Bought 1kg of mushrooms and used up 500g for the next 2 meals! :) Mushrooms are just soooooooo...soooooo...delicious...
Our final post for the "Epic Perth Trip" series - a visit back to Fremantle (Freo), the Maritime Museum and the E-shed markets. It was also Steph's and Jenny's last day in Perth, but they didn't have to catch a flight till about 2 or so, so we decided to hang around Freo and visit the Maritime Museum.
It had been raining for the past 3 days - but it was sunny and nice that day. We could still feel the chill in the air, but it was so good to feel the sun on our backs again!
Anyway we parked near the E-shed markets - which was also near the Maritime Museum.
And here is one part of the museum! We had to go through revolving doors in order to get in, and it was kind of cool! Got tickets, and Jenny and I proceeded to the back of the museum to watch the ships come in.
We just happened to see a massive cargo ship being steered into the port.
Besides us, other people were also watching the ship, while others were taking the opportunity to soak up some sun. Look - the sky is such a gorgeous blue! No filters involved!
Names of immigrants who courageously landed in Western Australia - these were found outside the museum itself. There were quite a number of lists...and there was also a sculpture of 2 children - presumably immigrants - who landed in Western Australia. I really admire their courage - they travelled such long journeys in order to seek better lives. Some of the immigrants came from Poland, others from Italy, and many other places.
One more shot of the harbour before heading in.
Found this reflective window on the museum and decided to give it a try. It looks as if I put a blue filter onto my lens! In actual fact I was taking a picture of the reflection seen on the window. It's a mirror image of the picture above...somewhat.
We went to our very first submarine tour that day! Our tour guide - Bruce - had been in the Marines for a long time, and he was an expert on submarines. He was friendly, spontaneous and very informative. And when he described the submarines and torpedos, he was so animated!
Here's a chunk of a submarine (already demolished I think!), with makeshift torpedos attached.
And THIS is the submarine. The one we went into.
The submarine was so big that it was nearly the length of the Maritime Museum! In fact I think it's even longer...
Climbed to the top of the submarine. We entered through a small, narrow and steep stairway, and had to climb down like how we climbed a ladder. Our belongings? Well, they had to be stored away as we climbed, if not they'd knock on the sides!
As the guide elaborated a little more on the submarine and wartime technology, I managed to take a few pictures from the top. The view is kind of interesting!
Went into various chambers, and at one point the ceiling was so low that I nearly banged my head! Now - I am only about 5 feet tall, and imagine everyone else being at least half a head taller than me! In fact, I was the shortest of the group! The tour guide himself was a tall bloke, but he handled it really well.
Someone made a remark about petite women on board submarines, and our guide was quick to answer, "No, there were no women on board this one!" He then pointed to the toilets, and joked about privacy...it was hilarious! Anyway now we knew - there were no women aboard the submarine we were in, though other submarines managed to accomodate women on board.
One of the chambers we entered had LOTS of pressure gauges...and this was extremely crucial for the submarine!
There were lots of machinery and gauges wherever we went, and the walls were literally plastered with them!
After a really enjoyable tour around the submarine, we exited through another small ladder...
And ended up on the top of the submarine again! This time, on another side.
We then walked into the actual Maritime Museum for a quick bite, and guess what? Our guide was there too! He even recognised us and said hi.
After lunch we took a quick look at the ships on display...
And there were demonstrations/models that showed how cargo was transported. There was one where they demonstrated how livestock was transported, and they used these adorable sheep...
The Australia-II (KA-6), the racing yacht that won the 1983 America's Cup - skippered by John Bertrand. Steph later showed me the vid of the Australia-II winning the America's Cup, and said that it was a major accomplishment for Australia, as America had been winning the cup all the while. This was considered the Number 1 sports accomplishment for Australia, apart from others, including outstanding athletes at the Sydney Olympics.
As we still had time, Steph and Jenny wanted to explore the E-shed markets, so we did! I found some fridge magnets which had Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain posters! So I got them! We also found a magnet with a British Blue cat for Jenny, and a magnet with a Birman for Steph's nan.
Steph and Jenny had to head to the airport after that, so they dropped me back at my place. I was kind of sad to see them go - as it had been a really enjoyable break for me. Hope to see them again soon - whether it is in Melbourne, Perth, or even in Singapore! Speaking of which, Steph DID come to Singapore at the start of the year, and hopefully she can come again!
As I was walking back, I spotted some daisies blooming. I had my camera in hand then, so I quickly switched lens...
Spotted smaller purple flowers growing alongside the daisies too.
There aren't so many daisies now, but during my 4-day break together with Steph and Jenny, there were SO MANY of them. Literally fields and fields! I wanted to stop to take pics but decided not to. Anyway there were some growing outside my place, so I was happy.
Oh and I took pics of the purple flowers too, since they were equally gorgeous. They were slightly harder to take as they were concealed, but I managed!
Decided it was time to go back in and prepare for the Hillarys Boat Harbour trip.
Anyway this marks the end of the "Epic Perth Trip" series, do stay tuned for more updates! I'll be coming up with yet another series, I think! We'll see how the sequence of posts go!