Wildflowers for Cee’s flower of the day
The wreath flower found in gravelly or sandy soil and flowers between August and November. A Western Australian treasure
Flower of the day
Tag: Photography
A Cloudy Perspective for Wordless Wednesday
A view of cirrocumulus clouds
Posted as part of Square Perspectives and #Wordless-Wednesday
Sunset on the Sunset Coast 🌅
Just minutes to spare before the sun disappeared completely. The sky then changes colour rapidly from a golden orange to a burnt orange.
We were out for dinner last night and I managed to catch this amazing sunset as I stepped out of the car and then around 20 minutes later another one from the restaurant.
Fisherman catching the evening’s dinner and cargo ships waiting to dock at Fremantle Harbour.
Posted as part of Becky’s Square Perspectives.
Some of my other posts below of Perth, WA
A Gem in Perth, Kings Park
As I live in this beautiful city of Perth I thought it was about time to do a post on Kings Park. It’s great for a short stroll or a longer walk, a picnic or a play with your kids. There are a few cafes and restaurants there where you can eat and enjoy the fantastic…
My A to Z Travel Challenge – I is for India 🇮🇳 – Part One
Parts 2 and 3 to follow!
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the only place I’ve actually been to in India, and we spent a week here over two years ago. Five days probably would have been enough but with plane timetables we decided to add the two extra days for rest and relaxation! We travelled with my son Laurence and his girlfriend Maddy in January, so the weather was just perfect. We stayed at the Taj Krishna, a beautiful hotel in the Banjara Hills.
The view from our window
Our very comfy bed!
Relaxing on the patio and Maddy enjoying a first class cooked breakfast
The reason we chose Hyderabad was because my dear hubby had recently read a book called “The White Mughals” by William Dalrymple. It’s a book about the warm relations that existed between the British and some Indians in the 18th and early 19th century, when one in three British men in India was married to an Indian woman.
Anthony was interested to see if all the great palaces and houses that were built during this time were still standing. Sadly we found that many of these grand buildings are in great decay and not accessible. Some have been turned into colleges and hospitals, but there doesn’t seem to be the demand or need to renovate these beautiful old buildings.
Golkonda Fort
This was one of the places that I had read was easy to get around and you could do it on your own! Once we arrived there in our taxi and were dropped off, madness and mayhem greeted us. We managed to cross a very busy road complete with cattle, goats and schoolchildren and wandered up to the entrance gate. We didn’t have to look far before an avid tour guide stepped into our path, offering to lead us around the fort with a detailed history. After Anthony had bargained a good price, we headed off.
Maddy and Laurence leading the schoolgirls!
The entrance to Golkonda Fort
Golkonda Fort has a history reaching back into the 12th Century. A shepherd boy was once walking on this hill where he came across a God idol, the King that time decided to built a fort on the hill, which then came to be known as Golconda (Shepherd’s Hill) Fort.
With perimeters of around 11 kilometers, the fort has 15 to 18 foot high walls. It has huge gates that have pointed iron spikes on them. This protected the fort from Elephants damaging the fort as well as enemy attacks.
There is a great sound system in the Fort and the sound of clapping at the entrance can be heard a kilometre away. This was apparently used for communication purposes and to alert the King of any attack. (Source: Hyderabad Tourism)
As far as I could see we were the only “Westerners” here and we were stopped every few steps to have our photos taken. I think it was mostly Maddy they were interested in! I made a joke about the one with Laurence in saying they would probably photoshop him out! 😆
On top of the world with views of sprawling Hyderabad
One of the many semi circular bastions; underground arches;
on top of the fort and sitting under one of the derelict arches
Whispering walls; through the window;
Women at rest; a view through an archway
This was a fantastic place to visit and our guide was extremely informative, very chatty and funny! He even guessed my age correctly, which was a bit rude I thought.
Our driver was waiting patiently to drive us back to our hotel. On the way back we stopped by Hussain Sagar Lake and stopped to take a photo. As we stepped out of the car three young men approached Laurence and asked to see his ear! Then just grabbed it and it looked like they were about to pierce it, but he jerked back and said “hey get off me”. Our driver said they just wanted to syringe it! Very random.
Gautama Buddha in the middle of the heart shaped lake
Dinner that night was at a restaurant called Paradise, very popular with ex-pats so the concierge told us. It’s famous for Biryani. Even though I asked for the mildest one it was still far too hot for me! Anthony and Laurence also struggled and they like a hot curry.
End of Part 1
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A Sunny afternoon in Fremantle Fishing Harbour, WA
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
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)
Fremantle Prison
WA Maritime Museum
Fremantle Markets
E Shed Markets
Just a few things to keep you busy in Fremantle!
Until the next post and thanks as always for reading and commenting 😎
My A to Z Travel Challenge: H is for Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, Vietnam🇻🇳
Hanoi
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, where we spent four days a few years ago. Hanoi was not a place that interested me as I had heard it was quite industrialised due to the influence of communism. However it was somewhere where Anthony wanted to visit, and I can’t always have my own way! After checking into our hotel and going for a wander, I realised how wrong I had been. The architecture was amazing and the restaurants were some of the best we had eaten in. It is easy to see the French influence in the buildings and especially the food. There’s nothing tastier than French food with a Vietnamese twist.
The view from our room at the Hotel Nikko
Over the next two days we walked around the city going to the Old Quarter and also the Citadel. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some schoolgirls graduating.
St Josephs Cathedral
A heavy load for this small bike!
St. Joseph’s Cathedral in the Old Quarter. Built in 1866 and resembling Notre Dame de Paris.
Hubby trying out a buyer’s load
Graduation inside the Imperial Citadel
The Imperial Citadel was built in the 11th Century and many of the old structures are still standing. The Imperial Japanese Army used it to imprison 4,000 French colonial soldiers in 1945.
Expertly manicured bonsai trees are found all around the Citadel.
Restaurants
I thought I would mention some of the restaurants we ate in as they were all so good.
La Place: A small cafe opposite St. Joseph’s Cathedral. If you sit upstairs you can see the Cathedral from the window. Cute cafe serving Vietnamese food.
Pots and Pans: Sadly this is no longer in operation. Such a great find as they trained staff on the premises and the service and food were excellent.
La Verticale: Fine French dining in the old French Quarter.
La Badiane: Another French restaurant with excellent service. Try and book downstairs, where there is more atmosphere.
Just a couple of the dishes we enjoyed!
Ha Long Bay Cruise
After three nights in Hanoi, the next day we were setting off for Ha Long Bay for a 1 night/2 day cruise. I think most people break up their stay in Hanoi by doing this. We actually cancelled this trip due to a typhoon forecast to hit Hanoi the day before. Luckily we were able to reinstate this trip as it was and has been one of the best trips we’ve ever done. It’s the perfect break after the hustle and bustle of Hanoi. We had booked with Aphrodite Cruises.
Our Itinerary – Day One
7.30 am: We were picked up from our hotel by the tour’s small bus and then went onto pick up other passengers around Hanoi. During the four hour journey we slowly got to know some of them who would be joining us on our mini cruise. The journey seemed endless especially as we had a 30 minute obligatory stop at a restaurant/souvenir type of warehouse.
11.30 am: Arrived at Ha Long Bay.
12 pm: Everyone boarded the ship and we were taken to our cabins and told to meet on deck to have lunch and also meet the fabulous crew.
This ship features just 17 luxury cabins and is served by a five star crew.
On the top deck where cocktails would be served
1 – 2 pm: Lunchtime. A gourmet delight and so well presented.
3 – 5 pm After lunch we sailed onto Thien Cung Cave. A sprawling natural grotto with intricate stalactite & stalagmite formations & colourful lighting.
From outside and inside the cave
The bottom left looks like a giant pair of hanging legs with boots on!
5 pm onwards: The time from here was filled with a cookery lesson, how to drink saki and enjoy a cocktail or two on the top deck. Then dinner was served on the dining deck. It was amazing how many other cruise ships were out in the bay with us. I think the whole area is in great danger of being overpopulated with cruise ships.
Day Two
I woke up to the sound of running water and when I got out of bed found it was coming from our bathroom! The bidet hose had come loose and was gushing upwards like a fountain. I opened the cabin door and shouted for help and as two or three crew members came running in the room, I had no choice but to jump back into bed with hubby while they tried to fix the problem. They managed to stop the leak but emerged from the bathroom soaking wet! We were offered a change of cabin but as we were packing up that day it seemed pointless to move. Luckily not too much damage was done. From then on it was all go, go, go!
First a quick snack before breakfast and then onto a smaller boat to be taken to a beach for swimming or a walk. The beach was on Ti Top Island. We were only allowed one hour there as so many other cruise ships were waiting for their turn. The sea is so crowded that it’s impossible to actually swim. Anthony decided to walk to to the top of the island, but even that was a struggle as many people were coming down as others were going up. Back to the ship for another fabulous meal. Then it was time to pack up, sail away and say goodbye to our fantastic crew.
At the beach!
Relaxing on the way home
If you ever go to Hanoi I highly recommend taking a cruise to Ha Long Bay. It was one of the highlights to our trip.
As always thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this post!
Weekday Sunsets in Swanbourne, WA
Last week we went for a short walk along the promenade from Cottesloe to Swanbourne. There had been a few bush fires that week, the result of “controlled burns”. These are also known as hazard reduction burning. However, even these can get out of control and cause a haziness to spread across vast areas. The smoke can be smelt from miles away.
I took a photo of the sunset that day and you can see how hazy the sky is.
It was quite chilly but that doesn’t stop people trying to catch a wave or a fish!
🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊♀️
My A to Z Travel Challenge – F is for Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Japan
Fukuoka is the first place we stopped at during our road trip through the Kyushu Islands. It is a city of canals, waterways and bridges. It said to be the oldest city in Japan. We were staying at the Hotel Okura which is located overlooking the Hakata River. As we were only here for two nights we didn’t have much time to see this city so had to decide where we wanted to see most.
Walking over one of the canals on our first night.
In the lobby of the Hotel Okura
Fukuoka Castle Ruins
I really wanted to see one of the castles here but was a bit disappointed that it was only ruins! But we had a good walk around and there were some great views over the city from the top. Built at the beginning of the 17th Century and torn down in the 19th Century, because it was viewed as an unwanted symbol of the feudal past.
Fukuoka at dusk
One of the shopping centres we walked through
Fukuoka is also home to the famous Canal City which is called a city within a city, and has a canal running through it. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for a wander around as we chose to go to Nokonoshima Island instead.
For our last night we stopped at a British Pub called Morris Hippo! strange name and enjoyed a few drinks here before dinner at Cafe Otto overlooking the canal.
Our handsome drivers!
Other places to visit in Fukuoka:
Fukuoka Tower
Ohori Park
Tochoji Temple
Kushida Temple
Hopefully we’ll visit again as I enjoyed Fukuoka very much
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F is finished and next up is G!
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
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.
And that ends E
My A to Z Travel Challenge D is for Da Nang, Dalwallinu and Denmark
Da Nang, Vietnam
Da Nang, a coastal city in Central Vietnam is a place we’ve visited a few times as it’s relatively easy to fly to from Perth. Also the airport is very near the coast, which means you can be on the beach by lunchtime! The coastline stretches for 30 kilometres and has many resorts lining the road. Our first stay here was in a hotel not on the beach but across a very busy road and it seemed that we had chosen a spot very popular with the locals. When we went over for our first swim there was hardly an empty spot in the sea!
Da Nang is halfway between Ho Chi Minh City in the South and Hanoi in the North. It’s a good place to spend a few days before heading off to either Hue a few hours North or Hoi An in the South. In fact most hotels in Da Nang offer a shuttle service to Hoi An.
We caught a taxi to the Novotel in the city and took some photos overlooking this busy city, in contrast to the stunning peaceful coastline.
Da Nang is definitely a place I will be visiting again.
🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖🏖
Dalwallinu, Western Australia
We visited Dalwallinu on a wildflower road trip in September a few years back. It is located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, around 250 km from Perth. Dalwallinu is the first town on the wildflower tour. Every year the wildflowers start appearing anytime from June in the North and sweeping south to finish in November. We stayed one night in Dalwallinu and another in Moriwa. The flowers are incredible and appear all over the roadside and grow in the harshest of conditions.
Perth to Dalwallinu
We had to keep stopping along our drive because there were so many beautiful views.
The circular flowers are known as Christmas wreaths and seem to flourish in these sandy conditions.
If you ever visit Australia during these months this is certainly a tour worth doing, but be sure to book accommodation early as there are very few motels or hotels along the way and they get booked up very quickly.
💐🌷🌸 🌺 🌻 🥀💐🌷🌸 🌺 🌻 🌼 🥀
Denmark, Western Australia
Finishing with another place in Western Australia, this time way down south. Denmark is over 400 km from Perth, too far for a day trip but great for a weekend or mid week break. We have travelled to Denmark a few times in the time we have lived in Australia. There are wonderful wineries to visit and it’s a good place to visit Walpole where the Valley of the Tree Tops walk is located.
It was named Denmark after a naval surgeon, Alexander Denmark in 1829. Before this it was called Leeuwin’s Land after the Dutch East Indiaman, Leeuwin. This was back in 1622. Any sailing ship in the 1600’s was called a Dutch East Indiaman.
There are so many rental properties in Denmark it’s hard to know what to choose. We booked a cute little house in the middle of the forest.
As you can see by the photos we went in the middle of winter, but we had a cosy fire in the house we rented.
Some of the birds that came to the balcony every morning waiting to be fed.
Some from our morning walk. Hubby contemplating another 25 years with me 😆
And that’s not our house, just a ramshackle shed in the middle of the woods.
Wrapped up warm against the chilly weather!
And D is done!
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