Le Chic En Rose

Tyrolean Traditions and Hapsburg Palaces In Innsbruck – Part 1

rosemaylily2014

February 6, 2015

Nestling in the Inn Valley surrounded by mountains it is easy to see why Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian Tyrol, is a major centre for winter sports enthusiasts and summer hikers alike. The Austrian Tourist Board describes Innsbruck as a place “where rugged Alpine nature meets modern lifestyle” and last week’s trip on the blog up to the Alpenzoo on the Nordkettenbahn well illustrates this. Back down in the city itself though we discovered just what a rich, colourful and sometimes turbulent history this charming city has had. Starting with my trusty Eyewitness Travel book on Austria I had done a reasonable amount of research before we arrived and one part of town that I was definitely keen to explore, given my love of history, was the Altstadt. We were fortunate enough to be staying at the Hotel Innsbruck (more on that later) on Innrain the street that runs along the south side of the River Inn. We literally stepped out of the front door, admired the painted buildings on the opposite side of the river and then turned right into the heart of the Altstadt.

Innsbruck’s Altstadt – view back towards the River Inn.

There has been a settlement in the Innsbruck area since ancient times. It was part of the Roman province of Raetia and in those days was called Veldidena. It developed at a major junction point where the road going north from modern day Verona in Italy via the Brenner Pass, met the road heading from west to east downstream along the River Inn. By the middle ages the Tyrol region was being disputed between 2 major dynasties, the Bavarians and the Hapsburgs. However in 1363 it was finally handed over to the Hapsburgs who controlled it for many centuries thereafter. It was actually a junior branch of the Hapsbrug family who ruled over the Tyrol and they carved out their own unique customs and traditions. Their heritage is very much in evidence today intermingled with all the shops and trappings of a modern city. The Altstadt is a veritable treasure trove of buildings dating from the Middle Ages with each generation seemingly adding its own individual touch. Unfortunately when we visited, the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), possibly the most famous symbol of Innsbruck, was undergoing renovation works so seeing it in its full glory will have to wait for a future visit! At least the builders had tried to give an impression of what it should look like!

Goldenes Dachl undergoing renovation works!

Our disappointment and the inclement weather that persisted for most of our visit aside, we enjoyed our wanderings around the Altstadt (Old Town) Square the highlight of which is normally the Goldenes Dachl. It was an addition by Emperor Maximilian 1 to the residence of the Tyrolean sovereigns to mark the occasion of his marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza and was completed in 1500. The roof is not actually made of gold but rather gilded copper tiles of which there are over two and a half thousand! After their wedding the Emperor and his family apparently used the balcony as a vantage point from which to watch the festivals and tournaments that used to take place in the square below. Nowadays the Innsbruck Christmas Markets are held in the main square, which must be a magical spectacle!

Buildings in the Altstadt Square

Even in the rain the Altstadt was very pretty

Mozart stayed in this old building dating back to medieval days

Mozart stayed at this old Gasthof-Hotel.

The old interspersed with the new

Wandering down the old streets gives you a sense of Innsbruck’s past

Streets at dusk

Approaching the Altsadt Square from the river

Typical little streets criss cross the Altstadt. The old signs give you an idea of the dates of buildings.

There are a myriad of hotels and eateries in this part of town and during April, which is traditionally low season, we had our pick of places to go to. We never needed to wander too far from our hotel to find somewhere to eat each evening. We visited in spring when thoughts are turning from heavy winter stews to (slightly) lighter meals and one of the highlights were the dishes made from weiss spargel (white asparagus) that comes into season around then. This time of year is in fact known as Spargelzeit (Asparagus season) in many German speaking regions and usually starts around mid April. We tried soups, mousses and weiss spargel accompaniments to fish and meat and all were absolutely delicious. The Tyroleans are well known for their wonderful hospitality and we were greeted by friendly staff wherever we went in Innsbruck. We left feeling extremely well fed and watered!

We had a wonderful meal at the Goldenes Dachl Gasthaus on our first night in a typical Tyrolean setting

Monsieur Le Chic checking out the menus outside the Goldener Adler (Golden Eagle)

Weiss Spargel (white asparagus) was in season in April and the menus refected this. It is simply delicious!

The Dom St Jakob is a beautifully preserved Baroque Cathedral adorned with impressive artwork and frescoes. We were amazed by the intricate interior of the cathedral typical of the Hapsburg era and reminiscent of Viennese imperial buildings without (in April at least) the inconvenience of large crowds.

The interior of the Baroque Cathedral of St Jakob

The artwork and frescoes were outstanding

The impressive looking organ of the Dom St Jakob

The interior of the dome

Another major drawcard of the Altstadt area is the Hapsburg Imperial Palace – the Hofburg. The original palace was constructed under Archduke Sigismund around 1460 and was gradually extended over the next 250 years before undergoing major renovations in the Rococo style under Empress Maria Theresa in the 18th century. It has a wonderful backdrop in the imposing form of the Nordkette alpine range and in fact Congress Station from where we started our journey up the mountains to Alpen Zoo and Hafelekar (see here) is close by the palace.

Hofburg Innsbruck

Inner courtyard of the Hofburg

Backdrop of the Nordkette

We did not have time in the end to tour round the Hofburg itself (too many other attractions taking priority) though we did fit in a visit to the imperial church, the Hofkirche. This Gothic church was built in 1553 by Emperor Ferdinand 1 (1503-1564) in honour of his grandfather Emperor Maximilian 1 (1459 -1519) and contains a mausoleum to Maximilian that can best be described as dark and oppressive although I’m sure that was not his grandson’s original intention. The tomb is surrounded by large marble statues which depict various ancestors, relatives and heroes of the deceased emperor. The irony is that it is in fact an empty tomb – in the end Maximilian was left to rest in peace in his original simple tomb in the castle chapel of the Wiener Neustadt!

The exterior of the Hofkirche Innsbruck

Maximilian’s Tomb Hofkirche Innsbruck

Some of the rather oppressive looking statues that surround Maximilian’s tomb Hofkirche Innsbruck

Maximilian’s tomb Hofkirche Innsbruck

Pulpit and statues Hofkirche Innsbruck

Finally back to our hotel, the Hotel Innsbruck which was our home from home during our stay in Innsbruck. It was a comfortable blend of the old and the new, still retaining its old town charm along with the mod cons of the 21st century. The clientele from what we could see were a mixture of business people and local visitors and tourists alike. It all worked perfectly well – the business folk had their breakfast early and the visitors came along at a more leisurely pace later. We had our favourite spot by the window where we could look out to the old town streets until the final morning where we were beaten to it by a young family. Another nice touch were the photos mounted on canvas of Innsbruck past and present, which decorated the hotel lobby and the corridors on each floor showcasing Innsbruck to full effect in excellent weather!

Photo on corridor wall

Innsbruck past in black and white with trams

View down the corridor

Photo on canvas of Innsbruck Altstadt in the corridor of Hotel Innsbruck

Photo on canvas at Hotel Innsbruck

Tales From Innsbruck Alpenzoo

rosemaylily2014

23 comments

January 30, 2015

A while ago I wrote a post entitled “Five Places To Go Back To” . One of those places was Innsbruck in Austria, which lies on the south side of the Karwendel Alps (on the north side you’ll find last week’s travel destinations Mittenwald and Garmisch Partenkirchen, Bavaria). Apart from being an excellent touring base in all directions north/south and east/west, Innsbruck is a charming university city and the capital of the Austrian Tyrol. Despite being home to approximately 120,000 people it still retains its small town appeal. We loved it and will definitely go back there at some point!

We stayed in Innsbruck for 8 nights and one of the first things we did was purchase an Innsbruck card, which we found was great value for money. You can get an Innsbruck card that is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours and the costs are 33, 41 or 47 Euros respectively. Amongst the many benefits we found with the card were free rides on all forms of public transport, free entry to most museums and galleries as well as other many other attractions. If you are planning a trip, you can find out all the information on the Innsbruck card here.

One of the free entry passes was for the Alpenzoo, which sounded interesting so we headed up there via the Nordkettenbahn (more about this later). The zoo is situated up the Nordkette mountain and according to the information site (see here) is unique, as it is the only zoo in the world that devotes itself entirely to Alpine animals. The zoo terrain is quite steep and you’ll definitely need a good pair of sturdy walking shoes. Whereas Dorothy said, “Lions, tigers and bears! Oh My!” when she first arrived in the land of the Wizard Of Oz, here “oh bears” is more appropriate!

Brown bear enclosure Alpenzoo Innsbruck

Brown bear resting in its enclosure

Off he goes for a stroll

Back again towards us

Going off into the rocks

Waterfall bear enclosure

Brown bear Alpenzoo Innsbruck

Unfortunately we did not have the best weather conditions for our visit so it was hard to take too many photos – we were darting in and out of the rain and sleet a lot of the time! The zoo is home to over 2000 animals (150 species) all of which are typical of alpine regions. In addition to the visitor entry fees, the zoo is supported by the City Of Innsbruck and the government of the federal Austrian state of the Tyrol. There is also a “Freunde des Alpenzoo” group, which provides support for the zoo as well.

As we wandered round, we encountered some fine looking lynxes!

A lynx at Alpenzoo

All about “der Luchs” or lynx in English!

Looking at us suspiciously!

We weren’t so lucky with the marmots as they were still hibernating at the time of our visit in April.

Marmot statue Alpenzoo

An explanation of the marmot’s hibernation “Winterschlaf”

The disappointment of the marmots aside, we still found plenty of other wildlife to see.

Alpine cow Alpenzoo Innsbruck

Goats at Alpenzoo

Black Stork at Alpenzoo

Owls at Innsbruck Alpenzoo

Eagle at Alpenzoo

The funicular railway (part of the Nordkettenbahn) takes you up to Alpenzoo

Alpine pig at Alpenzoo

Duck at Alpenzoo Innsbruck

Wolves at the Alpenzoo

The Norkettenbahn, which we took to reach the Alpenzoo, is a combination of various forms of transport that will take you from the very heart of central Innsbruck right up to the top of the mountains (Nordkette or North Chain is the name of the mountain range north of Innsbruck part of the Karwendel alpine mountain chain). We started our ride on the Hungerburgbahn, a funicular railway which links Congress Station with the upper suburb of Hungerburg. It only has 4 stops with Alpenzoo being one of them. The current funicular replaced one that had been operating from 1906 to 2005 and opened relatively recently on 1 December 2007. It was designed by the architect Zaha Hadid and is quite space-age in its appearance, which really stands out in the mountains!

Hungerburg Funicular Station Innsbruck

From Hungerburg you switch to cable cars; the first one takes you further up the mountain to Seegrube and the final one up to the Hafelekar station at 2,269 metres above sea level (the nearby mountain summit, Hafelekarspitze, is 2,334 metres above sea level). We had a hearty Tyrolean lunch at the Hafelekar restaurant but it would be fair to say we hadn’t picked the best day for views!

Cable car ride up to Hafelekar station on the Nordkette Innsbruck

Monsieur Le Chic is not a huge cable car fan. En route to the Hafelekar station!

Inside the restaurant at Hafelekar

The door at the side of the restaurant was open. This was the view looking out!

There were some intrepid skiers taking advantage of the April skiing opportunities

Back outside it started to snow again

However on a clear day there are wonderful panoramic views to be had of Innsbruck, the mountains and the Inn Valley and ample opportunities for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer months. The mists cleared sufficiently for a few photos on the way back down the mountain. It was actually a lovely trip – we more or less had the place to ourselves, the air was fresh and invigorating and the Austrian hospitality at the cafes and restaurants we went into was warm and welcoming (we were just about their only customers!).

View of Innsbruck from Hungerburg

Nordkettenbahn Information about transport and the mountains

Crossing the River Inn on the Hungerburgbahn

As we approached Innsbruck again on the return descent, the painted houses lining the River Inn provided some welcome colour on a cold wintry April’s day! In spite of the poor weather, we really enjoyed our outing to the Alpenzoo and it’s well worth a visit if you happen to be in the Innsbruck area!

Painted houses along the River Inn, Innsbruck

Happy Australia Day! Down By The Indian Ocean Perth

January 26, 2015

Yachts on Indian Ocean

Ferry en route to Rottnest Island on Australia Day morning

Australia Day morning near Hillarys Boat Harbour Perth

Hillarys Boat Harbour

Australia Day by the Indian Ocean

Fairytale Charm In Bavaria!

rosemaylily2014

51 comments

January 23, 2015

A complete change of scene this week as I’m in the final stages of planning our next big trip to the UK and Germany at the end of March – it will come around quickly!

For the first part we’ll be visiting family (including our younger daughter, Mlle Chic Fille) and friends in the UK followed by a 9 day trip to Munich. As well as exploring Munich, we plan to use the city as a base to do some day trips into other parts of Bavaria. Monsieur Le Chic once spent a couple of hours as a backpacker in Munich rail station many years ago, whilst I have never been to the city before. We did make a brief day trip into southern Bavaria when we were staying in Innsbruck a couple of years ago and that certainly gave us the desire to explore the region further.

It was a dull and overcast day in Innsbruck so we decided that it might be a good opportunity to hop on a train and over the border into Germany.

Centre Of Innsbruck Tyrol Austria

Unfortunately the weather was somewhat inclement to say the least and the dreary Innsbruck skies gave way to torrential rain and sleet with occasional snow showers (not the pretty snow, rather the wet and slushy stuff). We were glad of the warmth and comfort of the train as we chugged up the Tyrolean Alpine passes via the ski resort of Seefeld before crossing the border into southern Germany and Bavaria. We were using Eurail Passes, which we had validated for both Germany and Austria (and also Italy since we also did a day trip to Bolzano and the Sud Tyrol from Innsbruck covered here). It was a quick and easy journey and we arrived at the pretty little Bavarian town of Mittenwald just under an hour later. The town centre is only a few minutes or so from the train station and I was keen to explore it having seen Mittenwald featured on a TV travel programme a few years back. Despite being late April it was bitterly cold – in fact the temperature barely hovered above zero degrees all day, which felt very cold to a couple of expat Aussies just coming off a long hot summer! The pretty little streets were charming though and many of the buildings had ornately decorated facades featuring painted frescoes or “Lueftmalereien” in German. Goethe referred to these artistic illustrations as “lively picture books”. They primarily date back to the 18th century and often retell stories from the Bible or depict dramatic events, such as fires and floods.

Main street Mittenwald. Rathaus (Town Hall) in the background.

Coming into Mittenwald Station

Mittenwald Station

The view back towards the Alps from Mittenwald main street obscured by the rain and mist!

Painted frescoes “Lueftmalereien” on the houses in Mittenwald

Even Monsieur Le Chic who doesn’t normally feel the cold found it rather chilly!

Approaching the town centre of Mittenwald with the Parish Church of St Peter and Paul appearing in the distance

Even on a grey day the frescoes were still pretty. Many of them are well over 200 years old and have survived the elements well! I don’t think the Shanghai China Restaurant was there in the 18th century though!

The Parish Church of St Peter and Paul has a magnificent Baroque steeple!

Parish Church of St Peter and Paul Mittenwald with its beautiful Baroque steeple

With the onset of more rain and sleet, our thoughts turned to warming refreshments so we headed into the nearest cafe we could find, which happened to be Zur Kaffeemuehle on the corner of Matthias-Klotz Strasse. The Matthias in question was a member of the Klotz family of violin-makers, who helped to make Mittenwald a notable centre for this craft. Matthias lived a long and productive life from 1653 to 1743. He was baptised on 11 June 1653 in the church of St Peter and Paul and was buried in the Church of St Nikolaus just over 90 years later! Next time I’d like to visit the Geigenbaumuseum (Violin-Making Museum), which is situated down a narrow little street near St Peter and Paul’s church. A statue of Matthias stands in front of the church, as the town’s tribute to this master craftsman. Monsieur Le Chic and I were much too cold to contemplate wandering around any shops selling beautiful violins (of which there are plenty) or any of the pretty little craft shops either. Instead we warmed up inside Kaffeemuehle with 2 steaming bowls of hearty minestrone soup, a creamy hot chocolate and for Monsieur a large mug of gluhwein. I sipped a little to taste and it nearly knocked my head off, but it didn’t have the same effect on Monsieur for some reason!

The welcoming site of the Cafe Zur Kaffeemuehle Mittenwald

The pretty Zur Kaffeemuehle with its painted frescoes is situated on the corner of Matthias-Klotz Strasse

Mittenwald and the neighbouring resorts provide many opportunities for skiing and the nearby Karwendelalp Cable Car will take you up into the higher mountains. In December the main town square lights up with the Advent Christmas Market, whilst in summer it is a popular destination for hikers. There is another special summer tradition for Mittenwald, but it is only held every 5 years. This tradition is the Bozener Market (named after Bolzano in the Sud Tyrol, now part of Italy). The River Isar (which flows through Munich) has its source just south of Mittenwald in the Alps and this officially marks the boundary of the Tyrol. Benefiting from its strategic situation, Mittenwald flourished as a trade centre from the Middle Ages onwards. Traditionally a huge trade fair was held each year in Bolzano, where the Venetians would showcase their wares to the rest of Europe, but, owing to political tensions, the market was moved to Mittenwald in 1487 and continued to be held there for the next 200 years. Nowadays the Bozener Market gives the Mittenwald locals a chance to celebrate their connection with the Sud Tyrol region. The next Bozener Market festivities are due to be held in August 2017! Apart from the Church of St Peter and Paul, the parish churches of Kruen and Wallgau, both situated on the Isar River, are also highly recommended for their beautiful frescoes.

We decided not to linger any longer in Mittenwald as we were keen to have a quick look at Garmisch Partenkirchen, which was 25 minutes away by train.

View from train en route from Mittenwald to Garmisch

Klais Sation Bavaria

Snow alongside the Mittenwald Garmisch line

We walked out of the station at Garmisch Partenkirchen to find ourselves in a rather nondescript part of town. The station is situated between the 2 towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen, which were originally separate towns until Hitler decided to have them combined for the 1936 Winter Olympics. A brisk 15 minutes walk down the hill, took us to the town centre. To be quite honest I’m not sure which part of town we were in (Garmisch or Partenkirchen) but it was a very pretty place with the (by now familiar) painted frescoes adorning the houses. Germany’s highest peak the Zugspitze (2964 metres) towers nearby – another place on my wishlist for a future visit! However on this occasion we had just enough time for a quick wander round and a cup of tea before heading back to the station as we were keen to get back to Innsbruck before nightfall.

It was still rather a dreary day but the floral displays brightened things up!

Garmisch Partenkirchen Station

Garmisch Partenkirchen Station is a busy interchange

The mountains were again shrouded in mist

Pretty cafe in Garmisch Partenkirchen

In front of one of the shops with its pretty painted frescoes

Garmisch Partenkirchen

There were many shops selling the Tracht – the traditional costumes of Bavaria and Austria. Some of the ladies’ costumes were so pretty!

Back in Innsbruck we found it had brightened up sufficiently for a pleasant evening stroll down by the River Inn.

Innsbruck By The River Inn

For those of you who have been to Munich and Bavaria before, what would your main recommendations be? I’m trying to get my head around fitting in everything we’d like to do in only 9 days – we do want to go with the flow and relax and soak in the experience too! Tschuess till next time!

On The Heritage Trail South Perth

rosemaylily2014

37 comments

January 16, 2015

Following our Perth Zoo trip we headed a few minutes walk up the road to the Windsor Hotel which sits majestically on the corner of Mill Point Road and Mends Street for a welcome lunch! This local South Perth icon dates back to 1898 and whilst the interior has been modernised, the facade has changed little since it was first built in the late nineteenth century. It has a front bar, a restaurant and a beautiful outdoor seating area with plane trees and vine covered pergolas providing excellent shade and we usually make a point of repairing here afterwards if we are visiting the zoo.

Windsor Hotel South Perth

The Garden entrance

Hanging baskets adorn the balconies

Plaque describing the hotel’s history

Garden Windsor Hotel South Perth

The plane trees give excellent shade

Like many other customers we normally prefer to dine al fresco in the pretty garden with its dappled sunlight and water features.

Garden area Windsor Hotel

Water feature in the garden

The little bridge over the water feature is very popular with small children so be prepared to supervise!

However since our little granddaughter La Petite had finally fallen asleep after running us ragged round the zoo, on this occasion we opted for the tranquility of the indoors restaurant.

A well stocked library as you enter the restaurant

The staff were setting up for a New Year’s Eve party later that night

Beetroot tart and salad

The charming streets in the Windsor locality are part of the City Of South Perth Municipal Heritage Inventory and provide a pleasant contrast to the bustling Perth City Centre on the opposite side of the Swan River. South Perth was one of the first settlements to be established following the founding of the Swan River colony of European settlers in 1829 by Sir James Stirling. It was an important site for the indigeneous Noongar People who had lived in the south west part of what is now known as Western Australia for at least 45,000 years before the arrival of the first Europeans! Opposite the Windsor Hotel are a number of heritage buildings that we hadn’t noticed before and after lunch we had a little wander around.

Heritage Centre South Perth

Christmas and New Year Holiday time!

The only problem was that being New Year’s Eve and the holiday season the Heritage house Cultural Centre was closed for business. Normally it is managed by the South Perth Historical Society and they hold regular exhibitions of historical interest. It is also the home of the May and Herbert Gibbs Art Gallery. May Gibbs and her father Herbert were well known local artists and in 1997 a collection of 150 of their paintings and sketches were acquired by the City of South Perth, which has some more information on its webpage, “The Gibbs family were long-time residents of Suburban Rd, now known as Mill Point Rd, and many of the works in the collection were produced in South Perth”.

You can also view the Gibbs collection online here if you are interested! The Gibbs collection is not always on display and you need to check the Heritage House website for up to date details. The current exhibition, which is being held until the end of January, features some memorabilia from the City Of South Perth’s local history collection.

Just behind the Cultural Centre is the Old Mill Theatre!

Old Mill Theatre South Perth

Whilst researching the local history of the area I discovered that the Old Mill in question still exists hidden away on Mill Point Peninsula, between the Kwinana Freeway and the Swan River. Somehow in all the years we’ve lived in Perth we have never come across it so will have to make amends next time. I found out that the mill was constructed 6 years after the first settlement was founded in 1829 and a few years later on the Millers Cottage was built alongside it. Now there is a Friends Of The Old Mill branch of the historical society and it can be hired out for private functions. The Old Mill is also open to the public and guided tours are available 4 days per week. However since it is manned by volunteers, opening times can be subject to change so it is best to consult the City Of South Perth information page here before visiting.

On the corner diagonally opposite the Windsor you can find the Old Post Office still open for business today!

The Old Post Office South Perth

From there we strolled the couple of minutes walk down Mends Street to the jetty point where the ferries shuttle backwards and forwards across the Swan River to the Barrack Street Jetty on the City of Perth side.The ferries are operated by the public transport network Transperth and you can find the timetables and further details here.

The South Perth foreshore is one of our favourite spots to visit. It affords visitors a panoramic view of the city and Swan River. In the distance you can see Kings Park perched atop the Mount Eliza lookout in one direction and the Perth Hills in the other. The pathway along the river is popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists alike and there are plenty of cafes and eateries dotted about nearby.

Ferry approaching the Mends Street Jetty

Mends Street Jetty on the Swan River

View back towards Perth City and Kings Park

View of the city of Perth across the river

View east towards the Perth Hills

Beach on the edge of the river

Mends Street Jetty

If we had continued walking west along the river path we would have come to the Old Mill but instead we turned back along Mends Street making a brief pitstop at Gelare South Perth before heading home!

Berry smoothie at Gelare Mends Street South Perth

An old Melbourne tram is attached to the garden of the Windsor Hotel

For more interesting and diverse walks around the world head over to Restless Jo and join her for her weekly Monday Walk!

Zoo Tales From Perth Part 2

rosemaylily2014

31 comments

January 9, 2015

Perth Zoo has many other attractions apart from the Australian Bushwalk that we covered in last week’s post! The zoo’s purpose as stated in its guide is “to inspire and act for wildlife conservation” . The conservation section on their web page gives more information.

“Perth Zoo is dedicated to saving wildlife and introduces the community to the wonder of animal species from around the world. We participate in a global community that breeds animals for wildlife conservation and we raise funds to support our work. Research at Perth Zoo directly supports efforts to conserve wildlife in their natural habitat and also supports our commitment to the good health of Perth Zoo’s animals.”

One aspect we’ve always liked about the zoo is the way they try to recreate the animals’ natural habitat as much as possible. Broadly speaking, apart from the Australian Bushwalk, there is an Australian Wetlands area, an African Savannah and an Asian Rainforest section. Since we were on the run anyway, chasing after our little granddaughter La Petite, I’ll give you a whistle stop tour of these enclosures and some of their residents!

Off we go through the “wetlands”!

Penguins swimming in their enclosure at Perth Zoo

The penguins have always been a great favourite with our family!

Underwater Shot

Information poster about Penguins and their parenting style!

Young children are often fascinated by the water but it’s not a good idea to let them touch!!!

We spent a long time in the Penguin enclosure as La Petite was fascinated by the water and wanted to have a splash (not a good idea) so moving right along we came across a fine looking water bird!

Australian Wetlands Perth Zoo

Next we ventured into crocodile country!

Warning Crocodile Ahead!

We found the crocodile chilling in his pool

Self explanatory I would hope!

After our walk through the Australian Bushwalk, which you can read more about here and a quick snack from the quaintly named Meerkats Cafe, we headed off to one of my particular favourites, the African Savannah. Apart from the zebras, who must have been having a snooze somewhere, we saw most of the local residents.

African Savannah Perth Zoo

Rhinoceros relaxing in his enclosure

Information about the Rhinoceros

The impressive-looking baboon

The lions were having a lazy day!

Chilling under a shady tree

Unfortunately the glass is a bit dirty on the enclosure it’s not my camera!

Cheetah in the African Savannah

One of La Petite’s favourite books contains a rhyme about a yellow giraffe, so we spent quite a bit of time at the giraffe enclosure!

African Savannah Information Board

One of the giraffes started to walk towards us

Then he/she came right on by!

Lunch time!

We lingered watching the giraffes a while so missed the African Painted Dog and the Meerkat enclosure but we did spy the Galapagos Tortoise who is rather magnificent!

Galapagos Tortoise Perth Zoo

African Village part of the African Savannah Perth Zoo

A quick guide to evolution!

Educational programmes are an important part of Perth Zoo’s work and schools can book for lessons in the Discovery and Learning Rooms. This poster is at one of the entrances to the Asian Rainforest.

Entrance to the Asian Rainforest Perth Zoo

We paused briefly with the Orangutans who have a wonderful enclosure to swing around in!

Orangutans Asian Rainforest

Orangutans and beautiful flowers

Orangutan having a play

Then we had a rest in the viewing area for the elephant enclosure. The elephants at Perth Zoo are all Asian ones – we are in the Asian Rainforest now!

Elephant Enclosure

One of the herd of elephants at Perth Zoo

Explanation of the difference between African and Asian elephants. The ones at Perth Zoo are Asian ones.

Information about the female elephants at Perth Zoo, Tricia and Permai

Elephant Perth Zoo

Information about the family bonds between the elephants. Tricia is the matriarch of the herd at Perth Zoo!

We have always loved seeing Tricia the elephant who is now the matriarch of the Perth Zoo Herd. We first saw her in 1990 and she is still going strong. She didn’t appear to be in her enclosure on our most recent visit but we had a real treat on one of our previous visits when she walked right past us being led along by her trainers for her daily constitutional round the zoo!

Tricia the elephant on her daily walk round Perth Zoo

Tricia is one of the icons of the zoo and will shortly celebrate her 58th birthday on 24th January 2015! Here you can read up more about the party for her 57th birthday last year. One of Tricia’s favourite activities is painting – apparently elephants are natural artists who will pick up sticks with their trunks in the wild and create doodles in the mud. The zoo sells the elephants’ work to help raise funds for conservation as in the wild the elephants are under threat from habitat destruction and poaching.

And that just about concludes our tour of Perth Zoo though there is plenty more to see – I certainly haven’t been able to include everything! If you are going to be in Perth a while becoming a “Zoo Friend” is an excellent idea. You get unlimited free Zoo entry for a year (except for ticketed events) and a 10% discount at Perth Zoo’s cafes and shop. The shop is a great place to find presents and souvenirs.

Due to time constraints we missed out on seeing the tigers who are an important part of the Asian Rainforest area. We did however see them on our last visit when the tiger spied La Petite through the glass (thank goodness!) and made a beeline for her. It was incredible how it instinctively went for the most vulnerable member of our party. We took a couple of photos but didn’t capture the moment he/she bared his teeth at her – it was quite scary even from behind the glass and terrified poor La Petite! We weren’t therefore in a hurry to go back there this time and will make sure it is not mealtime if we do!

Tiger on the prowl Perth Zoo

Tiger getting ready to pounce! Even behind the glass it was bit scary!

Talking of food we were feeling rather hungry ourselves by this point and headed off for a late lunch at the Windsor Hotel South Perth. More to come on South Perth’s Heritage Trail next week!

For more interesting and diverse walks around the world head over to Restless Jo and join her for her weekly Monday Walk!

Zoo Tales From Perth Part 1: Australian Bushwalk

rosemaylily2014

37 comments

January 2, 2015

Ever since we first came to Perth (in 1990 how time flies!) Perth Zoo has been a popular attraction. When our daughters were small it was always a very enjoyable family outing, as was Melbourne Zoo when we moved over east for a few years. Since returning to Perth in 2001 our girls have grown up and flown the nest! Until our granddaughter La Petite came along nearly 2 years ago, my trips to the zoo were mostly confined to school excursions when I worked in early childhood education for several years. These excursions were always a bit stressful! I didn’t fancy having to tell any parents that their offspring was last seen patting the nice big friendly lions – there always seemed to be one budding escape artist in every group!

Now we have an excellent excuse to visit on a regular basis once more, although really we shouldn’t need an excuse at all! So on New Year’s Eve we set off on an outing to the zoo with an excited La Petite and her mum, La Chic Maman. Perth Zoo is in a superb location in South Perth situated on the French-sounding Labouchere Road. We drove and parked behind the historic Windsor Hotel but if you were a visitor to Perth I’d highly recommend taking the ferry from Barrack Street Jetty on the Perth City bank of the Swan River. Once you arrive on the South Perth side, make the short walk on foot from the Mends Street Jetty to the zoo, which is no more than 10 minutes away.

The main entrance of Perth Zoo

There is a large lake near the entrance

The train was not running the day we were there – check with Perth Zoo re timetables!

There are many attractions and activities – supervised animal encounters are very popular!

The grounds of Perth Zoo are beautifully maintained and importantly well shaded which makes walking around very pleasant

La Petite is quite indefatigable for one so small and we covered an awful lot of ground in the 3 hours or so that we were there, so that in the end I came home with nearly 250 photos. The zoo is situated in a broad circle with the various large sections fanning off from the central lawn. In order to do it justice (and to help me collate my Darwinian photographic collection) I’ll break the sections down into separate posts. First up a perennial favourite of adults and small children alike, the “Australian Bushwalk”.

This exhibit aims to recreate a typical bushwalk habitat and although you obviously can’t touch any of the animals, you are able to get quite close to them. Apart from a few exceptions such as the dingo enclosure, for the most part there are no glass barriers between visitors and the animals.

Native Australian bird enclosure. La Petite was fascinated by the birds and we spent quite a bit of time in here!

The kangaroos and wallabies were spending a relaxing day chilling in the shade

The zoo is very well signposted – these are the animals you will find in the Australian Bushwalk area

Rocks help to recreate a typical bushland setting in the outback

Boab tree in the Australian Bushwalk enclosure

Information on the Boab tree

I had to take the photo of the Boab tree information sign through the mesh fence! This unusual looking tree is unique to Western Australia’s Kimberly region (in the far North West of the state a distance of approximately 2000 kilometres from Perth). It was used by the traditional people of the area in a number of ways for shelter, food and medicine.

Nearer to Perth in WA’s south west region, one can find the Numbat, a highly endangered indigeneous species. Perth Zoo, in its conservation role, is playing an important part in helping to preserve the existence of this small marsupial. We did actually see a little Numbat darting backwards and forwards around its enclosure but due to its clever camouflage and ability to scamper about all over the place, I couldn’t get a decent photo of it – it is hiding at the back of this photo under a bush I promise you!

Numbat enclosure Perth Zoo – he/she is hiding at the back of the photo!

And this is a photo of what it actually looks like with some more information!

A picture of the elusive numbat and some information on the conservation programme at Perth Zoo!

According to the Perth Zoo website, “Numbats are insectivores and eat an exclusive diet of termites. An adult Numbat requires up to 20,000 termites each day”! For a fascinating insight into hand rearing baby Numbats, follow the link here to watch Perth Zoo’s video on their breeding programme!

By this stage La Petite had decided she’d had enough and so we raced through the rest of the Australian Bushwalk at something of a record speed. The Koalas were obviously dozy from their latest meal of eucalyptus leaves as they seemed quite unperturbed by her rather vocal tantrum as she decided that running away from Grandpapa Le Chic was preferable to the confinement of her stroller (she’s a big girl now after all!).

Koala snoozing up a tree at Perth Zoo

Koala Enclosure Perth Zoo

We were incredibly fortunate to come across a wombat out of its burrow. In all the years we’ve been visiting zoos, we have only ever seen wombats fast asleep in their burrows, apart from a memorable day out years ago at a wildlife sanctuary in Eastern Tasmania. This one must have been taking advantage of the cooler conditions (after a very hot day the day before when it had reached 39 degrees) to take a constitutional round his/her enclosure!

Wombat walking round enclosure Perth Zoo

What a beautiful expression!

Perth Zoo first opened in 1898 and among its many attractions is a Heritage Trail, which takes you on a tour of the zoo’s historic sites. There is a walking map of the trail available either to download online or you can pick up a free copy from the Information Centre when you visit Perth Zoo. One of the historical attractions is the old Hay Shed situated near the exit of the Australian Bushwalk. This building, part of the original zoo structure, now forms the entrance to the Rainforest Retreat.

The Hay Shed – part of the Heritage Trail at Perth Zoo

The Hay Shed is now the entrance to the Rainforest Retreat at Perth Zoo

Just before you enter the Australian Bushwalk enclosure there is an interesting reminder of why it’s probably not a good idea to let your pet cat roam free!

Information poster at the entrance to the Australian Bushwalk section at Perth Zoo

I can thoroughly recommend the Australian Bushwalk. It has been developed over the years since we’ve been coming to Perth Zoo and has evolved into an excellent attraction. Here’s a sneak preview of one of the other main sections at Perth Zoo, the African Savannah! It’s a tough life being a lion some days!

Lions relaxing in their enclosure at Perth Zoo

For more interesting and diverse walks around the world head over to Restless Jo and join her for her weekly Monday Walk!

Happy New Year From Perth!

rosemaylily2014

28 comments

December 31, 2014

We have just got back from a wonderful day spent at Perth Zoo! After a day running around after our irrepressible granddaughter La Petite, Monsieur Le Chic and I are not too sure we’ll be able to see in the New Year as we might fall asleep before then! So I thought I’d get in slightly early and wish everyone a very “Happy New Year” and very best wishes for 2015! I have very much enjoyed my short time in the blogging world and am looking forward to more blogging adventures in 2015! I am very appreciative of all the kind people who stop by my blog to read, like and comment on my posts and I have been amazed at the many wonderful and diverse blogs I have come across in my blog “travels”! Here are a few photos I took whilst walking along the South Perth foreshore earlier this afternoon looking across the Swan River back towards the City Of Perth! More to follow about the zoo and historic South Perth!

Perth city centre – view across the Swan River from the South Perth foreshore

Boats on the Swan River Perth

Ferry docking at the Mends Street Jetty South Perth. It shuttles acros the Swan River docking at the Barrack Street Jetty in Perth on the other side of the river.

Christmas Festivities Down Under!

rosemaylily2014

30 comments

December 26, 2014

I hope that everyone, wherever you are in the world, had a peaceful and happy Christmas Day! Although we were a little sad that our younger daughter, Mlle Chic Fille, couldn’t be with us to join in the festivities this year, we had a wonderful celebration with our elder daughter, La Chic Maman, her husband and their little daughter La Petite, along with some very good friends.

Since it tends to be quite hot here at Christmas, we have taken to having our main meal on Christmas Eve so that we can enjoy the traditional turkey, ham and all the trimmings al fresco under a pleasant night sky. This year was no exception – we had a beautiful clear evening with a cooling breeze and Monsieur Le Chic managed via his Sonos system to tune in to Berlin Radio where we listened to Christmas records and songs as we ate under the stars (well, under a vine & ivy clad pergola next to an English climbing rose).

With all the preparations I had not given much thought to laying the table so an hour or so before our first guests were due to arrive I suddenly realised the table was bare! I quickly added a white tablecloth, used the beautiful floral arrangement sent by my mother-in-law as the table centrepiece and then added some finishing touches. Whilst hunting for my deep red Christmas charger plates, which I eventually located at the back of my dresser, I found some pretty sparkling glitter balls and filled an old glass jar with them. Next I placed a pretty white lantern on the table and a silver candle holder and finally used the charming crystal napkin holders I had bought for La Chic Maman’s wedding in July to wrap up the serviettes. Voila…table sorted!

Christmas Table Setting

Individual place setting

Individually wrapped napkins with crystal napkin holder

Red charger plates (the actual plate sits on top)

Glitter balls in glass jar

Beautiful arrangement of flowers for Christmas

Finally we started the evening as we always do for special occasions with a glass of champagne.. a welcome chance to relax and unwind after a very hectic and busy time!

Champagne at Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year too and looking forward to your company again in 2015!

Cheers, Santé, Prost!

Merry Christmas From Down Under!

rosemaylily2014

30 comments

December 19, 2014

Today is the hottest day we’ve had here in Perth since January and the mercury will apparently climb to 39 degrees (no sign of the cooling sea breeze yet)! I have just returned from a sortie into our local shopping centre and still have an extensive to do list though fortunately my present shopping is mainly done. Hence a much shorter post than usual today!

My blog is primarily about travel and is an uplifting and positive space . I just want to pause briefly to send sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the innocent people affected by the horrendous events in Sydney this week. There are simply no words… however the magnificent floral tribute that keeps on growing in Martin Place is a beautiful gesture that has united everyone here in Australia and round the world and hopefully will bring some small comfort to those directly affected by this awful tragedy.

This is the first Christmas that our younger daughter, Mlle Chic Fille, won’t be joining us as she’s flown the nest for new adventures in London. So there is touch of wistfulness but we do have our other daughter, La Chic Maman and family with us and many dear friends to see. My family in the Uk will get to see Mlle at Christmas too and we will be able to chat “face to face” with the wonders of technology and Skype! Amongst my collection of Christmas ornaments, snow globes (I hadn’t realised I had so many!) and decorations is a beautiful bauble depicting a typical European winter scene that Mlle brought back for me from her travels last year. She bought it at the Berlin Christmas Markets, a beautiful gift that I will always treasure! It is delicately placed on my kitchen dresser adjacent to the tree so that neither the mischievous cat nor our little granddaughter, La Petite, can get to it! I did hang it on the tree for a couple of photos though!

My treasured “Weihnachten” Christmas ornament from the Berlin Christmas Markets

I love the winter scene on the back quintessentially Christmassy!

Sitting on the dresser away from little hands or paws!

In the few months since I started this blog I have “met” some wonderful people and probably the aspect of blogging I enjoy the most is the community spirit between all the bloggers! I’d like to thank everyone, family, friends, followers, readers and fellow bloggers for all their fantastic support for “Le Chic En Rose” and wish you all a very “Merry Christmas” and compliments of the season!