Cornwell & Devon....

Blogging has been a bit slow on this trip as it's been hard to find internet access that enabled easy uploading of photos & what is a blog entry without photos????
Initially we arrived in London, hired a car & travelled to Cornwell via Somerset. We spent a week based in the quaint town of Fowey on Cornwell's south coast. In spite of almost constant rain we enjoyed our travels around Cornwell & Devon.

Fowey is an old fishing village with steep narrow streets leading from the cliff top down to the fishing cove. The streets are barely wide enough for a single car, so it was a case of pedestrians jumping into door ways or any available space to allow cars to pass

Our cottage was located on the cliff top, so.......depending on our daily perspective / mood the steep streets provided good exercise or a real challenge!!

In its early days Fowey was a fishing village but these days it has reinvented itself as a popular holiday destination.

You can probably appreciate the steep walk from the water front to the cliff top!

These are the steps leading from the road to our cottage. There are numerous steeps around the village & these are called as "Steep Steps" - and, how appropriate!!

The streets, houses & gardens of Fowey.....................

We also spent some time exploring Devon, specifically the Dartmoor area which was home to ancestors of mine who came to Australia in the 1850's. Buckfastleigh was the birth place of my great, great grandparents - these are the ruins of Holy Trinity Church where my ancestors would no doubt have worshipped & the surrounding cemetry is the final resting place of some....

My great grandmother, Kathleen Chaffe, was born in Princeton which is located in the middle of the inhospitable Dartmoor moors. This town is also home to the infamous Dartmoor Prison which still operates as a corrective centre to this day.

On a lighter note, we visited Port Isaac, a quaint village on Cornwell's north coast. It's claim to fame is that it was location for the filming of Doc Martin. Fans of this delightful program will recognised Doc's home, the school & the harbour..........

We bid farewell to Fowey & Cornwell & headed for London via Salisbury.

More about London soon, so stay posted!! Until the next post, K & R........

PS: The last few days in London have provided fine weather & some promise of sunshine!!

Paris to Cornwell to London..........

Been a while since the last post - since then our adventure in Paris came to an end and we travelled from Paris to London on the Eurostar - the great railway journey under the English channel!

We are now back in London after 10 days exloring Cornwell & Devon including a week in the Cornish coastal town of Fowey! We travelled to Cornwell via Somerset where we stayed with a friend, Christine, for a few days in the very pretty village of Crewkerne. Christine showed us around the area including historic medieval Wells Cathedral. Fowey & the Cornwell / Devon areas were lovely but more about that in the next post...........

Why are we back in London? Well..........as it sometimes happens we have experienced unfortunate travelling weather - rain, wind & cold! Therefore we decided to extend our planned stay in London rather than drive around the country side in the rain!!!

But, before we get to our England adventure a few final glimpses of our Paris roamings - unfortnuately it wasn't good weather for photography......   Notre Dame's glorious rose window.......

The patchwork shop, La Rouvray, is well known to dedicated patchworkers world wide. After exploring the small back streets close to Notre Dame we located this quaint shop! One travellers joy is evident......

 The River Seine & Paris roof tops - from our hotel room window......

And, finally, the sun shine arrived for our last day in Paris.............

While based in Paris we used the ever efficient France train service to visit surrounding places. The places included Bayeux an old city in Normandie which is home to the renouned Bayeax Tapestry. This remarkable tapestry was embroidered in the 11th century and vividly tells the story of the Norman invasion of england in 1066. Given its great age thisowrk of art, which is in fact an embroidery work & not a tapestry, is remarkably well preserved. Unfortunately photography was not allowed.

We also visited Chateau du Chenonceaux.... a spectacular sight build over the River Cher during the 1500's!

And, Giverney, home to the beautiful garden established by the artist Claude Monet & his home for many years. A few glimpses including the water lilly pond which featured prominently in his art works....

Stay posted for further tales of our travels in England.

Au voir from Paris - our "singin' in the rain" tour............, K & R.........

Paris........the early days

Bonjour from glorious Paris, it is now 1 week since we arrived here from Nantes - how time flies when you are having fun............... But before I get to Paris a little more about our sight seeing in & around Nantes. We visited the Feydeau Island area of Nantes with its charming buildings dating from 1723, many of which began to lean as soon as they were completed!

Bikes are a favoured means of transport...................

We visited the nearby medieval town of Clisson with its old narrow streets qnd the impressive ruins of an old castle.

Now back to Paris................. where we can see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel room - how lucky is that?????

The travellers exploring the Eiffel Tower........

The Palace of Versielle - while a truly amazing & beautiful building it is also a monument to decidence and excess (well in my humble opinion!!).............

The beautiful gold entry gate

A small section of one of many astounding ceiling & wall frescos........

 Sadly the weather hasn't treated us well - every day has provided us rain, cold & gusty winds! Not to be deterred the travelling duo has been out and about enjoying this beautiful city & its surrounds. We have made good use of the famous Paris Metro system and the very comfortable main line rail system (first class ..... of course!). More to come, so stay posted. Au revoir, K & R............................

Pour L'Amour du Fil

Here we are in beautiful France! Our first stop was in Nantes to attend Pour L'Amour du Fil (For the Love of Thread). What a truly amazing experience we enjoyed at this inspiring international textile show featuring embroidery, patchwork, knitting & sewing - the work of talented textile artists from all around the globe including the work of Australian artists such as Brigitte Giblin, Kathy Doughty & Loani Prior.
Rain & cold weather greeted us but quickly cleared to provide clear days for us to meander our way along the canal each day from our hotel to the exhibition centre. Many photos have been taken but have included a few to provide an overview of this amazing exhibition.

We did find some time for sightseeing around Nantes - will include some photos with the next post.

Hope you enjoy these photos. Au revoir until the next post, K.....................





Let the show begin!!



Meandering our way along the canal each morning!

The room/display that greeted us - the quilt is the work of Australian quilter, Brigitte Giblin

The stalls offering many treats & temptations for sale!!!

A fabric textile art work by Japan's MisaoWado

Quirky knitted tea cosies by the Australian knitter - Loani Prior



First Stop Hong Kong......

The travelling duo send greetings from Hong Kong............ We have been greeted with hot weather, high humidity and now rain, rain, rain! Inspite of this we managed to shop, explore and enjoy the experience. A few images to share our adventures...............

The famous shopping strip, Nathan Road at night

This statue of the native flower of Hong Kong was a gift from the people of China at the time of the handover from British administration

The Portugese influence is stong on Machau - this is one example

The towering Machau Tower on an overcast day! We went up to the 54th floor for stunning view of Machau & surrounds.  A favourite pastime is bungie jumping from the 61st floor of this building!

This sign is a reminder of bungie jumpers overhead!!!!

The dense living conditions of Hong Kong..............

We depart Hong Kong for Paris tonight. Next stop Nantes & the textile exhibition. Must away some last minute shopping to be attended!!
Until the next post.......au revoir, K & R................

Paris here we come......................

The next big travel adventure is about to begin........ The travelling duo on this adventure will be my friend Robyn & myself. We leave Sydney tomorrow for Hong Kong before going onto France & the UK!!

We'll leave you with a couple images to wet your appetite. I'm  sure you recognise the Eiffel Tower. We will spend 10 days in Paris - ooh la la........................

The other photo is the rugged coastline of Cornwell, where we have rented a cottage for a week in the coastal town of Fowey.............................

While in France we will attend the Pour l'Amour du Fil (For the Love of Thread), a patchwork & textile exhibition being held in Nantes - will post some photos..............
Must away as there is still packing to be done............... next stop Hong Kong!!

Au revoir ................until the next blog, K

Inle Lake, back to Yangon & Farewell Burma....................

Greetings again, I haven't abandoned my lovely little blog but since I returned from Burma I've been dealing with some persistent computer problems which at long last seem to be resolved! Even though its 5 weeks since my return from Burma I thought I would finish it off with one last post......... From Pagan we travelled to the spectacular Inle Lake. Lying in Shan State, Inle Lake is famous for its floating gardens and floating villages, the leg-rowers of the Intha tribe, and a diverse mix of ethnic minority cultures. Our means of transport around the lake was by long tail boat - a surreal experience observing local people who live on the lake going about their daily lives.

A traditional leg-rower of the Intha tribe - catching his daily fish supply

A leg-rower in training!!

A leg-rower & his tiny son.......

A traditional floating village.....

A woman going about her daily life, with a floating garden in the background.......

We took a long journey on the long-tail boat to visit Indein Village and its complex of 1,054 stupas which were mostly constructed between the 17th & 18th centuries. Another amazing sight!! Some glimpses of the village & its stupas....................

On our final day we departed our hotel by long boat at 6am on a freezing cold morning - a bracing experience!!

From Inle Lake we returned to Yangon (Rangoon) for our remaining few days in Myanmar. On our final evening we dressed up in the traditional outfits we purchsed in Pagan and enjoyed a delicious meal at Le Planteur restaurant which is located in the former Australian Embassy building. Our embassy has relocated to a new building in the centre of Yangon.

I hope you have enjoyed these few glimpses of Myanmar.............. I loved my time in this remarkable country which remains one of the most undiscovered destinations in the world. A land of beauty and charm with a rich heritage spanning more than one thousand years, Myanmar is home to spectacular monuments and ancient cities and remains home to over one hundred different ethnic groups. I can only wish the people every success in their continued struggle for democracy and a fair go!!!

If the opportunity presents itself, do go visit Myanmar - you won't be disappointed................

Until the next post, K...................

PS: More exploring & discovering on the horizon with my next trip to France & the UK - departing Sydney April 13th. So do stay posted  - I think I've certainly caught that trade wind in my sails...........