Tag Archives: transportation

Blue On Blue in Melbourne, Australia

The thin blue light of a cold and wintery day matches the tonality of these blue Yarra Trams on Swanston Street right in the heart of the CBD (Central Business District) in Melbourne, Australia.

Blue trams in Melbourne, Australia on a cold winter day

Stacked Up On Swanston in Melbourne, Australia

Photo of the day…

Stacked up trams on Swanston Street in the heart of Melbourne, Australia. I had just gotten off of one of these and when I turned around I noticed how many different lines run down Swanston Street and then branch off to different locations. This is one of the coolest things about resettling here — being able to get around with NO car if I choose that option!

A row of trams in Melbourne, Australia waiting for passengers to jump on and off

Biking Bits of Brussels, Belgium

I have long admired the European attitude to cycling within cities as both an economical and eco-conscious mode of transportation. So I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see so many references to bicycles as we travelled in Brussels, Belgium.

Can you see that small red child’s bicycle mounted on the street lamp? The sign below it indicates that you have arrived at a Point Velo Fietspunt where you can rent a bicycle or leave your own for repairs. That would be a comforting feeling to know that if you had a flat tire or your chain came off, you could just look for one of these Fietspunt signs sprinkled around the city.

Bike mounted on lamp post indicates a Point Velo Fietspunt bicycle hire or repair pick up spot in Brussels, Belgium

This poster on the window immediately below the bicycle-in-the-air shows the range of services that they offer.

Bike shop for small repairs or bicycle rentals in Brussels, Belgium

Not owning a 2nd car (and in some cases a 1st one) if you live in an urban environment with good public transportation AND a respect for cyclists when you choose that mode of travel? What a healthy and sensible way to live!

Re-Settling Into Australia: Stage One — New Wheels!

My posts have been a bit thin lately because we were recovering from jet lag at the beach in Sydney, then driving from Sydney to Melbourne over a 2 day period, and now we are in the beginning stages of settling into life in Australia again.

Stage One — New Wheels. We purchased Mark’s preferred vehicle today — a Volkswagon Transporter T5. As we took the test drive, I was slightly nervous because it felt simply HUGE after the much smaller Ford Transit Connect that we had enjoyed so much in Europe. Ah well — I’ll cope. And he’ll be the one driving it 99% of the time. I’d prefer to walk, take a tram, or (perhaps!) even buy a new bike and start wheeling around whatever neighbourhood we settle into with my lovely French wicker basket on the front handlebars.

Now isn’t this the most thrilling post you have ever read from me? (smirk!)

Back soon with some travel pics and articles later in the week — really!

Paris Citybreak

Seriously, there is never too much time in Paris (in my personal opinion!). It might be cold and rather soggy right now, but we plan to make the best of our brief visit to this gorgeous place. And we’d like to go to museums and sites that we have not seen on earlier trips.

We arrived this afternoon after holding our breath a bit and wondering if our rail tickets would actually get used after SCNF (the French rail service) went out on strike for a day and a half. They went back to work this morning at 8:00 AM and we left Normandy on the Caen to Paris St. Lazare IC (intercity train) at 11:45. Whew!!!

On board the 2 hour Caen to Paris IC train

The train arrived late and stayed a mere couple of minutes as everyone was frantically scrambling on board, staking out seats, and trying to get their luggage on the train before we began moving again. It was quite chaotic since all of the people who didn’t get to travel during the 36 hour strike had the right to use their tickets today alongside those of us who WERE scheduled to travel today. What a mess these strikes make for the schedules of any traveller!

Right now we’re giving our legs a tiny break after climbing 5 flights of stairs to our top floor apartment in the Marais district. As our charming host Bruno told us whilst helping haul luggage up all of those stairs, it’s a 17th Century building with restrictions on what can and cannot be changed. So there will NEVER be an elevator inside!

Our budget friendly apartment on the FIFTH floor of a 17th Century building with NO elevator in the Marais district of Paris.

In more strike news, we had France 24 news on the television as we sipped a cup of tea and breaking news scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The employees of the Louvre Museum have walked out on strike in protest of the amount of PICKPOCKETS walking around inside!!! Life in France is certainly never boring.

Stay tuned for more posts from our 5 days in Normandy, perhaps a bit of our time in England, and maybe even a few glimpses of Paris before we head off to Brussels on the weekend.

We certainly ARE having a multiple-weeks-long adventure on our way back to Australia!

Back To France on Brittany Ferry

Long term travel in Europe has certainly been aided by the purchase of a motor vehicle from our first month of arrival over a year ago. We are now on our 3rd vehicle, a diesel van, after fine-tuning our transportation requirements.

Traversing the English Channel or the North Sea several times a year has become normal since we moved back to Europe. And one of the most comfortable trips we have had recently was on a Brittany Ferry a few days ago as we travelled from Portsmouth, England to Ouistreham outside of Caen in France.

Brittany Ferries keycard and brochure for the Armorique

Here are several pictures of the Armorique, a two year old ferry with ample amenities including multiple restaurants and cafes or bars, two movie theatres, several shops, a reading lounge, a casino, and more viewing platforms or decks than we have seen on previous versions of the Brittany Ferries that we have sailed on.

Cocktail bar on Level 7

Duty Free sign at shop entrance

Shops on Level 6

Lounge on Level 7

You’ll notice that there are very few passengers in any part of the ship. That’s one of the absolute joys of travelling in the middle of the winter when it’s a much more relaxed and adult atmopshere. The decks are not heaving with tourists, you can get a meal within minutes, and the hallways in the cabin area are free of screaming children. Bliss!

Dining area on Level 7

Airline style reclining reserved seats on Level 7

Lifeboats with easy to use ramps on Level 7

Deck diagram posted at elevator

Looking through layers of outdoor decks with a blue & white colour scheme

Compact but very comfortable cabin on Level 9

Life Amongst The Bikes in Amsterdam

Look left, look right, and be aware! There are more bicycles in Amsterdam, used on a daily basis for every purpose imaginable, than any other city in Europe. According to GreenAnswers.com, 40% of the total traffic is made up of bicyclists.

Many other cities around the planet now aspire to be equally bike-powered and green, but ask yourself these questions while you peruse the photos.

Could you ‘car pool’ your children to school without a car — or shop for a week’s worth of groceries and get them home via pedal-power?

Bike riding parent with children

What if you purchased a piece of furniture, didn’t want to pay a delivery fee, and decided to just have a go at bringing it home on your bike?

Walking the table home

Can you hitch a sidesaddle ride on a bike for a breezy afternoon outing?

Hitching a ride on the back of a bike

And as to parking them? Bikes are chained up simply everywhere including along the railings of bridges and fences, to window grilles along building fronts, and to lamp posts.

Bike on a bridge

Even though bikes in this city are chained/latched/attached to anything that seems remotely stable and firm — as you can see by the sign below, that is not always appreciated by the owners of various buildings!

No parking sign for bikes

Another option is to park in someplace safe and secure like this 3 story garage for cycles which is looked after by security guards and is situated quite close to the front of Central Station. BELOW: 3 level bike parking lot. Photo by Mark Harmes

3 level bike parking lot. Photo by Mark Harmes

During our recent 8 day visit, I was especially impressed with the Bakfiets that I saw simply everywhere carrying children of all ages and sizes in the front section as the parents steered from the back. And whether used with or without the hooded ‘convertible top’ to keep the child passengers or shopping dry, the families that we saw using these sensible vehicles all looked relaxed and happy in spite of the winter temperatures.

Bikes with attached cart-style child carriers

This is one of the most charming cities in Europe and any visit to Amsterdam is made all the more delightful by being able to navigate through this beautiful city and enjoy scenic streets which are not clogged with noisy or air-polluting cars.

Unless otherwise indicated, all photography is by Deborah Harmes.
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