Sovereign Hills

Ballarat was a small and pastoral settlement near Melbourne when gold was discovered in 1851. By 1861, Ballarat had grown from a poor village into a fine provincial city built on the wealth derived from its gold.

Sovereign Hill is an outdoor museum in Ballarat, presenting the story of Australia’s fabulous Gold Rush history. It's a living museum, full of old times characters, dressed like in 19th century, and even talking like in the old times.

Inside the buildings are really skilled craftsmen, which make live demonstrations of their skills, actually working on what they have to do. 

If you feel cold (and that's how you should feel on a drizzle late autumn rain), you can stop at any corner and warm your hands (and feet, if you feel adventurous).

If you are a member of Weight Watchers Anonymous, DO NOT sit on the weighing machine, please! It's sophisticated and with a very subtle announcement on the left side: FAT, FAT, FAT!

If anybody needs a pan, I can go back and bring some!

The kids were amazing! They had roles, no doubt, but they were so natural and genuinely happy, we stayed and enjoyed their joie-de-vivre and happiness for more than half an hour.

It was a little bit too theatrical for me, but I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it for kids of any ages, willing to find out something more about Australian history and the Gold Rush.

The Dream

It was an early Friday morning, the phone started to ring like in any other given day.

- I was dreaming something weird, I said to Bogdan, not really awaken yet.

- Me too, he mourned.

- I was playing table with you.

- Me too, it was the answer. 

- No, this was my dream, I said, starting to open my eyes.

- Mine too, he said. 

- And I was trying to convince Mara to play chess.

- Oh, I was trying to convince Runa to play chess...

Same morning, same dream, different brains. It must have been love.

Monday, Bloody Monday {One Picture, No Words}

The Fairy in the Enchanted Forest

Hello, Darling! Hello, Sweetie!

Yesterday was the time for a walk in the Enchanted Forest, I was looking for the white lyre-bird, and I almost found it! Unfortunately, it's a very fast bird and it ran away so quick, there was no time to take a picture.

 But when you only look up, you can end falling in a hole, as Alice did, isn't it? She was looking for a white rabbit, I was looking for a lyre-bird, and there isn't much difference!

Suddenly I found myself in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, 

with three-times-my-height ferns and 

impossible-to-reach-with-the-sight eucalyptus. 

The old trees were whispering to me: 

s t a y  h e r e... n e v e r  l e a v e...

I was looking for the bird for hours, on my tiptoes and on my knees...

I only found a mini-painter with a maxi-toile, painting the giant ferns.

In a moment, the weather changed, from full summer in coldest winter ever, like the Forest wanted me to freeze and to keep me inside it.

I just started to run and try to find a way out...

I was crossing the old bridge...

... then I fell asleep on a tree...

... only to wake up in another dream.

Monday, Bloody Monday {One Picture, No Words}

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

We woke up a little bit earlier than yesterday, only to fall asleep again.  

Not me. Him.

I woke up, went outside and bought some fresh bread, prepared a brunch, opened the champagne. Mmm. No. The dot must come after the word "brunch". No champagne today. 

Then we hurried up to meet Liliana and Tibby for a walk on Mount Lofty Botanical Garden. Magic, I tell you! 
Only 30 minutes drive from Adelaide, on the hills,  there is this beautiful place, smelling like Heaven from eucalyptus, camellias, hydrangeas and rhododendrons. Winter flowers in full bloom, few lakes and rusty autumn trees, everything was like in a fairy tale. 

And, of course, after all this beauty, tired of the mountains, we ran to the beach. Bogdan chose Port Noarlunga for this evening. The place is astonishing, I left a piece of me on that beach! 

I think I can live here (insert smiley stupid face with big teeth), but I don't know what life has in its pockets for us next week. He's having some meetings and interviews starting tomorrow, I hope we will know soon where we're heading.

But, hey! Good news! If you want to visit ALL THE BEACHES in Australia, one by one, every day, you'll need about 27 years. I guess we will find one for us, no matter where we'll go!