After greater than two and a half years of no worldwide journey—we arrived house from abroad solely days earlier than Australia closed its borders in March 2020—we’ve lastly left the nation.
Almost two months later, we’re again in Sydney. Here’s a fast rundown of the place we went and what we did.
This journey was ostensibly a catch-up mission with UK household and mates we hadn’t seen because the begin of the pandemic.
But fairly than flying in to Heathrow, which has had a whole lot of issues with baggage, plus attending to our mates on the southeast coast from there isn’t straightforward, Christina and I opted to land in Europe, journey round for every week or so and fly to Stansted Airport on a budget.
Landing in Frankfurt, we stayed there for a number of days having fun with the native mid-week markets and getting again into the European vibe.
We stayed on the Mercure Hotel Kaiserhof, which was conveniently near Frankfurt’s foremost prepare station however far sufficient away from the dodgy bits of city just like the close by pink gentle district round Taunusstraße.
Taking one of many superb OBB trains, we journey by southern Germany and into Austria to discover the elegant metropolis of Vienna. It’s a protracted prepare journey—over eight hours in actual fact.
But selecting the consolation and romance of a first-class compartment carriage makes the journey extra pleasing.
It’s additionally probably the most reasonably priced possibility–at about €140–in comparison with flying or hiring a automobile.
We arrive in Vienna at 8.30 within the night. We drop our baggage at our delightfully old-school lodge—the Graben simply off historic Stefanspatz within the centre of city—and go exploring.
From the Spanish Riding School stables and the State Opera House within the west of the town to the artwork weirdness of Hundertwasser House within the east we clock up a misplaced of steps within the one full day we’re right here.
But all too quickly, we depart the towering white Baroque streets of Vienna to hop on one other prepare. This time we’re solely on board for about two and a half hours, hopping off in Hungary. We’re lastly attending to see stunning Budapest.
We’ve all the time wished to see this nice metropolis, cut up in two by the mighty Danube. And it doesn’t disappoint.
In truth, taking a look at our step-counts on our telephones, we realise we’ve hit Hungary onerous: over 48km in three days (in comparison with Frankfurt – 34km and Vienna – 19km)—it appears like we’ve walked the entire metropolis!
Thankfully our lodge room on the Arcadia Budapest is comfy–although they’ve switched the aircon onto warmth mode all through the lodge as a result of it’s presupposed to be winter; we’ve been having fun with 24ºC days this October!
But after all of the strolling, all of the spiral steps to the tops of church towers, all of the superb meals, rivers, tradition, historical past and much more strolling, it’s time to hop on what’s in all probability the most affordable flight to the UK from mainland Europe.
Our Budapest-to-London Stansted flights are AU$134 whole.
Once within the UK, we’re on a mission to see as many individuals and locations as we will—although there is a component of leisure we actually need to take pleasure in too after all.
We begin off with a visit away with my mum and pop to the beautiful Suffolk city of Southwold earlier than heading to our superb mates—extra like household in actual fact—Clare and Dave, and their fur-babies Flo and Ruby, the place we’ll be primarily based whereas we’re within the UK.
But journeys to Kent, Brighton, London, St Albans, Hatfield Forest, Oulton Broad, Harwich and Cambridge preserve us on the highway fairly a bit over the following few weeks.
We additionally handle to squeeze in a fast journey to Italy. It’s so shut, we simply can’t resist. We fly all the way down to Puglia to take a look at a city we wished to spend extra time in after we had been final right here in 2017: Monopoli.
Things have modified a bit on the final 5 years, but it surely’s nonetheless as stunning as ever. We spend our days wandering the cobbled streets of this charming harbour city and our evenings exploring the little trattorias, bars and enotecas.
We’re thrilled to have the ability to revisit our favorite discover in Monopoli—a ceramics workshop and retailer known as Giu In Lab run by a beautiful native couple. Amazingly they bear in mind us and we chat for some time.
Their background is in structure however they moved again to their hometown some time again and began crafting stunning pottery utilizing the kinds native to them; ricotta pots, seashells, sea urchins, little seed pods.
Anna and Gianni have moved issues alongside fairly a bit since we had been right here final too, trialling new strategies nobody’s tried earlier than and creating new much more stunning designs. Seeing these guys once more has been the spotlight of our journey to Puglia.
We’re additionally amazed at how heat it’s nonetheless in Puglia contemplating it’s now early November. Instead of winter garments, we’re in swimmers. In truth Christina even goes for a dip on the seashore in Monopoli. The water’s nonetheless over 20°C.
Back within the UK, with only a week left till we start heading again to Sydney, we journey to the Midlands with my mum and pop for another outing.
In truth, it is a little bit of a busman’s vacation for us as we’re heading to Harrington in Northamptonshire midway between Cambridge and Birmingham.
In this quiet little village within the hills is Warner’s Distillery. We’ve labored a bit with Warner’s over time. They produce a superb vary of gins and are about to increase their attain in Australia even additional with an interesting collaboration with a distillery right here.
Three of Warner’s Gins – there’s additionally Rhubarb, Raspberry, Apple & Pea, Honeybee, Elderflower and Sloe gin, and two 0% gins: Juniper Double Dry and Pink Berry.
We meet a number of of Warner’s superstars, together with proprietor Tom Warner himself.
Mike Nield, the worldwide business supervisor, kindly takes trip of his day to point out us spherical the place we meet the distillery’s groundsman Martyn Bachmet, one of many distillers Kundai Chakonda guides us by a tasting and we even get to fulfill Merlin, one of many distillery canines.
After our web site go to, we pop subsequent door with Mike to the Tolly (The Tollemache Arms) for a superb lunch the place we’re joined by Tom and the distillery’s fascinating conservation and sustainability supervisor (and beekeeper) Jonny Easter.
L-R: Christina, Tom Warner, Jonny Easter and Mike Nield from Warner’s Distillery, Edi, Ken and Jim
We’ll let you know extra about our go to one other time, however we’ve had such an attention-grabbing go to to Warner’s. In truth a number of of their gins can be found in Dan Murphy’s now.
Then, swiftly, we’re on the Eurostar zooming below the Channel to Paris.
We’re staying on the completely very good Hotel de Sers within the eighth Arrondissement not removed from the Champs-Elysees. Part of the B Signature Hotels and Resorts assortment, which remains to be a family-owned model, this lodge is pushed by its very good degree service and luxurious in addition to its unimaginable location.
We’re fortunate sufficient to fulfill the director of gross sales (and granddaughter of the founding father of B Signature Hotels and Resorts) Agathe Jousse, who tells us a bit extra about this lodge and the corporate usually.
Watch this area for our full assessment of this stunning lodge, with its unrivalled concierge service, its glimpses of the Eiffel Tower and its really monumental loos!
Staying true to our MO, we stroll, munch and swig our means spherical Paris, clocking up one other hearty 48km within the three days we’re on the town. As properly as seeing the sights, we even get to meet up with our buddy Alex, who we missed within the UK as a result of he works in Paris three days every week.
Paris is so much busier than we anticipated for mid-November although. There are queues all over the place—even to get in to have a look at church buildings. I feel everybody’s getting in as a lot journey as they will after two years of being denied it.
Finally, we’re on the final leg of our journey: a short couple of nights in Dubai as we head again to Australia.
It’s a fast 5 or so hours to the UAE from France, and we arrive within the morning at our five-star beachside lodge: the beautiful Andaz Dubai The Palm. My new buddy Mustafa very kindly lets us examine in a full eight hours early, which is a life-saver.
Our room—a collection truly—is very large.
It has a full kitchen, a lounge, lavatory and separate powder room, a workspace that additionally doubles up as a conceit, and views from the home windows subsequent to our super-king mattress look out over the marina of the large tree-shaped artifical island that’s the Palm.
We can’t wait to point out you extra of this place.
But earlier than we get too comfy, we have now a safari date with Platinum Heritage, an organization that’s been working experiences across the Dubai for a decade. Our information, Austin, meets us in an exquisite Range Rover and drives us to the assembly level an hour out of the town on the fringe of the Arabian Desert.
We’ve bought heaps to let you know about this unimaginable expertise, however let’s simply say it was a night we’ll always remember. Camel rides, falconry shows, feasts in a royal oasis and pyrotechnical acrobatics. And after all a safari drive amongst the flowing dunes of the desert.
Back within the metropolis, we meet up with our mate Michaela, who moved to Dubai ages in the past. It’s pretty to catch up.
We’re having dinner collectively on Bluewater Island within the lavish Alici. Highly suggest this place. The meals and repair are simply good, and with views out throughout the marina to the Palm Jumeirah, the place our lodge is, and out throughout the Persian Gulf, you possibly can’t actually go flawed.
Across the highway from our lodge is a skyscraper—the tallest one on the island—that has a viewing deck and rooftop, brilliantly known as The View At The Palm. From right here you possibly can look out throughout the town and, extra importantly, over the Gulf.
Short of a helicopter journey (which you are able to do in an Uber right here!) this place affords you one of the best views of the Palm Jumeirah. We may even see our lodge.
You must pay further for rooftop entry, and it’s solely small, but it surely’s solely price it. Especially when the bored safety guard up right here does an entire photograph shoot for you once you ask him for a single image!
He even poses us and strikes us across the roof, will get individuals out of shot and takes a number of angles. I feel he’s missed his calling!
As we fly again to Sydney, we’re excited to be house once more. I feel we have to be out of form with this journey malarkey!
