Apologies for yesterday as I seemed to schedule two Monday Mural posts. I really thought the non bird post had already been published. Rather odd. Apologies for the above reference as it is now well past Monday.
When lunching at a friend's place we talked about travel as we often do. Our friend's Indonesian born partner said something along the lines that when he was a child, he could have never imagined seeing the Eiffel Tower, yet there he once was looking up at the tower. He now works in aged care and is much loved by those he cares for. He didn't know he was caring for a famous person in her last months, Melbourne artist Mirka Mora. My photo below.
R remarked how he had seen as a kid his grandmother's biscuit tin lid with a picture of Mount Fuji, and he never imagined he would ever see it, but he did. The photo on his gran's biscuit tin lid was probably taken at a distance and when it was snow covered. There was minimal snow when we visited but it was great.
I never thought about such things really, but mine might have been standing on The Strand in London while R was in Boots, where my ancestors may have once walked, or a lunch of finely cut sandwiches and pots of tea with our friend Marie at Brighton's Grand Hotel. Yes it was expensive but what a memory for an ill educated country boy from a Gippsland farm. Who would have thought!
I love this post Andrew. I remember seeing a pic of Venice when I was a child - a town with canals as streets! Impossible. And I was there when I was 21 and took a picture and yonks later my granddaughter was 21 and stood on the exact same spot and sent me a picture and I framed it..
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WWW
Great story M. You thought it was only a dream you would see Venice, but who knows what life can bring. I suppose you saw quite a few countries. She should write a brag list for your blog.
DeleteI know. The world has shrunk hasn't it? Sometimes in a most delightful way.
ReplyDeleteEC, did you dream of visiting Antarctica at a young age?
DeleteI cannot remember not wanting to go to Antarctica, but I never thought it would/could happen. India was an unexpected treat too.
DeleteIndia EC! Have you written about and I need to look back at your blog?
DeleteI haven't written about it. Perhaps I should.
DeleteYes please. Do you have photos?
DeleteTravelling is fun yet exhausting. It gives great memories to remember
ReplyDeleteRoentare, the older you get, the more exhausting it becomes. Make sure you get long distance travelling to see new places when you are still young.
DeleteI too, have felt the same when visiting places around the world that would have seemed totally out of reach when I was a child growing up in a poor working class family in the 50s and 60s.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, we are of a certain age. I doubt young people think like this now. Any place special come to mind?
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ReplyDeleteHow old were you when you first left Australia, Andrew? I am one of the rare who have no desire to leave these shores because of my itinerant childhood. I would like to see more of Australia but, jeez, it's not cheap. I indulge any itchy feet with reading about others' experiences. (And I have no idea why I deleted that post - lack of caffeine is my excuse),
DeleteTwenty six I think Caro, to New Zealand for a camper van holiday with R and our Kyneton friend. The first really exotic place was Thailand some six years later in 1989. I refused to go with R in about 2000 to England. He came back with gifts from his family for me, quell horreur including a piece of Hadrian's Wall, and at a family gathering before R's arrival we had been discussed and someone said, 'They have been together for over twenty years. Their relationship needs our recognition', and so it was.
DeleteIf you do delete a comment for any reason, start a whole new comment and I can disappear the one you deleted. Then only I know your deleted a comment because it was full of spelling and grammatical errors 😉
I hope your aged care center is better than ours is.
ReplyDeleteNot all of them our bad, put for those who our on limited funds. Can end up in a place that is understaff and not taken care of well.
Coffee is on and stay safe
It is very mixed Dora. Even private not publically funded aged care can be poor. Caring staff aren't paid enough here, probably because it is 'women's work' and 'immigrant's work'. Neither are true.
DeleteThe Grand Hotel Brighton is sodding impressive, whether you were a big city lad or a farm boy. Even having a cup of tea there was fun.
ReplyDeleteHels, for me the sign of a properly classy place is that staff don't turn up their noses at the likes of me.
DeleteOh, and they didn't.
DeleteHaven’t been to Brighton or Japan but I have been up the Eiffel Tower. The place I’d always wanted to take afternoon tea at was The Chateau with its view of Lake Louise Canada. Never thought we’d go that far off the beaten track. Ticked - twice! How lucky was I.
ReplyDeleteBut I had to wait until 2014 to see the impressive mosques in Istanbul - the outsides were as mysterious, the insides more beautifully decorative than I’d imagined.
Cathy, I've seen the magnificence of Canadian lakes and Lake Louise is special. I've seen some wonderful churches but I became jaded with them and I think I would with mosques, not to take down your experience of seeing them.
DeleteWhen I was at the British Museum standing in front of the Sutton Hoo treasure, I found myself getting teary. I had read about it as a child in the National Geographic. I longed to see it even then. I saw The Dig and I remembered reading about it as a child, the wanting. And there I was. Standing right there in front of it, seeing it with my own two eyes. I thought the day would never come.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I had to google. Sutton Hoo, 600s AD. That is impressive. I am pleased you mentioned it as I had no idea and now I am a little wiser.
DeleteLovely memories there Andrew. I will probably never travel overseas, but I do have nice memories of Fremantle and Hillary's Boat Harbour and the Perth Aquarium too.
ReplyDeleteThanks River. Grace of Perth Daily Photo and her husband took us to see Hillary's Boat Harbour and it is wonderful. Generally Perth is pretty wonderful, but not mid summer.
DeleteNice post, Andrew. Some of our hopes and dreams are indeed realised. And I am extremely grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used Google, I never thought I would be able to visit the headquarters of the company at Mountain View, California. But, to greatest surprise, I got a chance to be there while on an official assignment.
I was also fortunate to be able to see the Grand Canyon in the US, and Hiroshima in Japan.
Easily one of the most memorable moments, was watching the world famous fireworks at Sydney's Harbour Bridge on Dec 31, 2019. I blogged about it - https://bit.ly/3jGynOX; and on the next day - https://bit.ly/3CpTvjf.
I'll have a read of your older posts Pradeep.
DeleteDid you ever imagine when you were young that you would see such places? For me they were so distant, I just not imagine seeing what I have seen in my life.
I never imagined that I would ever visit the home of the moai - Easter Island - but I did.
ReplyDeleteYP, I can imagine how you didn't imagine. Did you think about Easter Island when you were young?
DeleteYes I did. I have always been fascinated by Pacific islands and their stories and of course the remotest of them all was Rapa Nui.
DeleteApologies for my ignorance YP, but I don't know this rapper Nui? I don't really like rap.
DeleteI have had a few of those I never thought I would see this and here I am moments, I have also gone in search of places my ancestors walked, it is a neat feeling (my great grandmother's birthplace in Wales.)
ReplyDeleteTP, they are special moments of travel.
DeleteThat must be a nice feeling to go all those places you thought of, as a child, and then got to see, way later in life.
ReplyDeleteThought of yes Strayer, but never dreamed of seeing.
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