On Sunday I enjoyed a family outing in my home city of Melbourne. We rarely venture into the city as we prefer heading out of the city, rather than into it! Melbourne dished up a glorious winter’s day of clear blue skies and we really did make a day of it. If you don’t live in Australia like I do, you can plan your trip to Melbourne with Expedia. One of the highlights was trooping up and down the many lane ways. Hosier Lane was the pick with these displays of graffiti and street art. Here is a small sample of what we saw.
From my bedroom window, if I stand on tippy-toes and cock my head, I have a fabulous view out to Mount Dandenong. Whilst not a big mountain, it is the highest point close to Melbourne’s CBD and I am right at the foothills making it very accessible to some favourite spots and all within a 15 minute drive! How lucky are we?
In the short fifteen minute drive from our home, the road weaves up the side of the mountain, past tree ferns, towering mountain ash gum trees, through the small mountain villages of Sassafras and Olinda to the summit. From here, there is a spectacular view eastwards over the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the city centre which is clearly marked by the towering skyscrapers but is totally peaceful and far removed from the chaos of city life.
Throughout the Dandenongs there are some well-known landmarks that are frequented by both national and international visitors. The most well-known being the historic steam train ‘Puffing Billy‘. The journey carries its passengers along a 24km stretch of track from Belgrave to Gembrook through forests and over the famous wooden trestle bridge built in 1899.
Another well-know location is the ‘William Ricketts Sanctuary‘. A four-acre property purchased by sculptor William Ricketts during the 1930s ended up expanding by the 1960s when the Victorian Government purchased the adjoining properties. William Ricketts remained on the property and continued to produce his Australian sculptures that can be enjoyed throughout the outdoor gallery, until his death in 1993 when he was 94 years of age.
There are also many less-known and well hidden treasures dotted through the hills. One of my favourites for that true velvet escape experience is the ‘Alfred Nicholas Gardens‘. Set on a steep slope opposite Sherbrooke Forest is a magnificent garden of rhododendrons, camelias, azaleas and other exotics dwarfed by the surrounding mountain ash eucalypts.
Taking the path that meanders down the hill through the garden, you arrive to a small, secluded lake with small walkway bridges and families of ducks. At the end of the lake is a little, wooden boat shed framed by the garden and mirrored by its reflection in the lake. It’s an image that could be straight from a fairytale book. It’s not unusual to have this secluded spot all to yourself!
Jardin Majorelle is an expatriate French painter’s botanical garden created in Marrakech during 1924 and was recently enjoyed by guest writer, Julie Wilson.
For an oasis of serenity and shade on a hot day in Marrakech, visit the Jardin Majorelle. Wander along the straight red concrete paths lined with bright coloured pots in this medium-sized garden brimming with cacti, palms, bougainvilleas and bamboo groves. Majorelle was a knowledgeable and avid plant collector. The dry sandy garden beds are studded with a botanical planting of cacti.
Water is an important feature of this garden – lily covered pools filled with small tortoises and lazily active fish, water channels and fountains are highpoints. When I wandered through birdsong filled the air.
The garden was created in the 1920s by the French painter Jacques Majorelle. Rather like Monet’s Giverny, as the garden was designed by a painter the garden is composed and coloured like a painting. Many of the built features are painted in a dark blue (‘Majorelle Blue’) which is striking – contrasting wonderfully well with beige sand, green plants and red paths.
After some years of neglect, the garden was restored by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. The entrance fee is only 30 MD but when inside, the prices both in the shop and cafe, are very high by Moroccan standards. The delightful cafe has misters which puff out a cloud of cooling mist to help refresh diners with the intense summer heat. I ordered an almond milk with orange blossom water and dates – expensive but wonderful !
Be warned that the taxis outside the entrance seem to see this as a bit of a tourist trap and inflate their prices accordingly – so bargain hard or walk up the road 5 minutes to the crossing and pay much less (20 dirham should get you most places in central Marrakech).
One great reason to visit this travel destination is to see this inspired garden, the Jardin Majorelle, garden created by a Frenchman living in Morocco.
Limoges is the capital of the region known as Limousin in central France and is 390km from Paris. It is situated on the Vienne River and has two beautiful bridges spanning it. The St Etienne Bridge and the Bridge of St Martial.
It is featuring today because not only is it acknowledging Bastille Day (14 July) but Limoges is hosting the start of Stage 10 of ‘Le Tour de France’. So it stands to reason that Limoges deserves this spot today!
Limoges is most well known for its fine porcelain trade since the 1770s. It is often referred to as the “ceramics capital” and excels in other areas including enamel and stained-glass windows. Limoges was also the birthplace of the leading Impressionist painter of the 1800s, Pierre-Auguste Renoir. He is most well known for his painting ‘Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette’.
You may be planning on cycling around France. Perhaps you want to ride the route of Le Tour de France? This is certainly a good way to see France and much better than from the window of a tourist bus or the woes driving can create, BUT you need to be physically prepared for this. I can recommend an excellent and affordable ebook by ‘Cyclesport Coaching’.
The Traveler IQ challenge ranks geographic knowledge of cities such as: Punta Cana, Willemstad or Columbia by comparing results against 5,473,834 other travelers.
Jardin Majorelle is an expatriate French painter’s botanical garden created in 
Water is an important feature of this 
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