European Vacation 2016: London Calling

Bon Jour,

Just arrived back last week from 2 weeks in Europe, well part of Europe, well, 2 countries actually!

Went to spend some time with my favourite youngest daughter and her young man in London Calling, then some time in Paris (always a good idea).

Travelled with my friend who shall be known as "M" as she prefers to travel incognito, this was going to be a bit different to previous trips as this was "girls" time so very different to travelling with our  significant others.

Started off as all good journeys do with a couple of liquid beverages  (definitely more than 100 millilitres involved! ) in the Qantas Club and before long we were London bound.

The young ones are living in a up and coming area of London called Shoreditch. I think of it as the sort of area that "Call the Midwife" would have been working in during the 1950's. Now it is a cross between Brooklyn, Newtown and Surry Hills. Think cafes, small bars, creative workspace hubs and lots of hipsters! Lots of buildings are being renovated and repurposed a lot of urban regeneration going on. Its very close to the city and has great transport options.

While in London we did Borough Markets, which I cannot do justice to in words, the only thing I can recommend  is you have to go and do yourself a flavour! I managed to score my favourite white asparagus and did a bit of cooking for the hosts one night.

Sunday,  it was time to channel our "inner rock chicks" and take in the  Rolling Stones exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery

Well,  that was 2 1/2 hours well spent.  I was amazed at what they had managed to keep over the years, old set lists, even clothes worn back in the early 1960's. The ultimate experience was the special 3D concert where we were on stage with Mick!  If you are going to be in London this year take time to see it, you will not be disappointed.

The final big thing we did in London was to get our "Kinky Boots" on. I had wanted to see this show 2 years ago, but never had time, so made sure we booked tickets before we left home this time and on our final night in London we had a girls night out with favourite youngest daughter at the west end theatre. The show will not be here in Sydney for another 2 years I think so I'm glad that we got to see it. Great costumes and great music. 

Next day we were off on Eurostar to Paris, so stay tuned for Paris Adventures.

Jet Setting, part 1

My sister is going to Amsterdam on Saturday for work and going Emirates Business Class and it got me to thinking about packing for an overseas trip. I have been to Amsterdam about 4 times and I love the city, it is really lovely and the people very friendly and welcoming and they speak absolutely perfect English which certainly lessens the angst of travelling.

I cannot confirm or deny if I have had any "special" cafe treats while there, but I think I might have inhaled some passive smoke (if you get my drift!)  I actually have a funny story about a space cake but you'll have to come back for that one!

I like to think that over the years I have got packing for a trip down to a fine art. I can do a 3 week trip to the US with just carry on luggage! One year for work I did 7 international trips and earned my stripes for packing!


So I thought I would share with you some of my packing essentials.

Do you remember the old American Express traveller cheques TV ad?  Mr Wong said never leave home without it? Well I never leave home with my....

 

My Qantas Club Card! If you fly enough you can get complimentary membership, and I have in the past, however I still pay for my own membership it makes international flying a great deal more pleasant. Lounge access and champers before flying, showers and refreshments during stopovers and extra luggage, dedicated check in and seat preferences. After all I am worth it! :-)

 A good travel wallet, to keep all your documents, itineraries, hotel and airline cards etc (always have your tickets and bookings in a printed copy as well as e copy)

 A small travelling umbrella so you are ready for whatever the weather throws at you. I love this one as it has the kangaroos on it and it does draw people to ask you if you are from Australia, a good conversation starter.

Shoe and lingerie bags,  (a BIG thank you to Ms Karen "Pats" Brown for these gorgeous gifts) I have a collection of them, not all quite as swish as these.

 Something comfortable to  relax/sleep in . I have a collection of these Morrissey Qantas PJ's from my days of international business class jet setting, but tracky dacks and a warm T shirt will do, as I find that planes can get quite cold during a long flight. Also your clothes won't get crushed and you will look a lot fresher when you get off.

 A good eye mask, ear plugs and lip balm. The eye masks you get in economy are crap, so I have a collection of classy comfortable business class ones, but if you don't have them, go out and invest in some. Ear plugs at a minimum, noise cancelling headphones are great if you have them,  or if you are in the pointy end you'll get them anyway.  As we all know air planes are a very drying  environment so I always use a liberal amount of moisturisers, lip creams and eye drops to reduce the red dry eyes.

  Do not get on an international flight without this! I have used it for years. It does a number of things, keeps you nose moist so you don't dry out,  it also has eucalyptus added so it has a natural protective effect on all those bugs on the plane, and I am pleased to say have never had an "plane cold" since using it.

Compression stockings, I am not sure if they help much with Deep Vein Thrombosis  (but hey they can't do any harm) but they do stop your feet from swelling so much so that you can wear your shoes at the other end!

A Pashmina for a number of reasons. Extra warmth and you can wrap it around yourself as you exit the aircraft and look a million dollars. Have you noticed all the superstar jet setters always have one on them when photographed in airports?














A power-board and electrical plugs for your destination. Given that we have so many electrical  appliances these days this makes it easy, plenty of slots to keep everything charged and you only need 1 adapter!

Happy Packing Travellers, I'll do another post in the next few days on packing for your trip!

I'm living in the 70's ( well almost!)

Not taking my own advice, ( see previous blog) and having a drink in the Qantas Club before I fly off to the USA! Very excited as we got our requested upgrade ( thanks Qantas!) but that is not the topic under discussion today, I will save my travel exploits for another blog.

We have been frantically trying to get our house clean, tidy and bathroom renovated in the space of the last month, and those of you who have seen the chaos I have been residing in can realise what a mammoth undertaking this has been.


Well,


I am proud to announce that WE did it! The bathroom is done, bar painting, but very functional, the crap
 (read here really useful things we keep but not sure why) are in the shed in the backyard and we now have something resembling a lounge and dining room furnished with my finds on e-bay ( hence the 70's theme).

 I wanted to pay homage to the era the house was built in and it is funny that the 70's furniture is really the right size for the house, modern furniture seems to overcrowd it, but old  and lovely parker furniture fits just right!

take a look at my rooms!

Anyway I am going to fit in another champers before my flight is called, so will blog from sunny ( well sunnier than Sydney at present!) LA!