Chris Dickson

Chris Dickson

melakukan perjalanan di 58 negara Baca selengkapnya🇦🇺Sydney

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Europe 2022 Pelancong
Caceres Correspondence
27 September 2022, Spanyol ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
We left the heat and bustle of Seville and took a very interesting 4-hour local train ride to Caceres, winding and rattling our way up hill from Andalucia until the land flattened out into a vast, brown plain for miles in every direction.

We saw some interesting places, most of them rather desolate. Modern factories near the main roads had replaced the ruined ones by the side of the railway line.

At the stations there would be a crowd of onlookers to see the travellers off, as if a train journey was still an event to be anticipated and romanticised.

Caceres was a pleasant change, cooler and calmer. Dating to the year 25 BC but largely enhanced in the 1500’s using riches plundered from the Americas, its combination of Roman, Moorish and Western architecture got it onto the UNESCO list in 1986.

The Monumental City of Caceres, the old town, is a monochromatic tribute to the art of stonemasonry, all brown-grey stone buildings and brown-grey cobblestones. The only other colours to be seen are the occasional flag on an official building and the traffic signs.

We walked around and around, up and down hill, and took a look into the Concatedral de Santa Maria and its bell tower. We then visited the Museo de Caceres, which would have benefited from some English descriptions, although it was free for us old people. It also turned out there were some works by Picasso and El Greco in the fine arts section, but we ignoramuses breezed past them without paying attention.

The museum building was on the site of the original Moorish fortress from the 12th century and we took a look down into the water cistern that still lies intact underneath.

Finally, Plaza Mayor, adjacent to the old town, was a great, huge place to have a drink and a snack and watch the world go by (with a brown-grey backdrop). Come eight o’clock it would be crowded with couples, noisy children, dogs and pigeons, the restaurants would be filling up and another day of our Spanish holiday would be coming to a close.Baca selengkapnya
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PelancongBeers for Chris and Brendan look nice ( Don comment)
14/10/22Balas
4 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Seville Epistle
26 September 2022, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
As our train headed toward Seville, the laughter and talk of a group of young women overpowering the carriage, the endless olive trees that were our scenery so far gave way to endless orange trees. Otherwise the country all looked about the same.

We hit Seville on a weekend and it was all abuzz. No namby-pamby siestas for these people, when there was a long lunch and loud conversation to be had.

The historic area around the Cathedral and the Alcazar was filled with horse-and-cart-riding tourists, cameras and selfie sticks and long queues.

We visited the Alcazar in the cool of the next morning and it proved to be a worthy addition to our itinerary of Moorish architecture. The interiors reeked with history, either that of the Muslim founders over a thousand years ago, or their Castilian successors since the 1400’s.

We walked along a raised wall with incredible views of the gardens, with pools and fountains and kilometres of perfectly-groomed hedges.

A great, probably COVID-inspired development since we last travelled is the downloadable audio guide - scan the QR code with your phone and away you go, although it does need a local data connection.

For a quick dose of extra culture we visited the Hospital de Los Venerables, a former refuge for ailing priests with a church that has a stunning painted ceiling as well as a small but significant art collection. Who knew there were rules for depicting the immaculate conception? Apparently she must be wearing blue and white, and be standing on a moon, which may or may not explain something about the early religious scholars!

The Cathedral was our last stop, and it was a little overwhelming, an absolutely cavernous interior supported by monstrous pillars, endless chapels around the walls containing the usual dusty statuary and some stunning altar pieces.

We had a couple of fabulous dinners close to home in Plaza Abastos, in the shadow of the Setas de Seville, a frankly weird wood and concrete structure that covers the entire square. Just when you think you are starting to understand a place…

We felt like we barely scratched Seville, but are looking forward to our next few days in Caceres.Baca selengkapnya
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5 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Cordoba Correspondence
23 September 2022, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
It was mid-afternoon when we arrived in Córdoba and it was hot as anything. The only people about were either finishing up their long lunches or cleaning up after them.

When we emerged from a short siesta it was still very hot, but we walked down to the River Guadalquivir through the former Muslim Quarter along an endless array of narrow, winding streets and alleys.

We took a look at the Roman Bridge and the river before hydrating with a few beers and an enormous gin-and-tonic, then set off to walk back. As we did so, life returned to the streets. The bar outside our hotel, which when we arrived looked closed-down, was open and crowded. The Plaza de Las Tendillas, the main square where earlier in the day it appeared that any piece of ground not in the shade was Kryptonite, was buzzing and bustling and the inhabitants of town were out parading, eating and drinking. What a transformation!

The following morning, while it was still cool, we visited the Mezquita - officially the Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba and since 1984 a UNESCO site. What a stunning place!

A Christian basilica in the 6th century, a mosque in 768 then finally a Catholic place of worship from 1236, the building reflects the architectural styles of its various proprietors as it was added to successively over the 1500-or-so years of its existence.

The interior was quiet and cool, and the pillars and double arches of the Moorish style seemed to go on forever. In the middle was the structure of the current Christian church, looking like it had been picked up and dropped down through the ceiling of the mosque.

We also visited the Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos - Palace of the Christian Kings, although an hour of visiting after an hour of queueing for tickets probably wasn’t a good use of our time.

The building itself wasn’t special, but the gardens, with extensive pools and fountains, were fabulous.

And then it was Friday night. If the town came to life at 8 o’clock on a Thursday night, it positively exploded on a Friday. We had another very happy dinner in the main square - the vibe was so good that even the buskers, seemingly all playing “Those Were the Days” on their violins or piano accordions, sounded pretty good.Baca selengkapnya
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Pelancongwas the G&T as large as the Russian one?
14/10/22Balas
PelancongMore gin,less tonic. It started out about 75% gin. Sharon had to buy another bottle of tonic to get through it!
18/10/22Balas
4 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Granada Saga
22 September 2022, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We left the unique and beautiful Barcelona and ventured south for two nights in Granada, in formerly Moorish territory and final resting place of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the power couple of the 15th century and architects of the Spanish Inquisition.

Since 1521 they’ve lain together in the suitably ornate and tranquil Capilla Real, roused only by the shuffle of touristic footprints and the buzz of the audio guides. Not, however, by the clicks of cameras, as there were no photos allowed.

The highlight of Granada by far, though, was the Alhambra. In 1238, Abdallah ibn al-Ahmar, ruler of the Emirate of Granada, dammed a river, installed a water supply and it all went on from there, with contributions over time from the various rulers of the area. Part palace, part fortress, part gardens, and a mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture, it took us four hours to explore and to take in the incredible views over the city.

The Nasrid Palaces, which needed a timed entry ticket, were fascinating, with Moorish influence in the structure and the clever use of running water to cool the rooms.

It started off Muslim, then in 1492 the Muslims moved out (not willingly, it could be assumed) and the Christians took over, making their own additions to the structure in a more western style.

We also walked through the Alcazaba, the fortress guarding the western extremity of the complex, and finally through the Generalife, a most beautiful garden complex with a palace at its end, again all cooled by running water.

Sunrise in Granada isn’t until about 8 o’clock at this time of the year, making the mornings crisp and pleasant. It’s very hot by afternoon, though, and has been a bit stormy, so a quick siesta followed by the traditional Spanish beer o’clock (actually, that’s the Dickson tradition), then a late to very late dinner has been the order of the day.

As we write this we are on the train to Cordoba for some more explorations.Baca selengkapnya
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3 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Barcelona Jottings
19 September 2022, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
There is a lot to Barcelona, to state the bleeding obvious. It has thousands of years of history, a fantastic location on the Mediterranean, Catalan culture and language and a lifestyle perfectly suited to the climate. And it has Antoni Gaudi.

Our dip of the big toe into the sea of Barcelona started at Parc Guell, designed by the said Gaudi around 1900 and originally intended as an estate of luxury homes. It didn’t work out, and in 1926 it was declared a public park, complete with Gaudi’s stone carvings, concrete structures and mosaics. Based on elements of nature, its appearance seemed impossibly modern - or, perhaps, timeless. We wandered all around, took in the magnificent view of the city from the Greek Theatre and marvelled at the mind of the man who conceived it all.

Then, the incredible Sagrada Familia. The original architect retired after two years and, in what must be one of the best architectural appointments in history, Gaudi got the gig.

He adapted the original neo-gothic style to suit his own - let’s say original, if not way-out - ideas, and the result (as yet unfinished) was an absolute masterpiece. We were stunned by the design, internal and external, and astonished to find out that every element of the design had a reason related to either the setting or Gaudi’s profound religious beliefs. We have honestly never, anywhere seen anything like it.

What else is there about Barcelona?

The Gothic Quarter was great, crowded, narrow, winding streets, unexpected squares and a number of impressive churches. However, even the cathedral - Santa Eulalia - pales in comparison to its modern competitor.

We also walked from the impressive waterfront, where Christopher Columbus stands on a 60-metre column and gazes intently out to sea, all the way up La Rambla, a wide, partly pedestrianised and fully touristified boulevard that heads northwest to Placa de Catalunya, full of fountains, statues, pigeons and people. On the way, we called in at the market - La Boqueria - and marvelled at the chaos of people buying, selling, eating and drinking, all with the volume turned up to eleven!

We also took a ride up to Montjuic, where the views over the city from the steps of the Catalonian Art Museum (with conveniently-located food and beer shop) were also brilliant.

We stayed out of town a little and enjoyed shopping and eating local - once we got used to the fact that “local” means about 8:30 pm at the earliest! Even in our local area, the crowds out in the squares drinking and promenading - couples young and old, families with young children, young people out for the night - filled the streets with talk and laughter.

One more thing, for a taste of a different Catalan activity, Google “Castells “, a UNESCO-recognised activity that involves building a human pyramid about six people high then sending a five-year-old scurrying up to the top.Baca selengkapnya
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3 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Brighton Stories
15 September 2022, Inggris ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Well, Canterbury was lively and exciting. Brighton is the same times ten, bigger, more cosmopolitan, more broad-minded.

We arrived by train, walked down to our accommodation (third floor, no lift) and headed down to the sea-front and the Brighton Palace Pier.

Being late on a damp, Tuesday afternoon, it was quiet, but all the elements of the British seaside were there - fried food, slot machines, drunks, young people being annoying. It was great, and the views out to the English Channel and up to the ruin of the long-destroyed West Pier were fabulous.

The following morning we moved from our room (third floor, no lift, bathroom door fallen off its hinges) and into a lower altitude one, with profuse apologies from the landlady.

Then we walked in light rain down to the Royal Pavilion.

Prince George, then Prince Regent George, then King George IV, then unpopular fat gouty bastard King George IV, built the pavilion as his party house, and spared no expense in doing so. We were wowed by the Banquet Room, moved by the Music Room, fascinated by the Royal Apartments, all of them beautifully restored and furnished and scattered with helpful and knowledgeable guides.

We walked around The Lanes, full of quirky shops and restaurants, then back to the seafront for another stroll, this time on the shingles of Brighton Beach. As a beach-building material, shingle is probably not going to take over from sand any time soon, but it does explain the poor injury record of the Brighton beach volleyball team.

One of the real highlights of Brighton was sitting outside the Dorset Hotel, drinks in hand, watching the passing parade of some of the most varied fashion choices you would ever see. It is an amazingly vibrant, tolerant and, from our brief observations, happy place.Baca selengkapnya
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PelancongBeginning to follow your journey a little behind schedule and enjoying immensely
14/10/22Balas
3 suka
Europe 2022 Pelancong
Canterbury Tales
12 September 2022, Inggris ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
So, after three years, a pandemic and the death of Queen Elizabeth a day before we arrived here, we’re finally overseas again. Didn’t expect that last one, it must be said.

Canterbury has a bit of a split personality; with old Canterbury the historic destination for pilgrims and the seat of the Anglican Church, and on the other side new Canterbury the fantastically tourist-friendly labyrinth of pubs, restaurants and shops of the old town, full of cruise ship tour groups, other visitors and, especially on weekends, locals out for some fun.

We did the old Canterbury part by visiting the Franciscan Gardens, historic gardens encompassing Greyfriars Chapel, a 13th-century chapel straddling the river. Then there was the castle - closed due to falling masonry - and the Dane John Garden, providing a valuable public service as a beer-drinking venue and outdoor urinal.

The cathedral was something else again. Awesome in both its size and complexity, we took a couple of hours to follow the visitor’s route, and we’re sorry that we didn’t stop for longer to savour the atmosphere of an incredible historic building. And one that is, in parts, fourteen hundred years old! It was quite amazing, and the volunteers on duty were all knowledgeable and helpful.

Then, as we left, the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III was read to an enormous crowd just outside the cathedral gate, a very appropriate place to hear it.

We also took a trip to Sandwich, but were a little underwhelmed by a town that promotes itself as one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Britain (and as the origin of the eponymous culinary creation). We didn’t have any peanut butter or vegemite, but did have a gin and tonic and a pint for lunch.

Another wonderful aspect of Canterbury is the River Stour, small and fast-flowing as it runs through the city and the scenic centrepiece of some beautiful parkland. Boat trips abound, with tourists rowed for some distance through the old town to the weir at the Abbott’s Mill Garden.

We stayed in a pub near the garden, and enjoyed the odd sundowner, perched on the narrow footpath, listening to the rush of water over the weir and watching the near-misses on the nearby road.

Tomorrow, Brighton.Baca selengkapnya
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South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Hay
10 Juni 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
We’ve now said goodbye to South Australia, with its dry landscapes, Scobie poles and water pipelines stretching out from the Murray to nourish all parts of the state. What a great trip it has been!

We continued our Murray River odyssey with a night in Mildura, where we caught up with friends and wandered along the very scenic riverfront, past Lock 11 and up to the replica Mildura Station Homestead, first property in the area and later home to the Chaffey brothers who founded the Mildura irrigation scheme.

Then we swapped the Murray for the Murrumbidgee, driving for three tedious hours along the Sturt Highway through Balranald to Hay, our final destination.

As well as some scenic walks along the river, Hay offered both the expected and unexpected.

We expected, and really enjoyed, Shear Outback, the shearer’s hall of fame and museum. With lots of information, displays and humour, as well as a shearing demonstration that was skilful, informative and down to earth, it was a morning well spent.

We also knew what to expect at the Bishop’s Lodge House, a historic building, strangely enough built to house the local bishop, and made from corrugated iron and tin, with sawdust insulation. Apparently the building materials and design of the building proved very effective in the harsh climate.

We sort of expected the Dunera Museum, located at the former railway station and telling the often poignant stories of the European refugees transported to Australia from Britain in the HMT Dunera, and subsequently interned in Hay (clearly not chosen for its similarities to Europe - note that these people were refugees, not criminals). They then were moved on and replaced with various other internees, including some Japanese POW’s.

What was unexpected were some of the stories from the Hay Gaol Museum.

Originally a prison, then between the world wars a hospital, then a prison again and then for thirteen years until 1974 it was a maximum security institution for girls aged 13 to 18. Run by the oxymoronically-named Child Welfare Department, girls were brought drugged from Sydney, travelling the last 180 kilometres in the back of a Dodge panel van. No windows, no seatbelts - in fact, no seats - just the back of a panel van.

Still, at least the girls could talk to each other about their adventures - they were allowed a full ten minutes, twice a day for conversation! At all other times at this Luxury Escapes contender, they had to keep their eyes averted and work their arses off.

So we have finished our trip with some great experiences in a really nice town, and learnt a bit into the bargain.

Looking forward to getting home tomorrow and catching up with family and friends.Baca selengkapnya
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1 suka
South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Loxton
7 Juni 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We left Port Augusta and drove through ever-worsening weather to Clare, where we stopped once again and, other than a terrific Indian meal, saw nothing.

The following morning we drove to Burra, a heritage town some 40 kilometres northwest and highly recommended for a look around. However, it was 12 degrees, windy and raining, and as we were on holiday for relaxation not flagellation we drove through without stopping.

The rest of our drive took in Morgan - another picturesque river port town with a railway museum and a paddle steamer under restoration - and Waikerie - much more 21st century with magnificent grassy river banks and facilities.

Our destination for the next two night was Loxton; thriving, handsome and, again, perfectly situated on a bend in the river.

From there we drove back some distance to Banrock Station Wine and Wetlands Centre, where we first walked the wetlands then sampled the wine along with a more than decent lunch.

We learnt quite a lot on our walk about the problems affecting the river, among them salinity (caused oddly enough by over-irrigation) and the very rascally “rabbit of the river” - the European Carp. Banrock Station drained one of their wetland areas and ended up with 60 tonnes of carp to dispose of.

Back in Loxton, we walked the peaceful (if chilly) river bank as much as we could - this was by far the most beautiful and quiet stretch of the Murray we had come across.

Before we left the area we visited the gardens of “The Pines”, a rather fancy old home bequeathed to the town on the passing of its owner.

Then, on the way out, we took in one last sight, Lock Number 4, 516 kilometres from the sea but, incredibly, only 13 metres above sea level.

There are 10 locks altogether on the Murray, embedded into weirs that are both a boon to boat operators, irrigators and anyone with a property within cooee of the water but which have significantly changed the natural environment, with the natural ebb and flow of minor flooding eliminated, affecting vegetation and animal and bird habitats. In any case, it was a nice spot for a walk along the river and a few photos.Baca selengkapnya
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South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Port Augusta and Quorn
4 Juni 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
We headed north west along the straightest of straight roads, through the other copper town of Wallaroo before passing through Port Pirie (a lead town) to the head of Spencer Gulf at Port Augusta, our most westerly point of this trip.

We first headed out to the Arid Lands Botanic Garden, at the start of the Stuart Highway (and 2,700 kilometres from Darwin).

The Matthew Flinders (he sailed up Spencer Gulf, and, yes, named it after an ancestor of the late Princess of Wales) Red Cliffs lookout provided great views of the waterway, and the garden itself was a wonderful walk through a succession of arid Australian climates.

The Wadlata Outback Centre was our next stop, a fascinating and detailed journey through time in the outback and the animals and people that inhabit it. All the usual historic outback aspects were all featured - flying doctor, school of the air, Oodnadatta postman - with vivid and clever displays.

The following day we caught the Afghan Express to Quorn, a cold, ratting, bouncing, smoky, 90-minute trip on the Pichi Richi Railway.

The scenery of the South Flinders Ranges was beautiful, but by the time we reached Quorn the weather had turned cold and windy, so after a quick lunch and an even quicker walk around we took refuge in a pub before boarding the train for the return trip.

There were some delays on the way back due to some damage to the tracks, so we were a little late getting back to Port Augusta station, which took no time reminding us of the dark side of the outback world with the number of discarded wine cask bladders by the tracks. In fact, there were many people wandering around the town with nothing apparent to do and with open bottles of liquor in hand. Not only was it confronting to our sensibilities, it is a bloody national tragedy.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed the offerings of Port Augusta, and look forward both to the next part of our trip and to maybe returning in the future.Baca selengkapnya
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2 suka
South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Moonta - Little Cornwall
2 Juni 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
It was a quick drive from Clare across to the coast at Port Wakefield and across the top of the Yorke Peninsula to Moonta. Our accommodation, overlooking the jetty at Moonta Bay, had spacious, well-appointed rooms, marvellous water views and an annoying flock of birds that cooed and squawked and rattled around on the roof in football boots at all hours of the day and night.

Then it was off to explore a part of the so-called “Copper Coast”.

Paddy Ryan, an alcoholic shepherd, found some copper near a wombat burrow in 1861, and, undeterred by minor issues such as a complete lack of drinking water, an industry was born. Cornish miners, fleeing the tough times in their homeland (and apparently not thirsty) soon put their mining skills to good use and the Moonta Mines thrived until after the First World War.

The site of the former mines, heritage listed, is a huge, rather desolate, area of tailings heaps, ruined buildings and assorted old junk. We walked and drove around to quite a few of the main items, but the information on each when we got there was a bit sparse.

There is also a popular tourist railway, formerly used to transport the ore, but due to a stuff up on our part we weren’t there on a day that it was running.

We visited the museum, located in the rather grand former Moonta Mines school building, which covered both the mechanical processes in the mines and the cultural and economic impacts of life in Moonta.

It was a tough life. The shortage of good water brought frequent and deadly outbreaks of typhoid and there are many unmarked children’s graves in the cemetery.

We also enjoyed wandering the town - there is no shortage of attractive old buildings - and a few windswept walks down on the coast.

And we had a couple of Cornish pasties.Baca selengkapnya
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1 suka
South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Clare
30 Mei 2022, Australia ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
We temporarily farewelled the Murray River with a day in Goolwa, where we took a Coorong Discovery Cruise down through the lock and past the mouth of the Murray to make a brief stop in the national park.

The weather was pretty bad, and the southerly winds were pushing the tide up and creating quite a maelstrom at the entrance to the river. In fact we actually had to rise up in the lock to reach the level of the sea.

The scenery, though, was fascinating, and the bleak weather made our quick visit to Storm Boy country all the more appealing. We hopped off the boat and walked some distance through the dunes into a fascinating and peaceful - if cold - environment.

We stayed the night in Goolwa then in the morning did a rather tedious drive, skirting around Adelaide, through Gawler and on to Clare.

There wasn’t much happening in Clare that afternoon - apart from 11-degree temperatures, strong winds and intermittent rain squalls. We arrived too late for a mooted winery lunch so did some washing instead!

Before leaving Clare the following morning we took a drive out to Mintaro for a look around the historic town, then out to Martindale Hall - a grand stone mansion built in 1880, incredibly stylish and filled with some magnificent pieces of furniture.

As it was built by a rich guy - he even imported 50 tradesmen from England - Martindale Hall was surrounded by a polo ground, racecourse, boating lake and a cricket pitch. Kind of makes our cabin in the caravan park seem rather puny!Baca selengkapnya
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PelancongOMG Your itinerary is making our recent SA visit seem very mundane ! The expert and I had the best 10/10 Thai meal in Goolwa !
01/06/22Balas
PelancongWould have loved a Thai meal, but Monday night the selection was limited. We did enjoy lamb shanks in the pub, and the locals were very friendly.
01/06/22Balas
PelancongThank you for taking us on this wonderful trip, where to next?
01/06/22Balas
PelancongNorth and west to Moonta and Port Augusta before starting to make our way home. This is a very interesting part of Australia!
02/06/22Balas
0 suka
South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Mannum
29 Mei 2022, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We continued our Murray River theme at Mannum, 1,260 kilometres downstream from Swan Hill but only about 475 across country.

Leaving the straight, flat roads with irrigation ditches and crops growing on each side, we travelled along straight, flat roads with nothing much on each side to Ouyen and thence, having surrendered a tomato to the fruit fly inspector, to South Australia and Pinnaroo.

From there it wasn’t far to meet up again with the Murray at Tailem Bend and a quick drive north to Mannum.

As the town from where the Murray River paddle steamers originated, there was quite a lot of history to take in, with the Mannum Dock museum keeping us interested for quite a while both inside the building and outside where the PS Marion was open for a look around.

It was intriguing to see some more of the history. In Swan Hill we stood on the PS Gem; in Mannum we saw photos and accounts of her sinking and subsequent salvage.

We read of William Randell, who started the whole Murray paddle steamer thing (and Mannum, along with it) and looked down into the dry dock he built to service the ships. Not bad for a miller from Devon who had never built a boat before, and went on to be a member of parliament!

The following day we drove north along the river as far as Swan Reach, another very small, quiet and attractive town. The various viewpoints along the road had some great views of the Murray from high on the cliffs, or at least they did once the fog had lifted!

It hasn’t been all exploration and history, though. We have checked out all the old wares on sale in the town and did manage a drink or two overlooking the river from the beer garden of the Pretoria Hotel.Baca selengkapnya
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PelancongThanks for keeping us up to date and happy to see you are enjoying yourselves - although Sharon did look a little cold in one of the photos. Guessing the Barossa will be next up! Stay sober.
30/05/22Balas
PelancongUnlikely! Skipping the Barossa this time - a brief stop in the Clare Valley then Yorke Peninsula. And it has been cold! Hope you’re still heading down recovery road after Kim’s Covid surprise.
30/05/22Balas
0 suka
South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Swan Hill
25 Mei 2022, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Leaving Griffith, we drove south through the very attractive town of Jerilderie to Deniliquin and hence Swan Hill.

Deniliquin was nice too; we checked out the Road Transport Wall of Fame but it was a bit hard to talk about it over the incessant roar of the trucks going past.

And Swan Hill was great, with a long, scenic pathway along the riverfront and lots of historic spots noted.

Then there was the Pioneer Settlement, surely a standout of its genre, with historic (or, at least, old) buildings gathered from around the place, a former paddle wheeler, a steam locomotive and enough old farm equipment to power an ocean liner.

It was thoughtfully laid out and there was a huge amount of information about each exhibit. There were horse and cart rides, trips in a vintage car, blacksmithing demonstrations.

After dinner we wandered back to the Pioneer Settlement for “Heart of the Murray”, a superb - if a bit brief - depiction of the history of the river and its peoples. We sat overlooking the river and watched lasers, water and fire combine to tell the story, to a soundtrack combining the narration with the various innocent “oohs” and “ahs” of the school children in the audience. A great experience!Baca selengkapnya
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South Australia 2022 Pelancong
Griffith
24 Mei 2022, Australia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
We arrived in Griffith from Sydney via a quick look at some very attractive buildings in Leeton, an hour or so up the road.

Griffith appears to be a most prosperous and friendly town, with some unique history, and we enjoyed a day wandering around under a cloudless blue sky, taking in some fascinating sights.

From the Visitor Centre, with an Australian Navy aeroplane perched inexplicably out the front and a clever memorial incorporating a Dethridge Wheel (used for measuring water allocations), we walked up and down the very impressive Banna Street and navigated Walter Burley Griffin’s radial street design to the City Park with the Main Canal flowing slowly through it.

Then it was off up what seemed to be the only hill in the district for a look at the Hermit’s Cave, where in 1920-something Valerio Ricetti made his home in the overhangs and crevices, closed in by dry-stone walls. We spent an hour or so enjoying the sunshine and stumbling up and down the hill looking at the various structures, all amazingly put together from rocks moved solely by him and largely under cover of darkness.

Poor Valerio was a great stone-mover but a bit unlucky, having been jilted by the barmaid he loved, left his wallet in a brothel and then interred during the Second World War as a suspected spy. He also lived on the hill under the impression that he was the only Italian in the area, a short wander from Griffith where half the population have Italian heritage.

Our last stop was the Griffith Pioneer Museum, an impressive collection of old buildings and memorabilia gathered from the surrounding area. Australia is a bit full of such outdoor museums, but this one was made interesting due to the particular history of the area, with the development of the M.I.A. and the Italian heritage of the people (not to mention the winemaking) strongly emphasised.

Speaking of wine, we didn’t taste a single drop, although this will definitely not be the case for the rest of the trip!Baca selengkapnya
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Trans-Mongolian 2019 Pelancong
Beijing
25 September 2019, Cina ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After one last overnight train trip, one final epic journey through Chinese customs and immigration and a five hour wait in the customs hall while they changed the bogies on the train, we made it!

We have now traveled from Helsinki to Beijing by seven trains, including six nights spent rattling and swaying along trying to sleep and trying to avoid using the toilet.

October 1, 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the formation of the People’s Republic of China, and there seemed to be more portaloos than bicycles on the pavement in preparation for the forthcoming celebrations.

The Forbidden City was closed in preparation for the ceremony, but we did the walk around Tiananmen Square in 32 degree heat, watching people lining up in the shadows cast by the flagpoles, the only shade available.

We also visited the Temple of Heaven, complete with lanterns installed in the trees and a giant video screen behind the Temple of Prayers for Good Harvests.

That was all we had time for in Beijing, although Don and Kim have two more days to explore the Great Wall and look around a bit more.

It has been a fascinating trip, replete with reminders of how little we really know about the rest of the world no matter how smart we think we are. For example:

They had built a whole new MRT line in Singapore that we had never heard of.

Sometimes countries change the design of their currency. We brought British five pound notes, and a whole lot of Chinese yuan from home, carefully saved from previous trips and now no longer legal tender.

First class on a Chinese train is not nearly the equal of first class on a Russian one, but did come with a (male) carriage attendant who snorted, hacked and spat constantly into the rubbish bins. Unlike our Russian experience it also didn’t come with drinking water or cups, which did lead to some improvisation and some urgent shopping excursions on remote Mongolian railway stations.

Just because a short, chubby, middle aged Chinese woman in tight jeans and a cowboy hat says a “steak” restaurant is any good doesn’t mean it is. Especially when she has a loud, grating voice and dismisses our questions with “Listen to me!”, and keeps turning the pages of the menus while we are trying to look at them. Actually, this wasn’t a mistake - we knew it would be no good but her performance was so bewilderingly funny we were unable to get up and leave.

This has been a marvellous trip, full of new sights and experiences (almost all good ones) and shared with great, funny, caring friends. We are rather lucky.Baca selengkapnya
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Ulaanbaatar
22 September 2019, Mongolia ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
Our latest adventure started with a view from the train window of beautiful Lake Baikal, soon after which the train stopped in the middle of nowhere for two hours.

This meant there was no time to shop at any intermediate stops, so we had a dinner of instant noodles and a few pistachios.

In the middle of the night we crossed the border, an exercise which kept us awake for about three hours as two sets of customs people successively searched the entire train. The Mongolian guy even ripped the carpet from the floor.

When we awoke we were in a new landscape altogether, with rolling grassy hills, roaming livestock and the occasional small settlement. Soon enough, though this gave way to Ulaanbaatar, a place not even its mother could call beautiful.

Ulaanbaatar is a city of superlatives. Coldest capital city. Most polluted. Most congested. Craziest, most un-rule-obeying drivers.

We stayed in the high-rise Khuvsgul Lake Hotel, very nice although lacking some of the finer details, for example in the Brickwoods’ case a door that could be locked. The room key was required to operate the elevators, but it only worked intermittently , so we had many a tedious and unwanted ride down to reception to get them to send us up to our floor using a master key.

Chinggis Khaan Square, nearby to our hotel, is a vast public square surrounded by very attractive buildings, the centrepiece of which is the imposing Parliament House, with statues of Chinggis himself (looking a bit too obese to do much looting and pillaging, it must be said) flanked by a son and a grandson. The square is possibly also the only tidy, well-paved area in the entire city.

We got out of town for a day and visited the edge of Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about sixty kilometres out of town.

On the way we dropped into the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, with its 40 metre high stainless steel likeness of the great man astride his noble steed. We rode the elevator up through the bowels of the horse to its head for some great views of the surrounding countryside then took in some displays and a video of the construction of the monument. The video, all patriotic music and bad English subtitles, left one particular question unanswered - why?

Turtle Rock (or, when viewed from a different angle, Lindt Chocolate Bunny Rock) was our destination in the National Park, and the scenery in the area was nothing short of magnificent.

We wandered around the rock a bit, then made our way up a steep hill to the Aryaval Buddhist Temple, passing 142 placards with Buddhist bon mots printed on them and then walking up 108 stairs to the temple itself.

The views of the national park were incredible. Clumps of green and autumn-yellow trees, rolling brown-green grassy hills and dark grey rocky outcrops stretched away into the distance with the dirt access road snaking through it all.

We also visited a nomadic ger camp and tried the famous, and actually rather retch-inducing, fermented mare’s milk. If the taste wasn’t bad enough we had already seen it sitting outside in a calfskin container amongst the flies. Other than that though it was an interesting experience and the family very welcoming. The nomad’s life has certainly changed, with a solar panel attached to a satellite dish in the compound.

Our drive back to Ulaanbaatar was a shocker, with two hours required just to make the last seven kilometres.

It would be very unfair to describe Ulaanbaatar’s shortcomings without adding that the people were friendly, the eating and drinking very good and the sense of action high.

It would be unfair also not to mention the at times violent history of the nation as it found its voice and independence over the course of the twentieth century. We looked at some of this at the Mongolian National Museum and left with a real feeling for the spirit and determination of the people. Besides, the taxi driver didn’t even rip us off on the trip to the railway station.Baca selengkapnya
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Irkutsk and Olkhon Island
16 September 2019, Rusia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
We left the warmth of our cocoon-like train 100 and emerged into a cold, rainy Irkutsk night. Temporarily discombobulated, we ended up paying about ten times the going rate for a taxi to the hotel. The driver then stayed straight faced enough to ask for a tip as well!

The following day we explored Irkutsk, which has been called the “Paris of the East”. That’s a bit harsh on the original Paris, to be honest, but the riverside is very nice, with parks, churches and memorials.

We spent some time looking around the Eternal Flame, a World War 2 memorial. School children stand guard over the flame (hopefully not in winter, but who knows?), diligently goose stepping their way to and from their posts with eager parents and teachers looking on.

We walked through the old part of town, full of timber houses in various states of painting and repair, and made our way down to the city centre, with numerous Paris-esque buildings and a smattering of other items of interest.

Then our walk took us back to the waterfront, where we took a snapshot of the statue of Tsar Alexander III, the man responsible for starting the whole Trans Siberian Railway thing in the first place.

The following day, after spending 28 days either in the middle of a city or on a train or plane, we took a tour to Olkhon Island, largest in Lake Baikal and about 5 hours drive north.

What a change. The drive, through yet more of Russia’s endless supply of trees, was good in itself, our guide friendly and informative.

Apparently the usual lunch stop cafe was closed, so we drove on to the next one. When it came into view it turned out to be - an Irish Pub. Mind you it was Irish in beer and decoration only, with nary a beef and Guinness pie in sight. We had dumplings for lunch.

Khuzhir is the largest settlement on the island, about two thousand people and a slightly lesser number of dogs, with wide, dusty potholed streets on which there are apparently few restrictions on which side to drive.

The scenery was second to none. We visited Shamanka Rock, late on a bitterly cold afternoon, taking in the vibe of this sacred site in a howling gale and surrounded by fifty other jabbering, selfie-taking tourists.

The following day we drove to the northern tip of the island in a UAZ minivan, a sturdy, grey vehicle like a high stumpy bread van originally developed for the Soviet Army. It needed to be sturdy, too, as the roads which criss crossed the open hills weren’t the best. It seemed that whenever a track got a bit rough the enterprising drivers would just forge a new one next to it, meaning there were often four or more alternative tracks, all joining up again in fifty metres or so. The driver belted along, bouncing his load of tourists all about the cabin, and decided at the very last second which of the alternative tracks to take.

At the northern tip of the island we joined a host of other little grey vans and took in the highlights of the area - spectacular cliff views and the foulest, smelliest toilets in Russia - while our driver cooked delicious omul (it’s a local fish) soup for lunch.

We also enjoyed our rustic accommodation, a yard full of small cabins and a communal dining hall in which meals were taken. Many mysteries remained but we did work out a few things about the food - “cutlet” actually means “rissole”, and all the varieties of cold meat taste exactly the same.

By the following evening we were back in Irkutsk, still savouring our recent island experience and packing for the train to Mongolia.Baca selengkapnya
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Yekaterinburg plus
12 September 2019, Rusia ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
This post comes from train number 100, Yekaterinburg to Irkutsk, travel time 53 hours, local time at destination three hours ahead of departure.

We hopped on this train in Yekaterinburg, after a couple of days looking around. Yekaterinburg is a bit dour and dusty; the cars and in particular the 1960’s (or prior) buses, trolley buses and trams haven’t seen any soap and water for many a year.

It is, however attractive around Istorichesky Skyver, the parkland around the expansive City Pond, and we enjoyed walking around, following a red line painted on the pavement joining the attractions.

The handsome Church Upon the Blood marks the spot where the last of the Russian Royal Family - the Romanovs - were rather cruelly done in by the Bolsheviks, and the city was, of course, the birthplace of Boris Yeltsin.

We rode up 52 floors to the viewing platform of the Vysotsky Tower, and enjoyed the views to all ends of the city from there, but in truth it was really just a big city without a lot to see.

We checked out of the pleasant Marins Park Hotel, with their free laundry service, and wandered over to the station to catch our next train. Due to some flaw in the system the Brickwoods actually checked out with still-damp laundry, which they proceeded to hang all around their compartment Chinese laundry style.

It was our third overnight train, so we were familiar with having people speak in Russian to us and send us on our way without knowing what on earth they were talking about or asking us to do.

We had smuggled some wine and beer on board, but naturally this was gone pretty quick smart, so from then we had cause to use the dining car, and that was quite interesting.

Not interesting for the food, perhaps, which would best be described as nourishing and rather bland (the sort you should have when sharing two toilets between 36 people, in fact) but eating out is all about the experience, after all.

We walked in for lunch, and a waitress with a set of metal front teeth to rival Jaws from the James Bond films plonked down a couple of wrinkled old menus and stood with her pen poised.

There was English on the menu, but it didn’t help really, as almost everything we pointed to she shook her head and said “Nyet”. For dinner we ordered three pork somethings and one chicken, and got two of each.

We ordered a bottle of wine, which arrived sans glasses, and every time we ventured up to tell someone they shooed us away. Then when you picked up your glass to have a drink the carriage would get up such a shimmy shake that you nearly lost all of it anyway.

At dinner time the dining car was a bit rowdy. It’s a requirement that you eat, so two funny young guys opposite were having a meal of potato crisps, washed down with endless beers to which they were adding some kind of mystery hooch. They were actually very friendly, if completely pissed, and we had a long and unintelligible conversation with them. They took one look at Don then used (probably) their only English word - Santa!

In fact, a few other people used the expression Santa when we left the train. Despite being completely innocuous and keeping entirely to ourselves (as indeed did most of our fellow passengers) we (or at least Don) had apparently made an impression. We were even given gifts by some of them.

At the next table were two older guys, already red eyed and staggering, settling down to lose a few more days with a freshly opened bottle of vodka.

Kim and Sharon asked to have their photo taken with the provodnista, who had been exceptionally friendly the whole way and insisted on putting her whole uniform on for the photo.

The scenery was amazing, particularly if you are partial to trees. Trees when you have lunch, trees when it gets dark, trees when you wake up. Trees when you wake up the following day. Winter comes early and hard so the leaves were already turning quite beautiful shades of yellow with the odd patch of red.

We slept pretty well, and our accommodation was quite adequate, but we are still looking forward to our next stop in Irkutsk, where we will no doubt be swaying for a day or so until we regain our land legs.Baca selengkapnya
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Kazan
7 September 2019, Rusia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
Our first overnight train was an easy one - Moscow to Kazan, leaving at 11 PM and arriving just under 12 hours later. It was comfortable and we enjoyed the included breakfast - a hard, dark bun of some kind that even after tasting we weren’t sure if it was chocolate or dark bread, some juice and an entire family-sized block of dark chocolate each.

We chose Kazan because as the capital of Tatarstan it has a lot of Islamic influence and we thought if we were going to look at a whole lot more churches on the trip we might as well look at some mosques as well.

We went to the Kazan Kremlin, built on top of the highest point around and with high walls all around its 1.8 kilometre perimeter. It contained an interesting mix of museums (not that we visited any of them), the magnificent Kul Sharif Mosque and the Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation.

Next to the cathedral was the Soyembika Tower - 58 metres tall and looking rather Pisa-ish with a pronounced lean.

One museum we did visit was the quirky Soviet Lifestyle Museum. Its small collection contained patriotic toys and clothing and some appliances as well as a lot of pop memorabilia. There was a constant stream of fascinating pop clips playing - wooden performers, wooden audience looking scared to stop smiling and Eurovision circa 1960’s music.

The lively and exciting Bauman Street runs from the Kremlin down to the scenic Kaban Lake and is full of bars and restaurants, buskers and other street performers. Think lots of people dressed up as horses and the like in a style best called early Hanna Barbera.

We took a taxi out to the Temple of All Religions, an architectural mashup incorporating elements from all the major religions of the world - including, inside the building, retail. Conceived by a local artist of some repute, its construction is ongoing and it is an appropriate addition to a place where Moslems and Orthodox Christians live quite happily side by side.

We caught bus number 45 for our return to the city, which was a pity as we should have caught bus number 2. Bus 45 began well, heading directly back to town but turned off and set out for the outer suburbs before we knew what was going on.

Luckily, with the help of an old lady out to do her shopping, the young, friendly conductor (one lady even paid him her fare in apples) figured out enough of our gibberish to show us a stop near a metro station that would take us back to the city. To think that we may well have been the first Australians ever to catch the 45 bus!

We finished off our very enjoyable two days with a walk around the Volga River foreshore, enjoying the views of the attractive Palace of Agriculture, before boarding the rather spartan train 378 for Yekaterinburg.Baca selengkapnya
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Moscow
4 September 2019, Rusia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Four days in Moscow and its surrounds has been barely enough to scrape the surface of this big and very definitely foreign city. But it was enough to see some fascinating sights and have a great time.

The weather was fine and warm when we started our first full day with a trip out to VDNKh Park, an expansive playground for the citizens of Moscow to remind them of the wonders of the motherland. It was the last day before school went back and there were cadets - literally thousands of cadets - at some sort of function, with accompanying parents, siblings, teachers etc.

The beautiful fountains, gardens and a pavilion dedicated to each of the former republics (including, superfluously, Finland) were quite nice, especially filled with Muscovite families enjoying a Sunday out. The cosmonaut pavilion, with some 1960’s space memorabilia outside (we didn’t go in) was interesting. It’s ironic really that the Americans now depend on Russian rockets to send a lot of their stuff up there!

We looked in at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, made famous as the place where Pussy Riot were arrested, then visited a few of the quite beautiful Moscow Metro stations. The metro was an adventure in itself, but fortunately easy enough to work out.

We then spent two days out of town, in Suzdal and Vladimir, two towns on Moscow’s “Golden Ring” and about 180 km away. Churches, monasteries, convents, more churches, a kremlin and in Suzdal’s case a picturesque river winding its way around all the above made for a great couple of days.

Vladimir’s Cathedral of the Assumption, a riot of gold and portraits from top to bottom and the place where many of the Tsars were crowned, was fabulous, even with the usual sour attendants, souvenir sellers and beggars.

Back in Moscow, we finished off our few days with a visit to The Kremlin and the Armoury Museum.

Full of all sorts of things from wedding dresses to carriages to suits of armour, it was the gold and silver ornaments that were mind-boggling. From tea sets to jewel-encrusted gold bibles there were all sorts of things that a powerful ruler would expect to receive as a gift. The workmanship was astounding, the value of the collection incalculable.

Then, having taken our snaps of St Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square, we took our leave of Moscow, the end of another stage of our trip.

Tonight we hit the train to Kazan, as we begin to make our way across the country.Baca selengkapnya
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Pelancongthanks Chris - on our list now - in bold.
06/09/19Balas
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St Petersburg
31 Agustus 2019, Rusia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We are prepared for a more Russian Russsia as we get further into the country, but as an introduction St Petersburg has been brilliant, easy to get around, polite and friendly people and a host of the most amazing treasures and buildings we have ever seen.

In fact, St Petersburg is perfect for a relaxing four or five night stay, which is rather a pity, as we only had three nights. However, we did our best and had some fun and experiences doing it.

We caught the metro to our hotel, and in the process went as far underground as we have ever been. The escalators were so long they could have done with seats, and the actual train trip was but a small part of the experience.

We joined about a thousand other tourists for an intimate wander through the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, quite incredibly decorated from top to bottom with mosaics, all shades of blue and very beautiful.

Then we immersed ourselves in the squeaks, rattles and confusion of the suburban train system and made our way 25 kilometres south to Pushkin, and the Catherine Palace, a monument to wealth and extravagance if ever there was one. It contains the Amber Room (beautiful - no photos allowed but plenty on the internet) which is completely lined with Baltic Amber and seems to glow red/orange/brown from every crevice.

The story of the near-destruction of the palace during the siege of Leningrad, and its subsequent restoration, was well told through photos and quite moving.

We caught a hydrofoil - a very impressive-looking vessel, like Sputnik with tail fins - out to the Peterhof, another shack in the country for the use of royalty and to infuriate the peasants a bit more.

The gardens and the world’s most extensive set of fountains are what it is justifiably famous for, and we snapped away for a long time at the Great Cascade, all gold and spray leading from the palace down to the sea.

Finally, late in the day and after the crowds had abated (you wouldn’t have thought so) we visited The Hermitage, with its huge collection of art in a stunning set of buildings on the riverfront.

Some of the art was donated, some purchased and a lot acquired by the simple expedient of nationalising all the art in the country and taking it.

It was a fascinating few hours (where a few days would be needed to take it all in, assuming you had the knowledge, patience and stamina).

We have eaten a variety of (all non- Russian) meals at night, all around Nevsky Prospekt, the main shopping street, which absolutely buzzes in the evenings, with bands playing on street corners and a glimpse of light reflecting on a canal every few blocks. It really is a beautiful city.

We are now on a Sapsan train en route to Moscow, where our holiday continues.Baca selengkapnya
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Helsinki - Via Manchester
27 Agustus 2019, Finlandia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We caught the train from a warm and sunny Liverpool morning to a rather stifling Manchester afternoon, where we took a walk around.

We went to Manchester Town Hall, a massive neo-gothic pile that will probably be worth a look through when it reopens in 2024. 2024 - that’s a big renno!

Then came the John Rylands Library, another philanthropic gesture from an extremely rich mill owner’s wife.

Actually, the library is a magnificent building, complete with a beautiful and incredibly atmospheric public reading room. Now part of the University of Manchester, it is still a free public reference library.

A short flight a day later brought us to Helsinki, where we met up with Don and Kim and installed ourselves in an apartment for two nights.

After a look around Senate Square, with the Cathedral dominant from high above and beautiful civic buildings all around, we then marvelled at the markets, all full of brightly coloured fresh produce and Finnish-looking souvenirs.

We caught the ferry out to the Suomenlinna Island Fortress and wandered extensively around, enjoying the views and appreciating the fortifications and guns and stuff. It was built in 1748 by the Swedes and completely failed as a line of defence against the Russians, who the ran the place until 1918. Only then did Finland gain its independence.

Then we did a tram trip out through the ‘burbs, stopping at Temppeliaukion, the Rock Church, hewn out of the bedrock and a very interesting and beautiful building. The copper and glass ceiling was quite incredible.

Tomorrow morning we have shopping to do, as in the afternoon we enter Russia -the world of the Cyrillic alphabet - and won’t be able to read a single thing.

Next post (hopefully) will be St Petersburg.Baca selengkapnya
PelancongEnjoy Russia. You need Kate with you to help with the language. She & Judith worked out if they found a word they knew then they used those letters to work others out. Got us around the railway stations. Have fun. XX J & C
29/08/19Balas
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Liverpool
24 Agustus 2019, Inggris ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We caught the train from Edinburgh to Liverpool and installed ourselves near its very historic waterfront for three nights.

From there we visited a few different places, each in some way related to the history of the city and the disproportionate contribution it has made to the modern world.

The Beatles Experience proved to be a very interesting, if sanitised, telling of the Fab Four story, especially the early years in Liverpool itself. It was quite a feeling standing in an exact replica of the Cavern Club circa 1962. Too bad about 80% of the population wasn’t even born then.

Liverpool the port proved to be a very pleasant place to wander around. The waterfront area was originally home to the trade in cotton and slaves then emigration and of course later the flow of materiel into Britain during World War Two. It was saved from redevelopment in the eighties and is realistically and faithfully preserved.

We ate a couple of times on the Royal Albert Dock, steeped in history, and generally wandered the shoreline from Pier Head. The architecture was spectacular, befitting a pre-eminent port city and one with a UNESCO listing.

Liverpool Cathedral was spectacular too, in a dark, square, brutal way. The UK’s largest, it was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, whose eclectic body of work also includes the red telephone box.

Finally, unable to resist the siren sound of Gerry and The Pacemakers any longer, we took a cruise on the Mersey Ferry and spent some time on the Wirral Peninsula opposite the city.

Mersey Ferries, in a bizarre and maybe vengeful effort to diversify, bought a salvaged U-Boat - U534 - and sliced it up for display at their Woodhead Terminal. It was interesting peering into the rusted hulk and reading the history of the boat.

Then we caught a train a few stops down to Bebington and visited Port Sunlight, a village built by William Lever to house the workers at his soap factory.

By all accounts a humane and enlightened man - as well as a master soap marketer - he provided his employees with houses with separate bedrooms, plumbed-in baths and a toilet each, all otherwise rarities for working class people. Of course, he was also pretty much guaranteed his workers would turn up to work on time (and sober) as loss of their job also meant loss of their house.

The Port Sunlight Museum was a small but informative hour or so, the preserved cottage next door very interesting and our walk through the local streets of a beautifully laid out and pleasant village was excellent.

We did find the poor side of Liverpool wasn’t far from the surface, too. There were people sleeping rough all through the shopping precinct, and once away from the river it wasn’t quite so clean. There were quite a few beggars. Despite that, though, we thoroughly enjoyed this extremely interesting, attractive and historic city.Baca selengkapnya
PelancongAre they still celebrating being Champions of Europe? Love reading and viewing your travelogue - keep it up.
27/08/19Balas
PelancongThey seem to be always ready to go out - the young guys all wear Liverpool FC tee-shirts and trackie daks, the girls peroxide and fake tan. Appreciate the nice comments and hope you guys are going well.
27/08/19Balas
PelancongVery jealous of you guys being on tour! We did however acquire some tickets to Fleetwood Mac this week. Great concert.
29/08/19Balas
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Edinburgh
20 Agustus 2019, Skotlandia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
After what seemed like a lifetime of planning and last-minute organising of visas and ticket couriers we finally made our way to Edinburgh via Singapore and London.

We caught the train up from London Kings Cross, detouring around the security-controlled queue of Harry Potter fans (“Potterphiles”? “Potteristas”? “Potties”?) waiting for their photo op at platform nine and three-quarters. What an absolute phenomenon those books are.

The train was a good way to relax for the day after the long flight, although it was packed, with people sitting and standing in the vestibules.

Even though we knew it was on, we hadn’t reckoned on the effect of the Fringe Festival, from the crowded train to the packed streets to the pop-up bars in Princes Street - it was an exciting place to be.

Other than the street atmosphere we managed to see a few of the more traditional Edinburgh attractions.

We caught the bus out to Leith and walked through the Royal Yacht Britannia, all spit, polish and tradition. The ship was quite tastefully done out in a manner suitable for the impressing of lesser dignitaries.

Back in town and at the bottom of the Royal Mile we toured the palace of Holyroodhouse, all dark and hung with tapestries and harking back to an age where the lesser dignitaries were more easily impressed. It would have been a cold and depressing place to live, that’s for sure.

That night brought us to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, sitting up in the chilly grandstand with the magnificent backdrop of the castle in front of us.

The show was great, a mix of tradition with modern elements. The images projected onto the castle walls were clever. The New Zealand military band that dropped their instruments mid-set and did a haka was out of left field.

We climbed Calton Hill the following morning for some more views of the very hilly city, then in the afternoon caught the train out to South Queensferry and took a cruise on the Firth of Forth, under the bridges and out to Inchcolm Island.

It was probably a very nice place, with its atmospheric ruined abbey and numerous fortifications, but in the cold, blustery wind and sporadic rain the returning boat, with its welcoming warmth (and on board bar) was what we really wanted.

Today we move on to Liverpool, which will hopefully be just as much fun as Edinburgh has been.Baca selengkapnya
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PelancongWe enjoyed your tour of Edinburgh and are looking forward to your future posts. The photo and comments about the Tattoo brought back memories of our last visit to Edinburgh. Jeanette & Chris
23/08/19Balas
PelancongGreat to see you and
24/08/19Balas
PelancongSharon travelling again. Always love your reports. Hard to imagine the hoards of Potterphiles from heredownunder! What a big place the world is. We’re off to Bali Sunday week so going to give FindPenguins a go for my travel logo. Looking forward to your next p
24/08/19Balas
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India 2019 Pelancong
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Mystic Nagarkot
9 Maret 2019, Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Our final stop on this trip was Nagarkot, high up in the hills east of Kathmandu and with great views of the Himalayas - on the one or two days a year that are clear, it seems.

But that was in the future as we boarded a Buddha Air ATR-72 for flight 101 - destination “Mountain”, a flight past Mount Everest. It was quite magical, not exactly reach-out-and-touch-it close but crystal clear in the early morning sunshine. No doubt that’s as close as we will ever come to the highest mountain in the world.

Later in the morning we drove out of Kathmandu, stopped for some booze (these guides are easy to train once you get the hang of it) and drove to the Pashupatinath Temple, another complex of Hindu temples on the bank of the Bagmati River.

This was another cremation experience, fascinating and unnerving at the same time.

A cremation was commencing as we looked on from the other side of a narrow, poisonous looking river. This person was apparently well-known and had attracted quite a crowd, with spectators lining all the vantage points across the bridge and on both sides of the Bagmati.

Just up the river another body was being prepared for the same destiny, feet being washed in the river and river water seemingly poured over the face. Some banknotes were left on the body as well.

As this all took place life went on around it. A woman washed her hair under a tap in a far corner of the cremation area. People shopped and stickybeaked. Fake or real sadhus badgered us for money for a photo. Monkeys and dogs wandered around looking for scraps.

It was the wails of a relative of one of the deceased that broke the spell for us. In all of our tourist-perving it was too easy to forget that these people were father or mother, son or daughter, loved and lover - real people whose death had caused real suffering.

Back in the van and a little quietened, we drove on to Bhaktapur, a nearby township with another UNESCO Durbar Square.

After lunch in another atmospheric rooftop restaurant - these seemingly breed like rabbits around medieval Nepalese squares - we took in the finer points of some carved pillars on the appropriately named Erotic Elephants Temple, copulating elephants (among other 1600’s erotica) being exactly what is depicted.

Later in the afternoon we had an hour’s bone shaking drive up a rough track to Nagarkot and the Mystic Mountain Resort.

It was certainly mystic, 2,100 metres up with the hills rolling away into the distance, and, somewhere beyond, the snow capped Himalayas. It was also certainly cold, quite a shock after the temperate weather we had enjoyed.

We relaxed for a day, alternately cold or hot depending on the clouds that would regularly clear overhead but leave those elusive mountains invisible, reflecting on the incredible sights, experiences and fun and laughter that the last three weeks have brought us.

Finally, at sunrise on our last day as we packed to leave, the sun rose to a clear day and we were treated to the magical reflections of the sun on the snow covered mountains, a fitting end to a great holiday.Baca selengkapnya
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Pelancong Everest - just left of centre
10/03/19Balas
PelancongWhat an amazing time. Great to read your entries and see all the colourful photos. Look forward to hearing more about it from you both and your plans for you next trip!!
17/03/19Balas
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