Long weekends are always a god send.
It's only an extra 24 hours you get off but that's all you need sometimes. I spent my long weekend down south, visiting the lovely city of Melbourne. I didn't do it alone though, grouping with a few of my best mates to experience the delights of the city, but mostly to have fun, eat too much and drink far more.
I jetted down early Friday morning, getting in a few hours before the next group arrived. I landed around lunch and got the weather Melbourne is known for, windy, rainy and cold. It was lovely. I grabbed some lunch and walked around the city.
What I really love about Melbourne is just how calm it all feels. Even if it looks hectic, compared to Sydney there's a nice pace to it all. I moseyed down to Federation Square. I took in the sights of Flinders St Station, before seeing how jam packed Hosier Lane was. I was just happy to be amongst it all.
Around 5pm, three of my mates arrived, where we went to the hotel and dropped our bags off, then it was Beer O' Clock. And it seemed to stay at that time for the rest of the weekend. Not a complaint, just an observation. We caught up, had some laughs before our lady friend turned up to join our shennanigans. The drinking continued and carried on as we awaited the arrival of the last two adventurers. Their flight got delayed by 7 hours, eventually arriving at 2AM. We all retired after that to get some rest.
Saturday was filled with more of the same, drinks flowed, food was guzzled, and our stories continued, weaving in and out of each others paths for the rest of the day. A late lunch was had at Shujinko Ramen, hearing it was one of the best joints to eat. Have you ever had such a satisfying and soul pleasing experience, you were sucked into your own bubble and dedicated yourself to enjoying the moment? That was the 6 of us having this ramen. It was such a great experience for all of us. It reinforced the idea of how important cooking and food is in relationships to me. Was a bonding moment.
We all gathered later and headed to Fitzroy to sample a few of the bars over there, becoming well acquainted with Georges. It was a Seinfeld themed bar and it was a delight for all of us.
Sunday started quiet, with myself and my friend Pat heading to the Melbourne Museum then grabbing a beer. Chris joined us before heading off to a Fried Chicken and Waffle shop in Fitzroy. Hollie and Jake came with and it was another food moment I'll never forget. We all stuck together the rest of the day, drinking and getting in a few rounds of pool and darts. We capped it off with another ramen run and called it a night. We had an earlyish flight to catch and we wanted our beauty sleep.
What really stuck out to me when we were sitting at the airport before we left was what this weekend was really about. Friendship. Some of the people who went I hadn't seen in over a year, some I hadn't had a proper sit down talk with for a while and it was really special to me. I love every single one of the people I spent time with on the weekend. Whether it was sitting in the park having a coffee, indulging in some food and beer, or even trying to convince people that ginger beer and milk goes together (it does), it made me focus on why those bonds are important to me.
The reason my friends are so important to me is they support me, through good and bad. They guide me through tough times and moments that will help define me. I couldn't ask for better people to have in my life, and they helped make the long weekend that much better.
How'd you spend your long weekend?
Brendan.