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Category Archives: Travel
Really.
Avon calling…
Trivia fact: most people who know of the river Avon in Britain likely know of it in relation to Stratford-upon-Avon, famous as the birthplace of a little-known chap named William Shakespeare. In actual fact however, there are seven rivers Avon across the United Kingdom, and each is distinct and separate.
So why are they all called Avon? Avon is Celtic for river.
Small things can make a big difference
These photos from the streets of Copenhagen, the Danish capital. Such a simple idea, but such a good idea. The timed traffic lights tell pedestrians how long they have to wait to cross if the lights are red, and how much time they have left to cross if the lights are green. It’s predominantly the little clever touches like this that give the Scandinavians their well-deserved reputation as world leaders when it comes to common sense in urban planning and making life just that bit more livable.
Out again
This weekend I will be once again out of town and out of the Internet. Service will resume Tuesday morning AEST.
Until then, tips as to who will win Euro 2008 and guesses as to where the hell I am off to will be accepted.
For the German people…
Auf Wiedersehen… gesundheit!
This weekend is a long weekend in the fair United Kingdom, and hence for the first time in a little while at least I will be vacating the country. The destination this time around is Berlin, which should prove an interesting destination indeed. I am particularly enthused about just being there amongst all the tragic and dramatic history that has unfolded over the last century. The Jewish Museum and Checkpoint Charlie Haus should be fascinating, and I am also looking forward to getting out to Potsdam, of Potsdam Conference infamy.
I won’t have access to the Internet until Tuesday (when service will resume), but next week after I return I may deign to pose a few happy snaps. In the meantime, take care and do have a good weekend.
Intermission
Some family have come to visit from Australia, and so for the next week, I am going to be out and about with them around these parts and will not be posting. Until then, take care and TTFN.
Travel meme #8: Trip the light fantastic
Travel has been a great educator. I had never heard of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona while in Australia, but it truly is an astonishing site, and for my money, one of the top two or three most fascinating churches in the world. The extraordinary facade, concocted by mad Spanish architect-prince Antoni Gaudi looks like it is a CGI graphic that has been super-imposed on the real world. The tall, arched stained glass windows let in a pretty amazing kaleidoscope of colours, creating a place of beauty in a way that very few places of worship I have seen do. And to top it all off, the church is still after about a century, a work in progress. Even today, it seems the church is 50% construction site, and 50% place of worship, started in 1891, and scheduled (perhaps optimistically) to conclude in 2026.
Astonishing. Go there.
Travel meme #7: An old profession
I am not sure I am happy or sad about some of the jobs that tourism creates. Everywhere we have gone on our travels we have seen both the good that tourism brings and the strange developments it fosters. I am not sure whether I should feel happy, sad or indifferent about the fact that this chap in Rome needs to cavort around as someone from Ancient Rome to make a buck. Well might we say that tourism has provided him with a source of income. Well might we wonder whether there might not be better things folks like him could be doing in early Winter when tourist numbers are down. I wonder how he conceptualises it all – is it a way to make a few extra euros on the side, or is he forced into doing it through desperation and circumstances? Is it a laugh, or does he hate it to death?
Should I feel bad that I really don’t want a photo with him, even though I wonder whether I as a relatively wealthy tourist should be helping him out?
Travel meme #6: Clooneymania in Spain
They must be mad for George Clooney in Spain. Either that, or they must be driven crazy by the sight of him seemingly everywhere, from amusingly exuberant Martini ads like this one, to his pleased looking face on Nespresso billboards. The hotel where we stayed in Barcelona was located nearest to the Clot metro station, which was perhaps fitting given the amount of ham, chorizo and cheese we ate while we were there. Every night in the evening, after a full day walking around and taking in the city (for my money the best in Spain), we came home to Clot, and hence, to George, whose absurd expression greeted us when we exited the metro station each night.
He is clearly a shameless man, but on the other hand, this ad brought a smile to even this Clooney shunner’s face every evening we enjoyed there.