It wasn’t my first choice. It wasn’t even my second, third or fourth choice, but we are still bound for a place we’d never heard of before:
It’s a really nice place,” my travel advisor said.” But I merely shook my head.
“Where the heck is
“It’s right on the
“Yeah, but I’ve never even heard of
“Trust me,” she said. “The price is right, and you’ll love it.”
Yes, I never planned in my wildest dreams that I would be bound for
Is it hard for you or someone else you know to go traveling? Maybe you are a grandparent who would love to take a grandchild traveling, but can’t afford the expense. Or maybe you have some spare time; you like playing computer games, and you would like to explore some unfamiliar cities. Here’s a cheap solution; it’s called Big Fish Games.
The online games site offers a variety of “hidden object” games that take the player to well-known tourist spots in big metropolitan areas around the world, like Rome, Venice, Sydney, and San Francisco.
The site’s “Travelogue 360” games take players to Paris and Rome. Sydney, Australia, and San Francisco, California are featured in the site’s “Big City Adventures” games.
The games are challenging and can be easily understood by nearly any age of player. And best of all, they are fun!
It’s that time again; I’ve resisted long enough. I must return to one of my favorite spots in the world:
Airfares from
Read on…
“Hey, did you guys take the Experience tour yet?”
“The what?” we responded. Doug was intense with excitement. He was one of our new cruise ship buddies who happened to be visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol (jail), too.
“You have to do it. It runs every half hour, but they only take 20 people,” he added. “There’re lining up right now in front of the building.”
“Okay, thanks.” We nodded and scurried out of the somber building.
But my stomach was feeling a little queasy; I was not sure if I was up for more of this gaol’s brand of “experiences.” I had already spent an hour inside the Old Melbourne Gaol; the death masks, the whipping frame, and the horrific correctional devices employed by the gaol in its early history were not for the faint-of-heart. And mine was feeling very faint.
So, it was with a fair level of trepidation that I followed Doug’s advice and joined the queue for the Melbourne Gaol’s “Watch House Experience.”
I began to regret my decision when I met the gaol’s intimidating desk sergeant…
Read on…
You’ve just returned from your vacation. You had a good time – partied hard, did a few things that maybe you shouldn’t have done, and took the pictures to prove it. But now you realize you have misplaced your digital camera. Is there anything worse than a lost camera full of vacation photos? Yes.
It’s having those private pictures show up on the Internet for the entire world to see.
That’s the brainchild of University of Winnipeg student, Matt Preprost. This newest Web guru has created a site designed to help unite lost digital photos and cameras with their (embarrassed?) owners. It’s called, www.ifoundyourcamera.net.
Preprost’s wild idea has already netted results. In only the first few days of the ifoundyourcamera.net site’s launch, photos were reunited with their takers.
A combination of your creativity and Matt’s site, could be your ticket to fame…read on…
Sydney, Australia’s Powerhouse Museum and the dainty Princess of Wales don’t really seem to fit together. But then again, they really do. Up until early May 2008, the city of Sydney, is hosting a special exhibit dedicated to the late Princess Diana, one of the most influential and powerful women the world has ever known. So, in that sense, the Powerhouse Museum and the adored Princess are a perfect pairing.
I, as a fan of Diana, could have gone back through the exhibit again and again, but time was short, so an hour was all I could budget. Here are the hi-lights.
Actually, it was more like 12 hours, but I had already experienced enough derision from my travel mates. So, I didn’t fess up to the real amount of time. But…
I had precious cargo to transport. And I wanted it to survive the ravages of airline luggage wranglers, airline conveyor belts, and airline scales.
I was not about to leave my hand-selected New Zealand wines behind; but neither did I want to ship the bottles only to have them broken in transit. And I didn’t want to pay an overweight baggage fee at the airport. So, logistical plans take awhile. Okay?
I have brought back many fragile things in my suitcases — with almost complete success. Especially wine. I haven’t lost a bottle, well, except one to an unscrupulous airport security inspector, but that’s another story…
A Quick and Easy Guide
Here is a quick and easy guide for the supplies you will need, and tips for how to pack your imported wine for safe and secure transport in your suitcase….
“It’s just not fair,” I wailed.
I wailed because I saw buttery yellow sunlight creasing the clouds, and because it was disembarkation day for our 14-day cruise of New Zealand and Australia, and our last day in Sydney, Australia.
We had arrived in port two nights prior, but had only one rain-filled day to explore this massive port city, with its famous Opera House, gorgeous old heritage buildings, and infamous convict history.
But that’s beside the point ‘cause now I am just mad at you, Sydney. And that’s very strange since we (my husband and I) had vowed we had no interest in visiting Sydney. Ever. And that makes me even madder.
You could have told me sooner that I was going to love your harbour, that I was going to love your city streets and your people, that I was going to adore The Rocks, and that you had so much to offer. I would have made different plans.
And now it’s too late; we are leaving. (Or so I thought.)
Things are never as they seem…read on…
My recent cruise to New Zealand and Australia was fraught with troubles from lost luggage to missed airline connections. My husband and I didn’t experience any problems besides cramped seats on a very long Air New Zealand flight, but hundreds of our fellow cruisers really suffered.
Traveling and troubles go together; they just do. The way to cope with travel troubles is to plan for mishaps, as best you can.
Here are 12 tips to help cruise ship travelers prepare so they can enjoy their expensive cruise, come what may:
I have become a traitor, an unfaithful lover, if you will, for I have fallen for another – another with charms equal to, if not greater than, one of my dearest loves, New York City.
My new love?
Melbourne (pronounce that mel-ban), Australia.
Our short day in port (during a recent 14-day Celebrity Mercury cruise of New Zealand and Australia) was almost criminal when we saw what this bustling city had to offer, and that’s besides the fact it was hosting the Australian Open Tennis Championships.
From its gardens, to its museums, to its handsome old architecture, including the old Melbourne Gaol (jail), it became clear that a mere 7 hours in this city was just…silly. And that a return trip was most definitely in order.
But in the meantime, we had to make the most of our time, and decide wisely. Here’s how we spent our few hours in Melbourne, Australia.
Read on…
After docking relatively early in Port Melbourne, our ship and its passengers had to endure two hours of Australian customs clearance. This included a 20-minute walk through customs complete with a cute little bag-sniffing beagle dog (NO foreign foods are allowed into Australia) and this enthusiastic little fellow will find you out! Even two days AFTER you have had fruit in your bag, as a fellow passenger discovered.
Once through the bag-checking and passport-checking gamut, we bought a “day-use” tram ticket, walked for about 5 minutes, and then boarded a spiffy high-tech tram headed for the heart of Melbourne. The trams have very few seats, but are fitted with many overhead hooks (I suspect the average Australian is much taller than the rest of us, because I ended up swinging like a chimp).
We had no clue where we were going, or where we should get off, so we tried questioning the locals. Our first encounter, with a lovely college-aged lady, was a huge hint at what was to come; the Melbournians are amazingly friendly and helpful people. (Wait till I tell you what our sightseeing tour bus driver did!) The young lady told us which stop to get off at, and which way to walk in order to find the Melbourne Visitor Information Centre. She even came back to us before she left the tram to ensure we knew to get off at the next stop.
And that’s exactly what we did. I was stunned by the sights I saw as I alit from the tram: the crowds, the traffic, the buildings, the bustle – why, it looked just like New York City. My heart beat quicker because I love all the noise and the hustle of the Big Apple. And so my alienation of affections began.
We marched up Swanston Street and arrived at Federation Square, just across the street from Flinders Street Station (what a gorgeous old building in its rich butterscotch hues!). We found the information centre, and were amazed by the expert set-up. This metropolis is so used to dealing with tourists that it has a high-tech help system in place; you actually have to take a number to get assistance. I’m serious. But the place is so well laid out, with brochures catalogued under a variety of titles from tours to theatre, that it was easy to help ourselves. And so we did.
Now the hard part was making a decision on what to do in our quickly diminishing allotment of shore leave. We sat down outside in intense bright sunshine to peruse the tour booklets; a street performer was just starting his show; an official Australian Open souvenir booth to our left was doing a brisk business (I now have a stuffed kangaroo wearing a jersey as my memento). Our eyes adjusted to the brightness, and we began to read.
My husband had earlier indicated an interest in the Old Melbourne Gaol, and so we located that on a map. Okay, now how to get there? We studied a couple of tourist shuttle buses like the Melbourne City Circle Tram, and the city’s FREE Tourist Shuttle, both of which can be caught just across the street from the Info centre, and both of which would get us to the gaol. We opted for the free shuttle which ran every ½ hour.
(Something really cool about Melbourne that I haven’t seen in New York City is the city’s “greeter” service. These helpful “city ambassadors,” identified by their red tunics, were all over the place. And, as we discovered, they didn’t just point you in the right direction; they were prepared to walk you there. That’s how we found the toilets in Federation Square. Thanks Melbourne!)
We boarded the tourist shuttle at Stop #2, took the full circle trip, and then advised the bus driver we had designs on the old gaol. He confirmed that Stop #4 would get us there. Now here is the story about the driver.
The gray-haired fellow (his name was Lance) called our stop. We left via the back door and stood for a moment trying to get our bearings. We must have looked confused (we were) because the bus stopped, the driver jumped off, ran up to us, and gave us detailed directions on how to get to the gaol. Now I ask you…how many bus drivers in your city would do that? We stood with our mouths open, both stunned and delighted. And then we headed down the hill to the gaol.
The old Melbourne Gaol is a must-see adventure; I promise. It is not for the faint-of-heart, but it is an experience you’ll long remember. Especially if you take the tour where YOU are booked and thrown into a cell, like a common prisoner. Really! But that’s for a future blog.
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Yes, Melbourne, Australia has not seen the last of me. Now if I can just gear myself up again for that 14-hour plane ride. Oh heck, of course I can. I simply must see the Melbourne Werribee Open Range Zoo, the Healesville Sanctuary, the Great Ocean Road, the Witches in Britches theatre, the Queen Victoria Market, the…
New York City will just have to wait.
If you’d like to book tours or attractions tickets in Melbourne, Australia ahead of time, try Best of Victoria.
Cheers,
Sheree Zielke
