I'm here with a looooooonnnnggggggg post!!
Well, let's just say that exam revision has been kind of productive, and I'm gonna go into full throttle by the upcoming week. Downloaded 32 of Beethoven sonatas by Daniel Barenboim to prep myself for long hours in the library, away from the laptop. I will probably end up on a hiatus for the upcoming week but will see how things go.
Anyway today's post is on the Challenger and Fishing Boat Harbours. My friend discovered this route, and brought me all the way there! Trust me, it feels really, really good to spend some time soaking up Vitamin D!
Spent a while at the Challenger Harbour, watching the sailboats go by and also taking pics of boats parked in the water. It was really quiet and there weren't many people around.
And realised that it came from the Fremantle Doctor! The sculpture was designed such that when the winds blew, the strings on top will end up vibrating and you literally can hear it "singing"!! Place your head in the headphones provided (well they were just an extension from the strings - as seen in the front of the pic below), and you can hear it loud and clear!
I've got super-sensitive hearing thanks to me taking really good care of my ears (yep, I worship Beethoven like a god but I don't want to end up deaf like him - I still want to enjoy his music!!!), so I could hear the "singing" from quite a distance! My eardrums nearly blew when I listened to it through the headphones. Either way it was quite an interesting experience! I found the sculpture very clever too!
Here's a view of the Freo Doctor from the headphones...and at that point in time, I heard this shrill, high A-flat resonating from the strings!!!!! Gosh I could tell every single pitch resonating from the strings! Having the gift of absolute pitch is super cool!
The sculpture amidst the gorgeous blue skies....
The Fremantle Doctor is actually some kind of breeze that cools Freo down in the summer - simply because Freo is next to the sea. It's essentially a unique sea breeze that reliefs travellers from the sweltering heat of summer. I've yet to experience it in summer, but I already felt it on the day when I was at the harbours - it was really cool and nice.
My ears were still kind of ringing when I left the Fremantle Doctor sculpture. Walked to another fishing boat harbour, which was just nearby.
Didn't realise I was THAT close to Bathers Beach...until I looked across! Anyway I wasn't only close to Bathers' Beach; I was kind of close to the WA Maritime Museum, the Customs building and lots of other landmarks!!
Ended up climbing up and down rocks to take pictures, but anyway I walked to the end of the route. Throughout the way, there were good views of the fishing boat harbour, but there was a protective wall guarding the boats from the open sea. Couldn't climb it - as it was kind of unstable and I definitely didn't want to crack my head!
Skies were just so blue that day. I decided to take out my polarising filter to emphasise it even more.
Walked a little further and ended up on Bathers Beach - where the Roundhouse was located. And here we can see the WA Maritime Museum in the background.
There were LOTS of people that day. All dressed in summer clothing. I felt a little out-of-place as I wore shoes. I mean...who wears SHOES to the beach? Usually people dress in flip-flops. Side note - I should wear flip-flops next time I walk this coastal walk.
A couple chose this spot to hold their wedding ceremony, and it was out-of-bounds to us beachgoers. Either way, it was fine. They definitely chose a good day though!
Ended up with lots of sand in my shoes. See - it was quite a big mistake to wear shoes to the beach!
Ended up at the Roundhouse, and with a gorgeous view of the harbour and Bathers Beach. The skies were so clear...and you can practically see that the waters were also really clear!
Under the influence of the polarising filter - the famous timeball of the Roundhouse.
And of course - the Roundhouse - which was closed for the day. Ah well, I can come again someday. I've already visited it once anyway! Read more about it here.
I was really, really thirsty and desperate for water. Happened to stumble into an art gallery next to the Roundhouse - and managed to get my thirst satisfactions from there, plus some artwork. The gallery belonged to marine photographer Glen Cowans. I really love his pictures - he makes use of natural lighting very well, and his pictures really captured the beauty of underwater life!
Of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures of his prints. But I definitely had the privilege to explore his gallery and even had a small chat with him!
Took a bit of a detour after leaving Mr. Cowans' studio.
Ended up on High Street - a place I frequent quite often.
I decided to walk down another small street - and ended up in one of the courtyards of Notre Dame Uni. I might have said this countless times, BUT I seriously envy them! Their campus is gorgeous - and all buildings were labelled with a vintage-looking sign! They're really lucky - old buildings in Freo were converted to accomodate the various faculties.
Some of the old, but converted buildings which are now part of Notre Dame Uni.
And back on High Street I went, where some people were starting to party. They had some sailor-themed party or something, and were already congregating at the Orient. I should go to the Orient someday, when things are less rowdy.
Explored the city centre, the town hall and Cappuccino Strip a bit more before going back. I even bumped into a random Italian dude, who was taking a walk around Freo. Apparently he lived in Freo since the 1950s to 1960s...he was very affectionate and I anticipated that.
Speaking of "Italian" - I should seriously consider beefing up my conversational Italian. I've been picking up words here and there and had a fair share of exposure through music training (while doing graded exams and when doing my diploma in piano). But those included words like "allegro" (lively), "appassionata" (passionate), "forte" (loud), "crescendo" (getting gradually louder), "allegro ma non troppo" (lively but not too much), "mezzo" (moderately/middle), "expressivo" (expressive) and adjectives like that. And speaking of piano, I MISS PIANO LESSONS SO MUCH. It's been a year since my last piano lesson, but still, after going through 18 whole years of piano lessons (albeit by 3 different teachers), it feels weird not to have any all of a sudden.
Enough of digressing, here are the pics from the city centre and the Cappuccino Strip!
Best part - I celebrated my birthday 3 days after visiting the Fishing Boat harbours - right on the Cappuccino Strip! Had gorgeous Italian food and rich hot chocolate from Theobroma. Yup - I have officially fallen in love with yet another chocolate lounge - Theobroma. Now I've got quite a number on my list - Koko Black, Brunetti, San Churros, Max Brenner's, and now - Theobroma's been added to the list!
Ending off with a picture of Murdoch Uni village (North Wings), while walking down South Street. I had a serious case of travel sickness on board the bus and nearly hurled! Luckily I ended up getting off in one piece, and also ended up walking slowly back.
I guess that's all for now. Will be back when I have the time! Now I'm plagued with pimples, exam prep and erm...millipedes. EEWWW....