Salt Slap

Portsea Front Beach - Bay side Ladder off of the Jetty

This dude popped up under the Portsea Front Beach Jetty - I couldn't help myself!

Busy weekend again. Went on an impromptu drive along the coast to a place called Portsea. Visited Sorento too but decided open ocean was the way to go rather then the bay.

Sorento - you can't escape the impact human development has on nature ...

Coming from South Australia I love open ocean. I look at the bay water especially closer into the city and I can't bring myself to swim in it. I know it's probably fine but still, open ocean seems cleaner or something.

Portsea was beautiful! I love how you can look out onto the beach from so high up! Great to see lots of surfers out there! The water was freezing my toes were going numb and it took a second attempt before i went for a very quick dip!

Surfers at play ...

It really does remind me of how beautiful Australia's coastline is! It's just gorgeous. The sand, salt and surf remind you that you are alive! A cold refreshing slap in the face - it makes you incredibly alert being in cold water. The waves just bash all the daily grind and worrying thoughts that occupied your mind.

Thumbs up to Portsea! Well worth the trip!

Inner Soul City Escape

I was totally spoilt the other weekend! Surprised by a little inner city escape to a secret location that I had no idea about until I was literally in the Crown Metropol hotel lobby! A very sophisticated lobby at that! Light and bright – I was glad to be out of the windy Melbourne weather. Feeling a little underdressed – well not so much the clothes but the fact that I had shoved some shoes into a supermarket Green bag! LOL not so sophisticated when compared to the demure of the Metropol’s palette of earthy tones, polished silver fittings and sheer crisp interiors.

(Sorry lack of photos of the lobby - was actually tyring to chill and not get all happy snap crazed!)

I love that font! I can spend hours at work just picking out the right font for a design so I love it when I see a unique font.

Some observations – the Crown Metropol doesn’t ooze European elegance – I’ve only visited a handful of 5 Star hotels in my lifetime so I say this when compared to the Four Seasons in Sydney (which is classic and grand with Marble tiles, grand gold fixtures and a pillow menu to die for!).

By contrast the Metropol is rather masculine, strong architectural design – might I add suitably so for the grungy Melbourne weather and equally edgy fashion and social scene. I took note of the great use of earthy tones –calm and quiet.

Monday morning hustle and bustle ... ah nice to sit back from it all!



Eureka to your left - sunrise on a damp city - intense sky

The view was a constant reminder of how hectic city living is but how nice it is to escape it. Sort of like being inside when it’s pouring with rain and there’s thunder – but you are sheltered and warm. It was interesting to wake up so refreshed and relaxed about having the Monday off whilst watching the traffic build up as people went to work on Cup Eve.

This inner city escape wouldn’t be complete without the extra pampering! I was treated to a lovely remedial massage (by my adorable other half) at the Isika Day Spa…divine! I mean seriously I love the feeling of physical tension just being released from your body! Definitely a great way to unwind then to top it off a pedicure – sitting in the chair soaking my toes while gazing at the view! Wasn’t so bad really!

Ah pedicure - nothing beats the feeling of happy clean feet!

Bright lights - Looking out from the 14th floor at night

I should also mention that they have a gym and infinity pool (beautifully designed) that has the best view ever! It’s on level 27 – it’s hard to not want to go to the gym or pool to do some exercise when you’ve got such a great view!

I know for certain I will be back … soon J

By day: looking Down from the 14th floor - hrt this photo!

By Night: looking Down from the 14th floor - hrt this photo but needed a bit of enhancing!

meet you at The Lui Bar

The Lui Bar - winding down after a long week of work at this bar was such a great end to the week!

The Lui Bar - the view was beautiful!

The Lui Bar is situated 55 floors up in the Rialto Building on Collins St, Melbourne. I follow Vue De Monde on Twitter and they tweeted about this place so was pretty excited to be able to have a look around on a fairly good Friday night. We called up and left our name on their list. You get to the building and they check you off against the list then they set the lift up to take you to the 55^th floor – which I noticed in the lift there is no button for that floor.

It was beautiful once we got up. My photography doesn’t do it justice at all. My camera definitely struggled that night. Lots of reflection from the lights behind me and you can even see my reflection if you look closely.

Very cool place – a must if you are looking for something with a view (obviously) and something to get you that little bit closer to Vue de Monde!

Chasing Cotton Candy Clouds

Pink Fairy Floss - my absolute favourite colour and flavour fairy floss!

I love fairy floss! Who doesn't love this sugary treat?! Stuffing my mouth with fairy floss brought back great childhood memories! Luckily enough I even had a go at making some today! A lot of fun!

It smells really sweet and I ended with bits of pink fairy floss in my hair as I headed back to the office but I really didn't mind! :)

Stupidly as a child I thought clouds in the sky were in essence floating masses of fairy floss. So you can imagine how devastated I was when I found out that it's impossible to catch a cloud and keep it in a jar LOL (if only!) 

I had grand plans as a child to get on a plane open the window and catch a cloud, which i would keep suspended in  a jar. What an imagination! I thought I had it all figured out - clearly not LOL.

Anyways back to fairy-floss - so much fun whether you are eating it or making it, great subject to photograph basically because of the colour and the spinning motion :)

West end of Adelaide CBD

This is a photo from the Hawke building at UniSA on North Tce
(my old Uni wadup?! lol)

Foyer of the Hawke Building - sadly didn't get to checkout the SAMSTAG museum (wasn't open)

Shot from inside the Adelaide Convention Centre - where I had my UniSA Graduation Ceremony. Lovely Curved interior wall - love the sunlight peaking through too.

Took this photo looking up from the foyer of the Hawke Building. Stairs are incredibly packed almost makes you think you're going to bump your head but there is room :)

Photos from the west end of Adelaide. There is some good design going on - on a very small scale compared to Melbourne. It was nice to visti my old Uni as well - ah the memories!

Home is where the heart is

In my last entry I whinged about Melbourne trains so in the interest of keeping it positive I thought I’d blog about my beloved home town Adelaide. Affectionately known as Atown and rAdelaide it was where I was born and grew up until two and bit years ago.

Some snaps one of Adelaide’s main streets North Terrace. Nice wide footpaths and public spaces for people watching. The design of Adelaide makes sense for the pace at which this city moves. No trains on this side of the city and most areas of Atown are serviced by buses not trains.

Running the Rat Race

Sorry black and white photograpy addict! Shots from Southern Cross Station. It is architectually interesting and has that wow factor for such a diesel smelling place.

The biggest noticeable difference about Melbourne is its public transport system. Trains and trams. There’s this thing where it’s meant to be easy to get around through the train system and tram network. It does seem to work well but seriously has anyone who has been on a train in Melbourne thought to themselves – this is life sucking nonsense! The next time you get on a train look at it with a fresh pair of eyes and listen with a fresh pair of ears.

It makes this sound like you’re in a vacuum being sucked out into the ether or something. A one way passage that never deviates from the tracks already set – a bit of a metaphor for the way some of the passengers must feel about the daily rat race. How do you get off – what if you want to deviate from the ‘path’ already set?

I personally hate the train. Last time I got on a train was to get home from the airport after visiting friends and family back in Adelaide. It was such a stark reminder of how I don’t get Melbourne sometimes? People sit in silence under the worst possible fluorescent lighting. The inside of a train is lifeless – yet it’s purpose it to carry living beings to and from destinations. Clinical is how I’d best describe it. They could learn a lot from department store lifts that are more pleasant to travel in. It’s not like taking a train across the European countryside with snow-capped mountains and fields of green to view for kilometres on end – it’s far more dark, serious and listless.

Harsh perhaps – but I couldn’t wait to get off that train. You know something isn’t quite right when laughter seems out of place in an environment. You’d be shocked to hear laughter on a train I think. They’re not comfortably quiet and calm like libraries say. They’re just soulless places. Neither old world charm nor new age slickness just the worst possible mechanisation of life sucking and positivity zapping transport.