Hey

Belgium

With our ordeal well in the past; when we were trapped in a snowy Paris, Eurostar came true to their word and shouted us a free trip to Belgium. Better still, we timed it over the Easter long weekend.

So on Thursday morning, we headed out to Kings Cross (minus passport!), then I returned home to pick it up again!... with that minor hitch behind us, we finally boarded the Eurostar for the first time of our lives bound for Brussels. We'd managed to book this whole thing just 48hours in advance, and had the prospect of a nice hotel room packaged in to the price.

Finally, we sped out of London, through Kent, under the Channel, into France, and then on to Belgium/Brussels. I can't recommend Eurostar enough. You can check in and be on the train within 30minutes, and off at the other end in less than 5minutes... take that air-travel!

We grabbed a cab from the station and dumped our bags at our plush hotel room; not sure if I've stayed in a larger room than this before. We then headed off on a quick-wet walking tour of the grand place, mannekin pis and anything else in between and around, which is fairness to Brussels consists mainly of stuff that expands your waist-line and/or gets you drunk. So with a chocolatey waffle consumed we carried on our musings and eventually wound up grabbing some Thai food for dinner, as you do in Belgium.

Following morning, it was time for a massive trip down memory lane. We took a trip out to my late grand-fathers sisters place, she's one of the last members of the 'grand' generation in my family and it had been a great many years since I last saw her; maybe 18!? The house seemed not to have changed, though of course it had. They welcomed us with a delicious lunch, with wine accompaniment along with my mothers cousin in the mix for company. We chatted and reminisced of a couple of almost long-forgotten family holidays and surprised each other as to how much we remembered.

After, we returned back to Brussels and met up with Em & Jazz, who'd just arrived in town. A pub crawl began, and before we knew it, we were sitting next to a stuffed horse drinking fruit flavoured beer. Wicked fun, unless you managed to fracture your foot falling off a stuffed horse.

Following day, against my hangovers will, we managed to get outta bed, and jump on a train out to Bruges - the land of Chocolate and medi-evil architecture. A healthy lunch paved the way before we gave in to Belgian fries and chocolate... all in all a healthy day; well it was Easter Saturday!

Easter Sunday rolled in and we really hit a new level of relaxation on a city break. We shunned the desire to go see new things and instead, spent a morning in and out of coffee shops, watching the world and it's congregations trot by on what was afterall, a highly special day for many in the religious world. We headed back to London, and made it in less than 2.5hrs door to door... impressive. Brussels is good fun, just don't expect too much from the sights though. 

Keep the Car Runnin

La Reunion

So it would be after a second final meal, that we finally set off for the airport in Sydney. The last few weeks have been a massive, exciting adventure and now we’re at the departure lounge with the foreseeable future set to be totally different.

Sydney has renovated its departure lounge somewhat, and it was pretty amazing to walk around, compared to how dodgy the old layout used to be! The airline we travelled with Air-Austral, hurried us to the gate a fair while before the plane was due to depart... only for us to sit on the run way for well over an hour delaying us even further - a total of 8hours on our original booking document. The cramped 777-200er finally groaned off and was soon cruising nearly 6000miles from Sydney, to La Reunion.

A rare occurrence for me, I actually managed to get a decent sleep in on a flight, probably about 6hrs before touching down at a local time of around 4am. We cabbed it in to town and then after hassling the sleepy concierge, he gave in and let us check in to our room very early (compared to the 11am on our booking info!). This was perfect, we grabbed some coffee and croissants and then dozed, internetted and chilled before the rest of the world came back to life.

We spent day 1 mainly arranging details for the next 3-4days and trying our hardest to stay awake to beat the incoming jet-lag. The morning sun had given way to rain clouds a

nd our first day made us think that we were in for some pretty lousy weather...

On day 2, I awoke and pretty much headed out to the lure of Pauls cafe just over the road (I’d recommend avoiding the St Denis Best Western other than the fact it is located next to Pauls - awesome cafe). Once our gear was packed, I ran down the road to pick up our wagon for the next few days. Once we were out on the road, the spirit andexcitement of the trip started multiplying by the second. We soon got away from the normal capital city and out to some more interesting places... well at least there was whitesand! St Gilles Les Bains was very euro holiday resort, but the roads on the way there made up for it. The freeway which affords some totally amazing views of the coast and of the inland geographical wonders.Once we’d jumped out and eaten some lunch at a random beach spot we found, we pointed the car inland; toward the town Cilaos. Here we would be based to do some walking around the Cirques; some amazingly crafted (by nature) rocks/mountains. The drive there was pretty cool, with about 4000 hairpin turns and even a few tunnels that looked much like they were dug by hand, just a few weeks ago!

On arrival we spent some time getting used to the town, and working out what we’d do over the next few days...The jetlag still hadn’t worn from us and we managed to get up at about 5am without even trying. Breakfast and drinks done, we headed off out of town and into the valleys. What followed was nearly 5hours of awesome walking. The usual physical stuff, with lots of waterfalls and seriously amazing views thrown in for good measure... end of the day, we were smashed and fell asleep as soon as the sun did.

Up again at silly o clock, we embarked on a long drive out of the centre of the island, back around some coast past a place called Le Tampon and up towards Reunions major tourist draw card... Le Piton de Fournaise; one of the worlds most active volcanos (last went off in April 2007).

As we drove up, the landscape changed from tropical island, through a man made forrest, to lush New Zealand style lush grassy valleys, finally giving way to red igneous rock as far as the eye could see. The Volcano was smouldering away, and we were lucky to be there this early as, not long after, the clouds would roll in a spoil the views.

We took a walk around the outter rim of the volcano, since the inner rim had been closed due to the eruption 2years earlier. It was still impressive, and even things like the rock we were walking on, were obviously quite different to any other country trail. Once we were unable to see much more, we turned back on ourselves and headed for our cruddy little white hire car. Back down around the windy roads, the brakes were squealing like a piggy on market day. The heat soon returned once the altitude was gone too... back up past 30degrees, we found our way to some light refreshments before thinking about where we would stay for our final night.

Tired, we found a room in St Gilles Les Ba

ins for the night without too much hassle... it turned out that this could be one of the nicest highlights of the trip so far. Two pools, AC, bars, beach within 20metres and lots of lovely sunshine. Our tired feet got some much needed relaxation with many a chilled out beach walks.
To Do:
Pauls Cafe - St Denis
Cilaos and its walks
The Volcano (leave early before the clouds creep in)

Avoid:
Best Western St Denis (Overpriced and not particularly clean or modern inside).

Love is in the air

The Wedding of Todd & Anna, Coffs Harbour

With a few crazy days left to complete a list of stuff as long as my arm, Monday through Wednesday were quite hectic, but in a good way. I gave myself a full day to finish off

the Kashmir holiday video and plenty of time to pack etc. By the time Thursday had finished, I’d been able to catch up with Sydney friends and even spend some quality time in the pool.
On Friday morning, Lauren and I travelled up to Coffs Harbour. We’d left much earlier than we should’ve though and wound up crashing out in the rented house near Sap

phire Beach... by the time the other guys arrived, we were pretty much back on track and I’d had a chance to get some beers in. We then headed out via a minibus expertly driven by the Groom (keen to not drink the night before his big day) to one of the local tap houses... yet more reunions with old friends, and meeting of the couples parents too. With a few beers inside us all, we were removed at just the right mo

ment I think... next day was the big one.

It all started round at Ems place (her family home always in Coffs - and what a great place it is!) where her father cooked 20-30 hungry wedding guests a BBQ brekk

ie. With that done, everyone split and begun their routines that had been planned to lead them up to the afternoon ceremony. Before 3 o clock rolled around, me and some of the guys managed to get in a few ocean swims and even a game of beach volleyball. The girls were all busy getting themselves ready when we joined them to throw on our threads and slap on some Brut!
A shuttle bus got us to the Price family home that had been amazin

gly decked out for the occasion, of course my cameras shutter went nuts from the get-go throughout the day. I watched on as the groomsmen got their act together (Todd with Aaron, Wedge & Lowen) and th

en as all the guests started to arrive. There was a great buzz once everyone was waiting for Anna to arrive around the rose petalled garden corner.

Once she did, there were gasps gallore as she walked elegantly around the corner

with her parents. I took a quick glance over at Todd and could see he was exploding inside with emotion, it was seriously awesome to see!
The registrar took the lead and brought up Anna and Todds sisters to read poems to the congregation. Tears were flowing amongst many of the friends and family present.

The moment came, and the pair were kissing having just exchanged rings. The sun was tucked half between the clouds and the hazy blue Coffs sky as the ceremony br

oke for Champagne. The signature ink and bubbles flowed straight after one

another.

Once the photo’s and formalities were done, the guests were shuttled down to the reception venue of the Beach Stone cafe. Leaving a window for me to so a small photo-shoot with the guys... muchos fun.

At the recepti

on, Salmon and Lamb were served after some of the most awesome little aperitifs were gobbled up by everyone before the limelight went to the fathers and best man. After the laughter was done, the dance-floor opened up for Todd and Anna to take a dance... kisses, more tears, and then drunken dance-offs finished off the evening.

Best Wishes to Todd and Anna, the future

holds so much for you guys. Thanks again for letting us be a part of your day.

* * *

The morning after the day before had everyone up at Todds place again for a breakfast, and then the goodbyes began. Many people had flown in from various parts of the cou

ntry and the world, and some had to start leaving as early as midday. This was a

lso an emotional part of the weekend for me too, having to say goodbye to some amazing mates that I've come to know over the last several years living in Sydney.

A few of us took another ocean swim, which would turn out to be my last of these for the foreseeable future. An easy Sunday followed where I also got to show off my Kashmir snow video (2years in the waiting!). A delicious BBQ grill finished things off nicely before an early start of high emotion saying goodbye to my friends.

A few hours after arriving home, I discovered from our agents that the flights we were expecting to be on the following day had been bumped much later in the day - it opened up a large portion of our remaining days for some slightly more relaxing things like topping up sun-tans and playing with the dogs.

This bonus day was a blessing in disguise, we were totally ready to go, so all we could do, was swim and bask in the sun, for the final time this year or next. Later that day, we moved heavy baggage into the back of Laurens dads car and it was time for another of those emotionally charged points in life... till check-in, and then the walk around the security clearance point of no return.

You've been awfully good to me Australia, I can't wait to be back.

Far From Grace

Bucks Weekend, Melbourne, Vic

After a 5 day countdown that now seems synonymous with finishing at any job, I had massively increased excitement levels due some awesome upcoming travel plans starting virtually the minute I finished work on Friday 27th November.

After stopping by my office to hand in my mobile phone, I met with Lauren who treate

d me to a beautiful Thai meal in

Haymarket. The two of us toasted to our finished jobs and what laid ahead of us in the coming months. I have to pay special mention to Chat Thai... busy as anything but worth the perseverance with reservations or a long wait.

6am Saturday morning I was heading

off for the first of 6 flights over the next month. I arrived in Melbourne at about 8.45 and was soon cabbing to the city centre to be re-united with, well, basically all the boys I’ve really come to know and call my friends in my time so far in Australia. It was Todds bucks

weekend and thus everyone had their party hats on ready for the carnage and fun about to unravel. Todd was of course, in the dark about it all. After pacting (whateve

r happens on bucks, stays on bucks) I will of course be recounting a very wholesome experience and will not mention what people did in toilets, who got physically removed from night clubs, nor who couldn’t handle any more booze on the follow up day.

We travelled out of Melbourne together and got cabs out to a Clay Pigeon shooting centre... here we were instructed on how to shoot shot guns at moving fluro orange targets before we were picked into teams school-boy style. 4 teams split and then moved around a course of 8 clay launchers. Our team, the Teenage mutant ninja turtles (dedicat

ed to the team captains love of a VB tinny), quite frankly, kicked arse and won the group stage no problemo :P Everyone had a go under pressure from a full crowd to shoot 2 clays launched at the same time - TMNT managed them all bar one ;)

After this... memory becomes hazy... but something of a random women who loved to remove clothing each time the buck made a s

hot... I’m not sure, actually, I think I’m just hallucinating in my thoughts there... there was no random women. No Cherries.

The gun club then became our first pub of the day, and with cheap beer, no one would complain. Todd was dressed as a homeless and challenged to sell some Big Issues at the follow on pub.

Jonesy, Kingsley, Jarrad and myself got to Transport before the rest, and duly carried on drinking activities... at this point, ‘just beer’ became Snakebites, Jagers, Scotch and needless to say I was pretty well on my way by the time everyone else showed up... they must’ve missed the memo, but most went home to get changed and look pretty. Soft :P

Transport became Lounge bar for some at something like 9 or 10pm, Wedge, Cam and myself moved on about

10 and wound up meeting everyone at the Croft Institute - I science lab themed bar down one of the Melbourne’s back streets... some crazy moves busted before retiring to Whopper meals with all the other drunkards at 3, 4 or 5am...

and sleep...

Next morning we headed to the South Bank on the river for Breakky. Some very dusty heads on most shoulders but big breakfasts seemed to do the trick in getting back on track. Into the casino, Lowen managed to win a bunch of cash while the rest of us struggled to remain standing upright... next up - 10 pin bowling!

I don’t recall a day where I was in a bowling alley, kids parties around me and I’m with 15 guys (by this point- spare a thought for fallen comrades) and smashing back jagers and beers... and I’m sure Todd won’t recall a day where he got bowled down the alley by his buddies.

I wish I could tell more, it seems so, err, responsible... hey hum.

I hopped on the return flight back to Sydney with some of the guys and contemplated what my head would feel like in the morning... on my first glorious day of unemployment!

The Kids are Sick Again

Maximo Park, The Metro, Sydney

On what was quite a memorable day even before it began, I got to see one of my recent favourite bads for a second time in Sydney. Friday 13th, unlucky for some, but not Lauren who finally got to tell her HR department what she thought of an awful

manager that she’d had the misfortune of working with for the past year, on her final days exit interview.

As Lauren recalled the questions and a

nswers over a 6pm drink, we relaxed before heading out for a Seafood Paella and jug of Sangria. I hadn’t had crab since the last time I visited VietNam so it was great to get dirty at dinner shelling a crustacean.

As we finished up dinner, we scuttled across George Street and into the Metro, I think I’ve been 10-15times now, to Sydneys most used tour venue for British bands (so it would seem!). With beers in hand, we welcomed on stage the Sunderland guitar/keyboard band.

A little over theatrical the frontman may have been, he kinda has to be to make up for some really flat stage presence from other members of the band. Regardless,

they can play live, and they have written a bucket load of songs that I have loved over the past 5 years of so.

We cab-charged home and let a certain ex-employer worry about the $90 cab fair.

-

The rest of the weekend was spent out in the Shire getting our acts ready for the impending weekends of mayhem before we finally jet off for a holiday en route to the UK.

We took a bushwalk to prepare us for upcoming trekking in December, and made our way down to the river near Laurens parents home. Hundreds of yellow wild flowers were out. The day was around 28degrees so it didn't take long for the sweat to start pouring... well worth it though.

An evening watching 2012 at the movies... set the pace for the remainder of the weekend... cheap n cheerful :)

Baby You can Drive my Car

Bathurst 1000, NSW

A car race. The car race; as far as most of Australia's V8 SuperCar following are concerned. 1000kms raced on a Sunday for a place in the history books... Ford Vs Holden (GM/Vauxhall/Opal).

We headed up on the Friday after work for the weekend, and after about 4 hours of driving, we arrived in Bathurst and shacked up for the night with some family friends. The following morning, we headed to the track, and got acclimatised to the corporate box with free beer/food that would be our home for the weekend.

We were fortunate enough again, to have a contact of someone in the pitlane, so I got to have a nose up close to one of the Bathurst racers. A ver

y well oiled machine. The excitement amongst the fans was obvious the entire time, with all the guys around attempting to out-stat one another with Bathurst race history. Everyone's first question to you: "Ford or Holden", to which I would reply "Honda".

Some exciting stuff, including some fires in the pit lane and some spectacular crashes, the weather was so-so, so the beers and photography took a front seat. We ended the final day of qualifying, very drunk indeed and hit the hay looking forward to the big race-day. A Holden had made it to the front row of the pit with about 4 Fords breathing down its neck.

Race day came, and some of the most exciting stuff was the air show where some military jets paraded along the finish straight at eye-level; quite a rush! As the track flooded with sponsors and officials, I figured "there are so many people down there, they wouldn't notice an extra one", so I tried my luck. I managed to slip past a dopey security guard and I was on the starting grid with the drivers, pit crews and everyone else it would seem. I behaved myself, got some pictures and legged it. The race started, and with around 5hours of lapping to go, I was getting quite into it. Lots of thrills and spills littered the laps and eventually, it would be the same Holden that got Pole, that would take the Bathurst 1000 crown. A fun weekend, especially for all rev-heads...

Robbie Fowler comes to Sydney,

Okay, so he's ageing and is never gonna be anywhere near his Anfield best - but it was kinda cool to have a big name coming to play in an A League game for a change. Fowler signed a deal to play with North Queensland Fury, a brand new team who only started out life this season. Until tonight, they hadn't managed to secure a victory... EVER.

The first half played out with Fowler shooting towards the Cove, he didn't manage to do much, except get muscled off a ball or two. Meanwhile, at the other end of the field, Sydney won a Penalty which John Aloisi took all too gingerly allowing the keeper to comfortably save it.

The Townsville outfit mananged to get a goal but it was ruled out... and so the first half ended 0-0.

The teams came out, and I have to say, Sydney didn't once look like scoring in the entire half. Considering they're second in the league, it was pretty shocking. But the Nth Queensland broke loose and the ball got to Fowler, from just outside the 18yrd box, he masterfully lobbed the Sydney keeper; Bolton. All 43 of the travelling fans went nuts, and I could hear plenty of people in the Sydney stands applauding the goal also... I don't, in fairness think they see too many like that.

That was how it finished. We witnessed Fowlers great winning goal, which marked a new teams first ever victory.

Fowler 1 - Sydney 0