It's just a problem

As one travels, certain things become emblematic of the trip. That small part of your back that hurts after lugging your backpack around for a day. The throb in your left foot that makes itself known in the afternoon. And, very often, the things that you or others say. The mantra for this trip has definitely been, "It's just a problem!"

When ordering some lunch in Vienna's market area I stumbled on what little German I can remember. I asked the waiter if he spoke English. He replied (in English) that he only spoke a little English. I reassured him that was fine as I only spoke a little German. He grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said quite simply, "It's just a problem!" No doubt he was aiming for "It's not a problem" but he didn't quite get there. No matter. Food and drink was ordered, consumed and all was good.

As is common when travelling, little things go wrong. Buses are late. Trains are delayed. Items are misplaced and cross-language communication can lead to bizarre results. This trip has had it's fair share (such as riad bookings not being honoured in Marrakech). But in all cases we've reminded ourselves that "it's just a problem". And all problems can be (and thus far have been) solved. That one phrase has preserved sanity a couple of times and definitely kept our senses of humour buoyant.

As the trip continues (three days of the ATP music festival starting tonight) I fully anticipate something else to go wrong. But it'll be fine. After all, "it's just a problem."

Florence

In 1982 UNESCO declared the entire centre of the city a World Heritage Site and it's easy to see why. Florence is amazing. Cobblestone streets wind through the city, small side streets branching off in all directions. A plethora of amazing buildings catch one's eye. The Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno river. The Sante Croce which houses the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Dante. The Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David. And towering above them all, the astonishing Duomo, designed by Brunelleschi. It is truly staggering. Luckily I had an excellent vantage point of the Duomo, as the picture from my hotel room (above) shows. Leaning out of the other window afforded a view of the actual dome itself but this was a better picture. Even so, wow!

Early one morning I took the long climb up the Duomo dome itself (some 500 or so steps) to enjoy a fantastic view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan hills. Just beautiful. Walking through the streets of the city was incredible enough but to see it all from such a vantage point was fantastic. And such great weather for it too.

I didn't bother spending four hours in line to see Michelangelo's David but did enjoy seeing the replica in situ in the piazza where David originally stood. I visited the library of the Medici family where a great exhibition on fantastic animals (unicorns, sirens, etc.) in literature, etc., was held and bought and ate great food from the Florence food markets.

More photos and stories will come as I find the time, though I suspect a lot of that will happen once my trip is over. I'm in Barcelona now and tomorrow I head to Morocco. Who knew that being on holiday could be so much hard work. ;)

Vienna

I've just enjoyed two glorious days in Vienna. The city was at its best with crystal clear blue skies and warm weather. A very beautiful place indeed.

Some of the architecture is astonishing. The Museum Quarter off Maria Hilfer Strasse is particularly stunning with many very grand buildings. Sadly the computer I'm using at the moment disallows me to grab a coupel of photos off my camera. I'll fix that later but for now trust me; it's brilliant.

One of the highlights for me however was one of the transport options available within the city. A project called City Bike Wien (see their home page) is just fantastic. Fifty bike stations are located across the city and after a quick and cheap registration of just €1 you can hire a bicycle and ride across the city. The first hour of usage is free and additional hours begin at €1. With bike lanes everywhere and so many bike stations, it's a very attractive mode of transportation. Even better, you don't have to return your bike to where you hired it. Simply return it to any station and you're done. Sydney isn't nearly as bike friendly (geographically if for no other reason) but I'd love to see something like this there.

The other big highlight for me was without a doubt the food markets. I was in heaven, seeing and smelling the vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more on offer. Being a Saturday the markets were bustling with activity as well. A quick stop for a local beer and some freshly made hummus and flatbread recharged the batteries and allowed for some people watching. Again, when the opportunity arises I will definitely post some pictures.

Two days is, of course, never enough time to see any place but I do feel like I had a chance to begin to see the heart of Vienna. I was greatly impressed.

Have lavalava, will travel

It's with great delight that I note that Mr Lavalava will shortly be holidaying across Europe. Whilst the weather will be decidedly colder than that in Samoa, rest assured that at least one lavalava will be packed in the luggage. I will endeavour to update the blog with pics as is possible.

In other news, by sheer chance I stumbled across a Sydney Samoan radio station the other day. It airs every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am. If you want to hear the latest Samoan tunes and find out what's happening with the Sydney Samoan community, I suggest you tune in to Nu'u Samoa next Saturday morning.