Palermo is quite amazing, such a mixture of crumbling and restored, Norman and everything else


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Wellington sort of day the arch and his house.


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Hampton Court

They were filming Jack the Giantkiller there today so the main court was full of sheep and goats while by the river horses lurked. Its a funny mixture of Tudor meets Stuart then Georgian. The gardens are fullof strange flowers and the whole place was subject to waves of school kids screaming through rather like demonic posession

Hampton Court today


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I think of Nivea as pretty staid but os they seem to be more adventurous, perhaps I go to the wrong shops. This lipstick is attractively green in all senses


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London

Clear but chilly when I arrived. In to town achieving oyster card on the way, comes without instructions but the locals are tolerant of the fumbling. Hard to look like the sophisticated traveller as you activate the gates next door and fail to get your own gates to open. I am always so pleased to be a stranger in town. None of these folk know or care if I make a complete cake of myself. It was far too early for the hotel to be ready tho they happily took my luggage, lucky luggage it was very comfy in that office. Aching with the trip and pretty groggy despite at least six hours of broken awkward dozing I lurched out into the day. Vodafone does not get up early so off to St Giles in the Fields, cmpletely surrounded by highrise, some interesting Australian connections Balmain buried there. Also poets Chapman and Marvell. Had to buy a scarf as the wind was sharp. Phone was set up by the nice people and off I went. Decided to look at the National Gallery, so wonderful, pity they don't allow photos, even the interiors are worth a shot, richly grand but sufficiently austere to let you enjoy the art.

Singapore has refurbished it's terminals, still looked ok to me but fancier now and you can comment on the toilets seemingly a permanent feature


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New apps for fun but why does it think I am in Putney?

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Location:Riverside Ave,Putney,Australia

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Getting close

Time is just about here to get on the road again. One week to go.



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Location:Riverside Meadowbank,Australia

Democracy

Enormous amount here to comprehend and an entire building to explore, pity I was pretty pooped from the zoo and wandered around in a rather haphazard fashion. The display of political cartoons I enjoyed and the speakers rooms, the press gallery was fun but most of the rest I glossed over except for a few personal favourites.

The Zoo

Really enjoyed this, my first visit despite having been to Canberra over a score of times. Lots of big cats and a pleasant diversity of others. It rained at first, then cleared and became very steamy, then it teemed but after we had finished. Its quite small but a very interesting selection.

Watching the floods

In between sightseeing we watched the progressive submerging of Brisbane and surrounds. Amazing sights, surprising what can float down the river, cars, bins, sofas, restaurants, just everything.
The National Museum was its usual baffling self. It really should explain what it is on about not just throw non-traditional exhibitions at you and hope you will get whatever their point was supposed to be. Really wet too.

Canberra in January

Traditionally, well a couple of times, we have travelled to canberra in Jan. Richard wanted to check a couple of things for the yr 10 excursion in May and hell we all like to get away. This time I got a suite which is pleasantly spacious, larger than our flat I suspect. We looked at the War Memorial, the National Museum, the Museum of Democracy and the Zoo.
First the war memorial. Saw the revamped Hall of Valour which was good but might get a bit packed in the peak periods and enjoyed some of the rearranged exhibitions.Saw a memorial outside to Dads mob, water transport. The red anchor on a purple background is something I grew up with as Dad used his army greatcoat for years. The cafe has been rebuilt as well and looks good.

 

Just to give my friends a laugh, Robyn and I dressed as the sultan's mothers-in-law in the cisterns in Istanbul

 

Tunisian Treat

 

The brik is a delicious deep fried fast food that is a specialty in Tunisia, the most common is the tuna brik - a brik au thon. It has an egg in it and in a good one the egg is runny. They taste so much better than I can describe, the sort of thing one would never eat at home but with the freedom of a holiday far far away can become a daily taste sensation.

Rome

A lovely mild day in Rome, I walked beside the Tiber which is a pretty jade green not the muddy brown of January. I saw a man catch a large fish before I dived into a church then a museum and then the endless laneways of little shops to get Johnny's birthday present. There are more tourists here than I usual, it is a positive town of babel but always fun, well mostly. I am really enjoying the freedom of doing exactly what I want after the inevitable restrictions of being in a tour. One of the others from the group is still here and we meet for dinner but go our own way in the day, best of both worlds.
I have very specific things I want to see but if they are shut, on tour, swathed in scaffolding or just plain disappeared its not a tragedy. There are always other things to see. Today it was Caravaggio, one of his sullen, sexy, touselled and very tactile John the Baptist representations. Not terribly religious but very appealing. Unfortunately no photographs in the museum

So many things

One minute its a deserted synagogue the next an enormous arch in the middle of nowhere or an entire city perched on the edge of a cliff or the sea. Some of the cities are purely Roman but others developed out of Punic or Numidian roots; its interesting to see the differences and similarities:

Tunisia

I have so many photos its quite haed to find the ones I want; I am sitting in an internet cafe desperately trying to give a coherent view before 4 when the bus is coming back this way; I think it is a hopeless task.

Tunis

There is such a lot here to see; The amazing mosaics of the Bardo Museum; the cheesy Kasbah; the beauty of the wealthy suburbs painted all blue and white by law which were relentlessly cute. Then we went out to the cities around; each one with something unique to offer<;

Sabratha

Hottest day so far and site with the least cover. However best theatre ever. Tomorrow we leave at 4.30am for Tunis. The hotel has managed to lose my blue shirt in the wash but I will miss the computer in the room and the massage chair, even if the instuctions are in Japanese. No opportunities to really go shopping which is a shame