Author: Kev

In the better late than never section of our world travel blog, here’s Bailey’s Barcelona story.

Hello, Bailey here! I decided last minute before leaving England to book a lil 3 day side quest to Barcelona. It was just what my soul needed! Thank you Trav for the recommendation. I instantly fell in love with this city, its architecture, art, people, tapas + sangria, shopping and the general vibe. It truly is a beautiful place. I booked my stay at a hostel, The Central House Barcelona Garcia. From the front it didn’t look like a hostel and more like my last seen location. My first thought was that Kevy Metall was going to be the next Liam Neeson in the Aussie version of taken. Inside the place was beautiful, clean and the people were lovely! There is so much to see in Barcelona and I made it my mission to see as much as possible. I visited La Pedrera Casa Milà, Picasso’s School, tour of the Gothic District, El Barrío Gotíco, Roman Wall Ruins, La Rambla, Food Market, Erotic Museum, Park Güell, Palau de la Música, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Cathedral, Hard Rock Cafe, Art Museum, The Dow Jones (stock market bar).

In an effort to save some coin I decided to train it to the airport for my departure because it was cheap and easy. Or at least it would have been if I hopped on the right one. It would have taken 2 trains & €5 to deliver me straight into the terminal. So confidently I hopped on the wrong train to the wrong terminal. It took me a few attempts but finally I was on the right track to miss check in by 5mins. So due to my poor time management and map reading it was another night in Barcelona & $800 for another flight + accommodation + a taxi to the airport. Follow me for more money saving travel tips!

The only affordable flight to get me back to London at a reasonable time was a red eye flight via Frankfurt, Germany. I arrive with 30mins to make my connecting flight. Let me paint a picture for you, I rock up to passport check with the hot combo of no sleep & no make up.

Looking good, feeling good. My passport photo is from 7.5 years ago when I had bleach blonde hair and was a spring chicken. The customs officer looks at my passport and shakes his head “Is this you?! Noooo.

Wow this does not look like you. I don’t know if it’s because you have make up on or what? But your eyes just look really squinty in person” as he pulls at his eyes to make them squinty. I look around for the cameras & Ashton Kutcher. Am I being “punk’d”?

It was a great place to spend my birthday. The morning started in Disneyland. Then we retreated from the heat to Huntington Beach. The cocktails were flowing at Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Bar. We met up with another of my WPA ‘Los Hombres’ legends. Mike & his family for drinks at ‘Baja Sharkeez’ followed by dinner at ‘Dukes’. Trav & I ended up at Johnny’s Saloon. This is a great little Dive bar. It’s a hidden gem in Huntington Beach. On Beach and Slater, behind the gas station. If you want great customer service, huge whiskey selection, craft beers and cocktails, this is your place! Trav chose the ‘Jamaican Mule’ for us. It was sweet and it kicked like a mule too! Good times, and a (barely) memorable birthday.

New York was awesome! Our next stop was Los Angeles. The possibility of a flight cancellation or re-routing was a high possibility. We landed in the tail of Hurricane Hilary. The final hour of our flight all passengers and crew had to remain seated with seat belts fastened due to extreme turbulence. Hilary was down graded to a category 1 tropical storm and projected to dump a “potentially historic” amount of rain that was to cause “life-threatening” and “catastrophic” flooding in the Southwest. When we landed the arm on the tug towing our plane to the gate, snapped. By the time we eventually disembarked in the terminal at LAX, and rushed into the bathroom, the Earthquake alarm went off advising that a 5.1 quake had just rocked Southern California. You can always depend on ‘The Keelers’ to bring the good vibes and weather events. We arrived safely in Disneyland and everyone was very excited and happy and a little bit relieved.

The Holloway’s kindly welcomed The Keeler’s to their beautiful home over on Long Island. We had a great day, with awesome food and fantastic hospitality. It was great to catch up with Kev & Nancy and the Holloway  family. When I go to Bangkok for the annual WPA Conference, Kevin Holloway is one of the cool guys that I always look forward to seeing and spending time with. Aside from the fact he’s a great bloke, Kev was instrumental in assisting us (NOW GLOBAL LOGISTICS) to obtain our FMC license. Kev is a foundation and life member of the ‘Los Hombres’.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. One of the most iconic scenes in movie history is the conclusion of “King Kong.” The massive ape rampages his way through Gotham and climbs to the top of the skyscraper with Fay Wray in hand. Kong is the star of the 2^nd floor. It’s an unforgettable experience when the doors of the elevator open up on the 86th floor and you can admire the maze of skyscrapers at a vantage point of 1,250 feet. But, you can take the option to go higher. The question is? – Is it  worth paying the extra dollars to go to the 102nd floor. The answer is 100% YES!!!

The buildings on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti album are two apartment buildings that were built side by side at 96 and 98 St. Mark’s Place in New York City. The St. Mark’s Place buildings play a role in the musical history of another famous band, The Rolling Stones. In the Stones’ 1981 “Waiting On A Friend” music video, Mick Jagger is filmed waiting for Keith Richards on the stoop of the famous buildings.

 The morning of 11^th of September 2001, for many of us, will be one of those, “I remember exactly where I was” moments in our lives. The 9/11 Memorial is a place of remembrance and contemplation within the bustle of lower Manhattan. The focal points of the Memorial are two pools, each nearly an acre in size, that sit in the footprints of the former North and South Towers. Out of respect, our photos of the memorial are limited and there were some areas where photos & videos were not permitted. It’s very difficult to summarise how moving, emotional, respectful, or as Josh said, ‘educational’, the museum is. The words of Romes greatest poet, Virgil – “No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time.” – encapsulate the spirit of the memorial perfectly.