Australia

Love in the Time of Covid-19, March to April 2020

The Land Down Under; All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go; Goodbye Z4, Hello Volvo CX 40;  Stayin’ Alive; The End of the World as We Know it; Blue Skies Through the Tears

Bursting with travel plans for the rest of 2020, Roy and I arrived in Perth WA on 21 February from South Africa. (For the record, we’d come via Paris, Roy’s niece Charlie’s London wedding, a couple of days with my sister Dale and her family in Kent, and then six nights in Singapore.)

Iluka Beach is just down the road

Read More

Verne’s Visa Woes, December 2019

Triple visa challenge; one night in an Athens jail; Japie-friendly destinations and a wander down Memory Lane; a toast to travel in 2020

Arriving in my home town of Durban a couple of months ago was not the time to kick back and relax, as Roy sternly reminded me. I had to get cracking on the three visas I required for our 2020 travels: Australia, France and the UK.

Read More

Viking Sun Cruise: Sydney to Durban – Part 3

From Perth’s port of Fremantle, it’s eight straight days at sea to Mauritius. Roy had been looking forward tremendously to the many sea days on this cruise – around 15 in total – and he wasn’t disappointed.

What can one say about eight days at sea? On Day One, the prospect seems endless… endless in a good way, if you’re a hardy sailor such as Roy; but if like me you’re already popping the Kwells and calculating whether your stock is sufficient to last all the way to Durban, it may not be an unalloyed delight.

Here’s how the Indian Ocean should (but doesn’t always) look

That said, after a couple of days of wind, high swells and general queasiness, I’m happy to report that the sun came out and the Indian Ocean unruffled its feathers, settled down and suddenly turned the mesmerising shade of blue that it should be.

Read More

Viking Sun Cruise: Sydney to Durban – Part 2

Though we liked the idea of Viking’s “included tours” at each destination, meaning you don’t have to spring for the generally pricy optional excursions, it must be said that some were better than others.

#1 Hobart, Tasmania

The “Viking Sun” in Hobart harbour

Our Hobart tour started off abysmally with a young guide who was perhaps paralysed by nerves. Fortunately, driver Lindsay quickly picked up on the simmering discontent and took over the microphone from her after the first stop.

Read More

Viking Sun Cruise: Sydney to Durban – Part 1

After three months with the family in Perth WA, how comes it that Roy and I are indulging in such an extravagantly long cruise?

Well, my Chief Planner of Travel & Leisure found a ship that could take us from Australia to South Africa – the Viking Sun would be docking in Fremantle port during the 28-night Sydney-to-Durban leg of her Miami-to-London world tour.

Just one leg of Viking Sun’s 2019 World Cruise itinerary: Sydney to Durban via Hobart, Geelong, Adelaide, Albany, Fremantle, Mauritius, Madagascar and Maputo

Read More

Roy Goes to Rotto! – 25-26 February

Ha! Roy was finally prevailed upon to visit Rottnest Island – or Rotto, as it’s more generally known here in Western Australia.  (Click here for my 2018 day trip with Susan.)

As regular readers of this blog will know, my husband is the epitome of a Taurean: he loves his creature comforts. He detests anything akin to camping, hates the heat, and is anything but a beach bunny. No doubt he was hoping to continue to dodge the issue as he had successfully done thus far.

Morning light over Thomson Bay

Read More

Margaret River Getaway, 11-13 February

Famous for its world-class wine, cheese, chocolate and surfing beaches – almost everything that makes life worth living – the Margaret River region, around three hours south of Perth, WA, is a place to visit and revisit whenever the opportunity arises.

This time, it arose from my inbox in the form of an irresistibly priced Groupon for three nights at a hotel called Stay Margaret River. ($429 for three nights in one of their big Deluxe Rooms, and that included a $75 F&B voucher and a bottle of local wine.)

Brookwood – just one of 187 wineries in Margaret River

Read More

Outing to Armadale, 6 January

Festive season family catch-up; outing to Armadale

We’ve been in Perth WA since 20 December, having come here as usual to join the family for Christmas: son Carl, his wife Carrie and our granddaughters Mia and Holly; daughter Wendy, who’s visiting from France; and younger daughter Blaire, who now lives just up the road with her husband Colin and their delightful  new baby, Samuel John Cartwright.

Here are some festive season photos to introduce the cast for my next few blogposts, so to speak:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Read More

South Pacific Cruise – Part One: Sail away from Sydney

After almost three lovely months with the family in Perth WA, Roy and I were ready for our 15-28 March getaway – a 13-night cruise on the HAL (Holland America Line) Noordam, round trip from Sydney to the South Pacific and back.

The Noordam – second time around

Read More