Sunday 31 December 2017, New Year's Eve

The Royal Exhibition Centre building

We had a late breakfast at the Soul Cafe. Then we took a tram to the Melbourne Museum to meet Matthew and Sarah. We got off the tram at the last stop in the free zone, and walked through Carlton Gardens past the Royal Exhibition Centre.

Hoping to see lizards

The museum was interesting as usual. Highlights were the outdoor habitats for lizards, turtles and birds, the exhibition of minerals, and the dinosaur re-creation. It was very crowded there today.



We enjoyed a small lunch at a Japanese place, Ichi Ni Na Na in Brunswick Street. Then we split up until the evening. On our way back to the hotel, there was an incident on the tram so we continued on foot to Target to buy some more T-shirts for Richard. I also managed to post the last three postcards. We went back to the hotel for a rest.

In the Melbourne Museum gardens

In the evening we set out to meet the others for dinner, but the trams near us weren't running and the streets were blocked off to traffic. So we had to walk all the way to meet Matthew and Sarah at the restaurant. We just made it in time for our 20.15 dinner appointment at Entrecote.

Showing off my new jewellery

 We had a glass of champagne and a 5 course meal of canapes, choice of starter (I had duck), a choice of main (I had ocean trout with tapenade and ratatouille) and salad, some Brie, and a dessert (I had chocolate croquante. We also had a Viognier Marsanne 2016 from Barossa Valley. It was a very nice meal with attentive service.




But getting home was also difficult as we had to walk all the way and the streets were full of crowds going in the opposite direction. Some of them were very pushy. On the bridge there was pedestrian traffic control all the way.

We got back in time to see the fireworks going off over the city skyscrapers. Happy New Year 2018!

New Year's Eve in Melbourne 2017 - photo by Richard

Saturday 30 December, Adelaide and then back to Melbourne

Indigenous art in Adelaide

In the morning, we visited the South Australia Museum. Excellent. I took photos of more aboriginal art for inspiration. We also saw minerals and fossils, some prehistoric finds, all nicely displayed. Afterwards we had a drink in the Cafe.

A fossil in the South Australia Museum

We also had another drink at Neon, near our hotel and riverside. I had a delicious Sauvignon Blanc. Then we went back to the hotel, and took a taxi to the airport.



In the afternoon, we had a short return flight to Melbourne. We put our watches forward half an hour. Matthew and Sarah went home, and we took a taxi to the Mercure.

Having a drink in the cafe

Later Richard and I had a Greek meal at Kri Kri in Little Bourke Street. We had a Rosemount Shiraz 2016 and some mixed dips, goat and deep fried zucchini.

Friday 29 December, Barossa Valley wineries tour

Taste the Barossa!

At the Whispering Wall reservoir

We all took a minibus tour to the Barossa Valley via the Adelaide Hills and the Whispering Wall. This was a dam which could transmit the sound of our guide from the opposite side. We could hear him speak very clearly.




Then we headed to Lyndoch Village 1847 winery. It was actually founded in 1947 by a German family, and the top grapes grown here were Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, often used in blends, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery was also free of any vine diseases. The wine label was known as Chateau Yaldara. We tasted the following wines:

Lyndoch Village 1847 winery - founded by Germans

Semillon/Chardonnay/ Sauvignon blend - very dry and fruity.
Rose from Grenache/Sangiovese - good taste, still quite dry,
Muscato - A sweet white, not my taste,
Petit Verdot - a sparkling red. Not keen.
Cabernet Franc - a bit tanniny, dry 2016
A classic tawny - Good aroma.

The wine estate also featured an extensive rose garden of 30,000 roses.

We drove on through Rowland Flat to Tanunda, crossing the Jacob's Creek. We walked through the small town, seeing the blue-stone houses, and arrived at the Peter Lehmann estate. He was the saviour of the Barossa Valley wineries in 1979.   Peter Lehmann was a legendary winemaker who died in 2013 aged 83. We tasted the following wines at this winery:

Peter Lehmann cellars

2016 Hill and Valley Eden Valley Riesling - a delicate wine, light and drinkable, a credit to the experience of the growers.
2011 Margaret Barossa Semillon - aged 5 years, oaky, named for the wife, an unusual wine.
2014 Moppa Shiraz - a good flavour, quite light, dry, good with lunch. Some tannins.
2013 VSV Hearndon Eden Valley Shiraz - Very Special Vineyards produce this very nice wine, soft with full flavour.
2012 Stonewall Shiraz - the flagship wine, good depth of flavour, dark and leggy from premium grapes. Keeps well.
2012 Black Queen sparkling Shiraz - a unique Australian wine style, quite sweet, not to my taste.

Then on to Langmeil winery for tasting and lunch:
2017 Wattle Brae Dry Riesling - very light and pleasant taste
2015 Malbec - dry, still quite young

We strolled past the Langmeil old vines

2015 Valley Floor Shiraz - fruity
2015 The Fifth Wave Grenache - very light.

Next stop - Lindsay wines. I was too tired to taste them. Richard tried:
Moscato sparkling - a dessert wine
SB/Semillon - very dry
Rose
Riesling - v dry
Merlot - dry
Tempranillo - very nice, light
Cabernet Sauvignon - cheaper.

We headed back to the hotel and had a sleep! We had dinner at La Rambla Tapas bar. A very nice meal and a Rusden 2016 Driftsand
Barossa Valley red.

Thursday 28 December, Kangaroo Island

Dave and me at a viewpoint overlooking the bay

Richard and I were up early for the 6.20 pickup at the Mercure Hotel opposite. A bus took us to Fort Jervis in time to catch the 9am ferry to Kangaroo Island. Our driver told us a few facts about the sights on our route. We passed vineyards, olive trees and saw kangaroos hopping along. Our bus also brought the mail for the island, Australia's third largest.



We boarded the ferry and had a smooth crossing. It took under an hour. A surprising number of people made the day trip. Dave Cowans was there at the island ferry port to meet us, and we picked up Jill nearby. They gave us an island tour, starting with the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil distillery and gift shop. I bought some eucalyptus oil for my feet.

Dave beside Admirals Arch

Then we headed to Flinders Chase National Park where we had lunch of BLTs and beer (water for Dave).

A koala in the eucalyptus

After lunch, we drove west and south to see rock formations known as Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. We saw seals playing and a koala in a tree.

The agapanthus was in bloom everywhere on the island

We also called in to the Bay of Shoals winery and tasted some nice whites. Then back to the Cowans' home for tea of salads and cold meats provided by Jill. It was very pleasant.


Dave dropped us back at the ferry port in time for our return boat trip. Dave and Jill gave us a great day on their island.


The drive back to Adelaide was rather tedious in busy traffic. We arrived at the hotel at 22.45.

Wednesday 27 December, in Adelaide

We loved the indigenous art in the Adelaide gallery

Our first full day in Adelaide, with Matthew and Sarah. The hotel breakfasts at the Intercontinental are huge. In the morning we visited the South Australia Gallery of Art along the road from our hotel. We enjoyed seeing the indigenous artworks especially. I took lots of photos.

The art is inspired by the earth, sky and nature

At 1pm we skipped lunch and took an Uber to a wine tasting at nearby Penfolds Magill estate, where they grow Shiraz grapes. They also process other grape varieties such as chardonnay. Our guide Ryan was very knowledgeable. We saw the original metal tanks and the old basket press. We learnt that 2017 had been a tricky year for the winery. The winery uses old French barrels. We saw one huge wine barrel named after Helen Keller.

The wine shop at Penfold's winery

After the tour we tasted 10 wines, 4 whites and 6 reds including a Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, and a tawny port. All were very drinkable! We bought 6 bottles between us, 2 Sauvignon Blanc, 2 Chardonnay and 2 GSM reds.

Inside Penfold's cellars

Later Richard and I managed to find the post office for some stamps. I posted 3 cards. We all had dinner at Sean's Kitchen near our hotel: Richard and I had pea risotto and the others had oysters, and then we shared three types of steak, with a Peppertree Shiraz from Clare Valley. We finished with lemon tart. A delicious meal with excellent service.


In fact, an excellent day!

Tuesday 26 December 2017, Boxing Day, flight to Adelaide

The view from our hotel room - we forgot swimming things

Today we are all taking the 10.00 Qantas flight to Adelaide where we will be staying at the Intercontinental Hotel. I'll finish off my blog on our return to Melbourne on Saturday 30 December. Meanwhile I have my trusty little black notebook.

Beside the river behind our hotel it was pleasant to stroll

On Tuesday morning we took an Uber to the airport and met Matthew and Sarah at check in. Our flight to Adelaide was painless, and after collecting our bags we got a taxi to the Intercontinental Hotel in the city centre.



We strolled along Rundell Mall in the city centre. Some of the shops were open today. Then we had lunch at nearby La Boca Argentinian restaurant of spatchcock chicken, chips and a beer.

Matthew and Sarah strolling along the river path

We saw pelicans on the river behind our hotel

In the evening we walked along by the river behind our hotel. It was very pleasant. I took some photos in order to paint the scene back in Switzerland. Then we had drinks and snacks in the hotel bar.

Monday 25 December, Christmas Day

Christmas Day in Melbourne. I had a shower and dressed for a warm day. I've started a new book by Tony Parsons, Catching the Sun, set in Thailand.

Richard in Matthew and Sarah's kitchen

We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant which was very busy. Then we spoke on WhatsApp to Laura and the Hernandez family, who were still celebrating Christmas Eve. We met Matthew and Sarah in the hotel lobby, and had a coffee in MacDonalds. Then we all took the 302 bus to Box Hill, where they live. Our first visit.

Christmas lunch 2017 - a nice picnic of meat and cheese

We visited Matthew and Sarah's apartment which was very nice and modern, although quite small. They served us Prosecco and we exchanged small presents. I got some earrings and R got a cheese cookbook and a wine guide. We gave them a few mementos of Grandma too.


We had a lovely lunch of hummus, cheeses and meat with olives and bread, plus some ripe cherries. We then got an Uber to Elwood beach. It was breezy there and we walked along to St. Kilda, which was quite crowded. We went onto the sand and I took some photos.

On St. Kilda beach, Christmas Day 2017

Then we got a tram back to the city centre and rested in our room.

In the evening we all went for a Chinese banquet at Quanjude. We ate wonton soup, scallops, whiting, a whole Peking duck with pancakes and hoisin sauce and jasmine tea, followed by fried rice with beef and mandarin sauce, black mushrooms with bean curd, and baby pak choi. A delicious meal!

Our Peking duck dinner

We said goodbye to Matthew and Sarah, returned to our hotel and started packing for tomorrow's flight to Adelaide.

Matthew waiting to start

Sunday 24 December 2017, Christmas Eve

At Fed Square - 24 December 2017

We got up rather late this morning. Showered and went back to nearby Soul Cafe for breakfast. I had coffee, orange juice and granola again. Then we set off by tram to meet Matthew and Sarah at Federation Square.

Eclectic works in the Ian Potter gallery

It was very busy there as usual when we met the others. First we looked in the Visitors' Centre and then topped up our Myki travel cards, before heading across to the Ian Potter Museum to see works by early settlers of the 19th century as well as modern Aboriginal art. Interesting.


Then we had beer and snacks in the Beer De Luxe bar at Fed Square. I had Caesar salad and Mornington Peninsula beer.


Afterwards it was still sunny but with a cool breeze. We took at tram from Flinders Street to the Treasury Gardens. We walked through the gardens past the JFK memorial and admired the Morton Bay fig trees. Then in the adjacent Fitzroy Gardens we saw Cook's Cottage but didn't go inside this time. Pity.

Famous Flinders Street station

We went inside the conservatory to see hydrangeas, fuchsias and other familiar summer plants.

On leaving the gardens we walked along to see where Matthew works in Albert Street. We said goodbye to them and returned to the hotel for a rest. The weather had turned rather cool.

We can hear a busker outside in the street - not very tuneful. We are looking forward to seeing Matthew's and Sarah's apartment tomorrow and celebrating Christmas with them.

Saturday 23 December 2017, in Melbourne

Coffee for breakfast at Soul Cafe

We slept quite well in our room at the Grand Mercure in Swanston Street, although there was noise outside during the night. In the morning we found the Soul Cafe nearby for breakfast of granola with yogurt and berries, fresh orange juice and two flat white coffees. Matthew and  Sarah are meeting us here at 11.

Snapper for lunch

We all met up and set off to have lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, Bottega, in Bourke Street. We had Prosecco and Gembrook SB, I had burrata with peas and broad beans followed by snapper. The others also had dessert.

With Sarah and Matthew

We went back to the hotel to rest; I felt rather queasy. Later on we met the others for China tea and small snacks at the Oriental Tea Rooms. We even had a Christmas pudding flavoured dish. The streets and trams were very crowded.


At our hotel we watched Father Brown on TV.

Friday 22 December, Singapore to Melbourne

Singapore by night. Our hotel was at Clark Quay.

We set our alarms for 6.15. We got ready and finished off our packing, then checked out of the Park Regis at about 7.50. All went smoothly at the airport. I managed to buy plasters for my sore heel but not socks which I forgot to pack.

This time our seats were not together but behind one another. The service was very attentive as usual. We had champagne, lunch and wine. I watched two episodes of Upstart Crow. It was hard to doze off so I read the paper and my book.

For tea I had a hot chicken sandwich (rather weird) and some coffee. Then we were almost ready to land. We sped through automatic passport control but the bags took ages to come out. Then we had a fast track through customs.

We took a taxi to our hotel, the Mercure Grand on Swanston. It's in Chinatown which was a surprise. Matthew and Sarah will meet us here tomorrow morning. Maybe they can suggest a nearby breakfast place.

Thursday 21 December 2017, in Singapore

Christmas in Singapore

I woke at 6.40 after a comfortable night at the Park Regis. Richard still sleeping. The hotel WiFi took a while to recover after the planned power cut. I watched BBC World News - nothing good.  Outside it's a bit dull but I feel rested. Hope we can visit the Gardens by the Bay today. We love the exotic plants here. And there are great views by the harbour.

We went to Ronin in Hongkong Street for coffee and breakfast but it was very busy there today. We got coffees quite quickly but my scrambled eggs and bacon with orange juice took a while longer.

On our way to the Gardens by the Bay

Back at the hotel we visited the pool to read in a lounger but they didn't fit our shape well.

Back to the room for a nap. Later we set off to get to the Gardens by the Bay. We took the metro to Downtown and then crossed over a bridge path to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, a landmark in Singapore.

Dinner at the Banana Leaf Apolo

Down in the gardens we saw the zones from China and Malaysia. I took lots of photos. We strolled round enjoying the exotic plants. It was very hot and humid. We got a taxi back.


For dinner we got a metro to Little India and ate at the Banana Leaf Apolo. This is the first restaurant I visited in Singapore, when I had been working at ICL in Sydney. It seemed smaller. This time the food wasn't served directly on the banana leaves, but on plates.

Tuesday 19 to Wednesday 20 December, flying to Singapore

We left Thalwil early in freezing cold weather to take the bus and train to Zurich airport, to catch our Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore. This time we are travelling Business Class.

New Bridge Road in Singapore

We checked in and went straight to the Swiss Lounge at Gate E, where we had coffee. On boarding we had adjacent spacious seats and were served a glass of wine. The flight was 12 hours long and we enjoyed dinner and breakfast. The choice of in flight entertainment wasn't great though.

In the Botanic Gardens we saw heliconia

We arrived on time in Singapore and went quickly through passport control and customs. We took a taxi to the Park Regis Hotel with a friendly woman taxi driver. Our hotel room was modern and comfortable. At about 10am we went out for breakfast at Ronin, a friendly place nearby.

Richard having a beer at VLV. They had a duo performing there.

In the afternoon we took 2 metro trains to the Botanic Gardens. We were here before in 2003. We enjoyed seeing all the palms, bamboo and orchids. A beautiful place and very peaceful but I got bitten by insects!



In the evening we strolled down to Clark Quay on the river and had a delicious Chinese meal and cocktails at VLV.

At the hotel there was a scheduled power outage from midnight until 6


am but we survived.

The day before we set off

We're getting ready for our holiday down under and it's snowing here! Hard to decide what coat to take to the airport and for our return.

I've upgraded my phone for more data so hopefully I can do more data roaming without an additional charge.

I've checked our hotels to see what facilities they offer. In most cases, WiFi costs extra or is only available in the lobby. I was also hoping to have a pedicure somewhere but haven't found that yet.

Matthew has suggested a time to meet on the day after our arrival, and has booked somewhere nice for lunch.

Things I'd like to do in Melbourne include visiting the Botanic Gardens, the Treasury Gardens with Cook's Cottage, walking alongside the Yarra River and visiting Matthew's and Sarah's apartment. We might also decide to go to a beach on Christmas Day.

I'm currently sorting out which clothes to take, and also which shoes - always tricky.

In the morning we will try to take the 7.46 train to the airport, which means getting the 7.36 bus. Hope our cases are not too heavy.

Getting ready for departure

We're leaving on Tuesday morning for our first flight with Singapore Airlines to - guess where - Singapore. This time we've used some inheritance money to fly Business Class on both flights. We will be staying two nights there on the outward and the return flights. Here's our itinerary:

Tues 19 December          Flight Singapore Airlines ZH to SIN 10.35

Wed 20 December          Arrive SIN 06.00. Transfer to Park Regis Hotel, Park Quay. Day in Singapore.

Thu 21 December           Day in Singapore, night at Park Regis Hotel

Fri 22 December             Flight Singapore SIN to MEL 10.45, arrive MEL 21.10.

    Stay at Swanston Grand Mercure 4 nights

Sat 23 December            In Melbourne. Meet M and S for lunch.

Sun 24 December           In Melbourne. Christmas Eve.

Mon 25 December          In Melbourne. Christmas Day. Dinner Quanjude Chinese 18.30.

Tue 26 December           Flight Qantas 4 people MEL to Adelaide 10.00, arrive 10.50 (30 min time difference).

                                       Stay at Intercontinental, North Terrace 4 nights

Wed 27 December         In Adelaide with Matthew and Sarah

Thu 28 December          J and R to Kangaroo Island –day trip by ferry

                                       Pick-up Mercure Grosvenor 6.20, ferry Cape Jervis – Penneshaw dep.9.00,

                                       Depart Penneshaw 19.30, coach 20.30 Cape Jervis to Mercure Grosvenor.

Fri 29 December            In Adelaide with Matthew and Sarah. Barossa wine tour 9.00.

Sat 30 December           Return flight Qantas to MEL, 4 people 16.05, arr. MEL 17.55 (30 mins ahead)

                                       J and R back to Swanston Grand Mercure. Stay 5 nights.

Sun 31 December          New Year’s Eve in Melbourne. Dinner at Entrecote, S. Yarra 20.15.

Mon 1 January 2018      New Year’s Day in Melbourne.

Tue 2 January                In Melbourne

Wed 3 January               In Melbourne

Thu 4 January                J and R flight Singapore MEL to SIN, dep. 11.25 arr. 16.05. Stay Park Regis Hotel.

Fri 5 January                  J and R in SIN

Sat 6 January                  In Singapore. Leave for airport for flight early Sunday.

Sun 7 January                 Flight Singapore SIN to ZRH 01.30, arrive Zurich 07.50. 

Our preparations have been limited to getting all the laundry done, checking what TV programs we might be missing in our absence, seeing if we've got suitable power adapters and checking our hotel links. I don't think we'll have such easy access to WiFi in Australia and may have to pay for it. We've also got some Singapore and Australian currency.

However Matthew has booked restaurants for Christmas Day and New Year's Eve and we've booked a Barossa Valley winery tour and a ferry for a day trip to Kangaroo Island when we're in Adelaide. 

Hoping to keep a small paper diary as well as this blog on my tablet. I also hope I can get lots more photos on my Samsung phone. It's pretty full. I'll be wanting to post a few pics on Facebook every day.