two drifters

Paris, one more time

2010-12-12T20:20:00.000Z

We've lost count of the number of times we have visited Paris. At the end of October we visited the city in its Autumn colour.

We cannot say how easy it is to hop onto the Eurostar from Kings Cross St Pancras International for a pleasant 2 hour train trip the the beautiful city. We will miss Paris weekends a lot when we're back in Australia.

Paris was our final trip as residents of the UK. I stress 'as residents' because coming back into the UK, I was no longer a resident/student but a visitor. I had to re-enter the UK to remain, until we leave this December.

Despite the number of times we have been to Paris, there were still new things to discover on our trip. This trip was our first not staying with and not seeing Herlina and Damien who moved to China temporarily. It was strange to not meet them in Paris. We chose to stay at Hotel le Bellechasse which was right by the Musee d'Orsay.

It was a lovely boutique hotel with cosy rooms designed by the Parisian fashion designer Christian Lacroix.

The location was excellent among the tiny streets of St Germain and within walking distance to a number of places. The service was also wonderful.

When we were back in London, the forecast for Paris over the weekend was rain but we woke up to blue skies and sun. The Autumn colours of the trees were like flames along the banks of the Seine and were stunning.

We had no real plans for this trip, but visited my favourite street, Rue Saint-Honore to pick up a baguette for lunch and make some purchases for friends back in Sydney.

We continued on to Laduree at Rue Royale (turn right off Saint-Honore) which has become our 'regular' on visits to Paris. The flagship Laduree is on the Champs Elysee, but Rue Royale is a lot less busy (note that the line outside Laduree is for take-away macaroons. Enter Laduree on the right to get a table. We've never waited very long). Our afternoon tea was coffees and ice cream macaroons (the ice cream is the filling between the biscuit and so delicious. Only recently discovered thanks to Dad's curiosity at Laduree, Harrods). It was then onto more shopping at St Germain.

We have briefly been to St Germain before, but we discovered more of the area on this trip. It has all the shops of Rue Saint-Honore but everything is dotted around little, leafy streets. We had fun discovering the place and its shops, such as this gorgeous Christian Loubutin store.

We also discovered a stunning Ralph Lauren store on Boulevard St Germain.

There is a Ralph Lauren restaurant and courtyard on the ground floor and then numerous floors of luxe interiors that reflect a mix of American and French interior styles.

The store felt more like someone's home with big fireplaces, chandeliers, art work and antiquities such as an old American flag which presented only 13 states. The store was stunning at each level. For more pictures of the interiors visit this website. After a day of shopping and walking, we found a neat little wine and tapas bar close to our hotel called Da Rosa for a drink.

Sunday was another sunny day and we started with coffee at the bustling Cafe de Flore.

We then visited the Marais as most of Paris is closed on Sundays except this Jewish quarter. It's the busiest we have ever seen the place and it wasn't even summer anymore.

I spent most of my time vintage shopping, with lots of tips from Mel. While I shopped, Geoff visited the Musee Carnavalet, which tells the history of the city. After a day in the Marais, we went back to the hotel before walking to La Fontaine de Mars for a late dinner.

The restaurant was recommended by Tom and Myles. Apparently the Obamas dined there when they visited Paris (yes, very glamourous!). The restaurant was cosy and very traditional French from the toile wallpaper to the menus.

We had a lovely dinner topped off with wonderful desserts such as the La Fontaine de Mars Floating Island below.

When we left the restaurant the Eiffel Tower sparkled for us one last time and we said goodbye to the city of love which has given us many, many wonderful stories and experiences. It was now back to London to make preparations for the big move back to Australia!

TEDx in Montreal

2010-12-10T13:13:00.001Z

In October this year, I attended and spoke at a TEDx conference on the theme Design for Health in Montreal. This was my second time in Canada this year and there's more about the conference and my time in Montreal on my PhD blog Letters to Australia (click the link to visit the post).

At the TEDx: Design for Health conference, Montreal

Beautiful Bonifacio

2010-12-06T18:53:00.000Z

There are few places in the world, I believe, more special than Bonifacio. The Corsican town sits atop 70m high limestone cliffs overlooking the emerald Mediterranean Sea. And as you spend time there, you wonder what life in a place like this is really like.

For one, probably very cold and windy in the winters, but then hot and busy with tourists in the summers. Being here at the very end of summer meant the town was a little busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. We took lots of photos in Bonifacio so we're going to do an annotated photo album here for the last stop of our 2010 European summer holiday. Bonifacio consists of an old town perched on the clifftops.

Check out the huge boulders which must have broken off from the cliffs at some stage.

The Marina is more modern and located below the old town.

We stayed in the heart of the old town at the lovely Hotel Colomba. It had wonderful and personal service as well as cosy, rabbit warren rooms which had quirky details such as tiny windows and hand painted motifs on the wrought iron beds.

The streets of Bonifacio are old and historic, like this little laneway below.

The main street is lined with shops and restaurants. You can walk from one end of the old town to the other in 5 minutes, which gives an indication of the size of the old town.

Some of the shops are perched right on the edge of the cliff. In this one, the window looks out to the sparkling Med.

There were lots of beautiful homeware shops. Wish we'd come with bigger suitcases!

We found a lovely antique shop on the way down to the Marina.

It sold hand illustrated Florentine maps among other antiques. We made a birthday present purchase to send home to Sydney.

It's already made it home and has since been beautifully framed.

Down at the Marina, there are lots more shops and restaurants. This is the main strip.

And we had a bit of fun at this sweet shop which was like uncovering pirate treasures in big barrels of sweets. Yummy!

The Marina had lovely views back toward the old town.

We preferred our place in the old town. Most sights are located in the old town and you can visit the three main sights for a few euros. This was our favourite, the Roi D'Aragon Stairway etched into the cliffs of Bonifacio.

Legend says that the 187 steps were sculpted into the cliffs overnight by soldiers during a 1420 seige.

The climb down, and up, is not for the fainted hearted. Once at the bottom, the pathway twists around the cliffs right by the water's edge and it certainly is a sight.

Bonifacio's exposure on the edge of Corsica left it always open to invasion. Its extensive fortifications are wrapped around the edge of the cliffs and the La Madonetta Lighthouse looks back at the fort from its place across the Bonifacio Strait.

The exposure of the fort makes for a very windy place and you can trace the pathway most of the way around, climbing up and down stairs and towers, such as this one.

And see stunning views of the cliffs and coast line.

Set back from the fort is the Marine Cemetery. Its extensive streets of family memorials is no doubt battered by the elements perched on the cliff top, but with amazing views.

We spent a day out on the water touring and seeing Bonifacio from the sea. We visited many sights such as the secluded Fazzio Beach.

Whose water was a brilliant emerald.

Not too far away, this cave's roof is unique in being the shape of Corsica.

We stayed 3 nights in Bonifacio and it was more than enough time to relax, take in all the sights and sample a lot of the restaurants. The best place to eat was actually at the Hotel Colomba restaurant. Here's Geoff with his favourite Coriscan chestnut Pietra beer. Again, no room in our luggage to take any back to London.

Most restaurants had strong Italian influences and a lot of seafood. We also loved Lan'K which was nestled in the historic, cobbled streets of Bonifacio.

Our European summer holiday was at its end and Figari Airport was just a half hour taxi ride from Bonifacio with flights direct to London. Bonifacio was certainly a magical place. All the places we visited over our summer trip were different, special and memorable in their own way. We loved every moment and can't wait to return to Sydney at the end of the year for more sun, beach and summer action.

More Sardinia, Santa Teresa

2010-11-29T21:45:00.000Z

From Cagliari, we flew into Olbia airport. The town of Olbia is an hour's drive from the seaside town Santa Teresa, on the northern tip of Sardinia where we'd spend almost a week on the beach.

When we arrived we thought we'd ended up in a sleepy little town. The streets of colourful apartments were empty, and all the shuttered windows were closed to the daylight.

We arrived at the La Terrazza di Lilly B&B where our friends, Myles and Tom had stayed a few months before. The B&B was well located in the town's quiet streets and on the hillside overlooking the beach, Rena Bianca, and the Mediterranean Sea.

It was also a stone's throw from the 16th century Torre Longosardo, a tower that was to protect the Sardinian shorelines.

View from Rena Bianca Beach. Torre Longosardo to the left and La Terrazza di Lilly B&B is the middle white villa at the front

The B&B was immaculate and beachy...

... with fantastic views to the emerald waters...

Rena Bianca Beach in Santa Teresa from the B&B

... and Corsica, which could be seen in the distance.

We hopped into our swimmers and headed straight for the beach and the blue sun lounges. The waters were as clear as the waters at Poetto Beach.

I should make a mention of the business of sunbeds (lettino) and umbrellas (ombrellone) in Italy, and most European beaches. We don't have these facilities on Aussie beaches (well, that I know of) but in Italy and other European beaches, private areas of sunbeds and umbrellas are hired out for a daily charge to ensure a comfortable beach stay.

At Poetto Beach, facilities such as cabanas, toilets and showers were provided. As well as decking for wheelchairs as we noticed how the beach was well catered for the older population. Rena Bianca didn't have as many facilities, being much smaller, but as we were already used to the comfort of the sun lounges at Poetto we couldn't resist. The sunbeds and umbrellas also provide ample shade when the sun is highest in the sky and a place to store or hang belongings, off sand and away from prying hands. I did at times, miss feeling the bed of sand underneath me, but for everything else the sunbeds were great.

The areas are usually overlooked by one or two people who are also life guards. And we did see a beach rescue of someone in an inflatable boat who got washed around the headlands when the seas became rough one afternoon.

I mentioned arriving in to a sleepy town, but on our first night out, fresh from the beach and a day in the sun, we discovered that at 8pm Santa Teresa comes to life with lights and with lots of people.

We dined at the nearby il Grottino, the best restaurant in town, we believe.

All the eateries, bars and shops throw open their doors till late and we spent every night out in the town for dinner and shopping. There were endless shops of souvenirs and red coral jewellery.

Am afraid we can't say much more about Santa Teresa. Most of our days began with breakfast at the B&B, then down at the beach.

Rena Bianca first thing in the morning

In the evenings we'd visit town and return for a restful night with the windows open while the waves crashed on the shores below.

We opted not to hire a car in Sardinia, so we weren't inclined to explore the surrounding areas but it's something we'd consider one day in the future (after we learn to drive manual and on the opposite side of the road). We were quite happy to stay put and make up for all lost beach time over the past 3 years. A place like Santa Teresa couldn't be more perfect for this.

After our week in Santa Teresa, we took a ferry (jut one hour) to the French island, Corsica, landing in the beautiful cliff top town of Bonifacio.

Google map of Sardinia (bottom) and Corsica (top)

Sardinia and its capital, Cagliari

2010-11-17T18:43:00.001Z

The Italian island, Sardinia, is situated off the west coast of Italy and our first stop on the island was its capital, Cagliari. The city is sheltered in a southern harbour of the island and boasts not just a long history but also a beautiful old town called Castello (castle) that lies atop a hill. If you are fortunate enough to fly into the city with a window seat, it is possible to see the spiraling white limestone walls of Castello on the hill and the rest of the city spilling out from its epicentre.

A view over part of the Old Town from the Tower of San Pancrazio

We stayed at the T Hotel, the top rated hotel in Cagliari as voted by the Tripadvisor community.

It calls itself a 'design hotel' so the rooms are minimalist but with attention to detail. It's the first big hotel we have stayed in for awhile and was very much enjoyed. It's only downside was not being of a central location to the city but this was just a short bus ride and was very cheap (2.50 euro for an all day bus pass). Each hotel room at the T Hotel provided an information folder about Cagliari and how to get around, and it let us easily plan our stay, including a number of beach days.

Our first full day in Cagliari was spent exploring the city and doing a bit of sight seeing. We walked along the shopping streets of the city.

Ending up at the Bastion of Saint Remy tower.

Which is now an observation deck and terrace.

The Bastion marks the southern most end of Castello, and its a gentle climb up the hill to the small and quiet streets of old worldly apartment buildings, Cagliari Cathedral and other monuments and sights.

We were happy just to wonder the small streets, shadowed by the apartment buildings.

We found an old coffee shop fitted out with wooden cabinets and a piano, looking like it turned into a small music venue in the evening. The shop had wonderful and cheap gelato, and it was hot so we couldn't resist trying the flavours.

We made our way down to the Marina, the area of town that is on the port.

There were lots little medieval streets packed with shops, eateries and colourful apartment buildings.

One of our guide books told u the best coffee in town was at Caffe' Svizzero (links to Google map location). It read "possibly Cagliari's best coffee institution with a history going back almost a century... coffee and pastries served by smart waiters in an elegant setting under the high vaulted ceiling." And we weren't disappointed, especially with our smooth lattes.

After we made our way to the city's Botanical Gardens. There's a small entrance fee and it was lovely to be among greenery, but the gardens are nothing spectacular, if not somewhat neglected.

Right next door however is the Roman Amphitheatre which dates back to the 2nd century A.D. Depsite its age it is still used today to host summer shows.

The sun was climbing higher in the sky but we continued on back to Castello and to Piazza Arsenale which is the location of various museums including the National Archeology Museum which we visited.

We then found the Tower of San Pancrazio, a wooden tower with countless flights of stairs upwards.

One is rewarded for the climb with expansive views across the whole of Cagliari.

Our day ended at the T Hotel restaurant. The next few days were spent on Poetto Beach. Some 7km of pristine, sandy beach just a 15 minute bus ride from the hotel.

As the high season (July and August) was over the beaches were quiet and we rented sun lounges for all the days we visited the lovely Poetto.

Our days were long, sunny, punctuated by reading, eating, swimming and walks along the sandy shoreline. The waters were emerald and crystal clear.

To the south, Poetto Beach is overlooked by the Sella del Diavolo (Devil's Saddle) called so because of its saddle shape.

To the north, there are countless bath houses and huts which families rent to change and store their belongings for long days at the beach. At the time we were there, many of the huts were deserted.

For our last night in Cagliari, we visited the medieval streets of the city and found a lovely restaurant with wonderful seafood, such as this half stuffed lobster dish.

We were surprised by what Cagliari had to offer. It always felt safe and was easy to get around. It had a great mix of sights, history, museums, shopping and eateries. Poetto Beach really made it a wonderful place to relax and swim at the beach, definitely something we have missed about Australia after 3.5 years in the UK.

Cagliari would not be the end of beach days though. Our next stop was the very north of the island at a little beach town called Santa Teresa.

Florence, Fiesole and Tuscany

2010-11-13T17:45:00.010Z

Our last European summer as residents of the UK were spent in Italy and France. Our first stop was Florence and Tuscany, where we attended an intimate wedding of friends who also live in London. But for most of our trip, we would spend on the islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). It was a late Friday night we left London for Florence to begin our European summer.

We stayed at a really fantastic B&B in Florence called Tourist House Ghiberti right by the city's Duomo (cathedral). It has been more than 10 years since we both traveled to Florence and Tuscany in our early 20s and it was great to visit the city and surrounds again.

Many people who go to Florence have told us how much they love the shopping. And I couldn't agree more. From markets...

... to high street stores, to little boutiques (like one of my favourites, the Il Papiro paper shop)...

... to luxury brands on the beautiful and historic Via Tornabuoni.

While we were in Florence and Tuscany, I was reading the book, The House of Gucci, a story about the Gucci family, the murder of one of the Gucci members and the building of the luxury brand. I didn't know beforehand, but the Gucci family originated from Tuscany, and nearby Florence was where a lot of the Gucci story takes place. There is also Florence's first Gucci store on Via Tornabuoni, which is still at the same site today. The rest of Via Tornabuoni is lovely, such as this former profumeria inglese (perfume shop) that now houses the luxury accessories brand, Hogan (below) which we visited on our first morning in Florence.

Florence being contained in a tightly packed space means that in one morning the wallet can get a good work out, while sights such as the Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge dripping in gold jewelery shops) and Duomo can be seen and snapped on camera, all before lunch.

For lunch we with met up with Herlina's friend, Angela, who has been living in Florence for the past year having began her PhD. We've met in London before (where Angela also lived) and then again at Herlina and Damien's wedding in France. Angela took us to the local markets for a spot of food shopping and pasta lunch. Then we wondered around the city for coffee and chats before Angela was off to dance class and we had a taxi take us out to the Tuscany.

We stayed at the B&B il Trebiolo near the villa where the wedding would take place.

The wedding was on a Monday, but we stayed for the weekend to get away from the concrete jungle and crowds of the city. The B&B overlooked the peaceful and misty Tuscan hills.

On the Saturday night the to-be bride and groom hosted a fancy dress party with an 'Italian' theme. We went as gondoliers with gondolier hats from Venice Mum and Dad picked up 2 weeks before when they were visiting there.

Sunday, the sun was out and it was quite warm, so we spent the day by the swimming pool. We joined other wedding friends and guests for dinner in the nearby town of Fiesole (pronounced Fie-sol-ay). A pretty town overlooking Florence from the hills of Tuscany. When we arrived around dinner time, the sun was setting and the local flea market was just packing up.

Clock tower at sunset in Fiesole

Piazza Mino

We dined at a tiny place called Vinandro next to the Piazza Mino. A recommendation by Angela, and it was wonderful. Monday, the day of the wedding, the sun was out and we made another trip to Fiesole in the morning, this time to do a bit of sight seeing.

Fiesole we learnt, was a very old town. In fact it is older than Florence. The first record of Roman's occupying Fiesole was around 283 BC. The Roman presence can still be seen today by ancient ruins of an amphitheatre and baths, among other things. One can discover this and numerous little museums tucked away on the back streets of Fiesole.

Museo Civico

The amphitheatre, Teatro Romano. Despite its age, it is still used today for performances

Ruins of the baths

After a quick bite for lunch, we headed back to the B&B to get dressed for the afternoon ceremony. The day was turning out to be very warm, and very sunny. As the sun beat down on the rambling Tuscan villa and its gardens, the site of the wedding ceremony and reception, the bride and groom exchanged vows in front of a small group of people who had traveled from afar to be there. The ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, and the reception saw an abundance of spectacular Italian dishes serve by white-gloved waiters who bustled around the tables.

The next day we left Tuscany and flew out of Florence to Cagliari, the capital city of Sardinia to begin the beach holiday part of our trip.

Budapest weekend

2010-10-22T15:53:00.024+01:00

Budapest is a fascinating and stunning city to visit. Over the August Bank Holiday weekend (UK) Mum, Dad, Geoff and I visited the capital city of Hungary. Budapest sits on the Danube River which splits the city in two, Buda on the west side, and Pest on the east.

Budapest is such a beautiful city that its the river banks and the city's most famous boulevard Andrassy Avenue (below) are all UNESCO heritage listed.

Budapest is known for being the Paris of Eastern Europe. It's not hard to see why with the city's never-ending, tree-line avenues and architectural style which is similar to Paris.

The colour of the buildings in Budapest are significantly darker than Parisian architecture, and there is a mix of styles as Budapest adopted a more stark Bauhaus architectural style in the 1930s and 1940s. The latter being that of our hotel, the Mamaison Hotel Andrassy.

The hotel was fantastic, the service was great and we were upgraded to big, spacious rooms. The hotel also had a great location on the leafy Andrassy Avenue. At the western end (closer to the city centre or downtown) the avenue is lined with cafes, restaurants and luxury shopping.

At the eastern tip, the avenue hits and ends at the vast Heroes' Square which honours Hungary's greatest leaders.

The Square is flanked on both sides by monumental buildings of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art. Behind the Square is City Park which is home to many attractions including a zoo, museums and Europe's largest thermal bath, the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool.

We arrived in Budapest Friday lunch time. The weather was sunny and warm and we explored Andrassy Avenue which is home to numerous museums, such as the House of Terror Museum with its fantastic overhanging roof. The museum remembers the victims of the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century Hungary.

We ended up down town among the shops where we found the usual high street brands (Zara, H&M, Esprit etc) and also local wares such as crystal, some of which Mum ended up purchasing.

The weather was taking a turn for the worse and it was getting chilly. As the rain fell over Budapest there was nothing better to do than sit inside at a warm restaurant on the banks of the Danube with a bowl of Hungarian goulash. It's a soup or stew with beef, vegetables and paprika. Paprika is a popular condiment on any Hungarian dish.

The next day while the rain had passed, the overcast skies remained. We found ourselves sight seeing on the Buda side of the city which is home to the Buda Castle, the official residence of the Hungarian kings and built a top Castle Hill.

From Pest to get to the Castle District, you cross the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.

And take a little train to the top of the hill.

The Castle grounds are vast and everything is monumental in size, like the statues, buildings, fountains and these gates below.

We found the Castle Museum, a comprehensive museum that traces the history of life in Budapest since it earliest days. It was surprisingly empty (admission is also free) and Mum and Dad enjoyed not having to queue and elbow tourists after their Italy holiday.

We walked along the top of the hill to the Fisherman's Bastion, a pretty terraced area with views across the Danube River. The bastion was named after the fishermen who defended the city during the Middles Ages. Today it's filled with eateries and live entertainment. One of the most popular lunch places is right on the terrace.

But it does get quite crowded and tourists walk through the tables along the terrace, so we opted to dine in the tower.

We found ourselves a private outdoor dining area with uninterrupted views over the Danube and to the gothic Parliament House.

Not sure why people weren't keen on the tower. The terraced area is actually higher than the main one and the menus are exactly the same, serving up traditional Hungarian dishes. We got to enjoy lunch with views and without the company of other tourists.

After Castle Hill, we made our way back down and across to Pest to join the very popular Opera House tours.

The interior of the Opera House is a stunning sight. We only grabbed a few photos as it was quite dark and it cost extra, on top of the tour price, to take pictures. Below is the performance hall and the most expensive seat in the house.

The ceiling artwork in the hall.

And the entrance for VIPs only.

The tour wasn't very long, and it was very crowded. After a day of walking and sight seeing we spent some time among the Budapest cafe culture on Andrassy Avenue. Then headed for more food and drink at Menza, which our Budapest Wallpaper Guide describes as "communist chic." Menza would become our favourite eatery for the trip for its excellent food, drinks, service and atmosphere.

The next day we woke up to blue skies and sunshine, and thank goodness for that because we planned to visit the Széchenyi Baths. We started the day with breakfast at Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie (our second favourite Budapest eatery, which we visited again, the next day along with Menza).

The patisserie is co-located with a bank and has a really pretty dining room. The food and coffee were great too.

After breakfast, we walked up to City Park to find the baths. Lots of people had a similar idea as it was turning out to be a beautiful day.

Budapest lies on top of 130 thermal springs coming from 1000m below the ground. One cannot visit Budapest without experiencing the baths. Széchenyi is the oldest bath in Europe and its character shows, even in the changing rooms.

When you purchase an entry ticket, this includes a little change room for the day. There are literally hundreds of wooden changing rooms at Széchenyi and the complex also has a modern gym, massage rooms, eateries, a bar and of course indoors baths and a whirlpool.

The indoor baths have water ranging from 20 to 40 degrees Celsius. As the waters are medicinal, the indoor baths have a slight sulfuric smell, but you get used it once you are inside for awhile. We spent almost the whole day at the baths. Mum and I had massages, and all of us just let time pass as we soaked in the water.

Later in the day we walked to Margaret Island which sits in the middle of the Danube.

The sun was setting pretty quickly, so we didn't stay long after watching the musical fountain which plays music as the water dances.

We also paid a visit to the Parliament House. We would have liked to have toured there but time was limited and tours only ran for half the day over weekends.

On our way back to the hotel, we came across a Design Fair, which was fun to browse and where I picked up something little for Mel.

As it was our last night in Budapest and dinner at our hotel restaurant Baraka was booked.

It had wonderful, beautifully presented dishes and a moody atmosphere. Also the the best creme brulee.

On our final day, we squeezed in visits to our favourite eateries, Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie and Menza for breakfast and lunch. And then said goodbye to a wonderful and fascinating city called Budapest.

Summer in Paris with Mum and Dad

2010-10-10T23:23:00.003+01:00

Just a few weeks after Herlina and Damien's wedding, Mum and Dad landed in London for their 6 week holiday around the UK, Scotland, Italy, France and Hungary. After a few days in London, getting used to our apartment, the City and the St Pauls Cathedral bells (which chime each hour) it was off to Paris on the Eurostar. We stayed at the aparthotel, Citadines in St Germain des Pres.

It was a fabulous location, right on the banks of the Seine and the apartment was huge, especially for Parisian standards. The apartment was equipped with all the mod cons you could ask for and we wished we were staying for longer than just 3 nights in the beautiful city.

We had two full days in Paris and purchased each a Paris Museum Pass which not just gives you access to over 60 museums, and also lets you skip the long lines. The only problem with the Pass is that you feel obligated to visit as many museums as you can in two days. And we did.

First up was the Musee d'Orsay which holds the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the world under a converted Parisian train station. The lines for the d'Orsay are always so long, but the Pass let us get in good time (it's not buying tickets which cause the long lines, it's going through security).

It was lunchtime by the time we left and we headed in the direction of Musee Rodin. Paris is full of wonderful cafes and restaurants which spill out onto the long, tree-lined avenues, but our limited time meant we had to catch lunch on the run. We popped into the lovely Rollet Pradier boulangerie to grab baguettes and tarts which we enjoyed in the Musee Rodin gardens.

And then toured the gardens and museum.

Afterward we popped into Les Invalides to view Napoleon's tomb and stopped for an afternoon coffee near the Eiffel Tower, finally getting to enjoy Parisian cafe culture. The Paris Museum Pass does not include the Eiffel Tower (it's not a museum either) so we couldn't skip the long lines.

The afternoon was getting on so the crowd had cleared somewhat, but we still waited in line for an hour to take the lift to the second floor.

The clouds were very high that day, so the views were stunning across Paris. We milled around and wondered about getting to the very top of the Tower. The ticket person on the ground mentioned that we'd have to wait in another line to get the lift to the very top, and finding the place to buy the tickets was thoroughly confusing. There was quite a long line, which already required you to have a ticket, so we wondered for ages where to get tickets from. We finally found the obscure ticket machine, then joined the line for probably close to another hour to get the lift to the top. But it was worth it.

The views were spectacular from the top of the Eiffel Tower which is more than triple the distance from the ground than the second floor. The lift ride can be a bit heart-stopping itself but the views are worth it and worth the wait.

Coming back down to ground we filed out of the steely Tower and weren't surprised to see the line was the same length as when we had joined. After a tiring day we hopped into a cab to get back to the apartment for a rest before dinner.

The weather was taking a slight turn for the worse but we made it to Creperie Beaubourg (link goes to Google map) before it started to tip down with rain. Herlina first introduced us to this creperie in 2007. We enjoyed a cosy night at the creperie and walked home when the rain had subsided.

The next day was another on-the-go starting at the Lourve.

Mum and I had been there before, but we made a bee-line to the Mona Lisa. Check out the crowds!

We left Dad to navigate the huge museum while we shopped on Rue Saint-Honore, ducking in and out of the beautiful shops along the long street. We ended up for afternoon tea at the luxe Laduree enjoying its fragrant teas in silver pots and delicious, pretty desserts.

Mum enjoyed it so much she asked that we visit the Laduree back in London at Harrods (Dad and I discovered ice-cream maracoons there. Even Jasna, who visited London a few months later, says the ice-cream macaroons are far better than the normal ones).

We met Dad on the Champs Elysee after afternoon tea. He had toured two other museums, including the Musee National de l'Orangerie which boasts a handful of Impressionist work by Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. The museum is at the end of the Jardin des Tuileries in front of the Lourve.

The Champs Elysee was bustling with people and we made our way to the top of the avenue, to the Arc de Triumph which the Pass permitted us entry. We also got to avoid the queues. The views from the top looked down the barrel of all ten avenues that start from the Arc de Triumph and spread out into Paris.

There is also a neat view of the Eiffel Tower and her steel structure rising above the low-lying buildings.

Coming back down to the ground again, we popped into the Nespresso concept store on the Champs Elysee before heading to Herlina and Damien's new apartment for a dinner of quiche and duck. The newlyweds had not long ago settled into their new place, which had a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower.

While I headed back to London, Mum and Dad hopped on a flight to begin their Italy trip in Rome, Florence and Venice. They'd be meeting us back in London for more travel around the UK and also a weekend trip to Budapest in Hungary.

Herlina and Damien's wedding, 3 July 2010

2010-10-09T11:20:00.000+01:00

Herlina and Damien's wedding on 3 July 2010 was held in the French town of Ferney-Voltaire which sits on the border of Switzerland and France. About 50 people from all over the world descended on the quaint little town to join the happy celebrations. Here's a photo album of the summery wedding weekend...

Morning of the wedding in Ferney-Voltaire

The father and the bride

Mother and the groom

The bridesmaids, Emily and Mel

Church ceremony

After the ceremony

The bridal party

David and Mel

With the bride

Drinks reception entertainment

Wedding games

Wedding cake

Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn (Estonia)

2010-08-14T11:23:00.015+01:00

This month's Monocole magazine ranks Finland's largest and capital city, Helsinki, as the 5th best city in the world for quality of life (for all you guys at home, Sydney ranks 12th a little behind Melbourne ranked 9th. London doesn't even make the cut in the top 25 despite the fact the magazine head office is located here).

Geoff's been keen to visit Estonia for awhile, and I'm not sure where he picked it up but one can travel very easily between Tallinn (Estonia) and Helsinki (Finland) by ship (note: we frequently use Wikitravel, Tripadvisor forums and Wallpaper City Guides as key sources for insider information). So yes, one can take a ferry (between 90 mins to 2 hours) between Helsinki and Tallinn across the Baltic Sea.

In June this year, we stopped in Helsinki for one night, only because for some reason all hotels in the city were booked out on Saturday. We didn't get to see that much of Helsinki, but did manage to get out to Suomenlinna the fort island which protected Finland from Russian invasion.

And squeeze in some shopping at Finland's most famous design exports, Marimekko and Iittala. You might recognise this famous print by Marimekko.

In Helsinki we stayed at Helka Hotel, one of the most highly rated hotels on Tripadvisor. It was great, but not quite comparable to the Telegraaf Hotel where we stayed in Tallinn.

We took the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn on the same day we visited Suomenlinna. We were due to catch the fast ferry, the Lindaline, but it was so windy the operators canceled the ferry and put us on a massive cruise ship. We were impressed with the bar and lounge areas.

And enjoyed the trip as the sun streamed through the front windows while the cruise liner drifted across the Baltic.

We spent three nights in Tallinn at the Telegraaf Hotel which was located within the city walls.

The area surrounded by the city walls, is called the Old Town and is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

Our hotel was a stone's throw from the main squares.

And all of Tallinn's chic restaurants, cafes and bars. One of our favourites was the Italian restaurant, La Bottega and our hotel's own Tchaikovsky Restaurant. We were really surprised at how cosmopolitan Tallinn was having only gained independence in 1991, after spending most of its time under Soviet rule.

It certainly is an exemplar of rapid progress. Tallinn is polite, clean and safe city, which is also well known for its development of an e-government using the power of the Internet and IT for voting (in 2005 citizens voted via the internet) and government operations, such as the conduct of meetings.

The Old Town is not very big and we were able to visit its many sights during out stay. Here are some below.

Tallinn's Old Town city walls

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with noticeable Russian architectural influence

A view from the Kiek in de Kök ja Bastionikäigud Museum of the cathedral and city walls

St Olav's Church tower. The best (and cheapest) sight in Tallinn

At the top of St Olav's Church tower with views across Tallinn and its Old Town

Tallinn has a diverse cuisine, including medieval food and drink, such as honey beer

And as the town isn't very big we were given ample time to relax at the Telegraaf Hotel enjoying its pool, spa, saunas (which is very Finnish) and gorgeous Tchaikovsky Restaurant.

The service at the hotel was also superb. Anything we asked for was done swiftly without any problem. The hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, and we definitely didn't feel anonymous which can sometimes happen in bigger hotels.

We really enjoyed our time in Tallinn. I think we didn't know what to expect from this former Soviet Union (USSR) occupied country and city, but its progress in under 20 years is simply amazing. Tallinn is still a relatively cheap destination, and we noticed that while the Old Town was populated with very fashionable restaurants, cafes and bars, many of the tourists were much older than us. From just our observations, most seemed to be from the more Germanic and Scandinavian countries (of course being so close).

Helsinki was interesting. But we probably needed to stay another night to really get to know the city. But if you're really into your home wares, Finland is one of the best countries for shopping. We can't recommend enough what a neat trip one can do between Finland and Estonia. Both cities are so close, yet offer quite different experiences. We were enamoured by Tallinn. I think most for the excellent hotel and being pleasantly surprised by all it had to offer.

A weekend in Paris

2010-08-13T22:23:00.006+01:00

After spending half a week with Mum and Dad in Paris this week, I was reminded that our Paris trip before this one, has yet to appear on the blog. In April we visited Paris for a weekend to meet up with the McLennans who were touring Europe, see Herlina and Damien (pre-wedding!) and to celebrate Geoff's birthday.

The weekend kicked off with breakfast with Herlina and the McLennans in the vibrant Marais area full of boutiques, wonderful eateries and markets. Despite filling up on omelettes and croissants we found room to fit in colourful macaroons Herlina had bought from Laudree the day before. We walked off breakfast with a visit to Herlina's local Boulangerie Julien to pick up "the best baguettes" in town according to the locals.

It was then off to Les Catacombs de Paris an underground ossuary that houses the remains of 6 million Parisians in the area called Denfert-Rochereau, where we have stayed once before with Geoff's parents (you might remember our Parisian Easter post in 2008). We were warned of long lines that twist around the roundabout (yes, in the middle of an intersection with cars zooming around!) where the entrance of the catacombs is oddly placed, but for some reason this Saturday there was a very little line so we didn't wait long.

The catacombs sound gruesome, but the white skulls and bones are stacked in a decorative fashion and after touring the labyrinth of underground tunnels one becomes pretty immune to it all! It was tricky to get pictures underground of the skulls and bones, but here's one of Christopher in a tunnel of the catacombs.

After the catacombs we went for tea and cake at Laduree Royale, one of the more quieter locations of the famous Parisian tea salon. Then it was goodbye and best wishes for the rest of the McLennan European tour as I was off to meet Herlina for a wedding dress fitting (you'll have to wait till we catch up on our blog to see the dress and wedding photos).

In the evening, Herlina and I met up with Geoff and Damien for a lovely walk through the courtyards of the Lourve toward dinner at a tiny Japanese restaurant near the Palais Royal. The sun setting over the Lourve courtyard featuring Pei's famous pyramid was simply stunning.

Back at Herlina's, Damien whipped up his special chocolate fondue recipe and even though we were really full from ramen we polished off strawberries, bananas and marshmallows dipped in hot chocolate.

The next day, was Geoff's birthday and we visited Chateau de Versailles. The chateau was the former centre of France's political power from the 1600's and residence of France's royal family beginning with Louis XIV and much later, one France's most famous figures, Marie-Antoinette. The chateau was beautiful and elaborate and its most famous room is the Hall of Mirrors.

The gardens weren't yet in full bloom, but still looked stunning.

In the late afternoon, we met with Herlina and Damien for a picnic in the park behind the chateau grounds.

It was then back to Paris to pick up our bags from Herlina's and say goodbye until their big day. It was also goodbye to Herlina's old apartment, where we have stayed at so times during our visits to Paris. You'll have to wait until we update all our travels to see the gorgeous view Herlina and Damien's new apartment has toward the Eiffel Tower.

Easter in St Ives, Cornwall

2010-05-29T22:52:00.008+01:00

Here's our photo album from Easter weekend in the pretty town of St Ives. You'd never guess these pictures were from England, but it's not all rainy and overcast here! In fact, the SW region of Cornwall is very much like coastal Australia (though colder) where there are stunning, sandy beaches with good waves and little English towns filled with surf shops. We had a wonderful and relaxing time over Easter.

St Ives

Abode B&B. Amazing B&B with the best breakfasts and most wonderful hosts Simon and Anna. Hoping we'll be back again! Here's our review on Tripadvisor

Abode B&B. Here's the dining room where we had breakfast each morning. The contemporary interiors carry on into the spacious rooms too

Recommended by Simon, the Balancing Eel has the best fish and chips in town

We ventured out of town to Hayle (en route to the beach) where there's a line out the door for Philp Bakery pasties. Apparently he sells 3,000 of these a day (if I remember Simon and Anna correctly). We had to stop and get one each, even if it was about an hour after a big breakfast

We did walk it off 6 miles later along this beach. We made it to the Godrevey Lighthouse and the peninsula

You can do the coastal walk among the grass...

Or walk along the expansive and empty beach, which made us feel a million miles from the City of London

The lighthouse is just coming into view. The peninsula too

At the peninsula there's a colony of seals, wonderful little cafe and a taxi ride back to St Ives

Almost everything in Cornwall is sourced locally from Cornwall. Including all the wares in the only vintage store in St Ives

Cornwall is not just famous for sandy beaches, surf and pasties, but also scones and clotted cream

And seafood. Best in town can be found at the chic Saltwater Restaurant

This is what Simon and Anna snuck into our room while we were out. Happy (very belated) Easter!

UK General Election 2010

2010-05-11T21:04:00.004+01:00

It has been a dynamic 5 days since most Britons (voting is not compulsory here) went to the polls (6 May) to vote for a Prime Minister and political party. The result the following day was a 'hung' parliament where neither party had a majority.

In 2007, when I moved to the UK, almost to the day, Gordon Brown took over Tony Blair as the leader of the Labour Party. Labour has ruled here for 13 years and tonight's events brought that to an end with the announcement of David Cameron as the new British Prime Minister.

A screen grab of the coverage of the General Election 2010 by the BBC

Our experience here in London has been a very interesting one. If it was not enough that the result of the election was a 'hung' parliament, we have seen daily, a country divided over who should lead. For example, my Twitter feed has mostly lamented the Conservatives (Tories). But tonight, in a cosy wine bar on Fleet Street in the City, a sudden hush came over the room. The TV behind the bar was turned up and Gordon Brown was resigning as British Prime Minister. The patrons in the bar cheered, obviously Tory supporters. Looking at Twitter on my phone, there were many sad tweets to see Brown go. This is one small example of mostly what it's been like here during the election.

So it's been a really fascinating time these past few weeks, especially being so close to the action right here in London. We have watched (thanks to the awesome coverage by the BBC) the lead up to the election (including the country's first ever Leaders Debates. We have been doing them in Oz for ages), the uncertainty that hung over the country for 5 days after, and the big news tonight of Brown's resignation and Cameron's inauguration. After weeks and weeks of campaigning and uncertainty, it's been nothing short of fascinating to watch the situation of a single nation shift in just two hours. I have no doubt that many of us will be waking up tomorrow, feeling a little bit different from today.

Winter in Brussels and Brugge

2010-03-02T00:23:00.010Z

Europe was still in the deep winter when we hopped on the Eurostar for a weekend in Brussels, Belgium. We stayed at the grand Hotel Le Plaza, with lofty ceiling and gilded interiors, the hotel had a lovely old worldly feel.

Much like Spain during Christmas, we planned a relaxing weekend of eating, shopping and sight-seeing. As one knows, Belgium is quite famous for a number of cuisines, and of course beer. And yes, we did indulge over the weekend in lots of chocolate, moules frites (mussels and fries), beer and Belgian waffles. Luckily, the hotel had a gym, but somehow doubt that burned as many calories as we consumed! Thursday was our first full day in Brussels, and after breakfast in the grand breakfast room we took to the streets of Brussels.

The temperature in Brussels was a fair bit cooler than London, and it snowed a lot over the weekend. But it was lovely to see fresh snow fall. Our hotel was located right across the road from the city's main shopping strip (the Pitt Street Mall of Brussels) with all the well-known European high-street brands.

Like this massive Zara store.

We found our way to the historic square of Brussels, the Grand Place (French) or Grote Market (Dutch) which is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square was overshadowed by the city's town hall, Hotel de Ville Stadhais (below).

And surrounded by grand architecture.

Of intricate detail.

Just off the square was the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate which we visited briefly (among several school excursions).

Lunch was spent at a cosy pub on the Grand Palace Grote Market, by an open fire before we took to sampling the chocolate shops.

We are no stranger to Belgian chocolates, often indulging at our favourite Belgian chocolate store, Leonidas on Fleet Street in London. We weren't quite prepared for the sheer number of chocolate stores dotted around Brussels (and there were even more in Brugge!). After picking up a few chocolates and some beer, we walked further around the city. We found the Galeries Saint Hubert an arcade with a long glass-domed ceiling (and more chocolate shops).

Then passed the snow-covered Brussels Square surrounded by fascinating architecture.

Such as the the glass cube which is the Square Brussels Meeting Centre.

Walking past the Palais Royal, the official residence of the Royal Family, we popped into the Parc de Bruxelles (French) or Warandepark (Dutch), the park across the road which was pretty empty and snow-covered.

We then found our way to the centre of Europe. Well the centre of European policy, the European Union (EU) Commission. It's commanding architecture was commanding, but unfortunately closed after lunch time on Fridays.

But we still enjoyed a short visit to the home of the Eurocrats, as Geoff calls them.

The temperatures were cooling significantly and we decided to hole up in our lovely and warm hotel room with some gourmet food from the local deli (below) and cheese shop.

The next day, we took a train to Brugge, just an hour away from Brussels.

Bruge is the smaller, but prettier sister. It's winding cobbled streets were lined with well-kept medieval architecture, housing shops, cafes and restaurants. Brugge was quite touristy, but as it was winter it wasn't too crowded (or maybe we're used to lots of crowds in London). We sampled loads of chocolate shops (again).

But Chocolat Oe Praline (below) and Juliettes (further down the same street, Wollestraat, but on the opposite side) were our favourites.

We also visited the 2be store which sold literally hundreds of beers.

Finishing out day in Brugge with a long lunch at De Gastro.

On our last day in Belgium, most of the stores were closed as it was Sunday. Most of the life in the city congregates in the area around the church, Eglise Sainte Catherine. We found Cafe de Markten, a pretty non-descript cafe from the outside, but a lovely and airy cafe on the inside.

Our final stop before heading back to the hotel was Caffe Tasse for rich hot chocolates to warm up on the wintery afternoon. And to pick up (more) beautifully packaged chocolates for our return to London.

It was onto the Eurostar back to London. Before filing up to the platform to the waiting train, we found this sign particularly amusing telling us, 'This way to London'.

Christmas in Malaga, Spain

2010-02-21T17:46:00.017Z

It never ceases to amaze us that in under 3 hours from London, we can be dropped into an entirely different culture and the weather can change dramatically.

So, OK for most of our time in Malaga, a port town on the south coast of Spain, the rain fell, but we did see some beautiful sun and relished the much milder winter temperatures of around 15 degrees Celsius (for the record, Winter 09/'10 in the UK has been the coldest it has been in three decades).

Snow at St Pauls Cathedral, London

Our Xmas '09 break was to escape chilly and snowy London for some R&R and we were quite happy to stay put in Malaga, the main gateway to the beachy Costa del Sol (meaning Coast of the Sun). We've been told the towns of the Costa del Sol are much prettier than Malaga who's harbour is mostly dominated by shipping activity, but to be frank, our hotel room at the Molina Lario, the food (especially at the hotel's restaurant, El Cafe de Bolsa), the shops, the city's Christmas lights and the handful of Malaga's sights were enough to keep us in the city for the 5 days we were there.

Malaga is quite well-known for its lights during the Christmas season, but it is most well-known for being the birthplace of one of the world's most famous artists, Pablo Picasso. The city is quietly proud of this, with many of its cafes, streets and even the airport named after Picasso. We visited the Museo Picasso with almost 200 original pieces by Picasso, donated by his son and daughter-in-law.

Museo Picasso

A short walk away one can also visit Picasso's birthplace, Casa Natal. As it was the last Sunday of the month, both were free to enter (and the Museo is open till 8pm).

Casa Natal

Besides the Museo Picasso and Casa Natal, we also visited the Roman Treatre of Málaga. The Treatre is the oldest architecture to be found in the city, dating back to the first century BC, but only uncovered again in 1951.

And the neighbouring fortress La Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro. Both are perched on Mount Gibralfaro overlooking Malaga, once having the job of protecting the city.

It was a sunny day when we went to explore La Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro, and we loved the bricked fortress, the gardens, water features and winding pathways which we explored thoroughly.

After our visit, we climbed to the top of Mount Gibralfaro for some beautiful views across the city. Including a look down toward the Plaza de Toros (bull ring).

In town, our hotel was very close to the city's Cathedral, which we didn't enter, but did find quite commanding in size.

Our day of sight-seeing was the only sunny day for our trip, and much of the rest of the time in Malaga, it rained, especially on Christmas Day when the rain did not stop once. We celebrated Christmas with a big lunch at the hotel's El Cafe de Bolsa.

Its food has to be some of the best we have ever eaten. Not to mention the most inexpensive. And it just so happened, our room was right above the restaurant (see picture below of our two balconies).

We had tapas for lunch, ordered four dishes and found them to be more the size of mains. We tried our best to finish the fabulous food (that would be totaling 2 main dishes each!) and yes, of course we managed dessert as well. Our favourite dish (of all places we have ever been, except maybe our favourite local London restaurant The Modern Pantry) was the langostinos (king prawns). We can't tell you how wonderful this dish was, so you'll just to have to imagine with the photo below.

We spent hours at lunch, watching the rain fall outside from our window table at El Cafe de Bolsa. We were the only diners, besides a big family group who turned up later in the afternoon. It seems that Spaniards celebrate Christmas more on the Eve, rather than on the day. But still, nothing was open on Christmas Day, so after lunch we retreated to our wonderful room for a DVD marathon, including the entire first and second season of 30 Rock.

Every year, I'm always keen to head to the Boxing Day sales. I really dislike crowds when shopping, but the Boxing Day sales have become a yearly ritual for me, having worked behind the counter many times (at Esprit and Country Road in Sydney). So far, the ritual has extended to the cities of Sydney, NYC and London, but Malaga would be a bit different.

As it was still raining on Boxing Day, we took a taxi to the city's main shopping centre, only to find a very quiet day and no sales on. In Spain, the sales start in January, I was told. But that didn't stop us snapping up some new winter clothes.

We also shopped in the city centre and loved its little streets and boutiques.

The city streets were very-pedestrian friendly (ie. no cars) with tiled walkways full of shops, cafes and restaurants that would see lazy days, but come alive at night, especially along the main strip, and shopping areas, with their Christmas lights.

We took a few breaks for coffee and chocolate churros (a typical Spanish dessert). And only just squeezed everything into our luggage for our trip back to London.

When we returned, London was still as cold as it was when we left. We had a very low-key News Years Eve. We live very close to the Thames River, so at quarter-to-midnight we wondered down to the foreshore to watch the fireworks on the London Eye as the clock brought us into the new year.

New Years Eve 09/'10 in London

So that was our holiday season for 09/'10. Apologies it has taken 2 months to get onto the blog, but when we returned to London, I started writing the first draft of my PhD thesis. Over the months of January and February I wrote the bulk of the thesis, and we have since then, taken a short weekend trip to Belgium. But that blog post shall come shortly.

For now (while most likely a distant memory) hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year. All the best for 2010 and we look forward to sharing more travel stories and photos with you right here at two drifters.

Summer and nostalgia in Sydney

2009-12-22T11:00:00.004Z

After Singapore, I had a wonderful 2.5 weeks visiting home in Sydney. I arrived on the morning of Mum's birthday, with mine following the day after, lugging a suitcase full of Chrissy presents. It was great to be able to celebrate birthdays with the family, albeit slightly jet lagged at dinner!

It's been over a year since I have been back and it was great to see family and friends again, bask under the warm sunshine, head to the sandy beaches, swim in the blue-green ocean, eat out at some favourite places and also meet the newest addition to the family, Pepper!

Pepper is Mel and David's 4-month old puppy, a shi tzu x pug with a ball of energy and a fondness for Country Road tote bags.

Pepper ♥ Country Road totes

I have loads of photos (some of which you might have already seen on Facebook) so I won't write a lot here but will mention that the one word I find sums up my time back in Sydney is nostalgia.

Maybe we have been away for so long now (2.5 years and counting) that coming back evokes such a strong sense nostalgia. It was lovely to relive this, but also see how much Sydney has progressed. I was surprised to find how unaffected Sydney was to global recession. It was a stark contrast to our observations this time last year in London. One thing Australia seemed to share with the UK, however, was the shambles the Government was in while I was home!

But enough said, here are some photos from my summer in Sydney.

Bee-lining to the beach the day I landed in Sydney. Could not have been a more beautiful day for lunch at Bronte Beach with Dad

A visit to the One Noffs store Mel volunteers her time to each week to support the Ted Noffs Foundation and young Australian fashion designers

Pepper sinks her teeth into one of her Chrissy presents from London

Bathers Pavilion at Balmoral is one of my favourite places in Sydney

Birthday brunch with Aunty Kew a Bathers

Bumping into another visitor to Sydney... Adam! What were the odds of being at the same place, on the same day, at same time having flown in from Geneva and London? Weren't we just in Geneva a moment ago??

The ARIA Awards at the Acer Arena on the night of my birthday. Truly impressed by Aussie musical talent...

... Like Empire of the Sun (above), Lisa Mitchell and The Temper Trap (click on the names to view their live performances at the ARIAs)

... And guest start, Robbie Williams (click to view Robbie live at the ARIAs)

Mel with her beautiful handmade wares at her market stall in Balmain. Check out her online store here before they all disappear!

Lunch on the water at China Doll, Woolloomooloo

Time with Mum at Bondi Beach, post a morning at the day-spa

Lunch at Speedo Cafe, Bondi Beach

With my grandparents, Mel and Mum

Lunch with Aunty June and Mel in Glebe

Have missed these family dinners lots!

Visiting my old uni, UTS for the opening night of Republic of Design, the 2009 design degree shows

Brunch with the Millers at Rozelle

Taking Pepper to Bronte Beach with Mel

Swimming at Bronte pool

A Sydney latte, served up with a famous Australian emblem!

With Cindy on her Hen's Night. Congrats to Cindy and Mal on their marriage this month, 17/12/09 in New Zealand

Sharing a few drinks with Trinh at the Ivy in Sydney City. Can't say there are many places in the world where you get served drinks by a waitress in her swimmers and Haviana thongs/flip flops. Congrats to Trinh and Harry on their marriage this month, 12/12/09 in Sydney

The last supper at Stir Crazy Thai, Neutral Bay

A final night in Sydney

The photos only show a small part of my time in Sydney. There were many more great memories with family, old friends and new ones. Thanks everyone for a wonderful visit home, and thanks to you for sharing another year of life, travel, work and study on our Two Drifters blog. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays. See you in 2010!

All about design in Singapore

2009-12-20T17:14:00.005Z

In November I was in Singapore to do a presentation at the Icsid (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) Education Conference. The theme of the conference was design education 2050, and I submitted a paper that profiled my current PhD research on the changing role of the designer.

My intent was to inform the design education community of new areas designers were working in. Here in London, I am involved with a design community (see our city chapter here) who push the boundaries of the discipline, working in areas where they design for services (both private and public sector), for development, for sustainability and for strategy. Most designers come from the traditional disciplines of product design or communication design, but see the potential for design to move into many new and different areas.

I left London on a clear and sunny afternoon for a red eye flight to Singapore. I stayed at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel (what now seems like a second home for family visits to Singapore) right in the thick of the action on Singapore's main shopping hub, Orchard Road.

The conference presentation was done the following day (yes, while I battled jet lag!) and was very well received. I won't blog details about the conference here as I posted a review on my research blog, Letters to Australia (LTA) (click on the link to view). With the presentation over and done with, it was onto the next conference, the bigger Icsid Design Congress.

This conference was attended by 700 delegates from around the world to discuss and share visions for design in 2050. I only spent 2 days at the 3-day congress but really enjoyed my time there. I posted a more indepth review of Congress on the LTA blog here.

I had a great time in Singapore, talking and hearing all about design, meeting loads of people, making up for all the Chinese food I don't eat in London, and of course shoe shopping (a must every time I visit the city). After a fleeting Singapore stay, it was time to take another red eye to visit home in Sydney.

Note... If you would like to know more about the kind of design I mentioned above, and my PhD research, while I was in Singapore I was notified that a journal paper I co-authored was published online by the Australiasian Medical Journal.

The journal paper is about a project where designers co-designed the future of dementia care with a community of people with dementia and their carers. The paper is called, Co-designing for dementia: The Alzheimer 100 project. Click on the title to download a pdf.

Autumn Geneva

2009-10-27T18:22:00.015Z

One Autumn October weekend, a group of us (Angela, Albert, Geoff, Myles, Tom, Tim and I) left London for a weekend in the lovely Geneva.

We were all there also, to visit Adam who just moved to the city 2 months ago from Australia.

Photo by Tom

Geneva couldn't be more different than London; clean air, clear days, sunshine, a still and clear water lake, wide streets, free (for city visitors) transport and a backdrop of rocky mountains with white tipped alps in the distance. Autumn had definitely descended on the city because the tree leaves had just turned deep yellow and red making for a stunning sight.

All this was only supposed to be a less than 2 hour flight by plane from London, but lengthy flight delays meant we were held hostage for 4 hours at the airport before we could enjoy Geneva. But we all did make it in time for rich fondue on the lake at Buvettes des Bains on a crisp and cool Saturday night.

Needless to say, after filling up on cheese, we all hit the sack at the excellent Kipling Hotel, which seems many more stars than the 3 it has been awarded.

Sunday morning we made our way (with our passports) across the Swiss-French border to Téléphérique du Salève to catch a 5 minute cable car ride up 1100 metres to the top of Mont Saleve.

It boasted views right across Geneva and the alpine region.

We made our way up and around to the other side of the mountain for more views.

And then took the "short cut" muddy track down, temporarily distracted (from our hunger and muddy shoes) by a paraglider about to take off off the side of the mountain. We watched helplessly as he prepared the chute and the mess of strings (which frankly had us all worried) before his run off the side. As his red chute filled with air and glided down over the green fields, it was back to the muddy tracks, lookout, cable car and bus to town for lunch to satisfy our ravishing hunger (even after Albert and Angela's Pizza Shapes all the way from Oz which we scoffed down on the side of the mountain).

Lunch was a couple of massive Italian pizzas and bowls of pasta before we walked off the carbs up around the lovely cobbled Old Town surrounding the Cathédrale St-Pierre.

It was then down to the Parc des Bastions, which was bustling with people strolling under the yellow and red tree canopies, playing intense games on the giant chess and checker boards or just hanging out by the carved statue, of Geneva's founding fathers, set in the wall of the park.

A quick hot drink at the bohemian Cafe Art's was enjoyed before Angela, Albert and Tim had to head back to London to start their work week on Monday.

Sunday night dinner in Geneva was a bit of a challenge. As not much is open on Sunday in Geneva, a decent dinner place (that wasn't a restaurant in a 5-start hotel) was not the easiest to source. Myles, Adam and I took to the evening streets as Tom and Geoff power napped back at the hotel. On our final night in Geneva, we ended up at a cosy traditional Swiss restaurant, Auberge de Saviese and enjoyed hearty steaks and bakes polished off with vino and of course dessert.

Monday saw Geneva at her best. Basked under warm sunshine and clear blue skies, made for very mild temperatures for Autumn. Geoff and Tom rented bikes for a ride around the lake, while Myles and I decided to hit the shops. We visited (after getting lost) the cute suburb of Carouge, but only found one boutique open on its lovely streets.

We took the tram back to the city to Manor, the big department store with one of the most fabulous 'food courts' we've ever seen. The food was beautifully presented, beautifully coloured and so fresh, it was hard to decide what to have for lunch.

We took a sun drenched table by the window where we could see over the Geneva rooftops, the Jet d'Eau (the city's famous water fountain), the Cathédrale St-Pierre and even the white tipped alps in the distance. After lunch, a quick visit to the chocolate shop (one cannot leave Switzerland without chocolate) saw the girls and guys split to make our way up to the Old Town for, you guessed it, more food!

Photo by Tom

While the guys rode their bikes, Myles and I found our way on foot, to the city's shopping strip, which looked uncannily like Bourke St, Melbourne with its long shop-lined avenues and trams that rattled down both sides of the street. The shops weren't really inspiring us, and like food in Geneva, things were pretty expensive. So we walked up the cobbled hill to the Old Town to meet the guys at the cafe we spied the day before whose windows boasted hand-made chocolate treats.

We took a seat in the square, by the fountain for cafe au laits and chocolate while the sun was sinking in the blue sky, savouring our last moments in the serene city of Geneva.

Some tips on visiting Geneva

At the airport, one can get a free bus or train to the city (the airport is only 4 km from the city and it only takes 6 minutes by train). Look for the machine which will print a small ticket or visit the airport's website for information
The free transport doesn't stop there. As a visitor to Geneva, your hotel should issue you with a transport pass which allows you free use of public transport (trams, trains and buses) all over the city for the duration of your stay
Carry your passport with you at all times as you never know when you might want to cross the border into France (having said that, when traveling, we always carry our passports with us as it is the most recognised form of identity)
When you cross the border, Swiss francs are no longer the currency and some places might only accept Euros so good idea to have some with you
Food is quite expensive in Geneva, drinks are even more
A lot of Geneva is closed on Sunday, but most of the Old Town is open
The Old Town is one of the most charming places to visit in the city. Highly recommend relaxing with coffees at the cafes in the square
You can only have fondue once over a weekend (any more and that might put you off cheese for the rest of your life)
Can't recommend the Kipling Hotel enough for great rooms, great front desk service and great prices through Expedia
The guys loved renting bikes to see Geneva. Rent one for 12 francs (with a 20 franc deposit which you get back when the bike is returned)

Additional links
For more Geneva holiday snaps check out Tom's photos here.

Hvar, Hvar

2009-10-05T23:24:00.012+01:00

You have the say the title of this post with sighs, because the island of Hvar is one of those places... a distant memory of summer for us now and a place that could easily be mistaken for a dream- that is if we didn't have the photos to prove we were actually there.

In May-June this year where we spent a week on this gorgeous island off the coast of Croatia. Hvar is one of several islands making up the Dalmatian Coast and is bathed in constant sunshine, surrounded by blue-green water and has a tiny, Venetian town dotted with only local restaurants, cafes and stores, overlooked by a stone fortress built in the 16th century.

Hvar from the fortress

Hvar is one of the prettiest and most beautiful islands we have ever seen, filled with lush vegetation, fragrant lavender, and lovely people. We'll let the pictures do the talking from here...

Here we are in Hvar

Hvar's harbour

More of the harbour

Making our way up and around Hvar

The town's Venetian architecture and streets

More streets of Hvar

Shops in Hvar

The clear waters of Hvar (along the walk between the Villa and town)

The gardens of Villa Rosmarinus

Our very special terrace and the walled gardens of lavender, sage and rosemary, overlooking the Dalmatia Coast

Our other terrace, under the sun and overlooking the islands

The Blue Lagoon (down the road from the Villa)

A visit to Borovac Island thanks to a short boat trip from Damir (the Villa's host)

Milini Beach on Borovac Island

Seaside massages at Bonj les Bains back in Hvar

Deck chairs at Bonj les Bains

Lunch at Bonj les Bains

But our favourite hang out was Hula Hula Beach Club

And their Tex Mex lunch by the water (minus the sunburn)

A sign to Australia at Hula Hula. We're a long way from home...

But I could hang out here for awhile

I think Geoff could too with that banana split

Dinner at Gariful where they grill your seafood on the seafront

The town of Hvar at dusk

Sunset on the island of Hvar

Hvar will always have a special place in our hearts. Not just for her beauty, natural surrounds, architecture, atmosphere, food, water, people... but also because we left with a special promise to each other.

Till the next adventure...

Schnitzels and tours in Berlin

2009-08-15T11:11:00.002+01:00

We had to put schnitzels somewhere in the title because for our long weekend in Berlin (while Mel and David were on their big Europe honeymoon) we ate more schnitzels than we have since we arrived in the UK!

Mel and David arrived in the big smoke from Sydney, early Monday morning on our doorstep in London (and yes, we were still asleep... Had no idea Heathrow and London traffic could be so efficient on a Monday morning!). They came ready to take on Europe and also loaded with Aussie goodness!

Mel and David toured London till Thursday night when the four of us set off to catch an evening flight to Berlin.

Mel and David at Somerset House

Mel and I at the Millennium Bridge with St Pauls Cathedral in the background

I have been to Berlin before, about 7 years ago now, so nothing was very familiar. Though it was still the safe, clean and efficient place one would expect of Germany. We booked an apartment for a few nights in Mitte, the very central and very chic suburb of Berlin.

The apartment building with the TV Tower to the left

Geoff and Mel waiting at the foyer of the apartment block

Chic and lively Mitte

Inside, the apartment looked straight out of an IKEA catalogue. But it very cosy and comfortable and so close to everything.

It was on the 20-something floor with views across the city and also to the TV Tower (which looks like a big golf ball on a tee).

As we arrived late, we grabbed some currywurst (sausages in tomato sauce and curry) for dinner and had an early night. The next morning we found a tiny Italian coffee bar which served up some nice breakfast and lattes.

We then took to the streets to find the free 3-hour walking tour highly recommended by many friends back in London. I made a bit of a mistake with directions to the meeting spot, so we ended up instead in what looked like an previously abandoned building site with rusty tin sculptures and loads of graffiti everywhere.

This would be the first, of many encounters with the street art culture of Berlin. My German friend Martin, who lived in Berlin for quite awhile, told me about Berlin's creative scene. He mentioned that Berlin was inexpensive to live, and there was a big creative scene which has attracted loads of designers. The architecture of Berlin can often be dark and utilitarian, so I wondered if graffiti was a creative response to the stark visual landscape of public spaces.

We spent the rest of our first full day in Berlin wondering the streets.

This included doing a bit of shopping and passing the car department store! Yes, Germany is one of the best makers of cars and one can shop for a car like department store shopping. It made me miss my VW Golf lots!

We then found our way to the famous Jewish Museum. A controversial piece of architecture by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. The architecture of the building was truly arresting.

Interior of Jewish Museum

The Garden of Exile

But the museum has often been critised for its lacking narrative between architecture and museum content. We could see why after spending hours in the museum and not getting anywhere near the stories of the Holocaust- what we believed should have been prominent for education and awareness to its international audience.

By the time we got there, we had already skipped about half the museum, and were tiring from walking and the heat. Berlin had definitely entered its summer for 2009.

We exited the museum a little overwhelmed, and caught a cab to one of Martin's pub/cafe/restaurant recommendations. The taxi pulled up at a neat little corner pub called Botzow-Privat.

Martin says that Botzow-Privat is a "typical East Berlin" pub and it had loads of character and very friendly staff. The massive schnitzels revived our tiredness.

The perfect place and way to end the day.

On Saturday we found our way to the walking tour location and had an awesome time with Adam, our American guide who is living and loving Berlin. He was a wonderful storyteller and took us through the Jewish Memorial site, a massive field of undulating grey cement blocks, so big it takes up an entire block. Most visitors to Berlin cannot miss it- this was the idea of the memorial, we learnt.

On the other side, a sandy carpark marks the exact site of Hitler's bunker, where he also committed suicide. We took a snapshot to remind ourselves where we were standing.

We then toured some communist propaganda paintings.

And the remains of the Berlin Wall, almost all gone now throughout the city.

After a few more sites, like Checkpoint Charlie.

We completed the tour at the Berliner Dom.

Geoff and David were keen to lie in the sun and read, so Mel and I took a train to another part of town to visit the flea markets. It was lovely strolling in the sun, browsing antiques and 2nd-hand stuff. We spent ages in this button stall (as fashion designers do) and picked up a few cool things.

For dinner on our last night in Berlin, we chose off Martin's list of wonderful places to eat. We chose Alpenstueck and again took a taxi arriving at a white-washed corner restaurant in the middle of residential Berlin. It was a pristine white restaurant, with checked linen and a wall of stacked logs. We got seated in a cosy booth, but it became not so cosy after a small Bucks night required our attention. Well, in particular mine (Mel was so lucky she wasn't sitting on this side!). The Buck was getting married soon and wanted as many red lips and signatures on his white tee, so I obliged.

After lipstick-on-the-tee they were off and we enjoyed our final Berlin meal of schnitzels (again).

We flew out of Berlin early Sunday morning and arrived back in London at around lunch. After something to eat from our local Marks and Spencer, David, Mel and I headed to the markets in East London, including the famous Spitalfields Markets. The weather was so stunning for London we couldn't stay inside all day! It was like going from one creative city to another. The markets are definitely where all the action is in London on a Sunday.

We shopped loads and soaked up the atmosphere till about 7pm. It was time to head home for dinner with Geoff (even though David was already eating at the markets) and collapse after a wonderful long weekend.

Good coffee in London

2009-07-29T17:56:00.014+01:00

Ok, ok the title might seem like a bit of a contradiction after all the whinging Aussies in London do about the coffee here, but it's been awhile since we have been here and our list of decent coffee places is growing. For those coming over to visit, holiday or live, here's an essential list to finding good coffee in London (but for some management of expectations, it probably will taste a bit different from home).

Monmouth Coffee, Borough Markets and Covent Garden
We have to say this is our favourite coffee bean and one of our fave places to grab a good latte. Always so consistent in taste, stronger caffeine hit and really smooth froth. Have never had burnt milk a Monmouth which is a frequent crime of the chains (Costa, Nero, Starbucks etc.). Monmouth roast their own coffee which come from about a dozen places around the world including Africa and South America. Many other good coffee places around London use Monmouth's coffee (and I have forgotten which ones but do remember speaking to some baristas who mentioned they were using Monmouth). I love the Borough Market Monmouth. Have taken loads of Aussies here (even my bro David, who never drinks coffee but actually liked the coffee here- Mel's latte of course!). Have even taken some English and European friends here for meetings (designers love the shabby chic-ness). Covent Garden is always packed, but great for t/a before/after/during shopping the boutiques.

Cost per latte: £2.30
Size: "Normal" Oz sized take-away, but if you have in it's more a large Oz size.

Grace, St Pauls (links to Twitter)
We are pro-supporting local businesses (London is heaving with chains... food, cafes, restaurant, coffee places) and this is our "local" in the true sense of the word. We go to the sunny corner store, Grace, pretty much everyday to visit "coffee guy" and "coffee girl" (whom "coffee guy" recently recruited). Coffee is a pretty serious matter here. You can only get take-away (have to say don't quite support the polystyrene cups but the things you do for a decent latte!) and "coffee guy" maintains quite a lot of consistency, never burns the milk and gives us a strong dose of espresso delivered all in British earnest. There's a massive Gaggia, and you can choose medium, dark or organic roasts. You can also pick up some neat homemade treats, which we find really hard to bypass on a daily basis while waiting for our coffee.

Cost per latte: £1.50 (did we mention what a bargain this was for great coffee?)
Size: More a medium-large Oz size t/a

Nude Espresso, Spitalfields
Believe it or not, an English friend introduced me to this place. Lovely, bright and red, Nude does great coffee with a New Zealand smile. Located close to many design companies I know, Brick Lane, Spitalfields Markets and in vintage shop central it's also a great people-watching joint!

Cost per latte: £2.30
Size: Normal Oz size if you have in

Fernandez and Wells
In SoHo, F&W has been the place of quite a number of meetings for me. There are a few locations within walking distance, but I quite like the one of Beak Street (which is pictured below). Long wooden benches make good use of the small space, but that doesn't quite deter long meetings at F&W!

Cost per latte: Around £2.30
Size: Normal Oz size if you have in

Flat White, Soho
I think Flat White is the most famous among the Aussie community. Alongside Monmouth, it has one of the bigger cafe spaces and stepping inside makes us feel like we are back in Paddington, Sydney. It has such a similar atmosphere and interior and often makes me homesick (like it did last weekend when we were there). Flat White also serves great Aussie cafe food for breakfast and lunch.

Cost per latte: Around £2.30
Size: Normal Oz size if you have in or t/a

Lantana, Fiztrovia
Have not been to Lantana yet, but am meeting a friend there next week. My Aussie-living-and-working-in-London friend Myles, who authors her own food blog, Gourmet Safari (and here's a link to her own London coffee post) has been there and notifies me that Lantana do banana bread- a rare find in London! Can't wait to try Lantana coffee and banana bread next week. The cafe also does a neat blog called Scrambling Eggs.

Cost per latte: Around £2.30
Size: Normal Oz size if you have in

Some final words on good coffee in London....
You might have noticed that I have described coffee cup sizes. This is because most coffee you buy in London will come as massive servings (it makes Oz coffee look like babycinos for kids). While good value, most Aussies in London would choose quality over quantity any day. If you must go to a chain, we think Eat or Apostrophe do OK.

Also, most UK places don't know what a flat white is, so we'd recommend going for a latte (as cappuccinos are usually served with far too much bad froth).

As a final point to this post, some great person has plotted some good coffee places in London and around the UK. Great for all the UK travels. You can view the Google map here.

Some additional links on the subject matter of coffee in London:

Luke Bozier's blog post, 9 July 2009
In London Aussies and Kiwis do it better (coffee that is)

TimeOut London, 31 July 2009
Raising the bar - the independent cafes and Antipodean attitudes regenerating our coffee culture

Istanbul, the layered city

2009-06-27T20:41:00.003+01:00

It’s a modern, bustling metropolis and truly understands how much tourism contributes to the local economy. Any tourist is warmly welcomed to Istanbul, from hotel owners and concierges, to the taxi drivers, to the café and restaurant staff. The locals love their country, the culture and their football, and are keen to show the world just how Istanbul is.

First colonised by the Romans, Istanbul has a long and interesting history including numerous names. The city was first called Byzantine in 667 BC and then known in 330 as Constantinople ("City of Constantine") named after its Emperor. After several other designations, the city became known as Istanbul, but it was only in 1930 where the name was officially adopted.

Today Istanbul’s history is clearly evident through its historic sites like Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed Mosque (or Blue Mosque) which flank the city. Both mosques are enormous in size and reflect the many cultures and religions which once inhabited the city through their layered interior. Istanbul is also a model for a modern Muslim society and has become quite the melting pot for cultures straddling both the European and Asian continent on either side of the Bosphorus Strait.

Hagia Sophia

We arrived in Istanbul before lunch at the Asmali Konak Hotel. We had a 20-minute chat over tea and coffee with the owner who gave us insider tips on how not to get ripped off in shops, restaurants and suggestions for things to do in Istanbul. We were then informed we would have to move hotels due to a major water leak which we sighted in what would have been quite a lovely room. Instead, we were taken to the plush, 4-star Aruna Hotel down the road. The hotel was brand new and while it didn’t have the character of Asmali, it had more luxuries such as a Jacuzzi in our bathroom.

Upon arriving at Aruna, we had another chat with the owner, who also handed us glass beads which look like eyes, a Turkish token which can be seen everywhere and people carry them to ensure someone is safely watching over them.

By the time we freshened up and took to the streets, it was time for a very late lunch. We took a tip from the locals at Asmali and visited Doy Doy, climbing to the fourth floor terrace with stunning views of the Blue Mosque and very cheap and very good food.

We were eating at 5pm when prayer time came around and the chants from the mosque bellowed through the air (see for yourself by clicking on the video below!).

In Istanbul, like an other Muslim country, prayer time happens 5 times a day. The first starts at 5am (and yes, clearly heard from our hotel due to its close proximity to the centre of the city). The last happens at 5pm. Until you hear the chants across the city, you wouldn’t guess 99% of Istanbul is Muslim. It is a relaxed society and very Westernised. Istanbul’s modern take probably has to do with a number of factors including its layered history, its geography straddling both Europe and Asia, and its intent to demonstrate to the world how a liberated Muslim society would look like. Istanbul is a melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures and many of the locals we got to meet had partners from around the world such as Asia and Australia.

Our hotel sent us on a free half-day tour on our second day in Istanbul. We wondered for three-quarters of the tour why we were getting the special treatment, and when we visited our final destination, a carpet showroom, we knew we had become part of the selling process for Turkish carpets! But till then we had quite a good time with our lovely guide and driver who chauffeured us around Istanbul with our first stop at the Egyptian (or Spice) Bazaar.

Bazaars are wonderfully colourful markets constantly full of people browsing textiles, glass beads, piles of nuts, nougat, mosaic lamps and mounds of spices.

The rain started to come down and we decided to forgo the planned Bosphorus cruise and spend time touring Istanbul by car, visiting the waterfront suburbs and bridges. Back in town we walked through the Blue Mosque, Artisan Bazaar and ended our tour with apple tea on the terrace of the carpet showroom with views across the harbour and toward the Blue Mosque.

We politely declined a carpet purchase and breathed easy when we were left with the rest of the day to ourselves!

The sun was now out in full force and we had a lovely lunch while laughing over our naivety in accepting a free tour (we had honestly thought the hotel was trying to apologise for moving us from our first choice!).

As the sun was out we ventured into the hive of activity between the two mosques. We found our way to the Yerebatan Sarayi (or Basilica Cistern ) the underground cistern which used to irrigate the gardens of Byzantine. Our guidebook notes that there are as many as 60 of these underground cisterns in Istanbul, but Yerebatan Sarayi is the largest of all.

The Yerebatan Sarayi constantly drips water as you enter the underground forest of marble columns and arches. From below, the dim red lights illuminate the eerie fish that swim at your feet. Yerebatan Sarayi is one of the most unique sights in Istanbul, and some may recognize it from the James Bond movie, From Russia with With Love.

Popping up from underground we found ourselves in the sun and among the tourists which swarmed around the Hagia Sophia. To be honest, we were a bit put off my the number of people around the mosque and hesitated to visit, but making the executive decision to brave the crowds, we would have severely regretted not seeing one of the most interesting places of worship in the whole of Europe.

The mosque was constructed Before Christ and was originally a Christian Church. One can view the hints of this in the art that still remains on the ceiling and walls, half covered by Muslim art and scriptures. Sofia is enormous, but when you look at her detail, the layers become apparent and absolutely fascinating to consider how the city and its people have changed over the centuries.

Just up the road from the mosques and cistern is the Grand Bazaar. Another Bazaar which is bigger than the Egyptian Bazaar and a little more expensive.

We toured the numerous stores, picked up a few things (like apple tea) and got roped in (again!) to a carpet sales room only because we were admiring the Australian flag which was being woven as a carpet out the front. We enjoyed more apple tea with the owner and again declined a carpet purchase. We felt like we were now experts at the game!

We wondered back into town and through the peaceful Gülhane Park before heading toward our hotel to find dinner.

We chose the Rumis Café for dinner. We learned that the place was new and had only just opened. We found the staff wonderfully accommodating, even getting a lesson behind the bar on how to make Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is a strong, dark brown liquid which smells like a wood fire. It was made and enjoyed by the Ottomans who once inhabited Istanbul. We purchased some coffee and later went back to the Egyptian Bazaar to get a copper coffee maker (which we are yet to try out back in London!).

Old Egyptian Bazaar

After dinner, we booked a treatment at a hotel spa. We started in a steam room and then had a body scrub and massage on marble in the middle of main treatment room by a burly Turkish bloke that didn’t speak much English. We finished our treatments wrapped in towels sipping apple tea.

The next day we did a full day tour which included a cruise on the Bosphorus. Unfortunately the first half of the tour felt like a bit of a waste. It took ages to co-ordinate tourists on the buses and we were taken to a look out point with a cable car ride down to the street level which wasn’t all that exciting, but we did enjoy the views.

We finally got to the cruise and this really made up for the disappointing morning. We had a small-ish boat with only about a dozen people. The day was clear and sunny and the cruise went for about 2 hours on the blue waters of the Bosphorus. We saw palaces such as the Ciragan Palace, fortresses such as Rumeli Fortress, bridges, boats, mansions and the metropolis of Istanbul from the water.

Bosphorus Bridge

Ciragan Palace

The Sultan's Winter Palace

View of Bebek from the harbour

Hopping off the boat, we decided to visit the chic suburb of Bebek. On our private tour, we had driven through Bebek and our Wallpaper Guide had recommended Mangerie, what we came to recognize as the Bathers Pavilion of Istanbul. Mangerie is on the top floor of a rather non-descript building, so it was not easy to find, but the café had wonderful food, coffee and views! While the interior was really nice, we were lucky enough to score a table on the terrace with views to the water and down to the boutique-lined street.

We met another couple from London who had walked to Mangerie from a few suburbs away, so after lunch we decided to walk part of the way back toward the city, passing beautiful parks, fishermen and street markets. We hailed a cab when we began to tire and were thankful we did as going through the roads near the football stadium was a bit intimidating. Crazy football fans had taken over the streets and let off small fire crackers in anticipation of the game.

We arrived back at the hotel for our last night in the city and took a recommendation from the concierge to dine at the local fish restaurant just a few minutes walk down the road. We had to enter through the restaurant kitchen to get to our table! We enjoyed the infamous sea bass and lovely Turkish sweets which I have not mentioned that we had been indulging in throughout our trip, along with the smoky Turkish coffee.

We were sad to leave Istanbul. It certainly was intriguing and quirky. Things happen that make you wonder what really goes on in this city under the colourful tourist sheen. A first brief visit gives you that small taste and sense that there are many other layers to be explored. That’s the magic of Istanbul and it makes you promise to be back someday for more.

Parisian Easter

2009-05-04T20:54:00.000+01:00

The year 2009 is flying by and Easter has already come and gone. We spent this year's Easter in Paris for an extended long weekend. We were to meet Les and Mary (Geoff's parents) in Paris to spend five days enjoying the pretty city.

Geoff and I took took the Eurostar to Paris and arrived on Thursday evening. We made our way to Mary and Les's apartment at Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissement. This would be our home for the next four nights. Denfert-Rochereau is a charming little place just outside of main tourist hub of Paris. It has a handful of wonderful cafes, a street food market and some excellent local shops such as the Zara on the ground floor of the apartment building.

Our first full day in Paris was spent having a big brunch at a local cafe down the road and visiting the gardens of Musée Auguste Rodin. Our local cafe and its owner had such a sunny disposition and served wonderful home made quiches and desserts.

It was then off on a quick metro ride to the Musée Auguste Rodin gardens. The garden is a charming place. For just a few euros, one can enjoy its design, greenery, water features and most of all Rodin's famous sculptures including his most famous, The Thinker.

The garden's residence, Hotel Biron, houses even more of Rodin's sculptures. But the garden has such an extensive collection of Rodin's work, we didn't feel the need to venture indoors.

A short hop across the road, one can reach Hotel de Invalides. Its grounds are home to the comprehensive military museum, the Musée de l'Armée, and the church, Eglise du Dôme, which houses Napoleaan's tomb among much grandeur.

Easter Sunday was spent at the Sacre Coeur. We went early to nab a seat in the lofty church and spent 2 hours at mass- all in French!

A special Easter dinner was celebrated at Le Jardin D'Ivy. A restaurant with a sweet garden out the back and traditional French dishes. Herlina introduced us to this gem one of the very first times we visited Paris.

Most stores on Sundays are closed in Paris, so we always make our way to the chic Marais district, the Jewish quarter of Paris. While the Marais is small, there is always so much to do there. One can choose to people watch over a cafe au lait, browse little boutiques, consume delicious treats from one of the boulangeries, reflect and relax among the trees in the Place des Vosges and/or visit the Picasso Museum, a place we have been meaning to go every time we have been in Paris. We are glad to say we finally made it!

The museum, a former mansion residence built in the 1600's, houses a wonderful collection of Picasso's work. While museums like the Lourve are impressive, information overload is something we having been coming to experience a lot after so many museums and galleries in Europe. But the Picasso Museum has just the right number of works dotted around the mansion and its elaborate staircase. For a short break after viewing (and before one hits the Marais shops) there is a tiny garden out the back to rest and grab a drink.

We left Paris two nights before Mary and Les. They were due in London then for more exciting adventures ahead!

With love from Malta: Sliema, Valletta and Gozo

2009-04-29T23:14:00.010+01:00

Some photos from our March weekend break with Mel and Richy in Malta (sorry it has taken so long.... spare time has become a luxury these days!).

Sliema, where we stayed in Malta

Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It's forts defended the Islands of Malta from invasion during the 16th century Great Siege

The streets of Valletta with Baroque architecture

Fort St Elmo which spreads from the Grand Harbour (pictured) to...

Marsamextt Harbour on the other side

Boom Defence [sic] at Fort Saint Elmo

Arriving in Gozo, the island off the mainland Malta

Views across countryside Gozo

Gozo salt pans which date back to the Romans.
Thousands of years old and still a technology used today!

Ggantija Temples, which are over 5500 years old!
No one knows how the stones were brought to the middle of the island.
The myth goes that it was giants, hence the name.

St Julians Bay on mainland Malta

Enjoying Maltese food. Their national dish is rabbit.

A sad goodbye to modest little Malta.
So small but so full of history.
We hope to be back someday...

I Heart New York

2009-02-19T19:58:00.003Z

New York, New York. What an amazing city! We spent the entire festive season ie. Christmas and New Years, in New York. I don't think we have ever been so cold (the coldest temperatures were on New Years Eve, -10 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill of -17!) but we loved everyday in the vibrant and spirited city.

New Yorkers feel the same degree of affection for their city as Sydney-siders for Sydney. While we were there, New York Magazine came out with an edition called, 'Reasons to love New York 2008.'

We thought we'd compile our own reasons to love New York right here...

Central Park
It’s a beautiful world within a world. Once inside it’s serene, quiet and beautiful at every glance.

Undulating hills, still lakes, bridges and pretty vistas fill the Park along with an atmosphere that cannot be described, only felt.

Central Park is massive, inhabiting a significant proportion of Manhattan and is flanked by ritzy apartment blocks of New York’s Upper Sides.

There is tonnes to do inside such as ice skating (in winter).

A visit to the very enjoyable Central Park Zoo (one of our favourite attractions).

With hibernating friends.

And lunch at the Boathouse, a famous little restaurant, made famous by appearances onscreen such as in Sex and the City, a show that has iconised New York so much that anyone familiar with the show instantly feels they are walking on set in the city.

We especially loved the Jackie Onassis Reserve.

Central Park is the ultimate contrast to the concrete jungle of the New York City.

Madison Square Garden
Visit and think about everything that has happened there. Every famous artist and sports team has made an appearance at Madison Square Garden. We did an all-access tour, which permitted us to access areas closed to the public, hear about the architecture of the main arena (whose ceiling is designed without the need of support structures allowing uninterrupted views from every seat) and discover the layer of ice that permanently lies beneath the flooring for ice hockey games, such as the one we attended between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils (Devils won 4-2).

Walking the streets of Manhattan
Does one feel a connection to New York because it has been the backdrop of so many TV shows and movies, or because it has a certain atmosphere and spirit that one cannot help relating to?

Despite all the City has endured, such as September 11 and the recent economic crisis, the city still heaves optimism and energy. The feeling of positive change was even more highly anticipated with the then-incoming Obama administration.

New York is also crammed with diverse villages, all with different atmospheres- from the skyscrapers and retail mecca of Midtown, to the concrete jungle of the financial district Downtown, to the quirkiness of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, to the hip West Village (home to the very chic Bleeker Street, below) to the quietness of the leafy Upper East Side.

New York is interesting, conceptual and different at every turn, one village morphing into another and surprises everyday such as the Morgan Museum, the former residence of JP Morgan now a museum space for exhibitions and cultural activities. It also preserves and displays Morgan’s study and massive oak library with thousands of antique books.

If you happen to stumble across the Morgan Museum, pay a visit to the Morgan Dining Room, the actual dining room of the Morgan family, now a boutique restaurant serving up quality dishes in an intimate space.

The jazz clubs
We found one called the Birdland in Midtown near our hotel. We booked dinner and the show and were treated to wonderful food and live jazz among a full house.

The Rockerfeller Centre
Forget the views from Empire State (well, more the 2-hour wait in line), the Rockefeller Centre, while not going as high, does the trick with far less crowds. It was a stunning sunny Christmas day when we made the trip to the Top of Rock.

Back on the ground, there is a tonne to do at the Rockerfeller Centre. It is home to NBC studios (which we also toured to see the set of Saturday Night Live and the news rooms), retail stores, restaurants, bars and the famous ice skating rink in winter with the massive, sparkling Christmas tree.

Rockefeller also hosts the live entertainment on New Years Eve, while Times Square hosts the dropping of the ball and the countdown to the new year.

The shopping
One cannot go to New York without shopping. It is retail heaven with endless streets filled with glittering shops, buzzing with shoppers.

Even the quieter parts of the City are peppered with shops and boutiques to discover. We visited brands synonymous with New York and American culture such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs and DKNY just to name a few, and the famous department stores such as Bloomingdales, Macys and Saks Fifth Avenue.

To avoid the crowds, avoid Midtown and shop Uptown and Downtown. South Street Seaport is a great place to visit too for big brands and better quality souvenirs (if you are after them).

As you can probably guess, we did our fair share of shopping...

The happy holidays
If you don’t like crowds, we probably wouldn’t recommend visiting New York during Christmas, but it really is a wonderful time to be in the city. Everyone is in a great mood, despite the bitter cold, there is plenty of snow (Central Park looks amazing covered in the white stuff) and the stores look amazing shimmering in Christmas lights and the spectacular window displays and decorations.

New York's New Year Eve was a bit disappointing. The weather (the -17 degrees wind chill) and the police searches at every entryway to Time Square (this cause long lines to get in and no option to get out, not even to go to the bathroom, so don’t even think of drinking anything for 6 hours), changed plans to visit Times Square to see the ball drop.

But watching TV from our warm hotel room, showed us being out among the crowds might not have been as good as it seemed be. Firstly, the weather (already discussed). Secondly, Carson Daly is a dry and uninteresting host (after 10 years at the helm, he seems to be over it by now). Thirdly, the ball is tiny, relative to the massive mediascape of Times Square. Fourthly, the live entertainment is at Rockefeller Centre (not Times Square). And finally, it’s more confetti than fireworks when the clock strikes midnight, so if you like your fireworks a la Sydney, it’s a bit disappointing.

We don’t want to finish this part of the posting on a negative note, so we’ll reiterate that the holiday season is a lovely time to be in New York City for its spirit and celebratory mood.

The arts
Everyone knows New York loves its art and there is no shortage of galleries and museums. MOMA, the Guggenheim and the Met were too crowded for us to really enjoy this trip, so we spent time at the smaller, lesser known places like the previously mentioned Morgan Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum and the Museum of New York.

The architecture
New York is grandiose and breathtaking in its architecture. Here are a few samples we toured.

The art deco Chrysler Building

The Flat Iron

Inside the Guggenheim

Grand Central Terminal

The United Nations

When you step inside you really do feel inspired for knowing that the UN advocates for a better world. We were fortunate enough to visit on a day when we could tour the UN and we learnt a bit about how the UN works, runs and also got to visit the very famous General Assembly where many great movers, shakers, thinkers, diplomats, politicians and celebrities have convened to discuss some of the world's most weighty and critical issues.

The food
London can be a disappointing gastronomic experience at times, but New York hit the mark all the time for us. We loved:

The Magnolia Bakery: Coffee and cupcakes (especially the sickly sweet snow cap cupcake for winter)

Dean and Deluca (Midtown and SoHo) : Coffees and cinnamon loafs at this deli started most of our mornings

Good Enough to Eat (Upper West Side): A top brunch place on the Upper West Side filled with the aromas of home cooking and great service

Birdland (Midtown): The food is just a good as the live jazz

The Morgan Dining Room (Midtown): An intimate, white linen and silver dining experience

5 Nint h (Chelsea): Took our fancy after bypassing the Parisan bistro Pastis due to long lines. Don’t mistake 5 Ninth for being a non-descript terrace house because the pancakes are oh-so good.

Jackson’s Hole (Upper East Side): People watching and snow falling on the Upper East Side from our corner booth was enjoyed with huge servings of food at this sincere and unpretentious bistro

Corner Bistro (West Village): The rugged pub in the West Village serves up big burgers and efficient service for just $6.00

Dylans Candy Bar (Midtown): If you love candy, chocolate and colour, Dylan’s Candy Bar is like stepping into a fantasyland. You can find anything and everything candy here, with a café on the top floor and mini attractions throughout the store

Pretzels and hot dogs (on the streets): Piping hot food on the streets are great fuel for pavement-pounding in New York City.

The Icons
Immortalizsed onscreen, all the famous New York sights that haven't been mentioned thus far.

Plaza Hotel

New York Stock Exchange

Guggenheim Museum exterior

Carrie's home in Sex and the City

The Statue of Liberty

Where the Twin Towers once stood

Brooklyn Bridge

A view of the city from the Empire State Building

And finally (more reasons to love New York) because…

Dogs in Juicy Couture coats and boots to keep warm and dry
Obama-rama (paraphernalia) spotted the streets
Ridiculously over-the-top infomercials that play constantly on TV, such as the one for the Snuggie, a blanket with sleeves so it doesn't fall off when you are on the couch and trying to keep warm.

Jay Leno did a fabulous skit on the Snuggie while we were watching TV one night and we couldn't stop laughing
Jamaican buskers on the subway who ask for a smile if you don't give them money
Limos out number cars, but nothing can out-number yellow cabs

There are too many reasons to love New York. No doubt be many more reasons on our next adventure (and yes, we already complied a list of things to do upon our return!).

Extreme weather across the globe

2009-02-07T21:57:00.010Z

We just had to note the contrasting headline news concerning the weather in Australia and the UK. Here's the latest:

Bushfires ravage state in worst day in history (Sydney Morning Herald)
"The fires were driven by hot winds of more than 100 kmh, and temperatures higher than ever recorded in the state, peaking in Melbourne at 46.4 degrees, hotter even than Black Friday in 1939."

Freezing conditions set to continue (BBC News)
"The coldest snap for 20 years shows no sign of letting up, with the freezing weather expected to last all weekend and into next week."

On Monday this week, London came to a standstill with the biggest dump of snow seen for 18 years. No transport was running, and no one could get to work. Here's an idea of the thickness of the snow outside our bedroom window at our new apartment at St Pauls, Central London.

And here's a picture of our street on the snowy morning.

While we brave the big chill, we hope that the fires come under control in Australia soon, especially in Victoria.

Life in London before the holidays

2009-01-22T11:30:00.001Z

Here's some things we got up to in London before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

East London markets, Spitalfields
Shortly after arriving back in London from Sydney, Wendy and I caught up on all the goss at Giraffe, Spitalfields for brunch before browsing the East London markets.

Spitalfields is a great little area of London, with loads of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, markets and creative agencies. It is most well-known for its markets, with the Old Spitalfield Market (held Thursdays-Sundays) being the most famous and biggest, and being just a hop away from the Indian eateries of Brick Lane (which we'd say give a miss). The area was also the old hunting ground for Jack the Ripper.

We paid a visit to the Columbia Road flower market after brunch. It was just a 5 minute walk away on a quaint street tucked away from the bustling city roads of London. The markets are lined with some 52 stores bursting with colourful flowers and pot plants. It always amazes us the sheer variety of flowers one can purchase in the UK and for not very much. This is where all that rain is a good thing! Wendy and I picked up 3 big bunches of flowers for a mere £5.

After, we browsed the markets around Spitalfields. Our favourite was the Backyard Market on Brick Lane, which looks like nothing much from the front, but is full of budding young designers making jewellery, clothes and accessories. We bought some bespoke jewellery (thanks to the lovely designer who offered to make us personalised pieces).

Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is most well-known as Henry VIII's grandiose tudor palace where he resided in the 1400's. Some highlights at the Palace include the massive charred tudor kitchen which cooked and baked for 600 people twice a day.

The formal Privay garden dotted with toparies and a vast fountain.

The Palace's maze, known as one of the most famous in the world (but don't expect it to be huge!)

And the rest of the Palace's gardens which cover 60 acres and provides a peaceful and serence place to explore, relax and wonder. As well as the formal gardens and maze, one can discover the Great Vine (the biggest vine in the world), the rose garden (with purple roses!) and many fountains.

A day out in London with Kirsten, Islay and Constance
My very good friend from home, Kirsten, who currently resides in Brighton, visited London with her two little girls for a day out in the town. We enjoyed lunch at Giraffe (again! But it is a very kid-friendly place) along South Bank which is right on the Thames.

Shortly after lunch, the girls were getting restless being indoors so we walked along the Thames and toward the Tate Modern to visit Dominique Gonzales Foerster's impressive sculptures in the Turbine Hall. The girls squealed at the 3-storey high spider sculpture and Islay engaged a lot with the other installations- climbing on, under and around them.

Christmas at Balham
After our trip to Portugal, time was really flying by and Christmas celebrations were already well underway. A group of Aussies living in London gathered at the Balham Manor for pre-lunch mulled wine and finger food. Lunch was enjoyed at the local restaurant and bar, The Exhibit.

Post-chrissy lunch celebrations continued indoors back at the Manor to exchange Secret Santa gifts but with a twist- when it was your go, you could choose someone else's gift or take the risk of opening a wrapped one (this activity became a very amusing social experiment on scheming and devious behaviour).

Emma and Ian visit London
Emma (my cousin) and Ian (Emma's boyfriend) visited London as one of their first stops before a 10-week holiday skiing in the French Alps and then touring Asia. As I write, I am pretty sure they are still on holidays.

We caught up in London for brunch at Brasserie James, which was between our place in Balham, and Clapham where they were staying with Ian's brother. We then went to the Portobello Road Markets at Notting Hill to browse the antiques and also pig out on German sausages and schnitzels. The day went by so quickly, so we met up again a few days later, for high tea at the Orangery (after a frenzied day of property viewing for me. See below).

The London property hunt
The time rolled around again to search for a new rental property. For all those heading over to live in London, the property hunt here is not the most pleasant of experiences. After 3 weeks of viewings, we finally, finally found a little place in St Pauls the day before we flew out of London for New York. We'll be moving in, this weekend and shall look forward to a fresh new place for the new year and continuing our adventures in London and Europe from here.

Best wishes for 2009 and see you soon on the blog!

Reliving D&M Memories

2009-01-09T15:11:00.003Z

Relive good times at David and Melissa's website. They recently put up photos from events related to their big day, including the lovely ones shot by the professional photographers. See them here at the D&M website.

Sun, Sand and Sea in Portugal

2009-01-06T20:17:00.008Z

It's hard to believe that just a 2-hour flight from London can make one feel like they are in another universe completely.

One Saturday, at the end of November for my birthday, we departed a wintery London for the south coast of Portugal. Sunshine was on my birthday wishlist and wishes do come true. We were greeted in Faro, Portugal with sunshine and blue skies. A 40-minute drive from Faro transported us to the Grande Real Santa Eulaia Resort and Hotel Spa in Albufeira.

Grande Real Santa Eulalia is just as it is described- grand and every bit the 5-stars the hotel has been awarded. It's strapline is "small details make all the difference" and true to their word, they have thought of almost everything to ensure one's stay at the palatial hotel is memorable and relaxing.

The rooms are also huge (such a change from many other European cities) and ours was on the top floor and opened out to nothing less than an endless glittering Atlantic Ocean, white sandy beach and palm trees swaying in the breeze. The sun rose and set from one side of our balcony to the other, bathing our stay for 3 days in constant sunlight. The weather in Portugal was such a stark contrast to London. Constant sunshine, blue skies and 25 degrees meant we could swan around in a different attire for once of shorts, tees and our much missed Havianas.

The hotel's remote location meant we hung around the hotel for almost the entire weekend, but this suited us fine seeing as we had planned a do-nothing weekend. But there was enough at the Grand Real to keep us occupied.

On Saturday, we had taken the first flight out of London in the morning, so a long sun-filled day stretched ahead of us. After setting our things down in our room we made a beeline to the beach, passing a quiet, terraced cafe called Cafe Atlantico where we decided to grab a bite eat. Over the course of the weekend, we'd visit Cafe Atlantico everyday (sometimes twice a day).

The cafe was perched overlooking the beach, under the palm trees. We ordered lunch and coffees, and noticed the cafe patrons jumping out of their seats and pointing to the emerald ocean as a pod of dolphins dived in and out of the water in front of us! They traveled the whole distance of the beach, entertaining us with their jumps and then disappearing around the headlands.

After lunch, the mercury began rising, so we changed into cooler clothes and spent the afternoon down at the beach reading and soaking up the sun. When 4pm rolled around, we headed to the Grande Real's day spa for a private Pilates class and then a stretching and relaxation class. By the time our classes finished the sun was setting, burning the sky in a deep orange and pink. When it finally disappeared it was time for dinner at the hotel's restaurant.

The Grand Real boasts a number of drinking and dining options, so we enjoyed drinks at the bar before dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant prices very reasonable (tourism in Eastern Europe has been steadily rising in popularity over the last few years, but one can still find well-priced food), so we dined at the restaurant every night over the weekend, sampling the generous dishes. We also found the hotel to be of such low occupancy, there were only at maximum of 3 tables full (including us) every night. This made for very attentive restaurant service.

(Thanks for sending the Grace & Hart dress, Mel!)

Sunday morning was met again with blazing sunshine and a huge buffet breakfast down in the main restaurant.

We walked off the food (including mangoes- I think the first time we have eaten them since departing Australia!) on the beach before catching the hotel's free shuttle bus to the Albufeira's town centre.

Albufeira is a small, white beach town, with a glittering beach. It's name is Arabic for "the lagoon" and it's population over summer, increases 15-fold! But in the middle of winter, Albufeira is so sleepy we didn't even spend an hour there promptly catching the next bus back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel we relaxed around the pool, took a dip and then headed for the spa again for a massage and gym session (since we have not be getting much exercise since winter hit London, and post-Mel and David's wedding!).

Our final day, Monday, began with another huge breakfast and walk down on the beach. This time we discovered a private beach and meandering pathways on top of and around the headlands. The weather was a bit cooler and clouds had appeared for the first time over the beach.

We decided to walk to the nearby Balaia golf driving range to hit a few balls before we needed to get to the airport. One would not have guessed that the south of Portugal is a golf course haven. On a local map, we counted no less than 15 courses between Faro and Albuferia alone! The hotel actually has a golf booking desk in the reception area too.

Balaia, just a 10 minute walk away, is a private golfing village with its own 18-hole course, driving range and club house. White terraced accommodation with pink Bougainvilleas climbing up the walls, house guests and golf lovers alike. We hit a bucket of 50 balls each and quickly walked back to the hotel as rain began to lightly fall and the wind began to pick up.

(No comments on my swing Mum and Dad!)

It was sadly time to leave our quite, relaxing and sunny weekend in Portugal. Our ride to the airport transported us back into the real world and to London for 4 weeks before our Christmas and New Years holiday in New York.

D&M – The Wedding

2008-12-21T22:35:00.000Z

Saturday 27 September 2008 was a spectacular day for the wedding of Mel and David. It was sunshine, blue skies and temperatures between 25-27 degrees.

The day's celebrations began with a tea ceremony at the Bride's home. The Groom turned up with his Groomsmen and a dozen of friends in tow with 'offerings' for the Bride's family, including a roast pig!

The Bridesmaids' job was to not let the Groom and his Groomsmen pass so easily, so little tasks were set to ensure the Groom was 'worthy' of the Bride. The Groom and his Groomsmen were asked to sing before they could enter and they chose Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We could tell Jason (David's older brother) was well-versed in nursery rhymes as he even did twinky hand gestures (Must be good practice with the kids).

Ceremonies for Mel and David to serve tea to the elders of the Bride's family began precisely at 9am. Aunty Kew summoned elders and Aunty June helped the Bridesmaids work the tea cup rotation.

After professional photos, it was off to the Groom's home to do it all again.

Lunchtime was nearing and Mrs Lu (David's Mum) had prepared a delicious feast for the guests before it was time to change Mel into her wedding gown and get to Garrison Church at The Rocks.

The dress design is one of Mel's own creations, It was made as a gift from the fashion house she currently works for called Bebe/Grace & Hart Sydney. Mel also designed the Bridesmaids' dresses (and Bebe /Grace & Hart Sydney made them based on measurements emailed from Paris and London!).

Nice work Mel, considering working full-time and planning a wedding sans international Bridesmaids. Finally, she also designed (and Bebe/Grace & Hart Sydney made) the Mother-of-the-Bride dress.

At precisely 1pm, the Bridesmaids led the way down to the alter to the traditional Wedding March. The Father-of-the-Bride and the highly anticipated Bride followed.

At the alter, the ceremonies began, led by Reverend Howard Barnett. Hymns were sung, readings were read by Aunty June, rings were exchanged (and sealed with a kiss), certificates signed and lots of congratulations occurred out the front of the Church under the Sydney sun.

The congregation and Bridal party made their way up to Observatory Hill, the grassy knoll overlooking the Church, The Rocks, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Harbour. Lots of congratulations and catching up continued.

And lots and lots of photos including some neat photos of the identical shoes worn by the Bridesmaids and Jess! We should credit here Mel's choice on the identical shoes (which also fit perfectly!) while the bridesmaids were still overseas.

As the congreation headed off for the afternoon, the Bridal party hit Sydney city for the photo shoot. We should mention this was not without having a break for food including much coveted Twisties by the bridesmaids which cannot be found in Europe.

Our first stop for the shoot was Hyde Park. Will and Christina kindly chauffeured the Bridesmaids, and Albert was the driver for the Bridal car for the day. At Hyde Park, the photographers and professional video guy set up under the canopy of fig trees which line the park's central pathway.

Using the available sunlight and shadow-creating trees, the photographers put their magic to work.

Later on, the Bridal party were met by Mel and David's friend Amy, who also got married earlier that day. She had her own Bridal party and photographers with her, and we did some shots together.

The second and final stop for the day was Martin Place, for its modern city setting. Martin Place's towering historic buildings and expansive paved pedestrian precinct provided a backdrop for some other great shots including this tongue-in-cheek shot of Mel and the Bridesmaids in front of a fashion store window. Mel could have easily passed as one of the mannequins.

The schedule was spot on and we made it to the Marigold for the reception in the early evening to prepare for the night.

The night kicked off with a welcome from Sam, the bi-lingual MC. Up first, in the events and entertainment for the night, was the Bride and Groom's first dance. Mel and David showed us their waltzing moves on the dance floor, later joined by the Bridal party and parents.

The first dishes of the (10-course) Banquet meal were served, which were to begin a night of delicious dishes including (huge) lobster, sharks fin soup, steamed fish, abalone and lucky long-life noodles just to name a few!

Mel and David's good friend, Demetra, treated us to some live vocals to songs chosen and dedicated to Mel by David. David accompanied Demetra on stage on the guitar.

Next up were speeches. Father-of-the-Bride, Father-of-the-Groom, Brother-of-the-Groom and Best-friend-of-the-Bride gave short and sweet speeches, stories and reminders of Mel and David. Father-of-the-Bride did a super-sized toast to the couple, up-sized later in the evening by Grandfather-of-the-Bride.

Mel and David completed the speeches with some words of their own and the cutting of their wedding cake.

A short interval saw Sam's band play while more food was served. A small surprise activity was in store for Mel, as announced by Sam. Mel was blindfolded and a small group of David's friends came to the stage to help assist in a little game resembling the description of 'Bride-needs-to-guess-the-Groom's-butt.'

Mel did very well, commenting among others, "Too small" and "Wrong fabric." She couldn't even be foiled by the exchange of jackets by David and his friends.

It was now time for the girls to take action in the throwing of the Bridal bouquet.

Followed shortly after by the throwing of the Bride's garter (after David's efforts to get it with his teeth and hands tied behind his back).

This completed the repertoire of entertainment for the night. The final dishes were served, dancing took place and more photos continued till the end of the evening.

The post-reception party was held at the nearby club Equilibrium and the Bride and Groom retired to the Sydney Harbour Marriott after a truly magnificent and magical day.

Mel's Hens Weekends

2008-11-07T18:06:00.008Z

Pictures tell a 1000-words for Mel's Hens Weekends...

Sydney Harbour cruise. Saturday 13 September 2008

The Bride to Be...

... And friends

The Desert Flower Crew

A perfect day to be on Sydney Harbour

Massages

Champagne celebrations

Chilling out

Satasia Dinner, Balmain. 13 September 2008

A full table at Satasia

After-party at the Monkey Bar, Balmain. 13 September 2008

Drinks...

... And dancing

Mels Hens High Tea, Darlinghurst. Saturday 20 September 2008

The Victoria Room, Darlinghurst

High Tea

The Bride to Be (in just a week!)

D&M Wedding– Details, details!

2008-11-07T14:49:00.000Z

Before any big day, a massive amount of time and effort goes into planning and preparing every detail. Here are some D&M details you might not have seen on the day, but were essential in making it everything it was...

The DavidloveMelissa website for information online.

The Tea Ceremony tea set used by Mel and David to pour and serve tea to the family elders, on the morning of the wedding.

The Tea Ceremony dress worn by Mel of red silk, embroidery and beads.

The Bridesmaids's flower bouquet of green and ivory roses composed by Cynthia.

Mother-of-the-Bride's delicate gloves worn on the day by Mel as she walked down the aisle.

A view from Observatory Hill of the Garrison Church, with Sydney Harbour in the background.

Observatory Hill where the congregation gathered on the day to congratulate the newly wed couple and have photos taken.

The hand-made Order of Service books used by the congregation at the Church ceremony.

The wedding rings which were engraved inside with 'D&M 27.09.08' to mark the occasion.

D&M engraved cufflinks worn by the Groom and Groomsmen wore and designed and made by friend and jewellery designer, Shirley Gearin.

The Bridesmaids jewellery was also designed and made by Shirley.

A special Bridal Table bouquet made by Mrs Lo (Herlina's mother) as a gift to the Bride and Groom on the day.

Two-hundred and fifty Lucky Bamboo miniature vases, hand-made as a gift to all the guests from the Bride and Groom.

Two-hundred and fifty cupcakes and a traditional fruit cake made by the Cupcake Factory made for a very special (and delicious) wedding cake.

And finally, to keep it all as memories from the day, a wedding keepsake box.

These are a few of my favourite things...

2008-11-04T21:52:00.005Z

When you live away from home, you come to appreciate all the things that you love about home- Family, friends, food, places... Here are some of our favourite things we got to enjoy during our time back in Sydney.

Ariel Bookshop, The Rocks
Our favourite little bookshop of rickety wooden shelves and a great selection of books.

Inside Ariel Bookstore

Bondi and Bondi Icebergs
Sydney's most popular beach and and the legendary Bondi Icebergs, with its restaurant, cafe, bar and saltwater pool right on the edge of the crashing waves.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Icebergs and pool

Bronte Beach & cafes
Sitting on the footpath, bare foot, coffee in hand at a Bronte cafe with the beach across the road and the sun streaming down, it definitely made us not want to leave Sydney.

Bronte Beach

Brunches
The perfect Sydney brunch- great coffee, great food, great service, lots of fresh air and sunshine. New cafe/restaurant, Rosebud (Rozelle) satisfied our pallet more than once. Toast (Surry Hills) served up unique Mexican-influenced dishes and we love being right by the beach at the Bathers Pavilion (Balmoral). The desserts are still the best in Sydney.

Brunch at Rosebud, Rozelle

Latte at Bathers

Cupcakes
Nothing, not even the Hummingbird Bakery at Portobello Road, beats My Little Cupcake cupcakes. Where else can you say that the cake is just as good as the icing?

Cupcakes. Yum

Dining
One of our favourite Sydney restaurants, Satasia (Balmain), serves up delectable Asian fusion with great service and an awesome salt and pepper seafood dish- mouthwatering.

Salt and pepper seafood at Satasia

Such simple food, yet so good at Arthur's Pizza (Paddington).

Lauren, Cindy and Jenny (L-R) at Arthur's

The restaurant formally known as Una's (Broadway) serves up massive crumbed schnitzels. Schnitzels are hard to find in London.

Herlina and Mel at Unas

Fine Dining
Wildfire, Sydney Harbour as its back drop, lofty ceilings and latticed lights all make for a wonderful fine dining experience and birthday celebration destination.

Dining at Wildfire

Lunches and Yum cha
We have missed pad thai over here. Especially at Stir Crazy Thai (Kirribilli). It certainly beats the "thai food" currently emerging in British pubs. You've also got to love the tiny and crowded Stir Crazy space with the hot and noisy open kitchen.

Lauren and Anna at Stir Crazy Thai

There is yum cha in London, but it's nothing like a Sydney yum cha.

Mel and Herlina at yum cha in Burwood

Minnie (Geoff's dog)
Fuzzy creatures always bring such pleasure.

Minnie

Sydney Harbour
Impossibly beautiful. Especially on a yacht.

A view of Sydney Harbour from the Harbour Bridge

Sailing on Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour Bridge
Walking across the Bridge is such a treat with great views to the east (see picture in section above). I also made a point to capture this plaque which notes the design and construction of the Bridge by a company based in Middlesbourgh, a place in the NE of England that I visited late last year for my research.

Sydney Harbour Bridge plaque

Sydney Harbour Bridge structure