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Hutongs, Beijing, China

On one trip to Beijing, on our last day we took a trishaw ride though the narrow laneways and riversides of a hutong, one of the few remaining villages of Beijing.

Once there were thousands of these but Beijing's redevelopment has seen many residents move on to multi-storey apartments, and much of the land morph into highways and factory sites.

These quaint stone houses wrapped around serene courtyards are locked off from the street by heavy doors, but some allow a peep into another world.

Here, we sip green tea with Mr Jing overlooking the pomegranate tree. His family have lived here for a century but now operate a home-stay programme, and he invites us, proudly, to inspect the spotless guest bathroom and bedroom. 

Beijing is an ancient city that has seen it all. Wars, revolution, emperors and dissidents. There are temples imploring heaven for rain in the right season, and humble homes in hutongs opening their doors to strangers.

 

 

Clan Jetties, Penang, Malaysia

Many visitors are not aware of this little-known aspect of George Town's rich heritage. The six remaining Clan Jetties were established over a century ago by the main Chinese clans, so each is named after one of them, and this is where they brought their families to live in houses built on stilts over the water and connected by rickety wooden walkways.

Since UNESCO's recognition of George Town's heritage, there has been refurbishment of the area and they have become a drawcard for visitors. Some are busy with souvenir stalls and drink and ice cream stalls.....

... others remain as quiet as a village, home to the locals who are proud to live there.

 

 

Edinburgh Old Town, Scotland, UK

Edinburgh is a great city for walking. Good cardio exercise, especially when some of the 'walking' involves flights of ancient stairs (even better cardio workout). Accessing the main streets from Queen Street Gardens and Princes Street involves climbing steep hills and passing through a maze of narrow medieval lanes.

While much of Edinburgh's building facades remain a sensible grey, Victoria Street has splashed some colour around and there is a continental feel to this end, near Grassmarket. 

If I thought that traditional Scotland had caved in to 21st-century trends, it certainly has not. The soundtrack of the city is the forlorn wail of bagpipes, played by people of all ages. A strangely difficult and improbable instrument, it is at its best played outdoors. This gentleman playing near Waverley Bridge not only looked the part but was versatile too. Catching our accents he immediately swung into Advance Australia Fair!

August is THE month to visit Edinburgh. There is the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival Fringe (which has become a template for other such festivities around the world) and at night, the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, held Monday to Saturday in the forecourt of the Edinburgh Castle.

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Ancient Rome, Italy

You notice the difference as soon as you cross the Tiber. Rome is ancient. Trastevere - literally 'across the Tiber' - is elderly, certainly, but with a nonchalance that contrasts sharply with the swagger you will often find in Rome proper.

For this is the real Rome, the locals say. Here the original language is spoken. Here, if you are lucky, you might catch sight of an old woman leaning out of a fourth floor window, carefully lowering a bucket to the pavement so it can be filled with fruit and vegetables. Or flowers. Or sausages. Anything to save her the long climb up those cramped stairs.

I pinched myself in Trastevere. For a moment it seemed we had slipped countries. I sensed Paris. Perhaps it is because finally here there are streetside trees, a notable lack in the rest of this great stone city. Romans love gardens - Italians are some of the world's great gardeners - but local city planning forgets them. There are spacious piazzas and squares, but few trees or even grass are seen in public in central Rome. Of course you catch glimpses inside villa courtyards, off the street. I even saw a palm tree flourishing in one. But here, in Trastevere, they have found a way to create lush gardens that become safe and private outdoor living and respite from the heat. Once you know to look up there, you see leaves and branches sprouting everywhere from the rooftops, a green clue to their hidden charms.

There is a relaxed air to this village-within-a-city. A gypsy girl cadged around us as we walked through one square; amateur artists tried to capture the essence of the first Christian church in Rome, the third-century Santa Maria in Trastevere, on canvas; and a mound of oranges glowed outside a restaurant where the waiters were setting out chairs and tables in the sunshine. At another cafe, newspapers half hid the tiny tables, and the scent of irresistibly good coffee drew us in.

Trastevere was originally peopled by sailors from Ravenna. These strong men were needed to work the giant awning on the Colosseum. Tradesmen followed - tanners and potters, millers and furniture makers. Then artists and whores. Today the place is full of piazette, open areas too small to qualify as piazzas, churches, gardens, restaurants (some serving authentic Roman food), bars and cafes, and a 'Left Bank' ambience hangs in the air.

Raphael was a fan of this neighbourhood. He courted the baker's daughter here, and at the Villa Farnesina you will see some of his frescos. From the Piazza Garibaldi, where there have been gardens from Caesar's times, you will get one of the best views of Rome. The original wild Italian grape grows only here, no doubt part of the stock from Imperial times, when this whole area was the centre of a large wine industry. The local tongue persists too, with some older people still refusing to speak Italian, preferring pure Roman as their language.

Ask a dozen people who have visited Rome 'Have you been to Trastevere?' Chances are most will say no, yet it is a comfortable twenty-minute walk down the riverside from the Vatican and hardly more from the Colosseum. The streets are jumbled, but green havens around various massive villas give it space.

Make sure you pass across Isola Tiberina on your way to or from Trastevere. This doll-sized island in the Tiber is linked by the Ponte Fabricio and Ponte Cestio to either bank. It was here that a miracle-dispensing snake, meant to save Rome from plague, jumped ship in the third century BC, so it was appropriate that almost two thousand years later Portuguese monks established the Ospedale Fatebenefratelli there. The buildings almost fill the island, but steps lead down  to the embankment on the Trastevere side, making an ideal romantic spot to stroll or relax.

Trastevere doesn't have any ancient Roman ruins. Perhaps it doesn't need broken reminders of Rome's past. This place, preserved in time, simply gives visitors another perspective, offers a fresh green view. And great coffee!

 

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The Rocks rocks

Lower George Street, at the foot of The Rocks, became Sydney's first Chinatown. And the culture of drinking, pubs, gambling and sport and ensuing crime continues.

Today The Rocks has evolved into an atmospheric area, redolent with history, (including popular ghost tours) and filled with museums, hotels such as The Orient (established 1844), boutiques, restaurants and galleries.

Fun fact: Mary Reiby, a convict who arrived in 1791 made a fortune in trade and shipping, and built fine houses. Watch for her name around the city.

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Text: ©Sally Hammond

Images: ©Sally & Gordon Hammond