OVERLAND

For the last twelve months I have been living in Milan and New York. It has been a fantastic experience and during this time I have been thinking a about where I would like to base myself for the next few years. It has become clear that Melbourne is that city. As I result I have decided to return home. A few years ago having lived in a number of European cities over the course of three years I returned to Melbourne on the Trans-Siberian Express. The transition period from living in Berlin to living in Melbourne was an excellent opportunity to travel for an extended period of time and also adjust to the change from Germany to Australia and reflect on my time in Europe, and was also an excellent excuse to drink vodka for breakfast.

At some stage I began to think about another overland trip that would take me back to Melbourne following the next time I lived overseas along a different route and with more frequent and longer stops. This trip began two weeks ago.

During the next four to six months I intend to attempt to travel from London to Melbourne by land and sea. The route will take me through Eastern Europe, the Middle East, across the Himilaya and through South East Asia. The majority of the travelling will be done on train and will also include journeys by bus, ferry and boat.

The trip is divided into four sections; From London to Istanbul via Eastern Europe, Istanbul to Bangladesh via Iran, India to Singapore via Nepal and China, and finally from Singapore to Melbourne.

As a way of documenting the trip I will be producing an architecture blog on which I will record my experiences and descriptions of buildings that I visit during the trip. Descriptions and photographs of projects will also be added to the online architectural database MIMOA to assist other people who wish to visit the buildings and contribute to an excellent resource for architects. I hope that people who are interested in architecture and travel will find the blog useful and informative, and possibly, interesting.