As we walk down the shared path we have another car free traveller over take us. There are plenty of ways to go car free!Forecast for today: Wednesday, showers becoming less frequent. Mostly cloudy with fresh westerly winds tending north westerly and moderating.
Precis: Showers becoming less frequent. City: Min 8 Max 15
The news this morning said that the weather on Monday night was the hottest night in quite some time, and then we have stormy weather the next morning. Does global warming exist.
Walking today, running late, very tired, sleep is difficult with a new baby. Struggle to get out of bed. Try to run, but it is difficult with work gear and dressed in work clothes. Or, may maybe it is me and it is just difficult to run.
I am a bit surprised at how difficult I find it to run. Seems like my body just want to do it. Maybe I am just tired. More likely I am just not 20 anymore. So running is not going to be the car free challenge for me.
If I was on the bike I know I could just pedal faster. Of course I don't wear work clothes on the bike, and I have a shower at work, before changing into work gear.
I meet my workmate and we start our walk. I am disappointed as the realization dawns that we will have to take the tram if we are going to make it to work on time. We won't be able to walk all the way, bugger. Oh well we will still be going to work car free, and having the option to jump on a tram just doesn't happen in many places in the world.
We make it to work.
On the surface the walk to work is uneventful. However, a little look under the surface and you notice a whole lot of human interaction that I don't think is there if I am travelling in a box on wheels.
First is my work mate, we talk most of the time. Yes, I know that could happen in a car, but it is so much better when it is car free, and we talk about all the things occurring around us. And she is a great listener.
Second there is the brief interaction with the friendly shop owner, where we buy the daily tram ticket for the princely sum of $6.20. Melbourne is a very multicultural city and this shop owner is an elderly Asian man, maybe Chinese.
As I fumble for my change to pay, he makes a few statements. I am surprised to hear some typically Australian statements, with a strong Australian English accent. He conveys a warmth, an immediate and intimate understating of my situation.
The incongruity of what I expect to hear makes me laugh at myself and the stereo types I have. They are challenged in a very positive way. Melbourne is great city to live in. I don't think this would have happened if I was in a car.
Third there is the tram journey. I tell my work mate the story of the last time I had to catch a tram to work when I was running late. I had an appointment at 9 am. I had to get the tram and I had no change. I only had a $20 note. A few years ago the trams had conductors who would give you change. Now days they have an automatic ticket machine that only takes coins.
So I get on the tram hoping that there are no ticket inspectors and that none get on for the journey into the city. The first thing I see when I get on the tram is a huge poster that has pictures of police in uniform, then the same person in plain clothes. The caption on the poster is "Plain clothes police travel on trams". I remembered that the fines for traveling without a ticket were over $100. The trip in to work was anxious, especially at every stop! However, I make it in without a ticket inspector in sight.
As I tell this story there is another interaction going on. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a young woman who is looking over at me. She does this five or six times and appears to be looking me up and down, slowly. I wonder what she is thinking, maybe she thinks I am 20! Any way it is yet another positive car free interaction.
The shared paths into work are picturesque in the cool, clear, morning air. The old oak trees lining each side of the apt create an inviting, protective umbrella to walk, or ride under. There are no showers on us as we walk. We also get the time to notice and talk about our surrounds more. We notice the Australian Aboriginal flag is on the flag pole in the round about on the main road in to the city.
Incidentally, one of the scariest parts of the journey because of the level of traffic. Even people in cars find this intersection scary. In addition, to all the traffic going around the roundabout there are trams going through the center of the roundabout. Imagine the Arc de Triomphe, on a slightly smaller scale, but just as scary when you are in it. Any way I digress.
The Aboriginal flag is up to mark National Reconciliation Week. On the 27th May 1967 a referendum was held to remove clauses in the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. Before this Indigenous Australians were not allowed to vote! They were allowed to fight in wars and die for the country! The flag is quite symbolic, the red of the earth, the black of the Indigenous Australians skin and the yellow of the sun. Estimates are that Indigenous Australians have been here 35,000 years. The ultimate in car free culture!
Walking today, running late, very tired, sleep is difficult with a new baby. Struggle to get out of bed. Try to run, but it is difficult with work gear and dressed in work clothes. Or, may maybe it is me and it is just difficult to run.I am a bit surprised at how difficult I find it to run. Seems like my body just want to do it. Maybe I am just tired. More likely I am just not 20 anymore. So running is not going to be the car free challenge for me.
If I was on the bike I know I could just pedal faster. Of course I don't wear work clothes on the bike, and I have a shower at work, before changing into work gear.
I meet my workmate and we start our walk. I am disappointed as the realization dawns that we will have to take the tram if we are going to make it to work on time. We won't be able to walk all the way, bugger. Oh well we will still be going to work car free, and having the option to jump on a tram just doesn't happen in many places in the world.
We make it to work.
On the surface the walk to work is uneventful. However, a little look under the surface and you notice a whole lot of human interaction that I don't think is there if I am travelling in a box on wheels.
First is my work mate, we talk most of the time. Yes, I know that could happen in a car, but it is so much better when it is car free, and we talk about all the things occurring around us. And she is a great listener.
Second there is the brief interaction with the friendly shop owner, where we buy the daily tram ticket for the princely sum of $6.20. Melbourne is a very multicultural city and this shop owner is an elderly Asian man, maybe Chinese.
As I fumble for my change to pay, he makes a few statements. I am surprised to hear some typically Australian statements, with a strong Australian English accent. He conveys a warmth, an immediate and intimate understating of my situation.
The incongruity of what I expect to hear makes me laugh at myself and the stereo types I have. They are challenged in a very positive way. Melbourne is great city to live in. I don't think this would have happened if I was in a car.
Third there is the tram journey. I tell my work mate the story of the last time I had to catch a tram to work when I was running late. I had an appointment at 9 am. I had to get the tram and I had no change. I only had a $20 note. A few years ago the trams had conductors who would give you change. Now days they have an automatic ticket machine that only takes coins.
So I get on the tram hoping that there are no ticket inspectors and that none get on for the journey into the city. The first thing I see when I get on the tram is a huge poster that has pictures of police in uniform, then the same person in plain clothes. The caption on the poster is "Plain clothes police travel on trams". I remembered that the fines for traveling without a ticket were over $100. The trip in to work was anxious, especially at every stop! However, I make it in without a ticket inspector in sight.
As I tell this story there is another interaction going on. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a young woman who is looking over at me. She does this five or six times and appears to be looking me up and down, slowly. I wonder what she is thinking, maybe she thinks I am 20! Any way it is yet another positive car free interaction.
The shared paths into work are picturesque in the cool, clear, morning air. The old oak trees lining each side of the apt create an inviting, protective umbrella to walk, or ride under. There are no showers on us as we walk. We also get the time to notice and talk about our surrounds more. We notice the Australian Aboriginal flag is on the flag pole in the round about on the main road in to the city.
Incidentally, one of the scariest parts of the journey because of the level of traffic. Even people in cars find this intersection scary. In addition, to all the traffic going around the roundabout there are trams going through the center of the roundabout. Imagine the Arc de Triomphe, on a slightly smaller scale, but just as scary when you are in it. Any way I digress.
The Aboriginal flag is up to mark National Reconciliation Week. On the 27th May 1967 a referendum was held to remove clauses in the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. Before this Indigenous Australians were not allowed to vote! They were allowed to fight in wars and die for the country! The flag is quite symbolic, the red of the earth, the black of the Indigenous Australians skin and the yellow of the sun. Estimates are that Indigenous Australians have been here 35,000 years. The ultimate in car free culture!
No comments:
Post a Comment