Tag Archives: Ray Chaput

Australia

Adelaide National Wine Centre of Australia

Shelley and I spent a wonderful afternoon at the National Wine Centre of Australia in Adelaide. It was a great spot for anyone who enjoys a fine wine and a touch of history of the wine industry.

The building itself is an elegant architecture, designed to reflect the rolling curves of wine barrels and the beauty of Australia’s wine-growing regions.

We began our visit by wandering through the interactive displays that explain Australia’s winemaking heritage. The exhibits walked us through the process of wine from the vine to the bottle.

There was a map which explained the diverse wine regions spread across Australia.

 

We were intrigued by the digital tasting tables, where we could explore information about hundreds of Australian wines at the touch of a screen.

After taking in the exhibits, we decided it was time for a more hands-on experience.

We settled into the area entitled “Wined” its a very cozy and inviting space that overlooks the Botanic Gardens.

There, we indulged in a tasting of several South Australian wines, each one unique. To complement the tasting, we shared a platter of local cheeses and meats. They paired very nicely with the wines.

As we enjoyed our wine, one of the staff members shared a bit more about the centre’s history. The National Wine Centre opened in 2001 as both a tourist destination and an educational hub dedicated to promoting Australia’s wine industry. The centre gave us more of an appreciation of Australia’s remarkable wine culture. The combination of history, taste, and atmosphere made it a great experience.

“Life is meant for good friends, adventures and wine”

Australia

Swan Valley Wine tour

While we were in Perth, we decided to take a local wine tour to explore some of the excellent wines they have there.  We headed out to one of Australia’s oldest and most beautiful wine regions, the Swan Valley.  It was just a short bus trip from Perth but it felt like we’d drove into another world. The weather was overcast and rained a bit while on the way through rolling hills and vineyards that stretched for miles. We were greeted with a beautiful double rainbow as we arrived at our first winery.

One of the highlights of our day was the visit to Houghton Winery, one of the most iconic names in Western Australian wine. We enjoyed tastings of several beautiful wines. 

We went to different wineries and tasted an array of different Swan River Valley wines. 

Ray in the field with vines in Swan River Valley

We were lucky to even walked through some of the estate and saw some unique things like sheep grazing between the rows of grapes. we even saw a few kangaroos hopping along the wines as if they owned the place.

There’s something magical about seeing Australia’s iconic wildlife living seamlessly with the charm of the vineyards.

We sampled an impressive variety of wines throughout the day, including some beautiful expensive rich reds.

Shelley overlooking the wine estate and vines

Beyond the wine tasting itself, seeing the scenery and driving through the Swan Valley was great. We were able to see a unique area of Australia known for their amazing wines.  By the end of the day, we were full, content and ready for our next adventure.

“cheers”

Australia

Perth, Australia

Shelley at the waterfront in Perth

We started our adventures by flying with a direct flight from London Heathrow to Perth Australia. The 17:30 hour flight was a tad long but it actually was nice knowing when we landed that we were there.  


Perth’s city centre is a mix of sleek glass towers, modern buildings and older heritage buildings which was quite interesting. 

We found ourselves slowing down often, pausing to look up and take in the architecture that gives Perth its unique character.

We noticed that there were lots of statues and unique features almost on every corner.  So of course Ray had to interact with some of the statues.

We took a day and decided to explored and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We walked along the waterfront of the Swan river and this quickly became one of our favourite spots.

 
View of Perth from the shore of the Swan River
walkway along the Swan River in Perth

The waterfront is awesome with well manicured plants, trees, and walking trails. From there  we headed on a short bus ride to the Botanical gardens.

What an amazing spot, the gardens are nestled within Kings Park, overlooking the city skyline and the Swan River. 

Shelley at one of the many look outs in the Botanic Gardens

It covers 17 hectares, and showcases more than 3,000 different species of the state’s unique flora. 

We wandered through the paths, and encountered an assortment of plants and flora. The botanic gardens also celebrates the Aboriginal culture.

we walked along some of the interpretive trails that shares stories of the land’s traditional custodians.

That was quite interesting and enjoyable reading about the history of the land and plants. 

We strolled on the paths, stopping to admire flowers and trees we’d never seen before. There were birds singing and flying about.

It was so peaceful and relaxing. It was the kind of place where time seemed to move slower, and we were grateful for that pause in our trip.

We were tired at the end of the day having walked over 15 kilometres, we went back to our room to rest up for tomorrows adventure, wine tasting tour.

“Laters”

 

United Kingdom

Exploring Hampton Wick in London

We went to visit our friends Alejandro and Lorraine in London, and together we took a day to explore the Hampton Wick area.

There’s something magical about stepping into an area where history and nature intertwine so seamlessly. Our day in Hampton Wick,  which is tucked along the River Thames in southwest London, was fantastic.  We explored the rich history of the area and enjoyed sharing the day with our friends Alejandro and Lorraine.

Ray, Alejandro, Lorraine and Shelley in Hampton Court Park

 They were our unofficial tour guides and  showed us this unique part of London It made the day feel like a mini countryside escape in the middle of the city.

We began our walk in Kingston upon Thames with Alejandro and Lorraine leading the way, crossing the Clattern Bridge.

This bridge is the oldest surviving bridge in London. Dating back to the 12th century, it has stood through centuries of change, from medieval markets to modern-day shoppers bustling around Kingston. Alejandro and  Lorraine pointed out how easily this hidden piece of history can be overlooked by people rushing past.

Just a short walk from the bridge, we came to a small fenced in Stone on display. This unassuming stone turned out to be the Coronation stone. It is an ancient sarsen block tied to one of England’s most fascinating traditions.

This weathered stone is believed to have been used for the crowning of several Saxon kings between the 9th and 10th centuries, long before Westminster Abbey became the coronation site.

Standing there together, we reflected on how this simple stone once held kings and the weight of a nation’s hopes. It was one of those moments where Alejandro’s love of history and Lorraine’s eye for detail made us appreciate it all the more.

We continued on and walked into the Hampton Court Park.  It is a massive park area and was once Henry VIII’s hunting grounds,. It is now home to herds of majestic fallow deer.

In the park it was not long before we spotted deer and a lot of them. Lorraine was the first to notice them quietly grazing under the trees, and we all stood in silence, watching their graceful movements.

Lorraine in Hampton Court Park

We took our time and walked through many different areas of the park. We came across  so many deer and they would just simply watch us walk by. No fear from these protected deer.

There is a golf course within the park area and we saw an albino deer standing in the shade as golfers walked by.

There were wide open meadows that felt more like the countryside than in the city.  The whole experience was like being in a nature reserve with deer running freely throughout.

We came across an area known as the long water and at the end is a  great view of the Hampton court Palace in the distance.

Hampton Court Palace

It truly was an enjoyable day and reminded us just how much London has to offer beyond its bustling center.

“Travel and have a good chinwag with strangers”

United Kingdom

Visit to Stonehenge

In August, Shelley and I finally made it to Stonehenge, which was a bucket list thing for us and wow… it’s hard to put into words what it felt like to stand there. We’ve seen it in books and on TV, but being there in person was something completely different.


The stones are massive much bigger than we imagined. We walked around them trying to imagine how  did people thousands of years ago move and arrange these giant stones.

What struck us the most was the atmosphere. Even with lots of people visiting the site, there was this quiet hush, like everyone was quietly sharing in the same amazement.

It was  an amazing experience to walk around Stonehenge and see those huge stones laid out in a specific way. For us it was a reminder of how small we are in the grand sweep of history, and how precious time is.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” — Gustave Flaubert