Eat, Sleep, Breathe, Travel

Sydney gets food trucks

Food trucks are all the rage these days. Out here in L.A., food trucks are abundant. Taco trucks of course are the most common. But then there’s everything else—Korean BBQ, burgers, Thai, sandwiches, and much more. Yes, in cities around the world, whatever your tastes, you are sure to find whatever you want served to you from a truck.

And now Sydney, Australia has joined in the mix. For a long time, late-night eating options in Australia’s most populous city were limited. So Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore decided to bring food trucks to town. Now there are 10 different trucks around Sydney where you can grab a bite after a fun long night out.

The trucks serve at various locations around town. They operate night and day offering a range of foods, from organic pizza to Australian cuisine. Helpfully, Timeout has a webpage that keeps tabs on their whereabouts, via their twitter accounts. If you’re traveling to Australia, this could definitely come in handy.

If you’re not yet signed up to travel to Australia, you should. Now you have another reason besides the amazing beaches, friendly people, interesting history, kangaroos and koalas. You have food trucks.

Photo: ricardodiaz11 via Flickr

April Fools around the world

April is three days away, which means people are starting to plan their April Fools’ Day pranks. I thought I’d take this opportunity to do a little research on other countries' April Fools’ traditions. I learned some interesting facts.

I learned that in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the UK (among other countries), April Fools’ Day only lasts until noon. Anyone who pulls a prank after noon is called an April Fool, and is serenaded with cries of "April Fool's Day's past and gone, You're the fool for making one." (Somehow I doubt they actually say this.)

I also learned that France and Italy have their own April Fools' tradition. People tack paper fishes on other people’s backs and shout “April fish!” (actually "poisson d'avril!" or "pesce d'aprile!").

Finally, I learned that in Scotland they used to have a different name for April Fool’s Day. They called it Hunt-the-Gowk Day ("gowk" is a word for a cuckoo or a fool). They had some elaborate tradition that I don't really understand, involving a written message that says "Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile."

I’m actually not a big prankster, so April Fools' Day usually comes and goes without me noticing. But I know that some people get a lot of pleasure out of pulling pranks on April Fools’ Day. To those people, I say enjoy your special day.

Photo: Vintage Lulu via Flickr

Happy Birthday, Bridge

I’d like to wish a very happy birthday to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which turned 80 years old today. The bridge is one of the world’s most famous, certainly one of Sydney's iconic images, right up there with the Opera House. It's the largest steel arch bridge in the world (39,000 tons), and one of the longest. Locals call it “the coathanger.”

Folks in Sydney seem excited about this milestone anniversary. This morning (or maybe it was yesterday morning; to be honest I’m not sure what day it is in Australia right now), the brass section of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performed a special birthday concert atop the bridge. The musicians positioned themselves up on the arch, 440 feet above the harbor, and played some tunes.

In addition to the concert, there have been many other tributes paid in recent days. One woman says her father carried her across the bridge when she was just 13 days old, making her the youngest person on the bridge that day. A local politician took the occasion to announce proposed upgrades to the bridge's tolling equipment. And Google had a special logo illustration on its Australia page.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, bridge. You look good.

Photo: tseyin via Flickr

Australia’s offbeat sporting events in 2012

One of the reasons to go to Australia is to experience all their funny unusual customs. (Other reasons to go to Australia are exotic animals and incredible beaches.)

Nowhere is the wacky Aussie sensibility more evident than in this entertaining list of the country’s top 2012 sporting events. I don’t think any EF College Break trips will actually be in the right place at the right time to go see these events in person, but that’s beside the point. The point is that the sports exist, and that the spirit behind them can be found all over Australia any time of year. And who knows, maybe you'll stumble upon a practice run.

I’ll let you read about the events for yourself, but here are my favorites:

1. Tunarama – Fishermen throw large fresh tunas as far as they can.

2. Cockroach World Championships – Cockroaches race around a circular track. They also compete in a steeplechase where they leap over a garden hose.

3. Wife-Carrying championships – Competitors race 200 meters through an obstacle course while carrying their wives. The champions (husband and wife) win the wife’s weight in beer.

If these events are just too quirky for you, you can always fall back on traditional Australian Football.

Photo: VRGuy via Flickr (CC)

For Halloween: world's best cemeteries

Happy Halloween, everybody. I’d like to keep things spooky today, so I’m going to fill you in on the world’s best cemeteries to visit.

This article gives a good breakdown. Happily, five of these cemeteries are in cities on EF College Break trips, so you can visit them yourself if you’re feeling up to it. I actually haven’t been to any of the cemeteries mentioned. I’d love to go to that Waverly Cemetery in Sydney. It looks amazing, with the dramatic views of the sea adding to the already-dramatic element of the tombstones.

Two of my personal favorite cemeteries did not make this list. One is Père Lachaise in Paris. When I studied abroad in Paris, I lived around the corner from this famous cemetery. It houses the remains of many famous French people, including writer Marcel Proust and mime Marcel Marceau. It’s also the final resting place of Jim Morrison (his grave is by far the most visited, always covered in flowers and notes and other tokens of admiration).

My other favorite cemetery is in Prague, where I also lived for a spell. It’s up on Vyšehrad hill. This cemetery has nice views of the Vltava River, and it houses the graves of famous Czechs like composer Antonin Dvořák and writer Jan Neruda.

I like visiting cemeteries in foreign cities. It has sort of a weird effect—somewhere between spooky and peaceful. Always nice and quiet. And seeing the final resting places of the country’s famous citizens is an interesting way of connecting to the culture.

Anyway, hope you're having a scary Halloween.

Photo: geoftheref via Flickr (CC)

Edible bugs on the rise in Australia

I’ve always liked this video of EF College Break travelers eating scorpions at a market in Thailand. I’m in favor of being adventurous when it comes to eating abroad, and I'm all for eating scorpions, bugs or whatever other creepy crawlies the locals may be into.

So I was interested to read this article about the increasing popularity of eating bugs in Australia. The custom of eating insects has been a part of Australian Aborigine culture for thousands of years. But now it’s going mainstream. At least according to one edible insects store whose business is booming.

The online store is owned by an entomologist, and it sells the insects in many forms. The biggest seller appears to be the lollipops with bugs in the middle (kind of like tootsie pops but instead of tootsie in the middle you get a bug). They also have chocolate covered bugs, chocolate-chip mealworm cookies, bugs ground up into chocolate-coated cookies, frozen bugs, roasted bugs—it seems like the sky is the limit.

The edible insects have become all the rage at Australian corporate events, kids’ parties, and even as Father’s Day gifts. From what I can tell, the craze hasn’t really swept the nation yet, but travelers on a 2012 trip to Australia might just end up snacking on crickets and mealworms.

Photo: Danny Oz via Flickr (CC)

Time to pick up some Aussie slang

When traveling to another country, it’s always a good idea to learn a bit of the language before you go. Trying out some key phrases on the locals is always a fun time, and the effort is usually appreciated.

What people don’t always realize is that it’s an equally good idea to learn the local language if you're traveling to an English-speaking country. In England, Ireland and Australia, you’d be surprised at all the linguistic differences, both phonetically and colloquially.

I just came across this informative and entertaining article about Australian slang. It lists 33 different expressions, complete with thorough explanations. Many of the phrases brought a smile to my face; some because of the way they sound and others because of their meanings. I particularly like the sound of “dog’s breakfast,” “ripsnorter” and “not pissing on someone when they’re on fire.”

As for meaning and usage, I think if I were in Australia I’d be most likely to say “Crikey” (used to communicate amazement or surprise), “Throw a shrimp on the barbie” (let's grill some shrimp), or “No worries, mate, she’ll be right” (general expression to say that everything will turn out fine). Honorable mention goes to “Oi for drongos and galahs,” which is something you say when you are annoyed at or strongly disagree with someone.

One more thing. To get used to the Australian accent, try listening to this recording a few times. I think you’ll find it very engaging. Or, if you prefer the female voice.

You are now ready to go on the Australia and New Zealand trip with EF College Break.

Photo: Tasumi1968 via Flickr (CC)

Lights on in Sydney

Sydney, Australia is getting all lit up at night these days. You can see it in this video of the Sydney Opera House. The light show, called Lights On, is part of the Vivid Sydney festival—it started on May 27 and runs for about two-and-a-half weeks.

The purpose of Vivid Sydney is to put Sydney’s creativity on display. The festival's executive producer says that Sydney is a creative hub (I’m not one to disagree with him), and the festival underscores the city’s creativity and also encourages people to get involved in creative industries.

This is the third annual Vivid, and they say it’s been growing every year. The festival’s tagline is Light, Music and Ideas, three things I like very much. The events include light shows, live music, discussions, and an outdoor exhibition of interactive light sculptures.

The Lights On thing starts every day at 6 PM (there’s a daily countdown on the festival’s website). There are light shows in various places, but the highlight is definitely the Opera House. It looks very cool. The iconic building is already very aesthetically pleasing, and the light show offers a new way to appreciate the unique shape of the famous roof.

Another way to appreciate the unique shape of the famous roof is to go on EF College Break's Australia and New Zealand trip in 2012. It's a great one.

Photo: jaroslavd via Flickr (CC)

Dogs getting down in Sydney

The Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most famous and recognizable performance venues, playing host to world-class shows throughout the year. This weekend it hosted a concert for dogs.

The aptly named Music for Dogs concert took place outside the famous opera house in front of about 1,000 very happy dogs. The show lasted about 20 minutes and featured a four-piece band playing music that dogs would like, including whale songs and high-pitched electronic sounds that only dogs can hear. By all accounts, the dogs absolutely loved it. There was much howling, barking, and tail-wagging.

This Reuters video sums up the event nicely. My favorite part is when the concert’s organizer Laurie Anderson (wife of rock legend Lou Reed) explains why she decided to put on a concert for dogs, an idea that stemmed from a backstage conversation with cellist Yo-Yo Ma: "We were both talking about how much we love dogs, and what a dream it would be if we could be playing, and look out, and the whole audience was dogs." Great point. I couldn’t agree with her more.

The show was part of Sydney’s Vivid LIVE festival, an annual musical event running for about a month (May 27-June 21) at the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House, of course, is that iconic building with the giant roofs that look like shells or sails, depending on who you ask. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is actually made up of six separate venues. A visit to the Sydney Opera House is a must on any trip to Australia.

You can even bring your dog.

Photo: Roberta W.B. via Flickr (CC license)

Competitive sheep shearing in the French Alps

A few days ago, in a tradition usually associated with New Zealand or Australia, a town in the high French Alps engaged in an exciting sheep shearing competition. The point of a sheep shearing competition is to shear a sheep as fast as you can. The person whose sheep is completely sheared first wins.

As you can see in this video, these are some very skilled sheep shearers. I’ve never sheared a sheep myself, so I don’t think I even really appreciate how special these talented sheep shearers are, but I’m still impressed. Also, I love the facial expressions of the sheep while they’re being sheared.

The farmers in this French Alpine town decided to hold this unusual event to boost the local economy and to promote tourism in the area. The fastest competitor in the contest sheared his sheep in one minute and eleven seconds. Not bad at all. But nowhere near the New Zealand record for the fastest sheared sheep: 25 seconds. That's fast.

When I’m getting a haircut, I like to relax and enjoy myself for as long as possible. As I watched these sheep being sheared in just over a minute, I couldn't help but wonder if they felt cheated out of their normal relaxing haircut. I suppose one rushed haircut is okay when it’s for a good cause: fun competition, camaraderie, and a little publicity for a small French town. 

As I mentioned, competitive sheep shearing is most popular in Australia and New Zealand, but it’s also pretty common in England, Ireland, Wales and South Africa. The next World Championship of sheep shearing will take place in Llanelwedd, Wales in July, 2010.

Photo: sirwiseowl via Flickr (CC license)