Harry Potter: The Exhibition

Part of my amazing Sydney weekend was a visit to Harry Potter: The Exhibition at The Powerhouse Museum, and wander into the magic of the props of the movies that bought these books to the screen.

I had invited myself to this outing with Jess and little Evie, with Nan and Heather and her little one, but thanks to a cancelled flight up to Sydney the night before, I arrived at the Powerhouse as they had finished their visit. But nonetheless, I got to see Jess for a quick hi, and then wandered in under Mr Weasley's enchanted flying car in the foyer to the check out the exhibit.

Ushered in to the dark entryway, and held until there was a group, we were taken into the first room where a live announcer was pacing in costume to introduce what was ahead for us. Our witch also then asked for a volunteer, and one timid kiddie in the group got to sit under the Sorting Hat and be nominated into a Hogwarts House. Once this was demonstrated, and Gryffindor was the choice for the brave, a few more kids were happy to volunteer for such an activity!

The next room gave you a reminder through film-grabs of the journey of Harry and his mates at Hogwarts, plus all the amazing and the scary people he encounters through his schooling, before you reached the room with all the movie artifacts.

This is really well set up, as you walk through early school days at Hogwarts and Harry's school uniform, his and Ron's beds, and then a spattering of teachers and their signature items and outfits.

One of the most amazing parts of this experience for me was the comparison of the outfits Harry, Ron and Hermione wore in the first films, with the grown up sizes for the more recent chapters - we have certainly watched these 3 actors grow up from little school kids, to adults, through these movies!

You can pull up a screaming Mandrake in Herbology class, and throw a Quaffle in the Quiddich area. Plus, you get to walk into Hagrid's hut, complete with a quivering dragon egg on the table. But the little details from the books and movies are the special treats of this walk through the exhibit - takes you back to your vision from your first read!

There are boxes of Skivving Snackboxes, Ron's Howler from his Mum, the moving and animated picture frames along some of the walls, and Dobby is there, as well as pieces from Wizard Chess. The costumes of the Dementor and Voldemort's faces are pretty fear inducing, even still, so be warned! The Great Hall and the floating candles are there, but not as magical as that scene in the movie - my favourite part!

There is timed entry on each ticket, and runs for another month, with off-peak prices during the weekday making it more accessible. Plus, the last part of the exhibit was the merch shop where kids were getting wands and House scarves. Totally worth a visit if you are in Sydney, and a Harry Potter fan!

The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial

The Ballarat Botanical Gardens is the home of The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, which catches my eye every time I walk around Lake Wendouree.

The memorial is 170 meters long, and the wall has almost 35,000 names listed, commemorating those Australian servicemen and women who have been a Prisoner of War in conflicts from the Boer War to the World Wars, to the Korean War. These names were complied by the Ballarat RSL and volunteers in the region, growing out of a group of survivors who met on a regular basis wanting to mark the hardship and sacrifice their fallen brothers and sisters made in conflicts around the world.


In place here since 2004, according to the Ballarat Accommodation and Tourism Directory site:

The POW monuments' design uses the basic idea of a journey through and an experience of time and place. The start of the pathway is long and straight heading off into the shape of railway sleepers, a reference to the Burma Railway. Running parallel to the pathway is a polished black granite wall, 130m long etched with the names of all the Australian POW's. Standing in a reflective pool are huge basalt obelisks up to 4.5m high will the names of the POW camps. The columns are out of reach and across the water symbolizing that all the POW camps were away from Australian shores. Further on there is another wall with the words Lest we Forget engraved, allowing for an area of contemplation and reflection after the "journey".

The mere volume of names, spanning the length of the Memorial, is overwhelming. It also includes a section on the wall for the addition of further names, as details are located, researched and confirmed.

Walking along the Memorial without many people around, the design feels meaningful, and so I had to look it up! The reverence with the placement, layout and design is impressive, to incorporate so much significance, and has made this section of the Gardens an important memorial for all of Australia.

Lantern At Belfast Town Hall

A gorgeous lantern around the outside fence of the beautiful Belfast Town Hall. I have been reminded by the date that this time last year I was on my week long trip to Ireland for a wedding, which included my day trip to Belfast.



The Belfast Town Hall is an impressive building, and these lanterns are lit as the light or weather get gloomy, as it was on my visit.

My A to Z of Travel

My itching feet and aching wanderlust has me reading a lot of travel blogs at the moment, and so I have been reading many, many versions of the ABC of Travel meme. I first read it here, and thought I too would delve into my travel back catalogue, for a post.

A: Age you made your first international trip
When I was in high school, Mum took the whole family on our first overseas trip, being a visit to the USA, to go to Disneyland! So I was just 14! We went to the touristy things in LA, like the Rodeo Drive city tour, Universal Studios, and a couple of days at Disneyland, but we also made a day trip down to Tijuana, Mexico, which was a real eye-opener for us all.

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where
You cannot really beat Guinness from the tap, poured within range of the brewery, and I was taken to Mulligan’s in Dublin by some (amazing) locals. They says it’s the pub with the best tap Guinness anywhere, and who am I to argue with their extensive research!

C: Cuisine (Favourite)
My favourite food from all around the world, and the one I have out-of-the-blue cravings for, is the Fish Amok in Cambodia. Made in such different ways around the country, this curry fish dish baked and served in a banana leaf is the goodness of the ‘bodge!

I have recently found a recipe posted online, which sounds pretty spot on. Although I would rather just go to Phnom Penh again, and have it there again!

D: Destinations. Favourite. Least Favourite. Why.
My favourite (Top 5) city destinations have included New York City, Tokyo, Rome, London and Phnom Penh. NYC, Tokyo and London for all the amazing things a big, big city has to offer - so much going on, all the time, so many different neighbourhoods to explore. Rome for the history, and the big city elements. Hard not to love a place with the Colosseum! And then Phnom Penh will always have my heart, after living and working there for 6 months.
These 5 will most likely always have repeat visits for me, whenever I can include them in a trip.

My favourite little town destination is Luang Prabang, in Laos. This is where I would be if I ever wanted to run away and disappear from the world! Such a lovely little tucked away place!

I guess Ho Chi Minh would rank as my least favourite place, if I had to choose one, only because it was just a larger, busier, dirtier version of Phnom Pehn when I lived there, and crossed the border for a weekend visit.

E: Event you experienced that made you say ‘Wow’
The ANZAC Dawn Service at Gallipoli comes to mind immediately here. Such a reverent experience to be part of, and mark the spirit and loss of those fallen soldiers at Gallipoli, but to also mark the contribution of Aussie Defence personnel in all battles, past and present.

F: Favourite mode of transportation
It’s hard to beat train travel in all forms, including the tube in London and the various Metros across Europe. Of course, the ultimate trip was the train across Russia, Mongolia and into China on the Vodka Train. The changing scenes out the windows, the people met and fun had onboard, the stops along the way. This is really one of those life experiences to be savored! But then even the simplest pleasure of a sunrise in the mountains on a train also makes this mode magical. Train, hands down!

G: Greatest feeling while travelling
I love the feeling of freedom, and the knowledge that I can work out how to get around within any culture on my own, that travel gives you. This was highlighted to me in my recent trip to Sri Lanka, and figuring out how to get back to Colombo from Galle all on my own - after a long time off the travel trails! Reminded me of all the things I love about travel, and experiencing real life out there in a different country.

H: Hottest place I’ve travelled to
Sri Lanka wins for this question as well. The hottest I have ever been is sitting in the stands in the sun at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in 2004 for the test match between Sri Lanka and Australia. So, so hot! The only saving grace was the service of beers in our seats, by the Lion Man with a keg on his back.

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where
Having pina coladas delivered to us while we were swimming in the ocean at Playa Ancon, in Trinidad de Cuba will always be the most amazing hospitality service I have ever experienced. Loved it!

J: Journey that took you the longest
The train from Russia to China took us 3 weeks, albeit with many stops along the way. The longest single journey would be my flight over the top of the world, from Bangkok to New York City, being 17 and a half hours.

K: Keepsake from your travels
I started buying an ugly, sticky-out magnet from the places I visited in my early days of travel, as a bit of a piss-take gift for Mum. Now this trend has really taken off with my sisters and I, and Mum now has a fridge full of amazing, hideous magnets from all corners of the globe. The bigger, most sticky-outy, and uglier, the better! I think Mum has not cottoned on to the aim of this little gift purchase now, and takes it all with a grain of salt. But now I think it's actually a bit of a work of art!

I also buy the occasional art or artifact or replica piece from different places, if it catches my eye, with the vision that when I grow up I will have a house filled with amazing things from my travels. My plate from Turkey is one such thing.

L: Let down sight. Why and where?
I think there is certainly something I have seen and thought "is that it?", but totally can't think of anything specific...

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel
I think despite all my trips beforehand, to the USA mainly, my 6 months in Cambodia definitely ignited my wanderlust. The experience of emerging yourself in a city, a culture, a language (although, not very well!), and spending time with locals from such different life experiences was a real turning point for me in terms of a wish to see and do so much more.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in
I splashed out on a hotel in Bangkok after a month of travel. I don't recall offhand what it was called, but was a 5 star with all the trimming. This was a treat for the last night, before heading home. But with all the poshness of it, I arrived into the lobby a filthy, bedraggled backpacker after a day of hard travel.

I had left the beach of Sihanoukville in Cambodia that morning on the back of a moto to the Thai border. During this ride the sky opened up, delivering a torrential downpour that soaked me to the skin. Which included my passport in my back pocket. Once the rain stopped, the sun returned to bake me for the last little bit before the border crossing, and then I took a local bus for the rest of the journey to Bangkok.

I remember being horrified that a porter was going to carry my dusty, soggy backpack for me after check in, that I insisted on carrying it myself up to my room. I am far from a 5-star traveller! I did enjoy the rooftop pool, though, and the full breakfast buffet!

O: Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of while travelling?
Looking through all my photos from my years of travelling, it seems light fixtures, lamps and lanterns feature heavily. I will usually use them as a frame to capture the place I am exploring, and go out of my way to have them in the photo. I had done this fairly unconsciously, although it has amassed a pretty amazing collection!

This one is taken along the canals of Venice, on our weekend trip from London, back in 2006. So pretty!

P: Passport stamps. How many and from where?
Being an Aussie means you get a chance to work on filling your passport pages with a new stamp almost everytime you leave the country; I guess a reward for the distance you usually have to travel to get anywhere!


So, those are the stamps from my second passport ever. In my current one I have 10 stamps.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where
Weird, political or topical, art, is something I seek out when I travel. The Aussie Big Things on roadtrips here in Australia has been become a bit of a quest, and then our trek to see all the art installations in Prague.

This is the Big Oyster, from our Nullarbor roadtrip, which is located in Ceduna, South Australia.

R: Recommended sight, event, or experience
A White Xmas! So, so magical, for someone from the Southern Hemisphere. Our visit to Sweden, and that falling snow on Xmas Day will always be one of the most amazing travel moments for me!

S: Splurge. Something you have no problem forking over for while travelling
I will always try and cram in all the things I want to see in a trip, and will pay accordingly to not skip somewhere just cos of the cost. I remember making a splash in my budget to include the Plain of Jars on my 10 day trip to Laos. We also laid out a bit of cash to see the Terracotta Warriors in China...a point of ridicule now, given that we missed the train that would get us there, by 3 minutes!

T: Touristy thing you’ve done
I do them all, as many as I can manage. I don't really understand going somewhere and not seeing or experiencing that place's claim to fame. Would the ball drop on NYE in NYC count as the MOST touristy?

U: Unforgettable travel memory
Seeing in the Millennium in New Orleans was one of the greatest NYEs ever!

V: Visas. How many of them and for where
Well, in the photo collage above of my old, expired and full passport I have my J1 Working Holiday vise from the USA, several entry and exit visas before the actual Multiple Entry Visa that let me work in Cambodia for 6 months, a couple of full page entry visas into Vietnam, and then my UK 2 year Working Holiday.

In my crisp, new little blue book, I have full page visas for Russia, Mongolia and China, after the Vodka Train. So 12 all up!

W: Wine, best glass while travelling and where
I like wine, and I like to drink it, but I am no expert. I would have to say the South African wines in the Stellenbosch region here, but to be fair our winery tour was a very big day, and I certainly could name any wines or rank any for your recommendations! Great day though, with some spectacular views!

X: eXcellent view and from where
I don't think you can beat the view of the Melbourne skyline coming into view through an airline window, after a long trip away. Will always be home to me....no matter how far, nor for how long I roam!

Y: Years spent travelling
I would say 12 years here, since I set off on my working holiday to Nashville during our Summer of 1999-2000.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where
Despite being a massive sports fan myself, and spending a lot of time with a bunch of like-minded sports fans all around the world, I think the Barmy Army has to get the vote for the most zealous and most impressive sports fans. Their humour, their tenacity regardless of how the English team are going on the field, is to be admired.

Wow, those are some great memories!

Feist

On Wednesday night, Jessie and I went along to the beautiful Palais Theatre to see Feist in her Laneway Sideshow, and her first live show for the year (as she told us during the set).

We had dinner at the relocated and revamped Soul Mama, before taking our front row Lounge seats for the support act. Soul Mama's has changed it's concept from amazing veggie buffet thali-style meal selection, to a regular menu - so we chose a couple of dishes from the Starters menu in order to recapture what was great about this place. Our choices were very good, so the taste hasn't left the building, even if the original concept has!

Mountain Man was the opening act, a three part all-girl harmonising folk band from the US. With soaring voices, and enchanting lyrics and chatter between songs, this band captured the attention of the people who had got there early. Opening lines of Wuthering Heights

Leslie Feist come out with her 3 part band, and the Mountain Man girls as her backing vocals. The details created on stage were pretty impressive, in addition to Feist's effortless vocal range, plus the use of lighting on the stage totally added to the music played.

Opening with a cluster of songs from her 2011 release, Metals, including How Come You Never Go There and the violin-sounds of A Commotion, she then dipped into her earlier material, before giving us one of my favourites, The Circle Married The Line.

A set delivering awe in vocals, it did seem to lack some energy before the turning point of the night during My Moon My Man. Two people at the front of the stage jumped up and started dancing, before being asked to move along and sit back down again by the over-zealous ushers. Leslie saw this, and moved to the front of the stage, without missing a beat on her guitar, to dance with and encourage them. This lifted the energy in the vast room perceptibly, with many more standing and dancing down on the floor. I Feel It All was then a much more powerful number than it would have been, if it were not for those brave punters at the front.

The beautiful The Bad In Each Other was just before Honey, Honey, tapping into the 2007 album release. The haunting Comfort Me was done solo, and thus the crowd pitched in with the 'oh oh oh, oh' parts, which was such a lovely moment.

Coming back out for an encore, Cicadas and Gulls with the 3 Mountain Man girls was amazing, before the cover of Sealion.

Coming out for a second encore, the anticipation for Feist's biggest song was high, but she gave us Intuition instead. This floaty track was lovely, and the crowd again joining in a whispered 'did I, did I' was magical...but left us with that longing feeling for 1234 as we walked down the stairs and out of the venue at the end.

Australia Day

On Australia Day this year I did not don the flag, nor the green and gold, because I just don’t know what to think or feel about Australia Day anymore. I feel such conflict about the day, and the vibe about the day around the nation. I mean, what is it that we are celebrating?

It has seemed to have evolved into a day where bogans get their bogan on, by draping themselves with the flag, cape style. People, who I suspect also had reindeer antlers on their cars in the lead up to Xmas, have two flags positioned on their car windows.

What is Happy Australia Day really saying?

I don’t for a second consider myself unpatriotic. I’m anything but! I go to great lengths, and spend a lot of time and money, to support our cricket team and tennis players, and our musical talents, around the world and at home. I go out of my way to see Aussie movies, the good and the bad. I love all the amazing things that being Australian means: freedom to be who you want to be, the opportunities, the freedom to travel, the access to education, clean drinking water to wash our cars, and the possibility to work at owning a house and all that.

But I am constantly disappointed by the ‘Us v Them’ theme that continues in this country, throughout the generations. The “We’re Full” sentiments, the anti-asylum seekers and immigrants theme that fills people's dialogue and the press pages, the racial tensions and hatreds, the ignorance of each other in our community. The neglect and bigotry towards our Indigenous population. The blatant absence of tolerance.

Celebrating Australia Day, in it’s current form, seems to snub our multicultural richness, which is one of the elements that makes our country so great. But it also disregards the presence of our Indigenous brothers and sisters in such a bold and heartless manner. The day commemorates white settlers arrival on Australian soil, heralded as the birth of our nation. An annual stab in the chest for the millions of years of Indigenous culture and habitation upon the very same land. We are celebrating the Invasion Day, as it is often referred to.

I actually think this dilemma, rather than any issues with the monarchy or Queen Lizzie, et al, should be the antecedent for us to become a republic. To become our own nation, our own identity, as a whole nation, a whole people. We need to work through all this racial angst and identity crisis, this multi-culturalism mishmash and segregation, and the undercurrent of hate and distrust for anyone not deemed “Australian”. But we also need to do this to once and for all accept our Indigenous history, and our Indigenous people. Acceptance, unity.

Until this disgraceful blight on our integrated culture is mended, it will be Hottest 100 Day for me.

Radelaide Test '12

The Adelaide test match every summer is always an amazing trip, probably due to the fact that so many interstate cricket fans converge on the City of Churches for a crazy week away. It's a great catch up test, with so many of the crew from Waving The Flag and it's many past tours running amuck!

Being our destination for our roadtrip, we were well warmed up to check into Sheila HQ, at the Oaks Embassy on North Terrace. Jess, B and I went to get supplies on the first night, and in the heat and the blocks of walking required, sampled a few pubs and beers, between our grocery shopping. Having our shopping trolley nicked when we were in having a beer meant we needed a taxi for the last leg...oops!

Day 1 at the beautiful Adelaide Oval had us parked on the Clem Hill, in the shade for the first session. One of the world's pretty venues to watch cricket, this test may indeed have been the last year the Oval will get this title, with major redevelopment ahead for the ground to transform it back into an AFL venue. Shame.

Taking advantage of Member's Tickets for the middle session, B, Jess and I fled from the sun and heat, and took shelter behind the stands at the Pimm's tent area. Watching the middle order continue some great form for the Summer, Punter and Clarke finished the day seeking 150s each, and we headed for a night of drinking at the Queen's Head in North Adelaide.

Chick Pink Day on Day 2 saw the Hill peppered with Flagger Sheilas in their shirts, and allowed us to see Aussie Captain and former Captain clock 150 and then 200 each, in two stellar innings.

Having stood for both double centuries, with Lunch dividing them, we then once again sought the shade of the Member's and refreshing jugs of Pimm's. Radelaide is so hot, and last week was no exception! As the shade crept back over the Hill, we returned again for the last half of the final session as India was sent in to bat after an Aussie declaration at 7/604.

Australia Day fell on Day 3, and with a much bigger crowd, we have Kim to thank for ensuring we all had a little spot on the Hill for the day. We arrived just in time for the Indian anthem, being their Republic Day, and then the Australian anthem, before the start of play.

With the radio playing Triple J's Hottest 100 in my ear, 2 early wickets took away the option of it being Tendulkar's Day. Another very hot day, once the shade disappeared from our patch of grass I escaped to the shade of the Member's stand to see Kohli get his maiden century, Siddle bag a 5 wicket haul, and to hear two back-to-back Boy and Bear songs in the countdown. What a great day!

This night was the Blender Party back at Sheila HQ, and our little apartment was filled in ebbs and flows of people, as the blender produced technicolor alcoholic concoctions all night. With the tennis on the TV, and then final songs of the countdown, it was a big night as always.

So much so that I took a rest day for Day 4, and listened to bits and pieces on the radio, willing it not to end on the day I was incapacitated! I seem to always need a day off for a test match these days!

As luck would have it, Day 5 started with Australia needing just 4 wickets to claim the series against India in a whitewash. This too just under an hour, with 10,000 people there to watch the Aussie's affirm their return to form.

We ended the day with a tram trip down to Glenelg for celebration drinks and lunch at a pub along the beach. Radelaide put on the gorgeous weather for a walk down along the water, before we headed back into town. A great 5 days, as always, and a sensational 289 run victory for Australia.