Today we went on a day trip to Ballarat and Sovereign Hill north-west of Melbourne, setting off at an early hour we travelled by coach about 110 killometres. In Ballarat we saw Lake Wendouree which is where the world rowing championships will take place in three years time. It got the name when the person who discovered it asked a local Aboriginal child who said to him Wendouree which in the native tongue means go away. However even though the rowing championships take place in 3 years the lake absolutely bone dry but they are working on filling it with reclaimed water. Victoria has experienced 13 years of no significant, rainfall and long range forecasts have not suggested any change. The longest drought in the past has been no more than about seven years.
Ballarat/Sovereign Hill is a living museum of Australia's gold rush period. An extremely interesting place, most of the people who work there are in period costume (victorian) and everything that you see is a true representation of what would have happened in those times. It reminded us of Beamish, with its old fashioned foundry, sweet shop, candle and soap makers, etc. Our first trip was to the Gold Mine Tour, a 40 minutes underground guided tour of a gold mine. We also visited and participated in a school lesson.
We ended the day with a visit to the gold museum. This had a beautiful gold menorah as described in the Torah.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
27th February 2009
Today we visited the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) the stadium will hold 100,000 spectators. A behind the scenes tour showed us all of the stadium, we saw the Long Room which is modelled on the Long Room at Lords. We even saw the changing rooms and facilities. The highlight of the tour was when we were taken onto the actual hallowed turf.
After this we were able to visit National Sports Museum which had areas devoted to the Olympics, AFL (Australian Rules Football) – its still a mystery to me and of course cricket. There were special exhibits on Sir Donald Bradman and an exhibit about Shane Warne who gave a short talk about his life in cricket. He appeared to be only a yard or so in front of us, an excellent hologram.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Today we visited the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) the stadium will hold 100,000 spectators. A behind the scenes tour showed us all of the stadium, we saw the Long Room which is modelled on the Long Room at Lords. We even saw the changing rooms and facilities. The highlight of the tour was when we were taken onto the actual hallowed turf.
After this we were able to visit National Sports Museum which had areas devoted to the Olympics, AFL (Australian Rules Football) – its still a mystery to me and of course cricket. There were special exhibits on Sir Donald Bradman and an exhibit about Shane Warne who gave a short talk about his life in cricket. He appeared to be only a yard or so in front of us, an excellent hologram.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
26th February 2009
We again met up with Avril & Les even though we had all awoken late as we had had such a late night. We went off to go up the Eureka Sky Deck 88. This is the highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere. The lift takes you up 88 stories at 9 metres per second which makes them the fastest in the southern hemisphere. I went out onto the terrace which exposes you to the elements. Those of you who know me well will know that I really do not like heights, so to be outside at 300 metres is above and beyond the call of duty.
Left Avril and Les a little early as we have been invited out for dinner tonight. So before we came back to our hotel to change we went into the Gardens across the road from where we are staying. Fitzroy Gardens contains the cottage that belonged to Captain Cook's parents in Whitby. It was shipped over in the 1930s and is surrounded by some very pretty plants. There is also a memorial to John F. Kennedy, but I felt this looked a little neglected. We were then picked up by Sandy and Brian Morris, whom we had met briefly in Manchester at a shabbat lunch last year and they took us back to their home in the suburb of Bentley for a lovely meal. It was nice to be treated to some real home hospitality and it finished the day off on a high note.
Just a note on Australian TV, obviously we can only watch what is fed into the hotel. The format of Sky News is different from that at home, It being mainly a discussion programme and very little news. The only way to keep up with what is happening is to read the scrolling news which runs constantly on the bottom of the screen. The presenters do not seem to update the news 'live'. Neighbours even managing to have 2 advert breaks in a half hour programme.
We again met up with Avril & Les even though we had all awoken late as we had had such a late night. We went off to go up the Eureka Sky Deck 88. This is the highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere. The lift takes you up 88 stories at 9 metres per second which makes them the fastest in the southern hemisphere. I went out onto the terrace which exposes you to the elements. Those of you who know me well will know that I really do not like heights, so to be outside at 300 metres is above and beyond the call of duty.
Left Avril and Les a little early as we have been invited out for dinner tonight. So before we came back to our hotel to change we went into the Gardens across the road from where we are staying. Fitzroy Gardens contains the cottage that belonged to Captain Cook's parents in Whitby. It was shipped over in the 1930s and is surrounded by some very pretty plants. There is also a memorial to John F. Kennedy, but I felt this looked a little neglected. We were then picked up by Sandy and Brian Morris, whom we had met briefly in Manchester at a shabbat lunch last year and they took us back to their home in the suburb of Bentley for a lovely meal. It was nice to be treated to some real home hospitality and it finished the day off on a high note.
Just a note on Australian TV, obviously we can only watch what is fed into the hotel. The format of Sky News is different from that at home, It being mainly a discussion programme and very little news. The only way to keep up with what is happening is to read the scrolling news which runs constantly on the bottom of the screen. The presenters do not seem to update the news 'live'. Neighbours even managing to have 2 advert breaks in a half hour programme.
25th February 2009
We had woken up and it was actually drizzling but the rain soon disappeared. Today was a very full day. We walked to Federation Square (a large plaza where the Tourist Information Centre, Art Galleries and cafes can be found) where a Blood Donor Campaign was in full swing. As part of this drive, a stage had been set up below a permanent big screen and bands were playing (loudly!). We decided to investigate and were surprised to discover the lead singer with the first band was the actor who plays Ringo in the soap 'Neighbours'.
We met up with Avril and Les as we had booked a trip out to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade. The Island is about a 2 hours drive south of Melbourne and fortunately not in the direction of any of the fires which are still burning. Our first stop was at a Koala Conservation Centre where we were able to see lots of cuddly koalas. We were also lucky to see some wallabys roaming around the area. We then went to an area called the Nobbies which are some caves that the sea rushes into with such force that the sea comes flying out when it hits the back of the cave. Phillip Island is roughly the same size as the Isle of Wight and the main town is also called Cowes. The main purpose of the trip was to witness the penguins. This species of penguins are known as little penguins as they are – little!!! For several months of the year at sunset they leave th sea, waddle across the beach (which has been lit with some sort of subdued floodlighting) to go to their burrows. Watching them do this is fun and it is also possible to get a little closer to them by going onto organised boardwalks. We returned to Melbourne by about 11.30 at night.
We had woken up and it was actually drizzling but the rain soon disappeared. Today was a very full day. We walked to Federation Square (a large plaza where the Tourist Information Centre, Art Galleries and cafes can be found) where a Blood Donor Campaign was in full swing. As part of this drive, a stage had been set up below a permanent big screen and bands were playing (loudly!). We decided to investigate and were surprised to discover the lead singer with the first band was the actor who plays Ringo in the soap 'Neighbours'.
We met up with Avril and Les as we had booked a trip out to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade. The Island is about a 2 hours drive south of Melbourne and fortunately not in the direction of any of the fires which are still burning. Our first stop was at a Koala Conservation Centre where we were able to see lots of cuddly koalas. We were also lucky to see some wallabys roaming around the area. We then went to an area called the Nobbies which are some caves that the sea rushes into with such force that the sea comes flying out when it hits the back of the cave. Phillip Island is roughly the same size as the Isle of Wight and the main town is also called Cowes. The main purpose of the trip was to witness the penguins. This species of penguins are known as little penguins as they are – little!!! For several months of the year at sunset they leave th sea, waddle across the beach (which has been lit with some sort of subdued floodlighting) to go to their burrows. Watching them do this is fun and it is also possible to get a little closer to them by going onto organised boardwalks. We returned to Melbourne by about 11.30 at night.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
24th February 2009
You are hearing from two very depressed people following this mornings result, sadly we saw every minute as we watched TV first thing as we got ready to go out.
Today we very bravely negotiated the Melbourne tram system to get to the Melbourne Jewish museum. The museum was quite different to the Manchester one. Its main work is on Judaism and the history of the Jewish people, although there is a section on Jewish immigration into Australia. It is based in purpose built building which is quite modern and offers daily visits to the Schul behind the building.
After this we found our way to the Jewish area in Balaclava where we went first to look at the various Kosher eating places before settling on a rather large smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. Yum Yum !!! Before leaving the area we had a look at a book shop which was the largest one we have seen.
We finished off our adventures on the tram by travelling into St. Kilda's and walked along the sea front. We wandered along Ackland Street, once the heart of the Jewish area, now a street full of trendy boutiques and a myriad of gooey, fattening cakes of every size, shape and even colour. Using the trams is easy once you know what you are doing! You work out which zone you are in and on each tram there is a machine which will give you the cost of the fare for the whole of the zone, i.e. one price irrespective of you going one stop or lots. Once you have this ticket, and if you have purchased either a return or a 24 hours ticket you then validate it in a machine which you will find on every tram.
You are hearing from two very depressed people following this mornings result, sadly we saw every minute as we watched TV first thing as we got ready to go out.
Today we very bravely negotiated the Melbourne tram system to get to the Melbourne Jewish museum. The museum was quite different to the Manchester one. Its main work is on Judaism and the history of the Jewish people, although there is a section on Jewish immigration into Australia. It is based in purpose built building which is quite modern and offers daily visits to the Schul behind the building.
After this we found our way to the Jewish area in Balaclava where we went first to look at the various Kosher eating places before settling on a rather large smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. Yum Yum !!! Before leaving the area we had a look at a book shop which was the largest one we have seen.
We finished off our adventures on the tram by travelling into St. Kilda's and walked along the sea front. We wandered along Ackland Street, once the heart of the Jewish area, now a street full of trendy boutiques and a myriad of gooey, fattening cakes of every size, shape and even colour. Using the trams is easy once you know what you are doing! You work out which zone you are in and on each tram there is a machine which will give you the cost of the fare for the whole of the zone, i.e. one price irrespective of you going one stop or lots. Once you have this ticket, and if you have purchased either a return or a 24 hours ticket you then validate it in a machine which you will find on every tram.
Monday, 23 February 2009
23rd February 2009
Our view of Sydney – A huge sprawling city with the typical laid-back Aussie attitude. If you are in a hurry, then forget it! Fabulous scenery whether it is the harbour with the Bridge or the Opera House or even the city skyline. To coin a typical Aussie saying 'No Worries'.
Flew via Virgin Blue to Melbourne it was quite a good flight except it was bumpy as we came into land in Melbourne. One thing we did see was the bush fires still burning, obviously burning not a long way from Melbourne. Once we reached our hotel we had a stroll into Federation Square. to try to book trips to Ballarat and Phillips Island. We also went to see Chloe (There might be a prize for whoever tells us who or what is Chloe).
Rosalyn thinks that Hull City will be on the tv tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. The question arises that if they are – do we want to watch and maybe depressed for the rest of the day, or can we afford to be optimistic that we will beat Spurs??!! Anyway 'UP THE TIGERS'
Went for an evening stroll along the bank of the Yarra River. Saw something different – people stood on what looked like surfboards, sculling down the river. Would have liked to have seen how they got on and off the boards! Weather actually turned a little chilly with a coolish breeze. We were glad we had taken our sweaters with us and we did notice that some of the restaurants actually had put their heaters on. Melbourne today lived up to its reputation of quickly changeable weather.
Our view of Sydney – A huge sprawling city with the typical laid-back Aussie attitude. If you are in a hurry, then forget it! Fabulous scenery whether it is the harbour with the Bridge or the Opera House or even the city skyline. To coin a typical Aussie saying 'No Worries'.
Flew via Virgin Blue to Melbourne it was quite a good flight except it was bumpy as we came into land in Melbourne. One thing we did see was the bush fires still burning, obviously burning not a long way from Melbourne. Once we reached our hotel we had a stroll into Federation Square. to try to book trips to Ballarat and Phillips Island. We also went to see Chloe (There might be a prize for whoever tells us who or what is Chloe).
Rosalyn thinks that Hull City will be on the tv tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. The question arises that if they are – do we want to watch and maybe depressed for the rest of the day, or can we afford to be optimistic that we will beat Spurs??!! Anyway 'UP THE TIGERS'
Went for an evening stroll along the bank of the Yarra River. Saw something different – people stood on what looked like surfboards, sculling down the river. Would have liked to have seen how they got on and off the boards! Weather actually turned a little chilly with a coolish breeze. We were glad we had taken our sweaters with us and we did notice that some of the restaurants actually had put their heaters on. Melbourne today lived up to its reputation of quickly changeable weather.
ddendum to posting 20th February 2009
I forgot to tell you about the Bats roosting in the Botanical Gardens. There are thousands of bats roosting high in the trees in the gardens. One of the wardens told that this particular breed is an endangered one and could be extinct in about thirty years.
21st February 2009
We took a taxi to the suburb of Paddington and did a walk that Rosalyn had found in her guide book. This area is a heritage listed suburb with terraced houses, dating from Victorian times which are unique to this part of Sydney. The outsides of these houses, which look quite narrow are not allowed to be changed, although the inside can be modernised. The walk finished on Oxford Street which is full of trendy shops and cafes.
22nd February 2009
Today we visited Bondi Beach and while it was dull and cloudy when we set off, however once we got there on the local buses the clouds had cleared and it was bright and sunny. The beach itself is only about a mile long but it is clean and white with low cliffs at either end. Rosalyn and Avril where disappointed at the lack of “beautiful people”. In some ways it was not a lot different to a lot of other beaches.
For lunch we went to Katzy's (under the supervision of the NSW Beth Din) on Hall Street which is only five minutes from the front, down this same street were several kosher places, butcher and a Judaica shop.
I forgot to tell you about the Bats roosting in the Botanical Gardens. There are thousands of bats roosting high in the trees in the gardens. One of the wardens told that this particular breed is an endangered one and could be extinct in about thirty years.
21st February 2009
We took a taxi to the suburb of Paddington and did a walk that Rosalyn had found in her guide book. This area is a heritage listed suburb with terraced houses, dating from Victorian times which are unique to this part of Sydney. The outsides of these houses, which look quite narrow are not allowed to be changed, although the inside can be modernised. The walk finished on Oxford Street which is full of trendy shops and cafes.
22nd February 2009
Today we visited Bondi Beach and while it was dull and cloudy when we set off, however once we got there on the local buses the clouds had cleared and it was bright and sunny. The beach itself is only about a mile long but it is clean and white with low cliffs at either end. Rosalyn and Avril where disappointed at the lack of “beautiful people”. In some ways it was not a lot different to a lot of other beaches.
For lunch we went to Katzy's (under the supervision of the NSW Beth Din) on Hall Street which is only five minutes from the front, down this same street were several kosher places, butcher and a Judaica shop.
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
20th February 2009
It is the end of our first day here in a very hot and sunny Sydney. We spent the day on the Hop-on,Hop-Off bus tour which was very good. We got off at the Queen Victoria Building which is a magnificent shopping mall with equally magnificent shops and prices, but our main stop was at the Botanical Gardens where the views were simply breathtaking. We also found ourselves a good spot to watch the cruise liner Queen Victoria sail out of the harbour. She is one very big ship! The ship came out of Circular Quay emerging from between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It was nice to have a reasonably quiet day after the long day of travelling yesterday.
It is the end of our first day here in a very hot and sunny Sydney. We spent the day on the Hop-on,Hop-Off bus tour which was very good. We got off at the Queen Victoria Building which is a magnificent shopping mall with equally magnificent shops and prices, but our main stop was at the Botanical Gardens where the views were simply breathtaking. We also found ourselves a good spot to watch the cruise liner Queen Victoria sail out of the harbour. She is one very big ship! The ship came out of Circular Quay emerging from between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. It was nice to have a reasonably quiet day after the long day of travelling yesterday.
19th February 2009
After an exhausting 9 hours flight we have arrived in Sydney. We were greeted by the sight and feel of a very hot sun – wonderful. The hotel is a little disappointing. They are renovating the lobby area so our first impression was a little shocked. Once you are in your room it isn't too bad. A pity we didn't know about the work beforehand, we may have chosen elsewhere.
Following a quick wash and change into summer clothes we went to Darling Harbour. This has changed since we were last here. We decided to catch the ferry to Manley. We were all excited to see the Queen Victoria moored next to the Quay. She looks magnificent. Manley was interesting and we stayed until the sun set over the water before returning to the hotel for an early night.
After an exhausting 9 hours flight we have arrived in Sydney. We were greeted by the sight and feel of a very hot sun – wonderful. The hotel is a little disappointing. They are renovating the lobby area so our first impression was a little shocked. Once you are in your room it isn't too bad. A pity we didn't know about the work beforehand, we may have chosen elsewhere.
Following a quick wash and change into summer clothes we went to Darling Harbour. This has changed since we were last here. We decided to catch the ferry to Manley. We were all excited to see the Queen Victoria moored next to the Quay. She looks magnificent. Manley was interesting and we stayed until the sun set over the water before returning to the hotel for an early night.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
18th February 2009
Our all too short stay in Hong Kong is now at an end and we are at the airport. The flight is delayed by nearly two hours at least. We had fun getting to the airport first of all the taxi driver drove very gingerly as the luggage was more than filling his boot and then we got to check in at the metro station when we discovered that Les was the only one of us whose visa was not on his passport. We were quite prepared to leave him behind !!!
Our view of Hong Kong – Huge skyscrapers, clean shopping centres, lots of people and CURVED escalators!!!!! That was quite an experience. We've all been up and down, but never round corners. We also think taking the credit crunch into consideration everything is a lot mor expensive here than 3 years ago.
Our all too short stay in Hong Kong is now at an end and we are at the airport. The flight is delayed by nearly two hours at least. We had fun getting to the airport first of all the taxi driver drove very gingerly as the luggage was more than filling his boot and then we got to check in at the metro station when we discovered that Les was the only one of us whose visa was not on his passport. We were quite prepared to leave him behind !!!
Our view of Hong Kong – Huge skyscrapers, clean shopping centres, lots of people and CURVED escalators!!!!! That was quite an experience. We've all been up and down, but never round corners. We also think taking the credit crunch into consideration everything is a lot mor expensive here than 3 years ago.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
17th February 2009
Today we visited Lantau Island going by ferry, the water was quite choppy and some people felt more than a little queasy. Having arrived on the Island we had to take a local bus to the Po Lin monastery at the top of a mountain with a 250 ton bronze statue of a seated Buddha and sat at the top of nearly 300 steps. However the bus journey to the mountain top was more scary than any roller coaster ride than you can imagine, with sheer drop one one side and a gradient of 1 in six- I will say no more. I will leave you to imagine, needless to say the bus driver only seemed to think his accelerator should be flat on the ground.
We came back to Kowloon via the MTR (tube), a much safer mode of travel and visited Nathan Road where we were accosted every step of the way by people trying to sell us 'Rolex' watches, etc. After a coffee and a rest we returned to the hotel to start packing again for the next stage of our trip – this time to Sydney.
Today we visited Lantau Island going by ferry, the water was quite choppy and some people felt more than a little queasy. Having arrived on the Island we had to take a local bus to the Po Lin monastery at the top of a mountain with a 250 ton bronze statue of a seated Buddha and sat at the top of nearly 300 steps. However the bus journey to the mountain top was more scary than any roller coaster ride than you can imagine, with sheer drop one one side and a gradient of 1 in six- I will say no more. I will leave you to imagine, needless to say the bus driver only seemed to think his accelerator should be flat on the ground.
We came back to Kowloon via the MTR (tube), a much safer mode of travel and visited Nathan Road where we were accosted every step of the way by people trying to sell us 'Rolex' watches, etc. After a coffee and a rest we returned to the hotel to start packing again for the next stage of our trip – this time to Sydney.
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15th February 2009
THE SLIGHT DELAY IS BECAUSE I COULD NOT TRANSLATE FROM THE CHINESE!!!!
Arrived
The flight was smooth here this is the first chance we have had to add to the blog. Here in Hong Kong today Sunday is very misty and you can hardly see the tops of some buildings. We had a quick wander around Causeway Bay in the early evening and as we were still tired from the flight we had an early night.
16th February 2009
The first full day
We spent the day going on a double decker bus to Stanley where there is a very nice market. I almost bought a Rolex watch but decided that it was not genuine when the guy wanted me to go down a back alley and it was only going to cost about £40.
We then went onto Aberdeen which was a bit disappointing except for the houseboats in the harbour clustered together.
Later in the afternoon we went off to Victoria Peak using the Peak Tram. We would have had superb views across the harbour towards Kowloon except for the mist which meant we could only see about 2 feet in front of you.
The early evening we went up the Mid-Levels escalator which took 15 minutes from the bottom to the top. What goes up must come down so we had to walk all the way down. By then we were so tired from all the walking and decided to have another reasonably early night.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
11th February 2009
Now for the Packing
Shall we take this, shall we take that. The possibilities are endless. One of the things we have discovered is that all the hotels have laundry facilities, and Rosalyn can ensure that I have a constant supply of clean clothes so therefore we do not need to take huge amounts. Rosalyn would take the kitchen sink if I let her. Although having done the ironing once she refuses to do anymore as she tells me she is also on holiday.
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