#71: Sydney to the Philippines

Postcard number: 71
Bought in: Sydney, Australia
Sent to: Heimer in the Philippines
Written: 2 January 2017
Sent: 3 January 2017

Text says:

2 January 2017, Auckland

Dear Heimer,

Last week, I found this postcard with others I bought in 2006, in a box that my husband and I packed away when we left Wellington, before we headed off to Europe for almost nine years. I think the only time I would’ve visited Sydney in 2006 was in transit to Melbourne for a friend’s wedding, so I must have bought this postcard at the airport. However, I did live in Sydney for several months in 2003 and visited three times last year.

I love catching the train into the city in Sydney because of the views you get from the train windows of the beautiful harbour with its iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. When I worked in Sydney for a couple of months, I used to take the long way to my office on the train just so I could see those views – a highlight of my day before a rather dull shift in a call centre!

On one of my trips last year, I managed to find a spare hour to walk around the waterfront here, take photos, catch a few Pokemon (was obsessed with Pokemon Go at the time) and eat icecream.

Happy New Year to you,
Tash

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#21: Derry to the Philippines

Postcard number: 021
Bought in: Derry, Northern Ireland
Sent to: Aizza in the Phillipines
Written: 6 March 2010
Sent: 7 March 2010

Text says:

6 March 2010, London UK

Dear Aizza,

Hello from London!  I bought this postcard in 2008 when, on a long weekend, we visited Dublin and Northern Ireland.  Derry was one of the most interesting, and indeed welcoming, places we stayed in.  In high school, back in New Zealand, I’d studied modern Irish history and I’d often heard about ‘the troubles’ on the television news.  However, in Derry we were given a tour of the Bogside by a man who’d lived there through those times.  The emotion in his voice when he talked about his friends and the murals shown on this postcard, painted on the side of buildings, made it all seem a lot more real, more complex, more terribly sad.

In some ways, I think travel has taught me a lot more than traditional education – which seems a good reason to keep visiting new places.  Perhaps one day I’ll make it to your part of the world.  For now, I’m sending this postcard with warm wishes,
Tash

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