A day on the coast

The arrival was smooth, and we are now on the ground!

It is now some hours later really. If I was not on the ground, I would say the fuel efficiency of the plane is really good.

How to you freak people out on a plane?

Take a selfie! And put them in the pic too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay enough fun with the other passengers!

On arrival I just jumped in the hire car, thanks to budget which is a Toyota yaris. Not a bad little car. I would not drive from Sydney to Perth in one, but for around town, not bad.

Then up to Cleveland, a suburb off the south side of Brisbane. My aunts 89 birthday. Saw one of her two sins whom I have not seen for years and years. Really good to see everyone.

Now at Hamilton just near the eagle farm race track. Booked the motel via booking.com honestly the best way to go.

Looks a little stormy outside, but will head out. I have a house I would like to see.

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Gold Coast

A quick trip to the Gold Coast and Brisbane for the weekend.

Last night in Sydney there was a good thunder storm which has cleared the air. So I am hopeful that there will be really clear skiies for today's flight. It has been an early start for the weekend as my sister flew up from Canberra also this morning and we meet at Sydney airport. Her flight arrived at 7.50am and we chatted while we waited for our boarding call for our 9 am flight to the Gold Coast.

We are flying up to help celebrate our aunt's 89 birthday. The my sister flies back to Canberra tonight and then I fly back tomorrow. That will be a long day for her.

 

 

A photo of the plane just after landing. This is the city of Beaconsfield. I will have to track her flight once we land and I have wifi again.

 

Everything is locked and loaded and we are under way. We taxi off to the furthest part of the airport. Dutifully wait our turn in the line and then lift off.

 

 

 

Up we head and the bank to the right. This morning there is a good clear view of the city's central business district. The harbour is glistening below. The bridge and opera house are clearly visible below as we straighten up and fly out through the heads, nearly. Then a look below and there is Manly and the beach below. We are still climbing.

 

 

The seat belt sign is off now and the message to advise breakfast is to be served comes over the PA system. Ahead I can see the greyness of rain clouds. A ruff flight ahead.

Upwards we climb and then into the clouds. The grey has now changed to the bright beaming white light. I see the light but it is a pea soup cloud. We are in it.

There is cloud above and below. To the left and the right. Front and back too. If you look outside you are blinded by the brightness of white light.

I have to wait until I am home again to load the flight details off the GPS data logger.

There is a gap in the clouds and below there is an airfield. Not for us today! We are continuing on our journey north.

 

 

Now above the clouds the moon is visible. Looks like the old man is a little late getting home today. Though I am sure he will sneak back behind the clouds and be back later tonight! No site of a cow.

 

We now have the call ask we start to desend for landing

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Up up and away

You have to say virgin Australia flight crew know how to make a boring flight enjoyable. They always a happy and smiling. This is passed onto the travelling passenger.

We departed on time, from the gate, but then had to sit on the apron of the runway for a bit. Are we there yet!

Okay not just yet.

 

The flight is to be two hours twenty. Just a stone throw away to Queenstown. Better than flights to Europe or Japan. Speaking of which, what is the best thing to do in Tokyo for new year?

I will have to think about that one.

Okay time to sit back and enjoy the flight. I can look out side and see clouds and water below.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Sydney airport

My second favourite place. Waiting for the flight to depart the fair shores of Australia. Smooth customs clearance, and bag screening. Now just the wait for the boarding call.

 

I say second favourite place as this means it is the start of a holiday. The most favourite place in the arrival hall of an airport other than Australian!

It is fun to watch the people and wondering where they are travelling too! Some have overcoats with them and others in t shirts. However there are children around.

He plane leaves at 1035 and then to queenstown, NZ. Just for 4 days, fly back on Friday. I hope the snow is good!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Skiing in queenstown

The count down is on for the next short trip away.

It is only a short flight from Sydney to queenstown for a week in the snow and skiing! Three hours in the plane rather than 6 hours to drive to the Australian ski area is a better way to go!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Three Explores

From the diary of Gregory Blaxland, "On Tuesday, May 11, 1813, Mr. Gregory Blaxland, Mr. William Wentworth, and Lieutenant Lawson, attended by four servants, with five dogs, and four horses laden with provisions, ammunition, and other necessaries, left Mr. Blaxland's farm at the South Creek, for the purpose of endeavouring to effect a passage over the Blue Mountains"

The three men set off from the settlement called South Creek, near Penrith, NSW. Penrith is now a part of the grater metropolitan area of Sydney. Like a few men before them they wanted the glory of their names going down in history as the men who found a way across the Blue Mountains. However, unlike the men who set out before them, these expedition would follow the ridges. The explorers before had followed the valleys.

Sydney was founded in 1788 and the population was growing. The requirement for more suitable farming land was becoming more important to ensure the ongoing sucess of the the developing nation.

 

Such was their success, that 200 years later, the road on which cars drive also follows closely the same route which this expedition travelled. Today also saw the bi centenary celebration of the epic, and 25 days time, the react meant party will arrive back

In remberence of their achievement there are today towns alone their track named after them, for they did find away to cross over the Blue Mountains.

The Three sisters at Katoomba, NSW April 2013

 

Posted with Blogsy travellingdestiny

Photos on hard disk

Last night I came to realise that one of my hard disk drives has crashed.  The drive which holds my photos. It is only the jpg ones as all my raw files are on a separate drive. My family pjotos are on dvd and then there is a backup onto another hard disk drive. It is the work to restore everything back to normal that messes up the day.  Thank goodness for backups. It would be like lossing the negatives otherwise.

New photo link

Today I registered for a new photo journal website today. It is called bliphoto. (Www.bliphoto.com) this is a free site and it is purpose is to allow you to take a photograph each day and publish. You can write a short comment about the photo. It links into Facebook and twitter. My page is under the name noelhsydney.

New trip in the wind

From today April 1, 2013 I have 542 day to go before I reach a milestone birthday. Also I 838 until I have been 10 years with my current employer. For either one I wish to travel to South America. S I have started the research into where to go, and how to get there, and the price. Hum I will be working all that time too.

On the way home

Sitting at the Marco Polo airport, which services Venice and looking outside at the 5 degree high fog day, we can just see the islands of Venice in the mist.

We watch the planes come and go, and wait our turn. We fly to Frankfurt. From there we head east to Australia.

All the news we are seeing on the bbc news of the world is about the fires in NSW. We have Ben on the ABC web site to gain more information, and upto date. Note sure what to wear now. We have over coats and jumpers to leave here in, but look like needing shorts once landed in Sydney.

Rome

We arrived in Rome on Saturday afternoon. I have been updating the Facebook site, as I had access to wifi. However you need to be online to use Facebook! It would appear that we might have used all the wifi at the b,n,b we are staying at as we have no access any more. So to the back up system. blogger to the rescue.

So today Dec 31, we spent the morning quietly. We headed from where we are staying at, via Bixio, towards via Nazionale. Then up to the Piazza delta republica to catch the train to go visit the Basillica saint Pietro. The crowds were not as bad as yesterday but still a line up to go not the Basillica. We walked around but did not go in! However we found a sunny spot and a cafe in via stazione vaticnia, so with coffee in hand and at 2pm Rome time we toasted in the Sydney New Year. Then we walked up via delle Fornaci. This was a narrow one way street. At the top we found the first of the open spaces of Villa Doria Pamphill.

 

Well what remains!

So then we headed off to the park and the Monumento a Garibaldi. If you are ever in Rome, you must make the effort to get here. The view is amazing.

 

 

I have dozens of panorama photos which need some photoshop work to join together. You can see all Rome.

Then we walked down the hill and crossed over the Fiume Tevere, at the ponte Principe. With a great afternoon pic of the Castel Saint Angelo.

 

Then the bus back to Stazione termini. Buses are Sardine cans on wheels! The doors open to let people off, but instead more people try and get on. The people getting on are telling those on board to move so that they can get on. There is simply no room. It is at this point that I wish I could tell people 'you have to be joking. If you want to get on then get on the roof, as that is the only place left!'

 

It is now 1830 hrs and we have eaten a snack and relaxing, before going out to dinner and then to the colosseum to see the Italian New Year in.