Rust - Austria

As part of my trip to Austria, I spent three days in Rust for a conference.  Rust is a tiny town - officially the smallest city in Vienna.  It is famous for wine, storks, and the lake, which you can travel across to get to Hungary.

It is a quaint, peaceful town, mainly a summer holiday destination for locals.

I was there last year, and the town hadn't changed  much, so didn't take too many photos. However, I did pull the camera out when we went on a dinner cruise on the lake.  The views were breathtaking, and I was very happy with the pictures I took of the sunset, considering I have no photographic training and have a standard point-and-shoot camera (Canon Powershot).



Back in Australia

I still have to post about the second half of my Vienna trip. 

After having 3 days in Rust (the smallest city in Austria) for a conference, I spent another 3 and a bit days in Vienna before heading home.  It was a VERY long trip home - 31.5 hours by the time I left Vienna to when I touched down on the Gold Coast.  I am based in Sydney, but the past weekend it was my Mum's birthday, my aunt's birthday (twins!) and one of my best friend's birthdays - all of whom live on the Gold Coast. 

So my trip home was as follows:

Vienna - Helsinki: 2.5 hours
Helsinki: 1 hour stop
Helsinki - Bangkok: 10 hours
Bangkok: 4 hour stop
Bangkok - Sydney: 9 hours
Sydney: 3.5 hour stop (meant to only be 3 hours but my final flight was delayed)
Sydney - Gold Coast: 1.5 hours

I finally arrived home (well, Mum's home!) on Friday morning.  Had the weekend on the Gold Coast and Brisbane seeing family and friends, and then flew back from Brisbane first thing Monday morning so I could be back at work on time.

PROBLEM: I'm sick AGAIN.  With tonsilitis AGAIN.  That is the fourth time I have had it this year, and the 2nd time since starting this round of the 12WBT.  I have an appointment with an ENT at the end of August to see about getting them removed.  Joy.  I've heard horror stories about adults getting their tonsils removed, but I figure the short-term pain is worth the long-term relief from tonsilitis.

I'm back at work as there are a few things that have to be done, but will be working sporadically this week until I start to feel better.  I head to the US on the 30th, end of next week!  I have so much to do between now and then, my body is obviously putting up some resistance!

Vienna, Austria - Part 1

I arrived in Vienna on Tuesday evening.  The main purpose of my trip is to go to a conference outside of Vienna in Rust, and attend some meetings in the city itself.  So Wednesday morning was spent doing some work before having a lunchtime meeting.  I had the afternoon free though, and did a small amount of sightseeing with a colleague from another Australian university who is here for the same conference. 

I was in Vienna last year for a similar conference so had seen the “main” sights – but there were quite a few things I didn’t get a chance to see last year.  One of those was the Sigmund Freud Museum – at one point I was studying psychology at university (I ended up graduating in a different field) and often think about going back to uni to finish my psych degree.  I was never a fan of Freud’s theories – but one can’t dispute that he had a major impact on modern psychology.   The museum is located in Freud’s actual former practice and apartment in Austria. 

 

If you don’t have an interest in psychology or Freud, this certainly isn’t a “must-see”.  But if you do have that interest, it is certainly fascinating to see the number of personal effects of Freud (both Sigmund and Anna), as well as literature (both documents written by them as well as books written about them) that are on display. 

After we visited the Freud museum, my colleague wanted to visit St Rupert’s, the oldest church in Vienna.   This wasn’t somewhere I would have visited on my own as it is much smaller than the other churches that tourists usually visit, but I’m glad I did.  Very interesting architecture, and not being a typical tourist destination, (although listed in the Lonely Planet guide), it was fairly empty – the perfect place for some quiet reflection.

Thursday morning I had another work meeting, then a couple of hours before I had to be back at the university to travel to the conference (which is about 70km from Vienna). I used the time to visit the UN, which has its 3^rd headquarters in Vienna.  Relevant for the conference I am here for, and they also run guided tours (make sure you take your passport as identification as security does take your details).  It was an interesting tour, we had a very knowledgeable tour guide, and honestly just an interesting place to people watch – there are more than 5,000 staff from all member states.  I wonder how many people work in the New York office? 

Helsinki, Finland

I arrived in Helsinki on Sunday afternoon (3^rd July).  It was very easy to travel into the city from the airport – the airport bus goes straight from the airport to the central railway station. I was staying at the Radisson Blu Plaza (I think it is listed in the Lonely Planet Guide as the Radisson SAS Plaza), which was only a block away from railway station.  Tired from all the flights, I went to bed soon after I arrived at the hotel, and had a luxurious 13 ½ hours sleep (yes I can sleep for that long!)

Monday I had booked on a morning tour of the city through Viator (highly recommend that site for booking tours no matter which country you are in).   The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, but it was a coach tour and we stayed on the coach a bit more than I would have liked.  However, it did give a good feel of where things were in the city. 

A highlight of the tour (and something I wouldn’t have seen if I had just explored the city myself) was the Jean Sibelius Monument.  Jean Sibelius was a famous Finnish composer, and the monument is constructed from more than 600 steel pipes.

The tour finished just on lunch time, and with trying to lose weight and stick to the 12WBT, what to eat when you can’t prepare your own meal is always a concern.  The tour finished at the “market square”, where the city meets the harbour and there are lots of stalls – souvenirs but also food including fresh fruit and vegetables.  I indulged in a huge punnet of strawberries – and I can honestly say they were the sweetest strawberries I ever had.

I headed back to the hotel for a bit before doing some more sight-seeing in the afternoon, re-visiting a few places we had passed in the coach but hadn’t stopped.  I also did a bit of shopping (I admit it, my name is Kathy and I’m a shopaholic!) but got a great bargain on a trench coat – 75% off.

With my back being sore, I didn’t feel up to using the hotel gym, but went for a 7km walk.  I made sure I took a map with me, but by complete chance I must have walked in a loop.  I had decided to head back to the hotel, was looking for a street sign to check where I was, and realised the hotel was right in front of me! 

Before I left Australia, my boss told me if I was stopping in Finland, I had to try reindeer, which is a Finnish delicacy.  I was a bit wary, although realistically, I’m a carnivore, and eat kangaroo which some people have an aversion to, so shouldn’t have had an issue – it was just the thought of eating Rudolph!  I needn’t have worried.  A lot of restaurants in Finland sell reindeer - I ended up just going to the restaurant in my hotel, and had grilled reindeer sirloin.  It was wonderful!  Very tasty, not too gamey, I would probably say it tasted like a cross between lamb and beef.

I was leaving Tuesday afternoon, but had the morning to do some more sightseeing.  I visited Suomenlinna - an island about 2 KM from Helsinki.  Until 1973 it was a military base, and still known as an island sea fortress.  Now however, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a popular half day trip from Helsinki.   I thoroughly enjoyed it - lovely old buildings, an interesting history, and wonderful views back to Helsinki.  I went fairly early, and I think that combined with the fact it was very cloudy meant it was nowhere near as busy as it often is in summer.  If I had had longer, I could have easily spent a few hours enjoying a picnic lunch on the edge of the island.



Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Helsinki – much more peaceful than I expected with it being a capital city, but apparently most locals take July as holidays.  It isn’t a city where you would have a long holiday, and if I had stayed longer I probably  would have visited some of the other small islands rather than spending more time in Helsinki itself. 

12WBT in Europe!

As I have mentioned in other posts, I have 2 major red flag events during the 12WBT – a 2 week work (well, mainly work!) trip to Europe – I’m currently in Rust for a conference - the smallest city in Austria, and about 70km from Vienna.  It is famous for wine and storks.

Essentially I had 2 days in Finland, 1 ½ days in Vienna, 3 days in Rust (where I am currently) then another 3 ½ days in Vienna before heading home.  I arrive back in Sydney on the morning of July 15 and then immediately am flying to the Gold Coast for a few more red flag events – one of my best friend’s birthdays, as well as my Mum and aunt’s birthday (they are twins).

I left Australia on Saturday night (July 2), flying Sydney – Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific); and Hong Kong – Helsinki (Finnair).  I had ordered low calorie meals on the flights.  The flight to HK I didn’t eat much as I was too tired (I had stayed up all of Friday night, so had been up for about 40 hours by the time I got on the plane)  The flight from Hong Kong to Finland I didn’t sleep much, and enjoyed catching up on a few movies! We had two meals – lunch was chicken breast with vegetables – a bit dry, but it is always nice to have meat on a flight that you can actually identify!  The snack was white fish with rice which was quite nice.

I highly recommend ordering low-calorie meals – even if you aren’t on a diet, I think the quality is a bit better than standard airline food – e.g. they always have less sauces so the food is more readily identifiable!  It is always strange on flights – on the one hand I feel I shouldn’t be hungry as I am just sitting there, but I always seem to b starving – I think boredom probably plays a role!

On Tuesday evening I flew from Helsinki to Vienna – a much shorter flight than the others! (Two and a half hours).  The low-cal meal was grilled chicken and some pasta salad, which I would normally avoid, but there was no creamy salad dressing so it was fairly safe!

My flights back are Vienna – Helsinki – Bangkok – Sydney – Gold Coast.  Not quite sure how the meal will work with all the time changes, so I do need to avoid the mindset of – there is food in front of me I have to eat it if I’m not hungry.

I’ve been fairly good with nutrition since I have been overseas.  Every hotel has had a buffet breakfast, but rather than hitting the bacon/hash browns etc, I have been having toast (no butter), fruit, and sometimes some cereal.  I’m enjoying bananas since they are so expensive in Australia at the moment!  Lunch and dinner depends on where I am and who I’m with, for example, I’m currently at a conference so have limited options, but being sensible and there are generally some reasonably healthy options (apart from the morning coffee breaks where there was only chocolate croissants and jam filled doughnuts – I am very proud to have resisted!) 

(I’ll make a separate post on my time in Finland and some of the food I enjoyed there). 

Exercise wise, I visited the hotel gym for the first time yesterday.  All but one of the hotels I’m staying in have a gym, but my back was so sore when I got to Helsinki (I think the long flight didn’t help), I didn’t use it.  I did however go for a long walk on my first full day in Helsinki, 7.2 km (in addition to incidental walking while sightseeing).  In Vienna, the first hotel I stayed in was the one without a gym, but Wednesday evening I went for a very long walk along the Danube canal – 15 km!   

My gym visit was during the conference lunch break so only a quick visit (25 minutes).  But this shows another way my mindset has changed from being involved in the 12WBT. In the past I would have thought – “oh, I can only spend 25 minutes there, I won’t bother”.  Now I think “25 minutes is still 25 minutes of exercise I won’t otherwise get”.   Also, it is the first time I have been to the gym in 2 weeks since hurting my back, so spending a couple of hours there probably wouldn’t be sensible anyway!  Surprisingly, I didn’t feel too much pain – I stuck to the cross trainer and exercise bike, as jogging still jars my back.  I get back to Vienna tonight and the hotel I’m staying in until I leave has a gym – so will be making more effort to exercise, as well as going on some more long walks to enjoy the atmosphere of the city.

Weight and measurement update

As I mentioned in my last post, I don't currently have scales with me, so won't be able to weight myself until Week 9 of the 12WBT, when I'm back in Australia.  But I thought I would post my weight and measurement update for the first part of the program.

12WBT Long overdue update – where in the world is Kath?

No, I haven’t completely deserted this blog – just a bit of hiatus while life got in the way!

The last time I updated properly was back in Week 3 of the 12WBT – and it’s now the end of Week 7!

So a basic breakdown on the last few weeks:

Week 3 & 4:

After having tonsillitis, was finally starting to feel human in Week 3, so the end of week 3 and start of week 4 were going well. 

Week 4 was mini-milestone week.  You take your measurements, re-do your fitness test, and tackle a mini-milestone – maybe a challenging workout, reaching a fitness goal etc. 

If you look back at my post “Pre-Season Task 7 – Organise and Diarise“ – my mini milestones were as follows:

·         Jog 1 km without stopping – I actually achieved this is Week 3.

·         Take a roller skating class – I had planned to do this at the end of Week 4, but work got a bit crazy, so I did this in Week 5.

The end of Week 4 was insane work wise, I generally have a 9-5 Mon-Fri job, and the weekend at the end of week 4, I worked 31 hours over 2 days!

Week 5:

Week 5 continued to be incredibly busy at work.  I exercised when I could, ended up doing less days but more hours when I did get there.  

Saturday at the end of Week 5 I went indoor rock climbing with some of 12WBT members, which I really enjoyed.   One thing I’m appreciating about the 12WBT is realising that exercise can be fun!  It doesn’t necessarily have to be stuck in a gym on a treadmill.

Sunday at the end of Week 5 I took my roller skating class – now, I should say I’m not the most co-ordinated person in the world, and within 10 minutes of my lesson (it was a 2 hour class), I had fallen backwards onto concrete.  And a helmet, knee pads, wrist pads and elbow pads don’t protect your back! I continued with the class but as the day went on the pain in my back became worse. 

Week 6:

So, week 6 didn’t start well, with my injured back making any form of movement fairly difficult (if not impossible). Walking hurt but was bearable, bending over, squats, lunges etc and out of the question.  I went to the doctor a few days after I fell and she thinks it is just muscular, and told me to avoid strenuous exercise until it felt better and come back in a few weeks if it was still sore.

One thing that the 12WBT has done is certainly change my mindset.  The most frustrating thing about my injury is not being able le to exercise – something I certainly wouldn’t have cared about in the past!  So I literally did no exercise in week 6 – and although I hadn’t been doing the 6 days of exercise I should have been doing every week since the program started, I was always doing something!

The end of week 6 represented one of my major red flags – a 2 week trip to Europe.  I had planned well – ordered low calorie meals for my flights (all 6 of them!) and all but one of my hotels (staying in 4 different ones) have gyms.  My back put a spanner in the works, at least in terms of the exercise.

Week 7:

I really thought after a week my back would be better, but sitting in economy class for close to 24 hours of flying tends to not help matters!

I don’t know my weight as I haven’t brought scales with me, but so far have resisted jam filled doughnuts in Finland and chocolate croissants in Vienna! 

I’ll post more about my trip shortly.