New Amsterdam Redux

Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building

Greetings, dear Readers!
This Autumn Yours Truly partook in a quick trip to New Amsterdam. An esteamed colleague from the Finnish Single Malt Society happens to work for the "Phinn-Aero" carrier, so through him we were able to get ourselves affordable tickets for the crossing. And through my connexions in N.A., we were able to lodge for free in the Brooklyn-Borough.

Our gracious host, Signore Forte, Esq. at his residence

I tried to meet a few of my old friends & colleagues, but also show the most important bits to Mr. von Lapp, Esq, along the way. We wondered the city far and wide, stopping for lunch with friends, and doing some (window)shopping along the way.

Vertical Downtown

Plenty of tall buildings to photograph

Two ladies from Europe, Ms. Essi & Ms. Tuula

A former colleague Ms. Ciao-Ping, with a random Mormon Missionary

The weather was nice, sunny the whole time, but chilly enough to make gloves almost a necessity. As it was getting near the All Hallow's Eve, some funny things were seen around town:

Bulls on Parade, Wall Street

Various Halloween necessities

Mr. von Lapp & a poster of the very funny comedienne Ms. Tina Fey

Naturally we visited some of my favourite commercial watering-holes & restaurants, while also, unfortunately, did not have enough time for some others...

The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien. The only thing missing was some Grey Poupon for the Hamburgers.

Mr. von Lapp & Ms. Keens, my favourite purveyor of quality Single Malt Whiskies

This time we only spent three whole days in the City, but it is most certainly worth another, more leisurely visit, later on. Thank you again for the host, friends and colleagues for a great time. Untill we meet again, don't know where, don't know when...!


Yours Truly etc,
Paddlewick, Esq. / Society New World Correspondent

For Your Consideration: Enzed

DL&GOTS

The esteemed Lady X once again demonstrated her extraordinary organisatory skills, smoothly amassing our assembly to the faraway country of Enzed. Furthermore, she, and good old PW, Esq, have made it painful not to submit the required report to the society archives.

Short and sweet does it, except if talking of port, of course.
The equippers of Backpackers stolidly explained the deepest secrets of their caravan, and after a couple of hours' lecture, we steered our ride toward Queenstown. Mr. McEwings outfitted us with trusty planques to plow the snow on, and off toward Arthur's Pass we sped...



...to find this. Whereas this Land of Eternal Cloud is well blessed with the adorable white fluff, its meaner skyborne ilk constantly patrol the peaks and valleys.



Except, of course, when they don't, and one suddenly remembers why burnt sclerae are such a bad idea. The local optiquearian gained a new customer, and rhum-and-cocoa were applied liberally to help YT forget the prickling misery.



The population of Enzed - quite friendly, as such, and both markedly more stressed and agreeable than their Ozzian enemies - apparently consists of

1. tourists and other ski-planqueures
2. secretive land-sculptors capable of turning the meanest mountainside into pastoral idyll
3. lamb, and occasionally elk
4. jovial, but territorial motör-cyclistae
5. rich and idle Da Vincian heli-copteuristas.

Having chauffeured Lady X around the isle, I continued my journey to some of the further reaches alone - always bearing in mind the hunt for snow, and for rhum-cocoa.



Anticipating the esteemed panel's question, yes, one has formulated a Staunch Opinion of the suitability of these southern Alps for the well versed gentlebeing. The views - when available - are uplifting and refreshing, jolly well. The snow - when available, and not swept away with wind or shrouded in fog - is quite excellent when fresh, but horrid and unhealthy frozen by spring thaw. The height of the mountlets is sufficient for brisk excercise, but not enough for sustained effort and snow conditions. Oddly enough, the cozy alpine lodge with its crackling fire, furred floors, hearty timbers redolent of coniferous sap, pitchers of port gently swaying in the currents of mirth and merriment - all this is lacking, as the silly sculptors-of-pastoralities have neglected to build said lodges on the appropriate slopes. Instead, one is instructed to descend to the sea level for night, and trudge back up first thing in the morning, quite before a gentleman should ever consider opening the weary eye. If then; the ultra-violent antipodean solar radiosity scrapes the eye harshly indeed.



Yes, regrettably; these mountlets are beautiful to behold and good to shred, but they can't hold a candle to those looming spines of the world where port-laden lodges hidden lie.

Velocipede-montaigne

On an occasion, Mr. Esquireul and/or Maj. Coastnail, and YT, mount our Velocipede-montaignes, and head out to explore our bucolic surroundings in a leasurely yet sportsman-like manner. Yesterday, on one such trip, we even found some brand-new plank-trails in the Woods in the Far-North Helsinki! As the Autumn slowly works her ways up here in the North, the planks become increasingly slippery with rain and fallen leaves, so that one has to thread the trail rather carefully, and wish that Jeeves inflated the tyres properly prior to the jaunt.
Here, then, are some Photographicks from our recent Excursions:

Our muddy equipment after an outing

Maj. Coastnail negotiating a rather shaky-looking bridge


Mr. Esquireul, Esq, under the Ferryisle Waterworks


Our fearless explorers heading down a narrow and slippery new trail

Happy trails to all!!

Paddlewick, Esq.
Society Velocipede Excursion & Experiments Co-ordinator

Ports-of-Call

One of the pleasures and interests of long-distance travelling, is the opportunity to visit quite a few Ports-of-Call en-route to Pointe B. So it was with my Voyage to the Antipodes, for I had the chance to make acquintance with no less than seven international (Aero)Ports:

Port of Helsinki

The (in)famous Port of Heath-Row

A rather scary Daemon in Port of Bang-Cock

The Koala on Home Soil in Sydney, NSW

Looking a little lost in Port of Brisbane

Carefully not spitting any Chewing-Gum on the floor of Port of Singapore!

Giving a rousing speech, "Ich bin ein Frankfurter!" in You-know-where...

In the future I wish to visit the Port of Port, in order tour the Valley of Douro, and get me hands on some good Port!
In the meanwhile, let's keep on exploring!

W.P. Paddlewick, Society Port co-ordinator

Chop chop!

Mr. P partakes in the relaxed, contemplative sport of hack-y-sacque.
The expedition team expresses gratitude for the erstwhile company, and takes the liberty of assuming the HQ audit will brim with favourable, port-endowed mentions.

Back to Brisbane

My push-bike finally in the Tropics. The Moderate Zone starts 5m to the left.

The Bicyckle Expedition has finally come to a conclusion. All said & told, I logged in 1000kms, pedalling the pushie as far north as Yeppoon. From Yeppoon I did a day-trip to the Great Keppel Island, spotting some Hump-Back Whales on the way, and playing with Turtles along the Island's reef.
Later I rode back to the Beef Capital of Australia, Rockhampton (picture above), to catch a 12-hour Auto-Bus ride down to Brisbane. My first flat tire occured in Brisbane, as Wensworth and I were fetching some food from a near-by restaurant!
This concludes my reporting, but I am sure to weave a yarn or two later on, to interested listeners, along with a dram of good whisky or port.

Untill then, good luck and godspeed!
Paddlewick, Esq.

Koala making friends in Hervey Bay

View Larger Map


The Society Cartographer kindly illustrates P-wicks voyages.
Update 2008-07-09.

Back to the Coast

Due to some problems with the Push-Bike, I deviated from my plans and took an Auto-Bus to the East Coast. As it was Friday, the Bus took me as far as Maryborough. It was the biggest Town I had visited all week: the Centre was several blocks in each direction! There was also a Bike-Smith, who took care of my 'pushie'.
While I waited for him to do his job, I walked around the charming town; it was cute, but not too much (i.e. Moomin-Valley Syndrome was absent), and had plenty of Heritage architecture. This is the birth town of the author of Mary Poppins, as was evident in this statue in front of her birth house:

There was also a big "Mary Poppins in the Park" Festival about to take place, this weekend, one presumes, with Motion Pictures and Chimney Sweepeing &c fun for the whole family.

Speaking of families, after I had done climbing in the best climbing tree I've seen so far, in the Queens Park, I ran into these youngsters. The Lady in the right asked if I would like to take a Photograph of her. As I did, the young Gentleman on the left rose up, too. He informed me, that once back home, I could show this Photograph to my firends and tell them 'these are who make the future young ruffians'. So now You know, too.

I pushed my bike to Hervey Bay, the Gateway to the Fraser Island, a wonderful UN World Heritage site: 75 miles long sand island, all of it a National Park. No paved roads, only sand paths barely wide enough for a vehicle. The ride was very bumpy even with a four-wheel-drive bus:



I spotted some turtles and a couple of Humpback Whales, but did not see the famous Fraser Dingoes.


Here's an unusual Column decoration from Toogoolawah: Elkhorn ferns used as flourishing Capitals.

More to follow later.
Good luck and godspeed!

Paddlewick

Fraser

DL&GotS,

we report with pride that our survey of the mid latitudes of the coast was expanded by a minor expedition to Batjala K'Gari and surroundings. This peculiar remnant of ice age sand blown in from retreated seas, compacted and recovered, then surrounded once again, illustrates a fascinating rapid alternative to the customary geological processes of terrain building. Of particular amazement are the so-called perched lakes - filtered rainwater of utmost purity and clarity, puddled in age-old compacted plant matter encatchments. The sand is a formidable opponent to expeditions, and having mired our carriage once on the deceptive surface, we entrust ourselves to local guides and conveyance.

Various more or less indigenous creatures inhabit the island and surroundings.

Yarr! A man!

P-wick reports via ansible from the remote hamlet of Yarraman. Apparently the dread dropbears have not attacked, despite ubiquitous warnings. We wish the best of luck for our intrepid adventurer!

This weekend we headed south for some cute and/or commercial villages, and some surf & turf. We ascended some 500m to Mt.Tamborine, where the village had a definite cute overload. Then down we descended, toward's the Ms' friends' party in Slweepy Hollow.
On the way we visited the rather over-the-top Party and Shopping Central known as Surfer's Paradise, which looks like a cross between Las Vegas and Miami:

As the sun set before we got there, some rather spooky rural roads were travelled in darkness. The party was a hoot and a half, with very good 'dutch-oven' lamb and chicken roast on open fire etc.


The second day we went snorkeling and diving in Byron Bay, the easternmost point of the Continent! I saw some wonderful schools of fishesh, a couple of stingrays, and a couple of little sharks. A good time indeed.

Tomorrow I'll be starting my bicyckle journey up north, hopefully all goes well!

Qld

DOWN UNDER PT. THE FIRST

Sydney

Brisbane

...arrived in Brisbane safe and sound. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for my trunk. They lost track of it momentarily in London, but were able to deliver it to Wensworth Residence a mere 30 hrs after my arrival.
W & the Ms. had rented a carriage for the day, so we drove around town for a bit. In the evening we enjoyed some local Bubbly in the Mt. Coo-Tha Botanical Gardens. Here W makes friends with an Ibis:

W & Ms. inspecting the Putting Greene at the Uni.

And here's asummary of my Mt. Coo-tha Expedition: quite a climb up to the observation area (about 2,5km distance), then quite a looong downhill on the other side. The brakes proved their worth :)

That's it for now; more to follow!
Good luck & godspeed.
Paddlewick, Esq.

Dear Ladies & Gentlemen,
I shall journey "Down Under" for a few weeks of R&R and bicyckling in The Colonies. I'll try to update this Blogge a couple of times per week, as my circumstances and constitution allows. I'm also hoping that Jeeves can keep track of my ... track, so to say, in form of an Electronick Map (or somesuch) and Photographics (Jeeves knows these things better). So keep an eye on this space and wish me luck!

Yours truly etc,
W.P. Paddlewick, the Society Antipodean Bicyckling Expedition Organizer