Christmas Markets in Vienna

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.

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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.

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November Roster

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 InstagramFacebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

Hiking Up Lion’s Head

Last month I swapped on to a flight to Cape Town. If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know that Cape Town, South Africa, is one of my all time favourite destinations! 

As you can imagine, I was very much looking forward to the trip. After a nice and easy 9 hour flight (my penultimate in first class!) we arrived at the hotel and were greeted with fresh juices and fried chicken! Definitely a great start.

A few of us decided to meet for dinner, and instead of our usual Waterfront destination, decided to mix things up and head to The Butcher Shop & Grill, a lovely steakhouse.

We shared some tasty red South African red wine, and all enjoyed delicious steaks. Slightly pricier than some of the other restaurants in Cape Town, but still very affordable (and even more so compared to Dubai).

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October Roster

My first roster as a cabin supervisor! Having now completed my training (just over 2 weeks) I’ll be starting out from next month working as a CSV. It’ll certainly be a different experience from first class but I’m very much looking forward to the change.

Luckily my month will be very nice to ease into, as I’m starting off with some annual leave. As for the rest, this is where I’ll be off to in October:

  • Annual Leave
  • HKG – Hong Kong
  • IKA – Tehran, Iran
  • ZRH – Zurich, Switzerland
  • MEL – Melbourne, Australia
  • STN – London Stansted, UK
  • STN – London Stansted, UK

For my leave, my sister and I are heading to the Dominican Republic! We’ll be spending a few days exploring Santo Domingo, and then a bit of time relaxing by the beach in Punta Cana. Anything we must see or do, please comment down below!

My first flight operating as CSV will be to Hong Kong! One of my favourite destinations, and somehow ironic that this was also my very first flight with Emirates way back almost 7 years ago when I started flying. Only this time around, I’ll be the one in charge! I’m looking forward to catching up with my friend Kirsty once I’m there, and seeing her two little ones.

Next up is a quick turnaround to Tehran and back. This will be another new challenge as I’ll most likely be working in economy, and the service will have to be done quite quickly due to the length of the flight.

Then I’ve got a lovely layover in Zurich, another great destination. I’m already looking forward to some cheese fondue!

Following on from that is my ULR (ultra long range) flight for the month – Melbourne, Australia. I actually bid for Sydney to try and see my grandparents, but got Melbourne instead! Nevertheless I’ll be keeping this flight as my cousin lives there and I can’t wait to have a good catch up with her.

Lastly I have two trips which I’m very much looking forward to – home! A lovely way to round off the month, two back-to-back flights to Stansted. I’m hoping by then I’ll somehow know what I’m doing as CSV and will be able to relax at home with Mum and Dad!

P.s. Follow me on InstagramFacebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

My first time visiting Cambodia, and although it was just a 24 hour layover that flew by, I still managed to explore a little bit of this fascinating city.

Cambodia has a lot of sad history, and I would have liked to have visited some of the places that had such a huge impact on the country, such as the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum. 

This layover none of the other crew wanted to visit these places, so I decided to join them on a different tour of a few places in the city instead, and will save the others for my next layover there.

After a great night’s sleep and an amazing breakfast at the hotel, we were ready to go.

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