Spending the final three weeks in Lauterbrunnen was a superb end to the European leg of the trip. A week of it was with a friend I used to work with (Andrea) who, like myself, has a tendency to stop at every restaurant and mountain hut along the way for cake and coffee. It was a good week!
However. Europe was getting cold. The nights were drawing in. The mornings were darker for longer. The best of the summer was behind me. So I brought forward my flight and am now in Australia.
But first up it has to be said: it was a privelege to be fit enough, and god damned minted enough, to spend three months hiking in Europe. I feel lucky to be able to have done that. It was definitely hard but enjoyable in a masochistic kind of way. As time passes, the memories seem to become more pleasant and rose-tinted.
Strange, that is!
My only regret is that I did not push on after entering Switzerland and get all of the way through to Lauterbrunnen… it would have only taken another two weeks. Oh well.
I’ve spent the last week in Perth sleeping and fighting off a cold, sore throat and chest infection that’s finally come through after teasing me for a few days in Europe. Being paranoid++, I was concerned my sinuses would stodge up mid-flight and then explode on descent but nothing that exciting was destined to happen.
Wandering through the business district, my nose dripping like a tap and leaving a snail trail behind me whilst I tried to sort out my banking and tax number with a pulsating headache wasn’t pleasant but now: all of my paperwork is sorted out. I am now 100% Legal and Employable in Australia. Easier than I thought! Perth at this time of year can only be described as “uber-pleasant” though. The mornings and evenings are cool and the days are warm. Perth is the sunniest of the state capitals with an average of 8 hours of sunshine every day. It’s a Meditteranean climate. I like it here. A lot. After my jaunt across Aus, I seriously see myself coming back here!
The only downside to Perth I’ve found, if I could call it a downside, is that it’s absolutely full of Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Vietnamese restaurants. If I live here: man, am I going to be fat!
This will be the last update until I get hold of Naomi again in a few weeks… it’s just dawned on me though: calling the website Havebootswilltrek was a bit short sighted. I now have a bike! I also need to work out what to do with my Berghaus Bioflex, hiking poles and various other bits of hiking paraphernalia. L8r!
