Texan adventure

Been a bit lapse in updating this in the last few weeks. Will write a more comprehensive post when I have more time, however I'm off travelling again - this time to the West. I'm flying to Dallas via Houston. I spend a couple of days in Dallas and then I head back to Houston where I stay until a week Thursday. This one is a long trip, too long...I've spent a lot of time away from SJ of late...not good...I miss her...

This time I'm flying Continental. So far, so good although you have to pay for alcohol...

...blogged from my iPhone

Location:In the air

Zizzis

In st albans about to eat at our favourite - Zizzis...


...blogged from my iPhone

Location:High St,St Albans,United Kingdom

Mumbai contrasts

I was trying to find sme pictures that show the true contrast in Mumbai - the old vs the new but couldn't find anything that really summed it up. This is probably the best I can get. The slums are literally everywhere, you don't have to go looking for them, they're at the side of the street, they're outside the hotel, they even encircle the airport...

Free Weekend

So, today is Saturday and I have a couple of free days...problem is I've nothing to do...

Mumbai is not really the sort of place where you can just go and have a wander around. It's too busy, the sights are spread out and its raining anyway. Therefore, its going to be a day of blogging, watching TV and a couple of movies perhaps, coupled with an hour or two in the gym.

Yesterday we were out at a couple of customers. What never ceases to amaze me is just how long it takes to get anywhere here. A couple of miles can literally take you a few hours - the traffic is just intense, there is no way I would ever drive here. What made it worse yesterday was the ending of the festival of Ganesh. A great sight but it makes Mumbai travel all the more difficult!

I still find it hard to accept the contrast here, you can have a brand new building on one side of the street and a fully-fledged slum on the other. To a Western mind its hard to stomach...

Last night I ate at the Italian at the hotel, Stella restaurant. Was excellent food, albeit a little pricy, particularly the wine. You cannot get a glass of red for below 700 INR (around £9). They had a great wine list as well...

Rush job

This made me laugh...its the baggage tag from my delayed case...note the "Rush" request...

The Leela Kempinski

A few more pics of the hotel.

Half of the buffet in Citrus restaurant, the choice is amazing...

The outdoor pool...


The (very) well equipped gym...


The hotel lobby...


The Jamavar restaurant...



...blogged from my iPhone

Location:Mathuradas Vasanji Rd,,India

Spoke too soon...

So, I arrived in Mumbai early this morning, around 01:00, however my luggage unfortunately did not. To be fair it was pretty much expected...a 15 minute dash for me to make the connection meant there was pretty much zero chance of my suitcase making it...

One thing that does annoy me though is that after I had waited the hour and a half for all the baggage to be unloaded and went to ask the baggage handlers what was happening, they already knew my bag would not be there! Why don't they tell you that before you wait for that length of time!

Anyway, a few forms later, 3000INR in hand I left the airport and headed for the hotel. Luckily, the hotel is within 5 minutes of the airport. I'm staying at the Leela Kempinski and it is a very nice hotel.

Today has been a day of just hanging around really. I can't go out and do visits as I only have the clothes I arrived in, well plus what I could find at the local shop (not much). I'm told the bag should arrive overnight and be with me tomorrow...fingers crossed...

In the meantime, I'm debating what to have to eat tonight, the hotel has a Chinese, Indian, Italian and general restaurant...

On the road to Mumbai

I'm currently just flying over Athens en route to Mumbai. An interesting journey so far, I got a Lufthansa flight from Heathrow to Frankfurt which should have given me an hour and fifteen minutes layover before the connection to Mumbai. Unfortunately the flight was over an hour delayed leaving Heathrow which mean I arrived in frankfurt with less than fifteen minutes to spare. An absolute mad dash through the airport and I made it on ti the flight with 2 minutes to spare... Quite a dash I must say...

Anyway all ok so far. A little disappointed with the 747 we're in. I can't remember the last time I went long-haul with overhead screens? Still, plenty of reading and viewing material to indulge plus a glass of red I'm my hand...and relax....

...blogged from my iPhone

South west London

Out in Richmond today. Tube strike not affected me so far. Quite enjoy taking the tube for a change.


...blogged from my iPhone

Location:N Rd,Richmond,United Kingdom

Vienna

Last weekend we flew to Vienna for a long weekend. We left Heathrow on Friday morning and landed in Vienna in the afternoon. A quick taxi ride later and we arrived at our hotel - the König von Ungarn right in the city centre. This was one we'd found on Tripadvisor and it was excellent. Staff were very friendly, rooms were exceptionally clean and you could not ask for a better location.

The Friday afternoon we had a wander round St Stephens cathedral (right outside the hotel) and then we booked in for a Strauss/Mozart concert held later in the evening. We had something to eat at Figlmüller, again recommended and that was magnificent. The schnitzel was bigger than the plate! It ws a good job we booked as it was exceedingly busy as well. After that we walked down to Stadtpark where we saw the Strauss statue and then headed into the venue for the performance. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I must admit I really quite enjoyed the concert. It was expertly played and they also had singers and dancers so overall I think it was good value.





The next day we got up and took a horse and cart ride around the city. We'd seen quite a lot the day before but thought we just had to do the whole horse and cart trip. It was not bad value and it took us to the Imperial palace, around the city, St Stephens' etc...


We then met up with my work colleage CH and his wife Wal. They both live just outside the city and had offered to act as our chaperone's for the next couple of days. The first stop was at Schonbrunn Palace. This was originally the Royal family's garden retreat but what a retreat it is! Fabulous palace and huge gardens. What was interesting though was that whilst the Palace itself was enormous, the individual room where the Royal family lived were relatively small. The weather was baking - around 35 degrees so the cool of the house was most welcome.


On the way back we went for something to eat at a local winery. These places make the wine on the site and are only allowed to open when they have wine to sell. They signify this by the bush being displayed outside the place. We ate at one in Probusstrasse and apparently there was a famous Austrian actor there as well. We did not recognise him unfortunately.


The next day, CH and Wal picked us up and we travelled out of the city towards Lake Neusiedl. This is a huge expanse of water which is located two thirds in Austria, with a third in Hungary. We ate in the town of Rust, famous for its Stork population which are welcomed with their nests on the tops of most of the buildings chimneys.

We took a boat across the lake and the scenery was stunning. All around the lake there is an enormous amount of reeds which are harvested, dried and then used as thatch roofing.

We headed back through Slovakia, running through Bratislava before crossing back into Austria on a tiny ferry over a river. We then went into a wine cellar of CH and Wal's friends. This was a pretty big wine cellar which had effectively been two cellars made into one. We had some great wine and he showed us around. I was struck by the amount of black mould there was in the cellar. Apparently this is very good for the air as it filters it. We then went round to CH's and Wal's cellar which they have completely restored...amazing work...

Finally we ate at a local restaurant on which we feasted on meats, cheeses and pickles, and of course, wine...

The last day we got up late and just headed down to the Museums Quarter. It's a very pretty par of Vienns, but with the heat, we didn't linger outside too much. We ate again at the Italian restaurant and then slowly wandered back to the hotel where we sat with a beatiful bottle of red and watched the world go by.

We had a lift back to the hotel from a friendly US tourist and then it was back on the plance for the flight back to Blighty...all in all, a very pleasant experience and one which I am very grateful to CH and Wal for the time they extended to us...