It’s been a week since I left home, but it feels much longer. Days are usually repetitive and full of routine; we wake up, go to work, come home and cook dinner, go to bed, and repeat. Travelling is the opposite. Every day feels like two, broken up into morning and afternoon, and by the time I fall into bed, I can hardly recall what I had for breakfast.
I wanted to keep a diary of our travels so that one day when I’m old and grey, I have a little piece of history frozen in time. And, also as a note to home that our families can read and live vicariously through us.
My writing is sarcastic, realistic and blunt. But don’t let that fool you. I’m the happiest I can ever recall being and beaming from ear to ear as I write this. I might actually tear up.
Anyway, it’s been seven days since we left, but it feels like a month. Now it’s time to catch up. Here’s everything we’ve done this week.
- Wednesday 17th May
- Thursday 18th May
- Friday 19th May
- Saturday 20th May
- Sunday 21st May
- Monday 22nd May
- Tuesday 23rd May
- See you this time next week!
Wednesday 17th May
Game day.
I’ve been thinking of 17th May for as long as I can remember. It just so happens that it’s a bizarre coincidence and happens to be the same day I was supposed to travel to Europe with my best friend Josh (hi Josh!!) in 2020 (we all know how that story goes).
The day started as usual with a big old cup of coffee and a chat with my Mum – how I miss her!! (I told Mathew the other day that the reality of not seeing our families for a year has finally sunk in; it seems like a long time!) before we said our goodbyes and bundled ourselves into Nikita’s car.
Many moons ago, I told my family they couldn’t come and drop us off at the airport. I know, cue the “how could you turn down such a nice offer” comments. I’m not usually a crier, but I think goodbyes at an airport are a disaster zone. So, Nikita and Josh very kindly took us (what are best friends for, huh!).
I remember walking into the airport, wishing they were coming with us too. That would have been so much fun (I’m not sure we can’t twist their arm and get them to meet us somewhere next year, though!).
We checked in, and as it’s Mathews first time flying long haul, I plucked up the courage to ask if there were any available upgrades. The check-in operator took one look at 6ft 3 Mathew and promptly moved us to two seats with extra legroom (Singapore Airlines gets a 10/10, and Mathew breathed a sigh of relief!) – talk about a good first long-haul experience.
Our first flight from Auckland to Singapore was a dream; good food, lots of room and Singapore Sling cocktails on tap. I became very friendly with two of the flight attendants (having a Dad that used to work in aviation comes in handy now and again!), and we were showered in a continuous stream of beer, cocktails and mini Kit-Kat bars.
I hereby declare that Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines are now my forever favourite airlines.
Mathew and I spent the best part of an hour writing little notes to each other on the plane, giggling like school children and allowing the enormity of the next year of our lives sink in. I feel like a little kid in a candy shop; so excited and in awe of all of the different opportunities. You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if you tried !!!!
Landing in Singapore ten and a half hours later, we shot off the plane in a daze of alcohol, exhaustion and lethargy in search of the famous HSBC Jewel. For those of you that don’t know, the Jewel is an iconic part of Singapore Airport and the largest indoor waterfall in the world. The fact that it was midnight was not going to stop me from tearing around the airport, trying to catch a glimpse of it.
However, in true Whittaker Curse fashion (if you know, you know), it was undergoing maintenance the ONE night I was there, so we spent two and a half hours running around the airport like part of the Amazing Race for absolutely zilch. Oh well, you can’t have it all in life.
At 11:30pm Singapore time (or 4am Auckland time – nothing like a whole day awake), we boarded our flight to Heathrow. This time we were in the cheap seats. Mathew just about had a cardiac arrest when the gentleman in front of us reclined their seat, and his knees shot through the backrest (I’ll remember this fondly the next time he makes fun of me for being short). We settled in for our final leg of the journey. But between the man next to us snoring and babies crying, we got next to no sleep, and by this time, the novelty of air travel had worn off.
P.s. join me in taking a moment of silence for all parents who take their children travelling. You’re the real MVPs. I cannot for the life of me get my head around WHY passengers complain about babies crying on planes. If you’re having a bad time, think about the parents who must listen to it, feel embarrassed, console an inconsolable child AND deal with the complaints. I’d be crying, too, if I was half asleep and thought I was being taken to some foreign land in a flying tin can.
Time for sleeping tablets and Bose noise-cancelling headphones to come in clutch. See you tomorrow!
Thursday 18th May
Our day started at 3:30am with the arrival of Singapore Airlines’ most scrumptious breakfast: onion and garlic beans on toast with spinach and powdered scrambled egg.
The ‘Hannah Friendly’ food options on a plane are reasonably limited, so in the course of 24 hours, I’ve eaten 7 bread rolls and picked at Mathews food (although score for him getting two dinners). In conclusion, I never want to see another loaf bread in my life.
Okay, it wasn’t that bad – I’ve never been one to complain about an excess of carbohydrates.
Two hours later, we were doing the familiar circle around Heathrow Airport, waiting for air traffic control to allow us to land. It feels strange to be back and be here without family. I’ve never travelled to England alone, but I have spent the last (almost) three years thinking about bringing Mathew here – how surreal it is that the day has finally come!
We landed at the crack of dawn and beelined through security to arrivals. Heathrow T2 was the most empty I’ve ever seen, and we marched straight into Cafe Nero to wait for our taxi driver. Mathew tried his first English oat milk Flat White (sorry, England, New Zealand does it better), and we caught up with family back home.
P.s. it’s day one, and I’ve already text Mum eighteen and a half times. The jokes on her when she asked if I would stay in contact – you can never escape me.
At 7:30am on the dot, our taxi driver arrived to take us to my Nans house from the airport. We both cannot believe how fast England is. You would think I’d be used to it (or at least remember it clearly), but alas, I am not. Fast cars, fast people, the fast pace of life. That’s what I love most about New Zealand – ‘Island Time’ and an escape from the rest of the world’s hustle culture.
After a shower, a bite to eat and a tipple of the most disgusting water I have ever tasted (sorry, what is it about English water that makes it SO foul? Surely I’m not the only one that thinks that), we head into Windsor in search of British Culture, King Charles and Mathews first Meal Deal. I had forgotten all about the Coronation two weeks before our arrival.
Although the festivities have been and gone, the streets of Windsor are still lined with miniature British flags. It feels like walking into a cheesy British movie or that one episode of Doctor Who where David Tennant eats cupcakes with silver bonbons and carries the Olympic Torch (if you know, you know).
An hour later, with mini sausage rolls, chicken sandwiches, and Ribena secured, we were walking down The Long Walk towards Windsor Great Park. And believe me, when they tell you this walk is long, they mean it. We both marched like zombies towards the statue of King George in a “Are you sure we’re really here” trance. It still feels surreal, and the gravity of picking up your life and going overseas has started to sink in.
We were snapped out of our trance by the arrival of 100 odd deer stampeding their way across the park and Mathew’s first squirrel sighting – what a thrill. By 12pm, we felt like we had already lived through a full day, but there was more to see.
We packed up the remnants of our picnic, and I played tour guide taking us through Windsor Great Park and pointing out the different sights, like the Royal School (my old primary school) and that stretch of road Mum used to make Josh and Harry run up and down to burn off some energy. Ah, the memories.
In the afternoon, we left the park and began walking towards Englefield Green, the village I grew up in. Apparently, I had lost all sense of reason and was hellbent on showing Mathew every single corner of my childhood in the first 5 minutes. However, to do so without a car requires an awful lot of walking, and thus, I was gifted my first European souvenir; blisters. Happy days.
We made it to Englefield Green, and I got to show Mathew my first two houses (clearly, Mum and Dad liked the road we lived on as they’re spaced just 200 meters from each other) and the pub garden we went to as children. But, with Mathew fading and my blisters becoming the size of a second foot (side note: I think I get my exaggeration abilities from my Dad), our day was cut short as we hailed a taxi to take us back to Nans house.
We returned to Windsor that evening for Mathew’s first English pub dinner. We sat outside, and it began to sink in that the British believe that any temperature above 13 degrees celsius is ‘garden weather’; I was freezing, and the rest of my family were in shorts and a t-shirt. This trip may toughen me up! Fish and chips and a pint of beer were on the menu (it was nice, but the Brits just don’t do fish and chips like the Kiwis do – sorry, not sorry) before heading home and falling into bed.
What a day.
Friday 19th May
Mathew seems to be the only human alive to ever evade jet lag. We went to bed last night at 8:30pm, and whilst I was up at 11pm, 1am and finally 4:30am, Mathew slept right through till 7am and says he feels marvellous. Lucky for some.
Another trip into Windsor was on the cards this morning, this time in search of a rain jacket (never trust the British weather) and a bottle of wine to gift my Grandpa this evening. Grandma and Grandpa are having us stay for three nights and THEN taking us to the Lake District once we get back from our hot girl European summer holiday, so I knew only the best Malbec “Majestic Wines Windsor” has to offer would do. The thought of turning up empty-handed makes my skin crawl.
By lunchtime, we were ready to eat a horse (or a small child), but it was Christine to the rescue with one text message that read, “Shall we pick you up from Windsor and go to The Farm Shop for lunch?”. You read my mind.
Call me crazy (and my Mum does), but I’ve dreamt of The Farm Shop’s prawn cocktail sandwiches every day for the last five years. I don’t know what it is about them that makes them so good (maybe it’s just the memory, and I’ve bigged them up too much in my head), but I genuinely believe they are my favourite food in the world. I don’t think there’s anything better in the world than a beautiful cafe, a cup of coffee and a good sandwich.
Our food arrived, and ALTHOUGH it was good, it was not as good as I remember. I’ll have to try them again to make sure.
With the memory of my favourite sandwich truly shattered (and Kiwi sushi regaining its top spot as my favourite food in the world), we went for a walk to digest our meal and stretch the old legs. Mathew spent the best part of half an hour chatting with my Nan, and it made me think how lucky I am to have someone who gets on with my family SO well.
At 4:30pm, we kissed Nan goodbye and were bundled into the car heading to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
They came and visited us in New Zealand in February, so it’s not been long since I last saw them (side note: how much nicer is it to say goodbye to someone when you know you’re going to see them in a few weeks) but I was thrilled to see them; their house is exactly as I remember and feels like home.
Our evening consisted of a lovely dinner at the local Spanish restaurant. We had tapas, lamb shanks and salmon, and it made me remember how much you eat out on holiday. I love love love it and am a massive foodie at heart. But I’m also so pleased that we’ve booked our Europe holiday accommodation with a kitchen so we can cook some of our food too.
Dinner was followed by a walk around town and another graceful fall into bed to signal the end of another day that felt like a week.
Saturday 20th May
When I was planning our travels, I asked Mathew to write a list of all of the things that he wanted to do or see so that I got a good balance of things that I wanted to do and something that he wanted to do (no one wants to get carted around for a year doing things that are of no interest to them!). I was expecting a list the size of my arm, but only received three agenda items:
- See where you grew up.
- Go to London and the Natural History Museum.
- Walk around Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como (not because it’s beautiful, but because it’s where Padme and Anakin got married in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones).
You can’t fault him – the man’s easy to please.
So, a day trip into London was on the cards to tick off agenda item #2 (but we’ll be back for the museum). Instead, we were heading into town to traipse around Borough Market (wish you were here, Dad!), have lunch and do a spot of sightseeing. I haven’t been to Borough Market in a few years, but it’s one of my favourite places on the planet, so I was brimming with excitement.
Upon arriving at Waterloo station, we were greeted by the most people I’ve ever seen in my life. There must be a special event on or something because everyone is dressed as though they’re going to RnV or about to be extras in the next Borat movie (we later realised they were going to the football, obviously…). Normally Dad and I would have walked down South Bank towards the market, but today we took a second train which popped us out right outside. The British public transport system is next level!
We dropped Grandma and Grandpa off for a drink in a nearby tapas bar and had 45 minutes to explore. Now, I don’t know how or why we decided to come to a British institution at midday on a Saturday but remember what I said about the most people I’ve ever seen in my life? I lied. This was next level.
With change in our pockets and hungry tummies, we searched for free samples but ended up with the largest piece of freshly baked focaccia. It was delish, to say the least.
After a wander, more samples than I’d care to admit and 45 minutes later, we walked into FISH restaurant to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa for lunch. When I was little, my Dad, uncle, cousin and I used to do day trips to London and lunch at FISH.
I never liked fish that much (the food, not the restaurant), but I have many memories of Dad getting me to eat cod like the rest of our party. Whilst I was not too fond of it then, my taste buds seem to have changed since age-8, and I love fish now. Mathew had classic battered cod, chips and mushy peas, and I had grilled cod, cabbage and green beans (an interesting-sounding combination, but very tasty).
With our bellies full, we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and walked towards Tower Bridge. I can’t ever remember being here (although I’m sure I have), but I was struck by the enormity of the place. I felt like my eyes were deceiving me! We got really lucky with the weather and spent the rest of our afternoon walking down the Thames and sightseeing.
This isn’t exactly the best representation of British weather for Mathew as he’ll think it’s like this all the time (cue the grey, gloomy rain), but I really feel like the weather gods were looking down on us and giving us a little present after all of the horrendous weather we’ve had in New Zealand lately!!
Around 4pm, my feet felt like they were about to fall off, so we rented Santander bikes and rode from South Bank down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. It still feels like we’re living out a dream or are in a trance and can’t possibly be here. I don’t know how to describe the feeling, but ‘out-of-body experience’ sums it up nicely!
I love how London is so easy to get around, and we’ll definitely come back for another day trip (probably on a weekday!) and rent bikes to get around. We ended up at Big Ben, and I finally saw him in all his glory without scaffolding. Result.
After another big day in the sun, we were back racing through the country on the train from Waterloo to Reading, ready for dinner and a big sleep. See you tomorrow!
Sunday 21st May
Todays a big day with family. Bliss.
I haven’t seen most of my family for five years, and I don’t think we have ALL been together since 2015, so the thought of seeing (almost) everyone together today was so lovely.
This is my first trip to England, where I feel Kiwi, not English. That feels funny, but I now feel like England was where I spent the first few years of my life. I have very fond memories of spending time with my parents here, going to school, our favourite restaurant etc., but it doesn’t feel like coming home.
I often get asked when I’m moving overseas to “get my career started” or “break out of New Zealand”, and the truth is that I’m not. New Zealand is the one place in the world that feels like my home. Does that mean I wouldn’t like to live abroad for a year or travel to far corners of the globe? Defo not. I want to see so many things, but I love knowing I will always return to New Zealand. It’s where I belong.
Plus, you’d be pleased to know that Mathew’s doing the Kiwi name proud by bringing a taste of New Zealand to the Northern Hemisphere in the form of beer bottles on the table, “yeah nah” and his Carters fleece (personally, I think he needs to send in his travel photos and be part of the Carters Marketing payroll!).
We spent the morning helping Grandma and Grandpa in the kitchen as they prepared for lunch. We were tasked with ‘veg duty’ (at home, I do a lot of the cooking, and after just 4 days, I already miss it, so it was nice to be helpful!) before venturing back into town for a spot of shopping and sightseeing. As 1pm rolled around, my family started to arrive.
It was lovely to catch up with them and see them properly after what feels like a lifetime apart (especially with COVID). My younger cousins have all grown up, and I am in awe of what they’re doing with their lives. I always think how interesting it is that you start your lives from the same point, in the same families, but by your 20s, you are on entirely different paths. It’s funny how the world works.
Monday 22nd May
4:30am. It should be illegal to be awake this early. No, it’s not the jet lag this time; we’re up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight from Heathrow to Krakow, Poland (with a short layover in Dusseldorf to pick up my very good friend, Johanna – AHHHH!!!).
Thankfully, Grandma and Grandpa came to the rescue and saved us from midnight public transport, offering to take us to the airport themselves. Honestly, what would I do without them (Grandma/Grandpa, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU).
Having been dropped at Heathrow at 5:30am for an 8am flight, we beelined to Cafe Nero for a coffee. We had the result of a lifetime (okay, that might be an exaggeration) when we bought our UK phone plans and managed to choose one that included a weekly £1 Cafe Nero coffee. We’ve already abused this privilege once (thanks to the voucher refreshing every Sunday evening), so we settled into comfy airport cafe seats with a large coffee.
I usually despise being at the airport too early because you end up a) waiting around for ages or b) spending all of your money on things you don’t actually need, but this morning was different as it gave me an excellent excuse for a long video call with Mum (hi, Mum!).
Our airplane gate was delayed in release, and at 7:45am, we realised that we were at the wrong end of T2. With bags in tow, we opted for some early morning cardio in the form of Olympic Speed Walking. We marched to gate A35, only to be told that our flight was delayed an hour (thanks to the chap next to us who decided to take 4 CO2 canisters in his checked luggage – what a start to the day).
When I booked our flights, I specifically booked ones with a long layover in Dusseldorf so that we didn’t have to run around a foreign airport like headless chickens. However, with the delay (and a one-hour time difference that I didn’t factor into my planning), we landed in Germany at 11:15am for our 11:30am connection…
Upon landing, I was greeted by an onslaught of messages from Johanna titled “RUN” and “I’M HOLDING THE PLANE” and very panicked German announcements over the airport’s loudspeaker. All I could understand were “Mathew Pilling”, “Hannah Whittaker”, and “Immediately”… They quickly snapped me out of my daze. When I tell you I’ve never run like I did today, I’m not joking. I don’t think this was the highlight of Mathew’s holiday so far, to be honest.
Miraculously, we made it in time and flung ourselves through the open doors of the airport transfer bus and were greeted by Johanna’s beaming face. We spent the flight from Dusseldorf to Krakow catching up on what seemed like our who lives – god, it’s so nice to see her after five years.
We landed in Krakow and immediately noticed:
- The smoking culture here is huge.
- The language barrier is smaller than I thought it would be – almost everyone speaks some degree of English.
- It’s far less busy here than it is in London.
We decided to check into our accommodation before hitting the road in search of a big supermarket to stock up on budget travel essentials – breakfast, lunch and snack supplies. The culture shock was pretty huge to start with, especially for country bumpkin Mathew, but also fascinating seeing how different groups of people work and what the different supermarkets are like. That’s one of my favourite parts of any holiday!
Krakow is a reasonably cheap city, and I think it’s yet to be hit with the same level of tourism that other Eastern European cities like Prague and Budapest receive (however, watch this space because we’re heading there later this year!). Our shopping came in at just under 20€, and we strolled home to upload our goods.
I don’t know what I expected Krakow to be like, but it certainly wasn’t this. The main square is enormous, there are parks and green spaces everywhere, and the people are so, so friendly (at least that’s my experience so far).
We spent most of our first evening wandering around the Old Town. We were shocked to find that they have a permanent Christmas market set up in the middle of the square with store vendors selling everything from Polish chimney cakes (we’ll be back later this week for one of those!) and sausages to souvenirs and gingerbread men.
It’s so whimsical and beautiful. It has made me think that we need to go to Germany later this year for another taste of Christmas Markets (maybe we’ll get lucky and can weasel our way through Johanna’s door!).
We had pizza for dinner (I know, we should have had traditional Polish food on our first night, but that’s on the menu for tomorrow!) before spending a good hour walking around the Old Town.
When we got to the centre, there was a band playing music. Just three men, two playing saxophones and one playing a trombone. Watching them was so much fun, and the music was infectious; you couldn’t help but dance and bob around. They started playing “Tequila” and some other popular songs. I looked at Mathew with identical smiles on our faces, beaming from ear to ear. This was my first “we’ve made the right decision” moment – I’m so happy I could cry.
After another big day, we fell into bed (oh, how I missed big European pillows) and turned the lights out. Krakow is beautiful, and there is a real danger of it becoming my new favourite European city.
Tuesday 23rd May
It’s day seven of our travel adventure, and this morning we woke up nice and early in search of coffee and food. We didn’t have to venture very far, just to the kitchen to decant our shopping from yesterday. Porridge for breakfast seems to be a staple amongst budget travellers, so that was on the menu.
It was also my first time brewing filter coffee (I’m a Jeds Freeze Dried instant coffee and Nespresso snob – sue me), and it’s safe to say it’ll be my last. After a 20-minute session with Polish youtube, Mathew came to the rescue and brewed me the weakest cup of Joe I’ve had in my life (sorry, Mathew, love you). As I said, you can’t have it all in life.
Adequately caffeinated and full of breakfast, we left our apartment and were immediately greeted by the blisteringly hot sun. Ah, Europe, you’re a nice change from cyclones, floods and extreme weather warnings of Auckland. Outside our doorstep is part of the Vistula River, the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe. It’s beautiful (and very clean). I love exploring new cities on foot; wandering around helps you get your bearings and spot things to do and see in the coming days. So, we spent the morning getting lost amongst the streets of Krakow before heading back to see Wawel Castle.
I’ve read a lot about Wawel Castle, but nothing could have prepared me for how enormous, beautiful and calm it felt there. You walk up a short hill from Krakow to Wawel Hill, where you get expansive city views. It’s really pretty up here.
While there, we spotted a gent with a mullet and a Bunnings Trade hoodie. It’s funny being so far from home yet still seeing Kiwis and Australians in the wild. Mathew and I have been playing ‘Spot the Kiwi’ for a few days, and we’re yet to see anyone as impressive as the man I saw at Heathrow Airport. He had a mullet, Stoney Creek shirt and Pit Vipers on – ah, New Zealand culture.
Anyway, it’s free to visit Wawel Hill, but we decided to pay to go and see the Dragons Den (no business dealings here, though) and the Royal Gardens. I thought they were both well worth the money (we only paid $6 each), but the Dragons Den made me think of Puff the Magic Dragon; now I’ve had that song stuck in my head for almost four days (it’s 27th May as I write this) and it’s driving me NUTS hahaha.
At 3pm, we made our way back to the apartment in search of a snack and some ‘downtime’.
Side note, I feel so safe in Krakow. The people are polite, the streets are quiet (except for the odd English stag do), and I haven’t felt unsafe or on edge once (my Mum would be pleased to know that!). If I needed a longer “travel break, I could see myself spending a few weeks or months in an apartment here, settling into a routine – especially in the city centre.
After a nap, we ventured back out in search of dinner. This time we landed upon authentic Polish cuisine from U Babci Maliny. It was my first introduction to authentic Polish food, and phenomenal, to say the least. Plus, let’s take a minute for the restaurant’s interior. I feel like I’ve walked straight into a Polish Babushkas house in the best way possible.
Our food arrived (cue the happy dance!). I had a chicken cutlet, Mathew had Polish pork chops (both dishes accompanied by enough potatoes to feed a small army), and Johanna had traditional goulash in a bread bowl.
My dinner sounds really bland, but it tasted so good. I’ll dream of that chicken for a long time. I was also shocked at how accommodating our waiter was. Having an intolerance to onion and garlic proves difficult at the simplest of times, and in New Zealand, it can be challenging to find restaurant options. BUT travelling has been a dream so far. Our waiter was so friendly and accommodating, and he went back and forth from us to the kitchen to check and double-check what food I could eat. I’d recommend this place to anyone on that alone.
Well fed and watered, we trundled back home for a big sleep, ready for another big day tomorrow.
See you this time next week!
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around for a recap of Week One of our travels! See you next Friday for Week Two – it’ll be a goodie.
Notes to Home 