I visited Perth last week. And so did wet weather

The view from my apartment. Ignore the bleakness of the car park and the
rain, and you can imagine it is actually quite a nice spot.

I paid my first visit to Perth last week. Have you been there? I didn't see much besides rain, clouds and traffic, which I could have seen here at Coolgardie (except for the traffic).
I was there because work decided they wanted to spend several thousand dollars sending me on a course and covering accommodation and travel while at it. And who am I to argue?
I had a great time, and am grateful to my employer, on a number of accounts.
The course was officially titled the Surface Ventilation Officer course. I know what you're thinking. BOR-RING. But it was really quite interesting. And for someone who's main career to date has primarily involved regurgitating details on Katie Perry's latest tattoo or when the community crochet fair is to be held, parts of it were downright fascinating. And I look forward to actually being a ventilation officer.
Then there was the accommodation. No bland hotel here - they put me up in a gorgeous apartment right on the water in Fremantle. I could have happily spent the entire week there gazing at the surf, but obviously had to make the 20-minute drive to class each day. Which I completed in a zippy little hire car - also courtesy of work's credit card. Bonus!
Navigating myself through a strange city - aka trying to read the map while driving and getting thoroughly lost and confused on more than one occasion - clearly posed a challenge. But it was in fact much easier than directing my stress-head of a husband behind the wheel.
He even gets quite a bit freaked. Even, at times, in Coolgardie. Which has approximately eight streets and peak hour means three other cars.
For example, the other day he wanted me to show him where the town's medical centre was as I'd been there but he was going for the first time later that week. This followed:
Me: "Well go along the highway and when you get to the street Bob lives on turn left, then -"
Him, interrupting in mild panic: "It's on that side of the highway?! I thought it was on the other side!"
Me: "No, it's on the left side".
Him: "Oh. But I thought it was on the right side!"
Me, getting tetchy: "Well if you know where it is and it's on the right side, just go to the right side."
Him: "No no, for some reason I thought it was on the right but I'm probably wrong."
We turned left and - surprise! - successfully located the medical centre.
But anyway, back to my week in Perth.
The highlight was catching up with an old friend. My best friend in high school. Whom I hadn't seen in years. It was beyond fabulous to see her again.
I also got together with another friend and her little guy, whom I hadn't seen since our road trip last year. This too was great fun, especially as they took me to a nearby chocolate factory for lunch.
There were some downsides during my stay. My Kindle crapped itself. And the bloody Telstra pre-paid internet modem I use when travelling refused to work. So I had no books and no internet stuff/blogs to read. I had to resort to watching TV!
I am not much of a TV viewer and feel completely lost when I have nothing to read, so this was quite traumatic.
And as lovely as the harbour apartment was, it had one of those stupid beds on wheels. Every time you so much as wiggle a toe it goes scooting wildly across the carpet, coming to rest on the other side of the room. I blame it for killing my Kindle. It had been functioning just fine until the wilful bed upped and moved, dislodging the Kindle (which I had propped on the bed against the wall) and sending it crashing to the floor.
And, as noted at the beginning of the post, the weather was not great and prevented me having a good look around. But I did take a quick stroll through Fremantle and - along with about 3000 other people - partook of the delights at the aforementioned chocolate factory near Midland.

Have you ever had a fantastic work-sponsored trip? Or been to Perth? If so, what do you recommend I see and do upon my (as-yet unscheduled) return?

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