26. Heading Home Happy.

My backpack felt really heavy as I lifted it from the floor of the train as the Elizabeth Line train pulled up at Terminal 2&3 at Heathrow Airport, London.

The previous morning I had said goodbye to my UK family and took the train from Derby station to London.

What I Carried!

To get from St Pancras to Edgeware Station on the underground, just a few stops, I decided to try the cardless scan using my debit card.  

When I checked later, I had been charged £14 for the quick journey.  Ouch!  The NZ dollar wasn’t buying much pound sterling these days so I was glad my travels were coming to an end.  Expensive!

I spent the rest of the day walking around the city centre, visiting places that sparked happy memories, and not spending another penny, except for a cheap lunch.

I walked down Oxford Street and suddenly I was amongst crowds of shoppers.  I went into several department stores and all were busy with shoppers buying up large.  

I found New Bond Street which leads to Piccadilly, still lined with the luxury stores I used to swoon over back in the day.  

Fortnum & Masons

Further along I walked into the Fortnum & Masons store and it was packed with tourists.

London’s CBD retail is thriving it seems.  In fact every retail area I have been to in the UK has been busy, from malls to high streets.  

Of course it’s busier, why wouldn’t it be busier?  I could hear my brother say as if he was here. The population has grown by 10 million since you lived here! 

Old Bond Street

I walked through Piccadilly to Haymarket and past my old place of employment at NZ House, except I couldn’t see the building.  It was having a total refit and was mostly covered in a plastic wrap. Those were the days, I reminisced.  

Love Seeing This!

Thankfully it had been a sunny warm day and I had loved being in the city again, but it was time to head back to the hotel and prepare for the flight home the following morning.  

As I wandered back through Hyde Park, a squirrel came up to me, seeing if I had some food.  I loved squirrels.  I had been unsuccessful in getting any squirrel photos in Melbourne - they darted off as soon as they saw me; so seeing this little fella close up was a real treat.  

Friendly Fella.

My tiny hotel room was in Paddington and in the basement of the building.  The tube tunnel must have been directly underneath as everything rattled when a train passed.  

It was just large enough for a single bed and a desk.  There was a small bathroom too but for £88, I didn’t expect much.  It was close to the station and with a backpack, I didn’t want a long walk.   

I lifted the backpack onto a seat and turned around before squatting and backing up to my pack.  A careful procedure indeed.  I slid my arms through the straps before standing.  I felt a nerve in the shoulder twitch from the weight of it.  

My pack mostly contained clothes, including some new ones that I had bought in the summer sales, hence the heavier weight.

There were also the two bottles of olive oil I got in Tuscany that I hoped would survive the journey, unlike the French oil that went throughout my pack in Morocco! 

Walking, not tubing!

I couldn’t actually fit everything into the pack so the rest went into my cabin luggage bag, squeezing up against the two packets of Hobnobs.

Unlike my backpack which sat comfortably around my body and supported by my hips, the day bag had to become a front pack and it squished my boobies flat with its weight.  

After shopping, pack was 19kg 

And then there was my handbag containing my passport and everything else important.  I had to hold on to it loosely with my hand and worried I was a sitting duck should a bag-snatcher take advantage knowing I’d never catch him.

However, I cruised through check-in and security without any problems, and while waiting at the gate I even completed the online Customs declaration for my NZ arrival.  

Oh… a few things to declare.  My brother’s elderly cat Minnie died from a stroke not long after I was there.  Can I take her flea treatment? I asked Andrew.  She won’t need it anymore.  

Sure!  he replied.  It’s not like we need it anymore.  

Customs wanted to know about animal medicines so….  Tick.  Hobnobs. Tick. Dang, olive oil didn’t come up on the accepted products to declare.  Other.  Tick.  

(Customs took the flat treatment off me because she said it had been prescribed to the late cat.  Go figure!  Could have ripped the prescription off had I known. Dang!  Everything else was okay.  The olive oil and Hobnobs survived!).  

Despite being a full flight, the Singapore airlines Airbus was comfortable enough in economy class, their food was great, the flight attendants were lovely, and the near 13 hour flight went surprisingly quickly.  

I don’t know how I felt about returning to New Zealand, I told the English lady who sat next to me.  

You’ll work it out, she said encouragingly.  Something will come up.  

Once we disembarked in Singapore there was little time to get to my next flight.  Thankfully it wasn’t a long walk to my gate and I boarded the Air NZ 797-9 plane, only to find it half empty.

Never in Europe or the UK had I seen any plane or train anything but full.  It was summer there and winter in New Zealand I guess, but still, I’d expected to see some tourists on this flight.  The passengers all looked like returning Kiwis.  

I settled into my seat and swallowed half a sleeping tablet, eager to get some sleep.  I watched as the flight attendants did the safety instructions (where was the naff but funny video they used to do?).  

Incredibly I fell asleep and was in my drug-induced deep slumber when I was awoken by a shrill voice repeating I SCREAM.  I SCREAM.  Dazed, I looked up to see a flight attendant holding a pottle of ice cream near my face.  

Ice cream? she asked.  

No thanks, I politely replied.  

She had a voice that could wake the dead, unlike the Singapore attendants who were softly spoken and polite.  

I tried falling back to sleep but was now fully awake.  I noticed it was dark outside.  Why would they wake you up for some random ice cream, I wondered?   

I didn’t like the vegetarian meals served on this Air New Zealand flight either and was quickly becoming more disappointed with the service as the hours rolled on. 

I sat there under my blanket thinking how this four month trip has made me stronger, more independent, and definitely more self 

confident.  

I thought back to the conversation I had with the wise lady who sat next to me on the Singapore flight.  Why is it that I had more travelling confidence when I was younger? I asked her. 

Oh, it’s not just you, she replied.  We were all just more naïve when we are younger.  In fact, we have to be braver when we are older because we know all the things that can go wrong.  

I’d like to think I’m braver for having done this trip, and prior to that, working up that remote mountain for nothing short of hard labour.  I had also rented out my house when it stopped being a home and became an empty nest.  Nothing remained the same. 

What was your favourite place, the lady had asked me.  Oh… Sicily probably.  The accessibility of public transport, the history, architecture, spectacular scenery, the €2.50 gelatos and well priced delicious food in Milazzo, and the friendly people living life simply and around family. Yes, I loved Sicily.

But the opportunity to stay in the village of Melbourne for six weeks amongst the local friendly people there was magical.   Like in Milazzo, everything was within a walk’s reach, making the connection with community so much easier.  

 Best Biscuits Ever!

My brother and his family have lived there for over 20 years and cherish their friendships developed over that time.  Their lives are simple and happy, and are valued members of the Melbourne community. 

So if Sicily and Melbourne are to teach me anything, it’s about being surrounded by family or friends with good food, good wine and being connected with your community.  

Regardless of how I move forward from here, with this new hard-earned perspective, I know I won’t ever feel like an empty nester again. 

I only had to look beyond myself to see that I was only alone in my thoughts.  Our hearts are all connected and home is definitely where the heart is.  

💛

***

During my intrepid travels, I compiled a list of what was useful and what wasn’t, should I ever decide to repeat such a trip.  

With a backpack, the weight factor was huge and I should have started off with no more than 12kg max.  I spent the first month of travel throwing away anything that wasn’t absolutely essential.

So other than your passport, here is my essential list for intrepid travel.

1. Firstly, before embarking on a long trip like this, make sure you are physically fit and capable of carrying a backpack for some distances.  I had a very comfortable 60 litre Osprey.  Taking a suitcase with wheels would have been more convenient at times but the wheels would have eventually broken when dragged over the uneven cobbled ground after months of travel.
2. Smart Phone (with eSIM data for email and google maps), with access to offline itinerary (shared with family), money, ID, photos, note-taking, podcasts, music, and for wifi connection at hotels.  Essential!
3. Headphones and Apple Watch, listening to podcasts and music, and using my watch to easily view maps when walking and for setting alarms. 
4. Battery charger for iPhone and accessories.  Taking lots of photos and using maps drained the phone battery and I relied on the phone 24/7.
5. Dang it got hot there so lip balm, sunblock, sunglasses, hat, tissues and water bottle are essential.
6. Cosmetics, medicines, toiletries but keep it lean as they can add a lot to weight. Bring laundry detergent and clothes line rope. 
7. Comfortable hiking boots and one pair of dressy sandals with decent rubber soles. My Doc Martens were perfect!  
8. Drybags to easily separate out and quickly access clothes, undies and socks as well as pack down tightly inside pack.
9. Clothes…essentials only.  Quick dry shorts and tops were great.  One set of nice clothes.  You can buy the rest over there.  Bikinis - no-one wears a one piece (most wore nothing).  One comfortable wireless bra, another quick drying one. Bring less, not more. 
10. Water-proof light day pack that can be used as cabin luggage, day pack, overnight luggage. 
11. Rain jacket, fleece jacket and umbrella if you can fit it in an external side pocket.
12. Coin purse and always have enough change for buses and trains.
13. I brought an art pad and ink pens to practice drawing and do art when feeling inspired.   

What I didn’t need!

1. Spongy neck rest…it was the first to go.  What was I thinking?
2. NZ multi-socket with adapter.  Too bulky.  I bought a European one over there. Perfetto!
3. A second phone charger.  Gone.  Not necessary. 
4. Hair products, makeup, cosmetics… gone!  I kept some real basics like mascara and creamy eye shadow.  Rest went in the bin.
5. Heavy clothes or anything I didn’t wear regularly was discarded.  I wish I didn’t bring cotton.  It was heavy and took an age to dry.  Linen wrinkled.  
6. I brought too many socks!  They can be easily washed and I mostly wore my sandals.