Thanksgiving has never been a part of my life but I'm thankful today for a quote posted on one of the blogs I read (cynical-c.com):
"And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers, who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain – for the freedom of labor and thought – to those who fell on the fierce fields of war, to those who died in dungeons bound with chains – to those who proudly mounted scaffold’s stairs – to those by fire consumed – to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons and daughters of men and women. And then I vowed to grasp the torch that they have held, and hold it high, that light may conquer darkness still."
Ps: Day 4 and 5 of Italy are coming. Sorry - I've been working my tush off elsewhere. Yay!
Nov 27, 2008
Nov 19, 2008
Movember update
In case it slipped your minds, Movember is upon us! *cue menacing organ chord*
A friend of mine, Chris "El Presidente" Moran, has taken up the challenge (as he did last year to much acclaim) and is growing for the cause.I'll try to rustle up a photo for the next post.
Update: Here's one! (Thanks Wendy)
In the meantime, to donate for Chris (and it's the same for someone else - just substitute the names) you can either:
1. Give cold hard cash to Chris Moran (Mo-Bro) or Wendy Irik (Mo-Sista);
2. Donate online using your credit card or PayPal account; or
3. Write a cheque payable to 'Movember Foundation', referencing their Registration Number 2092381 and mail it to:
Movember Foundation
PO Box 292
Prahran VIC 3181
Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men's health issues and donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative. The PCFA and beyondblue will use the funds to fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and depression.
Did you know?
Movember culminates at the end of month Gala Party. If you would like to be part of this great night you'll need to purchase a ticket.
A friend of mine, Chris "El Presidente" Moran, has taken up the challenge (as he did last year to much acclaim) and is growing for the cause.
Update: Here's one! (Thanks Wendy)
In the meantime, to donate for Chris (and it's the same for someone else - just substitute the names) you can either:
1. Give cold hard cash to Chris Moran (Mo-Bro) or Wendy Irik (Mo-Sista);
2. Donate online using your credit card or PayPal account; or
3. Write a cheque payable to 'Movember Foundation', referencing their Registration Number 2092381 and mail it to:
Movember Foundation
PO Box 292
Prahran VIC 3181
Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men's health issues and donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative. The PCFA and beyondblue will use the funds to fund research and increase support networks for those men who suffer from prostate cancer and depression.
Did you know?
- Depression affects 1 in 6 men....most don't seek help. Untreated depression is a leading risk factor for suicide
- Last year in Australia, 18,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2,900 died of it - equivalent to the number of women who will die from breast cancer annually.
Movember culminates at the end of month Gala Party. If you would like to be part of this great night you'll need to purchase a ticket.
Nov 18, 2008
Italy: Day 3
Our day began with something of a pact - to never eat or drink like the night before again...Yes, I realise you've heard this all before but it really did seem like a case of "J'ai trop manger".
After arriving a little late at Steph & Thomas' house thanks to my (previously unrealised) appallingly bad navigation, we settled into the hills around Florence in a little village called San Martino alla Parma. Steph and Thomas have a baby, Cassia, who greeted us both with a smile which set our nerves at ease. They're also the nicest hosts and fed us incredibly well. Toast with fresh (as in a few day's old) olive oil, a traditional tomato soup and a massive slab of steak called Bistecca. I kid you not - it was thicker than two hands pressed together and easily 20cm across. Thomas grilled it in the fireplace and IT WAS AMAZING, and made even better by the Chianti and another red wine (which I can't remember now...I wonder why) we drank. B and I had talked about drinking Chianti before we arrived as many of the places we were visiting in Italy were in the Chianti region. I knew Chianti as having an average reputation as a cheap wine and I was sure I wasn't alone. But after tasting the Chianti Classico I really didn't understand the stereotype at all. The wine from this region is fantastic - mostly Sangiovesi grapes, medium-bodied, fruity and full of character. It changed my idea of Chianti completely and I'll be looking for it in stores in Paris and in Sydney soon. If you haven't tried good Chianti yet, make sure you find the ones with the label.
Anyway, it was a delicious meal and despite the less-than-chipper start the next morning it set us up for a day in Florence. Before we left, though, we poked around Steph and Thomas' olive groves, soaking in the sunshine and a view of Tuscany I'd been waiting for - rolling hills covered in vines bathed in sunlight. Ahhh...
Florence, like Lucca in that it was packed with cathedrals, was for me a much nicer experience. It's on a river, has lovely little bridges, cute back streets and a thriving feel that I'd missed previously. It still retains an architectural majesty with the incredible Santa Maria del Fiore (known as The Duomo) and Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune. We spent our entire day here, wandering around the town noticing big and little things, dodging skydivers, and, of course, eating and drinking at will. As with all of Europe thus far, the best time of the day came in the evening as the sun started to set. The buildings glowed, the air hung with a very faint sense of haze and the sunlight truly felt calming. I wish I knew the reason for this but at the time I was content to be carried along by it all.
We ended our day leaving Florence by a (unintentional - guess who was navigating again) scenic route through the surrounding hills before settling onto the road towards Radda in Chianti, south-south-east of Florence.
RATING
I enjoyed Florence a lot and had the feeling we'd discovered some really worthwhile things while touring the city. It also ended with a truly enjoyable dinner, which I'll get to tomorrow.
4.5/5
After arriving a little late at Steph & Thomas' house thanks to my (previously unrealised) appallingly bad navigation, we settled into the hills around Florence in a little village called San Martino alla Parma. Steph and Thomas have a baby, Cassia, who greeted us both with a smile which set our nerves at ease. They're also the nicest hosts and fed us incredibly well. Toast with fresh (as in a few day's old) olive oil, a traditional tomato soup and a massive slab of steak called Bistecca. I kid you not - it was thicker than two hands pressed together and easily 20cm across. Thomas grilled it in the fireplace and IT WAS AMAZING, and made even better by the Chianti and another red wine (which I can't remember now...I wonder why) we drank. B and I had talked about drinking Chianti before we arrived as many of the places we were visiting in Italy were in the Chianti region. I knew Chianti as having an average reputation as a cheap wine and I was sure I wasn't alone. But after tasting the Chianti Classico I really didn't understand the stereotype at all. The wine from this region is fantastic - mostly Sangiovesi grapes, medium-bodied, fruity and full of character. It changed my idea of Chianti completely and I'll be looking for it in stores in Paris and in Sydney soon. If you haven't tried good Chianti yet, make sure you find the ones with the label.
Anyway, it was a delicious meal and despite the less-than-chipper start the next morning it set us up for a day in Florence. Before we left, though, we poked around Steph and Thomas' olive groves, soaking in the sunshine and a view of Tuscany I'd been waiting for - rolling hills covered in vines bathed in sunlight. Ahhh...
Florence, like Lucca in that it was packed with cathedrals, was for me a much nicer experience. It's on a river, has lovely little bridges, cute back streets and a thriving feel that I'd missed previously. It still retains an architectural majesty with the incredible Santa Maria del Fiore (known as The Duomo) and Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune. We spent our entire day here, wandering around the town noticing big and little things, dodging skydivers, and, of course, eating and drinking at will. As with all of Europe thus far, the best time of the day came in the evening as the sun started to set. The buildings glowed, the air hung with a very faint sense of haze and the sunlight truly felt calming. I wish I knew the reason for this but at the time I was content to be carried along by it all.
We ended our day leaving Florence by a (unintentional - guess who was navigating again) scenic route through the surrounding hills before settling onto the road towards Radda in Chianti, south-south-east of Florence.
RATING
I enjoyed Florence a lot and had the feeling we'd discovered some really worthwhile things while touring the city. It also ended with a truly enjoyable dinner, which I'll get to tomorrow.
4.5/5
Nov 17, 2008
Italy: Day 2
Sunday. The day of sleep-ins. We should've known...
Despite our plans to get up early, have a quick breakfast and hit the road to explore the Tower, we managed to leave by about 11am. Look, the breakfast offerings were expansive and delicious, and with several kinds of meals that needed to be tried (cereals, breads, fruits and savoury things like boiled eggs and ham) there was no way THIS happy little Vegemite was leaving early. I did stop to wonder, as I waddled out the door of the breakfast room, whether I'd overdone it again food-wise and doomed both of us to a day of moaning (and not in the good way), but as it turned out my fears were groundless as we spent a large portion of the day walking the breakfast off.
Pisa, at least the bits of it we saw from the car and then around the Tower, is a nice little city. The first thing that got my attention was the Pinus pinea, or Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine). I love these trees and hardly ever get to see them, so to be introduced to Italy with a sight of them from the hotel window was great. They scream "MEDITERRANEAN!" at you, but in a calmer, more welcoming way, like "Hi there. Welcome to the Mediterranean. Why not lie under my shade for a while? Can I get you something to drink?"
After that, though, all thoughts were directed to the Tower. How much does it really lean? Would it fall on anyone and would we be there to see it happen? Are there really people who stand a fair distance off and photograph their partner trying to make it seem like they were holding it in their hand?
Answers: A lot. No (booo). And yes:
The Duomo and Battistero are lovely to look at, too, as is the entire complex housing them all. And despite being packed with tourists it was quite a nice place to wander for an hour or so. Quiet (compared to Paris), with green lawns and beautiful architecture.
After the Tower we headed back to the car (parked sneakily for free not far away, under windows with women hanging out the day's washing) and began our journey inland. First stop: Lucca. Lucca had been recommended by B's brother-in-law, and he wasn't wrong. I saw more cathedrals this day than in my life up until that point - the place is PACKED with them - and, to be honest, I got a serious case of architectural-marvel burn-out. But, thankfully, Lucca has much more than that to offer - the canal, the beautiful gardens, the walls and the great walk you can take on top of them, and the best part for me: a tower with trees growing on top of it. The view from here over the city and the surrounding areas is amazing. You can see everything from tiny terraces on top of houses to other towns nestled in far-away hills. You can even be quizzed on the fundamental questions of the universe, like "Where is the happ(y)ness?"
As the sun came down and we descended from the tower it was time to find the car (sneakily parked again and again without penalty) and make our way to San Martino alla Parma to stay with one of B's friends and her family. Before that, though, we happened past a deli selling, of all things, slabs of lard. And what does one do with all that lard? You slice it thinly and lay it on toast for an aperatif, like ham. Mmmm... ?
RATING
A lot of walking, some beautiful things seen but a few too many cathedrals.
3.5/5
Despite our plans to get up early, have a quick breakfast and hit the road to explore the Tower, we managed to leave by about 11am. Look, the breakfast offerings were expansive and delicious, and with several kinds of meals that needed to be tried (cereals, breads, fruits and savoury things like boiled eggs and ham) there was no way THIS happy little Vegemite was leaving early. I did stop to wonder, as I waddled out the door of the breakfast room, whether I'd overdone it again food-wise and doomed both of us to a day of moaning (and not in the good way), but as it turned out my fears were groundless as we spent a large portion of the day walking the breakfast off.
Pisa, at least the bits of it we saw from the car and then around the Tower, is a nice little city. The first thing that got my attention was the Pinus pinea, or Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine). I love these trees and hardly ever get to see them, so to be introduced to Italy with a sight of them from the hotel window was great. They scream "MEDITERRANEAN!" at you, but in a calmer, more welcoming way, like "Hi there. Welcome to the Mediterranean. Why not lie under my shade for a while? Can I get you something to drink?"
After that, though, all thoughts were directed to the Tower. How much does it really lean? Would it fall on anyone and would we be there to see it happen? Are there really people who stand a fair distance off and photograph their partner trying to make it seem like they were holding it in their hand?
Answers: A lot. No (booo). And yes:
The Duomo and Battistero are lovely to look at, too, as is the entire complex housing them all. And despite being packed with tourists it was quite a nice place to wander for an hour or so. Quiet (compared to Paris), with green lawns and beautiful architecture.
After the Tower we headed back to the car (parked sneakily for free not far away, under windows with women hanging out the day's washing) and began our journey inland. First stop: Lucca. Lucca had been recommended by B's brother-in-law, and he wasn't wrong. I saw more cathedrals this day than in my life up until that point - the place is PACKED with them - and, to be honest, I got a serious case of architectural-marvel burn-out. But, thankfully, Lucca has much more than that to offer - the canal, the beautiful gardens, the walls and the great walk you can take on top of them, and the best part for me: a tower with trees growing on top of it. The view from here over the city and the surrounding areas is amazing. You can see everything from tiny terraces on top of houses to other towns nestled in far-away hills. You can even be quizzed on the fundamental questions of the universe, like "Where is the happ(y)ness?"
As the sun came down and we descended from the tower it was time to find the car (sneakily parked again and again without penalty) and make our way to San Martino alla Parma to stay with one of B's friends and her family. Before that, though, we happened past a deli selling, of all things, slabs of lard. And what does one do with all that lard? You slice it thinly and lay it on toast for an aperatif, like ham. Mmmm... ?
RATING
A lot of walking, some beautiful things seen but a few too many cathedrals.
3.5/5
Italy: Day 1
Day 1 was, in fact, Saturday night. We flew from Paris (Orly) to Pisa, me only narrowly making check-in due to a serious case of dawdling, picked up the hire car (a Fiat Panda - boxy but cute and easy to drive) after something resembling an unguided trek in the dark along a highway (it turns out there's a shuttle bus between the hire place and the airport but it wasn't well-marked...at least, not well enough for us) and headed to a hotel not far from the airport. Our thinking was that it'd be better to have as few hassles as possible so early in the trip and that, by getting to bed early, we would have an early start and hit the town before the majority of the tourists. Ha! Ever the optimists...
The hotel, one of the myhotel chain, was quite nice. Clean, tasteful interior, friendly staff, plenty of food availble (with free champers on arrival) and enough channels in Italian to keep us amused for hours.
RATING
Well, for the part of the day that was spent in Italy I have to say it was great. Nice flight, nice hire car, nice hotel.
4.5/5
The hotel, one of the myhotel chain, was quite nice. Clean, tasteful interior, friendly staff, plenty of food availble (with free champers on arrival) and enough channels in Italian to keep us amused for hours.
RATING
Well, for the part of the day that was spent in Italy I have to say it was great. Nice flight, nice hire car, nice hotel.
4.5/5
Nov 13, 2008
Keith Olbermann on gay marriage
Before I get into talking about Italy, this was too important to let pass. It's a video of Keith Olbermann talking about gay marriage and the recent vote in California to ban it. Possibly the worst thing to come out of the presidential election (i.e. focus on president = attention diverted from other, equally important issues)?
Italy. The Saga.
We just flew in from Italy about an hour ago and, boy, are our arms tired!
But seriously, folks - I'll be here for the next four days blogging about the trip. Don't forget to try the veal.
But seriously, folks - I'll be here for the next four days blogging about the trip. Don't forget to try the veal.
Nov 7, 2008
Schmap Madrid Fifth Edition: Photo Inclusion
"Hi James,
I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released fifth edition of our Schmap Madrid Guide:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/madrid/sights_water/p=26800/i=26800.jpg
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=madrid&sid=sights_water&p=26800&i=26800
Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Madrid Guide, complete with your published photo:
www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=39888082N00/c=SH1401462
Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!"
1 out of 3204 photos? Totally worth it.
I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released fifth edition of our Schmap Madrid Guide:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/madrid/sights_water/p=26800/i=26800.jpg
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:
Segovia Bridge
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=madrid&sid=sights_water&p=26800&i=26800
Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Madrid Guide, complete with your published photo:
www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=39888082N00/c=SH1401462
Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!"
1 out of 3204 photos? Totally worth it.
Nov 5, 2008
Paris: Then and now
Via Ewen (thanks again, Ewen!), this is a great bit of Paris' history, photo-journalism style.
Having walked down and cycled through the Esplanade des Invalides, it is mind-boggling to realise the absence of those amazing palace buildings. All there is now is grass...
Having walked down and cycled through the Esplanade des Invalides, it is mind-boggling to realise the absence of those amazing palace buildings. All there is now is grass...
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