Since I met A we have been fortunate enough to have travelled quite a bit, visiting some wonderful countries. Last night I met up with two close friends for a drink here in Sydney and it got me thinking about the best bars I had ever been to. So in true High Fidelity fashion, here are my Top 5.

5. Foreign Correspondence Club (FCC), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
This bar played a significant role during Pol Pot’s reign of terror over Cambodia in the 1970’s. It acted as a hub for British and American reporters who were attempting to cover the travesties as they unfolded. Famous for its view over the convergence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, it was redeveloped in 1993 but is still brimming with history and character.

4. Jules Verne Panorama Bar, Zürich, Switzerland
This bar resembles a lighthouse with a centre column and a series of two seat tables around the circumference of the round building. It has a great view of Zürich, but as it only seats about 40 people it is often difficult to find a spot. Great for watching the sun go down over the city and Lake Zürich.

3. New Asia Bar, The Stamford, Singapore
This relatively new bar is building a presence as one of the best bars in the world. I was there mid week and had no problems getting a table, but I hear weekends can be booked out weeks in advance. The view over Singapore, both the new and old cities, is superb. Well worth a visit.

2. Sky Bar, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Normally when you see photos on the websites of bars like this you think they have been taken at a certain angle to make them looks as opulent as possible. But, no photos can do justice to how great this bar really is. The roof is open over the large swimming pool, with tables situated down both sides. But what makes it truly special is the view of the twin Petronas towers in all their silvery glory. A very unique experience which I cannot recommend highly enough.

1. Sydney Cove Oyster Bar, East Circular Quay, Sydney
I am probably biased when it comes to this list having grown up in Sydney. But no matter where I go in the world nothing beats the location, view and people watching opportunities at this great bar. The food is a bit too expensive for what it is, but having a glass of Champagne as the sun goes down behind the Harbour Bridge is too good for words. I come back to this place time and time again and never tire of it.

This evening I fly back to Sydney to spend Christmas with my family, and I am slowly getting ready. It’s a funny feeling preparing to go ‘home’ when my new home is all set up here around me. I don’t know how long it takes before a place really begins to feel like home. It never felt like that when I was living in Darwin, but I guess that was because I knew there was a solid end date.

I am in Sydney for just over 2 ½ weeks and I have a lot to do. Family gatherings, friends to see and a mate’s boat to go out on (looking forward to that!). From what I can see the weather will be somewhat different. It is -1 here at 10:00am, and Sydney is expecting a high of 27. It will also be nice to be somewhere that the sun doesn’t go down at 4:30pm.

So, I hope to see some of you on the other side of the world.

Today is my birthday and I am celebrating by looking for a job. Oh what fun. Tonight however I am going to see Moby play here in Zürich, along with A, her brother and his girlfriend. I saw him some years ago in Sydney and he was really good so I am hoping he is again tonight.

I just realised that I have spent my past four birthdays in different cities, in fact in three different countries. In 2006 we were in Sydney, 2007 in Japan, 2008 in Darwin and of course Zürich this year. I wonder where I will be next year.

Every few years my birthday falls on Melbourne Cup Day. This year I didn’t even remember it was on until I read the SMH online. I missed out on the Champagne and BBQ chicken, but I am glad I didn’t get the chance to bet on a losing horse as I have done successfully the past three years.

Over the weekend A and I went to her family’s cabin in the Alps behind Bern, Switzerland’s capital. Although it is only 2 hours drive, it really feels like another world there. As an Australian coming from a predominantly flat country, to stand there in front of 3,000m+ peaks is just awe inspiring.

The cabin, affectionately know as The Ritz, was built in 1726 and has been in the family for generations. The external structure, including the avalanche protective stone picture below, are all original, but inside it has been renovated with bathroom, kitchen and the like.

It is perched on a hill side 1,300m above sea level looking out over the Simmental Valley. I have been there before in winter and it gets down to about minus 10 degrees. You have to walk though 50 or 60cms of snow to get to the front door. So much fun. I can’t wait to go back there again during winter. Better practice my snow boarding.

It was exactly a year ago today that I wrote my first post, whilst sitting at Sydney Airport about to board my inaugural flight to Darwin. It is amazing how much has happened since then. The simple fact that I am sitting in our Zurich apartment writing this post is testament to that.

So much change in such a short period of time. As some of you know I love my numbers so a few stats for you. In the past 12 months I have lived in three cities, travelled to eight different countries (some of them twice), been on 55 individual flights and consumed several hundred aeroplane meals. Some of the highlights would have been K and T’s wedding(s), our trip to Hawaii and getting to spend quality time with my family in the last few weeks I lived in Sydney.

I no longer try to predict what the next year will look like because my last attempt was so far of the mark it’s almost hysterical. I will just go with the flow and see where the waves take me.

We have been in Germany for five days now living with the in-laws. I have been to both Germany and Switzerland a number of times before and this time it feels no different. It still feels like it is a holiday and that I should be counting down the days until I return to Sydney. But, that won’t be happening for a while.

The weather hasn’t been too good. Sydney sent us off on Sunday with 27 degrees, in spring. But it has been overcast every day this week here and around 13 degrees. A lot of fog about also. My Fiancée, whom I will now refer to simply as ‘A’, has told me that I better get used to it.

From what they tell me, winter isn’t too bad, and summer isn’t too bad, but it is the times in between you need to worry about. Leading up to winter, around November, it can be cold, rainy and miserable for days on end. In the thick of winter it will snow in Zurich, but they say this is much more pleasant than dreary rainy days. Not sure how I will tackle the cold though. I was once in the alps near Bern, known as the Berner Oberland, and it got down to minus 15 degrees. A’s preoccupation with stoking the pot belly stove fire meant that it was a balmy 30 degrees inside. I was down to shorts and a Chesty Bonds T-Shirt. A bizarre contradiction.

Today is my last day living in Sydney. We got back from Malaysia/Singapore on Wednesday, and fly to Munich via Dubai tonight. The past few days have been nothing short of manic. We have been going to breakfasts, lunches and dinners every day. Today we are having a BBQ with my family before we head to the airport around 6:00pm.

It’s kind of a surreal feeling. Sometimes when I see the packed suitcases ready on the bedroom floor it is like I’m watching someone else’s life unfold in front of me. I had quite a few sleepless nights when we first made the decision to go, but the past few weeks have just been a flow of sorts. The thinking, planning and decisions have all been completed now. It’s just a matter of getting to the airport on time so we don’t miss the flight.

We’ll be in Munich with my Fiancée’s parents for about 10 days before heading to Zurich on Friday 25^th September. We are being provided with temporary accommodation while we find our permanent abode. All of these exciting times ahead. Where we’ll live, who we’ll meet and importantly for me, where I will work. I don’t think scared is the right word, but there is definitely some sort of apprehension. If there wasn’t it would probably mean I wasn’t taking it seriously.

Next time you hear from me it will be from beer capital of the world (or is that Sydney?!?). No doubt I will be blogging regularly on all things German and Swiss.

I am pleased to say that I finally managed to get rid of the free items I had on Gumtree. Although my first experience was poor, two people came on Saturday at exactly the time they said they would and were very grateful. One was a uni student who has just moved out for the first time, and the other was a nurse who had just moved to Australia with his pregnant wife. Both very deserving candidates I feel.

My Fiancée and I are about to head to the airport for a two week break in New Zealand. We are trying to make the most of the time we still have in the southern hemisphere by taking a few ‘local’ trips. Malaysia and Singapore follow before our last four days in Sydney. We will never have this type of time together again, eight weeks when neither of us are working and have no formal commitments. Best to use it wisely. Travel seems wise to me.

When ever we are travelling we are firm believers of the ‘When in Rome’ philosophy. You can stay at The Novotel anywhere, and that’s exactly what it will look like, a Novotel. My Fiancée spends weeks researching accommodation before we leave to try and find places that are a little different. This trip was no exception.

We stayed in all manner of places, from a single cottage in a place called Volcano, to medium rise development on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. By far the most interesting however, was a ‘Yurt’ on the island of Maui. For those who are unaccustomed, as I was when I agreed to stay in it, it is essentially a permanent tent with a hard wood floor. It had running water and electricity but on the bare minimum of household comforts. The best bit was that it had an open air shower with sweeping views of the ocean. On the second morning we stayed there we were greeted by a tree frog sitting watching us shower. Very cool indeed.

Hawaii is a real contradiction of sites. Being Volcanic, there is no shortage of barren moonscapes complete with Martian like aerated stones. One site we visited was where they tested the moon Lander for the Apollo missions. By being there you can really see why.

We did quite a few hikes when we were there. The most memorable was across the crater of an extinct Volcano called Kilauea Iki. A very interesting walk as we had to go down into the crater, right across the middle, and back up the other side. It took about 4 hours all together.

When we were on The Big Island we even got to see the lava flowing into the see from one Volcano, which has been erupting constantly since 1987. We had originally planned to do this by boat, but the 4.5 meter swell forced me to chicken out (my Fiancée was still keen…)

I have been fortunate enough to visit quite a few botanical gardens over the years. Until Hawaii the best we had been too was in Cairns. But, the privately developed Tropical Gardens near Hilo on the Big Island left these well behind. The photos below depict just a small sample of the wonderful flowers and plants we saw. The aptly named ‘Hanging Lobster Claw’ was my favourite. See if you can guess which photo it is.