When we first get in the car the morning of our departure for that well thought out and planned to perfection holiday it’s elating. I close the gate behind us, get in the car and within minutes there is a huge sigh of relief and a weight off our shoulders. All the worries are gone, well for now anyway.
The first fuel stop means we are going to have a greasy burger and chips and a chocolate donut. Yes, it almost always involves indigestion but it’s compulsory, a ritual and we love it.
NOW we’re on holidays.
Making Friends in WA
Meeting new people along the way makes holidays interesting.
It’s like only the best version of ourselves go on holidays. Practicality everyone is friendly, each with interesting stories of where they have been who they met and it gives us the urge to see and do more. Some people we keep in touch with for a time, others we form a long term friendships and some we never hear from again, but it’s all good.
We recently got an email from a Swiss couple we met in Western Australia a couple or so years back. They were returning to Australia and travelling through South Australia and took us up on an invitation we had given them previously, that if they were ever to come Adelaide to pop in and say hello.
We had met them when they were in a spot of trouble travelling towards Denham in Western Australia in their hired Winnebago. After giving them a helping hand they had made us a terrific little lunch as a Thank You.
Aussie Hospitality
The visiting day arrived and I wanted to show them some good Aussie hospitality and had prepared a scrumptious spread with Adelaide Hills cheeses, Great McLaren wine and homemade goodies. The plan was to then take them to visit a winery or two just around the corner from home after the feast.
Right on time 11:00am as previously arranged there was a knock. Eager to greet them we both rushed to open the front door. That’s when the time stood still, for how long we will never know.
WHO are these people?
Both dressed as if hiking great distances and both lugging a backpack and cameras. They look Familiar? They know us? Tic Tock… That’s when we realised it’s the OTHER Swiss couple we had met! Oops! These were the ‘Backpacker Swiss’.
It took a little time to unscramble the brain and to remember their story. It was simple, we had met this couple and had spent an evening with them on the beach watching a Shark Bay Sunset sharing some fine Margaret River Wine and stories. We then exchanged emails which had brought us to this present day. It was a great day too, we drank, we ate, we shared experiences and we laughed a lot. Then it was time to say goodbye. Their plane leaving the next morning back to Switzerland.
Now It’s Our Turn
A couple of weeks later we received an email thanking us for a memorable day and our Aussie hospitality. Knowing that we had plans this coming year to travel to Europe they invited us to visit them and they were more than happy to put us up for a few days and would make plans to show us around their country side the Swiss way.
Now it’s our turn to knock on their door.
The Great Outdoors is like a bag of tricks and full of surprises we can all reach for.
Story written and submitted by Nicole Huwart of South Australia.
Thank you for sharing your memories with us at North Storm.
