Andy & Carolyn meet the President - 16th of June

Carolyn and I were invited to attend President Bush's speech at the US Embassy (as VIPs!). The president took time to meet those of us in the first few rows and Carolyn even got to shake hands with the leader of the free world! More photos on my Flickr site.

Alex & Chiaki's Wedding - 3rd to the 9th of June

Carolyn and I headed out to Tokyo for Alex and Chiaki's Wedding. It was a fantastic experience to witness such a beautiful Japanese Wedding. The bachelor party was not to be missed either ;-) After the wedding Alex and Chiaki took us to an Onsen (hot spring) in Hakone near Mount Fuji. A great way to relax after such a busy week.

Holiday to Australia - 24th of May to 2nd of June

I had a few extra vacation days than Carolyn this year so I decided to use them by visiting the Australian side of my family. I arrived in Sydney around 7pm - I have never been so pleased to check in to a hotel in my life. The Sydney Westin is located in the old GPO building and has the perfect balance between old and new. The next morning I walked to the Botanical Gardens and Lady Macquarie's Chair before visiting the Sydney Museum.

In the afternoon I picked up a hire car and drove North to my Grandma's house in Wamberal. During a day trip to Terrigal I was lucky enough to see two Humpback whales breaching and a pod of Dolphins jumping! Over the next few days we met up with family around the Central Coast before driving further North to visit Michael and Jill in the famous Hunter Valley. Just enough time to enjoy some wine tasting, see some wild Roos and take a day trip to Newcastle before I had to head off to Tokyo.

Long weekend in Italy - 2nd to 5th of May

Carolyn and I decided to spend a long weekend in Italy. We arrived in Verona on the Friday night, just in time to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine before bedtime. We spent most of Saturday looking around Verona including the old Roman Arena and Juliet's balcony. The train trip from Verona to Venice was very easy, comfortable and fast - unlike its British counterparts.

In Venice we checked out the Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Basilica di San Marco, Grand Canal, Bridge of Sighs, Doge's Palace and also took the obligatory Gondola ride. All of which made for a fantastic if exhausting weekend. I have uploaded photos to Flickr.