Adapt or Die

It is over a week since we returned from our wonderful travels. As I open this page I am greeted in Aussie English not German or Czech language ;-))

It will take quite some time to work through my photos but I am taking the time to relive the moment, what little treasures they are.

I am back in the swing of things with regular meetings leading up to the "Adapt or Die" sculptural exhibition at the Arid Lands Botanic Garden. The Curdnatta Photography group is holding an exhibiton to coincide and we are currently gathering these pieces. My contribution is illustrated here.

After the heatwave in Europe the weather here is colder that we have experienced for quite a while and the regular rain has produced a bumper crop of WEEDS!!!... I am sure some of those seeds have been hiding for 20 years waiting for their chance at life ;-))

Ah well ... plenty of exercise awaits!!!

London

Cloudy but perfect weather for exploring London. We are both feeling better and ready to pick up the pace again (Summer colds ;-(( )

At last the opportunity to connect to all those iconic places that have been referred to so often in our lives.

The place is buzzing with summer holiday makers so there are long queues to see many of the highlights including Buckingham Palace which is currently open to the public… good thing we have seen several palaces already ... didn't fancy standing in line for most of the morning... ;-DD

We spent the day getting our bearings and taking photos of anything that caught our eye ;-)


Tomorrow we tackle the railway.

Photos at FLICKR!

Ireland

It is difficult to believe our week in Ireland is over. Tomorrow we fly to London.

A week of beautiful countrysides, warm, hospitable people, rugged coastlines, music, history, more fabulous food, Guinness and Whisky...

Spending time with Tamsin was precious ...

Sooo many photos.... and we managed to get some sunlight as well as the beautiful Summer Irish mist...

End of Cruise

Well the cruise is over and we are currently in Praha (Prague). The hot weather has followed us all the way and we are now used to tramping all over cities and the countryside without a complaint.
The final evening in Budapest was magical as we cruised up the river to view the city lights from the top deck of the boat. This wonderful city really appealed to me, we had heard so many aspects of the history connecting this magestic city with Communist rule and the cruise was a poignant moment with the opportunity to reflect on how we should value our heritage and lifestyle.
Prague is a similar grand old city.
Today we visited Terezin where political prizoners and Jews were held before being shipped to concentration camps. A very sobering experience and a complete change from other tours.
Off to Ireland tomorrow and catching up with Tamsin and John.

In the footsteps of Mozart

Salsburg, Melk, Durnstein, Vienna the heart of tourism in Austria.
Huge numbers of ships and buses conveying thousands of tourists to the most popular places.
Surprisingly the tours work like clockwork. We have earpieces connected to a receiver that is worn around the neck. These tune into a frequency and microphone unit used by the tour guide so we can wander around within close range and hear all the information without the guide having to shout at us….
Remind me not to get famous… the thought of a cardboard effigy outside every souvenir shop in my home town is not appealing ;-))
The weather is still warm and many places do not have air conditioning the river is attracting many families who are on Summer Holidays and you can see people dotted along the banks swimming, fishing and boating.