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ONE AUSSIE TO ANOTHER: "JUST READ ABOUT HEAVY DRINKING... IT REALLY SCARED ME! SO THAT'S IT, AFTER TODAY, NO MORE READING!!!"
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Sunday, 1/3/2016. Today's objective was to take the subway to Fremantle. Fremantle is about half an hour from Perth. We had no problem walking to the subway, it is only two blocks from our hotel. Now we know what we have to do Friday when we board the Sun Princess cruise ship. While we were in Fremantle, we came across an antique car show. What beauties! Then we went to downtown Fremantle and had salmon at one of the local restaurants. We bought the GIFT for the individual who gives us the most (..and creative type) comments on our pictures. I am keeping a tally and checking it daily. Keep up those comments coming. 
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Nelly's take of the trip so far.A Long trip equals a tired body and a numb butt, followed by a 12 hour night’s sleep. "Oh what a relief it is!" In other words, I started the New Year in my dreams, but by morning I could feel my butt again .The Perth airport was an easy place to get around. It’s about the size of the El Paso’s airport.  We arrived downtown Perth by shuttle bus. Perth is a perfect place to stay. Everything is in walking distance from the Holiday Inn where we are staying. Believe it or not, but across from the hotel is a Mexican restaurant called Mad Mex. You can say: ”It’s home away from home for Jim.” Though not for me, since my tummy doesn’t tolerate such food. Otherwise I would bloat up to the size of a blimp and have enough gas flying over instead of cruising the Indian Ocean. Since I love cruising, my best bet is to stay away from that kind of restaurant. Our first meal was at the hotel’s restaurant. The waitress assured us that what we ordered was quiet “lovely”. In my case the vinaigrette sauce and the beets were so sour that it was far from appetizing. Instead every opening of my body puckered up. Since we have a fridge in the room, the next day we walked to the nearby grocery store, Coles, and bought a few things. The deli had some silverware and the salads came in plastic bowls (without vinaigrette dressing!!!) . After we ate the salad, we washed them out and used them for cereal bowls. Sometimes you have to be creative, make do!

The first day we looked around downtown. Since the city is rather flat and drawn out, it was easy to walk and take in the vibe of the city. We noticed that there is always a breeze which is actually welcomed. By midday, the temperature went into the 90’s. We took a city tour by bus on the second day, and found out, that the city isn’t as flat as we thought. Getting to Kings Park, we drove up some steep streets and on the top we were rewarded with an excellent view of the city with the Swan River winding through it. Driving through Kings Park was delightful, because the Botanical Garden is also located on this hillside. This tour took 1 ½ hours. Downtown is still all decorated for Christmas and looks rather festive. On one street they even have the light poles decorated with the Christmas story. How refreshing it is to see that! Just three doors down from the hotel is a big, old and beautiful Wesley church built in 1870 . When we took a closer look at it, we got to talk to the custodian who was very friendly. He was just like all the other people we have encountered. He gave us plenty of information about the church. The day was very hot and humid and since the church didn’t have an air conditioner, we didn’t stay for the service.  I was sweating rivers and didn’t feel too good. So much for my spiritual food. Instead, we took the air conditioned subway to Fremantle. In 30 minutes we arrived at our destination. Fremantle is a quaint old town by the sea. The buildings reminded us a lot of New Orleans. You see, in Perth you find old and modern all jumbled up. Fremantle sits by the sea port where we will board the cruise ship January 8. We wanted to check out the place, so we wouldn’t miss the boat, literally. We had lunch at one of the many quaint Fremantle restaurants. There was a lot to see in Fremantle and after 3 hours of walking and looking around we decided to take a break from our adventure. Taking the subway back to our hotel was like having your own private automobile. These first four days in Perth have been an excellent experience. Let’s see what else the next 4 days will bring. I am sure you will find out through our pictures.