Limoges, France is not a touristy city. It isn’t as pretty as other cities and as a result doesn’t draw a lot of tourists. Nevertheless, there was plenty to see in this town, which seemed very quiet, probably because it’s residents were having their summer holiday by the coast! It was a real treat wandering around town in the cool of the morning while the town’s residents had their Sunday morning sleep in. We had a lot of the attractions to ourselves!
In 1429, Joan of Arc, a 17 year old French peasant girl leads a French force in relieving the city of Orleans which had been besieged by the English. She did it because Christian saints told her too. Nevertheless, she changed the course of French history and Orleans, the town has not forgotten despite the many hundreds of years that has passed.
Orleans is a lovely town to visit even for those without an interest in Joan of Arc. The cathedral is spectacular and includes many gothic elements. There are many stone buildings which are all in excellent repair and scrubbed very clean.
There are many charming al fresco restaurants along the cute, narrow stone laneways in Orleans. We indulged in some buckwheat galettes followed by a Nutella crepe!
Australia and the United Kingdom are like family. They are very similar culturally. Despite that, there have been a few surprises coming here.
Visitors to Australia are often apprehensive about our venomous and dangerous animals. They watch the documentaries listing our venomous snakes and spiders, the man-eating sharks and crocodiles and the deadly (but almost invisible) Irukandji jellyfish. I therefore expected to arrive into the United Kingdom, a countryside settled for centuries to be benign when it comes to dangerous flora and fauna. There may be no large wild animals but there are stinging and thorny plants aplenty!
On our first day here, we were introduced to stinging nettles, an innocuous looking weed common in the countryside. They sting if contacted against the skin. There is also a shin height weed called a thistle with sharp prickly leaves. The Christmas Holly shrub actually has spiky leaves all over. Last but not least are brambles! This hardy shrub grows like a weed. Rough, tangled and prickly with thorns! What a surprise to find so many stinging, thorny and prickly plants in this country! Watch where you walk!
The upside to the thorny bramble bushes are the sweet blackberries they produce. You can find blackberries growing naturally all over as well as wild strawberries. I want to learn more about the edible plants I can forage in this country because who doesn’t love free food! There is a lot to learn actually. There are plenty of strange new trees and plants that I cannot as yet name or identify e.g. yew, cedar, elm, poplar, beech, yarrow etc.
Despite the recent reports of a terrible heatwave, the weather has cooled down significantly. British people are a cold hardy sort, with the ladies wearing their bright summer dresses in temperatures that would have Australians zipping up their jackets! It is so cool that butter is kept out on the counter in a butter dish and the bread is kept at ambient in a bread box! This would not be the norm in Darwin where the humidity and heat would melt the butter and grow mould on the bread.
There has been a discovery of a couple of surprising foods that are new to me. Damson gin is a sweetened gin made with the fruit of the damson tree. A small, dark blue, ovoid, plum like fruit that is too sour to be eaten as is but with gin, sugar and time, it turns into a sweet, port-like drink, perfect for an aperitif or a nightcap.
Another new food is the pork faggot. Pork faggots are meatballs made of pork offcuts, offal and other herbs and seasonings. It’s a traditional food in the UK. Here is another example of a “waste not, want not” or “nose to tail” eating which is a lesson from the past that has lost favour but should be re-invigorated as move into the future. Reducing the number of animals being farmed is good for the climate. This can be achieved by eating less meat and eating all parts of the animals to avoid waste. Consuming non-traditional parts of the animals such as the liver can also be healthier than the usual cuts.
The striking thing about visiting towns in the UK countryside is how the varied the architecture is, reflecting the time when they were built. An example would be the historic old Warwick town with its 1000+ years of history and a majestic, medieval Warwick castle looming over the town. Contrast this against the neighboring Leamington Spa, a more recently built town that grew when it’s waters were purported to have medicinal qualities. The Georgian and early Victorian architecture in Leamington gives it a completely different vibe to the historic Warwick town despite being in such close proximity to each other.
Compare these towns again to the big city of Birmingham with a population of over 4 million people. Skyscrapers, large modern shopping malls, modern architecture adorn the heart of this big city. Birmingham is a city buzzing with the excitement of the upcoming Commonwealth Games which they are hosting.
Another surprise in the UK is the diversity of the accents in the one country. Whilst there are a few regional differences in the way Australians speak, the range in accents is miniscule compared to the variation in accents that can be heard from the UK. These reflect differences in regions as well as socio-economic backgrounds. Despite the differences in accent however, there is one common thread that has been unanimous thus far. Everyone in the UK has been really lovely, kind and warm.
One more thing which I suspect doesn’t change regardless of the country are politicians. We caught the recent debate between the two leadership contenders for the leadership of Britain, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. This comes not long after watching the leadership debate in Australia between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese. Both the Australian and British debates were the same with the aggressive positioning and posturing, the persistent interruptions and insistent hogging of the limelight. They were both equally hard to watch, undignified and basically seems to confirm that politicians (in general) despite how hard they try, are simply unable to come across like trustworthy, normal human beings with integrity.
A highlight thus far in the UK has been attending a play, Richard III at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon. This gorgeous town, the birthplace of Shakespeare has a touristy main street full of old Tudor buildings and a large theatre in a prime location overlooking the Avon River. The production was excellent. It always surprises me how well versed British people are with the history of their kings and queens. Then again, considering how incestuous, violent and drama-filled it all is, it does make a compelling story!
Exiting the excellent Changi airport, into the humid hug of the Singaporean tropical air, there is always a feeling of excitement because Singapore is a wonderful city to visit. We have been numerous times before but these are my impressions of our most recent visit.
The most striking thing is the mask wearing compliance in Singapore. Everyone wears a mask indoors. Most people wear a mask outdoors even though it is no longer mandatory. This is despite the tropical heat. Masks are worn properly, covering both the nose and the mouth. There is none of the slovenliness observed in other countries during masks mandates where people would allow their masks to slip down past their nose and mouth. The fact that the entire Singaporean population can wear their mask properly, means that every mask wearer is perfectly aware of the position of the mask and that if a mask has slipped down, it is intentional.
Even very young children wear their masks properly in Singapore. Toddlers of only 20 months old manage to mostly keep their mask on during a long day of play at day care. We saw a line of older children of 4, 5 and 6 being led in a line through the city by their teachers. They were all wearing their masks properly. To a “liberty” and “freedom” loving person, this may look like sheep-line behaviour. To me, it looks like care and consideration for the community. When people wear their masks properly, they are showing that they care about the more vulnerable people in the community and they care about each other. The only time, I saw masks worn incorrectly or not worn at all was at Changi Airport amongst the foreigners. This was disappointing.
Similar to masks, is the orderliness of things in Singapore. There are neat queues at the MRT train stations to get onto the trains. There are self scanning systems installed on all cars to pay for car park fees which requires no effort by the driver other than to keep their accounts topped up. In many ways, Singapore feels like the future although it is totally understandable that some may find this kind of order too stifling.
This visit to Singapore, it felt like there was a lot more Mandarin spoken rather than English. This may have been a function of the areas we were frequenting. Mandarin would be the default language and English secondary. This is different to my experience on previous visits.
When traveling around Singapore, look out the window at the huge number of high rise apartment buildings. Many of these are HDB (Housing and Development Board) apartments. The vast majority of Singaporean live in these tiny, high rise apartments, a contrast to the spacious houses and backyards of many middle class Australians. As a result of this population density, there are plenty of shops and amenities clustered around these apartments. One could easily live an entire life serviced by the amenities within close walking distance. Just downstairs from an apartment would be all kinds of shops selling cooked and uncooked food, a supermarket, a pharmacy, bank, beauty salons, general stores, medical clinic, dentist and of course the gambling shop. The completeness of the range of shops and services available is driven by the population density and therefore demand from these high rise apartments.
Due to the small size of the island and the large number of people living on it, there are strict restrictions on car ownership. Owning a car is extremely expensive and most Singaporean rely on their excellent public transport system for getting around.
In Singapore, good food is readily available everywhere. The food is almost always reliably good and clean because of competition. A stall selling bad food simply would not survive. It is a frugal food lovers paradise where good meals are available for only a few Singaporean dollars. In Singapore, there is a huge range of prices that a person can pay for a meal. From the cheapest meals at the local coffee shops to the swankiest, fanciest dining experiences. All are available in this buzzy city, whatever your taste.
Singapore, like other Asian countries, it can be economical and healthy to eat out for every meal. There are many places selling dishes which are not too different from a home cooked version. Purchasing ingredients from the supermarket and cooking at home does not always work out cheaper. In many Western countries, a healthy home cooked meal is always multiple times cheaper than eating something of equivalent quality outside.
The public image of Singapore is of slick office buildings, Changi airport, the Jewel at Changi airport and shopping. It is easy to forget that Singapore is one of the world’s busiest ports.
Singapore is indeed a hub for shopping. There are shops selling every variety of goods and services at a huge range of price points. The competition leads to an astounding variety and a strong desire to appeal to every customer.
One of the most impressive things about Singapore is how green it is. The tropical climate supports lush green growth. This combined with smart town planning means that there is plenty of greenery around the city. My favourite are the elegant rain trees that line so many of the streets. All the greenery may look beautiful but it also has a cooling effect on the city. There is a lesson here for other hot climate cities!
Do you like Singapore? What are your impressions of this city?
Sydney-siders love their Vivid light festival but due to Covid, they haven’t had it since 2019. It’s now 2022! It’s back and it is stunning!! It brings the crowds into the city. The highlight of this festival are the light projections on many of the iconic buildings of Sydney. These are all free to attend. There is also a diverse range of other events which are directly or indirectly linked to Vivid. This festival is strategically held just as the weather turns cold in Sydney. Rug up when you venture out after dark to see the lights because the cold wind is biting.
On weekends especially, the crowds that flock into the city for this 3 week festival is insane and all restaurants on the light trail are at capacity! The timing is perfect for restaurants because the weather is not inviting. Gone are the long, warmer, mild summery evenings. Hello early darkness, cold wind and beanie weather! Vivid lures Sydney-siders out from huddling by their heaters in their homes! Check out these pictures and you can understand why! (And this doesn’t even cover all the free Vivid light installations! There are more!)
Ahh Sydney!! We return again! It’s a stunning city! On a dry, blue sky day, it really sparkles!! Unfortunately, recent months have been abnormally rainy but we have had plenty of good days to enjoy nevertheless.
Some things to love about Sydney include;
Today, was the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon. We were unaware of this as we set off on a (comparatively short) bike ride around the sights of Sydney. A half marathon is a crazy 21km long. Turns out this is one of Australia’s most iconic and largest half marathons. It takes in many of the big sights of Sydney e.g. the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Iconic it may be, but Sydney is a hilly city and there are hills on this route. Seems cruel to arrange a route with hills considering the massive distance these poor runners had to endure!
Our first hint that there was a running event were some people walking away with bib numbers pinned to their shirts. We did not understand then, that these people were the absolute cream of the crop and had already finished their 21km morning run.
Next, we rode along the sidewalk of the road which formed the final leg of the half marathon. At this point, there were loads of runners streaming past us, giving it their all, on the final leg. They had amazing rhythm and groove to their running, and they must have been relieved to get close to the end. Grit, sweat, resilience and determination was written all over their faces. They were a diverse bunch. Not just all the sinewy marathon types you would come to expect. There were men and women of all different ages, races and sizes. There were quite a number that you would never expect, based on their physique, would be capable of running such a long distance.
As someone who wants to slow to a walk after 90 seconds of slow jogging, the idea of running 21km is unfathomable and an unreachable goal. Yet, hundreds of people were doing it! And this bunch, was doing it with, dare I say it, some ease! Yes, they looked exhausted and hot, but their run had an unstoppable rhythm. There was no doubt they would easily make it to the finish.
No photos of the runners because I was strangely transfixed looking into their faces, wondering how much they were hurting and how they could keep going. Also, because I try not to take photos of people for the blog without their consent.
Some time later on, we came upon the stragglers. These were runners who had slowed to an exhausted walk. They were passing the hydration station where volunteers were still cheering them on as if they would win the race. I really commend them for taking on a half marathon and kudos to the volunteers for providing such encouragement and facilitating the hydration station. Other volunteers were spaced along the route, some were keeping up a constant stream of encouragement to the passing runners. What legends!
The most amazing thing was, riding through the city later on and seeing these runners, still with their bib numbers pinned on, melding back into the normal population with us mere mortals. These superheroes, distinguishable only on this special day with their bib numbers and medals were morphing into mum’s, dads, sons, daughters, friends etc. We saw runners walking home!! Seems insane after such a massive physical feat to have to then walk home! We saw runners who had turned into mothers, dealing with their whingey kids. Some were walking and munching on an apple, others had stopped for a well deserved brunch, many were chatting on their phones or with their friends. All were highly functioning despite just running 21km! They had all cooled off and looked almost normal. You could not tell that these people had just run 21km! They were now, just people, going about their Sunday, getting on with the things they had to do.
These superheroes, live amongst us every day!!
These people are such an inspiration. They are our aspiration.
Travelling in a new country is exciting but sometimes, the mundane stuff of life can be frustrating. This post is for a person new to Australia and specifically targeted for someone who wants to travel around Australia by road. This is all the boring information to keep you safe and help you save money so you can get on with the fun stuff.
The blog will be split into two sections; safety tips and cost saving tips. For costs, frugal tips will be provided for all the major expenses for road-tripping Australia i.e. fuel, accommodation, food, sightseeing, gear etc.
Fuel is a big expense on a road trip especially considering the distances involved in traveling around Australia. Always look for the cheapest fuel along your route. If you deviate a great distance from your route for cheap fuel, it could be a false economy.
You may only save a few dollars each time but the savings accumulate. These websites are useful for finding the cheapest fuel. Most states and territories have accurate fuel prices information provided by the government except for Victoria and Tasmania. The information in Petrolspy in Victoria and Tasmania is crowdsourced so can be inaccurate especially for remote or small fuel stations.
Other tips for saving fuel include
These accommodation tips assume that you will be camping. If you will be staying in hotel type accommodation, the advice is to shop around. For camping,
To save on food in Australia, it is almost always, especially in remote areas, cheaper to cook yourself rather than eat out. If you are in the big cities, there are discounts to be had eating out. These are documented in this blog post.
When travelling around the country, you are likely to need some stuff e.g. camping stove, clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, pots and pans etc. Here are some places you could look for this stuff. This list is ordered from least expensive to the most. My suggestion is to look online (if you can) to confirm they have what you want at a decent price before heading to the store.
The most useful resources in Australia when buying a vehicle are;
When buying a vehicle, always do your research to understand all the costs and requirements which can vary from state to state. Registration costs can vary depending on state and each state has different requirements in regards to the requirement for vehicle inspections. Understand how much stamp duty will cost.
When buying stuff for your car e.g. engine oil, coolant etc., these are the nation wide stores that sell vehicle stuff in order of cheapest to most expensive. Remember always to check online and compare prices.
For vehicle servicing;
In regards to vehicle insurance, always shop around as the price can vary significantly.
Visiting local parks and botanic gardens are free. These are often well planted with an interesting and diverse range of plants and may be adjacent to picturesque lakes and rivers. They often include additional amenities such as picnic tables, public toilets and sometimes BBQs.
Exploring a town or city is also free unless you join a paid tour. With all the information available on the internet and easily accessible on your phone, it’s easy to learn more about any location. Explore the main street of a small town or drive/cycle along the waterfront roads to gawk at the fancy, expensive houses! Most towns or cities that are built by the water, whether it is a river or the ocean will often have a nicely built waterfront area perfect for a lovely, scenic stroll.
Beaches are free and freely accessible in Australia, in contrast to the paid private beaches e.g. in Europe or areas where private property is built in a way that blocks free public access to the beach e.g. Asia or Europe.
There are many free lookout points in Australia and access to national parks is relatively cheap when considering that the rangers have the never-ending battle keeping out invasive plant species and feral animals, ensuring the walking trails are safe and maintaining toilets and other amenities. National parks are areas of stunning, untouched natural beauty.
Shop around when looking for a phone plan as prices vary greatly. We were with Circles.Life with 100GB plans at $30.
Telstra is the mobile network that has better coverage in remote areas but they can be very expensive. Optus was OK. We had coverage in most populated areas and even in some surprise locations e.g. the campground at Karijini National Park. In a 2WD vehicle, we knew that even if we broke down somewhere without phone coverage, another vehicle would come along soon enough who could provide assistance.
Hope this helps you stay safe and save some money. Enjoy your journey around this beautiful country!
Let me know if there is anything I have missed.