travel – Page 8 – Travelling Worm

Category: travel

Shivering at Stonehenge

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC were bowling merrily down the A344 and there it was, right there: Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is an archaeological site and monument in Wiltshire, England, not far from Salisbury. Its most striking feature is a ring of large standing stones, some connected by lintels to form huge doorways.

My impressions? Majesty and mystery.

The book I’m in

The Dark Tide, by Andrew Gross. A good thriller with engaging characters.

Travel tip

It’s cold and windy on the downs. Wrap up well. The TC had red ears and a red nose by the time she had finished taking photographs. She professed herself quite dizzy with wonder. This worm thinks it was the extreme cold that had affected her brain.

The photos

Me at Stonehenge. Like the TC, I tend to lose focus when exposed to extreme cold:

Stonehenge was built at some time, by someone, somehow, and for some reason. No-one can quite define the “some”s. Archaeologists play it safe by saying the stones were placed in the period from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The earth bank around the outside of the stones was constructed around 3100 BC. That makes the site 5000 years old.

This worm suggests we all agree that Stonehenge was built in 4 VLTA (a very long time ago).

The stones are enormous.

There is much debate about how men of old moved them around and placed them with such precision.

Stonehenge may have been a burial ground, a temple, a celestial clock, a social project intended to unify neighbouring peoples, a time machine… Whatever it’s purpose, it is majestic and intensely interesting.

That’s all for today, dudes.
Grand Place, Manneken Pis and rainbows in Brussels

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC hopped over the border from the Netherlands into Brussels, before catching the Eurostar train to London. Brussels is chaotic, gorgeous, and mostly friendly but sometimes not.

My impressions? Grubbiness and gold.

The book I’m in

Poet’s Cottage, by Josephine Pennicott. A delightfully rambling tale of ghosts, heartbreaks and triumphs, set in rural Tasmania.

Travel tip

An essential fact to know when in Belgium is that everything has two names: one in Dutch (Flemish) and one in French. Until you appreciate this fact, you will find yourself getting very confused and becoming very lost.

Recommended accommodation

Pantone Hotel, 1 Place Loix, Saint-Gilles, Brussels. When reserving a room, you can choose a colour as well as the usual bath/shower and single/double options.

Recommended restaurant

Houtsiplou café-restaurant, 9 Place Rouppe, Brussels. Cheerful and fast service, great atmosphere, good food. Photos below.

The photos

Me and Manneken Pis in Brussels:

A row of windmills looms over the road on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium. The blades were turning in eye-catching synchronisation as we approached:

We dropped in for a quick lunch at Houtsiplou café-restaurant:

Houtsiplou is cheerful and friendly, in tune with the mural on the wall inside:

The wall in the ladies’ toilet at Houtsiplou is covered with blackboard. Pots of chalks stand at hand. The TC, bless her heart, decided to draw a picture of me. Can you imagine! She’s no artist at the best of times. When the “TC once removed” saw the drawing, his immediate impression was that this worm is sitting on the loo. The TC hastened to assure him that the rounded protuberance at the bottom of the drawing is part of this worm’s body.

Ceci n’est pas moi:

Nearer the centre of the city, a view “above”:

The buildings aggrandise and the crowd buzzes as you approach the Grand Place:

The Grand Place (Grote Markt) is huge, magnificent, and not a little tawdry:

The Grand Place is the central market square of Brussels, surrounded by grand buildings, many of them decked out in gold. Here is another side of the square:

A gold-leafed statue of Charles of Lorraine tops the Maison de Brasseurs in the Grand Place:

More of the buildings surrounding the Grand Place:

A few blocks away, Manneken Pis holds court in his little alcove. Strange, that so many crowds of people flock to see this small, rather insignificant statue in its grungy surrounds:

Like everything else in Brussels, Manneken Pis has a French name as well as a Dutch one. His is le Petit Julien. This venerable little chap is made of bronze, and has inhabited his alcove since 1618 or 1619. A closer view:

The view from our room at the Pantone Hotel – a rainstorm drifts in across the rooftops of Brussels:

Ten minutes after the rainstorm, the late sun and a rainbow light up the scene:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Oudegracht and Dom in Utrecht, Netherlands

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent a few hours in Utrecht, seeing old friends and strolling along the Oudegracht. That’s the old canal that runs through the centre of the city.

My impressions? Utrecht rivals Amsterdam in beauty and grace.

The book I’m in

Poet’s Cottage, by Josephine Pennicott. A delightfully rambling tale of ghosts, heartbreaks and triumphs, set in rural Tasmania.

Travel tip

Europe is the place to experience the precious variety of life. Visiting friends in Europe is a way to appreciate that variety fully.

The photos

Me in a café overlooking the Oudegracht:

The Domtoren, or Dom Tower, was built between 1321 and 1382. It’s part of St Martin’s Cathedral, although the link between the church building and the tower was never completed. As a result, the Domtoren is a free standing tower:

The TC and her companion (let’s call him the “TC once removed”) indulged in plenty of reminiscences about the days when they used to live near Utrecht. Walking around the base of the tower, they exclaimed repeatedly how cold and windy it was in this particular spot in the city, and that is was always thus. Yet how beautiful. It struck this worm that people have been making similar comments for more than 600 years.

Buttresses on St Martin’s Cathedral, next to the Domtoren:

A sobering sight – a statue of Anne Frank, with fresh flowers tucked into her elbow:

The Oudegracht in Utrecht:

Amsterdamned is a Dutch movie made in 1988 by Dick Maas. It’s about a serial killer who roams the canals of Amsterdam in a scuba diving suit, emerging from the water to drag his victims to a nasty, watery death. The Dutch are rather fond of their classic horror thriller. This worm would call it cheesy. But good.

Why mention the movie in this post about Utrecht? The speedboat chase in Amsterdamned was filmed in the canals of Utrecht, not Amsterdam. Utrecht is unique in having the lower-level promenade along the sides of the Oudegracht, making for a spectacular chase scene. The original purpose of the promenade, now lined with restaurants, was to provide wharves for unloading goods from boats into the warehouses along the banks.

That’s all for today, dudes.
Bushwacker cocktails in Amsterdam, Netherlands

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC paid a flying visit to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, so that the TC could mix cocktails for her colleagues in Atlassian’s Amsterdam office. Atlassian is the collective name for a group of smart people who write software. Some of them write documentation too.

My impressions? The TC says Amsterdam is the most beautiful city in the world. This worm is attempts to avoid such extravagances of praise, but has to concede that the TC may in this case be right. This worm must remark, however, that the TC is apt to say the same of Utrecht. More about Utrecht in a later post.

The book I’m in

Poet’s Cottage, by Josephine Pennicott. A delightfully rambling tale of ghosts, heartbreaks and triumphs, set in rural Tasmania.

Travel tip

Even if you have only a few hours to spare, pay a visit to Amsterdam. Walk along the canals, admire the fearless cheek of the cyclists, and eat a freshly-baked stroopwafel.

The photos

This worm didn’t have time to pose for a photograph in Amsterdam. Instead, feast your eyes on this Bushwacker cocktail, one of many that the TC mixed for the Amsterdam Atlassians:

Did you spot the canal? There are a few of those in Amsterdam.

At night the bridge arches are lit with many small bulbs:

Large windows glow in the grand buildings lining the canals:

Aha, the TC succeeded in taking a photograph without a canal. Tram lines in an early morning street scene:

Bikes on a boat on a canal – the red boats on the right offer a parking area for bikes (fietsenstalling):

Boats, bikes and lamp posts, seen through the window of a breakfast café:

Another three-arched bridge:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Autumn in Wiesbaden, Germany

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC are in Wiesbaden, Germany, where she will be attending a conference for the next few days. We took advantage of some free time before the conference started, to see this spa town in its autumn colours.

My impressions? Quiet beauty and comfort.

Recommended café

L’Art Sucré, Am Römertor 7, Wiesbaden, for chocolate treats and other süßen Kleinigkeiten.

The book I’m in

The Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch. Funny, full of action, with a touch of darkness and not a little magic.

Travel tip

Dress in layers for an autumnal Wiesbaden. It’s surprisingly warm during the day.

The photos

Me at Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden, German. This is one of the spas in the town. You can actually drink the water, from a couple of spouts in the little pavilion visible in this photograph. The TC, cautious as she is, did not try it.

The Heidenmauer, a Roman wall built by the emperor Valentinian in 364 AD:

Some architecture that’s slightly newer: Der Eimer (The Bucket) seems squished and skew amongst the other buildings:

Autumn leaves on the walk towards the Nerobergbahn:

The Nerobergbahn is a water-powered funicular railway that takes you up the Neroberg hill in the middle of Wiesbaden. It was opened in 1888. Here is the Nerobergbahn carriage at its top station:

Before the carriage goes down the hill, its water tanks are filled with water to make sure it is heavier than the upward-bound carriage. It then pulls the other carriage up the hill on a steel cable. The water is discharged at the bottom of the hill, and pumped back up to the top.

The driver carefully monitors the water meter on the way down the hill:

Passing the other carriage:

A view of Wiesbaden from the top of the Neroberg:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Temples of Bangkok

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

One night in Bangkok… Well, to be exact, it was two halves of a night, separated by a full day. Me and the TC spent 24 hours in the city of angels, on our way from Australia to Germany.

City of angels? That’s a translation of the first part of Bangkok’s real name, as it’s known to people in Thailand. Here is the full name of the city:

กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์

Me and the TC spent the day on a guided tour of three temples: Wat Traimit, Wat Pho, and the Marble Temple. The images of the Buddha in the temples are quite breathtaking. We saw a bit of the bustling city from the windows of the bus. Colour, food, smiles, and ramshackle poverty.

My impressions? A merry mix of magnificence and mundanity.

The book I’m in

The Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch. Funny, full of action, with a touch of darkness and not a little magic.

Travel tip

When visiting temples, wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Especially if you have a few feet.

The photos

Me keeping a low profile at Wat Pho:

Wat Traimit

Wat Traimit is the home of the Golden Buddha statue:

The image of the Golden Buddha is very beautiful and very impressive indeed. At a height of 3 metres, it towers over you. At 5.5 tonnes of solid gold, it is the biggest solid gold statue in the world, and the one with the highest intrinsic value: around $250 million. I was surprised at the low level of security around the statue. I suppose it would be hard to steal!

When first built, 700 years ago, the statue was encased in a layer of plaster, presumably to hide the valuable gold. Only in 1955, when people were moving the statue to its new home at Wat Traimit, did they chip the casing by mistake and discover the pure gold underneath. “Wat Traimit is a lucky temple,” remarked our guide. This worm was rather taken with the statue’s noble profile:

Wat Pho

Wat Pho is a complex of temples, pagodas and galleries. It also houses the original college of Thai massage. Here is the entrance to Wat Pho:

The image of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho exudes serenity:

All round the Reclining Buddha are murals depicting the life of Buddha. This is just a small part of one of the scenes, partly picked out in gold leaf:

The feet of the Reclining Buddha image give an idea of its scale:

The bottoms of the feet are inlaid with mother of pearl:

Here is a close up view of one of the mother-of-pearl scenes on the feet:

Another lovely image of the Buddha at Wat Pho:

Wat Pho is a garden of pagodas:

A closer look at some of the tiling on a pagoda:

There’s so much to see, sometimes it’s hard to know which way to turn:

Twirling rooftops:

Dragons and flowers:

At the school of Thai massage within the grounds of Wat Pho, murals depict the human anatomy demonstrating massage techniques:

A closer look at a diagram for massage students:

Small statues in the garden, also demonstrating Thai massage:

Marble Temple

The Marble Temple is made of Italian marble:

This worm found the windows intriguing: they’re stained glass, in the Italian style, but depicting Thai scenes:

Here is the gorgeous image of the Buddha in the Marble Temple:

This statue is a copy of the image in Northern Thailand, the Phra Buddha Chinnarat, which our guide says is the most beautiful image of Buddha in the world. Here is a closer look at the image in the Marble Temple:

Bringing us back to earth, the Marble Temple has more than 50 images of the Buddha, including this one of Buddha the aesthete:

This worm is drawn by some of the statues’ eyes:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Times Square, New York

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC hit New York a couple of days ago. On our first evening, we wandered into Times Square quite by chance. It was that magic time when day is just about to yield to night. If you’re ever in the neighbourhood, make sure you catch the square at that time. It was perfect.

My impressions? This is where it’s all at.

The book I’m in

The Serbian Dane, by Leif Davidsen. Yes, still here. There’s been so much happnin (see, I’m picking up the lingo) in New York and Chicago, so the TC hasn’t had much time to move me to a different book.

The photos

Me in Times Square, junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue:

Elmo was there too:

So was this mime artist:

The square got its name in 1904, when the New York Times took up residence in one of the buildings on the square.

Click the play button for a full 360-degree view of Times Square:

This M&M saw us out of the square:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Chicago at dusk

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC have just left Chicago,sometimes fondly called Chitown or the Windy City. It was a bit draughty at times, but this worm hails from Cape Town in South Africa. Chicago’s breezes pale in comparison to the infamous Cape South Easter.

In farewell to the beautiful city of Chicago, I’ll show you some scenes of the streets and pubs at dusk.

My impressions? Twinkling lights, glowing water, translucent sky.

The book I’m in

The Serbian Dane, by Leif Davidsen. Engaging characters, good story.

Recommended restaurants

Have a drink and a pub meal at Monk’s Pub, corner of Lake and Wells, for great atmosphere and great beer. Eat the peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. The soft crunching underfoot adds to the atmosphere.

The photos

Me at Monk’s Pub, Lake Street in downtown Chicago:

As you can see in the above picture, the walls of the pub are lined with books. A haven for folk like me. What’s more, someone has cut the books in half. They must have used a circular saw. This is good for worms who want to finish a book in half the usual time.

The Chicago river at dusk:

A city with its name in lights:

The House of Blues:

Inside the House of Blues, the decor is richly beautiful:

Although the sound quality was not good (booming and warped) the singer created a great atmosphere:

That’s all for today, dudes.
A quick crawl around Oahu, Hawaii

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Making our way from Sydney to Chicago, we spent yesterday on Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian islands and home to the city of Honolulu. It’s not often that this worm admits to a mistake, but I do confess that up to a few weeks ago I thought Honolulu was on the island of Hawaii. If prodded (which is probably not a good thing to do to a worm) I may even admit that I assumed Waikiki was an island itself. But no, it’s a suburb of Honolulu.

We landed at Honolulu airport, spent a couple of hours getting lost in the city and surrounds, then found our hotel in Waikiki. Early next morning we enjoyed a couple more hours getting lost in the city, before finding the road that leads east. We drove across the island to Kaneohe on the east coast, then north to Kahuku, then back inland via Haleiwa and Wahiawa. We narrowly missed Pearl Harbor and caught our Chicago flight by the skin of our teeth.

The TC did not brush her hair all day.

My impressions? Honolulu is a city much like any other, and caters very well to the TC’s proclivity for getting lost. The east coast of the island is gorgeous. I want to go back and see the rest of it.

The book I’m in

The Midnight Road, by Tom Piccirilli. Satisfyingly weird, this book starts with the words, “Flynn remembered the night of his death more clearly than any other in his life”. I’m in the middle of the book, and wishing the TC would find the time to move me on a few pages so that I can see what happens to Flynn and the ghosts that populate his life.

Recommended airline

Hawaiian Airlines is friendly and efficient, and keeps the fuss of US travel down to a minimum.

The photos

Me at Kualoa Point, on the east coast of Oahu. With a palm tree, of course:

Honolulu, seen from one of the surrounding hills:

Palm trees, of course, outside our hotel in Waikiki:

The military presence on the island is noticeable. This number plate, spotted in a Honolulu parking garage by the TC once removed, is a case in point:

When we were in the queue at the airport waiting for the security checks, there was an army dude in full military togs in front of the TC. One of the officials leaned in and informed him very respectfully that he could take the express queue next time.

A military aircraft and a palm tree, of course:

The velvety striated range of hills that lines the east coast:

Mokolii Island, seen from Waikane on the east coast of Oahu:

A closer view of Mokolii, also known as Chinaman’s Hat island because of its shape:

Kualoa Point:

A Red Crested Cardinal, pretty but beady-eyed and not a worm’s best friend:

The TC admiring the view. Yes, it’s a bit gusty. And as I remarked before, she did not brush her hair all day. I think this preyed on her mind. I was careful not to remark on her dishevelled state, even after she boarded the aeroplane that evening.

Another gorgeous beach somewhere on the east coast. Probably Laie Bay. Applause to the photographer – no palm trees in close view:

Water. I steered clear, of course, but the TC has no such qualms:

Is a worm nowhere safe? First the Red Crested Cardinal, and now a Peahen lying in wait in a stairwell at Waimea Botanical Gardens. Neither bird is native to Hawaii, I might add:

Me, making a tactical retreat from a Peacock:

A steep hillock in Waimea Valley:

A Hawaiian temple, or heiau, at Waimea. This one is dedicated to Lono, the god of agriculture. It’s called the Hale o Lono, which means “house of Lono”, and was built between 1470 and 1700 AD.

The colourful bark of a Mindanao gum tree, spotted at Wahiawa. This gum tree is native to western Pacific islands such as Papua New Guinea and the Phillipines. Not, surprisingly, to Australia. It was introduced into Hawaii in the late 1920s.

At this point we remembered that we had a plane to catch, and hare-tailed it out of there. Alas, we spotted some signs to Pearl Harbor and decided to drop in. We got lost (again). We were definitely in the area:

By the time we saw the official signs we were already late:

We did go down that route, but discovered that seeing Pearl Harbor is a big deal involving boat trips and the abandonment of all bags, purses, large cameras, and what have you.

So we got on a plane to Chicago instead. More on that in my next post.
Sparkling webs in the mist

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC have been very busy of late. She’s writing a book! It has the somewhat unwieldy title of Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate: A wiki as platform extraordinaire for technical communication. She wrote a blog post about it. This worm is looking forward to a comfy place in the book, when it appears at the end of January.

At times when deep in the throes of writing, me and the TC have gone out for a walk. To blow away the cobwebs. And at times there were more cobwebs outside than in.

Follow me into a wonderland of mist and sparkling cobwebs, the world of spring in the Australian bush.

The book I’m in

A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin. A grand epic worthy of any bookworm.

The photos

Me, braving the droplets and the chance of a nasty fall into wet mud, all for the sake of a snapshot:

Entering a wonderland of webs in the mist:

Sparkling cobweb wrapped around a twig:

Like the lights that people drape over Christmas trees:

Droplets shining in the early sun:

The flowers of a Tea Tree amongst the droplets:

Just another gorgeous sparkling web:

And another:

Cobwebs in the mist:

Droplets and big yellow flowers:

Cobwebs on curvy stems:

A web-festooned twig:

Shiny webs:

More eye candy:

Sparkly webs around two flower buds:

Webs draped across the trees:

Webbed twig and yellow flowers:

There’s nothing like a good web to liven up a dead thicket:

A closer look at those webs:

A glistening cocoon for spiders:

Another glistening spiders’ nest:

The coup de grace:

That’s all for today, dudes.