Category Archives: Slow Travel

It’s Negroni not coffee this week

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Negroni – Second Valley style

Well this week we won’t be sharing a coffee rather it will be a Negroni! After all,it is Negroni week .

Negronis have become our drink of choice. A wonderful aperitif that doesn’t seem to be climate dependent. Whether at home, at the beach (Second Valley) in a local bar or somewhere on our travels they have been a highlight. In Australia they are carefully measured, unless you having one of my homemade versions, whereas in many of the bars we sampled them in Italy it was a “glug” of Gin, Campari and Vermouth making them all the more special.

After a Negroni or two the conversation often becomes obtuse. For example – unusual words in songs.

“moot” in Rick Springfield’s Jessy’s Girl – surely a little sophisticated for a song like this?

“gavotte” in Carly Simon’s Your so Vain – Carly Simon in Variety discusses why she used the word which means a French dance. Continue reading

Diary of a Slow Traveller – Street Art

It seems that if you give someone a blank space some one will fill it.

Perhaps since our trip to Berlin and a stroll down the Eastside Gallery I have come to appreciate  a city’s street art.

With Slow Travel there is plenty of time to take it in. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking

Perhaps Berlin's most famous piece of street art

Perhaps Berlin’s most famous piece of street art

The biggest paste up I have ever seen - Berlin

The biggest paste up I have ever seen – Berlin

What else  do you  put on the wall.

It was almost worth staying on the fifth floor of this hotel with the lifts not working for the funky art.

Jules & Jim Hotel - Paris

Jules & Jim Hotel – Paris

A selection of the street art from our three months in Italy.

This picture seemed so apt. I’d taken a wrong turn in Florence and was confronted with a very angry Pokemon!

Backstreets of Florence

Backstreets of Florence

 

I have posted this elsewhere but perhaps this disused planter box was the epitome of my time in Sicily

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Street art is one of the many delights of Palermo. Continue reading

Diary of a Slow traveller – Airports

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The title of today’s Daily Prompt, Chaos made me think immediately of international airports. No matter how you plan, whether you have access to an airport lounge there is something about an airport that screams CHAOS!

What time do I need to leave the hotel by to get to the airport?
Will the train get me there on time? Should I get a cab? What time do I need a cab?

Where is the departure gate?  There are only about 300 of them in Changi, Dubai, Rome?

Do I have my passport? How many times will I check to make sure while I’m in line?

Then once I get on the plane – will I be able to store my carry-on conveniently? Am the only person who has read the size rules?

Then arriving – what line do I need to be in? Will my luggage arrive? It hasn’t before.

The list of questions goes on and on?

Does Chaos spring to mind as you think of airports?

 

Diary of a Slow Traveller – The Food, Siracusa, Sicily

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Sitting at our favourite local coffee shop on a lovely Adelaide Autumn day, my favourite person and I quickly returned to our usual conversation – Sicily and when we can get back there.

There are so many things to talk about when it comes to Sicily but it’s the food that becomes the centre piece of pretty much all of our coffee conversations. Is it the freshness, the fish caught that morning, the local vegetables (seasonal produce only) or  the sweet temptations?

Oranges and Grapes a t the market

Oranges and Grapes a t the market

I guess it depends on what takes your fancy and across our nearly 2 months in Siracusa it all took its turn in delighting us. Staying so close to the Ortigia food market all food thoughts started at this truly special local market, just over the bridge on the island of Ortigia and next to the ancient Temple of Apollo. The choices grapes, pears, carrots, brocolli romanescue, bread, meats, fish and cheeses.

Fresh fish - Ortigia Market

Fresh fish – Ortigia Market

Even on days when we didn’t plan to cook in our apartment,  we still seemed to find things to buy at this delightful local market. Continue reading

Why do we do this?

Gran Caffe Gambrinus -Naples

Gran Caffe Gambrinus -Naples

If we were having coffee I would ask you why do you write your blog?

Is it in the hope that you’ll make your fortune, that someone will actually read and like it, or some other reason?

As I was sitting at coffee this morning I was asking myself these very questions. This was in part because I was surprised that almost no one had viewed my post on Record Store Day.  Sipping my flat white, I asked myself why it mattered? Normally I’m not fussed because my blog although public was more an outlet for me to meet a goal I set myself of writing a thousand words a month as I planned for “What’s Next” . I worked out early that there was no fortune to be made with www.browney237.com!

As I reflected on this, I realised that my post on Record Store Day had been written from a different perspective to many of my other posts. Continue reading