Iceland : Glacial World

August 9, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 8 Comments

After a good night in out little cabin we were ready for some ice.

I have noticed lots of cabins and hotel seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It’s because they are away from lights because when the northern lights arrive you don’t want any light around.

Driving to our first stop I can’t stop looking at the landscape. the contrast between lava fields, glacial tracts the cloud formations. Like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else.

View from my car seat of not only of Steve but …. A glacier.

You can see when an attraction is coming up because of the cluster of cars parked and a small sign. Not big signs here. No billboards. ( they’d probably blow over). But very little visual pollution to compete with the landscape.

There is a 4 km round trip to view this waterfall so Steve headed off on his own and I sat quietly observing people and writing a postcard to my grandsons. Who writes postcards any more. Not usually me but I think the boys will enjoys getting them.

Back to the people. All nationalities, all types of gear, all sizes and definitely all levels of fitness. Steve said a few struggled with the sometimes steep path.

Not Steve. He had taken over bring the walker in our family.

Back on the road towards the Glacial Lagoon. Here they offer boat trips up the lagoon to the wall of the glacier. We nearly missed out on a seat as they book out so quickly.

As you cross the bridge you can see large icebergs all around. the landcover is barren and brown which contrasts with the pearling white water and the icebergs.

We checked in at the truck for Jokulsarlon Ice Tours truck and told to come back in 30 minutes to ‘suit up’ This gave us time for a quick bite from one of the food trucks offering fish ‘n chips , lobster soup or lobster rolls , hot dogs or pancakes. All pretty good and all expensive. I have to stop thinking $$

Our group arrived for suiting up and Adam our Swedish guide helped fit us out. Shoes off , suits on , shoes on, cameras in pockets. Life jacket on then onto the bus for a 5 min ride to where the boats come and go on the hour.

It was quite cool but we were lucky as the sun was out most of the time. The suits keep you pretty warm and a hat helps for when the boat picks up speed for the 7 km ride through big and little chucks of ice broken off from the main glacier.

The glacier lagoon opens to the sea so seals and fish can enter the lagoon.

The ice chunks are like sculptures & look amazing.

Our guide Paulina was a great source of information and kept us entertained and informed us about glaciers. And how we need another ice age as the glaciers are melting and receding at an alarming rate.

We saw some Arctic tern birds who journey each season from the Antarctic to here each season. Quite a journey.

I couldn’t resist selecting an ice cube for my scotch tonight!

We were out in the lagoon for about 1 hour 30 and it was breathtaking.

The colours changed. The blue , the grey , the ash embedded in the ice giving it a striped appearance.

Finally time to return. And I thought how lucky we were to experience this one such a beautiful day.

Back in the car Steve , my Australian driver husband said ‘let’s continue on to Hofn’. This is a little fishing town about another hour up the road.

It was a pretty little harbour town

The thing about these towns is that they appear so quiet. Everything is designed for cold weather. Freezing weather so the buildings are block like. No verandahs, no decks, no outdoor living. Not much in the way of gardens. Few trees , stark buildings.

We found a lovely looking restaurant. Went in. Sat down. Checked the menu. Got up with an apologetic voice said we actually wanted some lobster. They only had a bisque. Steve wanted some lobster. Went to Ossin down the road and had a lovely meal before our nearly 3 hour drive back to our cabin.

But it’s no problem here. It stays light until around 10pm.

Our special day was complete.

Falling for Waterfalls in Iceland

August 8, 2023August 8, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 11 Comments

We woke to silence. Not a noise from outside. Sleeping in a yurt is a great novelty. Unfortunately no thermal pool on site. I didn’t appreciate when booking that I should have looked for place that offered their own hot tub. I thought the various bigger spa would be great. But they are so crowded.

We had breakfast in the main yurt. It was just great. And had such a great chat to the manager.

Breakfast was on a wheel in the centre of the yurt.

Rating for this place Nattura Yurtel would be 🛌🛌 missed a 3 because of having to go to the shower room.

Saying good by to the horses we headed 6 minutes up the road to Gullfoss waterfall. Wow. It’s stunning. The noise warned us we were close – thundering! The spray caught us and there it was. You could view from above you walk down lots of stairs to see it up close.

It was quite warm after our walk so back into the car to head towards the coast to Vik. We passed horse riders. It’s big here in Iceland. There are so many horse centres offering riding. You mostly see girls ! Girls seem to love horses !

Driving through the valley towards the coast was beautiful. Green fields , wildflowers Neatly rolled and packed hay for the winter and lovely homes.

Around every corner there’s another waterfall. And quite a few people. It always amuses me the variety of gear worn – suitable or otherwise. There’s the intrepid pole wielding ‘hikers’ , the out for a stroll sandal walkers, the families in coordinated gear, the young old and adventurous.

You could even walk behind. The spray was incredible.

We wanted to visit the Skogar museum. The other museum we had in mind – the Saga Centre was closed.

The The Skogar museum is an outdoor village style depicting how people lived. It was almost empty as there had been a downpour and scared people away. We visited the indoor museum first, viewing the tools, arts & crafts, fishing gear used by the locals years ago.

All the long cold nights led to a lot of tapestry.

I love the social history of a society and I didn’t know much about Icelandic history. It was a relatively late settled country from the Norse Viking people around 870-900. There was no one living here then. I can’t imagine how hardy those people had to be. Even today it would be difficult living with the dark and the cold.

Lunch at Freya’s, the museum’s restaurant was delightful. A great coffee set the tone. Steve had prawn pasta and I had avocado with smoked salmon. Both were great. A light dinner tonight. I browsed the very good bookstore and bought a few picture books. They love their trolls, ogres and rather gruesome folk takes here in Iceland but I found some I think won’t scare the grandchildren too much.

Our next stop was the black sands beach. Reynisfjara Beach. It featured in the SBS tv series Black Sands. It’s famous, not just for its black sand and the basalt column sitting up in the water but also for its ‘ sneaky waves’. There are several deaths a year. Always tourists.

The signs point out the danger and today was an yellow alert with lines drawn on a map showing how far you could go towards the waters edge. Did this stop the tourists.

No. Of course not! We stood for awhile in the stiff breeze watching and kind of wanted a ‘sneaky wave ‘ to appear.

We gave up and went back to the car, careful not to lose the car door in a freak wind. We were warned by the car rental place not to open the door with only 1 hand.

Iceland is full of danger. A bit like Australia but different dangers.

I managed to spot a bride veil blowing in the breeze. They were Japanese so I think it was more a honeymoon with wedding photos thrown in.

Bride and Groom outside the sweetest church

Vik is a small town on the coast and we drove up the hill to a church and looked back to the basalt columns off the black sands beach. impressive.

Vik in the foreground with the basalt columns from near the beach.

Talk about amazing landscapes. The next half hour we drove through what looked like ash covered rocks. Then flat plains where glaciers has been. You could see the glaciers where they are now standing back up the slope a little. Frozen!

Our next stop is for two nights. It’s a little cottage guesthouse. Quite new in a nice location. The cottage is beautifully fitted out and has a little kitchen which suits us as brought some cheese and beer to have for our light dinner. After lunch at Freya’s we didn’t need much.

Have I mentioned how expensive everything is? Wise friend Patsy who has been here a few days before us sent a message saying don’t try and convert into $$$$ – you’ll get too much of a shock. Eat, drink and enjoy. We are Patsy!

But out of interest – a one course dinner with one drink each – a beer is around $100 Aus $!

Tomorrow we go on a zodiac onto the Glacial Lagoon. I am very excited about it.

Rainy Iceland

August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Despite the cool rainy morning we got going early. Lots to see before heading out of Reykjavik. People say not to spend much if any time here so we decided to check it out.

Breakfast at nearby Kactus. I was only going to have coffee but decided I’d try their marriage cake! It’s rough and knobbly outside and all sweet inside. A bit like a marriage really. It’s a well know Icelandic traditional cake. In fact I think it was mentioned in Hannah Kent’s Buriel Rites book.

Next it was up the hill to the big imposing church. Hallgrímskirkja. Started being built in 1842 it took until 1986 to complete.

The church is stunning in its size simplicity especially compared to the ornate but beautiful cathedral in Strasbourg. It reflects the personality of Iceland. Clean simple lines, stunning to look at.

The bell tower has gorgeous views across the city.

We were to have a short organ recital. Not the grand organ. The smaller one.

We walked slowly down the street from Leif Ericsson statue. Lovely quirky shops and lots of ceramic. Then a beautiful coloured rainbow finishing to the end of the street.

Looking back up to the Cathedral. It’s THE land mark spotted from around the city.

By now having walked awhile in rain with lots more to see we decided to do the hop on hop off bus. It was great. Just an hour.

The Perlan Museum was good. We went into an ice cave and the Planetarium for a show on the Northern nights . We’re not going to see that display in August . The best months for the Northern lights are late Sept Oct and early November.

We were on the road for Geysir after a delicious lunch at the old bus terminal – now home to a variety of mini restaurants. We had some fish and prawns

It doesn’t take long to leave Reykjavík and get out into the landscape. The first part of today we passed large areas of flat green field. No real evidence of crops or animals.

On the road to Thingvellir National Park

Our first stop was Thingvellir. It’s a National Park. – we’ll it seems all of Iceland could be considered a NP. Here there is evidence of the tectonic plates. And a waterfall. One of many in this country of high mountains lots of snow and volcanoes.

The Icelandic names are so hard to say …. And spell

We walked a kilometre to the waterfall but we’re a little underwhelmed. I know tomorrow we’ll see some big waterfalls.

We called into Fontana Spa. I had high hopes for a thermal plunge. A wallow……Only problem was there were too many people wallowing already.

There are several pools but 5pm is probably a busy time as hikers have finished their walks and are ready to soak in one of the hot tubs.

So we moved onto Geyser. Walking from the car we could see the stream rising from the Geysirs. There are a few but Stokker is the most active and spurts the highest. Every 8-10 minutes. We waited patiently finger hovering on the camera button. Looking …..looking at the water until …. Bubble bubble up he went.

I got the beginning of a very high spurt.

With satisfaction we headed for our room for the night. A yurt. A Mongolian yurt. The owner thought the design would work here so painstakingly had 10 yurts built. I thought it would be a novel bed for the night.

It was. Very comfy with a toilet and lovely basin. The shower however was in an adjacent small building. Fine. As it’s summer and the top of 15 is balmy. But I wouldn’t want to be shuffling to the shower in rain snow or high winds!

Our view from the yurt towards the snowy fields

It was fun unpacking into the yurt. Lots of room! Dinner was a short walk down hill to Skoll tavern which had a camp ground. Most people had vans but a few hardy souls were pitching tents. Brrrr.

Further along the road was a horse farm. You could stay there and go riding for a day overnight or a week trail ride.

The yurt had a heated floor so was cosy and with the rain putter patter on the canvas roof was the only sound we heard as we drifted off into a sound sleep.

https://www.natturayurtel.com

I ❤️ Paris

August 5, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 7 Comments

What makes a great hotel? I’m going to be an expert by the end of this holiday. We’ll be staying in 32 different hotel beds over this holiday.

I’m going to be rating them as I go. I’ll keep a list and publish at the end. I’ll keep the rating simple 3 🛌🛌🛌 ( very good would highly recommend) 2 🛌🛌 ( not bad would stay again) 1 🛌. ( didn’t like it. Wouldn’t stay or recommend )

Remember these are not 5 star hotels. I’ve chosen mostly on location & value for money, but the rating includes room comfort, the way it’s planned , things working! Bed comfort , access ( lift).

Last night Boma Hotel If you’re visiting Strasbourg I’d recommend it. Modern but so well planned. 3🛌🛌🛌

https://www.boma-hotel.com/?utm_source=googlemybusiness

Tonight a new one in Paris. We were to stay with friends but they are away on holiday so we changed to one near the station. We arrived today by train from Strasbourg.

Tonight it is Este Hotel. One month old it also looks good. https://www.hotelesteparis.com/en/

Strasbourg this morning was fine then once again raining by lunch time. Steve went on a boat cruise on the river that circles the town of Strasbourg. I did this last time I was here so opted to move around town and observe people.

We had a salad lunch before heading to the station for the 2hr trip to Paris. If you haven’t been to Strasbourg I’d recommend it. It’s in a great part of France. The Alsace region. Lots of lovely villages around to investigate.

Even arriving at a train station can’t dampen the Paris effect. There’s just something about the trees. And the light. We’re about to head out for a drink and dinner by the Canal St-Martin. It’s a lovely afternoon so I’ll finish later …….

Walking down towards the Canal we passed many of the cafes so famous here.

Glimpsed the station another very elegant building.

And saw some wall art ( and a shop that sold all the spray cans needed to create the art)

There was cool breeze coming from the canal where people sat on the steps chatting, smoking, listening to loud music 🤫 or smooching. It is Friday night.

I avoided taking pictures with people. But the canal is a peaceful strip within a busy city

We sat at L’Atmosphere, selecting a table just inside the door. Amazing how many people still smoke here. It’s banned inside but the footpaths tables are all awash with smoke.

View from our table across to it’s extra outside seating and the canal.

The waiters here must easily get their 10.000 steps in. They were running all evening.

Shops and apartments across from the canal. Very colourful for Paris.

I had sea bass and ratatouille which was good and Steve had pepper steak and green beans. Of course with a glass of wine!

We walked back through the little park and saw a park guard on his bike stop a lady who was walking her dog off lease. He directed her sternly to leave the park. The French are strict in so many ways ( take the citizens vote to ban the lime scooters) but they challenge everything as well.

And so to bed in our little Parisian hotel.

Barely any floor space for bags and Steve’s morning exercises, but beautifully planned.

Strasbourg: two points of view

August 3, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 7 Comments

A lazy start. After our epic 3.5 hr film last night. (I still can’t believe we did that!) we loved our room. Quiet, great bed, no noisy neighbours.

Steve headed off for his solo exploration. He’d made a plan which included a few things I’d love to do and one I wouldn’t really care about. I’ll leave you to guess what that is as I describe his day as related to me over afternoon drinks.

He left around 9 and walked the winding streets to the cathedral and had no trouble getting in – no tourists around at this early hour.

One of the many little streets approaching the cathedral.

Making his way to the little sightseeing boat, he stopped off for breakfast. He could easily be French. Loves his pastries.

Not finding any boat or ticket office (which we have since found out the office for tickets is near the cathedral or online) he walked to the Petite France area. it’s a beautiful area established in the 16th Century for the fishermen , millers & tanners.

Then he took the tram to the place he was to get the bus. Only Steve could encounter a surly ticket inspector. He had failed to validate his ticket and nearly copped a fine! Luckily an older guard took pity and jumped off and validated the ticket, much to the displeasure of the young gun guard. A benefit of him having grey hair?

Then he boarded the bus to La Wantzenau. It’s about a 30 min ride. “What’s there?” I hear you ask

He arrived at the exciting La Wantzenau. Naturally he didn’t know where to get off, so at the end of the line the lovely lady driver took him to where he wanted to be. What a lady!

He was visiting one of the largest private museums devoted to WW2.

Rooms & rooms of vehicles, guns, uniforms.

He was there 3 hrs. Recommended for military buffs!.

Then the bus back. Another long story and a big walk back to our hotel where I was laying in wait for an afternoon glass of wine.

And what, I hear you ask, did I do?

I had a very leisurely start. Then brunch in a lovely cafe. A slice of quiche and a coffee. Feeling rested I decided to walk for awhile. I zigzagged through streets towards the Cathedral. Oh, how I love this charming city.

Loads of food shops.

I made it to the Cathedral. It brought back many happy memories. Today was a little windy and cool so I sheltered in a little cafe enjoying mint tea and writing yesterday’s blog.

I walked back and choose a restaurant for tonight. Everything seems to get booked.

I’ve chosen Mamama. It looks cosy and the menu reads well.

Back to the hotel for a rest, a read and with the windows open I could listen to the sounds of the street below. Happy voices, children playing , wheelie bags being pulled over cobbles (did you know some villages in Italy have banned wheelie bags as they are destroying their ancient cobbles?)

Steve arrived back and we went to the bar down stairs in our cool hotel! And so we sat over a glass of wine and compared days. He loved his day and I’m happy with mine. He walked 13,000+ steps. I walked 3,100.

Tonight dinner and perhaps the light show on the cathedral if the rain holds off.

From Singapore to Frankfurt: a Day of Travel

August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 6 Comments

After a huge first day in Singapore ( who said I’d take it slowly) we had a 12 hr flight to Frankfurt.

I love watching people in airports. The wanderers: those who are jet lagged and just walk in a trance and get in the way ( of wheelchairs like I was travelling in )

The device addicted : walk and look exclusively at their phone and similar to above – get in the way !

The shoppers: stop at every counter squirting perfume.

The eaters: crowd out the cafes to get the comfortable seats – or perhaps to avoid airline food.

The children : they’re not sure why they are here but go with the flow and have mum chasing them constantly.

Oh yes I had time to observe.

Arrival in Frankfurt was great. Wheelchair at the plane door with a very officious German man ordering me around. Wheeled me to a transit lounge to avoid going down stairs to the arrivals hall. Said he’d be back to go a short cut . Didn’t come back. Steve & I sat patiently. Steve would have wheeled me but he’d taken the chair. We asked the security lady who said he’d be back. Meanwhile where’s our luggage we wondered !

50 mins later they had to phone and get someone else to get us. Andreas was lovely. Found our luggage discarded by the carousel. Wheeled me through a myriad of corridors and voila we arrived at the train station.

We still had an hour before our train to Strasburg, so I was parked in a coffee shop nearest to our platform. A Starbucks. Not my favourite.

But humour remained as I people watched again & Steve wandered off to explore the station.

The train arrived. We made it into our seats. Steve thought there would be a restaurant bar on board. Perhaps if it were the Orient Express. 1st class just got us a numbered seat. Unfortunately for me we had to change trains. Then change platforms. Up and down – what a rush.

Second train got us into Strasburg at 12 and we walked slowly to our hotel.

The Boma Hotel is on Rue November an east 10 mins walk which for able bodies is a breeze. For me. Not so much.

Our room over looks the street. Has an opening window and is very good. Newly renovated it’s cool! Modern furnishings. A bar downstairs. And a helpful manager who booked me a massage.

I arrived by taxi to meet Isabelle, a charming , slim ( aren’t all French women ) and helpful. She tried hard but said in a sad voice. There’s something wrong inside. Ligament or cartilage damage. Luckily for Isabelle I’d had a quick shower after 16 hr travel from Singapore.

Back to the hotel for a rest, a little washing and a short walk out for dinner at Leo’s wine bar. ( its name made me miss our grandchildren) .

We had a beautiful lobster roll and a tomato burrata salad and ham with Parmesan. We shared.

Walking back to the hotel around 8.30, we couldn’t walk further, had eaten enough and as we walked past an art bourse cinema Steve suddenly suggested we see Oppenheimer. Amazing he never suggests a movie but he’d read about it & as it was early thought Why Not!

Staying awake for 3.5 hrs was a struggle after a very long day but we did it and fell into a super comfy bed.

Tomorrow. A Rest day for me and sightseeing for Steve. So luckily I’ve been here before. After a swim trek back in 2015 I had 5 days here by myself. I loved it then so happy to watch the world go by as Steve explores.

Read my blog from back then https://franstraveltales.com/2015/08/23/paris-to-strasbourg/

Singapore in a Day ( with a bad knee)

August 1, 2023August 1, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 9 Comments

A flight to Singapore from Brisbane is pretty painless. We left at 10.30 had a nice lunch on board watched a movie had a nap & arrived in at around 4.30.

We decided to stay at Changi a village near the airport.

Not far from the airport, it is good for a walk by the water and an easy dinner at the Hawker Markets. I love these markets. Open air. Only locals. Pretty lights and so cheap and tasty. 10 satay sticks, a plate of tom yum fried rice and beef rice, some lime sugar sodas and it was about $20. Not bad for Singapore prices.

One man show. He took the order cooked on a single wok, took the money. 5 min. And no we didn’t get good poisoning.

Heading into downtown today we thought we’d explore all types of public transport. We caught a local bus to the station and the train into Marina Sands.

I love the public transport here. It’s efficient, clean, on time and has the best signs to amuse you.

See the top sign. No eating – fine $500 No smoking – fine $1000. No flammable good – fine $5000 and No durians !
Poor fruit. Just too smelly and Stand up Stacey there to remind you to give up your seat.

My favourite was watching the little movie showing what to do in case of a terrorist attack , a bag caught in the door, leaning on the door. All these little scenarios. So much fun.

Arriving at Marina Sands is a complete contrast to the Hawkers markets. It’s a hotel, shopping centre, sightseeing centre and a haven for the rich, and the poorer travellers trying to think rich.

Starting with coffee near the indoor river where we thought about a ride on a gondola. Deciding that was a was a bit much, we took a ride to level 57. I’d booked ahead for Lavo the lovely restaurant with a view.

The hostess insisted on a photo in
front of the sign.

Sitting at a shaded table looking out at the view we felt a million miles away. We ordered a refreshing Spritz. An Aprerol for me a Negroni for Steve. We shared an octopus salad – delicious ….then I had a veal cutlet and Steve the carbonara. Opted out of Asian food today.

Following a leisurely lunch we took bus 106 to Orchard road. Avoiding too much walking to protect my knee we did a little browsing before moving along to Raffles.

I love Raffles. It’s super expensive but it’s unique.

An iconic hotel opened in 1887, its so very beautiful, famous and oldy worldy. I could see Somerset Maugham there in a crushed linen suit slinging back a few Singapore Slings before tossing his peanut shells all over the floor in the the Long Bar. . Unfortunately, we tried to book the Bar & Billards room for lunch but it’s closed on Tuesday so thought a drink in the Long Bar after lunch would be a treat. The queue to get in was LONG so we thought NO. After checking out the lobby bar which only does fancy afternoon teas ( we’d just had lunch!) we opted for a Gin Sling for Steve and a frozen lime daiquiri for me, sitting under the striped umbrellas in the courtyard.

A hop skip and a limp later we were seated on the top story of a super clean No 2 bus to Changi Village. A long ( 1 hr) but air conditioned sightseeing trip back to our hotel. All for a flat rate lower than the hop in hop off bus.

And more fun signs.

Move in Martin reminds yo make room for others. His friend

‘Stand up Stacey’ is on the train.

Organising a late check out we’ll have time to freshen up, shower, change, stretch out for awhile and head to the airport for a long late flight to Frankfurt.

Flying Singapore Airlines tonight & we’ll be comparing it to Qantas business yesterday.

I thinking I’ll try for life as a reviewer after this trip.

For Ollie , Leo & Alby. I think you’d like riding around on the buses in Singapore. We wanted to have a boat ride on the river in a bum boat! That’s what they call the little river taxis here. That’s a bit rude!

Up Up and Away ✈️

July 30, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 16 Comments

Excitement is mounting. It’s been a long time since I’ve done international travel. Steve went to Italy for a swim trek last year but I didn’t. so it feels rather strange sitting here in the lounge waiting.

Bags are packed. 12kg is more than I planned but I blame the warmer clothes needed for Iceland , the Shetlands and the Hebrides. I’ve rolls into compression cubes but fear when I unpack I’ll never get it back into the same space! And a sign of my age is the large addition of pills, potions, knee guards and even a heat pack! All that weighs more than my clothes!

I hope you the readers can stay reading for 9 weeks! We’re doing the trip we planned back during covid. Iceland , Scotland and have added on driving across the US!

We’ve planned it ourselves. Apart from the super airfare my friend Jenny booked for us.

I book the accommodations, Steve does transport and we fill out the ‘to do’ together. Finding suitable places to stay involves reading reviews & checking google maps. And finding places I can cancel if something better comes up. It pays off!

We’re away for 64 days with the longest Sat of 11 nights in Edinburgh for the Festivals. Lots of concerts, music, the tattoo book festival food festival. It will be a big busy time.

So ‘Come Along with Me’ 🥂✈️

Easter Sunday – a Brassy Day

April 10, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

A beautiful sunny day. Happy Easter to all.

We were going to go to the church service at the Cathedral but I want to stay outdoors. So we head to our happy place. The beach.

We drive this time as we want to explore.

These baths are famous and I remember going there as child visiting an aunt in Newcastle. They are wonderful. If I lived here I’d be at these free baths everyday. With the grandchildren. There are two big baths. One very shallow sandy bottom with a sand beach. Perfect for little children.

The other big pool is long – 100m by 50 metre wide with 10 lanes across for lap swimmers. It’s washed by waves and today the waves are pumping. Big waves crashing over into the pool create a wave pool. There are round the year swimmers here daily.

There are flower capped ladies walking and talking and more importantly laughing together. There are lap swimmers of all shapes and sizes some in budgie smugglers some in short wet suits.

I spoke to one lady as she was preparing to enter and she told me she swam twice a day since her husband died. She said it helped. And I couldn’t agree more. Swimming is good therapy. So good for the mind. As well as the body.

Steve swam so laps and I walked and chatted.

We walked along the beach front and watched the surfers. The surf is up and they are all out there loving it. Hundreds of walkers stood and watched the display.

Newcastle must be a very fit town. Lots of Lycra for its hundreds of runners, walkers and cyclists. and lots of wonderful foreshore to do it. And hills to climb.

Back in the car we drive to Bar Beach left the car and walked north to eventually join the Memorial Walk. A new walkway suspended above the cliffs and rocks. It’s a tribute to those who have served. It was very windy walking along and we saw several hats being swept over the railings.

From there was drive a little further through King Edward Park with Easter picnickers and found the steps down to the Bogey Hole. Down we went until we caught sight of it. Spectacular. No swimming there today. It was so rough. The giant waves were crashing into the pool and half way to the steel steps leading onto the water.

After all the walking it was time for brunch. The seaside cafes were awash with eaters. The 30% holiday loading wasn’t putting people off. So we headed back to Darby street a few streets back. A different cafe and a delicious brunch.

How many ways to do smashed avocado? lots and lots is the answer. Did we in Australia invent this popular way of serving avo for breakfast? Do you have it overseas as well? I’d love to know.

Back to our lovely hotel where we changed and Steve headed off to start an Easter afternoon of brass bands. I did a little reading then ‘ booked’ our room refresh. This hotel the Crystalbrook Kingsley has an app for your phone or an iPad in the room where you can do everything including selecting a time to service ( refresh) your room. So convenient.

I also love their bamboo room key ( or link your phone to open your door). It has a green footprint so everything is environmentally friendly. The room lights are great. Including the little low level light that comes on as you walk to the bathroom at night. I loved it. No stumbling around.

I got into the swing of it and joined Steve at the Civic Theatre to hear the Brisbane Brass A. ( not Steve’s new band. He’s going in Brass B) They were very good. Good enough? That shall be revealed.

We took a break for dinner and went along the street to an Asian Fusion restaurant Light Years. what a find. We had a few shared plates prawns, pork Bao Buns , Spring rolls. A glass of bubbles and wine before we made it back to the City Hall to hear the last few bands in Brass B section. Yes we heard Brisbanes B band and also one from the country town of Gunnedah. They were a big surprise. A small town with a big sound.

A little video of Brisbane B

Many in the band are still at school. ‘At least half ‘ said one of the proud mums sitting near us. The conductor was the most enthusiastic bouncy conductor there. It’s obviously a big community effort to get them here. Shades of the movie ‘Brassed Off’s ‘ Grimthorpe Band. They were followed by a local band of mostly retired musicians. I’m getting invested in this competition.

Brisbane B played and were very good. The last band performed at 8.30. There was quite a wait for the results. We looked up the results of the Brass A bands and Brisbane A came a very good 6th.

Finally the results were in for Brass Bands B …..a Victorian band won followed by ……… Gunnedah! Small town made good. I was thrilled for them. Disappointed for Brisbane B. But their 6th out of 14 bands was still very good. They all played 4 pieces. A hymn, their own choice , a March and the test piece selected by the judge ( poor them heard it 14 times).

So it’s all over until 2023 when they will be held in Adelaide. So we could be in Adelaide even longer in March with the Writers Week, The Fringe and now the Brass Band Competition . if Steve is playing with them!

Now the long trip home. 10hours and at the moment Steve is playing his favourites from his CD collection. Yes Brass Bands. I might put my AirPods in and listen to an audio book.

Easter Saturday in Newcastle

April 8, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

After the dramatic lightening last night today it was a bright, sunny but very windy day. We decided to walk along the Harbourside to Newcastle beach.

There are some lovely buildings in this very old town. It was settled very soon after the first settlement in Sydney.

Steve was keen to swim in the Ocean Baths. A famous old sandy bottom pool. Unfortunately it is closed. After a lot of controversy it has been decided to renovate the pool and concrete the bottom!

We continued on to the beach. Newcastle has many beautiful beaches and is known for its good surf. I love the steps leading onto the beach. It gives a natural seating area to sit and watch the beach , the surfers 🏄‍♀️ and to catch a little warming sun.

The beach cafe was doing a brisk business in the very chilly breeze. Steve got our coffees and we sat away from others on the steps in the sun. So good.

We walked back up the hill behind the beach. Newcastle has a few good steep hills with wonderful views over the beach and to wards the harbour.

There are some lovely very old buildings including the old hospital.

The hill rose sharply towards a cathedral which we thought was Catholic but turned out to be Anglican. It was cool outside so we went into explore and found a team of volunteers cleaning, getting ready for the Easter celebrations.

I sat and quietly observed and enjoyed the peace while Steve went off to explore. I then heard a voice calling ‘Fran, is that you!’

I looked over to see a lady armed with a broom. It was Janey Smith , the National Chair of ADFAS. I’d just returned from our Sydney Conference ( where I picked up covid) Janey knew to keep her distance and we laughed about the coincidence of meeting in the church. We had planned on meeting for coffee but when I got covid I canceled. Yet here I was ! Almost covid free but definitely keeping away.

I love the tapestry kneeling pads. There must be 300 in the church.

Back to our lovely room at the Crystalbrook for a rest and refresh. This is a very good hotel with a lovely room and a well planned bathroom. What is your favourite hotel ? For amenities and layout?

By now it was lunch time which we were having at an airy outdoor cafe on Darby St There are lots of places to choose from but our friends Brian and Deb Campbell had chosen one for us that had big tables and was away from any other people.

We had a huge catch up. Like Elizabeth and Peter from Crescent Head we met the Campbell’s through their son Richie and our son Rob’s waterpolo career. We sat and cheered their many games together in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane , Beijing & London. Our boys are friends and so are we!

After lunch Steve headed off to more band competition and I headed to the room to rest and read.

Steve enjoyed Canberra City band where he played about 55 years ago!

Steve had a chat to some of the members of the Canberra City band including the conductor. A good reminisce for him. They’ll be inviting him to the bands 150year anniversary in 2025!

A quiet night in our hotel tonight.

frans travel tales

come along with me

Author: brisbanefrannie