Zurich day two.

It was a fairly quiet day today,  but very enjoyable. I managed a good twelve hours sleep, then my help with breakfast preparation consisted of sitting in bed with the three boys and watching cartoons online. This eventually led to a discussion on how violent cartoons are, and how much the bad science and physics of them irritates me immensely. We had been watching Roadrunner.

I then spent the day on my own wandering the city without a map, my form of bliss. The first sight that caught my eye was a man blowing giant bubbles down by the lake.

I then went over to the old part of the city and wandered the cobbled streets and alleys just to see where they went and what was round the corner.

One little alleyway I walked looked like it was just a private path but it came to a micro square with a lovely building at the end of it,

And a the first secondhand clothes shop I have seen here..

Eventually I found myself near the main station so went in to pick up my ticket to Milan.

I had another wander round the Christmas market while there and as i was thirsty I had to have some gluhwein. That went straight to my head so mopped it up with some hot ham thing that I can't remember the name of.

I was good and resisted the call of these little babies though.

I then ended up back in the designer street which was just heaving with well dressed people spending money. I then sidetracked off there heading down little cobbled streets towards the river and came across some busking Santa's. Very high class busking Santa's!

From there I wandered back to the bottom of the lake, went to the supermarket for supplies (water and beer) then back home. Along the way I found the ultimate chair for my desk.

Now it's champagne time and a raclette for dinner. I am blanking from my mind the 6am alarm.

The adventure starts.

According to my laptop it is 4.06 am Sunday in New Zealand. I woke up at 5 am Friday and have had just over 5 hours sleep since then, but funnily I feel like going for a run. As it is beer o'clock here in Zurich I will let that thought pass.

The mammoth journey here went really well considering there were four planes involved. After the Wellington to Auckland hop was the first major leg, Auckland to Narita. It was an 11 hour flight and I stayed awake through all of it, and ended with a few beers. Had about five hours layover in at Narita so of course had a Sapporo and some sushi.

From Narita flew Air France to Paris, and I must say how impressed I am with Air France. The plane wasn't super fancy, though it did have individual screens, but the food and service were far superior to Air NZ. Dinner had entree, main and dessert, plus cheese and fresh mini baguettes which were served to you in a large basket so you could take as many as you wished. The bubbles available totally outclassed the nasty Lindauer  Air NZ had, and of course Perrier water flowed. During the rest of the night in the galley was a supply of different food including little icecreams that you could help yourself to, and a drinks trolley as well. I managed over four hours sleep in one block, then another snooze a bit later. 

We arrived at Charles de Gaulle and had another 4 hours layover. Finally, once the airport opened, made my way to the correct terminal to catch the final flight to Zurich. I also managed to buy some champagne for my hosts, and myself, and some Grand Marnier in case the bubbles wasn't enough. All three totalled 69 Euros, around $104, I'm happy with the exchange rate at the moment.

Arrived in Zurich and did the happy dance as the bags turned up as well. Got picked up, then came to the house to be greeted with this, so another round of eating!

After that feast it was time to go for a walk, and to tire out the restless children. Where I am staying is very close to the centre of the city so we walked down to the lake then into the city. Below is a view looking back to the Alps.

Had a wander along Bahnhofstrasse to get the full effect of the local standard of living. The window displays are stunning, though this is a very simple one.

From there we wandered up towards the river to view the old part of the city.

Then we went to the central station to see the Swarovski christmas tree and to visit the small christmas market there. This of course meant having to sample some gluhwein as it's all part of the tradition! We also had some flammkuchen elsässer, which is like a very thin pizza base with onions, bacon and creme fraiche. It's also quite salty which I think is meant to encourage you to drink more wine!

We then walked back through some of the narrow streets in the older part of the city which had a very eclectic mix of shops and buildings which included everything from Cabaret Voltaire to ones decorated like this.

After all this walking the children were starting to grizzle so we caught a tram back home. 

All in all it's been a very intense 48 hours, and most strangely my tummy is staring to rumble again and want food. I fear I may spend most of this trip in my trackies as that will be all I can fit.

Bon Voyage

It's way to early in the morning, but I'm all packed and ready to go. Next stop Zurich, closely followed by Milan, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris. 

Deja Vu

Anyone remember this story? And this one? Well it seems the man involved has forgotten.

Today as I was racing up Lambton in my manic search for the right make up I was tapped on the shoulder. When I turned to see who it was, you can imagine my surprise when I saw it was him. I didn't break my stride, as nothing can stop a woman on the hunt for the exact shade of foundation she needs, so he was compelled to walk at the same pace as I.

He started with the usual compliments, and commented on how I look so different now - my hair is blonde, not a great difference. We exchanged pleasantries about work and then he came out with it, "could we meet up sometime?" he asked. I stated that I was busy, much to busy with no time to spare, and doubled my pace and left him behind.

I did spend the afternoon chortling away, but do wonder; why would someone persist even after being rebuffed each time, and in the case the last encounter slightly humiliated. I guess the old motto 'more balls than brains' is the only answer.

Hello...anybody out there?

Hello there...is that the sound of echoing silence I hear? Yes, I know I have been very bad blogger. Funny, it seems my blog posts stopped at the time the new job started. 

Ok, so life moves on and now I am trying to think of what has happened in the last six months. I am single again. Funny how that happens with such regularity, and it seems I must be getting used to it as I managed to process the break up in record time this time around.

I've had two ski trips this year one with, and one post the German goddess. I am still recovering from the knee injury incurred on the last trip, but it will not deter me, as soon as I can I will be  on the slopes again next year. 

Firstborn has finished her exams, and has one summer paper to do then her degree is finished. Secondborn is still in Australia. She came over for firstborns 21st but sadly it was not a pleasant experience, we are all still processing that one.

I'm on the countdown to the trip to Europe, only seven weeks away. This one is Zurich, Milan, then five days each in Barcelona, Berlin and Paris, then back to Basel and finally Zurich for the flight home. I'm away four weeks in total. I'm already pondering the next adventure, and want to do Vietnam, Cambodia and tick off Angkor Wat next year - if Jetstar would just play nicely and put out some more of those super cheap airfares I purchased for my last Asian jaunt.

I am slowly learning Spanish in my attempt to keep dementia at bay. I've lost my study mojo the last few weeks so I need to sharpen up a bit. I've also got distracted by the new phenomenon of MOOC's so am looking for a study topic there.

I'm still running, though just sticking with the 5.5k, and still lifting weights, but need to do more of that. Am looking forward to summer and getting some serious road time, though not as serious as NZAlien and her 50 miler - that is just insane!

So that's it, the last six months in a nutshell. 

Ta Da......

All fixed, so pretty, off to get a warrant today.

Silver Lining

For the second time in six months a male foreign national has run a stop sign and smashed in to my car. Well, to be exact, the first one drove through a red light and munted my brand new number plate. This current one went through a stop sign and damaged every panel on the passenger side of the car. I had managed to swerve, so avoided totally losing the car, even my panel beater commented that I was very lucky.

I of course had a wee verbal melt down on the side of the road, which included such phrases as, "fukkin males, the only panel you haven't damaged on my car is the roof!" I started to call the police, but the driver pleaded no. He admitted full responsibility and said he would pay for the repair. I told him he had 24 hours to pay up.

I took the car to the panel beater the next morning who gave a quote. I passed this information on to the culprit, and the next day the full sum was sitting in the bank. 

So the silver lining is that the bad driver was so desperate for me to not report the accident that he paid immediately. And, my panel beater is so keen on a cash job that he's going to paint the bonnet and bumper which I couldn't afford to do with the last repair. So, in a week or so my little Nana car will be back to one colour with no outlay from moi!

The German Goddess thinks I'm mad getting it fixed as all it really needs is an indicator light to pass a warrant, but I'm doing it to avoid rust, and so she will look all pretty again and not a clown car. To be continued.

Malaysian Adventures: Part 1

So the Malaysian adventure has been and gone now, sigh, and it's back to life, back to reality. I had a great time, sickness excluded, one pushing the envelope experience, and found a lovely city that I'd love to visit again. If you're not interested in travel story's, stop reading now.


Singapore
It's been over 20 years since my last visit, and much much more since I lived there. It is a stunning city, but very quickly came to feel like just a generic international city. I was hugely impressed with the metro. So clean, so efficient, and the masses and masses of stainless steel, granite and glass an indication of the affluence of this country. The no litter policy is so ingrained in the national psyche that there are no litter bins in the stations, because there is no litter. If you purchase a one trip ticket, you then take it back to a machine and get a $1.00 refund, very cool. 

We spent the first day wandering around Chinatown and visiting an old shopping mall from my youth, then, after the first in a continuing series of massages, we headed down towards the CBD for a wander. 

That night we ended up in Little India, where we had the first of another series, this time yukky food. The only saving grace was these, which I got quite fond of over the journey.

The next day after lunch with old friends and a bit more wandering round we decided to go to Orchard Road. I had been avoiding it, but the German Goddess was interested in finding a particular pair of D & G jeans, so off we went to visit the mecca of consumerism.

The metro drops you at level B4. After more than an hour of navigating a strangely laid out weirdly shaped shopping complex, we finally saw daylight and had found street level. By this stage we were tiring of the masses so decided to ignore the temples of consumerism and just wander and find a place to have a drink. It started to rain as we walked, so we did enter a mall to find a bar. Fortunately I looked at the prices before ordering. We had been paying $5 for a 640ml beer, this Orchard Road bar wanted $12 for a 330 ml. I said sod that, so we jumped back on the metro, popped up at Peoples Park again and consumed our usuals shown above. We also purchased three pairs of shoes while there, a very good beer stop!

The next day we checked out and started the Borneo adventure.

Miri

Miri is a moderate size town in northern Sarawak, East Malaysia on the island of Borneo.  We ended up there as an access point to Mulu National Park. Miri has a very large number of foot reflexology and massage shops. That is about all it has. It was interesting though to experience the contrast between highly sanitised Singapore and this town, and I did have an enjoyable feast of crabs the first night. We also had foot massages which was a first. 

After wandering around the "downtown" area we decided to visit a park we'd seen on the drive in so caught a bus out there, a slight contrast the shiny stainless steel of Singapore.

We got to the park to find we were the only people there, it was Very Odd. We wandered around briefly, but after walking the swing bridge there was not a lot to see or do, so it was off to find a bus back to town. I think the entire park visit lasted seven minutes.

The next place we wanted to see was Taman Selara, a beach where the Rough Guide had said was a "nice place to watch the sunset, have a beer and sample hawker food". Maybe we should have read the travel wiki instead where it says Miri beaches are nothing to shout about. Agreed. It was so ick that the only pictures I took were of crab patterns in the sand. 

That night we had another in the series of awful food, so the day ended up as the visiting the park that wasn't, and the beach that wasn't, followed by the dinner that wasn't. Sigh

The next morning we packed up and headed off to go visit the critters and caves in the rainforest, which will be coming up in part two.

Life Moves On

Oh poor neglected blog, I do still love you! As it's now the last day of February I MUST finish this post so at least I have blogged once this month. I have lucked in though with it being 29 Feb, managed to get an extra day.


Work
The big news is of course the new job. I'm staying in law but moving to an IP firm. Similar size to where I am now, but more staff to manage due to the large administration processes involved in trademarks and patents. Lovely brand new premises, and all the usual benefits of car park, phone, gym subsidy plus a few other added extras. I've also taken a significant salary increment, so will be able to give firstborn a decent weekly allowance for her final year.


Flatmate
My friend who moved in last year had an unexpected meltdown over a dog bark, so moved out mid January. Along the way it turned into a bit of a lesbian drama, so the end result was that I have adopted a zero gay policy in regards to flatmates. I now have a 25 year old boy architecture student as a co tenant. Given the amount of drama and emotional stress he is experiencing with his girlfriend, and the way he is responding to it, I'm positive he really is a lesbian in a boy's body.


Camping
The German Goddess and I have taken to escaping for a night when we can and go camping. We do it in a very low tech manner, so low tech that we had no pillows one night. As you can imagine how it is when two Virgo's get together, we now have a printed check list to tick off each time so nothing is forgotten. We don't even take a tent, just sleep in the car.

Even our "fridge" is low tech, but it does work well for keeping the beers cold

And this was the view we went to sleep with on the last adventure

Travel
In two weeks time I'm off to Singapore and Malaysia for a wee adventure with the German Goddess. We got ridiculously cheap flights from a Jetstar sale months and months ago, and now finally the adventure is about to happen. I have in the interim purchased a luggage allowance so I can take some clothes, and maybe purchase a few items. We fly into Singapore and spend three days there, and then on to Miri in Borneo. From there we head into Mulu National Park for a couple of nights. I am looking forward to the caves, bats, rivers and I really hope I get to see a shrew. 


After the rainforest and geological adventures it's back to Miri then down to Kuching, the main city. From here we will go see the orang utans, and possibly another national park. I have found a wee mountain to climb, as we missed out on doing Kinabalu, however that still has to be discussed. Also at this point I have to have my "time on a beach doing nothing". From there it's back to Singapore then home.


Spawn
Firstborn is back and starting third year next week. She's managed to get her old job back with more hours so not so stressed. She is also doing a show on campus radio with a pal, so of course Mummy is glowing with pride, and especially as she plays very cool music. So, Wednesdays from 1 to 3pm you can stream it here. She now wants a set of decks. Wonder where she got that from?


Secondborn is doing well in Melbourne. She has a good job with a talent recruitment agency that manages three brands. Even though she does find it dull at times she says she will stay with it for a couple of years as she realises the value of having good solid work periods on her cv. She's moved into  a new flat with a friend and is gradually setting it up. So funny to see her facebook status about being excited to finally have a washing machine. It really has been the best move for her, and is pleasing to see and hear the change and maturing of her attitude and how she lives her life.


Running
I ran the Round the Bays last week and did my best time ever, 42.20. I was in the top 90% for my age group, and as I was wearing a timing tag for another who was unable to run I also came in the top 75% for the 30 to 39 age group. The dog did a good time too.


So there you have it, a wee update. As you can see I am enjoying the empty nest life and look forward to the change, opportunities and adventures that this time of my life has to offer.

The New Year Begins

The New Year started with watching the fireworks over Sydney harbour. By climbing a handrail conveniently attached to a rock wall, then holding on to the wire fence on top of the wall, we got an unobstructed view of the show (and the home owners having a party with their guests!)

Why do we raise our hands in pleasure? After warm but dull weather it turned into a stunning calm night so the fireworks were mirrored on the water.

We were staying in Double Bay, pool at the bottom of the stairs followed by the sea. This was the standard view.

We also spent a bit of time at the house in Woollahra where our kind hosts office was located. A few doors up the road was this piece of mosaic sculpture in the front garden of a property.

Very cool. On New Years day we went to Manly beach with approximately 675893058376838 other people.

Still, we found a nice spot and played in the sun and surf all day. The final day we did a spot of kayaking before I jumped on the plane.

A lovely relaxed holiday was had, and I'm now busying myself making little memento treats for our hosts and their children.

Returning home also meant back to work, and returning to a piece of unsettling drama which involved a visit to the Police, but that is a whole other story. For now I just want to bask in the peace of my holiday.......while I work on planning for the next one.