Tag: Architecture

My A to Z Travel Challenge – E is for Ephesus, Turkey

Ephesus, Turkey

We visited Ephesus on our Mediterranean cruise many years ago.  We took my parents who were then in their early eighties.  This was one of our ports of call along the way.  Docking in Kusadasi, we took a bus tour organised by the travel desk on the cruise ship to Ephesus.  Even though it was October and meant to be out of season it was still so crowded with many tour groups visiting at the same time.  At one point I had to turn around and put my hand up to a French tour guide and say wait, stop pushing as she tried to shove me aside along with her twenty or so people!

It seemed amazing to me that hoards of people were allowed to walk all over these ancient ruins, seeing as this has been stopped in Athens.  Still it made for a very interesting tour.  Although trying to keep up with our guide was another story, as he was hopping and jumping like a mountain goat over rocks and stones.  This was how we lost my parents during this trip.  I didn’t realise how many silver haired men wearing turquoise polo shirts there actually were.  Luckily we caught up with them back at the entrance.

A sight to behold!  Trying to take photos and soak up the history and also trying to find your tour guide.

The Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus

I’m not really a cat person but find they make very good models for photos!

Ephesus, Kusadasi

Trying in vain to spot my parents!

Amongst the ruins – My Samson!

The dusty dry landscape of Ephesus

It is a trip well worth making if you visit Kusadasi.  I’m not sure a tour is any better than going it alone though as you are not able to wander freely and soak up the history here.

Here is a link to much more information and history about this wonderful place.  Ephesus.

And that ends E

 

 

 

 

 

My A-Z Travel Challenge – B is for Betancuria, Biarritz and Budva

Betancuria, Fuerteventura

Betancuria is a small village on the island of Fuerteventura that I visited a while back.  It was part of a day tour that I took around the island.  It’s a really pretty town with only a population of 811 and was founded in 1404, so it’s very historical.  Before visiting Fuerteventura I hadn’t heard of this town.

Street with ceramic artwork on the walls
Iglesia de Santa Maria
Statues of the Kings Ayose and Guize

 

Betancuria is definitely worth a visit, the scenery on the drive is amazing.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Biarritz, France

Biarritz was just an overnight stop before we started our road trip in Spain, it was the easiest place to fly into from the UK to pick up our bus the next day to San Sebastian.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this place.  It had a very old fashioned sea-side feel about it, plus the food was amazing.  We stayed in a small quaint hotel near the sea front and had just enough time to explore next day.

In the restaurant conveniently located opposite our hotel
The street on which our hotel was
Georges Vl Hotel
Brave bathers!
Through the window
Statue of the Virgin Mary
Biaritz Sea Front

Waterproof Jacket by Next! 

Eglise Saint Eugenie
Inside the Eglise Saint Eugenie

 

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Budva, Montenegro

Budva, situated on the Adriatic coast, was a place we spent an afternoon at during our stay in Montenegro.  It’s a very old settlement over 2,500 years old and has a very well preserved medieval walled city.  We were actually staying at a place called Rafailovici but after seeing Budva I wish we had stayed there.

The walled city
The Holy Trinity Church inside the walled city
St. Ivan’s Church
The Citadel
The library inside the Citadel
Cute ivy clad stone house inside the walled city
Narrow alleyway
Narrow street inside the walled city
Stone alleyway
Exploring the many alleyways inside the walled city

Streets and alleyways

That finishes B – next up is C!

 

My A – Z travel challenge – Places I have been – 😎🌍 – A

I thought it would be a fun idea to write an A to Z of places I’ve in the past, as travelling in the present is not an option at the moment. Also it will certainly keep me occupied during this isolation period. So here goes … A is for Alcatraz, Amundon Island, An Bang […]

I thought it would be a fun idea to write an A to Z of places I’ve in the past, as travelling in the present is not an option at the moment. Also it will certainly keep me occupied during this isolation period. So here goes …

A is for Alcatraz, Amundon Island, An Bang Beach and Athens 

Alcatraz, San Francisco

During our trip to USA a few years back we did the tour of Alcatraz.  We were actually very lucky to go as I didn’t realise how popular this place is and I managed to book the last spot on the last day of our stay in San Francisco.

Alcatraz was an operating prison from 1934 to 1963 and was “home” to the infamous Al Capone.  Before 1934 it was a US Military prison from the late 1850’s.  No-one ever managed to escape from “The Rock” although many attempts were made.

It certainly looked a bleak place and no attempt has really been made to restore it, for historical purposes.  There is an exhibition room there and at the time we visited was showing prisoners’ stories about why they were sentenced.

🔫 💣 🔪

Amundon Island, Sweden

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My trip to this nature island was very recent, just last year.  We went to Gothenburg for three days to visit my cousin and his family.  It took a while to reach the island, first a tram and then a bus, around an hour’s journey.  Then at my slow pace of walking another hour of walking around the island!  This island is great for snorkelling and camping, during the summer months of course!

At the start of our walk
Ominous looking clouds
My mum looking very glamorous in her Russian hat
This is where I walked the plank

🌳 🌳  🌳  🌳  🌳

An Bang Beach, Vietnam

An Bang Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam

This has to be one of my favourite beaches.  Just a short drive from Hoi An town or just borrow one of the many bikes the resorts offer and cycle.  When we went there were a few casual cafes along the beach, although I think it must be more built up now.  If you bought a drink you could get a sun bed, not a bad deal at all!  The only thing was the closeness of the beds, they were so close you had to crawl from the end of the bed.  Very easy to eavesdrop on your neighbour’s conversations.  The service was five star, with the staff from the cafe serving  you on the beach.  There was also free wifi – on the beach!  Some people go to Hoi An without ever realising that there is a fantastic beach there.

 

🏖 🏖 🏖  🏖  🏖  🏖

Athens

Athens was one of our ports of call on a Mediterranean cruise we took a few years ago.  We did the obligatory tour of the Acropolis and then wandered around Athens on our own.  I first went to Athens when I was 18 when it was allowed to walk and climb over the ruins of the Acropolis.  I suppose due to the wear and tear of this ancient site they have had to stop this and it is now tightly controlled by security guards, shouting and whistling at sightseers not to step out of line!

Old Temple of Athena, Athens, Greece
Old Temple of Athena, honouring Athena and Poseidon
Odeon of Herodes, Atticus
Odeon of Herodes, Atticus
Propylaea, Acropolis, Athens
Propylaea, Acropolis The ancient principal entryway to the Acropolis

 

And that concludes A! 

 

 

A Day Trip to Macau

In December while we were in Hong Kong for a week we had a day out in Macau.  Macau is very easy to travel to from Hong Kong for a day, overnight or more.  It was a Portuguese Colony until 1999 when it was returned to China.  This city still retains much of its Portuguese influence with many of the buildings having been restored and renovated over the years.  It has a reputation of being the Las Vegas of Asia with the most number of casinos outside of Las Vegas.  But that is not why we decided to spend the day here!  Macau is rich in history and has numerous restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from.

The Grand Lisboa by day and night

We headed out from out hotel around 10.30 and took a taxi to the ferry terminal in time to catch the 11.15 am Jetfoil to Macau.  There is now a bridge across the two cities.  We decided against the bridge even though it says it only takes 45 minutes to cross by the shuttle bus provided.  This time does not factor in immigration at both sides and other stops along the way.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Zhuhai section of the bridge
(Source: Zhang Youqiong/For China Daily)

This is the world’s longest sea spanning bridge and measures 55km.  Construction began in December 2009 and it was first open to the public in October 2018.

Our first stop of the day was to have lunch.  We wanted to go back to one of our favourite restaurants – Fernando’s in Hac Sa Beach, on Coloane Island.  This restaurant is always packed and we hadn’t booked!  But as usual with any Asian restaurant they will always find you a table.  We had a bit of a wait but preferred to sit in the main dining area rather than at the front.  We have been going here for many years and it seems nothing has changed – in a good way.  The food is always delicious and service fantastic.

I had to post this picture of the foosball table as I can remember this being here since we first visited in 1990.  Whether it is the same one I have no idea.

A delicious traditional Portuguese lunch and of course Portuguese wine!

After lunch we had a short walk along Hac Sa Beach and then took a bus back onto the Macau Peninsula.  Macau is made up of three islands, Coloane, Taipa and Macau Peninsula.

Hac Sa Beach, Macau

Hac Sa Beach, Macau

From where the bus dropped us off we walked up to the Guia Fortress. The fort and chapel were constructed between the 1622 and 1638 and the lighthouse around 1864.  It is now a UNESCO World heritage site.

Typical painted apartment buildings and the Guia Fort

It was quite a walk up there for me anyway!  But once at the top it was definitely worth it.
The bridge below is the Taipa Bridge connecting Taipa to Macau Peninsula

 

The bell outside Guia Chapel, established by Clarist nuns

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Guia Fort, Macau

On our walk back into town we stopped to walk through the Chapel of St. Michael, built in 1875 it has a beautifully landscaped cemetery.

 

Then into the town to the ruins of St. Paul.  This is now just a facade as it the church itself was destroyed by fire in 1835.  Although is it still quite majestic to look at.

 

Ruins of St. Paul, Macau

Close by is the beautiful St. Dominic’s Church. Founded in 1587 by three Spanish Dominican priests who originally came from Acapulco in Mexico, this church is also connected to the Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Rosary. (Source:  Macau Tourism)

St. Dominic's Church, Macau

Senado Square 

There is so much more to do and see in Macau but I think we had exhausted ourselves by now and were in need of drinks and food.  After much debate with a reluctant taxi driver we ended up outside the AIA Tower.  A quick look at Google and I saw that Sky 21 was located at the top.  We were just going to stay for a cocktail or two but after seeing the view decided to stay for dinner also.

 

It was an extremely busy day and you can only do so much in one day but I think we gave our visitors a good idea of Macau and how different it is from Hong Kong, not just culturally but architecturally too.   It’s a 24 hour city so there was no problem for us getting a ferry back at 11 pm.

For now Macau – a despideda

 

A December Week in Hong Kong

Despite the current turmoil and upheaval in Hong Kong, we still decided to visit this diverse and wonderful city.  Having lived here over ten years ago, this time we had brought along our good friends and neighbours from Perth.  We only came across one protest during our stay, although we did see evidence of the destruction that has been caused.

Hong Kong – a city with a population of over 7 million is home to many different nationalities making it a truly international city.  Located in Southern China and surrounded by the South China Sea.  Most of the population live either on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, although some live on the outlying islands of Lantau, Cheng Chau and Lamma.

From the airport there are many ways into the city, we took a taxi, but there are airport buses and an express train.

The trees below are all real and also the poinsettias.

Arriving in the early morning from an overnight flight
Crossing over the bridge
A blurry shot from the taxi of the bridge!

There are so many things to do in Hong Kong and we only had a week to do it in!

We stayed at the Hyatt Centric formerly Hotel Vic in North Point (a review of this hotel to come).

Hong Kong in December is a great time to visit.  The weather is cooler with no humidity and all the buildings are dressed up to the nines with Christmas lights.  Everywhere you look there are Christmas trees and decorations all competing for attention.

 

One morning we took a ferry just outside the hotel over to Hung Hom, Kowloon and then walked along the new promenade to Tsim Sha Tsui East.  It’s a lovely walk and was surprisingly very empty for a Sunday.  We realised later this was due to a protest being organised somewhere else in Kowloon.  A sunny but hazy day.

 

The Hung Hom Promenade

We saw many of these small tents along the way and these are what the domestic helpers use on a Sunday to enjoy their day off.

This promenade takes you right along to the Avenue of Stars on Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront.

Bruce Lee and Anita Mui both famous Hong Kong actors, sadly now passed away

Anthony enjoying a little shopping spree!

Later that evening we took an evening cruise around Hong Kong Harbour on the famous Duk Ling Chinese Junk.  Built in Macau around 1955, it has been refurbished many times over the years.  It’s a great way to see the harbour and the Hong Kong skyline.  Tickets can be bought online or at the harbourside and include a guided tour and free drink.

 

 

Below are photos of the former Hong Kong Prison which is now an arts centre.  What an interesting place to visit, full of history and quirky shadows videos depicting how the prisoners were treated.  Located on Hollywood Road, Central.

 

Getting around Hong Kong

It’s extremely easy to travel around Hong Kong Island and over to Kowloon.  Just get yourself an Octopus card from an MTR station and you’re all set.  Public transport is not expensive in Hong Kong.  It can be used on the MTR, trams, buses, mini buses and ferries.  Top ups can be made at any 7-11 or MTR station.  The train goes all the way to the border with Shenzhen.  Octopus cards can also be used to buy small purchases in 7-11 and Watsons.

A designer decorated tram!

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Oil Street and Electric Street –
Many years ago this building in Oil Street used to be the old oil terminal and is now an Arts Centre.  The Government Printing works were also situated here.

The former Marine Police Headquarters, Canton Road

Pottinger Street Market – also know as Stone Slab Street – named after the first Governor of Hong Kong, Henry Pottinger – 1858

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We also spent a few days outside of Hong Kong in Lantau, Macau and Sai Kung – posts to follow!

My peaky blinder enjoying a late night cocktail

Until the next post!

Colourful Copenhagen

After leaving Gothenburg, we travelled to Copenhagen using a Flix bus. The journey took around five hours and crossed into Copenhagen from Malmo over the Oresund Bridge. This bridge became very famous after the Nordic Noir series “The Bridge”. One of my all time favourite TV series. Travelling on a Flix bus is a great way to see the countryside and I had booked seats directly behind the driver. When we arrived in Copenhagen there was a Mexican standoff between our bus and another bus on a two lane road into the station. In the end we had to get off the bus and walk for around 15 minutes along cobblestones to find a taxi to our hotel.

Oresund Bridge

The Øresund Bridge is an approximately 16 km long road and rail link between Sweden and Denmark. It consists of three sections: a bridge, an artificial island and a tunnel. The link opened on July 1 2000. Source: Oresund Bridge

Oresund Bridge
Crossing over to the Danish Side

Arriving at our hotel – Copenhagen Strand – at around 4 pm we checked in and then set about exploring. I loved Copenhagen on sight and had no idea how stunning this city was. We were staying just around the corner from the picturesque Nyhavn Canal. We walked up and down this beautiful 17th century waterfront looking for a place for a snack and drink. It was difficult to choose as there are so many bars and restaurants. Even on a cold afternoon or night you can sit outside as there are heaters and blankets to keep warm.

Day One

Studying the menu
He only needs a moustache!
Enjoying a beer canalside
Great weather
Waiting for dinner
Although we were only here for two nights/three days, really that’s all you need in Copenhagen as it is a very walkable city and probably all most people could afford as it is very expensive.

Day Two

I decided on the Christian IX palace today and a walk along Stroget later. With so many spires, steeples and old buildings that are dotted around Copenhagen I had my phone out constantly snapping away. The palace is situated on Slotsholmen (Castle Island) in the middle of the city.

Borsen – 17th century building – the former Stock Exchange
Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Centre
Christiansborg Palace
Frederik Vll
I really would have like to visit inside this palace but with time ticking on and many more things to see we just had time to visit the ruins underneath the palace. The palace is built on 800 year old ruins. The oldest ruin is the wall from
Bishop Absalon’s 12th century castle. I think you would need at least half a day or more to really explore this palace.

Next we walked to Stroget, the famous shopping street. This was Anthony’s treat for sightseeing in the morning! Strøget is a pedestrian, car free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1.1 km long and has many designer shops, restaurants and bars. We found one of the large department stores, Illum, a fancy five floor shopping mall with a rooftop restaurant. Here we had a delicious lunch and a glass of wine.

Lunch at Illum
Colourful Smoked Salmon Salad
Stork Fountain
Mathias Hansen House
Caritas Fountain
Halloween display
La Glace, the oldest confectionary shop in Denmark, founded on 8th October 1870

The Round Tower

As there was still some daylight left I wanted to take a look at The Round Tower. This building offers some of the best views in Copenhagen and it has a spiral ramp to walk up to the top, so much better than the stairs I was expecting! Still it was quite an effort to walk up but so worth it. It dates back to the 17th Century and was built by King Christian lV.

The Round Tower

So pleased I made it!
View from the top
Stroget from above
Beautiful filigree iron railings
Stroget
Trinity church within The Round Tower
I felt quite accomplished at the end of the day as we had seen so much already.

Day Three

All too soon our stay in Copenhagen was coming to an end. So after checking out at 11 am we decided not to waste time and set out for exploring more of Copenhagen. I managed to persuade Anthony to visit another palace! This time it was Amelienborg Palace, the home of the Danish royal family. This place was just simply stunning and we were lucky enough to be there for the changing of the guards. It was first built in the 1750’s but has been rebuilt a couple of times due to fires. Again I only got to view the outside due to hubby’s need to press on and see other things, namely more shops.

A Platoon of Guards
Just one of the palaces inside the square
Frederik’s Church was just around the corner so we walked over to have look at this magnificent church, also called the Marble church. It is an 18th century Lutheran church with the largest dome in Scandinavia.

Frederik’s Church
Stained glass images of the saints in the dome
St. Paul
Ornate cross at the alter
After this we still managed to find time for a visit to another department store. The famous Magusin du Nord, with its flagship store in Copenhagen. It’s a great one-stop place to shop and has something for everyone here.

Below are some of the other photos I snapped during our three day stay in Copenhagen.

The Little Pharmacy – home of the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen.

I love this cute statue of two old people

You would keep nice and warm at this cosy cafe, not sure about the table decoration though!

CHEERS EVERYONE!

Autumn Break in Gothenburg

On our visit to England this time we decided to visit Gothenburg followed by Copenhagen.  I have a cousin who lives in Gothenburg so it was a good excuse to visit.  We took my mum and dad with us who are in their late eighties but still very active.

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and situated on the west coast of the country.  It’s a beautiful city to visit and has many Dutch like canals and leafy avenues lined with shops, restaurants and bars.  Perfect for a weekend getaway or mid-week break.
Tip: Sweden is largely a cashless country as we found out very quickly!  Which means that the krona my dad had changed up went mostly unspent.

We flew with Ryanair from Stanstead to Gothenburg.  Now everyone knows Ryanair is a budget airline with everything do-it-yourself- apart from fly the plane.  So I knew I had to check in on-line before otherwise you get charged more for doing it at the airport.  There was no printer to print out boarding passes so I thought no problem, I’ll get them at the little booths at the airport.  They don’t have them anymore!  I had downloaded them onto my IPad, but this was where the problems started.  The IPad was too big for the scanner!  Well to cut a long story short and with plenty of hold ups behind us, we were almost the last on the plane.  The young girl in front of me suddenly collapsed with a huge knapsack on her back against me, so I dropped everything and tried to get the backpack off her, she must have been carrying every text book she owned.  So while she was being taken care of we hurried onto the plane, the last to take our seats, phew!

We were staying at the Scandic Rubinen for three nights, just enough to see some of glorious Gothenburg.   We arrived fairly late in the evening so checked in quickly and had dinner at the hotel restaurant.  The Rubinen is in a good location, right on Avenyn.  There are shops, restaurants and bars lining the street.  Within walking distance of many well known sites.  There is also a rooftop bar with amazing views.

From the Roof Top Bar of the Scandic Rubinen
The Avenyn at night

 

Day One

After an amazing breakfast the next day, my cousin Michael came to meet us to show us some of the sights.  The weather was quite dreary and grey but we were all well dressed up and not too worried.
First up was the famous statute of Poseidon. The statue was inaugurated in September 1931, by the famous sculptor Carl Milles.  Standing there in all his glory, he was not at first popular with the locals.  Apparently he was at first made to scale but had to be scaled down, due to certain anatomical features!

Rugged up and ready for the day
Poseidon

Next up was a walk towards the harbour, a fairly long walk for my mum and dad, but they were doing their best to keep up.  We headed for the famous fish church – Feskekorka.  The building resembles a neo-gothic church.  There is a restaurant inside and many fish counters.

Feskekorka
Trying to blend in. I love these statutes of old fisherman
So many kinds of fish
The restaurant inside the “fish church”

 

Next we headed to the botanical gardens to have a wander around.  As it was Autumn the trees were turning golden and looked glorious.

Autumn colours
Ready for action
Botanical gardens
One of the statues in the botanical gardens
Off to the shops

I’m wearing a raincoat that I bought in Perth just before we left.  I have to say it’s been the most amazing purchase.  Completely waterproof and lightweight, folds up into a small bag and has kept me dry from the most heavy downpours.  It also has a massive hood so no need for an umbrella.

Photos from our walk around Gothenburg

German Church
German Church
Statue of a girl covered in fish scales
Historic bunker
Overlooking one of the many canals in Gothenburg

The German church, also called Christinae church, is located in central Gothenburg near the moat. The church was named after Gustav II Adolf’s daughter, Queen Kristina. It was inaugurated in 1748.  Source:  www.goteborg.com

A fantastic dinner to end our first day 

 

Day Two
Stora Amundon

Today we were off exploring one of the islands south of Gothenburg.  It takes about an hour on public transport but is a fairly straightforward journey by tram and bus.  My mum and dad had already gone ahead with Minna in the car so were waiting for us when we got there.  I was very impressed that they had managed to walk so far.  Michael had other plans for Anthony and I!  A short walk around the island he said, not too hard. I’m not sure I agreed with him by the end.  Up and over rocks and boulders, walking along planks and hugging rocks was not my idea of a quick hike.  But it’s a beautiful island, probably better in summer though.

Autumn colours on Store Amundon
At the start of our walk
Trying to escape
My mum looking very glamorous in her Russian hat
Zara and I on some of the boulders we had to cross
Mini waterfalls
This is where I walked the plank
Ominous looking clouds

 

Haga

After the strenuous morning activities it was off to the ice hockey for the men and onto Haga for the girls.  Haga is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Gothenburg, known for its cobblestone streets and picturesque houses.  There are plenty of cute cafes and restaurants to eat and many quirky little shops.  We had a lovely afternoon here and also stopped for lunch.

Cobblestone street of Haga
One of the restaurants in Haga
Beautifully presented smoked salmon salad
Antique shop
Clog shop
Zara on one of the sculptures in Haga
One of the many bakeries found in Gothenburg
Renovated 19th century houses

 

Residential street in Haga with a view of Skansen Kronen in the background.

 

We walked passed this memorial and statue on our walk back into Gothenburg.  It’s a memorial of Raoul Wallenberg who is remembered for saving tens of thousands of Jewish people during WWll.  He disappeared in January 1945.  According to Russian news he died in a prison cell from a heart attack in 1947.  Although today his death still remains a mystery.

The next day and our short visit had ended already, but not our travels!  We were off to  Copenhagen on a flix bus.  The journey is around five hours and crosses over the famous Oresund Bridge.  I’ll be writing about this in my next post!