Been blessed to celebrate the 30++ birthday in paradise under the tropical sun. 


1. Drove for the first time on the left side of the road in Seychelles over zigzag roads and high plummeting cliff with big buses that drive like F1 race drivers. 
2. Learned to bake a chocolate chip cookie led by a Hilton Hotel Pastry chef.
3. Snorkelled (I'm scared of deep waters) and found a baby whale shark. 
4. Sun bathe all afternoon
5. Surprise free dinner and birthday cake organized by Hilton staff. That was sweet and the room greeting surprise.

We're going to one of the destinations above.  Guess where to?

Yohann also surprised me with an early birthday gift.  A Kindle loaded with the Hunger Games Trilogy and the much anticipated novel of Tina L. Hook, Enchanted by Starlight.  We're all equipped and ready.  We're off to the airport tonight.

How's your weekend going?  I'm fascinated by the LivNKD  concept by N_K_D Pizza (NAKED Pizza) of going beyond one's comfort zones to live each day.  They launched a competition along with Wild Guanabana and the awesome radio station Dubai 92 to promote this campaign by encouraging those interested to upload a video or a photo of an adventurous experience where they Lived N_K_D !



Check out Yohann's winning entry Entry Video

The weekly winners will move on to the final round.  The lucky winner will win an adventure packed trip to Thailand.


In case you're interested for a road trip to Al Ain, here's another video of what you would find in Wadi Adventure. It's roughly an 1 hour and a half to 2 hours drive from Dubai.

Remember the movie, Before Sunrise where Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy made Vienna one of the most romantic places to spend the day in?  As you can see, we too were charmed and we, three men and a lady, couldn't get enough of it and had to see as much as we could before we leave.  We took a bus tour arranged by our hotel to explore more hidden gems of Vienna such as this interesting building below.

Hundertwasserhaus

Undulating lines and uneven surfaces was part of Hundertwasser's concept

Best mode of transportation to explore the city

 We had a stopover at a vineyard atop the hill.

We went to this hill overlooking a wide expanse of vineyard.  Wow, Beer in the morning!

On the way back to the city, we passed by Albert Einstein's home

A trip to Vienna is not complete without viewing the Vienna skyline along Donau /  Danube River.  Much loved by the Viennese and a source of inspiration by composers and musicians. Probably many years ago it looked entirely different.

Getting ready for our  sightseeing cruise along the Danube River

View of the Vienna skyline with the Danube Tower  while cruising on the Danube River

Enjoying the Danube with the guys in shades.

Vienna has about 100 Art Museums that attract more than seven million visitors per year.  Some design shots and architectural highlights coming up..

Canephorae and the Intricate Doorway

It was our last day in Vienna before we all took our flight the next morning to the majestic alps of Innsbruck.

Starhotel: The hotel we stayed in which was walking distance from the town centre- Stephanplatz

View from my hotel room

Et voila,  Schönbrunn Palace!  

Schönbrunn Palace

Wikipedia defines it as a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is one of the most visited places in Austria. To find out more about opening hours, tickets and history click  here

The landscape reminds me of Versailles Palace

This is a better view of the palace.  The main entrance facade is surrounded by metal fence .

We had a guided tour inside the palace.  Schonbrunn has its own unique charm incomparable to Versailles despite their uncanny similarities.

Was I the rose among the thorns? Nah, I always felt like one of them