Guess what…. It’s raining!!!

We stopped at “London Bridge”….wow!

Then the “Grotto”

Our final scenery stop was the “12 Apostles” of which there are only 7 left. The rest have eroded away due to wind and waves.

Oh my…… did we get rain….. torrential…… worse than I have ever seen.

The shower in the English gals room was spewing out of the drain rather than drain out. They decided to stay in that room with soggy carpets so for their inconvenience they were given a case of wine.

Steps today 10,619.

First stop (after 2 hours)Coonalpyn where there are grain silos that have beautiful murals of children painted on the sides. As well, the walk under the railroad tracks have individual pictures I would say were painted predominately by children.

Next stop (1 hr. more)called “Bordertown, SA… at a bakery where all purchased delicious individual pot pies. The rest area there was some really weird sounds coming from the water iris’. Someone described the sound as similar to someone plunking a banjo……badly! Apparently they are frogs.

Next stop…..Pink Lake. It isn’t very pink for us because they have had so much rain that it is flooded, diluting the waters. The pink is caused by algae excreting a dye….. only done went the salt content is sufficient.

Got to Halls Gap in Grampian National Park, dropped our bags and went for a beautiful hike to Venus Baths.

I am not sure how these pictures are going to show and cannot seem to add comments. I will attempt to send more pictures of Thant hike. Wifi isn’t great!!!

It’s a free day so we joined Lyna and Brianna, got a bus pass and went to visit the Adelaide Gaol…. No longer in service. 1841 to late 1980’s…. Housed approx. 300,000 prisoners over the years. It was also where they held executions….by hanging. 44 men and 1 female.

On the way back we stopped at the Rundle Market, a pedestrian market with higher end shops as well as K-Mart, giant metal balls stacked, 4 brass pigs and huge pigeon.

After returning to hotel, Lyna, Brianna and I (Jeanette stayed behind), we took an Uber to Cleland National park that has a wildlife park. Amazing!!! We fed (and watched as others were fed) and petted Koalas, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, bandicoots, emus, Tasmanian devils, dingos and wallabies as well as many types of birds. Pictures to follow…. Too many!

The flight was terribly long (left Nov. 12/22 at 6pm+ and arrived Nov. 14 at 3:30pm…. actually is ONLY 25-26 hours) but I was able to sleep in bits and pieces. I would recommend “premium economy” cuz your chair is much bigger and it reclines. I cannot criticize Air Canada…..we were well fed (even had real eating utensils….when was the last time you had that on a plane), drinks, blankets, little pack with toothbrush etc. in it.

So far we are disappointed…..disappointed in the weather (it’s been windy, rainy…pants and jacket weather) and disappointed that the excursion that we all were hoping to take today and was suggested as an optional tour by the tour company, is not available….they didn’t get theirs shit together cuz Australia has just recently re-opened. We (probably 10 of the 13 people on the tour) all wanted to go to Kangaroo Island…..to see the kangaroos and koalas. Lets see how the day goes. A couple of gals from Ottawa and Port Elgin have something planned.

This trip was costly to begin with but by the time we buy all the meals that are not covered, I could be in the “poor house”. The exchange is good for us but the price of everything is way higher than at home….don’t anyone complain! No tipping though & the taxes are incl. in the prices!

The first day of tour…in Adelaide-Nov15/22

Adelaide has a trolley that is free within the downtown area so we hopped it and went to the Central Market. It is a huge market that has predominately foods, including kangaroo meat. Jeanette also got a massage there that she is still talking about. After wandering there for a while, we hopped the trolley to the end of the “free line”, then back to hotel.

Later we checked out the Himeji Garden…. Small but oh so beautiful. Across from our hotel as well as circling the entire downtown area is a huge park. We saw some beautiful birds including lots of Australian magpies and Eastern rosella. The park is used for grammar school Phys. Ed including broad jump. All kids were wearing uniforms.

We didn’t meet the CEO (chief experience officer, Luigi) and the rest of the group (there are 13 of us) until 6pm. There are 6 from Canada, 2 from UK, 4 from Germany & 1 from Switzerland…. Only 2 guys in the group plus Luigi. After we walked to a restaurant and then walked and walked to get an Australian SIM card. $30 AUD for a month with a huge amount of data so that we can keep in contact with the group and CEO. 9943 steps.

As a follower of my blog, I would really like to know who is following along. Recently I had someone sign up with a handle I don’t know. This one is doctor45ingarb. Please identify yourself in private message or email (or here) or I will delete your access. This goes for anyone else that signs up that I don’t recognize you identity.`

This Saturday, after 6 previous attempts, I am heading off to Australia and New Zealand…on November 12, 2022.

It was pointed out to me that some of you have not been able to read the descriptions that I had written under pictures, because they were in a vertical line one letter at a time…..crazy! Apparently, this happens if you read the “email” copy of my blog. If you click on the blue “gailstraveladventures” on the email notifying you that I had posted another entry, it will take you to the website and you should be able to get it the way I have written it.

Also, I find that it is “difficult” to comment on the website. If you wish to, please forward comments to me in an email……saves a lot of aggravation.

Anything else that is amiss, unless you inform me, I have no idea so please let me know.

I think I have told you all that I don’t profess to be a writer, that am copying my notes as told to me on tours. There maybe info that you already know but some maybe you did not…some funny stories told. I hope you enjoy coming along on my newest trip.

We are off to Montmartre and Sacre Soeur. I certainly hope it is cooler today than yesterday. It was at 32C. yesterday

It was good to have gotten an Uber ride although the 7 minutes the app said it would take for one to come was way, way longer. It was all uphill. Coming back should be easy… all downhill.

This was a OMG moment at the Sacre Soeur….spectacular! My first impressing was that it reminded me of the “Taj Mahal”. Not any info but a good number of pictures.

There is a funicular as well that you can use. And the stairs… going down was easy…… not so much walking up…. OMG!!!

We continued down coming across the red light district….. unintentionally! Every other store was a sex shop, the buildings of course were run-downed. This is where the “Moulon Rouge” with the big red windmill was situated. But in the middle of this was a lovely pedestrian walkway down the middle of the street, lined with trees.

Another time I would gladly come back here to Paris and investigate more of the museums particularly.

We chatted with a couple of gals originally from San Francisco. One (Janice) was presently living at the foot of the Italian Alps with her Italian husband. The other (Chris) was heading to a month at a chateau in Normandy. That…… sounds like something the Womens Travel group should be interested in.

Oh yes…it was only slightly less hot at 30 C

Correction on something I wrote a couple days back…..Marie Antoinette was not beheaded at the Corciergerie but only held in prison there. She with the 2500 or so others, were beheaded at the Concorde Square, where the blood ran in rivers to the Seine below. Nice, huh?

We are now safely home in Victoria, digesting all that we saw and did. Wow!!! And resting up for the next……

In the Le Havre harbour as we are leaving for Paris, we see the parts for making the wind turbines….laying flat….the humongous poles and the enormous blades. Apparently the blades wear out and then have to be replaced. Problem is what to do with them used. Apparently they are not exactly recyclable.

It takes us 3 hours to drive in with a short break. The countryside could be anywhere….nothing really noteworthy except chalk cliffs in places.

Oh my, this hotel is not what we were expecting especially after being quite spoilt on the ship. First, the room is about 8 feet square plus a very small bathroom. There is no Airconditioning and we are on the ground floor so don’t feel comfortable sleeping with the windows open. Thankfully they moved us the 2nd day to to the 3rd floor….and there is a fan in the room….whoopie! We did not venture very far the first day but got 2 days on the “TO-OT Bus”….a hop-on, hop-off plus a Seine River cruise.

Palais Garnier is built in the Baroque style, took 15 years to built-1860-1875

In the 19th century Baron Haussman changed the look of Paris. He was the Prefect of Paris 1853-1870. 60% of buildings are of that style of which Paris looks.

Top three priciest cities in world.

Comedie de Francaise is the House of Moliere. The actor died who on stage wearing green so since, green is not a lucky colour for Parisiens.

Louvre Museum is largest museum in the world. It was the palace of the Kings Louis XIV and XV that lived here before moving to Versailles. The glass pyramid in middle was commissioned by President Francois Mitterrand.

Louvre on left side going upstream on the boat … was fortress in 1200, palace in 14th & 15th centuries. There are 38,000 pieces of art.

Pont Neuf is relatively near Notre Dame

Conciergerie across on the Left Bank also home to Ste. Chapelle.. church with 50’ high windows. The Consiergerie was a palace and then a prison where they beheaded Marie Antoinette.

The pedestrian only promenade along the Right Bank was once roadways. In the summer they turn it into beaches by adding sand.

Notre Dame….. Largest circular stain glass window in the world. It is also mile “Zero”. All roads lead to Notre Dame. It is built on Ile de Citie. Notre Dame was built in 1163-1345. In 2019 a fire caused the centre spire to collapse but the rest of the structure held. They are hoping to have it repaired in time for World’s Fair in ‘24

Isle of the city…2 bridges cradle of Paris. 4th century AD was when the city was christened with the name of Paris.

In the Latin quarter. … Area of schools and students. Sorbonne amongst, started in 1257.

Middle Ages Museum.

2nd Largest hotel in visits after London .. Bangkok is 3rd.

Place de Institute … domed building

D’Orsay Museum.… originally train station, then Nazies took it over during war… now a museum.

1836 Arc d’Triomphe …built by Napoleon in honour of those that have died in war. The Arc is tomb of unknown soldier. The 12 streets that radiate from the roundabout that surrounds it, is in the shape of a star.

National Assembly (covered in sheet)….seat of Democracy. Champs d’Ellysse … mile long developed by Louis XIV

Trocadero Square … Palais de National Theatre

Eiffel Tower….1000 feet high …. Built for the World’s Fair of 1889. Eiffel was the owner of a steel factory. They brought the prefabricated sections to the site where it took 2 years to build from 1887-89 which was 100 years since the French Revolution. The tower is rustproof and lighter than reg steel. It takes 60 tons of paint to repaint it.

Pass under 22 of 37 bridges on Seine in Paris

Right is left bank, left side is right bank …. We are heading upstream.

1987 flame from Statue of Liberty & 10 years later. Princess Diana died in tunnel right there.

Pedestrian area was once a street for vehicles.

Alexandre III gave bridge … liberty style with garlands.

Concorde square (means peace but where 2300 people were beheaded) ….to National Assembly building. Obelisk is from Egypt thanking the deciphering of hieroglyphics. Orange trees on Concorde square.

Thomas Jefferson bridge beside building that he used to fashioned White House in America.

Littlest house in Paris now art gallery.

The river boat made a uturn ….then you see the St. Louis Isle. Now the right side is the right bank and left is the left cuz we are now heading down stream.

Claude Monet lived in Paris near seine street.

Palais Invalid is a hospital for “broken faces” or “disables”… now is for living martyrs.

Next building from Russia

Brass gates is a celebratory palace.

Pont Marie… the most romantic bridge. Confluence of the seine river.

Miscellaneous pictures from our boat ride on the Seine.

I will send more miscellaneous picture on the posting. I think this site cannot handle too many more pictures without crashing