The GOMP

There is something strange that happens to all of us when we travel, but not the same thing... What I mean by this is we all have a reaction to travel and it's not always super predictable. Some people become more relaxed and less organised, others go into super planning mode; some suddenly become prepared to try a food they've never heard of, others are more comfortable in the KFC zone.

I absolutely love to travel - I can't recall a trip I didn't like (save, perhaps for a couple of road trips around country Victoria in my youth - Benalla, I'm talking to you!!) I think one of the reasons I love it is because it forces me to slow down and focus on one thing at a time - where does the train depart from? How do we buy a ticket? How do I say "one coffee please" in Dutch. It's almost a bit meditative...

And I love travel despite the fact that I ALWAYS get sick at some point, that I ALWAYS have a bad reaction to drinking new water, that I ALWAYS loathe the actual travel part of travel (I get so stressed on the trip to the airport, it's almost comical - these days I just take my passport out of my bag and stare at it for the whole trip!!).

Something strange also happens to Phil when we travel. If you read my last travel blog that I kept in 2011, you will be familiar with the concept of Phil's sometime travel persona, the GOMP - or Grumpy Old Man Phil (see what I did there). The GOMP pops out from time to time, almost as if by magic, to decree something truly curmudgeonly. Phil absolutely delights in this persona (he has told me many times that he can't wait to actually BE old, so he can fully embrace the grumpy old man inside).

I have learned to embrace the GOMP aspect of travel, partly because the GOMP is hilarious, but mostly because the GOMP is part grumpy old man, part superhero who stops me from falling into ditches and being run over by trams when I'm not looking...

Anyway, I am moved to share the GOMP moments with you from time to time to share the hilarity, and so I don't have to suffer alone. So here's a super quick catch up of GOMP moments so far:

- Instructing me not to put a (whole, uneaten) apple in my handbag at the train station because "you'll just get apple juice all over your bag" (huh??? has this ever happened to anyone, ever???)

- Then, when I did finally eat the apple, holding a magazine under my chin so "the juice doesn't squirt everywhere" (yup, like a grandpa)

- Upon my offering an earbud on the train to listen to something upbeat, recoiling in abject horror because the "music is too loud - turn it down, you'll hurt your ears". (It was almost like being at the Classic cinema with all the oldies!!**)

Yesterday's nugget was telling me that I could only spend €4 at the supermarket for dinner because we blew the budget on pancakes for lunch!! When I pointed out that we bought lunch using the remnants of his salary packaging card, which sits outside the budget, GOMP says "no, you have €4."

I spent €22...

It's gonna be an interesting year!!

** that one is just for you, Lee.

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