The adventures continue in a New Blog !!

This is my last post on this Blog.

The adventures will continue with a New Blog!

As fond as I am of “Waltzing Matilda Around the World”, I am moving my next stories to a new Blog. There are so many stories have not yet been told. The 4 months of my life in Calgary from the Stampede to New Orleans in November has not even been documented!

Here are just some of the highlights to look forward to;

- friendly bets on the Chuck Wagon races at the Stampede
- Three Thanksgivings, “Aussie”, Canadian, and in Texas
- a day pretending to be an Olympic skater with Marc
- dressing up as a giant spoon for Halloween and going two- stepping at a country bar
- buying and carving my first giant jack-o’lantern with Marc
- my first CFL (Canadian gridiron) game, explained by former Canadian college football champion Courtney (Go Stampeders!)
- surprising Marc with Aussie pink champagne and Bison risotto at the Rocky Mountains Food and Wine Festival

- Steph and Tauri, my Seoul-based Aussie mates’ stay with me in Calgary and the smashing Greek plate restaurant

- Winning $250 tickets apiece to see the Calgary Flames play in the NHL

- Laura’s farewell to Calgary
- My farewell at the “Aussie Rules” piano bar in Calgary
- My work farewell, a giant chocolate cake and a fond goodbye to my floor 47 workmates
- My last hockey game and singing the Canadian anthem in tears with Karen, Marc and Victoria

- My wonderful Canadian girlfriends, Karen, Victoria, Ashley, Trish, Melissa, Kelty, both Lisas, Chelsa and other gorgeous people.
- My last snowy November weekend in Lake Louise

And this is all before I even got to New Orleans! I have only given patchy coverage to the recent travels about the world. I will be going back over in more colour and detail with photos. There are so many questions that may remain unanswered if you do not have the new Blog address.

How many pounds weight of Texan Thanksgiving Turkey (TTT) can Laura fit in an oven?

Did Robert (aka “Rent a Pom”) get scared on the New Orleans ghost tour?

What IS in a Hurricane (New Orleans cocktail)?

Complete this joke, “A Texan, and Aussie and a Pom walk into a New Orleans bar…”

Which Louisiana plantation did I see that was used in the filming of “Interview with a Vampire”?

How long does gastro last after 4 straight days of eating beignets, gumbo and jumbalaya?

Where did I have a “Forrest Gump” moment in Washington DC?

How small is the White House?

How many bongo drums can you fit on a New York subway car?

Can you see up the skirt of the Statue of Liberty?

Did Broadway reopen in time for me to see Kevin Kline play Cyrano de Bergerac?

Why are icewine grapes harvested in the dead of night near Niagara Falls?

Has Niagara Falls ever completely frozen over and stopped in winter?

Are Frankfurts really better in Frankfurt? Is it possible to find a hamburger in Frankfurt?

Did I introduce Alistair to Hip hop or to tango dancing at a Eurotrash club in Venice?

Did I row my own boat in Venice?

Did I get robbed in Prague?

Which opera did I get a box seat to see the Prague State Opera perform, during which I weepied myself completely out of tissues?

Does consumption of Guinness in Dublin make you more attractive than any other beer would?

Complete this joke, “A Sth African, a German, a Canadian and an Aussie walk into an Irish pub…”

Did I have to dodge sheep to get to a New Years’ party in the wilds of Scotland?

Did I escape the Haggis?

Which famous politician did I walk past in London?

Who decisively conquered fear of heights to go on the London Eye?

Which incarnation of James Bond (immortalized as a Madame Tussauds’ waxwork) did I try to snuggle up to in London?

How DOES Mary Poppins slide up banisters in London?

Does consumption of Kimjie (pickled cabbage) by Seoul residents at every meal contribute to the curious smell in parts of the city coined by Tauri as “poo corner”?

To whom did I dedicate my bad karaoke (Koreans call karaoke “norebang”) love song offerings to, on my last night in Seoul in front of diplomatic representatives from at least 3 different Western countries?

Was I personally attacked by a space-age remote-controlled toilet in Seoul?

So, if you are interested in reading on, I will be telling all these stories and more in detail to do them justice.

For now I must thank my Calgary work colleagues, and Canadian girlfriends who have been very kind and sent me emails to say they miss me. Laura has been loyally Skyping me over the past few months and Marc, who is still my no.1 favourite Canadian and sweetheart, is looking forward to his own future Australian adventures.

Most of all, I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of my friends and family around the world in the past few months. They have put a roof over my head, given me keys to their homes, fed me, given me local travel advice, helped with my technological problems, taken me or kept me company during entertainments, included me in their invitations to events and even offered extra clothing when I’ve been caught short and cold. My journey would not be possible without the goodness of their hearts. They are;

- Marc (Calgary)
- Laura and Robert (Louisiana and Texas)
- Giles (New York)
- Tim and Hannah (Toronto and Niagara Falls)
- Alistair (Venice and London)
- Rachel, Iain and Adam (Aberdeen)
- Gordon and Russell (Aberdeenshire)
- Duncan and Elaine (Aberdeenshire)
- Barbara, Charlie, Linda, Nancy and “the Clan” (A'shire)
- Susanna and Henry (London)
- Dorothy, Tom, Michael and Kezia (Hampshire)
- Steph and Tauri (Seoul)

So, if you’d like to continue with me, you’ll need to email myself or Laura. If you know us personally you should already have our addresses. Please send a blank email with “Blog me!” in the subject title of the email and the link to the new (and improved) Blog will be forwarded to you.

“Waltzing Matilda, waltzing matilda,
You’ll come a’ waltzing matilda with me…”

Returning to tomorrow

G'day from Korea. At the beginning of 2007 when I first went to Canada, I stole half a day of time. To the Americas and Europe, Australia is in the land of tomorrow, between 10 to 18 hrs ahead. I lived all of 2007 from my perspective, in the land of yesterday.

On Friday I had to give my stolen hours back.

I grudgingly left the UK on Thursday, though I was looking forward to seeing Steph and Tauri, who I had the pleasure of hosting in Calgary towards the end of the Canadian summer. I was met by Steph in downtown Seoul and am now enjoying their 220 degree views of the city from their downtown apartment as well as the "Australian network" on cable TV with mostly ABC news, sport and arts programming.

I pushed through the jet lag to have a Korean BBQ dinner in the neighbourhood, deftly handled by Steph. I am hugely impressed by her competence with the language. Of course this she finds funny, after 10 months intensive training in Australia and 18 months being immersed in Korean culture I suppose it would be alarming if she couldn't call for a taxi or order dinner. I'm still impressed though, and grateful to have such handy friends.

Tauri is also ploughing ahead with language school and is giving presentations to his class in Korean in the next week or two. His chosen topic? Australian animals. His mission? To inform and entertain his class in Korean that wombats do poo in cubic squares. It's true. It's how they mark their territory and it can't roll off a rock. Fantastic stuff. I love my country.

Check out cubical poo at http://www.pbase.com/gehyra/image/38902120

With Korean BBQ you cook at your table and eat the meat and rice wrapped in salad lettuce and sesame seed leaves. It is tasty, healthy, fresh and extremely cheap. It is also social, with everyone sharing all the dishes.

It snowed all day. It was the first snow I'd really seen since Canada and that was a comfort. I've given my time back but not reversed the seasons. Not yet, not yet.

Happy Birthday Laura !!

Here's to a Texan who is young at heart :-)

To my dear friend Laura, who has laughed with me, cried with me, challenged me to climb mountains, eat reindeer, drive on the wrong side of the road, pretend to be a giant gingerbread, and shown me the best of Quebec, Alberta and Texas: a very happy birthday.

You are beautiful.

Mind the Gap

Since my last posting I have been to Dublin, Prague, Aberdeen (and shire) and London. Now to dedicated readers of 'Waltzing Matilda around the World', never fear. I have plans and plots for a new improved blog after my arrival back in Oz to go back over, publish photos and tell the stories that I don't have time to tell right now. I am living the adventure and it has been , truly, the time of my life.

So as per that anonymous voiceover on the London Underground, please 'Mind the Gap', just know that I am safe and well for now.

I have arrived at a friends' house in the UK. On my bed they have put a copy of 'Paddington Abroad', which seems very appropriate, except that I am not a bear from Darkest Peru, although I do have difficulty reading maps and get rather tired of wearing trousers.

London was magical. Susanna and I went to a West-End production of Mary Poppins, I walked the stairs of St Paul's Cathedral and attended Evensong, I laughed through the Turner Prize Exhibition at the Tate Britain, twirled in a ballroom at the Victoria and Albert Museum and had nighttime walks on the Thames and through London that were the stuff of great literature.

Is Santa Italian?

Venice has been one of the highlights of my trip so far. The winter weather was clear and lovely and since my trip there in the summer of 1994, I'd forgotten what difference no cars, trucks or motorbikes makes to a city.

Venice was lively, but peaceful.

I had excellent accomodations in Venice. A hostel more like a pensionne (guesthouse), my large room was quadruple-share with bathroom. It was a graceful, well maintained Venetian building ON the Grand Canal. It was aggressively cleaned by a team of Italian ladies each day. The only run-in I had was with one over the issue of an extra blanket I'd cleverly procured as the room was not as warm as it could have been. I thought I was going to hauled off to gaol for theft until the language barrier was cleared up.

Lession number one in Venice- never go drinking with Polish refrigerator salespeople after midnight. What, I hear you say? Of course, that's obvious, you say to me. Everyone knows that...

On my first night I decided to go out, have a meal and I found a small club afterwards and watched some live jazz. The set finished and I didn't like the look of the Italian blokes in the corner so set off back to my accomodation. One of them followed me. Having lacked the guts to talk to me in the bar, he thought a darkened bridge might improve his romantic chances. He caught up with me and asked me to have a drink with him in English....??? I pretended I didn't understand and took off like a shot.

Fortunately at the next turn there was a group of Polish refrigerator salespeople. Unlikely rescue but they were a mixed and large group. The ladies were all carrying roses they had been given during their corporate dinner and they were all well on their way to a cheerful hangover. I offered to take a photo for them and then they adopted me. "Australia?? We love Australian !!"

Great folks. I woke up the next day rather late to the sight of a Welshman optimistically boiling the kettle in the room. I say optimistically because I'd checked the night before... it was obvious there was no tea or coffee in the room. But bless him, he'd put on the kettle and waited for it to boil anyway. Was he hoping the tea fairy would materialise?

We had a chat. Alistair seemed excessively tall. I was still lying down though, having been hit by the vodka truck the night before.

We ended up becoming new chums though, and being likeminded in loving the city ended up being a highlight of the trip.

I spent the day alone, wandering the street and taking an autobus to (San Marco) St Mark's Square. It was a wonderful ride, and I was able to take this excellent photo of the Doges Palace from the water. Venice is full of coloured hand-blown glass shops and masks for the Carnivale. It was wonderful.

I met up with Al for dinner at a local pizzeria, where the pizzas were thin, excellent and served with pride. Venice, unlike New York is not built for individual diners, except for breakfast, which you eat standing up at an expresso bar.

There is no hassle in sitting in an American resturant with a newspaper or book anytime of day. But in Europe, dining is a social experience. Today in Prague I tried to make a reservation for one at a traditional Czech restaurant for tomorrow night. The staff were openly scathing of the concept of dining alone but took my booking. At the moment, I'm not looking forward to it.

The next day in Venice I took myself off alone again to explore the city. I spent a lot of time looking at the artistry in the glass shops and the masks. I also went to the art markets and spoke with the artists.

Venice is made to get lost in. It's a maze.

Although the staff at the hostel gave me a map, many of the streets aren't marked. And the ones that are marked on the map aren't marked on the buildings. To make it more fun, you will come across a square with 5 or 6 paths all purporting to lead to the same place. There is a very real risk it can get hours to days to get to your location.

Venice is wonderful... to be continued

Desperately Seeking Santa- Frankfurt

Helloooooo folks !!! Yes, I may seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth. Well, if you believe the earth is FLAT, then you'd be right !

I am now in Prague, having a lovely time in the run-up until Christmas. Since my last posting, I've been to Frankfurt, Venice and Dublin.

My journey from Calgary started as a trip home. Well for the benefit of Vivien, my goddaughter, who turned a mighty 3 years old this week, my mission has changed.

I'm on the search for Santa around the world.

I went to New York and thought I was close. I saw quite a lot of Santas there, but none of them were the real one.

So it was time to go to Germany. The Germans celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, it must be one of the first places he goes to. Besides, Europe is closer to the North Pole than other places.

So I went to Frankfurt. I had a Frankfurt sausage. It was excellent. I went to the Christmas markets in the old town. Here are photos of the gingerbread stand, which delighted me. In Germany it is a tradition to give gingerbread on Christmas to your loved ones. I had a gluwein (mulled wine).

But Santa wasn't there. So no time to waste, it was off to Italy. If the sleigh had broken down, maybe he traded it in for a boat in Venice.

Goodbye eh?

Hi Folks. It's time to say my last hurrah to Canada (unintentional rhyme :-)

I have been in Niagara for the weekend, seeing the Falls and running around the wineries with two wonderful new friends, Tim and Hannah. You will see how cold it looks. It was that cold. The ice-wineries were fascinating. To meet the definition of icewine, the grapes must be picked and processed in the middle of the night at no warmer than -8 temperatures. The harvest is in January.

So it is time to say cheerio to Canada, it's been really, the time of my life. I will visit again but not for awhile and not on this trip.

Marc, Laura, Karen, Victoria, Kelty, Melissa, Ashley, Trish, Hiking and Work Lisas, Chelsa and John, Courtney, Chris and all the other wonderful family and friends you've let me beg, borrow and steal this year, you've made my year. I'll blog the farewell at the Aussie Rules club at the end of the Calgary stories.

It's off to the Europe now on a red-eye to a mysterious location which is also a famous food.

Start Spreading the News...

It's been awhile since I last blogged and as you will have noticed, I still haven't finished reporting on the July Calgary Stampede.

It seems as though rightly, living life has been busier than reporting on it, but will do my best to keep you all entertained now I'm the road again.

I'm in New York, New York now and since mid- November have been on the road, boomeranging from Calgary to New Orleans to Texas to Washington and now here. It's been a fantastic few weeks in the company of friends.

So now I have a blogging dilemma. In order to keep you all updated with what I'm doing now and also to tell my stores from Calgary I plan to do both which means stepping around a chronological storyline. So please be patient with me as I adopt the motto of my hometown radio station and report both the current "Hits and Memories".