Keep on Moving

I'm not good at standing still. I like doing a thousand things at once and each at full speed. So when I have to stand still a while - I stall. It becomes difficult to even do one thing well.

So it's nice to get moving again, and we're now en route to the Pyrenees in the south of France and north of Spain to meet up with very good friends who have flown in from Sweden. We haven't got a specific itinerary - we'll be generously ad-libbing but the fun is in just being with them exploring new places, as we have done countless times in the past in all kinds of places around the world. I'm very much looking forward to meeting them for breakfast in Andorra tomorrow and seeing where the day takes us... and the next few days after that...

Random Travelling Men ....3

A few good men. There have been quite a number in France (which I usually haven't found in the past) but these are the last batch from Croatia - Dubrovnik in fact.

Finally got to swim today. And the sun came out while we were in the outdoor pool. Excellent. I'm feeling a lot more settled. I have been official photographer for the new nephew, which has been fun, although I'm not sure I'm quite the baby photographer Anne Geddes is... Despite all the food I've eaten - I'm getting hungry!!!

Quietly Insane

Okay- yes I'm on holiday in Europe and it is summer, although you wouldn't know it by the cool weather... but today was perhaps not my best day...

I'm sitting here in the French countryside with an internet connection I can run faster than (when I can get to the pc in the first place), having spent a day in conversations where I was mostly sitting through quietly watching people speak and wondering what they were saying and why the hell I can't speak French yet. The days can go REALLY REALLY slowly... I know the people I am meeting with are delightful, and I do get knowing looks from those who do understand my predicament when they see me staring into the distance, having concentrated as long as I can on the French that at times seems so close yet today so far away... I have redesigned the rooms I have sat in, I have painted pictures of the people I am with, planned my life until it's end - all in my head, I even visualised a massage for my back - sore from the running I have been doing in lieu of swimming, as distant to me now as my pathetic French.

I have taken photos, I have fed babies (well, my neborn nephew) even burped him and walked him...

But I'm a communicator, not a wallflower. SPEAK TO ME!!! (in English please, I just feel stupid in French)

Anyone recognise this?

Paris in Summer

We've escaped to Paris for 2 days. It's great fun to explore - and a LOT of walking to be done - even if you do use the metro liberally... We sat down to dinner at 10pm (we were busy exploring all day!) and the people on BOTH sides of us lit up their cigarettes - so we got up and left in search of somewhere free of smoke in which to eat... (and that was a BIG challenge). I'm an avid non smoker and find it incredible this smoking habit... Oh and when we did eventually find somewhere - I paid around $12 (8.5 euro) for a large serve of soft drink - this town certainly does know how to charge!

But hey - there is a lot to see and do despite these factors - but Sylvain and I were sitting down this evening thinking, we do enjoy Paris - but don't quite understand why so many people rave on and on about the place... really, what is it about Paris that moves people so? Or is it the idea of Paris? The food though - if we lived here we'd be impossibly fat from all the fantastic things you can find!! Anyway - more to explore... just giving you a taste.

More Croatia Pics

Just a few pictures of Croatia - I think they're all pretty self explanatory really - but have any questions? Let me know.

Random Travelling Men... 2.

I'm not sure what he's saying - it might be to his very cute little boy - but this daddy was a very welcome distraction to a very busy street in Dubrovnik. Who needs history and culture when there are cute men to divert your attention?

Again the diver in Dubrovnik. Footwear is highly recommended on rather sharp rocks - hence the sandals. But look at those shoulders!! Oh and everything else... Why limit it.

For more travel details - see my travel blog linked here.

Wild Wednesday

I was in the middle of the Adriatic Sea last week, so you had a wild wednesday reprieve. But it's back and as challenging as ever. I must say I get scared every time I speak French... of course I'm in France right now so that is a lot of wildness for me at the moment. In fact it's quite exhausting. But Today is the day to do something that scares you. Something outside your every day activities. Be a little different. Given my travelling theme, today's suggestion is speaking to someone not born locally who is new or newish to you , or perhaps just someone you met on the street - and either converse with them or ideally invite them to a meal at your home - but elsewhere if that's a little too scary for now. Then let us know what you did and how it went. Good Luck. Aussielicious' Brenton has enrolled in an aerial silks course today... what will you do?

Lost in Transit

So far there have been 2 casualties of travel...
I had searched high and low for the book 'Emergency Sex and other desperate measures' which had been highly recommended to me by Lynnette (of along the way - blog fame) I ultimately found with assistance from a bookseller who had some stashed away at the airport somewhere... only for me to leave it on the ship, having just started it, and it started well. damn damn damn - you know how hard it is to find specific English books in the middle of France??!! And right now is when I have the most reading time...
Number 2 on the lost list is my toothbrush - left in the hotel in Dubrovnik... but I do enjoy the supermarkets of France - they sell EVERYTHING - and I now have a new toothbrush which was sorely needed anyway.

Random Travelling Men

Where have all the good men gone?
There have been some gorgeous men cruising the coast of Croatia - and more than a few who call Croatia home. So for all you lovers of men out there I've trained my lens on where some of the cute ones have been, and here are some photos to show you, collected over the past week or so... more will follow...

These guys were climbing and jumping off the rocks below our hotel room in Dubrovnik. This was taken from the balcony.

Taken in Split where it was damned hot - we were running late for drinks with our friends, but the water was so inviting and the men were plentiful, so in we jumped.. the guy in the water in this shot is divine - but we had to rush away - and yes we did make it in time for drinks...

toes in the adriatic

Another swim in the Adriatic this morning - three of us have been doing a swim of between 1 and 2 km each day (and I've usually swum a little more another time in the day) and it has been great fun - exploring the coastlines and islands. Last night as we sat at an outdoor cafe watching the moonrise in the balmy evening I took my shoes off and walked down to the water and just immersed my feet for a while - it's therapy for me, calming - I can't keep out of the water - even if it is just my feet.... the drinks into the evening were awesome. sigh...
I'll post a pic a little later.... - updated - should be very clear now...

Hvar - There's More

Yes that's its name - our home for the week....

It's been some time out of range - ie docked at ports with no internet access. So we'll do some catching up. Here is one of the many bars / restaurants in Hvar - Croatia - where we're currently travelling. (More details at the travel specific blog - click here.) We're back on dry land in Dubrovnik as the ship has set sail back to Split, but it still feels like we're at sea - that rocking and rolling feeling you get - when you're not rocking and rolling...

I love sometimes being out of range - it puts the super back into superchilled. I got to try some watercolour painting, swam endless kilometres between islands and around bays and beaches and chased after countless fish, oh and a few men. But the best ones were those I didn't need to chase at all!! We had games of scrabble, bogglewords, pictionary and a few others I can't remember the name of, just like you do on those balmy summer evenings when you're on holiday with friends, and chatted away on deck and in various ports as we explored the new locales. We did a run in Hvar - early morning but still hot - as part of my continuing running phase - and enjoyed it (after a very stiff beginning) - some great sights along an oceanic path too.

Like this cafe above.

I've been practicing with the new underwater cam - too much fun! More photos to follow probably tomorrow after we've explored more of Dubrovnik... which deserves its own post or three.

Oh, and for those who will be asking - Croatian men are a mix - some are drop dead gorgeous - others less so... but there are enough distractions to make a simple walk or swim a pleasure for more than just the landscapes.

Did anyone do something for Wild Wednesday this week?

First Photos...

Hot hot hot ' summer and all is well here in Croatia. Had soem pc issues... as you do travelling... so need to keep it brief. On another island now been swimming all the time. Will detail more when I have some time... look below for some update pics too...

the flights...

I Love Summer!!

We arrived in a sweltering Split (southern coastal Croatia) - 40 degrees earlier in the day and 36 when we got here. It means the men are mostly half naked - and my wordy lordy me - what a delight that has been today! We went for a walk/run exploration and then a dip in the sea - along with most of Split who were on a public holiday - and the men!!! Ah - this is what holidays are all about. I have pics but no software to make them less than 2 or 3 meg yet - (downloading software to the notebook as I type) - but yes I DO have some examples to show to prove it's not just hype.

Watch this space.

A Spinoff Travel Blog

Trevor & Sylvain on Tour - it's our travel blog which will take you on tour in selected parts of the European Summer!! But don't worry - I'll be posting here as well - just blogs with slightly different perspectives.

I love the first leg of an international trip - it clears my mind - and forces me to relax. The dark cabin with all these softly flickering screens and the humn of the wind outside (or the engines if you're a bit too close). Firts leg we upgraded to Business - the rest of the trip we'll be heading to the back of the plane... Ahhhh, it was nice while it lasted. Saw the movie Blood Diamond on the way. Wow sensational - definitely worth a look.

Click the title to see the spinoff blog (http://trevorsylvain.blogspot.com) , see you there!

Superchilled On Tour

Wednesday was my last day of work before a heading off to Europe with The Frenchman Thursday afternoon. Why is it that your last day is just SO BUSY!? It really makes you want to leave, and fast! But the excitement of the holiday early in the day became a frustrating anticlimax at the end of the day - I guess leaving work at 10pm isn't exactly something to make one enthused. I'm sure I'll feel better when the I'm being thrust back into my seat at a rate of knots as we head skyward and anything I haven't done can just bugger the hell off for a few weeks. And while it's getting excitingly chilly here - I'll be much happier to hit the water in the Adriatic and be superchilled and warm, all at the same time.

I'm not sure what kind of internet access I'll have while away - so watch this space for updates.

Wild Wednesday

Wild Wednesday's have been so successful my friends are making them wild weeks!! While it is cyclonic outside (seriously) - people are getting cyclonic within their own personal lives, doing things that once scared them and revelling in it. Now I'm getting scared!! It's not too late to get in on it though. Wild Wednesdays are for everyone. All it needs is for you to do something different, outside your comfort zone, and you're there. It can be as simple as walking a different way to work, saying hello to that cute guy you've seen at gym all the time but have been to scared to talk to, or as complex as you like, but go for it - life is too short to wonder 'what if...?'

Have you done something wild on Wednesday? Tell us now.

Want more inspiration? - click on the 'wild wednesdays' link below.

How Gay is YOUR Sport? # 5

Pole Vaulting

"I go Pole Vaulting every day, it's kinda liberating to be thrust onto a pole and into the air... "
It's not exactly everyday conversation - at least not relating to sport, and most of us only ever see it every 4 years when the Olympics come around - and then only if your own country has an athlete competing in it, or you watch the entire broadcast for 3 weeks...

So why is it covered here in superchilled sport? Because of Viktor Chistiakov of course - pictured. He represented Australia in the 2000 Olympics with his then similarly gorgeous wife, and came in 5th place, but moved back to Russia earlier this year.

Participant Rating
It's not exactly a team sport - so you're not going to meet a lot of people, although some may well be cute... you do get a lot of pole work, which might entice some.
2.5 stars

Spectator Rating
I never tire of it - it's just so mesmerising, you just wonder if the pole will break - every time. Athletes of Viktor's calibre and attire give it a maximum rating.
5 stars

The Race - Location 15

Do you know where this is?

In the last leg of Superchilled Race Around the World Peter von Amsterdam came first, correctly identifying Katz's Diner in New York City from my photo, and also the pastrami on rye (right) which was the meal we ate when there (it was huge - The Frenchman and I had to share) certainly a culinary must. Brenton from Aussielicious guessed Myers Food court (a shopping centre food hall in Sydney) so he's on a 'get out more' plan.

Your task is to identify the location of the photograph above correctly and most rapidly. Do you know where it is? Add your comment and let me know - first to correctly identify it wins, and the most creative guess also gets accolades.

The Race starts NOW.

update: 20thJune
New Clue: To get there - you need to head to the UK...

BSB @ Elsewhere

Me, Brenton & Christiaan @ almost BSB*.

A Saturday escape to the big smoke saw The Frenchman (missing from the photos because of his penchant for mystery) and I catching up with family and friends including the regular BSB crew transplanted to a whole new cafe (some other bloggers were frightened of getting wet). I don't think we really care where we meet up anyway - it's just too much fun regardless of where it is. I just pity the people around who have to deal with our animated conversation, and relentless paparazzi. But it will be the last BSB event for a few weeks now as The Frenchman and I are off to the warmer northern hemisphere later this week.

It has been a week of unexpected pleasures and moving and shaking. Just how I like it. Life should not be about the status quo and moving on the path of least resistance.

Look into my eyes, not around my eyes... it's the 2 million visit man. Brenton looks like he's got his eyes set on the stars... what next can we expect from the ever-popular Aussielicious, the blog of the public nudity challenge?

I'm not really a musicals fan - but Theatre this evening with Christopher & Keith our regular theatre buddies was a delight. Laughed a whole lot I did to the one liners from "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" playing now at the Sydney Theatre. We continued to stress Keith to the max with dessert (4 Belgian Chocolate Tarts) ordered with just enough time to get to the theatre - worth every second!

The Frenchman and I do have a habit of driving the time-conscious people in our lives to the brink of despair. Many apologies - we do love you - even if we do it later than others.

* for the uninitiated - BSB is the Bourke Street Bakery - the centre of many a discussion on a weekend afternoon, with consumption of many a fine coffee / hot chocolate and various tarts.