More Gaudí!

Another day of lots of walking.

First stop Casa Batllo, a privately owned masterpiece by Gaudí. Currently the exterior facade is being renovated but the interior is spectacular. The audio guide also showed pictures of what the rooms would have looked like furnished.

A fireplace with built in seats…

Central staircase and light well…

Rooftop…

windows overlooking the Main Street.

Corridor…

And much more..

A fabulous building.

Next stop Casa de les Punxes…

View of the wonderful wide boulevards from the rooftop…

Then on to La Pedrera, another Gaudí masterpiece…undulating rooftop..

Interior of an apartment…

Exterior of apartment block…

We seem to have stopped uploading photos so will continue later…

Gaudí and La Rambla

Very pleasant half hour walk to La Sagrada Familia…one of the most amazing sites…we may have to come back to see it completed supposedly in 2026, 100 years since Gaudi’s death.

First glimpse…

I took so many photos it is hard to know what to include, but a truly amazing place…

We got the lift up for the highest view…

The stairs down were interesting…

So much detail everywhere…

And a contrast..

Had our first cappuccino…different but nice😄👍

Then a lot more walking…actually rambling along the Rambla…had to say it!

An early dinner is possible when they have all day dining😄… after all I was asleep by 7pm local time last night.

Yes we did the sangria, tapas and paella combo…

Some unusual sites along the way…

Managed to stay awake till 8pm .

This is hard work.

Spain and Portugal Adventure begins

Well it is a long way over here…31hours door to door. Managed a bit of sleep on the second leg of the journey. Caught up on seven movies which helped to pass the time.

Settled in to our spacious apartment just off the Passeig de Garcia where we explored to acclimatise…some of the interesting buildings…

Ventured out to Park Guell in the afternoon…

Fading fast, we found a casual dinner spot and enjoyed a pizza and salad Spanish style

The view out the window as I write this…very pleasant indeed.

Friday on the Fleurieau

Lovely drive down to Victor Harbour with views over Port Elliot to the Coorong.

Morning tea at the local quilt shop…too busy looking and buying for photos.

A stroll at Port Elliot…

Lovely lunch…

Then afternoon tea at Michele’s home with Larry in apron waiting on us.

Lots of wonderful quilts to see…

And now awaiting the journey home…this flight seems to be going!

Thursday at Hahndorf

Drove past Thorngrove Manor…

A beautiful Small Hotel😄.

Strolled the Main Street of Hahndorf with wonderful roses and iris…

Arrived at Auchendarroch House for a tour and lunch.

The house is being gradually renovated in Morris style…

Lunch in the high tea style…

Moved on to the studio and home of Sir Hans Heysen.

Fascinating history and tales from the guide. No photos in the house. Lovely garden too.

Wonderful day.

William Morris Tour Adelaide

Arrived in Adelaide via Melbourne due to a Qantas stuffup. Missed the start of our first talk, but now well in to the trip.

Adelaide has been a bit wild wet and windy, but not enough to be a bother.

Staying at Glenelg…

Our hotel on the right above.

Monday we went to the Art Gallery for a lecture and some Morris viewing, along with a modern Japanese installation…lots of red thread…200km in fact…

Then a walking tour of some Adelaide sights including the library and William Morris designed stained glass at the Old Stock Exchange.

Tuesday we saw stained glass at St Augustine’s Anglican Church…followed by lunch and a private tour of Carrick Hill with lots of Morris decoration…

Took Michele Hill, our tour guide, out for dinner.

Today we went to view more Morris windows at All Saints Church…

Then on to the David Roche Foundation, one of Australia’s most comprehensive collections of decorative art of the 18th and 19th centuries, with paintings, ceramics, furniture and sculpture from the early French Rococo to Russia’s House of Faberge.

This is the house where David Roche lived which is now open to the public. And the extension of the new gallery…

Inside…

And a special Edo exhibition…

Along the way, an embroidery shop….

And some of the multitudes of lovely mansions and homes…

Resting up this evening ready for a trip to Handorf tomorrow.

Glenda and Anne

Goodbye England, Hello Singapore

Late flight so we spent the morning at a final National Trust property, the country home of Benjamin Disraeli, Hughenden. A lot of history about Disraeli, but also a history of Operation Hillside during the Second World War when the home was used as a secret map making base.

Lots of lovely flowers for a change…

Interiors a from the Second World War era…

The house contained lots of gifts from Queen Victoria including her portrait and Alberts above the fireplace in the bedroom.

Then the long flight to Singapore where it is hot and humid.

Found a unicorn…

Had our usual Chinese banquet with corn and crab soup…

Chilli and cashew chicken, and spiced egg yolk calamari…

Peking duck, and pork belly…

Cantonese steak and lovely pork..

Then off to the light show at the gardens by the bay…

All ready for the last leg home.

Hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as we have.

Windsor Castle

Thought we would do the right thing and get there early, but so did lots of other people. The most we have seen in this trip.

Luckily my tour guide Keith had booked on line so our queue was quite small in comparison to the pay on the day crowd.

The only view I caught of the guards without a long queue…

No photographs allowed inside, so we bought a book at the end. But it is quite OTT and overwhelming and amazing and spectacular and a must see. Wow!

Then to the Chapel…and the same amazing interiors beyond imagining.

No inside photos again.😒

Accomodation for workers…

Walked on down to Eton, but not allowed in…

Flowers along the way…

And swans on the river…

Lovely final dinner…

Mixed grill for Keith with his favourite black pudding.

Duck for me and it was delicious with Bernaise sauce.

The journey home begins tomorrow with a stop off in Singapore.

On to Windsor

Lazy start to the day as we headed first to Mottisfont, a National Trust property which was once an abbey, but was converted to a home when Henry VIII did his thing with the church and disbanded all abbeys. It has been modified many times. Main claim to fame is the old rose gardens which are currently being renovated.

There is also a natural spring which has provided water for more than a thousand years. Lovely clear water to spot trout in.

Underneath, remains of the abbey.

On to Windsor where we were able to get in to our apartment early.

Can even see the castle from the balcony.

Strolled in to town for a late lunch / early dinner…

Fish and chips and mushy peas. Very nice pub…

Tomorrow, the castle.

Out and About in Salisbury

A lovely day out in this very historic city.

Arrived early and parked easily.

Did a self guided tour of the old town.

Lots of flowers to be seen…

A 1425 house of an exmayor…

The Poultry Cross and the Haunch of Venison Inn…

The College of Matrons…1682…

Mompesson House…1701…

Another Henge…Fudgehenge…

And much more…

St Anne’s Gate where stones from the first cathedral at Old Sarum were used in the building with permission from the Bishop. Handel is said to have given his first public concert in England here…