What a marathon! Left Matt's place 4.30am on Friday (Noon - Adelaide) time & got home at Oakden about 9.20am Sunday morning. I don't care if I don't see the inside of a plane or airport for a long time except that I found out yesterday that I have to go to Sydney next week for a couple of days. Short trip!!
Apart from the long, long hours it was a good trip back. Spent about 18 hours in Singapore. Left airport and went to a hotel. Managed 3 hours sleep, 2 showers to freshen up from the trip and the oppressive hunidity in Singapore and did a 3 1/2 hour bus and river tour of the city. returned to the airport at 9.00pm on Saturday night in time for a midnight (their time) flight out. Singapore was great except for the climate which I loathe. My tour guide was an incredible and delightful 78 year old man who had got bored with retirement.
Matt is keen for me to say something about my last night in France - Pub Quiz Night. A great night but lousy score for our team - the Pub Nat team. Crazy night to go to bed late because I had to be up by 4am to go to Geneva Airport with Matt and Greg. I appreciate your devotion guys.
Back home now, always good. Was supposed to return to work today but decided to negotiate another day off. I need to get my head back into the right space. And - I need lots of sleep!
Enjoying my new work car & I should get my new lounge suite delivered in the next few days. Sitting on garden chairs at the moment. Well, that's about it until the next trip.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Last Day
Almost packed for a 4.30am trip to Geneva Airport. After a bleak start to the day the spring weather is back. Matt and I went into Thonon this afternoon - about 27kms from Seytroux. A larger town on the banks of Lake Geneve. Wandered around some of the shops and had coffee before returning home. The shops all close at lunch time for a couple of hours and reopen at about 2.30pm. Matt and Greg have a treadmill and are very disciplined about running on it for 30 - 40 minutes per day so I am writing this with the sound of Matt's jogging in the background. Matt & Greg are then off to the Bar & I will join them about 7.30pm for the Quiz Night. I hope I don't disgrace myself. Not sure what Matt and Greg will do without their chief cook and bottle washer! Mind you Camille (cousin) will be here in less than 2 weeks. Do you think she might do a bit of filling in?
The area is starting to get busier as everyone gears up for the summer season and locals are back from their holidays. Also interesting to see the appearance of flower baskets, tulips, geraniums in so many properties. Lots of blossom and wild flowers around.
That's all from me for this trip. Au Revoir.
The area is starting to get busier as everyone gears up for the summer season and locals are back from their holidays. Also interesting to see the appearance of flower baskets, tulips, geraniums in so many properties. Lots of blossom and wild flowers around.
That's all from me for this trip. Au Revoir.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Only 2 more
Doesn't 3 weeks fly by! I have just been checking all the details of my flights back & can't believe it's almost over. Had a lazy day again yesterday. Do you think I will ever adjust back to being a worker? Spent the day banking in Morzine with Matt, visiting the Bar, talking to Jacky, Dave (Bar owners) and Jacky's mother (from London), watching a guy who was propped precariously on the very top of the church steeple in St Jean D'Aulps(working on it presumably). Not sure how he got up there or how he was going to get down, I presume abseiling of sorts. Spent the afternoon reading, watching UK TV and then we had a barbecue at night. Red meat, yeah!!
Greg is looking for contract work for 3 - 6 months at the moment either in London or Freberg or Geneva(Switzerland). Awaiting news about a possible position in Freberg which he should hear about today. We drove past Freberg on the way to Bern on Monday - about 1 1/2 hours from Seytroux.
Tomorrow night is Quiz Night at the Pub. I am joining in a team with Jacky and her Mum. Will probably struggle with the questions as they will more than likely be geared more to Brits than Aussies. I also don't have a good memory for trivia so don't like our chances. Will probably be home late & then get 4 - 5 hours sleep before leaving for Geneva at 4.30am on Friday morning. (all because Singapore Airlines changed their flight schedules, otherwise we would have been going to Geneva at a respectable time late afternoon) But it does mean that I fly on the A380 from Zurich to Singapore. Yeah!
I have a very long wait in Singapore before I get the flight to Adelaide which leaves at 11.50pm Saturday night - almost 18 hours so Singapore Airlines is putting me up in a hotel. I will be back in Adelaide about 8am Sunday morning and back to work Tuesday. i have a couple of cans of red bull in the fridge to keep me awake at work!
About to go to the shops with Matt & haven't had a shower yet so better go.
Greg is looking for contract work for 3 - 6 months at the moment either in London or Freberg or Geneva(Switzerland). Awaiting news about a possible position in Freberg which he should hear about today. We drove past Freberg on the way to Bern on Monday - about 1 1/2 hours from Seytroux.
Tomorrow night is Quiz Night at the Pub. I am joining in a team with Jacky and her Mum. Will probably struggle with the questions as they will more than likely be geared more to Brits than Aussies. I also don't have a good memory for trivia so don't like our chances. Will probably be home late & then get 4 - 5 hours sleep before leaving for Geneva at 4.30am on Friday morning. (all because Singapore Airlines changed their flight schedules, otherwise we would have been going to Geneva at a respectable time late afternoon) But it does mean that I fly on the A380 from Zurich to Singapore. Yeah!
I have a very long wait in Singapore before I get the flight to Adelaide which leaves at 11.50pm Saturday night - almost 18 hours so Singapore Airlines is putting me up in a hotel. I will be back in Adelaide about 8am Sunday morning and back to work Tuesday. i have a couple of cans of red bull in the fridge to keep me awake at work!
About to go to the shops with Matt & haven't had a shower yet so better go.
Monday, May 24, 2010
This is Spring!
Beautiful weather in Carcassonne and we must have imported it to Seytroux. Absolutely perfect spring weather for the last few days and the area is stunning. Lovely to be able to sit on the deck drinking tea (&drinking in the warm weather - mid 20's) and either reading or doing crosswords gazing up every now and then at the incredible scenery - snow capped alps, forests, meadows, etc etc. I need to pinch myself to make sure I am really here.
After a couple of lazy days we headed off to Bern, capital of Switzerland today. Bern was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004 (I think). We drove a significant way around Lake Geneva (an absolutely enormous lake) to get there and obviously crossed the French / Swiss Border. No-one was interested in checking our passports, maybe because it was a Public Holiday in France & Switzerland today (also on Friday - Pentecost, Monday Whit Monday). The scenery around Lake Geneva is breathtaking and as the amount of daylight changes so does the outlook. Bern (approx 16th C) is very impressive. A beautiful city on the River Aare. Einstein lived here from 1903 - 1905. A place I would love to visit again. Switzerland is very beautiful, obvious German influences, very clean and ordered. On the way to Bern we passed Gruyere where the well known cheese is made.We crossed the Rhone River which flows from the Swiss Alps down through France, through Lake Geneva and down to the meditteranean. We passed over it last wekk close to its outlet. We also drove through Evian on the banks of Lake Geneva - That's right spring water!
One of the main squares in Bern had a series of fountains with plentiful water under which children were happily playing. Brought back memories of a former Australia, pre-drought. All the shops were closed but plenty of people out enjoying the beautiful weather and plenty of restaurants open. Our biggest cahllenge is always finding a place that serves food that Matt will eat which usually means it needs to serve pizza or spaghetti bolognaise. So endeth a great day. It also means that my trip is nearing its end and on Friday (very early) I start the long trek home arriving back in Adelaide Sunday morning. It will be difficult to adjust back to clock watching and routine. I think I will need plenty of caffeine to overcome the inevitable jetlag which is always much worse on the way back.
Even though France is very beautiful and so accessible to the rest of Europe (which opens up so many opportunities for travel) I'm not sure that I would want to live here. Very expensive, language difficulties and an awful lot of adjustments to toatlly different ways of doing things. I think I am getting too old for that level of change. And when it's cold it is very cold and I haven't experienced winter!! But, a wonderful place to visit and so much more to still see including Paris and Nice to name just two.
After a couple of lazy days we headed off to Bern, capital of Switzerland today. Bern was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004 (I think). We drove a significant way around Lake Geneva (an absolutely enormous lake) to get there and obviously crossed the French / Swiss Border. No-one was interested in checking our passports, maybe because it was a Public Holiday in France & Switzerland today (also on Friday - Pentecost, Monday Whit Monday). The scenery around Lake Geneva is breathtaking and as the amount of daylight changes so does the outlook. Bern (approx 16th C) is very impressive. A beautiful city on the River Aare. Einstein lived here from 1903 - 1905. A place I would love to visit again. Switzerland is very beautiful, obvious German influences, very clean and ordered. On the way to Bern we passed Gruyere where the well known cheese is made.We crossed the Rhone River which flows from the Swiss Alps down through France, through Lake Geneva and down to the meditteranean. We passed over it last wekk close to its outlet. We also drove through Evian on the banks of Lake Geneva - That's right spring water!
One of the main squares in Bern had a series of fountains with plentiful water under which children were happily playing. Brought back memories of a former Australia, pre-drought. All the shops were closed but plenty of people out enjoying the beautiful weather and plenty of restaurants open. Our biggest cahllenge is always finding a place that serves food that Matt will eat which usually means it needs to serve pizza or spaghetti bolognaise. So endeth a great day. It also means that my trip is nearing its end and on Friday (very early) I start the long trek home arriving back in Adelaide Sunday morning. It will be difficult to adjust back to clock watching and routine. I think I will need plenty of caffeine to overcome the inevitable jetlag which is always much worse on the way back.
Even though France is very beautiful and so accessible to the rest of Europe (which opens up so many opportunities for travel) I'm not sure that I would want to live here. Very expensive, language difficulties and an awful lot of adjustments to toatlly different ways of doing things. I think I am getting too old for that level of change. And when it's cold it is very cold and I haven't experienced winter!! But, a wonderful place to visit and so much more to still see including Paris and Nice to name just two.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Here I Am Again
Arrived back in Seytroux at just after 4.30pm this afternoon after an interesting few days. Carcassonne -old city - is rather amazing with a history dating back 2,500 years. Very cleverly designed from the perspective of defence and of course a number of additions and changes over the years. The cathedral had an interesting plaque referring to it as the place of worship for the Roman Catholic sect. The Christain Carthy influence was strong in this area and predated the Roman Catholics whothey regarded as heretics. Goodness knows what they would have made of Protestants. Not much changes. All believe they are the custodians of the truth regardless of age or etnicity. The town house we stayed in was interesting, 4 storeys with essentially one room on each level and a rooftop terrace which looked out over other roofs with an unbroken view of the castle / medieval city. Absolutely amazing. Daylight saving allowed us to sit out there at night sipping rose and watching as it all lit up.
Yesterday we went to Toulouse the headquarters for the construction of the A380's A really interesting 1 1/2 hours with a very knowledgeable tour guide. They are enormous and expensive - about 350 million each. Theya lso test them here before sale. In the huge building were 3 under construction - 2 for Singapore Airlines & one for Qantas. They employ 16,000 people for the parts they make, the final construction and the testing. various countries are involved in making component parts and they are transported in to Toulouse by various means. Matt was in his element.
On the way back today we stopped to view the Pont du Gard which is also a world acclaimed wonder and the skill of the Romans was amazing - quite an engineering feat.
Have eaten lots of rubbishy food over the last few days as it has been difficult to get healthy stuff. Looking forward to some decent meals. I think we are going for a day trip on Monday to Bern, capital of Switzerland. Should be good.
I would have created a larger Blog last Sunday night except that the power went off. Boy, was it black here! Thankfully I had a torch that I could lay my hands on quickly as Matt and Greg were at the Bar. With no heaters working I was also frozen. Got very little sleep as I couldn't get warm no matter what I did.
We have had 20, 21 degree days in Carcassonne - real meditteranean climate and a chance to thaw out. It was sunny and about 16 degrees when we got back today so I am hopeful it will stay that way or warm up.
Yesterday we went to Toulouse the headquarters for the construction of the A380's A really interesting 1 1/2 hours with a very knowledgeable tour guide. They are enormous and expensive - about 350 million each. Theya lso test them here before sale. In the huge building were 3 under construction - 2 for Singapore Airlines & one for Qantas. They employ 16,000 people for the parts they make, the final construction and the testing. various countries are involved in making component parts and they are transported in to Toulouse by various means. Matt was in his element.
On the way back today we stopped to view the Pont du Gard which is also a world acclaimed wonder and the skill of the Romans was amazing - quite an engineering feat.
Have eaten lots of rubbishy food over the last few days as it has been difficult to get healthy stuff. Looking forward to some decent meals. I think we are going for a day trip on Monday to Bern, capital of Switzerland. Should be good.
I would have created a larger Blog last Sunday night except that the power went off. Boy, was it black here! Thankfully I had a torch that I could lay my hands on quickly as Matt and Greg were at the Bar. With no heaters working I was also frozen. Got very little sleep as I couldn't get warm no matter what I did.
We have had 20, 21 degree days in Carcassonne - real meditteranean climate and a chance to thaw out. It was sunny and about 16 degrees when we got back today so I am hopeful it will stay that way or warm up.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A Quiet Weekend
It has been a quiet weekend and very cold. Snowing further up yesterday. I have been doing what I never do and that is laze away the days sitting, reading and watching TV with a bit of baking and washing in between. This is a most incredibly stunning location. The beauty is really breathtaking even if Matt is now totally desensitised to it. Close to Matt & Greg's place is a ruin of an 11th C Abbey & many of the homes are extremely old looking as if they have been in families for generations. Lots of barn conversions as well as more traditional chalets.
We ventured up to the Fete du Pain today but didn't stay as it was a really small affair with just a few locals. Tragically, we heard later that 2 people were killed up there as a car reversed into them. Quite bizarre as there would be no way of reversing quickly as the roads are very narrow and winding with sheer drops at the sides. Friends of Matt's were witnesses. I guess we will find out more later.
We are off to Carcassonne tomorrow morning for 4 days. It is the largest fortified city still remaining in Europe and it is in a warmer part of the country 600+ kms down south so I am expecting 20 - 21 deg days instead of 7 - 8 deg days. We have a town house in the city which has 4 floors and for a very reaonable price so hope it's good. It will be an opportunity to see some of the very famous and popular south of France - looking forward to it.
I am about to pack but will need to use the lint remover on lots of my clothes as Matt & Gregs 2 cats are shedding fur big time and of course a lot of my clothes are black!
We ventured up to the Fete du Pain today but didn't stay as it was a really small affair with just a few locals. Tragically, we heard later that 2 people were killed up there as a car reversed into them. Quite bizarre as there would be no way of reversing quickly as the roads are very narrow and winding with sheer drops at the sides. Friends of Matt's were witnesses. I guess we will find out more later.
We are off to Carcassonne tomorrow morning for 4 days. It is the largest fortified city still remaining in Europe and it is in a warmer part of the country 600+ kms down south so I am expecting 20 - 21 deg days instead of 7 - 8 deg days. We have a town house in the city which has 4 floors and for a very reaonable price so hope it's good. It will be an opportunity to see some of the very famous and popular south of France - looking forward to it.
I am about to pack but will need to use the lint remover on lots of my clothes as Matt & Gregs 2 cats are shedding fur big time and of course a lot of my clothes are black!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
What a Contrast
Here we are back in Seytroux after a 12 hour + drive/ ferry ride (1 1/2 hrs) yesterday. The peace and quiet is wonderful. London is an exciting city but incredibly crowded and impersonal. I haven't changed my view that you feel like you are on a production line being processed all the time. Nice to visit but not to live there. On Tuesday we took it really quietly. Matt picked up the car and we then found the British Museum (thankyou Matt). It is a wonderful building full of amazing exhibits. We spent our time looking at some of the Egyptian, Roman and ancient British exhibits. Many of the Egyptian exhibits were 4 1/2 - 5 thousand years old. Mum was now satisfied after a couple of hours we left and had lunch and then made our way back to the apartment. We had to be back by about 3pm as the car was parked in the road and costing 1 pound 85 per hour up until 8.30pm at night.We only had enough change to feed the meter until then. I hate to think what it cost us in total. We spent the rest of the day reading, watching tele and playing with computers. A Thai take away was dinner before an early to bed as we were getting up at 5 am the next morning for the long drive back.
It has been an interesting time to be in London with the goings on in relation to the elections. Not sure how a union between an extreme right and an 'extreme' left party will work but at least Nick Clegg is now Deputy Prime Minister. Their new Prime Minister is a bit of a disaster as far as I am concerned. Hopefully Nick will be able to influence policy strongly to promote social justice because that wont happen with the Tories.
I'm typing this on a little net book that I have bought from Matt and Greg - or traded - really good deal. I pay for the accommodation in Carcassonne next week which for some reason was very cheap about $103 per night for a 4 bedroom place over different levels and in the city. Hope its OK but the photos looked fine.
Had 9 1/2 hours sleep last night - bliss. Its a Bank Holiday here today so we wont be straying far. Matt and Greg will be down at the Bar tonight - Quiz night. Hopefully it will be really busy as it was very quiet last weekend - the takings barely covering costs. The Bar is only open from Thursdays to Sunday evenings at the moment. Many of the surrounding towns / villages are like ghost towns at the moment (in between seasons and tourists) locals take their holidays before the summer seaon begins.
If you leave comments on this Blog don't forget to tell me who you are! And no I wasn't tempted to buy a Louis Vuitton bag (no money & they're ugly!!)
It has been an interesting time to be in London with the goings on in relation to the elections. Not sure how a union between an extreme right and an 'extreme' left party will work but at least Nick Clegg is now Deputy Prime Minister. Their new Prime Minister is a bit of a disaster as far as I am concerned. Hopefully Nick will be able to influence policy strongly to promote social justice because that wont happen with the Tories.
I'm typing this on a little net book that I have bought from Matt and Greg - or traded - really good deal. I pay for the accommodation in Carcassonne next week which for some reason was very cheap about $103 per night for a 4 bedroom place over different levels and in the city. Hope its OK but the photos looked fine.
Had 9 1/2 hours sleep last night - bliss. Its a Bank Holiday here today so we wont be straying far. Matt and Greg will be down at the Bar tonight - Quiz night. Hopefully it will be really busy as it was very quiet last weekend - the takings barely covering costs. The Bar is only open from Thursdays to Sunday evenings at the moment. Many of the surrounding towns / villages are like ghost towns at the moment (in between seasons and tourists) locals take their holidays before the summer seaon begins.
If you leave comments on this Blog don't forget to tell me who you are! And no I wasn't tempted to buy a Louis Vuitton bag (no money & they're ugly!!)
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