paradise livin'

once lost on planet china...now enjoying paradise

[katemcconville]

london!!!

I arrived in London on Thursday afternoon and headed to Richmond to meet up with Meg! I checked in to the Richmond Gate hotel which is most definitely not a nice place to stay...the guy who checked me in was friendly enough, but broke the cardinal rule of hotel room assignments- putting me (a single, female traveler), in the basement, at the end of the hallway, next to the fire exit! It was pretty old, definitely needs a refurbishment, but from what I hear there aren't too many nice places to stay.

ANYWAY, Meg came over (literally around the corner from her Uni) and we headed to the closest pub for a cider. It was our first legal drink together! We walked along the Thames into town and everything was adorable. It was a gorgeous day with perfect weather! What a cute place. She took me back to her very messy dorm (sorry Mom!) and showed me around a bit. I took a few of her friends out for a nice Italian dinner, which was much appreciated over the dorm food! I felt old. 

---the walk along the river---

Fridays Meg doesn't have any class, so we headed to adorable Bill's (http://bills-website.co.uk/restaurants/londonrichmond/) for a delicious breakfast

we did our chores around Richmond before we headed into the city for the weekend! 

---our last chore was to eat fish & chips! :) ---

we went in to the city and checked in to citizenM, our super hip & trendy hotel right by the Tate and just a quick walk to the Shard. It was really cool. I couldn't take any pictures of the place because there were always so many people in the common areas, so you'll have to just check out the website. They even gave everyone a complimentary drink of your choice upon check-in which was a nice surprise! (http://www.citizenm.com/destinations/london/london-bankside-hotel) 

we had reservations at the Gong Bar at the Shangri-La, London at the Shard for 6 PM, so we rushed over there for a stunning view! (http://www.shangri-la.com/london/shangrila/) 

---the view of the Shard from our hotel!---

---and from the street!---

---seriously stunning view from inside---

---it was harder to take pictures at night---

---city lights on the walk back home---

Saturday morning we somehow found the most amazing breakfast and it filled our Tex-Mex cravings at The Breakfast Club (http://www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com) we managed to make it in time before the mad brunch rush! it was so tasty! 

we then headed over to Borough Market where we met some guys who hadn't gone home from the night before. they offered to buy us shots of tequila, but 11 AM seemed a little early for that nonsense! we settled for pimms instead :)

we went over to Picaddily for some shopping, then to the Tower of London and walked back over Tower Bridge. Meg was ready for a nap & I headed to the social area of citizenM.  the weather was super dreary, but it ended up being a pretty night! 

---the tower of London with the Shard in the background---

---being a tourist in her new city!---

Sunday morning we headed back to Richmond for more chores & homework. YAY...

I headed to Heathrow Sunday evening for my 10:20 PM flight. However, when I arrived at the airport there was a long line of people and I was ushered into it, being told the flight had been cancelled and to wait in line. Eventually the line of grumpy people was escorted to buses and then taken to the airport hotel. Our flight left Heathrow 14 hours later and now I am in Dubai about to connect to my flight to Male and then on to my flight to the island...it was a fabulous two week vacation and great to see all these wonderful people! Can't wait for the next vacation! :) 

[katemcconville]

germany!

after we successfully packed our bags full of all the chocolate we accumulated, it was time to part ways. Winnie was headed back to the island and I was hopping on a train to the Black Forest in Germany. 

Alex was taking the train down from Frankfurt, we met on the train platform in Freiburg and continued on together. Peter (Alex's dad) picked us up at the station and drove us back to Haus Loosen where he grew up! 

---doesn't he look thrilled to be hanging out with me & all my bags?---

Alex and I went on a walk in the woods (basically the backyard) with his dad's cousin, his daughter and their dog and it was gorgeous! Good thing I packed my hiking' shoes (aka leather flats- didn't know I would be in the Black Forest/hiking when I packed!) 

---perfect temperature & gorgeous skies!---

Max, Sophie (Alex's stepmom) and Christabelle (Alex's stepsister) were all coming from London and once we had all arrived we went out for a great dinner in the neighborhood! 

---yummy---

---sunset night one!---

---we came home and fed the hedgehogs!!---

the next day we slept in and woke for a delicious German breakfast of meats, cheese & yummy bread before we headed into town for some exploring. 

---cute family in town---

---Loosen bros sandwich---

---my lovely hosts for the week---

the night ended with a gorgeous sunset that Alex and I watched from the woods area. it was stunning! 

---sunset stroll through the woods... no filter---

---making wishes---

---those black specks are the birds flying home for the evening---

on Tuesday, we explored the area around the house, Hoschenschwand, before having an early dinner of raclette, which was sooo yummy! we celebrated Alex's birthday which was on Thursday and stuffed our faces on all the cheese and meat. 

---brothers Loosen outside Haus Loosen---

---ratclette preparations- YUM---

---let's get this party started...ps I'm wearing my hikin' shoes here :) ---

---Happy Birthday Schmal!!!---

after dinner, we went on a much needed walk through the forest with the whole gang before the boys and I headed to the pub for a football match. it was great fun! 

Wednesday morning Max & Alex took me to St. Blasien where they attended one year of boarding school in high school and where Peter went to school. the school was gorgeous and the town charming. we headed back to the house for another delicious Sophie feast before taking Alex to the train station. 

---St. Blasien---

---so cute---

---inside the school---

---this photo is funny---

---so pretty,  yummy & fresh---

Alex left that afternoon and I stayed one more night. The girls took me to the airport early the next morning for my trip to London! It was a wonderful, peaceful, beautiful time in the Black Forest and so good to see good friends! 

[katemcconville]

switzerland!!!

Since Meg moved to London and is attending Richmond University there for the next 4 years, I decided I should head to Europe for my next R&R. Winnie, our Sommelier, was spending 3 weeks on a wine tour for work and then taking a few days at the end to go to Geneva. I decided to meet her there. Our friend, Sandy, is now working for the Mandarin Oriental group and got us a deal at the MO Geneva (http://www.mandarinoriental.com/geneva/).

I arrived on Thursday afternoon and was greeted by a few attractive men who helped get me checked in and figure out a plan for the coming days. The real highlight of the hotel was Damien, the Concierge, who planned our few days in and around Geneva perfectly. Everything he recommended was on point.

---the MO on the river--- 

While waiting for Winnie, I took a stroll around the lake and basked in the cool temperatures with the shining sun. It was a perfect day! I sat in the park along the water reading a book and people watching. 

---a really gorgeous day; they said i brought the sunshine!---

---ALL the boats---

---sunset on the water---

---seriously gorgeous sunset on the river---

Winnie arrived and we went for a drink at a bar on the river right across from the MO before we headed to the Indian Michelin-starred restaurant, Rasoi in the MO for dinner. It was exquisite. YUM and of course Winnie picked the perfect wine! (http://www.mandarinoriental.com/geneva/fine-dining/rasoi-by-vineet/#slide-menu-item-2) 

---YUM---

Friday morning we headed out for the Old Town and some chocolatiers. First stop though, was to buy a Swatch watch!

---swatch watch- ps they are REALLY loud!--- 

We moseyed around the old town buying chocolates, climbed to the top of the Church for a spectacular view of the city, while trying to catch our breath, and then went for well-deserved fondue for lunch. 

--- the first place we stopped for chocolates was Auer (http://www.chocolat-auer.ch/boutique/index.php) for their chocolate covered almonds and they were goooood---

---church we climbed up to the top of---

---absolutely perfect weather---

---mountains!---

---the very narrow staircase to the top!---

---inside St. Peter's Basilica---

---gimme ALL that fondue---

---cute cow plates too--- 

After lunch, we headed to the Patek Philippe museum (http://www.patekmuseum.com). On the map, it looked quite close and Google maps said 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, it still said 6 minutes, so we asked someone and they gave us directions. We followed, still couldn’t find it. We asked again, they said it was quite close, we still couldn’t find it. After asking 3 people, and walking in a giant square that eventually got smaller, we found the museum! In our defense, it’s in what looks like an apartment building and not very well marked :) It worked out well, as we needed as much walking as possible after that heavy fondue; it felt like I had a brick in my belly. Oy!

The museum was very interesting and there were tons of beautiful pieces that we would love to have, however they didn’t allow for any photography, so you’ll just have to go check it out yourselves!

  We continued our stroll around town, bought more designer chocolates and headed back to the MO for a nap! 

---the circus was in town!---

---Winnie & I outside the MO Geneva--- 

We took a freezing evening stroll around the lake before stopping for dinner and gelato. YUM.

  Damien, the cute Concierge, had recommended that we drive to Gruyere instead of taking an organized tour. I was a little apprehensive about this, but it turned out to be an excellent recommendation. I didn't heed my mother's advice to "remember to drive on the wrong side of the road" as they drive on the same side as we do in the US :-O

We drove to Lausanne and picked up a former colleague, Chloe, who is now studying at L’Ecole Hoteliere in Lausanne. We then drove, on the most beautiful route, to Gruyere. 

---the cute little village at the bottom of the castle of Gruyere---

First stop was for breakfast- the best croissant all three of us have had- a white chocolate and milk chocolate croissant and some hot chocolate before heading to the Gruyere Castle. The little town was so quaint and the castle grounds were gorgeous. We took tons of photos.

---hot chocolate & a fantastic croissant---

---the new Queens of the castle have arrived!---

After the castle, we drove around and stopped at a cheese shop to buy more stuff, before heading to lunch on our way to the chocolate factory.

  We wound up at the Cailler chocolate factory which is part of the Nestle group. There was a 45 min wait for the English tour, so we shopped….and bought an embarrassing amount of chocolate, to which the checkout lady asked, “are you American?” I replied if it was that obvious….but in my defense it’s not all for me and I live on an island. So yeah.

---that's a chocolate cow people---

We drove back to Lausanne and walked around the cute town before dropping Chloe off and making our way back to Geneva. It was really easy to drive around Switzerland, except I don’t know what exactly 120 km/hr is but it felt fast and I was getting passed a lot! All in all, my first time driving overseas was a success!

  Our last night in Geneva was spent eating a late dinner at the Korean BBQ place around the corner and cursing as we packed our suitcases full of delicate chocolates! 

[katemcconville]

paris days

we continued our walking around town and discovering Ile St Louis, my favorite part of Paris! it's so cute & quaint- with the best ice cream in the world- Berthillon, some cute shops & one of our favorite restaurants from last year- The St Regis. 

---seriously, so adorable---

---mama & her boys---

[katemcconville]

Fontainebleau

Max was set to move to a town about an hour outside of Paris, Fontainebleau for his studies at INSEAD. We decided to take a day trip by train to check out his new stomping grounds & Napoleon's castle there (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau)

---another gorgeous, sunny day!---

---such a cute little town!---

---the new King of the Castle; Max feels right at home---

---Alex & his mama outside the Chateau---

---such a tiny throne!!!---

Laura & I opted to take a quicker tour through the grounds, as I've already been to Versailles, these things are all over the top! We found a nice place to sit outside nearby the beautiful garden and enjoyed the lovely weather! It was great

After the Chateau, we wandered over to Max's new apartment (very nice and cute) before stumbling across a fabulous place for dinner!! It was so cute and quaint and the owners were so friendly, talking to us, taking pictures with us; it was exactly what we were all looking for…unfortunately my camera died, so I only have this cute picture of Alex & Max cheers-ing with their cider!

Another fantastic day in France!

[katemcconville]

Paris, continued…!

our first full day in Paris had us touring with Discover Walks (http://www.discoverwalks.com). We used them last summer and had a great time- the tours are great; short, free, & given by local Parisians, so you really get a feel for their neighborhood! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking the town….

---a very quiet Sunday morning in our neighborhood---

---shoutout to Purdue; Boiler Up!---

---SPACE INVADERS!!!---

---I love this completely candid photo of Max!---

---this was right across the street from our apartment!---

---we headed to the Pompidou Museum (also in our neighborhood) that afternoon to check out the art…it was a pretty cool museum & this was one of the views…---

---every good day in Paris ends with a bottle of wine!---

[katemcconville]

European Holiday Part 2: France!

so apparently it's my thing to vacation in Paris in August now :) does 2 years in a row make it a thing?? this would be a tradition I wouldn't mind keeping...

we woke up early (by my companions standards) to hit the road to France. Max had volunteered to drive us there, so that's what we did! 

---boys at the wheel--

With 5 of us, we thought it would be best to rent an apartment for the week. Thankfully, Sophia found this amazing spot on airbnb (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/808333). It is owned by an American family and the place was AWESOME. It was huge and in a great location. Easy walking distance to most sights and conveniently located near the subway as well. Neighborhood had great restaurants and groceries/wine/etc. We couldn't have been luckier! If you're visiting Paris, it's a pretty solid option and I would highly recommend the place!

ANYWAY, we arrived in Paris in the late afternoon. The girls set off to grocery shop and check out the neighborhood, while the boys drove on to Fontainebleau to drop off Max's bags (since he would be starting school at INSEAD later in the month). 

The neighborhood was great, we did a little shopping and then headed to get the essentials- BREAD, CHEESE & WINE!!! 

We prepared a very lovely dinner for when the boys returned: 

---yum yum YUM---

then it was time for this control freak to plan out the week ahead:

Everyone headed to bed after our road trip, but Max and I decided to check out the neighborhood happenings and there was a lot going on! It was great!!

The next morning we woke to this lovely view: 

and to the scent of these lovely croissants: 

I love Paris!!!!! 

[katemcconville]

European Holiday: Part 1: Frankfurt!!!

it's been 3 months since I officially started working in the Maldives so it was time for my first R&R...I decided to visit my college roommate Alex who is living in Frankfurt. His mom was planning to visit the same time and his brother is moving to Fontainbleau, France. The plan was to spend a week in Frankfurt before heading to Paris! 

I left the island at 4 AM for a 4:30 AM domestic flight (it got moved up from 6 AM at the last minute). This was after a 16 hour work day that comprised mostly of a 100 person, celebrity Chinese wedding. OHEMGEE. I was exhausted, because after the wedding we, OF COURSE, had to celebrate at the staff bar...then I had to pack...and by then it was basically time to get up for the 4 AM boat ride. I was flying Emirates to Dubai and had an entire row of seats to myself, which was fabulous! Then in Dubai, after grabbing a delicious Shake Shack burger, I went to the gate for my flight and after scanning my boarding pass was told I had been upgraded to Business Class! TOTS BONUS. It was a lovely journey and I am a huge Emirates fan now!

---what a difference business class makes- this was the starter :)---

I arrived in Frankfurt to big hugs from Alex and his girlfriend, Sophia. We headed to Alex's place to drop off my stuff and pick up Max & Laura. We quickly headed to eat some local grub! 

---yum yum yum---

---so happy to see me---

It was a relatively early evening, but so great to be with everybody!! :)

The next day Max took Laura and I around Frankfurt while Sophia & Alex worked. We wanted to get manicures & pedicures, and just meandered through Alex's neighborhood. We stopped for lunch and some essentials before we all met back at Alex's place for his roommate, Suj, to cook us Nepalese food! it was super tasty and a lovely evening :)

---laughing with Suj while he cookies dinner!---

---of course all that cooking required a break for shots!---

---yum yum!---

---and of course lots of German beers!---

---Loosen Bros sandwich---

The next day, Laura, Max & I headed to visit Alex at work and have lunch with his co-workers before we headed to the Stadel museum. Another great day in Frankfurt!

---visiting Alex working hard--- 

---public transport!---

 ---around Frankfurt---

We headed to the Stadel museum (http://www.staedelmuseum.de/sm/) after lunch at Alex's office and meeting all his coworkers from all over the world! Such a diverse work place! It was great!! 

---so many fun colors in the museum!---

---creating adventures for myself---

The Stadel was great and huge! They have a courtyard in the back with "holes" in the ground that are actually skylights into the museum. We used this area to take jumping photos…my favorite!! 

---Max does a headstand at the top of the hill---

---Laura & I take to jumping!---

---Max is really good at kicking me in the face!!---

After the museum, Alex & Sophia met up with us to eat at the best African restaurant in Frankfurt, which was sooo tasty!!!

We moseyed around town after dinner before heading home. 

The next morning, our last full day in Frankfurt before heading to France, I made sure to get my full on German breakfast (even though I wasn't hungry!), so Max and I walked to this cute place in Alex's neighborhood. 

---Max so cute---

---super yummy German breakfast!---

Alex took a half day off from work, so he met us in town and showed us around. We shopped for the essentials i.e. gummies! before heading to grab a late lunch/early dinner and some beers! 

---Max & Laura walking down a cute tree lined sidewalk---

---stops for snacks- pretzels and yummy apple juice---

---prost!!!--- 

We headed back to Alex's place to pre-game with some of his friends before our big Friday night out in Frankfurt! 

---some seriously frozen Jaegermesiter!!!---

---shots of jaeger were involved…!---

We went out for a pretty chill night of sitting outside drinking beers before heading to Burger King and devouring everything on the menu…. :-O

---matches the design on the glass!!---

Great time in Frankfurt before heading to France!!!! 

[katemcconville]

craysian weddings!

we all had to remain on the island for the biggest wedding this place has ever seen. it was necessary (?) that all managers be present for the 100 person Chinese celebrity wedding, even though I was scheduled to depart for my European adventure and first R&R trip! ANYWAY, it turned out to be a really fun experience and we managed to pull off an amazing wedding. even though it was a long crazy day! 

the couple had awesome photographers and they put together this amazing video! enjoy, plus you can see what my resort looks like!!! 

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTk4OTkwOTc2.html?x

[katemcconville]

#paradise #maldives #uninhabitedisland #island (at Uninhabited Island)

[katemcconville]

#kayaking with @aamk78 !!! #maldives #lovingthemoment #shangrilamaldives #watersports (at Shangri La's Villingili Resort And Spa Addu Atoll)

[katemcconville]

good evening from #villingili @slmaldives #sunset #maldives #shangrilamaldives #lovingthemoment #nofilter (at Shangri La's Villingili Resort And Spa Addu Atoll)

[katemcconville]

back in #paradise @slmaldives #maldives #shangrilamaldives (at Shangri La's Villingili Resort And Spa Addu Atoll)

[katemcconville]

the streets of Male #maldives

[katemcconville]

my #office for the week in #male (at Traders Hotel)

[katemcconville]

Sunrise in Male reflected in the rooftop infinity pool!

[katemcconville]

back to craysia

so, now that I am officially a Maldivian employee, I needed to get back to China and pack my stuff. obviously there is no need for all my crap (and the majority of it is complete junk) to be shipped from China to the Maldives, so I sent it home to Houston....you're welcome mom! I'm sure by the time I get around to moving, I won't want any of it....! but it was hard to let go of it all now. and plus, the company paid to ship it! 

anyway, I went back to China for 10 days and oh man...don't know how I managed to live there for 3 1/2 years. I actually have no clue how I did it.

before even leaving for the trip, it was already a huge hassle. I needed to change my flight ticket, so I asked my dear friend Sandy (who is Chinese) to assist in calling them. 7 phone calls later and we were on the phone with the "right" person. she informed us that it was Sunday so the airline was closed and we would need to call back on Monday. we call back and explicitly explain that the original ticket is for Aug 17, but we would like to change it to May 23. They say no problem. Email us the new ticket and it's for Aug 23. So, we call back and they say it's our fault for not telling them formally in writing. what the what? we never hear from them and they no longer answer our phone calls...FINALLY our persistence paid off, we paid a few more hundred RMB and got it sorted...

the day I left was my 3 month anniversary in paradise and this was the view as I took the boat to the airport:

On the plane from Male to Guangzhou, I was upgraded to business class and accosted by a craysian who ran up to me and yelled, "YOU ARE SHANGRI-LA!!!" she came back to my row of seats 3 times to take photos with me, add me as a friend on a craysian app and talk to me about how she saw me at breakfast and wondered why I was wearing my own clothes. she posted the photos online: 

don't we look so happy? BFF...

anyway, I landed in Qingdao hours later and was greeted with this:

---what a change from my paradise!---

the weather pretty much remained this way except for 2 of the 10 days I was in China...gross. I think it has gotten worse since I moved there. Qingdao used to be known for its blue skies and sunshine. Not so much any more. it was drastically different 4 years ago when I moved there...

China has remained the same, or become more annoying, but that could be that I was out for 4 months and forgot that you need a whole lot of PATIENCE to do anything in that country! 

Anyway, it was good to see friends and catch up, but I'm glad I got out when I did!