Ramble #87
Welcome to the latest edition of Ramble, a compilation of what I have been pondering, learning and enjoying for the past couple of weeks.
Now, grab a beverage and let’s begin.
Something Interesting:
For the price of a pre-war weatherboard house in Brisbane, you can have a fully restored French Chateau on 1.5 hectares:
versus...
Click the photos to check the listings.
What I am Reading:
- The Drift (CJ Tutor)
Not recommending this one. So not linking it.
We started listening to this while driving towards Bavaria. Tutor has had some other good stories, but this one just took 4 hours of listening to for....nothing to happen.
The premise is that some sort of viral pandemic has balkanised the world in to survivors, dead, and infected zombies. There, that didn't take 4 hours...
It just seems like one of those books that won't allow the reader (or listener) to understand things on their own, and was constantly explaining every little thing. Which just gets in the way of the story.
He has a great way of writing about weird places.
A tiny little relic of the endless European game of thrones. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg seems to be a proud little place. And extremely beautiful.
I just...knew nothing about it before going.
A tinier relic. I knew less about it. Even though I had been there 11 years ago as a dirt bag 19 year old. I actually read about the place this time.
What I am Watching:
- Extraction 2
I am stoked that there is a serious Australian action star. And the action is spectacular. The producers seem to have realised that people absolutely love the John Wick style of gritty violence. And they nailed it.
Hemsworth is good. (Better than being a pathetic fat Thor).
(All the while the Marvel franchise descends into some amorphous dweeby hell resembling a Spy Kids movie...)
What I am Listening to:
We have been listening to this while driving around Europe. And it is stunning. McConaughey seems to be a truly interesting and sincere man. And weird and silly. He spent a year in Australia as an 18 year old on exchange. And would take trips to the Amazon or Africa for intermittent soul searching after already having well and truly 'made it' as a Hollywood star. All while spending years living out of a trailer with his dog - again, after having made it in Hollywood.
And he seems to be someone actually worth listening to...about lots of things.
Really pleasantly surprising.
For example, it's a book by a movie star and there has been precisely zero self-wallowing about how hard life is or about how he overcame substance use. How refreshing!!
What I Learned:
I learned that, by American logic, it was actually Christina Aguilera (born in 1980), after starring in 'Burlesque' (released 2010), who really inspired the Parisian Burlesque halls of Moulin Rouge (opened 1889) and La Nouvelle Eve (opened 1898) to great success.
I shit you not, in sight of the red windmill of Moulin Rouge, this is what I overheard last night:
"You know that movie...yeah 'Burlesque'...yeah Christina Aguilera started all this..."
Good grief...
Travel - Expedition Denouement:
I made a Travel Page to start compiling travel writings to make it easier to keep up to date with:
- Denouement Diaries for Weekly Updates - Week 22 Here
- Denouement Dashboard for Country Summaries - Check the start of the Eurotrip Here
- Social stuff over Here, Here and Here.
- And my guide for: 'How to Quit Your Job and Escape for a Year (and Why You Should…)'
Speaking of Paris:
I saw the show at La Nouvelle Eve last night.
I've seen Moulin Rouge a few years ago, and had actually seen La Nouvelle Eve 11 years ago as well.
It is the slightly cheaper, smaller cousin to Moulin Rouge, and only about 200m away.
It is great. Would recommend.
Closing Thoughts:
Thank you once again for reading along with me.
If you found something you liked, let me know.
If you think I can do something a little smoother, please let me know.
Talk soon.
Luke.