So this past week I had a visitor who I've known for 23 years and two months. We have tons of things in common : wine enthusiasts, broadeners of horizons, globe trotters, similar gum & teeth smiles, undying love for a particular black fuzzy pet, and our last names. Yep, my dad made the outrageous trek over to Melbourne to come visit! We met at his hotel exactly a week ago and had the most fantastic reunion ever. It reminded me of two years ago when I made my way from Luxembourg to Florence, Italy and met him in the lobby of another hotel - only half a world away. Both of these trips have lead us to try new wine, new food, and partake in adventures which we'll tell for years to come. It's amazing to know that someone loves me enough to forgive me for oversleeping on the morning of a winery tour, to not complain (very much) when I take him on a 5 mile "short walk" to a town just to end up at a bar, and who will travel 20+ hours to see a glimpse into my life. I couldn't be luckier.
We sure did pack a ton of things into the 5 days he was here for! Went out for nice dinners in the CBD, met some friends for drinks, rented bikes and road around the city, went on a graffiti tour (led by Patty and myself), went to the top of the Eureka tower and saw the city, went to a very alternative rooftop bar, saw St. Kilda & Port Melbourne, caught up to a wine tour in the Yarra Valley, ate Kangaroo at a certain beachfront cafe, and tried new foods at the Queen Victoria Market.... phew, and that's only to name a few!
I think the most entertaining portion of this trip was the Yarra Valley winery tour I had planned weeks in advance. I was so excited to do this and was literally counting down the days until we got on a bus and sped off to the gorgeous vineyards! Well, I ended up oversleeping on the morning of the tour. When Patty told me that it was 9:40AM (20 minutes after the bus was supposed to pick us up, and 40 minutes after I was supposed to meet my dad in the city) I literally jumped off of the top bunk, called my dad sobbing, called the tour company in a completely chaotic frenzy and in ten minutes put together a plan and threw on some clothes. I ran out of my apartment, jumped on the closest tram, took it to the train station... where it stopped TWO stops away due to a parade... SPRINTED in the rain to Flinders Station, lost my shoes on the way and had to go back for them, missed the train, caught the next one and sat down with my dad for the hour long journey. When we got to Lilydale we grabbed a cab and made it just in time for lunch! With only one winery done we had 3 left to explore and were chauffeured the rest of the trip. Now, if that's not quick thinking / dedication / stupidity than I don't know what is. Our leader told us that out of all the years he had been doing the tours, only ONE other couple met up with them. The dozens and dozens of others had just thrown in the towel when they realized they had missed it. But not us! I'm exhausted just thinking about this... absolutely worth it though!
The wineries were gorgeous and we even met some people from my hometown - Ridgefield, CT! What a small world! We learned about "Sparkling" which is what Aussies call Champagne, tried some fantastic wine at Yerring Station, and had a fabulous lunch at Rochford in the Macedon Ranges. Even though it was raining a bit, I'd count the trip as an absolute success. And it makes for a hell of a story - don't you think?
Life throws you curve balls and it just depends what you do with them that really counts. I wouldn't trade any of the slip ups, pictures, memories, laughs, hugs, talks, and silly moments that made up this trip for anything in this world. So shout out to you dad! Thanks for making this past week one of the best weeks ever! You're amazing & I love you!
So the next time you see your dads everyone, give them a hug! They really are pretty awesome!
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