FAIL II

When we got back to London, Bek, Ally, Matt and I found a nice Thai restaurant just around the corner from my place.

Monday 23rd January 2012 - Back at work, we went to The Horse and Groom for lunch for mine and Karina's birthdays and we were both given a Selfridges voucher. That night I met Ally, Bek & Matt at Café Rouge for dinner. We were done fairly early so I decided I should go back to the old place and get the last of my things. I decided to carry the following all in one go to save doing any further trips: clothes, rug, lamps, full length mirror! I carried it all up the road and waited for the bus, which didn't seem to want to come. So I flagged a cab and made my way to my new place. When I got there I realised I had left my keys (to both places) on the bed at the old place! My housemate Romena let me in, however I had locked my bedroom door! So I had to make my way back to the old place and hope someone would hear me knocking! I was already not bothered to make the 1st trip and then I had to go back! Basically the definition of annoying!

Tuesday 24th January 2012 - Ally, Matt & Bek came over for dinner and we ordered in pizza and Bek stayed over.

Wednesday 25th January 2012 - Another regular day at work. Met up with Charlie again for a meal and to go to a comedy club which was nice. The first performer was a chick I've seen on various comedy TV shows. She was sitting near us and as she was waiting to go on she was having the biggest treasure hunt right up her schnoz! It was so gross! There were 3 acts and the host, only the host and the 3rd comedian were funny.

Thursday 26th January 2012 - Australia Day! Probably the least it's ever felt like Australia Day! It was cold and wet and quite wintry. My office did get into it though and I managed to keep an Aussie playlist going all day - abouth 80 or so songs! Still, being in the office on Australia Day felt extremely wrong! In the evening Ally, Matt, Tim and I attempted to go to a Walkabout however the line was about 200m long and we weren't so much in the mood, so we went to Café Rouge (again) for some dinner before going home.

Friday 27th January 2012 - I must admit I was starting to feel not so great (obviously a very sad event had just occurred) and I think I was trying to just feel ok. I finally had a night at home with no plans and did absolutely nothing!

Wintry Birthdays

Friday 20th January - Ally's Birthday. I took off as I wasn't feeling much up to anything. I had puffy eyes and was very drained and emotional. I spent the day getting some things from my old place and keeping myself busy. In the afternoon I met the girls at Hammersmith station and we made our way out to Heathrow to meet up with Matt & Bek and pick up our cars for the weekend. Ally & I wanted to do something really different as we were going to be celebrating our birthdays in winter for once! So we booked a log cabin in the Forest of Dean. I guess I wasn't the best company given the news from home, however it was such a blessing for me to have some of my closest friends there. I didn't have to try and force happiness, there was no pressure to snap out of it, if I wanted to be quiet I could, sad I could, talk I could. And Matt is such a goose that he has this natural ability to cheer you up and make you smile. It was a really lovely weekend. On the Friday night we arrived fairly late. And we only had 1 towel. I had arranged towels for £10, but it was actually £10 per person, hence only having 1. When the girl explained to me, I said WHOH right in her face haha!

Saturday 21st January - The next morning we had an easy start and then went for a really lovely walk in the forest. We had lunch at a pretty seedy pub, the food wasn't that great to be honest. That night Matt cooked us crêpes and they were amazing! We also played some Scrabble and just relaxed. I'd forgotten my swimmers but some of the guys used the hot tub.

Sunday 22nd January - My birthday. Went to Wales for my birthday! We went for a lovely drive around the countryside and found the ruins of Raglan Castle. Jen & Bek bought foam swords from the gift shop before going in and it did actually make the experience a lot more enjoyable. Wales was very pretty. In the afternoon we ended up in Cardiff and enjoyed a Sunday Roast lunch. Then we headed back to London where we had to farewell Jackie and Jenny who were heading home the next day. Given the circumstance of Nan having just passed away my friends did a brilliant job of giving me a lovely birthday!

1st time all of us together since December 2010

Bek, Jen, Ally, Jackie, Matt, Me

Valerie Mary Myles (nee Sumner)

On Thurday evening (18th January in London), I went out with a nice guy I had met called Charlie. We had dinner and some good chats. When I left to go home I had a missed call from my Dad. I pretty much knew what it would be as we usually text or Skype so a missed call was out of the ordinary. When I got to Hammersmith Dad called me back to let me know my Nanna (his mother) had passed away overnight. I was walking down Fulham Palace Road with a flood of tears streaming out and mascara all down my face a I talked to my parents. It was very sad indeed. At the end of the day it was for the best as she was very weak and frail and just wanted to go and "be with God and hold Adam's hand". I was thankful that this sad news was pre-empted by a really nice evening.

We were always very close. There were many times I'd give her a call to have a chat. She'd tell me this story and that and I was always fascinated with her history and travels. I have so many fond memories! Sure, she was one for saying exactly what was in her mind, such as telling me I was fat and questioning the paternity of my nieces, but she had a heart of gold and absolutely loved her 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. I loved going to see her at her place in Cronulla, we'd sit and chat as we watched the people down on the beach. She would wake up every day and say "thank you God for my place and for my family". It is very sad that I have been unable to be with my Nanna over the last 6 months and family at this time. My parents were so kind and selfless in caring for her, especially in her last few years as her dementia worsened. I know she is very grateful for that. It is a comfort however, knowing that my travel stories would lift her spirits and she was nothing but proud of and happy for me. I will certainly miss my Nan and will cherish the 30 years of memories we have.

Valerie Mary Myles (nee Sumner)

28th January 1923 - 19th January 2012

Cirque & Soufflé

After a great little chat with Heather on Skype I feel ready to blog about the 2nd half of January.

Monday 16th January & Tuesday 17th January - I don't really have any record of what I got up to. Although thinking back I think I had a coupled of quiet nights in as I was having a bit of trouble with my asthma. Went to the doctor on one of the mornings and got a script and just went home to pack up my room in the evenings. The weather had cooled down a lot so I think that might have been the cause. Plus I was feeling slightly under the weather although a cold never eventuated which was good. It's been really weird - (knock on wood) I've been surrounded by sickies in the office and I've been cold free since my weekend in Norway!

Wednesday 18th January - Cirque du Soleil - Totem! A-MAZE-ING! You know when someone does something amazing and the crowd woops and cheers and claps uproariously. Well, it was far beyond that for me that I sat there with my jaw just hanging in awe! Absolutely brilliant! AND... it was at the Royal Albert Hall! I can't think of a better place for it, or show for my first Royal Albert Hall experience. Before the show we had dinner at Café Rouge. I had this goats cheese soufflé which was almost as good as the show! That night, there was no leftovers for Matt to enjoy. We have reached the point in our friendship where there is no longer in verbal agreement required before he starts to dig in, of course as long as it's obvious I'm done!

SW6 6NE

I've discovered this awesome thing called Google Calendar! So handy, I'll never again forget what I'm doing or did! It has been a challenging year so far. January was definitely full of fun, not stopping, and sadness.
My first week back at work was pretty low key. I went to the hairdresser that week and didn't get up to too much. I think I spent a bit of time looking up houses for moving and just getting back into the swing of things. On the Saturday I went and looked at a lovely place (spoiler alert: I'm sitting on my bed in it now). That evening I hit Camden with Tim, Carina and Amy which was loads of fun. Once again, there was a night bus pulling up as I left Koko, such luck! Such a fun night! The next day I just chilled out and watched Man City vs Man U in the FA Cup. On the Monday I caught up with Ally & Matt at The Swan. It'd had been about a month since I'd seen them! I have a feeling I was back there on the Tuesday but I can't remember, maybe Jenny came...? Jenny, if you're reading this, did you?

Tuesday 10th January - I'm went home and continued packing my stuff for my upcoming move. That week I had been having a bit of asthma as the weather had cooled down a lot. I was possibly going to do out with the girls and Habib & Alex who were in London at the time, however I thought I'd best stay in due to the cold and my lack of oxygen. I went down to the walk-in medical centre before work one day as I needed a script for ventolin. I was very impressed with the service I received. I literally walked in!

Wednesday 11th January - Jackie, Jenny and I met after work and saw a show! Shows are basically my favourite thing ... ever! This time we were seeing a play, called The Mousetrap. It is an Agatha Christie murder mystery and has been on the West End for 60 years. At the end they ask you keep the whodunit a secret. And people just do. Otherwise the show wouldn't have kept going for this long. In the first half I had zero theories. But as soon as the 2nd half began, all these ideas and possibilities came to mind. It was a really great show.

Thursday 12th January - I'm thinking I went home and packed more stuff. I don't have any record of doing anything else.

Friday 13th - Bek flew in from Uppsala. Ally was going out for her birthday to Koko, however by the time Bek got in, we were both so tired and it was so late that we didn't get there.

Saturday 14th - Breakfast at Mirabel Cafe near the Berg's. It was Me, Bek, Jen, Ally, Matt! All in one place! Breakfast was great! I then had to go and pick up the keys to my new place so I headed off while Bek made her way to Gatwick to fly to Ireland. Later on I met up with the others at The Tower of London where we enjoyed being tourists. We were so tired that night, we just went back to my place and hung out in the lounge room chatting.

Sunday 15th - Ally & Matt arrived at 10am and the 4 of us carted a whole stack of my stuff over to my new place. Not exactly happy I was forced to sign a lease up for a place that clearly wasn't quite finished. I can't believe 4 of us were loaded with stuff and we still didn't move it all over! Where did all this stuff come from? Afterwards we headed to Camden and explored the markets for the day. I loved Camden Markets! Definitely want to take my parents there when they come! We also went to Amy Winehouse's regular pub for a drink, where there is a load of graffiti on the bathroom walls by grieving fans. We were supposed to go to Curtains Up for pub quiz but Jen and I headed there early and were unable to find a table so we headed to my old place, grabbed some more stuff and then (OH YEAH) went to The Swan for dinner with Ally & Matt. No need to clarify earlier question!
Halfway through January! I'm almost caught up... stay tuned... I don't have the energy for January part 2 just now.

My new place!

My Christmas Holidays - Part 3

NUREMBERG
We caught a train back to Munich and then on to Nuremberg. Really cool city with loads of medieval and modern history. Nuremberg is where Hitler held a big rally. When we got there we discovered that our hotel was not as close to the town centre as we'd thought. At the Hauptbahnhof (central rail station), or as Jackie liked to call it, the hoppity-boppity, we had some Subway for lunch. Somehow the conversation got onto to how kids compare their height by drawing a line in the air. I made some comment about how silly it was, as I demonstrated it quite expressively, then realised my demonstration looked much like i was heiling a certain Fürer. I instantly pulled my arm in embarrassed and we colapsed with laughter. I seriously haven't laughed that hard in ages!
The next day we had a day tour exploring the sites of WWII importance. Our tour guide was once again awesome, really knowledgeable and passionate. We couldn't remember his name so we just decided it would be Leonard. He was gay and lived in Munich and the girls decided that Stefan (Dachau tour guide) was his partner. I objected white strongly. On a bus that day I had a massive conversation in German with an old lady and it was really nice. That night we ate a pub and I had the best sausages and potato salad! I cleaned the plate completely!

BAMBERG
Another train trip and we arrived in Bamberg. Just for a night. We caught a cab to the hotel and the cabbie definitely took us for a ride. Very annoying. We were so tired. We walked around the city and went to see the Residence which was pretty for a while and then got incredibly boring when the tour, which was in 100% German went on too long. For dinner we ate at the hotel.

BERLIN
Wow, I don't know if I have the energy to write about Berlin. Such an incredible city. Definitely a favourite. So much history. We went to the Christmas markets that evening and then back to the hotel where we ate some takeaway Italian and watched a movie about Hitler (in German).
The next day was New Year's Eve so I was already apprehensive but trying not to think about it. I prefer to ignore but you can't unfortunately. Anyway, we went for a Berlin walking tour. Our tour guide was the absolute best of all. He was an Irish guy named Finn who had a PHD and studied history. He knew absolutely everything and did very well considering the size of his group. It was absolutely brilliant. If you read this and I haven't told you, ask me to tell you the Lenin story. There was also a man on our tour who was the most snap-happy person I have ever met. Even on the train he was taking burst photography out the window as Finn spoke, but there wasn't even anything interesting out there. He walked around all day just pressing the shoot button, not always looking at the view finder. He even photographed the guys setting up the NYE sound & lighting rig! I reckon he'd have had a couple of thousand photos at the end of the day and going through them later would have nad no clue what they all were as he couldn't have been listening, and he would probably have had to delete about 97% of them. I guess that leaves 60 photos which is pretty reasonable. But I'd prefer to take 60 good photos and listen and take it all in the rest of the time.
From about 4pm, the fireworks started. And what I mean is, heavy-duty fireworks are readily available everywhere. People let them off all over the place. Apparently they sometimes throw them into trains as the doors close. Berlin on NYE sounds like a warzone. It's nuts! We went back to the Christmas markets for their NYE party but it was a bit lame and lots of oldies. So we headed to wards the Brandenburg Gate. Berlin on NYE is supposed to be awesome. I admit, I hate NYE so I'm not the best judge. We got cramped in with minimal views of the Gate, I had Bradley Cooper's stunt-double pashing his woman next to me, some annoying tourists yelling and being obnoxious, Gene Simmons' look-alike blowing cancer in my face and a creepy old guy who groped me & Jenny. As soon as midnight hit I was outa there, so over it and annoyed and struggling to breathe with all the smoke from the fireworks.
Next day, I was on my way back to London. It was on this journey that I decided that (crying) babies on flights can only be described as nothing but dementors who suck all happiness out of everyone around them until they take your soul. I had a dementor in front of and one behind me. Me & the 2 guys in my row literally had our heads in our hands about to join in the exhibition of vocal chords! When we got to London there was no gate for us so they brought buses to the plane, but the company operating the stairs to get us off didn't turn up so we were on the plane waiting for half an hour while little Dementor #1 proceeded to giggle and look all sweet in her Burberry jumpsuit. Too late sweetheart! Anyway, after geting inside the terminal I then had to wait in an enormous line for non UK/EUR passport holders which was being manned by 2 people. This was while 8 people sat twiddling their thumbs up at the UK/EUR section! Madness! Anyway, finally got home and all that, had the next day off (public holiday) and went to the hairdresser and did my washing and got ready for my return to work the following day.

New Years Eve in Berlin

My Christmas Holidays - Part 2

Before I start, I'm very excited to have my 1st subscriber. Good one Andy! Although I know Mum has been looking, she may have given up checking by now since I have been so inconsistent. If anyone else is reading, let me know.

SALZBURG

We caught a train to Salzburg and had our own little compartment, much like those in the Hogwarts Express. It was very cool! Something else which was cool, was going through Rosenheim, the town I lived in for 3 weeks when I did an exchange program for German at school. Tell you what wasn't cool, the lack of snow! When I was there in 1999 (whoa!) it was snowing loads and was way colder. Oh well, the whole of Europe seemed to be having a mild winter. 

The Christmas markets were closed and pretty much finished for the season when we arrived so that was a little disappointing. But it was Christmas Eve so we tried to keep the spirits high, despite the lack of Christmas dinner plans. Christmas Eve is THE night in Europe. We just wandered and came across the Best Western which had space available for us for their banquet. I loved it! My favourite dish I think was the chestnut soup. The man at the hotel also recommended we go to the church up the road for the Christmas service after dinner. It was ok for a bit but, standing, in the cold, not understanding got the better of us. I tell you what really cheesed me off though! This woman walked up with her own little chair and plonked it in front of me. Fine. But then she stood up the whole time with her head like right in front of my face. Not fine. I think I may have been starting to get a bit on the cranky side as I was away from home for the first time at Christmas. I did get to Skype the Byrnes' on their Christmas morning though so that was nice. 

Christmas morning we woke up and had a sleigh ride booked. We looked out the window to no snow and were worried about how it would be possible. Anyway, we didn't realise they'd be taking us right up into the Alps. I did get a little cranky though because the confirmation said 2hrs so I was expecting to be back in time to Skype the big family do back home. But we were told we wouldn't be returning until 5:30pm. I must admit it was a mixed feelings day. It was great and I am so lucky to have the chance to do something so cool, but I was pretty sad too. The hotel were showing The Sound of Music in the communal area and you couldn't get a seat! A great starter for the next day.   

Boxing Day was awesome. We did the Sound of Music Tour. Basically, brilliant if you love the movie. Also, when we got back we had cake at the Sacher Hotel and the Christmas markets were open! YAY! Found a load of cool things and had a great evening.    

Well, that ends the Austrian leg.

"I have confidence" - The Sound of Music Tour

My Christmas Holidays - Part 1

Right, so I'm trying to cast my memory back 6 or 7 weeks to my Christmas holidays. Wow, so long ago already. There are loads of pictures on Facebook, with captions explaining things so I won't repeat them here. Will try and keep this all new material to complement the albums :)

MUNICH

I left work and headed for Heathrow to catch a flight to Munich. When I got there it was snowing just a tiny bit, but it was my 1st encounter with snow since hmmm 10 years maybe? My excitement levels were peaking at the thought of seeing Jackie and Jenny again and I wasn't sure how I'd handle it. I made it worse for myself when I caught the wrong train, extending my journey by about half an hour. I finally got to the Hilton Munich City Centre where the girls were waiting for me in the lobby. I was so overwhelmed, I made this weird crying yelping kind of noise I don't think I've ever produced before. Goodness knows what sounds I'll make when I go home and see my family after 8 months away. 

I had high expectations of Germany but I wasn't afraid to keep it that way - the food, culture, history, language, scenery, all of it! The day after I arrived we went for a tour to Linderhoff and Neuschwanstein Castle. It was lovely as it snowed and it was so pretty. I'm so fascinated by Mad King Ludwig now and want to watch the movie, but not the version I got through Amazon...the English version with Italian dubbing and English subtitles. I tried for about 10 minutes but found I was lip-reading and getting mad at not just being able to hear what they were saying. Anyway, tangent. By Neuschwanstein I was a little over it as the main tower had scaffolding on it and it was raining and I was completely soaked and therefore freezing. Oh yeah, some Japanese tourists had their photo taken with us. I don't know why... was it because we were Westerners (although not an uncommon look where we were)? Gorgeous? Soaked? Ummm... not sure, although it did make me smile. 

That night as we arrived back to the hotel I remembered Chelsea were playing Tottenham in the League and kindly excused myself from the girls (yep, after 4 months apart) to watch it in the lobby and make friends with an old Geordie man telling me loads of his life stories. 

We also did a walking tour to Dachau which was really (insert appropriate word for enjoying a concentration camp experience but not actually enjoying it in a fun kind of way). I'm really intrigued by the propaganda of the Nazis so I might look into that and learn some more. I (actually we) also had a massive crush on our guide Stefan. Felt extremely politically incorrect. 

When we got back to Munich we had an awesome schnitzel and then explored the Christmas markets and ate loads of market food. It was awesome. Well, that pretty much sums up Munich. Next stop... Salzburg!

Cold but happy - Linderhoff Castle grounds