Tag Archive - England

Titanic’s 100 Year Anniversary

April 15, 2012 in Above or Below, Everywhere with 0 Comments

Nature of the Titanic's damage wrought by the ...

Nature of the Titanic's damage wrought by the iceberg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I sit at my laptop its just passed 11:40pm; the time 100 years ago (well close to as its the 15th here in Melbourne, while its the 14th in the Atlantic where Titanic sunk)  that the great liner titanic on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg on its journey from England to New York.

There have been plenty of events around the world to mark the occasion and in a previous post I discussed options for seeing the Titanic up close – from below in the lead up to the anniversary .   For many the reruns on TV of the Titanic movie, news James Cameron’s recent submersible down to the wreckage or going out to see the

Cover of "Ghosts of the Abyss"

Cover of Ghosts of the Abyss

IMAX movie Ghosts of  the Abyss might have to suffice.

All of which make me want to get up close and see the site where Titanic sunk.  Given the number of c events, cruises and renewed interest in the story I’m expecting this year we’ll be hearing much more about the titanic.

The legend of Titanic always makes me think of adventure and exploration as well as great loss and poor planning and the inescapable power of nature that lurks around every corner. We all have our Titanic fix one way or another – whats yours?

 

 

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5 Cycle Hire Cities to Try (as a local or tourist)

July 7, 2010 in Travel with 0 Comments

"Copenhagen style" bike lane in Melb...
Image via Wikipedia

Cycle hire schemes are launching all over the place these days.  If it’s not the desire to get people out of cars and appear to be greener, local and city governments want residents and tourist alike to feel good about a greater mix of transport options.  Over recent years I’ve lived in the majority of cities on this list who have now introduced cycle hire schemes and I also worked on a cycle hire evaluation project for London so I’ve got some perspective. Of course the success of a scheme is very subjective but schemes usually establish themselves pretty quickly into the transport mix for a city and find their niche (sometimes unexpected).  Often the hardest challenge for schemes is to get people to use the scheme the first time but once you’ve tried you’re often hooked. And for tourists, feeling the wind in your hair as you cycle around a city can offer a great change to the normal walking, public transport or bus/taxi view giving a fresh perspective.  Whoever you are local or tourist I suggest you give cycle hire a try.

Paris, France – a poster child for cycle hire schemes, its launch and prominent good-feel buzz has put the pressure on other cities around the world to implement a scheme themselves.  Keen pricing, and many access points make this scheme one of the best.  It also helps that Paris is fun to cycle with so much architectural beauty, gardens and laissez faire attitude.  For tourists it a great way to experience Paris and for locals it’s a quick and easy alternative to the metro for short trips.

Copenhagen, Denmark – the Grand daddy of cycle hire schemes having launched in 1995 the cycle service team also employees prison rehabilitees and gets them back into work so a nice social innovation angle as well. The original cycle hire model now adapted by many, Copenhagen is a very cycle friendly city for tourists and locals and is looking to refresh its system to continue leading the way.

Montreal, Canada – launched in 2009, the scheme has 3000 bikes in 300 stations offering good coverage but will only operate in the snow free months (snow can be a hazard on two thin wheels!).  Montreal is a beautiful city so perfect for a spring or summer cycle. Montreal’s Bixi system was designed so it could be used in numerous other cities, and has since been adopted elsewhere such as Boston, USA and Melbourne, Australia.

Melbourne, Australia – launched this year, Melbourne’s scheme is still in the process of being rolled out but the first bikes of the scheme are in place in inner Melbourne. Melbourne is a cycling crazy city with many locals already riding to work but for new adopters it might take a while to get the hang of it.  However for tourists it’s a bonanza as Melbourne is very cycle friendly with many marked cycle trails in all directions worth exploring especially the water side ride along the bay from Albert Park/St Kilda down the coast.

London, England – due to launch later this month (the 30th) so the jury is still out (and there is lots of expectation) but having lived there cycling has its pros and cons but when the public transport system is 100s years old and the streets are clogged cycling is a very good option if you need to get around.  The current Major Boris Johnson is also introducing 12 cycle superhighways to help the flow of cyclists into and around the city. Perhaps of more use for locals than tourists since walking, buses and the tube can get you most places pretty well in the city I’d like to hear from any tourist who tries it when it launches?

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World Cup expectations, England and going on Safari

June 30, 2010 in Sport with 0 Comments

I left England last year after living there nine years. I’ve seen several World Cup and European football tournaments where English hopes have been ridiculously high pre tournament only to end early with disappointing performances not meeting expectations or the perception of the talent in the team.

After the most recent World Cup disappointment (disallowed goals and poor goal keeping withstanding) I’ve wondered whether this has something to do with the English Premier League, generally acknowledged as the highest quality domestic league in the world. And I’ve wondered that although England can field a group of talented players, that’s typically what they are, individual players who struggle to gel as a talented team with limited practice and at the end of a long English season.  While looking at South American or other European teams they seem to form teams in the truest sense that quickly gel together and play with quality sometimes greater than their individual parts.

My thinking is that although many of these South American and European players play in a variety of domestic competitions, what sets them apart from the English players is that they at an early age become used to playing away from home, having to fit in quickly to different team structures and cultures in far off leagues with the expectation that they deliver quickly to secure their place in a team.  On the other hand English players seem to rarely turn up outside of the English leagues, play a way they always have and our feted as great players in their own league, a place of comfort where there is little expectation that they should be the ones to adapt to fit in with other styles and teams.

Perhaps overly harsh but I think its part of poor English team performances (other views).  Where foreign players have developed their talent in different systems and strive to fit into a team wherever and whatever it is, the English are individuals, praised highly in their domestic competition but have not had to struggle through the same adaption process to new leagues or teams in the same way.

Thus like my friends in England I watch and hope that England may actually live up to expectations each tournament but have in the back of my mind that they will always come up short as a team.  Through money, location and history England should keep having the best domestic league in the world but as a nation that’s perhaps little consolation ever few years when the World Cup of European Championship comes around.

Perversely perhaps the expectations on all national teams and players is on the up.  I shudder to think how the French and Italian press hounded their teams after abject failures in national eyes. Australia with no real history of World Cup performance had the weight of expectation on it back home and there was great media disappointment when it failed to reach the knockout rounds (but perhaps it met realistic expectations). While the USA for example made the knockout rounds coming first in its group over hapless England but also suffered a disappointing exit to Ghana but again I argue perhaps meeting realistic expectations if you had asked pretournament. The media and supporters will always ask for better performances, I was happy these teams competed, but it’s the unexpected successes of teams like Ghana that are the sweetest.

At least the English players and tabloid press that follow them got some sun in South Africa.  Clearly a perfect location for a holiday and after a quick exit time to go on safari and explore rather than return to questions of undelivered potential back in England.  Personally I wish I was in Africa on safari too.