Travel
A Visit To The Barangaroo Reserve: A Little Off The Beaten Path In Sydney.
I was tired from my long flight but the Sydney summer sun came out and i wasn’t going to spend my afternoon catching up on sleep. I looked at the maps and saw a park, the Barangaroo Reserve not far from the hotel. I kind of liked the name so decided to check it out.…
Read MoreAustralia Day Three. An Evening Walk Along Sydney Harbour
I was asleep about five minutes after posting my last blog yesterday afternoon. I woke up five hours later, at 10 p.m, and, of course, decided to take advantage of the mid Summer night in the Southern Hemisphere. My hotel, in The Rocks, is just minutes from the harbour and I followed the crowds of…
Read MoreAustralia Day Four: Yes , More Sydney Beaches- Manly And Shelly
I returned from my hike from Bondi Beach to Coogee yesterday and was looking for something to do in the afternoon. A number of local folks told me I should take the ferry ride through the harbour to Manly and Shelly beaches. They insisted it was a must see on any Sydney visit. I knew…
Read MoreAustralia Day Five. A Way Too Short A Journey To The Blue Mountains
I was still having some difficulty adjusting to the time change here in Australia, and even though I got little sleep, I still was out of bed early Monday to watch the sunrise. I wanted to see the famous botanical gardens while in Sydney so I walked past the Circular Quay, already abuzz with early…
Read MoreAustralia Day Six. Back To The City. Central Sydney And The Celebration Of the Chinese New Year.
I awoke early yesterday in Katoomba hoping to watch the sunrise from Echo Point, the famous overlook from which a spectacular view of the “Three Sisters’ rock formation can be seen. I left the hotel only to go back inside to get my jacket. It was pretty cool for a Summer morning up in the…
Read MoreAustralia Day Eight: My First Full Day On The Indian Pacific. I Learned Australia Is Vast And I Love Train Rides.
I will have to admit I was not really sure how I would sleep on the train. Well the first night I was so exhausted I fell right to sleep and found the bed they pulled down to be quite comfortable. I didn’t mind the swaying, jerking or clanking of the train one bit and…
Read MoreAustralia Day Nine: Nullarbor Plain And The Ghost Town Of Cook
On my second night on the train, I decided to leave the shades in my cabin open so I could fall asleep with the bright stars shining in the dark Australian sky. I couldn’t make them out at the time, I was facing South and I am not familiar with the southern Constellations, but I…
Read MoreAustralia Day Ten: My last Day On The Indian Pacific And Finding Out Perth Isn’t The Remote Backward City I Thought It Was
I slept well after our last dinner on the Indian Pacific and awoke shortly before the sunrise the next morning to find our train stopped again. We were waiting to let three long freight trains pass and we were in a position where I again missed the sunrise. We got moving, after the sun was…
Read MoreAustralia Day Ten: My last Day On The Indian Pacific And Finding Out Perth Isn't The Remote Backward City I Thought It Was
Australia Day Eleven: A Ferry Ride On The Swan River And Across The Indian Ocean To The Unspoiled, And Spectacular Beauty Of Rottnest Island
I awoke early my first full day in Perth and began to decide what to do. I had no definite plans and there was just so many choices. I decided to take a ferry from Perth to Rottnest Island. I read the island was beautiful, and I would not only see a lot of the…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twelve: A Wonderful Morning In King’s Park And A Late Night Plane Flight
I awoke just up before dawn on my last day in Perth and took a taxi to King’s Park to await the rising sun. I was lucky, it was a clear and cool morning for Perth. A strong southerly wind had broken the heat wave they were having. I took in the Perth skyline, as…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twelve: A Wonderful Morning In King's Park And A Late Night Plane Flight
Australia Day Thirteen: Planning On Sleeping On My Flight Wasn’t A Good Idea, But Seeing The Australian Red Centre Made It All Good.
Well it wasn’t as easy keeping up a daily blog while traveling as I thought it would be . Sorry I am safely home in cold, but beautiful, Northeastern Pennsylvania and will have to relate my experiences from my memory, which isn’t what it used. Glad I kept a journal. Will try and get this…
Read MoreAustralia Day Thirteen: Planning On Sleeping On My Flight Wasn't A Good Idea, But Seeing The Australian Red Centre Made It All Good.
Australia Day Fourteen: Sunrise In The Outback And A Hike To Kata Tjuta. And Then The Stars.
I slept well my first night in the Australian outback and woke up refreshed well before dawn the next morning. I had booked a tour to the other attraction at this United Nations World Heritage site, Kata Tjuta, which left a 5:15 a.m. I got up earlier to take a look at the morning sky…
Read MoreAustralia Day Fifteen: Uluru 30,000 Years Of Tradition Is Hard To Comprehend And Appreciate In A Day
It was another early start at the Ayers Rock Resort, most activities occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon, avoiding the brutal heat of the central Australian summer afternoon. I decided to explore Uluru on my own. I was going to take the Uluru express shuttle to watch the sunrise and then…
Read MoreAustralia Day Sixteen: Farewell To The Desert Heat, Some Delays, And A Late Night Arrival In Much Cooler Tasmania
I awoke early on my last day in Central Australia, wanting to see the spectacular Milky Way and alignment of planets, one last time before I left this wonderful area. It was worth it and I enjoyed the nighttime sky until it slowly faded in the twilight of the approaching sunrise. Lastly only brilliant Venus…
Read MoreAustralia Day Seventeen. Hobart: Ocean, Boats, Markets, Produce, Flowers, And Beaches. It Was Love At First Sight
As a child, Tasmania was always some far off exotic place, home of that despicable cartoon character from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, the Tasmanian devil. I read a little about the island, off the southern Australian mainland, before my trip and knew there were a lot of forests and wilderness areas but still wasn’t quite…
Read MoreAustralia Day Seventeen: Hobart, Tasmania Part Two. Gardens, Mountains And The Moon.
Well I decided I had to do two posts on my first day in Hobart since there was just so much to see in this beautiful city. After breakfast I walked to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. I have always loved, flowers, trees and plants and always try and visit the local Botanical Gardens…
Read MoreAustralia Day Eighteen: Tasmania Hobart A Walk Through Downtown And A Ride Through The Country.
I enjoyed my moonlit walk on Saturday night through the docks of Hobart but payed the price on Sunday morning. I slept in and missed the sunrise, something I seldom do on my travels. I had nothing scheduled until a trip to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary at 11;30 a.m so I decided to just roam…
Read MoreBonorong Wildlife Sanctuary: Rescuing The Wildlife Of Tasmania And Australia. And Educating Us On It’s Continued Survival
I would much prefer to find, and photograph, the native wildlife in the countries I visit in their native habitat. . There is nothing like watching a penguin or elephant seal on a beach in Antarctica or a lion or elephant roaming the plains of Africa as free as the day it was born. However,…
Read MoreBonorong Wildlife Sanctuary: Rescuing The Wildlife Of Tasmania And Australia. And Educating Us On It's Continued Survival
Australia Day Nineteen: It Does Rain In Australia: Still A Great Morning On Bruny Island, Including A Sighting Of The Rare White Wallaby.
Sorry, no post for a few days, but lot of catching up to do. So back to my Australia trip and my visit to Tasmania. I woke up early the day after my visit to the Bonorong wildlife sanctuary and left my hotels for my tour to Bruny Island. I found out it does…
Read MoreAustralia Day Nineteen: Tasmania Bruny Island – Beaches, Oysters And Chocolate.
Well back to Bruny Island, for those of you who had seen an earlier post about my afternoon on Bruny Island. I had some issues on my blog website and lost the first post. So I am again reflecting on my wonderful afternoon on the island from memory. I ended my last post at the…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twenty: Farewell To Tasmania And On To Melbourne
I woke up early my last day in Hobart to take one last walk along the harbour I had come to love. I was hoping to see a sunrise but was disappointed because of the clouds in the eastern sky. It still was a reflective walk on the piers and docks of this quiet town.…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twenty One: A Morning In Melbourne
Because of my long day visiting the penguins, I slept in a bit on my last full day in Australia. I missed the sunrise, something I rarely do while traveling. I awoke hungry, since I didn’t get a chance to eat the night before, and I had a quick breakfast at the hotel. I again…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twenty One: Melbourne Afternoon Walk
It was now sunny and very hot in Melbourne as I crossed the scenic Yarra River and entered the gardens and parks of the Kings Domain and the Royal Botanical Gardens. As you may know from reading my earlier post about my visits to Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart, one of my favorite places to visit…
Read MoreAustralia Day Twenty Two. A Farewell To Melbourne And Australia, And A Long Journey Home.
I was up before the sun on my last morning in Melbourne, and Australia. I wished I had more time to explore this vast and beautiful country but I began my long journey home on a mid morning flight and I only had time for one more walk. I left the hotel in darkness and…
Read MoreDallas Isn't In The Desert?
Dallas Isn’t In The Desert?
I write this post shortly after I awaken in a city, Dallas, I have hated for almost a half a century. I am a lifelong, diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan, and as any football fan would know, the Dallas Cowboys are our mortal enemies. I am here for a cousin’s wedding and left my favorite, and,…
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