snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

it's all becoming real now. for those not in the know, the dept i work for in london is being moved to krakow to save shell money and i've been selected to be part of the team involved in training the new staff. this means i'll be spending significant periods of time in krakow which i find quite exciting as it's a great opportunity workwise and also to spend more time travelling in eastern europe which is a part of the world i really love.

i arrived in krakow yesterday arvo and we were informed on the plane that the temperature was -2 degrees. funnily enough it doesn't really feel all that cold and there's been winter days in perth when i've been more uncomfortable. i guess i dress more appropriately for the conditions when i'm somewhere really cold. it's also be snowing a lot since i arrived and i can't see myself ever getting sick of it. i now get that line in 'my favourite things' from 'the sound of music' cos snow is awesome. the only down side is that my converse boots get a bit wet and my feet start to freeze. the town itself is very pretty and atmospheric with buildings that are hundreds of years old but still look in great nick. i had tea at a french restaurant last night which was lovely. i started with a casserole made with quail's eggs, foie gras and prawn tails. it was very rich and very tasty. my main was goose breast with gingerbread crumble.. yum. even though the portions weren't big they really left me very satisfied.

my hotel room is also very nice. it's great when the company pay for you to stay in a 5 star hotel with all the trimmings and i think i'm really gonna enjoy my week here.

i've also expressed interest in taking up a 6 month expatriate contract in krakow for the second half of this year but my chances of getting it aren't great as it is offered to regular shell staff first and as i work through an agency i am at the bottom of the pile. still, if it's meant to be it will happen.

of course i miss hols whilst i'm away but we can speak on the phone and when i'm here for longer shell will pay for her to fly over if she wants to.

so this is the start of it all and of course will eventually lead to the end of our time in europe and a return to perth. there's a lot i will miss from over there but it will still be great to finally get home.