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Published: July 31st 2013
It’s hard herding cats, but I think trying to organise a travelblogging get together might be harder. By definition, travellers are wanderers, mostly independent free-thinking types, who could be here one minute and anywhere the next. Where will I be in a month, you ask? Well, that depends on what sort of opportunities present themselves between now and then. So a big thank you to
Dancing Dave and
Laila the Tuarewg for organising a great weekend in Sydney, open to all and any travelbloggers to join in the fun. The “Dancing Duo” really put on a great show, including some spectacularly good weather.
As an aside, the winter weather in Sydney this year has been very kind (with the memorable exception of the
ten days of rain), so I chuckled when I read the warning in the newspaper that Sydney was about to experience a cold spell. Try not to laugh, but Sydney was set for a "big chill" with predicted high temperatures of a miserable 17 degrees. Pah! Well I didn’t see my breath turning the icy morning air foggy, or notice anyone scraping ice off their windscreen, so Sydney, you'll have to do better than that. Not that I’m complaining of course, just amused at
the definition of ‘cold’. Visitors from Perth however may beg to differ!
So it was a 'wintry' Sydney Saturday – brilliant blue skies, a clear and balmy 18 degrees – perfect sailing conditions you might say, when the Travelblogging Convention headed out on the seas, on a Tall Ship sailing adventure. Denise had arranged it perfectly. The weather was stunning, and to our delight, a skywriting plane welcomed us, writing TB in the sky. (Let’s not quibble about the fact it went on to write something else – for a brief moment it was ours!). The Soren Larsen is a beautiful ship, built in Denmark in the 1940s, and a real treat to sail on. I declined the chance to climb up the mast (what, are you crazy??), but
Jo Trouble, all the way from Auckland, clambered up, camera and all, to enjoy an even better view. I stayed safely at the bottom and enjoyed chatting and getting to know
Littlewing, who had come from Perth for the occasion. Given that Cindy later went swimming with sharks, the out-of-towners put the locals to shame in the intrepid stakes!
The gorgeous weather continued the next day. We had all been
invited for lunch at the home of the Dancing Duo. Joining Littlewing from Perth, Jo Trouble from Auckland, was
John & Sylvia from Budgewoi, brand new travelblog.org member,
SkiSet , and a special guest appearance from
The Travel Camel all the way from Ethiopia, thanks to the modern wonders of Skype.
Conversation was animated and varied to say the least. We covered, amongst other things: the concept of time; democracy in tribal communities; cannibalism; diving spots; sharks; freighter travel; the internet in Ethiopia; earthquakes everywhere; hurricanes at sea; bingo wings; travel accommodation; bird watching; and Dancing Dave’s inability to measure correctly in the boules tournament.
Yes, it wasn't all sitting around eating ourselves silly. We had some sport thrown in by way of a very competitive boules tournament on a course which, while scenic, is designed for those more expert than me. David had obviously been practicing, evidenced by some very impressive left-handed spin throws and fancy hooks, yet despite this, John and Cindy took the title, followed very closely by Jo and Sylvia. Maybe David was equal second? I can’t recall, I was busy wiping sweat off my brow after Jan and I avoided the wooden spoon completely by finally scoring one
measly point. Note to self - do not enter any boules tournaments!
What a wonderful day – who doesn’t enjoying being in the company of like-minded travelling souls, with fabulous conversation, delightful company and delicious food? David and Denise are fantastic hosts, so a big thank you to them both for putting out the welcome mat, organising and hosting. It was real treat to meet (be it virtually or otherwise!) bloggers who I have enjoyed following for a while now, a brand new blogger who has recently joined the travelblog community, and of course to catch up with old friends. The moniker of "the world's friendliest travel site" never seemed truer.
All too soon the Sydney Travelblogging Convention was over, but we all left very happy…. dreaming of new travel destinations and more adventures, future meet ups, and like always, wishing we had more time.
What a great weekend! Where's the next one??!!
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Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy
TB Sydney
Lovely to catch up with you again Rachael - the weekend went way too quick! And Sydney put on the best stretch of weather I've had in ages. Great photos, and I'm very much looking forward to the next TB reunion :-)