Turning 40 in a Hot Air Balloon over Yarra Valley

As I turn another year older, I must say that celebrating a four-decade milestone was much more fun, exciting and emotional. Now, I’m just another year older. Blah!

Weeks before we left Australia, I wanted to do something special for my 40^th birthday. I did all the planning and decided that floating over the beautiful Yarra Valley and drinking local Aussie wines sounded like a perfect fit. But then on the night before my birthday, the hot air balloon company called to say the conditions were too windy to go up early the next day. (Hubby consoled me with a wine dinner at a winery so I can’t complain too much.) Then, we rescheduled for another weekend, which also was cancelled due to wind. Finally, the third time was a charm for us and up we went into a misty autumn morning.

The Yarra Valley is located about an hour from Melbourne’s CBD area. Previously, we already had taken two wine tours in the valley and one DIY winery tour. I had fallen in love with Australian and Kiwi wines and the valley happens to be the closest wine-producing region to the city. Wine + beautiful landscapes = one happy girl.

A horse and its shadow amongst the autumn-hued vineyards in the Yarra Valley.

On the big departure day, we opted for the free shuttle bus ride via Global Ballooning from Melbourne to the valley’s meeting point. We arrived a little after 5 a.m. The sky was still pitch black and we were surrounded by a low misty fog. I was worried the balloon ride would be cancelled yet again!

After driving to an appropriate landing site, our group got out to help set up the hot air balloon. Three other balloons took off from the same site, so it was fun to watch everyone prep the balloons. I mainly stood back and took photos. Ha!

Hubby and me before we took off on our Global Ballooning adventure.

I should mention that I’m a teensy bit afraid of heights, and I started to mildly panic once I hopped into the balloon’s basket. However, once we got up in the air, the feeling was magical. Any fear subsided and all I did was admire the beautiful scenery around us and take more photos. We literally floated through and above the clouds! What a delight!

Admiring the Landscapes

We silently floated over Victorian farms, apple orchards, wineries, emerald-green pastures filled with cows and horses and even a couple of kangaroos. Seriously, the views could not have been more perfect!

Why had I waited 40 years to take this thrilling balloon ride? When we lived in Turkey, we almost did a balloon ride over Cappadocia, but opted not to because of the expense. Now, we were paying nearly twice as much in Australia, but the cost was certainly justified in the end.

After an hour or so up in the air, we landed in the middle of a pasture filled with cows who didn’t seem to mind our intrusion whatsoever. The company has partnerships with several local farmers who allow the balloon companies to land there. Then, we all helped roll up the balloon and gather the supplies so we could head to breakfast.

Time for Bubbles

Our balloon package included a fantastic brunch at Rochford Winery with lots of sparkling Aussie wine. Hooray! Plus, we had a good time chatting with our Aussie neighbors who were planning a big trip to the U.S. I was more than happy to provide my foodie recommendations for NYC.

All in all, turning 40 wasn’t too bad. I may have shed a few tears, but in the end, I made true memories to last a lifetime by floating over the amazing Aussie landscape.

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Spring Day Out at Hampton Court

Sometimes I just need to escape my busy life in London, so when I had a visiting cousin recently I took him out to see Hampton Court.

     

Less than an hour train ride from our apartment, Hampton Court was the home of King Henry VIII, King William II and III and other English royalty. While this was my second visit inside the castle, the spring gardens is where I wanted to explore the most. April is a perfect month to visit to see cherry blossoms, daffodils, pansies, tulips, hyacinths and other spring flowers.

Back in Henry VIII’s time, the renaissance garden was established in the 1530s as a private garden designed to outshine the French Fontainbleau. Then, under King William III (1689-1702), the gardens were designed with “parterres a l’Anglaise” (English-style beds) with intricate patterns cut into the turf and filled with colorful gravel. These are framed with narrow borders displaying topiary, bulbs and annual plants. Using detailed accounts, the Privy Gardens, as they are called, have been restored to their former glory as they were in the 18^th century.

“The Privy Garden represents a formal style of gardening which fell out of fashion soon after the garden was originally made. Its geometry is not to everyone’s taste but many find it extremely pleasing to the eye.” Account by Susanne Groom, curator of the Gardens Exhibition.

The gardens are gorgeous! Next time, I’d remember to bring a picnic lunch as plenty of people were enjoying the lovely spring day we had with temperatures nearly 20C degrees in April! That’s short-sleeve weather in England people!

Hope you enjoy this photo post from our spring day out to Hampton Court!

In the 1690s, the sheltered, south-facing pond yards were transformed by Mary II to display her rare and exotic plant collection. This garden became known as the Orange Quarter. Mary displayed her citrus fruit trees here in the summer. In the winter months, the plants were sheltered from the weather in nearby heated glass cases made by the Dutch carpenter Hendrick Floris. The Pond Gardens originally were used to hold freshwater fish for the royal courts.

Horse-drawn charabanc, based on the late 19^th- century charabancs that brought visitors to Hampton Court, can be hired for a short (and expensive) ride around the grounds.

The canal, inspired by Versailles and runs 1.6 km long at a 90-degree axis of Henry VIII’s original garden. 

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Good Eats in Paris – Again!

Yes, to quote Audrey Hepburn, Paris is always a good idea!

Last year, I had two utterly delicious trips to Paris. I was even thinking about taking the train from London to go grocery shopping in Paris for the day, but then I started working full-time in the autumn. Now, I barely have time to do laundry, write a blog post or plan any new trips, but we finally do have a few spring trips starting to take shape.

Read on to find out my latest foodie recommendations for Paris.

Foodies at Frenchie’s

One Parisien favorite that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time is Frenchie’s – a popular restaurant for foodies and food critics alike. On my July trip with a girlfriend, we scored a table at Frenchie’s wine bar (Bar a Vins) after queuing up before dinner service. We only ordered a few small plates because we had dinner reservations elsewhere that night. Frenchie’s is worth the hype if you don’t mind waiting. I’d also love to try the main restaurant across the street as it features a foodie-lovers’ tasting menu – all ingredients are locally farmed or sourced.

Fromage and charcuterie

You can never go wrong when there’s cheese, boards of sliced meats and glasses of wine involved. Well, at least that’s my motto! Looking back, I think my girlfriend and I literally had three meals or snacks that involved cheese and wine. Well, we were in Paris after all!

Afternoon “snacks” at Café Richer, 2 Rue Richer, not too far from Gare du Nord. We had two glasses of wine, a burrata entrée and a plate of charcuterie which all cost 32.50 euros.

Late night truffled cheese platter and wine at a cool wine bar called O’Chateau, 68 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in the Les Halles district. Cost 33 euros.

Cheese and wine with a view of the Eiffel Tower to the left and Sacre Couér from our Airbnb flat on another stay.

Foie and More

If you love foie gras, then you must make dinner reservations at Comptoir de la Gastronomie, 34 Rue Montmartre! While the foie gras ravioli sounded appealing, I was still doing a gluten-free diet so avoided those temptations. Instead, we ordered a beautiful tomato and burrata salad, one assiette de foie gras, a planche mixte of cheese and charcuterie, a to-die-for salted caramel mousse for dessert and 1 bottle of Cote du Rhone red wine. All in, our bill was a reasonable 76.50 euros.

Another fun wine bar that we loved was L’avant Comptoir that we both had heard about from travel blogger and Instagrammer extrodinaire – A Taste of Travel. This small bar, located in the Saint Germain district, is adorned with pig memorabilia and the menu cards hang from the ceiling. We popped by in the afternoon for some wine, foie gras and one more small plate. After perhaps too many glasses of rosé and singing along to all the words to “Shoop” by Salt n’ Pepa, we made our grand exit. 

Breton Favorites in Paris

While the reviews are hit or miss for LaPointe de Grouin, 8 Rue de Belzunce, our group of friends had a fun, chill experience here. Named after a rocky northern coast in Brittany, this four-year-old, lively wine bar and restaurant by Chef Thierry Breton is an experience worth having if you’re near Gare du Nord.

What’s different is that you must pay for your dishes and drinks with grouins or coins. The coin system makes it easier for the staff, but perhaps the customer might lose out on a coin or two. Honestly, we didn’t find the payment system a problem. The dishes came out quickly and we had a fun tim here! If you love wine, you can’t miss the wine cave here!

Deliciously Good Duck Confit

While we explored the 11^th arrondissement east of the Bastille and the endangered Marché d’Aligre, our stomachs started grumbling again. Using social media, we found a local bistro called Le Chat Bossu and grabbed a table for our group. We either ordered the duck confit or the roasted rabbit lunch special.

The French have the most amazing way of preparing duck by slowly cooking it in rendered duck fat. I mean, how can you resist? I’ve made this dish once or twice at home, but generally, I’d rather leave this dish to the experts. If you ever see duck confit on a menu, do yourself a favor, order it ASAP and enjoy! Oh, and you must have a glass of French red wine to pair with the duck.

Mad for Macarons

No trip to Paris would be complete, at least for me, if I didn’t stop at Pierre Hermé for some freshly-made French macarons. I love the pastry chef’s use of interesting flavor combinations such as lychee, raspberry and rose, but salted caramel will always be one of my favs.

Look at all those delicious desserts too!

As you can tell from this post, I had a difficult time eating my way around Paris. Tough life, but someone has to do it!

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A-Z Guidebook: Wrocław’s Market Square

W is for Wrocław's Market Square 

Of all the cities we visited while we lived in Poland, I think that Wrocław is one of the prettiest.

Fortunately, my solo road trip in Lower Silesia in 2015 meant that I got to spend some extra time in Wrocław, which is Poland’s fourth largest city.

Known under dozens of different names as it was passed repeatedly between four countries (there’s a strong German influence here), Wrocław is an architecturally diverse city, which was largely rebuilt after World War II. Ranging from Gothic to Art Nouveau, I can’t resist the marvelously-restored facades of the townhouses surrounding the Market Square. The square is the city’s heart and the maze of cobbled streets, canals, bridges and church spires seem to spin off from here. The market square and the urban grid around it was designed by city planners all the way back in the 13^th century.

In the middle of the square, you’ll find a medieval structure known as the Town Hall (Ratusz) which also dates back to the 13^th century and (surprisingly) was barely damaged during WWII. There’s a large clock on the front and the interesting architecture makes the building look like it’s been pieced together like a puzzle.

Today, Wrocław can be easily reached from most European destinations and is certainly worth exploring for a few days like I did.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “W.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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