Thursday, September 19, 2013
The Alphabet Quest and X.
As they say X marks the spot but there is no country starting with X and only two that contain the letter X, so in the interests of the Alphabet Quest it is time to visit one of those two countries. Yes Luxembourg, in the middle of Europe, this will colour in a very small but important bit of the map. Oh and on the way to get there I'll stop in Singapore, change planes in Helsinki, do some work in Gothenburg and Stockholm in Sweden, and then fly to Luxembourg via Copenhagen in Denmark and finally home via Hong Kong. I wonder if there'll be treasure in the land of X, or perhaps the treasure is the riches of the old and beautiful city. Only two more letters to go after this.
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Mexico must be feeling pretty damn sorry for itself.
ReplyDeleteGiven that X is pronounced as H in Spanish I think it only fair that I go to Luxembourg.
DeleteI once spent an evening at Le Place d'Armes with Princess Margaretha. I wouldn't go telling anyone; it didn't end well. Her fiancee, Nikolaus of Liechtenstein found out. We did, however, sample many of the hotels finest cognacs, and also saved the Shi-al-ahmoor diamond from falling into the hands of the Kristian-Hoffmeyer Group, which was the whole reason for my trip. Must go back one day.
ReplyDeleteOh you name dropper Bond. I did discover my jacket by the way is labelled 700, perhaps we're mirror images you and I. You'd like my hotel, very fitting for one of your adventures. Got to check out some impressive hardware today too, not quite suitable for you as a naval man but formed the basis for the naval stuff I'm dealing with and got to test that against helicopters today. Had a Korean delegation saunter through too, couldn't tell which side but I believe it was close to the border for whichever one.
ReplyDeleteI've always been wary of Koreans, ever since I came across that fellow with the bowler hat. Oddjob, I think he was called. And the less said about my surfing-adventure-gone-wrong the better. Still, at least I didn't have to spend any time with Dennis Rodman. Though I should say, it is nice when an athlete can find a second career after their sporting days are over. Even if it is as a nutter.
ReplyDeleteAh yes. "checking out impressive Swedish hardware". Please give my regards to Britt Ekland.
Ahh yes Britt, and the Man with the Golden Gun. Although she fancied that Sellers man from memory, oh and some rocker. She's in good company though with Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman. Have to say I'm a fan of Odd Job, but you had another run in with the Korean's as well, some guy that never slept. I checked out a one star Michelin restaurant last night - all sorts of unusual cuisine, including bark. Fortunately I didn't have to pay for this one.
ReplyDeleteWell Bond, have now explored the old Swedish East India Company location of the Gothenburg City Museum, as well as Skansen Kronan. Took a bit of effort to get to that one with a climb up over 100 rather sleep steps but gave a greta view over the city. Then I checked out, what I imagine, was the gamla stan (old town) below the castle. I had been following the canal along its path but deviated when I saw the Skansen upon the hill. Help has arrived too for the 'training' exercise this week where we'll meet up with four Navy colleagues.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be paying a restaurant that tried to serve me bark either. Well done for refusing.
ReplyDeleteYou know It's almost twenty years since Sweden renounced its neutrality ... I have such fond memories of the years before, sneaking across the border from Norway, taking a quiet fishing boat across the Baltic to East Germany or Poland. I even went into Latvia once on a small boat out of Oxelosund. Took all night. Thank goodness for auto pilot, vodka and Anne-Marie. Wouldn't have made it without her. So sad when she was gunned down just outside Pavilosta.
Anyway, enough of my reminiscences. Enjoy your naval training and don't try to keep up with those boys. They'll drink you under the table, and heaven knows what they'll do to you once they've got you down there!
I wouldn't be trying to out drink these fellas, their first stop after the plane was a pub. Martini's are not quite their style though, or probably vodka, more beer, beer and more beer, but I guess that's the difference from the colonials and RN. I did discover an interesting fact though, it is always the Royal Navy but the British Army, the latter who have the swear allegiance to the Queen but the former don't.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find that, once the beer reserves run out, it doesn't matter as long as the alcohol content is high enough. As far as swearing is concerned, I've never come across a branch of the military that isn't world class, queen or no queen.
ReplyDeleteToo true, Sir Roger. In Stockholm now, based at a hotel at the Central Station (commuter train, intercity trains, metro and buses). My room is done out in 1930's Hollywood style, not quite to my taste but the bed's comfy. A few more business meetings today and then searched out the Fotografika in the afternoon and some very impressive work there. More meetings tomorrow and then I'll hop a plane to Luxembourg via Copenhagen on Wednesday. You must have passed through Luxembourg a few times, it seems a significant kind of place. Cheap Petrol there too I'm told, so quite good for taking the Aston Martin for a spin. Back to Stockholm after that before home via Helsinki and Honkers.
ReplyDeleteHaven't spent a lot of time with the Luxembourgois. I might have mentioned my daliance with Princess Margaretha. Other than that ... let me think ... I remember a little job in Betzdorf and another up north in Troisvierges. That one was quite interesting. The wife of a local bank manager got herself caught up in one of these amateur 'revolutionary' groups that spring up in that part of the world from time to time. She thought she'd change the world. They thought she'd give them the combination to the vault. I went in undercover, scoped the set-up (as I said, amateurs) took out the 'leadership' (the baker's apprentice and his layabout brother) and spent the evening seeing the sights with the bank manager's wife. Quite spectacular they were, too.
ReplyDeleteWell Bond, in Luxembourg now and what a location this would make for one of your movies - small cobblestone streets, impressive buildings, funky bars all very uber cool. I think my hotel room is in keeping with your style too - its own sitting room, impressive art on the walls, good decor, all I need is an Aston Martin, a Walther PPK and a brunette or five.
ReplyDeleteI took a few photos of 'revolutionary groups' in Lux, outside the Chambres Des Deputies. Then pretended to take a few more tourist snaps so as to not blow the cover. Back in Stockholm now, one of those quick in and out jobs. Nearly got held up in Copenhagen, SAS organisation not the best.And only one Bank Manager's wife? Slipping Bond, there's a lot of banks in Luxembourg, if you worked your way through them you'd be there for at least a year. To Helsinki next and then Honkers. What was that bird you hooked up in Honker's name? Deng? Wendy Deng? Quite a good left hook I remember.
ReplyDeleteThe less said about bonkers in Honkers the better. And don't start with me about Rupert Murdock.
ReplyDeleteHome now Bond. Ran into the Navy boys in Honkers. They had a six hour stopover I had an eight. Q would have been pleased too with some of the gadgets I saw, I was quite tempted to buy a number of them but rested up in the Club instead. To the rather quaint Norfolk Island next. A week of R&R before some proper adventures next year. Hope the book of memoirs is going well and enjoy yourself with the Pussy Galore twins. 'Til next time, Sir Roger.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to anyone else who reads this blog.
ReplyDeleteYou know Sir Roger, we have to speak in code and all that :-)
ReplyDelete