We have been enjoying a very mild, balmy spell in Melbourne given the time of year it is. The past 4-5 days have all been above 20C, well above the May average and so we decided we really had to make the most of this! So yesterday we jumped in the car and headed to the Yarra Valley. The first stop was the historic homestead and museum of Mont de Lancey in Wandin North. Funny enough my grandparents once lived around the corner on a rhubarb farm but I don’t ever recall visiting this place while they were there. With plenty to see around the property, the gorgeous ‘Savoia’ cafe to enjoy afternoon tea (which we did!) and gaze out to distant mountains of the Great Dividing Range, it really was a tranquil Autumn afternoon. We finished up at St Huberts winery drinking a nice glass of Chardonnay among the Autumn leaves.

How the Other Half Travel the Globe

I recently had a little trip to Sydney with the family. We headed there for a friend’s 50th and thought we’d make a holiday out of it. We found ourselves a super, little apartment near Manly via AirBNB and so had access to many fabulous locations – unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best. It didn’t stop us from doing things but well, it wasn’t exactly summer holiday weather!

Our second day we jumped on a ferry from Manly and headed to Circular Quay and were confronted not only with the 2nd biggest cruise ship ever but, also this luxurious, private boat. How the other half get about. Funnily enough, on my return home, I was on Google+ to see one of my connections had photographed this same boat, in the same position but his photo also captured a secret hutch I was not aware of. Where you see the oval window in about the centre of the boat on the upper level, this in fact opens up to reveal a little get-about boat!  

Travel Photo of the Week: The majestic Alhambra Palace

The huge Arabic fortress on the hill dominating the Spanish city of Granada – the Alhambra – is one of the world’s best-preserved Moorish palaces. Alhambra tours takes in the Alcazaba and Watch Tower dating back to the 9th Century. The Alhambra offers a great display of mosaics and examples of Muslim art. This photo sent through by a regular reader has now been set as my desktop wallpaper! I love Moorish architecture and Granada remains high on my bucket list!

Photo courtesy of Travel Tips Plus reader Lavinia.

It’s funny to think that despite being the second most populous city in the entire United Kingdom, Birmingham is still largely unknown among the world and in general among all foreign tourists. So when I got the chance to visit it was clear that I had to talk about it afterwards. When I arrived I had no problem parking at Luton airport.

In this unattractive picture is a building undoubtedly contributed for the Birmingham World War II. Being one of the hardest hit cities, it was almost entirely rebuilt at the end of it. This was the time when the Birmingham airport parking was developed. The odd building was saved but they are so hidden, hidden among giants. They are ugly buildings that make you lose interest to unsheathe your camera.

When I had spent more than half my time in Birmingham I was at one point with this famous landmark, The Bull. It was a plump Taurus statue at the entrance of a large shopping center. I wrote in my notebook that it frightened tourists much less than the city itself.

It was perhaps the massive expansion of Birmingham in the seventies when the city really exceeded one million inhabitants. It had left its inhabitants so sharply that only heavy metal born in any of their crude enclosures had served as an escape for their young people.