22 May to present – MEL-batical with some side trips

So, I have been back in the Antipodes for a couple of months now.  As much as I “still call Australia home” I am missing S terribly and Switzerland.  In fact there are so many places I seem to call home these days that that is just how I refer to places – “just going home”.  Not seeming to lay my hat anywhere which frankly is a bit unsettling.

Well I have settled in at work and into working again.  It was not as bad as I thought actually.  Helped by the fact that the team is friendly, industry is interesting (I work in fashion daahling….) and we get to wear casual dress every day.  I was a big fan of the suit but have to say I am loving the whole casual dress thing and there really is no change to anyone’s productivity.  I am working for a company called Fusion Retail Brands which owns JAG, Diana Ferrari, Williams the Shoeman and Mathers Shoes.  It is a contract role to take over from a person who left.  Why contract?  Well, the business is up for sale and could be sold in one bit or many bits.  Only time will tell.

First few weeks, well I have only been back for eight so far, has been a whirlwind of social engagements, meals, drinks, shows and some interstate and overseas getaways.

The other thing I have noticed is how few photos I have taken since I have been back.  Certainly not representative of the interesting things I have done or the wonderful people I have seen. 

Let’s get it over with, what have I been doing and who have I been doing it with?

First weekend was quite busy and the breakfast boys made sure I was entertained.  First Friday was drinks at DT’s followed by a lively debate on gay marriage at a local pub.  Good fun all round until the way home……..when in the rain running for the car I misjudged a kerb and face ploughed into the bitumen.  A world of pain, blood and sheer embarrassment.  Only the pictures can really tell the true story.  Not my proudest moment and not the best way to show up at work on week two with a black eye.  Using the line “you should have seen the other guy” was not so believable.  The gradual change of colour was entertaining to watch and on top of that no-one was keen to sit next to me on the train!

Also went along and saw Kristen Chenoweth at Hamer Hall and what a show that was.  She is a little dynamite with an amazing voice.  The plugging of her preferred charity was not really necessary but seems de riguer these days from most celebs – sigh!

There has been general gastronomy and imbibement either out and about or at people’s home with a cornucopia of folk including Stuart, Malcolm, Lindsay, Mark, Stephen, David, Dale, Graeme, another David, James, Stuart, Donald, Kate, Zoe, Philippa, Tom etc, etc….

I should add at this point that I am doing all of this without a car – have I gone all greenie on you? Bah, no – goodness my carbon footprint would destroy a small star from all my flying alone!!  The lovely Audi A5 (just hit 20,000 km and in perfect condition if anyone is interested in buying) is still in Perth at Ma and Pa’s.  I decided not to bring it over and then send it back.  I have become a bit of a whizz at all the public transport – except busses, they still scare me.  I had also not had a car in Switzerland so I thought I might cope.  That said, when I have gone back to Perth it was cool to be able to drive and take the roof off and have the wind in my hair.  It doesn’t move much from all the product in it of course.

Hadn’t had a fix of musical theatre for a while so Kate and I picked King Kong.  So off we went to the Regent Theatre with mixed expectations just like the review.  Kate noted that the crowd was different to that of an MTC production – who knew Hi Vis vests were now acceptable theatre wear?  It’s like being in the Perth Qantas Club!  To give my review in a word – AVERAGE.  If it wasn’t for the King Kong puppet it would have been a complete bomb.  The songs were lacklustre and unmemorable and the cast was not that strong.  That said there were plenty of people in the crowd who thought it wonderful – some gave it a standing ovation, or were they just trying to get out, hard to tell.  Think they will need to do some work before it hits Broadway or the West End.

Otherwise it has mostly been daily life…up (reluctantly) in the cold mornings.  Off to the tram and train to get to work and then reverse in the evening.  My cooking has reduced and my attempts at exercise pretty futile.  I began with good intensions by researching and visiting gyms.

Side Trips One and Three– Perth

I couldn’t be back in Oz without a couple of trips across the big brown land to Perth.  First one was two weeks after I arrived as it was a long weekend in Melbourne.  I have started spreading my loyalty love and have been flying over on Virgin Australia and back on Qantas.  In reality I am trying to retain my status with both carriers….I know I am a snob when it comes to flying, and some other things before anyone says anything!

I have actually also become a big fan of Virgin’s Coast to Coast service on their Airbus 330.  Nice comfy seats and a real international style service.  Sadly both times I have done this the aircraft has been downgraded to a 737 – just not quite the same.  Also tried the new international style service on the big QF with their small plate/big plate offering.  Seems to work and it is nice to no longer have a tray.

Back in the Wild West the program was similar to that on Melbourne, eating, drinking and catching up with family and friends.  It has been great to see my nieces and nephew too who seem to kindly bring over some Lego every time for Uncle Rodney to build.  This last weekend it was Sponge Bob Square Pants’ underwater home which looked decidedly pumpkin-like!  I also had to do some repair to a Lufthansa A320 which had been involved in a Lego accident….no questions asked…..

Otherwise it was out and about with Brett, Simon, Robert, Ian, Michael exploring new breakfast options at Blakes and new drinking options at the Gordon Street Garage. 

Side Trip Two – Bangkok

One of the big things for S and I is knowing when we will next catch up.  Thinking was about every six weeks and it would be somewhere in Asia.  The plus side is it is more flying for both of us and then getting to relax in a lovely hotel.

First trip was decided quickly and it was to be Bangkok in early July, me on Singapore Airlines and S on SWISS and staying at the Peninsula.  I had a midnight departure out of MEL and got to use the newly refurbished First Lounge.  You know how excited I get about these things!  Well, it was a bit stark and soulless but at least there was French champagne.  The lounge soon filled with “soul” as a family with four young boisterous children entered the lounge. 

 My worst nightmare became a reality….they were all travelling in First Class with me.  In fact there were more children in First than adults!!  The kids were initially a bit noisy but they did quieten down and slept for most of the flight.  I relied on champagne, red wine and noise cancelling headsets and a wonderful dinner of duck!  Imagine how much that trip would have cost that family?!?!  Quick transit in SIN and then on to Bangkok.  From a 777 to an A330.  Had pre-ordered one of my favourite Asian breakfasts, Nasi Lemak and it did not disappoint.  This was a much quieter cabin (in business) and only about one third full.  OK, picture time….you know you want it!

 

 

Landed at about 8:30 am local time and headed off to the Peninsula.  Now the BKK Pen is not quite in the same nostalgic league as the one in HKG.  It is a modern 30 storey skyscraper in the middle of BKK.  Still we had access to a free night and as you know, I love “free” and “upgrade”. The hotel underwhelmed me in most aspects.  Check-in was tediously slow and eventually, the next day, I was shown to our room. 

 

 

It was quite nice but starting to show its age.  It did have a great view across the river and the city though.  I did like the Powder Room with a large window – a loo with a view if you will.  S arrived about 4:00 pm to the hotel and told me the hotel car was 10 minutes late and he had difficulty finding the hotel rep.  Oh dear!

We had dinner with some former work colleagues of S with drinks starting at the Mandarin Oriental and followed by dinner at Opus, an Italian Restaurant.  Great atmosphere and generally good food except for S and my steak tartare which was terribly fatty and full of sinew – the chef was told and it came off the bill.  Few red wines were had and then it was back to the hotel.  Some of the party were continuing on but our work was well and truly done!

Next couple of days were spent lazing about and enjoying the facilities (and each other’s company of course).  We had some pool time, a massage, a great dinner at the Thai Restaurant with matching Thai (?!?!?) wines and an afternoon tea.

 

New job, new airline, new experience, old city, sad auf wiedersein

As many of you know by now I am back in the Antipodes for a while to take up a contract role with Fusion Retail Brands as Group Financial Controller.  My job hunting in Switzerland continued to be challenging.  I was seeking some volunteer work to including dog walking for homeless dogs (yes, truly I was) and some volunteer work at the Swiss AIDS council (not sure what I could do but at least I offered).  Funnily enough both of these replied positively after I had left!  Oh well, I can contact them again when I return.

Anyhow….I had received a call from a recruiter in Australia about a contract role and I thought (in conjunction with S) that this could be a good option.  Gets me off the streets, out of the house and some positive cash flow to keep funding the lifestyle.  Almost win, win, win other than the obvious “lose” which was having to leave S and go back to a form of commuting.  It all happened very fast and within a week I had received the offer, booked a flight and was on my way.  Was arriving Sunday night and starting on Monday morning – gosh this will be a shock to the system, haven’t worked for ten months.

On the up side, I did get to play with the flight options and settled quickly on a chance to fly long-haul with Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and winner of Best First Class a number of times.  How could I refuse those ringing endorsements!  Best fare was via Dusseldorf which meant starting with an Air Berlin flight in economy, yes, e-c-o-n-o-m-y.  So I was all booked and had seats 1A on the long haul sectors.  S has flown Etihad First a few times and raves about it….but they have not come up against me yet and my exacting standards.  A close inspection of the menu, wine cellar, galley and stitching in the leather seats will be the order of the day!  I also have my friend who works for this airline; let’s call him Shirl, who is desperate to know my views.

All of a sudden the week was over and it was time to head off.  My Air Berlin flight was at some ungodly morning hour which meant getting up at a time I rarely see.  S kindly agreed (???) to take me to the airport.  Check-in was fine but I got a crappy seat which they did manage to fix.  Clearly no link to having a Frist Class booking to getting a good seat on Air Berlin even though Etihad own 29% of them and code share on all their flights – I think this is something that needs to be looked at. 

Won’t dwell too much on the departure as frankly it was horrible.  Way too sad for my liking, actually there was nothing to like about it.

I went through and it was pretty much time for boarding so straight to the gate for me and no lounge time.  Just fine…let’s get this journey started so I am distracted.  Little flight was pretty good and I think Air Berlin offer a nice little service.  Soon enough I was on the ground in DUS and locating the Air Berlin lounge which Etihad use.  The lady at the front desk was a delight but the lounge itself is nothing to write home about (hence I am writing to all of you!).  I had quite a long layover and did manage to have another nice chat to S using the limited wi-fi.

Finally it came time to board the Airbus A330 of Etihad, resplendent in purple – a special livery for some football team.  The only reason this excited me was that they sold that particular model plane in the duty free on board! 

I was very warmly welcomed and shown to my suite.  First impressions were good – very warm colours, understated, no bling (such as you may find on another Middle Eastern carrier), a feeling of space.  Only three in First on this flight and three flight attendants (including the on board chef).  I have to say that the on board chef is a cool idea.  This person is in fact a real chef and not a flight attendant who prepares the meals.  They are allowed to be a little creative.

So each of the team came and said hello and more importantly offered champagne! Chef came and had a chat and I told him it was my first time and to be gentle….the result was that he was happy to design a tasting menu for me using the options he had on board and suggest wines to match.  What a treat!!  The menu itself has a number of options and is all dine on demand.

 

I will really let the pictures do most of the talking.  I have to say that the food and wine on board was excellent as was the service.  The seat was comfortable and the only negatives was the in-seat mini bar which is housed next to the entertainment screen so the bottles of water stored there get very warm and the IFE didn’t have as an extensive range of options compared to some other carriers.

So, it was time to land in Abu Dhabi and bid the crew farewell.  Layover time was quite short but I still managed to get some duty free and have a little rest in the First Class Lounge.  Not a bad place to spend some time but I am not sure about the white furnishings.  They are looking a bit weathered. 

 

So, another day, another jet, this time the Airbus A340.  Essentially the setup is the same but the jet definitely has an older feel to it.  I forgot to mention about the bathroom on board.  There are two and one is dubbed a “changing room” and is all black.  Just before you hop in or out of your jim jams the crew refresh the changing room for your changing pleasure!  A really good feature and nice to have a bit of extra space.

Another good crew but the chef was not as inventive but still offered a good service.  More champagne and wine had which helped with getting to sleep.

It was then time to land into exotic Tullamarine International Airport where I was met by Stuart who was to be my landlord for my stint here.  It was back to the house in Albert Park for a wine, catch up and then a snooze.  Was to be a big day the next day, new job, new……

17 - 19 May 2013 - A captain with seven children, what’s so fearsome about that – I have confidence…

You may recall from my Christmas post that I had received the gift of music from S in the form of a trip to Salzburg to see the city and to relish in the magic that is the Sound of Music.  The trip was set for May and eventually the time came where we could pack our lederhosen, crisp apple strudel, girls in white dresses and our tea with jam and bread.

To celebrate the impending trip I couldn’t help myself but prepare by having an evening re-watching the film and enjoying my take on food to match.  So we had some “schnitzel with noodles” and “crisp apple strudel” which are two of my favourite things.  I am sure we washed it down with something, let’s pretend it was an Austrian white wine.  More likely French champagne but who is quibbling over attention to detail.  Schnitzel was homemade but I let the team down on the noodles and strudel which were store bought.  I know, not a good housewife….off to the cellar with me as they do in Switzerland.

It was an early start on the choo choo and our first part was on lovely Swiss Rail where we then met the Austrian train in Sargans.  Now, I refuse to become a trainspotter as well as a plane spotter but I have to say this was a cool train.  Seats on board were sensation in the Business Class section (which is actually a higher class than First Class) with onboard wi-fi and at seat service.  Poor S is having some back issues and struggled to find a comfortable position and in the end we resorted to the First Class section where the seats were better for him.  See the sacrifices I make!!!

After many hours being entertained by the train we arrived in Salzburg.  We took a cab to the hotel (Hotel Sacher Salzburg – think Sacher torte) and later we discovered that we probably could have walked it!  Oh well, live and learn!

Hotel was decked out in a very traditional style, golds browns, fleur-de-lis and wood – you get the picture! Taken up to the room and we were greeted by a sea of green.  The wallpaper, carpet and furnishings were all shades of it – I think Kermit the Frog had exploded!  That said it was a big room with a wonderful view over the river.  One odd aspect was the setup of the lounge chairs which all faced the bed and seemed to be like where an audience would seat themselves and watch your bed time activities….not ideal so I got in there and changed it around and made it much more appealing and functional.  Re-wallpapering was deemed out of the question.

After a brief reprieve from the arduous journey it was time to head out amongst the Salzburgers and see some sights.  I am obviously a complete luddite as I was not aware that Salzburg was also the home to Mozart and hosts two world class classical festivals each year.  Worse still one was on when we were there and we did not attend one event which I am sure S would loved to have done.  I felt that maybe this time it was a little too much being “all about me”! 

We managed to catch a couple of the SoM sights in town, mainly the steps from “Do Re Mi” and the archway they sing and dance through.  It was pretty neat to see it.  I even had a little jump on the steps and felt like Kurt and Friedrich.

Every day ends in a meal and this is no different.  I had found out about a restaurant called Hanger 7 which is out at the airport – please note AT and not IN – and owned by the owner of Red Bull.  It is a fine dining restaurant that has a different chef from around the world each month.  Our visit coincided with a chef from Bangkok.  Restaurant is set in a specially built hanger filled with aircraft and cars with Red Bull emblazoned over everything.  Not sure about you but I don’t think I have ever had a can of the stuff – maybe a taste.  Still, the world seems to have embraced this strange little drink that gives you wings.  So, it is another day and another degustation, this time, modern Thai.  Overall the food was great, with nicely matched wines and a pretty unique setting.

Next day was tour day!  We were met by Daniel (I think that was his name) to take us on our journey through the old part of Salzburg and hit the highlights from the Sound of Music.  Oddly enough Salzburg has mostly denied the existence of this stage play/film and many have not even seen it.  That said it brings over 300,000 visitors a year to the city just for that reason.  I think they need to open up and embrace it a little more.  It is based on a true story after all but most of the facts have been changed to protect the innocent and make the story more interesting.  Gotta love Hollywood.

SO (a needle pulling thread) we headed off to the old part of town through the winding alley ways.  I have to say for ME (a name I call myself) this was the best part of the tour.  We were lucky to get the odd RE (a drop of golden sun) of sunshine on the walk.  This included a stop at one of the town’s local bakeries where the DO (a deer, a female deer) is needed by the power from a waterwheel.  Our guide even treated us to some of the bread.  All it needed was some TI (a drink with….).  It was then off to the car which was not FA (a long, long way to run) from the city centre.  Even better it was a top of the wozza Mercedes S Class.  Very LA (note to follow SO) dida!!

Thankfully you now know all the notes to sing and I will continue to write any old thing!

So in the car we hopped and proceeded to drive to the place where the rear of the house from the Von Trapp’s is located. The pics will do it justice. It was then off to the church where the captain married Maria and made an honest women out of her – hallelujah!! I have to add that our guide knows the Von Trapp’s!! How cool is that. He hosts them when they return to Salzburg and has been invited to their hotel in Vermont, USA. I need to add that the Von Trapp’s actually fled Austria before the war started, went to Italy and then to the USA. A different ending to the movie…..

Once back at the hotel we had a late lunch/early dinner of schnitzel and an Austrian specialty dessert which is like a form of soufflé – yummo is all I can say – yummo!

Even though I mentioned before of the complete denial of the play/film this year saw the first time for the stage play being performed in Salzburg – there was an SBS special about it recently on TV.  Even better, we had tickets!!  S said that it took some effort to get these as the show was sold out.  I am not sure if he had to bribe someone.  To top it off we had fantastic front row seats in a box!  Very happy me!!

The performance was in German with English subtitles which for the most part were not necessary as I knew the story but was useful for a couple of added scenes and songs.  The Baroness sings in this version!  And of course there is no translation for that immortal line by Mother Superior….”What is it you can’t face Maria?”  It was a fun show and all finished off with a sounding rendition in English of Eidelweiss.  Stirred the cockles it did!

Our Sunday in Salzburg was reasonably leisurely and after a relaxed breakfast we ventured back to the old town to see if we could have a tour/viewing of the main concert venue.  It is culturally significant for the Salzburg Festival but also it was the last time the Von Trapp’s would sing as a family.  You will remember the scene like it was in a quarry with archways around the stage.  Have to say that it was pretty neat.

 
It was then time to head off on the Austrian Express back to Einsiedeln.  Pesky train was 30 minutes late which meant we missed some of our connections and arrived home about an hour after we planned.  IT was worth it though and what an amazing Christmas present.