Let’s be honest, 2016 has been a year of face palms. Most notably when the world went into a Trump Slump after the Don became President-Elect of the US of A. Then Britain stunned the world when it brexited and Richie broke Bambi’s heart by choosing Alex. Face. Palm.
On a personal front, I didn’t expect to start the year in Melbourne and then decide to move to Sydney and actually move to Sydney in less time than Kim Kardashian was married to Kris Humphries. I have also, very seriously, discovered that white pants are cursed, given this year I’ve fallen over and torn my knee open, been spat on and had beetroot spilt on me all while wearing white pants. White pants be gone in 2017.
Now to herald the final strokes of 2016, I’ve continued on with the long-time tradition (of one year) and listed the Eat Play Love Travel blog posts that proved ridiculously popular this year.
Here’s what you chickens clicked on in 2016:
1. 32 ways that you know you’re an Adeladian living in Melbourne
Clearly there’s a lot of ex-Adeladians living in Melbourne who can relate to the fact that everyday feels like Talk Like a Pirate Day! That and everyone looks at you like you’ve just ate a baby pigeon when you order a Chicken Parmi, you have no clue how to buy yourself a beer and you find it fascinating that you can drink the tap water without it tasting like mud.
And how could I have forgotten to include on this list the face of bafflement when your colleagues insist they’re going to die because its 35 degrees. Puh-leeze!
2. 5 of Adelaide’s best new bars
Given I haven’t lived in Adelaide for over 1000 days now, I’m not too sure I’m an authority on the nightlife in the city of churches. But according to the number of you who read this post apparently I am. And while I might question my credentials, fortunately my Adelaide wine sisters, Ali and Bel, are absolute authorities on Adelaide’s best bars and gratefully stepped up as wine-toting tour guides to organise this famil of Adelaide’s best new Shiraz-serving venues back in May. We’re in safe wine-glass-holding hands with them.
3. A bar crawl down the Windsor-end of Chapel Street
What I am an absolute authority on is the drinking dens of Chapel Street (or at least I was until I moved to Sydney three months ago and handed back my Windsorian passport).
After this extensive investigative piece in providing a comprehensive dictionary covering all 22 bars along the Chapel Street beat between Dandenong Road and High Street, I’m surprised I didn’t receive a call from 60 Minutes with a job offer.
4. 7 things to do when the parents visit Melbourne
When I lived in Melbourne, I loved showing it off as though it was my new Aston Martin. (Not that I own an Aston Martin but I’m sure I would show it off if I did). However, when the parentals came to visit it added a whole new layer of complexity, in that I needed to find age-appropriate activities, as well as convince them that their youngest (and most precious!) daughter was loving life in Melbourne, which may as well be Madagascar to them. Clearly a few other Melburnians with non-Melburnian parents experience this same dilemma. I’m still pretty confident that this itinerary is as watertight as Brad and Ange’s pre-nup.
5. 6 of South Australia’s best winery lunch spots
While I may not be an expert on new bars that have sprouted in Adelaide since I defected, I’m quietly confident that my knowledge of South Australian wineries could win Trivial Pursuit. And there’s nothing better than spending a weekend lunching at a winery with friends. These are my BFFs of wineries that are so perfectly paired with lunch options.
6. Diner en Blanc Melbourne: here’s what happened at the seriously elaborate pop-up picnic
When I was asked earlier this year if I wanted to dress in head-to-toe white, pack a picnic and be bussed to a secret iconic Melbourne location for Diner en Blanc, I thought, feck yes. Despite having more rules than a paleo diet, this pop-up picnic was a hoot and I’m now scheming as to how I can conjure an invite to Sydney’s 2017 DEB.
7. Girls’ weekend: 48 hours in Melbourne
When one of my interstate girlfriends, Ali, called at the start of the year telling me that her Californian best friend was coming to Australia, and asked if I could organise a Melbourne weekend of fun for them, I thought, “heck, I didn’t spend six months unemployed reading Broadsheet with nothing to show for it”. It then became my mission to plan one blow-your-stockings-off itinerary that showcased the best of Melbourne.
This was the resulting tour schedule that saw us getting up to all sorts of mischief that included exploding dead birds, a run in with police and a magnum of champagne.
So, what’s in store for 2017? Given I’ve spaceshipped into a brand new city that seems to have endless sunny days, I don’t need tarot cards to tell you that beaches, brunches and bars will be common themes for posts debuting next year. Other than that, who can guess. Happy New Year lovers.
