Double-decker buses in London

In 2004, when I was living in London, I heard that the old double-decker Routemaster buses were about to be retired, so I found a route that crossed the city past many historical landmarks to a residential area of North London. This was Route 73.

Opera Australia performs Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle

[First published on The Plus Ones] 

Strap in for an epic opera experience. Opera Australia’s momentous production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle is a sequence of four works, each one a marvel of music, performance, direction, and artistic design. It offers sixteen hours of powerful storytelling through music, and leaves you wanting more.

Terschelling: Home of the Best Summer Festival in the Netherlands

Terschelling is an island in the northern Netherlands with a population of around 4,700. Every June the island is transformed into a huge theatre for the Oerol Festival. Over 55,000 people visit the island in those ten days to watch theatre and musical performances, modern art and visual and artists.

See penguins in St Kilda for FREE

Every night, a bunch of cute Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) swim into the harbour at St Kilda, Melbourne. If you go to St Kilda Pier at sunset you can see them swim and waddle to their nests among the rocks of the breakwater.

Cocks, cops and communists in China

Cockhead. I actually ate this thing and then learnt it was only included in the dish for decorative purposes. Lame.

I recently went to China for a writing residency. The time was split between Yangshuo and Guangzhou, both in the south-east of the country. Here are a few photos and observations from the trip.

How to survive White Night in Melbourne

 

Every year a bunch of cities around the whole hold an all-night arts festival, called White Night. The festival first started in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Crazy Birds of Iguazu Falls

There are many species of birds living around the Iguazu Falls, but when you're on the Argentinian side, standing in "La Garganta del Diablo" lookout ("the Devil's Throat"), you'll see hundreds of little dark-coloured birds flying in and out of the monstrous waterfall. They are Great Dusky Swifts.

Lebanon's religiously inclusive Santa Claus

Christmas is a state holiday in Lebanon. Lebanese people celebrate Christmas on 25 December, except the Armenian Lebanese, who celebrate it on the Epiphany on January 6 – which is also an official holiday in Lebanon.

‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Opera Australia

[First published on The Plus Ones]

 

Opera Australia’s production of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ is magnificent, visually stunning, and a glorious treat for your ears.

Where to find street art in Melbourne

Melbourne has become known internationally for its diverse range of street art. This includes stencils, paste-ups and murals. Street art is seen as an art form, whereas graffiti and tagging are regarded as vandalism.