Eating in Barcelona

I've posted about it before but Cerveseria Catalana really is a top place to eat. It's a fantastically social place and a great place to go with a few friends, lot's of people chatting, rubbing shoulders, waiting for a table or a perch at the bar.

It's also a great place to eat on your own. The large oak bars provide a great place to sample the multitude of tapas options without feeling lonely. The staff are really helpful with any confusions and of course the food is fantastic. I always eat too much.

In particular the solomillo de ternera (below) are to die for darling.

The Marque Hotel, St Kilda, Melbourne

Stayed here during my recent visit to our Australian office. Highly recommend it.

The location is fantastic. 5 mins walk from St Kilda Beach and the St Kilda Sea Baths (perfect for a morning constitutional swim). There's a tram stop (Number 96) pretty much outside that'll take you directly into the heart of Melbourne.

A great range of bars and restaurants along Fitzroy Street as well as the hotel restaurant being very good.

Rooms are good quality with all the necessary facilities.

Couple this with a bargain price when I booked this with my flight through Expedia and I was a very happy traveller.

Length of pool at Dubai airport

Short. Push off to hard and you've just about got to the other end, short. It's a 10M oval.

Obscure post title I know but I'm doing my bit for the blogosphere with this info-gem. I tried to find this out by searching before I left to no avail. I can now see why the G-Force Health Club didn't include it in their literature. And probably why the man at reception took my US$17! for a swim before remarking

It's a bit small

Still I had it to myself and as long as I remembered not to push off too hard, I had 15-20 mins of something approaching a swim. Add the sauna and a long shower and it was just the tonic to break the journey to Melbourne.

So, if you're looking forward to an endurance session while transitting, you'll be disappointed. If you just want to gently exercise those swollen, aching limbs then it's probably just the tonic.

The 'Exclusivity' of Business Lounges

On my way to Melbourne to spend a week with Chris, our man in Oz. Flying Emirates for the first time which means I get to fly from Birmingham rather than Heathrow. Given the flooding that hit Heathrow today, I've benefited from more than just a shorter journey to the airport.

Once I arrived I headed straight to the business lounge (run by Servisair, not Emirates) for a drink and a relaxed wait for the flight only to discover a tiny room filled with people. I just managed to find a seat but the people behind me were just milling around. Hardly the exclusive experience you're sold on by all the airline promotion.

It reminded me a bit of when I last flew with BA out of JFK. It was a Friday evening and the Executive Club lounge was full to the rafters with barely enough seats for everyone. I nipped out into the main terminal to get a book and discovered a relatively serene atmosphere with very few people. The majority were enjoying the 'exclusivity' of the lounge.

So this time I left to find that the Costa Coffee was offering a more pleasant ambiance, with better coffee. And given that they were too tight in the lounge to offer free Wifi access I was definitely in a better place.

'Single' euro train ticket

No sooner have I posted about looking at lower climate impact travel alternatives when this get's announced 'Single' euro train fare planned.

A group of European high-speed rail operators have formed an alliance that will eventually make it easier to buy international train tickets.

it goes on to say

The alliance wants to compete with low-cost airlines on routes that take less than four hours flight-time and capitalise on their status as a lower-emission option.

All good news, especially with Eurostar moving to St Pancras.

I'm in Monte Carlo and the sun is shining

Arrived in Monte Carlo now. In need of a coffee but otherwise ready to go.

The bed was comfortable, wasn't too hot or too cold and my fellow passengers were quiet sleepers.

Would I do it again? Yes

While it felt a but awkward sharing at first in reality it didn't make a bit of difference to my sleep. That said I did spy some individual cabins as I got off the train which didn't come up as option when I booked. Will definitely try and find out what they cost next time

The Corea Lunea train I was on was probably reaching the end of it's life so fittings were a but tired but everything I needed was there. Except perhaps a shower.

Down to the business of the conference, will post later on what's happening the world of Global Messaging.

UPDATE: it's occured to me subsequently that I'm happy to sleep on a plane to the US or Australia with hundreds of strangers, 3 is positively discrete.

Sleeping to Monte Carlo on the Corail Lunea

Travelling to Global Messaging in Monte Carlo, I've decided to try the sleeper service from Paris. The cost wasn't much different, once you factor in the hotel savings, and it meant I am away for slightly less time. Also, in these carbon conscious times I thought I should try an alternative to flying.

The last time I travelled in a couchette was in my youth while touring Europe. In those days money was the main priority so it was always a rough and ready affair.

This time I'm going first class but that still means sharing with 3 other people but at least it's a proper bed and I've got the top bunk.

More info as the journey progresses but so far it is certainly an adventure.

The Best Tapas in Barcelona

I've just got into Barcelona, and thanks to the Spanish penchant for late night dining, I've made in time for supper at the best tapas restaurant in Barcelona.

Cerveseria Catalana (Carrer de Mallorca 236, 08008, Barcelona), is blessedly close to the Esendex Espaņa office as well as a couple of reasonable hotels that you can generally get a deal on through booking.com

Menu highlights for me are the Solomillo de Tenera (small steaks skewered with a pepper onto a slice of toast) and Pimentos de Padron (roasted chilli peppers with salt, only the occasional one is hot)

On a popular night you'll have to queue but it is definately worth it. Keep an eye out for spaces at the bar. Same food but a bit more going on.

Global Messaging 2007, let the train take the strain

Just booked my ticket for Global Messaging 2007. Last year it was at the Business Design Centre in Islington, this year it's in Monte Carlo. I wonder how they'll compare!

Journey there should be interesting. My first thought was to fly but it meant I had to get to an airport, fly to Nice, then get a train (or pricey taxi). All of which sounds like aggravation, especially when you factor in all the waiting around you end up doing at airports.

An alternative occured to me, why not train all the way. So I did some digging and this is what I'm doing:

• Nottingham to London - Midland Mainline
• London to Paris - Eurostar
• Paris to Monte Carlo - SNCF sleeper service booked through Rail Europe

Price-wise it's pretty much the same as flying once you factor in the transport either end and the cost of two additional nights in a hotel. Plus, I get to leave later and arrive home earlier as well as assuaging some of the carbon debt I'm in for all my flying of late.

But most importantly, I get to pretend I'm James Bond. Just hope the Aston is waiting for me at the other end.

Telstra, I take it all back

I think my Sydney experience was an unfortunate exception. Having spent some time at Hanging Rock and arounf the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, I was the only one with coverage.

My companions on Vodafone and Optus had nothing at all. Talking to them further, this seems to be the rule. In the cities you can choose any network, if you're heading out then Telstra gives you the coverage.

Telstra Pre Pay

I've bought a Telstra Pre Paid Plus SIM card while I'm in Australia. Saves on international roaming charges as well as being alot cheaper for calls in Australia.

As you can see from the table below, Telstra is the leading network. As the old stated owned telecoms company they should have the infrastructure in place to support me wherever I wanted to go, or so I thought.

Australian Mobile Market

• 17.1M Subscribers
• 95% penetration
• 80% population owns a mobile

Operator	Telstra (GSM & CDMA)	Optus (GSM)	Vodafone (GSM)	3 (3G)	Virgin (GSM)
Subscribers	6.0M GSM, 1.0M CDMA	5.6M	3.2M	0.9M	0.4M
Market Share	41%	33%	19%	5%	2%

Coverage has been good while in Melbourne and around Victoria. In central Sydney however I had all sorts of problems. I was getting 5 bars but midway through a call, it dropped and the coverage was showing 0 bars. Once the call had dropped, 5 bars coverage returned enticing me to try again, which I did and the same thing happened. Infuriating as I am sure you can imagine.

I also have my BlackBerry roaming onto Vodafone AU and that's always in range and able to make calls. Maybe it was an isolated incident, but in my experience Vodafone is more reliable.

Raddison Plaza Hotel - Sydney

Stayed in the Raddison Plaza in Sydney for a few nights and would heartily recommend it.

The rooms were furnished too a great standard, I think it's recently been refurbished, and the staff were really friendly and helpful.

Best of all however is the location: 5-10 mins walk to Circular Quay for ferries and site seeing; 2-3 mins to Wynyard Station for trips requiring a train; and 15-20 mins walk from Darling Harbour for more sites and night time fun.

International BlackBerrying

I had an meeting with our Vodafone Australia account manager while in Sydney. Their offices are in Chatswood which is a few stops north of the harbour which meant a trip across the Harbour Bridge. I was sorting through my emails on my BlackBerry, trying to stay on top of my inbox when I glanced up to a view of the Opera House, framed by the bridge girders. It was one of those moments that makes you realise how far we haved come at Esendex. From several servers in the attic at my house to having business meetings the other side of the world. It's been quite a journey

International domestic, don't do it

I'm currently in Australia for a bit of business and pleasure. We are based in Melbourne but we've flown to Sydney for a few days site-seeing. Qantas run flights from Melbourne to Sydney that are Domestic but run between the International terminals and are the first or last stages of International flights. These flights are quite cheap, we paid AUD $120 each, do not under any circumstances take them. You get all the hassles of a long-haul flight, immigration (although there is special provision for domestic passengers), long boarding times (because the planes are so big) and arduous waits for checked-in baggage, without any of the benefits. The one benefit that we were expecting was to use the long-haul in-flight entertainment system we'd grown to love on the flight over. Qantas have a fantastic video on demand system along with games, CDs and radio stations. I was up for another bout of Invasion, having only reached the final attack on level 3 on the way over. Denied! I managed to just get started before they forced us to watch a healthy flying film, followed by a Sydney city guide that lasted for the whole flight. As my son put it, "this is the worst plane ride in the world ever!".