Stubaital Glacier, Austria

We set off for Stubaital on Friday for a weekend of snowboarding before Christmas with David & Will - and did it snow?
It didn't stop from the moment we got there until we left. The driving snow, howling wind and limited visibility making snowboarding pretty tough this weekend and I came to the realisation that I am probably a sunny-day-snowboarder than anything hard core.
It is always fun getting up on your board but when you can't see much and you fall down a lot then it's time to retire to the bar.
Snowboarding aside, the food, beer & banter was great and we all learnt a few more Americanisms from Will and now all agree on the pure arrogance of Koala's.
The 6 drive back was a challenge too as the rain became biblical at some points, but back safely we arrived and we're now looking forward to Santa arriving this week.
Will the weather be better in Edinburgh or Aviemore???

Thanksgiving

This weekend was the 2nd Thanksgiving bash I've attended and I have to say the food & drink completely surpassed my expectations again.
We left Prague on Friday night with Duke to drive down to David's cottage in Southern CZ, where we joined up with David, Maureen & the others who had driven down already. Later we were joined by more friends from Prague and when Will joined on Saturday we had 18 for dinner.
Dinner was a collective effort of almost everyone in the house on Saturday although Tennille and I managed to escape with David & Martina to enjoy a walk in the woods.
Dinner included many different regional favourites as our different American friends added their own little bit to each of their recipes.
Jalapeno mash, meat stuffing, sweet potato pie... the list goes on and they all complemented the turkey & ham wonderfully.
Sitting up playing board & table games until the wee hours this morning, it brought home more than ever what a lovely bunch of people we have met and become friends with in Prague.

Barcelona

The IT Services football team joined the Euro Fives tournament last weekend in Barcelona, following up when we previously entered their tournament in Prague last year.
These tournaments are extremely well run and we had 2 teams entered on this occasion and we all had a blast.
18 of us headed to Barca on Friday, and after checking in at our downtown hostel, we headed off to have a look around the city & try some local Paella & Sangria.
The tournament on Saturday went well with both teams have mixed fortunes and the Reds (my team) winning the plate trophy. It was great fun & with the temperature in the 20s and the thought of snow back in Prague we had a brilliant day.
The tapas on Saturday night was excellent at the Trip-advisor acclaimed Ciutat Comtal and then onto Marmalada to meet up with the rest of the teams for drinks & pool.
Sunday was spent down at the harbour & then onto the Nou Camp to see Barca Vs Getafe (1-1).
The flight back included 18 subdued boys & a million noisy Spanish school kids - Gracias!

London

It was a Bank Holiday in Prague this weekend, allowing us an extra (Mon) day over the weekend, so we decided to head for London to see Candice & Chris. And what a great weekend we had.
Chris and I headed for Twickenham on Saturday, whilst the girls headed off with Mel to look at Wedding Dresses. It was an Australian day though, as Australia easily beat the English and the girls apparently found a likely candidate!
Chris, I and a few friends headed into town on the Saturday night, which meant that Sunday's Lamb Roast was extremely welcome and Chris & Candice really did excel in the kitchen. We were joined by Ben & Lorenza who recounted their tales of touring South America, which only served to get Tennille and I more excited about our big trip.
Monday was spent in town at a very nice fish restaurant before the late flight back to Prague and back to work... and the gym...to burn off the excesses of the weekend.

A weekend at home

Tennille and I arrived in Edinburgh from a windswept Central Europe to find Auld Reekie in fine form for the weekend - blue skies & not even that cold!
As I settled in for my flight from a torrential Frankfurt on Thursday night, knowing Tennille had just made her connection in Luton by the skin of her teeth, I feared what the weather was going to be like for the weekend... However, the unpredictability of the weather does work both ways and this weekend was a fine early winter day.
We went to see the latest Bond flick and did the majority of our Christmas shopping this weekend. It went a bit too fast seeing as our flights on Sunday had to be at 2pm in the afternoon but we had a great time none the less.
Back in a few weeks time at which time we have the helicopter flights booked - I expect them to be rained off again ;-)

A weekend at home

At home in Prague this weekend!
There aren't that many weekends we get to enjoy life in Prague for a weekend, despite us being here for 4 years... so here is how it is shaping up!
Friday night was spent out with Maureen for burgers and a few beers. it was no raucus night though as Maureen had a heavy cold and we were pretty tired after a busy week.
Saturday - we're heading to Cafe Savoy for a good breakfast; I think I'll be going for the ham & eggs with toast and the customary 3 drinks - fresh orange, capu, and voda neperliva.
we're off to buy AJ a present after that for his 2nd birthday as well as look at sleeping bags & mosquito nets for the big trip (which is shaping up even more now with our trip to Cairo booked).
It's a haircut for me at James Hair at 1pm followed by AJ's 2nd birthday party... his major present this year is a gold fish.
I'm going to try to catch the 2nd half of the Celtic-Hibs game at about 5pm if I can too.
Plans for tonight are vague but should see us out for dinner & a few drinks.
Tomorrow looks like a lazy Sunday - maybe a nice lunch and who knows...

Venice

Venice is a wonderful city!
Tennille and I visited Venice for Tennille's birthday this weekend and had an absolutely fantastic time. We lost ourselves many times wandering around the city, had an enjoyable gondola tour and much good red wine & food.
Our apartment - Corte 1321 - was ideal, located on the other side of the Grand Canal from San Marco, allowing us to explore the city on all fronts.
We both enjoyed ourselves greatly... and look forward to our next trip back...
We also took one night on Lake Garda in the lovely Simeone before driving over to Venice.
Simeone is a wonderful island city on the lake and is beautifully picturesque - well worth a visit.
Molto Bene!!!

Oktoberfest

Well the last two weekshave flown by at breakneck speed.
We had Candy & Chris along with Rob & Anna join us in Prague for the weekend, which was great fun, with pork knees galore & Lee's birthday thrown in!
Anna & Ron stayed with us for the week before we drove down to Oktoberfest in Munich for the weekend.
It was a great weekend, with many beers, and lots of swinging around the fairground rides. The photos are all on facebook. Sunday was spent sipping a few more beers and eating their gorgeous half-chicken's before driving back to Prague.
Well done to Anna again for a great find in the hotel!
We're in Edinburgh this weekend for Helicopter rides, Mary Poppins & a weekend with Nicole! it's all up in the air!!!

Edinburgh last weekend - Volleyball this weekend

Well, we spent last weekend in Edinburgh with Steph.
The weather was very poor so the Helicopter flights we've (more me really ;-) been looking forward to was postponed so we'll do that in October now. None the less it was great to spend time with Steph around family and nipping around the town.
Work was fast-paced this week with lots of different activities to take care of and next week is much the same although I am giving some training on Wednesday, which will be the most exciting for me personally.
Today I'm off to play volleyball with some friends in Prague. It'll be fun and who knows what we'll end up doing tonight. Tennis tomorrow with Maureen.
Tennille is off to Munich tomorrow so I'll be on my own until Wednesday night when Anna & Rob arrive in from Thailand to stay for a week, followed by Tennille coming home on Friday and Candice & chris flying in for the weekend.
Next weekend should be fun too but I'm looking forward to the rest of this one first!

Hover Crafting

Well, this weekend saw us Hover Crafting near Kostelec nad Labem in the Czech Republic.
We'd never been before so we were interested to know what it would be like and whether it would be thrilling. It turned outo be pretty fun - not perhaps as exhilerating as I had thought it may be - but fun none the less.
The Hover Crafts are petrol based; an engine turning the fans that create the air that fills the inner tubes. It's pretty physical as you have to use your body weight to accelerate & turn the crafts.
It was a fun hour on a beautiful sunny day.
p.s. I think I upset Jan when i careered off the main area over a road into a ploughed field - oh, well, no damage done!

Canyoning II

After the success of the first Canyon trip, we were again back in Austria this weekend but this time with the girls. The trip was another success with some great jumps - we did a 10-12m jump, which took off from a metre or so higher than the spot we jumped from last time. It was a great Canyon trip with a good group of people.
There was definite need of some soothing today, so we both had great massages and then a good lunch at Les Moules on Parizka.
We're off hover crafting next weekend - looking forward to it a lot!

Canyoning

The weekend trip canyoning near Salzburg in Austria was wonderful.
If you are new to the idea of canyoning, this is where you begin by climbing down into one end of a canyon - in our case some 30 or 40 metres. You then navigate through the canyon, climbing up and down rock formations, swimming through the canyon canals & taking leaps into canyon water pools - the largest we jumped was around 10 metres high - and under spectacular waterfalls.
It took us a little approximately 5 hours to navigate from one end to the other and was fantastic day!

Visit crocodile-sports.at for more information.

Gold Coast

Well, we have been on the Gold Coast for 10 days since getting back from Melbourne, and we have really enjoyed it as ever.
The weather has generally been glorious for 'winter time' and this has made it possible for nice walks along the beach and a couple of games of golf.
We're looking forward to the wedding today - we're glad it's such a beautiful day! The bucks party spent down in Byron Bay with the boys last weekend and the lead up was fun and it promises to be a great day today.
Hoping to get another game of golf in on Monday prior to the flights back to Prague on Tuesday.

Melbourne

We had a great long weekend in Melbourne that included time with friends, family, Josh's 30th Birthday, our firest AFL game and trips up both sides of the bay.
Melbourne is a great city - very easy to get around and lots of options in terms of restaurants, bars and nightlife.
We stayed with Matt and Chelsea for a couple of nights at their appartment in Albert Park - very close to the park itself and the beach.
Josh's 30th birthday on Saturday night was really good fun, as we went to a really good Chineses restaurant and on to a bar afterwards.
We took in Carlton Blues vs. Syndey Swans on the Sunday at the Telstra Dome, which was an excellent introduction to AFL as the game ended with only a 2 point gap and high scoring. It was great fun and meant I was addicted to AFL for the rest of the weekend when we did find ourselves in front of a TV.
We took trips up both sides of the Bay on Tuesday, despite the poor winter weather.
All in all, we had a great trip to Melbourne, enjoying the trams, arcade-style-streets and shops and the small city vibe.

Malaysia & Singapore

I arrived in KL on Tuesday, where I always feel very welcome and comfortable. The humidity is always a stark but interesting change to Europe and the heat is always nice.

I went straight to the office on arrival for a serious of catch-up sessions and discussions on new proposals, before checking in to the always welcoming [[Shangri La]] in nearby Putrajaya.

The service is always 1st class and the welcome Chinese tea after I had just settled in the room was fabulous.

I flew down to Singapore on Wednesday, on an early shuttle that flies every hour all day, to spend time with old friends, clients & new colleagues. It was a successful trip and although I didn't get to see a lot of Singapore, it felt like a nice place to live and visit.

I arrived back from Singapore on Friday night and caught up with a bit of work that kept me up until almost 2am. I felt I had earned a bit of relaxation - so today and tomorrow I will lap up the sunshine at the pool and have some local Malay food.

some photos attached... show the poolside view, the luxury of the room and the style of the internal.

Waterskiing and Tubes

We spent a brilliant weekend of weather in the Czech Republic this weekend being thrown around a lake a little over an hour from the city.
We travelled up with Dave, Mel & AJ yesterday, enjoyed the sun and water sports & then a barbeque last night, where we also had a taste of the locals 'malaria medicine' and Dave impressed us all with his fire breathing. We woke this morning & Tennille and I had a early morning swim across the lake.
After more water sports we drove back to Prague, went for some excellent Sushi at Seafood and then caught a movie.
Temperatures hit 35 degrees here today before a storm broke tonight to cool things down a little.
I am off to KL tomorrow so it was a great weekend with Tennille before we meet up again in Melbourne in 2 weeks.