Vienna at Christmastime is truly special, and I feel very lucky that I was able to visit twice in December!
Of course the main thing I wanted to do was visit the Christmas market, or “Christkindlmarkt” as it’s known in German. Having lived in Austria for 6 years, I know how festive and pretty they are.
Unfortunately the market in Vienna has strict timings, and closes at 9pm on the dot, unlike what I remember from Klagenfurt (where I lived) where the Glühwein stands would stay open much later.
We made our way straight from the hotel after landing to catch the last hour os so before they closed and be able to enjoy a festive mulled wine.
I had a great layover in Melbourne, Australia not so long ago. My cousin Sarah, who lives there, was able to get a day off work, so we could spend the day together exploring!
Having visited Melbourne quite a few times now, I’ve seen a fair bit of the city, so Sarah decided to take me out to the beach.
Not before a hearty brunch of course, what Melbourne does best!
The final roster of 2019 is here! It’s been a great year and I’ve visited many of my favourite destinations, as well as a few new ones.
I’ve also worked my way up from FG1 (first class crew) to CSV (cabin supervisor) which has been a new challenge but something that I am enjoying so far, although it’s very different!
I haven’t been posting much on here the past few months as I’ve been preparing things for my CSV “pool”, as it’s called – the 6 month probation period that we have to pass.
For the last month of the year I’ll be heading off to some familiar destinations and hopefully enjoying the Christmas spirit around the world! My roster next month looks like this:
SEP
VIE – Vienna, Austria
SYD – Sydney, Australia
CAI – Cairo, Egypt (turnaround)
AMS – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Leave
VIE – Vienna, Austria
First up are my annual exams – time to get studying! We have 2 full-on days of exams every year and this time it’s at the beginning of the month, which means I can get them out of the way before Christmas.
Then I have a trip to Vienna which I’m very excited about – I love Austria at Christmastime and I’ll definitely be checking out the beautiful markets and drinking some Glühwein!
Following on from that, a 43 hour layover in Sydney. This is a bit longer than our usual Australian layovers so I’m very much looking forward to 2 days Down Under. While I’m there it’ll also be exactly 7 years since I joined Emirates and moved to Dubai!
After that is my one turnaround of the month, Cairo. A fairly long day as the flights are around 3,5 – 4 hours each way … but at least it’s not as long as the two Istanbul turnarounds I’ve just done!
Then I have a flight to Amsterdam – I think it’s been around 2 years since I last visited. I’ll definitely be going into the city and having a wander around as it’s such a beautiful place.
That’s the last flight before my leave, which I’ll be spending at home with my family of course! It’s over Christmas which I’m very happy about, and although we usually spend it in Austria I think we’re planning to stay in England this year. Looking quite unlikely for a white Christmas but you never know!
My final flight of the year is another layover in Vienna. I’ll be landing back into Dubai just before midnight on New Year’s Eve – so I’ll most likely be bringing in 2020 collecting blankets and headsets on the plane!
Thanks as always for following along with my journey at Emirates and reading my blog!
P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂
The second last roster of the year is already here! I’m sure I say it in every post but I just can’t quite believe how quickly this year has sped by.
I have so many posts to catch up on – mainly from my incredible holiday to the Dominican Republic with Lizzie, my sister, but I promise I will get round to posting them eventually.
As you may know, I started my new role as Cabin Supervisor in October. It’s been a big change and a new challenge for me but so far I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it!
Rather annoyingly I got barotrauma and was signed off for a week by the doctor, so missed out on one of my flights home. Of course, health comes first and there’s nothing worse than flying with blocked ears.
As for next month, I got quite a few of my bids (as well as some not-so-desirable turnarounds thrown in there!) so I’m quite happy with my roster. I’ll be jetting off to:
ZRH – Zurich, Switzerland
ZRH – Zurich, Switzerland
MRU – Mauritius
STN – London Stansted, UK
IST – Istanbul, Turkey (Turnaround)
IST – Istanbul, Turkey (Turnaround)
STN – London Stansted, UK
Starting off with two trips to Zurich, Switzerland. By this time Autumn will be in full swing and I’m looking forward to some crisp cold weather and perhaps a delicious cheese fondue!
In between the two flights I have a few days off and my cousin Sarah is coming to stay with me in Dubai, so it’ll be round two of tourist duties, after my brother and his girlfriend came in September. We’re having a little staycation for one night in a hotel though so I can’t wait!
After that is Mauritius – a destination I haven’t been to in quite a while! I can’t wait – we stay at a lovely resort right on the beach and I plan to fully maximise my relaxation time.
Following on from my mini holiday in the sun, I have a flight to Stansted, home! Sadly the layover has been reduced from 30 hours to 24 hours (due to the launch of the second daily flight in summer) but it’s still great that I get paid to fly home and spend time with my family.
Next up – two turnarounds to Istanbul! I’ll be honest, not my favourite flight, as it’s a very long day (4,5 hours flight time each way) and quite tiring. I actually had Beirut (also a turnaround) instead of the second Istanbul, but just got a roster change.
Last up is another Stansted layover. Some of my siblings should be at home at the same time which will be lovely.
Before we know it it’ll be time for the December roster, Christmas, New Year’s, and then 2020!
P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂
On a recent layover to Zurich, a few of the crew and I decided to rent a car from our hotel and go for a little road trip. The hotel offers an electric BMW for just 50 Swiss Francs, and we made sure it was fully charged so could head out to nearby Luzern, without needing to recharge.
I was actually rostered a Frankfurt flight, but someone sent me a swap for Zurich, and I’m very glad I accepted it, as we ended up having a lovely day out!
It was around an hours drive to Luzern, and our first stop was the Lion Monument.
The Lion Monument is tucked away in a huge piece of rock, and was made in 1820. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, and is apparently one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland!
