2023

I began the year in South Africa, having been there for Christmas and New Year, spending a few weeks on the beautiful South Eastern Coast where the beaches are often relatively wild, and free from excessive commercial tourism. It’s a wonderful place to witness nature and wildlife. From dolphins playing and whales breaching not far out from the beach to monkeys and birds rocking the trees and bushes. On the way to and from South Africa, I spent a couple of days in Dubai. Dubai is not my cup of tea, but it is an interesting place to spend a few days to witness the development there.

In February, I travelled to Santa Monica, California. It’s become something of a ‘go-to’ spot for me in recent years simply as a place to get away and enjoy the ocean and the life in the area. I stay close to Santa Monica pier, and love to go to Bubba Gump on the pier for drinks and food. Big Dean’s Ocean Café is another of my favourite places to go for a drink at the pier. I walked to the museum of art but, sadly, it had been damaged by flooding and was closed for the period I was there. It was an unusual trip, in fact, as Los Angeles is usually sunny with clear blue skies, but it rained most of the time I was there this year.

In March, I returned back ‘home’ to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I lived from 2016 to 2021. It was snowing and cold, but beautiful as always and offered me the opportunity to meet old friends and visit some of the places I used to frequent such as O’Ginger sushi and Elm Street Tap Room both in Davis Square. I stayed at the Porter Square Hotel, which was wonderful, and had a great little bar that offered a cosy late-night environment for guests wishing to escape the snow and freezing temperatures outside.

As April rolled around, changes taking place in my work life caused me to consider moving away from Dallas, and one of the places on my list was Virginia Beach, so I booked a trip and went out there for a few days. Virginia Beach is beautiful… but it is a military city and, as a result, jet planes fly over (two, side by side) every minute or two and cause quite a noise. The positive aspect of this is that it is a very low cost place to live if you don’t mind jet planes breaking the sound barrier above you every few minutes. I met some really wild locals on this trip and ended up drunk on the beach with strangers late at night.

My second trip in April was to Austin, Texas, for the Punk in Drublic festival. I drove down to Austin and spent the weekend in a hotel that was a short Uber ride away from the festival grounds. Usually, I stay within walking distance, but the grounds were in such a rural area that there was nowhere to stay within walking distance. The weekend was a wonderful one of punk rock debauchery, meeting cool new people, and seeing wonderful bands like Get Dead, Co-defendants, Face To Face, and NOFX.

May O May… for the first time in my life, I went to Las Vegas. The reason I went was to attend the Punk Rock Bowling festival. Wow, what a weekend this was. Reality vanished, and I rode the waves of punk rocks that crashed endlessly upon downtown Las Vegas for several days. Starting in the morning with cocktails and punk bands playing live at a poolside stage in my hotel, it seemed the sun never went down and the drinks never ran out. The afternoon would see a short walk from the hotel to the festival grounds where live bands would play back to back through the night. I saw Bad Religion, Rancid, Suicidal Tendencies, The Interrupters, Face To Face, and many more… and the highlight of the shows for me, GBH. The old English rockers even got me into the mosh pit and I loved every second of it.

I spent most of the summer at home in Dallas and then, in August, set off for Europe. A German friend of mine, who now lives in the UK, was getting married near Frankfurt, Germany, so I flew to Germany for a few days. I visited Hanau, and all of the surrounding areas, and had a good time meeting German and English friends old and new. The wedding was wonderful, too. Starting in Hanau and going via Frankfurt, Germany, I took a train to Paris, France where I spent a few days in the heart of the city. I walked the city extensively and saw all of the tourist attractions. However, the highlight of my time there was a little café called L’Arcade, where I twice sat at the bad after long walks. It was just across from my hotel, so I would have a shower and walk across for a cocktail. Sitting at the bar, both days, I met wonderful people working behind the bar and engaged in lengthy discussions about life and travel and alcohol. I was also very fortunate to have a hotel with an underground pool. I found it very exciting to be swimming in a pool in the centre of Paris. From Paris, I flew to another of my old homes, Madrid, where I lived from 2013 to 2016. Sadly, most people leave the city in August to head to the coastal areas of Spain. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time in this beautiful city, as always, and stayed in an amazing hotel with a rooftop bar and swimming pool. After a few days of nostalgic exploration, I took a train from Madrid to Barcelona to meet a friend of mine and spend a few days exploring the city. I visited the beaches and the Gothic quarter, where I had cocktails at a bar located in one of the narrow alleys. A beautiful yet complicated city. From there, back home via Frankfurt again.

In September, I drove down to The Woodlands, Texas, to see a friend of mine from high school who now lives in Australia but was attending a work conference in Houston. It was an enjoyable drive, and The Woodlands is a quiet town that is immaculately clean and modern… but possibly a little boring if you are hoping for a nightlife scene. I enjoyed it, mostly sharing meals and drinks with my friend. Two weeks after this I flew off to another of my regular spots – San Diego, California. I love San Diego, it is something of a ‘spiritual’ home for me. From the ease of travel (a comfortable bus from the airport to the downtown area, for example) to the bars with sunset views, the place is simply incredible. I saw Bad Religion live while I was there and did a midday two hour harbour cruise. I also met a lovely lady who was working in the hotel at which I stayed and we met for breakfast and had several fascinating chats during my stay.

In November, I travelled back to France. This time to the south. I was attending a two week work event in which I was hosting and presenting in a series of online workshops in which we share information and teach staff about various digital tools, offering tips and tricks as well as providing insights into up and coming life changing technologies such as artificial intelligence. The trip was productive and great, but also came with difficulties… whilst I was there, my mother fell, broke her arm, and was admitted to hospital. It turned out that she had had a heart attack. Sadly, she passed away shortly after I got home and the end of the year was spent in some form of altered mental state… the norm for those suffering grief.

In spite of this treacherous end, the year was a good one and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to travel and live fully.

San Diego, California: