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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Paris in June

We headed to Paris over the weekend to (among other things) check out a large photography market being held just out of town. Dave had a lovely time trawling through all the stalls on the hunt for some bargain photography bits and pieces, and came away with a small box full of some pretty cool loot. I, on the other hand, got pretty excited when we headed out the other side of town to find an old permanent antique/flea market called Marché Vernaison. Yes, I do actually get deliriously happy at the sight of antique and flea markets, I’m a grandma. I too came away with some pretty cool loot, but I’ll share that at another time :)

Camera marketCamera marketcamera marketMarche VernaisonMarche VernaisonMarche Vernaison

View from above

Ok.. so I lied – this will actually be the last Istanbul post. This was our view from the plane on the way home. Pretty huh?! We had a view like this for a good half hour of the trip.. the mountains just kept coming!

From Istanbul to Basel

Boat on the Bosphorus

This is the last Istanbul post, I promise! The day before we left, we took a 1.5 hour boat trip up the Bosphorus. That is all!

At the back of the boatChatting with a friendLoversApple Tea.. yum!!

Gallipoli

To anyone who isn’t from Australia or New Zealand, Gallipoli probably doesn’t mean much at all (as we discovered while talking to other travellers at our hostel). But for those that are, the Gallipoli Campaign is a very important part of our (very limited) history, and so we thought it only fitting to visit the site while we were in Turkey.

DaveLone Pine - Australian MemorialLone Pine - Australian MemorialDave at Lone PineBeautiful wordsANZAC Cove memorialSetting up for Anzac Day

Blue Mosque, Ayasofya and the Palace

Out of the three, I think the Blue Mosque was our favourite. For a start – it was free, so we could keep going back. We also got to sit in on a prayer service, even though the sign says it’s closed to the public (pays to ask!), which was amazing!

Blue MosquePrayerInside the Blue MosquePlease remove your shoesPrayerBlue mosque courtyardwashing hands outside the Blue MosqueAyasofya lightsAyasofyaAyasofyaThe PalaceThe PalaceTiled wallKeep behind the line.

Istanbul

We’re back!! And what an amazing time we had! I won’t bore you with the details – suffice to say that the weather was amazing, the people extra friendly (except one very upsetting carpet seller), and the sites, sounds and smells utterly overwhelming (in a good way!)! I’ve just finished going through all the photos and (thanks to us being such trigger-happy-snappers) I’m going to have to share them over a couple of posts.

So, I’ll just start off with some of general shots we took along the way.. tomorrow will be the Ayasofya, Blue Mosque and the Palace. Enjoy!

Outside the Spice Bazaarmeow!fishermanBasilica CisternFeed the birdsmaronipet duckUs, enjoying the sunshineoff the main street in Taxim Pomegranate - yum!

Australia

We took a trip home to Australia for 5 weeks over Christmas, which was the first time we’d been home in almost two years. It was fantastic – and much needed :)

BrisbaneSouthbankPandanasbeachgelatiflowerTambourineGold Coaststick insect and birdieNoosa

Little Box Bags

In a bid to keep away from mobiles for a little while, I’ve picked up sewing again – this time in preparation for our big trip home at the end of the week. I decided that I needed some small bags to carry stuff in (as you do) and found an excellent tutorial for some box bags here. The instructions are really easy to follow, the only thing I had trouble with were getting all the corners equal (as you may tell from the photos!). I did end up doing a lot of unpicking, but by the 4th bag, I was a pro :D

little box bagslitte box bagslittle box bagslittle box bags

Die Schweiz

After France we spent a bit of time in Switzerland, as you can see below :)

Creux du VanCervelas on the fireFriend in the shedPlumRiederalpAletsch GlacierAletsch Glacier

Canal boating the safe way…

Here are some pics taken on our recent canal boating adventure in France. As you will see, our little boat had a slightly unfortunate name, which provided endless entertainment for those on board of course.

Open figCollected Figsmanriding for bread the jolly condom!Mother and daughterriding south France