Category: Travel Thoughts
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Greyfriars Bobby
Now here’s an example of the weird things that human beings hold onto as significant and even make sacred by placing them in churches, temples, tabernacles and mosques.
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BLUE BUNYIPPING* IN THE LOCAL AREA:
Kalbar is a neat, wee town on the northern end of south-east Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Settled by German immigrant farmers in the 1870s, Kalbar’s pioneering heritage can be seen in historic buildings and welcoming cafes, pubs and providores that offer hearty homestyle food made with locally grown produce; especially Germanicky is 2 m8’s BBQ Cafe…
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HAVE YOU BEEN NUUKED?
Confessing before I post: I’ve never been to Greenland* but I’ve a friend who posted photos from Nuuk, the capital city, this morning and inspired me to go down a Google rabbithole. I might have to go there before it becomes the 52nd state of the USA (after Canada, of course). By boat or plane…
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VIGELAND SCULPTURE PARK -OSLO
One of the great joys of travel is having in-person encounters with great art and architecture. This little ripper—the Vigeland sculpture park is a fine example. Steps alert if you are a little unfit. This park is not really wheelchair friendly and Oslo was having a heatwave when I visited so it was a test…
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KOM OMBO TEMPLE EGYPT
In 2010, I went to Egypt. What can I say about this amazing museum of a country? It’s hot, it’s dirty (don’t even dip your toothbrush in the tap water) and you should learn how to say ‘no thank you’ in Arabic, adding ‘I don’t want’, ‘I don’t need’, ‘It’s not possible’ and ‘please go…
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THE TRAVELLING COLLECTOR
What souvenirs do you collect when you travel? My own particular fetishes are fridge magnets, teatowels, postcards and a more unusual collecter item— soft toys. I call them ‘stuffies’ as in ‘stuffed toys’, but more commonly they seem to be known as ‘plushies’. Some people collect particular lines of toys (eg. Ducks or cows or…
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TANABATA IN KOFU
You’ve probably heard of Tanabata—the Festival of the Stars, celebrated on the seventh of July in many parts of Japan. It’s the one where they write wishes on pieces of paper and tie them to a bamboo bough. I’m still waiting on my packet of TimTams that never runs out, but the festival itself’s a…
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SELF-DRIVING ICELAND?
The Snæfellsnes Peninsular, not too far from Reykjavik, has all the natural features of Iceland represented in one small area. But make sure you don’t zoom past Hellissandur and Rif. These little fishing villages are easily missed if you’re en route to Kirkjufell or exploring Snæfellsjökull National Park. When you reach the end of the…
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THE VIKING AGE NEVER REALLY ENDED IN ORKNEY
I wish I had had longer than one day in the windswept Orkney Islands, north of Scotland.The day I did have was halcyon and perfect. We were chasing deep time—standing stones, Skara Brae and more recent time—the Churchill Barriers, and the beautiful Italian Chapel but for somewhere so steeped in time, I needed more of…
Margaret R Kelly 