Christine Knight, Author at Adventure, baby!

Christine Knight

Christine is the editor of Adventure, Baby!

9 Things To Do In Venice

February 15, 2016 / Europe, Italy, Travel, Venice / 2 Comments

Venice to me is like a trip back through time. A place with narrow alleyways leading to hidden restaurants and ancient cathedrals, with water lapping gently at the sidewalk as you walk along the canals. It’s literally a place out of a fairytale and considering it is slowly sinking, I think it should be on every traveller’s must-see list before it’s gone forever.

The capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, Venice is built on over 100 little islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Images of its stone buildings rising out of the water have brought 20 million tourists a year from all over the world to wander through its maze-like alleys. There are no cars and roads in Venice – just boats on canals. It’s a unique place steeped in history that I would love to visit again.

When you visit Venice, whether it be a day or a week, be sure to do the following:

1. Get lost
Put down the map and just wander the alleys and explore the tiny squares they will take you to. Venice is at its most authentic when you get off the beaten path and just go where your feet take you to.

2. Take in the view
Catch an elevator 98 meters up to the top of the San Marco Campanile and get a birds eye view of this amazing city. At street level Venice is a rabbit’s warren of twists and turns and you need to get up high to really see the full impact of this city perched on top of the ocean. Get there early or just before closing to beat the queues.

3. Eat gelato
Ingest as much of it as you can, from chocolate and vanilla to tiramisú and stracciatella. Gelato contains less butterfat and air than regular ice cream and has no artificial flavorings or preservatives. Basically gelato is heaven and the Venetians do it damn well.

4. Go to church
From its Byzantine domes and luminous mosaics to the 24-carat gold leaf paint, Basilica di San Marco is a sight that won’t be forgotten. Dress modestly when you visit (ie cover your knees and shoulders).

5. Be a bird of a feather
Don’t be tempted to feed any of the 130,000 pigeons that frequent Venice’s historic centre as it’s now banned. If you’re tempted to get the classic “bird on head” shot, you’ll need to lure the pigeons without birdseed that was once sold in Piazza San Marco. The crack down is an effort to curb the “immense damage” caused by the birds, which costs taxpayers €16 to €23 per year in cleanup costs.

6. See the city by sea
Technically see the city by canals, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it. If gondolas aren’t your thing, hire a kayak, flag down a water taxi or relax aboard a cruise. This city is meant to be visited and viewed at water level.

7. Soak up history
A visit to the Doges Palace is a lesson in Gothic architecture and Italian opulence. Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s Palace, was the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) and the seat of its government for centuries.

8. Carb load
I had the best spaghetti carbonara in a tiny hole in the wall cafe in Venice. Forget any carb-free diet you might be on and just enjoy the best pasta of your life.

9. Hear voices from the past
Join countless other tourists taking a selfie at the Bridge of Sighs, the bridge that crosses the channel between the ducal palace and prison. Built in 1962, it’s a somewhat notorious sight as the bridge was used to move prisoners directly from the court to their prison cell. The name “Bridge of Sighs” came from the vivid imaginations of the locals as they thought they heard (or perhaps really did hear!) the complaints of the convicted prisoners who crossed it.

First time in Venice? Check out this guide.

The Most Perfect Light: Antelope Slot Canyons

February 13, 2016 / Arizona, Travel, USA / 3 Comments

Some places stay with you your entire life, even if your time there was fleeting. My visit to the Antelope Slot Canyon was one of these times. I actually saw the canyons way back in 2007 when I did a road trip around this part of the USA – well before I started blogging! High on my list to see were these canyons, with their etherial colours and shapes. I thought at the time – and still feel today – like they were something out of a dream. Too incredibly beautiful to be real.

The Antelope Canyon is a “slot canyon” located on Navajo land east of Page, Arizona. The Antelope Canyon includes two slot canyon sections, referred to as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew.

We visited the Upper Antelope Canyon, the Navajo name for which is Tsé bighánílíní, meaning “the place where water runs through rocks.”

The name is very literal, as the Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, mostly through flash flooding.

The canyons have been accessible only by tour since 1997, which is when the Navajo Tribe made it a Navajo Tribal Park.

The upper canyon is the most popular to visit because it’s so incredibly photogenic (it’s also the easiest to access, with the entire length of the canyon at ground level and no climbing required). Beams of light radiate down through the slots in the canyon roof, bouncing off the walls and creating the most spectacular rays of light and coloured rocks. Depending which time of year and day you visit, the canyons will look different. The best time to see the canyons if you’re after this kind of light is summer, during the middle of the day – the beams are most often when the sun is in the middle of the sky, During winter, the colours are more muted.

My prime purpose for visiting the canyons was to get photos like these. And I’ll tell you, they weren’t easy to get. I was on a tour group with many other tourists, so in order to get these photos with no one in them, I had to lag behind the group, or walk slightly ahead. Lighting in the canyons is really tricky too. I brought my tripod and I’m pretty sure it’s the only reason these photos are in focus.

To visit the Antelope Canyons, purchase tickets for a tour in nearby Page. They range from $35 to $82 per person, depending on the time of the day and length of the tour.

The Best Castles In Europe: Neuschwanstein Castle

February 11, 2016 / Europe, Germany, Travel / 0 comment

Many moons before the little Cheese came along, hubbie and I travelled foot loose and fancy free all over Europe. One place that has stayed with me as something out of a fairytale is Neuschwanstein Castle.

This castle is one of the most beautiful (and popular!) in Europe, and is a place that photographs do no justice to. It’s impossible to capture in a picture the majesty of this spectacular castle, perched high in the mountains.

We visited Neuschwanstein Castle, nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace, when we were visiting Munich. We did a day tour out to the castle that included a fantastic bike ride around the country side, and ended up at the village Hohenschwangau, at the bottom of the castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle was home to King Ludwig II of Bavaria, a supposedly shy king who built the palace to keep the public at an arms length. It’s ironic that after the solitary monarch’s death his home is now one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe, with around 1.4 million visitors a year.

Our visit was on a busy day, but the timed tour groups meant that the inside of the castle never felt crowded. It was fascinating learning about the shy king who lived in such a magnificent dwelling – like something out of a children’s fairytale. Out on the terraces people gathered in larger amounts trying to take selfies or admiring the view. It was a lot more chaotic than the photos would lead you to believe.

Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle can only be visited within a guided tour.

Entrance tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle can only be bought at the Ticketcenter in the village of Hohenschwangau below the castle. More info. To get from the ticket office to the castle, you can take the 30-40 minute walk (Around 1.5km uphill) or check out these other options.

Info from the website: Your entrance ticket is valid for a guided tour of the castle at a particular time. We would like to explicitly point out that the tours begin punctually. Please allow sufficient time to get up to the castle, as if you arrive too late you will no longer be able to participate in the tour.

Please note that during the high season entrance tickets for a particular day may be sold out. We would therefore ask you to reserve your tickets well in advance.

Neuschwanstein Castle
Hours: 19 March to 15 October: 9am-6pm
16 October to 18 March: 10am-4pm
Open daily except 1 January and 24 / 25 / 31 December
Admission: From 12 euros (adult) / 11 euros concession). Children and young people under 18 are free.

Getting there (c/o the castle website)
By car or coach
Take the A7 motorway (direction Ulm-Kempten-Füssen) until the end. From Füssen first follow the road B17 to Schwangau, then the signs to Hohenschwangau
or take the A7 motorway until the exit Kempten and then the road B12 to Marktoberdorf. Follow the road B16 to Roßhaupten – OAL I to Buching – and then take the road B17 to Schwangau and Hohenschwangau.

By public transport
Take the train (www.bahn.com) to Füssen, then the bus RVA/OVG 73 in the direction to Steingaden / Garmisch-Partenkirchen or the bus RVA/OVG 78 in the direction to Schwangau until you reach the stop Hohenschwangau / Alpseestraße.

Information about the local bus lines: http://www.rvo-bus.de

Read about more beautiful castles in Romania here.

Sheraton on the Park High Tea Buffet: Sydney’s Best High Teas

February 7, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 6 Comments

I’m a regular at the Sheraton for their amazing high tea offerings, but this was the first time that I’ve tried their High Tea Buffet. For the same price as the beautiful tiers that come around, on weekends you can choose the buffet if you so desire.

I’ve been curious about the buffet, but what encouraged me to book it for my dad’s birthday this week was how easy it made dining with people who have various food requirements. My dad can’t eat a variety of ingredients, which can make regular high teas hard. The buffet, however, meant he could pick and choose from a huge variety of food and find plenty of things to eat, with zero hassle.

The buffet had an absolutely mind blowing amount of choice. I was determined to try one of everything (ha!) and failed miserably, which has only increased my desire to return so I can sample more of the dishes I missed out on.

The foyer of the dining area was set up into stations – sandwiches, sweets, quiche and macarons (an interesting pairing!), scones, hot cross buns and crepes, DIY ice cream and cheese, nuts, crackers and creme brulee.

The creme brulee was so fresh that we watched the chef make it at the station and then place it onto the serving platters.

Sandwiches: As a vegetarian, I was only able to eat two of the sandwiches, which was a slight let down for me over the high tea stand, where I would usually get a vegetarian quiche plus three other vegetarian savory options.

I did enjoy the sandwiches though – an egg and cream cheese on fluffy white bread and a wrap with pumpkin and blue cheese.

Quiche: The only quiche available was salmon sadly, so I didn’t try it. I hope next time I go there is a vegetarian quiche on offer.

Sweets: It was impossible to know where to begin. There were so many sweets it hurt to look at them. I really loved the variety offered – everything from chocolate cake pops covered in pistachios to mango and raspberry pudding with white chocolate bubbles, tiny strawberry cheesecakes and deconstructed pavlova. I tried about 9 I think (yikes!), and went home thinking about all the others I didn’t get to. Next time!

Scones: These were fantastic – super fresh and warm, with giant bowls of jam and cream. I had a blueberry scone and found it fluffy and light. Perfect cream, thick fruity jam. So good.

Ice cream: This was cheese’s favourite. Choose from chocolate or vanilla, then add a selection of toppings like chocolate curls, nuts, shortbread pastry crust and chocolate balls.

Tea selection: As part of the basic buffet you are offered a choice of tea or coffee. I chose English Breakfast, which came in a pot that gave me about three full cups of tea. The lovely hostess came around later to offer is a hot water refill, which I appreciated.

I don’t usually order Cheese her own dishes when we have high tea as she just doesn’t eat them, and I was concerned with this being a buffet that it would be an awkward situation. I had nothing to worry about however, as no one minded that she pecked at a few things here and there.

The service at the Sheraton on the Park is fantastic. As soon as we finished with a plate it was whisked away, often without me even noticing, by friendly, smiling staff.

I can’t recommend the Sheraton on the Park High Tea Buffet enough for your next high tea. You’ll probably be like me and want to go back to try everything you missed the first time!

The Buffet High Tea is $49pp and includes one coffee or tea per person. Additional cost for sparkling wine. Bookings recommended.

Sheraton On The Park High Tea Buffet
161 Elizabeth Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9286 6000
Prices: $$$

Entering the Forbidden City, Beijing

February 5, 2016 / Asia, China, Travel / 7 Comments

During my 2007 trip to Beijing, we were taken to see the Forbidden City – one of China’s biggest tourist attractions, with around 7 million visitors a year (up to 80,000 a day!).

This spectacular palace was home to 24 imperial Chinese emperors from the Ming dynasty in 1420 to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912. The Forbidden City is located right in the center of Beijing (near Tiananmen Square) and is now home to the Palace Museum.

For 500 years the palace was off limits to the public, hence the name “Forbidden City”. Nowadays you can enter what is the largest palace complex in the world for around $10AUD. The palace is also China’s best-preserved and largest group of ancient buildings, making it an amazing trip back in time when you visit.

We had a tour guide for our group, who was full of interesting info that wasn’t on the audio tour – such as during our visit renovations were obviously in progress on the roofs. Our guide noted that the palace was so large that by the time they had finished re-painting all the roofs they would need to start re-painting the first ones they began with all over again.

It was at the Forbidden City that I had my first introduction to a dirty “hole-in-the-ground” Chinese toilet. Unless things have improved since our visit, I highly suggest you hold it rather than also experience this traditional gem.

Set aside most of a day to really explore the entire palace. Comfortable shoes are advisable.

The Forbidden City
Opening hours:
April-Oct 8:30-17:00 (60CNY)
November-March 8:30-16:30 (40CNY)

Climbing the Great Wall of China

February 3, 2016 / Asia, China, Travel / 2 Comments

I had a mild panic attack recently when I realised that I’ve travelled far and wide but very few of my journeys have actually been blogged. What kind of travel blogger am I?! Since I don’t get to travel as much these days with my preschooler in tow, I decided to go back through my travels and add them in so all of my adventures are chronicled in the one place. Starting with the Great Wall of China.

I visited Beijing in 2007 on a work trip and was so excited when I found out that one of our organised activities was the climb the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications built along an east-west line across the northern borders of China from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD. The wall was built to protect the Chinese empires against invaders, with a total length of more than 20,000 km. While some sections of the wall have crumbled away, some still exist to an extent that they can be climbed, as the wall has been rebuilt, maintained and renovated constantly.

We climbed the Badaling section of the wall. It’s the most famous section, the most complete, convenient and accessible, and is also the closest to Beijing (70 km). As a result, however, this section of the wall is always teaming with tourists (like us!). I didn’t find it overwhelmingly busy when we visited, however, so I wouldn’t be put off by this. The Badaling section has had the most renovation and is well maintained, making it the safest section to walk of the wall, too.

Most parts of the Badaling Great Wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) to defend Beijing against raids from northern Mongolians.

The Badaling section of the wall is 12 kilometers with 43 watchtowers, but only 3.74 km and 19 watchtowers have been restored and are opened to visitors. While that sounds like a short stroll, it’s an exhausting walk up hill, and your calves will remind you of it for days to come. Take plenty of water and wear very comfy shoes.

Heading to China? Get ideas on a two-week itinerary here.

Climbing the great wall isn’t enough? What about CAMPING on the Great Wall of China?

Looking for more things to do in China? Head to Guangzhou with your kids.

Keep your information safe when travelling by using a VPN.

Tintos: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Balmain, Sydney

January 30, 2016 / Balmain, Inner West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 5 Comments

I do love trying new cafes. This week I stumbled upon Tintos in Balmain – a tiny little hole in the wall that opens up into a reasonably-sized cafe, right off Darling Street. I admit I was seduced by the cronuts in the window …

Lucky I was, as this little cafe is an absolute gem. As we sat down at cable reel that was doubling as a table, I noticed a few big baskets of toys and colouring in supplies. What an amazing find! Cheese was entertained for our entire stay and we had to pry her away from the toys when it was time to leave.

We ordered a light meal – two Avocado Toasts ($11), mine with Haloumi ($5) and Alec’s with a Poached Egg ($3) and Bacon ($4). They were just perfect.

Soy and lindseed bread with smashed avocado in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. Just devine.

Cheese devoured a giant Mixed Berry Smoothie ($7.5).

My English Breakfast tea ($4) was by Tea Craft and served in a pot so big I got several cups out of it. Tintos prides itself on having excellent coffee, and it’s always good to be able to try and agree that they deliver what they promise on.

Our table was right next to a giant map that covered most of one wall. On the map were blu-tacked coins placed there, I assumed, by visitors from all over the world. I really enjoyed seeing where people had come from to get to this little cafe in Balmain.

Tintos is a fantastic little cafe that we will be going back to soon, to try more dishes off the menu.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Very little.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Tintos
306 Darling St,
Balmain NSW 2041
Phone: (02) 9810 2962
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 6am-5pm, Sun 7:30-5pm
Get Directions

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, Australian Premiere

January 30, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 6 Comments

My childhood was spent falling in love with Disney movies. I was absolutely obsessed with all of them – starting with The Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, through to the modern ones that came out as I was growing up such as Aladdin and The Lion King. I was 15 when I saw the original Lion King movie, and was obsessed with the music for months (ahem, might have been more like years). When The Lion King stage show came out in my 20s, I saw one of the very first shows in Sydney and cried all over again at the beauty of the music and heartbreaking storyline.

Now I have my own Disney-obsessed kid, who is still too young to watch the original Lion King movie. She is, however the perfect age for the new Disney Junior series that is a spin off from the much loved movie – The Lion Guard.

We were lucky enough to attend the Australian premiere of The Lion Guard, where we watched the first extended episode, called Return Of The Roar. At 45 minutes, the first episode is longer than the following ones will be to introduce the new cast, re-introduce beloved old characters, and set the scene for the next generation of troublesome cubs to take on their own adventures. Simba and Nala have grown up and have cubs of their own, including Kion, who is the star of this new series. Cameos from Pumbaa and Timon also link the old with the new, and bring in a motley crew of brand new animal characters: Bunga, Ono, Fuli and Beshte.

The reason I haven’t shown my four-year-old The Lion King movie yet is I think it’s still too scary for her, but I was confident that a Disney Junior spin off would be age appropriate – and it was. There were moments in the show when I wasn’t sure what direction it would go (the suspense!) and I was relieved that each moment of confrontation was diffused without violence. My very sensitive child agreed at the end that The Lion Guard was great and that she enjoyed it immensely.

While my daughter is not yet able to articulate why she enjoyed it so much beyond she loved the songs and the honey badger, Bunga, I really enjoyed the skillful animation, beautiful music and the themes that emerged: friendship, loyalty, perseverance, bravery and love. Perfect for my little girl to be watching and learning from.

I can’t wait to watch the rest of The Lion Guard when it premieres on the Disney Junior Channel on February 6.

Thanks so much to Disney Australia for inviting us to join The Lion Guard.

DirtGirl’s Get Grubby Musical: Sydney’s Best Shows for Kids

January 24, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

With a daughter who loves every kind of Disney princess out there and doesn’t like to do anything “yucky”, her latest love of dirtgirl has been a refreshing change for our family. We watch dirtgirlworld on ABC Kids, and I really enjoy the environmental messages in the show, as well as how it encourages kids to “get grubby” outside.

When I found out the dirtgirl’s Get Grubby Musical was coming to the Sydney Opera House, I was keen to take Cheese to see it. The show is recommended for kids aged 3 and up, and I found my four-and-a-half year old to be the perfect age for it.

Dirtgirl, scrapboy and Costa the garden gnome appear live on stage in a show filled with upbeat music, slapstick jokes and, underneath it all, a serious environmental issue that effects our planet – the loss of our bees. It’s an issue my husband and I have discussed ourselves before with concern, so it was great to see it being played out before us in a way that kids could understand and get involved with, too.

Fans of the TV show will enjoy seeing their colourful favourite charaters come to life before them, against a beautiful backdrop representing the most fantastical garden you’ll ever see. When presented by these hip eco-warriors, making compost out of chook poo and saving water have never been funkier. Catchy, interactive songs engaged the young audience, with the figure-of-eight bee “bum” dance being repeated frequently on our way home.

After the show, the cast came around to the foyer to meet their young fans. They were very friendly and encouraging with their tiny grubby friends, and the kids were so excited to take pictures with them and get their autographs.

We walked away from the show thoroughly entertained, and with a desire for gardening in my daughter’s head. Time to get grubby!

dirtgirl’s Get Grubby Musical
Sydney Opera House
January 22-24, 2016

Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for hosting us. All opinions are my own.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party

January 21, 2016 / Cheese, Disney Travel, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

A few months ago, I entered a competition to win tickets to a Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party in Sydney. I didn’t think much of it again, until, amazingly, I received an email letting me know that I’d won two tickets to the party. What good luck!

Cheese chose her Anna Frozen Fever outfit after I persuaded her that it was too hot for anything else and promised I’d even do her hair like Anna’s. One YouTube tutorial later and a hairdo that kind-of passed for Anna’s we were walking into Kurzon Hall with the blaring Frozen soundtrack welcoming us.

Kurzon Hall in Sydney, where the party was held, kind of resembles a castle, making it the perfect choice for a royal garden party. While summer in Sydney can be anywhere from around 20 degree days to 40, the party day was a particularly scorchingly one, with temps of almost 40dC. It was one of the hottest summer days we’d had – quite ironic to be going a Frozen party in such mad heat!

Thankfully the Disney team were well prepared for the heat, with parasols at the entrance, umbrellas covering most of the seating, paper fans dispersed to guests, and free gelato.

As we chose a table for our special afternoon tea, a hostess greeted us and brought us a giant picnic basket full of delicious goodies. The generous serving could have fed another two of us! We received a vegetarian basket, with quiches, a wrap, a vege roll, brownies, fairy bread, a Frozen cupcake, blue lollies, juices, apples and bananas.

The party had a tight schedule of events that kids could choose to participate in: face painting, horse and carriage ride and meeting Anna, Elsa and Kristoff. In between these events the kids were free to play a variety of old fashioned games like giant naughts and crosses, Jenga and Connect Four. I have to say here, a huge props to the very professional Frozen crew who were decked out in winter costumes and barely looked like they were sweating.

I had thought the highlight event would be meeting the Frozen crew, who looked almost identical to the cast from the movie but then I looked down at the schedule of events and saw that the gorgeous Aussie singer, Ricki-Lee was scheduled to sing a selection of Disney songs. WHAAAAAAAT?!

Sure enough, Ricki-Lee turned up and, in sweltering conditions, put on an amazing show. She really has such a gorgeous voice, but, even more than that, she looked like she truly loved the songs, and engaging with the kids. The kids – oh my, they were in heaven. It was like a real life princess from a Disney movie was singing to them. They just couldn’t believe their eyes.

Ricki-Lee sang a few Frozen faves (Do You Want To Build A Snowman? and Let It Go) as well as other well-loved Disney songs, such as Beauty And The Beast, Part Of Your World and A Whole New World. Without a doubt, she made Cheese’s day by putting the microphone in front of her during one song so they could sing the song together. For a kid whose dream right now is to be a performer like Katy Perry, it was the most amazing gift to be given.

At the end of the party, we were sent home with a gorgeous present – a Disney snowflake necklace – as if all the amazing entertainment wasn’t enough of a gift! A huge thank you to Disney for putting on the Frozen Summer Garden Party. We really had the best afternoon – one that I don’t think my daughter and I are likely to ever forget.

I highly suggest keeping your eye out for future competitions like this, as, you never know, you might win tickets to the next one!