Use of photos from this blog

Some time ago I discovered photos from this blog used on social networks (eg. Facebook) by some "official" Melbourne pages. The source was not mentioned.

Please contact me in order to get approval for using any of the photos and don't use them without mentioning the source.

Older posts will become available soon.

Thank you!

Carlton Italian Festa

This weekend there will be a special event in Carlton - the Italian Festa.
There are some things I'll have to do that day, but hope to find some time to go there.

Event details :

Sunday 14th October 2012

Piazza Italia

Lygon Street Carlton

11am - 9pm

Hosted by James Liotta and Vince Sorrenti

Celebrating all things Italian

Good thing I'm not driving to work ..

"Peak-hour traffic has been thrown into chaos in the CBD this morning after a computer fault forced the closure of both the Burnley and Domain tunnels.
CityLink announced at 5am today that both tunnels had been closed indefinitely after the road operator experienced a problem with its control systems."

Source : The Age

2 years - 23 Sept 2010 - 23 Sept 2012

2 years in Australia :)

2 years ago, on 21st of September 2010 we embarked on a journey to a new life down under - in Australia. We said goodbye to our family and friends. Some of them we'll never get a chance to meet again.
After few stops - Istanbul, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, on 23rd of September we landed in Melbourne to discover a new world.

How quickly the time flies - seams like yesterday when we were trying to understand where we can buy our first tram ticket and a map, first time running from one real estate agency to the next in order to see some houses for rent to move out of the service apartment, got our first car, found out that in Australia is not as hot as we were expecting to be (at least not in Melbourne) .. ah.. and almost forgot - discovering at drive thru that KFC doesn't have the same garlic souce as in Europe.

I think the most important thing that happened to us here is the birth of our second child.

Changed houses, change car, made a lot of new friends and enjoyed the water and the beaches most of them wild and not crowded - or...almost always empty. Visited Sydney and The Opera, discovered new passions, left some of them already behind. Enjoyed being among the first to say Happy New Year.
The distances here make us laugh when we think that in order to get to the next big city here in AUS is almost like from Milan to Bucharest (by air).

Migrating to a new country gives you good moments, the discovery of a world of new things - I think you become richer with every new people you meet, with every new culture you discover, but also difficult times being away from the rest of the family and old friends.

I'd like to close this with an Irish say:
"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.  And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand."

Car show in Bentleigh East

Nice cars today in Bentleigh East :

almost 2 years ...

almost 2 years passed since we came to Australia .. so this is dedicated to our first steps on the land down under.

Caroline Street, South Yarra after 2 years still the most beautiful street in Melbourne 

Toorak Road, South Yarra

Chapel Street

The Ice Cream factory

Dairy Bell is a 100% Australian owned ice cream factory.

Estabilished on the 3rd December, 1970 in Melbourne, they have now few locations, one of them being on Belgrave Road in East Malvern.

Very often I pass by this Ice Cream factory but it was only recent when I actually stopped to see what they are offering and I must say I'm very happy with my decision to stop.

So go to the Ice Cream Warehouse (60 Belgrave Road, East Malvern VIC 3145, or search other locations on their website) and get some good quality ice cream at a very good price.

Enjoy !

Wind speeds between 100 to 120km/h

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Chris Godfred said there was a severe weather warning for this evening, with wind speeds between 100 to 120km/h expected for the whole of the state, and 140km/h expected for the Alpine area.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/weather/wild-winds-hit-city-as-sunny-spell-ends-20120905-25dor.html#ixzz25YpsERh6

I think I'll put wings to my bicycle and fly home this evening  :)

Woolamai - Phillip Island

A small town on the south eastern tip of Phillip Island in Victoria - Cape Woolamai has the most beautiful beach I saw in Australia.

Middle Brighton Pier

Middle Brighton Pier - I developed a habit to stop here for a coffee when I'm riding the bicycle - it is a lovely place, quiet an relaxing especially in the morning.

The previous photo is not so great, but in reality it is much nicer as you can see the CBD from here. It is not like from Albert Park as it is a bit far (hmmm.. that gives me an idea for the next riding session) but is closer to my home.

The pier is long, and has different interesting sections - I must remember next time to ride to the other end and take some photos along the way.

Usually there are people fishing here (I never tried here - I think I'll keep this place only for my coffee stops).

[photos taken on 02/09/2012 - 2nd day of Spring in Melbourne]

Carlton Gardens

The Carlton Gardens - UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Carlton.