London

... or more accurately, Stevenage and Watton-at-Stone.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting my time in London to be as eventful as it was. I arrived extremely annoyed, as passport control had taken 30 minutes and the official was downright rude and intimidating. I can see now why they have to put up a sign warning people about being arrested for assault. I'm guessing they're aiming to scare people who are trying to sneak into the country, but really, they could be a little politer about it...

Anyway, I was very very happy to see R and L there. And I was very quickly drawn into a night of intrigue... R had enlisted L, his mother and grandmother into an elaborate scheme to keep my arrival a secret from W. R and his mother were supposed to be at a craft fair, L was going to cook dinner for them all that night. To be honest, I'm really quite impressed about the amount of effort put into it... there were about 5 different plans about what we'd do when we finally got to R's house. In the end, he went in first, got W downstairs while I hid outside (in the rain!). Then, R opened the front door, put the light on upstairs and that was my signal to come inside and surprise him. And he was surprised... but I think more annoyed that he'd been 'betrayed' by so many people! He only slightly suspected, as people had been acting strangely that day... L had rung up and asked how R liked tomatoes, then hung up; R had cleaned the cooktop; etc.

But the scheming didn't end there... we went out to dinner at the good old Three Horseshoes, but just as we were about to leave, J (who we used to work with) arrived. Then on the way, we stopped and R jumped out of the car ('to drop something off I think', L said) and came back with 'Stella' J. All surprised out, we had a fantastic dinner there (nachos of course, and lamb shank). It was strange being back there. Not quite as good as I expected, since I didn't really know anyone there at all. Still, it did bring back memories...

The next day was spent watching the video of K & B's wedding, visiting people for cups of tea and wandering around garden centres / fish shops. We had a nice small lunch at another McMullens pub, then R left me at M's. I felt a little bad, b'cos I couldn't help gawking at M's house before I even said hello to her. she had done an amazing job of transforming it into a more 'Australian' house, with a large open-plan kitchen, big light, breezy rooms and lots of white walls... it looked wonderful!

We chatted about house plans, life & family (V is so mature and responsible for an 11 year old!), had a roast for dinner (I love parsnip chips!), then went to the George and Dragon for dessert. But the real excitement started when we got home. It turned out that M only had the back door key, which couldn't be used while a key was in the lock from the inside. She ran down to the neighbour's to pick up a spare key, only to find that that was also a back door key. I climbed onto the 'balcony' to get through her bedroom, but that was locked. Then we tried to break in by smashing a window with a rock and using a credit card on the front door. Finally, we had to give up and call a locksmith. Those people make it look so easy...

Kunsthaus

The big bug, the blue bubble, the big blue bubble... whatever it's been nicknamed, the Kunsthaus is a great place to visit on a snowy Friday afternoon. If you're wondering why I'm not at work on a Friday afternoon, it's because in Austria, most people leave work after lunch on Fridays... which I quickly realised when all the people I needed to talk to were not at their desks...

So I took refuge from the cold in the museum and wandered around M City, an exhibition about mid-sized European cities. Displays ranged from a supermarket trolley covered in 2 tonnes of sugar; to a visual display of things people like / dislike about sprawl; to replicas of well-designed city layouts around the world; to a city carved out of candles, of which a few were lit each day; to a map of Graz showing where several volunteers were currently located by tracking their mobiles. It was interesting seeing how different people around the world solve the dilemma of whether to be squashed together in a busy city or be isolated from amenities outside a major city. And how sprawl occurs in different geometric patterns and is affected by social trends and public transport systems. And how many major cities are moving towards 'public transport hubs' which contain overdesigned public areas as well as parking and easy access to the city.

M City only took up two 'spaces' in the museum, so a couple of hours later I was outside warming my hands with chestnuts and picking beads in a ceramic shop (Graz is apparently known for its ceramics) before returning for a photography exhibition opening. It was by a South African photographer who has taken photos of SA locals since apartheid. There was an amazing 'family portrait' of a woman and her two daughters... the caption told us that she died a few years ago of AIDS, her son died a couple of months later, also of AIDS, then her daughter died a couple of months after that, once again of AIDS. There were pictures of children playing in water in an abandoned blue abestos area - if you inhale the slightest bit of it and are a susceptible person, it will kill you within 10-40 years. Although not all the stories were as depressing as that, the photographs certainly gave you an insight into these people's lives...

I stayed for the opening itself, but it seemed to be all speeches in German. One of the photographers wandering around snapped me when I turned around to look at him. It was then that I decided I should probably brave the cold again...

Snow! (And food)

It snowed today! Snow is so beautiful. Not just on the ground, but when it's falling. So much more beautiful than rain. You really don't see the four seasons in Melbourne the way you see it in Europe.

I've decided that I'm going to miss the food in Graz. Despite the huge portions, I think the food is actually quite good for me. Because it is so hearty (although perhaps a little too salty), I find that I can never finish my meal and am therefore not overeating... perfect!

Some really nice people at Infonova have been driving us to little restaurants or guesthouses nearby for lunch. Apart from the pizza days, you usually order the 'menu', which is 2-3 courses for around 6-8 Euro... and the food is fantastic!!!

I have lots of favourites. I am now a big fan of clear soups, especially the ones with scrambled pancakes or dumplings in them (even liver dumplings). I had the most amazing one yesterday, with little Malteser-sized balls of souffle-like dough. They were hollow and squirted out soup when you popped them in your mouth.

The main meals tend to be meat and something else. The meat is usually in a rich, thickish sauce. The something else ranges from more dumplings to potatoes to dough that looks like potato to risotto to sauerkraut to nudels/pasta. And yes, because it's me I like the dumplings the best.

Desserts I can always finish. I've had cakes, pastries, pancakes with ice cream - all of them are fine with me :)

Maribor is not

As optimistic as I am, I have to admit that Maribor was a disappointment. I guess it was partly our fault. We did go on a Saturday (when shops are closed) and we did go to a border town rather than the capital city - still, the tourist office could have followed it's advertised opening hours!

Without a doubt, the best part was the train ride. We passed little villages covered in snow, (I am so glad Graz is in a valley!), expansive fields and beautiful forests. The only sign that we had passed into Slovenia was when our tickets / passports were checked about 5 times... at least they're thorough.

As I mentioned, the tourist office was closed, so we got a taxi into town (2 minutes away) and picked up a map from the nearest hotel. We found ourselves a place for lunch and attempted to order some Slovenian food (lots of meat and potatoes). We also had some 'Slovenian' hot chocolate, which is basically frothy milk, with a faint chocolate flavour.

Finally we braved the cold and tried to see some of the sights. With our trusty map, we first headed for what looked like a castle - we walked past it a few times, before realising it was really just a big building. Then we went in search of the fish and snakes in the park - that turned out to be a ducks in a pond and a closed (of course) lizard museum. A little disheartened, we made some attempts to find an earlier train (or other means of transport) to Graz, before finally taking refuge in another cafe. This time the hot chocolate was extremely thick and syrupy - around the consistency of thick pumpkin soup... even I couldn't finish it!

The day ended well though - we had dinner at Murinsel (Island in the Mur), an amazing looking 'architectural project' consisting of an amphitheatre and a cafe. With lots of glass, light and curves (even the toilet made you feel like you were in a spaceship). It's actually connected to each side of the river by a bridge and apparently it kinda 'floats' and is not affected by rising water. Apparently they're building one in Melbourne...

Graz is beautiful

I am in love with this town. I want to move here for a while - but only if I can buy a puffy down jacket and fur lined boots...

Seriously, it is extremely beautiful. During the day, with the carpet of golden leaves and in the evening, with the sparkling Christmas lights...

We got up as early as we could and did a walk of the old town. We saw the Painted House opposite the Landhaus, wandered around the Christmas markets (see pic on left) in the Hauptplatz (central square), spotted the 'Turkish warrior' under the cornice of the Palais Saurau and admired the pastries in the Edegger Tax bakery.

After pausing in the Cathedral, we left our mark in the Burg (at the top of the spiral staircase), before playing in the leaves in the Burggarten and the snow(!) in the Stadtpark. Oh, and I can see why there are so many Maroni (chestnut) stalls in this country - you need something to keep you warm!

In the Stadtpark (see pic on right), is one of the best things about Graz. Right next to a beautiful fountain is the 'Rusty Nail' (as you may guess, a modern, very tall nail) - Graz has beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets, but it also has some brilliant modern architecture and art. Same deal with the Opera House and the steel sculpture 'Light Sword'.

We made our way through the Farmers Market at Kaiser-Josef-Platz before deciding we needed lunch. Rewarding ourselves for bounding up the stairs to the Schlossberg (amazing view!), we snapped away at the Bell Tower, the Clock Tower (with hands back to front!) and a bizarre message from space before warming up with some soup. We decided to take the funicular down - beautiful view again.

We quickly visited The Bug aka Grazer Kunsthaus (see pic on left), another modern building, before cramming in some shopping. Then it suddenly turned very cold. Taking refuge in the Sacher Cafe (I LOVE their hot chocolates), we went home to rest before our night out...

Wien

Cakes, colourful houses and classical music... how can you not love Vienna?!?

Friday night was all about food and drink. We trekked out to a brilliant little restaurant called 'Stomach' (thanks to Lonely Planet), then went to the local (i.e. closest to our hotel) pub for drinks. Not a fan of the smoke, but they played everything from yodeling to Christmas carols to Shakira. We learnt from the 'wo-man' waitress that drinks were half price as they were celebrating their 6th birthday, but much to Roshan's disappointment we headed home before the sun came up.

For some unknown, annoying reason, I did not sleep on Friday night. It's not an absolute essential in Vienna though, because the morning chill keeps you awake. We made our way into town and did a little walking tour (thanks to Lonely Planet again) before stopping for an amazing torte break at the Sacher cafe. I shared a dessert platter (i.e. 4 layers of platter), all of it amazing! We made our way down Wien's Walk of Fame, where Mel Gibson and Big Bird are replaced with Tchaikovsky and Puccini. Then I crashed.

On Saturday night we found ourselves a little concert in Lutherische Stadtkirche (a Lutheran church) - we heard an amazing 20th century Hartmann violin concerto sandwiched between some sing-along choral works by Brahms, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Reger. After finally trying a Vien Schnitzel (not worth the effort), I crashed again. I guess 20 minutes sleep in 38 hours just doesn't cut it.

Sunday found us a little more organised and we headed straight to the Kunsthaus. Hundertwasser had very interesting concepts along the lines of 'Straight lines are godless and bad for the soul' and was a big proponent of tree tenants and grass on roofs. Although I wasn't such a big fan of his paintings, I have to admit that the little model hobbit-like village did look very appealing... There was also Albert Watson's Frozen photography exhibition - the photos of people, amazing and not, were captivating!

I had time to visit the Toilet of Modern Art (see pic on left) and squash a 2 cent coin into a souvenir before we took refuge from the cold. Despite originally mistaking it for vinegar, I am now a huge fan of pumpkinseed oil. And the pumpkinseed pesto pasta I had for lunch did not disappoint. Simon had a brilliant idea to hire bikes and we braved the roads, stopping at the old ferris wheel for mulled wine and chestnuts. As the bike was quite tall, I had a lot of difficulty stopping and starting; I showed off my unique method of falling / leaping off the bike to everyone else's amusement. Our last stop was the Demel Cafe (Sacher's rival), where I had a 'Choco-Baileys' and some more to-die-for cakes...

A big, big thanks to Mel for organising it and to Ankur, Roshan and Simon for putting up with me in my sleepless state!!!

I'm in Austria!

Wow! I'm finally back in Europe again! Even after 20+ hours of flying, it is still very exciting... YAY!!!

The flight wasn't anywhere near as bad as I feared. Could have something to do with flying business class for the first time in my life. You know the flight can't be too bad when you have people hanging up your coat when you board, when you can eat as much chocolate as you want and most importantly, when you can lie down in your own little 'pram' or 'bubble' when it's time to sleep.

Not all went well though... I met a lovely old German lady on the flight to Frankfurt and very proudly whipped out my notebook of German phrases. However, when I tried to say 'Where is the toilet?', she burst into laughter... not quite the response I was after...