Travel
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London to Paris — Limping in Style
I left London with bruised toes, wonderful memories of a very generous friend, photos with a few of my “favourite people” — including Shrek — and one final surprise: an unexpected upgrade to business class. 😁
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Day 2: Amsterdam — Getting Lost, Asking Around and Trusting Siri
I arrived in Amsterdam armed with a poor sense of direction and far too much faith in Siri. Between the wrong tram stop, the wrong Anne Frank meeting point and several very kind strangers, getting lost became part of the adventure.
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Zurich — Welcome to Europe
I arrived in Zurich determined to travel sensibly. Within hours, I had already blown part of the budget on public toilets. Welcome to Europe. 😂
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Did Not Feel Loved in the City of Love
Business-class upgrade, missed Eiffel Tower tour, almost no accessible money and McDonald’s coming to the rescue. Paris was beautiful—but the City of Love certainly made me work for our relationship. 😂
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Mixing Business With Pleasure: A 78-Hour Road Trip to Karumba
What began as a weekend work trip to Karumba somehow became 63 hours of lava tubes, fishing, a four-hour wrong turn, a thunderstorm and a police chase involving an esky full of catfish.
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Amsterdam to London
I made it to Schiphol Airport without getting lost and felt very proud of myself — until I discovered my gate was another 50-minute walk away. By the time I reached London, I had missed breakfast, blown my accommodation budget and developed a desperate need for rice. 😂
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Day 1 in Tokyo: Interestingly Challenging, but Great!
We left our Tokyo hotel two hours early so we wouldn’t miss our Disneyland pickup. We still got lost, waited at the wrong FamilyMart, missed the tour, missed seven train changes and somehow ended up at the wrong hotel. At least I learned how to ride the train.
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The Chase Is Over!!!
My ski lesson was cancelled, Hakuba told us not to come expecting snow, and I spent a day chasing forecasts around Nagano. Then I spotted one magical word beside Togakushi Shrine: snow.
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Japanese Customs, Courtesies and Tradition
Our first night in a traditional Japanese ryokan involved slipper confusion, robes we couldn’t wear properly, a carefully timed chef told us he was only just bringing out the main course.
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Never Say Never!!!
The night before, Graeme and I had decided we didn’t particularly like the onsen, yukata or soba. By 5 am the next morning, two of the three had already won us over.
Stories Along the Way 