USA Road Trip: Stop 1

I am back from a 16 day road trip up the Pacific Northwest! It feels really good to have some downtime after spending so much time on the road... although not as long as my friend and travel buddy Emily who had driven all the way across the country, starting in Connecticut! I flew over to San Francisco, after debating whether or not to take Amtrak-- but that would have included way too much travel time. I stayed in The Mission area- near BART stop 24th and Mission. When I have just a couple of days in a city, I usually tend to visit the places that are further away from where I am staying first, because it seems to be the most efficient way to see everything I want to see. I used the train to get downtown, tickets were around $2.75 (USD) and then buses to get around the city (bus tickets were $2 and lasted around 3 hours). My first stop was Haight-Ashbury- a district I have always wanted to visit, mainly for its thrift stores and architecture. 

I spent a lot of time walking down Haight, all the stores were so unique and creative, and the op shops (thrift stores) were some of the best I have ever been to. A lot of locals I spoke to said that they were also slightly cheaper than those in The Mission. I was very lucky to be able to stay with someone who lived in San Francisco, she took me out with her friends and gave me a really good insight into what life was like in the city. I met some incredible people in this city, everyone seemed full of new ideas and perspectives, I had some great conversations and the city had a really progressive vibe to it, which was something I really admired. I also noticed that a lot of people use Lyft to get around, especially at night time- so if you're heading there, this might be a handy app to download (or befriend someone who has it!) I also visited the touristy places like Alamo Square and Pier 39- which was a lot of fun. A word of warning- if you plan to walk up Lombard Street, wear comfy shoes, it is STEEP. 

A store that sold over 1000 soda flavours and lollies

View from Lombard St. 

Alamo Square

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39 

I visited some really interesting stores in The Mission, if you're a home decor enthusiast, I highly recommend Aldea which was full of really unique home ware, I particularly liked their kitchen stuff- definitely spent some time mentally decorating my fantasy home. I also really enjoyed the Clarion Alley Mural Project, coming from Melbourne, I can't help but be on the lookout for wall art- so I was stoked when I stumbled upon this. A lot of cities I have been to seem to have a 'cool' district or area that is known for being culturally diverse and interesting, I felt like the entire city encapsulated this atmosphere. I didn't make it to Twin Peaks, but I got a really great view of the city from Dolores Park, which was near some great second hand bookstores. I particularly liked Alley Cat and Dog Eared Books. 

Murals at Clarion Alley 

Aldea, on Valencia Street 

Alley Cat Books

Dolores Park 

American and Canadian Adventures 2014

So tomorrow, I head off to Los Angeles to begin a trip around the US... well not exactly 'around' but I will be doing some road tripping and visiting some cities I've wanted to check out for a long time. I figured, why not take my blog out of the hibernation it has been in- so I will be posting updates from my trip over the next couple of months. The West Coast plan is to visit San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Sacramento and Yosemite National Park before heading back to Orange County. I will also be heading East to Brooklyn, New York, and I will hopefully be visiting a few cities in the East Coast (funds and time permitting). I'm looking forward to actually documenting bits of the trip on here- haven't really done something like this before. Time to finish off my last bit of packing and check that I actually have my passport for the 50th time! Eeep! 

Rippon Lea Mansion and Gardens

About a month ago, I was in a bit of an exploring mood, which sadly coincided with me being a little bit low on funds. My friend Georgina suggested we visit the Rippon Lea house and Gardens in Elsternwick, Melbourne. It was local, inexpensive and something I hadn't done before. I love discovering new places in the city I live in, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to experiment with my new camera. 

The Mansion 

Where: The Rippon Lea House and Gardens are a 15 minute walk from Elsternwick Station, which is on the Sandringham train line. 
Cost: There is a small fee to enter the gardens, and then an additional charge to take a tour of the mansion I am not certain of how much we paid, but it was less that $15. 

The Lake

Windmill and flower beds

Ferns

Flowers!

History: The mansion is around 100 years old, and belonged to the Sargood family, who owned clothing and drapery firms in Melbourne. You can have a look at the full story here.

My Favourites: The fern garden was so calming and peaceful. I also enjoyed the flower beds and lake. Georgina was infatuated with the antique furniture and decor.

1930s Bathroom fittings

Lounge

Frocks 

Stained glass doors

It was such a great day out, and the weather was perfect for it! Although I am sure it looks even prettier in Autumn. Definitely worth checking out if you're in town. If there are any hidden places you like visiting in your own city, let me know!

Me, myself and I 

Oh, Helga

While I normally like to focus on particular city as a whole, I thought that this weird and wonderful place I visited deserved its own post. In the Sri Lankan town of Kandy, this gem is hidden amongst the mountains. I had no idea it existed until I overheard my aunt talk about it-- she mentioned that she had been to this dark chamber-type dining hall filled with giant melted-wax candles, murals and bats: I was sold. Helga's Folly is technically a hotel that was built in the 1930s with about 40 rooms, but it's kind of an attraction in itself; a lot of people just go there to see the eccentric mix of murals, furniture, architecture, fabrics, weaponry, newspaper clippings about Helga and her genealogy and general artistic paraphernalia. They normally charge a tariff if you want to have a look around, however the weather was bad and so a part of the hotel was closed off, I was lucky enough to speak to Helga herself (on the phone) and she waived the fee. It's definitely worth checking out. I can understand if you'd find it a bit eerie to stay here (my mum was freaking out the whole time), but I would try that too, even if it's just for one night! 

One of the dining rooms

Narrow corridors 

A bathroom

Breakfast room

Common room

These melted wax candles were EVERYWHERE! 

Me in what was probably my favourite room in the house- excuse the poor lighting!

From Outside 

Have you been to any weird but endearing hotels/motels/guesthouses? 

Europe I: Paris

I thought I'd get back into the swing of things by doing a little series of posts about my Winter holiday in Europe. What I usually do when visiting a new city is write down a list of places I'd most like to see-- they can be anything from landmarks to little bakeries to streets with particularly pretty houses and architecture. I usually do a bit of research beforehand and mainly get ideas from other blogs run by locals from particular cities and recommendations from people who know me. It's just a little something I like to do to make my visit more memorable. I'm just going to go in the order of the cities I visited, Starting with Paris! The closest Metro stops will be in brackets-- Voilà.

Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tour

L'Objet Qui Parle, A Jazz Band in Montmartre, the cafe from Amelie, Sacre Coeur 

Bread at a little Boulangerie in Montmartre, Assiette Brie at Maison Rose, Delicious pastries at one of the many bakeries, macarons as christmas decorations 

The Louvre is HUGE, you won't be able to see it all in a day... or possibly a month... Notre Dame is a really calming place to be at during sunset or, if you are like me and like to wake up super early to make the most of your time in a new city, 6.30 a.m is also a nice time to visit. If you have some time, take a trip to Versailles-- the train ride is less than an hour and goes through the outer suburbs of Paris, which are beautiful. The palace itself is stunning, and the guided audio tours are great because you can move at your own pace and take it all in. 

Hall of Mirrors: Versailles, Marie Antoinette's bed chamber, The Louvre, Inside the Louvre 

In a nutshell... 

• Cafes/Restaurants/General foodie spots*: Cafe Les Deux Magots (Saint-Germain des près), Maison Rose, Montmartre (Abbesses), Paul (all around Paris), Macarons at Pierre Hermé (Madeleine or Palais des Tuileries), Macarons at Ladurée (Madeleine), Les Deux Moulins: famous little cafe from Amélie (Abbesses), the little creperie near Centre Pompidou (Rambuteau) and so many more! 
• Places: Shakespeare & co. bookstore (Saint-Michel), Le Pont Des Arts (Pont Neuf), Jardin du Luxembourg- which would be so pretty in summer! (Cluny La Sorbonne), Sainte Chapelle (Cite), the view from the Sacre Coeur (Abbesses), the river bank in general. 
• Districts: Le Marais (St.Paul) is excellent for vintage shopping and Jewish food; unfortunately I couldn't get any photos from here, because it was POURING, and I was soaked and spent most of my time trying to find shelter in little shops i.e Vintage Desir (32 Rue de Rosiers). The Latin Quarter (Saint-Michel) was where I stayed for most of my time in Paris-- great restaurants, lots of bars, bookstores, boutiques and generally  a great vibe as its full of students. 
• Where I stayed: L'Hotel Home Latin-- clean, perfect location, lovely staff who helped me out with everything; I honestly could not have asked for more! I also stayed at another small hostel further away from central Paris, however if you're a first-time traveller,  or travelling alone, I'd recommend staying away from the 18th/19th arrondissements as I didn't feel very safe here. 
• A few things that stood out: ordering food at some cafes was a different experience to what I'm used to at home, I can't place my finger on why that was! Having said that, the people I came across were all lovely and happy to help out. The French pay so much attention to detail-- it was christmas time and all the street decor and shop windows were magical. The metro is actually pretty simple once you figure it out, walking around the city helps you notice different stops which will come in handy when you have to take the train. French pharmacies are amazing, especially Marionnaud's, and they are usually identified with a green cross (like the rest of Europe). 

*These are on the pricier side because a) it was the beginning of my trip and I was slightly naive about my finances and b) Paris has some of the most delicious food in the world (after Lyon, I've heard). Having said that, Paris has some great street food that won't set you back too much, definitely worth a try.  

Shop Window at Galeries Lafayette

Christmas lights

Inside Galeries Lafayette 

Melbourne: White Night

After seeing photos of Melbourne's first 'White Night' festival in 2013, I was very excited to check it out this year and see what it was all about. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept, White Night is an all-night festival that celebrates and showcases the arts. It originated in St.Petersburg and has since inspired several major cities to become open spaces for amateur and professional art, film, music and performance. My friend and I decided to get in pretty early (at around 8 pm), and even at that time, the crowds were ridiculous. We had to meander through several alleyways to make our way to Flinders Street Station, where (we thought) much of the action would take place. 

Crazy Crowds 

The light projection on Flinders Street and the surrounding buildings was stunning. I can't begin to imagine how much effort would go into that. However, I found it so difficult to navigate my way through the crowds to see any of the performances! I saw a couple of short film screenings on Collins St. but other than this, my experience was limited to the light spectacle. This was a bit of a shame because I had a look at the website and there seemed to have been some great performances, but the lines to get to them practically encircled the buildings- if you could make it to them, that is. I suppose overall, White Night is in its early stages in Melbourne, and it can only get better, so I am hopeful about that. 

Flinders St. Station

And let's just take a moment to appreciate what a pretty city I live in:

Did anyone else go to White Night? What did you think? :) 

Seeing snow (for the first time)

 One of the most scenic places I have ever visited was a little town called Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland. With a population of less that 3000 people, Lauterbrunnen is the home of several small businesses and the best hot chocolate, ever. 

It was around 11 pm when I arrived, so it was a bit of a shock to wake up and find myself surrounded by giant mountains covered in snow, and houses that looked like they were made of gingerbread.

We decided to make a day trip to Wengen, the train ride was like something out of a fairytale- nothing but snow-covered houses and trees along the way. There are a lot of great activities in Wengen (skiing, snowboarding, hiking etc). We decided to be super adventourous and hired some sleighs! which turned out to be so much fun. However, walking in snow is freaking hard! Make sure you wear shoes with excellent grip, or prepare to be covered in bruises! Another little tip is to make sure you have a decent amount of money on you. Switzerland is expensive; and there are so many lovely things to buy (fresh gingerbread, cheese fondue, warm cordial, chocolate etc), so make sure you budget a little bit extra. A good idea is to buy some francs before arriving, so you don't have to pay high conversion fees.

Lauterbrunnen Station

Wengen!