Shop 3 & 4, Manning Arcade, High Street, Fremantle Western Australia 6160 (08) 9433 209 Hours: Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat 9 am - 5 pm Thu 9 am - 8 pm Sun 11 am - 5 pm Website Facebook
Located in the heart of Fremantle, in the quiet Manning Arcade, The Blue Buddha is an eclectic harmonious and extensive bazaar that mixes the esoteric, the New Age, the Fen Shui and the otherworldly, and allows you to travel from Tibet to Fairyland by walking the shop's long and sinuous arcade-following layout. They have one of the most extensive range of tarot and oracle desks I have seen in Perth, a huge selection of crystals and semiprecious stones (mounted and unmounted), tons of decoration items, meditation and relaxation CDs, aromatherapy and tarot material, hippy-style clothing, Indian-style furniture and tons of figurines. There is also also
several rotating psychics and tarot readers in the shop, just in case
you feel like consulting the Gods via their mediums (50 bucks for half
an hour, 100 for an hour). The two stand-outs, to me, are the tarot and aromatherapy areas.
I love the fact that all every tarot or oracle pile of decks has one open to browse at you heart's content. Tarots and oracle desks are like perfumes, they could talk and be perfect for you, or not to speak to you at all. Having one box open allows you to let the magic work magic, and choose a deck that you know is going to speak to you. This is always better, and cheaper than purchasing a deck hopping that the cards will speak to you once you open it.
The people attending to
the shop are very knowledgeable about what they sell, and help you
find anything you like if you are a bit lost in the shop. You can wander
without being disturbed if you decide to.
Prices are OK, not cheap, but not expensive, and very similar to what you find in similar shops or bookshops. Let's be honest, unless you are a professional tarot reader or psychic, you do not need anything of what they sell, so it is matter of feeding your whimsical wishes without being wishy-washy with your money.
I do
not like, though, how crowded the shop is and the small space to move
around, which becomes obvious when there are more than two people standing in the
same area. Still, this is what a bazaar is. There are other Blue Buddha Shops in Fremantle and in Perth, but this one is my favourite. If you feel lazy, you can also shop online.
82 High St (Inside the New Edition Bookshop) Fremantle Western Australia 6160 (08) 9335 2383 Hours: Mon to Fri 7.30am-5pm Sat 8am-5pm Sun 9am-5pm Website Facebook
There is little to say about this café, and everything is good. The most important thing about the Grumpy Sailor is that they have an excellent coffee. In fact, they have one of the best coffees, if not the best, in the whole Perth Metropolitan Area -my opinion-, plus one of the cutest and more recognisable branded logos and cups in the city. They also have an awesome selection of home-made sweets. The pistachio brownie is my winner!
Located within the New Edition Bookshop, this cafe is a dream for any book lover. You are having a damn good cup of coffee surrounded by an ocean of books, in a place that is ample, cosy and charming. The Grumpy sailor has cute and comfortable pieces of furniture and table service, a lovely wall with iconic movie posters, and an ambience that induces you to very good things beyond "coffeeing", like enjoying your company's company, having a intellectual conversation, listening to other people's conversations, reading, writing, browsing the newspaper, playing with your tarot cards, doing solitaires, or watching the Fremantlites pass by. You choose your mood and what you want to do, and push your bottom down into one of their lovely seating areas: one of the tables around the cafe, one of the many tables spread around the bookshop, or one of the little seating places located at the faux-balcony facing the street.
The service at the café is diligent and helpful but, unlike the guys who used to attend at the Grumpy Sailor Northbridge, the ones I have found during my visits here lack a bit of warmth.
The pricing of the sweets is a bit high and the size small. They are great and yummy, though. Bagels are not my thing, so I have not tried theirs.
The Grumpy Sailor is worth the ride to Fremantle. You will feel like one of Woody Allen's characters, if you aren't already one. Follow the rail Camino and you will get to any caffiend's pilgrimage destination. No sailing needed. We are all grumpy.
Perth City Train Station to Fremantle Train Station Perth Western Australia 6000 13 62 13 TransPerth Website The Fremantle Railway Line was the first train line opened in Perth, in 1881, during the charming Colonial era, when trains and steam machines had the wow factor. Fremantle Train Line is still a charming line, whether you need to use it, want to get lost, or you are a tourist.
The train departs from
Perth and passes trough City West, West
Leederville, Subiaco, Daglish, Shenton Park, Karrakatta, Loch Street, Showgrounds,
Claremont, Swanbourne, Grant Street, and North Fremantle before arriving at Fremantle. The whole ride takes about half an hour. This is my favourite train line, and one of those lines that I enjoy riding for the sake of riding it, disregarding I need to go somewhere, or just want to venture somewhere out of the blue. There are many charming places you might decide to stop at to have a meal, a coffee, a drink, go to traditional markets, visit an exhibition or fair, or just to take a stroll. My favourite stops are Subiaco, Swanbourne, Cottesloe and Fremantle.
One of the things I like the most about this line is the fact that it traverses very different urban areas: from the dry City of Perth to the coastal towns of Cottlesloe and Fremantle; from the urban to the suburban, from the middle and middle-upper class areas to the bohemian areas. No surprise, this line also has a mixed colourful group of riders: locals, tourists, beach lovers, market lovers, students, business people, families with kids, intellectuals, Footy fans, loonies, loners, you name it. An archetypal collection of human beings. You will not need a book or a phone to pass the time. Just open your eyes and enjoy the ride.
Fremantle is within TransPerth Zone 2. Fees from Perth to Fremantle or vice versa (effective 1/7/2013), are 50 cents for students, 4.20 cash (or 1.70 concession), 3.47-3.15 for multi-rider users (1.45-1.28 concession).
The Fremantle Train Line's timetable is very good, the service very frequent all day long and great part of the night. Some of the trains stop at all stations, and others just at selected ones.
MIND Two main shuts will affect this line in the coming days. Alternative transportation will be provided. Afterwards, there were be changes in the trains timetables. Shut 1: Friday 12 July- Wednesday 17 July 2013. Shut 2: Wednesday 31 July-Sunday 4 August 2013
Town of Vincent's Administrative and Civic Centre Grounds Corner between Loftus & Vicent Sts Leederville, WA 6007
"Beseech" aka Big Blue Head, is a 3-metre high blue concrete sculpture by Western Australian artist Ken Sealy. The Town of Vincent
commissioned Sealy after being selected among the six entries presented. The project was founded using the Town of Vincent’s
mandatory Percent for Art Scheme, which is a very cool mandatory concept.
The sculpture was initially planed for a commercial development to be built at 375 Charles Street (North Perth). However, the developers showed concerns about the effect of such a
big sculpture on the value of the area, and about the visual impact that it might have. The Town of Vincent was forced to look for a more convenient location for the already in production Beseech. After much deliberation, Beseech found a home on the grounds of the Town of Vincent's Administrative and Civic building. I am convinced that this was a blessing in disguise, because Beseech, being
surrounded by trees and in a relatively quiet green area, away from any commercial building, has got a life of its own.
Beseech's style is similar to the in-vogue marquetry puzzles, created by putting together flat slices of wood to create a 3D volume. Sealy did a very similar thing, but on a giant scale. He used slices of foam, impregnated them with concrete, linked them by metallic poles, and, once they two halves of the head were dry, they were assembled, and erected on its current location, painted with Epoxy, and was inaugurated on 20 March 2013.
Beseech is a beautifully expressive and New Age creature - a true gentle giant. The delicate but pronounced tilt of the head and the fact that the eyes look open or closed depending on the angle you look at "him", give Beseech a very peaceful and egregious air. It makes you wonder. What is he seeking? Why is he looking at? What has caused him to be so very peacefully enraptured? Is he meditating? Is he praying? Is he looking at the moon? Is he looking at the stars? Is he looking inward? Beseech has a metaphysical aura that makes you stop and look up to see what he is looking up. When you look up, you see the sunlight and moonlight shining through the leaves of the trees, the tops of the trees framing the sky, and a space that is beyond what we see, both outward and inward.
Of course, the sculpture is facing the building of the Town of Vincent, but I am sure that Beseech is not interested in mundane affairs at all.
I do not like concrete and fashion colours in sculpture because it makes the sculpture fashionable and perishable, degradable, and consumable as well. Of course, this is a very personal opinion. This is an awesome expressive sculpture that would have benefited from those materials that are Sealy's trademark: Aluminium and wood. I suppose, the small budget (which was, nevertheless, 50 grand) did not allow Sealy to create something of that sort. Nothing lasts an eternity, but it would have been great if the Town of Vincent had added a bit of more money from its own pockets, to guarantee a longer cooler life to Beseech.
I love this sculpture, despite its blue concrete, for its concretist blues.
Fremantle Train Station is an iconic Fremantle landmark, Heritage listed since 2001. The Station has an air of grandeur, with an impressive and charming stone Federation Classical façade, whose elegance and magnificence gets somewhat magnified by its less impressive surroundings. In a way, it feels a bit too grand for a bohemian little town like Fremantle. However, once you enter in, the Station reflects well the laid-back style of the town.
The Station is clean, well organised and fuss free. Only the Fremantle Train Line operates in this station and, although the trains arrive and leave frequently, there is never a huge traffic or big human agglomerations except for peak hours some days. The Station reminds me of those little old train stations you find in some small European villages and towns; if they hanged a few flower plants from the beams, the space-travel-machine feeling would be magnified.
Part of the original
grandeur of the Station can still be appreciated, if you happen to be a lady, at the
surprisingly magnificent eerie toilets. They seem designed for
giants or, most probably, for ladies wearing long dresses with cancans,
awesome feather hats and delicate parasols, who needed to
get from "Lady" to human being in need of physical relief, and lots of space for the gruelling and almost Kafkaesque transformation. They probably have huge bottoms, too. If you happen to have one, congratulations!, this is your place. The chilliness of
the place, the large empty space, the high dark-wood doors and the ultra-white walls create a
ghostly atmosphere that you do not want to miss.
Although the seating area is large and quite comfortable, and the station has electronic info pannels regarding trains departures, the station lacks some facilities that, due to he ample room available, one wonders why are not there. A cosy elegant French-style café could be perfect here, a small newsagent, a colourful flowers stand, and the now absent Info booth. That is my vision. The vision of TransPerth is a bit more Spartan, and at present there is just a little convenience store, and a Security booth, plus the ticket machines, which, of course, have a charm of their own. The security guards at the station are very friendly and helpful if you happen to request their help.
Fremantle Train Station makes you at ease as soon as you enter in. Things change after the lights of the day fade off, but, even then, the Station lives up to its Jekyll & Hyde soul.
When Walt Disney was a person alive making animations movies and not just a brand, he had the dream of making animated concerts mixing his animation with classical music. Fantasia was born. It was 1940.
Fantasia 2000 is a celebration of Disney's vision, an a celebratory anniversary of the original Fantasia. James Levine directs the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in seven new animated short films. Some of them are an abstract mix of colour, light and movement. Some other are a creation inspired by specific musical pieces, while others have a story for which a piece of music was created a posteriori.
1/ An Allegro from Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5", offers an abstract light, colour and abstract birds & butterflies very short short.
2/ Respighi's "Pines of Rome" shows a family of humpback whales playfully swiming from water to air. This is my favourite short, as it is completely experimental, pure fantasia and extravaganza, but still very modern in animation style and feeling. Very New Age, in a way.
3/ Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" inspires a story set in New York during the Big Depression, with moody unhappy characters who dream of having a different life. The animation style is very 1930s and is based in Al Hirschfeld's cartoons. The first seconds of the segment are brilliant, but the whole piece captures the spirit of old-style 2D animation with great mastery.
4/ An Allegro from Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 2" matches a version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier. This is the most linear story, and the one I enjoyed the least.
5/ Saint-Saëns's "Carnival of the Animals" offers a colourful flamboyant scene of dancing flamingos that are trying to get a yoyo-obsessed dancing flamingo back into the flock and dancing routine. It reminded me of the Warner Bross old classics cartoons! Delightful.
6/Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" accompanies Micky Mouse naughty slovenliness in his sorcerer chores in this old well-known piece included in the original Fantasia. Despite its age, the piece is still delightful and fresh.
8/ Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" offers a version of Noah's Ark with Donald Duck and Daisy leading the animals into the ark and into a safe land. 9/ Finally, Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" offers a story of a death and renewal with a spring fairy and her companion Elk.
The movie has, overall, a retro-style that mimics the style of the original. Walt Disney and Disney Factory's old spirit are still here. However, the fact that each short is introduced by different celebrities (Steven Martin, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, and Angela Landsbury among others) rests fluidity to the movie. I thought the introductions were funny and charming, but I would have preferred longer shorts and shorter speeches. The original Fantasia was original in its conception, but also daring and experimental in its visuals and the stories told. Creativity was overflowing. That cannot be said about Fantasia 2000, although the contrary could be expected with the digital revolution allowing Animators to bring to the big screen almost anything. Still, this is a good entertaining movie. Fantasia 2000 is a very enjoyable family movie that can be enjoyed by both adults and children; it might not be fit for small children as some of the pieces are a bit abstract. This is a wonderful movie to introduce Classic Music to children.
The Iron Giant tells the story of the fall into Earth of an alien giant robot, and his relation with a naughty child who lives with his single mother in a small town in the States.
The movie is set in the 1950s, during the Cold War period and the space race, when aliens and robot populated TV shows, comics and the imagination of everybody. The movie is able to reproduce the mood and style of the era, even the animation style, but with all the improvements that technology has brought to animation.
The characters are well drawn psychologically, which is not a surprise the movie being a Warner Bros'. Moreover, the cartoons have a superb body movement and facial expression.
The script is engaging and very entertaining, very funny and lovable. At the same time, the film address serious social and political issues in a simple approachable way, without lecturing: You are who you decide to be, if you respond to violence is your option., it is in your hands to make your own destiny no matter what your past is, your heart is always a great power to connect with others no matter how different they are. Great messages to pass on to children. All the voice actors are terrific, and the movie is never dull, but cheerful and full of life thanks to them. Eli Marienthal is terrific as the little hero Hogarth Hughes. Jennifer Aniston is extremely lovable as his mother Annie (perhaps Aniston's best performance ever...), Harry Connick Jr is very likeable as the quirky Dean McCoppin, Vin Diesel very sweet as the "brute" Iron Giant, and Christopher McDonald terrific as the annoying paranoid Government Agent Kent Mansley.
The Iron Giant did not have success at the box office when first released, due to poor marketing, but it has proven to be one of the most charming, entertaining and lovable animation movies of all times, matching Miyazaki's and other classics of 2D animation because of both the quality of its animation and script. The Iron Giant is a a movie with a great script, characters and old-style animation suitable for both adults and children. Forget the hollow modern movies for children, and show them one that has some substance.
