The joy of a sunrise

Goodness. I can't believe I actually got up at 5:30 the other day and walked for an hour along the coastal path. I had timed it for the sunrise, and I was not disappointed, though I'm afraid I only had my phone with me and captured what images I could. The sun was so red and the colour so intense it comes out in the photos as an almost white glare. But it was peaceful and cool and I encountered very few people. With a forecast 39 degrees later on, I certainly got the best part of the day.

Parking spots were at a premium for the fishermen who packed the coastal strip from before sunrise. Cars and and long trailers were parked in every space along the road and precariously up narrow side streets. I met a man who was just leaving his parking spot. After our 'good mornings' he chatted away, saying he had started at 4:00 am and was happy with his catch of 'tommys'. But he talked disparagingly of the tuna hunters, adding that he did not go after tuna, but smaller fish in the cove. I nodded knowingly. Later, I looked up on the net to find out what a 'tommy' was and discovered it is a type of herring.

As I passed the ramp, there was an endless procession of cars unloading their boats.

By the time I reached home, the sun was well and truly up and another lovely day in Encounter Bay was unfolding.

A lovely day out

For a pre-Christmas treat, we drove north through the Mount Lofty Ranges to a new micro-brewery that has recently opened near Carrickalinga, about 45 kms from home. Some friends told us about it and we thought we'd give it a try.

The drive through the Fleurieu Peninsula was delightful - just what I love. Hills rolling up and away all around us, some thickly wooded, others glowing golden in the midday light and dotted with hay bales. A big cloudless sky.  In the distance the Gulf St Vincent.

We finally arrived after taking a short cut which looked ideal on the map but which entailed a steep gravelly road that was signed 'For 4-wheel drive only'. Oops. But we made it and were pleasantly surprised to see the place quite busy.

Forktree Brewery is one of South Australia's newest craft breweries. It's in a converted shearing shed that provides fabulous views over the hills and down to the sea. The farm that the shearing shed is on was once part of the sprawling Forktree Estate, dating from the 1800s, hence the name Forktree Brewery.

It was too windy high up on the hill so we scuttled to the deck. Here you can see the view towards the gulf.

The decor and atmosphere is delightfully Australian. The views from the picture windows bring the landscape inside.

Here I am tucking into my coconut prawn salad which I must say was absolutely scrumptious. Steve's hamburger looms large. You can see he has sampled the beer.

 A great choice for a day out.

A gentle walk

Last weekend we went for a walk. Not on an established trail nor in a conservation park. It was up in the hills beyond our home on a road I had walked a few weeks back but had not gone that far and turned around after an hour; I wanted to know where it went. As it turned out, it didn't really go anywhere. It just meandered past farmland, a deserted cottage, over a creek, through the bush and then more farmland.  The weather was dull but great for walking, with low-flung clouds, no breeze, and the occasional glimpse of sunshine and a pale blue sky. We set off in this muted atmosphere. 

Seen better days

Swarms of Monarch butterflies swarmed around us, swooping and darting in a seemingly choreographed dance, before alighting on flowers for a millisecond then soaring skywards again.
How lucky was I, then, to capture this shot!

We continued our stroll ('walk' sounds a little too energetic on this balmy afternoon).

I think it may have been because we had recently returned from Europe where for weeks all we saw were cobbled city streets, old-world architecture, ordered gardens and outdoor cafes buzzing with people.  Whereas here, it was all peace and calm as we ambled along the gravelly road, surrounded by all things Australia. We could smell the fresh scent of the gum trees and marvelled at their white gnarled trunks and peeling bark. I loved spotting the prickly grass trees that loomed quite large in this section of the road and the rolled hay stooks that dotted the vast golden fields, signalling the beginning of summer.

And then I spotted a kangaroo. I still get excited when I see one as I love their effortless leaps and bounds. This one, however, stood as still as a statue. Soon it was joined by another one.  

Steve captured this better shot later on as they bounded off when they detected us.

We turned around and headed back to the car feeling that we were well and truly back home in the Australian countryside.

And to show it wasn't such a dull day after all, a spot of colour on our way back to the car!

We discover Doha

I realised as I was sorting out my memory cards that I had photos from Doha where we stopped over on our way to Greece. It's a bit of a stretch to say we 'discovered Doha' as we were only there for a day and a bit, but we did get the feel of the place.

First up, we arrived in 43 degree heat with 90% humidity. It was like stepping into an oven. The heat was all invasive but we were determined to see as much as we could of Qatar's capital city. So the next morning we set off very early through the city to visit the Souk Waqif, the city's oldest market.

Because of the heat there were a lot of shaded arcades in the areas we walked through on our way to the souk; I loved the elaborate lights in them.

When we arrived at the souk it was eerily quiet though a few stalls were open. We were the only ones there save for a couple of locals. We were told later that no-one visits the souk in the daytime as it's far too hot. One website (that we didn't see at the time said: The best time to visit is between 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm) Silly us! I am so cheating here with this next photo, but I want you to see what it is like at night - when we didn't go.

Source: cnn travel

Here are photos from our daytime trip.

I loved the lights ...

... and the fabrics

The camel was a tempting purchase... but luckily I resisted.

 The spices ... decorative as well as sweet-smelling.

It was nice and cool here in this cafe but there was nothing on the menu we wanted; it was all fatty fried stuff.

We found it interesting that all the people we met this day were not originally from Qatar. We encountered a Pakistani taxi driver, two Sri Lankan hotel staff, a Nigerian pool cleaner, a Nepali taxi driver, a Ukrainian barista, an Indian waiter and a Thai airline check-in man!

The best decision we made was to get a taxi to the Museum of Islamic Art. Not only was it a beautiful building, and cool, and free, but the display of artefacts, mosaics, carpets, lights and lanterns, jewellery, swords, ceramics, glass and architectural remnants from all corners of the Islamic world dating back to the 7th century was absolutely wonderful.

We discovered that the building was designed by the same man who did the glass Pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris.

The museum sits on a hill overlooking the Persian Gulf. The entrance itself was stunning, along a palm tree-lined walkway.

The cubist building stood out in stark contrast to the blue sky and green palms.

  Water is not a problem here.

 The interior was stunning in its understated grandeur.

Here are some of the treasures we discovered. Each one was accompanied by a descriptive text that also gave its date and country of origin. Items came from Syria, India, China, Italy, Egypt, Spain, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia. I was overwhelmed by the beauty, detail, grace and artistry of what we saw.

Stone bracket India 15th century

Bracelets Syria 11th century

Casket Sicily 12th century; Fountain head Spain 10th century

Earrings Egypt 12th century

We left the museum enthralled and satiated. A fitting end to our whirlwind stopover.