We’re booked!

Not in the sense of being incarcerated or anything. I suppose that would more like,  “We’ve been booked”.  Not sure I’d put that on the blog. 

Well, at least not until I posted bail.

What I mean is,  our flight home for Christmas has been sorted out.  We decided to go with Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij.   (I love saying that)  instead of Air Austria.

Oh, that’s KLM for the rest of you.  I suppose Royal Dutch Airlines would work,  although the literal translation is more like, Royal Aviation Company?   I guess the “Dutch” part is understood.

I’m so easily distracted….

 

Anyhoodle,  it was Travelling Companion who did most of the head scratching yesterday, since she has a better handle on just when she needs to be back here for the big “Year End”  thingy.  I don’t mean New Years Eve either,  I mean the finance thingamajig.  That wasn’t happening with Air Austria.  

As it stands,  we’ll be somewhere over the Atlantic for New Years,  since we’ll haul on out of Toronto again on the 31st around six p.m.  We don’t really do much in the way to “celebrate” New Years,  so I predict I’ll be asleep.  Or will be trying to be.

So we’re outta here on the 14th of December,  which is exactly three months from when the flight was booked.   The slight wrinkle with KLM is, one does have to get to Schiphol first?  That part does slightly suck,  since we have to be on a “city hopper”  out of Vienna at something like 7:00 a.m.,  and take the long flight from Amsterdam a few hours later.  Gah!    Oh well.  GOING HOME!  HAR!     I can suck it up.

 

Today we spent a bit of time checking out accommodations in both Istanbul and then in Paris.  These will be possible destinations at some point in the New Year,  before we pull up roots and head off to The Great White North.

I’m going to have a little chat with “the boys” downstairs (who own the restaurant)  and see what they might have to recommend in the Istanbul department.  They’re both of Turkish origins,  and have counselled us in the past about going to Turkey.  So the temptation is certainly there.  I’m just not overly convinced that it’ll be that much warmer than Vienna at that time of year though.  We’ll see.

 

I’ve been to Paris enough times to be able to sort that one out,  since this trip will have more to do with buying fabric for Travelling Companion than hanging around as a tourist.  Champs Elysees?  Drove the car there.  Eiffel Tower?  Pfft!  We’ve seen it.  Screw those places,  we need to find those fabric shops!

I’m not going to go off on a great long essay on the quality of certain fabrics and where one can find this kind of stuff,  but suffice to say, until you’ve actually put your hands on some of the higher end “designer” fabrics,  held it up to the light and said, “Wow, how does it do that?” you haven’t a clue.   Sorry. 

It’s like,  riding a work horse, and then jumping on a Thorough bred?  Stepping out of your Pontiac Sunbird into an Audi R8?   Seeing High Def for the first time?  Commodore 64 and well,  whatever you have in front of you?  Need more examples?  I’m sure I could keep going.

 

If you’re making pyjamas or whatever,  then your local Jo-ann's, as one example, is just fine.    There are lots of places locally with that sort of run of the mill (hey,  is that a weaving pun?) fabric.   We have to make the rounds here in Europe while we still have the chance.    There had been talk of a trip up to the Netherlands at some point,  but we haven’t quite figured that one out just yet.  We’re going to go with the Paris program as a priority.  All planning is subject to change of course. 

No pictures today,  since running off to take one now would be somewhat contrived I’m afraid.   I just wanted to blurb out this little snippet mostly for the friends and relations who might happen to tune in from time to time. 

Not going to make it to the pub on the 14th though. Darn!

I somehow think going directly to the pub from the airport might be considered a bit silly?  And it’s unlikely our kids would be willing to meet us there.  Just a hunch.  Well,  and there’s that whole issue of perhaps falling asleep over a pint that might create a bit of a stir?  It’ll be nearly midnight our time before we get home to roost.  If I can stay awake for the cab ride home,  I’ll let you know.

 

Here’s hoping you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

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