europe on trains

The Last Post

2010-01-08T18:10:00.000+02:00

223 days
20 countries
22-30 kilograms each in backpacks
48 different accommodation places
2 nights sleeping in airports
4 nights sleeping on transport
231 blog posts

phew...

Tokyo: People on the Streets

2010-01-07T16:50:00.001+02:00

Tokyo: Signs, Rules and Regulations

2010-01-07T09:46:00.000+02:00

Tokyo: The Streets

2010-01-06T12:42:00.001+02:00

Tokyo: More From New Year's Eve

2010-01-06T12:31:00.007+02:00

More images from New Year's Eve under a full moon at the main shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo. The first image of the decorations seem to be a good wishes/new year related object. They are found near the entrance of many things, from buildings through to construction areas.

Tokyo: From the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

2010-01-05T13:16:00.005+02:00

The view from the 45th floor, looking out from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (in Shinkjuku) over Tokyo.

Tokyo: Harajuku

2010-01-05T13:12:00.003+02:00

Harajuku is one of the main shopping areas in Tokyo, popular with young people mainly. This is the busiest street i've ever seen.

Tokyo: Sensoji Temple, New Year's Eve

2010-01-01T06:12:00.005+02:00

After arriving in Tokyo slightly later than we had planned (The snow delayed take-off in Helsinki) we spent New Year's Eve at the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. The photos show the Kaminari Gate, to the temple and some of the food stalls that were everywhere in the grounds around the temple. Unfortunately the temple is undergoing renovations, so it wasn't very spectacular, but the atmosphere around it was great. After the midnight the Joyo-no-kane (New Years Eve bell) was struck 108 times, once for each human passion.

Out of Europe

2009-12-30T16:01:00.003+02:00

I'm writing from the Helsinki Airport, after flying from Madrid this morning, we're waiting for our connecting flight to Tokyo at the moment. The picture shows the view from the plane's door as we stepped out to board the bus to the terminal. The temperature was around -5. As we boarded the bus people stopped to have a quick snow fight and stamp around in the snow, it's the first time we've been in snow for the whole trip (It didn't snow while we were in Svalbard, although there was snow on the ground).

George Orwell and His Blog

2009-12-28T20:50:00.000+02:00

For those of you who haven't had a look at the George Orwell Blog it is worth a peak.

And no, he hasn't risen from the dead in order to experiment with the latest communication technologies. The blog is a direct transcript of his diaries (which were free of copyright last year), and matches the current date with the same date Orwell had wrote the entry, but only 70 years before.

I've finally been catching up with the posts and it has been good to read his interpretations of places we've been to, such as Morocco, with many of his comments describing similar experiences and things happening there today as it did those 70 years ago.

Barcelona: Advertising

2009-12-27T15:39:00.000+02:00

These stickers are a very common sight in Barcelona, when the shops close they roll down their shutters, and they are covered in hundreds of these small colourful stickers, some text and a phone number. What are they promoting?
That's what i thought too, so i went to google translate...turns out they're advertisements for locksmiths. I imagine these would be very handy if you were shopkeeper and you couldn't get into your shop for some reason, but it's a curious thing that only locksmiths have devised this novel way of promoting their services.

Barcelona: Sagrada Famila

2009-12-27T14:09:00.001+02:00

Designed by Antoni Gaudi, construction began in 1882 and is not expected to be completed until 2026. Gaudi reportedly said "My client is not in a hurry".
We've visited Barcelona before, and we had a better look at the Sagrada Familia then, queuing up and looking around inside, and climbing up the narrow spiral staircases for an amazing view out over the city. This time we were content to check on the progress of the building from the street, it has a few obvious additions, but the older sections remain the best.

Another Blog and John Cage Exhibition Post

2009-12-26T21:38:00.006+02:00

I think I have caught the blogging bug and have started another blog looking at art and cultural relationships within the wider context.

There are some posts commenting on a John Cage exhibition we just saw in Barcelona and images of buildings, etc.

Parc Guell cat

2009-12-26T16:06:00.004+02:00

Sitting in Parc Guell waiting for tourists to admire him, or feed him.

Barcelona: Parc Guell

2009-12-26T14:22:00.007+02:00

Parc Guell was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, and is a remarkable achievement in landscape design and architecture. gaudi's style has become a symbol of Barcelona, and despite being unpopular early in his career, he is now regarded as an architect of genius and extraordinary creativity. The park itself is a world heritage site.
More details on Wikipedia

Winter sun in Barcelona

2009-12-25T16:27:00.005+02:00

Christmas day in Barcelona, and the sun has come out. We packed a picnic lunch and walked up to Parc del Guinardo for a view out over the city. If you look closely at the first picture you can make out the curious towers of the Sagrada Familia. Happy holidays to all.

The Invention of Christmas

2009-12-25T13:55:00.002+02:00

"There were no Christmas cards in 1843 England, no Christmas trees at royal residences or White Houses, no Christmas turkeys, no department-store Santa or his million clones, no outpouring of "Yuletide greetings," no weeklong cessation of business affairs through the New Year, no orgy of gift-giving, no ubiquitous public display of nativity scenes (or court fights regarding them), no holiday lighting extravaganzas, and no plethora of midnight services celebrating the birth of a savior. In fact, despite all of Dickens's enthusiasms, the holiday was a relatively minor affair that ranked far below Easter, causing little more stir than Memorial Day or St. George's Day does today. In the eyes of the relatively enlightened Anglican Church, moreover, the entire enterprise of celebrating Christmas smacked vaguely of paganism, and were there Puritans still around, acknowledging the holiday might have landed one in the stocks.
...
For the first several hundred years of Christianity's practice, and while the death and rebirth of Jesus were venerated upon the highest holy day of Easter, the birth of the savior was not celebrated. It was Pope Julius I who, during the fourth century, designated December 25 as the official date for the birth of Jesus, and scholars believe that he chose the date so that Christianity might attract new members by co-opting the lingering sentiments for the ancient festival of Saturnalia, held annually by Romans in honor of their god of agriculture. Beginning the week before the winter solstice (which occurs between December 20 and 23 each year) and for an entire month, Romans turned their ordinary world topsy-turvy and embarked upon an orgy of drinking and feasting, during which businesses and schools were closed, the government of the city was turned over to the peasants, and slaves were relieved of their masters".
An excerpt from "The Man Who Invented Christmas"(Dickens), from: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96909350

Barcelona

2009-12-24T20:22:00.003+02:00

Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Christmas eve. Happy Holidays!

Farewell Collioure

2009-12-23T17:40:00.000+02:00

If anyone is curious about where we've stayed while in Collioure, it's a little apartment called Studio Liberte (http://collioure.com.au/). We can both recommend it highly. It's quite compact, but comfortable and about a ten second walk to the beach, probably more handy in summer, but very nice to hear the waves as you fall asleep.

Relaxing in Collioure

2009-12-22T17:32:00.002+02:00

Collioure is, at least in the winter season, a quiet town. The main activities for us have been eating, sleeping, fetching food from the bakery or the supermarket, keeping up with email and blogs etc and walking around. It has been a very pleasant couple of weeks, which is now almost at an end. We're heading off the Barcelona tomorrow, for Christmas and then onto Madrid.
The picture is of the entrance to the bakery which has kept us in delicious bread while we've been here.

Port Vendres

2009-12-22T13:18:00.000+02:00

Port Vendres is the closest town to Collioure, it takes about 20 minutes to walk there. The harbour there is obviously better for large vessels, and it obviously has much more of a fishing industry.

Collioure: some more landscapes

2009-12-21T12:59:00.006+02:00

Some pictures from around the hills, from a nice day for a walk with a camera.

ATP: A Few More

2009-12-19T20:24:00.004+02:00

Here's a few more images of:

- Intense, to the point of scary (the drummer is wearing a mask), duo Lightning Bolt.

- Josh T. Pearson and his beard. He's worked with Warren Ellis of the Dirty 3. Here is an article with them both, beard against beard.

- De La Soul celebrating 20 years of their album 3 Feet High and Rising.

- Sun Ra Arkestra and their 'wizard' costumes (photo taken by Felix).

Travelling with the Eurostar

2009-12-19T14:02:00.004+02:00

A week or so ago, we had a 'fun' journey from Bristol, UK to Collioure in Southern France. The 14 hours travelling time turned into 17 hours due to two trains breaking down in the Channel Tunnel. We only had an hour wait though, but missed all of our connections because of it.

Reading the news today, it seems our one hours wait was nothing compared with all the breakdowns Eurostar is having at the moment because of snowy weather in Northern France (which I think is heading our way from the chilly winds which have appeared today). The article talks about four trains breaking down in the tunnel and 2000 people having to be rescued.

ATP: Robin Guthrie

2009-12-19T10:48:00.002+02:00

Another one of my 'dream groups to see live' is the Scottish band the Cocteau Twins, but since they broke up in the 90s, I may have to keep on dreaming about this one.

However, one of the main members, Robin Guthrie, has been doing a lot musically since - film scores, his own albums and releasing the record label Bella Union.

He played some of his wonderfully textured music accompanied by a visual piece he made, which were both amazing.

ATP: The Pastels

2009-12-18T19:25:00.008+02:00

Fun times at the Scottish group The Pastels performance, whom have reformed and releasing albums again.

ATP: Spectrum

2009-12-18T18:31:00.006+02:00

Images from the Spectrum (ex-Spaceman 3, Sonic Boom, Experimental Audio Research) performance which was one of of the highlights of the festival.

A Side Step: Has the Renaissance of Hobart Come?

2009-12-17T17:44:00.007+02:00

Just an interesting (and exciting) side step for a moment.

After having a further look at the Moma site, I've noticed that John Cale (from the Velvet Underground) is the artist in residence for the festival with his piece, Dark Days, from the recent Venice Art Biennale, being shown. Unfortunately due to time and the cost of the water taxi, we had to miss this event when we were there. But not now! There is article here in the Age newspaper about Cale's contribution and the festival.

There are also going to be two other exciting performance at Moorilla over the next few month, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr., both played at ATP, but again we had to miss the bands due to clashes with other acts, but now we can see them...in Hobart.

This, along with another act Lightning Bolt, who played in Hobart before we saw them, is making me question our search to find interesting things overseas, when they all seem to be coming to Hobart!

The Mona Foma organiser, once member of the Violent Femmes, is Brian Ritchie. His involvement in the arts community in Tasmania has really made exciting things happen. I am singing his praises here, but I think it's needed; this is the state's push and connection to the greater contemporary art and music scenes that is long overdue.

Has the Renaissance of Hobart come?

ATP: Dirty 3

2009-12-17T17:03:00.014+02:00

The Dirty 3, an Australia group, whose performance reminded me that there are some good things to come out of the country.

Their layered, throbbing and textured sounds are built around Warren Ellis and his electric violin, with his performance, sound and character having a mixture of colonial ruthlessness and a touch of a wild brumby (he kicks a lot).

They are a great band to see live, and on a side note, they will be playing in Hobart as part of a good music and art festival called Mona Foma.

ATP: Primal Scream

2009-12-17T10:41:00.000+02:00

An old favourite, Primal Scream. We were centre front and had a good time singing and dancing with the crowd.

(The pictures taken by Felix - he's taller, it helped).

ATP: My Bloody Valentine

2009-12-16T22:13:00.011+02:00

The curators MBV - wow! This is one of those 'dreams come true moments', which take awhile to sink in that it is real. There were slight vocal problems with the sound system at first, but they were fixed in time for You Made Me Realise and an amazing transformation of sound that seems to become a solid wall as it builds up and hangs in the air. This finish (and the feeling the viewer gets) is mentioned in the Wikipedia article below:

"...My Bloody Valentine regular set closer You Made Me Realise typically included an interlude using blasts of noise and feedback that could go on as long as 40 minutes of which Shields remarked, "It was so loud it was like sensory deprivation. We just liked the fact that we could see a change in the audience at a certain point". Many, including Shields, note that the Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine shows were amongst the loudest rock concerts they had ever experienced. Fans even speculated that damaged eardrums had contributed to the post-Loveless absence of My Bloody Valentine."

ATP: The Festival

2009-12-16T19:35:00.003+02:00

A step back for a moment to the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival held in Minehead, UK (at the venue pictured above).

The festival features 'alternative-style' music and goes for 3 days, in which you stay in 'mini-town' made up of unit/room style accommodation which houses the viewers, the performers, the stages, food outlets, gallery, cinema, etc. The festival is on the small side, that means you can get close to the stages without too much problem and since the artists are staying at the same venue, you will often pass them in a crowd or see the wandering around. The crowd types and ages vary which is also a nice thing.

The events are usually constructed by one to three artists/groups, that curated either the whole show or just a day, choosing a variety of music from the obscure and the up-and-coming to the more popular and musicians from many years ago. This works well for, if you like the musician/s curating, you will often like their music taste and the festival can turn out to be a 'best of' of your favourite artists. And this was the case for me, with one of my 'must-see-groups-live' reforming and curating the event.

Below is the list of musicians who performed at the festival, with more posts to come of images of some performers and a glimpse into 3 days of exciting music!

Curated by My Bloody Valentine

Collioure in the cold

2009-12-16T18:30:00.000+02:00

The weather has had a turn for the worse in the last day or so, and there's snow on some of the mountains / hills overlooking the town. If we're lucky we'll get some snow in town, I'm not sure how likely this is though, I think it would have to get quite a bit colder first.

Collioure et nuit

2009-12-15T20:36:00.001+02:00

Some pictures from around the harbour at Collioure from the other night. The weather is quite mild here at the moment (although it looks like it will get a bit colder in the next few days) so it's quite nice walking around at night.

Dunster Dovecote

2009-12-14T21:04:00.000+02:00

Another catch-up post, from England:

From Wikipedia: "There is no documentary evidence for the dovecote's date of construction but some of the architectural features suggest it may have been as long ago as the 14th century. It would originally have belonged to the Benedictine Priory of Dunster which was a cell of Bath Abbey. Domestic Pigeons were kept to provide Squabs a luxury food from the breast meat of young pigeons."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunster_Dovecote

The Catalan Elections

2009-12-14T12:17:00.003+02:00

When walking around Collioure we have noticed a few food, art and other items that are advertised to being Catalan.

There has been a news report in the last day about an election in Spain voting for the Catalan region to become an independent state.

This and other areas of regional differences highlight the case of how to define a 'border' and what does that word mean; an argument which has been debated with the changing and growing idea of the 'new' European. A point within this discussion is area signified by political and economic boundaries rather than culture, language and identity defining a region. The recent election and the Catalan influence here is an example of the need to rethink borders and for more cultural recognition when making these decisions .

Looking down on Collioure

2009-12-13T17:55:00.000+02:00

The view down over Collioure, from one of the hills overlooking the town.

Exmoor: Dunster

2009-12-12T17:23:00.002+02:00

Some images of a medieval town called Dunster in the Exmoor National Park. Unfortunately the town has a main road going through it creating a lot of traffic that tries to squeeze its way through the narrow laneways.

The some building types from the period still stand and are nice to see with the thatched roofs and old brick work.

Exmoor: Tawny Owls

2009-12-11T22:17:00.001+02:00

At night in the park we would often hear two tawny owls (likely to be male and female) calling to each other. It was very nice to go to sleep listening to the calls.

The tawny owl is a cute little thing, as you can see here.

Exmoor National Park: More Walks in Nice Landscapes

2009-12-11T18:16:00.003+02:00

Devon: Exmoor National Park

2009-12-11T18:01:00.011+02:00

We had a few days stay in a hostel just within the Exmoor National Park Boundary. It was nice to be able step directly outside the front and go walking, half expecting a faun to skip by or the odd rabbit with a pocket watch.

Collioure: Our French Holiday

2009-12-10T18:51:00.004+02:00

Apologies for the lack of posts lately (has been hard to find internet access).

We are now in Collioure, a small town in Southern France, near the Spanish boarder.

We are 'having a holiday away from a hoilday' for the next 2 weeks. After staying, on average, 5 days in a place for the last 7 months, the next 14 days in 1 place will be a nice rest!

We'll be posting regularly over that time with news of our adventures here, as well as over the last two weeks in Exmoor National Park and at the All Tomorrow's Party Music Festival.

Stay tuned...

Manchester City Library

2009-11-27T19:05:00.007+02:00

Architecturally very interesting, and an attractive building, but as well as being the most efficient way of creating a large space, it must be the least efficient shape for a library, trying to fit shelves and desks in must have been interesting.
The reading room on the top floor would have been a beautiful and awe inspiring place to study when it was built, but now it's cluttered and the furniture and fittings are all a bit tired. Aurally though, the space is extraordinary, it's known as the whispering room because a whisper on one side of the room is amplified and projected around the room.
The Library felt well used, but a bit neglected, and in need of someone to spend some serious money on redecoration, a well done makeover would make it an amazing city library.

Scotland: Findhorn – Wellbeingness and the Environment

2009-11-27T16:00:00.001+02:00

Findhorn is a Northern town in Scotland which has a successful and positive 'alternative' community formed in the 1960s with a focus of environmental principles and a consideration on a wellbeingness attitude. It was wonderful to see a good example of an 'alternative' community which has found a good balance (where other similar communities have failed and become negative representatives of 'different' living experiments). The community also encourages interesting cultural and natural ideas and work and continuing with testing environmentally friendly housing (such as Felix photo of house's made from whiskey barrels) and transport ideas.

This appreciation of the environment and the connection to health, wellbeing and ethical considerations seems to be important in Middle and Northern Scotland, with things such as, rambling (bush walking), a cultural centres and a focus of the ethical eating habits, with a town called Aberfeldy now declared as a Fairtrade town.

It would be great to see a swap where areas like Findhorn and Aberfeldy is the norm rather than outstanding examples.

Red Squirrel

2009-11-26T17:11:00.000+02:00

This one is a bit greyish, but is defintely a red, it was photographed at the Aviemore hostel, where there are six resident reds. The Red squirrel is the only native squirrel in the UK, but is marginilised to the harsher regions now, mostly in Scotland, as a result of the introduction of the American grey squirrel (See St James park post from London). The greys are larger and spread a disease that is fatal to reds. There is a widespread effort to help the red squirrels where they still exist, some people have even started eating greys, or so I have heard. I wonder whether the reds can survive in the UK in the longer term though, with climate change and the grey squirrel to content with, it won't be easy.

Scotland: Trees

2009-11-26T15:56:00.000+02:00

Pheasant

2009-11-25T17:09:00.001+02:00

A pheasant near Loch An Eilean, in the Cairngorms.

Scotland: Landscape Colours

2009-11-25T15:51:00.000+02:00

It has been interesting going to different countries and seeing how colours in the landscape, flora and fauna are either representative in forms of art, textiles, tile patterns and other crafts, or physically used to create the colours. This is also seen in our trip in Scotland with amazing autumn colours swapping the valleys. These colours have also been traditionally been used in Scottish art and crafts, and of course tartans.

Scotland: Lovely Landscapes

2009-11-23T15:45:00.007+02:00

Aviemore

2009-11-20T23:12:00.000+02:00

Aviemore is a small town in the Cairngorms National Park, a lovely place to rest and do some walking, weather permitting (we've been lucky so far).

Road Sign: Inverness

2009-11-19T23:19:00.000+02:00

Sir Colin St John Wilson

2009-11-19T23:09:00.000+02:00

Sir Colin St John Wilson was the architect responsible for the design of the British Library, which I blogged about a few weeks ago. He died in 2007, and we saw his grave in Highgate Cemetery, marked only by a small wooden cross, which I assume will be replaced with something more permanent.
I came across this great photo of him at work on a model of the foyer of the Library in a book he wrote about the lengthy design and construction process. From the initial discussion and design work, it took 36 years for the building to finally open, and the whole project turned out to be his lifes work.

Inverness, Scotland

2009-11-18T23:07:00.001+02:00

After the heat of Marrakech, arriving at the small airport at Inverness in the Scottish Highlands was nice. It could have been a bit warmer, but we've both been longing forsome cooler weather after not wanting to venture out in the sun around the middle of the day. We've spent a lovely couple of days with a friend in Inverness, and travelled around the highlands a little bit. The Robin is from a place called Rogie Falls.

Marrakech: Jacques Majorelle's Garden

2009-11-13T19:54:00.002+02:00

Images from a trip to the artists Jacques Majorelle's garden (as seen on the ABC program 80 Gardens Around the World - thought I should mention that only a small portion of the garden is open to the public. The scenes showed on the program which featured the artist's blue sculptures amongst the garden wasn't accessible, which was a shame).

There was a very impressive cacti collection. Something for my tiny collection to aim for! As well as frogs and turtles in the pond.

Marrakech: Stork Sounds

2009-11-12T20:54:00.002+02:00

Storks and a palace

2009-11-12T20:40:00.000+02:00

Some pictures from a ruined palace in Marrakech, I'm sorry I didn't take much notice of the historical details, I think the signs said it was built sometime in the 16th century. I was more interested in the storks that were perched in their huge nests all along the walls, they're magnificent birds, especially soaring over the city.

African Wildlife

2009-11-11T17:21:00.000+02:00

Although the zebra skin looked like a painted cow skin, the cat skins were real. This is one of the worst things I've seen, profoundly depressing.

Meknes: View From the Riad Terrace

2009-11-10T19:53:00.006+02:00

Meknes: Laneways Wanderings

2009-11-09T19:42:00.000+02:00

Meknes: People in the Streets

2009-11-08T19:11:00.000+02:00

Meknes: From the Imperial Place to Dusty Laneways

2009-11-07T16:55:00.001+02:00

Meknes: stencils

2009-11-06T18:55:00.000+02:00

My reading of these is that they are logos of political parties, and the bottom image represents a vote count or something like that, but it might be something else entirely.

Meknes: kittens

2009-11-06T17:39:00.000+02:00

Tiles

2009-11-05T17:34:00.000+02:00

Marrakech : Cyber Parc

2009-11-04T20:22:00.000+02:00

What do you get if you combine an internet cafe with public gardens? Cyber Parc!
A collection of networked touch screens in little shelters, there were many of these throughout the park, we didn't bother with internet access, but it was nice walking around in the palms and olive trees.

Shopping in Morocco

2009-11-04T19:03:00.009+02:00

In Morocco (Turkey was very similar too) everyone's got a carpet or a kilim, or something else to sell you. The conversation invariably goes something like this:
Me: (walking along a street, looking at shops and the street life)
Salesman: Bonjour! (French visitors are most common, and all Moroccans seem to have more French than English)
Me: Bonjour, non francais (pretty much the extent of my French, and I'm not even sure it's right)
Salesman: Oh, Hello, Where are you from?
Me: Australia
Salesman: Oh, Australia. Kangaroo!
Me: Yes, we have Kangaroos (In Turkey you could replace "Kangaroo" with "Harry Kewell"; he plays for a turkish club now apparently)
Salesman: Come inside.
me: Is it OK to just have a look? I don't think I'll buy anything.
Salesman: Yes, of course, you have a look, if you find something you like, we make deal. Sell or no sell, we keep smiling, I am not a capitalist.(These lines usually vary a bit)
Me: Thank you (proceeds to wander around the store. Upon seeing something interesting, usually picks it up or touches it).
Salesman: (enters into extensive explanation of the object, and its attributes).
Me: Oh, that's interesting, thank you.
Salesman: (now has an idea of what you are interested in, and proceeds to show several similar objects)
Me: Thankyou, but i don't want to buy anything.
Salesman: Just for example, which one do you like best?
Me: Um, that one is nice.
Salesman: Do you know how much this one costs?
Me: no, I don't. But I'm not really interested in buying it.
Salesman: This is normally X Dirhams, but because you're not with a tour group, we could make it X -y Dirhams (there is always a reason, sometimes it's just that you're friendly)
Me: Thankyou, but I'm not interested.
Salesman: How much would you pay, just for example?
At this point I usually say thankyou and leave, unless I'm actually interested in the haggling process ending with me taking the object away. Sometimes the keen salesman (and it is always a man) will haggle on your behalf, even yelling out lower prices as you walk down the street.

There are actually some nice carpets, kilims and other crafty stuff on sale, but I find the salesmen a hindrance to buying generally. There have been a couple of shops that have fixed prices and allow you to browse in peace, but the whole game can be enjoyable if you are prepared for it.

Morocco: Gardens - An Escape from the Business

2009-11-03T16:44:00.000+02:00

Marrakech

2009-11-02T14:04:00.000+02:00

After 10 days in London, arriving in Marrakech was something of a shock, to put it mildly. As well as the heat (around 35 degrees), it's a radically different city and culture in every way. After being dropped in the main square (Place Djemaa El Fna), we made our way past the snake charmers, horses and carts, men with monkeys and hawkers into the narrow alleys where our Riad is. They are lined with shops selling clothes, spices, cooked food, slippers etc, and despite being quite narrow manage to include walkers, motorbikes as well as the occasional taxi or horse drawn cart that everyone has to get out of the way of. The smells range from the perfume shops wares to the stench of horse piss and other unpleasantries.
The Riad is the staple accommodation here, and is usually 5 or 6 rooms over a couple of storeys around a central courtyard. Once we managed to find ours we were relieved that the noise and bustle of the street is shut out once the front door is closed and it was actually very quiet and peaceful, and a nice glass of fresh orange juice from our hosts was just what we needed.

The pictures give something of an idea, but don't really capture the business of it, I was concentrating more on avoiding being run over than taking photographs at the busy parts.

A little more London

2009-11-01T13:59:00.000+02:00

Just a couple more pictures...I felt sorry for the Horse Guards, I wonder if their contract says that they'll actually be doing more posing than guarding? The one on horseback was even more in demand, too many people to even get a good picture.

London at Night

2009-11-01T13:49:00.000+02:00

We actually haven't been in London for a few days now, but we've been taking it easy and not getting any blogging done, so here's a few catch up pictures, from around Westminster and Trafalgar Square.
What an amazing city London is, as Dr Johnson said, he who is tired of London is tired of life (or words to that effect).

St James's Park

2009-10-30T17:11:00.001+02:00

St James Park, near Westminster in London. Lots of birds and squirrels living on handouts from the many visitors to the park.

Herbs in the city

2009-10-26T00:13:00.001+02:00

From the Worshipful Company of Barber's herb garden, which we wandered into in the city today. Curious.

The British Library

2009-10-24T23:05:00.006+03:00

One of the world's great libraries, and a wonderful place to visit whether you are interested in libraries or not.
The treaures gallery is an amazing collection of manuscripts and rare books of various kinds, probably unequalled anywhere else. From incredible illuminated manuscripts to handwritten beatles lyrics, the breadth and quality of the display is wonderful.
There are also smaller exhibitions around the building, and events of various types on pretty regularly. 2009 marks the 1000th anniversary of the production of the Beowulf manuscript, so there are quite a few related events on, as well as a very nice little display of material about the influence of T.S Eliot as a publisher. The shop is nice too.
The reading rooms require a readers pass, which in turn requires a UK address, so we weren't able to look around too much, but the library caters to casual visitors very well anyway.
The library is quite interesting architecturally too, avoiding the grandiose pretensions of something like the National Library of China, it is very functional and elegant, from the broad courtyard that flows naturally toward the entrance to the light and spacious entrance hall.
A reminder of the great literary heritage of the English language.

London: Frieze Art fair

2009-10-23T00:02:00.006+03:00

Art and commerce have a long and tricky relationship that I am neither qualified nor inclined to explore too deeply here, but this relationship was the main thing that I was thinking about after leaving the Frieze art fair on the weekend. The fair is a collection of gallery booths from (mainly) Europe and the US, with the main purpose of selling pieces of art to wealthy collectors. Anyone can visit the fair for the four days that it is on, after paying a fairly substantial entry fee (more than the entry fee to the MoMA in New York), and there are also talks and related events. There was plenty of really good art on display, but unlike a museum where a curator can arrange pieces selectively so that the visitor can appreciate each piece in its own way it was as if each gallery turned the volume up to the maximum in their booth and it mean that the overall effect drowned out the impact of individual pieces (to use a slightly awkward analogy).
The financial side of the art world is absolutely necessary, but for me, it is something that should stay out of sight, at least in the high value world, where artists careers are made by individual billionaire collectors and reputation and perceived value are as important as the actual quality of work, or perhaps much more so. The selection of work on display felt a bit conservative nearly all 'names', with quite a few artists work showing up in more than one gallery, although there was a small area that was much more interesting that consisted of small galleries showing the work of a single artist, this is apparently new, but the focus on a single artists work was much more interesting than the greatest hits collections of the big galleries.
We did get to see Agnes Varda talk about her work and life though, and because we queued up early we got front row seats, which was nice. It was wonderful listening to her talk us through the course of her career, from photographer to director and lately artist, a real treat.

Highgate cemetery: all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others

2009-10-20T23:11:00.001+03:00

Some images from London's Highgate cemetery, an interesting collection of corpses. Karl Marx's grave is the second image, and is the most visited, as well as the most ostentatious, although this is a mid twentieth century job, he was buried with a much more modest marker, and only twelve at his funeral apparently. As you can see people are still leaving flowers at the grave. I wonder if the recent economic issues have increased or decreased the amount of flowers being left? Might make an interesting graph.
Sidney Nolan is also buried there, a somewhat strange place I thought, for him.

(More) Cats of Istanbul

2009-10-20T18:24:00.001+03:00

London

2009-10-19T23:01:00.005+03:00

It's nice to be back in London, where we'll be for the next week or so. We'd forgotten how easy a transaction or conversation can be when everyone involved shares a common language.

Misc: 350 day on October 24th

2009-10-19T18:42:00.001+03:00

I'm not sure how much 350 day on October 24th (about climate change) has been in the news, but it is worth participating or contributing to if you can. Though I'm not too sure on how all the activities mentioned on the website will impact on greater awareness and political decisions, we don't have a choice any more and we do have to try.

We'll see what we can be a part of here in London.

Here is a podcast by it's founder Bill McKibben. It's very scary when you hear what he has to say. There may be arguments about the existence of climate change, but do you want to argue with ferocious bushfires, flooding, etc. Perhaps not...

Istanbul: Billboards

2009-10-18T15:08:00.000+03:00

Antalya at night

2009-10-17T18:39:00.000+03:00

Cats of Antalya

2009-10-17T18:21:00.001+03:00

Istanbul: Colours and Forms

2009-10-16T13:55:00.000+03:00

Dinosaurs + Time / Evolution =

2009-10-15T18:11:00.003+03:00

In the middle of the tourist district of Istanbul

Turkish Buses (with apologies to William Eggleston)

2009-10-15T17:55:00.003+03:00

Turkey has the best buses I have ever travelled in. It's not just that the buses are comfortable and leave on time either, there have been three staff members on board each time we have travelled by bus here, a driver, a waiter and another junior assistant to keep things running smoothly, load luggage etc. We have been served cake and a choice of hot or cold drinks upon departure, and they are always on time. The staff are friendly and helpful and also wear very neat uniforms, a bow-tie and tailored suit is standard for the waiter. Some of the buses have had free Wi-Fi too, which worked well and was quite fast. They're also quite cheap to travel in, a 3 hour journey might work out to about AU$15, the 10 hour overnight bus we caught was around AU$40, which is relatively cheap even considering the lower cost of living. For anyone reading this who is planning to travel in Turkey I recommend Metro (way ahead of MTT in Tasmania), but it seems as though most companies are very good.

Misc: Gender and Religion

2009-10-14T16:49:00.000+03:00

While travelling recently the theme of gender and religion has been very noticeable to me. From Italy and the Catholic values, through the Balkans, to Turkey and the role of females within a Muslim ideology. This has made me quite aware of my gender and has made me question how females (particularity within Islam) feel about this issues.

There has recently been some ABC Fora podcast focussing on one element (the wearing of a head scarf), but does discuss and bring to attention other gender-related issues within Islam that are worth contemplating.

- Bronwyn Winter on the politics of the Hijab

- Should We Ban The Burka?

Turkey: Turkish Tea and Food

2009-10-12T16:49:00.002+03:00

Lovely Turkish tea traditionally served in little glasses and colourful plates! It is quite strong and tends to need about 2 lumps of sugar to subdue the flavour.

Apple tea is also popular here, which is rather nice as well.

I also had a dish which was a mixture of vegetables housed and cooked in a clay vase.
(Seen hanging in a tree in the image above - I'm not why they are in the tree or what is in the tree next to it - art?).
The vase is broken to serve the contents. It's a traditional Cappodocian dish referred to as the 'Pottery Kebab'. The sacrifice of the broken vase (though it seems drastic) was well worth it for the tasty food!

Goreme: cave church

2009-10-11T18:19:00.000+03:00

Walking around outside the town of Goreme was great, apart from having a ready supply of walnuts, apples and grapes to nibble at, thee are also the landforms, and the caves carved into them. Part of the area is a world heritage area, because of the historic Christian churches carved into the rock, some dating back to the 2nd century. We visited this are, which is an open air museum, and it was interesting, but the ambience of a tiny church is kind of spoiled if you have to share it with twenty other people, so it was a bit disppointing too. During One of the walks we went on though, we found another cave church that is not so well visited, I only realised it was there because I looked up at the cliff and saw the entrance and a ladder leading up to it. Climbing up into it was amazing, being able to explore freely and crawl down the side tunnels into adjoining caves, looking out over the valley and trying to imagine life for a persecuted Christian minority driven into exile and finding refuge in a cave a long way from home.

The interior had some graffiti unfortunately, and the paint was wearing thin, but in shape it would have been much the same as when it was in use. The main chamber was the chapel, with a dome cut into the ceiling and crosses and other decorations in red paint, or ochre on the walls and ceiling. One tunnel still had a large stone that could be rolled across to close the entrance.

Goreme: Pumpkins

2009-10-10T15:43:00.000+03:00

A pumpkin pile - there are many piles of pumpkins throughout the town. Often they are discarded with the seeds removed. Not sure why the rest are left, I think they look quite tasty!

Goreme: Rock Man

2009-10-09T15:26:00.001+03:00

This rock formation has a touch of one of those 90s french, claymation characters - 2 little eyes, a hat, the shadow as the nose and a mouth which is full of surprise!

Goreme: Information

2009-10-08T13:36:00.001+03:00

Here is a paper explaining how the landforms of the Cappodocia region are made and the flora and fauna found in the area. No luck on spotting a Eurasian Badger yet - we'll keep looking!

Goreme: Autumn Walk

2009-10-07T16:34:00.000+03:00

Göreme

2009-10-06T19:14:00.000+03:00

The amazing rock forms and landscapes from Göreme, in the Capadochia region of Turkey.

Goreme: The View From Our Window

2009-10-06T13:54:00.000+03:00

Here is the rather stunning view from our lovely and cheap (40aud per room, a night) room at the hotel. (Sorry to boast, but it's hard not to!). This is the hotel were are staying at. We are in room 104.

Misc: No Comment on Euronews

2009-10-05T23:12:00.001+03:00

There is a 24 hour news station called Euronews which wins the price for the best news graphics, (sorry, unable to find a link to the graphics).

They feature a segment called No Comment which shows a few minutes of video footage, with no commentary, of something happening somewhere in the world that day. They are quite interesting.

The videos are available on the website here.

Istanbul: People

2009-10-05T13:32:00.001+03:00

Istanbul: Mosques

2009-10-05T13:06:00.001+03:00

Istanbul Harbour

2009-10-01T20:00:00.000+03:00

Nice Art

2009-10-01T15:42:00.001+03:00

Cats of Istanbul

2009-09-30T15:24:00.004+03:00

Lots of cats, no patting though, they might have rabies...

Sofia

2009-09-26T23:12:00.003+03:00

It seems a very livable city, public transport is good, food is quite cheap, lots of fruit and vegetable stalls around and the people are generally friendly. I would guess Bulgaria is one of the better off ex-communist countries, if Sofia is anything to go by. Culturally, there seems to be quite a bit going on too, not that we've really been doing much for the last few days. It's been a bit of a rest stop for us, we've been sleeping in, catching up with some reading and booking some transport and accommodation for later in the year.