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Avon Calling !
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G'Day Mates!
If it's Sunday, for us it's about church! During this mornings service, Father Wally blessed the youth of the parish who'll be attending World Youth Day July 15-20th, for a safe journey to Melbourne and then Sydney where WYD will occur. The group of Ukrainian Catholic youth will be departing Perth this Friday to begin a lengthy drive across the Australian Nullabor in what has become known as "The Malanka Bus"! This Bus has gained notoriety around Melbourne and Sydney as a symbol for the Ukrainian group's determination and commitment to attend World Youth Day celebrations! Driving across the Nullabor will be no small feat! In distance, it would be like a Canadian driving from Vancouver to Toronto. Or a Brazilian driving from Sao Paulo to Manaus (middle of the Amazon). Or, in Southern California, driving from Los Angeles to San Diego! Sorry, the last example related to time not distance!
For this reason, Father Wally also made the effort after mass to bless "The Malanka Bus"! It'll require every ounce of divine intervention possible. However, with these youth having the faith and the prayers of many supporters, the group appears to have a good start on their journey! Afterward, we decided to make a day trip to the historic town of York in the Avon Valley, about one hour drive east of Perth. York was Western Australia's first inland town, established in 1830! Today however, the Town of York had their annual Gourmet Food and Wine Festival! OK! You guys are probably laughing, Rick and Elsie attending yet another wine festival! Well, what can we say! "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"! The drive to York took us through the Avon Valley but, don't ask us why it's called the Avon Valley! Perhaps this is the birth place of the global Avon cosmetic empire? Regardless, the valley was beautiful. The rolling hills held plush green in colour with occasional large rocks of granite protruding through the soil.
Upon arrival, York was a happenin' place! People were walking everywhere! Every parking spot taken! It seemed, there were a lot of other people with the same intentions as ours! The location of the festival wasn't hard to figure out as there was a beeline of people heading to the Town Hall! The inside of the Town Hall was crammed with vendors and visitors! Cheeses, pastries, wine, jams, sauces, more wine! You name it! It was available for tasting! However, we couldn't leave without making a few purchases of some very tasty pastry and jam! York's main street showed its history well. Walking along Avon Tce, we were impressed with the architecture and restoration of older buildings. A mixture of cafes, restaurants and shops made up an ecclectic collection of businesses in York's downtown core! It appears the Town of York has done an excellent job of preserving it's value in WA's history and continues to be an important business and social center for many people in the Avon Valley! Good on ya York!
Cheers, Rick & Elsie! More thumbnails ...
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