"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." RLS
The original wooden Old Believers church, established by Aleksandr Grebenšhchikov on this site, was built in 1760. Its replacement, officially the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, was built in 1814 and remains home to one of the largest congregations of Old Believers in the world. The stunning tower and gold dome were added in 1906. Continue reading “Grebenshchikov Old Believers Church”
Prior to 1725 Jews were not permitted to bury their dead in Riga and the closest Jewish cemetery was some 40kms away at Jelgava. Continue reading “Old Jewish Cemetery”
One of my fondest memories of Riga is the half day or so we spent wandering around the Moscow District (Maskavas forštate), also (or rather officially) called Latgale, and in so doing discovering one of the lesser-explored parts of Riga. The Moscow District, Riga’s first suburb outside the walled Old City, dates back to the 14th century though nothing of the medieval period remains to be seen to-day. Continue reading “Take a Walk in the Moscow District”
This memorial is a vote of thanks to the United States for its assistance in World War II. The Memorial’s height and design make it one of Canberra’s best-known and most recognised monuments. Continue reading “Australian-American Memorial – Bugs Bunny”
The National Carillon, located on Aspen Island, Lake Burley Griffin, was a gift from the British Government to the people of Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national capital, Canberra. It was presented by Queen Elizabeth II on 26 April 1970. Continue reading “National Carillon And Aspen Island”
This memorial commemorates the 700 plus Australian police officers who have been killed on duty or who have died as a result of their duties – since Australian policing first begun. The names of the officers who died are inscribed on a bronze commemorative wall. The first policeman to die on duty was Constable Joseph Luker, aged 38, who was bludgeoned to death in Sydney on on 26 August 1803. Continue reading “National Police Memorial – See It At Night Too”
On the northside of the central part of Lake Burley Griffin and just across the road from the Carillon a (to use that currently (2017) trendy term – at least in Canberra) ‘pop-up’ coffee shop (or for the not so hip among my small readership a coffee van or cart) has appeared, on and off, over the last five or six years. Continue reading “Lake Burley Griffin – Northside: “Coffee by the Lake””
Without in anyway wanting to take from the reason for this memorial, it is, for me, one of the least aesthetically pleasing of Canberra’s many memorials. While it is a very smart and inspired design to appreciate it fully one would really need to see it from above. Additionally, its location (deliberate though it is), tucked away from the lakeside and close to the busy Morshead Drive means that you are unlikely to stumble across it walking around the lake. It took me, a very frequent visitor to the area, over three years to happen upon it. Continue reading “Remembering Workplace Losses”
On 26 December, 2004 (Boxing Day) a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the tip of Indonesia’s Aceh province unleashed a most extraordinary and devastating tsunami which soon hit the beaches of 14 countries around the Indian Ocean on its westerly path. Fortuitously the tsunami, one of the most horrific natural disasters in recorded history, did not hit Australia – one of the closest land masses to the earthquake’s epicentre. Continue reading “Boxing Day Tragedy”
This memorial, located about 50m from the National Carillon and easily recognised as you walk along the northern shore of the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin is a five tonne anchor and chain of the type typically carried by a naval cruiser like the HMAS Canberra which it commemorates. The base of the memorial is in the shape of a ship. Continue reading “HMAS Canberra Memorial – Sunk in Service”
The Rambling Wombat 