The Next Level: Transition Australia to Austria

24/9/2015

Had a great First Class Emirates experience on my way home – especially the A380 is amazing in First Class. The spa – a huge bathroom including a shower, with heated floor, and everything you can imagine – makes it almost surreal. Taking a shower after 9 hours of culinary indulgence at 40,000 feet in the air, traveling at a speed of more than 850kmh (and after a considerable amount of Dom Perignon and expensive wines!) was quite an experience.

No description needed - quite special stuff!

Me with a bottle of the 2003 Dom Perignon Rose and the wine list, making sure the flight is not too boring for the stewardesses

Dining in style - and that is just the starter!

Lamb for the main course

And Godiva Chocolates and the 2005 Dom Perignon for later

The food was amazing, the bar/lounge in the back of the upper deck of the plane that is being shared with the Business class was a great place to hang out for a while. We were only 3 people in First Class, and all the people in business class preferred to sleep or watch movies, so there was not much interaction going on, except between the stewardesses, the alcohol and me.

Medium rare steak in the First Class lounge in Dubai - probably one of the best steaks I ever had!

A 'standard' drink of 2005 DP before we hit the runway to Vienna

Everybody has a little mini-bar in First Class - push the button and it rises up

Fresh flower bouquet, more champagne and a nice flight in the Suite 1A

Well, I tried the French white wine 'Y' with the starters this time

That would be heaven for Lucille...

... and some more Godiva chocolates, not bad, but far below the quality standards of my dad's produce

Had a 12 hour stopover in Dubai, enjoyed a fine breakfast and a few hours of sleep in the Le Meridien. The flight to Vienna was nice too, and I worked myself through the second, very different wine list, including a 40 year old Port wine that went down nicely with the cheese board. This is a very different style of traveling, a style I could easily get used to!

Dad picked me and my 70kgs of luggage up in Vienna and we arrived home in Obdach late at night.

Immediately started to help out in the business the next morning, and haven't stopped much since. There is always plenty of work to do, especially with winter and Christmas moving closer every day and I'll have to modernize some of our computer systems too as they are very dated.

Spent the weekend in Graz at the 'Aufsteirern' – a huge traditional festival with up to 100,000 visitors. Dad and I presented our chocolate specialties and sold almost everything we brought along. This is one of the most 'beautiful' festivals, with lots of eye candy in traditional 'Dirndl' dresses. They became trendy again a few years ago and I can honestly say that I like seeing them worn by lovely women. :-)

There was a fashion show right next to our booth

... and some music

We were presenting our stuff at the Meisterwelten - a collection of small business of master craftsmen. The Zirben lounge that you see here looks amazing.