Hallo Schatz!!!

Ok - we're back in London - after catching our German Wings flight from Koln to London, Stansted. We took the Stansted express (train) to Liverpool Street and then a taxi to Tony & Mal's place on Thomas More Street in Tower Hill. I'm feeling a little better; however I didn't sleep very well last night. It's strange being back in London after eight days in Koln. Despite my sickness, I had a great time. I really enjoyed Koln and Oliver's hospitality. He lives above a bakery and the owner gave us two loaves of black bread before departing for the airport. It was raining slightly as we drove to the airport. In London, it's sunny again. I'm catching up on laundry and I think we may go to the movies this afternoon. Alan and I did go for that tour along the Rhein. It was very relaxing, albeit it was only an hour long. I may actually see a doctor this week too. I'll look into it later. Alan is having a fantastic time and enjoyed speaking fluent German by the time we left. I better get ready as the day is slowly fleeting by...

An Apple A Day

It's been a week already and I still have a cold. I should be better by now; however it's worse today than ever? Today, I'm staying indoors again in hopes that I will miraculously be cured by tomorrow. Oliver's ex boyfriend Ralph, came over the other night with a bag full of german remedies: vitamins, lozengers, nasal spray & cream, cold tablets and tissues. We went out last night (Saturday) for dinner at POMPS and then drinks with some of Oliver's friends. I wasn't going to miss a Saturday night in Köln. The idea was to head out to a bar (Chains) but by midnight we were still at Ebar, local gay cafe, and Alan and I were fading fast. It was kinda intense, trying to participate in conversation between a group of five Germans and not understanding a word. It rained this morning but the sun is shining now and it seems warm. Although yesterday morning was chilly and we had to wear our jackets for the first time. Oliver went on a city run, 17 km, first thing this morning. He and Alan are now visiting a friend and having brunch somewhere. Another German experience I'm missing out on. Yesterday we went for a drive to visit Oliver's parents. A typical German village. His mother and sister manage a leather goods store. As a gift, they gave us an 'Eastpak' backpack, which was very kind of them. Then we met Oliver's father and nephew, Maximilian for lunch at an Italian restaurant. After we got home, we went to the Metropolis cinema, an English cinema. So we saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Tonight we may see Dark Water. I think tomorrow we will take a tour down the Rhein River.

Willkommen nach Köln

It's 1931, my name is Sally Bowles and I'm a cabaret singer working at the Kit Kat Club. Alan is teaching English to rich German women and our friend, Maximilian is treating us to extravagant outings...wait, that's Liza in Cabaret co-starring Michael York! Nevertheless, we're in Germany, Cologne to be exact and having a great time with our friend Oliver. There are over 1 million people living in Cologne with a huge gay population. It's very strange because I can't read or speak the language. I'm completely at the mercy of our friend Oliver or Alan (who can speak the language quite well for an Australian). Try translating an entire menu, it's not easy. I have a cold, so Tuesday I spent the day in bed and watched television. 'Friends' in German just isn't the same. I can't even follow the news. Ignorance is Bliss. My first impression of Cologne wasn't very favourable. The city was destroyed during the second world war, with the exception of the Cathedral which is wonderful. It dates back to 1248. The rest of the buildings were built around the 1950's and they're not inspiring at all. Oliver lives in the heart of the city on Ehrenstraße, which is one of the main streets in the city. After walking around the neighbourhood we've discovered quite a remarkable district of shops, bakeries and cafes. We've done mostly shopping since arriving on Monday. There are so many stores and such a selection of clothing, it's a shoppers haven. There are so many people shopping - don't the Germans work? The weather is in the low 20's and sunny, which is unusual for this time of year, so we're told. I enjoy speaking some German like 'Goodbye', 'Cheers', 'No' or 'Thank you'; however the german language is a complete mystery. Including this keyboard which is backwards...We may take a cruise along the Rhein River tomorrow. At the moment, I'm enjoying the warm autumn breeze and the cathedral bells tolling in the background. Auf Wiedersehen darlings...

I LOVE PARIS

The full moon was rising as we left Paris behind us. It couldn't have been more perfect. Four days in Paris - my head is still reeling. I loved it. We met up with friends in Paris, so we felt at home. We had dinner with Tony, Rob and Calvin in the 9th District and then had a drink at Cox just down from our hotel, Hotel de Nice - a little piece of history (42 bis Rue de Rivoli). A gorgeous hotel, with a beautiful room over-looking the cafes and french apartments. Wednesday we took a bus tour of Paris, a tour along the Seine, visited the Eiffel Tower, walked up the Arc De Triomphe, (bumped into Ben and his boyfriend), had lunch on the Champ-Elysees, walked through the Place de la Concorde and visited the Louvre. That night we met up with Dominque, her boyfriend, her friends from Melbourne and more french boys, who were gorgeous. After dinner we went to a brazilan night club. It was so much fun. On our way, we saw the Eiffel Tower sparkling like a million stars. Dominque looked amazing and her boyfriend took very good care of us. The following day we walked everywhere through the Marais district, past the Centre Pompidou, over to the Opera district and bought our 'wedding' rings at Galeries Lafayette. A shopping centre with a gorgeous ornate dome. BHV is another shopping centre on the Rue de Rivoli, which had everything you could possibly imagine. Even the toilets had a spectacular view of the Paris skyline. I purchased a set of Andy Warhol 'Grace Kelly' mugs. This morning it rained for the first time as we had breakfast. We sat outside drinking cafe creme watching the crowds rushing to work. The streets, boutiques, fashion and people are so stylish. We had lunch at a great cafe over looking our square. I had a Cheeseburger maison and Alan had a two course meal. At the end of our day we headed to the Gare du Nord to catch our train to London.

Let’s hear it for the ladies who lunch

Yesterday was the first day we ventured off by ourselves - we did some shopping on Oxford Street and Regent Street. We took the tube to Embarkment and walked through the streets to Soho and had lunch at Balans Cafe. I saw a 'rapid response' ambulance parked across the street and had to take a pic. Kinda sad, but I thought Greg would have been pleased? We walked along Oxford Street against the crowds and stopped in H&M. Very cheap clothing. I bought a jumper but not sure when I'll get to wear it. We also ventured into HMV - huge selection of DVD's. I was in heaven. We visited the huge department store, Selfridges. Gorgeous, goregous store filled with gorgeous things and expensive clothes as far as the eye could see. I bought a Christmas ornament. Alan and I were exhausted by the time we got home. FYI - the boys are hot in this city. Today we're off to Paris, as you do, so it's time to pack and get organised.

Rupert Street

Yesterday afternoon we walked to the tube station along Tower Bridge - it started to rain so we ran into the underground and caught the tube to Green Park and walked to the West End/Soho. We had lunch with Ian and Alun at a great cafe, Balans in Soho, on Old Compton Street where all the boys hang out! We then had three bottles of champers at 'Rupert Street'. All the boys look very chic and cool. We went into a couple of shops, I can't wait to do some serious shopping. Today we're having lunch at Ian and Alun's. I think we're going to the flower market beforehand. Ted & Chris are invited to lunch. It's so humid in London at the moment. I think we're over jet lag or maybe we're so wasted, we can't tell the difference. There are plenty of flowering baskets around London, it's so pretty. We took a pic of Tower Bridge and a group pic at Rupert St. I'll try to download them if I can figure out how.

BA18

We flew for 300 hours...cattle class was horrible, actually BA was average. Our waitress from Singapore was boring and not very special. We did some shopping in Singapore (DKNY Delicious) and arrived in London at 6am. It was all too easy. We had coffee at Starbucks and collected our thoughts before heading to Tower Hill. It's in the heart of everything...Friday afternoon we strolled around Tower Hill, had morning tea around the corner from Tony & Mal's, lunch and wine with Tony and dinner in the flat. Friday night we went to Fiction night club. Awesome club!! Lots of great looking boys and friendly, VERY friendly. We met up with Ben (ICE hotty) and his brothers. Too funny. It's very humid in London at the moment. Today we're catching up with Ian and Alun, so I best get my sorry ass off the sofa and have a shower...Sunday night we're meeting up with Ben et al at DTPM. More later. I haven't really experienced Jet lag yet...had a short nap yesterday afternoon. We got home from Fiction at 6:00am and slept for a few hours. It's madness. I can't believe we're here!

Trains, Planes & Automobiles

We finally arrived at the airport! It's 3:00pm. Our flight departs at 4:25pm. Thank God for the Qantas Club; however I've made a mental note, Paris Hilton and Nicky Kidman are no where to be seen...how rude - anyhoo. I think I can relax now. I'll be happier once I take my valium. In fact, I think Alan will be happier once I take my valium. Our friend Heather drove us to the airport in her new car...thanks Heather! We checked in at the First Class counter and made our way to customs. The security guard was hot - unfortunately he didn't frisk us.
OK - I'm outta here. Big kisses to everybody. First port of call - Singapore...7 hours and counting. I think I hear the Duty Free shop beckoning.

Are We There Yet?

One more day and one more sleep - two weeks ago I had "Packing" on my agenda. I've made a mental list of all the things I want to wear; however we haven't even started to pack anything yet. OK - I've collected an assortment of items and thrown them into the spare room. It's like taking inventory at Walmart? Tonight we begin packing...maybe I can sneak Luca into my hand luggage?