There's a big wide world out there…..

Search This Blog

Showing posts from March, 2026

View all

Posts

Old Government House, Parramatta

March 17, 2026

+

0

Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

High interest posts

Ohinemutu Maori Village

Lake Rotorua, New Zealand A recurring theme in my travels is how I stumble across really interesting sites since I don't overly research the new places I visit. The Ohinemutu Maori Village is another example of this occurring. I had placed Rotorua on my 'places to visit in New Zealand' itinerary as I wanted to experience the geothermal pools. Did that, and the following morning went looking for a cafe to have breakfast. The lakeside looked enticing so I stopped at a cafe and then looked down at the lake and saw this. It all looked so fascinating and lovely that I went down to explore. I've since researched the location. It's called Ohinemutu and it's a 'living Maori' village. So a real community rather than a location that is a Maori village museum. The location of Ohinemutu was chosen by the Ngāti Whakaue tribe for its lakeside location and the geothermal activity which provided heat for cooking, bathing and heating. In the early 1870s the s...

Poreč, Croatia

Back to the ancestral homeland! A bit of a posting break as I've had a few days in Istria (the Croatian part) in a farmhouse belonging to a family member. I didn't have any internet access. Before heading off to the countryside, I spent a bit of time in the largest nearby town. I've been coming here since babyhood but haven't been in the old town for a few years so had a look around. The old town of Poreč (pronounced Por-ech) is built on a peninsula so it could be defended from land attacks, there used to be a wall across the peninsula where it goes out onto the mainland. The wall has long disappeared, all that's left is one of the towers. It amused me to see what this ancient tower is being used for now. I refer to the town by its Croatian name of Poreč as that's what I've always called it since I've from the era of when it was part of Yugoslavia and now Croatia. It's also known by its Italian name of Parenzo and the signs now have both n...

Palmanova The Star shaped fort

A gem in north eastern Italy Palmanova is a town that can be found in north eastern Italy between Trieste and Udine. It was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Palmanova is fascinating to visit as it was built as a star shaped fort by the Venetian Republic in 1593. The fort was to protect against attacks by the Ottomans. Coming in from the train station, the first major construction that you come across is the aqueduct. It was originally built by the Venetians and restored several times, the current version was built in 1771. The aqueduct was used to move water out of the Palma Canal to inside the fortress for the population's use. Porta Udine There are three main gates to gain entry to the fortress and are still the only entry point today. This is the Udine gate, built from 1604 to 1605, it originally had a drawbridge. The interior of Porta Udine and the original wooden winch that raised and lowered the drawbridge can be seen. Close up of the wooden winch Porta Aquil...