The Sapphire Coast

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The Sapphire Coast

The introduction of a new public holiday in Victoria, the "Friday before the Australian Football League Grand Final" presented a great opportunity to put as much space between ourselves and the football as possible. I was buoyed on by our previous whale watching expeditions and having recently watched a documentary about the killer whales of Eden is southeastern New South Wales to the point of proposing a trip to the so-called Sapphire coast, the marketing name for the Bega Valley and surrounding coastline. The driving would be plentiful, but there would be whales!

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In and around Melbourne

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In and around Melbourne

Living anywhere will mean that you have adventures in and around where you are living. In Paris, these seemed all very glamorous; however it is clear that in and around Melbourne is equally glamorous, albeit in a different way. I have often had people ask me for things to do close to the city, and here a a few things that we have done in the region of Melbourne.

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The Bluff - Mount Howitt circuit, Victoria

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The Bluff - Mount Howitt circuit, Victoria

The Easter long weekend always offers a great chance to get out of the city and provides a chunk of time into which one can get some adventure. Having not that long ago returned from Europe and not visited my favourite park of the state, it was a good opportunity to go hiking in the Victorian Alps. Given Mia had done done much hiking in the area, it was a good chance to do an abridged highlights walk: a loop which connected The Bluff, Mount Howitt and the Howqua River track. The walk was always going to present some challenges, namely water scarcity and four-wheel drivers, but the self-inflicted wound was going to be Mia and I having brand new boots, and this was to be their first outing and there could be hell to pay.

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Hamburg

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Hamburg

Almost as quickly as it began, my time in Europe was coming to an end. My time in France was done and I had only a few days left in Germany. I did however have one weekend left and I had booked in a to visit a good friend whom I had met in Paris who now lived in Hamburg. Other than a recent trip to Berlin, I had not spent much time in the North of Germany. Moreover, there is not much (German) cultural overlap between Berlin and Hamburg, but I had heard many good things about the city. It often appears on list of "liveable" cities, basically meaning that they are excellent destinations for highly-paid expats usually at the cost of the local population, but that would not stop me from going and visiting my friend the expat and having a great time.

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Swabia: Augsburg and Neuschwanstein

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Swabia: Augsburg and Neuschwanstein

One of the most visited attractions in Germany and by extension, Europe, is the fairy tale-esque castle of Neuschwanstein. It is nestled in the Bavarian Alps in the south of Germany and sees scores of tourists flocking to the area to visit the thoroughly modern castle. The castle was built in the mid-19th century when castles had essentially lost their military value but were symbols of wealth and power. Ludwig II, the then king of Bavaria, commissioned the construction of the castle as his personal residence and was inspired (in part) by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's restoration of le Château de Pierrefonds. In any case, with my time in Germany coming to an end, this was one big-ticket item that I was keen to see. It would turn out to be quite a mission for just a weekend trip, but ultimately a worthwhile mission.

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