Roman Holiday

(Sorry, couldn't resist cheesy title.  Also, spent much of weekend channelling la bella Audrey, hoping to bump into Gregory Peck.)

So, let's see - Rome Day 1.  What did we do?  What didn't we do?

First of all, the taxis were on strike so we had to bargain with a minicab driver to take us into the city from the airport.  We could have been annoyed by this, but I felt it lent a pleasing verisimilitude to the proceedings.  (When in Rome etc.)

Our hotel was near the Colosseum.  From there we walked and walked and walked.  We walked past the Colosseum, the imperial fora, the typewriter / wedding cake memorial to Vittorio Emanuele.




We walked around and around and around Trajan's column trying to find our recommended lunch spot - eventually we discovered we'd been standing in front of it and it was closed.  So we found somewhere else.

Replenished, we walked some more.  Along the Via del Gesu, through the Piazza della Minerva (stopping to gawk at the priest supply store),



over to the Pantheon,




into the Piazza Navona.  We swung into the church of San Luigi dei Francesi to see the Caravaggio paintings there.  (This is free by the way, but you have to put 10 cents into the box to turn the lights on over the paintings.  I found this strangely charming.  Also: check out the bling in the church - all of the gold paint in the land was used on the ceiling.)




Along the way we fortified ourselves with coffee (Sant'Eustachio il Caffe, allegedly best coffee in Rome, certainly best coffee we had) and a small, teeny-weeny canolo.




We walked over to the Via del Corso and past all the designer shops and even raced each other up the Spanish Steps (this is why I'm looking decidedly shiny-faced.)





And then we had puccinis (like bellinis but with mandarin puree) and walked some more.

And then we had dinner (three courses, silly not to) and walked back in the direction of the hotel.  Luckily - as at least 20 minutes had passed since we'd eaten and we were in danger of expiring - our walk took us by Gelataria San Crispino.  Possibly the best ice cream in the world, never mind in Rome.



Around the corner was the Trevi Fountain so naturally enough we walked over there and ate our ice cream.



And then we walked back to the hotel (swinging by Trajan's column for old time's sake).

Feet: sore.

Tummies: full.

Smiles: ear to ear.

Sparrow Love

Lifting my head up from the day I've dubbed 'six diagrams before lunch' (either you'll get it, or you won't) to post a photo.


If you take a glance around this site, it quickly becomes clear that Lady Traveller, she loves the sparrows.  So I love this note I spotted on a window in Auckland:

Lighthouse Envy

I love lighthouses.

I fantasise about owning a lighthouse with a sweet little keeper's cottage beside it. I'd probably sleep in the cottage, but have my workroom in the lighthouse and also AMAZING parties.

I would fall asleep every night listening to the sound of the sea.

This specimen, at Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road, would fit the bill very nicely.

Market Lane Coffee

Picture the scene. A lovely spring morning (I know! Spring!) A saunter down Chapel St, looking at all the pretty things in the pretty shops. Cut through Prahran Market and enter Market Lane Coffee.

Order a pour over filter coffee (made in the cup using a ceramic filter), a croissant and jam.

Admire the flowers,

Admire the hot milk brought in its little bottle.

Wonder whether, in a city that prides itself on fabulous coffee experiences, you might have found the ultimate.

Market Lane Coffee, Prahran Market, South Yarra. (Go to marketlane.com.au to buy your own ceramic filter online.)

Seven Little Piggies

Collingwood Children's Farm proudly presents:

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven!

BrisVegas

I loved being in Brisbane, all the more so because I hadn’t expected to have so much fun while I was there.

I was in town to do some work on the Audio Design Museum (www.audiodesignmuseum.com check it out if you are or going to be in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane) and I spent three very fun days running around the city talking to artists, designers, architects, curators about their work and about Brisbane.

I stayed in an artist’s studio (studio residence as opposed to painting studio) in Fortitude Valley (is that not the BEST name for a neighbourhood you ever heard?) – please admire my view:

The Valley is very hip and happening and full of stylish places to eat and drink. On my first evening, I had an excellent martini at The Bowery on Ann St, followed by a great 'healthy' burger at Grill'd.

I felt very at home thanks to the bilingual signage (you may need to click on the image to see the street sign clearly):

I loved waking up to blue skies and sunshine and I had some great breakfasts while I was there, most notably in Cirque on Brunswick St: sourdough toast spread with tomato relish and with a poached egg perched on top, pea puree on the side plus a slice of yummy chorizo. Great coffee. Mmmmmm.

Not that much time for photos, but I did take my camera with me on Wednesday morning when I had an appointment on the Southbank where several of the city’s cultural organisations are housed.

The State Library of Queensland,

The Gallery of Modern Art and the new(ish) Kurilpa Bridge,

And the lovely Brisbane River.

For most people who read this blog, Brisbane is a bit far for a mini-break, but I would definitely recommend it for a visit if you're in Australia. The combination of fun, sunshine, good food and friendly people really gave my spirits a lift.

I Heart East Melbourne Library

East Melbourne Library is everything a library should be. For a start, it’s a three-minute walk from my abode.

It occupies a handsome building on George St, where it stands out from the terraced houses with their wrought-iron verandahs.

It’s full of light, the staff are very helpful and it’s clean. You may laugh, but it is my opinion that if more libraries were cleaner, I would use them more often.

But a great library is not founded on aesthetics (and/or cleanliness) alone. What about the books?

Put it this way. I don’t know when I last wanted to borrow so many books from a library. When I actually borrowed the full number I was allowed. When I danced a little happy dance in the stacks at the prospect of so many books I really wanted to read. Old books. New books. Paperbacks. Hardbacks. Magazines. (New ones! In pristine condition!) DVDs. CDs.

And I love it all the more because books in Australia are crazy-expensive to buy (something about import taxes, I’m told.)

So I will bid you farewell, because it’s time to go to the library.

State Library of Victoria

It’s time for a hint!

The State Library of Victoria has a great café (Mr Tulk’s), interesting exhibitions, very comfortable chairs, free wireless and an excellent selection of books, journals, magazines and newspapers.

Anyone can join (although you don’t need to join to use the internet or browse their open access collections) and it’s free. Free!

The hint is very straightforward: if you’re in Melbourne, visit the State Library.

Sydney, By Sea

The first time I was in Sydney, back in 2001, my favourite thing of all the things we did was taking the ferry.

I think it’s still my favourite thing to do in Sydney. It’s only when you’re on the water that you truly understand that Sydney is defined by its relationship with the sea. Its two icons – the bridge and the opera house – face each other across the harbour.

On a slightly rainswept late afternoon, I got on a ferry at Circular Quay …

And if you need proof positive that I am where I say I am (or was where I said I was) here is Sydney Harbour Bridge:

The Sydney Opera House:

And the two together:

This is my attempt at a Turner-esque photo:

And this is the ferry station where I disembarked.

Unfortunately (and this was the only downside to what was otherwise a beautiful experience) I had got on the wrong ferry. Faced with the option of waiting an hour for another one, I ended up walking home. But I still love Sydney ferries.

The Best Street?

A few weeks ago I was (briefly) in London. My friend Jenny organised an amazing treasure hunt around the city to celebrate her birthday – such a good idea and we all got very over-excited by the challenge. It was a great way to remind me how much I love London: it’s like a beautiful, interesting, constantly-changing shop window. Like this one, in fact.

By happy chance, the beginning and end of the hunt were at a pub on Lamb’s Conduit St. This is my nominee for Best Street in London.

It has a vintage pub, a bona fide National Treasure. It has one of the best - and surely one of the most stylish - bookshops in London, Persephone Books.

It has this adorable deli.

It has a fabulous 1950s-style Italian restaurant that does excellent veal parmigiano and where you can order avocado pear as your starter.

I was walking along at dusk on a Sunday evening so everything was closed, but it was still magical.

There are other beloved streets in London, but I really think this might be my favourite.