This will hurt me...

The ballot for the next family holiday. November 2019. As a young lad – in the years before smart phones, the Internet and more than two television channels – I would spend hours pawing over atlases, encyclopaedias and novels from all over the globe. Sure, I might have been stuck in a dying, deindustrialising town (downgraded from a city, such was our fortune) on the north west of an island that served as the butt all the jokes of the rest of the state (which itself served as the punchline of the jokes of the rest of the country), at the arse end of the World; but that very same World was at my fingertips, with a little bit of help from a library card. While I may have lamented never getting the chance of crossing those seas and seeing much of that World myself, I tried to keep my mind and imagination open. Therefore, now we are of means, and my kids are old enough to survive a bit of discomfort, I am keen to help them see as much of the planet while I have some kind of infl...

Southern Cross SPENCER STREET railway station, Melbourne. April 2010. They can try all they like, it will always be Spencer Street to me... Morning , Deborah Ager You know how it is waking from a dream certain you can fly and that someone, long gone, returned and you are filled with longing, for a brief moment, to drive off the road and feel nothing or to see the loved one and feel everything. Perhaps one morning, taking brush to hair you'll wonder how much of your life you've spent at this task or signing your name or rising in fog in near darkness to ready for work. Day begins with other people's needs first and your thoughts disperse like breath. In the in-between hour, the solitary hour, before day begins all the world gradually reappears car by car.

This title was taken from the Bill Bryson book, Down Under . Yes, there is quite a tradition to slagging Canberra! Before I get back to Canberra, I better acknowledge the fact that the photo is not from that fine town, but an action shot of Henry in motion. I figured that even reading about Canberra is dull enough to kill elephants, so I'd best give you folks something interesting to look at. So I did finally make it to Canberra! As you can see in the photograph below, the whole plane is absolutely over the moon at the prospect of a day in such an exciting place. Some people reckon that the name "Canberra" means 'meeting place' in the Ngunnawal language, with reference to the various transcriptions of Kambera (alternatively spelt Kamberra, Nganbra or Nganbirra). However, my sources - high up in the indigenous community - reckons that this is a mistranslation . They claim that the actual meaning of the name is "cake eating" ( at a meeting). They attri...

I am still winging my way to Canberra here, this time from Melbourne airport. As you can see, there was a bit of cloud. Yes, in response to a question asked by Willits’ finest blogger, USelaine, Canberra is one of those artificially constructed artefacts of the decision-less decision made (not made?) years ago. The title today is a comment on Canberra from Malcolm Muggeridge, a noted political commentator here from last century here in Australia. The story of Canberra is far from interesting, fitting to the town. When the Australian colonies decided to federate, you can imagine the keen debate around which of our fair cities would be chosen as the national capital. As the city of Burnie (declared by the Queen herself , no less) was still in its formative years, the decision was made to bypass Tasmania altogether. That left two candidates for the new national capital. At the time, bloated a gold rush and a superior code of football, Melbourne was Australia's largest – and wealthie...

So here I am in the skies above a fresh Hobart summer's morn. I quite like the top photograph, the geometric lines of the wing and pastoral beauty of the sun-dabbled land below is a subtle mix of images that I do like very much. Photos taken from a plane are rarely successful, in my experience, so I was quite happy with the way that that these ones turned out. This second image is an aerial shot of Cambridge, the location of ‘Hobart’ airport. Apologies for the brevity of the post. It is a bloody madhouse here today, and when you’re the boss (and believe me I feel so grubby saying that), every bastard wants a piece of you!

So, those canny readers who spotted my blue in Tuesday's post deserve a pat on the back. Indeed, the photograph featured a building and not a river , as advertised. An easy mistake to make, and one that I am sure that you will understand! Tricky things building and rivers. The message that we should all take away from this is that even the best make mistakes , especially when they are rushing and very, very tired. SO this photograph I present this morning was hurridly taken on my way to Canberra on Tuesday. I say that I was on my way to Canberra, but actually, the plane was heading to Melbourne. Then I sat in an airport for an hour, got on another plane, and that one took me to Canberra. That is a nice example of the importance of Tasmania to the major airlines in Australia, you cannot get a direct flight to the nation's capital! Despite this, I have a little photo essay to come of the journey, but don't be afraid, I emerged unscathed!

They put me up in Chinatown. Staying in a former opium den, I suspected that the Triads have an investment of some kind in the joint. That said, I'd rather the Triads on my side than on the other side. Notorious gangland activity aside, Chinatown sure can put of a spread in the grub department. I gave the flamethrower duck a miss [c'mon fellas, was it really necessary to leave the head, neck and feet on? That's no way to dispose of a body!]. However, once you get past the heads, feed, gizzards and so on, you can discover a whole world (well, continent) of very lovely food. That's not to say that creepy-looking food can't mean tasty-eating. I just don't have the nerve to nibble on a deep fried duck's bill - Daffy, what have they done to you?!?! - while his cold, unforgiving eyes stare straight at me, judging me, reproaching me. I am certain that it would mean indigestion.

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...

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...

Accra, Ghana Accra is the capital of West African nation of Ghana. First up, I have a declaration to make, perhaps a conflict. Every Ghanaian that I’ve met, I’ve liked, I’m not sure if that indicates bias, but best to declare it straight up. This intuitive ‘liking’ has no doubt influenced my desire to go to the place (and no doubt explains my lack of desire to ever visit Durban!). Anyway, an perhaps rather distressingly for me, the word ‘accra’ apparently derives from the word nkran which means ‘ants’ in the local tongue, a reference to the numerous anthills seen in the countryside around Accra. Now ants annoy me, but I have faith in the Ghanaian people to take care of any potential ant population problem. Accra is one of the wealthiest and most modern cities in the African continent, with a high quality of living by African standards, and according to my Ghanaian sources Accra is also known as being the continent's most ‘fun’ cities. I am told that the best way to visit Accra’s m...

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?

Oulu, Finland Oulu is the largest and most important city in Northern Finland, and the sixth largest city in the country. The first time that I heard of Oulu was around the time of the first Air Guitar World Championships, in 1996. Now, I have no interest in Air Guitar, but for some reason Oulu has stayed on my mind ever since. Apparently, Oulu has gone from being a town known for wood tar and salmon, into a major centre in high technology, particularly IT and “wellness” [which I’m told is another word for healthcare] technology. Other prominent industries include wood refining, paper and steel. This tells me that it would make a fine sister city to Burnie ! I can’t properly explain why, but Finland has always attracted me. They have an incredibly interesting history, and the Finns ability to adapt and excel globally is to be admired. I would love to go there one day. And if I’m going to Finland, there is no way that I’m not going to Oulu.

Budapest, Hungary Generally considered among the most beautiful cities in the world, Budapest is one Central European city that I’d love to visit. The fact that it has a pretty good reputation on the public transport front only encourages me more!

In Paris: After the Liberation , Antony Beevor (with the aid of fellow historian – who also happens to be his wife – Artemis Cooper) begins with a brief recount of the invasion of France, the collapse of the French defence and subsequent German occupation. However, his main concern lays with the post-war period in the French capital. This period saw the trials of collaborationist leaders, de Gaulle's reestablishment of the republic and his rapid resignation in 1946, widespread panic at the prospect of a Communist or right-wing coup and the arrival of Marshall Plan aid, which aided the French in the face of economic collapse. As usual, Beevor constructs an engaging account at both the macro and micro level, capturing the desperation and exhilaration of those years through a blend of history, personal accounts, interviews, significant events and gossip. In particular, the authors illuminate the chronicle of the blind Stalinism of France's "progressive" intelligentsia. A...