Australia Day at The Rocks Market

I spent the Australia Day public holiday selling my Penelope Red designs at The Rocks Markets in Sydney.



I was situated in Playfair Street, surrounded by beautiful old buildings, and you could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background, so I thought it was a great opportunity for some photos.

(the above two photos were taken before it became too crowded, when we first set up)


It was a great day- loads of people, lovely weather, and performers floating around through out the crowds all day.



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City Snapshot: Budapest

Virtually five years ago, I visited the beautiful city of Budapest. This was before I started Penelope Red; and before I had been to Russia- so for me, Budapest was the most unique city from all the others I had been to thus far.


I can't remember the names of the sites, or facts about the city, but I do remember feeling lucky to have visited... especially since it was not overrun by foreigners like most other European cities. Budapest still had it's own unique flavour. Although the old Austria/Hungary ties are still there (you can really see it in the architecture on one side of the town especially), there is a definite Eastern feel that you don't get in any of the West European cities. It is really hard to describe- you really just have to be there.



The currency took a while to get used to... it was something like 200 HUF to 1 AUD.


The train ride there was interesting too... tour guides and others would board the train and try to sell to you what they have. We actually booked a tour on the train; we were a little sceptical at first, but when the tour operator didn't ask us for the money, and said that we would pay the tour guide in person, we thought he must be ok. The tour was actually excellent- a lady who spoke perfect English, who drove my friend and I around to all of the different sites and was very informative.



I spent quite a bit of time in the markets, and looking at embroidered table cloths etc. They were stunning! Such bright colours on a white background, all hand made. Besides fabric, it was probably the most expensive item I bought on the entire trip, but it was worth it. I have them on my dressing table now, and every time I look at them, I am reminded of my trip.




I would recommend Budapest to anyone who would like to visit a city in Europe that is very different from the rest, who doesn't necessarily want to loose the conveniences of the Western cities.

Most of the younger generation can speak English (and with the older generation you can kind of get away with using a few phrases of German.).

A great city to start your Eastern European experience from!

City Snapshot: Rome. The 1st Visit.

Rome is an amazing city. You really have to see it to believe it! I have been there twice, and I could easily return! All of the photos in this post are from the 1st visit; almost 5 years ago. I was in Rome before I arrived in Paris (you can see the city snapshot of this visit here).


To me, Rome is unforgettable. The minute you start walking through out the city, you are amazed by the old ruins, the Colosseum, the Arc de Constantine, the Piazza Venezia, and the list goes on!



The views were fantastic from the Piazza Venezia.

I would recommend visiting Rome (and for that matter, any large European city) in Winter. Mainly because the crowds are virtually non-existant, and you don't need to line up. When I returned to Rome for the second time, we were constantly in lines because we were there during the Summer.

Also, everywhere has heating, but very few places have air conditioning. So when it is hot, you just need to put up with it.


I was so excited to see in real life buildings and artworks that I had only ever read about or seen in movies and books! My art teacher in high school would always become so excited, trying to explain to us how amazing Europe is, and the art and architecture it holds. I began to discover this when I was there...



This is the very edited version of my photos from Rome. I couldn't put the camera down! Every turn there was something more to take photos of. Thank goodness for digital cameras!


I discovered an amazing fabric shop on one of the main roads in Rome. You wouldn't believe how thrilled I was! The had fabrics from many Italian and French designers. It was fantastic! Considering that I didn't speak a word of Italian, and they barely spoke 2 words of English, we made do. They were very friendly.







Of course, no Roman holiday is complete without a visit to St.Peters Basilica. Even if you are not religious it is well worth it to see the architecture, and art inside.

For me, the inside of the Basilica was amazing. Every artwork is actually not painted- they have made duplicate copies of the paintings from mosaics; only when you see them up close can you tell the difference- it is astounding! The other Church which has had a similar treatment is the Saviour on Spilled Blood Cathedral, situated in St.Petersburg, Russia.




I was lucky enough to get to the top of St.Peters Basilica. It has a great view of the city, and an interesting view of St.Peters Square.

Looking at these photos now, I am reminded of another book I have recently read: Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". A great book, which is set in Rome and covers all of the sights which I have seen.


Looking at these photos again, makes me want to return to Europe as soon as I can, but also, makes me thankful that I have had the opportunity in the first place!

City Snapshot: Paris

I haven't posted a city snapshot in a while... I recently finished reading "The Da Vinci Code", for the second time (one of my favourite books), and I started reminiscing about my time in Paris.



I was only there for five days, but it made an impression on me that I will probably never forget. As I was travelling alone, it was probably the city where I truly became confident in being on my own. It was also the city where I fell in love with Art Nouveau, and where I decided my dreams of becoming a fashion designer.


I guess with so much beauty surrounding you in a city, you can't help but be inspired! I can remember thinking to myself; if all of these artisans who created these beautiful masterpieces could dream, then why can't I?

I had been tossing up what career path I wanted before I left for my European trip. I was thinking of studying a teacher's degree, or coming home and starting my own label while working part time somewhere.

One path guaranteed a career and enough money; the other path would be rocky and little money, but was where my heart truly lied.


I had previously visited Rome and Barcelona before Paris (I will post a city snapshot of each soon, as well), and was frantically sketching ideas...

By the time I reached Paris, it was like a beacon yelling out to me, "this is what you MUST do!"


I fell in love with so many different types of art and architecture while in Paris and other cities. When I view my designs now, it is easy to see what inspires me; even my customers say my designs look more European than Australian.


So what about the city itself, you ask... I visited Paris in late February/early March- it was freezing! I stayed in the 5th arrondissement (division of the cities suburbs), and I could easily walk to most of the attractions (well, I like walking, and I walked across the whole city)- I guess I thought if I took the metro I would miss the beauty above.


Paris has many museums, and of course I visited the Louvre, and had a glimpse at the Mona Lisa- however, there were more artworks there that held more of my attention. To me, the Louvre is so big that you almost don't know where to start, and I was so tired before I could see more than 10%.

My favourite museum in Paris was the Musee d'Orsay. It houses works from many infamous artists, and is relatively small (compared to the Louvre- but then anything besides the Hermitage in St.Petersburg would be)- but this means you can easily view everything in the museum. If you want to see famous works that you will recognise, but don't want to spend a week in a museum, the Musee d'Orsay is for you.


Above is a photo, I took, when I went out at night. I discovered Nutella Crepes! A must on a cold night in Paris. I could eat 10 of them!


Another must see is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Such a magnificent structure, and so much detail and work was involved in its creation.

I also remember being amazed by the exceptional detail and beauty that each building, street and bridge had. I guess coming from Sydney, where everything is so modern, makes you appreciate the old grandness that a city like Paris has.

City and Country Snapshot: Scotland

I was inspired today, by a close friend of mine, who is planning to elope to Scotland at the end of this year. I had tried to explain the natural beauty, and old ruins of Scotland, but as they say, pictures speak a thousand words, so Crys, this is for you.



I didn't have enough photos to just concentrate on one city, so I have made a "Country Snapshot" instead!

The photos above are of the amazing Glencoe area. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Glasgow. The tiny house above looks like a matchbox, next to the enormous mountains! This area is what my friends in Glasgow considered to be "typically Scottish". It is hard to describe how beautiful, cold, and serene- but yet very bucolic this area is... I hope my photos do it justice.



I visited Scotland in 2004, and I dare say that I don't think this area would've changed much since.

One of the amazing things I found about Scotland is, although it is a very Western country, it seems to have remained individual (to some extent). For example, when I was there, there was only one McDonald's in the whole of Glasgow. And no, I don't go around counting McDonald's- I just thought it was astounding, since even in Sydney there are streets that have a couple of them. Even small country towns have them over here!

So it's nice to know that you can go to Scotland and find a very different experience!



One of my favourite photos above, Glencoe area again.


This is where my memory gets a little hazy... not sure if the above photo was taken in Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Another thing I noticed, was everywhere there were tanning salons, solarium's, etc. I guess they don't get a lot of sun there!



I also visited Edinburgh. A very beautiful city, with the famous castle (pictured in the photo above). More tourists were evident in Edinburgh than Glascow, very pretty city though, in that Olde World sort of way.




Unfortunately, I can't remember all of the places I visited, but one I do remember was St.Andrews, in Fife. A very beautiful, old town, with loads of history. It has the world's oldest golf course, Scotland's oldest university, and Holy Trinity Church, pictured below.



I guess, coming from Australia, it is a novelty to see such buildings, and ruins... we don't have anything like this back home, so I found it fascinating! I could let my imagination run wild here!