Continuing my book reports

66. Billy Roche - Tumbling down

Irish author, apparently working for the BBC. TV-series have been based on this and other books, though I have to admit I had never heard of him, nor seen any of these series. Basically it is fairly easy. He describes the life of a small Irish community, the way a lot of people imagine it to be. If that is the truth or not doesn't matter, it is funny to read. The characters are clear, the events are typical for a small community. There is humour in everything, though not laugh-at-loud-laughs, but more grin-on-your-face-while-reading funny.

67. Luciano de Crescenzo - Thus spake Bellevista

Brilliant book about one of my favorite cities: Napoli. Even though it is called Naples in this book, as I read the english translation, firstly because I bumped into this book in Auckland, where I swapped it, secondly beacuse my Italian wouldn't be up to scratch for it. Especially as some of it, left in the translation, is in Neapolitan, not proper Italian then. I'm still wandering how a city I only visited for 15 hours (of which I happen to be writing four, waiting for my train to leave, my very first travel story) has made so much impression on me. This book helped me understand the people a little. Professor Bellevista is a typical social philosopher. One everybody knows. The 'know it all' in the pub. The person the whole street comes to ask for advice in all kind of difficult matters. In the book he explains some typical Neapolitan phenomenon to his friends in half of the chapters. In the other chapters one can read an example of how it really is in practice. Brilliant theories are being unfolded, a lot of life's philosophies of the people of Naples should become obligatory law around the world. If you ever wanted to understand Italians in general, or Neapolitans in particular, this is the best book you can read. I have enjoyed reading it extremely much.

68. Dermot Bolger - In high Germany

Small one, cheap one. There are a couple of Irish authors in a series on sale at the moment in Australia. I chose this one as it offered to be about the time the main character went to Germany to see their national football (soccer for Americans and Australians) team. The book is the story told by the main person to his son, years later. His son being born in Hamburg, with a German mother. He knew he was about to become a father, the day the Irish had to play the Dutch, for a place in the semi-final. It is more the story of three friends growing up than about the sport itself. Quick read, the poems added in the book, to give it a bit more volume are superfluous in my opinion, but hey, who am I?

Gerbie on tour 34

The end of the trip is almost visible now, then again the distance I still have to do is quite big actually. I am enjoying every moment that I am travelling at the time. I do realise more than once how lucky I am to be in this position.

For example I visited a beach in mid-april (comparable to mid-october in the northern hemisphere) for a couple of hours. Not because I am such a beach fan, but because it's a nice place to spent some quiet time with a good book. I know plenty of people who that very moment would swap places with me.

At a game in the AFL I am in the stands, surrounded by over 27.000 Australians, who are all convinced that Aussie Rules Football is the best sport in the world. Whereas I haven't even got a clue about the rules of the game. But it is a fun thing to experience and to me one of those things you've just gotta do while you're Down Under anyway.

Waking up in my own car, next to some old ruins of a former sheepfarm, within an hour I have seen some Aboriginal cave-paintings, observed by some kangaroo's and enu's who probably wonder what that stranger is doing in their territory. Breakfast is still to come, but a day that starts like that, can't go wrong anymore.

Driving through the outback I survive a flat tyre and a fairly cold night in the car, realising that this again is one of those unique experiences. Pleased as only little children can be, I am enjoying every minute of my drive through the fast, empty and very dry area. According to the map this area is not a desert yet, but it sure seems like one to me. How else I am supposed to explain the presence of sanddunes, a couple of thousand kilometres away from the coast?

The smallest village in Australia (6 people) is called William Creek, a good place to spend a night. The next day I cross through or past the largest cattlefarm in the world, Anna Creek, more or less the same size as Belgium.

In Coober Pedy I have spent two nights sleeping in a hostel built inside a little hill, i.e. sleeping underground, not really exceptional in that particular place, more than half of the population lives underground. The place looks like a big empty sandy dump, with thousands of sandpiles around it, caused by all the opalmining going on, the main source of income for the village. A tour in and around the village by ex-Croatian Joe, was a very interesting thing and we saw the mines, the 5300 km long dogfence (not completely though), an excentric Latvia living in a cave, Crocodile Harry and the place where they filmed a lot of classic movies (Mad Max, Priscilla Queen of the desert a.o.), of which I haven't seen one myself actually.

A day and a half in the surroundings of Uluru was ideal enough. The sunset was an event on its own, as much because of the whole set up with dozens of cars parked in one area, with all its occupants waitng with photo- and videocamera's, as the sunset itself. The major changes of colour that are supposed to take place probably went beyond me. The next day it was raining, no disappointment at all, as while walking around it, the waterfalls appeared on all sides of the rock. I used to think Uluru was a big red stone in the middle of a desert, but there was plenty of green surrounding it, even with a few waterholes to accompany it. I am very happy to have seen of the most unique natural phenomena in the world.

The Olga's are some rocks resembling Uluru, only 50km away, so they were obviously part of my programm as well, as was the Kings Canyon, where I walked a walk that lasted about half a day, offering some spectacular scenery, an incredble experience, for the few amongst you who have been there, something they can confirm.

In Alice springs I encountered the first serious problem with my old car, but this was solved within a day as well. From there it goes further north again, on my way to more tropical temperatures. I have left the autumn, far south, behind me and arrive again in an area where it's shorts and t-shirts.

Next time more adventures from Gerbie on tour, for now I close with the message that while on the road unfortunately I am not as often able to check my mail, let alone answer it, but please don't let that stop you from sending me e-mail. The answer will probably wait for a bit, but eventually I will get around to it.

C U next time,

Gerben