flashman181

Not quite caught ip on sleep yet but as a booteeful day dawned it was time to get up and go. Now the forecast was 17 degrees so thought I would carry a jacket just in case. Well hello Wind chill factor! Felt like about 4 degrees in the wind. First stop was Navy Pier and not a sailor in site. But there was Jimmy Buffets Margaritiville Bar. Had planned an Architecture cruise later in week but as was a glorious day took a punt on Shoreline Cruises at the Pier and it was fantastic. An hour cruising up and down the river with expert and often humorous commentary. The city has a fascinating history. Back on dry land and the casual approach to the day followed with a casual stroll in the general direction of the tall buildings. By now it was lunch time and as luck , and my cholesterol, would have it there was a Giordanas Pizza place just around the corner! Time to give this stuffed pizza a try. Filling. Time for more walking and just around the corner was Millennium Park and the famous Bean. On such a glorious day there were many people around but it’s a big place. By now the day was flying past and it would be good to rest the old feet for a while so headed in the general direction of home. Chicago is a great city for walking with no hills. After a short rest it was time to take in more of this beautiful city on this stunning day. Of to the John Hancock building and straight up to the Signature room for a beer with a view on the 95th floor. Finally to finish of a great day it was a slight detour past the Tribune building to check out the wall . Storms may be on the way but have already seen so much in just 24 hrs. My feet could do with rest.

Well it was a big day!

When last we left our hero he was in the AA lounge – and not an alcoholic in site. It was a smooth flight and even arrived 30 minutes early – knobber knobber – to a glorious Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Got a shared taxi trip from airport as well for only $30 so things were looking good. Arrived at the digs – and it was perfect. A studio on the 3rd floor at the back in a lovely tree lined street easy walking distance from North Michigan Ave .

So despite feeling tired could not let this afternoon pass and headed out with camera in tow. Magnificent buildings dominate the skyline and constantly draw your eye onward and upward against the stunning blue backdrop of a perfect day. I should add at this stage that all posts on this trip are iPad only so the alignment of some photos may be a tad askew. He was Troy Donahue’s lesser known brother apparently

Now this was an impromptu walk – like when the Royals go off protocol – so had no maps and pre- Sim so imagine my suprise when wandering aimlessly and discovering the Billy Goat tavern which was on the must see list for tomorrow!
Had my cheezeborger and a dark Billy Goat ale – all amidst the photo lined walls

Time to walk that off by down the river and take in the beautiful backdrop of towering erections as the afternoon sun dappled on the water. It really is a beautiful city and have yet to barely scrape the surface. Not cool yet either, I could have been walking down a Maryborough street on an early September morning – you know apart from the impressive buildings and lack of flannelette.

Was starting to tire by now so back down Magnificent mile and home for some sleep but did note AT&T store on way back so was able to also get my USA sim inserted by easily the most helpful service person I had met in years. And then after checking everything was working fine he suggested some tips on seeing the best of Chicago. I tell ya I reckon a blow job was available if I was feeling stressed but then maybe it was the jet lag kicking in. I have always found the people in US extremely helpful and look forward to the same service for next two weeks. The government May be shut down bu the people ain’t. By now the sun was setting on what had been a long long day of almost 36 hrs which must mean there is a 12 hr one coming up I better be aware of.

Now I thought Chicago was supposed to be cold and windy – its bloody hot!

Sorry what was that Ms?

“I said we havent left Brisbane yet ya goose!”

Oh ok. Well it is my first solo trip but I just assumed that USA meteorologists failed the same course our clowns did

So the adventure begins with a Qantas flight out of Brisvegas to LA LA Land. I forked over the extra money for an exit row seat but maybe should have gone for the ones about 10 rows back. The seat map indicates this one is very close to the screaming baby aisle, one back and one to the right. But I do get the hot hosties sitting across from me on takeoff and landing. Now I believe the start of the holiday is a good indicator of how the rest will pan out. So if I get stuck next to a bloody Victorian and have Bruce and Cyril opposite then it dont look good folks.

Through security and customs fine. Not sure why the customs lady smiled and added my phone number to her contacts. And the cavity search was a bit over the top especially when she said ” Now it’s your turn” . Hey, all part of the adventure.

About to travel back in time apparently and arrive in LA before I left here. Bloody Tony Abbott. Riddle me this – am I following the sun or is it following me? It may be daylight for the next 30 hours. Luckily I am a Daywalker.

I expect there will be a lot of selfies on this solo trip

Also hope to take some photos

Y’all come back now ya hear

Update

So the Exit Row experience ? The leg room is great no doubt about it. However the lack of a pouch or similar on the seat in front for storing anything is a bit of a pain. The tray table and Entertainment module work fine. There are a few exit row seats and in future would avoid the ones near the toilets as it does become an area of congregation. Maybe the ones near the galley I have on way home will be better.One last thing of interest – there were no specific instructions given to us with regard to what we do if we start descending like the Socceroos world ranking. In fact the hostie stood next to me so could not even see the usual safety demonstration . I will grab the iPad and a bag of nuts and then jump I guess.

Arrived on time. Used the old charm on the immigration lass and got through in about 40 minutes. Then had to recheck in at terminal 4 and American Airlines. All done in plenty of time and now have to wait an hour for plane to Chicago. As with last trip to USA , the helpfulness of the service people strikes you straight away.

It was a long trip with no sleep so will be a long day before I lay me down to sleep.

When last we met our Hero he was on the horns of a dilemma. Words like man up or shut up were freely bantered about. Ok naysayers go stand over there in the corner with all your mates if you thought at last he would shut up?? Ha, suffer in your shorts fools. In what can only be described as a slight brain melt down a holiday has been planned and mostly paid for in 48 hrs. Help

Ok eager beavers, what was the final destination? A very safe Tiaro, a safe Melbourne, a slightly safe NYC? Nope a complete balls out turn around and we are off to Chicago and San Francisco for 2 weeks in October. Why you may ask. No idea, I have early onset Alzheimers. Now the time frame was always going to be an issue if heading OS because if I had any testicles left (and not in cold storage at Maplehead) then I would likely lose them between Nov and March in USA. After that , well there is the Europe 2014 jaunt with the even more jaunty CLP to look forward to in September 2014. So that left a 2 week holiday starting no later than mid October. Hell, it takes me 20 minutes to decide what I am going to have for breakfast – All Bran or All Bran? Initially leaning towards NYC/Washington double. Then dropped one and bought in San Fran and then thought in for a penny in for US$ 0.91
(Note: last US holiday our buck was going gangbusters and was actually making money while away!) and threw in the Windy City as well. At my age it seemed appropriate.

Ok, well flights were on a good deal so no real issue there although not exactly a straight forward connection – think I am going via Mt Rushmore but could be wrong. The real issue with flights is sitting for 13 hrs with 2 clowns I dont know and am sure will not like while dealing with the 7 inobtrusive pee stops. Now hotel prices are expensive so always try VRBO to get an apartment. With the short notice about 80% of likely lookers were “unavailable for period requested Sir”. But I found one in each city for a week each that look great and reasonably priced. Of course then I had to convert to Aussie $ but whats a man to do. So flights booked and paid, accommodation organised.

So come mid October devoted followers and casual observers keep an eye out for the latest best sellers “Chillin in Chicago” and “Save Me San Francisco” coming to a computer near you

Now I just have to tell the CLP.

Dont get me wrong Life is Good. Have a doting CLP who hangs on my every word (yes she reads this nonsense:) ), three great kids and 4 wonderful grand children. And of course I live in Qld and dont have to go to work every day. Lets be honest here – the last 3 weeks of weather have been simply glorious. But there is still something gnawing away inside – a wanderlust it would appear. I have been very lucky travel wise in recent years as well and seen many wonderful countries and many wonderful things. But it doesnt take long for the feelings to reappear – especially when I watch so much Overseas TV with stunning vistas of the NYC skyline or the sweeping majesty of the English landscape. CLP still works and also suffers from that debilitating malaise called “financial responsibilty” so content to plan ahead for a holiday in another 13 months. She has finally called my bluff and suggested I travel by myself:) We both know that is a scary option for moi – although she dreams of the day she can get away from me and travel the world:) She is a great organiser and all of our trips have gone very smoothly. So its time to man up or shut up.

Now 2 weeks in NYC or London for example sound great in theory but have already been there and have fond memories of shared times with CLP. Would I want to go to a totally new place like San Francisco without CLPs guiding hand and adoring gaze ? What is the point of standing on Alcatraz by yourself – even with the wonders on Instagram et al. If not confident about the enjoyment factor then it is an expensive way to find out and money is not exactly falling out of my jeans pockets. So maybe the best plan is a trial run with a few days or a week in Australia? No concerns about exchange rates/driving/passport/Language. Balanced against this is the excitement factor which is way below an OS trip. So a decision needs to be made soon. Watch this space.

Only a few days in Melboring this time around but always enjoyable. Smooth short flight from Adelaide where it seems you just take off and then start descent – bit like Justin Bieber. Spending first couple of days with Brother and wifey which always means great food and great wine – a recurring theme on this jaunt. We did travel to Geelong on the Friday for personal reasons and it was rather brisk down there. Interesting anecdote on our return to Southern Cross around 3 pm that day. Felt like a toasted sandwich just to tide us over before throwing on the feedbag later that night and so were very happy when we saw this big bright neon sign “TOASTIE”on the second floor. 2 TCTS please. “Sorry we are out of Toast. Will have to take sign down” WTF. You know toast starts as bread right? And here is a heads up – that is a fixed sign methinks ya clown. So instead we went into Federation Square to have a peek at the Hollywood Costume display at ACMI. Not cheap @ $20 a hit but great for any movie fan – not so much the costumes but the little anecdotes about each character.

Next morning we headed off to Monsieur Truffe for breakfast in Lygon Street. A little red door leads into a wonderful eatery – highly recommended. And they make chocolate on site! We were dropped off at Mantra on the Park very early and no surprises that our room was not ready. Had a wander around town in the light drizzle but decided to sit in the foyer and see if we could scare up our room early. Didnt work but still got in before 1300 – and we got another upgrade to a 2 bedroom apartment. Knobber Knobber. This then changed our plan of attack for meals for next two days – with so much fresh produce in easy walking distance. First up though was a coffee catchup with Viggo and Sidley in Lygon Street. By now the weather was clearing and the next day dawned bright and clear – perfect for the walk into Queen Victoria markets. We think we could live here. Dropped off fresh supplies for lunch/dinner and then onto free City Circle to check out the shops at Harbour town. Never crowded but always genuine specials – a winning combo for moi. It is always unfortunate though when you have to mingle with bloody tourists. Doesnt matter if Aussies/Yanks/Japs or whatever – whenever you get a travelling group together – even on the bus to the airport – they never fucken shut up! Talking loud across aisles whatever! So, after lunch we decided to leg it down to Southbank -Melbourne is an easy walking city. Lucky enough to catch a great street performer basking in the sun while strolling the avenue. Sundays are busy in Melboring though – except for good coffee houses which remain closed!

Headed out to the airport next morning nice and early for breakfast in Business Class QC – when in Rome and all that:) Good flight home in great comfort. We had 3 flights on this trip and all followed the classic Seinfeld paradigm. We made up time on every flight and arrived early every time – why not just fly faster in the first place? So another great visit to Melboring passed and the next one is already taking shape – a week in an apartment this time near Lygon Street/Victoria markets later in the year.

Checking my Q Super this morning would indicate this is doable as has been a good couple of months. This is a fluid situation of course and can change rather quickly. Interesting how your focus on money matters shifts when you are no longer earning but rather watching. Maybe it is time to look for some part time work to fund my travel requirements.

Of course in Qld when winter approaches there is no better place in the world to be.

And really, wouldnt you rather sleep in on these days then get up and go to work? Lets hope the Aussie $ survives better then our batting lineup in the Ashes.

Was only a short but fun stay. Flew in Business Class from Brisvegas – not really worth it on domestic flights on the older planes. Checked into Sebel Playford in Adelaide with news of free upgrade to top floor two level suite – very nice although no view . And for us oldies the bed is up in loft and the toilet is down the winding spiral staircase at night!! Top staff and top service. We spent first afternoon wandering through Rundle Mall and dodging showers and then onto some parks and the Japanese gardens. Met up with a friend for dinner at the Sebel and the food was great. Next day dawned rather wet for our all day wine tour to Barossa with Adelaide Top Food and Wine tours. Not an issue though as had an hour drive first in a very comfortable Renault Minbus with our excellent host Danny. Bit of a knob kiss first up with only 3 people in total on tour – they have max of 12😃. First stop Chateau Tanunda was superb thanks to hostess Brigette – could have stayed all day. Then onto Rockford, some lunch at Agnaston and then onto Penfolds and Langmeil before a stop off at Maggie Beers farm. Lastly an informative drive around Seppelts before heading home – to peak hour traffic😒 Fantastic day with very friendly cellar doors, great wine and food, and excellent company. Highly recommended. Light dinner hat night

At last a sleep in to the ungodly hour of 0700 and then a light breakfast at Sebel. This was fine but the coffee service was slow as also trying to run a takeaway service for passing consumers – look after the hotel guests first people. Then out into the light drizzle and a leisurely walk up North Tce past all the Uni buildings before heading into King William Street to catch a tram to Glenelg. Bit like St Kilda – without the great food and coffee:). Pleasant way to spend an hour though before back into central Adelaide for a wander. Then back to hotel for a couple hours rest as had a dinner reservation at Celsius that night.

Superb food and service along with great ambience. This is rightly a well recommended fine dining experience. The free appetiser and home made bread were welcome additions to complement the excellent food and wine. The only negative was the wrong choice of still water rather than “filtered tap water”.Now $10 a bottle is not that unusual but they should at least leave the bottle at the table so you know when a second one is opened!!!! $20 for 1.2 bottles of still water is simply unacceptable and that was where your tip went Sweetheart. However this is a wonderful dining experience and would gladly return next time. Price was commensurate with this level of dining

So it was a wonderful couple of days but not sure we need to come back except as a stop off point for more wine tours:) and this is very likely given the little dip of our toe in the water. So next time we would stay at Sebel, eat at Celsius but maybe plan a 2-3 day wine tour with the ever flexible Danny from Adelaide Top Good and Wine Tours.

Now, I’d drink to that.

Short answer – no. Long answer – would not have missed it for the world

Avid followers, and you know who you are, would know that CLP had shouted us a BC upgrade for return flights from Zurich-Dubai-Brisvegas as just one of the many gifts that she will shower upon thee for the big 55.

Zurich – Dubai. Those in the know would know that the first part of the BC experience with Emirates is chauffeur pickup from lodgings. The said chauffeur – who unfortunately bore a striking resemblance to Rosa Klebb from From Russia with Love – picked us up nice and early in a beautiful mercedes sedan.It was snowing, there were water bottles in our back seat yada yada yada – class all the way. She escorted us to the check in counter even and then God Bless her kicked a few annoying Indian tourists in the shins on the way out. Then it was onto the sumptuous BC lounge in Zurich airport where the food, drink and service were superb. Easy access to our airplane and BC seats but there was quite a delay in our take off – no sweat sir have a glass of champers. Dont mind if I do. Then I will take your drink order for when we take off and here is today’s menu for your perusal. The seats are very comfortable and are the lie down type, plenty of leg room of course and the rather excellent ICE system on a bigger screen. The 6 hours flew by pretty quick and everything was great. Then we landed in Dubai.

The chauffeur system in Dubai is really a glorified taxi service. You have to go line up and get a voucher then go stand in a very short queue while a car is brought around for you – a Volvo station wagon, very nice but no Mercedes. It was a very long trip to hotel due to ridiculous traffic and no hand holding at hotel arrival but no dramas. Leaving Dubai was a similar experience – efficient certainly but not luxurious. Dubai is a massive airport and it is a 20 minute walk from drop off to actual gates. Once again the check in was smooth. The BC lounge was under renovation so had access to first class lounge which was a little crowded (cf Zurich)and much like the hotel breakfasts there was plenty to eat but it just did not grab me much. Once again you have to catch a bus to your actual plane but BC passengers are loaded last and get a very comfortable bus to sit in rather than standing with the plebs. If you are lucky you get to make faces at economy passengers as you zoom past their bus. The seats and arrangements were very simialar to first 6 hr leg but this was 14 hrs and nothing is that comfortable for that long. CLP fell asleep on take off from memory! The food was great, plenty to drink and watch etc but as I say 14 hrs is a chore any day. We left around 1100 in morning but after about an hour the shades on windows were automatically bought down and stayed that way whole trip – basically felt like it was night time for 13 hours of trip which is a little unsettling when you cant sleep. The individual toiletries bag you receive on these flights is very impressive and comprehensive. I now have CLPs Xmas present ready to go! Got through Brisbane airport easily and then a man with our name was waiting and dropped us off at Brisvegas lodging with no hassles

BC upgrade for these 2 trips cost about $3500-4500 EACH extra depending on how early you book. For that money you could spend an extra week in Paris and probably get a helicopter to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The reality is it was a fantastic experience but unless you are 10% of rolling in it your money can be spent in a more productive and lasting way. What is really great about the BC experience is the easy access and exits on and off planes and through airports – you really do skip some queues. If they sold that part of the trip as a $200 upgrade option I would take it every time!

Having just travelled around Europe for a month staying in different forms of accommodation raised the question – what is the best type of accommodation on holidays? To me it comes down to apartments V hotels though am sure there are some other options eg tent in a paddock! We stayed 80% apartments and 20 % hotels and think that is the right mix

We always use http://www.vrbo.com as first port of call when looking for an apartment – basically “vacation rental by owner” – and have not been disappointed yet either in Europe this year or US last year. For example this year in Rome we stayed at 150878 and it was great. You can see everything that is provided and can also see previous comments from people who have stayed there. An apartment has the advantages of

1. room to unpack a bag properly
2. better equipped kitchen to save some money on meals etc especially breakfast
3. more comfortable seating arrangements to relax after a long day touring
4. and most importantly laundry facilities. This is very useful when not in one city for long. Dirty clothes tend to accumulate quickly

Disadvantages? – sound can be a problem as we found in France ; hotels tend be better soundproofed especially from people above and luckily if on a high floor no road noise. Of course there is no servicing so you may need to wash towels etc as well

Hotels have the big advantage of a bit of pampering – which you pay for. If you plan on eating out a lot and only staying in place a couple of days then hotels are best option as you invariably get a better nights sleep and simply have less to worry about. About 3 nights would be my absolute max for staying in one hotel during an extended holiday. Simple things like having a doorman or a concierge makes life very easy at times. A night in a hotel before a long flight is a good idea as it is invariably easier to ensure your transport to airport and you tend to get that good nights sleep.

On our recent holiday we stayed in a hotel in Prague (3 nights) and Vienna (1 night) followed by apartments in Rome (7), Florence(4) and Paris(6) and then a relaxing 3 night hotel stay in Dubai before flying home. The hotel in Dubai was 5 star which didnt hurt – except the wallet:). Perfect mix.

Dubai to Brisbane

That’s all folks. Woke up on time and went down for one last plentiful but largely non satisfying breakfast. Smooth check out and BC chauffeur was waiting well on time. He may have been expecting the Bay City Rollers as it was a Volvo van with seating for 6 but no, it was just the CLP and me. Smooth drop off and check in including 2 passport checks. Then we had a 20 minute walk to our gate. It was 21 mins to First Class lounge so we went there first . The plane was running 30 mins late at present but expected to arrive in Brisbane 30 minutes early – you gotta love Math. The lounge at Dubai is much like the breakfast in hotels – looks a lot better than it actually is at least for this little black duck. Too much sweet stuff or cold meats for me in the morning. The pork bacon is burnt to within an inch of its existence in one last act of defiance I imagine. So will sign off now for this trip but first some awards

Best Organised trip – Wine tour through Chianti
Best Accomodation- Rome Apartment
Best meal – Beef Bourguignon in Paris
Best Dining – L’epi Dupine Paris
Best Event – Moulin Rouge
Best View -burj AL Arab Skyview Bar
Best City to visit – Florence
Best City to stay for a while – Paris
Best Fun – Segway tour Prague
Best Bath – Sofitel Dubai
Best Beer – Cafe des 2 Moulin (yeah I was surprised too)
Best Coffee – no winner but had one good one near Bastille in Paris
Best Wine – sharing a bottle with brother in Chablis – some French stuff
Best Relaxation – beer and Shishah around pool at sunset in Dubai
Best Pampering – BC trip from Zurich to Dubai with Emirates
Best Statue – David in Florence
Best Building – Colosseum
Best Train trip – Paris to Zurich
Best short visit – Venice (only nominee actually but it was a great 6 hours)

Hottest Women – Prague

Worst Experience – Overnight Train from Venice to Paris with Thello