46 days. 17 flights. 6 countries. Old friends. New friends. Desert night. Sunshine. Beaches. Dancing. Wedding. Calamari. Rosé. Champagne. Rakı. Baptism. And so much more.

I am one very lucky girl. I’ve been able to find a way to work hard…then enjoy time traveling and exploring. These past 46 days have provided me with a wide array of experiences. Not sure I can accurately express them and do them justice in a blog post…or even in two or three posts…but it’s worth a try. Here is part 1.

Stop #1 – Country #1: Germany. I’ve been spending time here over the past few years, visiting my brother, his wife and now their little girl. I like it more every time. Landing here post an 18-month gig was perfect. It feels like home and gives me a place to just crash, relax, and enjoy some family time. Add to that an incredibly cute and loveable 6 month old niece – awesome.

Saturday morning market in the town centre.

It is just so pretty!

My bro.

Stop #2 – Country #2: Austria. A weekend in Graz. I went to Graz for a weekend with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. I’d never been to Graz before and was really impressed. It is a lovely town, picturesque, easy to walk around in, with many restaurants and cafés. I’d love to see it under snow.

Beautiful streets and architecture.

Love the details.

During WWII they built caves in the mountain that could house 50,000 people during an air raid.

Fresh herbs grown at a café where we stopped for a cold drink.

Just so pretty.

I’d love to go back.

1st Class Interlude: Thank you Lufthansa!

I booked my flight to Oman using points, and as it’s an 8-hour flight I splurged and booked business class. I checked in online the night before and when I got to the airport dropped off my luggage and picked up my boarding pass. On my way to security I looked at my pass and saw that I was in seat 2A. What?! That’s not the seat I selected when I checked in online! I don’t want a window seat…I want an aisle seat… Wait… row 2… Let me have a closer look…. FIRST CLASS! They didn’t tell me I’d been upgraded when they gave me my boarding pass, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve been in a number of business class lounges…but this was my first time in a 1st class lounge. They are indeed nicer. Fewer people, comfy leather chairs, better (and even more) food, an attendant who immediately asks you if you want a drink and something to eat as you arrive. Aaaahhh. I should have come to the airport sooner…

Even though I said no to food (but yes to champagne…OBVIOUSLY) he brought me this plate of fresh fruit. Lovely. Even the Haribo gummy bears are bigger.

On a long-haul flight I’m pretty happy in business class. I knew this would be even better, but I didn’t know how much better it is. The service was wonderful (meaning never an empty glass) and their “featured wine” for the month was Veuve Clicquot champagne – yes please! I’ll let the photos tell the story.

Says it all doesn’t it? Roses. Wine ready to flow.

My seat. That’s a lot of leg room.

Pyjamas, slippers, toiletry bag…

If I can curl up like this and be comfortable…you know its a big seat.

Pre-meal snacks and champagne.

More pre-meal snacks…an amuse-bouche to get your appetite going.

The appetizers….

Lamb chops for dinner… Seriously…am I really on an airplane?

My seat becomes by bed, complete with comforter, and it is time for a movie and some sleep. Bonus points to whomever can tell me what the movie is.

Okay – I know that’s a lot of photos about an airplane ride…but this girl doesn’t fly 1st class often (that was a first!).

Back to more interesting things…

Stop #3 – Country #3: Oman. I fell in love with Oman when I was there earlier this year (see previous post: A Broad Abroad: Oman, A New Love), and was determined to go back before I return to Canada.

They have beautiful beaches and a rich history.

My spot on the beach just in front of my hut at the Oman Dive Centre. You will want to stay here…

I’d heard so much about their wadi’s.

Wadi Shab – heading out on the hike at high noon may not have been the best idea (sooooo HOT! I had to rest in the shade regularly…not because of the hike itself, but because of the heat. I thought I was going to pass out. It was a lot for this Canadian girl! But so worth it.

A welcome reprieve from the 50-degrees and sunshine.

Wadi Bani Khalid – where locals spend the day to get away from the heat. They were having picnics, playing, swimming and some even singing with friends.

The tourist becomes the attraction. There weren’t many tourists, even fewer swam. Observing local culture, I had to keep my t-shirt on and wrap my towel around my waist to cover my legs.

And then there was the desert sunset. Beautiful! I highly recommend the Desert Nights luxury tent hotel – well worth it.

Desert Dunes. Wahiba Sands.

Desert Nights – tent hotel. Beautiful.

Desert Nights – tent hotel, complete with camels.

Tent room. Now this is my kind of tent….

Seating area outside the tent. And so many stars in the sky – but unfortunately I don’t have a camera that can capture that.

Desert sunset. So beautiful! I need to experience another…

In the south, Salalah gets quite tropical in July and August due to the moisture from the monsoon season in India getting trapped along the mountains. This makes for interesting climate – it’s cloudy, and you can feel the moisture in the air, but it’s not really raining. I also loved that the cows and camels hung out on the streets when you got up into the mountain/country-side – some even stopped for a nap in the middle of the road. A reminder that we are guests in their world…not the other way around.

Salalah – when you get high enough up the mountain you find yourself above the clouds. Crazy beautiful.

Loved coming across this. Why not rest in the middle of the road?

Well if the cows are going to hang out in the road, why not the camels as well?

Salalah – at one time it was the Frankincense capital. And this is a Frankincense tree.

Salalah – Wadi Darbat. Gives you a good idea of what it is like here this time of year – lots of moisture in the air, clouds, and oh so green. Hard to believe that on the other side of the mountains lies a desert.

Salalah boats.

Salalah springs.

And then there is the capital of Muscat. It’s a pretty city, still fairly small. And it is clean and orderly. Aaahhh.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – so pretty.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – detail.

The Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. A perk – as I used rewards points to stay here. This was the ‘upgrades’ trip – as they upgraded me to a suite. Beautiful treat.

Oman has so much to offer – such varied landscapes, beaches, the desert, tropical Salalah, resorts, sea turtles, diving, Muscat, a beautiful Grande Mosque – I still feel I have only scratched the surface. In truth, it deserves its own blog and I could say so much more. But really my advice is…go…go experience Oman.

And that’s the end of Part 1… this is becoming too long a post. More observations from my summer adventures to come soon.