Pompeii
May 14, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Today has been all about once more taking a step backwards into Ancient Roman Culture. Having previously visited Hadrian's Imperial Villa at Tivoili, we did have an idea what to expect and of course Pompeii is well known the world over, as the city that perished in the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79, but the sheer scale of it is overwhelming. We did not manage to visit it all or Herculaneum, it's smaller cousin similarly destroyed the other side of the volcano. One of us did feel that wandering about more ruins in the heat, this time with the world and his wife for company could only be stomached in two hour bursts!! For those of you who have not been able to visit, it is absolutely fascinating. The work that has been accomplished over the years is tremendous, but it is still a gigantic archaeological excavation to be honest. Pompeii and the majority of its occupants were buried over a two day period in a 6 mtr layer of red hot ash, pumice and cinder, spewed out by the volcano in a series of enormous eruptions, beginning first thing one morning, accompanied by earthquakes and lightening. The poor inhabitants must have justifiably thought the end of the world was nigh and most, understandably, attempted to take shelter in their homes, not realising that what they really needed to do was flee whilst they had the chance. The sky turned black and the terrified inhabitants huddled in their houses waiting for the eruption to pass and hoping to survive the debris field raining down on them. What we of course know today, is that there was worse to come. The enormous mushroom cloud that rose some 20,000 ft into the sky eventually fell back to earth and scorched down the sides of Vesuvius at speeds of 65mph. Known as a pyroclastic flow, it incinerated everything in its path, both animal and human. It was this that destroyed Herculaneum, which up to now had avoided the majority of the searingly hot debris and it was then buried by a thick layer of scalding mud. Anyone who had survived in either town so far, stood not a chance. The site was abandoned for many years following the disaster and it was not until Hadrian's reign that an attempt was begun to recover the position. Clearly, archaeologists have discovered a vast amount about the lives of Roman citizens from Pompeii, as here, unlike other places, life stopped dead on that fateful morning, with the detritus of everyday life in place. What does seem haunting is that Pompeii's remains are surrounded by modern day Napoili. The juxtaposition between the fate of these ancient Romans and the Napolese going about their everyday business is poignant to say the least.
We returned to Palazzo Avino for a late lunch pleased to have had the chance to experience Pompeii firsthand, but somewhat chastened. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my pear, Gorgonzola, rocket and walnut salad, with honey dressing, it was in my mind that all those centuries ago the townspeople of Pompeii did not get beyond breakfast.Read more
Villa Cimbrione
May 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
Today we wandered along through Ravello's narrow streets, stopping regularly to gaze at the spectacular views eventually reaching the Villa Cimbrione. This is an old estate perched on the cliff top that was rescued from dereliction in the early 1900s by Lord Grimthorpe from Yorkshire. He came to this part of Italy in an attempt to recover from a serious depression following the early death of his wife, and fell in love with Ravello. As a consequence he purchased and restored Villa Cimbrione, creating a fabulous garden, heavily influenced by English designers such as Peto, Lutyens and Jekyll. Lord Grimthorpe was involved with the Bloomsbury Group, many of whom came here to stay and Vita Sackville-West organised much of the planting. It is a glorious garden, with amazing sea views throughout. I am sure it would be only too easy to recover from anything here. Lord Grimthorpe loved it so much, he left instructions that his ashes be interred at the base of a small temple overlooking the sea and Amalfi. I can think of worse places to rest in peace!Read more
Ravello
May 12, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 24 °C
Yesterday, we moved on alone for the second section of our trip. We travelled by car from Frascati to Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. It is a 3 hour drive, mainly on the A1 which is the motorway running from Milano down to the Sicily ferry. The scenery gradually changes, becoming flatter, as one moves further south. We passed Monte Casino, immediately recognisable perched on its craggy hilltop. Basking gently in the sun, one could only imagine the vicious battle that raged here some 70 years ago. Just past this point we turned off the motorway and tracked through the outskirts of Napoli, which is as manic as you would think. Mountains reared up ahead of us and it gradually dawned that we would have to climb up and over them to reach our destination. Our young driver, with typical Italian flair, handled it all with impressive sang froid, meeting large vehicles and reversing back down steep gradients where necessary. As we climbed, the views became ever more stunning. We stopped at the top of the pass to look out over Napoli, the sea and of course Mt Vesuvius. It was quite a sight laid out at our feet. Continuing on our way we now descended the other side . Views of the Mediterranean came into view and we gradually approached our destination, Ravello, a small town perched high above the Azure blue sea. We are staying at the Palazzo Avino which is as gorgeous as we had hoped, with more spectacular views from every part of the hotel out over the mountainous coastline and the sea. It is undoubtedly the spot to relax after a busy week and we have spent today exploring Ravello on foot. It has an atmosphere all of its own and is pretty special to be honest. There is a Duomo of course, with a pair of carved marble Urns from the 2nd century AD. Peter remarked that he didn't think he had ever touched anything that old and yes, incredibly you could do just that! There was a pulpit and Amphora from the C7th, with clear Byzantine influences. It is a simple but very beautiful cathedral rather like the little village itself.Read more
Giardini della Landriana
May 11, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 21 °C
Amazingly, today is our final garden day and as a contrast to gardens of the past, we drove out to visit Giardini della Landriana which occupies 25 acres and was bought by the Taverna family as bare land surrounding the house in 1954, with no garden what so ever. Lavinia Taverna has been the driving force in creating the beautiful garden you now see, together with input from the English Landscape Architect Russell Page. It is a clever mix of Italian formality and exuberant English planting style, with plants from all over the world living harmoniously side by side to glorious effect. A man made lake was dug out which Russell Page advised should not be too large and apparently every time he came to visit, it seemed to be larger! Lavinia clearly knew her own mind and whilst she was willing to listen to his advice, it was not followed slavishly, if her gut instinct told her otherwise. Formal and informal rooms open and close as you wander through the garden and the combinations of plants are inspiring. It is of course much easier to create a series of strong gardens within a garden when you have the space to play with. A recurring theme is the restriction of the species planted together in any one space, which adds to the rhythm of the garden. There is a long walk of olives trees under planted with pink shrub roses and edged with a pretty variegated hebe. Standing tall and spaced out at the back of the border are statuesque hydrangeas and clothing the wall behind a glorious wisteria . On the other side of the wide pathway is a clipped grey foliage hedge. It is a sight to behold, even though the roses were not quite at their best. Another week of this weather will see a cloud of pink blooms nestling under the grey/ green olive. The old fashioned Rose garden runs gently down the valley and was at its fragrant and stunning best and so cleverly under planted with undemanding, but attractive ground cover. The lake is ringed with flowering yellow flag iris and gradually the new leaves of the lotus are emerging from the water and will eventually completely cover the surface. It was beautiful today. A long white planted double border walk runs back up the garden from the lake, punctuated with the tall dark green cypress for strength and stability, which is so effective. There is a a moorish influenced water lily pond formally edged with liriope and terracotta pots of clipped box and yew. One of the cleverest rooms was pure Russell Page with a nod to Lavinia. A hedged room planted with Orange trees and under planted with a mix of red leaved, lime, apricot and lilac and purple flowers. There were two small ponds full of croaking toads and it was glorious to behold. I should mention that all is peaceful apart from the birdsong. We were accompanied by a cuckoo all around the garden, a bird we rarely hear now in England and the tap, tap tap of a woodpecker. This was a so different yet again to anything we have seen this week and a miracle of clever ideas and a testament to how quickly a garden will establish in such conditions. A lovely Mediterranean salad lunch was taken outside and we took our leave with some regret.
Our final afternoon was spent in Frascati at the Aldo Brandini villa and garden and here once more (if it that was possible ) was something else completely different. The words 'a gentle faded splendour' come to mind. Its situation high above the town of Frascati is fabulous, looking right out over the town and Roman plain with The Vatican and St Peter's dome on the horizon. The estate is still in the Aldo Brandini family and one can visit the grounds under one's own steam. It is quite a climb to the several different levels and there is a great deal of work to be done both to the planting and the structure, but this was obviously a tour de force in it's day. Facing the villa is what has been described as a water theatre and there is a balcony at the top of the house where the family and their guests would assemble to watch the show. A cascade runs down the slope between two pagodas and over the edge to drop in a curtain to the pool below. In an amphitheatre underneath are giant tableaux of the gods with their own fountains and centrally placed is Atlas with the world on his shoulders. This giant globe revolved due to careful application of the force of the water. A faded refection of it's former glory, this was in some ways quite sad to see, but perhaps a fitting reminder of how quickly man's achievements can fade into obscurity at the flick of a hand and the turning off of a historic switch of one type or another.
At this point there was only one thing to do - that's right find the nearest gelatoria! The final dinner at Villa Grazzioli was memorable, again for the sumptuousness of our splendid faded surroundings and the amusing attention of the ever present Claudio, who gives meaning to the phrase 'the charming Italian!' He was sorely tried this weekend I suspect, having being charged with keeping happy a tricky group of English guests who were irritated at being supplanted elsewhere, 55 toga loving swedes and to add insult to injury an family of Chinese who appeared to order the entire A la Carte menu and insist on photographing the arrival of every dish with great enthusiasm. It made for fascinating entertainment.
We have had a wonderful week, in great company and seen gardens that will for ever hold in the mind as some of the most beautiful examples of man's ingenuity in conjunction with the natural world. Thank you Lesley, John, Linda, Pat and Jane for making our Ruby Wedding week everything we could have hoped for.Read more
Ninfa
May 10, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 19 °C
Today is our Ruby Wedding Anniversary and we can think of no finer place to be on such an occasion than Ninfa. This is the garden we had been waiting to see more than any other and it certainly did not disappoint.
The land surrounding Ninfa was given to yet another Pope in the 1100s and a small medieval village was built here. It became very wealthy for its time, because of the tax it could generate, in order to use the road that bypassed the swamp land blocking the route South (the Appian Way). The Caetani family purchased the area in the late Middle Ages and it has remained in their hands to the present day. The village was destroyed during one of the many skirmishes that brewed at the time and the family could never afford to rebuild it. Instead, some 100 years ago they decided to create a garden in this perfect microclimate.
It is billed as an English garden and the most romantic garden in the world and I wouldn’t argue with that! . There is no house here to marvel at, just a garden, but what a garden, planted around the ruins of the village of Ninfa. A series of tall slim Italian cypresses mark what was the Main Street and give solid green height and structure to the garden. A small river and a series of streams run through its sheltered site and wherever you look are seemingly unplanned vistas that just delight the eye to such an extent, there is very little talking, because most of us were quite overcome. We arrived at what is arguably the best time of year, as the wisteria, peonies, late spring flowers and of course the roses are in full bloom. I have never seen such roses. They cascade over the ruins with such vigour, a mass of flower and beauty. The perfume that hangs in the air is fabulous, not just from the roses, but also flowering stephanotis, and the orange blossom on the trees. There are many rare plants here to be exclaimed over that have been brought from around the world and are able to survive in the perfect conditions to be found here. Frosts are unheard of, due to the proximity to the sea and the protection from the surrounding mountain range. The soil is very fertile and there is plenty of water and the humidity high. The ideal gardening conditions and plants grow unbelievably quickly - I am so jealous!
We emerged after two and a half hours exalted and yet somewhat subdued, almost as if one had been granted a papal audience. To have the chance to view such perfection is rare and to be savoured.
Speaking of the Pope we moved on to have a picnic lunch and gelato by the shores of Lake Albani. A beautiful spot, but heaving with half of the inhabitants of Rome, or so it seemed and then moved on to have a look at the summer Papal residence at Castel Gandolpho. Sadly, his holiness was apparently tied up with Raoul Castro, trying to effect Cuba's return to the free world. Such a shame he couldn't have put it off until tomorrow to greet us on our special day - but I suppose we cannot be too disappointed as for one thing we're not Catholic and secondly we had had our miracle for the day!
As a postscript the only issue has been the cancellation of our stay at the second hotel the Palazzo Grazioli, which has been a disappointment. We have been accommodated nearby, but not with such style. However, we have taken our meals in fine fashion at the Grazioli, which if anything has made the comparison worse, but tonight certainly proved a treat. On arrival, we had prosecco and canapés in the garden with the rest of the garden gang to celebrate our Anniversary and watched the sunset over Rome from the balcony. We remarked to Claudio, the head waiter, that we were pleased to escape yet another rowdy party at our hotel and he rolled his eyes in true Italian fashion and said they were in the middle of a Toga party in the hotel and the evening could prove interesting and how right he was. It emerged that the participants were 55 Swedish software engineers, of both genders I may add, who came dressed for the part and following dinner congregated in the bar next to room where we were eating and in the salon for a thumping disco. We had to keep making excuses to nip out and view the sights and what sights they were! I can assure you that the toga is not for everyone. On the young and nubile with gladiator sandals and dressed hair a toga is more than acceptable, on the more senior members of the party, perhaps not so. The sight of two guys propped up at the bar with the requisite toga, fake gold laurel leaves on their heads, one with a tee shirt underneath (just in case!) and the other with coconut matting on display was more than I could stand. On glancing downward in an attempt to hide my hysteria, what should I encounter but formal black shoes and toning socks. Hysteria threatened to bubble over and I retreated back to our table in double quick time. It does beg the question, what on earth are 55 Swedish software experts are doing here in Tivoili dressing up as Romans? Don't answer that, I'm sure we can all supply an answer!!Read more
Villa L'Adriana & Villa D'Este
May 9, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 21 °C
We have stepped back in time today to a garden of antiquity, with a visit to Villa L'Adriana, which was the vision of the Emperor Hadrian, who was also it's chief architect and designer, on top of running the Roman Empire! The Villa is situated just outside Tivoili, in the hills outside Rome and became his country palace. Construction took close on 20 years and started in 117BC and on its completion resembled a small city, with over 1000 people serving the Emperor when he was in residence. No expense was spared and the latest cutting edge technology of the day was employed, plus selecting the finest coloured marbles, mosaics and frescos for decoration. The terme or spas had underfloor heating and the villa was surrounded by beautiful formal gardens. This is the place where, water was first used as a element of design in the western world and this site became for later generations, a must visit point of inspiration and an essential of the Grand Tour. The villa fell into abandon at the fall of the Roman Empire when it was sacked and looted by the Barbarians. Some 200 years later Pierro Ligorio came here and took away the idea of water to be reworked and improved upon at Vllla d'Este, the garden of which he designed close by. Nowadays, the Villa grounds have returned to nature and are surrounded by a grove of olives interspersed by wild flowers, which were in full bloom. It is a magnificent sight and gives the ruins a quite unique feel, which somehow feels right. There has been a substantial amount of archeology and restoration over the years, but money or the lack of it is a constant problem. Our guide Barbara brought it all to life for us so well and under her careful guidance the villa and Hadrian's world blossomed before our eyes. Here is a garden with a difference. Fascinating and requiring vision as it is viewed today, but not to be missed if you are in the vicinity.
After lunch we travelled into Tivoili itself, to find the famous garden of Cardinal d'Este, who commissioned Pietro Ligorio to design the garden to his newly completed villa in Tivoli. The d'Este's were another powerful family with aspirations to the papacy, which the Cardinal narrowly missed three times. This garden was undoubtedly planned as an entertainment and awe inspiring backdrop to its owners powers of persuasion. It descends through three levels from the villa itself, with the technical artistry increasing in intensity with the descent. The sheer amount of water used here has to be seen to be believed and it was all achieved through gravity, water pressure and hydraulics. There is not a pump in sight. This would be a fantastic achievement now, let alone in the mid C15th when the garden was constructed. As with many of these fabulous gardens, there has been a period of abandonment, and it has been the task of our present age to restore and reclaim for posterity. What is interesting is that modern minds and techniques have been defeated by some features, in particular the owl fountain, which originally featured bronze branches and little birds that would sing, until the appearance of a fearsome owl when the birds would be silenced in fear and all this is achieved through the application of water in the correct manner! There is a 'herbaceous border' of 100 small fountains and sculptures that would initially have displayed terracotta tablets on which Ovid's famous poem Metamorphosis were carved. The dragon fountain that was built overnight to honour a visit of the then Pope to Villa d'Este, no doubt in the hope of improving the Cardinal's chances of being his successor! This fountain propels a jet of water over 100 ft high only to fall back into a dragon infested pool. The dragon was the the family symbol of the visiting Pope, but sadly the gesture failed to produce the required result! One cannot forget the grotto waterfall that Monty Don stood behind in his programme Gardens of the World, or the organ fountain that plays a madrigal at appointed times again purely through the power of water. The finale of the show is a huge waterfall and fountain complex, which is quite remarkable. Originally, the planting in the Garden would have been formal and Italian. In the current version there are more plants and flowers, which add to our enjoyment today but would not have been the intention all those years ago when shade, greenery, texture, symmetry, classical statuary and sheer artistry ruled the day.Read more
Villa Farnese
May 8, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 19 °C
This for me was the visit that I knew least about and I think we can safely say Peter had never heard of! As with the day before, we travelled for an hour or so before arriving in the tiny hamlet dominated by the Villa Farnese. Build by the Farnese family in the C16th, initially as a fortress, it was redesigned as a summer Palazzo by one of it's number who hit the heights of power and wealth as Pope Paul 3rd. His grandson Alexander carried on with the redeveloping and the papacy and I think it is fair to say that's the Farnese family were influential all over Europe for some 100 years having married into other similar dynasties. On approach you see an immense square golden building, symmetrical and relatively simple in design. Typically, it is set on the summit of a hill with commanding views over the spectacular countryside, hence controlling all 'traffic' for miles around. I'm not quite sure what we were expecting, but we were stunned on having passed through an exquisitely frescoed entrance/ guard hall to find that this rectangular building was in fact constructed around a circular courtyard. There are 5 storeys, the ground and first floor being the main family and guest living quarters. These two floors are accessed from a colonnaded circular corridor open to the central courtyard and they are totally covered in the most amazing frescos, still in fantastic condition considering their age and the fact that they are open to the elements, albeit sheltered. We passed through a series of fantastic rooms that yet again were painted in the most incredible style, gilded and with every illusory effect known to the world of art. I have seen some beautiful buildings but nothing quite like this for the sheer artistry of the decoration. One can only imagine what the end result looked like when it was finally completed after 15 years, with it's furniture and rugs and tapestries in place. One would have been left in no doubt as to the wealth and power of the Farnese family, which was of course the whole purpose of the exercise.
School is coming to its year end here in Italy and so we had to run the gauntlet of various groups of schoolchildren on school trips. They were largely wildly disinterested and full of fun and chatter. I don't think I ever saw one of them look up at the sensationally painted ceilings that adorn every room. The old adage came to mind 'Education is wasted on the young!'
Finally we emerged into the sunshine and the garden, which was of course to us of particular interest. The garden was designed by the same architect involved at Villa Lante and you can see the similarities. Walls covered in wisteria and banksia lutea roses in full bloom. A vision of lilac and lemon, with a fragrance to knock you out. We progressed through the manicured woodland, full of camellias and azaleas again in full bloom, wild irises of deep purple and white Arum italicum pictum in swathes through the trees. It is silent apart from birdsong and you truly feel you are in an earthly paradise. The idea was to aid contemplation and meditation, helpful of course to a family heavily engaged in the papacy and international diplomacy! The path winds up through the woodland and suddenly out of the trees looms a fountain and rilled slope leading up the a fabulous formal garden and the pleasure palace ((Palazzo Piacere - sounds so much better in Italian!) as it was known. This is some distance away from the main palazzo and perhaps one does not need too much imagination to guess what type of pleasure was involved here. The idea of celibacy and the Catholic Church had not yet come to the fore! Interestingly, Prince Charles stayed here on a visit to Rome and one could imagine he was most appreciative of the setting! Italian formal gardens are all about shade, texture of the greenery, clipped box hedges, statuary and water and by and large colour is absent. Beautiful fountains are surrounded by what appears to be monochrome Persian carpets constructed from pebbles set in concrete or the equivalent of the day, to emulate mosaic. The structure of the garden needs considerable restoration to be seen at its best, but it does not require much imagination to visualise how this estate must have looked in it's heyday. Here, yet again, the owner displays the family wealth and culture so that visitors would have been under no illusion as to the status of their hosts.Read more
Villa Lante & the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo
May 7, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 20 °C
We travelled for an hour and a half through exquisite countryside before arriving at Villa Lante around 10 o’clock. Our guide this morning is called Luca and he was able to explain the origins of the garden and its structure. It was built in the 1500s by two of the bishops of Viterbo, Cardinals Gambini and Montalcino, in the days when being a high ranking man of God was often purchased by a noble family for a son and the display of wealth and power was an essential part of the job. Keeping power within the family was all and creating a fabulous garden was very much the latest fashion and an essential for entertaining. Everything is symmetry, order and classically green, with little colour, not necessarily wanted in a climate of such heat. Water and cool contemplative areas were the object here and spectacularly achieved both for the cardinals enjoyment and their guests over the years. The inclusion of water into a garden of the High Renaissance period, said it all, the mechanics being extremely expensive to build and maintain.
Here is a family of power and wealth and it is on display for all to see. Keeping up with the Jones’ has always been a factor in society it seems, even for men of the church!
There are two reception orangeries lavishly decorated in fabulous trompe l'oeil scenes. The illusion they create has to be seen to be believed. The house is not open normally, because the government is struggling to maintain these immense properties and cannot afford to pay the custodians that would be necessary. Pictures on display show an interior as spectacular as their loggias. The garden rises in man made terraces from the house, with beautiful natural greenery and a great deal of clipped box and yew partares, plus the myriad of fountains, pools and rills built to compliment it. The garden is incredible now, let alone in the C15th when it was constructed. The whole estate is surrounded by hectares of woodland. This was a summer retreat for the cardinals and a hunting lodge par excellence!
We moved on to the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo, constructed in the C16th by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini as a memorial to his wife after her death. He either shared a fantastic sense of humour with his Guila or they had a very strange relationship indeed! I suggested to Peter that he might like to consider such a scheme for me in South Wootton. His response was - 'when would you like me to start?' Seriously, the wild natural 'sacred grove' was all the rage at the time and is populated by dozens of huge sculptures of truly gigantic scale, carved from the local stone. They are both fanciful and terrible and it is a fabulous woodland walk with a difference. The garden fell into disrepair for 300 years before being rediscovered and lovingly restored by a local art lover in 1953.
It has certainly been a day of two halves. You could not have envisaged two more contrasting gardens and the day was concluded with a gorgeous long late lunch at the sort of local restaurant you dream of. Mama does all the cooking, the pasta is freshly made daily and the vegetables grown by Papa. We sat outside under an awning, the sun shone and life was good.Read more
Orvieto
May 6, 2015 in Italy ⋅ 22 °C
We arrived here in Orivieto mid afternoon, after an early start from Heathrow this morning. The Hotel Piccolomini is typically Italian and very comfortable. We are here for three nights to see the gardens North of Rome. The town is on the border of the Lazio and Umbria regions where Medieval hill top towns abound, of which Orivieto is one. The historic town is built on the cliff top and accessed by lifts set into the rock face from the car parks below. We are on the third floor of the hotel and the view out of the window is again typical of the higgledy piggedly skyline so prevalent in this part of the world. This evening's sunset from the ramparts was glorious with swifts cavorting about the skies calling as they go. Now, all is quiet and still and it is almost as if you have stepped back 500 years.Read more
The Green Green Grass of Home
February 8, 2014 in England ⋅ 🌬 8 °C
Norfolk, United Kingdom
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Two weeks have passed since we arrived back and Greenhurst welcomed us home. Our last day in Hong Kong did not quite go to plan, as I pulled my back re packing a suitcase and ended up flat on my back for the day, resting and icing it alternately! Oh well, I guess I should be glad it happened right at the end rather than in the middle of a moving phase of the trip. A very efficient Chinese doctor, by the name of Dr Sunny Lau called and prescribed the ice etc and some heavy painkillers, which did get me home. As a consequence, I couldn't manage the trip to Sha Tin and have to rely on Peter's fulsome description. " it was really interesting". So there you have it, colourful in the extreme and for a fuller picture you'll have use your imaginations and look at the photos!!
It was a very good view of the waterfront from the hotel bedroom window, that much I can tell you.
The previous evening Peter and I had gone down to the hotel bar for a drink late on. One of the walls was completely glass, overlooking a very busy street. We perched on our bar stools watching Hong Kong going about it's business. It was a Saturday evening so business was heavy. The cars were either Mercedes, BMWs, Porches or taxis! Not a lot of variety, but plenty of wealth on display. On the other side of the road was a highly decorated Chinese building, which at first we took to be a restaurant, from the myriad of people in and out, of all ages, style and gender. Cars were double and triple parked or simply abandoned. Eventually, their owners would appear, either clutching a slip of paper or laden with carrier bags full of parcels to pack into the cars, with the assistance of smartly turned out staff. We were intrigued. As time went on we realised this could not be a restaurant, with an extensive take out menu! Occasionally, we caught glimpses of the interior as the doors flew open and we could see folk sitting around tables and gradually gained the impression that they were not eating. Finally, curiosity killed the cat, so to speak. I asked the barman what was going on. He beamed and said simply, "It is a Mah Jong house" and everything instantly fell into place. Of course it was and we were doubly intrigued. What wouldn't we have given to be a fly on the wall in there. I tell you what, there were a lot of taxi drivers who had told the little woman they were working tonight and were doing nothing of the kind!! I hope she was sharp enough to have grabbed the housekeeping before he disappeared for his shift, otherwise Sunday lunch could be scanty!
The journey back to Heathrow was comfortable and uneventful, I'm relieved to say and we landed just before 3pm to a cold, wet, grey London. Oh it was good to be back - not! However, we had one little ray of sunshine (well, two really). Who should come toddling towards us in the arrivals hall with a big beam? Yes, you've guessed it - our beloved Grandson Rafe. A sight for sore eyes after 3 months, oh, and his mother looked pretty good also! It was a lovely surprise, as we had no idea Emily had such a treat up her sleeve.
So, here we are, back to the green green grass of home and contemplating the last three months. What have we learned ? Well, we can survive one another's undiluted company for 3 months and have returned still speaking, which is a plus. We love travelling, which is probably no surprise, as we have covered a great deal of the US in a similar fashion. We are definitely spoiled for flying coach any time soon. (Help!) However, possibly the most instructive point to come out of this trip in an oblique way, is the value of being able to step outside of your life for a period of time. It makes you think, evaluate what you have and consider the future. I'm aware you could attempt the same in a beach hut at Old Hunstanton, whilst carefully wrapped in thermals, but it would be without the mind stretching vistas and personally I need warmth to think effectively. (well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!).Read more
Now is the Time to Say Goodbye!
January 24, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 24 °C
Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia
Friday, January 24, 2014
Now is the time to yield a sigh!! - to quote Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
In our case and at this point, a truer phrase was never spoken.
It scarcely seems possible that our 3 month Grape Escape is nearly at an end, it has all gone so quickly. Tomorrow, we fly back to Hong Kong for two nights, on the first leg of our homeward journey. We are going to spend our final day at Sha Tin races, which will I hope be a fitting conclusion to Peter's retirement trip. When I think back to our outward stay at the beginning of November, it does seem a long time ago and of course such a lot of water has flown under the proverbial bridge since then.
We have had a quiet last couple of days savouring the warm weather and the beauty of North Queensland. Supper tonight was a final visit to Vivos, our favourite dining spot at Palm Cove and a glass of Villa Maria Sauvignon sits at my elbow as I write this last Australian episode. Nadal has just beaten Federer in the Australian Open semi final (sorry Lesley) and would you believe England have finally won a cricket match down under, in the latest ODI. Wonders will never cease! Thank goodness we were not relying on the cricket to be the highlight of our trip.
Talking of highlights, it is almost impossible to isolate one or two from this journey, because there have been so many and I am deliberately not going to try. All I can say, is that a year ago when planning this Antipodean Adventure, I don't think either of us could have imagined just how spectacular it would be. We are simply so grateful to have had the opportunity to make the journey and to have been able to share it with you all at home.
My nightly appointment with the IPad is soon to be over. I will pen you one further edition from Hong Kong and my book will then be closed. What will I do with my evenings?!?Read more
The Atherton Tablelands
January 22, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 23 °C
Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
It's been a change of scene today, as we decided to take a look at the Atherton Tablelands. It involved a drive up and over the Divide, which is twisty and forest heavy until the other side of Kuranda, when suddenly the landscape changes and opens out. The rainforest melts away, the mountains retreat and you find yourself in a completely different country, but still within North Queensland. In effect you have climbed on to a plateau and are almost on a savannah type grassland, interspersed with eucalyptus and termite mounds. Everything shimmered in the heat as we headed for Mareeba, from where you can branch off and drive to Broome on the WA coast some 2500 kms away. It will take you approximately two days.
Once at Mareeba we called in at Coffee World for a tasting session and some lunch. I guess it makes a change from wine! There are around 50 coffee farms on the Tablelands, where the acidic volcanic soils are well suited to growing coffee. We sampled excellent local coffee roasts, teas, liqueurs and the locally made chocolate. An enormous collection of coffee historica is displayed, all collected by one man, for whom coffee has been something of an obsession.
Did you know coffee originated as a drink in Aden, Yemen and was brought initially to Constantinople where it was immensely fashionable in the 1500s? At this point coffee was known as the Wine of Arabia. It was then imported to Venice and thence to Paris and London. Coffee Houses were the place to be seen in the mid 1600s, during the Jacobean period. Around the same time it was taken to America and coffee's popularity has grown and grown ever since.
After lunch, we drove down to Atherton which is essentially a market town serving the largely agricultural community. There are cattle stations and tropical fruit farms. Interestingly, the cattle are crossed with Indian Brahmin cattle, who are better able to withstand the heat. Turning East once more we headed for Yungaburra, a village still steeped in the Australian pioneering spirit. There are many original Queenslander wooden houses, (built on stilts) around a village green. We seemed to have stepped back in time. The Hotel Eacham was built in the 1860s and has retained many of its original features including the staircase of local timber. The police station and court house building is hardly altered and so it goes on, until we came upon an extraordinary scene in Cedar Rd. Here is the Yungaburra Bowls Club, immaculate in every way and there is a match in progress. All the players were in pristine white and concentration was typically Aussie, extreme. Not a word was uttered the whole time we stood watching. It seemed a moment out of time.
The landscape has changed yet again and we are amongst rolling green volcanic hills and lakes. This is referred to locally as the Lake District. Just on the outskirts of the town is a duck billed platypus viewing platform at Peterson Creek, so naturally we strolled down to have a look. It is a muddy overgrown stretch of water with a dirty brown dappled surface, which makes spotting a tiny, dirty, brown platypus easy of course. (they are only about 12inches long) The little dears are really nocturnal and tend to be active at dawn and dusk.. This was three o'clock in the afternoon, so the chances of a glimpse were slim, but hang on, what is that over the far side under the overhang of that tree. It is dark brown and scuffling about at the edge of the creek. Just a minute there are two of them! Excitement starts to build, but they are a little too far away for the us visibly challenged old dears to be certain what we are seeing. After a couple of tantalising minutes out of the shadows come .......... a pair of dirty brown ducks!! Oh well, you can't be lucky all the time.
On that note we headed back to Palm Cove. It was a day with a difference and it gave us the opportunity to see a different side of Queensland, beyond the tropical rainforest coastal strip.
A change is as good as a rest, but tomorrow we concentrate on the rest!Read more
Mossman Gorge
January 21, 2014 in Australia
Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Yet again we have struck it lucky with the weather and we woke up to a bright sunny day, so we decided to take advantage and headed for Mossman Gorge. This is another section of the Daintree Rainforest and sits 20kms north west of Port Douglas. The Mossman river rises high in the Alexandra Range of the Great Divide and cuts it's way down through the gorge to the Coral Sea. There is an excellent visitor centre run by the local indigenous people, the Ngadiku, pronounced Nar-di-gul. You are shuttled to the gorge centre, where there are a variety of secluded nature walks through the rainforest that clothes the gorge sides, that include lookouts over the gorge itself. It is quite beautiful in a different way to yesterday's sights. The piece de resistance however, is the swimming hole section, known as The Beach, which was busy with youngsters mainly, cooling off in spectacular surroundings. Some of the vistas were just stunning and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring another side to this World Heritage region.
I will include lots of photos, so you can see for yourself, because I'm running out of superlatives!
On the way back to Palm Cove we drove into Port Douglas to have a wander round. Lots of resorts, restaurants and shops. Much more upmarket than Cairns, but we certainly prefer Palm Cove and the Northern Beaches as a base. We had supper tonight again amongst the palm trees twenty feet from the beach. This is such a glorious spot, without being overdone.Read more
Cape Trib (as it is known here!)
January 20, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 26 °C
Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia
Monday, January 20, 2014
We have been so fortunate today on several fronts, as will become apparent. It was the obligatory early start and we were collected from the villa this morning at 7.45 and as part of a small tour group we set off up the coast road towards Port Douglas and the Daintree National Park. Our guide was a typically laconic Aussie called Matt, with a blond ponytail most girls would kill for. He asked us where we were from and on realising we were from the mother land said 'Aw, thought you'd come and check up on the colonies did yuh?! Make sure you give Liz a good report of us'. I'm sure you get the picture and immediately we knew we were in for a good day.
The drive up to Port Douglas hugs the coast and the views are yet again spectacular. The sun shone, it was as clear as a bell and the Coral Sea was like a millpond, scarcely a ripple. Matt explained how unusual this was for the time of year and that no rain and views are virtually unheard of in January. See what I mean by fortunate.
By 9.30am we were on the Daintree river for a short cruise. This is the beginning of the National Park and whilst we were on the water Matt took the 4wd over the river by ferry, which is the only way to cross, as there is no bridge and to drive round would take a day. The river was named by a British Geologist by the name of George Elphinstone-Dalrymple ( could only be British), who was sent up to Ccoktown to develop the port to export gold. He soon realised this was a nonstarter and started to explore, looking for other options. On coming upon this navigable river, he promptly named it for a friend and fellow geologist, Richard Daintree and so the name became synomous with this part of the world. The tropical rainforest grows right down to the river and the edges are clothed in mangroves. There are over 30 species growing in the Park, although I would have to say, seen one mangrove seen ‘em all. They look pretty alike to the untrained eye. We spotted a snake basking in an over hanging tree, nesting birds of varying sorts and joy of joys a small estuarine crocodile sitting log like on a pad of floating vegetation. Again, we were lucky, as crocodiles are not usually visible at this time of year. After an hour or so we picked up Matt and the vehicle on the other side of the river and drove on through ever denser tropical rainforest. The road, which on the map appears to be a proper road, narrows down to little more than a track. We stopped for a rainforest guided walk which was fascinating, having someone pointing out things we would have never realised the significance of had we been alone. We found a nutmeg tree, saw cycads hundreds of years old and started to understand the complexity and origins of the forest under Matt's direction. This is the oldest original rainforest on the planet and things have remained unchanged here since the days of the dinosaurs and beyond. It is an amazing concept. The Aborigines have fed themselves and used materials from the forest for hundreds of years, with little lasting effect as they only take what is necessary. I wish the same could be said of us 'colonials'. One beautiful red cedar tree has been felled to the point of there being only a handful left, in the hundred years from the 1860s.
Those of you who have visited Australia will be accustomed to the idea that rarely is the correct name used in conversation for anything. Everything and I mean everything is abbreviated, nicknamed, initialled. You do struggle to get your head round the slang at times. During this walk Matt kept referring to 'the indige'. It took us a while to get his drift and understand that he meant the local (indigenous) Aboriginals. Can you imagine the outcry at home if such a casual term was uttered. I think Sir Humphrey's phrase may have been something like 'the local native population whose existence is presupposed to have predated the arrival of the Colonial Era'.
The Queen's English does take on a different guise here!
Lunch was taken at the Raintree cafe and to our astonishment Matt cooked steaks on the Barbe, an array of salads was produced and we sat down to a sumptuous feast, which was most unexpected. There followed Kangaroo feeding as the Cafe owners have two pet big reds. Would you believe these are the first two kangaroos we have clapped eyes on in the 6 weeks we have travelled Australia and are millions of them out there. They are the most unusual creatures close to. Certainly not pretty, awkward unless springing at full speed and yet remarkably dexterous with their 'hands'. They have a real character about them that somehow epitomises all that Australia is about.
We moved on, passing fields of Camellia Chinesis, or to you and I, tea bushes! Here is the Daintree Tea company, the produce of which we had the opportunity of sampling later on. We now set off down the 4WD Bloomfied Track, an unmade road, typical of many throughout this vast land. Our objective was the pristine Emmagene Creek and it's natural swimming hole. We had been advised to bring swimmers. As you might imagine, changing facilities are somewhat lacking in the rainforest and this is no smooth bottomed pool! Not surprisingly the only takers were three of the guys, who could swim in their shorts. It was a stunning spot however and whilst we took everything in, Matt made Daintree Billy Tea (it was very good) and produced traditional damper (also surprisingly good). He commented on how he would demonstrate the Australian tea ceremony, which had similarities to the complex and ordered Japanese version. The billy can is boiled over a camping stove (no fires allowed in a National Park), Matt glanced cursorily round grabbed a handful of tea and threw it in, with a 'that should do it!'. When it came to straining the brew, due to the lack of a tea strainer (the standards of these colonials!), he explained they used centrifugal force. Ok, interesting thought, very scientific, now where is that centrifuge when you want it? As with everything here, simplification is the name of the game. He grabbed the billy by the handle and swung it round his head to separate tea and leaves. The mothers amongst us were aghast, but of course it worked like a charm. Not that I suggest you try it in the kitchen with the teapot! We sampled tropical fruits grown in the locality, some we knew, others not and a jolly half hour passed.
The return journey began and we visited Cape Tribulation beach on the way back to the ferry. This is the spot where two world heritage sites meet i.e. The Daintree Forest and The Great Barrier Reef. It is an amazing sight. The bay and it's famous headland were deserted apart from us. I couldn't believe we had it all to ourselves. Cape Trib (the local abbreviation again!) was named by Lt James Cook, when his ship The Endeavour was grounded on the reef off shore and he wrote in his log of the 'trials and tribulations of the following days, as the crew battled to re float the ship and keep her afloat, until they could repair the damage. A testing time no doubt, as in those days most sailors couldn't swim. It was considered unlucky and so failure to save the ship would have been disastrous for the captain and crew. Interesting to think that there may have been no triumphant return for the Lt, who was subsequently made Captain James Cook having claimed New Zealand and Australia for GB. On board, as resident botanist was Joseph Banks, who named so many native plants during this voyage, bringing back to England drawings and seeds that are preserved at Kew to this day. Consequently, Cook named the headland Cape Tribulation and at Cooktown, the river, Endeavour.
The day had one more stroke of luck to deliver. Just down the road from Cape Tribulation we had the good fortune to see a Cassowary in the wild. Only 15% of visitors have this joy and we were suitably thrilled to be amongst them. They are the most unusual birds. This one was a juvenile as it's cockade had yet to develop. They are flightless birds and the Daintree is one of its last strongholds. Their feathers are reduced to long soft quill like structures of a blue/black colour. The head is blue and green with a red wattle and it has long legs and three very long toes. They do resemble an emu, but are more beautifully coloured. Truly a bird of a prehistoric rainforest and a magnificent sight.
To recover, Matt took us to the Daintree Ice Cream Co. Here, organic ice cream is made using tropical fruit and nuts grown on the orchard. We purchased a tub containing a scoop each of macadamia, apricot, wattle seed and jack fruit ice cream. They were all delicious and gratefully received in the heat of the afternoon.
The ferry safely negotiated, remainder of the journey back to Palm Cove was uneventful I'm pleased to report. No one could have stood the strain of much more! We arrived back hot, tired, sweaty , but exhilarated. Billy Tea Safaris are the tour group to go for if you find yourself in this neck of the woods. They certainly deliver a day with a difference and a refreshing dip in the pool on our return was the perfect end to a brilliant expedition.Read more
Chill Time
January 19, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Since our last chat we have moved further up the coast to Palm Cove, for our final week. We arrived here on Friday and have settled in to our villa, which is on a small development around a lovely pool set in a tropical garden. The weather has been steadily around thirty degrees and the rain has abated. It is tremendously hot almost everywhere else ( 40s ), so we are counting our blessings! Palm Cove is very attractive with a Palm fringed beach, some shops and really good eateries. We have discovered a great place called Vivo, who have a cocktail happy hour between 3 and 6pm with tapas accompaniment. So now, we keep finding our way down there late afternoon to try another cocktail. Well, we do feel it is our duty to test them out for quality control purposes. We did actually eat there last night on the verandah. It was gorgeous, both food and setting; virtually on the beach with the sea gently lapping the shore. Yet another of those moments to savour.
We are in our final week and it beggars belief where the time has gone. Chill out is gradually seeping into the bones. Having said all that we are off on what is probably our last trip of our adventure. We leave early in the morning for a 4wd trip up to Cape Tribulation and the Bloomfield track. It is a further exploration of the Daintree rainforest and we are really looking forward to it. I'll report all the happenings tomorrow, swimmers are packed.
TTFN.Read more
Take to the Skies
January 16, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Yorkeys Knob, Queensland, Australia
Thursday, January 16, 2014
It is strange, but when you set yourself the task of doing nothing, it can be remarkably difficult to achieve. Both Peter and I have really struggled to settle in to this final R&R period. We gave up today and had the day out. It seemed much more normal to be up early and watching the clock so as not to be late. Our scenic train left Freshwater Station to wind its way through the mountains to Kuranda, a village in the rainforest. The line was constructed over 120 years ago under extreme conditions, bearing in mind that every inch had to be hand dug and secured. There was no such thing as heavy duty machinery in those days. It was and is a tremendous feat of engineering. Supplying the burgeoning gold mining industry was the incentive. Two 1720 class locomotives are needed to haul the train up the track, which rises over 1000 mtrs to the village. They are beautifully adorned in the vibrant Buda Dji colours. The painting, created by a local Aboriginal artist George Rilet, portrays the the legend of Buda-Dji, the carpet snake, said to have carved out the Barron Gorge. The man charged with the task of building the railway was one John Robb. He employed over 1500 men, who had to live in tents and provide their own tools. The climate alone would have made this an arduous task and many died due to accidents and disease. The journey up to Kuranda takes two hours and the scenery is awe inspiring. As the train climbs, the rainforest sets in in all it's beauty. The tapestry of greens have to be seen to be believed. It is so varied, with its top tree canopy, middle level of lower trees, particularly tree ferns (Dickinsonia) and climbers, plus the lower ground cover plants that tend to be large leaved and a darker green colour. We travelled through rugged coastal mountains, steep ravines, the mighty Barron Gorge and falls, that are over 260 metres tall. This is the Barron Gorge National Park, established in 1940. It is a part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, also known as The Daintree, which is the oldest continually surviving Tropical Rainforest region on earth.
We arrived at Kuranda in time for an early lunch and to be honest should have headed back down at that point. The village is totally given over to commercial interest and most of it pretty tacky at that. There were a couple of very interesting Aboriginal Galleries and street art, but otherwise it was hard sell all the way. Fed up with it all, we headed for the butterfly sanctuary and tropical bird aviary. You can wander around both attractions with the creatures in (technical) free flight around you. The cassowary had the sense of it. The poor thing was slumped in the corner of his pen with his back to the visitors, looking to all intents and purposes
as if he was fed up and had taken the hump.
The journey down to the coast was by Skyrail. It is a 7.5 kms cableway through the rainforest and one travels by a glass bottomed gondola. There are stunning panoramic views all around and of course straight down, that gives one a rarely seen birds eye view of the rainforest from above. There are two stations where one can get out and walk through the forest on interpretive trails. It is hot and steamy, punctuated by bird calls and quite different in feel from the New Zealand rainforest that we had seen earlier in our trip. New Zealand's is much more attractive, but The Australian version has a grandeur it is difficult to ignore. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the day (sorry Peter T!). We have another trip planned to the Daintree next week, but we will certainly never forget floating mere metres above the tree tops of the oldest rainforest in the world.Read more
The Cattana Wetlands
January 15, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Yorkeys Knob, Queensland, Australia
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
It has been a quiet day today, but we did take time out to visit the Cattana Wetlands, a 60 hectare site close by. It has been developed from a an old sugar cane farm owned by one Franco Cattana. The farm was sold and gravel extracted leaving flooded quarry lakes, a perfect spot for wildlife and tropical rain forest. there are butterflies galore and we hadn't been there 5 minutes before we spotted two electric blue Ulysses butterflies. They are huge, probably close on 4inches across and quite a sight flitting in amongst the trees. We watched a variety of birds on the water lily covered lakes, including the diving Darter and the comb-crested Jakana picking its way over the lily pads with great care, looking for lunch no doubt.
It is a quiet peaceful spot, providing you keep you eye out for the odd python and crocodile that have been known to frequent the area. It's the perfect habitat you see. We kept strictly to the middle of all paths and away from the water's edge just in case!
Later on this afternoon, I came upon the following, which struck a chord and I'm going to print it here, as much as anything, to prevent me from loosing the scrap of paper and thence it is gone forever.
Live with Intention
Walk to the Edge
Listen Hard
Practice Wellness
Play with Abandon
Laugh
Choose with no Regret
Continue to Learn
Appreciate your Friends
Do what you Love
Love as if that is all There Is.
And on that philosophical note I'll say Nite Nite!Read more
Tropical North Queensland
January 14, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Yorkeys Knob, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Monsoon has arrived, well, nearly. Apparently, it won't completely set in for another couple of weeks according to the locals. It has certainly rained since we arrived on Saturday and I mean rain, buckets full of it, falling sheet like from a leaden sky. You would be soaked to the skin in seconds, but rather like a tap, as quickly as it is turned on, it is turned off in an instant. The key is to avoid the downpours. One thing to bear in mind is that it is still really hot (30 ish), which from our point of view makes it acceptable. Other parts of the country are in the low 40s, so we feel quite cool here!
We are staying just north of Cairns, on one of the northern beach settlements, called Yorkeys Knob. The Knob is a rocky headland tumbling down to the sea sheltering Half Moon Bay and Yorkey was a rough tough Yorkshireman, who lived on the headland and achieved a degree of notoriety here in the late 1800s. Such is the story that often lies behind the naming of any village, township or city.
This section of coastline edges a narrow rich coastal flatland, running from a marvellous mountain range down to the Coral Sea and the Northern end of the Great Barrier Reef. It is full of natural beauty and remarkably unspoiled I'm delighted to say.
Cairns is the largest conurbation, which is called a city here, but in truth is no more than a large King's Lynn, but with a sea view and without the historic content. Being so close to the Barrier Reef, it is the launching point of many trips to the Reef and is essentially tourist driven. I'm glad we decided to base ourselves amongst the Northern Beaches. A city is a city in anyone's language, it is just a question of degree.
We had supper last night and tonight at the local Boat Club out on the deck, which is shaded/ sheltered by a large awning. The view of the coast and Marina is lovely and the food really good. It is immensely popular and busy and we were taken by surprise yesterday, being too late to book a table, but were told we could come along and sign in as a temporary member and eat on the bar verandah. We followed instructions, but all the tables were taken and we were hovering just wondering what to do, when something happened that could only take place here in Australia. A guy, who subsequently introduced himself as Adrian, jumped up and invited us to join him and his 'mate' at their table. " I can see you are Poms visiting (how did he know?) and we can't let you sit on your own". This encapsulates the friendliness and lack of reserve that personifies this land and is part of what makes Australia so special. We had a great night and returned the favour tonight, entertaining Adrian and Marty at steak night. The steaks were perfectly cooked and the suggested Barossa Valley Shiraz complimented them perfectly. Both 'mates' work at the local James Cook University, which is a satellite of Melbourne Uni. Adrian is a real character, a retired policeman from Sydney, who has reinvented himself in HR at the university. A no nonsense personality, he must be a breath of fresh air in academia, but is clearly greatly appreciated in his role. Marty, his mate, is a scientist (an entomologist to be precise) and is involved in a research project to neutralise dengue fever, initially in tropical Australia, but ultimately world wide over the next ten years. ( to my astonishment, there can be up to 1500 cases a year here). They have pioneered the injection of a parasitic bacteria into the mosquito, which prevents the mosi passing on the fever to it's offspring and when the insects die, the fever virus dies with it. It is very exciting research and they are on the brink of proving its efficacy to the scientific world. Uptake elsewhere is already beginning and Marty spoke eloquently and passionately about his hopes for the project. Adrian listened to all this with an air of resignation before saying out of his mate's hearing " clever bloke, but does go on some!" And all we did was take ourselves out to supper at the Boat Club.Read more
Moving On
January 11, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Townsville City, Queensland, Australia
Saturday, January 11, 2014
We awoke to pouring rain on our final Hamilton Island morning, but luckily for us being a moving day, it wasn't vital. You could certainly tell we were English in the queue for the Airlie Beach ferry. There were only two passengers wearing wet weather gear, everyone else was in shorts and flip flops! Luckily for us, despite the rain, the crossing to the mainland was calm and we picked up our car and headed north on the 'Bruce' Highway. What I want to know is, where's Sheila's?
The coastal strip of sub tropical Queensland is a centre for sugar cane production and plantations and old railways lines that transport the cut crop criss cross the area. There are tomato and mango farms, plus coffee plantations,which took me by surprise. We were not far out of Airlie Beach when we came across an advertising hoarding inviting the traveller to take a break and sample the Whitsunday Coffee Company's brew. It was lunchtime and a decent cup of coffee is hard to find on this side of the world. We stopped at this quirky little cafe, complete with resident white cockatoo known as ‘the Boss’. Here, the coffee plants are grown, the beans picked, processed, roasted and ground before eventually finding the cup with great effect. Add a warm freshly made spinach and ricotta muffin and you have the essence of a first class lunch. We drove on amidst the odd shower for about 250 kms before reaching Townsville, our stop for the night. We wandered the centre looking for a suitable restaurant and eventually settled on a Mexican Cantina, as the best of a bad lot. The margarita at least was first class. Deciding we would like a drink, we wandered around attempting to find an establishment that looked as if it might accept anyone over the age of 30, with little success. Defeated, we decamped to the hotel bar, only to find it shut for the night at 9.45pm!! At this point we had two choices, room service or the pole dancing club on the corner, which did appear to welcome a more mature clientele!? I'll leave it to your imaginations as to which one won out!
More rain this morning, but again it was a travelling day. Boy did it rain on the way up to Cairns and by the looks of the forecast we have not seen the end of it. Oh well, we have been so lucky up till now. Sugar is definitely king in Queensland and grown as far as the eye can see. As we drove further north, banana plantations started to be interspersed amongst the sugar cane, the hands of bananas bagged on the trees ready for harvesting. There is a high Italian base to the communities, as there was mass migration to this part of Australia at the end of the 1800s to work in the sugar fields. It shows in the delis and eateries we observed in the settlements we passed through.
We have reached the part of the trip when R&R is in the ascendancy and I may not have so much to say, for fear of boring you all! So, do not be surprised if reports are less frequent.
I'll sign off for now and speak later.Read more
The Whitsundays
January 9, 2014, Coral Sea
Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia
Thursday, January 9, 2014
It was another early rising and as we went to breakfast at 7am we were passed by the runners taking advantage of the slightly cooler morning to put miles under their belts. Mad fools. Still, the humidity was probably only 60% so they would return looking like a single grease spot as opposed to a double. This morning's vessel was called the Orca and we rushed upstairs to grab our favourite seats on top for the views, but under the awning for shade. We drew out of the harbour at 8.15 and were deposited on Whitehaven beach by 9am. You know how fond Peter is of beaches, he couldn't believe he was ankle deep in the dreaded sand so early in the morning. The unspoiled beach is part of The Whitehaven National Park and is over 7 kms long and has pure white fine sand. It is part of Whitsunday Island, which is the largest of the 74 Islands in the group. The bush grows right down to the beach, so there is plenty of natural shade to be had and when we arrived there was no one else there. That changed as the morning went on and by the time we departed at lunchtime it was busy with boats and people enjoying the surroundings.
Did you know that the beautiful fine white sand, so prized by us humans, is in fact parrot fish poo? No, I thought not! The parrot fish zealously guards it's patch of coral on the reef and harvests the algae growing on it for food. Almost inevitably small pieces of the limestone skeleton get broken off in the process and the fish grinds them down to fine particles that are excreted from it's other end. So, the next time you allow the sand to trickle through your fingers on a romantic beach somewhere, just remember where it came from. It only goes to prove that one man's rubbish is another man's treasure! The parrot fish also acts as the the car wash of the reef. It will remove parasites and algae from other resident fish, who will wait in line for their turn!
The sea was warm, clear and a beautiful pale turquoise, but the dreaded little stingers were around, so once more wetsuits were handed out as we left the boat, with strict instructions ringing in our ears to use them when swimming. Apparently if you are stung, you have 45 mins to obtain treatment before it's curtains. A salutary thought and so once more it was the struggle into the Spanx suits, made all the more tricky by sand everywhere. You can imagine PL cursing under his breath! But at least he got the thing on the right way round this time, apart from trying to put his legs in the sleeves! Picture the scene, beautiful natural beach stretching as far as the eye can see and all these black Lycra clad forms cavorting in the surf. Just to add to the effect, these suits had hoods. Umm.....even more fetching, particularly when you add a pair of goggles. That sea water stings you know. This is certainly not a photoshoot for the tourist brochures, unless it's of the kinky variety, but I think that should be leather not Lycra!! It was a glorious morning frolic and even Peter enjoyed it, which is unusual when it comes to beaches. Imagine though, taking the wet suit off again without getting it covered in sand. It proved impossible, so I then had to go down to the water to rinse them off, which rather defeated the object I thought. We hung them over a convenient tree branch to dry off and noticed a rustling in the undergrowth. To Peter's horror and my delight a 3ft monitor lizard slithered out on to a log and just sat there basking in the sun. He was a magnificent creature, completely unfazed by his audience and once I'd got my eye in there was another smaller version close by. I watched them for ages and have taken some photos that I will include, but I warn you, he is so well camouflaged you may struggle to spot him. The boat collected us about midday and we cruised back around the Whitsunday Islands, which are truly beautiful and we arrived back at the Marina in time for a late lunch.
We have booked our favourite Italian for supper tonight and I'm about to set to and sort out the cases ready to move on tomorrow morning. Our short, but stunning sojourn in the Whitsundays is all too quickly coming to a close. We catch the ferry to Airlie Beach on the mainland, collect a car and drive ourselves up the coast road to Cairns, staying at Townsville overnight. We are in the Cairns area for our last two weeks and plan to chill, so we at least come home part rested! See you later........as they say in these parts.Read more
The Great Barrier Reef
January 8, 2014, Coral Sea
Shute Harbour, Queensland, Australia
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
We have had some amazing days in the last two months and today has been up there with the best of them. As part of our visit to Hamilton Island, two trips were included and this morning we departed to the Great Barrier Reef at 9am sharp from the Marina. Yes I know, water yet again, but it couldn't be avoided as you will see. Our vessel was called the Sea Horse and was a large ocean going catamaran with every facility. The Sea Horse left Hamilton Harbour and headed north through the Whitsunday Passage. On 3 June 1770 Lt. James Cook sailed up the East coast of New Holland, as Australia was then known and through this body of water and its large group of Islands, naming it the Whitsunday Passage, as it was the 7th Sunday after Easter (White Sunday). He named only one Island, Pentecost, in honour of the feast of Pentecost.
It is a two hour voyage, across the Coral Sea, out to Reefworld, which is a permanent purpose built pontoon on Hardy Reef and I'm delighted to report that it was a calm, sunny journey! As the boat draws near to the pontoon, the sea colour starts to change to a light sea green, indicating that the water is shallow and that is all there is to indicate that one of the great wonders of the world is under your feet. The Great Barrier Reef extends for 2,300 kms and comprises a network of some 2,900 individual reefs, with the same overall area as the UK! The reefs are made up of corals, living colonies of organisms, similar to jellyfish, but they are attached to a skeleton of secreted limestone. They will only flourish in warm waters receiving high light levels. Along this coast is a shallow continental shelf 20-30 mtrs deep, which has given the Great Barrier Reef chance to develop. It is a gigantic Marine Park that over 1500 species of fish call home and is an environment that is continually under threat from climate change and pollution.
There are a variety of activities you can pursue whilst on the pontoon, from sunbathing on the upper deck, to scuba diving, snorkelling, sitting in the underwater viewing observatory, riding in the semi submersible with the resident marine biologist or even a helicopter flight to admire the reef from above. The time passes very quickly. We took a ride in the sub and marvelled at the variety of corals visible and the teeming fish just everywhere. The underwater observatory was equally fascinating and you soon felt yourself drawn into an underwater world of such diversity and complexity, that the term 'the Wonder of the Deep' floated into the mind.
At 1 o’clock came the moment of truth. It was time for the snorkel safari that we had signed up for, heavy legal disclaimer and all. I hope you are sitting down and if you are not, please do so, this is not for the faint hearted! It was time to don the wetsuits, which are a protective measure against a killer jellyfish called the Irukandji. My mind was instantly taken back to the kayak skirt incident. Getting the damn thing on was even more tortuous, because here you had a whole body Spanx suit as opposed to a skirt. Peter struggled into his only to find he had it on back to front and had to strip it off and start again! As you can imagine this took a while. The end result was of course riveting, particularly when you look around and realise that, with the exception of one other couple, you are the oldest there and most of the young things cavorting about looking svelte in skin tight Lycra are young enough to be your children at least. A thought provoking moment. Next came the flippers. They look innocuous enough don't they? They are fiends, so tight as to almost impossible to get on alone and once on inclined to give one cramp. The final piece de resistance is of course the mask and snorkel itself. Now this should and must be waterproof and in order to achieve such a state it seems to me that It is essential to cut off all circulation to the face. Our instructor was a lovely lad called Tom. He had the longest dark eyelashes I've ever seen on a man. Strange the trivia you notice and focus on in moments of extreme panic. However, I thought they might be long enough to grab on to if all else failed. Poor Tom had clearly weighed up the situation in a flash and whipped out a life jacket with one hand and a large flotation ring with the other. Clearly the thought of being squeezed to death by
a stressed out grandmother was something to be avoided at all costs! Down to the diving platform we went and drill was gone through, before the moment of truth. One had to slip gracefully off the ledge into the water, whilst trying to remember to breathe through the snorkel. I was terrified and only the thought of letting everyone down and failing to do the task I had set myself got me into the water. To those of you who are good swimmers this will be incomprehensible, but please bear in mind that I can only manage a steady head up breast stroke and treading water has always been beyond me. I clung on to that ring for grim death. Tense wasn't the word for it. 'Relax' says Tom and 'put your face in the water to look at the reef'. Peter did brilliantly and was away. It took me ten minutes to follow Tom's instructions. but when I had finally found the courage from somewhere, it was worth every panic stricken moment. He guided us around the reef explaining as he went. I couldn't move much (paralysed with fear), looking down was one thing, moving anything, quite another. The one advantage was the little fish of brilliant hues thought I was an inanimate object and swam right up to my mask to investigate. I was entranced. We saw coral of all sorts, shoals of beautiful fish, clams and sea anemones with their own resident Nemos(clown fish). We were so thrilled. It was magical. Mind you I wouldn't have seen a thing if that poor lad hadn't towed me round bless him. He deserves a medal. After half an hour I felt I was beginning to get the hang of it and could breathe, look down and perhaps waggle one foot. Then came getting into the inflatable dingy for the ride back to the pontoon. If only you had had a camcorder. It took three of them before I was finally sprawled like a beached whale in the bottom of the thing laughing like a maniac. Well what else could you do but laugh at your own idiocy.
This was a challenge for both Peter and I, but you don't come half way round the world and be on top of one of the marvels of the world to go home annoyed with yourself for being such a coward. WE DID IT and once more it is a memory to savour.
The wind freshened on the way back and yes, you've guessed it, out came the sick bags again, but we were on such a high, we didn't even feel queasy. How's that for a triumphant end to a spine tingling day at the Great Barrier Reef.
PS There were three other ladies in our group with the intrepid Tom. Caroline, a GPs wife from Ely who emigrated to Tasmania 6 yrs ago ( the family that is) and two other girls from London, one of whose family home is at Newmarket! Yet again - small world.Read more
Hamilton Island
January 7, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
Shute Harbour, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Well here we are in Paradise, or Hamilton Island as it is known. We flew in from Sydney yesterday morning, emerging from the aircraft into brilliant sunshine and a tropical scene.
The Island sits in the middle of the Whitsunday Islands, just off the Queensland coast, and is a really good jumping off point to visit the Great Barrier Reef. It is not a large Island and has been lightly developed ( 30%) as a tourist resort, the vast majority of it being in a wild National Park state. The original project was the brainchild of one Barry Williams, who ran into financial difficulties quite early on and could not complete his vision. The Island was bought by Robert Oatley of 'Wild Oats' sailing fame ( his yacht has just won the Sydney to Hobart race for the sixth year running). He sailed around the Island and bought it lock stock and barrel without further ado having nor even put one foot on dry land. What a decision. He made his fortune in wine and his Island venture can have done him no harm either.
We are staying in an A framed bungalow, which is charmingly decorated and surrounded by tropical planting. There are no cars for rental here, but you can hire a golf buggy to drive yourself around and that we have done today to orientate ourselves and look round the area. There are some beautifully landscaped pools all around and the beach is just gorgeous fringed by Palm trees. Even Peter, who is no fan of a beach, had to admit it was a bit special. There is a large Marina, full of state of the art yachts that could cope with several cases of gin each! Lots of small boutique type shops and a plethora of activities to take part in both on and off the water. Over on nearby Dent Island is a Championship Golf course, designed by Peter Thompson, that a ferry will take you to for your game. It is apparently very fine, but it would have been hot work today. Some of the properties here are simply spectacular. Mostly with a sea view and immaculately kept. This is serious millionaire country if you are wishing to buy. Peter's comment was as follows; 'what would you do after a week? '. Difficult for him to visualise I realise, as one who is permanently on the move and seldom sits anywhere for more than half an hour at a time, unless he is playing bridge or watching sport! We took our little buggy up to One Tree Point, which has a commanding view out over the azure sea, dotted with the Whitsundays. It was a glorious spot and a small white gazebo was being set up for a wedding ceremony this afternoon. I cannot think of a more beautiful venue for the most important moment of your life. The wedding party was small and the reception was held by the pool at the resort centre on the beach this evening. We had supper in an open airy restaurant on the beach tonight, with the waves breaking gently on the shore and white cockatoos flying in and out of the palm trees.
Just magical.Read more
Last Chance Manley
January 5, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A short report today, as for once we have had a chill out day (makes a change, I know). We move on early in the morning to the airport and Hamilton Island, so we have been sorting out the apartment and watching the cricket on the TV. This afternoon, we took a walk to Shelly beach and over the headland. The views back to Manley and the bays beyond were lovely. It was a warm sunny day and the beaches were packed. This is a great area to stay if you are in the Sydney area and we would definitely revisit if we get the chance. All around this coast is a marine reserve and there were lots of people diving and snorkeling. Suddenly, in the middle of it all appeared a couple of dolphins. They circled and played for ages in very shallow water and were a joy to watch. It apparently is not uncommon to see them and it was certainly a bonus today. We arrived back at the apartment, put the kettle on and turned on the TV to catch up with the cricket. I heard Peter say 'What the ...........' as the last wicket went down. We hadn't been gone that long. They were all out in 32 overs. Unbelievable and I won't sully your ears with Peter's comments. Suffice it to say they weren't complimentary! The SCG did look a picture though on Jane McGrath Day, all decked out in pink, the Foundation's colours and that included the majority of the crowd, who had managed to find something pink to wear in the charity's honour. It was I guess, a great day for Australia to regain the Ashes and one cannot say they did not deserve it. Congratulations Oz!Read more
La Boheme
January 4, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Saturday, January 4, 2014
I'm reluctant to say too much about the test match as I might have to reach for the sick bag. Poor Peter left this morning for yet another endurance test and I had a housekeeping day. I remembered to put on the TV about 11.45 am and nearly had a fit, as England were 56 for 5 and as you know it had been worse than that. We met on Circular Quay at 6pm to have supper before attending La Boheme and I heard the full litany of woes. All is undoubtedly lost and one almost feels the team, apart from the odd exception have thrown in the towel, which is deplorable. So much for the hefty wage increase before the touring party left, that was certainly justified! I feel desperately for the many loyal fans who have worked and saved to take the trip out to Australia and support England. Attending the Ashes here has been a fabulous experience for us and we have loved every minute of it despite the results. If the series had been more of a contest everyone would have been happier. Loosing is one thing, but not showing up is something else entirely. There are undoubtedly things afoot behind the scene, which will out at some point I'm sure.
However, from the ridiculous to the sublime, La Boheme at the Opera House tonight was exactly that. We arrived in plenty of time and met a couple of MCC friends in the bar. It was they who had tipped us off that it might be worth enquiring about tickets and we are forever in their debt. The building itself is as amazing inside as out. Lots of polished concrete, wood and glass. Sounds ghastly, but that is far from the case. It has an atmosphere and look that is quite unique. The performance took place in the largest of the auditoria, the Joan Sutherland Theatre. Marvellous acoustics. It is an unusual shape, modern in the extreme, and as the house lights dimmed, a single spotlight played on the deep red velvet curtain, which had a sparkly La Boheme picked out across the centre. The mist from the 'garrett' swirled through that beam of light and shivers ran up your spine before we were even underway. The cast was extremely well balanced and of course the music beautiful. Rudolfo was sung by a Korean with an unpronounceable name and the setting was glamorous and very Belle Époque. There were several more spine tingling moments as the famous arias were delivered faultlessly and the applause at the finale was justifiably long and enthusiastic. During the interval, we went up to the Top Bar of the Opera House for a glass of something sparkling to mark the occasion and we were transfixed by the view laid out before us via the glass wall. Here was Sydney Harbour at night at its magical best, a brilliantly lit Harbour Bridge and city radiating out around the bay in all it's glory and it is a sight that will remain with us to our dying day. The Opera House is an iconic building that will probably never loose that edgy feel and we were certainly thrilled to have had the opportunity to attend a live operatic performance tonight.
As Mary so eloquently commented to us in her email today, 'better to be miserable in your garrett, than at the cricket.' Enough said and spot on! At least it was a superb end to a disappointing day.Read more
The SCG test
January 3, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Friday, January 3, 2014
Are we gluttons for punishment or what? This morning, we caught the 8.50am ferry from Manley to make our way to the SCG for the beginning of the fifth and final test against Australia. We met up with some others we had chatted to in Melbourne, who are also part of the MCC contingent and I have to say it was all a bit doom and gloom. We were telling one chap about bumping into Alistair Cook the other evening and he grunted and said to Peter ' I hope you managed to avoid shaking his hand!'. Boys!! On a more positive note, It is another fantastic ground. Not in the same league as the MCG to be fair, but more of a traditional cricket ground with a pavilion. There were just over 45,000 present today and I would have said it was not quite full. I don't think any of the English fans have much hope of any sort of comeback, but for the only time in the series Alistair Cook did win the toss and put the Australians in to bat. It was overcast and humid and so he obviously felt England could bowl the Aussies out cheaply. It half came off, as we certainly won the morning session and had them 97 for 5 just after lunch and hopes were higher. Sadly, it could not be maintained and Haddin and Smith consolidated well, although we did bowl them all out by 5.30. We decided to take our leave at that point to avoid the rush for home. Peter was confident Cook and Carbury could hold out for 20 mins. I was not so sure. No prizes for guessing who was right!
We returned to Circular Quay for the ferry home and following a conversation I had had during the day with another cricket widow, we called on the off chance at the Opera House, to enquire if there was any chance of two tickets for La Boheme tomorrow evening. A bit of a long shot, but to our joy we are in possession of two good seats and my cup runneth over! What a treat to be able to listen to some Puccini in this amazing building. An unexpected bonus and the icing on the cake.Read more
The Hunter Valley
January 2, 2014 in Australia ⋅ 20 °C
Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Thursday, January 2, 2014
The Grape Escape has raised its ugly head once more! We were picked up this morning at 8am by Richard Everett of Wine Country Tours for an exploration of some of the wines in the Hunter Valley. Matt and Selina organised this for us as a Christmas present and a great day it proved to be.
This wine region is just over two hours driving time by road from Sydney and it is a beautiful drive, as you skirt the Blue Mountains, before entering the valley proper. The landscape is very typically Australian, lots of eucalyptus, grasses and drought resistant plants, names unknown by the author, but well managed and attractive. Obviously there are cellar doors and vines everywhere, plus some seriously good restaurants, guest houses, hotels etc. This is definitely an area to go on the list for further exploration if one ever has the chance. We pulled into the The Peppers Guest House for coffee and biscuits and sat outside on the verandah, whilst Richard explained the days plan in this magnificent setting. When I say we, I should explain that this consisted of a group of nine of us. An adult family group from the US, ( father originally from Leeds), three young ladies from the Melbourne area and us of course. It was a very friendly and informed group and the conversation flowed easily.
We moved on to the Tyrrell Winery, which was founded by one Edward Tyrrell from Berkshire. He planted the first vines here in 1828, probably as part of a general horticultural experiment to see what his land would cope with. These were the first vines to be planted in the Hunter Valley and they are still cropping to this day, smaller quantities, but of superb quality. The winery is now being run by the fifth generation and we were lucky enough to meet the oenologist (wine maker) Andrew Spinaze, who has been with the Tyrrells for over 30 years. We were taken to inspect the grapes hanging ripening on the vines. They are growing on strong red clay and are never watered. Did you know that a vines roots can permeate the soil by up to 20 feet? I was astonished. Andrew expects to start harvesting around the 13th and then it will be all hands to the wheel, but in the meantime he's heading to the cricket tomorrow! All morning, the temperature had continued to climb, until it was by now approaching forty degrees. We stood in the vineyard with a hot breeze blowing off the mountains and it was like being buffeted by an enthusiastic hair dryer! Fortunately, we were then taken through the cellars and shown the processes the wine goes through before it becomes that silky beverage so prized by us all. Here it was cool and temperature controlled, cooler for the whites than the reds of course and finally we were shown into the Tyrrell's original house, that has been preserved very much as it was originally and is now used for private tastings. The house was built of wood, tin lined, with further newspaper lining on the walls for insulation, before being distempered. They used what was available and survival was finely balanced. The wines were superb across the board and we tasted, compared and contrasted Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet, all from this one winery. The family own land in other wine growing regions, but the wine is made here. It is apparently very common in Australia to pick and must the 'berries' as they are referred to and then tanker the product in its raw state to the mother winery, for the wine to be made there. It is not unheard of for the must to be brought in temperature controlled vats from Western Australia to the Hunter Valley for production. This will take two drivers, driving in relay, five days.
Lunch was taken at the Tower Estate, restaurant. Another 1800s building of great interest and the food was superb. All organic and locally sourced and the vegetables grown in their own vegetable plot.
We moved on to a contrasting young winery called Hungerford Hill, which is only 40 years old. The winemaker here is experimental in his approach, knowing that they need to find a niche and it is no good trying to compete with the likes of the Tyrrells. Again, very good wines of a quite different feel. Once you have your taste buds in, you can taste the youth of the vines in the glass. There is no magic in wine production, it is all in the soil, grape, and weather conditions that year.
Richard is extremely knowledgeable on his subject and life's passion and yet is an excellent communicator and managed to make the whole day fun. It was fascinating, as apart from the tastings, the discussion encompassed commerciality, boutique productions, cork versus screw cap, climate change etc etc. We arrived home about 7.30pm, hot, bothered and pleasantly mellow, but absolutely delighted with what has to be our best Grape Escape to date. Cheers to you all!!Read more
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