Australia Day
As I left the hotel just before sunrise, walking alongside the river Yarra, my attention was drawn to the sky as five hot air balloons majestically floated across the city. I headed toward Fitzroy Gardens which has become my favourite…
The Great Ocean Road
Stretching along 151 miles of Victoria’s southern coastline, the Great Ocean Road is perhaps the most scenic drive in Australia. It starts some 60 miles southwest of Melbourne at Torquay and for the most part it’s a winding coastal road…
The Australian Open
After returning from Hawaii I had one night at a Sydney airport hotel before a short 90 minute domestic flight to Melbourne to meet Anne and Keith who are the primary reason I’m here in Australia. I built the whole…
Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
I’d managed to persuade Dianna that meeting in Hawaii would be a splendid idea for Anglo-American relations and as luck would have it, her work schedule allowed for such a plan to become a reality. This was my third visit…
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, in the state of Queensland, is the largest non-capital city in Australia with a population of about 640,000. 40 miles south of Brisbane, Gold Coast has become known for its surfing, high rise hotels and apartments, theme parks,…
Suburban Sydney
After five nights in Sydney I jumped on a commuter train for a 40 minute ride heading northwest and arrived at Hornsby which is the nearest train station to Dimitra. She picked me up and we drove off to collect…
New Years Eve in Sydney
One of my favourite things to do when travelling is to get up early and explore a city before anyone else is out of bed. It’s one of the few benefits of jet lag. The sun was up at 5:30…
The Longest Flight
As with many trips, the story started in the taxi to the airport. I hadn’t anticipated having a deep and meaningful conversation about love, fatherhood and the imagined modus operandi of a Turkish midget should he ever find himself on…
Atlanta, Georgia
The last leg of this trip was an unscheduled three days in Atlanta to visit with my friend Dianna. I flew Delta from Fort Lauderdale and the flight was only 90 minutes. I tried talking to a guy from Minnesota…