Category: Travel

Street Art in Melbourne

ACDC Lane

Art can be found in many different forms.  Street art is a form of visual art that has been created in public spaces, such as on the walls of buildings or on roadway infrastructure like underpasses or noise barriers.  It is contemporary art which conveys the artist’s message for the general public to see and comprehend.  It is often a subject of controversy when it is undertaken without the consent of the owner of the walls upon which it is created.  

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Eating Gluten-Free in Greece

Arcadia

Having had to change my diet and eliminate gluten for health reasons, I am always just a little concerned about eating out in places I haven’t been before.  So when I was preparing for my holiday in Greece, I did some research into the types of food, and usual methods of preparation for those dishes.  I wanted to be able to choose easily, and quickly, without causing any fuss.  The more I looked, the more confident I was that eating Gluten-Free in Greece was going to be fairly easy. 

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Gilets Jaunes: A traveller’s perspective

Paris lock down

I have recently returned from a 24 day trip to France.  A trip that I had been planning for over a year.  The Australian Government was already recommending travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to high threat of terrorist attacks before I paid for our flights, but we decided to go anyway, and to be mindful of our surroundings.  Then in November 2018, we started seeing news of the protests in France by the Gilets Jaunes.  While unsettling, I was hoping that the situation would have resolved itself by the time we made our appearance in January-February 2019.  As the day of our departure grew closer, it was becoming evident that the demonstrations would be likely to continue throughout our time in France. 

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Old Town Square – Prague

St Nicholas Church

One of the first things we did when we arrived in Prague was to set off in search of all things antique and medieval – in other words, we made our way over to the Old Town Square.  Anyone who has been to Prague will be able to tell you about the footwear required to be able to deal with those cobblestone streets.  (I bought a pair of shoes in Prague and they were some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned! )  Walking towards the square, past bohemian crystal stores and assorted galleries and museums, we felt like we were winding through a labyrinth.

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The Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens – Melbourne

The Royal Exhibition Building

The Royal Exhibition Building was built in 18 months for the purpose of hosting Melbourne’s 1880 International Exhibition, and it then held a subsequent Centennial Exhibition in 1888.  Both the building and the surrounding gardens were designed by architect Joseph Reed, and they were inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2004.  The building is constructed in the shape of a cross with a majestic central dome, and large archway entrances with fanlight windows on each side.  When it was built it was the largest building in Australia and the tallest building in Melbourne.

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“Do you remember The Shire Mr Frodo?”

Bag End Hobbiton

We had set out on a day trip from Auckland to go and see a thermal village in Rotorua.  It’s a bit of a hike, but there were three of us to share the driving so we took the opportunity.  (We actually hadn’t intended on visiting the Hobbiton Movie set!) About halfway there we ran into some road work and had to go on a detour through the countryside.  As we were driving along we were all thinking to ourselves about how much it looked like the scenery from the Hobbit movie. 

One of us wondered out loud and then we all said we had been thinking the same thing.  A quick search on Google showed that we were, in fact, very close to the Hottiton Movie set!  Since we had no pressing deadlines to meet (the absolute bliss of being on holidays) we changed course and stopped in for a visit at the movie set in Matamata in New Zealand, to see what we could see.

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Street Art in Western Australia

Numbat in Fremantle

As I was walking around the city of Perth, admiring the buildings, I glanced down a laneway and a burst of colour at the end caught my attention.  I went back to the laneway, later on, curious to see what it was.  To my surprise, many of the walls of the buildings in the lane had interesting pieces painted on them.  What a find, and completely by chance, which made it so much fun to see!

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Santorini – Greek Island Infatuation

Santorini

When you hear the word “Santorini”, images instantly come to mind.  Cascading whitewashed buildings with perfectly sculpted walls and arches decorating the inside edge of the crater of an active, though presently dormant volcano.  Views out over the Mediterranean blue of the mostly underwater caldera. When you arrive by water you are cruising across the inside of the volcano.

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Hotham Valley Railway – Dwellingup

Hotham Valley Railway 945

The Hotham Valley Railway at Dwellingup is a place that you can go to experience what rail travel was like in the golden age of steam.  The team of volunteers work hard to give you an enjoyable day out.  The town of Dwellingup is a 40 minute drive from Mandurah, Western Australia.

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Delos – Greek Island Infatuation

Ancient Delos

The entire island of Delos is an archaeological site, and UNESCO world heritage listed. According to Greek mythology, this island was the birthplace of the god Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. The island was considered as most sacred and its central location made it a wealthy commercial port, attracting the settlement of rich merchants, bankers, artisans, and ship owners.

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