This is the year in which I thought going to Melbourne for a long weekend would be the most exciting travel I did all year!
At the end of May, for a trip I’d been waiting for for 2.5 years (thanks to you know what). I finally went down to Melbourne for a long weekend to see a 3-night stand by The Hold Steady, my favourite band in the world. Return flight, 3 nights in Melbourne, 3 shows and a few other nights in Sydney.
It was my first plane flight since 2009 and my first time seeing the band since 2009 (but the 2009 things were two different things…) but I had a great weekend and checked out a bunch of other things in Melbourne as well as the shows. Went to ACMI. my favourite museum in the country and did an inside tour of the MCG (which was more interesting than I thought it would be), .as well as enjoying some great shows by my favourite band two at the Croxton Bandroom and one at the legendary Corner Hotel (which I had never been to before).
But then, something even more amazing happened, and just last month…
Obviously I had some warning. but it didn’t seem real until it happened. My new work at Driversnote offered me the chance to take a 2 week trip to Denmark!
Yes — a trip to Denmark!
For someone who had never even been to Europe anywhere, this was quite an incredible chance. So for a week I was in a company-paid for hotel and after hours enjoying the sites of Copenhagen, then in the second week I did my own thing at my own hotel.
I visited all the museums and history of the Danish capital that I could fit in…. and I even did the legendary visit to Billund, the home of Lego! I visited Lego House for the day. did a big train ride to get there. and generally had that blissful Lego experience I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid.
It was so great to meet my work colleagues in person for the first time, even as they were changing offices from a central startup co-working space to their own private office in a different part of town (a sign of good things!) I got to see the old office,. and the new office (their new meeting rooms are name after Lego cars — this impresses me more than you can imagine!)
The amusing anecdote of the trip is that half way through I got COVID… of course I did some will say. It was my most social week in a long time seeing and doing so many things, so I just rolled with it. It really only knocked me about for 2 days and wasn’t that bad anyway really (thank you quadruple vaccine boosters), then I gradually got up to speed and fit in as much as I could anyway… I wasn’t going to let anything mess with this experience!
Apart from all this amazement, of course we went to Nelson Bay in January (with the most amazing view imaginable) and did a few other short trips, such as seeing The Killers just a few weeks ago and staying overnight nearby. We’re off to Nelson Bay again next month for even longer than before, so travel is being good to me 🙂
You certainly fitted a lot in and still managed to be a great dad to your boys. Looking forward to catching up with you all at Nelson Bay Happy New Year love ? Mum