Day 29: Journey end

We started our last day with the massive task of packing. Left overs for breakfast and lunch, an odd selection of cheese, porridge, chocolate and fruit. A bit different but yum. Mardi did much of the packing while I ran a few final errands. Which included buying an extra bag to fit our stuff in. One fewer bag this year than last year, but it’s amazing what you accumulate over a month. 

We also arranged flowers for Lauren from AKA. What a place, what a team. If you ever go to NYC do yourself a favour and stay AKA. Just an oasis of comfort and quality 30 seconds from the manic hustle of Times Square. Thanks to Julio, Caesar and Don. You guys made our stay perfect. Thanks. 

After packing a task that took around six hours, we jumped in the car for the arduous journey to JFK. Almost two hours later we arrived. We love NYC, but the traffic is chaotic. We weaved and darted from 44th street to 23rd then back to 59th street as we finally left Manhattan into Queens as we wended our way to terminal 7. We eventually made it. 

Checking in was easy and we relaxed in the lounge for a while, the British Airways lounge. 

We boarded and sat on the Tarmac for ages, issues with weight and balance on the plane, but we were drinking champagne so weren’t too bothered at all. 

We took off about an hour late and arrived into LAX as our Melbourne leg was boarding. We quickly boarded and gain did some Tarmac sitting champagne drinking duties. We then took off for the 15 hour long haul flight back home. 

We landed in Melbourne 15 hours later, losing a day in the process, glad to be back on home soil, but sad to have left our second home behind. 

Some baggage processing issues in Melbourne, which later meant two of our bags went missing for seven hours, was the only hiccup in the 30 hour journey. 

We then boarded for Canberra, arriving an hour later to a perfect summers day. The sun was shining and home looked so wide open and vast compared to NYC. It was amazing to see the open spaces, the empty roads, the distant ranges. As much as we love NYC this is home. 

Thanks NYC we love you and will miss you. I’ll miss you horn blowing, the crowds, bright lights, towering buildings, hidden gems of tea parlours, still hunt, galleries, museums, walks in the park, sitting in the corner in Sephora watching the beautiful people buy and apply makeup.