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13. March 2005 09:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Photos from Sydney

13. March 2005 09:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

photos from sydney


During the year I took a number of photos in Sydney. If you would like to know what the inner city of Sydney looks like then have a look at this photo collection.

Click here to see more photos

Click here to see more photos from: Sydney/Slideshow

13. March 2005 08:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Climbing 2005

13. March 2005 08:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

climbing 2005


In 2005 I managed to do a fair bit of climbing. Sarah and her boyfriend at that time were climbing almost every weekend and climbing with them definitely boosted my confidence and allowed me to increase the difficulty of the climbs I was able to tackle.

The photo below is a photo of me climbing at Centenial Glen.

Click here to see more photosClick here to see more photos from: Climbing 2005/Slideshow

13. March 2005 07:42
by Rene Pallesen
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Canada 2005

13. March 2005 07:42 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

canada 2005


I went a trip to Calgary (as well as to Seattle) in the end of 2005. It was lots of meetings and in Calgary we were invited to provide input to our workflow product from the field.

While we were there they had the Chinook, which is a warm wind that appear during the winters...so during the day it was really pleasant.

One night we went to see a game of ice hockey against the Calgary Flames and Chicago...it was the only game that Calgary lost that season.

Click here to see more photos from Calgary
Click here to see more photos from: Calgary 2005/Slideshow

13. March 2005 07:33
by Rene Pallesen
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Mum and Dad in Sydney 2005

13. March 2005 07:33 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

mum and dad in sydney


At the end of 2005 my Mum and Dad escaped the winter in Denmark by travelling to Sydney for a couple of weeks.

They stayed here over Christmas and New Years Eve. While they were here we went for a drive up to Graemes house at Taylors Lake near Port Macquarie where we Christmas Eve cooking traditional danish Roast Duck, and Ris-a-la-mande.

New years even we celebrated at Graemes place at McMahons Point here in Sydney.

New Years day was the hottest on record...48 degrees.

Click here to see more photos from Christmas and NYE 2005 Click here to see more photos from: Christmas and New Years Eve 2005/Slideshow

14. November 2004 12:58
by Rene Pallesen
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Grandchildren's Meal for Bedstemor

14. November 2004 12:58 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

grandchildren s meal for bedstemor
Normally Bedstemor's fest is for paid by her children, but this year, all of Bestemor's grandchildren decided to also treat the family in return. They chose the Italian restaurant in the hotel.


It was a 3-course set menu at US$8 per person.
For starters, it was thin minestrone with salad vegetables and grated cheese.
For entrée, it was 3 pieces of ravioli with mushrooms and white sauce (ravioli suprisingly had cinnamon in it...)
For mains, we had a choice of either chicken or veal scallope with fettucine...
But all our meals were served with the same sauce and somehow we all ended up getting french fries...

When we asked the waiters about the fettucine listed on the menu, no-one had any idea...

And our surprise dessert was a scoop of ice-cream swimming in fruit salad and syrup.
These breadsticks were really very nice, although surprisingly these contained cumin, instead of Italian herbs or cheese.
With Bedstemor in the middle, the oldies at one end, we sat at the other end with Kim, Rasmus and their respective girlfriends. Rasmus and his g-friend told us about their trip around Asia, toVienChan and Laos. Kim and Birit had spent 6 months backpacking around India, Nepal and Thailand.
In the meanwhile, there was an Egyptian engagement party that started in the hotel lobby. The musicians stood around the couple, playing oboe-like instruments, tambourines and drums, whilst the guests clapped and danced to the music. It was deafening, the sound echoing throughout the hotel. They eventually made their way up to one of the function rooms to party all night long.
=

14. November 2004 12:54
by Rene Pallesen
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The Citadel & Mohammed Ali Mosque

14. November 2004 12:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

the citadel mohammed ali mosque


Our first sightseeing trip after arriving in Egypt was the Citadel and the Mohammed Ali Mosque. The Citadel was once the home of the royal family until 1870, then the military took over this joint until the 1970s. It is still used occasionally by the military but mostly opened to visitors although certain sections are closed off to them.

Neither did our guide tell us much about the Citadel, nor give us the opportunity to explore. So most of the photos here are of the Mohammed Ali Mosque sitting on the Citadel.


The mosque is famous for its alabaster corridors, columns and floors. Alabaster is a cheaper form of marble that seems to be slightly more porous and does not have the smoothness or coolness of normal marble.


Adam, our guide sat everyone down in one corner of the mosque like school kids, and gave everyone some sort of history lesson about Islam and marriage.


The interior of the mosque was magnificent, with globes of light hanging in multiple rings from the ceiling. In the far right corner, there is a gilded green and gold staircase that leads to some sort of pulpit.
Local women were allowed into this mosque, but clad from head to foot. Female tourists were provided with a green abaayas if they were sleeveless or wearing shorts.


During Adam's chat about Islam and its history, René asked for more information about the Citadel, and was rudely scolded for not listening.
Adam did not give any more information about the Citadel for the rest of the trip...


Left: In another corner of the mosque was an enclosure containing the marble sarcophagi and burial place of the mosque's namesake - Mohammed Ali.
Right: The ceiling was also quite beautiful, but I could not use the camera flash and it was a little dark. In each "corner" of the dome were large arabic inscriptions in gold


Cairo has a brown haze over the city. The buildings are made of mud bricks.
Dirty-white and grey are the only other colours one can see.


Apparently there is a number 7 written above one of the doors of the Citadel. History says Napoleon and his troops numbered each of the entrances around the Citadel as he could not understand the local language.

14. November 2004 12:53
by Rene Pallesen
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Khefren's Pyramid - Limestone Tips

14. November 2004 12:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

khefren s pyramid limestone tips


Khefren, Khafre's son, did not seem to have the same desire to outbuild his father.

His pyramid is not as tall as Khafre's pyramid, but looks so because it stands on higher ground.
Each of these blocks of granite came to about shoulder height on the average man
- they were about one cubic metre each in size.
The few people who tried to climb up the pyramid were called down by security guards patrolling the area. We noticed the granite blocks further up the pyramid seemed smaller. The quality of the workmanship worsened as the pyramids neared completion and smaller blocks were used.
Just imagine - these pyramids would have once glinted in the sunlight like diamonds in the desert. Kefren's pyramid was once covered with a smooth and shiny layer of limestone. Unfortunately, most of the limestone has been stripped off, used in mosques and palaces. Only a small portion remains at the tip of Khefren's pyramid.

14. November 2004 12:45
by Rene Pallesen
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More Photos of Cairo

14. November 2004 12:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

more photos of cairo


We did not have a lot of opportunities to explore the city of Cairo. Our hotel was located on the other side of the Nile from downtown Cairo, so there was not a lot happening.



In Cairo, we noticed a lot of large carcasses hanging along the streets outside the butcher shops. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed due to Ramadan, but Sunday heralded the last day of Ramadan, so many were preparing for the final feast.



We tried in vain to find a restaurant for the family to eat dinner, but no such luck. However, we did try to stop for some beers at a small café along the Nile - no beers because it was still Ramadan till that night, so we settled for some softdrink and hot potato chips.



The city of Cairo looks hazy and grey, with all the buildings a muddy colour.
It was nice to sit by the Nile.



The view from our Hotel Pyramisa at sundown.


Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

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1. March 2015 09:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Swan Lake

1. March 2015 09:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kim and I went to see the Swan Lake with the Australian Ballet at the Capitol Theatre this season.Ne
Kim and I went to see the Swan Lake with the Australian Ballet at the Capitol Theatre this season.

Neither of us had ever seen the swan lake and really wanted to see it. My dad was here at the same time but he was happy to babysit the kids while we we were going.



It was a beautiful performance and without a doubt the best ballet I have seen.







19. February 2015 14:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims Babtism

19. February 2015 14:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Since the kids were babtised last year Kim though it would make sense that she would be babtised too
Since the kids were babtised last year Kim though it would make sense that she would be babtised too.

So, early January it was her turn with just the immediate family around.














19. February 2015 14:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya Tribes

19. February 2015 14:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It was a privilege to live in Kenya during the 80's. Much of the the country had seen very few (if a
It was a privilege to live in Kenya during the 80's. Much of the the country had seen very few (if any) white people.

So, everywhere that we went we seemed to be the main attraction (especially me and my brother with our blonde hair).

To be honest I can't identify all the tribes anymore, but I know that a lot of them are from Samburu, Turkana and the northern part of Kenya.

I suspect that if you went to those areas today then they would all be wearing T-Shirts.
















































































































































































28. January 2015 16:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya - Animals

28. January 2015 16:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Needless to say that I saw a lot of animals while in Kenya.I don't know how it is today, but back th
Needless to say that I saw a lot of animals while in Kenya.

I don't know how it is today, but back then they were everywhere in the national parks.

Here is some of the Rhinos we saw.












Elephants were plentiful.




Lots of cheetahs.










And lots of lions.



























Their kittens.










Lots of Hippos (Lots of these in Lake victoria) and they would be grazing on the golf course across the street.



Hyenas




The vultures eating the remains of the kills.




And of cause loads of zebras and various gazelles.








23. January 2015 15:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Kenya - childhood

23. January 2015 15:01 by Rene Pallesen | 1 Comments

My time in Kenya was every kids dream.I got see and do things that few other kids had a chance of do
My time in Kenya was every kids dream.

I got see and do things that few other kids had a chance of doing and it definitely had a big impact on my adult life.



Living at Lake Victoria gave me the chance of catching the biggest fish I have ever caught (A 56pound/25kg Nile Perch).



I also caught the smallest fish I have ever caught in that same lake.




We didn't need fancy fishing gear, just a stick with a piece of line on it.



Life, going to school and emerged in a different culture was a different kind of life (This is our house maid, my brother and my grandmother in front of our house).





This is Filistus another of our house maids. She was working for us most of our time there (we found out the she died from a bad case of malaria years after we left).





Here we are riding a 100 year old turtle.



Life with my brother was also very different. He discovered his talent for Tennis in Kenya and could whoop most of the adults arse when he was 12yo.






No hair dressers around so we also had the worst hair cuts.







There wasn't a lot of Europeans around so we'd know most with a 100km radius.



Family life was simple (not TV) but good.










Our dog was part of the family and made quite a few trips to Kenya.





Every afternoon was spent at the Nyanza Country club where Claus played Tennis and we went swimming.

I taught myself to swim and owe these days to how solid a swimmer I am today...I got really upset that I couldn't swim and my stubborness kicked in and I became determined to learn...fast.



Some of the less memorable moments were the school plays where I was dressed up as a big bird.



Here is one of Claus singing in the choir.

23. January 2015 07:01
by Rene Pallesen
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1981 Kisumu Primary School class photo

23. January 2015 07:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I have started going through some of the old photos on my computer and will start post some of them
I have started going through some of the old photos on my computer and will start post some of them on my blog.

The first one I stumbled upon one of my class photos from Kenya from 1981/82 when I went to Kisumu Primary School.

I was the only white person in my class (we were 5-6 europeans in the whole school)








16. January 2015 15:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Alpaca farm stay - hunter valley gardens

16. January 2015 15:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One evening while staying at the farm we went to the Hunter Valley gardens to check out the light sh
One evening while staying at the farm we went to the Hunter Valley gardens to check out the light show and the mega bugs.





There were lots of really creepy insects around the garden and they were all moving and making sounds.






The light show was also really good and there were a couple of new things compared to last year.



And we also spend a bit more time in the story garden.







And the story about girls and boys is 'different'...






...but maybe true for these little monkeys.






16. January 2015 14:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Alpaca farm stay

16. January 2015 14:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At the end of the summer holidays we made a trip up north to Broke (Hunter Valley) with the kids and
At the end of the summer holidays we made a trip up north to Broke (Hunter Valley) with the kids and some friends to stay at an Alpaca farm.




It didn't take long for Aiden to get comfortable with feeding the Alpacas but Lucas was a bit more hesitant and was happy to just observe or throw the food at them.










The Alpacas also provided them with a biology lesson teaching them about the bees and the flowers.




We also did a bit of wine tasting while we were in that part of the hunter.









But the kids were more interested in playing outside and chasing the cat.


16. January 2015 10:01
by Rene Pallesen
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NY resolution - Get healthy

16. January 2015 10:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

My New Years resolution for this year is to get healthy.By this I don't mean that I will try and bec
My New Years resolution for this year is to get healthy.

By this I don't mean that I will try and become super fit and start running marathons. No, I just mean that I want to get to a stage where I feel healthy, do a bit of exercise, have a healthy mental state and generally eat healthy.

I started really well on this last year, but about half way through I started getting sick all the time (like every 2-3 weeks).

 


This time around I want to have 2 months without getting sick and then I will start some easy to moderate exercise again.

I want to see if I can get back to running again.

16. January 2015 10:01
by Rene Pallesen
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A place to stay

16. January 2015 10:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is a fun little street sign. This is a place I wanna live...
Here is a fun little street sign. This is a place I wanna live...