Author: travelerdonna

Arriving in Sydney without my coat turned out to not be an issue as the weather was beautiful! From the train station it was an easy ride to the Sydney Four Seasons. We had no big plans for the evening except dinner at the Grain in the hotel. The next day, however, was a very…

In my opinion Canberra is underrated. Because it is the capital of Australia, I decided to visit and am glad we did. In 1908 the site was chosen as the nation’s capital as a compromise between the rival cities Sydney and Melbourne. It was to be a wholly planned city. It is Australia’s largest inland…

From Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania, it was a short flight but a world away. Hobart did not feel like it was at the end of the world, but if you look at a map, it sure looks as though it is! I guess that was the case perceived by the Europeans as some 76,000 convicts…

The Langham offers a fabulous breakfast buffet, and we indulged each morning! After Wednesday’s breakfast Steve opted out of more walking, so I went out on my own. Over the bridge and to St. Paul’s Cathedral I went. No surprise, it was a magnificent cathedral. Then, as a purse I saw during our previous day’s…

From Adelaide it was a short flight to Melbourne with Qantas Airlines staying consistent in departing a half hour late. However, they always serve decent food, so we overlook the delays. As Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, the airport is quite large and a distance from the downtown area where our hotel…

From Western Australia to South Australia and another 1 1/2 hour time change, we are now in Adelaide. It is the fifth largest city in Australia but feels more small town even with an abundance of tall buildings. We are staying in a downtown Sofitel, which is very nice but our last hotel really spoiled…

From the Northern Territory to the Western Territory, from 90F degrees to 50F degrees, from a laid-back environment to a bustling city and all in the matter of a few hours, plus an hour and a half time change. Perth is the capital city of western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia….

After our flights to get to Cairns, our 2 1/2 hour flight to Darwin was a breeze! Darwin is the capital and largest city of the Northern Territories. The city has about half of the Northern Territory’s population with less than 150,000 people. It is the smallest, wettest and most northerly of the Australian capital…

Following our grueling flight schedule, we did not know what day or time it was (and nor did we care!), we just wanted sleep! Amazingly, we woke up Wednesday morning refreshed and ready for the day. And so we made our way to the Great Adventures boat for our boat ride to Green Island and…

FIRST STOP – CAIRNS Australia is a very, very long way from the United States, and there is no escaping that reality. Upon waking up the day before we were to leave, there was a message that our direct flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was canceled! Before panic set in, there came a follow-up…

We changed our mode of travel and took a train from Porto to Lisbon. It was a very comfortable three-hour ride, and Steve was happy to not be getting on another plane. The only drama was finding my bag as we were getting off the train as it had been moved. With a bit of…

From Madeira it was on to Porto via another flight. The only thing notable about this flight was the very, very long walk from the gate to the luggage pickup area. Then it was on to our hotel, the Hospes Infante Sagres Porto in the heart of the old section of Porto. We stayed in…

With the last post, I hinted at a bit of adventure to come. For those of you familiar with the Madeira Toboggan Ride on Traditional Wicker Basket Sledges, you will know what is coming. I knew what was coming, but Steve did not and as he realized what was ahead, he commented that this had…