It’s a long way from one side of the planet to the other. I look at the technology that keeps us quietly and comfortably entertained nowadays, and still can’t quite fathom how Mum and Dad did this trip into the unknown with 3 kids and 80kg of luggage in tow. Forever grateful for their commitment, sacrifice and bravery!
Touchdown in Heathrow, and the baggage carousel gave me a chance for Fangirl Moment Round #2 🤩. For those that don’t know, Tim Minchin is Australia’s ultra-talented, super-satirical, politically-cheeky, musician turned marathoner. He’s the brains behind ‘Matilda the Musical’, an all time favourite of mine – love his work. Last year he ran his first marathon in Melbourne and raised nearly $70K for Beyond Blue, and was planning to run London this year until he got injured. He understood my pain 🙂 I thanked him for a 15 hour ear worm and we had a good chat about the idea of writing about Trump. It’s clearly already ticking over 🤣.
Have British passport, will bloody use it!!! We had about 6 hours in London so we got the priorities sorted… a decent coffee (the La Marzocco machine theory retains its 100% success rate), Battenberg, and seeing all the sights. All ticked off.
The architecture around London is fascinating. So much history has been retained, and it sits neatly alongside the new. It feels like there’s been a period where quirky industrial architecture took over – would love to know who or what sparked the trend.
How do you see all the sights in one day? Straight up to Horizon 22, knowing it would give us a clear destination that worked for all weather. It’s a great view from 58 storeys – to the Shard, over construction sites, spotting roof top gardens, and the Thames from Westminster and the Palace to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. A no cost hidden gem!
Of course, getting into the city exposes other London classics… the Underground, double-decker buses, and fish and chips with (not-so) mushy peas. Sadly, none of my childhood favourite scampi on the menu 🤣
Back to Heathrow and again, it’s the unique little things that catch my eye and spark my curiosity. Who has an oversized wine glass that they need to transport? Why can’t Australia be so open with their service metrics? And is any airport actually enjoyable for more than 78% of the population?
The flight to Bilbao delivered an unexpected bonus… a young Bilbao local – Matteo – who had a host of recommendations and was willing to share them. We’ve got restaurants and menu recommendations, villages to add to our day trips, and some tips for Barcelona thrown in. We dumped our bags and headed straight for Gorde Taberba (Fat Tavern!) for pintxos, cerveza and tortillas. Cheap and good!
It’s 9pm and Bilbao is just getting started for the evening. After 40-something hours on the go we’re busted! It will all still be here tomorrow.
Love M & A x
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