We decided that this year we are going to finally brave venturing abroad with Tulster! Are we mad? Quite possibly!
I'd heard about this group called Kinderhotels a while back but thought nothing more about them. But after we'd decided we wanted to go to the Alps this summer I thought they were worth investigating. All of them sound good to go to with kids (obviously) but being the kind of person I am the 5 smileye ones sounds the best and probably where I'd want to go!
Also I'd rather fancied going to Zell am See for several reasons. It's on Lake Zell which is of drinking water quality and good for swimming in, but is also right in the mountains to give the best of both worlds. There's also a glacier nearby so Tully can go and see 'proper' snow (and we might sneak in a day summer skiing?!). And in addition to all that it's a town rather than a teeny tiny village which I thought would be better for finding things to do with Tulster.
Anyway, imagine how pleased I was to discover there is a 5 Smiley Kinderhotel in Zell am See - Hotel Hagleitner! Now that must be fate - so who am I to argue... So it's all booked - yey! And even better - flying with ThomsonFly we each get our outbound flights for £1.36 and the return for £11.52! A bargain! :) Job done.
I mostly thinks it looks wonderful, but there is a very small part of me that thinks it looks just like hell on earth and rather like a glorified Butlins! Yikes! (And as an aside, how much of a snob am I? : Actually, maybe it's best if nobody answers that...)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
In the US
Well, it's the first week of a rather hectic month or so for Mark and I. Over the space of the next 5 weeks Mark and I will partake of 4 trips to the US between us.
I'm here this week doing a bit of a whistle stop tour - in Chicago last night for 1 night, then travel to Philadelphia today for 2 nights before going home again. I got a bit lucky though!
I had to decide if I wanted to do a 2 leg journey on the outbound or inbound leg - I opted for outbound as let's face it - when you are coming home you just want to get home as quickly as possible. So yesterday I was booked onto a flight to Philadelphia, and then an internal one on to Chicago. Imagine my dismay when I overheard (as I was waiting in the longest ever check in queue known to man) that the Manchester - Philly flight was delayed. By 6 hours!!!! In fact the plane had only just departed Philly on the inbound trip! Clearly this meant I'd certainly miss my planned connection, and quite possibly the later ones too! I left my (much coveted and half an hour in) place in the check in queue to pop to customer services to see if they could reroute me.
Initially the lady told me as I would still just make the final connection of the day I'd have to stick it out (would mean I'd arrive in Chicago around midnight instead of the planned 17:10). I must have looked rather stricken as she then worked it out again and said that the connection time was about 45 mins and maybe a little tight, and that she'd try getting me on the direct BMI flight. They weren't answering, but the girl next to her said she's spoken to them just before, they had 9 seats, and she was just issuing some tickets now so she decided to do the same for me! Good job too, because just after they'd been issued someone did manage to talk to BMI who were clearly kicking off that they been sending so many people over as they now didn't have enough dinners. Eventually they were persuaded to take the people with tickets already issued (me!) but wouldn't take any more! Yey! So I ended up arriving at about 12:30 instead! Woohoo!!!! And I still get my direct flight home on Thursday too.
The only slight problem was that when i went to check in today it transpired that instead of just cancelling my outbound trip somehow they'd cancelled the whole itinerary! After much much faffing, the nice man in Chicago managed to get me rebooked onto both today's and Thursday's flights, so I get to go home still after all. Yey!
I'm here this week doing a bit of a whistle stop tour - in Chicago last night for 1 night, then travel to Philadelphia today for 2 nights before going home again. I got a bit lucky though!
I had to decide if I wanted to do a 2 leg journey on the outbound or inbound leg - I opted for outbound as let's face it - when you are coming home you just want to get home as quickly as possible. So yesterday I was booked onto a flight to Philadelphia, and then an internal one on to Chicago. Imagine my dismay when I overheard (as I was waiting in the longest ever check in queue known to man) that the Manchester - Philly flight was delayed. By 6 hours!!!! In fact the plane had only just departed Philly on the inbound trip! Clearly this meant I'd certainly miss my planned connection, and quite possibly the later ones too! I left my (much coveted and half an hour in) place in the check in queue to pop to customer services to see if they could reroute me.
Initially the lady told me as I would still just make the final connection of the day I'd have to stick it out (would mean I'd arrive in Chicago around midnight instead of the planned 17:10). I must have looked rather stricken as she then worked it out again and said that the connection time was about 45 mins and maybe a little tight, and that she'd try getting me on the direct BMI flight. They weren't answering, but the girl next to her said she's spoken to them just before, they had 9 seats, and she was just issuing some tickets now so she decided to do the same for me! Good job too, because just after they'd been issued someone did manage to talk to BMI who were clearly kicking off that they been sending so many people over as they now didn't have enough dinners. Eventually they were persuaded to take the people with tickets already issued (me!) but wouldn't take any more! Yey! So I ended up arriving at about 12:30 instead! Woohoo!!!! And I still get my direct flight home on Thursday too.
The only slight problem was that when i went to check in today it transpired that instead of just cancelling my outbound trip somehow they'd cancelled the whole itinerary! After much much faffing, the nice man in Chicago managed to get me rebooked onto both today's and Thursday's flights, so I get to go home still after all. Yey!
Amy's 30th Masquerade Party
A slightly belated post this.. On Saturday Jonny, Mandy and I went to Amy's birthday party. It has to be said I was slightly apprehensive beforehand as a) I hate anything even vaguely verging on fancy dress and b) we weren't going to know anyone else there!!! Well, other than Stu and May themselves that is...
However in the end it was really good fun. We drank lots, ate lots, danced lots, and I realised I knew more people than I thought as I also knew Dawn and James as we'd camped with them at the V festival a couple of years back.
I didn't take my camera, but Jonny has posted some rather fuzzy photos he took on his phone here...
However in the end it was really good fun. We drank lots, ate lots, danced lots, and I realised I knew more people than I thought as I also knew Dawn and James as we'd camped with them at the V festival a couple of years back.
I didn't take my camera, but Jonny has posted some rather fuzzy photos he took on his phone here...
Friday, February 09, 2007
Tully's new bed
I've been wanting to move Tulster to a proper bed for a little while - she's definitely been ready for a couple of months now and asking for a proper bed. But as I knew she'd have to go into a cot when we went to Shropshire I've kept her in hers here as I didn't think she's want to be demoted back to cot again. Anyway, today is the day!
Here are a couple of before shots...
And here are some after ones. After much deliberation I decided to keep her in the box room rather than lose the guest room, but as it's just too short to take a single bed this means she's gone into a toddler bed. Still, it should buy us a year or two to get ourselves sorted out and moved into a new house...
And I thought I should put a 'small' collection of toys in place ready for her!
I was a bit worried she'd be running round the house now she has free reign, and I fully suspect I'm talking far too early but so far she went to ned ealier than normal with no fuss as she was so excited, and went stright in and straight to sleep! Yey! Wait for the post tomorrow now where I complain she came through every 2 mins from 1am - 5am... :)
Here are a couple of before shots...
And here are some after ones. After much deliberation I decided to keep her in the box room rather than lose the guest room, but as it's just too short to take a single bed this means she's gone into a toddler bed. Still, it should buy us a year or two to get ourselves sorted out and moved into a new house...
And I thought I should put a 'small' collection of toys in place ready for her!
I was a bit worried she'd be running round the house now she has free reign, and I fully suspect I'm talking far too early but so far she went to ned ealier than normal with no fuss as she was so excited, and went stright in and straight to sleep! Yey! Wait for the post tomorrow now where I complain she came through every 2 mins from 1am - 5am... :)
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Birthday Weekend
It was my birthday on Monday, and to celebrate we went away to Shropshire with Jonny and Mandy, and Stu and Amy. I had lots of fun, but it has to be said that far too much of the weekend was taken up with playing Warioware: Smooth Moves on the Wii than can be good for anyone! Very funny, although unlike PS games it gets significantly harder as more gin in consumed... Here's Jonny admirably demonstrating the Mohawk form. Probably best not to ask... :)
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