This and that - Roman fashion

Not particularly cheap is what the sign says.

An array of Sicilian coppolas (caps).

Underwear modelled by the Italian football (soccer) team, the Azzuri, seen in Rome's Leornardo da Vinci International Airport. Inspired perhaps by da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.

Croatia - Krka National Park

Went to Krka National Park with Ivi and Irena, and their children Ivana, Luka and Marin. Ivi drove first to the town of Sibenik where we took the ferry to the Park office in Skradinski Buk. We walked around the area but did not really have time to swim in the lovely waters. Croation waters, I never fail to tell anyone this, are beautiful. Whether it's rivers or waterfalls or the Adriatic. Crystal clear.

The waterfalls in the National Park come in all sizes. There's the majestic multi-tiered main falls, the little rivulets, the ones emerging from between buildings (actually I think they are old flour mills). There is even the second oldest hydroelectricity plant in the world built with the assistance of Tesla, a Croatian. Not functional anymore though.

The area is also full of life in the summer when I was there. Iridescent green and blue dragonflies, frogs, reed warblers and chaffinches singing their hearts out. And lots of fish in the streams. Trout perhaps.

We also drove round to Roski Slap, another area of more waterfalls and also saw the quaint monastery on tiny Visovac island in the middle of a river.

(I hope I got the place names correct. It has been a little while ago.)

Adelaide

Back now in Adelaide where it started about six months ago. Staying in Hong Mei and Gary's place. Been catching up with many people including Jwu Jin and her mum, Dr Fong and Dr Toh, Alex, Luan and Wendy, Pang Chien and Chui May, Nick, Marjoree and Amir, Oui and Michael, Peter, Sean, Steve, Ken, Vincent, etc.

Also managed to catch up with 'the Gang', Luan and Wendy, Toula and Babis, Ashlesha, Nick, James and Emily and Aaron.

Going to Melbourne next week to look for a job. Hope to meet up with more people there. Give me a call or email me.

Perth - King's Park

Been cooped up indoors for the last few days doing a job application thing. Finally sent it off yesterday. So today I went to the nearby King's Park for a spot of bird watching and chilling out. It was rather chilly alright. Don't think it went above 15 C today and much colder in the morning. This is cold for Perth even in the middle of winter.

Luckily for me the birds were still active and I saw a few beauties. The view from King's Park across the Swan River to the City is famous. Many native flowers still out in bloom including the Banksias, Grevilleas and Eucalypts.

Will be going to Adelaide tomorrow.

Signs and symptoms - Italian parking

No Parking, excluding wedding vehicles on Saturdays and Sundays. You can figure it out. Seen next to the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome.





And parking for little cars. Seen in the Trastevere in Rome. Italians have bought more Smart cars than any other country in the world.

The Vatican

The Pope wasn't home but I still managed to have a good time. Got a bit wet in the morning from heavenly showers but was spared any rain while in the legendary long queue to the Vatican Museums. The queue ran rather efficiently and I had good company so it wasn't too bad.

While in the queue I saw my cousin's husband's uncle, a certain Uncle Shu from Melbourne, walk past. Unfortunately I couldn't recall his name then and did not manage to call out to him. Another coincidental near-meeting small world moment.

The Vatican Museums are vast and I had no hope of 'covering it all' in one day but there were a few highlights. Including an almost private tour of the Gallery of Early Christian Art by a director of the Museum, also a theology lecturer. Consisted mostly of sarcophagi with beautiful reliefs of biblical scenes eg Adam and Eve, the raising of Lazarus etc. All explained lucidly by an expert. The Gallery was only opened for our select group for that 45 minutes or so that day or so it seemed.

The Map Gallery with its ornate ceilings, the Classical sculptures including the Laocoon, and the Raphael Rooms were awesome. Of course the highlight of highlights was the Sistine Chapel and the most famous Creation of Man and the Last Judgement by the great Michaelangelo.

St Peter's Basillica (with St Peter's Square) was a magnificent church with magnificent artworks, the most famous, the Pieta, also by Michaelangelo. Not forgetting of course Bernini and Bramante's contribution among others. Michaelangelo also designed the uniforms for the Swiss Guards of the Vatican. One of his less elegant creations I think.

"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1787 in Rome

Perth, Australia

In Perth now, visiting relatives. This post is mainly for the relatives who will know who these people all are.

Staying with Uncle Tek and Aunty Goldie. Also in the same house are Kuoh Yurn and Aunty Goldie's mum (Popo) who's 96 and does knitting and goes to the elderly citizen's club. Upstairs lives Jasmine (Uncle Tek's daughter) and her husband Andrew and thier 3 kids, Ryan, Hadyn and Kirstyn.

Yesterday had dinner with Avril and her husband David and thier children, Rachel and Justin. Will try contacting Aunty Siew Ngo and John again today.

Flight was delayed in Rome for almost 18 hours so just 'waking up' now. 11 hour flight to Hong Kong, then 7.5 hour flight to Perth.

Rome - World Cup win

It was crazy in Rome last night after the World Cup football win over France. Towards the second half of the match I was standing by the Tiber River with a modest sized crowd in front of a large screen.

Flag waving, fireworks, chanting and singing. I had a little scarf and a little Italian flag. None of the locals had a LITTLE flag. They were all full sized or larger. Waved on poles and draped on themselves. The horns and trumpets were blaring non-stop. The car and scooter horns tooted all night. Traffic was almost impassable. Hundreds of thousands were in the streets singing and chanting. Waving and shouting from the windows and balconies. In the piazzas, dancing and waving flags. The fountains were full of people dancing and splashing about. Fireworks and firecrackers set off.

Rome was on fire.

Dublin

My first stop in Europe was Dublin (transit via Heathrow) where my sister lives. Dublin is more vibrant than the last time I visited especially in the town centre around O'Connell St. The obvious new features there are the Needle and the convenient tram lines.

Dublin was where I picked Rubber Ducky up.

Toilet tidbits - Manneken Pis

The Original Manneken Pis of Brussels, of the famous pee-ing boy that saved Brussels from a fire, so the story goes.

Shown here naked and with various costume changes. Many imposters including these enslaved ones spotted in a souvenir shop. For sale. Gasp!

Signs and Symptoms - Look Out!

The sign with the meerkats was in a suburb of London and the one with school children running is a common sign seen near schools in Croatia.

Signs and symptoms

Seen on a Dutch side walk and the grass verge next to it. Can someone translate it for me please?

Toilet tidbits - Croatia

In soccer mad Croatia during the football (soccer) World Cup, these were seen in a few households. Anyone else seen them elsewhere?

London-Kew Gardens

Went with my family including Grandma to Kew Botanic Gardens yesterday. My grandmother loves looking at flowers so she enjoyed the flower beds and roses. The 'Spectral Garden' was showing itself well. However it is summer so many of the blooms in the other part of the gardens have whithered eg azaleas and rhododendrons.

Trees and tropical don't excite my grandmother as much like those in the Palm House Conservatory. " Just a palm tree. We've got lots of those at home. A banana tree? The ones in my backyard look better." "Those periwinkles. They're confined to graveyards."

But she admired the flowers. "They have good soil and good climate here. I can never get my roses to bloom like that no matter how much cow manure I pile on."

Tea and scones at the nearby Maids of Honour tea house finished off the afternoon. This place was recommended by Aunty Siew. Their specialities include the 'Maids of Honour' Tarts (no pun intended) served to King Henry VIII and his royal household, so proclaims a plaque. The 'authentic' English feel was slightly lost when the waitress said with a heavy Eastern European accent, "We clozeeng feefteen meenoot."