Sydney Hidden Spots

Since the kids have grown up, it became more and more difficult to extract them from their electronic devices and take them out to enjoy nature. Unless we have a very good and specific plan for the weekend (like we had last week going for ski in the Snowy Mountains), in Sydney it's really hard to decide AND to accomplish what you want to do all in the same day. The escapes in nature are usually well planned and the kids and friends need to be informed a couple of days in advance. Or a week in advance. Or a month in advance. Get the picture?

But for this one we had not even decided on the day, only after we entered the car and started to drive. We asked the kids to get dressed and come out, told them that we'll go out to breath some fresh air with no idea where to go to. But it was a beautiful day and we had to take them out. After Bogdan started to drive, I opened the maps app and searched for water in an area of 20-30 km from our home. I had no idea what I was doing, but it turned out we have chosen the right spot for a Sunday afternoon.

This peaceful place is the Prospect Reservoir, situated in the Prospect Nature Reserve. As it's a preserved area, the access is free but it's completely surrounded by fences and the gates are closing at 4 pm during the winter. It is located approximately 10 km West of Parramatta and 5 km South of Blacktown. There is plenty of water drinking facilities, as well as picnic tables and barbecue. No crowds, only a few visitors taking a walk or a bicycle ride.

The winter light was gorgeous and the old pipes were such a novel and beautiful setting for pictures. There is a bridge on the lake making also a beautiful location for pictures, but there is no public access, so Bogdan had to shoot this from above and through the fence. Actually, the whole lake is surrounded by a fence, I don't really know why, as it was full of ducks and a lot of other birds.

Later edit, a message from a friend: This is because it is the resevoir that holds Sydney's water, so they don't want  all sorts of "crap" getting into the water, after all we will be drinking that water !!! 

It was quite a short trip, but the kids were happy to walk and play for a while. Have I mentioned that while is very difficult to take them out, it's equally difficult to bring them back? But that is a good thing, because hopefully they will know the value of the outdoors and the real fun that can be had?

Atlantic City

Is strange how things can change from one day to another, how life starts over and over, how a storm (or a hurricane) can destroy everything in only few hours. I know it seems like I'm talking about life, but actually I'm talking about the huge disaster from the East coast of the United States.

Is (oh, already) one month since we came back from our short holiday in America, when we spent a couple of days in New York and some others in Atlantic City. The only thing we did it was to relax, unlikely other holidays (when we usually drive and walk all day long).

It was the ocean, the long and beautiful wood boardwalk, the ultra-kitsch hotels, the noise from the gambling machines... 

And it was, of course, the Victoria's Secret's shop from Caesar's Palace, where I splurge all my holiday shopping budget for the next year. No regrets, no, no, no. Money can't bring happiness, the perfect fit bra, yes. Especially when you're double D cup.

Life's beautiful, isn't it? 

 

 

Château du Clos de Luce, Amboise, France, Day #2

Is the last place where Leonardo da Vinci lived, in Amboise, in a beautiful mansion with a huge and gorgeous garden. A place to create and to think, as well as relax in seclusion, despite the noise beyond the walls. We had to walk some roads to reach the place, is situated little bit far and high from the lower parking, and we needed about 3 hours to visit it all. I felt happy we found out about it, because it was very interesting to see what and where Leonardo da Vinci created in his last years of life.

He was invited to live here by Francis I, in 1516, and he crossed the Alpes on a mule, bringing with him The Mona Lisa itself (as well as some other two famous paintings), that he finished there.

 

The King of France welcomed Leonardo with the following words: 

"Here you will be free to dream, to think and to work."

 

The Château du Clos Lucé brings to life the botanical drawings, geological studies and the landscapes of the Master.

Spread out over a hectare, "Leonardo’s Garden" is an open-air museum, and it has been laid out and planted in the spirit of the paintings and drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. We crossed the two-level bridge, created and designed by Leonardo, and we followed the botanical walk in his footsteps.

The lake is surrounded by a mysterious fog, coming out from the surface of the water. It was not such a big mystery, we saw the engineering but we still enjoyed it very much.

 

I truly loved this intimate corner in the garden, embellished with Piere de Ronsard roses.

 

On the walk you can try Leonardo’s inventions full-size. After seeing them at a smaller scale in the château, it was a big surprise to try them with our hands in the garden!

 

The helicopter, the tank, the fan-type machine gun, the paddle boat, the swing bridge – there are so many.  

Francis I appreciated this genius so much that he is said to have visited Leonardo often, using the underground passage linking the Château du Clos Lucé to the Royal Château d’Amboise.  

On our way back, we noticed this interesting house carved in stone, and after that we saw so may in that area! 

Well, it seems that we saw what we wanted to see, then we started to see what we needed to see...