Chinese New Year Markets in Melbourne
Chinese New Year is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Melbourne, even by those without a drop of Chinese blood. It’s one of the many events on the Melbourne social calendar that celebrates other cultures and how they are an integral part of modern Australian life. Dad was visiting from Brisbane, so we decided to check out the Chinese New Year Markets in Southbank. It was … Continue reading Chinese New Year Markets in Melbourne
Boutique Hotel in Athens: Hotel Hermes
Athens is my favourite foreign city, after Paris, but it wasn’t love at first sight. My first nights in Athens were spent in a worn out hotel in a dodgy part of town. It looked okay by day but was seriously sketchy at night. Starting and ending every day feeling a little vulnerable around the hotel didn’t do much for my impression of the city. Luckily, … Continue reading Boutique Hotel in Athens: Hotel Hermes
Cruising the Greek Islands: Oia, the jewel of Santorini
Santorini was our last stop on our Greek Islands cruise. The first thing I learned? Santorini is too enchanting for a brief port call on a cruise. I was nowhere near ready to leave Santorini after our brief afternoon visit, 1.5 hours of which was spent on the return bus trip between the port and Oia. On the way to Oia, we crossed rocky, desolate … Continue reading Cruising the Greek Islands: Oia, the jewel of Santorini
The 10 Best Places to Eat & Drink in Southbank, Melbourne
Melbourne’s Southbank is very touristy, but I’ve come to appreciate Southbank for its pretty river views and nice mix of cafes, bars and restaurants. There are some great places to eat and drink in Southbank, it’s just a matter of knowing where to go. Southbank is a short stroll across the footbridge from the city and is close to a number of hotels, making it … Continue reading The 10 Best Places to Eat & Drink in Southbank, Melbourne
Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
Sovereign Hill is an immersive, open-air museum in Ballarat that recreates a 19th century town during Victoria’s Gold Rush. It’s one of the best things to do in the Goldfields, and a popular attraction year-round, but especially in winter when the whole “town” lights up after dark for the annual Winter Wonderlights festival. David & I visited Sovereign Hill for the Winter Wonderlights on a … Continue reading Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
Postcards: Why I love Nice
Contiki Tours may be a lot of things, but I have to give them this much: They introduced me to Nice. Before my tour, Nice wasn’t on my radar. We had arrived for a few sunny days, in the middle of a cold European winter and I fell in love. It was the only place during the trip, apart from Barcelona, where we saw blue … Continue reading Postcards: Why I love Nice
Winter in the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
A wintery weekend walk in the Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne was full of little surprises. First was the Spanish-style conservatory gardens, blissfully humid to keep the tropical plants and this transplanted Queenslander happy. Technically, the gardens are just outside the boundaries of Fitzroy, but it’s a perfect stop as part of a morning in Melbourne’s coolest neighbourhood. Behind it was a bright and breezy cafe … Continue reading Winter in the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
Sunday Stories 28.06.15
On the weekend we had our first non-family guests – our friends Stef & Lachlan. It was so much fun having them stay with us and getting to enjoy our new city with old friends. One new Melbourne must-do for me was shopping on Chapel St – I hadn’t visited since I moved! It was better than I remembered, dangerous knowledge for my bank account. … Continue reading Sunday Stories 28.06.15
High Tea at Hadley’s Hotel, Hobart
A weekend in the capital of food, wine & whisky-loving Tasmania meant one thing: Non-stop indulgence. A weekend of gastronomic overload wouldn’t be complete with a high tea in Hobart, at Hadley’s Hotel. Hobart is the second-oldest city in Australia, but it feels like the oldest. Unlike in Sydney, there are no skyscrapers or towering modern icons here. The sandstone warehouses & heritage buildings of Salamanca … Continue reading High Tea at Hadley’s Hotel, Hobart
Sunday Stories 21.06.15
I’m back in Melbourne after a seriously indulgent weekend in Hobart. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Sunday stories post – partly because now that we’ve settled in, we’ve had a quiet couple of weeks (apart from Hobart!) and partly because I’ve been working on a number of different projects that have kept me indoors. The trip left me hungry to see more … Continue reading Sunday Stories 21.06.15