Monthly Archives: May 2020

The Day the Giro d’Italia came to town

22 Friday May 2020

Posted by in Giro d' Italia - Arezzo, Tuscany

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My blog posts “jar” is getting very empty so I decided to re post this story about a tremendously fun day I had while I was staying in Arezzo.

 

Not long after I arrived in Arezzo I could feel that something special was happening.  While wandering around exploring, I saw the barricades being installed and of course all the signs and banners. The Giro d’Italia was coming to town.

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I have never really been a big fan of bike racing, although I do enjoy watching it on tv but mostly for the scenery. But, it did not take me long to be caught up in the excitement of the town.

While enjoying my morning coffee in the Piazza Grande, about 6 middle-aged men in lycra arrived. They were all from Australia and New Zealand. Listening to them, I learned that they were all ex Olympians or Commonwealth games winners.  They were here to watch the race. This just added to the excitement of being in Arezzo on such a special occasion.

Everywhere I went there were flags and banners and barricades for the race and many hours before the cyclists were due, people were already beginning to line the streets. The atmosphere was electric with a party feel.

There was a big van decorated in the official Giro d’Italia colours in the Piazza Monaco Guido which was just near my accommodation.  In fact my window overlooked it all. There was a loud speaker with the constant recording announcing the race and offering Giro packs for sale.

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I bought a pack for 10 € which consisted of a pink cap, a pink t-shirt and  a pink plastic “clapper”.  It was official; I was caught up in the moment.

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There were several marquees and media booths set up, truck after truck of equipment and lots of police around.

The crowds were already jockeying for positions behind the temporary barricades. I managed to find myself a great spot near the beginning of the cyclists entrance in to Arezzo.  I felt as though I was probably the only Aussie, in fact, non speaking Italian standing there, but I was totally caught up in the overwhelming excitement of it all.

Suddenly a motorcade of Italian police cars and bikes appeared around the bend with sirens blaring and blue lights flashing.

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Then a flash goes by, then another, then they are gone.  I had my camera poised to take the photos but they went by so quickly I was lucky to get any photos.

Apart from the slower cyclist and support vehicles it was all over.  The biggest surprise for me was the amount of team cars carrying spare bikes and parts.

I wandered off feeling so very fortunate that I experienced such a wonderful event.

 

 

 

 

2 months further on, here in Brisbane, Australia.

13 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in Fish and Chips in the Park

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Things here in Australia are changing every day, sometimes, hourly.  2 months ago, when I first wrote about the beginning of lock down for me, I really had no idea what to expect, how long it would last and in fact how well we would all cope.

I can honestly say with relief, that it really has not been too bad. Yes, there have been some blah days where I had no motivation but after giving myself a little pep talk I was able to move on and start making the most of every day. My days have been filled with many different activities including gardening, baking, crafting, many long phone calls, netflix, Youtube and of course internet/emails.

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We have been very blessed in Australia with our government acting quickly in the beginning of this situation and consequently we have lost less than 100 folks.

Recently, there has been a gentle easing of some of our restrictions here in Queensland which is very welcome, including the opening of parks and beaches and, allowing us to venture out from our homes.

During this past week, I went for my first social outing in about 8 weeks. It was great. We went out to Moreton Bay to the delightful suburb of Manly which is on the water. We sat at a picnic table setting protected by an awning that was long enough to cover about 10 of these picnic settings. We bought fish and chips from the local fish and chip shop and enjoyed it along with a nice pinot grigio. While keeping our social distancing we chatted with many other folks who were doing the same.

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As I enjoyed this simple but lovely day out I reflected on the here and now and thought that this outing was a little trip down memory lane for me. I remembered that while growing up, for us, a picnic enjoying fish and chips in the park was a lovely day out and a special treat.

For me, this lock down has reminded me of how happy we were with the simple things in life. Like a picnic in the park, or a walk along the beach, catching up with friends for a simple meal at home or just an evening walk around the neighourhood. It made me think, how did life become so complicated? Why is everyone “so busy”all the time?

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I am delighted to have been reminded in many ways and many times over the past 8 weeks or so, what really does matter and how easy it is to enjoy life without all the stress and expense.

My fish and chips in the park, was in fact, a special treat. 

Magnificent Kings Park in the Centre of Perth

05 Tuesday May 2020

Posted by in Kings Park and Botanical Gardens, Perth. WA, Western Australia

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Kings Park is one of the world’s largest and most beautiful inner city parks. Kings Park was even better than I expected. The views are stunning and the vibe is awesome – you could easily spend days there.

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Kings Park is a beautiful oasis in the centre of the city, with cafes, playgrounds, nature walks, botanic gardens, treetop walks, bbqs, monuments, art galleries, statues, memorials and just a wonderful place to visit.

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On my first visit to Kings Park I was blown away by its beauty and size. I met up with friends for a day at the park, and a picnic lunch in a large rotunda which is situated in one of the best locations in the park. This rotunda comes with sensational views overlooking the city and the Swan River and the war memorial with its dedicated gardens.  From this location we spent the entire day coming and going while exploring many different parts of the park including the wonderful Aspects of Kings Park gallery shop. There were many guided walks, usually run by the parks volunteers. There were short and long walks through this exceptional park which is right next to the city

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Fashion using local wild flowers

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Kings Park is home to the spectacular Western Australian Botanic Garden, which displays over 3,000 species of the State’s unique flora. Two thirds of the 400 hectare park is protected as bush land and provides a haven for native biological diversity. The total area of Kings Park is 400.6 hectares and features both cultivated gardens and untamed bush land.

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One day at the park was not nearly enough for me, so I spent another day there on my own. I took the train in to the city and then took the free #935 bus on the short drive up to the park, from the city. Once again I was stunned by the sensational views over the city and Swan River and Elizabeth Quay, where we took the cruise boat to go to Fremantle.

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I stopped for coffee at the outdoors café before making my own way around the parks many hundreds of lovely gardens. I explored fantastic and varied gardens, a tree walkway, war memorial, play areas for children, cafes, restaurants, extensive bush trails and picnic places which come with free bbq’s.

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These Botanical Gardens, with so many spectacular W.A wild flowers and other flora are organised into so many different ecosystems. To see all these plants in their native areas would require travelling thousands of km- and they are all here in one place. In fact, we covered thousands of kilometers  when we travelled for a week up the Coral Coast of WA to view the thousands of wildflowers.

So, if you want to see the Western Australia wildflowers and your time is limited, they are all here in the one place.

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Kings Park and Botanical Gardens – Magnificent.