TRAVEL TUESDAY 550 - KATHERINE GORGE, NT, AUSTRALIA

“We from the south are becoming more and more conscious of the Northern Territory, and are realising what a remarkable future the Territory has... the people of the out-back work under difficult conditions, and their efforts; skill and cheerfulness will make the Territory a great producing area. You are not forgotten.” - Robert Menzies

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There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and then share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge is a stunning 13-gorge system carved by the Katherine River through ancient sandstone in Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory. Located 30 km northeast of the town of Katherine, it is celebrated for its towering cliffs, Aboriginal rock art, and diverse outback wildlife.

The best way to experience the area includes: River Cruises, that range from casual sightseeing, sunset dinner and to cultural cruises. Renting a canoe gives you the freedom to paddle through the serene gorges and swim in hidden spots. Helicopter scenic flights provide a spectacular aerial view of the entire gorge system. The park also features a variety of trails, including the multi-day Jatbula Trail and shorter walks to Sweetwater Pool.

The gorge is a 3.5-hour drive south from Darwin along the Stuart Highway. The best time to visit is during the Dry Season (April to October), which is ideal for swimming and canoeing, as the waters are placid and accessible. The Traditional Owners of the land are the Jawoyn people, with Nitmiluk translating to "cicada place" in their traditional language.

Katherine is the town in the Northern Territory closest to the Gorge. It is situated on the Katherine River, after which it is named, 320 kilometres southeast of Darwin. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory, it is known as the place where "The outback meets the tropics". Katherine had an urban population of 9,643 at the 2021 Australia Census.

Katherine is also the closest major town to RAAF Base Tindal, located 17 km southeast, and provides education, health, local government services and employment opportunities for the families of Defence personnel stationed there. In the 2016 census, the base had a residential population of 857, with only around 20% of the workforce engaged in employment outside of defence, the majority commuting to work in Katherine. Katherine is also the central hub of the great "Savannah Way" which stretches from Cairns in north Queensland to Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 549 - PORT MORESBY, NEW GUINEA

“Papua New Guinea, a land where ancient customs and traditions harmonise with modernity.” – David Walliams

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Port Moresby (Tok Pisin: Pot Mosbi), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the south-western coast of the Papuan Peninsula of the island of New Guinea.

The city emerged as a trade centre in the second half of the 19th century. During World War II, it was a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43 as a staging point and air base to cut off Australia from Southeast Asia and the Americas. Due to its population and outsized influence compared to other cities in Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby may be regarded as a primate city.

As of the 2011 census, Port Moresby had 364,145 inhabitants. This grew to 756,754 at the 2024 census. The place where the city was founded has been inhabited by the Motu-Koitabu people for centuries. The first Briton to see it was Royal Navy Captain John Moresby in 1873. It was named in honour of his father, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby.

Although Port Moresby is surrounded by Central Province, of which it is also the capital, it is not part of that province but instead forms the National Capital District. The traditional landowners, the Motu and Koitabu people, are represented by the Motu Koita Assembly. Port Moresby hosted the APEC summit in November 2018. However, there were concerns about security, given the capital's reputation for violent crime.

There has been substantial building of housing, office towers, shopping malls and commercial establishments over much of the city. The waterfront area has been completely redeveloped with apartments, restaurants and shopping centres. Hanuabada and Koki are the last remaining stilt villages in Port Moresby, where traditional houses are built on wooden pylons over the sea. These homes, which are central to the indigenous Motu community, are connected by wooden walkways and enjoy a strong sense of community.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 548 - MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA

“Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return.” - E. M. Forster

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Flinders Street Station is Melbourne's iconic central railway hub and a primary cultural landmark located at the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets. Completed in 1909, its distinctive yellow facade and green copper dome make it one of Australia’s most recognisable buildings. Here is Platform 1, which is the longest railway platform in Australia and the fourth longest in the world, stretching 708 metres.

Flinders St Station serves the entire metropolitan rail network and regional V/Line services to Gippsland. It is the busiest suburban station in the Southern Hemisphere, handling over 1,500 trains and 110,000 commuters daily.

The third floor of the Station houses a grand, abandoned ballroom that was a popular dance hall in the 1950s and 60s. In the late 1980s, heating was installed under the stone steps at the main entrance of the Station to keep commuters warm while they wait. Local lore tells of a ghost named "George," often spotted holding fishing gear on Platform 10.

A row of 13 indicator clocks above the main entrance of Flinders St Station shows the next departure for each line. This is Melbourne's most famous meeting point, often accompanied by the phrase: “Meet me under the clocks.”

As of late 2025, the station connects to the new Town Hall Station via the Flinders Link underground walkway, allowing for seamless interchange with the new Metro Tunnel. The station includes takeaway kiosks (coffee, sushi, hot food), public toilets, and Travellers Aid for travel assistance. A historic hat shop  “City Hatters” located in the station since 1910, was originally the station master's office.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 547 - ROUEN, FRANCE

“In France we have a saying, ‘Joie de vivre’, which actually doesn't exist in the English language. It means looking at your life as something that is to be taken with great pleasure and enjoy it.” - Mireille Guiliano

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Rouen is the historic capital of Normandy in northwestern France, 125 km northwest of Paris. It is known as the “city of a hundred bell-towers” and famed for its medieval, half-timbered houses, rich Gothic architecture, and connection to Joan of Arc. It is located on the picturesque River Seine, and it features the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Gros-Horloge clock, and a population of over 712,000 in its metropolitan area. It is a “Ville Musée” (Museum City) that balances a rich, preserved history with a lively, modern urban atmosphere.

Rouen Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame) is a masterpiece of Gothic art immortalized in a series of paintings by Claude Monet. The Gros-Horloge is a 14th-century astronomical clock located on a Renaissance arch spanning a bustling pedestrian street. The Place du Vieux-Marché is the historic marketplace where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431, now featuring a modern church dedicated to her. Old Town (Le Vieux Rouen) a pedestrian-friendly area, filled with hundreds of medieval, half-timbered houses and cobbled streets is the key venue to visit in the city. The Musée des Beaux-Arts is a fine arts museum with a large collection of Impressionist paintings. History, art and culture are a vibrant part of the fabric of the City.

Every summer, the magnificent cathedral in Rouen comes to life at nightfall with a free, breathtaking light show projected upon its façade. The Rouen Armada is the largest gathering of tall ships in the world. For around ten days, millions of visitors flock to the quays of Rouen to admire the most prestigious ships and greet their crews. Rouen‘s massive Fête du Ventre is undoubtedly one of the must-attend gastronomic events of the autumn and remains a popular attraction for local and international tourists.

Rouen, as the historical capital of Normandy, was crucial during the Middle Ages, with ties to Vikings, William the Conqueror, and Richard the Lionheart. Joan of Arc is also profoundly linked to the City, and Saint Joan was tried and executed here. Known for traditional Normandy cuisine, including local cheeses, apple products, and boasting, in La Couronne, one of France's oldest inns, excellent cuisine. Rouen is must visit city for any foodie.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 546 - DUNNOTTAR CASTLE, SCOTLAND

“The gloomy hills of Scotland keep my spirit clean” - Robert Louis Stevenson

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Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the northeast coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages.

Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century.

The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public. The castle ruins are spread over 1.4 hectares, The site is surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 meters below.

A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads to the gatehouse. The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site were listed buildings.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 545 - SANTIAGO DE CHILE

“Mining created Chile. The story of men who go down into the mountain and chip away at minerals in the darkness and then suffer an accident that leaves them at the mercy of that darkness is part of the DNA of Chile, an integral part of the country's history.” - Ariel Dorfman

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Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile's GDP.

Most of the city lies between 500 and 650 meters above sea level, with recent urban growth extending into the Andean foothills. The basin that Santiago occupies has been inhabited since at least the 10th millennium BC, with early agricultural villages established along the Mapocho River and later incorporated into the Inca sphere of influence. During the Spanish invasion of the Americas, conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the colonial city of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo on 12 February 1541, laying out a grid plan around the Plaza Mayor (now Plaza de Armas). Despite early food shortages, Indigenous attacks, floods, and devastating earthquakes—notably in 1647—the city consolidated as the capital of the Captaincy General of Chile.

Santiago remained the political centre during the Chilean War of Independence, beginning with the First Government Junta in 1810 and culminating in patriot victory at the Battle of Maipú in 1818, and subsequently expanded through 19th-century railway construction, state-building projects, and the creation of major educational and cultural institutions. The city today is the political and administrative heart of Chile: it houses the presidential palace and the main organs of the executive and judiciary, while the National Congress meets primarily in nearby Valparaíso.

Economically, Santiago is the country's principal industrial, commercial, and financial hub and a regional centre for services, hosting the headquarters of major Chilean companies, regional offices of international organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and several of the nation's leading universities and research institutes. Urban growth has been marked by the emergence of high-rise business districts such as Sanhattan, dominated by Gran Torre Santiago, the tallest building in South America and the second tallest building in Latin America (behind Mexico's T.Op Torre 1). 

Santiago's urban landscape combines a 19th-century neoclassical core and surviving colonial churches with extensive modern residential districts, standalone hills such as Cerro Santa Lucía and Cerro San Cristóbal, and parklands along the Mapocho River, including Parque Forestal, Parque Bicentenario, and Santiago Metropolitan Park.

The city has a cool semi-arid climate with Mediterranean characteristics, warm, dry summers and cool, wetter winters; its location in an enclosed valley contributes both to its scenic views of the high Andes and to chronic air pollution and winter smog. Santiago is served by Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, a dense network of urban highways, and one of Latin America's most extensive metro systems.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 544 - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA

“Where words end, eyes begin, and hands weave timeless stories, that's the art of Kathakali.” ― Raigon Stanley

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 km2, making it the largest and most populous city in Kerala. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a port city located 19 km; 12 mi from a heavily trafficked east–west shipping channel. The city is home to India's first deep-water trans-shipment port, the Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram. Known as the "Evergreen City of India”, it is famous for its blend of colonial architecture, spiritual landmarks, and scenic coastal landscapes.

The city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills. Thiruvananthapuram is also known for its cultural heritage, being associated with the musical contributions of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma and the artistic legacy of painter Raja Ravi Varma. Thiruvananthapuram has contributed to the development of Malayalam literature through individuals like Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, Kumaran Asan, C. V. Raman Pillai and Narayana Guru. The city is also known for Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, known as the richest temple in the world.

Thiruvananthapuram is a notable academic and research hub and home to the University of Kerala, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, the regional headquarters of Indira Gandhi National Open University, and many other schools and colleges.

Must see attractions include: Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which is one of the world's richest temples, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and featuring intricate Dravidian architecture. Kovalam Beach, located about 13 km away, it is famous for its crescent-shaped coastline and iconic lighthouse. Technopark, which is India’s first IT park and a major employment hub, currently expanding with a new World Trade Centre. Napier Museum & Zoological Gardens, home to a rare collection of archaeological artefacts and one of the oldest zoos in India. Aazhimala Siva Temple, notable for its massive 18 metre concrete statue of Lord Shiva overlooking the Arabian Sea. Kathakali a stylized classical Indian dance-drama known for its vibrant makeup, elaborate costumes, and highly controlled facial expressions. Native to Kerala in southwestern India, the name translates to "story" (katha) "play" (kali).

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 543 - REIMS, FRANCE

“I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate… and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Reims  is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies 129 km northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by the Gauls, Reims became a major city in the Roman Empire.

Reims later played a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The royal anointing was performed at the Cathedral of Reims, which housed the Holy Ampulla of chrism allegedly brought by a white dove at the baptism of Frankish king Clovis I in 496. For this reason, Reims is often referred to in French as la cité des sacres ("the Coronation City").

Reims is recognized for the diversity of its heritage, ranging from Romanesque to Art-déco. Reims Cathedral, the adjacent Palace of Tau, and the Abbey of Saint-Remi were listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 because of their outstanding Romanesque and Gothic architecture and their historical importance to the French monarchy.[6] Reims also lies on the northern edge of the Champagne wine region and is linked to its production and export.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 542 - CAEN, FRANCE

“Peace is not a gift from God to man, but a gift from man to himself.” - Elie Wiesel

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
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Caen is a city and commune 15 km inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (as of 2018), while its functional urban area has 470,000, making Caen the second largest urban area in Normandy and the 19th largest in France. It is also the third largest commune in all of Normandy after Le Havre and Rouen. Caen is located 200 km northwest of Paris, connected to the South of England by the Caen (Ouistreham) to Portsmouth ferry route through the English Channel.

Situated a few miles from the coast, the landing beaches, the bustling resorts of Deauville and Cabourg, as well as Norman Switzerland and the Pays d'Auge, Caen is often considered the archetype of Normandy. Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen, heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city. The city has now preserved the memory by erecting a memorial and a museum dedicated to peace, the Mémorial de Caen.

Caen is in an area of high humidity. The river Orne flows through the city, as well as small rivers known as les Odons, most of which have been buried under the city to improve urban hygiene. Caen has a large flood zone, named "La prairie", located around the hippodrome, not far from the river Orne, which is regularly submerged. Caen is 10 km from the Channel. A canal (Canal de Caen à la Mer) parallel to the Orne was built during the reign of Napoleon III to link the city to the sea at all times. The canal reaches the English Channel at Ouistreham. A lock keeps the tide out of the canal and lets large ships navigate up the canal to Caen's freshwater harbours.

The castle, the Château de Caen, built c. 1060 by William the Conqueror, who successfully conquered England in 1066, is one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe. It remained an essential feature of Norman strategy and policy. Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (Museum of Fine Arts of Caen) and Musée de Normandie (Museum of Normandy) along with many periodical exhibitions about arts and history.

In repentance for marrying his cousin Mathilda of Flanders, William the Conqueror ordered two abbeys to be built on the Pope's encouragement: Église St.-Étienne, formerly the Abbaye aux Hommes (Men's Abbey). It was completed in 1063 and is dedicated to St Stephen. The current Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) of Caen is built onto the South Transept of the building. Église de la Ste.-Trinité, formerly the Abbaye aux Dames (Women's Abbey). It was completed in 1060 and is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The current seat of the regional council (conseil régional) of Basse-Normandie is nearby.

Other sights include: Jardin botanique de Caen, a historic botanical garden. The Church of Saint-Pierre, the Church of Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux, and the Church of Saint-Jean de Caen. Not to be missed is the Mémorial pour la Paix ("Memorial for Peace") built in 1988, a museum charting the events leading up to and after D-Day. It is an emotional presentation inviting meditation and reflection. The Memorial for Peace also includes an exhibit of Nobel Peace Prize winners and another one on Conflict Resolution in different cultures.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 541 - SATURN, SOLAR SYSTEM

“Geez, all that money we waste on space exploration; just think how many bombs that would buy!” - Craig Bruce

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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The ultimate travel destination this week, is an extraterrestrial extravaganza: Imagine yourself on one of the moons of Saturn (it has 285 confirmed moons, the most of any planet in the Solar System!) This location would give you a ringside view (yes, pun intended!) of the most photogenic planet of our solar system… If it were possible to travel there, that is…

Travelling to Saturn is a massive undertaking, with robotic probes like Cassini taking over 7 years to reach the planet (roughly 1.2 billion kilometres away). Human missions are projected to be possible in over 100 years, with travel times likely exceeding a dozen years, relying on advanced propulsion.

Saturn is a gas giant with no solid surface for landing. A spaceship would sink through its thick atmosphere, encountering crushing pressures and extreme temperatures. Future human exploration is more likely to focus on Saturn's moons, such as Titan, which offers possibilities for studying methane lakes and unique, frozen environments.

If you are interested in space, astronomy, astrobiology, possibility of extraterrestrial life, science fiction and science fiction art, please look at my Instagram account @nicvard

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SOLOMON'S LIES

“The classic ‘seven-year itch’ may not be a case of familiarity breeding ennui and contempt, but the shock of having someone you thought you knew all too well suddenly seem a stranger. When that happens, you are compelled to either recommit or get the hell out. There are many such times in a marriage.” ― Kathleen Norris

The New What’s Going On blog has set this theme this week: “Ten Years Later”. In psychology, the term “seven-year itch” describes a period of restlessness or dissatisfaction that couples may face after several years of living  together. Studies show that divorce rates often peak between the fifth and eighth years of marriage. Experts suggest this “itch” is often a result of the “honeymoon phase” wearing off, combined with the pressures of raising children or financial stress. On that theme, here is my poem:

Solomon’s Lies

Ah, Love!
Sweet love…

He says he loves me as he looks at me;
He says I’m beautiful as he kisses me;
His hands caress me gently, as he smiles…
And yet, his heart is growing cold,
His thoughts already distant.

He says my name, his lips so red;
He calls out to me, his teeth so white;
In his embrace, I feel so warm, so safe…
And yet his heart beats slowly,
His soul already gone, flown away.

Oh, love, how bittersweet you are,
You give me joy, you give me pains…
Oh, love, how hard and how bizarre,
Your sun shines bright, and then it rains…
Oh, love, you lie with bitter truths
And in truth you hide sweet lies…

He leaves and says that he’ll be back;
He goes away and takes his heart;
His eyes grow dark and dull.
I look at him, as he hurries away,
And yet, he doesn’t glance back.

He gives his heart to another,
His soft whisperings in her ears;
She smiles as she believes him,
And gives him her soul, as I did…
Gives him her heart, as I did…

Oh, love, how bittersweet you are,
You give me joy, you give me pains…
Oh, love, how hard and how bizarre,
Your sun shines bright, and then it rains…
Oh, love, you lie with bitter truths
And in truth you hide sweet lies…

The poem is set to music, and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

Please note there is delay between uploading the song onto the digital music platforms, so persist in hunting it down if you wish to listen to it.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 540 - ANNECY, FRANCE

“There is a painful joke that Europeans often tell of their Gallic neighbours: God created France, the most beautiful country in the world with so much good in it, and ended up feeling guilty about it. He had to do something to make it fair. And so, he created the French people.” - Janine di Giovanni

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

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Annecy is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometres south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed the "Pearl of the French Alps" in Raoul Blanchard's monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the town controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge. Due to a lack of available building land between the lake and the protected Semnoz mountain, its population has remained stable, around 50,000 inhabitants, since 1950. However, the 2017 merger with several ex-communes extended the population of the city to 128,199 inhabitants and that of the urban area to 177,622.

Switching from the counts of Geneva's dwelling in the 13th century, to the counts of Savoy's in the 14th century, the city became Savoy's capital in 1434 during the Genevois-Nemours prerogative until 1659.Its role increased in 1536, during the Calvinist Reformation in Geneva, while the bishop took refuge in Annecy. Saint Francis de Sales gave Annecy its advanced Catholic citadel role known as Counter-Reformation. The annexation of Savoy merged the city to France in 1860.

Sometimes called "Venice of the Alps”, this idyllic and touristic representation comes from the three canals and the Thiou river, which passes through the old city. The city experienced an industrial development in the 19th century with silk manufacturing. Some of its industrial legacy remains today with the headquarters of NTN-SNR bearings, Salomon, Entremont and Dassault Aviation.

From the end of the 20th century, Annecy developed tourism around its lake summer facilities, winter resorts proximity and cultural attraction with its castle renovation and fine art museum opening in 1956 and the Animated Film Festival since 1963, hosted in Bonlieu's cultural centre. The municipal environmental policy managed to keep 40.3% of green spaces, and the city was awarded the "Golden Flower" in 2015, given to the nine most-flowered French cities.

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MACHINATIONS

“Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me, just be my friend” ― Albert Camus

The New What’s Going On blog has set this theme this week: “Let's challenge ourselves to write about "women" or "a woman" in a new way, a way we have not done before.”, which celebrates March as Women’s History Month. My poem is rather complex as it looks at stereotypes in relationships, a perspective that is still widespread, despite the feminist activism paradigms, the attempts at promoting equality of the sexes, and even legislation that attempts to correct inequalities and give the same rights and opportunities to both sexes.

Machinations

I try to find a way around your secret machinations
A road that will lead me to your hidden stations;
Disarm your ploys and ways you betray my trust,
Regain control and again master my fate — I must.

Your clever plans, your covert sly manipulations
Your false sweet words your fervent declarations;
I need to show up your lies, expose your treachery,
Reveal your useless pretence, and your lechery.

And yet I love you, mindlessly, with all my heart,
My reason lost and only pure emotion taking part;
I know you’re bad and want to leave you, go away,
But my heart dictates what I do, and so I stay…

How well you set your crafty traps and hunt me down,
I fall into your murky waters and each time I die, I drown;
I know that following you, I’ll cry and suffer pain
And yet I bind myself each time to your iron chain.

I try to open the door, walk out, and from you escape,
My strength I lose, when I see your image take shape;
I need to build defences, close my eyes, stop my ears,
But always your presence I abide, I smile through my tears.

I love you doggedly, with all the pieces of my broken heart,
Despite your cold indifference I cannot go, cannot depart.
I know you’re bad and want to leave you, go away,
But my heart dictates what I do and so I stay…

I stay and as my soul will one day wither and expire,
My love will turn to coldness and will burn you with a frigid fire.
I’ll leave you and will efface all bearing your semblance,
Forget you and destroy every trace of your remembrance.

The poem is set to music, and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” Instagram channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

Please note there is delay between uploading the song onto the digital music platforms, so persist in hunting it down if you wish to listen to it.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 539 - BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

“Bucharest is like cilantro, a Romanian resident once told me: You either love it or hate it. But there's much to love about a city that provides a less-expensive taste of Europe (Romania is in the European Union but not in the eurozone). Still grappling with allegations of government corruption and working to rebound from layers of grim history, the present-day capital remains a bit rough around the edges, but offers a rich ethnic culture, a resurgent arts and crafts scene, beautiful parks and a booming night life.” - Susanne Fowler

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.
There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and then share it with the rest of us.
Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Bucharest (Romanian: București) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than 60 km north of the Danube River and the Bulgarian border. Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became the capital of Romania in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and art deco), communist-era and modern.

In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of "Little Paris" (Micul Paris). Although buildings and districts in the historic city centre were heavily damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, and above all Nicolae Ceaușescu's program of systematisation, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom. In 2016, the historical city centre was listed as "endangered" by the World Monuments Watch.

According to the 2011 census, 1,883,425 inhabitants live within the city limits, a decrease from the 2002 census. Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the proposed metropolitan area of Bucharest would have a population of 2.27 million people. Bucharest is the sixth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe.

The city has big convention facilities, educational institutes, cultural venues, traditional "shopping arcades", and recreational areas. The city proper is administratively known as the "Municipality of Bucharest" (Municipiul București), and has the same administrative level as that of a national county, being further subdivided into six sectors, each governed by a local mayor.

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THE INK

“I have owed you this letter for a very long time-but my fingers have avoided the pencil as though it were an old and poisoned tool.” - John Steinbeck

The New What’s Going On blog has set as its theme the double whammy of “Unspoken -or-  Unwritten”. Here is my take on something that one would have preferred to have remained unwritten… A break-up letter is perhaps the worst thing one has to read and in many cases one would rather that it remained unwritten. My offering, is a blank verse translation of a Greek poem I’ve written, that has been set to music.

The Ink

Black ink, white paper,
A letter that has been written
Opened many wounds
And gave me great pain.

Words like knives that stab,
Words like sticks that beat me;
Paper spread white like a shroud
Stained black by the ink.

You left me and you took
The sounds with you,
Music will not play any more.
Surrounded by four walls
My heart is now broken.
You left and wrote me a letter
Your love was a false specter.

My life is now inky black
All your words were lies
Covering all like a white sheet
Leaving only my loneliness exposed.

The ink spills all over my future,
Blackening all, wounding me,
All my pages now black,
All my gifts to you given in vain.

You left one night like a thief,
And now I wander alone;
You made so many mistakes
You were in the wrong,
But I still smell your perfume.
You left and wrote me a letter
Your love was a false specter.

The Greek poem is set to music, and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 538 - DELHI, INDIA

“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.” - Romain Rolland

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and then share it with the rest of us.
Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a megacity and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. Delhi became a union territory on 1 November 1956 and the NCT in 1995. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres. According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million.

The topography of the medieval fort Purana Qila on the banks of the river Yamuna matches the literary description of the citadel Indraprastha in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata; however, excavations in the area have revealed no signs of an ancient built environment. From the early 13th century until the mid-19th century, Delhi was the capital of two major empires, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, which covered large parts of South Asia. All three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city, the Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, and the Red Fort, belong to this period.

Delhi was the early centre of Sufism and Qawwali music. The names of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau are prominently associated with it. The Khariboli dialect of Delhi was part of a linguistic development that gave rise to the literature of Urdu and later Modern Standard Hindi. Major Urdu poets from Delhi include Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib. Delhi was a notable centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In 1911, New Delhi, a southern region within Delhi, became the capital of the British Indian Empire.

During the Partition of India in 1947, Delhi was transformed from a Mughal city to a Punjabi one, losing two-thirds of its Muslim residents, in part due to the pressure brought to bear by arriving Hindu and Sikh refugees from western Punjab. After independence in 1947, New Delhi continued as the capital of the Dominion of India, and after 1950 of the Republic of India.

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