A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles. Tim Cahill
One of the most difficult parts of any trip is coming home. After two months of adrenaline-pumping activity, discovering new lands and being mesmerised by history, culture and (in the case of Los Angeles) theme parks and glitz, we arrived home to suburban Sydney, still damp and grey from winter, feeling deflated. Gazing at calendars now empty of anything other than dental appointments, the jolt back to reality was the perfect recipe for depression.
It is fun to look at the photos and to sigh at the beauty of some of the places we visited, but my memories remain blurry, lacking colour and detail. When I shut my eyes and try to teleport back there, I’m getting nothing – not even a glimmer of a Tuscan sunset or any hint of the aroma of garlic and coffee in a Paris cafe.
So when the most-often-asked question arises: “So what was your favourite place?”, I find it hard to answer. Of course I loved Italy. Florence is a glorious city and Venice is spectacular. I loved swimming in the salty Adriatic Ocean and eating crusty bread and chilled Lambrusco in the outdoor cafe afterwards, marvelling at the way Italian women (even the larger ones) recline in string bikinis eating ample plates of pasta, making no attempt to hold in their stomachs or cover up their wobbly bits. Oh to have their confidence!
I fell in love with romantic Paris, regal and charming London and even the hard-edged and feisty Berlin. Maybe in time my memories will sharpen and I will actually be able to see these places in my imagination and relive our adventures.
However, certain pictures remain vivid in my memory. Our travels led to some special old friends who are dotted across the globe. In London my Irish friend, Liz, travelled across from Dublin to spend the day with us. I first met Liz in a Putney terrace house over twenty years ago when I slept on the loungeroom floor in a share house for two weeks before finding my own apartment. Liz and I became firm friends and have continued to write ‘Christmas letters’ since our London days. Receiving Liz’s Christmas letter is a treat and has always taken me back to those young, free and foolish days. What a joy it was to see her again and to realise that the warmth and intimacy of our friendship has survived so many years and so many miles. I was nervous when I waited to meet her in our hotel lobby. What if we didn’t recognise one another? It was such a relief to discover that we both looked exactly the same, twenty years on! 🙂 We had lunch at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant and it was soon evident that our mutual love of food, wine and talking had endured the test of time.
The next treat was catching up with another friend who lived in the same house in Putney. ‘Buzzard’ now lives in a country village outside Cambridge. He is married to a lovely woman and has two beautiful kids, who were entertaining companions for our two boys. Again, I felt instantly at home and comfortable, keen to talk and talk. It is interesting how one year, whilst young and alone overseas, can lead you to forge a certain solid type of friendship which feels a bit like family.
Another high point for me was meeting my blogging friend, Viv, who kindly took us on guided tour around the delightful historic city of Norwich. Viv has written two books which have had such a profound impact on me that I still often think about them. She has a unique gift of writing from her heart with a certain whimsical magic. Her books kept me awake into the wee small hours, transfixed until I finished them. It was such an honour to meet her in the flesh, meet her kind and charming husband and to sneak a peek into her life in England. If you’d like to visit Viv’s blog, you’ll find her @ http://zenandtheartoftightropewalking.wordpress.com.
Then the ‘grand finale’ was a visit to Los Angeles where we stayed with one of my best friends from highschool days. We lived through our own version of ‘Puberty Blues’, the many fun but flawed romances of the young, holidays escaping to the mountains and ocean where people suspected we were lesbians, and finally our year together in London as flat-mates which ended with one final amazing holiday in Turkey. I came home after the year living abroad, but Jenni stayed on, and continued her animation career which eventually led her to Hollywood. What a thrill it was to leave our guys behind and drive around LA in her black Thunderbird with the roof off – Thelma and Louise style!
So whilst the cathedrals and hotel rooms are hazy in my mind, the memories of my friends are in perfect focus. I can see their faces, hear their laughter and feel the warmth of our conversations. Florence was beautiful, Paris romantic, England enchanting and Disneyland fun, but my family and friends are what made those places memorable. Holidays come to an end, but the value of a loving family and true friends remain with us always.
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.”
– C. S. Lewis
You look like such a glamorous world traveler in these pictures!
If you ever get to Northern California, I’d love to show you around the wine country and San Francisco too.
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Thanks Tracy – if we’re ever lucky enough to get back to the US, I’ll be sure to let you know!
After I posted the blog I realised I was wearing EXACTLY the same outfit in three of the photos – one of the pitfalls of travelling light I guess – so I appreciate your kind words about looking like a glamorous world traveller 🙂
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What can one say in reply to that lovely descriptive story of your holiday. It sounds amazing and I’m glad you enjoyed it. There is no place like home though and family and friends are what makes our life complete.
God bless, will have to catch up soon xx
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Hi Shirley – Yes, where would we be without our friends? Speaking of friends, I’m looking forward to catching up with you very soon. Thanks for reading. xx
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