Travelling

Our latest adventure – two bonding weeks

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India

Last year, I took four weeks off parenting to fly back to Australia alone. This year, guess what? I did it again. Now, that might seem like a lot for some people, but it’s also something that comes with the territory of moving to another country.

The distance, the cost, the jetlag… it all adds up. Two weeks would be tiring, but doable. Three is better. Four is… well absolutely fantastic with a trace of indulgence.

So, I’d been encouraging hubby to take a break of his own. Not because it was owed – because I have a right to go see my family – but because he can. And since we’re not keen on taking a small child to India, off he went on his own.

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Homeward bound – take 2

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Japan airlines

The flight from Australia to Europe, with its 35-40 hours of total travelling time, is not what I’d call an awesome time, even in business class. But it passes. So, when I was faced with what turned out to be almost 70 hours of transit time via Japan, I was not, what you might say, overjoyed. I was, however glad not to be going anywhere near the Middle East, especially in those early days when everything was very chaotic.

One of the reasons why the Emirates flight has been a long favourite of mine, is that the times are perfect for departure and arrival. The stopover is long enough, but not too long. And I can get to and from the airport via train without adding an overnight.

Sadly, this would not be the case this time. So… let’s compare the two.

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Homeward bound… oh no you’re not

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Australia family dinner

It’s funny, cause I remember thinking on the way to Australia, that the journey could not have gone better. I was healthy. Trains and flights were all on time. Transfers were easy. I was upstairs on the A380 with the bar in my favourite seat for both legs. There wasn’t even a wait for shower at the lounge in Dubai.

So, I was quite looking forward to the return trip.

And then I woke up on Sunday morning, the day before I was due to fly, to news of war in the Middle East. A few hours later came reports of Dubai airport being bombed, and I suddenly knew this wasn’t going to be the straightforward way home I’d imagined.

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Four weeks in Australia – time for the perfect trip

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Australia pool

After the sicknesses that plagued my last trips to Oz, it was time for the perfect one. I got on the plane… completely healthy. I arrived in Melbourne, completely healthy. And damn was it a good feeling.

I’d been a little more hesitant about going this year I was off by myself again, and the guilt and sadness at leaving my 3-year old behind was a little more intense. Last year he barely noticed my absence. This year, he was well aware. He didn’t mind me going, because he got to stay home with Papa. But at the same time he wanted to come with me, because he didn’t want to miss out on ice cream.

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My obsession with Aesop

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Aesop

Aesop, for those of you who don’t know it, is a luxury skincare brand, born in Australia in the late 80s. And although it’s now been bought out by L’Oréal it’s still got that Aussie feeling to me.

I remember coming across it in my 20s… sure it smelt great, but it wasn’t cheap. And as someone who slaps on a bit of moisturiser (maybe) in the morning, definitely not for me.

But every now and again I’d come across a sample and think, well that is nice.

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Beachside at an Italian Christmas Market

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Lignano beach Italy winter

Christmas markets are something Austria is definitely not lacking in, but when we heard that our regular summer beach spot, Lignano, was holding a Christmas market over December, we thought… why not? Something different. And definitely warmer than cold ol’ Austria. So, we packed ourselves and the in-laws up, and off we went to see what it was about.

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I know… let’s go away four weekends in a row… what can go wrong?

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sea in croatia

I love summer. With good weather, long nights, the swimming pool open and the garden to nurture, there’s plenty to do. So, since Sam’s not yet in school, we generally plan holidays in shoulder season when it’s quieter, and cheaper. But all of a sudden, summer was about to end, and I hadn’t organised anything.

That’s how it came to be that I was due to head away every weekend in September.

And guess what? It was too much.

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Australia… on my own

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Australia alone

It was only going to be a quick trip… it was! Three weeks from start to finish which amounts to 2.5 when you take out the flight times. We didn’t want to put Sam through another long flight and jet lag, so the decision was made that I would go on my own.

I was excited. This was going to be my trip. This was going to cancel out all the disasters from last year’s trip – the snow, the Covid, the everything. I was organised, my excel sheet was planned out and it was going to be great!

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