Australasia

*take nothing for granted!

Unless otherwise indicated all photos © Richard McKie 2005 - 2015

Who is Online

Home Travel Australasia

Translate to another language

Details: Written by Richard McKie; Parent Category: Travel; Category: Australasia; Published: 27 August 2013; Hits: 19850

On our return from Europe we spent a few days in Darwin and its surrounds. We had a strong sense of re-engagement with Australia and found ourselves saying things like: 'isn't this nice'.

We were also able to catch up with some of our extended family.

Julia's sister Anneke was there, working on the forthcoming Darwin Festival. Wendy's cousin Gary and his partner Son live on an off-grid property, collecting their own water and solar electricity, about 120 km out of town.

We went to the Mindl markets with Anneke and her friend Chris; and drove out to see Gary, in our hire-car, who showed us around Dundee Beach in his more robust vehicle. Son demonstrated her excellent cooking skills.

Have you read this??? - this content changes with each opening of a menu item

Travel

Russia

In June 2013 we visited Russia. Before that we had a couple of weeks in the UK while our frequent travel companions Craig and Sonia, together with Sonia's two Russian speaking cousins and their partners and two other couples, travelled from Beijing by the trans Siberian railway. We all met up in Moscow and a day later joined our cruise ship. The tour provided another three guided days in Moscow before setting off for a cruise along the Volga-Baltic Waterway to St Petersburg; through some 19 locks and across some very impressive lakes.

Fiction, Recollections & News

The U-2 Incident

In 1960 the Russians shot down an American U-2 spy plane that was overflying and photographing their military bases. The U-2 Incident was big news when I was in High School and I remember it quite clearly.

The Incident forms the background to Bridge of Spies a 2015 movie, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance from a screenplay written by Matt Charman together with Ethan and Joel Coen that centres on these true events.

Spielberg and the Cohen Brothers. Who could miss it?

Opinions and Philosophy

Six degrees of separation, conspiracy and wealth

Sometimes things that seem quite different are, when looked at more closely, related.