Author: richardandsuzanne

The heroic age of Antarctic exploration occurred in the early 19th century and included over a dozen expeditions from countries including Belgium, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France and Japan.  Most were billed as scientific studies, with a race to the South Pole for many, but they also included the chance to claim some of…

“If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it.”– Andrew Denton Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South…

From windy Wellington to Bluff at the south end, we spent a quick couple of weeks in New Zealand.  Wellington is a vibrant city, home to lush hills, too many coffee shops an amazing National Museum.  It is also home to the Weta Workshop, where the creative artists designed and fabricated most of the costumes,…

A microcosm of Australian in its southern island.   We crammed a lot into a week, starting in Hobart. As the capital and most populated (though still small) city on the island, Hobart offers a unique charm, highlighted by the extraordinary Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) . Accessible primarily by ferry, this museum defies…

New Years eve in Sidney, what more can we say…OMG…nothing to say but beautiful picture.  They have an early fireworks show at 9 for “the children” and an even more amazing display at midnight.  Bucket list item checked.

If you have ever driven the Pacific Coast Highway, this is that on steroids. At just under 200 miles, it is shorter than the PCH, but more windy and winding and even more beautiful.  It runs along the southern coast of Australia leading into Melbourne and includes places like the Loch Ard gorge and the…

Richard took to the road on the “wrong side of the street!”  After leaving Brisbane, we started our adventure on the wine trail of the Barossa Valley.   It is a beautiful valley with vineyards and wineries throughout.  We also had the opportunity to go behind the “cellar door” with a vintner we met on the…

What an interesting city.  Here we met up with Jenny’s dear friend Alisa and got to know what was amazing about this city, and to catch up on her living here.  It is the capital of Queensland with a river that is traversed by several purpose built footbridges and lined with towering buildings. We had…

Our next destination in Australia was Townsville, a charming city renowned for its stunning vistas along the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, the beauty of the beaches was sadly  overshadowed by the fact that it was jellyfish (stinger) season.  The city has installed nets in small areas to keep out the jelly fish and allow for…

Cairns (pronounced “cans,”), is a perfect blending of the area’s two iconic World Heritage Sites; the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest.  It is also emblematic of the expression that Australia has all sorts of things that can kill you including jelly fish (“stingers”), crocodiles (“salties”), and a myriad of assorted insects and bugs.  But…