Adventures

The introduction of a new public holiday in Victoria, the "Friday before the Australian Football League Grand Final" presented a great opportunity to put as much space between ourselves and the football as possible. I was buoyed on by our previous whale watching expeditions and having recently watched a documentary about the killer whales of Eden is southeastern New South Wales to the point of proposing a trip to the so-called Sapphire coast, the marketing name for the Bega Valley and surrounding coastline. The driving would be plentiful, but there would be whales!

Living anywhere will mean that you have adventures in and around where you are living. In Paris, these seemed all very glamorous; however it is clear that in and around Melbourne is equally glamorous, albeit in a different way. I have often had people ask me for things to do close to the city, and here a a few things that we have done in the region of Melbourne.

New Zealand or Aotearoa holds a special connection to most Australians, even if they have never been. Whilst there are countless rivalries between Australian cities, states and other countries, all pale in comparison when held up against the AUS-NZ relations. I am of the opinion (and am not alone) that this stems from the fact that, despite obvious geographic differences, the countries are very similar and moreover, are isolated from everywhere else. I had visited New Zealand for the first time in 2010 and loved every minute, so when the opportunity came to once again visit, I jumped at it. The opportunity was a Jetstar sale, so not a unique opportunity, but a very real one. For the sum of $504, Mia and I we were going to explore all things Te Ika-a-Māui, that is, all things North Island.

In what would become a bit a trend in 2015, I signed up to all of the spam mailing lists for low-cost airline carriers in Australia in hopes of finding some good bargains. With fairly flexible working arrangements, it is often possible to take leave with short notice. Moreover, sometimes the travel deities throw you a bone; in this case Jetstar proposed travel to Hobart for $39 during a time Mia was in Hobart for a conference. This meant that I could just pop over Bass Strait, pick up a car and get out and do some hiking!

It was our first summer back in Australia, and with our first lot of holidays, we went to one of our favourite areas: the Great Otway National Park and the south-western coast of Victoria. As it was the Christmas holidays, the area was utterly packed with people, so finding a spot to camp was miserable. We ended up making a base at Beauchamp falls, allowing us to explore the Otways without too much driving. The forest, wildlife and landscape make the area something memorable. We moved onto the Port Campbell National Park which is always spectacular before hiding away in the Cobboboonee National Park for new year's eve. We thought we would be isolated from the festivities, but it was not to be, with a group of campers taking the opportunity to party on. From here we made some day trips to Cape Bridgewater, Mount Richmond National Park and the Lower Glenelg National Park; however our trip was cut short when the weather turned extreme and the fire danger skyrocketed. This meant missing out on the Grampians, but with fires all around, it is not the best place to be!

Almost as quickly as it began, my time in Europe was coming to an end. My time in France was done and I had only a few days left in Germany. I did however have one weekend left and I had booked in a to visit a good friend whom I had met in Paris who now lived in Hamburg. Other than a recent trip to Berlin, I had not spent much time in the North of Germany. Moreover, there is not much (German) cultural overlap between Berlin and Hamburg, but I had heard many good things about the city. It often appears on list of "liveable" cities, basically meaning that they are excellent destinations for highly-paid expats usually at the cost of the local population, but that would not stop me from going and visiting my friend the expat and having a great time.

One of the most visited attractions in Germany and by extension, Europe, is the fairy tale-esque castle of Neuschwanstein. It is nestled in the Bavarian Alps in the south of Germany and sees scores of tourists flocking to the area to visit the thoroughly modern castle. The castle was built in the mid-19th century when castles had essentially lost their military value but were symbols of wealth and power. Ludwig II, the then king of Bavaria, commissioned the construction of the castle as his personal residence and was inspired (in part) by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's restoration of le Château de Pierrefonds. In any case, with my time in Germany coming to an end, this was one big-ticket item that I was keen to see. It would turn out to be quite a mission for just a weekend trip, but ultimately a worthwhile mission.