Life and Times in SoCal

2025

Hey there, welcome back to my blog! It’s been a while since I last wrote, and I’ve got some exciting updates to share.

So, what have I been up to? Well, let me tell you about our fantastic weekend in Manhattan in early December. We had the chance to meet our German friends, Andreas and Gwendolyn, and we had an absolute blast! We indulged in delicious food, sipped on some great drinks, and laughed our hearts out. We also managed to squeeze in some sightseeing, including a trip up the Freedom Tower.

On a side note, while we were in Manhattan, it was the 45th anniversary of the tragic death of John Lennon on December 8th. We made our way to Strawberry Fields in Central Park for the bi-annual gathering to celebrate John’s life, both on his birthday and the anniversary of his passing. It was a truly moving and poignant morning filled with music, love, and remembrance.

After our time in Central Park, we decided to treat ourselves to a Broadway show. We chose Moulin Rouge, and let me tell you, it was an absolute blast! I was a bit hesitant before we went, but guess what? It was fantastic!

And then, it was all about Christmas! Carys landed on the day of my staff Christmas party, so we had to juggle picking her up from LAX and making it to the party in time. But hey, we managed to pull it off! This time, Carys had traveled through Dublin, Ireland, so when she landed in the US, she was technically on an internal flight. This means we avoided all the waiting in line and made the arrival much quicker.

We had a fantastic Christmas with Carys! We did all the things she loves and introduced her to some US traditions. We went to a friend’s house for their Christmas party, where they have a “White Elephant” gift exchange. Carys ended up with a super cozy Kate Spade blanket that she actually “won” from other guests!

In mid-January, my mom, Chris, and Wendy came to visit. Chris and Wendy stayed for a couple of days before they flew off to Hawaii and Mexico, while my mom stayed with us and recovered from jet lag.

While they were enjoying the beautiful Pacific Ocean and Hawaii, we three were busy planning our trip to Australia.

We left LAX on February 5th and landed in Sydney on February 7th. That week, we didn’t have a Thursday! Can you believe that? It’s such a joy to travel over the international date line.

We flew on United Airlines in their Polaris class. It wasn’t quite as luxurious as Delta One, but it was much better than American or British Airways.

I had promised Julie I would take her to Oz some years ago, but for various reasons, we never got around to it.

The trip was also to take my mom. She hadn’t been there in about 10 years, and her oldest friend has lived there since the mid-1960s. So, it’s no surprise that there were tears on our arrival at their house in Miranda, just south of Sydney.

Julie and I had an exciting travel plan. We spent a couple of days in Miranda before flying off to New Zealand. Ever since Julie’s younger daughter and fiancé had spent 6 months there working at the Hobbiton film set, we wanted to go. So, off we went!

I’ve never been to New Zealand before, and I must say that the small part we saw (North Island) is breathtaking. It reminded us of Ireland but with a warmer climate!

We love to stay in Airbnb places, and I found one that I thought would be close enough to Hobbiton and close enough to the local town, Cambridge. The village where the Airbnb was is called Te Miro. It’s a tiny little place, but the best part was that the Airbnb was at the end of a 2-mile single-track dirt road halfway up a very steep hill!

The place was amazing! We had views all the way to Cambridge. We had a spa and access to a heated pool and a complimentary breakfast.

Hobbiton was fantastic! I had booked for the 2nd Breakfast tour. Anyone who has seen the Peter Jackson films knows that hobbits are always eating and always have a 2nd breakfast. However, this also meant that we were the first tour around Hobbiton. We set the pace for all the tour groups after us and didn’t get tangled up with other tours in front of us. Since Julie’s daughter worked there, they’ve changed 2 hobbit houses (holes) so that visitors can go inside them. These are proper film sets without all the film paraphernalia, and we were encouraged to look and touch anything. After the tour, it was time for breakfast! There were plenty of sausages, bacon, tomatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs, and of course, mushrooms. It was all-you-can-eat, so we indulged!

We spent 3 wonderful days in New Zealand. It wasn’t long enough, but it was enough to make sure we go back. 

So, we hopped back on the plane and headed back to Australia. We made our way to downtown Sydney for a few days. I had booked us a stay at the Langham Hotel in Millers Point and The Rocks area of Sydney for three nights. On Valentine’s Day, we’d booked to do the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb in the morning. For those who haven’t done it, it takes about 3.5 hours and involves about an hour of preparation and training. Our climb leader took us up through the bridge supports and then we climbed or walked up the outside of the curved superstructure. The views of Darling Harbor, Circular Quay, Lavender Bay, and Luna Park were absolutely breathtaking. From the top, we could see all the way to Parramatta. I had actually done this 22 years ago, and it didn’t disappoint a second time, even though it rained the only day the entire time we were in Sydney. It was still an amazing experience!

The rest of the day, we spent in downtown Sydney, near the Queen Victoria Building and Westfield center. It was time to get ready for our Valentine’s dinner and to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We had dinner on The Jackson a Captain Cook Cruise from Darling Harbor to Rose Bay and back. The food and atmosphere was excellent and we had live music to dance to too. The following day, we went to Watsons Bay and did some shopping around Circular Quay and The Rocks market.

On our final day in Sydney, we decided to walk across the bridge to Kirribilli. I had been wanting to visit a pub I had been in 22 years earlier with my mom and dad. The Kirribilli Hotel was still there, and it hadn’t changed much at all. The beer was just as cold as I remembered it!

We had an amazing time in Oz and NZ! We indulged in some incredible meals and drinks, from mouthwatering kangaroo kabobs to exquisite cuisine, and from local brews to world-class wines. The memories we made are truly unforgettable, especially when we got to see Mum’s childhood friend. It was a wonderful experience!

One thing we learned during our trip is that we’ve been neglecting our holidays for quite some time now. In fact, it’s been over 15 years since our last proper holiday! So, we’re making it up to ourselves and planning a trip back.

On a different note, we had a fun little trip to Vegas. Mum hadn’t been in a few years and was eager to see what had changed since her last visit. We stayed at the Bellagio and had dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s PUB in Caesar’s Palace before catching Donny Osmond’s show. It was a blast!

Now, we’re excited to announce that we’re heading to the UK! It’s my brother’s 60th birthday at the end of the month, and we’re planning to celebrate with him, his family, and Julie’s family. It’ll be a great time to catch up and make some new memories.

As for our travel plans, we’re still working on them. We’re considering a trip to Washington DC and exploring other places as the year goes by. In the meantime, I’ve got some work to do around the house, and I hope to finish most of it during May and early June.

Thanks for reading,

Ciao

Paul & Julie

March 2025.