Day 22. New York to Australia

Today proved to be a REALLY long day, but a nice one!!! It started out in New York City, with a lovely bagel and cream cheese breakfast and lots of chatting with Fred about our day and the flight we would be taking home tonight. This sort of stuff is always sad as it means we wont see each other for a whIle, however time has proven that there is never too much time between get togethers.

As Cory and I packed up, we came across lots of little things that had been packed earlier in the trip. Treasures from Sicily, Calabria and the island of Corfu were packed carefully to ensure they didnt break. We had to check the baggage restrictions as is looked like we might have too much. We havent really bought so much, just a few bits and pieces, but they are heavy. One of the heaviest item types is magazines. Shoes also.

 
There was a wonderful last minute surprise for us today and that was that our dear friend Kyle was in town from San Francisco. Kyle is one of my oldest friends (in years of friendship - not his age - Sorry Honey). He was in New York for the day, so we caught up for shopping, visited Cory’s favourite donut shop for the last time and lunched at a cute little place called Westville. I had a pulled pork sandwich, something Larry got me onto during this trip. Thank you Kyle for a gorgeous lunch and catch up! Cant wait for a longer one in Australia and hope lovely Donnleberries can join us! :)

Pulled pork sandwich. mmm.

It was delicious, but probably should have gone for something a little lighter before a 24 hour flight. We went back to Fred’s for our last goodbyes, and to pick up our stuff. Opie kept looking at me strangely. He knew we were leaving. So sad, because he has such a big heart, and I know he liked us!!!

So much baggage

Till next time Fred and Opie!!!

 There was loads of traffic on the way to JFK, and Cory and I sat quietly, occasionally remembering something fun or strange from the last few weeks. At the New York check in, the staff were very nice and gave Cory and I seats together. We were on the 747N, which is a newly configured 747, where the seats are identical to the A380. The new interactive system was excellent!!!

 We were very happy to chat to the crew. They were all cruisers and loved hearing about Seabourn and the cruise. The dinner was also delicious. In fact, on this trip I have had two "out of this world" dining experiences in the air. The duck confit on this flight was divine, and the Thai prawn curry out of London on American Airlines was also excellent. I dare say they were much both much better than a lot of the restaurants we ate in on the ground. Way to go premium carriers!!!

In LAX, we had to change planes. The seating had not been allocated at this stage so there was some minor anxiety that we may not be together for this long flight. This was eventually all sorted, and we managed to get 2 seats together. Some of the crew knew Cory and were very welcoming to us. They looked after us very well and we had a laugh about the show I was watching on tv - The housewives of Beverly Hills.  

Housewives of Beverly Hills! - classy entertainment!

The flight from LA was painless, considering it is one of the longest in the world. Mid flight, we skipped day 23, my birthday. There has been many jokes that this meant I never turned 40. I am happy to go with that and be 39 eternally. The last hour or so of the flight, we watched a slideshow of all the pics Cory has taken over the course of this trip. We recapped all the fun and adventures from Rome, Italy, Athens, Paris, London and New York, and all the places in between. We both commented on how fortunate we are to have seen so all those places, and been with such wonderful friends, new and old along the way! It has certainly been an extraordinary trip and we both have enjoyed it so much! It has however gone way too fast!!!!!!  Before we knew it, we were landing in Melbourne. 

Reunited- Cory, Mum and pups!!

Home sweet home! We picked up our bags for the last time and headed for a taxi and Fitzroy north. It has been a very long day or 3 really - indeed we have now reached day 24! As our reliable Tom Tom GPS has said over the past few weeks - You have now reached your destination!! We have to send out a big and very special message to you - our friends and family! - Thank you for following us along our trip and for your wonderful comments and positive feedback!! If you have gotten this far, we are so happy you joined us for the trip!! It has been a lot of fun sharing it all with you!!! And for one last time- "So - There you have it! - Around the world in 24 days! - Love to you all and hope to be catching up very soon!!!!