Sicily was never a place high on my to do list but when the opportunity arose for Adam to present at a conference in Catania, it seemed the perfect excuse to book a car, hit the road and see what adventures there were to be had. Before visiting, I knew very little about this Italian province. I had some vague awareness of Palermo being the capital (alla Marco Breciano, Socceroo star and midfielder for Palermo). Beyond that, the only other thing that came to mind when I thought of Sicily were imaginings of the Italian mafia, conceptualised almost entirely through scenes [View Full Entry]

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I've learned a lot over the past two and a half years since boarding that first flight from Sydney. For example, I've learned that I can become a monster if the golden triangle aligns-hunger, tiredness coldness-and it's near impossible to pacify me until one of these conditions is addressed and equilibrium is restored. I now know that maps are not always trustworthy; dry socks are worth their weight in gold and you can tackle just about any disaster if armed with a plastic bag and some safety pins! I'm proud to say I've truly mastered the art of packing. Show me [View Full Entry]

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A good friend recently commented to me 'why is everyone's life so grown up lately?' Undoubtedly, there have been many people we know dealing with some very grown up life situations in recent times. Personally, I'm often shocked and surprised to be witnessing many of the life events that are shaping our times. It doesn't seem possible that we are at the stage in our lives to be dealing with our parents encountering illness, or having responsibility for raising children, or battling mortgages and worrying about job security. But these are the life and times of myself or the people I [View Full Entry]

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There are times in life when things happen that completely shake you up and it takes a little while to find your feet again. There are times when you wish you could turn back the clock and have a 'do-over'. There are things that really make you question everything you know and everything important to you, forcing you to dig deep to work out 'what next?' But in the immortal words of the Foo Fighters...'It's times like these you learn to live again. It's times like these you give and give again. It's times like these you learn to love again. [View Full Entry]

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Folk in England are truly fascinated by the possibility of just how dangerous life in Australia can be. From red-back spiders to box jelly fish, deadly snakes and man-eating crocodiles...they are equally delighted and terrified with the scope by which one could possibly meet their own end. I often find myself in conversations with work colleagues and clients about snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies and people can hardly disguise their terror and delight. There's even a television program called 'Australia's deadliest creatures' which is dedicated to scaring Brits even more. I do con [View Full Entry]

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'Hello. You're welcome. Live sex'...There's only one city where one could walk by without even a backward glance after hearing such a catch-cry from a local theatre hawker. Amsterdam...that mysterious, liberal melting pot of open-minded individuals. I find Amsterdam to be a remarkable city, despite the absence of really distinct landmarks normally associated with European cities. Adam and I celebrated his 30th birthday with a weekend in the Dutch capital. He'd long wanted to visit, as most red blooded men do I suppose, and I'd long held he'd be best to do it with his brother or a mate rather t [View Full Entry]

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In Spain, a country where the vast majority of the population are reportedly Catholic, one would be right to expect the religious festival surrounding Easter to be a grand affair. When Adam and I first agreed to meet up with Claire to travel through Andalusia over the Easter weekend, we paid little attention to the significance of this time of year. We mistakenly left most of the essential trip planning to the very last minute, falsely assuming that accommodation shouldn't be a big issue and car hire would be a breeze with so many car companies servicing this region. It was [View Full Entry]

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'I love a sun-burnt country, a land of sweeping plains...' I never thought much about this poem when we read it in English back in my high school days. Now as a grown-up Aussie ex-pat, the words have such a resonance with me. Flying back into Sydney was the high point of the past 12 months for me. No matter how many amazing places we go or what brilliant things we see, there really is no place like home. If only I was like Dorothy and could give my heels three clicks and find myself on the beach at Nobbys or [View Full Entry]

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After the Odell siblings' jaunts in Europe, I felt very lucky to have Kyrie in Yorkshire for a few days of wandering. As this was Kyrie's only allotted time in Britain, we felt it fitting that we take a trip to London to see the sights and partake in one or two of the many cultural events on offer. The weekend didn't get off to an auspicious start. We were unlucky to have chosen to stay in Hampstead Heath, in the North of London, on a weekend when the Northern Line of the tube was shut down, so there was the [View Full Entry]

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Imagine a small Swedish village, complete with gorgeous cabins spreading up the hillside, snow-covered trees in every direction, a huge mountain backdrop on one side, an enormous frozen lake on the other. This is Åre. It was an absolute joy to return here again. Stepping off the train, the crisp, mountain air instantly made every minute of the six hour journey worth it. One year on since our last visit, Adam and I were here again with Luke and Maria, now with little Liam in tow! But even better, this year Kyrie, Robert and Sheryle were all here too for the [View Full Entry]

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