So, fresh back from Malawi and Sussex I find myself on the way back to Vienna Airport and the Senator lounge yet again. This time it is for a bit of a holiday to see Australia and catch up on a few items of personal business.
The route this time was Vienna-Frankfurt with Austrian Airlines and then to collect a QANTAS flight to Singapore and change to another QF flight to Brisbane. The Austrian flight was rather odd as we were delayed but nobody explained what was going on. The weather was misty and so a few minutes extra between take-offs was not unexpected - but 40 minutes!!!? And no explantion from the pilots at all- very poor form. I was concerend as the transfer at Frankfurt is never good and if you are heading to a One World flight it involves a train journey and a new check in etc etc. at the terminal on the far side of the airport. Still I made it on time in the end and there was still time for a small G&T at the Cathay Pacfic lounge before boarding the flight (B747) to Singapore. A front row seat upstairs in Business made life bearable as we headed off into the night.
The flight to Singapore passed well and we arrived on schedule and in a twilight Singapore. Off to the lounge for a break and then catch the Airbus 330 to Brisbane. A good fllight but like the Boeing the seats are not fully flat as they are in BA and the Airbus 380 so sleep is not as easy to achieve as it ought to be at these prices.
An 0700 arrival in Brisbane was on time and in hot dry weather with little delay for the luggage and a very fast route through customs and quarantine. Finding the cab rank took a little longer than expected as the signposting is far from optimum but soon I was on the road to stay with friends in Chapel Hill.
These are friends from the Brunei days and I am godfather to their youngest. It transpired that Friday would be the big family dinner to mark the end of his university exams and so by chnace my timing was perfect. I spent the day with a former colleague who lives just around the corner, also in Chapel Hill, and we discussed her report on a recent fellowship tour around the world (whihc had included Vienna and the Agency as a stopover for discussions) and mining legacy issues in general and the need for the Government of Australia to start doing something about clearing up the mess in a structured way. Later that day, after a bit of shopping etc, I also had dinner and discussions with a former colleague who had recently relocated to Brisbane in the course of his work with a major mining house. It was good to see him and the family again as well as having time to chat about some very serious issues.
Finally I was back at my friends' house and catching upon sleep.
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