Times Like These..

Many Thanks for coming to this site..intentionally or unintentionally! Its mostly odds and ends, a sort of travel repertoire from various corners of the globe - something I continue to try to expand! The only continent I am missing now is Antarctica.

However,adult responsibilities (ie, job) keep my feet grounded in Vienna, despite the fact my mind and spirit are often elsewhere.

I've finally done it...a real blog! click here and check it out!

27 JANUARY 2007.

Jetlag and cider kept me out 'til 4 am! uuuuugh, why did I do that? Why?

26 JANUARY 2007. 16:00 Friday afternoon.

Balls, life is dreary enough here in the winter, I'm going to party.

26 JANUARY 2007. 15:30 Friday afternoon.

Have just been reminded through Vienna Expat forum that it's Australia's national day! Some sort of do tonight in Australian pub...hmm..no, need rest.

26 JANUARY 2007. Back in Vienna. Friday morning in the office. Hours in massage chair: only one. impressive.

Sensibility rules out once again, and voila, I am back. will have to add the Belize section soon. Bloody bloody brilliant that was, I can't BELIZE it! but now I'm too tired. Can't wait for quiet night of sleep. Jet lag not going away. boo.

8 JANUARY (I think?!) 2007!!! (finally!) Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, MEXICO!!!

Back on my side of the Atlantic :-D. New year resolution, start a proper blog soon....anyway, the best antidote for drab, dark and dreary Austrian winter - just 13 hours on a plane to loads of light, white sand, blue carribean sea. Eclipse and sunshine, and feeling much like a desert flower awakening after the (literal and figurative) rains! took the first opportunity to head out diving this morning, fantastic. apart from that a lot of quality time (and making up for lost time) on the beach, and the advantage of that sun glowing bright and strong at 7 a.m. means its a good way to kill these jet-laggy hours. have also made friends with the barstaff at the hotel, Jose and Pancho. still have promised to have tequila with Jose...will have to happen soon, tomorrow heading out to Tulum, and then eagerly on to the treasures of Belize. Oh yeah, and I think I can even log these 2 countries as new ones, number 41 and 42, respectively. still well ahead of my age, excellleenntt...

chances of using return portion of that plane ticket greatly reduced every hour....but now, it is margarita time!

26 NOVEMBER 2006. Weekend trip to Calgary, Canada

Yes, that's right; I did manage that third level of the prison break and skipped the continent! and no, definitely not with a train..the plane journey was long enough. Even though the temps had dipped below zero, my mood was anything but negative, being in the (rare) company of family and giving my mother the ultimate birthday surprise. Of course, the early christmas gift of an iPod with 30 gig. for me didn't exactly interfere with the good vibrations! Neither did seeing a journalist friend for the first time since Australia (4 years!), both in person and reporting on the telly. Not to mention a chance encounter with Tim, old uni friend (back in the day..) at the Frankfurt airport. Meant another rare chance at being able to kill part of the 10 hours stuffed in the back of an Airbus 320 with some conversation. Yeah, it was a long way to go (sort of, i've done worse than 12/13 hour flights...), a bit of an expensive weekend break (near 1,000 euro), and bloody cold (-40 enough for you?)...but...sometimes certain things just need to be done. for body,mind, soul (though this is a huuuge strike against the bank account!). However...i have a passport. i have credit cards. and I.will.use.them!!!!

oh, and to answer the question of many, who upon hearing the above facts asked 'are you crazy?????!!!??'....

Yup, I do believe I am!!!!

19 NOVEMBER 2006

My chocolate and microwave food eating habits are spiralling out of control. I think its cos i just can't be arsed with real food. The latest shipment with my favourite Canadian chocie in it did me no favours. Some Viennese things on their way back across the Atlantic as retribution. Ha.

However, at least that package contained something more interesting; my boxing equipment. So hoping to counter it somewhat, starting with a free trial session at a kickboxing gym here. It's been far too long, and now's a great time to get back into it. Also had a very productive week with another addiction - internet travel bookings. Some proper relaxation a la Slovenian therme (new country as well, excellent), and a start to the new year with a continent-skipping sun escape are now officially on the horizon!!! Looking v. forward to some quality time by the sea (something Austria so lacks), both on this escape and on the upcoming Ireland trip as well.

13 NOVEMBER 2006

Hurrah! No one died from the dinner last night! In fact everyone seemed rather pleased with my culinary efforts! The Menu:

Vegetarian Mini-Spring Rolls

Pad-Thai

Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

Red Curry with Shrimp and Pineapple

Various Tropical Fruit Puddings

Chinese Plum Wine

10 NOVEMBER 2006

Oh GOD. Am cooking for 7 people on Sunday. A 'thank you' for their kindness. At least it will stop the vicious chocolate only diet (with variations on the chocolate of course, Kinderbuono, Duplo, Milka 'kleine pause'..). for one night anyway. Just back from the IKEA rounds so that we may all have cutlery and some plates. I also bought a plant for myself. It's a bamboo plant. I love it. I am going to take good care of it and it is NOT going to die. and neither will the dinner guests. hah. sorry guys..only joking.

9 NOVEMBER 2006

Just realised, I have been living on chocolate and microwaveable food. ieeeuuuuwguughhghg. Perhaps this is the reason my sleeping patterns are all messed up in manner of having jetlag? Or, is it because all the jetlag from all my travelling earlier was stored up, and set on some kind of bizarre time release? Like vitamin C capsules? and now my body just chooses a new time zone at random each day? hmmm. where did my groove go..and how do i get it back? sigh.

31 OCTOBER 2006

Happy HalloWIEN! (hee hee, stole that from Puntigamer advert).

Talofa! : Inspired by Kai's dose of Samoan influence during the Hamburg weekend. All the leaves are brown..and the sky is grey...South Pacific Dreaming..on a winter's day...Continental drift on the horizon? hmmm... (photo taken by Lisandro)

30 OCTOBER 2006. HAMBURG.

Second notch in the series of planes, trains and automobiles. Third rung in the cards somewhere, as I don't imagine travelling on the U-bahn can count for the train bit. And another lovely sequence happening here. Much like Bill Murray's proposed 'prison break' in Lost in Translation, I had to first leave the city..then leave the country. Continent is next? Err..conflicting interests here, as I'd rather a monumentous journey like that didn't take place with a train.

In this case though, I was merely popping up for a mini break in a former residence of mine. Was good to, once again, have that change of scenery, and the formation of new memories..and the appearance of old ones easier to deal with than those here. special thanks to Kai, Thomas and Jan. Your hospitality much appreciated and see you soon to reciprocate in Vienna!

"Leave your situations at the door, so when you step inside jump on the floor...". Much needed night out on the town! Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn (Photo: Jan).

Old skool...Hamburg City Centre

Ships! Landungsbrücken, Elbe River

24 OCTOBER 2006.

UN Holiday, which no one else has off. Everyone is working. I am home alone. Right now is a bit of a trying time, so this is even moreso than in normal situations. The times when doors just seem to shut around you like in Star Trek or something and you just don't have the key or know the reasons? yeah. those times. This is probably just normal in any expats' life, and there comes a time when you just have to get out.

So I reinstated an old custom, from back in my school days when this hit, and for lack of something better to do on Saturday hired a car late in the day and took off. Figured south has never been a bad direction...North..eeh, Germany? will be there next week. East, been there done that. All those trips to the Bratislava airport. ditto West (minus the airports, but either way bad karma in that direction). With limited time, I only made it as far as Graz, the charming capital of Austria's Styrian region. However, it was something new, refreshing just to be out on my own and satisfy my insatiable travellers' desire to explore (curiosity killed nothing but time). Well, that and although being temptingly close to Slovenia, I hadn't paid the extra insurance for East Countries, and with the way my life is going I didn't feel now was the time to tempt fate.

Either way, a mini-escape location was discovered.

Pit Stop: Hundertwasser's Bad Fischau

Graz

Graz's landmark clock tower, which serves as a point of orientation for the city from atop a small 'mountain'. Nice little stair climb that'll wake you up in the morning..

Vienna (the view from my office over the Danube)

Helsinki

Terviseks! Time well spent with Anssi in Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn

encore une fois, après 6 ans! Enjoying le soleil in Budapest with my German friend Niki, whom I studied French with in Amboise, that now lives in London and came to visit me in Austria before going to Hungary for the weekend....

The Romanian secret for fresh salad!

and now, some old school pics...

Bottoms up for birthday nr. 31! Vancouver encore. stupid birthdays.

Ancient stuff in Athens..checking out the Acropolis (June 2004)

a couple of things from Bali...am so far behind I've not even a section for this yet..

Coming Soon!

Know before you go - things that won't be in your guidebook (parental discretion advised)

Australian Anecdotes (a travel journal) *that is going to be taken apart, redone, photos, stories, laser light and fireworks shows...hehehe*

Calgary and Area The Low-down on London My Travel Page (Europe)
Africa and Asia A Bit About Me Photo Gallery
The French Stuff ~ Les choses Fran�aises Turning Japanese While I'm young and while I'm able...

party guests since July, 1999!