AUSTRALIA 2011: Medieval Fayre

AUSTRALIA 2011: Medieval Fayre (May 22, 2011)

Lords and ladies. Knights and horses. Castles and princesses. Swordfights. Witchcraft. Chivalry. Need I say that the medieval times have always fascinated me? Not that I would want to live during that time, because all things considered, it was quite a dark period of human history. Regardless, all things “medieval” have always sparked my interest, so imagine how excited I was when we found out that the Blacktown council will be holding a “Medieval Fayre.” As a bonus, it will be held in Nurragingy Reserve, which is very nearby and more importantly, is where my aunt and uncle got married.

Nurragingy Reserve and the colors of autumn

M E D I E V A L  V I L L A G E

Beautiful autumn colors

We arrived at Nurragingy just around lunch time, because we went after Sunday service. The parking lot was packed with cars, so we took some time looking for an empty space to park. As we walked towards the event venue, we could hear the noise from the crowd. We could also see flags and banderitas everywhere, as well as tents amongst the trees with their beautiful autumn colors. It was a beautiful autumn day. The sun was as cooperative as the people who were walking around in their medieval costumes. 

Robin Hood doing his rounds

Costumes. Where do I begin? We saw all the medieval characters you can think of – princesses in their flowy dresses, knights in their full armour, jugglers, fire-throwers, witches, village people – heck, even Robin Hood was present.

Trying out the guillotine

It was like being lost in the middle of a medieval village. There were so many people, and occasionally a person dressed in full medieval garb would pass you by.

Reenacting life during those times

Tents were put up for food, which included everything from chips to sandwiches to fairy floss (cotton candy). Some tents were also put up for other things, like selling medieval artifacts and face-painting. A lot of tents were put up to showcase medieval armour, and we got to try on a few helmets and play with a few swords. We even got to try the guillotine at one point.

Helmets and shields

Also, there were several groups who put up tents to showcase historical displays and interactive demonstrations. They were really acting like they really lived during the medieval times, so all their clothes, equipment, food, and even tent really demonstrated that. All periods were also pretty much represented – Viking, Norman, Saxon, Crusader, Saracen, Byzantine and High Medieval. It was just so fascinating to witness.

F I E L D  O F  H O N O U R

There were several arenas to demonstrate medieval fights, and one of which is the “Field of Honour.” Here we got to witness warriors dressed in full armour battling it out in an authentic combat. They used genuine weapons and combat moves to fight each other. Someone was narrating as well, explaining what we were seeing for us to appreciate it more. It was so cool to cheer along the sidelines as if we were witnessing something that actually happened in the Middle Ages.

Fighting in the "Field o Honour"

S W O R D P L A Y

The next arena was the swordplay arena. Here they demonstrated how they dueled during the Middle Ages. It was so entertaining as well as educational.

Swordplay

After the group swordplay demonstration where everyone had a pair and showed us various dueling moves, it was time for the couple demonstration. This time, a girl and a guy demonstrated how to have a lover’s quarrel during the medieval times, complete with dialogue and acting. It was so funny and entertaining, I felt like I was stuck in the middle of some medieval movie set.

A  K N I G H T ' S  T A L E

The highlight of our afternoon, however, was the jousting tournament. I first heard of jousting when I watched the movie “A Knight’s Tale.” Yes, the one with the late Heath Ledger, who is incidentally Australian. Jousting is basically a competition between two knights mounted on horses, galloping towards each other and armed with lances. The objective is to use the lance to hit the opposing knight’s chest or shield, and if the contact is particularly strong, knock him off his horse.

Let the jousting begin

Jousting up close

Never in my life did I imagine that I’d actually get to witness real jousting, let alone a full jousting tournament. The “knights” who were there really compete in actual jousting tournaments, and they were quite good. The place was packed with people, and the energy was astounding. It was a joy to witness, and I was so giddy with excitement.

Lady Sarah

We even found out that one of the knights was actually a lady (Lady Sarah), and when she took off her armour to show that she really is female, I couldn’t be more proud. I know we’ve come quite a long way from the medieval times. This day made realize that people from the Middle Ages have a lot of important things to remind us of (chivalry, anyone?). However, we also have a lot of things to teach them.

Lady jousters? And just why not?

AUSTRALIA 2011: Autumn in Blue

AUSTRALIA 2011: Autumn in Blue (May 21, 2011)

A beautiful autumn day

When I heard about this beautiful mountain range called the Blue Mountains, the first question I asked was if the mountains really are blue, and if so, why? The best way to answer that question, of course, is to see these mountains for myself. Judging from how chilly and dreary most days are becoming, winter is approaching fast, and a visit to the Blue Mountains wouldn’t be such a good idea in this extremely cold weather. Autumn, however, wanted to exit gracefully and with a beautiful bang, so just before it came to a close, we were blessed with the perfect autumn day for a Blue Mountain visit.

K A T O O M B A

Welcome to Katoomba

The Blue Mountain region, in its entirety, spans several cities and towns. Katoomba is the chief town in the City of Blue Mountains, and is located 110 kilometres west of Sydney. It is also where Scenic World and the Three Sisters are located, so it’s a very popular tourist destination. We arrived at Katoomba main town center just in time for lunch. As we stopped to buy pizza from Domino’s and fish and chips from Greco’s, I looked around and instantly fell in love with the town’s charming architecture.

Some of Katoomba's heritage buildings

Now I’ve been to quite a few towns in Australia, and the one thing that’s common among all of them is the heritage buildings that remain standing. What happens is they retain, not ruin, the architecture from old buildings while still going on with their daily commerce. So you’ll have a functioning grocery store or a pizza parlor in a building that looks like it was lifted right out of the 1900s.

Our lovely picnic area

When you walk down the street, you feel like you’re lost in the middle of a movie set or somehow transported back in time. Most towns I’ve been to in Australia are like this, and Katoomba is no different. With our lunch in tow, we went to one of their public parks and had a picnic.

Scenic railway

S T E E P E S T  R A I L W A Y

Katoomba is of course home to beautiful sceneries, and one of the must-visit places here is Scenic World, which is a tourist complex and features most of what Katoomba has to offer.

It really was quite steep

We first went on the Katoomba Scenic Railway, the steepest funicular railway in the world. We got on something that strangely resembles a roller coaster, and was tilted 52 degrees (I swear it felt like it was almost vertical).

The coaster then goes down a 415-metre track, and at first you can’t see anything but this tiny light at the very far end of the tunnel. Then as it courses down the rainforest you realize that you really are going down a mountain, and while the initial go is quite novel and a bit scary, once you get that hang of it, it’s actually quite fun. We soon arrived at our destination, which is in the floor of the Jamison Valley. 

R A I N F O R E S T

A boardwalk in the middle of the forest

We were already deep down in the floor of the Jamison Valley, and from here we were free to explore the “Scenic Walkway” by ourselves.

Deep into the rainforest

The “walkway” is a boardwalk built deep into the heart of the World-heritage-listed rainforest, and was actually quite an experience. The first part showed some exhibitions about coal mines, but it was mostly just a beautiful rainforest. The flora and fauna we saw along the way were amazing, and there were occasional placards that showed information which made us appreciate what we were seeing even more.

Scenic Cable Way

We took our time walking, until we reached the platform for the Scenic Cable Way, which is basically a cable car that will take us back up. It’s probably tilted in the same degree as the railway was, and it sure looked scary from down there, but once we were inside we couldn’t really feel that we were climbing steeply back to the top of the mountain. The sights going up were beautiful as well.

S C E N I C  S K Y W A Y

View from the Scenic Skyway

Katoomba Falls

When we reached the top of the mountain, I went on to ride the Scenic Skyway while the rest of them just waited for me at the cafeteria in Mary’s Lookout.

The Scenic Skyway is basically another cable car that takes people from one mountain to another, as if gliding in the sky. This 720-metre ride gives people a 360-degree view of the Three Sisters, Mount Solitary, the Katoomba Falls, and of course the vast rainforest in the Jamison Valley below.

When I got to the other side, I went on to explore the Cliff View Lookout, which offered some of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen in my life.

The Blue Mountains as seen from the Cliff View Lookout

T H R E E  S I S T E R S

When I got back to the other mountain, it was approaching sunset so we left Scenic World to drive to Echo Point. Echo Point is where tourists flock to see The Three Sisters in all their glory.

The Three Sisters at sunset

“The Three Sisters” is one of the most famous rock formations in The Blue Mountains, and was formed as the forces of nature eroded the sandstone through time. If Aboriginal legends are to be believed, The Three Sisters’ names, from left to right, are Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo.

Legend or not, The Three Sisters are truly beautiful, and as we stood at Echo Point viewing the scenery before us the sun starting setting, which cast an orange tinge of light on the Three Sisters and valley below. The sunset also produced beautiful hues of orange and purple in the sky, and I’m beginning to think Australia truly has the most beautiful sunsets. It just took my breath away.

Gorgeous sunset

B L U E

As to the question whether the mountains really are blue, the answer is yes and no. No, of course they aren’t actually blue, but yes, they produce a blue haze that makes them appear blue from afar. The blue haze is caused by the blanket of eucalyptus trees. The trees release aromatic oils, and when sunlight comes into contact with these oils, a bluish haze is produced. The mountains did appear blue, especially as the sun began to set.

Blue or not, it was one of those beautiful autumn days, and while Winter is coming fast and soon, this Blue Mountains trip was Autumn’s perfect curtain call.

AUSTRALIA 2011: Featherdale Wildlife Park

AUSTRALIA 2011: Featherdale Wildlife Park (May 11, 2011)

Welcome to Featherdale

A visit to Australia wouldn’t be complete without kangaroos and koalas. I’ve never seen any of these two animals up close, so I was actually quite excited. Featherdale Wildlife Park happens to be located very near Rooty Hill, so we decided to give it a visit.

My stamped Featherdale passport

The park is of course more geared towards children, but we still enjoyed our time there. We were even given “passports” to stamp once we get to certain sections of the park.

We saw a lot of animals, but the highlight was when we got to interact with a koala named Macy. There were a lot of koalas around but since koalas are nocturnal, Macy was the only one of the bunch who was actually awake. Her fur was so soft and she so shy. She was quite hungry too, munching those leaves away.

Macy the hungry koala

The curiosity of children

Freely roaming around

Aside from Macy, tiny kangaroos (and wallabies) were freely roaming around the park as well, interacting with the children and the children-at-heart.

The visit was a wonderful experience, and I could finally say I’ve seen a kangaroo up close, as well as patted a koala’s backside. They’re absolutely adorable, by the way.