This week’s challenge from Dr. B’s Challenge your Camera is Steps and Stairs. We are in a five day lockdown here in Perth, so this is keeping me busy.
Peeping through the gap to the A Ma Temple Built for the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu located in São Lourenço, Macau, Built in 1488, the temple is one of the oldest in Macau
Descending the stairs inside the Sea Princess
Sitting on the steps near the Guia Lighthouse, Macau
Moving stairs inside HSBC Building in Hong Kong
Wooden log stairs down to a cafe in Hue, Vietnam
Old brick stairs inside Kotor Old Town, Montenegro
Looking back at these photos makes me wonder when we will be able to start travelling again, it’s been a while!
This week Dr. B has set the challenge as churches, both inside and out. Photos can also include temples, mosques, cathedrals etc. Captions should be included under each photo with name and place and of course a pingback to Dr. B.
A Gallery of Churches from around the World
St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Hanoi
Berlin Cathedral
Ely Cathedral on a misty morning
My parents canoodling outside one of the many tiny churches in Mykonos, Greece
St. George’s Church, Sipan, Croatia
St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
My son inside St. Paul’s Cathedral, London underneath his ancestor’s tomb. Between the angels – J. Hutt
My parents inside St. Leonard’s Church where they married over 60 years ago
Magnificent pipe organ inside St. Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch
It’s amazing when you look at all these striking buildings how intricate the detail was. It must have taken years to build some of them. There must have been so much wealth around and all poured into buildings.
Yufu and Yoshinocho are both located in the Kyushu Islands of Japan. Situated in the Southwest of Japan.
Yufu
These are some of the photos I took on our trip to Japan a few years back. We visited Yufuin Onsen Village one afternoon, famous not only for its hot springs and holy shrine, but also art galleries and museums.
Chagall Museum
One of the many decorative restaurants in Yufuin
Norwegian Wood Cafe
Tenso Shrine
Toyonokuni Lodge, Kinrin Lake
We had a fabulous afternoon here, a bit touristy, but a glimpse into village life.
Yoshinocho
On the same trip we spent a morning at Sengan-En Gardens, located in the Yoshinocho district, Kagoshima. Sengan-en is a traditional garden and stately home built by the 19th head of the Shimadzu family, Mitsuhisa, in 1658. We couldn’t visit the house as it was being used for filming. There are some lovely gift shops here selling local artwork and sweets. This is also where the famous Satsuma Kiriko glassware is sold, unique to Sengan-en and made at the glassworks next door.
The traditional red door, only affordable to the very rich
Water fuelled rice grinding machine
Water images from around the gardens
Stone staircase used in many films
Mr D pitting his strength!
Tree being kept upright
Handsome Hubby ❤️
We had a wonderful morning here in these beautifully maintained gardens. It would be fun to watch scenes being filmed.
We had heard quite a bit about this restaurant and how wonderful it was so decided it was time to give it a try. Hubby, me and two friends went last Wednesday, and this date was booked ten days before and the earliest I could find. It’s an extremely popular restaurant in Perth at the moment.
Tonic and Ginger is situated in a converted Synagogue in Fremantle, known as The Old Synagogue! Along with three other places, Mr. Chappele, The Arbor and L’Chaim.
Originally built in 1902, it was the first synagogue in WA. Services continued here until 1908. By this time the majority of the Jewish people had moved to Perth.
The building was sold to the Federal Government in 1916 as an annexe to the general hospital where it was converted into a ward. In 1922 it was acquired by William Beer and by 1924 he was operating an auction mart from the site. After this it was sold to the Fremantle Council and used for different purposes such as shops and cafes. Source: Wikipedia
Photos of the The Old Synagogue from many years ago – Source: Fremantle Stuff
On entering the restaurant you are greeted and seated by friendly staff and offered the drinks list. I ordered an Oriental Amigo, a mix of tequila, lychees and strawberries. Excellent choice by me!
The wonderful coloured globes hanging from the ceiling.
During the evening a lady in the upstairs section knocked her drink of the railings which crashed to the floor! Luckily no-one was hurt, but I don’t think she helped by yelling over the side “sorry, I’m so sorry” but didn’t bother coming down!
Menu
The menu is divided into sections, Bites, Grazing and Feasting, with so many choices it’s hard to decide what to order. We were advised to order two bites, four grazings and three feasts.
I managed to remember to take a few photos of the wonderfully decorated and delicious plates!
beef tataki, shiso wasabi dressing, toasted sesame, spring onionhot and numbing pork, stir fried hor fun noodles, sesame chilli sambal
Some of the other dishes we tried were the duck and water chestnut san choi bao, lettuce cups and massaman curry, braised ox cheek, shallot, kipfler potato. All so tasty and very inventive.
We had a fantastic evening catching up with friends, eating delicious food and enjoying the great atmosphere in this restaurant. The staff do an impressive job and are extremely efficient. I am looking forward to trying the other venues here.
The back of The Old Synagogue
If you ever visit Western Australia be sure to eat at this restaurant!
On a sunny day a few weeks ago I took my parents and nephew who are over from the UK for a stroll around the harbour. All restaurants, cafes and pubs were only open for takeaways during this time. Many people were out and about enjoying the last of the Autumn sun, trying to stick to the social distancing! It is an easy 30 minute drive from Perth down the freeway and also just 30 minutes from where I live.
Fremantle is mostly known for its maritime history but is also a very popular tourist spot and is home to the famous Cappuccino Strip.
Weekdays are definitely less busy than the weekends and we found a parking spot in no time right on the harbour front.
On top is the famous Joe’s Fish Shack a great restaurant with harbour views Bottom pic: The Fremantle Tourist Wheel
We stopped and bought drinks from the e-bike cafe and while we were waiting for our order, I noticed the most beautiful painting on the wall at the back of the cafe. It was painted by a lady called Maria Bowers who has now sadly passed away.
A fantastic backdrop for these e-bikes.
E-bikes are a fun way to get around Fremantle. Not that we took this opportunity with my parents both in their 80’s! I believe you can hire or buy these bikes.
Some of the quirky sculptures and artwork around Fremantle
Kidogo Arthouse Situated in the charming 1884 heritage-listed Old Kerosene Store on Bathers Beach, Fremantle
Round House
The Fremantle Roundhouse is the oldest public building in the state of Western Australia. Opened in January 1831, it was built to hold any person convicted of a crime in the settlement until 1886. Since then it’s been a Police Lock up, accommodation for the Water Police, and a storage facility for the Fremantle Ports. (Source: helloperth.com.au)
The view from the top of the Round House
The fishing boats that are still in use in the harbour
Little Creatures Brewery popular with both locals and tourists. Apparently a former crocodile farm, but now a brewery. It’s a great place to have a casual drink, lunch or dinner. You can also take a tour of the brewery.
That’s all we had time for during this trip, but there’s so much more to do in Fremantle.
Some links below of other things to see and do in this town. (Please check during Covid opening times to these places)
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
I’m not really a cat person but find they make very good models for photos!
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.
Why Perast and not Kotor? Well after much research I decided on Perast as I had read it was so much more peaceful than Kotor. It’s just a few kilometres north west of Kotor and consists of just a small promenade situated around a beautiful bay. It was described by a taxi driver as the Vatican of Montenegro, which I thought was very apt. Not many cars are allowed here it’s very strictly controlled.
I had booked a small waterfront apartment called The White Terrace. It was a fabulous place and the owner Bob picked us up from Tivat airport. With only two days here we had to make the most of this time.
The promenade is lined with apartments and restaurants and on our first night we ate at the oldest restaurant Armonia. We had a lovely table right on the waterfront, food and wine we’re delicious.
The next day after breakfast we had a walk along the promenade and took in the beautiful views .
Our apartment on the first floor
After this we took the local bus into Kotor to have a look around the old town. The contrast between the two places is staggering. Kotor is where the cruise ships dock almost docking right onto the street. Spilling out passengers by the dozen the pavements were packed with tourists.
We decided to just have a walk around the old town ourselves and soak up the atmosphere. Kotor did not disappoint. It has a vast history being founded in the fifth century and is now a UNESCO world heritage sight.
Our daily lunch.. Ripe juicy tomatoes with creamy mozzarella
Could it get any closer
On the hunt for a decent shop
Love a good window box
After an afternoon spent here as nice as it was, we were glad to get back to peaceful Perast. We thought we’d have a swim from the little platform in front of the apartment, well Anthony plunged straight in whereas I did it the hard way down the ladder. What a shock, very cold and as we found out later there are icy springs spouting every so often, at least we went in.
With just one night to go we ate at the fabulous Konoba Skolji restaurant where I had read some great reviews. We chose to share the famous ” lamb under the bell”, slow roasted lamb, absolutely delicious.
And that was the end of two fabulous days in Perast.
The next day we were going to Rafailovici for two more days before heading into Croatia.
Rafailovici
I decided the easiest and fastest way to Rafailovici was by taxi also more comfortable.It was less than an hours drive and we were there by 1pm.It’s just past Budva and supposed to be quieter, I never like to stay in the most popular place and prefer to stay just outside the main area.
Our taxi driver was quite chatty and wondered why we were going to Budva as he said it was horrible! This wasn’t the first time we’d heard this opinion.So I really wasn’t looking forward to the next two days.On the positive side it was only two days and it was somewhere new.
After checking into Hotel Aleksander which was right on the seafront we headed out for lunch and a look around. Some photos of my first impressions.
Fish pate, a typical local delicacy
Couldn’t find a bed of nails so next best thing is a bed of boulders
A much needed mojito 🍸[[[[[[We did have a swim and the water is crystal clear but as the water is a bit cold made it very quick. After a wonderful dinner at the hotel overlooking the sea we headed back for an early night.
Perfectly grilled sea bream
So the next day after breakfast we took a hotel van and driver to Lake Skadar,
The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Two Thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro and the rest is in Albania. Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula.
We chose the two hour boat trip, but one hour would have been enough for me. If you ever visit Budva it’s worth having a trip out here as the lake and scenery are beautiful.
Ruins of Besac Castle
Any chance to drink the delicious Montenegren wine
For our last night here we headed into Budva itself. The atmosphere here is completely different to Rafailovici, for a start there were so many more English tourists whereas I had heard no English at all in Rafailovici. It seemed to be more for local Montengrens holidaying. Budva like Kotor has an old town which we wandered around, it’s an amazing place and I loved it here.
It took absolutely ages to find the restaurant we wanted to eat in, we had actually found it straight away really but were told it was just a museum. It was only when going back and asking if there was a restaurant there the girl said oh yes at the back! We ate at the Citadella restaurant which has amazing views overlooking the sea.
And that was that. I’m so glad we got to visit Montenegro and see the wonderful sights, eat delicious food and drink divine wine, but most of all to meet the lovely friendly people of this country.
