Re-packing

So here I am. In almost exactly 24 hours I will leave NZ and head to Europe for the very first time.

I have been getting quite sick of people being all shocked and surprised when I tell them I've never been to Europe before. As I see it there are several possible reasons for this:

1. Everyone in New Zealand goes to Europe at some stage in their 20s for their big "OE"; how could I possibly have got to 36 and not spent any time working in a pub in London?

2. In my line of work, how could I possibly presume to write about food without having been and experienced first hand the peasant cuisines of the continent?

or

3. I appear so refined and worldly, it's hard to imagine a person such as myself not having travelled all over the world, including Europe.

I remember once interviewing Gordon Ramsay, the chef. He was charming; not at all like his on-screen persona (despite looking about 15 years older than he actually is). Gordon was completely shocked when I admitted I'd never been to London. I saw it in his eyes; up until then, we'd been having a nice conversation about food; we were equals; after that, I could tell he really did think I was talking out of a hole in my head. It annoyed me; I felt like saying: well, what about you, pal? How much time have you spent in Asia, or the South Pacific? There's lots of food learning here too, you know.

But anyway. I always knew I would get to Europe. And I always knew it would not be with a backpack clamped to my back and a pair of sports sandals on my feet.

In my 20s I really did not want to be like everyone else. I admit, I looked down on all my friends who couldn't wait to get themselves out of the country and into a flat with six other Kiwis in Earl's Court. A cousin of mine ended up working in London for years in a chain of Aussie-themed pubs and living in a hostel. I just couldn't see the point. My OE ended up being as a consequence of my work; I lived in San Diego while working for an America's Cup team; after the Cup was over I went to New York and hung out until I ran out of money. My husband provided more opportunities to discover Asia; with him I went to India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia. We've holidayed in Fiji and Samoa. I don't feel travel-deprived.

But Europe...... Europe. It's got to the point where I feel I have to go. For inspiration; for food education, just because. Sandy knows this; we've joked about it for a while. But to be honest I didn't think we'd go this soon, or for this long. At first when he sold the business we thought we'd go for six weeks. But then something changed; I think Sandy thought: why should I rush? I don't have to come back by a certain date. So the plan evolved, and from six weeks it stretched to 3 months. Four months official (unpaid, as my boss keeps repeating) leave from my job. I've never in my career taken this much time off. It feels good.

So after months of getting everything sorted at work for my replacement, three days ago I finished work, two days ago we packed up and moved out of our apartment, and here we are: hanging out in a hotel, running around doing all the last-minute things that need to be done. I can't say it's been the relaxing couple of days of chilling out I had envisaged. With the meetings with the accountant, mission to buy a new suitcase (my original plan of packing light not really working out), getting rid of the cars, all the last-minute banking and finance stuff - as Sandy say, closing down your life is not easy!

Anyway.... next stop Bangkok. I thought it might be fun to record the journey.