Saturday, September 30, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Canal hopping in Venezia

Venice is slowly sinking, and during the highest tides good portions of the city are submerged. After seeing the hordes of turistos swarming over every bridge and gelateria stand, it's not hard to see why. Even your adventurers couldn't really claim the moral high ground having pigged out on the train on an assortment of ham, eggplant and feta sandwiches.

Nonetheless, walk a few blocks away from the main canals into the maze of backstreets, crisscrossed with quiet canals and the occasional goldola drifting silently by, and the magic of Venice is slowly revealed. Little touches - like the boxes of red and white flowers that adorn every window sill, and the faint strains of a Vivaldi violin concerto drifting around the corner from the buskers in the next piazza - linger long after the hawkers on the hyper-commercialised Rialto bridge have shut shop. And as the sun sinks over the Canal Grande and the lights of the waterfront ristorantes begin to reflect off the water, it's easy to imagine a time before Piazza della Burger Kingo. It's also time to eat!

As a finale to five days of Italiano cusine it was time to splurge. A basket of crusty bread loaves kicked things off, followed by a steaming seafood risotto lavished with fresh cream and garnished with succullent zuchini and scampi. Then came the somethingano, a baked ham, cheese and noodle creation which Rock was way too busy devouring to note such trivialities as the name. To polish things off - thinly sliced beef grilled with rosemary and thyme and baked baby potatoes in olive oil.

Which brings five days of sightseeing to close on a high note. Next up Torino and the 2006 World Championships.

Ciao.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Pisa, Pizza and Piazza

Day 2 in Florence wasn't in fact in Florence at all but in the small village (in population, not fame) of Pisa, located a short 45 train ride away. Of course, there's really only one thing to see there, and that is the most famous architectural screw up in history - the leaning tower. Of course, there's definitely more than one thing to eat in Pisa, so after lining up for the requisite look-im-so-original-im-holding-up-the-tower photos, it was time to ply the streets for a cafe or two.

Of course, legend has it that Gallileo's famous experiment to prove that objects of different mass fall at the same speed was conducted from the roof of the tower. Over lunch Rock postulated a modern update of Gallileo's original classic - chuck a yankee and a kiwi tourist off the top simultaneously. If the kiwi splats at the same time, despite the huge mass differential, then Gallileo can rest easy. Unfortunately the theory remains in hypothesis stage because no yankee tourists of sufficient mass seemed capable of wheezing up the 200 odd steps, especially once augmented with a couple leaning tower burgers, and the proposed kiwi subject proved too cheap to fork over the entry fee for climbing the tower...

Having struggled in vain to come up with a Pisa/pizza joke, the travellers hopped back on the train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella station, for an afternoon of purusing the High Renaissance in the legendary Ufizzi Gallery. No need for an audio guide here folks as Rock's expert commentary took viewers on a journey through the evolution of Renaissance art, from the flat, elaborately guilded picture plane of Byzantine alterpieces, through to the classic High Renaissance masterpieces of di Vinci, Rapheal and Michaelangelo, and then on to the awakening Mannerist style as the golden age of art drew to a close. Of course, the colour commentary became particulary colourful when it was frequently interjected with bitter rants on the NZQA and perceived rippage on the art history schol front...

But by the end of the Ufizzi one becomes just a little blase at yet another masterpiece from so-and-so school in Firenze, circa 1550. Which means it was time to eat! Beef raviolli, home-made penne, a Florentine pork steak and grilled veal in tomato sauce! Fantastico! (Rock's misguided belief that adding 'o' or 'ia' to every word to sound Italian continues unabated.) A good way to polish off a visit to Florence. Next up, Venice - just two short Eurostar hours away. Lucky we stocked up on some fresh pasteria fare...

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Ciao bella Firenze!

Florence! What a city! In Rome one never truely loses sight of the present. Sure there are moments, like in the midst of the colloseum, where history envelops you - but the cacaphony of modern life is never far away. But in Florence is different. The ancient city centre is remarkably compact and closed to cars, meaning the narrow, winding cobblestone streets retain their rustic charm. Cheery cafes and tratorias fill the air with the welcoming aroma of fresh panini and pizza, while streetside stalls add to the festive atmosphere.

A day exploring Firenze means a day meandering down side streets, waiting for the grand piazza that invariably waits around the next corner. First stop for our adventurere was the central focal point of the city - the massive Duomo basillica that towers over the rest of the city. And since no self-respecting basillica in this land goes without a cupola and no self-respecting tourist goes without the desire to climb it, the first mission of the day was obvious. With Rock muttering a few unintelligible comments on DnD in general and a useless cleric character in particular, the party scrambled through the ancient stone labyrinth of circular staircases and dimly lit passages towards the lofty cupola. What a view! The red roofs of Florence stretch out to the banks of the Arno river where they give way to a maze of bridges crisscrossing the silvery waterway. Still further lush green hills dotted with colourful yellow and orange villas rise up in the distance. No wonder so much of the world's greatest art was created here.

From Duomo a short stroll took the visitors across a series of piazza flanked by an impressive array of statues by the who's who of the high renaissance including heavy hitters like Michaelangelo. Which in turn led to the banks of the picturesque Arno River.

On the other side of the river the Pitta Palace offered yet another photo op while the adjacent pizzeria offered yet another flavour (cheddar and spicy mincy anyone?)As a (non culinary) finale to the day, a climb up the hillside to Piazza Michaelangelo was a must. The sweeping views of the city can't be described in words - and not just 'cause I'm sick of typing.

So the last question: what's for dinner? How about half a kilo of prime Florentine beef, a veal shank richly imbued with a thick tomato sauce and a steaming lasagne fresh out of the oven. Top it off with crusty home made bread rolls and we've got ourselves a meal!

Ciao.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Roma giorno due

Day two in the eternal city dawned with a glorious blue sky. But the problem with eternal cities is how the heck do you fit in to one day what took millenia to create? The answer is you sign up to Rock's carefully crafted walking tour designed to cram every major site in between frequent pizzeria and gelateria stops.

Stop 1: the mighty colloseum! An early start meant the cauldron was eriely deserted and as the sun rose above the ruins of the east wall one could almost hear the roars of victory and the dying screams of defeat echoing between the crumbling arches. Except these roars seem to have a distinctly yankee twang to them - oh no, it's the first of the day's tour buses disgorging its weighty contents in our direction! Time to move on.

Adjacent to the colloseum lies the ruins of the Roman Forum - an eclectic collection of crumbling ruins and columns jutting skywards. This was once the heart of commercial, political and religious life in the city, going back as far as the 7th century B.C. "...this, this IS history Dr Jones..."

From the Forum, an ancient stone stairway led to the top of Capitol Hill and expansive views of the sprawling city below. Every few blocks the dome of an elaborate basillica punctuates the skyline off to the di Vinci-ish blue haze of the horizon.

A few blocks of winding cobble streets later and the travellers were standing under the gaping circular skylight at the crown of the dome of the mighty Panthenon. The giant columns at the front dwarf the swarms of tourists looking for the perfect camera angle. Luckily the magnetic attraction of the slightly less ancient golden arches sucked in a good portion of the throng.

A stroll through the spacious Piazza Navona followed by a peaceful walk along the statue-dotted banks of the Tiber under the shadow of the imposing Castel Sant'Angelo, led the party back to the magnificent heart of Christianity - St Peter's Basillica. Less magnificent was the length of the queue to get up to the cupola perched on top of the massive dome. Mei's patience for queues is about as long as Russell Crowe's leather and pseudo-steel gladatorial miniskirt. Nonetheless, the persistence paid off with epic views over the city from the lofty vantage point. Inside the church was equally impressive, with the highlight predictably being Michaelangelo's graceful Pieta.

And that folks, is pretty much the wrap from Roma. Except of course a few words are required for Ian's benefit on dinner. Actually just one word: SUPERB! The home made lasagne was succulent and lavishly appointed with a rich butter sauce. The margarita pizza was so crispy and... well... cheesy that Rock had to order a second full pizza - this time a spicy salami. And finally, the lamb cutlets were tender finished with a delicious rosemary and garlic sauce.

Next stop Florence!

Blackberry Juice: Ciao Roma!

(No photos here - pouring rain washed out any hope of a few more generic holiday snaps)


A 2.30am wakeup call and a bus-hopping dash though the desolate night streets of London is a bad way to start any day. Queuing for an hour to be herded like cattle onto a budget Ryanair flight is even worse. Add to that a rather rainy and bleak intro to Rome at the derelict budget terminal of Ciampion airport and your travellers weren't in the best of moods for first impressions of Rome.

At least the hotel was relatively easy to find - a quaint 6 room joint perched on the forth floor of an old stone building (not exactly a unique description in a city that measures history in millennia). Despite the incessant drizzle outside and the inviting bed inside after 8 hours on the road, there was no rest for the party as they set forth for the wonders of Roma.

After a damp trek a magnificent sight finally rose out of the mist... Was it the grandiose dome of the mighty St Peters? No. Was it the monumental facade of the Colloseum? No. It was a tiny pizzeria offering a warm sanctuary from drizzle which was rapidly transforming into a downpour. Steaming slabs of pizza were rolling out of the oven and into hungry patrons hands - everything from simple margerhitas to juicy eggplant and bacon creations. I would elaborate but as I type this the scent of fresh dough and tomato paste is drifting through the window from the pizzeria below the hotel, making further prose on the subject an exercise in stomach rumbling...

Anyway, having finally started the expedition on the right slice (bacon and feta) so to speak, it was time to pursue loftier sights. Rock immediately spotted and arbitrage opportunity. Surely, he argued, with the rain pouring down no one would be dumb enough to queue for the Sistine Chapel. He was right on both counts - indeed the queue was no more than 20 minutes, and indeed it was a really dumb idea because after no more that five minutes total saturation had occured. Waterlogged apparel, however, was instantly forgotten at the sight of the first vast chamber. Art is not just hung on the walls - it covers the ceiling in the writhing patterns of vines and columns and the floors in the intricate mosaics. It even covers the bellies of the fat Americans who purchased the tacky Michaelangelo-on-a-t-shirt apparel from the hawker who set up shop opposite McDonalds. But trying to describe the masterpieces of Raphael or Boticelli in ascii (although no doubt some geek has in fact done them all in ascii art...) is like trying to convince the umbrella hawkers that no, a third umbella will not solve world hunger. So suffice it to say that the endless chambers of the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, are everything they are hyped to be and more. Standing in awe under Raphael's monumental School of Athens is priceless, for everything else go read a mastercard ad.

On the way home, one final stop to round out the day (not including the final gelato and pizza pit stop) - the Trevi Fountain. Nestled in a small piazza, the giant figures from mythology writhe in a timeless dance as the water cascades beneath them. Perfecto! And thus ended day one in Roma.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Blackberry Juice: The silver fern turns gold!

For those who haven't heard the breaking news - the NZ Women's Epee team claimed gold in the teams event! Team Captain Martin Brill has provided a full write up on the FeNZ site here. Congrats to Jess, Kathleen and Jenny on one of NZs greatest Commonwealth performances!

And best of all, it means we finish ahead of the Aussies on the medal table. And that, as they say, is worth writing home about - even if it is on an annoying blackberry keyboard.

Next update from Roma, stay tuned.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Maple syrup!

You thought the individual event was tough, well welcome to the teams. Starting out 8th seed is never a good way to kick things off, especially when it sets you up for a match with the all conquering Canadians. But first the kiwi men's epee contingent had to make it past the up and coming 9th seeded Indians. But the determined NZers dominated from the start, wiping out the resistance faster than Rock can wipe out a plate of butter chicken. Final result - a clinical 45-20 something scoreline. Which brings us back to those formittable Canadians. With a team stacked with 1st, 2nd and 8th from the individual things looked pretty bleak from the start. They looked even bleaker 9 bouts later as the kiwis were crushed into 100 per cent genuine Canadian maple syrup. 19-45. Ouch.

A small consolation was the fact NZ still would get to fence off for the minor placings. Well it would have been a consolation had we won. But alas another loss, albeit more respectable 37-45 to Scotland for a final place of 8th. Dismal yes, but at least there was the satisfaction of seeing the defending champions Aus crash to 7th :)

In other results the hightlight of the competition was Jess claiming 7th in the women's epee, although even that was tinged with a bit of disappointment after she came within one touch of making the medals.

Anyway, that's all from Commonwealths 2006. Next up a week of sightseeing in Italy before believe it not it gets even tougher at World Champs. Keep reading for the sights, sounds, and most importantly tastes of Italy coming right up from a blackberry near you.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Blackberry Juice: A tough day on the piste

Well, it's all over folks. Around 50 of the Commonwealth's best fencers turned out for the Men's Epee event. The field was tough across the board and it was clear right from the start that there were no easy bouts. All four kiwis - Rock, Jared, Kyle and Andreas - struggled to find consistency in the pool round and all four came out with a 3 win 3 loss record. That meant a tough road through the DE with the NZers seeded between 21st to 25th.


Even the round of 64 was brutal with Kyle and Andreas falling in close bouts. Kyle lost a nailbiting 14-15 bout to a Malaysian while Andreas went down 13-15 to an Indian. J and R fared better with easy wins to move into the 32.

But that's where it all ended. Jared faced off with the eventual bronze medallist (whoops that kinda gives away the result) from Northern Ireland. At the first break he was right in it at 2-2, but two quick points right after the break saw the opposition run away with it 15-5. Meanwhile Rock faced the raw power of big Aussie Nick Heffernan. A shocker start gave the Aussie a 8-3 lead at the first break. But in an epic second period Rock fought back to be up 14-13. Unfortunately the epic-ness ended then and there as some stupid attacks saw Rock embrace the true FenMan spirit and choke horribly. Thus ended the kiwi campaign.

So on that rather disappointing note I'll sign off with the hope of conveying better news after the teams event tomorrow or indeed after today's Men's Foil if the mighty Wayne can triumph.

To finish things off, here's a welcoming shots of the friendly neighborhood spirit that permeates Belfast.

Another landmark - the big fish. Here Mei auditions for "Whale Rider 2: The Eastern Migration".

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Out with the new, in with the old

What a contrast. Singapore may have the gleaming technological facade of the new world economy, but London has the beating heart of a city that has weathered centuries of bloodshed, famine, torture and annoying busloads of tourists to earn its place amongst the truely great cities of the world. The legendary Lord Byron himself (or at least the underscore NZ version) summed it up best when he commented that London has the soul that Singapore lacks. Rock's counter was that Singapore has the cheap noodles that London lacks.

Where to begin? That's precisely the question your explorers asked as they marched forth armed only with an all day tube ticket. Which brings us to the then-we-did-this-and-then-we-did-that postcard section of this blog. First stop (I lie, first stop I'm ashamed to say was starbucks) was Trafalgar Square and Lord Nelson perched on his column.

Mei didn't know who Nelson was, but seeing as he didn't invent a new technique for stewing pork legs, felt him wholly unworthy of such a lofty accolade. From there a quick dash through the regal streets of Covent Garden before heading for the requisite photo ops in front of the towering Big Ben and parliament house on the banks of the Thames. Next it was Rock's turn to admire the monumental facade of the Bank of England and make a few supposedly learned remarks on the course of monetary policy. From there a temporary break from the gargoyles and tweed of the old city to the towering skyscapers of canary wharf.

Then we went to tower bridge.

Then we went to westminster abby. Then I got sick of pounding this out on a blackberry.

But what a city! The amazing thing is how much history is concentrated in one day's worth of walking. And that's before we event start on the museums. But enough fun and games, its time to get down to business - next stop Belfast. In fact I'm typing this standing in the stanstead airport bookshop waiting for the flight. Which doesn't make very exciting reading so you can get back to work and I'll get back to the page three girls in the Sun...

Monday, September 18, 2006

Blackberry Juice: Chili crab and merlions

Welcome to Blackberry Juice! Now you can follow the escapades of your adventurers in real time as your faithful correspondent braves battered thumbs and the corporate wanker tag to pound out reports from far flung locales on his ubiquitous blackberry.Destination one: the gleaming concrete, steel and glass island nation of Singapore. Or perhaps that should be "the island corporation of Singapore Inc". The first thought that stikes as one breezes through the seemlessly efficient customs at Changi airport and past the line of MP5 toting security guards, is that this is a nation with its vision firmly on the future and capitalism at its heart. From the spotless MRT metro to the endless array of towering shopping centres, the pursuit of progress and profit by the central planners is everywhere. So is Starbucks.

For the most part, the focus on commercialism works, but when it doesn't it definitely doesn't. As in the case of a "bushwalk" on the tourist Sentosa Island where the Singaporian idea of getting back to nature is pumping water up some concrete blocks to create the "wild thundering falls". Good one.

But let's not get sidetracked from the real reason for a two day stopover... The food! This is one island where the standard mei-ism "I'm hungry!" was finally going to be silenced. A kg of chili crab, a couple of stewed bull frogs, a pile of fried venison, a mound of lemon chicken...and a silent mei. Well, until we step outside into the 30 degree heat and the "I'm hot... I'm thirst... I'm tired" track gets stuck on repeat.

Anyway, time to hit the yum cha to kick off the day. Over and out, next stop London.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

The NSW State Fencing Champs... goes to a Kiwi!

We are the champions...
We are the champions...
No time for losers...
'Cause we are the champions...
of the World!

Well, ok, not quite the world. But hey, beating aussies is a blast anytime, anywhere. Whether it's a scorching 50 metre run by Rokocoko to seal the Bledisloe Cup or a... errm... 5 metre slightly less scorching sixte opposition fleche by Rocko to seal the NSW State Men's Epee Championship, there's nothing quite like seeing the Silver Fern flying high (even if it is in the form of a lopsided, smudged stencil on the side of some rather smelly breeches...).


Here Rock takes comfort in the fact that Pavel Kolobkov is also invariably the shortest when he collects his gold medals. Of course, critics may well point out that Pavel probably isn't invariably the fattest...


Moments after claiming the 2006 NSW Men's Epee title, the sponsors look on in horror as the new champion botches the product placement in front of the glaring eyes of the world's media. "For superior performance... get yourself a bottle of the generic green-labled sports drink today!" Good one chief.


Ok, since everyone knows I'm the only contributor to this blog - despite my subtle efforts to put people off the scent with cunning use of the third person - I'll leave it at that and stop posting pictures of myself...