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nata likes long walks along the beach...italian food...and sad sack music
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VIVA ITALIA!!!!
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And so begins the journey...
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
8/02/2006 06:28:00 am |
OK.. so when I booked my flight home, I kept telling myself that the 27 hour flight time was inconsequential due to the people whom I was going to see at Melbourne airport! As much as I cherish my family... 27 hours in an oversized capsule with wings was hard!! I flew out of Heathrow on Friday morning, scheduling to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday!!! As a result of flying through the States I had extra luggage weight allowance.... 60 KILOS!!! WHOO HOO!! For those of you who know me and my shopping habits.. this news was one of the first blessings I was to encounter on my trip. So there I was.. 2 large suitcases with a combined weight of 52 Kilos.. lucky I was only going home for a month huh.. can you imagine if I was moving back!!?? I'd need a container on a ship! Holding my breathe and keeping the check-in attendant amused in the fear that this joy of luggage allowance was a sad joke, my bags were scanned in and I was on my way! First stop... yep.. DUTY FREE!! Walking through the illuminated heaven-like shops I stocked up on every girls favourate things.. perfume, make-up, chocolates, alcohol and cigarettes. Man.. my trip was no sorted.. all the essentials! My first airline was Virgin which was transporting me to L.A. where I had a 9 hour stop over to look forward to!! Never been one to stay quiet for any length of time, i started chatting to the girl beside me. Her name was Jennifer and she was a Santa Monica local. Not wanting me to sit in LAX for the afternoon, she offered to show me around Santa Monica... so I was sorted! We were picked up at the airport and jet-setted to her place to dump our bags. She lived in a gorgeous apartment which was surrounded by palm trees, overlooking the ocean. If that wasn't indulgent enough.. she also had a swimming pool.. ahh the struggles of life one must live!! After a while we jumped in the car and headed off to Santa Monica promenade. It was so surreal! The ocean was gorgeous and inviting. The weather was pushing 30 degrees - the sun was shinning and life in that moment was peaceful. I was looking around and I thought I was getting flashbacks of cliché American movies - bikini-clad ladies roller-blading down the strip; guys thinking they were stars congregating around their cars; kids sitting on park benches eating the good 'ol fashion American hotdog; women in designer sunnies walking purposefully down the strip with designer shopping bags adorning both arms! Safe to say.. I was no longer in Kansas!! Not fulfilled with my airport purchases.. I continued to spend! Among those who enjoyed my visit were the Apple store and Victoria's Secret - again more essentials :)
I was blown away by the many street performers and the talents they offered. The most mesmerizing show was a group of acrobatic tumblers. They had a strength and flexibility that left my amazed.. their looks didn't disappoint either.. :) !! Before I knew it, we were applauding them for almost an hour. Jennifer and I contributed to their retirement fund, bought their greatest hits and continued on our day. At this point, Jen and I knew we needed re-fuelling so I asked her to take me to lunch.. somewhere "American"... and so we headed to Johnny Rockets! We were given a table outside on the promenade where the smell of foods long forgotten in my diet consumed the air. Jen insisted on ordering for me, ensuring that I would have an American meal. To my horror and immediate regret she begins our order with a large serving of chilli cheese fries - My ass increased in size as the waiter was scribbling down this request. Not feeling guilty enough... we continued with the original American burger (when translated meant 'the works'!!), and completed our session with the biggest serving of a malt shake! All I can say is.... GOLD!! I ate with gusto knowing that it was a meal I wouldn't indulge again for a long while.
After dinner, we had a much needed digestive walk around the promenade, a bit more shopping and headed back to the car. Jen and I headed back to LAX all the while trying to stay awake!! I think we were both past our bedtimes! We exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes. I collected all my shopping bags and headed towards the terminal for the next leg of my trip. Auckland here I come....
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