One year ago today my husband and I began to fulfill one of the dreams long-held close to our hearts.
This idyllic view of the Golden Gate Bridge was taken during our stopover in San Francisco last year. Thank you to Rick and Danny for picking us up at the airport in SF and returning us there a couple of hours later. We had the chance to stretch out, eat brunch, and experience a little low-key sightseeing as we prepared for the long journey ahead of us.
On the morning of Saturday, October 1, 2011, we left Minnesota, taking a route that would lead us from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to Denver, San Francisco, and Vancouver. We left Canada shortly before midnight and landed in Sydney, Australia on Monday morning. Because we crossed the International Date Line en route, Sunday did not exist for us last year.
It was a very long flight. The next time I go to the other side of the world (I sincerely hope there is a next time!) I think I will plan an overnight (or longer) stopover in Hawaii.
I hope you will check back here occasionally in the next few weeks. I’ll be sharing photos and memories here, as they happened a year ago.
Realize Your Dreams 
That’s exciting – to finally do something you’ve been wanting to do for a long time! But also good to know about the length of the flight. I’ve wanted to go to Australia ever since I did a project on it in third grade (and again in fourth grade!) but I need to find a way to get my company to pay for it since we’re Australian-owned! The flights are intimidating. I think I’ll start with a shorter trans-oceanic flight first though, so excited for Europe next year!
You are a traveller at heart, and so you will get there some day if that is what you want to do. It would be awesome if you could go to Australia on a business trip — just make sure you can carve out some time for yourself! And you will love Europe too. Thanks for commenting.
I actually work overseas and you are so right about the looooooong flights. I am use to it now. It is worth it when you get to your destination. 🙂 I will be waiting to hear about your trip. Australia is on my list.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, it is a really long flight (on top of a series of flights from my starting place in Minnesota) but it is SO worth it! I would go again in a heartbeat — but it took us a long time to save for the first trip, so not sure how soon that will be!