Accidentally Cultured

Accidentally cultural experiences

Feb

11

‘Lick the Plate’ Moments

Accidentally Cultured is a notoriously bad cook!  His cooking specialty is the ‘removal of flavour’.  But when it comes to eating, he is an expert! I should have taken note of early courting day warnings.  This was the ‘hippy’ era and he sported a goatee beard accompanied by long hair and headband.  One particular day, working in room 308 in the Chemistry School at University of Sydney, he smelt particularly shocking.  At first I suspected the Organic Chemistry experiments on the fifth floor, but towards the end of the day I realised the smell was coming from the goatee. ‘Oh!’, he said, ‘I licked my ice cream plate last night!’ […]

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Feb

08

Chinese New Year

Last Friday, a little early for my Artists Books workshop at State Library NSW, I had my very own ‘Accidentally Cultured’ experience whilst walking up Martin Place, Sydney. I found myself distracted from my usual crowd gazing, adoration of the magnificent jewellery and clothing in the shops and wonder at the sight of the ‘Gringotts’ bank , by the mirage of a ‘chariot of fire’ racing towards the George Street pedestrian crossing. I was torn between my sculptor’s brain wondering how it was made, to memories of the ‘Entombed Warriors’ exhibitions.  Snapping back into reality I realized Martin Place was being prepared for Chinese New Year. Continuing my journey, I […]

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Jan

23

Exotic Bedlam in Marrakech

Arriving in Marrakech, AC gasped in amazement at the sensory overload of the ‘exotic bedlam’ of Jemaa-el-Fna Square! ‘Where are we?’ We had just left the Kasbah Tamadot and the sights, sounds and smells of Marrakech were a bit of a shock! Art Place Hotel, Marrakech We were waiting in the car near the Square for porters from the Art Palace Hotel to collect our luggage when our chauffeur was harassed by an angry police officer for parking in a no standing zone.   Consequently, we hastily departed,  walking across the Square to the Art Palace taking care not to step on dancing cobras. Hence, the exotic doors of the […]

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Jan

09

A Rubens Moment

“We’re not doing the whole ten corridors are we?” AC was living in terror of yet another tour of the National Gallery in London. This fear was based on what we now call a ‘Rubens Moment’. It refers to that point of visual saturation that occurs when one’s eyes have been forced to look at too many famous paintings in one day. Standing in a room full of Ruben’s paintings, unable to even enjoy ‘Samson and Delilah’, we knew it was time to head for the exit. Perhaps Rubens will forgive us for walking out on ‘Samson and Delilah’. We did squeeze a lot into the day.

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Jan

09

Amersfoort is full of surprises!

Amersfoort is a hidden gem!  The medieval old town abounds with history and culture.  So, here is a glimpse of what the city has to offer! Amersfoort is a flourishing city with beautiful suburbs and a well-preserved medieval old town. And, it all began as a prosperous merchant town which was granted a city charter in 1259. Remarkably, it still has its city walls, canals and ancient dwellings.  In its medieval heyday it was famous not just as a pilgrim destination, but also for its beer brewing! Pilgrimage to Amersfoort Pilgrims flocked to Amersfoort in the hopes that the Virgin Mary would reward them with a miracle. In medieval times […]

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Dec

18

Luxury Travel with ‘Accidentally Cultured’

About Accidentally Cultured For many years I have travelled extensively with my husband, Paul, who has earned the nick-name, Accidentally Cultured. This is because he never discusses where we are going or why! He just wants to be pointed in the direction of a motorway to get to a nice hotel quickly. As a result, his crazy antics and reactions to the ‘culture’ of foreign destination has well and truly earned him his title. Accidentally Cultured was never intended to be a luxury travel blog.  But for many reasons it is! Firstly, we never budget, but somehow end up in luxury accommodation at very reasonable prices. Secondly, we have indulged in fine […]

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Dec

18

Bath to Bealey

Bath to Beeley with Accidentally Cultured

Bath in a Flash After the big flight from Sydney, we arrived in London at 7 am, hired a car and headed to Bath. Our visit to Bath was very brief and we left for Beeley around 3 pm. Off to Bealy Despite the pleasure of google maps blue dot on the iPhone I was longing for a paper map. Even more so as the phone’s charge began to plummet towards 5%. AC was nervously twitching in his seat and constantly erupting into various types of rages and fiddling with everything on the dashboard and console. “Where is it?  Where is the f…g thing?  Have you taken my shit again?” […]

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Dec

17

Gruyère cheese anyone?

“I refuse to eat that Gruyère cheese!’  In other words, Accidentally Cultured (AC for short) will only eat Australian Bega cheese. This was his constant complaint all the way from Le Châble to Gruyères, along with, “I’m going to freeze my balls off!” or “I want my thermal underwear!” I’m not sure which he feared the most, the cheese or the cold. But I had to admit, there was a very nasty chill in the air. And, a very cold wind ruffled the golden autumn leaves. Gruyères Castle The approach to Gruyères Castle is stunning! The medieval, fortified Castle stands high above the surrounding village, glowing golden in the autumn foliage. Nevertheless, […]

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Dec

17

Mont Blanc – Not On My Radar

  Driving to Mont Blanc Today was the first snow fall of the season! The road from Martigny in Switzerland to Mont Blanc in France was mesmerising. The entire landscape was coated in soft, glowing white sun-lit powder.  It was sheer magic! ‘Gareth, I really want to go up there in the cable car!’ I had just caught sight of the Mont Blanc massif. And my photographer’s eye was gleaming. “Not on my radar!” said Accidentally Cultured (AC for short) trembling with fear. It’s a photographer’s paradise to ascend to the peaks in the cable car.  Having a little jest I suggested we do this. But, even Gareth, champion skier […]

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Nov

22

So, What’s in Bath Anyway?

  We arrived in Heathrow at the early hour of 6 am after the long haul from Australia. And, our plan for the day was to drive to Beeley in Derbyshire.  To my amazement, Accidentally Cultured announced that we would drive via Bath. Somehow he was oblivious to the perils of driving 7 hours, without maps and with full on jet lag. Firstly, we had to hire a car at Heathrow. Taking the keys, he glared angrily at the tiny car Avis gave him. And in true Basil Faulty style, he nearly took a hammer to the innocent little blue Mercedes Benz. Clearly, the tiny vehicle did not deserve all […]

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