have moved away our friendship has grown stronger and stronger so there's nothing I love more than buying a gift that will make him happy. 

My brother's biggest passion is photography and unlike me, he's actually really good at it, but being a student, he's unable to invest in expensive photography equipment, so this year my parents and I chipped in and we got him a bit of photography themed Christmas and birthday present. I think my brother is probably the most fun person to buy presents for, he's always so happy and thankful no matter what he gets and since he's celebrating he's 25th birthday just before Christmas I think he deserves something extra special. I really can't wait to be back at home for Christmas and spend some quality time with him!