We're Off Again . . .

Cue the pink blouse please!

In about three hours we're back on a plane for the first of three flights and another 'Excellent Adventure'.

This time we're off for two months:  Amsterdam, Bruges, Bavaria (Cologne, Ludwig's castles, Nuremberg, Dresden, and Heidelberg) and France (Alsace Lorraine, Versailles/Giverny, Brittany, and points west and south).

And, as always, this is all DIY with car rentals in Germany and France.  Watch out drivers in the GDR!  Tim is over the moon at the idea of actually getting to drive on the autobahn.

Along the way we will stop and visit with Ilse whom we met in Bali (my much-admired 85yo backpacker who lives in Bonn), the Vice Mayor of Antwerp (a relative of Michael and Gail's dear friends in Myrtle Beach), and Caroline and Julie with whom we spent a delightful four days in Normandy in 2013 and who have since moved to Brittany.

Many of you have observed that following our blog is an 'armchair adventure'.  I hope this does not disappoint (it's a bit tamer than the last two outings!).

We are so blest to get to experience the real adventure and to count all of you among those most dear to us.

With love,
Carol & Tim

Sunday in Melbourne . . .

It's Sunday, and, as you know from reading our blogposts from wherever, Tim and I try and find our respective churches.  Mine is just up the street from THE garden in Melbourne and we agree to meet Sally and Richard there after church.  Another glorious day, and it seems like half the population is out and about here at the Botanical Gardens.  If you look just over Tim's shoulder, you will see a boatman and, yes, he takes people on gondola rides across this wee lake.

We opt for a walkabout - glorious, fabulous gardens!

. . . with a few vintage buildings thrown in for good measure.

Then we're off to see another Melbourne sight - an art complex in a repurposed convent.

This was one of many installations . . . a number of artists have studios in this rambling space and there are numerous school activities, including a working mini-farm.  They also have concerts and all sorts of neat activities for folks of all ages.  

What a fitting end for our incredible stay in this most livable city.  Melbourne certainly gets our vote for one of the world's most livable cities.  Thank you, Sally and Richard, for showing us the 'insider's Melbourne' - we look forward to your visit with us in the States!

Sovereign Hill or You Too Could Strike it Rich

About an hour's drive from Melbourne is one of the most visited local attractions.  Sovereign Hill is a reconstructed gold mining town, complete with streams where you can still pan for gold.  Richard, the noble host, takes us on an outing near the end of our visit (Sally is busy getting set up for the new school term in her MFA program).

This is an authentically restored town that no doubt looks much like it did in the late 1800's.

Complete with draft horses and lots of carriages.

One of the highlights - alas, no photos - was a trip into one of the mine shafts.  We rode in an enclosed mini-train car deep into the earth and walked through the tunnels used by the miners.
Above ground, we visited the local metal-workers shop (no, this lad has not been around since the 1800's!).

And everyone gets to pan for gold - couldn't resist trying to find the airfare home!

No such luck - maybe we'll just have to stay in Melbourne!

Thank you, Richard, for another wonderful experience!

A Walkabout in Downtown Melbourne

One of the highlights of any visit to Melbourne is a visit to the Gardens - in this case the Fitzroy which is one of many which make this city a walker's delight.  And right in the middle of the Fitzroy is Captain Cook's house!  No, he wasn't an Australian but is responsible for much of the early cartography thanks to his numerous sea-faring adventures (they weren't called 'Cooks' Tours for nuthin!).  So Melbournians dismantled his house in merry olde England and brought it here and painstakingly reassembled it!

And look at the merry old Englanders we meet here!  Our very own Debbie and Paul!  No, this was not a serendipitous traveling encounter - we realized we'd all be in Melbourne at the same time and agreed to meet up, prior to meeting Sally and Richard for lunch later.  Can't believe how delighted we are to see them and we just left them in Fiji a little over a month ago.

They, however, have a bit more dignity than we do and decline the guide's offer to 'dress-up' in some period clothes.  Not us!  Do we look authentic or what?? 

We all love the house tour and gawp, speechless, at the map of Cook's travels.  I need to find a bio of this remarkable guy.

And then it's off to meet Sally and Richard for lunch followed by a tour of the 'alleys' which is Melbourne 'must see'.  First a quick look at the Model Tudor Village, a touching tribute to the efforts of Australians after WWII . . . 

And to lunch at a wonderful cafe right on the river.

And then off to the 'alleys'.  Sally could be a tour guide!  She shepherds us through a maze (at least it feels like that to us) of streets and then, voila!  This is the ultimate in tagging, street art, public art - you name it, it's absolutely wonderful and Melbourne has embraced it with enthusiasm.

 This was one of my favorites; look at the window to get a sense of the size of this.

 This reminded me of psychedelic (does anyone even use that term any more??) street art I saw in Venice Beach, CA 40+ years ago.  (no, I was not wearing my pink blouse!)

This is all done with spray paint!! I can barely manage to paint an old chair without getting it all over myself and the surroundings.  What talent and how wonderful that Melbourne celebrates it rather than criminalizes it.  What a city!!

Now we're on to Fed Square and another of Sally's favorite tour stops.  Cities need squares (Times Square, Trafalgar Square, Red Square) and Melbourne's has this lovely air of civility and energy.  We take a break:

One more wander through an arcade of shops, oh so lovely and historic at the same time.  These are not curio, tourist places; they're real shops (in fact, Sally stops at her hair salon to confirm an appointment).  My memory being what it is, the name of this arcade eludes me right now but it was marvelous.

This clock is the centerpiece of the - hold on folks, the name just came back to me - The Royal Arcade!

Did I mention that Melbournians know how to live?  Witness this lovely spirit bar, in the Royal Arcade, a welcome respite for all.   This is truly a delightful, most livable city.  

A Spectacular Refuge and a Vintage Farm

Not far from our 'bach' and the penguin sanctuary is an incredibly spectacular refuge with a lovely display of its marine history and a number of walking paths.  The Victoria government decided to protect this whole portion of the coastline and piece by piece acquired it as landowners agreed to sell (I don't know if they have 'eminent domain' down under).  This is utterly breathtaking scenery . . . 

And a number of wallabies for authenticity - this fellow just stood there while I photographed him.

As we leave Philip Island, there is one more 'must see' - a vintage farm.  I think Sally and Richard knew we could use a 'horse fix'!

Beautifully restored and maintained, the original home is completely furnished, right down to vintage clothing and shoes.

.

The gardens are lovingly maintained with special care given to the ancient trees, especially a Norfolk pine, planted in 1872 and still thriving.

And these trees aren't decked out for some sort of can-can  event; these are sheep wool girdles to protect them from some sort of nasty thing.

Gorgeous gardens . . . thank you Sally and Richard for introducing us to this magical Island!