The online diary of Caroline Westbrook following her marriage on September 6 1998 to Leslie Bunder.
Tuesday June 1 1999
It's a new month, and it's supposed to be summer, but the weather is
showing no signs of getting better. Why is it that we are the only people who
are suffering through endless showers, when the rest of the world is baking
in a heatwave? Oh well, there is no answer for that I guess. Anyway, it's
set to be an exciting month, what with our trip to Vienna coming up in a few
weeks time.
Wednesday June 2 1999
The film drought is all set to be broken, thank goodness. It is a
notoriously slow time of year but the blockbusters are coming up, to say nothing of
the Star Wars season. One thing bothers me about Star Wars however, which
of course we have all seen by now, and it feels done and dusted already
even though there's another six weeks till it opens here. Problem is, we
have spent so long preparing for it that what will we talk about on July 19,
the Monday after the film has opened? This just goes to show how obsessive
something can become very quickly.
Thursday June 3 1999
Another quiet day, basking in the rain. Lovely.
Friday June 4 1999
Yet another busy weekend ahead of us, what with Samara's birthday party
tomorrow night (long time no see!).
Saturday June 5 1999
Went to the West End in the afternoon to get Samara's present. Wound up
in Lush Cosmetics, a really nice natural toiletries store in Carnaby
Street. A lot of their stuff smells a bit peculiar, but they do sell bath bombs,
which are one of the greatest bath time inventions known to man. You simply
drop the ball-shaped "bomb" into the bath and watch it spin around and fizz
up a lot.
Anyway, Leslie bought sea salt ones and I splashed out (ha!) on
chocolate and orange. Have yet to try mine out, but Leslie said his was
excellent and smelt wonderful. (we bought some for Samara of course)
Went to Samara's drink in the evening at a cavernous underground bar in
Covent Garden. Very nice actually, even if you did have to fight to get
seats. May well consider it if I am planning drinks when my birthday
rolls around. But to be honest I haven't even thought about it yet.
Sunday June 6 1999
A thankfully quiet Sunday, pretty routine stuff; visited parents, had
nice steak. Actually rested for a change.
Monday June 7 1999
My dad's birthday today, so we stopped by there wielding a Frasier box
set and of course joyous birthday greetings. Didn't get there until very
late as we went out to dinner with Emma at a new Mediterranean restaurant in
Golders Green. Nice fish, good fun but the music pretty much drowned everything
out.
This is clearly an indication of how old I am becoming, that if I go
out for a meal I don't want to eat to the sound of the Chemical Brothers (not
that I have anything against The Chemical Brothers, they are a favourite band,
just not when I'm trying to have my dinner). Still, it was a nice evening
and we are plotting to go to the gym sometime. My dad was very pleased with
the pressie, always good to know you chose the right thing.
Tuesday June 8 1999
Again, nothing much else to report today. Office is still going Star Wars crazy.
Wednesday June 9 1999
Caught a fabulous movie tonight called Rushmore, which I was particularly pleased about as I have been waiting around nine months to catch this gem (ever since I read the reviews in Variety). It’s about an eccentric 15-year-old kid – a kind of cross between Ferris Bueller and Adrian Mole – who gets caught in a love triangle between a first-grade teacher and a tycoon. The sight of Bill Murray in the lead, nonchalantly driving over the poor kid’s bike when their warring over the teach turns ugly is one which won’t be forgotten in a hurry. Teen movies clearly rule! Well, this one does anyhow.
Thursday June 10 1999
Rushmore has clearly affected the British film-watching community. Almost every E-mail I have received today has been signed off with yet another disgracefully funny line from the film. Not that I have been participating in this behaviour of course. Well, not very often.
Friday June 11 1999
First weekend for ages when we have nothing planned is coming right up. Will obviously spend it doing stuff, however.
Saturday June 12 1999
Went out late today, took things easy, did a little shopping, rounded off the evening with very nice fish and chips at the Sea Shell, top chippie about 15 minutes away from here.
Sunday June 13 1999
Pretty much a repeat of yesterday, without the fish and chips, except this evening we finally got around to sorting out the wedding photos.Yup, we picked the fifty we liked the most, scribbled down all the numbers and will fax the selection to David in the next day or so, the idea being, of course, that he will have the albums ready for us by the time we go out in November.
Let us hope that’s the case, as the last thing we want is to spend loads of money booking a trip only to discover they won’t be ready for another couple of months. The idea is to fly before New Year, before all the flights get booked up and horribly expensive. And of course, before all the Millennium Bug hysteria hits the world. Like it hasn’t already.
Monday June 14 1999
Not long to go until our holiday now! Next Wednesday we take off for Vienna, so this is my last full week at work before then. Will be interesting to see how the place has changed in the ten years since I’ve been there. Not that I’m anticipating I will remember anything, all I remember about it was that it was really really big. This may have had something to do with coming in from Venice where everything was incredibly, but obviously will be interesting to catch a look at the place again. And then of course there is the small matter of cake…
Tuesday June 15 1999
Well, my involvement in all things Star Wars has finally come to an end at work, which is incredible as the film doesn't even open for another month! Made contact with David today re: the photos. Turns out he actually needs copies of the proofs, which of course is going to make things even more tricky. Still, we will get them back and he is going to try his hardest to make sure they are ready for us when we go out in November - provided he knows when we're coming, of course.
Wednesday June 16 1999
Nothing much else to report today. Suffice to say that we are relieved to have finally sorted out the photos (currently the only remaining wedding thing that is still tying us to New York - once we have the albums we will be visiting only for our own pleasure).
Thursday June 17 1999
Another really cool movie tonight - this one is called Go, and it's a kind of Pulp Fiction for those people who were too young to see it when it first came out (Pulp Fiction, that is) - lots of disparate LA folks being linked together by a trio of interconnecting tales. What I really liked was the fact that it was filled to the brim with fast pumping dance music - and I loved every minute of it! I realised, after it had finished, that the fact I appreciated this film and its pounding dance soundtrack means I am actually not nearly as old as I think I am! Had I been frowning, putting my hand to my ear going; "Ooh, it's a bit loud, isn't it?" then I would have had cause to worry. But no.
Friday June 18 1999
Last weekend before we fly, so loads to sort out. We are, however, going to the ballet on Tuesday night, the night before we go! Leslie has, through some people he deals with at work, managed to secure some free tickets for a box at the Royal Albert Hall to see Swan Lake! How fantastic is that? Not only is it a box, but the show is in the round, so we will have a perfect view of everything! Can't take out mothers, alas, so we have made up for it by paying for them to see it tomorrow afternoon. That way everybody goes home happy.
Saturday June 19 1999
Spent the afternoon watching the Royal Wedding (Edward and Sophie) with my dad while my mum and Leslie's went to the ballet. Couldn't help noticing her dress was the same shape as mine.
Went for sushi in Fulham in the evening and were astonished to find no coffee bars open for a spot of post-sushi caffeine afterwards (it was only 9.30pm!) Ended up going to Borders, which was actually a pretty good idea as it turned out, as we managed to get a very good guide book on Vienna to add to the collection.
Sunday June 20 1999
Went shopping for new luggage. Our present stuff is beginning to wear out, and we can't quite decide whether to replace it now or wait until we go on another transatlantic trip and replace it then. The idea is to get some of those cases on wheels with retractable handles that you just wheel across the concourse at the airport like a trolley, but we haven't found anything suitable (or, for that matter, reasonably priced) as yet. May well stick with the current stuff and have new for our next trip to the US.
The round of pre-holiday washing has begun. Leslie is off on a business trip tomorrow night to Belgium, so he will be staying there overnight, then coming back Tuesday afternoon and going straight to the Albert Hall for the ballet! He will be knackered, poor thing!
Tuesday June 22 1999
As expected, the ballet was fabulous, and being in the box solved that inevitable problem of spending the entire show looking at the back of someone's head instead of the dancers. Got plied on champagne and canapés while we were there too. Anyway, Swan Lake is exactly as I remember it, except here the bad guy was a lot scarier and the ending far shorter - last time I saw it our heroine died and took about 20 minutes doing so, whereas here she didn't seem to snuff it at all - unless it was metaphorical. I can only come to the conclusion that it was the upbeat version. Got the bus down to Notting Hill afterwards where it was easy to pick up a cab, got home about 11 but still didn't get to bed for another couple of hours and we have to be up again before six to get to the airport! Agh!
Wednesday June 23 1999
We're off! Well, we thought we were when we got on the place about two and a half minutes before it was due to take off. Proceeded to sit on the ground for about an hour after being told there was a problem with the water valve (served breakfast and everything), then sat there for another hour before they eventually decided to heap us all off one plane and put us on another. Lovely!
Anyway, got there eventually (about two hours late, natch), got picked up at Vienna airport by v.charming Austrian guy who spoke very good English. He informed us it was two hours to Budapest, three hours to Prague, four hours to Germany, half an hour to Bratislava, and Yugoslavia wasn't far but no driver would take us there (now there's a shame). Met outside hotel by welcoming committee (worth being a member of that Six Continents Club) who fussed around us before dispatching us to our (luxurious) rooms in the capable hands of Kurt, the concierge who (yes!) spoke very good English. Caught a lingering glimpse of the cake cabinet on the way out of the hotel. Think I will like Vienna.
Thursday June 24 1999
After a leisurely evening the previous night (taking full advantage of the hotel room's deep bathtub and fluffy robes), went out this morning to the Jewish quarter (or at least what is left of it), including the new Jewish museum which is, to be honest, not that great. Walked around the various Jewish squares and streets - this is one of those cities where you can just walk, at least to a point as everything is so damned big! Repaired back to the city for pizza, before checking out the big old cathedral in the centre of town and trying to get tickets for the opera.
We failed, so instead Leslie and myself have bagged tickets for something called Tanz Der Vampire, a musical based on Roman Polanski's movie The Fearless Vampire Killers, featuring music by Jim Steinman who wrote all those epic Meatloaf songs. Intrigued by the prospect of listening to Meatloaf ballads in German, it has to be said…went to a really excellent Japanese restaurant tonight. This place is crawling with sushi bars, apparently the Japanese tourist industry is booming!
Friday June 25 1999
Very excited at the thought of going to see the Lippizaner Stallions this morning, the special white horses that make up the Spanish Riding School and put on elaborate shows, do tricks etc. etc. However, tickets being scarce for the shows we instead opted for the morning training session. And had we known this involved two hours of watching horses gallop round an indoor paddock (like, do something interesting already!) we may have opted to give it a miss; likewise, the museum, which was included in the ticket price and gave the option of seeing the horses in their stables. Again, had I known I wouldn't see anything beyond the odd equine nose, we could have skipped this also; as for the museum, yes I really want to look at a selection of 19th Century riding crops, thank you!
The day improved considerably when we took the ring tram round the city and got to see all the sights in one go, then it improved even more when we found a sushi bar even more outstanding than the one we had been to the night before (the previous evening's one was more upmarket, but this one had nicer fish). Early start in the morning.
Saturday June 26 1999
Headed off to the Schonbrunn Palace, the royal area which is off-centre but easy enough to get to on the subway from where we were staying. The subway is excellent, prompt, clean and safe, but irritatingly enough you have to pull the doors open yourself, unlike the London Underground where everything is done for you. This takes some getting used to, particularly when the driver decides it's time to go and slams the doors shut just as you're getting the hand of pulling them!
But anyway. Schonbrunn Palace, very impressive, loads of rich tapestries and nice royal portraits, wandered round with this handset/pre-recorded guide which tells you everything you need to know. Shopped in the afternoon at top dept.store Steffl - and I ended up adding another bargain leather jacket to my collection! This one's a chocolate brown Armani, and I have officially decided I am collecting designer leathers from now on. Next stop, Prada, I suspect.
Went to the Prater amusement park in the evening to check out its super-famous big wheel, the setting for the climax of the movie The Third Man. Didn't realise there was such a huge amusement park attached to it, and had a top time checking out all the really scary rides and trying a few, including horseriding (yes, I did ride a horse and yes, he was very friendly) before heading for the wheel. Was quite amazed to discover that, exactly as the guidebook had warned, a fight did indeed break out at the wheel while we were waiting to get on, and as we ascended we got a very clear view of a bunch of fairground folk trying to restrain a very annoyed client!
This was genuine Jerry Springer stuff - always nice to get a warm welcome from the country we're visiting…the wheel itself was fabulous and thankfully went very slowly to allow other people to get on. But the views were worth all the time spent stuck at the top (yikes) and hey, always good to say you've been up in a landmark. Late night.
Sunday June 27 1999
Didn't do much during the day, firstly because it rained and secondly because we were off to Tanz Der Vampire at 6 pm, while Lorraine was off to a Strauss concert round the corner from the hotel. Anyway, against our better judgment the show was absolutely fantastic! (the Jewish vampire who didn't respond to crucifixes had a lot to do with this). The sets were spectacular, the performances were excellent, the singers were as good as any I've heard sing opera, and the Steinman tunes sounded great! (trust me, you've never heard Total Eclipse Of The Heart until you've heard it sung by a German vampire chorus).
And besides, what is there not to like about a show featuring a bunch of ponytailed guys in PVC trousers?! This was just a top night out, the sort we would come back to Vienna for just to do all over again, but hopefully they'll actually get around to bringing it to London so we can saveon air fares! May not be quite the same in English though. Caught a Michael Jackson-organised charity concert on one of the local stations when we got back, featuring the Kelly family - the world's saddest band. Their rank dreadfulness only made us watch them more.
Monday June 28 1999
Another fairly quiet day, we have pretty much done all the decent sightseeing, so we did a little more shopping before heading to the Hotel Sacher for our long-awaited Sacher Torte in the afternoon. For the uninitiated, it's a calorie-laden chocolate cake with yummy chocolate icing, and clearly this is what I have dieted all year for. Making plans to bring lots home.
Tuesday June 29 1999
We have now asset-stripped the Hotel Sacher of its Sacher Torte and are preparing to fly home after our wonderful week in Vienna. The cake is beginning to take its toll (this is what happens when you take someone who's been dieting for a year and put them in the pastry capital of the world…)
Wednesday June 30 1999
Lovely to be back at work after vacation. Bought them some extremely nice raspberry filled chocolates (and ate most of them on their behalf). Still suffering that age-old calories consumed on holiday don't count syndrome, and will be down the gym as soon as possible to rectify things.
