Living La Vida Loca

Saying goodbye to New Zealand was hard. Andrew and I had such an amazing experience exploring these incredibly beautiful islands, it was sad to think that our adventure was coming to an end. To be frank, we agreed that we’d been away long enough – and were missing our family, our dog, our own comfy bed. But we reflected back on all the cool things we’d done, the warm people we’d met, the wonderful time we’d had with Ruthie and her friends…and will hold those memories fondly.

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Our last stop was Melbourne, Australia. We realized while planning this trip that there was no way to do both New Zealand and Australia any sort of justice in the few weeks we had, so we decided that at minimum we could get a “taste” of Australia with a few days in one of the biggest cities there. It proved to be a good bridge between the very busy touring we did in New Zealand and the pending re-entry to life in Carlsbad.

We stayed in a lovely Airbnb apartment in the Melbourne neighborhood of Elwood. Elwood is outside the central business district – really a suburban village of sorts. The retail center of Elwood is only a few blocks from the beach, and the main drag is chock full of small cafes, grocery stores and various other local retail. We had four days there and split our time between enjoying the luxury of sleeping in, having a few lazy breakfasts and walks on the beach boardwalk, meeting with a patient and care partner group, and visiting a couple of terrific city sites. We spent one afternoon at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Melbourne location) and we could have spent days there! This was one of the most spectacular garden I have ever been in – mainly because of the diversity of flora and fauna and the obvious TLC that is paid to this gem in the midst of a big city. One section is dedicated to indigenous plants, another to the most diverse collection of succulents I have ever seen. Another expansive area surrounded a lake with places to relax and meditate…and another area was a forest of different full bodied evergreens.

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We also visited the Immigration Museum. We learned a lot about the all-too-familiar issues of a country that had to deal with the impact of immigration on indigenous people, and how to reconcile the desire to be inclusive while retaining historical values and traditions.

There were two other amazing exhibits – one called Love…. that “explores all kinds of connections between people, as well as the range of emotional experiences that love entails, from joy, comfort, and intimacy, to grief and sorrow…”  This was very moving and interactive. The other was a tribute to Kahlil Gibran – one of my favorite poetic writers – told through his manuscripts, letters and artwork. Both are traveling exhibits and if they ever come to a museum near you I encourage you to go!

We also visited the Shrine of Remembrance, the Australian War Memorial. 
This was a very humbling experience, seeing how many Australians lost their lives fighting side by side as an ally to the US in major wars.

We also got to meet with an incredible group of patients and care partners who gathered to meet each other – and meet us – to lend mutual support and share information. Andrew and I found this gathering along with the ones we did in New Zealand to be very uplifting.

And so our “down under” adventure came to an end. We had so many wonderful experiences – hopefully I have been able to capture some of the most memorable in this blog. Let it be known that Andrew and I are happy to share tips and recommendations for any future travelers…we may juist ask to slip into your suitcase!

Until next time…