Dateline Monday 24th April 2023

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh at last some sunshine without a cold northerly wind blowing cooling down the already cool temperatures of the UK, that was early on Sunday morning then it started to rain.

Good morning, I hope you are well and that you had a great weekend.

Are you enjoying the "Eid al-Fitr" celebrations I was walking in Regents Park on Friday afternoon and the place was busy with lots of people in national dress or ethnic dress celebrating the end of Ramadan fasting and the beginning of feasting, there is as I am sure you know a huge mosque on the edge of Regents Park in London.

Yesterday was St George’s Day it is the feast day of England's patron saint and is celebrated on April 23, to commemorate the anniversary of his death in 303 AD. Also known as The Feast of Saint George, it is a customary celebration of various Christian churches, as well as other nations, states and countries of which Saint George is the patron saint - including Bulgaria Portugal, Romania and Spanish communities such as Aragon and Catalonia. The legend of Saint George and the Dragon tells the tale of the saint taming and slaying a dragon and has been recalled to imaginative minds since the Crusades and the Hundred Years' War. Many people still celebrate St George today - marking the occasion by lighting up buildings in white and red, the colours of the English flag.

As well as being St George’s Day yesterday, 23rd April is also National Sovereignty and Children's Day in Turkey commemorating the foundation of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, on 23rd April 1920. It is a bank holiday in Turkey. 23rd April is the day that the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was founded in 1920. During the War of Independence, Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24th 1923, the Turkish Government started the task of establishing the institutions of a state.

It was also Earth Day on Saturday it is an annual event taking place on 22nd April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is Invest In Our Planet.

Then there was the London Marathon on Sunday, clearly Spring has truly sprung.

Did you get the alarm test on your mobile phone? I was tanking down the M1 at 3PM on Sunday afternoon the alarm sounded and almost everyone on the motor way slammed on their brakes duhhhhh

Last Monday was Malbec World Day I have taken the liberty to declare today in Swiss Cottage Rioja day, next Monday I plan it to be Tempranillo Day then maybe Barolo Day or Pinotage Day haven’t decided yet 😊 depends what Majestic Wines or Waitrose has on offer

One more celebration to mention that is close to me and my family, on Tuesday night Israel will begin celebrating its 75th Independence Day

Finally, more celebrations to come with The Coronation in a few weeks’ time, there is bank holiday next Monday 1st May then the extra Coronation Bank Holiday on 8th May so the next Monday morning e mail will be with you on Monday 15th May I will miss chatting to you

And that’s it, you are up to date from a David point of view.

MM and Company news update

IMEX 23rd -25th May 2023 Frankfurt

It’s never ever too early to plan for IMEX in Frankfurt. So far I know that

Another of the DMCs MM and Company represent will be at IMEX this year Muge Altug of Blue DMC Turkey will be on stand E470

Pascal and Enrica NACARA DMC France will be at IMEX on the Euromic stand

Claudia & Erika of MI Malta DMC will be at IMEX on the Malta Stand

Martin Hodi of e+o travel and meetings DMC Austria is attending IMEX but not on a stand

Eva Hoffman of Cornerstone Meetings DMC part of Germanyinsight DMC will be on the IMEX Frankfurt stand

Austria

Martin, Evelyn and the team at e+o event travel and management DMC has told us that the Almanac Palais Vienna, has opened, it is a boutique property set inside a pair of former palais dating to 1871. Overlooking the Stadtpark, the city’s first public green space, the property is located on the Ringstrasse, a boulevard, walking distance from local landmarks, including the Vienna State Opera House and the Museum of Applied Arts. The hotel has 80-suites, 31-guestroom with a bright, colourful dining room is the plant-forward Alpine restaurant ,the ELIAS Coffee Shop, is modelled on a grand Viennese a nod to Vienna’s rich café culture. Vienna is a very walkable city with many highlights among them is The Vienna State Opera House, the Hofburg palais and The Museum of Applied Arts.

The hotel opens as the city celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Vienna World Fair, an event that coincides with other important happenings around the city, including the debut of the remodelled Wien Museum and the new "Panorama Vienna" exhibition space at Prater Park, as well as the long-awaited year-long exhibition dedicated to Gusta Kimpt’s famous "The Kiss at The Belvedere".  Vienna’s “must see” includes the National Library, housing over 11 million objects; the 16th-century St. Stephen’s Cathedral; and the University of Vienna, the oldest university in the German-speaking world. Plus with over 1,000 Viennese coffee houses currently open, you can experience the evolution of traditional pastries, like Kaiserschmarren, Sacher torte and apple strudel not forgetting the star of the main course Weiner Schnitzel.