Always Remains the Same
Things that don’t change no matter where you are:
- Pigeon Feeders. What the heck do these people think they are doing? Do they not realise that pigeons are a public menace, and are to be avoided at all costs? Especially when feeding them leads to them dive-bombing and other such disagreeable nuisances.
- Creative Buskers. Sure we usually just have some guy with a guitar, or someone ’spreading the word’ (I count these as buskers, call me old-fashioned), but they do it differently over here. Especially in Barcelona where they dressed up and looked like absolute fools. But it seems that in Europe in general, buskers tend to even have their own professionally-made CD and everything!
- Knick-knack sellers. I’m not too sure what else to call these people, but you all know the ones. They’re the people that sell the mini Eiffel Towers, and the glowing Arc de Triomphes and the whistle that sounds like a bird only after you’ve been blowing on one for days trying to get other people to buy them. They contribute to sound pollution and generally get on my nerves. I realise that tourists from some countries have led them to believe that we really do like flashing models of landmarks. But we just plain don’t.
- English/American Tourists. I’m not going to go off on a rant about Americans or the English just yet, except to say that these people don’t change no matter what country you’re in. They have the same big cameras and high white socks no matter where in the world they are. Simply amazing.
- School Tour Groups. Whilst at the Royal Pavillion yesterday an entire school group charged through the building - trying to absorb almost a hundred years of history in the space of about 10 minutes. Oh to be young again!
- HSBC. This bank is everywhere! The only country I didn’t see it in was Spain. It is amazing seeing the HSBC ads we all know and love translated into French! And then to see a literally translated ad for Coke Zero. Felt like home.
Okay, that’s it for now. For a more factual account of the last two weeks or so, I’m sure the lovely Linda has provided more detail than myself. There are some more piccies, so have a geez.
July 14th, 2006 at 9:23 am
I love it, I read the heading and thought “Americans”, scroll down, and there it is. Luckily you can hear em a mile, err, kilometre away, so they’re easy to avoid.
And on buskers, plenty of Melbourne buskers have their own CD, noteably the South American troupe that tend to hang around Bourke St walk/Little Bourke, and play music similar to the background in El Condor Pasa by Simon and Garfunkel.
Anyway, glad to hear the two of you are keeping well and having fun, keep it up.
Meanwhile, Melbournians are still f*cking freezing, and I think NZ is worse. 
July 14th, 2006 at 9:57 am
You know what else really grinds my gears but never changes no matter where you are in the world… people standing in doorways. To no end this absolutely S**ts me to any and all extremes.
CAN YOU NOT SEE YOU’RE IN A DOOR WAY
But still these people persist, standing there looking at you like your some sort of criminal for wanting to use the entrance that was specifically designed by some highly educated person when mapping out the plans for the building, tram, train, bus, walkway, landing, veranda, gazebo, roller door, portal to another dimension! Believe me, where ever these things are their is guaranteed a group of Dow eyed stupid people standing there for absolutely no good f**king reason other than to force me, or you, to be nice and actually excuse yourself for wanting in/out.
“Very sorry oh great door person, beg my pardon as I attempt to walk through the door” and all they believe is necessary is to move 3/4 of a damn inch and then look at you like they have turned water to wine or fed 5000 with 12 damn loaves of bread and 5 freakin fish! NO, no, you are not great for this massive achievement, you are retarded. Either in or out, not both, if you want the impossible believe that you can do something better with you life other than growing a mullet, bunging dorries, and sipping on a nice warm can of jack Daniels and coke in a freakin stubby holder… obviously if you stand in the doorway this is the only possible future that a person of your amazing levels of intuition is capable of!
I think the only thing that’s possibly worse is when you get those same people standing in the doorway with backpacks of hideous disproportional sizes that will rotate when asked to move effectively blocking any chance of getting off through the damned doorway. Why? What possible good is there in having a bag that you can carry the entire contents of a house in? I mean how many freakin books can one person have? And surely you don’t eat that much for lunch, or have a fibulator just in case? Or is that where you carry the oversized glass jar filled with alcohol to preserve what rotting flesh that can be considered to be remnants of your brain that you carry around just in case?
And that’s what really grinds my gears
July 14th, 2006 at 10:00 am
great new pics will, good to hear you and the linda a having a grand time in ole london town! more pics of ppl would be better however, otherwise looks like you’ve just scanned some post cards a thus also explaining the new depth of you photographic prowess!
July 14th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Beautiful photos once again. Loved the one with reflection of building off the water, water lillies in the foreground. Warship awesome also.
Knick-knack sellers… being highly illegal and all (at least in Paris) are some of the fastest “pack-up-and-runners” I’ve ever seen…. It’s seriously impressive : they are soo much fitter than any gendarme I ever saw…
PS. Proud to be typing this from my bedroom, hooray for wireless internet…
July 14th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Nice work Will! Just wondering, where was DSC01398.JPG taken from? Tate modern?
July 15th, 2006 at 8:43 am
Yup Hugo, from the balcony of the members’ area at the Tate Modern. Great gallery that it is!
GeM, we’re all proud of you for getting the internet after all the trouble and strife it caused you! Now has anyone managed to make me a cantenna yet so I can get the internet in my room?
Yeah we saw a highly illegal-looking sunglass-seller fleeing from a random police patrol in Barcelona. Fastest blimmin’ getaway I’ve seen for a while!
We’re off to Cambridge this weekend aRnold, so I’ll make sure to take lots of photos of myself in front of famous buildings, k?
It’s so true about people in dorways. Happened down at the pub tonight….
July 20th, 2006 at 11:47 am
I’m running out of adjectives here to describe the photos, but they’re great!
Eden project looks amazing, Cambridge particularly cool. Newspapers here keep yapping on about Europe’s killer heatwave, so it seems it isn’t just you tourists finding it warm…
July 20th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
What’s that Will? Queue tumbleweed?
July 20th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
“What’s that Will? Queue tumbleweed?”
Wooo, watch out, I got in trouble for saying that last time
“Hang Cobwebs”
July 21st, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Well if you guys were looking, I’ve uploaded more photos into the gallery, and there will be two more posts by the end of the day. I’m busy on holiday remember!
July 21st, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Yeah Yeah Yeah.
Oh, and expect mail from the TIO. We’re going to OptusWorld or whatever it’s called next week
Enjoy the end of your eurotrip…
Tim
July 22nd, 2006 at 12:40 am
yeah, you’ll need to call optus, no go there, the shops have nothing to do with the phone/internet sales which is where i won the case for us!
now all you guys have to do is work out how to get $1400 credit applied to your account!
how many dude you know got the skillz to go and rock a show like that?
for the eurotrip plug… i’m sure will had lots of fun travelling in trains… “mi bello” cause as Vinnie Jones would point out, and a clear indicator for everyone in aus watching the cup o life, “the one thing i hate more that the f***ing frogs are the f***ing I-Ties”