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HHT Ticket Through Time (Sydney, Australia)
by koshkha
~An Historic Bargain~
I found out about the Historic Houses Trust through the Sydney guidebook which I bought for our trip in July 2009. I hadn't done a lot of preparation before we went but I had liked what I'd read about the Elizabeth Bay House and had gone online to look for more information. Since the EBH is one of the ... Trust's most visited properties, I soon realised that the best way to see a whole bunch of great historic buildings was to buy a so-called 'Ticket Through Time'. As a tourist who's only in the city for a week or two it makes no sense to buy an annual subscription so the Trust offers this special ticket which has a 3 month validity and includes all the houses in their care.
The exchange rate was really good when we visited - about AU$2 to the £ - so everything seemed like good value. However, even today with the rate closer to 1.50 to the pound it's still a bargain. We paid AU$30 each for the pass and (I hope they won't read this) when we left after our holiday we passed the tickets to my parents who used them a few times as well since they were staying on for another six weeks after we left.
~Getting and Using our Tickets~
We bought our tickets at the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, a fascinating place that tracks the history of immigration into Australia. It's one of the most visited attractions in the city and would cost you $10 to get in without the ticket. Aside from the problem that the cashier happily processed our payment and then forgot to give us the tickets, it was a simple and straightforward procedure to sign up, taking only a few minutes more than buying a regular single-property ticket.
As soon as we'd finished in the barracks we popped to the Mint Building next door which is the home of the Historic Houses Trust but was originally the place that printed and struck money for the city. There's not too much to see there and that would normally be free. The next day we visited the Government House on a guided tour (that one's also free but you must turn up and get a timed ticket) as well as the Justice and Police Museum. In a city where rather a lot of the early settlers were on the wrong side of the law, the development of policing methods and justice systems was very important and the Justice and Police Museum gives an interesting insight into the policing of Sydney through the ages.
~Hopping Round Sydney~
A day later, we took the train to Paddington to go and see the Elizabeth Bay House, an absolutely beautiful period house which once stood in large gardens. Following financial problems the land was nibbled away at and sold off for developments. In contrast to the grandeur of the EBH, we also visited the Susannah Place Museum on The Rocks where a guided tour takes small groups of visitors through a terrace of small houses that have been decorated and furnished in keeping with different time periods. These were the houses where the poor folk lived and there's even a cute little corner store.
Our final visit of our stay was to the Museum of Sydney which contains an eclectic set of exhibits on a wide range of topics. There are recorded testimonies of early settlers, information about trade, transportation and the building of the city and some old trams. I'd struggle to put my finger on what the Museum of Sydney really thinks it's supposed to be but it's an interesting place none the less.
~Recommendation~
During our short time in the city we visited all of the properties in Central Sydney but lack of time and transportation kept us from visiting the more out of the way properties which include the Vaucluse House ( a gothic revival mansion), Australia's oldest European style building at Elizabeth Farm , the fabulous 1950s modernist Rose Seidler House, Rouse Hill House & Farm which was inhabited by the same family for 180 years and Meroogal, a wooden house 150 km from the city.
In total, the seven properties we visited would have cost us $44 if we'd bought the tickets individually. To get value from your Ticket Through Time you will need to be willing to dedicate several days of your holiday to visiting the houses but personally I found it a fascinating way to structure our time in the city. Australia is always said to be a bit lacking in 'culture' and 'history' and the HHT proves that this is an unfair criticism.
Neither my uncle who emigrated to Australia in the 1960s, nor my aunt or my cousins who've lived in the city their entire lives had visited even one of the HHT properties and were a bit shamefaced that we'd done so many in so little time. Sydney's a very modern city and the HHT Ticket Through Time gives visitors a really easy way to pinpoint some of the most important and inspiring buildings in the city. I recommend it highly.
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Thang Long Water Puppets
by Essexgirl2006
When I visited Vietnam last year, I was told that The Water Puppets were a must see in Hanoi. I had also been told that they were rubbish! When we got the opportunity to go for ourselves we thought we would form our own opinion. Apparently, according to our tour guide, the Thang Long theatre is the most famous one, which has been running ... years and considered the best in the country. You can see Water Puppets elsewhere in Vietnam, and it is a traditional art form that has been running for centuries. I believe we paid approx VND 100,000 (US$5 or £3.35) for a performance that lasts just under one hour. If you want to take photographs or video you must pay a small surcharge. They will ask you for this as you go in, but our guide advised us that this fee usually went into the attendants' pockets rather than towards the theatre. He suggested we kept our cameras hidden and then took them out after the first number. This proved to be good advice as this seemed to be what everyone else, including the locals were doing. The puppets move quite quickly and although the stage is lit the auditorium is dark, I found the Sports setting on my Canon to be the best way of capturing anything (providing the lady in front stopped moving her head around).
The show started with the musicians and singers coming out, seating themselves to one side, and performing some introductory music for us. They used traditional instruments, that we had seen elsewhere in Vietnam, but were not typical outside if the region. They were all smartly dressed in traditional style costumes. I am not a big folk music fan, but I found the music quite a good accompaniment. There were two female singers who sang quite pleasantly. Female vocals in traditional Vietnamese songs tend to be quite high, and can sometimes sound a bit screechy, but these two ladies were pros and harmonised well. There was a hidden male vocalist for some songs. The introduction didn't last long and it was time for the puppets. The small stage had water on it, and a wooden house built at the back. The different puppets came out through a curtain below the house and 'danced' on the water. There were fifteen or sixteen different performances featuring different puppets. You get a small handout as you go in listing what each little performance is. This is quite invaluable as I am not sure I would have identified the Phoenixes in the Phoenix dance otherwise, or most of the others. It is also nice to know how long you have left to go before the end as well, as sadly I found them a bit boring.
The puppets are wooden and are controlled by sticks at their base (under the water), the puppeteers would have to be bent over during the performance. There are quite a few of them though as they came out at the end to take a bow and I was surprised how many there were. The puppets are reminiscent at times to Punch and Judy type shows, and I have to say I was never really a fan. Fortunately at least there were no strings of sausages or hitting people with sticks. The songs are all sang in Vietnamese so I cannot comment if the lyrics complemented the performances, but I would assume so. The performances were mainly about mythical and actual creatures dancing and scenes of rural life. Each performance lasted 2-3 minutes but this varied.
The Vietnamese are very proud of their water puppets, but I have to say they were not for me. I wouldn't go as far as to describe them as rubbish, as some of my friends did, but I am glad I saw them for myself, however I don't feel it is anything I really need to see again. If you are visiting Vietnam, then by all means check them out for yourselves, as this is apparently an important traditional form of entertainment. If you usually enjoy puppets, then you may appreciate it more than I did. The show is family friendly, although I would imagine younger visitors could find it a bit tedious. You can purchase puppets at the theatre (and you will see them in other gift shops, but not always as well made as the ones at the theatre). As it is so popular, tickets will need to be purchased in advance.
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Festivals / Fairs / Events
by maxthemonster
This was the 2nd antiques fair at Bakewell Showground this year, and what a fair it was. I had arrived and set up my stall by about 8.30am, and would have been happy to have stood there all day having not taken any money just to look at the surroundings, they are breath taking, and the weather, well was absolutely magnificent ! There was ... probably about 120 - 130 stalls at a guess, but still a huge immprovement on the last fair there. On arrival, I was greeted by a one of the senior event staff, although young in age, but clearly knows what she is doing and how to look after the customers, and was welcoming, friendly and polite, and always smiling. ( it is refreshing to see compared to the growing frowns we see everywhere now). She then directed me to a gentleman in a high vis vest who then asked me to wait a moment while the next person along directed the car infront into its pitch. After being directed down to my space, the gentleman parking the cars was also one of the main organisors, and I think clearly, if you want a job doing properly, you do it yourself. He was fabulous, clear, polite and helpful, especially when I needed extra help in reversing with my trailer, he even offered to do it for me !!! Yes my driving is that bad !!! As at all fairs, you get the typical traders doing the rounds, and then at about 10am, this sleep little village comes alive and the public really start to arrive, and before you know it, the fair is in full swing, and its shoppers and buyers galore !! I sold the things I wanted to sell, and more, and then some more still. It was great. Glorious weather and lots of buying public, a sellers dream come true. Cant wait for the next one !!!!
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