That was the gist of an email I received a few weeks ago from a couple of Americans working in Kalgoorlie. I had met them during my stay there last year.
So last night I played tour guide to the lovely ladies and did a quick, "Cook's Tour" of little old Fremantle. I must say the evening was almost perfect, not too hot or cold. The, "Fremantle Doctor," blowing just enough to make me talk about its benefits and not harp on too much about how very windy it can get here on the West Coast.
The evening began with me wending my way through the centre of Perth to pick Molly and Kathy up from the very conveniently situated, Mercure Hotel. We then headed out along the Kwinana Freeway and Canning Highwards towards Fremantle.
Daylight saving provided an added bonus as we could sight see along the river as we travelled through the various suburbs. The lovely thing about taking visitors through my own city is that I was able to see it through new eyes.
Glistening reds and oranges of a glorious sunset played on the waters of the Swan, as the burnished shapes of tall buildings rose majestically into the evening sky. The traffic flowed freely, though with the double demerit system in place because of the long weekend, I was not about to exceed the speed limit.
We dined on the, " cappuccino strip" alfresco style at, "Sandrinos", a well known restaurant that seems to embody the casual Freo style. The place is almost continental in feel, with the loud raucous laughter of other diners enjoying delicious meals ranging from the classic chilli mussels to another Freo favourite, pizza.
After eating and catching up on news from the Goldfields we walked through the darkened streets admiring the old architecture which Fremantle has managed to retain. Perth is a modern city full of finger pointing skyscrapers, whereas Fremantle is full of original, character filled buildings, many of which have been restored to their former stately presence. The old port town is well worth a visit.
As we moved through the various streets the different areas evoked images of places my visitors had already seen, San Francisco, New Orleans and George Town (Washington DC) were a few mentioned. We ended up having a beer at the, "Little Creatures Brewery".
Kathy was very impressed. The brewery's pale ale is her favourite Aussie Beer and the lively atmosphere of the place simply added to her pleasure.
The evening was everything I had hoped. The vibrant port city had lived up to its reputation as being lively, friendly and interesting. To quote my visitiors, who said with a touch of awe in their expression, "Who would have thought little old Perth would be like this."
Sorry Fremantle, they sort of still see the two places as one!
No comments:
Post a Comment