Thankfully my hubby did not and so I woke up this morning with a bunch of red roses on my bed and a trail of little love notes all over the place - in the shower, in the fridge etc.
How cute is that???
Monday, 15 February 2016
Valentines Day Love
I must admit - I did forget Valentines Day.
Thankfully my hubby did not and so I woke up this morning with a bunch of red roses on my bed and a trail of little love notes all over the place - in the shower, in the fridge etc.
How cute is that???
Thankfully my hubby did not and so I woke up this morning with a bunch of red roses on my bed and a trail of little love notes all over the place - in the shower, in the fridge etc.
How cute is that???
Malta
Well Malta has not changed ! Still its bureaucratic permit preoccupied self!
First bit of "welcome to malta" - the airport trolley dispenser. Everywhere in the world you get your money back when you return the trolley. Not here my friend. You paid 2 Euro's, but you only get back 1 :-)
First bit of "welcome to malta" - the airport trolley dispenser. Everywhere in the world you get your money back when you return the trolley. Not here my friend. You paid 2 Euro's, but you only get back 1 :-)
I managed to do the required test for becoming a "Range Conducting Officer" so we can run shooting training here if needs be in future.
We have run some courses in Malta and though frustrating given the Maltese penchant for moving the goal posts on anything they can make a quick buck on - we can run courses here.
We also like that it has the best weather in the world and that's no lie given that we left snow and sleet and arrived here to 20-degree mild T- Shirt bliss mid-European Winter!
The view from the flat sucked big time!
The public transport is great though driving is scary, in a bus you are in the biggest vehicle on the road so it is all good.
It is a peaceful and boring safe little corner of Europe close enough to go and ski or visit the cultural centers of Europe.
The fact that they drive on the left and speak English in Malta - although both of those are said with a pinch of salt - makes it a bit like SA.
I have researched the kids education costs here especially University and it is not too bad.
We are also looking at renting a flat to have a place to stay when in Europe and also for the kids to stay if they attend University here.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Whirlwind of the UK
Hotels: All around London!
Jeepers what a whirlwind 72 hours. The last 3 days we had meetings all around London and so we spent every night at a new hotel, lugging our baggage in and out. What an exhausting process.
We had a meeting with a Graduate of ours who is now the Clinical Director of a 400 vehicle strong Ambulance Service - they have been providing quite a bit of employment for other Graduates and so it was interesting to have a look at their operations and finally put some faces to people we've only been communicating with via email.
Mini Response Car used for Beach Events
Monday was also the day we met with QualSafe Awards, a new kid on the block, who have developed new pre-hospital care qualifications to take over from the ones which have now been discontinued by another organisation.
Good news is that QualSafe seems to be more open and relevant so we're going to give it a go and see how their programs work out. Translated: Mel will be spending the next few weeks stuck behind her computer working these awards into our current Courses!
Tuesday was reserved for another Paramedic Graduate. He is the interim COO of a General Hospital (that's what he does, he fixes poor performing Hospitals) and they are keen to bring us in to upskill their current Emergency Staff. Exciting project and one I hope comes off the ground!
Last day we spent visiting David Halliwell. Now Dave is equally as crazy as Timm and his passion is EMS Education. We've known Dave for over 10 years now, he's come to SA a few times and every time we come together, sparks and ideas seem to fly.
His latest project is the building of a dedicated EMS training centre west of London and we went to see the start of it.
One big part of this will be "Immersive Training" i.e. training candidates in surroundings which resemble their future working environment - alongside a busy road at a car crash etc. The way they do is with high tech laser and beaming technology as well as sound and smell. You can smell the patients vomit! Yuck.
So we've had a few busy days and I'm looking forward to Malta
Jeepers what a whirlwind 72 hours. The last 3 days we had meetings all around London and so we spent every night at a new hotel, lugging our baggage in and out. What an exhausting process.
We had a meeting with a Graduate of ours who is now the Clinical Director of a 400 vehicle strong Ambulance Service - they have been providing quite a bit of employment for other Graduates and so it was interesting to have a look at their operations and finally put some faces to people we've only been communicating with via email.
Mini Response Car used for Beach Events
Monday was also the day we met with QualSafe Awards, a new kid on the block, who have developed new pre-hospital care qualifications to take over from the ones which have now been discontinued by another organisation.
Good news is that QualSafe seems to be more open and relevant so we're going to give it a go and see how their programs work out. Translated: Mel will be spending the next few weeks stuck behind her computer working these awards into our current Courses!
Tuesday was reserved for another Paramedic Graduate. He is the interim COO of a General Hospital (that's what he does, he fixes poor performing Hospitals) and they are keen to bring us in to upskill their current Emergency Staff. Exciting project and one I hope comes off the ground!
Last day we spent visiting David Halliwell. Now Dave is equally as crazy as Timm and his passion is EMS Education. We've known Dave for over 10 years now, he's come to SA a few times and every time we come together, sparks and ideas seem to fly.
His latest project is the building of a dedicated EMS training centre west of London and we went to see the start of it.
One big part of this will be "Immersive Training" i.e. training candidates in surroundings which resemble their future working environment - alongside a busy road at a car crash etc. The way they do is with high tech laser and beaming technology as well as sound and smell. You can smell the patients vomit! Yuck.
So we've had a few busy days and I'm looking forward to Malta
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Visiting Paul and Jacky
We have spent the last 2 days with Paul, Jacky, Marcus and Darcy and what a great time we've had.
I haven't seen Jacky for close to 5 years and it was great to catch up and finally meet the kids - it's always been via Skype!
Time was spent with the family by just joining into their family routine, train tracks were built, marble runs were created and lots of snuggling!
Timm spent a bit of time with Marcus teaching him how to cycle, I promise he wasn't as grumpy as he looks on this photo
I haven't seen Jacky for close to 5 years and it was great to catch up and finally meet the kids - it's always been via Skype!
Time was spent with the family by just joining into their family routine, train tracks were built, marble runs were created and lots of snuggling!
Timm spent a bit of time with Marcus teaching him how to cycle, I promise he wasn't as grumpy as he looks on this photo
Friday, 29 January 2016
Training in Sweden
Hotel: Sky Hotel Apartments (Linköping, Sweden)
As I mentioned earlier, Timm and I were invited as guest lecturers on an Advanced Trauma Course to be held in Linköping, Sweden end of January
Our flight booking to Stockholm was via Oslo and to make matters worse, our Munich flight departed late which meant we ended up missing our connecting flight.... With all the resultant rebookings of flights and trains, final arrival time at our Hotel Bed was at 1:30am the next morning!!!
The Trauma Course was held for a group of specialised Military & Police operators, designed to prepare and revise the essential skills of arresting catastrophic bleeding and treating traumatic injuries.
While only 3 days in duration, days were intense and long, barely enough time to have a shower in the morning and catch a few hours of sleep. Quite a culture shock for us having lazed around for the last few months :)
One thing I did enjoy was the enthusiasm of the students as well as the Instructors. We had experienced military & civilian medics as well as a few surgeons and the idea interchange and the learning curve (even for me) was great
Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures but we're off to the UK now for 5 days....
Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures but we're off to the UK now for 5 days....
Saturday, 23 January 2016
Gotta Love The Germans
Hotel: Ibis Budget Munich Airport
The only way I can describe today is the (sometimes) funny clash of cultures.
It started with breakfast with Timm selecting "Cafe Crema" on the machine, expecting Coffee with Cream. Not so, Cafe Crema is an old term for 'espresso'.
The Coffee without Cream
While at breakfast I had a bit of a blonde moment - trying to visit the bathroom I, for the life of me, couldn't open the damn door. It didn't seem to be locked but it just wouldn't open. Defeated I walked to the breakfast counter and enquired as to why the door wasn't opening. In typical dry german-ess, I was informed that it was a sliding door, and not a push door. Ooops!!!
Timm, having watched his wife embarrass herself, drily commented to the guy that clearly his "wife hadn't had enough breakfast if she was so weak that she couldn't open a restroom door".
Feeling insulted, the reply came back "Our breakfast is an open buffet, there should be no complaints that someone left hungry". He was decidedly unamused ......
Timm couldn't let it go (as usual) and had me draw pictures in German of the Inselaffen's attempt at a joke - he eventually got it and all was well in Deutschland again!
Escalator Protocol:
Everyone stand to the right, so people can pass on the left
At least we found a Laundromat (a real one ;-) and got some washing done. It was quite a dodgy one though with one guy blatantly stealing the toilet paper roll from the laundromat bathroom!!
The only way I can describe today is the (sometimes) funny clash of cultures.
It started with breakfast with Timm selecting "Cafe Crema" on the machine, expecting Coffee with Cream. Not so, Cafe Crema is an old term for 'espresso'.
The Coffee without Cream
While at breakfast I had a bit of a blonde moment - trying to visit the bathroom I, for the life of me, couldn't open the damn door. It didn't seem to be locked but it just wouldn't open. Defeated I walked to the breakfast counter and enquired as to why the door wasn't opening. In typical dry german-ess, I was informed that it was a sliding door, and not a push door. Ooops!!!
Timm, having watched his wife embarrass herself, drily commented to the guy that clearly his "wife hadn't had enough breakfast if she was so weak that she couldn't open a restroom door".
Feeling insulted, the reply came back "Our breakfast is an open buffet, there should be no complaints that someone left hungry". He was decidedly unamused ......
Timm couldn't let it go (as usual) and had me draw pictures in German of the Inselaffen's attempt at a joke - he eventually got it and all was well in Deutschland again!
Escalator Protocol:
Everyone stand to the right, so people can pass on the left
At least we found a Laundromat (a real one ;-) and got some washing done. It was quite a dodgy one though with one guy blatantly stealing the toilet paper roll from the laundromat bathroom!!
Friday, 22 January 2016
Goodbye Felix & Unplanned Adventures
Stellplatz: Therme Erding
Do I have to get out of Bed?
Today is the day. Felix is being returned and for the first time in just over 6 months, Timm and I don't have our house on wheels anymore. I must admit it feels quite weird - I don't have to think about where we will be staying tomorrow or what interesting place we want to drive to!
We did, however, manage to sell the rest of our stuff to Roberto, a Spaniard who was here in Germany having just bought a Motorhome to take back home. Such is the life of the motorhome community.
Handover went well, Tobias (our rental agent) was great as always and they were happy with the condition of the vehicle so a big sigh of relief!
I must admit though that I did shed a tear or two....
But no time to pine. Back into Munich where I had booked a little studio flatlet with AirBnB for the weekend. Our Host met us, we got settled and Timm ended up watching german TV :-)
Then, at 8:30 pm (4 hours after checking in) our Host's Boyfriend phoned us, wanting to find out how many loads of washing we were planning on doing and that they had a sneaky suspicion we had rented the flat only to use it as a laundromat. Hugh???
I tried to (as politely as I could) tell the guy that if he had an objection to the washing machine / tumble dryer being used then he should not advertise it as such and then accuse his guests (who had barely moved in) of excessive use. This is not the way to deal with guests and I was keen to look for a new place.
Two minutes later he phoned back - as I was still absolutely fuming Timm answered. He eventually lost his cool when he got told that "Our host had bought and carried the tumble dryer up the stairs himself; that he had been to South Africa and he knows what goes on there and he didn't want his newborn infected with diseases!". Timm shared the wisdom with him that it would probably be a good idea for them to never meet .... Right. Time to move out.
Do I have to get out of Bed?
Today is the day. Felix is being returned and for the first time in just over 6 months, Timm and I don't have our house on wheels anymore. I must admit it feels quite weird - I don't have to think about where we will be staying tomorrow or what interesting place we want to drive to!
We did, however, manage to sell the rest of our stuff to Roberto, a Spaniard who was here in Germany having just bought a Motorhome to take back home. Such is the life of the motorhome community.
Handover went well, Tobias (our rental agent) was great as always and they were happy with the condition of the vehicle so a big sigh of relief!
I must admit though that I did shed a tear or two....
But no time to pine. Back into Munich where I had booked a little studio flatlet with AirBnB for the weekend. Our Host met us, we got settled and Timm ended up watching german TV :-)
Then, at 8:30 pm (4 hours after checking in) our Host's Boyfriend phoned us, wanting to find out how many loads of washing we were planning on doing and that they had a sneaky suspicion we had rented the flat only to use it as a laundromat. Hugh???
I tried to (as politely as I could) tell the guy that if he had an objection to the washing machine / tumble dryer being used then he should not advertise it as such and then accuse his guests (who had barely moved in) of excessive use. This is not the way to deal with guests and I was keen to look for a new place.
Two minutes later he phoned back - as I was still absolutely fuming Timm answered. He eventually lost his cool when he got told that "Our host had bought and carried the tumble dryer up the stairs himself; that he had been to South Africa and he knows what goes on there and he didn't want his newborn infected with diseases!". Timm shared the wisdom with him that it would probably be a good idea for them to never meet .... Right. Time to move out.
He took Timm's advice and sent his girlfriend to fetch the keys - What a chicken!! (Timm's comment: Weichei!!)
So at 9 pm, we packed up our stuff and moved out again. We are now settled into a Holiday-Inn type of airport hotel and trying to get some sleep....
So at 9 pm, we packed up our stuff and moved out again. We are now settled into a Holiday-Inn type of airport hotel and trying to get some sleep....
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Goodbye Bikes
Stellplatz: Therme Erding, Munich
The last two days have been mundane. We've been slowly sifting through all our stuff and I'm amazed how much we managed to accumulate, despite us bearing in mind that we would need to get rid of all of it when the time comes!
Below some pictures as we slowly worked our way from front to back, emptying each cupboard. What a mess!!!
As you can see, Timm is desperately trying to evade the process ;-)
Today was also the day to drop off our Bikes at the dealership and with a heavy heart we said goodbye!
On a side note - Hansi sent me some lovely photo's from our visit in Leipzig, have a look!
The last two days have been mundane. We've been slowly sifting through all our stuff and I'm amazed how much we managed to accumulate, despite us bearing in mind that we would need to get rid of all of it when the time comes!
Below some pictures as we slowly worked our way from front to back, emptying each cupboard. What a mess!!!
As you can see, Timm is desperately trying to evade the process ;-)
Today was also the day to drop off our Bikes at the dealership and with a heavy heart we said goodbye!
On a side note - Hansi sent me some lovely photo's from our visit in Leipzig, have a look!
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Mel's Travel Agency
The Stellplatz: Monheim Stadthalle
I missed my calling. I should have become a travel agent!
In the last 24hrs I have planned, confirmed and booked the following:
I missed my calling. I should have become a travel agent!
In the last 24hrs I have planned, confirmed and booked the following:
- Accommodation this coming weekend (Felix is being dropped off on Friday, our flight to Stockholm only leaves on Monday) - trying out this AirBnB thing...
- Rental car for above time period
- Flight to Stockholm, train to Linkoping (confirmed)
- Accommodation in Linkoping (confirmed)
- Linkoping to Gatwick, UK (Train & Flights)
- Rental Car for our time in the UK
- Accommodation in the UK
- Flight from Gatwick to Malta
- Flight from Malta back to Cape Town
- We've been invited to teach on an Advanced Trauma Life Support Course in Sweden
- We will be meeting with some Educational Bodies & Ambulance Services in the UK
Monday, 18 January 2016
Stellplatz - Closed :-)
Stellplatz: Stadthalle Monheim (Monheim, Germany)
It wasn't the plan to stay at this Stellplatz. We had our eyes set on another one with a Therme but upon arriving in the afternoon, it turns out the Stellplatz is closed between the 10 January and the 28 February.......Grrr!
So we're here in Monheim now and it turns out that this is a little hidden Gem!
It wasn't the plan to stay at this Stellplatz. We had our eyes set on another one with a Therme but upon arriving in the afternoon, it turns out the Stellplatz is closed between the 10 January and the 28 February.......Grrr!
So we're here in Monheim now and it turns out that this is a little hidden Gem!
Free Stellplatz with free wifi - what more can you ask for? Only thing we pay for is electricity which is 1 Euro for 8 hours
Today is also one of the coldest day's we have experienced so far - despite antifreeze in our windscreen water, I am having to stop every so often to de-ice the spray nozzle as well as mirrors. The joys of winter :-)
Having sat in the car the whole day, Timm and I took a stroll through the village in the evening to drop off a few sold items with DHL. It is cold....try -12 degees cold and dropping to -17!
Today is also one of the coldest day's we have experienced so far - despite antifreeze in our windscreen water, I am having to stop every so often to de-ice the spray nozzle as well as mirrors. The joys of winter :-)
Having sat in the car the whole day, Timm and I took a stroll through the village in the evening to drop off a few sold items with DHL. It is cold....try -12 degees cold and dropping to -17!
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Snow, Snow and more Snow
Stellplatz: WellMobil (Bad Schönborn, Germany)
Oh boy did it snow during the night. Thankfully we made the right decision to choose a different Stellplatz last night so moving off this morning wasn't a problem.
What was a bit of a challenge was moving through the little villages and out of this hilly area and we nearly ended up using our Snow Chains for the first time!
Good old Felix didn't manage to make it up the one hill in a village so I ended up having to reverse back down and take another route, much to the amusement (or frustration) of the queue of cars in front of me. Thankfully no one came up behind us!!
We managed to drop off our Chairs & Table with Sebastian, now the new proud owner!
Some seriously woolly cows....
A cosy house.....
Snowy Roads.....
Oh boy did it snow during the night. Thankfully we made the right decision to choose a different Stellplatz last night so moving off this morning wasn't a problem.
What was a bit of a challenge was moving through the little villages and out of this hilly area and we nearly ended up using our Snow Chains for the first time!
Good old Felix didn't manage to make it up the one hill in a village so I ended up having to reverse back down and take another route, much to the amusement (or frustration) of the queue of cars in front of me. Thankfully no one came up behind us!!
We managed to drop off our Chairs & Table with Sebastian, now the new proud owner!
Some seriously woolly cows....
Saturday, 16 January 2016
Visiting Family in Leipzig
Stellplatz: Freizeitservice Heintz (Nimritz, Germany)
As promised we left Dresden today :-)
First part of our trip was to head north-east of Leipzig (Bad Düben) to visit some of my Family where we had a great afternoon spending time with Hansi, Gudrun, Pauline and later on Philipp. Unfortunately we had such a great time we forgot to take pictures!!! Thankfully Hansi sent me some that he had taken...
Pauline having fun with Timm
That morning we also managed to sell our Camping Table & Chairs and the plan was to drop them off on our way back to Munich. So as the afternoon came and went, we got back on the road direction Frankfurt. A huge coldfront had also started to come in with massive snowflakes, wind and the ensuing chaos....
By the time we reached our Stellplatz for the night, it was now dark, the snow was falling and the sign on the road leading up the hill to our Stellplatz said "Eingeschränckter Winterdienst" i.e. limited road clearing. No way Jose, not for us.
So, time to find another Stellplatz and head there. We both were also ravenous by now so quick park up and a 600m walk down to the one and only local restaurant. As luck would have it, they were completely overwhelmed and unceremoniously threw us (and another couple) that had just arrived out.......Okaaayyy.
As it turns out, this was a Stellplatz I had visited before with Anya :-) Talk about coincidence.
Picture below, early the next morning in the snow
As promised we left Dresden today :-)
First part of our trip was to head north-east of Leipzig (Bad Düben) to visit some of my Family where we had a great afternoon spending time with Hansi, Gudrun, Pauline and later on Philipp. Unfortunately we had such a great time we forgot to take pictures!!! Thankfully Hansi sent me some that he had taken...
Pauline having fun with Timm
That morning we also managed to sell our Camping Table & Chairs and the plan was to drop them off on our way back to Munich. So as the afternoon came and went, we got back on the road direction Frankfurt. A huge coldfront had also started to come in with massive snowflakes, wind and the ensuing chaos....
By the time we reached our Stellplatz for the night, it was now dark, the snow was falling and the sign on the road leading up the hill to our Stellplatz said "Eingeschränckter Winterdienst" i.e. limited road clearing. No way Jose, not for us.
So, time to find another Stellplatz and head there. We both were also ravenous by now so quick park up and a 600m walk down to the one and only local restaurant. As luck would have it, they were completely overwhelmed and unceremoniously threw us (and another couple) that had just arrived out.......Okaaayyy.
As it turns out, this was a Stellplatz I had visited before with Anya :-) Talk about coincidence.
Picture below, early the next morning in the snow
Friday, 15 January 2016
It's All About the Attitude
Campsite: Camping Mockritz (I promise we will move on tomorrow)
I must admit that I have found the last few days quite difficult. What do I blog about? It's depressing, everything is closing down now, we are not seeing much, spending lots of time at the computer and generally winding down things ready for our departure in 10 days time.
And then something dawned upon me. Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. I know..... that's quite insightful isn't it? And as much as I blogged about the beginning of our trip, the planning, the searching, the shopping etc; so too am I going to blog about the end of our trip. Our sales, our flight bookings back home etc etc. Nothing to be sad about - it's just part of the cycle and rest assured, we have some exciting new plans for the future!
So in that spirit, today was spent finding a dealership that will take our E-Bikes (just in case we don't get them sold beforehand) as well as putting the last of our household contents on eBay!
Duvet's have been partnered with Duvet Covers; Pots & Pans have been advertised as one Set, snow chains, 12V inverter, you name it, it's all up on eBay now :-)
And I must admit - this shit is addictive!!! Every 30 minutes I find myself logging in to see if someone has bid... The winner at the moment is.... Our Camping Oven!
Can't wait for tomorrow though when the first auctions end :-)
The winning Oven below (sofar)
I must admit that I have found the last few days quite difficult. What do I blog about? It's depressing, everything is closing down now, we are not seeing much, spending lots of time at the computer and generally winding down things ready for our departure in 10 days time.
And then something dawned upon me. Everything has a beginning and everything has an end. I know..... that's quite insightful isn't it? And as much as I blogged about the beginning of our trip, the planning, the searching, the shopping etc; so too am I going to blog about the end of our trip. Our sales, our flight bookings back home etc etc. Nothing to be sad about - it's just part of the cycle and rest assured, we have some exciting new plans for the future!
So in that spirit, today was spent finding a dealership that will take our E-Bikes (just in case we don't get them sold beforehand) as well as putting the last of our household contents on eBay!
Duvet's have been partnered with Duvet Covers; Pots & Pans have been advertised as one Set, snow chains, 12V inverter, you name it, it's all up on eBay now :-)
And I must admit - this shit is addictive!!! Every 30 minutes I find myself logging in to see if someone has bid... The winner at the moment is.... Our Camping Oven!
Can't wait for tomorrow though when the first auctions end :-)
The winning Oven below (sofar)
Thursday, 14 January 2016
Dresden Properly
Campsite: Stellplatz Mockritz
I know, I know, we've been in Dresden for close to 48hrs and we haven't left the campsite!
So today we caught the bus into town to go and climb abroad our Red Bus again and see a bit of this famous city.
Already when driving in two days ago, Dresden appealed to me and our bus tour today confirmed it again - I really like Dresden!
No rain but yikes the day went past quickly so most of our pictures seem to be at sunset even though it wasn't late in the day :-(
Timm is convinced the guy in the picture is an undercover Stasi Agent.
Beautiful old buildings
The three Palaces
Just got over your Christmas Dinner? Good, cause now's the time to think about booking your Easter Buffet!!
I know, I know, we've been in Dresden for close to 48hrs and we haven't left the campsite!
So today we caught the bus into town to go and climb abroad our Red Bus again and see a bit of this famous city.
Already when driving in two days ago, Dresden appealed to me and our bus tour today confirmed it again - I really like Dresden!
No rain but yikes the day went past quickly so most of our pictures seem to be at sunset even though it wasn't late in the day :-(
Timm is convinced the guy in the picture is an undercover Stasi Agent.
Beautiful old buildings
The three Palaces
Just got over your Christmas Dinner? Good, cause now's the time to think about booking your Easter Buffet!!