Turkey - First day in Istanbul

I have just returned from a three week trip around the western half of Turkey.  It was a phenomenal, eye opening trip and I loved every moment of it.  I have been procrastinating about starting my "Turkey" series on this blog because I have had no idea how to tackle the rich, extensive and ancient history of this amazing country.  In the end I have decided not to tackle it, far greater people than me have done that, so I have decided  just to recount my trip and some of the things I learnt along the way.

Istanbul from the sea

I knew comparatively little about Turkey before this trip.  I had read "Birds Without Wings" by Louis
de Bernieres, useful reading for anyone planning a trip there, and had touched on Turkey in my school day lessons of ancient history and the classics but essentially I was a Turkey novice and this fact made the trip an exciting voyage of discovery for me. It has also inspired me to read and learn more about the  history of this fascinating land.

Our first group photo. In the Basilica Cistern, Istanbul

I was travelling with a group of nine, including our tour leader, on a tour organised by Grassroots, an Auckland based tour company which creates tours for active people, people who enjoy a bit of hiking and kayaking etc. We were a great group of New Zealanders, all women purely by coincidence, and several of us knew each other before the trip.  Something I will always remember about this trip, apart from the amazing places we visited and things learnt, will be the easy camaraderie and the fun and laughter we shared.

  I met up with the group in Istanbul, on the first day of the tour, having spent a week in London with my son and his family. My first impression en route from the airport was of a big, modern city and  then, as my taxi wound its way through the colourful, narrow, cobbled streets of Sultanhamet to our hotel, I was utterly charmed and captivated.  I knew I was going to love this place.



Kumkapi Fish Market

 Sultanhamet is the heart of old Istanbul and the perfect place to stay.  It is an easy walk to the major attractions; The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.  It is also a short walk to the waterfront for a cruise on the Bosphorous or to visit the spice market.  Trams pass close by making other destinations in Istanbul accessible too.  Our hotel was the family run Zynep Sultan, clean, friendly and comfortable on a quiet side street - in a perfect location.  Istanbul is a massive city.  With a population of nearly 14 million it covers a huge area so it pays to find accommodation near the places you want to see.

Kumkapi

Dinner on our first night was at the Kumkapi Fish Market, an area of pedestrianized streets lined with restaurants and strung with colourful lights.    We dined on delicious mezze and fish dishes, while being entertained  by  several groups of roaming musicians and the enthusiastic diners who got up to dance with them. It was boisterous, lively and joyous. Our raised table gave us a perfect view of the crowds of strollers passing by. It was a fantastic introduction to Turkey.

The next morning we had breakfast, in pleasant balmy weather, on the hotel terrace, right beside an ancient mosque and with a stunning view of Hagia Sophia nearby.   We had a big day of sightseeing ahead of us and were excited and raring to go.




Breakfast on the hotel terrace

www.grassroots.net.nz
 



Clevedon - Auckland's rural village

People flock from around New Zealand and overseas to live in  Auckland,"the big smoke".  Although New Zealanders from other parts of the country deride Auckland with a rather parochial and sniffy attitude that it is too big for its boots and gets too much attention and money from central government the fact remains that it is where one third of the country's population want to be.   And it is an exceptionally beautiful, exciting and vibrant place that I am proud to call home.  However, the downside to Auckland's popularity is that the city's voracious appetite for accommodation means that housing estates are marching ever onwards into the countryside resulting in the loss of some of our prettiest rural villages  To the west of Auckland villages such as Huapai, Kumeu and Albany have already been swallowed up by development but in the south east there remains an absolutely delightful village called Clevedon which so far has avoided the developers hands albeit this may not be for much longer.


An early building now restored as a community centre

All my life I have loved Clevedon.  As a child it was an occasional ice cream stop after a day at the glorious nearby Maraetai Beach. As a young courting couple my husband and I would take romantic drives into the country to browse the, at that time, sole craft shop and have coffee.  As a young mother I made handcrafts for a bit of pocket money which I sold through that same craft shop and nowadays I love to head out on a Sunday morning to visit the wonderful farmers market (established in 2005).

Clevedon is set in lush, rolling, farmland about a 40 minute drive from my home.  I can access the village by two different routes.  One is through countryside and up over a small range of bush clad hills, the other is through the countryside and along the stunning coastland of Maraetai Beach and the bays beyond.  They are both incredibly scenic.  I usually take the shorter hill route and my heart always lifts as I come down from the hill and see the village beyond...it makes me happy.

On Sunday mornings the village is abuzz but first I head straight for the farmers market, a little out of town on a spacious, purpose built site. I love strolling the 60 odd stalls which sell everything from smoked salmon, to buffalo mozzarella, breads, artisan sauces, jams, cakes, cheeses, fruit and vegetables, plants, and an assortment of hot food; the bacon and egg burgers always have a long queue.  I take my time picking and poking, making purchases, chatting to the stall holders until it is time for a coffee and a sit down.  Sitting on a hay bale sipping coffee, munching on a fresh pastry and listening to live jazz is a great way to spend a Sunday morning and even frazzled parents can take a break while their children enjoy a pony ride.

Later I head back into the village of Clevedon and have a browse at the  market in the village hall.  On sale are hand crafts, soaps, antiques, jewellery, knitted garments, jams and vegetables.
Across the road are two high quality gift shops selling New Zealand merino garments, sheepskin products, wine and assorted souvenir and home décor items.  There are a few other shops in the village worthy of a browse too including a delicatessen and a chocolate shop.













Above: The McNicol Homestead, now the museum

Clevedon boasts New Zealand's largest polo club where games are held 4 times a week during the polo season.  There is also a museum in the McNicol Homestead, home of one of the earliest settlers.  The museum is open on Sunday afternoons.  In winter the village hosts an Agricultural and Pastoral show, commonly known as an A and P show.  Showcasing all things rural A & P  shows are a New Zealand tradition where prize animals are paraded, and wood chopping  and wool shearing competitions are keenly contested.

 Clevedon really is a gem and I was alarmed and saddened to learn that it too may soon be gobbled up...plans have just been announced to build 800 houses around the village.  I suggest you go there soon to enjoy a delightful rural village before large store chains are built for the benefit of its new residents and it becomes just another nondescript suburb in the sprawling city.

 

                                 www.clevedon.co.nz                    www.clevedonfarmersmarket.co.nz

 

Australia Zoo, Queensland - Home of the Crocodile Hunter

With my grandson...fortunately this crocodile is not real but is the exact size
of one at the zoo

It was a bit of a family ritual at our place on wintery evenings in the 1990's....soup and toast in front of the television while we watched Steve Irwin,  the Crocodile Hunter, throw himself on to the back of crocodiles or wrangle highly venomous snakes.  Steve was a true wildlife warrior and a real Aussie character.  He had been brought up in a wild life park, and had an irrepressible and boyish enthusiasm for wildlife, particularly snakes and crocodiles. Apparently his parents gave him a four metre scrub python for his 6th birthday present and he was thrilled. His delight as he held up a writhing poisonous snake, grinning at the camera and declaring "Isn't it beautiful" would send shivers down our spines, especially for us New Zealanders who are blessed to live in one of only two countries in the world free of snakes.  His other famous catch cry when he was startled by a large croc or bitten by a snake, which he was several times, was a chirpy "Crikey". Many of us thought he would lose his life to a snake or a croc one day but it was a tragic and bizarre accident that took his life at the tender age of 44 in 2006.  While filming for a series on marine life he snorkelled above a sting ray which flicked its barbed tale and pierced him through the heart. He was killed instantly leaving behind his wife, Terri and two young children, Bindi and Robert.  Fortunately Steve left behind a wonderful legacy, Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia.  Originally the wild life park owned by his parents, Steve and Terri, gradually developed it and grew it bit by bit using it as an income stream to develop their many conservation projects.  The zoo is now run by Terri and staff.



My grandson with a dingo

I had always wanted to visit Australia Zoo and on my recent visit to Queensland with my son and his family I finally got the opportunity. It is a wonderful place, not like any zoo I have ever visited before.  The thing that struck me most was how beautiful it is.  It is over 100 acres in area and is like a huge garden with beautiful native trees and bushed areas and animals in compounds along the way. The animals are primarily Australian and I was delighted to see some animals I had never seen before such as the Komodo Dragon, Tasmanian Devils and  Wombats.

Cute and cuddly Koala

Holding a docile croc

 There is a strong focus on crocodiles, understandably as capturing them for conservation purposes is what Steve was known for.  At the heart of the zoo there is a large stadium called the Crocoseum where crocodile shows are put on daily.  We were a little startled to see staff holding snakes and baby crocs, for the public to pose with, as we walked through the gates, however, the zoo is as "hands on" as possible to encourage people to respect and care for wild life.  We stroked the snake, which was surprisingly warm.  The zoo keeper told me they are kept under heat lamps to keep them calm before handling.  Not for me, though, to have my photo taken with it wrapped around my neck! We held the crocodile too all of us feeling incredibly brave.  It was only a baby, about a metre long...but still!  We gasped with horrified fascination at the snakes in the snake enclosure, Australia has some of the most dangerous, venomous snakes in the world, and we prayed that none of them got loose while we were there.



  We enjoyed looking at the adorable, cuddly, sleepy, koalas and strolled amongst the kangaroos in a large kangaroo garden.  A walk past the Elephants and Tigers  brought us to an area still under development called Africa.  There we saw Cheetahs  Zebras and a rhinoceros and the plan is to make this a large savannah-like area as per an African wild life park.  The zoo has many eating places and shops providing everything you could want for a good family day out.






 I would highly recommend a visit to Australia Zoo.  It is a place I would happily return to any time.


   

 www.australiazoo.com.au

 

Akaroa - New Zealand's only French village

If you didn't know the history of Akaroa before arriving there you'd be surprised to see the street signs in French, the Boulangerie, the Boucherie and examples of French architecture in the town.  One of only two designated ethnic villages in New Zealand (I have written about the other village, the Bohemian settlement of Puhoi, in a previous post) Akaroa proudly displays its French heritage at every opportunity.  Set in an idyllic location on a large harbour, Akaroa means long harbour in Maori, it was first settled by Maori  700 - 800 years ago. Captain Cook sailed into the harbour in the late 1700s and whalers from various countries used it as a base in the 18th and 19th centuries.  However, it was a French whaling captain, Jean Francois Langlois, who negotiated a land deal with local Maori which he took back to France and it was as a result of this deal that 60 French settlers arrived in Akaroa in 1840.  The French had hoped to lay claim to New Zealand but had been beaten to it by the British who had signed a treaty with the Maori earlier in 1840.  Nevertheless the French remained, settling in Akaroa where their descendants still live today.





The pretty inner harbour, French Bay

Unfortunately it was drizzling  the morning I decided to take the Akaroa Shuttle from Christchurch to Akaroa, an hour and a half away.  That didn't dampen my enthusiasm, though, and I enjoyed sitting in cocooned comfort watching the beautiful scenery of the Banks Peninsula pass by, listening to the informative commentary and enjoying the occasional stops for coffee and photo opportunities.  If you don't have a car the Akaroa Shuttle is very good value.  A return trip costs just $45NZ.

The village of Akaroa is a delight with pretty little boutique shops and galleries, waterside eateries and restaurants, and tranquil seaside and bush walks  I had been there before, only briefly,...and it was raining then too!...but this was my chance to have a whole day picking and poking around and enjoying the history of the area. And I did enjoy it, weather not withstanding. The entire town, with a population of less than 600, is registered with the Historic Places Trust as an Historic Area due to its large number of surviving 19th century buildings. The town has two centres, the English having settled at the south end of the village and the French to the north.


Left Above:  French influenced architecture

Left below: Typical Victorian English architecture.

These are at opposite ends of the town.

 Right:  Even the service station advertises in  French




 The day I was there was the day of the town's harvest festival.  Large marquees were set up on the village reserve where local farmers, orchardists and artisans displayed their produce for judging.  I loved it, huddling side by side, out of the rain and sitting on hay bales with the local farmers in their raincoats, shorts and gumboots, drinking coffee and sampling local cheese, while their children frolicked about the tent waiting anxiously for the judging of the scarecrow competition.  It was so good to be a part of honest, down to earth, rural New Zealand, if only for a short while. Although, some of the stall holders outside in the rain looked less than joyful, I have to admit.

 

The rain doesn't dampen spirits at the Akaroa Harvest festival

It was easy to spend a few hours visiting the beautiful historic buildings, window shopping, finding a really nice cafe to have a bowl of hot soup and a glass of wine while looking out at the harbour.  I walked to the picturesque light house and started to walk to the historic cemetery but the rain got heavier and common sense prevailed.  Unfortunately the Akaroa Museum is currently closed as a result of damage from the Christchurch earthquake.  This was a shame because I was left with quite a bit of time to kill, sheltering from the rain,  before the shuttle arrived to take me back to Christchurch. Several people from the shuttle took dolphin watching cruises on the harbour but I had done similar cruises in the past so did not opt for that.





Nevertheless, I did love my trip to Akaroa and I say that if I loved it on a drizzly, cold, miserable day it must be just wonderful to see it on a good day.

 Left: St Patricks Catholic church built in 1864.  The site of the first Mass said by French Bishop, Pompallier, in the South Island


www.akaroa.com

Christchurch - a city with a broken heart but a fighting spirit

Demolition and bulldozers everywhere

In September 2010 Christchurch, New Zealand's second most populous city, was shaken by a magnitude 7.1 eathquake.  Although it was a sizable shake and there was damage to many buildings no one was killed and repairs to affected buildings began in earnest.  Nobody, however, expected 
the second deadly earthquake which occurred in February 2011 killing 185 people, and causing widespread devastation across the city and suburbs. Many of the city's buildings, already weakened by the first earthquake, were unable to withstand a second big shake.  The disaster was the second deadliest in New Zealand's history, after the Hawkes Bay earthquake of 1931 when 256 people were killed.

What was once a thriving city centre

I live in Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, and my knowledge of the earthquake came from what I had seen on TV and read in the papers.  We Aucklanders knew it was major and many of us did our bit to assist through donations and support for the people of Christchurch. But TV and newspapers cannot give the full picture so it was with shock and amazement that I saw Christchurch first hand last week.  I simply had no idea how big a disaster had occurred.  Christchurch is a city I had visited often, both for work and to visit friends and family. It was a city I was fond of and where I had favourite places to stay and cafes to frequent.....they are all gone.  The inner city just does not exist anymore. There are a few multi storied buildings still standing but many of them are due for demolition soon.

The beautiful old Theatre Royal (1907)with its facade propped up in the hope that
 it may be saved and a new theatre built behind it

 When I arrived at the new temporary bus station in the centre of the city I was completely disorientated.  There were no landmarks I could recognise and I felt completely lost.  With the help of a charming old man, a long term resident, I eventually found my accommodation, having to walk a long and circuitous route due to blocked off Red Zone areas (too dangerous to enter).



Christchurch Cathedral, the heart of the city. The damage is worse than it looks.
The hotel behind it is due for demolition

A once trendy mall off Cathedral Square now derelict and overgrown

One day I took a specially licensed tour of the Red Zone and just could not fathom how much has been lost.  Christchurch had an iconic Cathedral, the centre point of the city, which is now in ruins and the subject of a fierce debate as to whether it should be restored or demolished.  There is little else left in Cathedral Square, the heart of the city.  All the main shopping streets are gone and vast areas of the city are either bull dozed waste land or buildings in the throes of demolition.  I walked through some suburbs and saw a lot of damage to houses.  At least 100,000 homes were damaged in the quake and it is estimated 10,000 of those will be demolished.  The liquefaction caused by the quake was estimated at 400,000 tons which bubbled up around and invaded homes and had to be laboriously shoveled out. As with many a disaster it brought out the best in people and volunteer groups of students and farmers quickly arrived to offer help.

Sad sign on a damaged shop

Poignant installation art remembering the 185 killed

Christ College , Christchurch

Fortunately some of Christchurch's best loved old stone buildings have survived around the fringe of the inner city.  The much loved Arts Centre is badly damaged but will be restored and Christ College, the more English than English boy's college, suffered relatively minor damage and has been repaired

 The earthquake has taken a huge toll on the health and well being of the local residents.  It is heartening, therefore, to see signs of recovery and clever morale boosting projects popping up around the city.  I was deeply impressed by the resilience of so many and the thought and creativity that has gone into cheering people up in incredibly difficult times.  I strolled past a big corporate event being held in a bulldozed uneven carpark.  Prior to the earthquake it would, no doubt, have been held somewhere swanky and upmarket....but there is nowhere like that left.  Those attending the event seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I guess, for them, this is just how things are at the moment.

Put $2 in the converted washing machine
and dance your cares away - Christchurch

A library for all to use outside someone's house

Furniture made from grass and painted daisies to brighten up the city

The funky and popular container mall

Christchurch's  old, well established, flag ship department store, Ballantynes, is in the heart of the city.  It was damaged in the quake, but not badly, and was quickly restored and renovated. It was the only shop left in the city centre.  Stepping inside it it is as if the earthquake never happened.  It is a beautiful store with a lovely cafe and must be a great boost for the locals. The main shopping street has been completely cleared and in its place is a smart trendy container mall consisting of stacked shipping containers painted in bright cheerful colours which house a number of eateries, shops and even a bank.  It is attractive and fun and although it is a temporary measure it doesn't feel that way.

Signs of recovery - the repaired New Regent Street opened for business late April

It is a strange thing to say but I really enjoyed my time in Christchurch.  I felt sad for the people of the city and
shocked at what I saw but also impressed by the air of positivity and the feeling that life and people are what is important, not bricks and mortar.   A quote I heard at the graduation ceremony I was in Christchurch to attend sums it up well : "The best of things happen if you make the best of things that happen"

Williamstown - Melbourne - Australia

City of Melbourne from the Williamstown ferry

With a few hours to spare before meeting up with family I decided to take a cruise to the town of Williamstown on the outskirts of Melbourne.  Williamstown is advertised as an historic seaport in Hobsons Bay and that sounded just like my cup of tea. The cruise takes about 45 minutes and is, to be frank, a little underwhelming.  After passing through an attractive part of downtown Melbourne it is a long slow journey through typical port industrial areas before finally arriving at the pretty boat harbour and Gem Pier at Williamstown.  The town has had a rich and colourful history from the time it was originally occupied by indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation.  It was first settled by Europeans in 1835 and saw explosive growth during the Victorian gold rush in the 1870s.  It was also the centre of the Victorian Navy and is still home to a boat building dockyard for the Australian navy.




Port of Melbourne tugs lined up ready for action

A fascinating piece of history is the fact that Williamstown was the only part of Australia to play a part in the America civil war by assisting the confederates. The warship, Shenandoah, docked at Williamstown for repairs in 1865 and stayed a month while it was repaired, the crew enjoying all that shore leave had to offer, until it finally sailed again with an illegally recruited crew. This caused huge embarrasment to Great Britain, which had remained neutral during the civil war.  The governor of Victoria refused to arrest the ship which had gone on to sink 25 US merchant ships so the colony of Victoria was seen as being an accomplice to the US south. Great Britain, as a consequence, had to make a large financial reparation to the US government.





Historic buildings, Nelson Place

Stepping off the ferry I found Williamstown to be a sleepy place, a bit scruffy around the edges and still in the throes of turning itself into an historic village.  There is an excellent information centre adjoining the reserve by the pier where you can pick up self guided walking maps and the Customs House (1874), nearby, is a fine building housing a marine themed gift shop and an art gallery. The main streets, Nelson Street and The Strand have some attractive old buildings but it was disappointing to find that they housed nothing more than a couple of non descript shops and some very ordinary eateries.

Timeball dating from 1849

 

It is important to get a map and to do a walking tour because the gems are well hidden amongst some very tired and run down parts of the town.  The botanical gardens are well worth a look.  Although small they are very pretty.  Walk through the gardens and you come to the lovely golden sand Williamstown beach.  Further around the coast is the rare, fully operational, Timeball Tower. This was invaluable to 19th century ships whose crews were able to set their chronometers by the timeball which dropped at exactly 1pm each day.

I wandered around for a couple of hours, seeking out the historic buildings amongst the industrial and badly run down.  One of the most bizarre things I saw was a pub called The Titanic, complete with a  replica of the ship's superstructure and funnels covering the roof.
               

Williamstown wasn't quite the marine heritage town I expected.  Devonport, in Auckland, outshines it on that score, however, there are signs that Williamstown is beginning to attract a new type of settler, one who values the rich and extensive history and heritage of the town, as attested by the number of  old cottages being restored.



                                                                                                        

 As I walked back to the ferry a young teenage girl fell into step with me.  She was lost and asked me the way and we walked together for some time.  She said she had arrived by train from central Melbourne to meet some friends and that her mother had been concerned about her going to Williamstown as it had had a bad reputation in the past.  She told me her mother was just remembering what it was like in her youth when it was a seedy place but that it has improved since then.  She was an absolute delight as she chatted in her disarming way....she made my day.

www.visithobsonsbay.com.au



Funky Melbourne

I've just returned from a few days in Melbourne, Australia, and had a great time visiting familiar haunts and hanging out with family.  The main purpose of this trip was to attend a nephew's wedding which was a beautiful, joyous occasion,  however, while there, I took the opportunity to enjoy many of the interesting corners of this lively, bustling, artistic city.

Hosier Lane - the graffiti in this lane is prized and a  real tourist attraction.
  The Movida bar is atmospheric and has a fantastic range of tapas.

Melbourne is a big city, the capital of the state of Victoria it has a population of more than 4 million in mainly low rise housing that sprawls over a vast area nevertheless I spent most of my time in and around the city centre and was never at a loss as to how to fill my day.  Simply wandering the streets is as much fun as anything but the city does have a lot to offer. Here are some of my picks and hints for some of the funky things to see and do in Melbourne City.  I will do further posts looking at different aspects of Melbourne later.

Howey Place

Laneways: I love the Laneways of Melbourne.  These tiny lanes were originally access points and delivery lanes for businesses fronting onto major streets but they have since become destinations in their own right.  Now crammed with cafes and boutiques  many of them have a personality all their own. Some of the coffee shops are tiny and make wonderful coffee They are great places to hang out with a cup and watch the world go by. Hosier Lane absolutely covered in artistic graffiti is a major tourist destination, Hardware Lane, full of restaurants and cafes, has a very european feel to it while Howey Place boasts designer boutiques amongst the cafes.

I also love Block Arcade.  This is not a "lane" but a beautifully elegant arcade with wonderful architecture and home to the very popular Hopetoun Tearooms.

That's me, in white jeans, photographing me on the giant screen
in Federation Square

Federation Square: Right on the banks of the Yarra River, which flows through the heart of Melbourne, the square is  known as "the" meeting place in Melbourne.  This large sloping square is a buzzy, funky place.  It is where festivals are held, I lucked into an International Cultural Festival while I was there. It is also the location of the visitors centre.  It's a bit of a mission to get down the long staircase to it, alright for me but not for the aged or infirm, but it offers very good service  The Art Gallery at Federation Square is an absolute must.  It is a wonderful gallery with constantly evolving exhibitions.  The adjoining Ian Potter Centre is a fantastic place to familiarise yourself with aboriginal culture and art. And after all that just grab a sandwich and sit by the peaceful, gently flowing Yarra for a quiet interlude.  There is also free Wifi in the square.

The National Art Gallery at Federation Square, in front of the Cathedral
 spire on the banks of the Yarra River

An interesting and definitely
"funky" sculpture at the
National Gallery

Street artist, working in pastels, on Swanston Street

Street Artists:  I enjoyed Melbourne's street artists and performers.  There is such a variety of artists doing all sorts of things and they are very good.  Lingering for a few minutes to watch a performance always brought a smile to my face.  The good thing is if you don't like a performer you just keep walking.




Trams: Melbourne has a wonderful tram system. I've included it in my "funky" posting because some of the trams truly are old and funky....but great fun.  They are frequent and fast and get you to most places around the city and inner suburbs. The best thing for tourists is the free tram which circles the city centre in both directions and includes an informative commentary. I made very good use of this on several occasions. The city is beautifully laid out in a grid system so it is very easy to find your way around and never too far to walk from the free tram to your inner city destination.