In retrospect

The time has come to pack. It seems so long since we flew out , but we have seen so much, and had so many experiences. Spending time in the Arctic circle to experience the midnight sun, gliding down fjords in the misty light of morning, a train ride in Flamm through the most wonderful country, managing to stay reasonably tidy in a force nine gale in the North Sea, wandering through little Norwegian towns, being quite overcome at the beauty of Coventry Cathedral, and the perennial excitement that is London. The highlights of the trip would be the fjords, they changed their unique beauty every minute, as the light and clouds changed. You wondered at who had their tiny cottage perched on the edge of these fjords, and when and how they came to be there. You imagined how they watched the enemy in the war hide their ships. Here we were, sailing down those same fjords in a huge cruise ship, towering over the harbor, and all we surveyed. I think they might have smiled quietly with relief when we departed, and left them with their silent , stunning beauty.
Hearing the bells of Big Ben as you lay in bed has been very special, as has been travelling through the gorgeous English countryside. It is so very green after a wet, and for so many, a very sad summer. As we leave, the foot and mouth outbreak seems to be on the wane, but still a worry.
But now it is time to pack the bags and come home. Hopefully the luggage will come with us; Heathrow is another story altogether. And even after all we have seen, you still realise how special Australia is. We have the droughts and floods and fires, but it is wonderful place to call home. See you soon.

the subject is planes and trains and frustrations

We were waiting in Brussells Eurostar area, for our train back to London. Asked if we could go on an ealier train, we agreed. Apparently there was a problem and our sceduled on was very late. That was the start of a long trip back. There was an electrical problem in the tunnel. some car shuttles were stuck for hours. Fortunately, we were able to use another line, but it was one way only, so it took from 4.00 to 8.00 to make the trip. We were lucky compared to others. It is incredible to see whatever transport you are using , how many people are travelling at any one point of time. Since we left, we have been on 2 planes, approximately 15-20 trains, cars, including the wonderful London cab, 1 ship, and it's tenders,and shuttle buses: every one seems to be full. We are already dreading the trip home, Heathrow is the very worst of airports, straining at every seam. If your luggage arrives on the same flight as you do, you count yourself one of the lucky few. Travel is wonderful and enriching, but the mechanics of it seem to be getting worse by the month. So. when packing for the next trip, do not forget a large packet of patience, humour, and a good book or two. You will need those for check in alone. And check your clothes - easy to get off shoes, no belts(men and women), and no metal trims.

More later

Cologne and back

Just back from a train trip to Cologne or Koln. It is a beautiful city, with the history of the war in your mind, it is interesting and arresting to see areas which were leveled in the war. The cathedral is huge, I was not prepared for the enormity of this gothic construction dating from the 12th C. It was packed when we got there, so revisited it the next morning, and it is beautiful with stunning stained glass. We found a lookout 28 floors up, which gave amazing views of the city. The weather was not brilliant, but it nevertheless showed the stretch of the city along the Rhine. The street scene is the city pedestrian mall. Huge crowds - summer in Europe

We then came back to Brussells for a couple of hours. (Midde photo)Very difficult to navigate yourself around on foot, the signage is dreadful. Eventually found the Grand Market, featuring the historical town hall, and other buildings, the total of which forms a square, and is on the world heritage register. Brussells seems to survive due to the EU, it is not a city on the 'must return to' list.

Nordkapp (North Cape) the very top of Norway and of Europe.

This is a wild wind swept plce - freezing even in summer, and very popular with tourists - the place to be photographed - top of the world - next stop, North Pole.

Here are some photos of Nordkapp for you to enjoy.

The scenery we saw

Norway was stunning. The fjords are so vast and dramatic, it is impossible to do justice to them in photographs. You feel so small when you are sailing beside these vast mountains soaring from the water, the depth of which is too deep to imagine. The weather was not brilliant at times, but the mist and clouds only added to the mystery and drama of the sights. The very top of Norway, at North Cape saw the worst of the weather, cold, rain and high winds. Standing up straight was an effort, and there was a high degree of camera shake. The country is barren and vast, the only animals sighted were deer.The towns and cities we visited were each different in their own way. Tromso is pretty, (with a great Library - more of that at another time), little streets, a lovely harbour, and wonderful views. Bergen lived up to its reputation of a rainy city - 300 days of rain a year on average, but we still got around. The Fenicular railway is amazing, the ride parallels something at Luna Park when descending, but it is worth the tummy lurch. Trondheim is a lovely university city, very hilly in places, and picturesque. Some of the towns, like Flaam had a population explosion, from the normal 200, to over 4000 in a day, which is hard for them, as there were two ships in the day we were there. But it was worth the whole trip for the train ride up the mountain from the town. This population rise is a similar problem the cities have, as in Bergen when we arrived together with the QE2 - the city is swollen with buses and groups of tourists faithfully following a guide with a pole! Woe betide you if you lose the group

The photo on the left is of the wharf area of Trondheim, the sunrise was in Geiranger fjord, picture taken around 5.00am. The bottom one was coming down on the Fenicular railway in Bergen.

The Norwgians are lovely people, tentative on starting a conversation, but a happy to tell you lots if you are interested. They speak very good English. Harry Potter is available in English now, but will not be in Norwegian for months, so they are all reading it in english. Usually, there is another language as well. Makes the traveller feel quite inadequate.

More later

St Swithun's day

Well, it rained on St Swithun's day, so it does not bode very well for the next few weeks. Never mind, there will still be some stunning scenery. The rain is really affecting some retail areas - clothing, except for wet weather gear, festivals and concerts have been rained out, while the booksellers are happy as more books and mags are sold for rainy days. The British booksellers advertise titles much more here - posters all over the tube stations, and other public areas. I guess it has something to do with the huge rail travel, as well as the longer, darker winters, and poor weather. A number of booksellers are opening at a minute after midnight, just after the embargo for Harry Potter No. 7, on Saturday morning. I am not sure if the ship will have any copies, so I may have to try and avoid all reports on the news or papers, until we return, and can get a copy myself. It is huge deal here.
The ship has arrived, so we are off to sea
More later

London and beyond

Saturday in London was cloudy, and humid. Went for a long walk on the Embankment - started out early to avoid the crowds. It is peak holiday season here, so there are crowds everywhere. The trick is to have jet lag and be ready to go around 6.00 am!

The recent problems dont seem to have affected the numbers at all - Londoners are out and about.So this morning, we set out early for Southampton - the trains can get crowded, and it is hard if you have luggage. Southampton is a pretty city - parts of the medieval wall surround parts of the city -they are cleverly incorporated into the rest of the town development. Over half of the original wall is still in- tact, and there are 13 original towers. The history goes back to Roman and Saxon times. It does make our history a little brief.

The weather has turned a little - poured while we were out - I gave a pretty good wet t-shirt impression by the time we got back.

We await our boat - it is in France tonight - sailing back overnight.

I have included a couple of sights from yesterday's wander, even a view of Hungerford Bridge - who said London was crowded?

More later

A crowded day in London

Saturday 14th July 207

School holidays, summer vacations, tourists, locals all making London extremly crowded. We walked around Regent Street, Picadilly Circus, and Covent Garden and Soho, not so much a walk as being carried along by the crowds of people. Still some parts of London were empty - well, empty if you get up early with jet lag still, and go for a walk at 6am!

heading for the North Sea, Norway and the Artic Circle.Postings will resume upon our safe return to England - but we will take notes.

More later ...

Friday 13th July 2007

Not unlucky day at all - a most enjoyable day of train trips throughout Kent and the south of England. Up early to see Trafalgar Square empty (see photo) and then breakfast and caught the 7.55am train to Canterbury down in Kent (this is jet lag kicking in having been awake since 5am!).

Canterbury is really beautiful, such ancient buildings everywhere (and not always perfectly perpendicular and some very low doors for a 6ft 3 husband!) An enjoyable walk through the old city (see photos - including the Canterbury Free Library in a very beautiful old building) then back to the train to Ashford International (and saw some Eurostar trains rush through at a huge speed - we will be on one in a few weeks too!). From Ashford the train to Hastings and along the coast to Brighton - a beautiful old city with row upon row of houses up the steep hills) Many tunnels on the train route to. Kent and the South Downs were looking very lush indeed. A lot of rain and little summer sun, although today was fine where we were. Fast train from Brighton up to London Victoria Station, then tube to Embankment, and thus to our apartment some 7 hours after we left. Who said holidays were for slacking. It is late Friday afternoon, and London stations are overflowing with people leaving for the weekend or holidays - it is an amazing sight. So many people dragging their luggage behind them. We might be alone in London tomorrow, though I somehow doubt it.

More later.

Alive and well in London, England.

It is a great thing to have a Blog when you get to the other side of the world a find that the email access doesnt work!

We had a great trip over and despite all publicity to the contrary we managed to get through Heathow Airport with suitcases and into London by the Heathrow Express within an hour leaving the Thai 747 we had flown in from Bangkok ( a Thai airways 777 from Melbourne). The trip from home to the place we are staying in London took 28 hours. It is lovely to be back in London and already we have walked miles along the Thames Embankment . We will update our adventures as often as possible. Thai airways is the best way to fly!!

The place we chose to stay this time is in the heart of London, a minute from Trafalgar Sqaure and a great bookshop! They (Waterstones) have a great display at the moment entitled: "Books you know you should read". Memo Bayside Library readers Advisors - another list to construct and display to mount.

Weather is warmish and humid, nice to be in light clothes again - no real sun, overcast and more rain on the way - but it is warm rain!

Travellers signing of!

23 - A look back and forward

These exercises have been well worth the effort in reinforcing what we learned at Information Online 07, earlier this year. The new web is the new point of interaction between users, the point where ' information and imagination ' - to take Bayside's outlook can really take on a new perspective. The private library can take on a fresh dimension, the photo album becomes a resource for fellow travellers, and a link to families across the world. For Libraries, as David Lankes, a keynote speaker at the conference, discussed, the web is now the other branch to a library service. This exercise has shown how much interaction there can be by Libraries as single units, or by connectivity to larger engines.
The private person has an online Library ready for downloading, in the form of books to his pc or ipod, broadcasts and music whenever the time is right. There are innumerable points of connectivity with like minded web users, or the opportunity to start a new trend, or float an idea.
For the Library of today, whether they be small or large, there is huge potential to harness this new aspect of the Web to their advantage, and make the collections far more accessible and flexible in content and delivery. Audio and e-content has become a parallel runner with the print.
It is imperative the library staff keep abreast of these developments, and this is where this programme has shown so many possibilities, and realities.

No. 14 - Technorati

Whoops, I missed entering any ideas on this little item. Well, I choose not to tag my own blog - I have checked out the site, and links. As with some of the sites in this exercise, the blogs featuring as well linked and tagged, are primarily American based; I will have to find some local content on other blog sites. The little features you can add to the blog and extend its scope are useful if you are wanting your ideas to spread far and wide. On a local application, however, in an organisation, I can see useful applications, as subjects and areas of interest could be easily identified. Individual departments can utilise different tags for ease of information distribution. On a general interest level, the scope is endless, as are some of the blogs.

No. 22 - Audio books

After having used audio books in the car and home for a long time, I was familiar with the concept. I do not own a portable player, but I did check out the web sites, and checked out a couple of other audio libraries. I listened to the Netlibrary tutorial, and can see procedure for downloading, after having the requisite software onboard. I checked out audible.com, which has a big listing, and the option of burning to a cd as an alternative - very clever if you require that format. Like so many aspects of this technology, there is a constant need to upgrade, as these technologies require particular capacities for successful operation.

21 - Podcasts

I have already done the short course on podcasts, and had Juice loaded. I have used it for catching programmes from the ABC. The Podcast.net is a good search point. I found a couple of useful ones on London's Trafagar Square. Very useful for the ipod, ofcourse, and checking possible information for areas to be visited, if using the travel sites. The quality of the product varies quite a lot. Libraries in Universities and large institutions must already be using these for self guided tours of floors and collections. Art Galleries must be finding this technology invaluable.

No. 20 - My first visit to Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9K4uq2dE8k

Yes, I now I am the last person on the planet to check this out. I must admit I am not a big fan of home movies. But this is a taste of the flight in a few weeks time - hopefully just as smooth.

No. 15: A couple of thoughts on web2.0

It is a new future for us all in Web 2.0,and we will be left behind if we do not embrace it. We do need to acknowledge the integrity of our service while looking at what is on offer now for the library, both small and large, for the 21st century. I am showing my age, but for a librarian who had to learn the correct layout for catalogue cards, this time in our profession is wonderful. Web 2.0 is creating a new branch for ever library prepared to take the leap. I liked Rick Anderson's article, 'Away from the icebergs'. At grassroots level, he refers to the need to move away from the 'just in case' scenario we have all been guilty of. At a very basic level, in a small public library, Web 2 is enabling the large reference collections to be pruned to a small functional size, and giving the borrower the opportunity for borrowing the items so long seen as out of reach. Chip Nilges article has some very good points, too. The 'user adding value' concept has great possibilities for reader advising extensions. The concept of the borrowers adding value to the catalogue via blogs in booklists and subject lists is a whole new area. Library Thing has these concepts. There are also going to be great developments in Worldcat. (see previous blog)
I would only want to add a word for the generation of borrowers who do not have the need or want, to participate in the new Web2.0 world. We need to make them still feel part of the library community, help them at the point they are at, and assist them if and when they are ready for the new.

No. 19 - 2.0 Awards list

I am sorry, but not all that impressed. Some awards were for links totally for the US market. As I have been checking a lot of travel and airline sites recently, I checked those links, and one retrieved the flight and fare we are taking. There were several not linking at all, may have been down for service. However, this service did not produce any sites I would return to. There could be ample opportunity for similar lists with a wider geographical scope. However, the site may be out there, and I have not yet found it.

No. 12 - Useful Rollyo

A clever little concept, creating your own lists rather than just taking what the engines throw at you, in their selected order. It is handy for those of us on the other side of the world, to construct our own area relevant links. The starter kit is useful if you were devoid of ideas as to where to start. Library info desks could create some homegrown ones for very local issues, and demands.
I liked the worldcat link, and the quotes sites were easy to use. Some of the links did not function. (I checked these over a couple of days)
http://worldcat.org/

I chose not to start an account at this site.

No. 11 - About my bookshelf - looking at Library thing

After many attempts, I finally got a password accepted. The site seems to have a few connection problems. It is a useful concept for readers who really want to share their reading and want to be continually updated with new titles. I prefer not to put my library out there. I checked a few of the titles from my personal collection, and there were no links. The listings , I presume, are heavily US biased. However, it is a handy tool if you are trying to confirm a title, as it searches a lot of huge d/b's at once. I searched 'Pride and prejudice', being a Jane Austen fan , and found over 100 titles. It is worth having in your favourites folder under Library tools. I just choose not to participate.

No. 18 - online word processing

I have checked out Zoho a little. Will go back and have another play. The free templates look good, but are a little tricky to set up for yourself. The site could do with a little more on the help site.
This whole exercise is a real eyeopener as to what is out there.

No. 16 - Wikis and all that jazz

I loved looking around some of the library wikis and found so much for readers advisory work. I have listed a couple just for my own extra record, when I am not on my home computer

http://ricklibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/06/establishing-and-promoting-readers.html


http://www.kcls.org/pearlspicks/

Wikis have such a potential for inhouse training and updating of manuals and procedures. And I loved the concept of a wiki attached to an upcoming conference. So much can be added at one point rather than emails, and attendees an just check in the area of interest. Go wikis.

No. 13 - Librarians have always been ahead of the pack.

I have just checked out del.icio.us. A lot of material from a lot of internet junkies. But I couldnt help thinking that librarians have been doing this sort of organizing forever, and the rest of the world can see how forward thinking we all are.
Referring to a previous task, the RSS feeds can be a bit of a trap, you check out an interesting site, and if there is a feed, you are constantly tempted. But where is the time to come back and check them all?
This project is a lot of fun.

No. 10 - Creating fun stuff

This could get addictive. The potential to create fun emails and greeting cards is endless.

No. 7 - All this technology

This really relates to the previous week, but the incredible growth of technology is creating a demand for information that is forever at our fingertips. This AM on morning television, there was a new phone with a huge internet capacity - your emails, rss feeds, so much is available within a few seconds, virtually anywhere. This is such an amazing time to be in the information profession - there are so many possibilities for information provision in so many formats and systems.

No. 8 - RSS feeds and all that jazz

I finally got the time to check out the RSS feeds. IF I had a lot of time, I could find myself subscribing to many interesting feed. I have limited mine to news, (I did browse the travel ones, but I saw a few listings about accidents etc, and with a trip coming up, I dont need that sort of information.
I can see this service being of huge assistance and vital link for anyone trying to keep abreast of world happenings, anything in any area of life, it is never ending. And the short the time limit you put eg - 1 hour update, the addiction to checking, just in case would be huge. I hate to think what would happen if I subscribed to a 'latest handbag feed' . Anyway, this has been a useful exercise to check how they actually happen.

No. 5 - Flickr

I have put in a picture of the ship we cruised the Baltic in, Contellation. The photo was taken in the port of Tallin, the port for Estonia. This was a really beautiful city, well worth visiting.
I chose not to put more photos on this site, but can see how it is very handy, particularly for travellers, and those keen to share particular interests.

I have had some fun using Flickr - and have listed a few photos from our trip to the Baltic ports in 2005. I look forward to putting in some of our next trip, through Norway, UK and parts of Germany.

second attempt at blogging

This is the second attempt at creating a blog, the other one is there, but the passwords have disappeared in that big hole. Hope this works better,