So, the last full day in Korea...
We left early for Seoul, passing paddy fields, ramshackle small towns and villages and eventually sped along the blue traffic lane that allowed all buses to pass all cars to the palace called Gyeongbokgung.
Quite Chinese in style, with an assortment of buildings, the prettiest of which was a smallish chunky palace set on water.
Hot, and difficult to walk around in a group of 30 or more, with some consistent stragglers! Good to be with the Croatians (Reno Fleiss et al) and Hungarians.
Lunch was taken on a street full of food stalls and small cafés serving traditional Korean food. My noodles, seafood and spicy sauce were very good.
We saw more traditional houses, went shopping in Insadong, and then found our way to our hotel, the rather grand Lotte.
A wander round the local department store, also called Lotte, and along street markets. No purchases made, but good fresh lemonade and sweet and sour ?pork from a food stall.
Back to the hotel, and a very relaxing time in the lounge with my book, a couple of beers, and an excellent guy playing the keyboard and singing Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, etc. I'd forgotten how good that music is!
And finally an early night...
It will be a long day tomorrow.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Friday, 1 June 2012
Congress and Korean cuckoos
The final day of the Congress, and today was the day of the formal Congress meeting.
GBR had three votes, and I was one of them.
We sat through a lot of reports on World Championships past and future, and on Olympic Games (again, past and future). We voted on one or two proposals, and on some new nations who want to join the FIS family, and on new council members. My Chinese friend was not elected, neither was Klara Kasvo, from HUN, who gave a tremendous speech and swayed a lot of people in her favour.
We lunched on the balcony of the 7th floor, in the best sunshine of the week - a delicious barbecue.
When the meeting finally drew to a close, I had enough energy to walk around the lake and then up the road to the ski resort above, approx 3 km, and then back through a lovely woodland trail. The woods resounded to the sound of several cuckoos, not yet heard at home!
Bathed, showered and refreshed for the final formal dinner, this one hosted by FIS. Excited and honoured to be asked to be Medical Supervisor at the Nordic World Championships in Val Di Fiemme next February/March, the request endorsed by Sarah Lewis and Hubert Hörterer, Chairman of the FIS Medical Committee. A scary responsibility, but will be a pleasure to take on.
And then a bit too excited to sleep. Sadly good night's sleep have been few and far between on this trip. Tomorrow we go back to Seoul...
We sat through a lot of reports on World Championships past and future, and on Olympic Games (again, past and future). We voted on one or two proposals, and on some new nations who want to join the FIS family, and on new council members. My Chinese friend was not elected, neither was Klara Kasvo, from HUN, who gave a tremendous speech and swayed a lot of people in her favour.
We lunched on the balcony of the 7th floor, in the best sunshine of the week - a delicious barbecue.
When the meeting finally drew to a close, I had enough energy to walk around the lake and then up the road to the ski resort above, approx 3 km, and then back through a lovely woodland trail. The woods resounded to the sound of several cuckoos, not yet heard at home!
Bathed, showered and refreshed for the final formal dinner, this one hosted by FIS. Excited and honoured to be asked to be Medical Supervisor at the Nordic World Championships in Val Di Fiemme next February/March, the request endorsed by Sarah Lewis and Hubert Hörterer, Chairman of the FIS Medical Committee. A scary responsibility, but will be a pleasure to take on.
And then a bit too excited to sleep. Sadly good night's sleep have been few and far between on this trip. Tomorrow we go back to Seoul...
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Police Escort!
A long day.
The FIS Excursion, always eagerly anticipated, and often a bit of a disappointment. I guess not easy to organise something amazing for 750 people! Today's event was a trip to PyeongChang, site of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
The cavalcade of buses (some 12 or 15) was swept through the towns and villages with a a police escort - no stopping at red lights for us!!! A slick arrangement, with guards saluting all along. The roads thronged with soldiers on various exercises, rifles at the ready, old American-style army trucks...
Visits to the sites were less well organised, however. But we saw the Yong Pyong hills for the Alpine technical events, the cross country area, the snowboard and freestyle area and the ski jumping hills. And a massive buffet lunch at the Alpensia Convention Centre near the Jumpimg hills.
It was a relief to get back, after seven hours. Back to the announcement of the World Championships nominations, St Moritz 2017 Alpine; Lahti FIN for the Nordic.
And an exquisite buffet supper/cocktail party. Dim sum, seafood, beautifully rare roast beef; some great puds and a fruit selection including various items previously unseen, unrecognised and unnamed (but delicious).
An early bath, and an early night. Watched some of the evening's light and fountain displays from my bed!
The FIS Excursion, always eagerly anticipated, and often a bit of a disappointment. I guess not easy to organise something amazing for 750 people! Today's event was a trip to PyeongChang, site of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
The cavalcade of buses (some 12 or 15) was swept through the towns and villages with a a police escort - no stopping at red lights for us!!! A slick arrangement, with guards saluting all along. The roads thronged with soldiers on various exercises, rifles at the ready, old American-style army trucks...
Visits to the sites were less well organised, however. But we saw the Yong Pyong hills for the Alpine technical events, the cross country area, the snowboard and freestyle area and the ski jumping hills. And a massive buffet lunch at the Alpensia Convention Centre near the Jumpimg hills.
It was a relief to get back, after seven hours. Back to the announcement of the World Championships nominations, St Moritz 2017 Alpine; Lahti FIN for the Nordic.
And an exquisite buffet supper/cocktail party. Dim sum, seafood, beautifully rare roast beef; some great puds and a fruit selection including various items previously unseen, unrecognised and unnamed (but delicious).
An early bath, and an early night. Watched some of the evening's light and fountain displays from my bed!
Meetings and dinners...
30th May - yesterday passed in bit of a blur.
After a good night's sleep (finally!), I went to the Legal and Safety meeting, welcomed with open arms, and enjoyed the discussions on back protector recommendations, child welfare, safety and responsibility on the slopes, and much more.
The afternoon passed in a blur of Alpine Committee, and then Equipment Committee, where I had to give the Medical Committee report.
A rising tide of panic over all the reports I have to prepare for UK Sport before I get back to the UK. At least everything is in my iPad, so I will be editing rather than starting from scratch.
Hardly time to take a breath before dressing for the third formal dinner in a row. This was the most special, hosted by the hotel High1. Funny moments, the massive ice sculpture of FIS with a skier on top which wouldn't fit through the doorway into the dining room. Beautiful table decorations, bunches of flowers in massive complex vases, candles, menus tied in formal silk envelopes. More speeches, but all good and short. And really beautiful food, delicious and exquisitely presented. Six courses. An extraordinary performance by a Korean group performing rhythmic feats on a whole set of kitchen utensils, leaving piles of shredded vegetables all over the stage. The waiters standing round the edge of the room to take a well deserved round of applause.
The Snowkidz Awards presentation, where I had to go on stage to represent Snow Camp, one of 8 finalists. We didn't win, even though it does awesome work and deserved to, but won 3000chf, and a certificate to boot. Oh, and Mrs Yan, the Chinese lady standing for the FIS Council, gave me some rather beautiful pearls to thank me for our meeting last autumn in Zurich. A piña colada in the Sports Bar, and finally exhausted again!
After a good night's sleep (finally!), I went to the Legal and Safety meeting, welcomed with open arms, and enjoyed the discussions on back protector recommendations, child welfare, safety and responsibility on the slopes, and much more.
The afternoon passed in a blur of Alpine Committee, and then Equipment Committee, where I had to give the Medical Committee report.
A rising tide of panic over all the reports I have to prepare for UK Sport before I get back to the UK. At least everything is in my iPad, so I will be editing rather than starting from scratch.
Hardly time to take a breath before dressing for the third formal dinner in a row. This was the most special, hosted by the hotel High1. Funny moments, the massive ice sculpture of FIS with a skier on top which wouldn't fit through the doorway into the dining room. Beautiful table decorations, bunches of flowers in massive complex vases, candles, menus tied in formal silk envelopes. More speeches, but all good and short. And really beautiful food, delicious and exquisitely presented. Six courses. An extraordinary performance by a Korean group performing rhythmic feats on a whole set of kitchen utensils, leaving piles of shredded vegetables all over the stage. The waiters standing round the edge of the room to take a well deserved round of applause.
The Snowkidz Awards presentation, where I had to go on stage to represent Snow Camp, one of 8 finalists. We didn't win, even though it does awesome work and deserved to, but won 3000chf, and a certificate to boot. Oh, and Mrs Yan, the Chinese lady standing for the FIS Council, gave me some rather beautiful pearls to thank me for our meeting last autumn in Zurich. A piña colada in the Sports Bar, and finally exhausted again!
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Another formal dinner! 29th May
This evening's dinner was hosted by the organising committee of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PeongChang, just down the road from here.
More speeches, more great food, and some entertainment. Some beautiful Korean lady dancers, in red traditional dress - graceful, coordinated, elegant - followed by Korea's top saxophone player giving a great rendition of Danny Boy, and then the local school children singing a bunch of songs from (of all things!) the Sound of Music. Little Korean kids dressed in national costume from all over the world singing 'Edelweiss'! Sounds bizarre, actually very touching.
So also during the day I had Youth & Children's Co-ordination Committee and Alpine Classification Committee meetings, plus a whole lot more informal stuff. I managed a short walk around the lake. Feel as if I'm working really quite hard for my luxury penthouse room, and only longing for a good night's sleep!
More speeches, more great food, and some entertainment. Some beautiful Korean lady dancers, in red traditional dress - graceful, coordinated, elegant - followed by Korea's top saxophone player giving a great rendition of Danny Boy, and then the local school children singing a bunch of songs from (of all things!) the Sound of Music. Little Korean kids dressed in national costume from all over the world singing 'Edelweiss'! Sounds bizarre, actually very touching.
So also during the day I had Youth & Children's Co-ordination Committee and Alpine Classification Committee meetings, plus a whole lot more informal stuff. I managed a short walk around the lake. Feel as if I'm working really quite hard for my luxury penthouse room, and only longing for a good night's sleep!
Monday, 28 May 2012
Fire & Water!
An early start, but I can only describe my 20th floor penthouse as more than comfortable.
Twice the size of the ground floor of my house, marble and mirror all round, it has absolutely everything a girl could want, including a huge glass walled bathroom to die for. Everything, from duvets to bath mats is of the very best quality. The view from my massive window looks over a lake, a small fake castle, a glass pyramid comme le Louvre, and surrounding wooded hills.
The lavatories everywhere in the hotel are the same as mine, warm, comfortable and adding a whole new dimension to 'all mod cons'!
The service is second to none. Corridor 'guards' bow when you walk past. After dinner, where we had a waiter per table, they all lined up to bow as we left.
Breakfast was confusing (OK so it was early, approx 6.30), but it was hard to know what went with what - half Asian, half Western, and too much to choose from. I will do better tomorrow.
And then we worked. I had five meetings today. The Medical Committee overlapped with the Youth & Children's meeting, but I managed most of the second and a large part of the first! And some quite important liaison between the two. An injury survey update at lunchtime. Another MedCom in the afternoon, and then a seminar on Women's Health. All that plus many smaller informal meetings. Lunch was snatched at the World Championships candidates' stalls - rice and mushrooms from Slovenia and chanterelle soup from Sweden took the biscuit!
Five minutes to grab a shower, and then a formal dinner, guests of the Korean Ski Association, accompanied by some quite good speeches.
The hard work of the day was finally more than counterbalanced by the post-prandial show. A full hour of fountains, water displays, laser light shows and finally fireworks, never seen anything like it! Breathtaking, spectacular, awesome, extraordinary, not enough words to describe it. Will bore some of you with a few video snatches when I get back, and will post the best when able to do so at home. London 2012 can hardly hope to come up with anything as spectacular! We may be miles from anywhere, but will not forget this place!
Twice the size of the ground floor of my house, marble and mirror all round, it has absolutely everything a girl could want, including a huge glass walled bathroom to die for. Everything, from duvets to bath mats is of the very best quality. The view from my massive window looks over a lake, a small fake castle, a glass pyramid comme le Louvre, and surrounding wooded hills.
The lavatories everywhere in the hotel are the same as mine, warm, comfortable and adding a whole new dimension to 'all mod cons'!
The service is second to none. Corridor 'guards' bow when you walk past. After dinner, where we had a waiter per table, they all lined up to bow as we left.
Breakfast was confusing (OK so it was early, approx 6.30), but it was hard to know what went with what - half Asian, half Western, and too much to choose from. I will do better tomorrow.
And then we worked. I had five meetings today. The Medical Committee overlapped with the Youth & Children's meeting, but I managed most of the second and a large part of the first! And some quite important liaison between the two. An injury survey update at lunchtime. Another MedCom in the afternoon, and then a seminar on Women's Health. All that plus many smaller informal meetings. Lunch was snatched at the World Championships candidates' stalls - rice and mushrooms from Slovenia and chanterelle soup from Sweden took the biscuit!
Five minutes to grab a shower, and then a formal dinner, guests of the Korean Ski Association, accompanied by some quite good speeches.
The hard work of the day was finally more than counterbalanced by the post-prandial show. A full hour of fountains, water displays, laser light shows and finally fireworks, never seen anything like it! Breathtaking, spectacular, awesome, extraordinary, not enough words to describe it. Will bore some of you with a few video snatches when I get back, and will post the best when able to do so at home. London 2012 can hardly hope to come up with anything as spectacular! We may be miles from anywhere, but will not forget this place!
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Asian Travel - HK to Seoul, toilet PS
So, from the beautiful Butterfly on Wellington, fairly basic but beautiful all the same, to Korea.
Woke rested, packed, with all sorts of plans for the morning, thwarted by the discovery that my flight left two hours earlier than I had remembered.
A quick taxi ride to the town check-in desk at Hong Kong Station in the lower reaches of the IFC Building. And another aimless wander in the endless shopping malls above. The best store is the City Super, a great exotic (expensive) supermarket selling odd things like chocolate covered crisps. Free sample tasted good, and they came highly recommended by Max's friends. A tawdry breakfast at 'Asian Twist', sad considering had planned another assault on Luk Yu for more dim sum. Oh well.
The airport express is super cool and super efficient. A smooth silent departure from the very centre of HK, leaving every 10 minutes, and taking 25 mins to reach the airport. What else to say? A good efficient Korean Airlines flight, and then a four hour bus journey to the North of Seoul, to the High1 Resort at the Kangwonland Hotel. A super room on the 20th floor, massive, everything you could ask for including the most wonderful bathroom, to which I'm about to repair. Will be a fairly short night, lost yet another hour as the clocks shot forward!
OK, just had to add a postscript. The loo is no ordinary loo. It has a heated seat. And more than that, has an inbuilt bidet system with adjustable rhythm of water delivery, and a fine hot air drying system... Korea, I'm impressed.
Woke rested, packed, with all sorts of plans for the morning, thwarted by the discovery that my flight left two hours earlier than I had remembered.
A quick taxi ride to the town check-in desk at Hong Kong Station in the lower reaches of the IFC Building. And another aimless wander in the endless shopping malls above. The best store is the City Super, a great exotic (expensive) supermarket selling odd things like chocolate covered crisps. Free sample tasted good, and they came highly recommended by Max's friends. A tawdry breakfast at 'Asian Twist', sad considering had planned another assault on Luk Yu for more dim sum. Oh well.
The airport express is super cool and super efficient. A smooth silent departure from the very centre of HK, leaving every 10 minutes, and taking 25 mins to reach the airport. What else to say? A good efficient Korean Airlines flight, and then a four hour bus journey to the North of Seoul, to the High1 Resort at the Kangwonland Hotel. A super room on the 20th floor, massive, everything you could ask for including the most wonderful bathroom, to which I'm about to repair. Will be a fairly short night, lost yet another hour as the clocks shot forward!
OK, just had to add a postscript. The loo is no ordinary loo. It has a heated seat. And more than that, has an inbuilt bidet system with adjustable rhythm of water delivery, and a fine hot air drying system... Korea, I'm impressed.
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