Impressive Dark Knight

And old blog post of travel photo from Monte Carlo.

Another travel photo, what is the story behind it? Dark knight and white guard? Dead and the living? I think I am more impressed by the dark knight, than the white guard.

Pride and Prejudice in Italy

This week is recycling week. Here I'm recycling some old posts, this one about Italian Forum in Sydney:

***
I remember when my BF from Austria first visited me some years ago. He had an image of Sydney just consisting of Opera House and Bondi Beach, then right outside, the outback would be on our doorstep. Of course he's wrong. The outback is nearly six hours away from Sydney. And Sydney has much more to offer than Opera House and Bondi.


Photo from Italian Forum Cultural Centre


I like Italian food so I will take you to the Italian quarter of Sydney today, which is about 15 minutes drive from Sydney CBD. Leichhardt has marvellous food, fast cars and gorgeous men and women.



The hub of Leichhardt is the Italian Forum. When you walk into the piazza, you are transported to an Italian city.

The first time I went there, they had a music festival on. When the dancers were dancing energetically to the fast beat rhythm in the central courtyard, some elderly Italian men and women were looking on from the balconies above.

It seems to be a perfect location for William and Elizabeth to meet and start their romantic journey...

Shopping Country

Today there is an article about Andorra. I haven't been there, but the journalist doesn't seem to be very complimentary about the country.

I peek into a shop window and my jaw drops as I see replica pistols, radar detectors, police deterrent spray, police batons and handcuffs among other suspicious-looking cheap paraphernalia on open display.

There are few border checks in Europe, so what would stop criminals buying up these products and taking them home?

Perhaps there is no need to put it on my top travel list.

Source: SMH

Best of Corsica

Readers following my wip will know that Darcy and Elizabeth are now in Corsica. Let me post an interesting YouTube clip for you to have a look. The music is quite good too. Imagine your favourite hero and heroine gracing the locations there.

Nice

I'm working on my wip The Spinster's Vow and the hero and heroine have just arrived in Corsica. It reminded me on my last trip there, through Nice, France.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of Hotel Darcy, right next to an adult shop.

And why took the photo lamartine? My BF loves lamantin, the French name of Manatee. He said the huge marine mammal is peaceful and nice, qualities he hopes he maintains. The street name reminds me of lamantin so I took a snapshot of it.

And the last photo is from Monte Carlo, the shiny ball right outside the casino. The world looks twisted, in places like this.

Cruise

Have you ever been on a cruise trip? Do you want to go on one? I've been to one from London to a port in Sweden and back. I didn't like it that much. It's like locked in a resort, with just food and entertainment. There's not enough natural scenery to please the eyes.

Tallest hotel in the world

 

This building in Shanghai used to be the tallest hotel in the world. I heard that Hong Kong has another one that just surpased it. Why do people like to compete? The tallest, largest, smartest etc.

Water wheel

 

Are you interested in water feature? This rustic one in Shanghai made quite an impression. Perhaps this could be the location for Darcy and Elizabeth's first meeting.

What is your neighbour doing?

Another great photo from Bratislava. I'm not referring to my photographic skill. I mean it's such an interesting image. For an old run down building, by decorating it with some intriguing people and arts, you can attract tourists to stand and watch for hours. I wouldn't mind that if it wasn't that cold. So instead, I made a snapshot to save this forever.

Story inspiration? A neighbourhood of eccentricity and crazy love?

Resurrection from the earth

Many years ago, I went to Bratislava. It's a few hours train journey from Vienna. I really liked the old town. They have these cute little bronze sculptures on the ground or sitting on benches. They seemed to make the city more lively.

What if the man came alive and smile at you?

Murder at Honeycomb

This building reminds me of a honeycomb. It's right opposite the Sydney Harbour Bridge, perhaps a bit too near. What sort of stories will occur here? Romance? Science fiction? Murder?

Wallabies

Guess who's looking at who here?

Do you think you can spin a story here?

Small soldiers

Another holiday photo.

Here are the little green ants from Magnetic Island. They may be small but they have great strength. They didn't like my towel blocking their long march and pushed it out of the way in a night!

Moral of the story: Aim big, start small.

Noodies

I'm back from North Queensland but I haven't started writing yet. I think I'll just share a few photos here in the next few days. Here is a cute little cafe in Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island.

The Amazing Race

I quite like watching The Amazing Race. It's kind of funny to watch the contestants mixed up the different cultures in the world. Once, a couple thought that Taiwan was Thailand.

And some of the tasks though silly can be hilarious to watch. Like one contestant was asked to count the number of Buddha statues inside a temple. It took her ages to get it right.

Is there any interesting game show you like?

Can you stand the heat?

Why did I choose to visit South Korea? I live in Sydney, an area with many Koreans. They have fascinating culture, food and customs.

I do love Korean food but they can be too spicy for me. So I've borrowed a phrase book and learned the words for "no" and "spicy" in Korean. Let's hope I know how to handle the hot cuisine day after day.

What's your next travel destination?

Photo source: http://namikafujita.wordpress.com

How do you keep fit?

I'm going with a friend who runs marathon. She wants to go hiking at national parks in South Korea. I tend to be a couch potato most of my evenings so I'm not sure if I'm fit enough.

I've been doing like 15 minutes exercise each day for the past month since I learned about the trip.

I read somewhere that grannies in South Korea are very fit and they like to go hiking too. Let's hope I can keep up with them.

How do you keep fit?

Photo source: http://www.lifeinkorea.com

How do you shop?

I confess I shop like a man, with a list, minimal fuss and minimal time. But I'm not that into the latest gadgets and trend.

So the kind of shopping I want to do in South Korea is rather different. Looking at some strange food in market can be an interesting past time for me.

How do you shop, like a man or a woman?

Photo source: http://www.seoulkoreaasia.com

Addiction I can't give up

Did I say how much I like cookies? Years ago I did a life expectancy survey and found that I've the most health eating habit, not much tea, not much coffee, not much fat. But my breakfast with cookies could cost me a few years of my life.

Well life is short and some kind of addiction can be not too bad. So my Korean trip will involve buying a lot of Korean cookies.

What is the addiction you won't give up?

Photo source: http://currythecat.com

Eating, hiking and shopping in South Korea

I'll be off for a short holiday in South Korea, eating, hiking and shopping. I've scheduled regular blog posts but I may not be replying to your comments frequently.

Happy World Cup and see you again soon early July.

Photo source: http://planettran.wordpress.com