happy new year

Sydney have already celebrated, and it's on it's way to us - New Year 2013! And as luck would have it - after being off sick only once this year - I've got a stinking cold! No Vancouver trip for me, which I'm rather annoyed about as I was planning to buy some more 'Holiday Blend' coffee over there from a stall in Granville Market, I doubt they'll be selling it next time I get to go. Plus I have loads of surplus Canadian dollars in my handbag and now I'll just have to wait until next time! But hey, flying with a cold is never worth the potential health problems, we've all heard the stories of burst eardrums. Anyway, last thing I want to do right now is go to a raucous party, so for the first time, tonight I'm planning on having a chilled one with a few close friends - dinner and films.

Nevertheless, being ill has inspired me to write another 'How to...' page: 'How to be your own travel doctor'. Dealing with a hectic schedule, long working hours, minimum time off, different timezones and non regular eating times, your body can feel out of balance. My mother always advocated the importance of a good night's sleep and regular mealtimes to keep your body in harmony, but when that's just not possible you might have to cheat (a little!). From my own experiences on the job, as well as observing other crew and frequent flyers, I've learned a trick or two about keeping your immunity strong. Over time I've created my own mini medicine chest I carry with me everywhere to prevent, and ultimately combat the most common ailments that travelling can cause. Of course this can be applied to anyone with a non-routine working life. I'll post in the next few days.

In the meantime, enjoy yourselves tonight, stay safe and have a very happy new year!

there's always money for shoes

Call me frivolous in a time of recession, but I feel that if we can't have our little indulgences now and again, we might as well be living in a grim mining town in the sixties slogging away for peanuts. And if one were to not take advantage of the Boxing Day sales...one would be a darn fool!

So, with the money gratefully received from my ever generous grandmother (and from the comfort of my own room as I can't be dealing with hordes of shoppers) today I embarked on scouting out some bargains. I am a firm believer in quality, not quantity, and now I'm in my twenties and beginning to get a sense of style (although tell that to my disgusted 30 year old self!) I'm starting to build a small wardrobe of good quality, subtle-hued, classic items. I end up wearing the same favourite pieces all the time anyway, so why not wear investment pieces?

My big splash out today was on a pair of L.K. Bennett 'Lauren' patent leather courts in Winter Rose (my namesake, how could I resist?). Far from an impulse buyer, I always think of how a new addition to my wardrobe will be worn with things I already own. These have such a neutral tone and classic style, I can wear them with everything!

I am excitedly awaiting the arrival of these beauties! In the meantime, tomorrow to Paris...

choral harmonies at Christmas

I arrived back from Chicago early this morning. We positioned home (that is, we travelled home in style lounging in business class) and so I rocked up home at 8am, refreshed and relaxed, ready for the day.

As per tradition, as I had missed Midnight Mass we attended the Christmas Day service. It was so uplifting to sing carols all together in that little village church, the synergy of harmonies forming an almost ethereal, heavenly sound. Truly the spirit of Christmas is evoked through song.  My favourite carol is O Holy Night, and although we didn't sing this one I found a beautiful arrangement sung by the Kings College Cambridge choir. Hope you enjoy it, have a very merry Christmas.

last minute shopping in Chicago

Last stop before home for Christmas: Chicago!  Quite possibly the most beautifully decorated city at Christmas.

A festive hotel entrance

On arrival we had a little festive drink in the Signature Lounge on the top floor (100th storey) of the Hancock Tower, to a magnificent view of downtown Chicago.  It stands at 1,127ft and is the 6th tallest building in the United States, well worth a visit if you get to go!

View from the Signature Lounge

The others were off to a club, but I didn't stay out too late.  The next day I had plans to be up bright and early to indulge in a little last minute Christmas shopping, and pick up a present for Mum.  She's a notoriously hard one to buy for - the woman has everything!  Nevertheless I knew she'd like a carry-on travel case to take with her on her European weekend trips.  So I set off to, frankly, the loveliest department store in Chicago - where else but Bloomingdale's! They have excellent sales on this time of year (often half price), and if you are a foreigner to the city you can pick up a 10-15% discount (go to Customer Services and bring your ID), which essentially eliminates the sneaky tax America puts on all their price tags, plus a bit more.

In the end I decided on a chic little wheelie from Italian luggage company Bric's. The espresso leather trimming gives it an 'expensive' sheen (although with 55% discount as well as the exchange rate it was still £100).  I love the understated elegance of Bric's luggage, none of this vulgar monogramming that fashion houses seem to have a penchant for nowadays. Just solid, good quality tailoring, something that will last her a lifetime.

So, after my purchase, a gingerbread latte from Starbucks and a leisurely walk down the Magnificent Mile back to my hotel, I spent the rest of Christmas Eve in a bubble bath, tucking into room service and watching Love Actually - bliss!  Then it was back on the plane, homeward bound, with St. Nicholas closely following behind us to London on our tail wind...

salmon and pinot - a Canadian experience

I am fortunate enough to have a very cosmopolitan boyfriend who although American born identifies himself as French, yet has a British mother and Canadian father.  His funny accent matches his peculiar hodgepodge of nationalities and hence whenever he's asked that familiar phrase, 'Hey, where are you from, you sound weird' he sighs, having to go through the rigmarole of explaining his identity YET AGAIN.

However, the upside to all this is that he has family in various corners of the globe, with most of his father's side of the family residing in British Columbia, Canada.  Which was very good news for me on my recent trip to Vancouver as it is the place his uncle Trace calls home, and luckily he generously offered to show me a 'Canadian experience'.  I've already written on how wonderful it is to hang out with a native when visiting a new city, and I've definitely made the most of my contacts, in Paris, LA, Boston and now Vancouver.

Unfortunately the crew sometimes have a rather predictable habit of frequenting the same haunts regardless of city, so in my email to Trace before the trip I asked that the experience didn't have to be typically 'Canadian', so long as it didn't involve a local Irish pub (how original), The Rock Bottom Brewery, Cheesecake Factory or Panda Express.  I am sick of these places.  We cabin crew are privileged to explore cities around the world, with the relative freedom to do as we please; we can eat at any restaurant, visit any museum, take any tours.  So I am genuinely shocked and disappointed when the crew opt for yet another dinner down at the Cheesecake Factory in Boston, when there's the famous Legal Sea Foods around the corner (which, by the by, has converted me to clam chowder).  I am equally stunned when my fellow crewmembers have no plans downroute save for a quick stop at the local mall to pick up sparkly hand sanitser at Bath and Body Works (when we're in Chicago, Christ, at least save such boring plans for Denver!!).  I have often gone to museums and art galleries alone.  It's not such a 'woe-is-me' story as I actually rather like doing cultural things alone.

Anyway, that aside, at least when I know I'm meeting with someone in the city we are going to do something fun and 'local'.  On this particular occasion Trace suggested a bite to eat at a place called 'The Sandbar' on Granville Island, as I really wanted to try some freshly caught British Columbian salmon.  We were seated in the rustically decorated outdoor area (felt like the verandah of a hunting lodge), where the temperature was rather balmy thanks to patio heaters and heated flooring, and each table had blankets to keep yourself cosy.  From here we had a lovely view under the Granville Bridge to the water below.

Credit to akabilk (http://www.flickriver.com/photos/akabilk)

The menu was extensive and had lots of options including sushi, but I really was fixated on the idea of salmon for dinner so I selected their spring salmon with rice and seasonal vegetables.  Trace is a bit of a wine buff so he suggested a Gehringer Brothers Pinot Noir (from a vineyard in Okanagan, so this really was turning out to be a Canadian experience indeed!).  Fun fact - apparently the Gehringer Brothers originally traded in chainsaws, and you can taste the sharpness in every gulp.  No, I'm joking, the wine wasn't sharp at all, it was light enough not to mask the flavours of the salmon, but had enough body to hold its own.  Well that's what I would say if I actually knew anything about wine, but I'm learning!  Later we moved on to the buzzing downstairs bar where someone was playing Billy Joel on the piano and enjoyed a Cabernet Sauvingnon, and I really did taste leather and pepper...I think.  Although I often wonder, am I really tasting and smelling these aromas of odd things like gravel or welly boots in wine, or is my brain so influenced by the power of suggestion that I merely imagine the tastes in my head?  I really do have to get into wine tasting and sort out this conundrum.

All in all, a lovely sophisticated Canadian experience.