Category Archives: Adventure

Going on a road trip? Five must-have items

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There is nothing quite like a road trip in Australia. The feeling of freedom when you hit the wide-open highway and driving for miles, without seeing anyone else for hours at times, is very liberating. It’s what many travellers dream about – especially those who live in high-density areas. Not only is it a great way to see the country, but you control where you stop and when you stop. Whether you are planning to cross the continent or just travel to the next city, here are our top five tips of what to bring to make your road trip a success.

If you are going an extended trip, you may want to consider packing your house up and placing your contents in a professional storage facility. If you are a homeowner, you can earn money by renting your house out, or if you are a tenant, then you’ll save money by not having to pay rent while you are away. The terms of storage facilities are flexible and the security of knowing your precious possessions are packed away securely will give you peace of mind when you are on the road. You can check out what’s on offer at http://www.fortknoxstorage.com.au/

1. The Map

A road atlas or map is essential

A road atlas or map is essential

Half the fun of a road trip is pouring over a map and planning your route. While most travellers have a GPS these days, a map is invaluable for giving you the bigger picture, for showing alternative routes, and also when there is no signal or if the battery fails on the GPS!

2. Spares

Be prepared in case of a breakdown. Every car should carry at least one spare tyre – imagine being stuck on the side of the road without a spare tyre? It’s a good idea to carry extra fuel and oil, a fan belt, air filter and a basic tool kit that includes a jack. It is also a good idea to carry an extra set of keys in case of loss.

3. First Aid Kit

You can buy a first aid kit or put one together for yourself. You should include the basics like band aids, antiseptic, a bandage, pain killers, diarrhea and some anti-nausea tablets. Consider taking a first aid course so you know how to handle a medical emergency when on the road. I also take ear plugs with me everywhere.

4. Electronics

Don’t forget your camera, laptop or tablet, and mobile phone. You will find many spectacular sights along the way so carry your camera in the car.. I always have at least one spare camera battery, a spare memory card and a phone charger in the car. Even if you want to get away from it all and be disconnected from the modern world, I would still recommend you take a mobile phone, just in case. You don’t have to check it every five minutes, but it could really help if you ever got stuck or if you needed to get in touch with loved ones back home. .

5. Food and Water

It can be a long way between stops in Australia, particularly in the outback, so you need to carry plenty of water with you. Breaking down without water and food can be fatal. Carrying your food in an esky will help keep it cool and fresh. Ice is available at most truck stops and petrol stations, or better still, invest in a powered car fridge. This is a much cheaper option than eating out all the time and cooking your own can be a better option than eating fried food offered at a roadhouse.

Happy road tripping and drive safe. Are you taking a road trip over these holidays? 

Gorgeous autumn colours, the approach to Silkwood Wines

Gorgeous autumn colours, the approach to Silkwood Wines, Pemberton, Western Australia

Disclosure: this sponsored post brought to you by Fort Knox Storage

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What does adventure mean to me?

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What does adventure mean to me? It means discovering something new, challenging myself out of my comfort zone, taking calculated risks, trying new foods, and learning about a new place and its culture.

What does adventure mean to me?

In Bolivia, I rode a mountain bike down the world’s most dangerous road, known as Death Road, connecting La Paz to Coroico. Take a look at us jumping with joy to still be alive during the 64km downhill ride. The sheer drop from the single lane pot-holed gravel road was hundreds of metres, straight down, with no barrier protection. One unlucky skid and it could have been all over. Frightening? Absolutely terrifying. Exhilarating? You bet. To ride through the scenery that started at 4700 metres above sea level surrounded by glaciers and ice-whipping wind and finished 1200 metres above sea level amid humid lush tropical rain forests was simply spectacular.

Adventure also means getting away from it all, as the red-earthed dirt road in the Gascoyne, central Western Australia, depicts. Or taking a boat trip in Vietnam to visit a remote outdoor coconut candy factory to sample their wares.

Food is also an adventure – wherever and whenever possible, I eat like the locals. I have found myself buying tomatoes, cheese and bread to make myself a panini from a market in Palermo, enjoying a bowl of steaming Pho Bo from a street food stall in Hanoi, and sitting in a cosy pub in Edinburgh tucking into a hearty meal.

What does adventure mean to you?

FACT FILE:

Southern Cross Travel Insurance is running a competition for bloggers to win $2000 towards their next adventure and other great prizes. Competition closes 30 November.  More details can be found here

The Challenge

As the entry conditions clearly state, I challenge two other bloggers to share with us what adventure means to them:

The Skinny Perth & Eat Meets West. I know these two bloggers have plenty of adventure stories they could share – and they both have great blogs if you want to check them out ;)

 

Woot! Cheap fares to China and beyond

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China Southern Airlines has introduced new A330-200 aircraft onto Australian routes with the airline’s A330-223 touching down in Perth for the first time yesterday.
It’s great that another full service airline can now give some of the other big players serious competition.  Travellers can fly return to Guangzhou, the airline’s modern hub in southern China, from Perth for $760* in Economy and $3230* in Business.

The introductory fares include taxes and are on sale now for travel throughout 2013, but flights need to be booked by 5 April, so you have to be quick!
The new A330 Airbus has flatbeds in Business Class and personal entertainment television sets for everyone.
China Southern’s Canton Route to the world reaches almost 200 destinations in 35 countries and regions using a range of aircraft from its growing fleet of more than 500 planes.
FACT FILE
For reservations call 1300 889 628.
For customer service assistance email customercare@csair.com.au
China Southern's A330-223 arriving at Perth International Airport
Declaration:  Pronto PR (Dianne Bortoletto’s business) is working with Bright Communications to promote China Southern Airlines in Western Australia.

Progressive Fine Dining – Eat Drink Perth tour

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The Fine Dining Progressive Dinner as part of the Eat Drink Perth food festival happening in WA’s capital city during the month of March, is a great way to experience three of the city’s finest restaurants.

Led by Perth’s popular walking tour specialists Two Feet and Heart Beat, the progressive dinner itinerary featured entree at the Print Hall, main meal at Lamonts Bishop House, and dessert at the Terrace Hotel.

Firstly, before a decadent dinner, Two Feet and a Heart Beat owner Ryan took our small group of seven on a short secret art walking tour.  It’s secret because we saw some art in a secret city alley way that hardly anyone knows exists. I’m not sure I should give Two Feet and a Heart Beat’s secret away by telling you where it is? You might have to message me on Facebook and ask very nicely if you really want to know.  We found it  interesting and eye opening.

Onto the Print Hall. This was Zorba’s first time to Brookfield Place and he liked it. Thank God. Trying to get him to agree to a night out in the city is a challenge.  I think it’s going to be a bit easier from here on. He loved it.

We were spoilt with two entrees; two types of freshly shucked oysters – South Australian (bigger and delicate flavour) and Albany (smaller more intense flavour). It was interesting to compare the two types.  My allegiance to WA was put to one side for a moment as my taste buds preferred the South Australian oysters for their delicate flavour.  Others preferred the creaminess of the Albany oysters.  The two vinaigrettes were beautiful, but I still prefer just a squeeze of lemon when the oysters are as good as these.

Two types of Oysters, Print Hall

Two types of Oysters, Print Hall

Print Hall has an oyster special on Tuesdays, two dozen oysters for $50.  That’s just over $2 per oyster. A bargain. Zorba (who loves a bargain) and another tour goer Barry decided to get another two dozen to share. Totally indulgent – I love it!

I thoroughly enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir from the USA. I know, I know, I should have chosen bubbly or white wine, but the red just sounded (and tasted!) so good. I broke the sacred wine with food rule. Oh well, rules are made to be broken.

Tasting platter, Print Hall

Tasting platter, Print Hall

The second part of our entree at the Print Hall was a tasting platter featuring a gorgeous pistachio and pork terrine, serrano jamon, air dried shaved beef, salami, a chorizo like sausage, pickled vegetables, and yummy rye grissini bread sticks as well as fresh bread. The house made butter was a little cold and hard to spread at first, but boy was it creamy and delicious after a few minutes.

The terrine was an absolute standout. Firm texture with the added crunch of the pistachio made it something really special.  Beautifully flavoured. Everything on the platter was gorgeous, but fairly standard fare in our house, besides the terrine.  It was so good.

Next stop, Lamonts at Bishop House.  Bishop’s House is tucked away behind Rigby’s bar between Mill Street and Spring Street in the city.  Many moons ago, a fresh spring once ran under neath where the house is built, hence the name of Spring Street. The heritage listed house was built in 1859. It is so lovely and who ever did the interior design really did a outstanding job – it’s beautifully furnished.  It has a warm and welcoming ambience – the vibe the building exuded made me feel instantly comfortable, like I had been there before.  We sat on the balcony overlooking the gardens that provided a natural shield to the traffic on Mounts Bay Road.

Barramundi at Lamonts

Barramundi at Lamonts

The food at Lamonts, at any Lamonts restaurant, is unbelievably good. Tonight was no exception. Barramundi with a fried zucchini flower and roast pepper and tomato salsa. The zucchini flower, that wasn’t stuffed, was delicate and crispy – as good as any I’ve had in Italy. The barramundi was gorgeous, flakey and soft. The roasted pepper and tomato salsa was amazing. Everything worked beautifully. And we got two pieces of bread and house made butter also. The Germans in our group were very excited about the quality of the bread, saying it was just like bread they got back home.

The Lamonts Shiraz was delicious. Yes, I know, again I had red wine with seafood.  Seriously, with red wine this good, I’d have it with cereal. Perfect Shiraz.

Off for another short walk. Tour guide Ryan pointed out some more interesting pieces of art on the corner of the St Georges Terrace and Milligan Street, before leading us into the Terrace Hotel.

Delicious fortified dessert wine

Delicious fortified dessert wine

Italian waiter Antonio explained the complex process of how the fortified wine was made; the wine is distilled in one wine barrel for a set time before being moved to a series of older barrels, until it reached the oldest mother barrel, which was made in 1927, which was also the name of the wine.  He said it could be called a sherry. Call it what ever you like – but can I have another glass? It was yummy, like a light port.

The dessert wine accompanied a cheese platter.  By far the blue cheese and the quince jam was my second favourite. My favourite was the dessert wine, whilst not technically a food group, I’d happily skip dessert just for the wine.

We sat in a private dining room surround by a gazillion dollars worth of wine and champagne.  I had cellar envy for sure.

If I was to make any criticism, it would come from my sweet tooth. Cheese I love, but not as much as chocolate. It would have been a fitting end to a delicious and delightful night to have a chocolate dessert or petit fours.

It was 10.15pm and our night came to an end.  We were grateful that we had a good group that chatted and gelled well together. This was helped along by tour guide Ryan, a Canadian, who has a really lovely way with people. It’s no surprise that his tourism business is doing so well.

It was a terrific way to experience three of Perth’s newest fine dining establishments in one night, at the cost of having just one night out at one of these venues.

Don’t delay, the progressive dinner is only on again next Monday and Tuesday. It costs $140 per person.  A glass of wine or beer is included with each course.  The wine was most generous at Lamonts as the friendly waiter continued to top up our glasses. Thanks Lamonts.

We hope Tour operators Two Feet and a Heart Beat are able to continue the Fine Dining Progressive Dinner as part of their tour offerings as planned. A great idea and it was fun to be tourist in my own city. Try it, like me, you might discover some new secrets.

We paid for our own tickets to this event.

FACT FILE

Eat Drink Perth runs for the month of March in the City of Perth.

Two Feet and a Heart Beat offer interesting walking  and small bar tours in Perth and Sydney.
Print Hall Bar and Dining Room on Urbanspoon

Lamont's Bishop House on Urbanspoon

The Terrace Hotel on Urbanspoon

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe

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Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe has once again transformed Perth’s iconic beach to an open-air Sculpture Park.  Over 70 local, national and international artists have created cool works for everyone to enjoy.  Best thing of all, it doesn’t cost a cent. That’s right, it’s completely free.   From the grandiose, to those that are fun for the kids, to the thought provoking, the range of sculptures will appeal to a variety of tastes.  Some sculptures are truly beautiful and pretty cool, while others left me wondering, really is that what they call art?

I checked out the 9th Annual Sculpture by Sea very early on opening day and was as impressed as I have been in past years.

I particularly loved the fishing rods piece, aptly named ‘casting around’.

Image

casting around, Ruth Downes & Geoff Webster, NSW

This big wooden sculpture called ‘upside down again’ was also really cool. It was big and I loved the way you can look through it and see the ocean.

There we so many great pieces, it’s hard to choose which ones to write about. I’ll let the pictures paint the words and do the story telling, then you can see for yourself and make your own mind up.

Upside down again
Casting Around
glacier depository
Exhibition inside the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club
m.130301.2 with liquorice all sorts in the background
Happy floating dream cloud
the listrumpet
Tokyo crows
jewel de la mer
tolerance, change, difference
(cray) pot luck!
habibi
how close we are
ghost net crocodile
portal
oushi zokei

A great night out would be to grab some fish n chips and enjoy dinner on the grassy banks or on the beach itself surrounded by inspiring art.

If you end up going, let me know your favourite piece. I really liked habibi on the end of the groin, portal depicting three men crouching together, and upside down again twisted wooden cavern.

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe started on 8 March and finishes on 24 March.

I’m never going anywhere without these again

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I must’ve been a good girl this year because Santa brought me a pair of Bose QC15 noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas.  I’ve wanted a pair for ages, but at a cost of between $400 and $500 (even on eBay!), they were always beyond my budget.

Santa, aka my lovely husband Zorba, came up with the good this year.  Mind you, this was my one and only present from him!

Bose QC15 noise cancelling headphones in case

Bose QC15 noise cancelling headphones in case

Since December 25, my head has rarely been without my limited edition Bose headphones. My music experience has been transformed, propelled to a higher place.

When listening to music, even at a soft level, I can not hear Zorba speaking at all. It’s like his lips are just moving without any sound coming out. That’s BRILLIANT! Especially when he’s on a rant…ha!

Not only do these headphones work a treat, but they super comfortable, quite cool looking and beautifully designed.  They are light to wear and carry, the case is also light which makes taking them away easy, and they come with all the accessories you need – a microphone cord with remote compatible with iPhones, an aeroplane adapter so you can watch movies in peace, and a normal cord without a microphone.

I’ve used them while listening to a meditation CD and it was a new and wonderful experience. No noise distractions at all.

MRGourmet Escape1.IMG_1291

I used them when I was getting acupuncture, and again, I was able to relax while the needles went to work. I’ve never felt so relaxed after acupuncture before, ever.

I wear them pretty much all day around my home office and press the remote to answer calls.  The only slightly strange sensation is the sound of my voice – because I can’t hear properly, my voice sounds weird! After a little while, I got used to it.

The QC15 Bose noise cancelling headphones are coming with me on every single trip from this day on.

Thank you Zorba for the best present EVER!  These are limited edition blue headphones that were purchased from Myer in Australia.

By the way, this is not a sponsored post (although that would be nice..!)

FACT FILE

For more information, visit the Bose website

Myer Australia currently have the limited edition headphones for sale.

Rottnest Island

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Perth’s very own island getaway is just a short 40minute ferry ride from Fremantle.  Welcome to the absolutely beautiful Rottnest Island holiday paradise. This little island has a circumference of 25km. There are no cars allowed and the preferred method of transport is by push bike. There is a bus that services the island’s bays, beaches and attractions for those that don’t want to ride.

Parakeet Bay Rottnest Island

Parakeet Bay Rottnest Island

The beaches at ‘Rotto’, as the locals call it, are stunning, some of the best in the world. Having visited the most beautiful beaches in other amazing places around the world including the Galapagos Islands, Sardinia in Italy, Brazil, Bali, Greece, and Queensland, I can say with authority that Rottnest’s beaches are up there with the best of them.  So beautiful you just never want to leave.

Geordie Bay

Geordie Bay

The lake - where our deluxe room at the Lodge looks out on

The lake – where our deluxe room at the Lodge looks out on

Our Deluxe room

Our Deluxe room

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Our original room at the Lodge – the Palm Court room

First bathroom in Palm Court room

First bathroom in Palm Court room

Quokka

Quokka

Quokka

Quokka

Quokkas trying to get in on the breakfast action

Quokkas trying to get in on the breakfast action

Hello Mr Peacock

Hello Mr Peacock

Rotto is a very family friendly holiday spot. Accommodation is fairly basic – camping, cabins, chalets and villas – all very basic and the word luxury does not describe any of them. Yet during peak season, it is expensive to stay.  There is also the Rottnest Island Hotel and the Rottnest Island Lodge. The Hotel has recently been refurbished and one can expect to pay upwards of $300 per night for a room without ocean views.

In the past we have stayed in the villas that line Geordie Bay – they are basic but have everything you need – a balcony to look out at the stunning bay, a kitchen equipped with the essentials, bathroom and a choice of two or three bedrooms that sleeps four to six people.   In peak season, a villa for six people will set you back about $2000+ for one week.

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This time however, we chose to stay at the Lodge.  Entertainment Book members, which I am, receive a discount.

The Deluxe room – which we upgraded to once we checked in and decided we didn’t like the Palm Court room – cost $290 per night with a discount. It has a lovely view over the lake, is spacious, has a king size bed, flat screen TV, bar fridge, a modern bathroom and a great shower. Yes, it’s expensive, but it is one hundred times better than the Palm Court room that was once a boys reformatory in 1890.  I did nick name it Cell Block B because it was so much like a prison room!

The discounted rate at the Lodge for a Palm Court room was $210 per night. As you can see from the photos, it is a bit grim. The rooms are dated, stuffy, small, and not that cheap really.  There is no view, no balcony or outside space, and neither of us wanted to spend more than 5 minutes in it. Our room also had a smell to it that was all but pleasant.

Zorba didn’t care how much extra we had to pay, he just wanted out of the Palm Court room.  I couldn’t blame him really.

Once we moved into the Deluxe lakeside room, he declared, “Now I feel like I’m on holidays and I’m excited to be here!”. As long as the Greek is happy!

Native to Rottnest are Quokkas, little marsupials that are part of the rodent family. They are super cute and they are everywhere. They are quite used to tourists and often join in for breakfast!

There are also beautiful birds of all descriptions and some fairly friendly peacocks.

Breakfast at the Lodge offered the standard hotel buffet fare – bacon, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, tomato, baked beans, toast, fruit, cereal, juice, and filter coffee and tea.

There is a pool at the Lodge too – which is little and during our two-night stay, it was always packed. With beaches as stunning as those on this little island, I couldn’t understand why you would want to sit almost on top of people around a little pool.

The beauty of Rotto is that there really isn’t that much to do except beach it, sleep, eat, and rest. There are tennis courts, a 9-hole golf course, an old war canon, a couple of lighthouses and some surf on the east side of the island. It’s just so relaxing and so so so picturesque.  The beauty for families is that kids can ride their bikes without traffic fears and because of days filled with swimming, riding and exploring, kids wear themselves out and fall into bed at the end of the day. Every parent’s dream!

Parakeet Bay at Rottnest Island

Parakeet Bay at Rottnest Island

Eating out options are fairly limited and none of the options are really worthy of much comment. The Hotel pub has great views and a cool vibe, but the food there is average. Aristos seafood is also ordinary. The bakery is a ok and there’s a wholefood cafe that is quite good. Simmos ice creamery has opened up and next door is Lane cafe that serves proper barista made coffee.  There is also a Dome. The general store is well stocked and prices are marginally more expensive that those in Perth. Self catering is the way to go.

Yes, Rotto is expensive in peak season, but it’s also an awesome holiday that is devoid of too many choices that makes a stay on Rotto simply relaxing.  I love it.

FACT FILE

Rottnest Island Information
The Lodge at Rottnest
Rottnest Hotel
Rottnest Fast Ferries
Rottnest Express

What every house needs – a private racetrack!

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It’s not Monaco, the Nurburgring or even Oran Park – this racetrack is NSW’s best-kept secret.  Thanks to Formula One Fanz for posting this on Facebook.   I don’t normally post about F1, but it is a secret passion of mine.  I just had to share this because, well, it’s just too cool!

The privately owned road in Kulnura, NSW
The privately owned road in Kulnura, NSW

The privately owned road in Kulnura, on the Central Coast, is a 5.1km Formula One-style track with 22 turns, described by one motorsport champion as the second-best track in the world.

The track, which is said to have cost $10 million, was built by car enthusiast and former Coca-Cola Amatil boss Dean Wills after he lost his licence for speeding on the old Pacific Highway in 1996.

Mr Wills wanted to enjoy his growing fleet of exotic cars – which included the only McLaren racing car ever sold privately – without having to worry about oncoming traffic.

Mr Wills would not reveal how much the family had ploughed into the road but a conservative estimate of about $60sq m for the bitumen alone puts the 40,000sq m of circuit at $2.4 million.Getting to race on the track is akin to joining the mafia – someone has to vouch for you.

“It’s all friends of friends,” he said. “We know the people who are inviting (other people) here and we trust their judgment.”

Those who have done a few laps include motorcycle champion Casey Stoner, the “Flying Scot” Sir Jackie Stewart and Formula One great Jack Brabham.

Mr Wills said Wayne Gardner described the road as his second favourite circuit in the world behind Suzuka in Japan.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a property like this and a spare $10+ million to build a track like this?  Imagine the house guests you would get?!

Thanks Formula One Fanz for this awesome post.  If you love F1, then you will love their Facebook page.

Spectacular Western Australian Outback – Kennedy Ranges

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Whilst working on Dakar-style mototsport event, the Australasian Safari, I had the opportunity to squeeze in a couple of hours sightseeing around Gascoyne Junction.

About 90km from Gascoyne Junction, population 100, is the spectacular Kennedy Ranges.  These colour-filled rock formations are over 450million years old and there is clearly evidence everywhere with fossils every few steps that show that the ocean was once here.  Mind you, Gascoyne Junction is about 170km inland from the coastal town of Carnarvon. Mind boggling.

The Kennedy Range itself is a huge mesa 75 km long and up to 25 km wide, running North to South. The Southern and eastern sides of the range have eroded to form spectacular cliffs that rise up to 100metres above the Lyons River Valley plain. The eastern to the Kennedys is approximate 50 kms from Gascoyne Junction along the Ullawarra Road.

The Kennedy Ranges are situated within the boundaries of the Kennedy Range National Park which is managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The feeling of the place was nothing short of spiritual. It was certainly magical and we found it unbelievable that we could be the only people on the planet at that spectacular spot.  If this place was in America, it would have tour bus after tour bus of tourists coming in to appreciate the natural beauty.

Enjoy the slide show – and be sure to put this place on your road-trip plan when visiting Western Australia. Truly, it’s wonderful.

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London cycling: East End to West End

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How cool are the “Boris” bikes? I didn’t know what a Boris bike was until it was explained to me that the public bicycles available around London are an initiative of Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Cycling Zorba

We had a great lunch at Hawksmoor Spitalfields after a disappointing morning when we couldn’t get into Olympic Park despite trudging all the way there, we decided to go for a cycle through London. We rented the Boris Bikes properly known as the Barclays Cycle Hire.

To access a bike, it costs 1 pound and access lasts 24 hours. If you dock a bike at a docking station within the hour, the cost of bike hire is free. If you ride for an hour, the cost is 1 pound; 90 minutes is 4 pounds; 2 hours is 6 pounds and so on.

It was a beautiful sunny London day and the perfect day for a ride. We rode from Spitalfields down to the Thames, across the loveliest bridge in the world, Tower Bridge (so COOL!), along South Bank, over London Bridge (which is really boring an just like any road bridge you see everywhere), along Embankment and finally stopping at St Paul’s Cathedral. It was so much fun! Mind you, Claire, Zorba and I had two pints each at lunch and were feeling pretty good to start with!

Tower Bridge

We stopped a couple of times, at South Bank, and to give our tour leader, my lovely friend Claire, time to consult the map.

After we ducked into St Paul’s for free (yay!) – it was just lucky timing as a service was due to start and the cashier’s taking the usual 12.50 pound entry fee had packed up for the day – we grabbed some water and re-hired our bikes.

We pedalled across London, cycling along embankment to Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. So so so cool!

The best thing was that because the Olympics are on and the cycling event was on earlier in the day, many of the roads were closed and we were able to ride our Boris bikes along part of the Olympic cycle route.

Westminster Abbey

After taking in Westminster Abbey, we continued pedalling and headed towards Buckingham Palace. We rode down the beautiful tree lined Pall Mall that was closed to traffic – just magic!

We encountered a few policemen along the way that were manning road blocks or just on general patrol and I have to say that every one of them was super friendly, happy to chat to us, giving us tips on where we can take the bikes and so forth. I was very impressed with the smiling friendly bobbies, even if some of them looked a bit scary carrying machine guns!

The Queen Victoria Memorial gold statue out the front of Buckingham Palace had obviously been polished by some mignon as it was looking very shiny.

Shiny Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace

Zorba was underwhelmed with Buckingham Palace – he expected it to be grander, bigger, somehow.

From Buckingham Palace, we rode through Green Park, Hyde Park corner, Marble Arch, and through Hyde Park to Kensington Palace. When we reached Queensway, we docked our bikes, regretfully.

We all had such fun riding though London, taking in the sights at a leisurely pace, WITHOUT HELMETS. I loved that. If I didn’t have to wear a helmet I’d ride my bike in Perth much more I’m sure.

London is an easy city to walk around – it’s not all that big or rather spread out really. But cycling adds another dimension. It was one of the most enjoyable days I’ve had in London. Pleasant weather, great friends, historical magical sites, access to the world’s famous monuments, closed roads and minimal traffic – really, we couldn’t ask for more.

Moreover, the bikes are quite good quality. They are fairly heavy – not ideal for lugging up or down stairs (which we did once!), but they have gears, are smooth to ride, have a handy little carry area on the front for handbags including a stretchy strap to hold bags in place, little flashing brake lights at the back, and they are so cheap!

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We walked up Queensway then along Westbourne Grove until we reach Kath’s place. We could have ridden the bikes almost all the way to Kath’s place as there’s a bike docking station about 60 metres from her house!

Kath and Fiorenzo prepared a fab dinner of antipasti – buffalo mozzarella, mortadella, and home made focaccia which was sensational. We had really delicious authentic home made bolognese for dinner. Thanks guys!

Hiring a Boris bike is a very highly recommended way to see London. Go on, get on yer bike!

FACT FILE

Barclays Cycle Hire