Apparently there is some kind of chocolate party going on in September in Koko Black Claremont - but the ticket prices were a bit too steep. So I decided I'd make my own 'chocolate party' instead...and will continue to do so every weekend.
And so I went for my favourite Belgian Spoil again! Here are some 'mandatory' pictures of it. Spot the difference between the chocolate pralines (small chocolate pieces). In the first platter - I had liquor chocolate. In the second platter - I had fruit pralines. In the third platter - I had nut pralines. The nut pralines are my favourite - and I have since bought the pralines individually (the third platter was taken a couple of weeks back).
Oh yeah - the lighting was really good today so I took more pics of the Belgian Spoil platter from today. I had this and couldn't have anything else after that. Oh yes - did I mention that the hot choc had lovely chocolate art?
The Brahms Festival just happens to be on too - and a few months ago, I found out that one of my favourite violinists - Pinchas Zukerman, was going to perform one of Brahms' violin concertos. Needless to say, I bought tickets pretty early, as I've always wanted to see Pinchas Zukerman play live. Plus - he is absolutely phenomenal. I was really lucky as I managed to get one of the last few seats, and when I went to the concert, a lovely couple let me have their seats because they wanted aisle seats (my seat). So I ended up with excellent views of the orchestra...and Pinchas Zukerman himself. I enjoyed myself very thoroughly indeed. I was completely mesmerised by Pinchas Zukerman's interpretation of the violin concerto and by the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra's interpretation of the symphony. And...I was completely starstruck when he walked past me (just a few inches away from me!) after the post-concert talk.
Attended the pre-concert and post-concert talks too, to learn more about the repertoire played that night (Violin Concerto in D Op.77 and Symphony No.1 in C Minor Op.68). Despite having being influenced significantly by Beethoven, Brahms had his own unique style and preferences, which showed prominently in the Symphony alongside the Beethoven-inspired stuff. He was more interested in other things (e.g. structure, rhythm and so on), instead of long, melodious breathy musical passages (which was what Tchaikovsky was interested in). But somehow his musical passages ended up being really beautiful anyway. As for the Violin Concerto - it is actually Brahms' only violin concerto, and was first played by Brahms' good friend Joseph Joachim. Here's a quote from Joseph Joachim himself: "The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it inseriousness. The richest, most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's."
Brahms was a perfectionist - very determined to 'get things right', and was changing lots of stuff in the Violin Concerto...right till the day of the premier. Likewise - for his Symphony in C Minor - he was worried that it wasn't 'good enough'. It's interesting to hear how much he cared about his works, and how he'd be so determined to make his music better each time.
So that's one more tick off the bucket list - seeing Pinchas Zukerman live and attending his post-concert talk (with the bonus of him being inches away from me). Next week - I'm attending another Brahms performance - this time I'm going back to my 'roots' and will be enjoying a Brahms piano concerto instead! Can't wait for next Friday!
OK back to today's central topic - I'll be posting pics of my most recent visit to Araluen Botanic Gardens today, and this will be the final part of this series. After this series, I'll be posting pictures of my trip down South, up North and to the Avon Valley region. But first - Araluen Botanic Gardens. I woke up really early that day to get there, and also to avoid crowds. As I walked through the peaceful and tranquil gardens, I was immediately reminded of the lyrics 'peace and quiet and open air...wait for us, somewhere...'
I've actually been to Araluen once - sometime in November 2013 if I'm not mistaken, but that was with some friends. This time, I went alone. To be more specific, I drove there myself. It is actually relatively easy to get there. And I really prefer going for photo outings alone - I get to do whatever I want, and timings are pretty flexible.
Spotted these cute little 'chairs' (made from tree stumps) as I walked through the gardens.
Beautiful camellias in full bloom. The air was very fresh and the skies stayed clear throughout the day - I was really lucky indeed. I had a field day (pun intended on all levels) taking these pics.
Passed by a rocky stream while walking around (it happened to be pretty dry that day) - and decided to take some pics. I ended up climbing some rocks to get better views...and when I attempted to scale some rocks, I actually fell into the stream! Got my jeans completely wet, my hoodie soaked a little...but the camera remained dry and unscathed. It was VERY COLD...
So...before I headed to the main part of the gardens, I went to the gift shop to thaw out. And buy gifts. The gift shop happened to have a fireplace! So I spent some time warming my rear end there...and by the time I finished shopping and everything, I was relatively dry. I ended up washing my jeans when I got home, and also ended up washing my hoodie.
Some of the shelters, stairs, and walkways around the gardens, all built in a similar style. The gardens has been around since 1929 or so, and has been well-preserved. I can't wait to come again in spring.
The main part of the gardens - which is situated near the entrance. This pergola is situated next to a small lake, which used to be an old swimming pool. It's now a decorative lake. And no swimming is allowed!
Yet another pergola - with climbing plants around it. I discovered this one while climbing up some stairs, and went to have a closer look.
Oh - and I spotted some mushrooms growing near the main entrance! I bumped into a mother-daughter duo while taking these pics, and they were also fascinated by these adorable little mushrooms.
My last stop - the Grove of the Unforgotten - a war memorial built to commemorate 88 Young Australia League members killed in World War I. The Grove of the Unforgotten consists of some tree-lined terraces and a calm reflection pond at the bottom. There is also a waterfall cascading in tiers through the terraces - but it wasn't running that day. The trees are planted such that they formed the shape of a lyre.
