CaliforniaGirlinOz (now just California Girl)

Momentous day -- halfway through our quarantine.    Nothing new, same old, same old.  But we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are gradually transitioning to the Continental Breakfast, feeling we could definitely do with a bit less food.  So one of us (Ross) tried the lighter option, and I kept with the eggs, mainly because I have such a weakness for hash browns.  But what is it with that bacon?  Now, I LOVE bacon, but when it isn't crispy, forget it.  And this was just about the opposite of crispy, so I gave it a miss.  Shared the eggs with Ross, and everybody was happy. We had an excellent FaceTime chat with our friend V, in Melbourne.  We hadn't spoken with her in quite a while, and it was her first FaceTime chat.  After a slight bobble trying to get video going on both sides, all went well and we had a great chat.  She seems very cheerful and upbeat, enjoying her apartment in St. Kilda.  Pretty vie...

A quiet quarantine day today, with a few video calls with friends.  With so little happening in our day, we continue to feel that the highlight is meal delivery.  Ross says we are rather like the animals at the zoo:  "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...here comes the food!  Wonder what we'll get to eat today!  Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Breakfast did not disappoint -- this was a frittata with mushrooms and chicken herb sausage, plus the usual Viennoise pastries.  Having feet of clay, we scarfed up the pastries, too! As you may have seen on my Facebook page, one highlight of the day was our success in ordering two "real coffee" lattes -- after days of that horrid instant coffee.  Adora came through with two absolutely delicious large lattes, piping hot, and a cute little chocolate truffle to boot.  This was an absolute high point for me...I really hadn't realized just how much I was missing real coffee.  Thanks, Adora!  You'll definitel...

Another day in Paradise...hah!  Seems what we mostly look forward to is mealtime, and mostly these have been surprisingly tasty.  Breakfast on Day 5 was no exception: Though if we keep eating those delicious, flaky pastries, our waistlines are definitely going to be in trouble!  The kitchen seems to have run out of jam, but they've added butter to our bags...just what we need...NOT. Looks like another sunny day, though fairly crisp temps...55 F (13C) in the early morning, and I never saw it get higher than 65 F (18C) as the day progressed. Lunch arrived, and it's always a bit of a surprise, since we can never remember what we each ordered.  Fortunately there was a clue on the paper bag in which everything arrived:  CB and CS.  Ross had Curried Beef, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I had a really good Chicken and Brie Sandwich.  The nice crisp apples that came with were most appreciated, too. I took a pic of Wednesday's menu, so we can...

Have to say, on Day Four we were pretty much slobs.  Hung around in/on the bed most of the day, chatting with friends on video chat, reading the news of the world on our computers, occasionally looking out at the world through our window.  We discovered there is a guard in the courtyard, patrolling all the time, looking up at windows.  We wondered whether anyone has ever tried to escape that way...9 floors (or more) to the ground.  Those on the balcony floors could tie sheets together, I suppose, if they had more sheets.  The idle brain wonders! I came across a magazine article online about the quarantine hotels featuring our hotel -- lots of good info and some photos that show more of the building. Quite an interesting read:   https://www.traveller.com.au/ travel-and-covid19-welcome-to- hotel-pandemic-2020-inside- one-of-australias-most- luxurious-hotels-during- quarantine-h1nksb It was Mother's Day, and our breakfast had a nice little surprise:  ...

Day 3 included three video chats with friends and family, a real saving grace.  What did we ever do before Face Time, Zoom and Messenger Video Chat?  It's a blessing for us shut-ins, for sure.  And our internet connection seems to be up to the challenge, which is also a wonderful boon. I thought it might be interesting to show you the meals we received yesterday.  [This was the last day of our set menu experience, and starting today (Sunday) we begin the new routine of two menu item selections for each meal.  It will be interesting to see if the meals are different in quality or quantity from the set menu or not.]  Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the breakfast omelet, which was good, accompanied by two small hash brown potato patties (yum!) and a sausage (not so yum).  But I did take a pic of the lovely little mini pastries that came with: These seem to come with breakfast every morning, and neither of us can resist them.  We may g...

Yesterday was Day Two of our stay, and it was a pretty quiet day.  We got our routines down, began to understand how this system works, and had a good day. It turns out that the hotel houses only people who are quarantining, no other guests.  That explains a few things.  I think I'll just run down how the meals go.   All meals are delivered in brown paper bags set just outside the door, and the knock on the door signals it has arrived.  The food items are all either in small paper bags or in plastic take-away containers.  Cutlery is, of course, pretty flimsy plastic, as you'd expect.  Everything we handle needs to be disposable.  After we eat, we are to put all rubbish into a plastic bin liner and leave it in the hallway for collection. Breakfast was essentially bacon and egg on a roll, and very tasty...no complaints!  It was accompanied by a really delicious small croissant, a "Viennoise" pastry with jam inside, and pineapple juice. Lu...

Who knew I'd be returning to my blog because of a virus?  What an interesting time we live in!  We have continued our back and forth life, permanent residents of Australia, with twice a year trips back to California.  But 2020 has turned into the Year of the Coronavirus, and when we arrived back in California in late January of 2020, the drama was really just beginning to unfold.  As things heated up, we continually assessed when we should return to Australia, and eventually decided to try to keep as close to our original plan as possible, and return in late April. Our return flight on April 28 was cancelled, and our airline, Air New Zealand, temporarily suspended flights from Auckland to San Francisco, our intended departure point.  So, on to Plan B:  a United Airlines flight SF to Los Angeles on May 5, transiting to Air New Zealand's LA to Auckland flight, and then on to Sydney. At 7:30 AM on Tuesday, May 5, Jen, a local independent contractor who sup...

What a wonderful day.  Started off with family breakfast using the last of our delicious Sunday market finds, necessitating a trip to the supermarket.  But first, an excursion to St. Antoine l'Abbaye, 8 km from Montmiral. This door has pointed studs projecting from it's front...looks like Ross wasn't enjoying brushing against it.  A lovely St. Francis of Assisi statue in a beautiful niche.  Curved lanes lead off the main road, leading you astray.  Lichens and Kenilworth Ivy were so lovely on these old stone walls.  Incredible stained glass inside the Abbey.  This looks like a gatehouse, adjacent to the Abbey's home.  The Abbey is so huge, it's hard to get a photo that shows the scale.  After lunch, a stroll back to the car.  Ross and Greg in deep conversation...  Lucious stone walls all along the way to delight us.  Hearing the cooing of a dove, I looked up to see this fellow high above. ...