Saturday in Perth #3

Cottesloe beach.

I've refrained from the usual photo of Indiana Tea Rooms with the Pylon looming large in the background because I want to try to convey how magnificent this beach is without those props.

You probably saw the latest list of the 10 best beaches in the world recently in one of the papers.  I cannot for the life of me understand how "they" come up with those lists.  The beaches are generally either inaccessible, unswimmable, have beaches made up of stones or all three.

I get that those beaches may be pretty but in my book a beach is good if it has great sand, beautiful clear blue water, no rips/undertow/rocks underfoot and no stingers.  Sorry Busselton, the stinger thing keeps you off my list.

The lifesavers in the rubber ducky were looking intently into the water...

Cottesloe beach has it all in spades.  And it is a five minute drive from home.

This morning is was simply magnificent.  It wasn't feeling like putting on waves so it put on gentle rolling swell.

The sand was warm without being baking hot.

And the general store does a pretty good line in coffee, milkshakes and yogurt cups with passionfruit pulp.  I love that they leave out those little metal stools so you can lean against the glass and stare out to sea.

Back in Perth

So, I was doing well with my Appreciate Perth More resolution.  Savouring the warm weather, loving the beach, enjoying the laid back pace and that thongs are a more than reasonable footwear option at just about any event.  Then I had to go to Sydney for work.

Aaaargh.

I ate real Thai food.  Had dinner at Cafe Sydney.  Sigh.  Went to meetings in buildings with views of the harbour and Walsh Bay.  Walked through the cavernous above and below ground shopping complexes in the CBD.  Walked amongst the hustle and bustle.

Sydney really can cut it on the international stage.

So it was nice to go to the theatre the day after my return to Perth.  We managed to get tickets to the sold out week-long season of The Secret River.  This adaptation for stage by Andrew Bovell is mesmerising and if you haven't seen it definitely do so if it comes your way.  It's a true modern classic.

We saw it at The Maj (or His Majesty's Theatre) in Perth.

I haven't been to The Maj for years.  Managed to take some sneaky shots of the beautiful inside before being asked to put my phone/camera away.

I remember seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show from up there in the Gods many many years ago.

Not a bad place to be on a Friday night.

Saturday in Perth #2

February in Perth these days is a rush of activity.  Fringe Festival, Perth Festival which incorporates a Writers Festival, various film festivals and visiting stuff from all over the place, the Rottnest Swim, the Great Southern Festival, not to mention putting the kids back in school; and by the end of this month, a new group of Freshers will be starting at uni.

I do think we cram a lot in.  March and April by comparison are going to be rather bleak.  It's not as if we have to cram all this in to get the good weather.  People, we have good weather pretty much ALL YEAR.

Anyhow, in the spirit of rushy rushy we tried out the Perth Writers Festival for the first time this year.  I love me a writers festival and, usually with partner in crime Fairlie, I love to schlepp off to the Sydney Writers Festival and in years past, the Melbourne Writers Festival.

I'm not sure if its that there are so many other options on at the same time in Perth at the moment (the Rotto Swim left this morning, the Great Southern Festival is on, the weather is still great to go 'down south' etc) but I was disappointed in the lack of 'BUZZ'.

The talks were good but it was very sedate. And very quiet.

Festival goers milled around politely and were definitely of the older, sandalled type.  Although to be fair the very interesting HBO talks on the world of television were frequented by a young uni set.

So yes, I was disappointed with the lack of energy.  A bit the same when the MWF moved from the CUB Malthouse to Fed Square and lost its atmosphere.  I think writers festivals benefit from being a bit cramped.  You want to feel you might bump into an author or two - like back in the day at the Malthouse when they'd be drinking at the bar between sessions.

Nevertheless it was lovely to walk around the beautiful University of WA grounds and sit under the dappled light of their magnificent trees.

One of the talks we went to was in Winthrop Hall.  I don't think I've been back in here since sitting exams here in the 1980s.  In all those years I hadn't realised that the ceiling beams were painted in indigenous art.  Clearly I was too busy concentrating on getting a conditional pass in Economics 100.

Saturday in Perth

We live five minutes drive from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. White sand, clear water, gentle waves suitable for all ages, fish'n'chips and gelato on hand.  The water tends towards Sharky but I figure as long as there are a whole bunch of swimmers that look like seals further out than me then I'm fine.

I don't have a pic of the beach we went to yesterday because we were travelling light and quick. Car keys and towels only but it was brilliant.  

It's hard to get the kids to come with us; they've never really been part of the beach culture as we pretty much avoided the beaches in Melbourne and Sydney as being substandard (in Sydney, full of rips, flags always ridiculously close together - although we did love Palmie and jumping off the pier at Balmoral) and only really went to the beach on trips back to WA.  We managed to convince one child to come with us and he loved it.  

I did manage to photograph our beautiful sky yesterday while waiting for burgers in North Fremantle.

After burgers we went to see the Scattered Light installation by Jim Campbell in Kings Park which is there as part of the Perth Festival.

A series of light bulbs strung in a spidery pattern this installation looks like a wall of light from one angle but has depth and was attracting about 100 picnic-goers last night. Note the bride off to the right.

Kings Park with the new Brookfield Place tower at centre.  Tripod needed next time!

Our 12yo commented on how pretty Perth was from Kings Park and it struck us that he had never seen this view at night.  Those that were not picnicking in front of scattered light were facing this view.

Fraser Avenue, Kings Park

 Next week, the Perth Writers Festival!  I've convinced the hubby to come with me to a few things as I think it would be hard to convince my usual writers festival partner to fly over next Sat...

I like travelling in my 40s better. It's funner.

Did you see the article in today's paper about the 10 things backpackers don't know?  Must've been reading my mind.

We've just come back from three weeks in Europe.  No, we didn't do Prague, Warsaw or Istanbul, nor did we ski in Bulgaria as is all the rage amongst the hip.  We did bog standard Europe.  One week in Paris, one week in the alps, one week in London.  Fabulous.  Privileged yes.  The standard route, yes. But the best family holiday we've had.

The thing that hit me the most is what we had missed travelling through Europe in the backpacking days where we had no prior bookings anywhere, lugged everything in a backpack and had extraordinarily limited funds.

It was fun but as the article says food is tourism too and eating Big Macs all through Europe because they were affordable and located close to the accommodation we could afford (usually in or near a railway station) is not seeing all a city has to offer.

In those days I didn't eat Gallette du Rois three.days.in.a.row.

And I certainly wouldn't have tried every damn fromage and jambon in Paris.

Eating a crepe was a possibility from a road-side stall but not a FANCY crepe at a bistro.

 And citron presse?  Are you kidding?  Would never have bought anything where you actually sat down unless it was upstairs at Burger King.

And certainly not from a cute local Steak Frites restaurant.

 I might've bought ONE macaron but not one in each flavour in the shop.

And I certainly would never have gone to another Macaron shop and bought a rainbow of Macarons in a special display box.

Travelling around in my early 20s was fun but being able to afford a few little luxuries travelling in my 40s was funner.