Fröhliche Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas!)

The year is almost over and Christmas is just around the corner. I love the lead up to Christmas and everything that it involves. In addition to the Christmas parties, fairy lights & the Christmas cheer, I have had the opportunity to experience the lead up to Christmas German style. Last weekend, I headed to Berlin with Anne. We had a great time achieving our two objectives: Firstly, it was to enjoy the German Christmas market experience, and secondly to understand a little more of the history of Berlin by visiting the sites.

Highlights of our weekend include:

• Christmas markets - The German markets were amazing and the vibe contagious, despite the zero degree temperatures. With over 50 markets located in and around Berlin, there was plenty to keep us occupied. We checked many stores which stocked handicrafts, decorations and scarves to name a few. At one market we even slid down a snow ramp on an inner tube!! The best thing about the markets however, was the food! Anne & I tasted many delights including currywurtz (a curry snag), schlumpf (marshmallow wrapped in chocolate) and schneeballen (broken pieces of biscuit joined with chocolate & coconut to make this huge ball). And of course we kept ourselves from freezing with the occasional mug of gluhwein.
  


• A walking tour of Berlin which included a comprehensive recount of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Wall and the unification of Germany. We visited many sites within the city of Berlin including part of the Berlin Wall that remains standing; Hitler’s bunker; checkpoint Charlie; the Brandenburg Gate, which stood alone in the Death Strip for 28 years while Berlin was separated into the East & West!; and Reichstag, Berlin’s Parliament building.

One of the bizarre things that I did not know about Berlin was the amplemann. You may not know what I’m talking about, but trust me, everyone knows the amplemann! They are the traffic light men. East Germany had their own traffic light signs which controversially remained post the German reunification.

Torvill & Dean... maybe not

I kicked off the Christmas season yesterday with ice skating in town with a couple of mates. There are plenty of open air ice skating rinks in London, with each venue located nearby one of the many famous London landmarks. We decided to skate in the courtyard of Somerset House built in the 18th century, located along the River Thames. After a few laps next to the railing, I found my skating feet after several years off the ice and managed to venture to the centre of the rink with the others. I was impressed with the quality of boots we had – a definite improvement from the standard ones for hire at Maq Centre! It was a great day out in the fresh London air.

Return to down under

Over the past few weeks I headed down under to catch up with friends and family, including several new additions who have been welcomed into the world over the past 15 months. The primary purpose of the trip was to celebrate three new marriages including Ben & Bec, Ivan & Belle and my very own brother’s wedding. I’m pleased to announce I have a new sister and am very happy to welcome Sue to the family!! Below are a few snap shots of the happy couples who are all currently enjoying their respective honeymoons…










Although the majority of my time down under was in Sydney, my sister and I also went on a road trip up north via Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, Burleigh Heads, Brisbane, Tenterfield & Tamworth. It was a good chance to spend time with my sister, enjoy the vast Australian countryside which I love as well allowing me a little time to relax.

Highlights of the road trip include:

• Catching up with family & friends along the way, in particular meeting my two cute 2nd cousins in Coffs Harbour


• Soaking in the sun, having a swim in the ocean and eating fish & chips at Byron Bay


• Watching the surfers tackle the waves at Burleigh Heads


• Camping in the back of my sister’s car at Bald Rock National Park… and rising early to climb Bald Rock itself. The streams of colour of the granite rock were impressive. It was just a shame we had limited visibility up the top to see the panoramic views. Driving in the area at dusk & dawn was also good fun - there was plenty of roo spotting & dodging on the roads and the corridors.

I’m now back to reality and ready to bunker down for my second winter in the northern hemisphere. Stay tuned for more blogs coming soon!

There is one thing that I do love about my work - I never really know where I'm going next! My latest trip has taken me abroad to the USA, amid times of economic instability, presidential elections and Halloween preparations.

All work and no play is not good for anyone, so I did manage a little time out on the west coast. I chilled out with a friend in Reno (a mini Las Vegas) and took the car for a drive over the Sierra Nevada ranges. With fresh dumps of snow on the peaks, it was definitely the fresh air I needed. The road also took me along the north tip of America's largest Alpine lake - Lake Tahoe – very pleasant.

Here are some quick pics from Sacramento, California's state capitol, including the Tower Bridge nestled next to Old Sacramento and the State Capitol building.

Gower challenge

With my hiking boots on hand (thanks to my folks who brought them over for me!), I headed to Wales over the past weekend. With 11 others from my firm, I went on a charity hike along a 36km stretch of the Gower peninsula. The fact we had brilliant weather was a definite bonus and made the trip all the more enjoyable. I am more than happy to test my wet weather gear another time.

It was pretty hard to become “geographically embarrassed” on this hike – all you had to do was ensure that the sea was on your left! The only problem with the one way walking is that we were burnt only on one side of our faces. Can spot the token Aussie in the group photo?? It’s not just because of my socks… I was the only one who brought a hat!

Anyway, walking along the Welsh coastline was fantastic, with various terrains to test the leg muscles. It is a popular walk for silver DOE hikes. With the sensational weather there were plenty of people (& dogs) out and about making the most of the sunshine. Our trek started at Mumbles, just west of Swansea. We weaved around the coastline crossing several beaches including Oxwich beach which in itself was a long 2.5 miles in length. Some sections of the the trek were pretty dramatic with the sheer cliff drops. We passed many rock climbers who were clambering the various rock faces. We camped next to the beach at Carreglwyd, following our well deserved dinner of fish & chips.

After a good night sleep in our pop-up tents and further strolling along the countryside, we arrived at our final destination, Rhossili Bay. We rested at the pub with grand views of the three mile beach and Worm’s Head which is accessible during low tide. As we waited for our ride we treated ourselves to the local ice cream and randomly watched four planes practicing their aerobatics in the skies above.