March | 2019 | Hello World!

“Who doesn’t want a world where everyone bursts into song and dance?!”

What goes well with a rainy and cold day?! Warm socks, comfie pullover, turmeric tea, music and hair in a bun! That’s my comforting routine when it is cold outside and all I want to do is either writing, drawing, reading or watching TV and no that does not make me a nerdy!!! So for those who are in the mood for a “lift me up” movie session, may I suggest something a bit different like a musical 🙂

I just love musicals! Probably because it combines 2 arts I really enjoy: Music and Dance to tell a story in an emotional way!

I saw a few on TV: West Side Story, Grease, My Fair Lady… but of course it is not the same as seeing a real performance on stage with the orchestra, the dancers, the crowd, the magic in the air! So it all really started a year before I moved to Australia. At that time, I was living in London. I would not compare London to Broadway but when it comes to musicals, I must say this is the place to be, at least in Europe! So I had the luck and pleasure to see on stage: The phantom of the opera, Les misérables and Mamma Mia and I absolutely adored each genres and that’s how it all started!

Dressed like my mum when she was a hippie dancing on Abba’s songs

I must confess I have a sweet spot for Mamma Mia, probably because somehow it makes me think of my mother’s youth: the music (Abba group), the clothes (flares jeans, high boots, belly out and colourful tops) and the hippie style. So I could not resist going to the movies and watch the film ! What I liked about it: It’s the story of a passionate, strong and independent young woman who after graduating, starts to travel first to Paris and then follows her heart and her desires freely despite the obstacles, and successfully realises her life plan in Greece! It is a story about different sorts of love ❤ , friendship, starting over and discovering your true self. It is a recurrent theme that many foreigners can relate to when starting a new life abroad!

On the jetty at Semaphore beach when we went crabbing: definitely something very new for all of us!!!

One of my favorite moment and song in the movie is “I have a dream” when she finds this old house in Greece and she can see the potential it holds and decides to purchase it and renovate it to transform it successfuly in a hotel. I like those moments in life when you feel passionate about a project of yours and nothing can stop you, you have a vision, you know it has the potential to work, you just go with your heart and you put all your efforts into it, when you know you know!

In love with this picture from Greece I found in a Op shop shortly after I watched Mamma Mia 🙂

I also like the fact that this musical takes place in Greece, I have never been in this country but it is definitely on my list. I m particularly keen on the Greek islands and their glorious beauty of deep blue waters and white and blue houses. I want to get lost into the beauty of Santorini ant its whitewashed houses perched on the cliff of the volcano. I want to wander around and visit its historical sites, gazing at Athen’s necropolis and its stunning landscapes and architecture. And as the enthusisatic foodie I am, I want to taste a flavorful Moussaka (eggplant, minced lamb, tomatoes and Béchamel), enjoy a Greek salad with some delicious feta and some scrumptious skewered meat served in a pita bread with tzatziki: that is exactly what I intend to do!

In the meantime, if I can’t go to Greece, Greece will come to me… luckily I know a nice Greek café in Adelaide with withe walls and a blue door, just like in Mamma Mia, and maybe my next blog mission will be to find a Greek restaurant as well, because on a cold and rainy day, a delicious Moussaka would be the perfect comforting Autumn dish 😉

“I like the night. Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.”

Love those Fringe magical nights…

Sometimes you wish you could stop the time so you can enjoy a little bit more : The Fringe festival is one of my favourite moment of the year! There are so many things to do and see and not enough time to do it all, it feels like I have not slept in a month but it was all worth it! Adelaide is so vibrant, so lively and on top of that I have a sweet spot for outdoor events especially with this beautiful weather !

This party at sunset was pretty magic, almost unreal ❤ We danced until the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

Did you know that Adelaide Fringe is the world’s second-largest annual arts festival?! For 31 days and nights during February and March, it features more than 5,000 artists from around Australia and the world. Over 1100 events are staged in pop-up venues in parks, warehouses, lane ways, theatres, hotels, bars, pubs, art galleries and cafes. Aren’t we lucky to have it all here?! There is a little bit for every tastes from comedy, to circus, cabaret, musical, drama etc….name it, the Fringe has it all, just pick and go with the flow! And if you are pretty smart about it, you can enjoy many shows for half price and maybe even for free if you have some good connections 😉

That’s what is called a “forced” smile… I was a bit scared but at the end I enjoyed it 😉

I personally declare that this year was the best 😀 Maybe because I really embraced it… I would not say I went everyday but almost. There were actually really good shows to enjoy and so many beautiful nights to just hang out with friends, chatting in the park, trying all sorts of foods and cocktails. And this year, I even ventured myself in one of those crazy fun fairs games, you know the scary ones where people scream like crazy ! I particularly enjoyed the stand up comedies and I saw a few ones like “The walk of Shame” (pretty hilarious with a bunch of girlfriends so we could relate to some of the girls stories), “The fourth floor” (I was with my mexican friends there and there were some reference to Mexico during the show so that made the whole experience pretty memorable), “Confessions of an aerobic instructor” (I went there with a colleague of mine and it was funny since our job is related to the fitness industry), “Anastasia” (it is a musical and the artist writes her own songs/music and it’s reallyyyyy good), “Ebony” (African circus). Something I really encourage you to try next year is to go to the Fringe with no plans and end up in one of those 6 dollars shows that last like 30 minutes, they are good fun and I like the idea of the spontaneous last minute “let’s try this show”, they are good fun too!

Some hilights this year during the Fringe were, for me (in chronological order):

Massaoke…. I know I know, to quote a friend, to really enjoy it you have to be wasted, cuz it s like a gigantic karaoke where everybody is drunk singing and dancing basically. I only had a few drinks but I promise I enjoyed it a LOT. Music was good and it was exactly what I needed to start the Fringe season. Actually I think it was the first Saturday night of the Fringe and I came back home at like 2am after sharing a gigantic pizza with my girlfriends… late food cravings moments are my fav and the perfect way to end a fun night ! I like the idea that I can have access to food at anytime of the day!

Red Hot Chili peppers concert as part of the Clipsal, pretty awesome! It was in the park and it was of of those magical summer nights. We sang, we danced and it was like the time had stopped and we were just free and wild kids. “Californication” was the biggest sing-along of the night, and it was incredible to hear ten’s of thousands of voices singing out into the warm Adelaide evening. But my favourite moment and song was “Give it away” and I was happily, crazily dancing, jumping on this one, I definitely gave it all ❤

St Patrick’s day which marked the very last day of the Fringe. My friends took me to a quite charming street party with a live band and good vibes all around with people all dressed in green and happily drinking beers. I met a really nice French couple there and we chatted and had some cocktails while sharing our experience about life in Australia as foreigners. Funnily all my friends left around 8pm because it was on a Sunday (and there is work on Monday) but again it was such a beautiful night that after a few seconds of hesitation (should I stay or should I go) I ended up staying by myself until 11pm!!! Actually I had a really good time, the band was pretty good and for the last part of the night they invited people on the stage to sing and they would perform whatever we wanted to hear. I met some really nice and fun people : my point being that, even if it feels comfortable to hang out with your usual crowd, sometimes it can be also good fun to step out your comfort zone, drop the shy attitude and mix with new people!

And now what’s next? Well…. once the Fringe and MAD MARCH is over,

it is said that Adelaide becomes quite dull and boring because the weather gets colder and there is not much to do. I guess it depends on how you keep yourself busy. For me cold weather means maybe more cooking, more writing, more reading and more time spent in cafés doing the latter… but it also means that far far away in another part of the world, in a country who’s got my heart ❤ , it is spring time and soon summer to be and with it the sweet promise and hope that I’ll be enjoying it too 😉