St Petersburg - a first impression

As a well-travelled leader, Russian Tsar, Peter the Great came to realise that his nation was falling behind developments elsewhere in the civilised world. He could also see that the political culture of Moscow would resist significant reform. In response he chose to build St Petersburg, a new Western-facing capital city on the shore of the Baltic Sea.

Today, 300 years later, St Petersburg remains the most European of all major cities in Russia. It's relatively young history has also left it with a similar architectural look, both classic and memorable. Many districts remind you of other European cities. For example, the area around the Hermitage offers hints of traditional Italian plazas, while canals around the city are reminisent of Amsterdam. Peter the Great spent four months learning the art of boat building in Amsterdam.

Garry and I flew into St Petersburg early-evening on December 20. The sun had already set and the grouns was dusted with several inches of fresh snow. Our guide explained that we'd arrived shortly after the city's first winter snow fall. As has been the pattern all year, Northern Europe is experiencing an unusually warm start to winter. Temperatures across Iceland, Finland and Northern Russia have been at record highs in December. St Petersburg would have normally experienced snow cover for more than a month and its rivers would long since frozen.

It seemed that we'd chosen the perfect time to visit Russia. Throughout our travels we saw a light covering of snow while still enjoying temperatures well above zero most days. This made it almost pleasant to be outdoors for extended periods, as well as making it easy to move around. The light snow cover meant that we were able to obtain classic Russian winter photos without the accompanying physcial duress.

St Petersburg was delightful. It was a surprisingly pictureaque city, easy to traverse and filled with many visual highlights. We spent our first morning on a private bus tour of the city's most popular sights. The first stop was a truly stunning experience, one that set the tone for the rest of our day. Just before dawn broke, in the fading winter darkness, our bus stopped outside Smolny Cathedral.

Imagine this. As our bus drew to a halt we were greeted by a towering, ornate, baroque church painted in a muted sky-blue, trimmed with white edging and set in a courtyard covered in bright, white snow. Similar low-level buildings framed both sides of the plaza. The dusky setting, early morning quiet and fresh snow created a true visual feast. It was as if we'd stepped into a living fairy tale, with Cinderella likely to appear at any moment, dropping a glass slipper as she fled the scene.

From here we went on to visit Church on Spilled Blood, a colourful ornate onion-domed capped church; St Issac's, a gold-domed cathedral and Aurora, a mothballed cruiser from the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. In 1917, the ship's forward canon had fired a blank round in the direction of the Winter Palace. This incident marked the start of the October Revolution that culminated in the creation of a communist state. Today you can tour the ship free of charge, moored on the opposing bank of the Nervay River, across from the Winter Palace.

Our afternoon was spent touring the Hermitage, St Petersburg's single most famous location. The Lonely Planet describes it best. "There are art galleries, there are museums, there are great museums of the world and then there is the Hermitage." The complex consists of five buildings fronting the river for more than 500 metres. The grandest building is the Winter Palace, a baroque building painted in deep green, again with clean white trim. It's the fourth such structure on this site, the earlier three being successively razed to make way for a bolder, more dramatic building.

As you tour the Hermitage, you gain a sense of the staggering wealth enjoyed by Russia's Tsar and family at a time when most of the nation's population were eeking out a subsistance living. It's easy to imagine why revolution eventually overtook the Tsarist state. The gilt-edged Jordan staircase alone is a staggering room, while the even more ornate, gilted Armorial Hall, simply took our breath away.

The art collection in the Hermitage is equally staggering. We wandered past dozens of Rembrants, Picassos, Van Goghs, Titians and numerous other masters, both modern and old. Perhaps the most astonishing room was the Loggia of Raphael, a pain-staking reproduction of the Vatican's famous painted corridor. Catherine the Great was so taken by this venue in Rome she ordered her own reproduction - perhaps the ultimate tourist souvinier. Today, Vatican scholars visit the Hermitage to research restoration of the original Loggia.

Read on for more adventures in St Petersburg, including several postcard moments.

Ready for Russia

Giant snowman on display at a local shopping mall

We're ready for Russia. Last weekend I bought a fur hat at Portabello Road market, similar to the one Garry secured recently. I also picked up a second-hand heavy wool coat. We've gathered crisp US dollar bills, the only currency guaranteed to keep us fed in Russia.

We also started monitoring the weather forecast. They're predicting occasional rain and snow showers most days we're in St Petersburg. However, it's still surprisingly warm for this time of year. The temperature is expected to be about 3°C. London isn't going to be much warmer. They're expecting a high of no more than 8°C while we are away. The current forecast for Christmas Day in Pskov is for snow showers and a high of 4°C. Moscow's looking much colder with cloudy weather and temperatures of -1°C.

I learned today that Pskov is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It celebrated its 1100th anniversary in 2003. The city has long be considered a western outpost of Russia, acting as its gateway to Europe. As a result, the city has suffered many invaders. In the 15th Century it endured more than 26 separate sieges. In more recent times the city continued to play a role in Russian history. It was here that the last Tsar abdicated in March 1917.

Hampstead Heath

An easy 15-minute walk from Swiss Cottage gets you to Hampstead Heath. The Heath is a 3.2 km² of parkland with lakes, hills and wooded vales, north of central London. At the southern end of the park is Parliament Hill, a 95 metre summit with views extending across the city. This afternoon I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather to finally visit this neighbourhood sight.

The view from Parliament Hill was wonderful. A late-afternoon sun gave the city a golden glow, glinting from the dome of St Pauls Cathedral and the ever prominent BT Tower. Canary Wharf was easy to spot, as was London Eye and the Gherkin (officially known as 30 St Mary Axe - another building designed by reknown British architect, Norman Foster - the man behind Hong Kong's stunning airport terminal).

I was surprised to see how much the new Emirates Stadium dominates the South-east skyline. This enormous structure opened in July this year and is home to Arsenal Football Club. It's located at Highbury, south of the Thames River, seats more than 60,000 people and was built at a cost of £390 million. It replaced a smaller stadium accommodating 38,000. The architects, HOK Sport, also designed Sydney's Telstra Stadium.


I clearly wasn't the only person keen to watch the sunset from Parliament Hill. A large crowd had gathered making for an informal, but festive atmosphere. Plenty of couples were huddled on park henches, clearly seeking a romantic moment. With temperatures rapidly falling below 6°C, a toasty log fire seemed far more romantic to me.

Perhaps the most unusual landmark in the area is a non-descript circular white building near Belsize Underground station. Earlier this year I discovered that this was the entrance to a Deep Level Air-Raid Shelter built during the Second World War. It was designed to house up to 9,600 people, and was subsequently maintained during the 1950s in the event of a nuclear attack. Yet another small reminder that we're not in sunny, safe Australia any more.

Sunset on Parliament Hill

A Christmas Meal

Garry and I had friends over for a Christmas meal last night; Michael and Chris, plus Martin and Chris. Given our location, in the midst of a Northern Hemisphere winter, it seemed appropriate to prepare a few seasonal dishes. We also crafted berry-laden holly springs into table decorations, one with miniature snowman and another with a candle-centered wreath.

Having holly for Christmas was wonderful. It's always been something relegated to Christmas cards, never something you'd encounter in real life. This year's holly bushes are heavy with red berries. They say that a bountiful crop of berries signals a particularly cold winter ahead.

As guests arrived they were greeted with a mug of mulled wine. I've never made mulled wine in my life. Thank heavens for the Internet. Google "mulled wine recipe" and moments later you have 219,000 options to choose from. I eventually crafted on my own recipe, adapting German Gluhwein ingredients. Garry and I sampled Gluhwein last Christmas while standing in the snow-clad streets of Kitzbuhelel with Hamish and Karin. I'm pleased to report that my first attempt at mullied wine was simply divine. I've posted my recipe below.

The evening then progressed with our usual cheese board, offering a selection of popular French cheeses. I still marvel at the simple fact that our French cheese really is just that, French cheese. It's another small reminder of how close everything is in Europe. A French theme continued through the evening, first with a celebration toast of Moet Vintage Champagne and later with a main course of Beef Provencal Casserole.

Dinner itself was a CISRO Welling Being Diet recipe. A hot dish like Beef Provencal seemed perfect for a cold winter's night. It also presented a great excuse to buy a little extra red wine for my mulled wine. Who says a diet had to be boring. I've also included this recipe below.

I attempted to give dessert a true Christmas look and feel. Roasted pineapple segments were served with warmed gingerbread on a plate decorated with blackberries and bright red raspberries. I garnished the plate with mint leaves and served it with low-fat vanilla yoghurt. the final effect really did look spectacular and suitably seasonal.

A selection of coffee and chocolates, including ginger truffles, completed the evening. This morning we've were greeted by a kitchen of soiled glassware and rather healthy pile of empty Antipodean wine bottles. All in all had a wonderful evening. A perfect start to our Christmas week.

Christmas trees for sale on a local footpath.

Andrew's Gluhwein
750ml bottle of light, fruity Spanish red wine
1/2 cup cognac (you can use brandy)
1 cup sugar (I was surprised to realise that you really need this much)
6 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
1 tsp of fresh grated nutmeg (yes, I really did grate a nutmeg)
1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
2 sliced oranges
1 sliced lemon

Directions
Pour the wine into a large pot and begin heating over low heat. As it begins to warm, add sugar and spices. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the brandy. Heat thoroughly, but do not allow to boil!

Add the lemon and orange then steep for about 1 hour over low heat. I left mine for three hours which seemed to finish the taste off perfectly. You may add more sugar during this time if desired, stirring well so it disolves. Serve hot in small coffee mugs and garnish with orange slices. A stick of cinnamon can also be used.

Beef Provencal Casserole
(This recipe is for one person. We multipled it by eight for our dinner party)
200g diced lean casserole beef
3 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 sliced onion
1/4 diced red capsicum
¼ diced green capsicum
60g button mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mixed herbs
½ Bay leaf
125g canned tomatoes, with its juice
1/2 cup red wine
Cracked black pepper

Heat a little oil in a deep-sided pan on high and fry onion until golden and put aside.
Coat meat in the remaining oil and brown meat in small batches, removing before adding the next. Return meat and onion to pan.

Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer (cooking gently at a level where bubbles rise to the surface) until meat is tender; about 1.1/2 – 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Season to taste. You can also cook it for the same period in an oven pre-heated to 170C.

If casserole needs thickening simmer with lid off until reduced (about 15-20 minutes). Serve with a selection of vegetables. we served our meal with whole baby carrots, baby potatoes, baby courgettes and whole green beans.

The second year begins

Today Garry and I celebrate our first year in London. We've cracked open a bottle of Moet and toasted an incredible 12 months living and working overseas. The year has flown by. We've done so much, seen so much and had an incredible experience. Tomorrow we start our second year. I wonder what 2007 holds for us?

The beauty of Paris

I've just returned from a three-day business trip to Paris. This is my third time in Paris since January. The channel tunnel makes these visits quick, comfortable and almost effortless. Take today for example. Three and a half hours after I boarded the Eurostar in France, I walked in the door at home in London. The seat beside me on the train was empty making the journey even more comfortable than usual.

While this was another hectic trip, I did find time on Monday evening to wander around Place Charles de Gaulle, home of The Arc de Triomphe. It was pouring with rain. However, rather than spoil my walk, each rain puddle added to the spectacle, reflecting rows of dazzling Christmas lights along the Champs-Elysees boulevard.

I love The Arc de Triomphe. It's always a joy to visit. Your first view of the monument is an experience in itself. You ride the Metro escalator to street level, which is rather dull and drab. As you emerge into the street you're suddenly confronted by the monument itself. The sight is most unexpected.

The arch is more than 51 metres high and almost as wide. Its design was inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome. Unlike its Roman cousin, The Arc de Triomphe is located in a spectacular cobble-stone streetscape, designed to match and enhance its dramatic proportions. It's details like this that make Paris a truly beautiful city.

I also love the architecture of the inner city. It's neo-classical stone buildings line both narrow streets and broad, tree-lined avenues. Each building's height is defined according to the width of the street it faces ensuring the most harmonious line of sight. I particularly like the classic Mansard roof shape (a double-sloped roof line) that makes Paris so memorable. The accompanying oval, “oeil de boeuf” windows that protrude from the sloping roof always remind me where I are.

As I wandered to work this morning I revelled in its urban vista, quietly thankful for the job I have.

UPDATE:

I returned to Paris in April 2007 for yet another business trip. Click here to read this post.

Fernhurst festivities

Christmas is only two weeks away. Garry and I are racing to catch up with friends and family before we depart for Russia. Today I dashed down to the village of Fernhurst for lunch with the family. Garry elected to stay home. Fernhurst is about 45 miles south of London, nestled in verdant valley and surrounded by traditional woodland.

My cousin Nicholas recently bought a house in the village. It's a short walk from my cousin Hilary's house and my Auntie Shirley's home. Nicholas' new home was selected as today's dining venue. The house is surprisingly large, situated on the edge of the village overlooking the church graveyard and tree-clad farmland. It's a lovely brick house with a mossy, tiled roof and huge back yard. It even has its own circular brick well conveniently situated by the back door.

The village has a long history. Stone Age remains litter the area and the Roman used local clay for crafting roof and floor tiles. The name Fernhurst is derived from a Saxon name, 'fearn hyrst' meaning 'ferny wooded hill'. The oldest building is St Margaret, the local church. It was built around 1100 and was named after Margaret of Antioch, the Crusaders' favourite saint.

Fernhurst Post Office

Everyone was in fine form today. Auntie Shirley was looking lively. Hilary's husband, David, was in good health and Carolyn, Nicholas' wife was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. After a leisurely lunch, we went for a brief walk in the local woods. By the time we'd gathered coats and scarves, darkness was setting in and rain was starting to fall. It was quite the quintessential English thing to persist with our walk.

Upon our return, the girls, Hannah and Ellen, presented a Christmas show they'd prepared. Ellen played the piano while Hannah sang a song they'd written about the sun and planets. Hannah then finished the show with a delightful dance routine. Christmas performances are a popular tradition in England.

To complete my day of festive traditions, David and I cut berry-laden holly branches in the back yard for me to take back to London. I'll whip them into a Christmas wreath or table centre-piece for when friends comes for dinner next weekend. I saw people buying holly at the markets yesterday, paying £10 for a small bundle. A bargain!

Another month, another kilo

Garry and I are still following the CSIRO diet. We've certainly been less strict in recent weeks as we've travelled or enjoyed Christmas festivities. However, despite the occassional diversion, I managed to lose another kilo during November. I'm now eight kilos lighter than I was in Summer and only two kilos short of my goal weight of 81 kilos.

I also have another incentive to lose those last few kilos. While shopping for clothes in New York last month I discovered that my waist, while three inches smaller, was inconvienently between sizes. I need another inch off my waist before the post-Christmas sales start.

I could fighting a losing battle this month. I suspect the fare in Russia won't be low calorie, low fat or low carb.

Family for Easter

Garry's parents have booked and paid for flights to Europe. We're expecting them in late-March for six weeks. This will be their first trip to the UK. We're looking forward to showing them our new home and some of our favourites parts of London. We'll also take a few mystery tours to places we've yet to visit.

Murray and Rhonda are taking advantage of Virgin Atlantic's new Premium Economy service. The airline has installed new leather seats with more room and an even better reclining angle. How times have changed. These new seats are almost identical to the seats every airline once called Business Class less than a decade ago.

I'll get 10,000 bonus air points from Virgin for introducing Garry's parents to Premium Class. I'll then have enough points for a free flight to Capetown or the Caribbean. With a little planning, I should gather enough points next year to secure Garry's ticket as well. We've decided that we must visit the Caribbean while in the UK as we're unlikely to live so close again.

Scan me

Digital security is now a part of our everyday travel regime. Several months ago I enrolled in the UK Home Office's IRIS immigration access program. This pilot program lets me to enter the UK via a special lane where a camera scans my eye, confirms my identify and then automatically grants me access to the UK via a gate in the immigration hall.

The entire process takes less than a minute, enabling me to avoid immigration queues and entry cards scribbling whenever I return from overseas. In fact, these days I usually reach the baggage hall well ahead of my luggage. Garry was also able to sign up recently, giving him the same speedy immigration clearance.

We've tested the system to its limits. We can confirm that your eyes look the same to a computer even when you're jet-lagged, hungover or suffering hayfever. Amazing.

I've also renewed my New Zealand passport. It includes a biochip page stitched into the back of the book. In time various bio details like my UK IRIS scan status will be added to this chip. Airport immigration and security is changing rapidly.

Donkey's Years

What's it like meeting people you haven't seen for 25 years? Michael Frayn tackles this very question in a comedy called Donkey's Years. Tonight Garry and I joined friends, Michael and Chris, at the Comedy Theatre to see the latest revival of this 30-year-old production. The plot centres around a group of middle-aged men gathering for a college reunion.

The First Act dragged a little in place, but the Second Act was rib-crackingly funny as a former student, now Education Minister, attempts to hide the Master's wife in his bedroom. The poor woman has been accidentally locked inside the college grounds over night. The minister finds himself trying to prevent her discovery by a fellow alumni member who now works for a national tabloid. The end result is truly hilarious.

I also had my own reunion of sorts today. I finally caught up with Strahan, the youngest brother of a close friend at University. Strahan and his wife have been living in the UK for almost three years now. We've tried unsuccessfully for almost eight months to meet up. Over lunch we worked out that we hadn't seen each other for at least 13 years - and I'd not seen his family since 1993 when I was last on their farm. It was wonderful to hear about old friends in New Zealand.

I've also recently rediscovered several high school friends using a reunion website. Several are planning to be in London next year so I have many more reunions ahead. The list of potential visitors includes people I've not seen for almost 20 years. It's incredible how the Internet can recreate communities and social networks otherwise lost in time.

Santa's cattle run

High Street retailers have been launching early sales and special offers to encourage early Christmas shopping. A mild and lingering autumn has left stores with plenty of winter stock on the shelves. In desperate attempt to boost sales a rash of Internet discount vouchers started circulating on email last last week. Selfridges, Urban Outfitters, Borders, Gap and Warehouse were also circulated vouchers last week. While most offered 10-20% off regular prices, Threshers, a local liquor merchant, was offering 40% off. At least half a million Threshers coupons were downloaded in three days.

Garry and I decided to hit the shops today armed with our vouchers. It seems that everyone else had the same idea. Oxford Street was choked with people, while department stores like Selfridges resembled a Christmas cattle run. You can get a sense of the street scence from the photo above.

I later learnt that we got off lightly today. Yesterday the same city streets hosted an estimated one million shoppers. People were drawn into town as Oxford Street and Regent Street were made traffic-free for the first time. The same streets will continue to close every Saturday up to Christmas. The BBC says that 40 million shoppers descend on the West End in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. At least a quarter of these shoppers come from overseas.

Garry and I took advantage of a Selfridges coupon, saving 20% on a new blender, crockery and other items. We also stumbled upon St Christopher's Place, a delightfully quiet, narrow side lane, with plenty of fashion stores and cafes in a cobbled courtyard. I vaguely recall coming here for lunch about five years ago. In a smart shirt store, Garry picked up four business shirts for £100, and had a free silk tie thrown in. When an average business shirt sells for £40, this was definitely today's bargain.

Countdown to Christmas

Christmas is coming. This evening we put up the Christmas tree at home. Last night was the staff Christmas party for work. This year's party theme was Las Vegas. We had plenty of Elvis impersonators and Rat Pack gangsters. I went as a Package Tour Punter, dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt and baggy shorts, complete with knee-length white socks and sandals.

Yesterday I collected our passports, complete with Russian visas. It's hard to believe we're really going to Russia for Christmas. We'll be living our very own Christmas card experience. The tour promises sleigh rides and ice-skating on frozen rivers for Christmas Day.


I've been reading reports that St Petersburg has already had snow. While we've had no snow in London winter has definitely arrived. After a week of wind and rain the trees have finally lost the last of their leaves. Our street looks as bleak and barren as it did the day we moved in.

Dancing and dinner

Last Sunday night Garry and I went to the Young Performers Children's Variety Performance a the Shaftesbury Theatre. It's a one-off showcase given by students from dance studios in England and Wales. Essentially, each school rehearses a routine, sometimes for months, before coming together in London. Most West End theatres are dark on a Sunday. This makes it possible to hire out a major theatre for an evening and perform in front of family and friends. There's nothing more exciting for a student than and opportunity to dance on a real West End stage.

We were invited to attend this year's performance by a friend, Chris Ogg. His niece, Laura, was participating in this year's show. Twelve years ago Chris and I shared a flat in Sydney. In the years since, I've often chatted with Chris' Mum, but have never met her. She came down to London to watch Laura perform, as did Chris' sister, Bridget. It was wonderful to finally meet Mrs Ogg and Bridget. It was also fun to meet Laura. I still recall the day in Sydney when Chris announced he was going to be an Uncle for the first time. How time flies.

More old flatmates, more old friends
On Tuesday night I caught up with Al, another former flatmate and friend from Sydney. He's just bought his first home, a renovated flat in the South of London. It's a great property in a respectable area. I think he's done exceptionally well for himself. His new flatmate, Nathan, is also an old contact from Australia. It was great to renew acquaintances with yet another person from Down Under. The list of friends and former flatmates now in London keeps growing!

More travel plans
My travel diary continues to fill. Garry and I are off to Russia in three weeks time. However, before we go, I have a three-day business trip to Paris scheduled. I've also got a trip to Milan booked in mid-January. For now, here's a look at the itinerary for our Christmas adventure.

The Sushi's a killer

On September 7, 1978 the Bulgarian Secret Service poisoned Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov. He was poisoned in London, at the end of Waterloo Bridge, using the popular rat poison, Ricin. A tainted pellet was injected into his leg using an umbrella tip built with a hidden pneumatic device. The umbrella had been developed in conjunction with the KGB. Markov died four days later.

This week the news is filled with another dissident poisoning in London. In a surreal flashback to the Cold War, Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB and Federal Security Bureau (FSB) officer died on Thursday after being poisoned. The FSB superceded the KGB as Russia's primary intelligence organisation in 1995.

Litvinenko fled Russia in 2000 after speaking out against the alleged FSB-orchestrated murder of Boris Berezovsky, a billionaire businessman. Since arriving in London, Litvinenko had become an increasingly vocal critic of Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Most recently he'd spoken out about the murder of Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya in her Moscow apartment.
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Litvinenko was poisoned by Polonium 210, a radioactive poison used to trigger nuclear weapons. It's not exactly the sort of stuff you have lying around your house. Officials suspect that the Polonium was administered during a Sushi lunch in central London. The papers claim that, over lunch, Litvinenko was given documents confirming Politkovskaya's killers.

It's hard to imagine that such cloak and dagger events are still occuring in Europe. It's even harder to comprehend that they're happening in the very city I live in. I can't describe the sensation of living in a city where world news is being constantly created. It's both exciting and frightening.

The other night Garry and I were watching old WWII footage of the London Blitz. Again, it was surreal to realise that these images were taken in the same streets we now wander through in daily life. Without realising it, you some how feel more vulnerable living in London. I never expected to feel this way. Life in Australia felt an awful lot safer.

Shopping for a Ушáнка

Today was Ушáнка (Ushanka) day. A Ушáнка is a Russian fur cap with ear flaps. It's the sort of hat you always see Russian border guards wearing in Cold War movies. Garry and I have decided we'll need some for our upcoming winter tour of Russia. As a result, we've spent most of the afternoon at Portobello Road Market, wandering the clothing and bric-a-braq stalls, seeking the ultimate in rabbit fur fashion.

After some searching, Garry came across the perfect Ушáнка. It was made in Finland from heavy brown rabbit fur and cost only £20. Unfortunately, the stall he bought it from didn't have anything in my size.

This was our first trip to Portobello Road Market. The crowds were thick in all directions. The market itself spreads across several streets in Ladbrooke Grove/Notting Hill area. It was far bigger, and with a greater variety of goods, than I'd expected. The quality was also surprisingly decent with few of the £5, tourist trinkets and T-shirts that tend to dominate most other markets. No wonder a good crowd had gathered.

We stopped for a late lunch at a delighful cafe on Portobello Road called Visible Cafe and Bar. The decor was cosy, with wooden floors and lovingly worn leather sofa. Everything had a delightfully dishevealed air. The service was brilliant, the menu varied and the food itself was perfect. We'll definitely be coming back again!

Room with a view

I thought I'd share the following scene. This is the wonderful autumn vista that greeted us upon our return from New York ealier this month. This photo was taken from our main living room window. After almost a year in London we've finally experienced four very different seasons.

The Dinky household

Good news! Garry has found himself a job. He starts work on Monday as a Business Analyst, working full time in a permanent position for a consulting firm based in the centre of London. His first client assignment is with an institutional fund management company. Garry thinks that the job offers opportunities to develop his knowledge in new areas of the finance industry.

Garry met with the MD today and agreed final terms and conditions for his employment contract. As of November 27, we're a Dinky household once again (Double Income, No Kids). Garry's been wonderfully patient after more than a year without work. Aside from a brief ten week contract in April/May this year he's been house-bound, cooking meals and surfing the Internet.

I'm thrilled that he's finally found work that furthers his career, gives him a decent income and restores his independence. It's also handy that he'll have a relatively short commute - less than 45 minutes door-to-door. Short commutes are a luxury in London. I have staff that travel up to two hours every day by train which isn't an uncommon occurrence.

Life at 143

I've posted blogs before about the Tube (the London Underground). However, it's hard not to share more silly facts about such an amazing transport system. We use the Tube for everything. I commute to work every day on it. We travel to Heathrow. We visit friends. We go to the pub. We go shopping. The tube is everywhere in London.

The Underground is the largest urban rail network in Europe. It has 235 miles of track, with 45% of it in tunnels. More than 500 trains are in motion at any given moment during rush hour. The busiest station is Kings Cross where 77.5 million passengers pass through every year. The deepest station on the network is just a few stops from our house. Hampstead station is more than 67 metres below the surface.

Sadly 21 people were killed on the Tube between April 2005 and April 2006. 19 of these deaths were suicides.

Two of my favourite trivia facts are:

• The most common cause for signal failure is commuter rubbish tripping a train detector beside the track. You see signal failures happen on the Tube every day. I now know that the signal system is fine, it's someone's Walker's Crisp packet that's causing the problem.

• On many of the smaller bore tunnels, there's only two inches of clearance space between the trains and the roof of the tunnel. This enclosed space explains why the Underground doesn't have air-conditioned carriages (aside from the simple fact that aircon hadn't been invented when the Tube first opened).
  
  Quite simply, hot expelled by an aircon unit would have nowhere to go. Each aircon unit would simply increase the temperature inside the tunnel to the point that units on later trains would fail, or waiting passengers would be roasted by scorching air from approaching trains as they stood on underground station platforms.

The Tube is amazing and doing well for a system that's 143 years old.

Finally, some English weather

Tonight's weather forecast predicts rain and showers for the next ten days. The Met Office also predicts more rain during the first week of December. We've seen so little serious rain since arriving almost a year ago. After seeing so little rain for so long, we're finally getting a dose of the weather that England's famous for.

The poor weather acutally started in New York earlier this month. It rained for at least five of the nine days I was there. The weather then followed us across the Atlantic. I've taken an umbrella to work almost every day. Garry and I have also taken to carrying an umbrella when we go out in the evening.

Rain brings with it a few more lessons about life in London. First, fallen autumn leaves are incredibly slippy when soaked with rain. Walking down a leaf-strewn street soon becomes a workout worthy of a professional stuntman. Second, a cheap £2 umbrella starts to leak once it's water-saturated. Buy a better umbrella.

Finally, after a week of steady rain we've had a minor damp patch appear on the roof above our (formerly) sunny bedroom nook. How do you repair a steep, leaking roof four floors above the ground without expensive scaffolding?

I guess we should count ourselves lucky. They're currently predicting rain for almost 28 straight days in Hobart, Australia. I'm also not going to complain about the increasingly cold temperatures in London. New Zealand is in the news at the moment thanks to a flotilla of icebergs floating up the coast of the South Island. Last week one of the icebergs was visible from the Dunedin coast. People are paying up to $NZ500 to fly over the icebergs. Not exactly the sort of sightseeing I'd be expecting at the start of Summer.

Culture for Christmas

Christmas is coming! In London, Christmas lights are on display once again along Oxford Street. In New York, a 70-foot spruce Christmas tree was erected outside the Rockefeller Centre last weekend. Garry and I are now scheduling meals with friends and family, as well as finalising visas for our Christmas trip to Russia.

We've also booked seats for a few cultural events. Later this month we’re off to see Donkey’s Years, a comedy by British playwright, Michael Frayn. It’s the story of six former students who celebrate a 25th-year reunion at their old university college. I've seen an earlier production from Michael Frayn called Noises Off that had me literally crying with laughter.

In early January a group of us made plans to see Matthew Bourne's controversial production of Swan Lake. His production is renowned for its casting of male dancers in place of traditional ballerinas.

Catch the ferry for dinner

Garry and I were invited for dinner last Friday by Rachael, my company's global HR director, and her husband Alan. You'll recall that Rachael stayed with us when she visited London in May. Rachael and Allen recently relocated their family to live in New York.

They're renting the most amazing apartment located on the New Jersey banks of the Hudson River. It's a new complex offering some outstanding features (indoor children's playroom, swimming pool, mini-cinema for hire are just a few of the amenities). However, the best feature would have to be an uninterrupted, jaw-dropping view of the New York skyline.

We spent a wonderful evening drinking wine (a superb bottle of Grange even made an appearance at one point), sharing relocation stories and lapping up the world's most famous skyline. It's moments like this that make our time in the North Hemisphere a very special life experience.

A little dose of culture?
The following evening Garry and went to see Spamalot, a witty Monty Python show on Broadway. The show really was every bit as funny as we'd expected. For me the highlight was definitely a power ballard aptly titled "The song that goes like this". The song simply took the mickey out of every diva power ballard that's ever been scored. Too funny.

Afterwards, we walked home in light rain with the neon lights of Times Square reflected in a slick, wet pavement. It seemed the perfect setting for our own power ballard moment until Garry reminded me that my singing skills were no match for those of the artists we'd just heard. I clearly won't be opening on Broadway any time soon.

Polar Bears in Central Park

Garry and I have just completed an extended weekend in New York. On Garry's birthday we went for a wander in Central Park, enjoying the last of the autumn colours. The squirrels were busy and ice skaters were out in force on the historic The Wollman Rink. As we passed the entrance of the park's small zoo we noted signs promoting its polar bear exhibit. Garry mentioned that he'd never seen a polar bear in real life. As a quick and simple birthday treat we bought two zoo tickets.

Out timing was perfect. We arrived as the afternoon feeding sessions were starting. We watched the feeding of sea lions and penguins before venturing over to the polar bear enclosure. The zoo has two polar bears; Gus (the larger male) and Ida (female). Both were born in 1985, in captivity. During our visit Gus dozed on a distant rock. Ida entertained us by swimming and playing in her enclosure's pool. The pool has an underground viewing room with glass walls which afford a spectacular view of a polar bear below the water line. We stood mesmerized for almost 20 minutes.

Perhaps the most poignant moment was when we placed our hands on the glass, comparing our hand span to that of a polar bear's paw. These bears are big. In the wild, a male Polar bear can weigh up to 1500 lbs. This is due to his blubber which may be 5 inches thick. However, in New York, Gus weighs a mere 1000 lbs. Ida is smaller and tips the scales at a svelte 700 lbs.

Later the same afternoon we took a tour of CNN's New York studio then headed back to our hotel to change for dinner. Garry's birthday meal was meant to be an extra special treat, as well as an opportunity to dress up in some of our smart new clothes (see yesterday's post for more about our adventures in Macy's department store). I'd secretly booked dinner at the Rainbow Grill, located on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Centre. On a clear day, you can see for more than 30 miles across the city and its surrounds.

Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in less than 15 minutes after we sat down for dinner. Our city-at-night view swiftly transformed itself into a dull, grey haze. Further disappointment soon followed as the food and service were rather average. We left the restaurant feeling like a couple of well-fleeced tourists. Garry probably summed it up best when he later commented that he'd have been just as happy with a greasy plate of ribs in a regular diner.

More about our adventure in New York here.

Macy Madness

Garry and I hit the holiday weekend sales while in New York (it was Veteran's Day on Saturday). Friday was spent scavenging the racks and shelves in Macy's, said to be New York's largest department store. All sales items were marked down up to 50%, plus we were eligible for a further 11% sales tax discount as international visitors.

Macy's is famous for its sponsorship of New York's spectacular Thanksgiving Day Parade, effectively a Christmas parade that takes Santa to his in-store grotto for the start of the festive season. Macy's has sponsored the parade for more than 75 years. However, unlike today's mega-crowd extravaganza, the first Macy's parade was only attended by about 100 people.

We did get to see a colourful Veteran's Day parade making its way up Fifth Avenue on Saturday. The marching cast included baton twirling majorettes, brass bands and jeeps filled with kakhi-clad veterans. Armed soliders patrolled the kerb, making for some eerie pseudo-combat moments. I had to remind myself that this wasn't a movie set. We were actually witnessing the world's mightiest military power on display.

It would be fair to say that we shopped ourselves stupid at Macy's. We collected some staggering bargains (and subsequently tested the seams of our now bulging suitcases). Perhaps the best bargain of the day was a black leather jacket that I picked up for less than US$145 - marked down from an original price of US$495. The jacket is tailored in the same manner as a classic suit jacket, making for a very stylish look!

Our suitcases are now loaded with underwear, socks, cashmere scarves, gloves, overcoats, shirts and jeans. Garry even found room for a new pair of shoes and really smart navy blue duffle coat (also half price). I'm not sure how we'll feed ourselves for the rest of the month. Thank goodness the final credit card bill will appear in £££, making our bargains look even better.

More adventures in New York here.

On top of the world

I flew into New York on Sunday in preparation for an intense week of business meetings. On the spur of the moment I took advantage of a warm and sunny afternoon, visiting the Observation Deck that recently reopened on the 70th floor of the Rockefeller Center. The original deck closed soon after the World Trade Centre was completed in 1973. At 70 floors, the venue couldn't compete for tourist viewing dollars with the Empire State Building (86 floors above the street) and the WTC (at 110 floors).

Much like the WTC before September 11, the Rockefeller Centre observation deck sits on the roof of the building. The result is a stunning, unobstructed, panoramic view of New York City. With blue sky overhead and the wind in your ears, this is as close to flying one can get without wings.

The deck gives you a stunning view of the Empire State Building, the autumn colours of Central Park and the mid-town street canyons spreading in all directions. It all brought back memories of my first trip to New York in November 1983 as an exchange student. I recall going up the Empire State Building and being truly mesmerised by the view. At the time it was quite a contrast to vistas of my home town in New Zealand. Somehow 5000 people just don't have the same visual impact.

 

Read on for more about our adventures in New York.