The Taylors Go Travelling! @rozandlee - Tumblr Blog

UPDATE

So we are currently in New Zealand (near Te Anau) driving around in our camper van and very, very rarely have the internet. For that reason, I think the blog is going to be on hold for a while! Just thought I'd post this as we have found a telephone box that gives out free internet! We are having a great time so far in this beautiful country. It's so peaceful here and everywhere you look is stunning. We are travelling up to Milford Sound today (14th September) and leave the South Island on 24th September, so still 10 days to go before we get to check out the North island for a couple of weeks! Ill blog if/when I can but I think it's probably going to be when we are back home at this rate!

Week 16 - Melbourne day 3

Brian dropped us off at Rowan and Chrissy's and from there we cycled towards the city through Fawkner Park. The houses in Melbourne are stylistically much more like those in England compared to the houses we saw in Sydney (many of which had second floor covered balconies with ornate iron railings). The main difference we have noticed in Australia is that generally houses are detached whereas in England many houses are terraced. Fawkner park was quite big and had lots of different sports pitches for people to use. There weren't as many runners as there were in the park in Sydney but there were lots of people walking their dogs. We continued through the park and past the Royal Botanic Gardens down to the river. We crossed over a bridge and went to the Olympic Park area. The surrounding sporting precinct has at least 5 venues and we decided to go to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, probably the most famous stadium in Australia (capacity of 100,024), and have a guided tour. Luckily we only had to wait 10 minutes for the next one. Our tour guide was an old chap called Fred who was proudly wearing his colourful, stripy guide's blazer. We were in a group with 3 Indian guys (2 were old and couldn't speak English) and a guy from Western Australia. Fred took us down to the pitch level and then into the changing rooms, media room and members area. We were surprised how bland the changing rooms were as when you see Twickenham or the Millennium Stadium on TV, the changing rooms always look very plush. The tour took just over an hour but it was quite funny as the Indians kept stopping and taking pictures of everything! Fred kept whistling at them and shouting "oi" to get them moving again! After the tour we sat in Yarra Park and ate our sandwiches before cycling to the front of the Rod Laver Arena to get a picture. We made our way back across the river then followed it down into the city. The cycle paths in Melbourne are very good and it was easy to find our way around. The South Bank area was full of fancy looking bars and restaurants and there were a few street performers doing their thing. Past the South Bank is the docklands area and this is where we crossed back over the river in order to cycle up to Queen Victoria Market. Unfortunately by the time we got to the market it was closed so we couldn't go in. We did read a plaque about the market though and apparently it's haunted by 3 ghosts! We cycled back into the city centre and had a drink in a large shopping mall called the Emporium. Lee was looking for some trainers but surprisingly we hardly found any shops selling them! We went to H&M next to try and find some jeans for me. I found some but by this time we had been there for an hour and Lee was ready to go home! We cycled back the way we came and as we passed Rowan and Chrissy's, we saw Rowan in the garden so stopped to have a chat. He had said we could keep the bikes for a few days but we didn't think we'd need them again so left them with Rowan. We walked back home and had a lovely tea of corned beef made by Bron (the proper kind of corned beef, not from a tin as I thought it would be when she told us what we were having)! The air bed had given up by this point so we slept on the very comfortable sofas instead.

#Week 16 #Melbourne

#Week 16 #Melbourne #Photos

Week 16 - Melbourne day 2

We had a late start today as we had planned a lazy day doing nothing. We watched a documentary movie about Scientology that Karolina in Sydney had told us about and it was really interesting. We don't know much about Scientology but the first hand accounts of what goes on from ex-members was quite scary. Lots of people seem to have been physically abused and harassed as a result of being critical of Scientology. They don't seem to be a very tolerant group of people. We were making tea in the evening so took a walk to the local high street to get what we needed. There were loads of shops selling an array of things so we stopped at a couple on the way to the supermarket. It reminded us a bit of Gloucester Road in Bristol. Brian mentioned that he had never tried ice tea so we got him a big bottle as a present for when he got back from work. We are determined that he will be a convert to it! We were followed all the way home by a very friendly ginger cat called Diver who got very close to getting into the apartment building with us! It took us a while to get into the building as we spent 5 minutes trying to unlock the wrong door! Idiots. Bron was home when we got back so we cooked tea of sausage and mash with shallot gravy (I'm trying to encourage myself to like onions so shallots are a start) and then tried to watch the film "Trainwreck" through the internet on the Xbox. It wouldn't work for ages so after over an hour of trying we gave in and just watched TV instead. Brian got home later and was determined to fix the punctures in the air bed. He started from scratch and we were all pretty sure it would work this time (it didn't!). It was very funny!

#Week 16 #Sydney

Week 15 - Melbourne day 1

Our alarm went off at 5am and thankfully we didn't turn it off and go back to sleep! We packed our things and ordered our first ever Uber taxi to airport. The journey was very quick and we got to the airport about 6:35am. We checked in without any issues but were surprised that two people had arrived so late for their flights that they couldn't board. Why don't they plan ahead?! Our flight boarded at 8:15am and as I was so tired I napped on the floor for 40 minutes. It was delightful. We boarded about 15 minutes late but arrived in freezing cold Melbourne on time. For the first 5 nights we were staying with our good friends Bronwyn and Brian who we met in London. They moved to Melbourne in 2013 so it was the first time we'd seen them in over 2 years! They very kindly came and picked us up from the airport and once we'd managed to find each other (the terminals had changed so we were in one place and they were in another) they drove us back to their flat, pointing out all the sights as went along. Melbourne had more of a spread out feel to it than Sydney but the area where the guys live is really cool and has lots of shops, restaurants and bars etc. There is also a very useful tram network in the city meaning it's easy to get about. After dropping off our bags and meeting their very cute cat Charlie, we drove to the supermarket and bought a cooked chicken and some rolls for lunch. I was feeling a bit hungover but the chicken rolls sorted me out! One of Bronwyn and Brian's friends was having leaving drinks that afternoon so we joined them and met a few of their friends. One couple, Rowan and Chrissy, very kindly said we could borrow their bikes to cycle around the city so we planned to use them on Tuesday. After a couple of hours the four of us left the pub and went for a drive into the city centre. We went around the main shopping area as well as around the Olympic Park where the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rod Laver Arena and a number of other sporting venues are found. We headed back to the Windsor area to another pub to have tea. We sat outside but it was freezing cold so we just had a drink and decided to get a takeaway instead. Bronwyn and I had the genius idea of getting a McDonalds family meal for $20 (about £5 each) which meant we both got 2 burgers, 2 chips and 2 drinks each as well as chicken nuggets on the side. The sad thing was we only managed to eat half the chips and didn't even manage to finish one whole drink! We were sleeping on an air bed but discovered it had a few punctures, much to the dismay of mattress king Brian. He spent some time patching them up and it was absolutely fine (until the morning...)!

#Week 15 #Melbourne

Week 15 - Sydney day 6

This morning we headed to Westfield on the bus to try and find some jeans. We arrived just after 10am and were surprised at how quiet it was. If we were at Westfield in London at that time it would have been heaving! After having no luck with the jeans we walked towards Circular Quay and went to the Justice and Police Museum. It is housed in the old Water Court and Police Station and still has cells from the 1890s. Only one is actually how it would have been (the others are small exhibition rooms) but the court that the public can access still has original furniture in it. The museum contains many photographs of criminals and crime scenes that were catalogued and preserved when found. Slowly the photographs have been studied and cross referenced to police records to work out what they show. Some are quite graphic and show dead bodies whilst others just show streets or empty rooms. There was a room detailing the crimes of the most prolific criminals and another giving details about safe breakers and bushrangers. One of the most interesting exhibits was a small room with murder weapons on display. It was quite weird to see tags on the weapons saying, "Used in the murder of Mr...". We spent about 1.5 hours in the museum before having to leave in order to catch a bus and two trains to the Olympic Park to watch the AFL game (GWS Giants v Carlton). We had left it a bit late but managed to get into the Spotless Stadium just before the bounce off. Neither of us knew the rules, and they aren't much clearer now, but we figured out the basics and were mostly able to follow what was going on. The aim of the game is to kick the ball through one of three posts at the end of the pitch - you get 6 points for kicking between the middle posts and 1 point for kicking it between either of the posts at the side of the middle one. To pass you either throw it or kick it to your teammates. One thing we found strange was that when the ball was dropped it was a bit of a shambles and everyone seemed to have a hard time picking it up. Maybe it was slippery or something?! The other funny thing was that when the ball went off the pitch, one of the five referees would throw the ball back onto the pitch by lobbing it over his shoulders. The match lasts 2 hours (four 30 minute quarters) so it was along afternoon, especially as the sun was shining and we had no shade. There also wasn't that much atmosphere as only 9,000 or so people attended. It was nice to go however and see the Giants secure their biggest ever win. The ice cream we had after the match was also a highlight! We walked back to the train through the Cathy Freeman Park and I had a go at matching her running stride which is marked on the floor. I think my legs need to grow as I was well off! Back on the train we realised that you can move the back of the chairs so you can sit facing forward or backwards - genius! Once home we changed and went out to meet Tam, Stu and their friends at The London pub in Paddington. It was one of their friends 30th birthdays and it was very nice to be allowed to tag along and join in. We had a great evening chatting and drinking beers, and we were even treated to a shot of "Fireball", some very tasty cinnamon whiskey. Lee and I had to get up early to get to the airport so we left with Stu are around midnight (I think) whilst the others moved on. The taxi driver who took us home must have thought we were tourists as he took us right round the houses! Lawyer Stu was having none of it and managed to get the price reduced by a few dollars. Good work! Back home I was almost falling asleep talking (a first for me) so I went to bed via the toilet where I was almost sick and almost fell asleep on the floor. Lee and Stu stayed up a bit later but then both gave in and went to bed too (not together!).

#Week 15 #Sydney

#Week 15 #Sydney #Photos

Week 15 - Sydney day 5

The plan today was to take the 2 hour train journey to Katoomba and go walking around the Blue Mountains (so called because they look blue in the light). We waited for the bus to take us to the train station but it didn’t turn up (on two occasions) so we had to walk. It didn’t take us long and we got there in plenty of time to catch the 9:18am service up to Katoomba (in a double decker train!). The journey provided an excellent opportunity for me to catch up on writing the blog and for Lee to catch up on sleep. At the start of the journey we couldn’t help but hear a really chavvy man talking on his phone telling his friend all about his night out and how a girl had asked to “kiss him on the lips”! He was also very excited that he had $120 that he intended to spend on a case of cider and two bottles of rum before getting to wherever he was going. Doesn’t sound funny on here but with his strong Aussie accent it was hilarious!

Arriving at a very chilly Katoomba we found a map which showed a 7.5km walking route which ended at the famous Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point. We set off and walked through very quiet residential areas before coming across the first viewing point. Unfortunately it was closed due to a recent bush fire. We were able to find a spot close by where we could look across the valley to the flat top mountains. We continued the loop and stopped a few times at other viewing points. At lunch we had walked around to a point where we could now see the Three Sisters in the distance. The view here was stunning and so we sat on the solitary bench and ate our lunch. We were accompanied by a little grey bird who tweeted at us. We figured he wanted food so threw him some bread which he flew down and ate straight away. He was very inquisitive and didn’t seem afraid of us at all as he got really close.

We carried on after lunch and arrived at “Scenic World”, a place where you could take a cable car across from one mountain to another, or take a train or cable car down to the forest floor below. We didn’t take any of them and instead walked on to a point where you could start a number of walks down and around the mountains. We were on a bit of a timescale so instead of doing a longer walk down underneath the Katoomba Cascade (waterfall) decided just to do the walk which took you to the Three Sisters.

Near the start of the path the route was cordoned off so we had to walk back up to the road and down again to rejoin the path. We stopped off at various viewing points along the way and Lee took lots of pictures, earning himself the new name of Sir Pics-a-lot. In return Lee decided I was Sir March-a-lot as I apparently walk too fast. The path skirts around the mountain and overlooks the Jamison Valley below and Mount Solitary in the distance. The majority of what you can see is covered in trees but where rock exposures can be seen the rock is wonderfully colourful.

We got to the end of the path but saw you could start another which took you down to the first of the Three Sisters, three separate but adjacent rock formations that jut out from the mountain. The Three Sisters is a sacred Aboriginal site and legend has it that the rocks represent 3 sisters who were turned to stone. It’s only possible to cross over to the first of the formations and all there is is a bench. People have been banned from climbing on the rocks as it damages them and the vegetation that grows on them.

We walked back up the very steep steps to the start of the path and waited for a bus. Unfortunately the bus was a little slower than expected so we missed the train we had planned to get back to Sydney. Luckily the next one was only 25 minutes later. To pass the time we walked a few minutes to a bottle shop to buy some beer for the evening. The shop was tiny and the beer was a bit expensive so we left it, even though the shop owner had taken $2 off the price of a 6 pack. When we first went into the shop she was very pleasant but when we decided not to take anything she got really stroppy. Not cool! We caught the train back to Sydney and rested our legs after our 8 mile walk. Halfway through the journey the guard came on the tannoy and sounded very annoyed as someone was smoking on the train. She ended her message with, “Put the cigarette out”. Again, it doesn’t sound funny but it was due to her accent and the very sarcastic delivery.

We arrived back at the flat and Tam and Stu had a lovely cheeseboard and some beers ready so we tucked in. One of the cheeses was wasabi flavour and was actually pretty tasty. They had also bought some of one of my favourite cheeses, Babybel, as a surprise as they knew I liked it from when I’d eaten a huge one during the ski season (there is a picture of me stuffing my face with it)!

We sat outside on the balcony and had a delicious combination tea of macaroni cheese and pizza plus more cheese and beer. Couldn’t get any better than that! We moved inside when it got too chilly and carried on with beer and dessert wine. We finished the evening with some port then went to bed to sleep off all the food and drink we had consumed! A wonderful evening all round.

#Week 15 #Sydney

#Week 15 #Sydney #Photos

Week 15 - Sydney day 4

Tam and Stu recommended we check out Manly so we got up early (for us) and just managed to catch the 10am service. The ferry takes 30 minutes to get to Manly and the journey takes you straight through Sydney Harbour. It was great to see the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and suburbs of Sydney from the water.

We decided to do a walk from the harbour to Manly Beach on the other side of the peninsula. The walk took us through some residential areas, down to a secluded beach then back up through the town on the other side to Shelly Beach. From there we were able to walk along a pathway to Manly Beach. We really liked the town as it was peaceful and everyone was friendly, saying hello to us as we passed. The forest areas we passed through contained lots of birds singing (although we couldn’t ever spot them!) and the beaches were pristine. Manly Beach was the largest and it was very busy with surfers, mum and baby groups and tourists. We could have spent more time there but needed to get back to Sydney in order to go to a couple of museums (we wouldn’t have time to go any other time and we’d already paid for tickets). We walked back to the harbour through “The Corso”, a lovely shopping street with lots of fish restaurants and interesting shops. Shame we didn’t have time to stop!

Upon getting back to Sydney we walked a few minutes to the Museum of Sydney which stands on the site of the first Government House. The museum focuses on Australia/Sydney’s social history and has a small but very interesting display on the Aboriginals and their relationship with Westerners following the creation of the colony in the late 1700s/early 1800s. The museum is quite small so we were finished pretty quickly. We wanted to go the the Susannah Place Museum and when we asked the lady at the counter for directions, she told us we needed to book on a tour. She kindly booked us onto the 4pm tour. It was just before 3:30pm and after having a think about it we decided we would be in a major rush to get to the opera (which started at 7pm) if we went on the tour (which ended at 5pm).

The museum was in an area called The Rocks and we wanted to have a quick walk around there anyway so we decided to swing by the museum and let them know we wouldn’t be doing the tour. After that we spent a bit of time trying to find the bus stop from which to get home and once we got home, went to Woolies to buy tea. We bought a pre-cooked chicken and some salad from the salad bar - delicious! Once we’d eaten, showered and changed we caught the bus back into town and walked to the Opera House. We were wearing our best traveller clothes, but because we mostly have hot weather clothes we were freezing! We could have done with a jumper/cardigan/jacket/coat!

It took us a minute to find the correct entrance to get inside, but once we entered we bought a beer and waited 25 minutes or so for the show to start. The foyer of the Opera House was nice but nothing special. The best part was the view out of the back windows across to the illuminated Harbour Bridge and Luna Park fairground. We found our seats and the show started right on time. The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy opera about a Count’s servant who is about to marry the Countess’ maid. The only problem is that the the Count likes the bride to be so he tries to stop the marriage taking place through various means. It was very funny and perfectly played out.

Neither of us had been to an opera before so didn’t really know what to expect but we loved it! The orchestra was absolutely brilliant, as was the conductor and all the singers. Everybody makes what they do look so easy. The singers had incredible voices that they controlled perfectly - not one note out. We both managed to stay awake the whole time (about 3 hours excluding breaks)!

We caught the bus home after waiting a while in the cold then went straight to bed.

#Week 15 #Sydney

#Week 15 #Sydney #Photos

Week 15 - Sydney day 3

Our two nights with Karolina and Kacper were up and we were going to stay with Tamara and Stuart, a lovely couple who were our guests during the 5th week of our ski season. They had returned to Sydney from London earlier in the year and were very kind to offer us a place to stay for the rest of the week.

Karolina had left by the time we got up so we said goodbye to Kacper and caught the bus to Tam and Stu’s in Wooloomooloo. They very kindly left a spare key with their concierge Rudy so we were able to drop off our big bags. The apartment is very swish and had a wonderful view over Woolloomooloo Bay. We stopped off at Woolworths (a very popular food store) and bought some sandwiches and snacks for lunch. We then caught another bus out to Coogee in order to do the coastal walk up to Bondi Beach. On the way to the bus stop we saw some players from the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team. Our first celebrity spot!

Lee was absolutely in love with Coogee when we arrived and couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it would be to live there and surf every day. The town seemed very relaxed and was well kept. The beach was fairly large and had a life saving club in the corner. The waves were really quite big so we stood and watched the surfers for a while before starting our walk. Up on the hill overlooking the beach is where a number of people have apparently seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary. There is a small shrine there and some newspaper clippings detailing the various stories.

We walked around the headland to Gordon’s Bay and Clovelly Beach. The scenery was beautiful, with fascinating rock formations and pristine bays. We passed many people running or walking their dogs. Most beaches seem to have a park next to them and many contain public gym equipment and fresh water fountains. Another sign that Sydney and the wider area around it are very health conscious.

We stopped to eat our sandwiches (mine was curried egg - very nice!) on a rocky outcrop overhanging the sea just past Clovelly Beach. It’s crazy how powerful the waves are. It was windy up on the rocks so we ate quickly and carried on along the path. The beach at Bronte was very nice and again there were lots of people running and surfing. The beach was closed for swimming however due to the heavy waves. We arrived at Bondi Beach around 4pm and spent some more time watching surfers! There were a couple of boys about 12 years old who had no fear and were surfing the waves like pros! Most of the beaches have an outdoor swimming pool on the shore and Bondi is no exception. The water must have been freezing but there were a few hardy guys who braved the pool in only their Speedos!

We walked along the beach to the far end and walked back towards the bus stand along the promenade. It was now past 5pm and the beach was much busier. Many people were out running and lots of children’s clubs were on the beach having races etc on the sand. It’s awesome that the locals are able to have such an outdoor lifestyle. In total we walked 4.2 miles.

We caught the bus back to town and stopped by the Westfield shopping centre to pick up a new memory card for our camera. We also bought some jeans as GAP was having a 5 year (in Australia) birthday sale and everything was 40% off!

We walked back towards Tam and Stu’s and tried to find somewhere to eat. There’s a large road called Oxford Street not too far away and we found a little Indian place where you get rice and a large spoonful of 3 different curries! Very tasty. Once we’d finished we walked to the flat and caught up with Tam and Stu. It was great to see them again and to chat about what we had all been up to since January, including a bit of reminiscing about their ski holiday for good measure!

#Week 15 #Sydney

#Week 15 #Sydney #Photos

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