2018 has been our best yet in terms of catching up with family and friends on tour. In planning this third adventure across the globe, it turned out many people we knew were planning their own euro-vacation this year, and where it worked we tried to rendezvous with as many as we could along the way. As a result for the 19 weeks away from home this year we will spend 8.5 weeks with family and friends – an epic adventure, albeit rough on our livers and gypsy budget!
From Spain to Milan, we had one final weekend with Steve, Binni, Massi and Eliza where we enjoyed the benefit of Massi’s local knowledge for restaurants, did some window shopping in the world’s capital of fashion, and got acquainted with some roof top bars. But our reason for being in Milan was well away from its beautiful city centre. While the others took the chance to spend the day exploring Lago di Como, we travelled to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
Our 4th Formula One event, and in the home of the sport too, we had a long but fun day hanging with the obsessed Ferrari crowd, eating trackside hotdogs and doing our best to support Ricciardo (who sadly didn’t finish). It’s not a cheap day out, but the atmosphere is amazing and the lovely little town of Monza was a nice surprise as we wandered through the centre post-race.
Farewelling the Kipics in Milan, we were bound for Rome and a date with Katy and Dave. We first fell in love with Rome ten years ago on our first trip to Italy, and were both keen to return to see if the feelings were as strong. They were, and sharing it with mates made it all the more enjoyable. Staying in Rome is akin to staying inside a giant life-size museum – you can just feel the history, and see it at every turn. And despite the gazillion tourists that flood the city every day, there are still so many beautiful pockets of calmness and beauty.
Returning to a destination creates a completely different travel experience because the anticipation of seeing the ‘big items’ for the first time is gone, and the second time round you notice more and different things that may have escaped your attention the first time. Travelling in a taxi across the city with Katy and Dave it was so nice to see the city as they were seeing it for the first time, but also to enjoy a sense of familiarity and the validation that yes, it really is as awe inspiring as we remembered it to be.
A few wild nights out on the town eating all the carbs, drinking too much prosecco and taking many photos that will never surface again, its always an awesome adventure with the McKinlay duo! After a two week stretch partying with friends across four destinations, we had a few days to ourselves to sleep, eat some more, wander and explore new pockets of Rome which only further cemented our love for this city.
We feel very lucky to have so many family and friends that have made it possible for us to share these experiences together – travelling the world is an amazing adventure, but doing it with some of your favourite people adds an extra layer of specialness that we truly value. So far this year we have met up with 12 awesome humans in Korea, Japan, Italy and Spain and there are a few more yet on our list.
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