Wednesday, November 30, 2022

30 November 2022 Brisbane Time to Work Out the Kinks


We have been watching the pool at the Westin Hotel from our window since we got to Brisbane.  It has a swim up bar and on nice days it is quite busy.  We thought it would be nice to get a spa treatment at the hotel and then use the pool for an afternoon.  When the forecast called for an extended string of rainy days we decided that spending time in the spa would be a great a rainy day activity.  We booked the treatments and the weather was as predicted, dreary and rainy.  The spa had heated massage tables and the hot stone treatment easily took the chill out of my bones.  The pointy elbow of my masseuse dug into the tight spots of my back and worked out the kinks.   Leslie was pampered with silky products and she now sports soft hands and feet with pretty colored nails.  The pool time was another story.  The water was warm but no one was manning the swim up bar.  Given that it was still raining and the wind was blowing be retreated back to the apartment for some warm chicken soup and  trip planning.  We were able to book a place in Osaka Japan and decide on which one to book for Tokyo. 


These house shoes are coming with us


A spacious and relaxing spa


A kiss from my sweetie


It's electric!  Heated by electricity that is


A gratitude stone!


Tea and chocolate is served after the treatments


The sweet scent of Westin


A blueberry acai tea


For two


A pool for two


If onky it were a bit warmer



We gave it the old college try



The center building is where we are staying, 21st story


Six sets of windows up from the bottom of the picture


There had been a photo shoot that wrapped up just as we arrived


All this food must have been part of the photoshoot


We decided to leave this pool to the ghosts



 It has been 178 days since we began our Migration

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

28-29 November 2022: Off to the Library, Another Free Concert and the GOMA

 



Monday found us in the hair salon for a de-shagging.  We had become rather shaggy and could no longer put off the much needed trim.  We got to exercise before we went to the salon.  Leslie had been dancing the Zumba and I have been using the fly machine and treadmill in the gym.  This time she joined me downstairs.  After the hair cuts we has a quick sushi bite at Ichiban and then returned books at the Library.  Leslie has been burning through the books she checked out but I have been more sedate in my pace of reading.  I have been thoroughly enjoying "Mr. Stuart's Track" a chronical about the first European to treck across Australis from south to north.  


This library spreads out over three floors of books, meeting rooms, computers and open spaces 


The top area is a cool meeting area


This book makes my nomadic life book list


Tuesday brought us another free concert at the City Hall.  This one was a high energy show called the "Superstars of Piano"  The star of the show was Aussie Shelly White and she played piano with gusto!  The superstars were the pianists that she chose works from: Billy Joel, Elton John, Liberace, Freddy Mercury,  Mozart, Peter Allen and Scott Joplin.  She really had a wide range of musical influences.  We headed to "Steamed" after the show for the one dollar dumplings.  We ate them on the pedestrian bridge overlooking the GOMA.  GOMA is the Gallery of Modern Art here in Brisbane.  We did not get through the entire museum as the Aboriginal art was so detailed that it required much attention. There were some very old paintings on tree bark and from there the works progressed to very modern pieces.  Some of the modern pieces were etched into metal from water tanks and carved into the rubber from conveyor belt remnants. Plus there were giant inflated spheres hanging all around the gallery.  Some were a shiny metallic material and some were transparent, they all swayed in the air currents of the space.  After GOMA we went to Fish Lane which had more street art than the funky restaurants we were told about.  No worries we have lamb waiting to cook at the apartment




Looking a bit like Liberace 


Super indeed


In the far right was a huge group of schoolkids


In the comfy seats of the balcony


Introductions


Ready for the show


Since she was constantly moving and I could not get a good picture


Meet and greet


A sit in by the school kids, not really, it was a way to keep them in one place


Our dumpling picnic


With salads


We ate on the greenish  platform right on the bridge outside


Now we are inside the museum


"The World Turns" is an allegorical work referencing a native water rat, the kuril, who still exists in the mangroves despite the changes all around.  The sculpture contains a chair for contemplative viewing that can be seen in the first picture of this post


The building is big and open and one of the spheres can be seen in the window


Big shiny balls


Inflated and swaying in the museum


10 foot diameter kind of big


Selfie time


Long knives painted on tree bark


The ancestors to humans on the  oldest piece in the exhibit


Fancy underwear on this guy


Time to Dance and Sing


Intricate work


Emu Feathers


This woven piece was 12 foot long and shows a water spirit pregnant with twins


Three female water spirits


Iron wood carved and used as signposts for the deceased


Spooky 


I got the impression of Baobab trees


Detail upon detail 


Flowing feather like


Snakes, birds, kangaroos, dugongs, crocs fish and a man with his canoe


Happy 


Before there was tie dye


The crocodile or a snake canoe?


Long and skinny


The back of the canoe


X marks the spot to get the kangaroo with a spear


Moving from the traditional gallery to the more modern, we passed "Theater of the Irrational"  Which is also reflects in the sphere


Sphere Selfie


More modern pieces on canvas


This one shimmered and the colors changed with the viewing angle 


Carved int to the rubber of this conveyor belt


Etched into metal to memorialize a fishing trip gone awry


This art is made up of sheets of glass filters that transmit some wavelengths and reflect others


The colors come from the white light that is shone from above and then specific colors get split off leaving colored light transmitted through the filter


A kinetic modern art piece had electric fans that would oscillate and propel the lights

https://youtu.be/zXpqDOVkW0U


The fans themselves would reflect different lights and thereby constantly change




This store in Fish Lane was not open for business


Big Art


Bees!


Bigger Art


Which way?


Whimsical 


Mr. Pinapple





It has been 176 and 177 days since we began our Migration