This will hurt me...

On Sunday we climbed a mountain. You know that already. The previous Friday, we hit the beach to collect shells (and wrestle sharks). Here's the view of Seven Mile Beach as we relaxed after a marathon Greco-Roman tussle with a Great White with bad breath. It's hard work being Tasmanian. On a side note, it should be no surprise that the troops are rallying the Save the Grand Old Dame . Regular readers know of my obsession love and commitment to that princess of Brutalist architecture, 10 Murray Street [click the link to see my treasure trove of photos]. Well, it appears that the groundswell has become a tsunami! Eagle eyed blog commenter Ms Havershom has alerted me to some attempts to avoid catastrophe and save the day (no doubt to atone for breaking Pip's heart, for you Dickens fans out there). So, wherever you are in the world, you can rally to the cause and send the message that buildings of historical worth did not stop being built in 1890. You can sign the petition he...

Got to love the news.

St. John's, Canada   St. John's is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America.   The area around Sr. John's should be of interest to any history buff. It's obviously a nice area, because it seems to have caused some consternation over the place across the years. First populated by the native Mi'kmaq and Beothuk people, the Vikings arrive. The oldest known European settlement anywhere in the Americas was located in Newfoundland sometime around 1000 A.D. by Leif Ericson's Vikings. Remnants and artefacts of this settlement can still be seen at L'Anse aux Meadows , which itself would be well worth a visit. At some point, the Viking settlements cease to exist, and other Europeans take their place.   Various parties of English, Portuguese, Basque, Spanish and French fishermen habitually turn up from the fifteenth century to exploit the abundant fishing stocks in the area. In 1583, the area was cl...

San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina Somewhere a bit warmer today, I think. San Salvador de Jujuy is a city in north-western Argentina, and the capital of the Jujuy Province, which itself is at the borders of Chile and Bolivia. My wife has been to Salta, which is not too far away. Located on the Andes, 1238 meters above sea level, Jujuy is humid during Summer and dry and cold during Winter. It seems to be a city with a colonial feel, but also a gateway to the colourful Andean culture. Jujuy the city, and the province in general, appears to be much more inclusive of indigenous people and culture than the in rest of Argentina, which is reflected in the predominant Quechua, Aymara and Chiriguano people and cultures. So I’m thinking that it would be a good place to visit. Jen tells me that the people in the region are incredibly friendly, she has the local lingo down pat, and although we’ll be gringos, we’ll be gringos with a local accent. I can just picture Henry and I in colourful ponchos, ...

Yakutsk, Russia Yakutsk (Яку́тск) is the capital of the Sakha Republic (the Yakutia region, formerly the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Located in Siberia, it has some renown as the coldest city on earth. It has a population of around 200,000 people, so it defiantly qualifies as a city. But is it cold? You bet your sweet Aunt Nelly it is! In January, daily high temperatures average around -40.9 °C. For those not impressed by facts and figures, that’s COLD . Warnings are issued to people about wearing glasses outside, as they have a tendency to freeze to the face and tear the flesh off when one tries to remove them. Nice visual there. The coldest temperatures ever recorded outside Antarctica occur in the basin of the Yana River not far to the northeast. Conversely, July temperatures can often exceed 32 °C, making the region among the greatest in the world for seasonal temperature differences. The biggest city built on continuous permafrost, Yakutsk is about 4° below the Arc...

Pago Pago, American Samoa My wife has been hassling me to do a new place that I’d like to visit, so here we go. The capital of American Samoa, Pago Pago is a village located on the island of Tutuila. And yet another town where the harbour is surrounded by impressive cliffs for my list (I can’t help myself, I know). Unlike Western Samoa, American Samoa appears to have limited tourist infrastructure catering mostly to businessmen, locals visiting from abroad and the occasional eco-tourist enthusiast seeking out the rainforests and archaeological sites. Thus, visiting offers a challenge and an opportunity. The deep water harbour itself is a collapsed volcanic crater, and the town of Pago Pago holds less than 4000 residents, a couple of banks, some shops, restaurants, a museum with a collection of ancient Samoan artefacts and a few government departments, oh and there is the yacht club at Utulei. Outside of town, you’ve got your tropical rainforest, fine beaches, swimming and snorkelling, ...

Minsk, Belarus Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus. Located on the south-eastern slope of the Minsk Hills, Minsk was initially founded on the hills. However, in the twentieth century, it grew to include the relatively flat plains in the southeast. Minsk must have something going for it, because it has a long history of being ruled by different states. I think that it is this long history of destruction and rebuilding that arouses my curiosity about the place. First settled by the Slavs in the ninth century, it was incorporated into the early medieval Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states in 980. 1067 is now accepted as the founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) had certainly existed for some time by then. In the early twelfth century, the Principality of Minsk was established although this was annexed by Kiev, the dominant principality of Kievan Rus. However in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty again regained control. Mi...

Port Antonio, Jamaica Port Antonio can be found on the north-eastern coast, about 100 km from the capital, Kingston. The town is surrounded by some of the most rugged and beautiful scenery in all of Jamaica. It is the island's third largest port, and famous as a shipping point for bananas and coconuts. You have just got to love the idea of a tropical island featuring bananas and coconuts, don’t you? Apparently, Port Antonio was a sleepy coastal town up until the 1880s, when the banana trade took off in Jamaica and Port Antonio began to be promoted as a destination for wealthy American travellers. It is claimed that the banana trade, coupled with the tourists who came in the banana boats, was once so large that weekly sailing from Port Antonio was greater than weekly sailing from the port of Liverpool. Of that, I am somewhat sceptical, but it’s still a nice story. In the wettest, greenest parish in Jamaica, known for its many rivers and waterfalls, Port Antonio was the model of par...

Cagliari, Italy Cagliari is the capital of the Italian island of Sardinia, and its Sardinian name Casteddu, literally means the castle. Obviously, it has a castle then! I love castles, we only have tacky poured concrete castles in Australia, and they don’t stand up too well to the authentic ones. Again, Cagliari seems to be a walking city, with the old part of the city lies on top of a hill, offering a view of the Gulf of Cagliari (also known as Angels Gulf). I love my harbours of course (as appears to be bearing out in this series on the blog), so this will be a must.

Ushuaia, Argentina Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, and has claim to the title of the world's southernmost city. Ushuaia is the gateway to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, and features the delightfully named Tren del Fin del Mundo (the “End of the World Train”) from Ushuaia. It also has penguins, many many penguins. I love penguins. I want a penguin. I’m not sure whether they let you take one home with you, but it may be worth a try. Apparently you stand a decent chance at spotting a killer whale in the harbour too. I reckon that I’d love to take a kayak out into the harbour and have a good look around. There is also a bit of skiing, a glacier, and if you’re really keen, you can nip down to Antarctica!

Tallinn, Estonia Tallinn’s old town easily is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and seems to be the place to be if you’re into ‘old towns’ like me. I read that Tallinn is also a good ‘walking’ city, which suits me to the ground, as I like to get about on foot. Now that Henry is up and walking, perhaps we can go walking through the town together! It also serves as a useful ferry point to a few other places that I'd like to visit.

Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis Rum, beach, sleep. What's not to like?