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The Historic Archaeological Site of Aigai (Vergina)

Paul

7 July 2024

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VERGINA | Located about an hour’s drive east of Thessaloniki, is the town of Vergina. It’s the site of what was once called Aegai (Aegae), the original capital of ancient Macedonia. It’s home two of Greece’s most significant classical buildings – the Tomb of Phillip II, and the Palace of Aegai. A visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Archaeological Site of Aigai, is a fascinating, awe inspiring experience.

The exact location of Aegai was thought to have been lost to history, and it wasn’t until the mid 1800s that archaeologists began to suspect that it might be in or around Vergina. Excavations in the late 1800s brought up nothing of note, and the idea was abandoned by most. It wasn’t until 1977, when Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos started excavating the Great Tumulus at Aegai, that the earlier archaeologists were proved to be corrent.

While excavating the Great Tumulus, Manolis found that two of the tombs contained within remained undisturbed since antiquity. Inside the tombs was a wealth of treasures and historically important artefacts. Upon further investigation, it was confirmed that one of the tombs was that of Philip II, former king and uniter of ancient Greece, and father of Alexander the Great.

Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai

Open to the public, the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai contains not just the tomb of Phillip II, but artefacts from the many other tombs and structures uncovered in the area. There’s things like Phillip II’s armour, his golden larnax, the gold funeral wreath of Queen Meda, and hundreds of pieces of jewellery, armour, tools, utensils, statues, and more. The restored condition of some of these artefacts is particularly impressive.

Palace of Aigai

A 20 minute walk, or 7 minute drive from the museum, is the Palace of Aigai. Reopened in January 2024, after 16 years of restoration work, it was and still is, the largest classical Greek building in the world. Dating back to 4th century BCE, the palace covered an area of 15,000 square metres in its prime. It’s where Alexander the Great was proclaimed king in 336 BC.

The ruins today occupy around 1,400 square meters. Walking through it, you can’t help but to imagine the majesty of this place when it was new. You can see several restored mosaics, marble flooring and grand columns. I recommend walking there from the museum as you get to see some beautiful natural vistas, and a few other sites along the way like the Ancient Theatre of Aigai.

Polycentric Museum of Aigai – Main Building

While in Vergina, you should also check out the Polycentric Museum of Aigai – Main Building. It’s a half hour walk or 3 minute drive from the Museum of the Royal Tomb, and is a continuation of that museum. It’s a new building, with an impressive collection of artefacts displayed across multiple indoor and outdoor spaces.

Across six distinct permanent exhibitions, visitors are taken through different facets of classical Greek society and history. The exhibitions are very well curated, providing not just information, but a cohesive context behind the artefacts.

Springrock, Melbourne CBD

Paul

3 July 2024

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MELBOURNE | Springrock is the newest venue from the team behind American BBQ spot Fancy Hanks, and rooftop bar, Good Heavens. It’s located between, and connected to those venues, in the space that’s lay dormant since Grand Trailer Park Taverna closed. I was invited to the media launch event last night to check it out.

Named for co-owner Mike Patrick’s grandfather’s Gippsland property, Springrock draws influence from classic Victorian country pubs. There’s dark timber furnishing and plenty of booths, 1970s inspired green and gold carpet, and a judicious use of tiles on the central, U-shaped bar. Large windows wrap around the space, providing a great view and lots of natural sunlight.

Head chef Jarrod Di Blasi, who’s come over from the sadly closed, Izakaya Den, is in charge of the kitchen. He’s created a succinct menu of contemporary takes on country pub classics. There’s bar snacks and counter meals, a few desserts, and a weekly rotating Sunday roast.

I sampled most of the bar menu at the event, and enjoyed what I had. Highlights include the pull-apart smoky garlic bread, master stock braised lamb shoulder nuggets with jalapeno mint jelly, wagyu salami with honey mushrooms and rye crisp, and the ‘crispy AF’ chicken wings with Fancy Hank’s chilli mayo.

For mains, there’s a few burgers, a chicken parma, striploin steak, and a couple of other dishes. Based on the bar snacks, I’m keen to pop in sometime and check out this part of the menu. So too the dessert menu, which features one of my favourite desserts that you don’t often see in Australia. The decidedly not Aussie country pub, S’more.

The drinks list, 20 pages strong features house cocktails, local and European wines, with many options available by the glass, and Aussie craft beers on tap and in cans. There’s a focus on approachable styles like lagers, Pale Ales, and XPAs.

Springrock

87 Bourke Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9453 2882
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Sun – Wed: 12:00pm to 11:30pm
Thu – Sat: 12:00pm to 2:00am

48 Hours In Oakland: Things To Do

Paul

27 June 2024

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OAKLAND | For many tourists, a visit to the Bay Area starts and ends in San Francisco. Perhaps there’s a Napa Valley/Sonoma jaunt on the side. They’re missing out by not crossing over to the ‘sunny side of the bay’, however.

There are a lot of reasons to visit Oakland. Its local community feel, rich African-American and immigrant culture, brilliant food and drink scene, thought-provoking street art, architecture, and more. The last time I found myself in the Bay Area, I based myself in Oakland. I loved scratching deeper under the surface of this fascinating city.

If you’re looking for things to do in Oakland, my Oakland city guide is a great place to start. Have you been to Oakland before? What are your favourite things to do there?

Admire Art Deco Architecture

Oakland was booming in the 1920s, and the architecture of downtown Oakland reflects this. Built between the 1920s and 1940s, Oakland’s Art Deco buildings are plentiful. It has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings of any city in the world, just behind Chicago.

It’s not just the city’s grand Art Deco buildings that impress, either. Walk through the part of downtown north of 14th and Broadway, and you’ll notice plenty of unassuming buildings with art deco entrances, window detailing, and the like.

Notable buildings worth checking out are the Fox Oakland Theatre, built in 1928 with Hollywood-inspired Indian, Moorish and Medieval influences; the cobalt blue terracotta-tiled Oakland Floral Depot from 1931; and the Paramount Theatre, also built in 1931.

Not Art Deco, but unmistakable and beautiful parts of Oakland’s skyline, are the Romanesque Revival Tribune Tower, built in 1906; and Oakland City Hall, a Beaux-Arts building dating back to 1910. Meanwhile you can walk through the old part of downtown near the waterfront, and find several examples of the city’s early Victorian architecture.

Bar Hop Through Town

Oakland has a vibrant scene for lovers of good beer, wine, and spirits. It’s a city where you can pop into a variety of bars, from upmarket spots that could fit into any major city, to quirky local’s bars that reflect the character of the city.

A few of my favourites include dive bar Merchant’s Saloon; craft brewery and pizzeria, Cellarmaker House of Pizza; Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, which dates back to 1883; Sante Adairius Rustic Ales; and kitschy cocktail spot, Cafe Van Kleef.

Catch A Movie Or A Show

The Fox Oakland Theatre and Paramount Theatre aren’t just worth walking by to admire their beautifully restored Art Deco exteriors. Their heritage listed interiors are also intact, and worth checking out.

The Fox Oakland Theatre hosts live gigs by large and small bands. The Paramount Theatre, on the other hand, is now used a cinema which screen independent and cult movies. If you can, grab a ticket to something that interests you, and head inside.

Discover The Origins Of The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party was founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland. Active until 1982, the Black Panther Party, which advocated for class struggle, were one of the most important organisations of the Black power movement. They advocated for class struggle, created social programs, education programs, and community health clinics.

There are many sites around Oakland today that are of historical significance to the Black Panther Party. THese include the site of the original headquarters, and the Women of The Black Panther Party Mural and Mini Museum in West Oakland. Historical walking tours are run regularly by former members of the Black Panther Party.

Do A Self-Guided Street Art Tour

Throughout downtown Oakland, and further out in its neighbourhoods, you’ll find murals large and small, with a strong essence on the local community. Oakland’s cultural diversity is reflected in its street art. People’s hopes and dreams, fears, and issues of social justice feature prominently.

Oakland’s street art tends to be front and centre on the main streets. It’s not a city that you’ll need to wander down side street and alleyways to find the best pieces. Of course, there’s lots of street art to be found in those places too.

If you want to know where to find the best street art in Oakland, check out my Oakland Street Art Guide.

Enjoy Multicultural Cuisine

Oakland is a diverse, multicultural city, that’s welcomed people from all over the world to call it home. Over 125 languages are spoken in the city today, with a vibrant food scene that reflects this diversity.

Black-owned restaurants serve soul food classics, and you can find region cuisines from across China and the wider region in Chinatown. Oakland has sizeable Pacific Island, East and South Asian communities, with particularly good Filipino and Vietnamese food to be found. There’s also Afro-Brazilian dishes, Latin, and Ethiopian cuisine.

Europe and elsewhere is well represented too. Bottom line, you can find good versions of almost any cuisine that you might feel like eating in Oakland. My suggestion is to expand your horizons and try something new. A few recommendations are Champa Garden for Thai, Vientian for Laotian, Teni East for Burmese, Parche for Colombian. If you want something a bit fancy, check out Bombera for contemporary Mexican-Californian.

Explore Chinatown

Settled after the gold rush in the 1850s, Oakland’s Chinatown is one of the oldest in the US. It’s been a important area for Chinese, and other Asian immigrants in Oakland, and continues to be so today. This isn’t a touristy Chinatown, but a vibrant, working neighbourhood.

You can enjoy authentic cuisine from across Asia here, as well as shop for fresh produce, Asian groceries, and more. Oakland Asian Cultural Center has changing exhibitions year round to showcase arts and cultures in Asia. Performances and programs are scheduled during evenings and weekends.

Go For A Stroll

Oakland contains lots of scenic urban walks and bike trails, and great places to hike and explore nature just outside of the city. One of my favourite Oakland walks/bike trails is the Bay Bridge Trail. It’s a 9.0km walk that takes you from Oakland’s waterfront, to Yerba Buena Island and back. You’re treated to great views of Oakland, the bay, and nature.

Just a few kilometres of the city, there’s areas to explore and walk through. Two great options are hidden redwood forest, Redwood Regional Park; and the lush redwood groves and oak woodlands, creeks, and meadows of Joaquin Miller Park.

Visit A Museum

There are lots of museums in Oakland, large and small. They focus on a variety of things, and there’s probably one that will appeal to you. The Oakland Museum of California (“OMOC”) is one of the city’s premier cultural institutions. It explores the big ideas that shape California lives, focusing on the stories of the people behind them.

Also worth a visit is The African American Museum and Library at Oakland. It’s dedicated to the discovery, preservation, interpretation, and sharing of historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in California and the West.

The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment is a must visit for those with an interest in video games. It delves into the history of video games and current technology. And yes, there are video games to play. Those interested in space and science meanwhile, should check out the Chabot Space & Science Center.

If you have an interest in US Naval history, pay a visit to the USS Potomac (AG-25). It’s the former presidential yacht of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and one of only two remaining presidential yachts.

Dessous, Melbourne CBD

Paul

26 June 2024

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MELBOURNE | I usually pass on invites for venues when they’re launching new menus. While the new menus often sound good, they’re not interesting enough, or different enough from the old menu to warrant me making a visit over the many other more interesting places that I have on my list. There are other things I’d rather be telling you about.

As always, though, there are exceptions to the rule, such as the invite that I accepted to visit CBD wine bar, Dessous, last week. For the unimitated, Dessous opened in late 2019, underneath the restaurant, Hazel. Not ideal timing, given what was about to happen in 2020, but thankfully it survived. It’s part of Nathan Toleman’s Mulberry Group, along with the aforementioned Hazel, and places like Lilac Wine, and Liminal.

It’s a dark, low-lit, moody space, with a low ceiling, centred around the main bar. The music, chill and turned down low, helps to position Dessous as the kind of wine bar where you can enjoy a proper conversation with your companion(s). Like any good wine bar, Dessous is a place that lends itself to a drink and a snack, or a more substantial meal.

Head chef Dan Sawansak has been with Dessous since it opened, and his menus have always reflected his Thai heritage, and his varied experience working in kitchens in Melbourne, Norway and Hong Kong. French technique, inspired by Chinese-influenced Thai flavours. There’s been straight up Thai dishes, dishes with Thai influences, and non-Thai dishes. What makes the current menu different than what’s come before, is the focus. The food at Dessous has always been delicious, but its never been this self-assured.

Abrolhos Island scallop crudo is combined with lardo, palm heart and tom yum consommé and is a delight. So too, the larb-spiced beef tartare with potato rosti and sorrel, and the sai ua (Northern Thai sausage), served with radish and green chilli relish.

Char-grilled squid with sambal, salted egg aioli, and potato bread to mop up the complex sauce is a must order. Also be sure to order two returning favourites – the unofficial signature dish of Dessous, fluffy doughnuts filled with spanner crab, sriracha, and salmon roe; and roasted bone marrow served with sticky rice and Thai herb salad. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, finish things off with the pandan lamington, served with coconut sorbet and sorrel.

To drink, there’s classic cocktails with twists inspired by the food menu, local craft beer and spirits, and a wine list that focuses on sustainability, biodynamic practices, and exposing unfamiliar regions and varietals.

Dessous

Basement, 164 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9070 4939
E-mail: [email protected]
Website

Open
Tue – Thu: 5:00pm to 12:00am
Fri – Sat: 5:00pm to 1:00am

Namoo Izakaya, Melbourne CBD

Paul

25 June 2024

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MELBOURNE | Namoo Izakaya is a Japanese Izakaya from the team behind Japanese cafe, Namoo Cafe. By day, there’s a selection of sushi, salads, and donburi. At night, the venue switches into Izakaya mode, with a raw seafood menu, grilled meat, soups, and other Japanese dishes. I recently visited to grab some photos for What’s On Melbourne.

The space is open and airy, with wood furnishings and warm lighting. The main dining space opens up to the street when the weather is good, and there’s cosy booths towards the rear.

The signature item on the raw section of the menu is the “Namoo Platter”. It’s a spread of 24 pieces of premium sashimi, scampi, oyster, nigiri, taco wasabi, and octopus. A great option to share with friends. For grilled skewers, it’s things like chicken thigh, chicken heart, pork belly, beef, salmon, prawn and mushroom.

Favourites like shabu shabu, karaage, and ebi fry are on the menu, along with something you don’t see often in Melbourne, motsunabe. The latter is a stew from Fukuoka, made using beef and pork tripe, and other offal. It’s a great option during the winter months.

To drink, it’s Japanese whiskey, beer, and sake. There’s classic and house cocktails, and a selection of non-alcoholic Japanese sodas and drinks.

Namoo Izakaya

1/167 Queen Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9043 1447
E-mail: n/a
Website

Open
Mon – Thu: 11:00am to 4:00pm, 5:00pm to 12:00am
Fri: 11:00am to 4:00pm, 5:00pm to 1:30am
Sat: 5:00pm to 1:30am
Sun: 5:00pm to 12:00am

48 Hours In Denver: Things To Do

Paul

24 June 2024

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DENVER | Everyone’s heard of Denver, but what do many of us, from places like Australia, know about the city? The Nuggets, The Broncos, Casa Bonita, and Mountains. That was about the extent of my knowledge before visiting. Denver is a city that I’d wanted to visit for a while, and when I finally visited in 2003, it impressed me in many ways.

The city, which is the capital of Colorado, was founded in 1861 as an old west goldrush town. It’s home to several landmark 19th-century buildings, a multitude of museums, and a vibrant music and arts scene. It’s a multicultural city with a diverse and exciting food and drink scene. Its location, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, makes it a great base for those wanting to get involved in outdoor activities.

There are a lot of things to do in Denver, from the well known, to the more obscure. Here’s my Denver city guide, filled with an assortment of things to help you make the most of your time in the city.

Admire An Abundance Of Street Art

Denver has long had a vibrant underground street art scene, and as street art has moved from the underground to the mainstream, these underground pieces have been joined by larger scale murals backed by the city and local businesses.

Several of the city’s neighbourhoods, like Five Points / River North Art District (RiNo), The Art District on Santa Fe, and Confluence Park / Lower Downtown (LoDo), are home to countless murals. You could entire days dedicated to walking through Denver, seeking out street art. It truly is one of the great street art cities of the United States.

Check out my Denver Street Art Guide, which will let you know which neighbourhoods to visit to find the city’s best street art. Also check out my Five Points / RiNo Street Art Guide. This one gives you a suggested itinerary for exploring the neighbourhood’s street art, along with ideas for food and drink while on your self-guided tour.

One percent of all construction projects valued at over USD$1 million in Denver have to be donated to public art by law. This has led to the creation of some of the city’s most recognisable sculptures and installations. Today, murals often form part of this too.

Be Mesmerised At Meow Wolf

Meow Wolf began life as an artist collective on the outskirts of Santa Fe in 2008. They’ve since grown to become one of the most popular creators of large-scale interactive and immersive art installations in the US.

Their Denver ‘Convergence Station’ opened in 2021, and is well worth a visit if you’re a fan of quirky, interactive experiences. It’s the largest Meow Wolf installation in the country, the culmination of the works of over three hundred artists, including more than 110 from Colorado. They’ve collaborated on 79 projects, spread over four floors, with a cosmic theme.

Eat Mexican Cuisine, And More

Denver’s settlement history and current demographic trends mean that the city is a brilliant place to eat Mexican food. The city is home to a wealth of Mexican food spots, from simple, long-standing, family run joints through to trendy, contemporary spots.

You can find places specialising in regional dishes from across Mexico. In particular, be sure to visit places that focus on the unique style of Mexican cuisine that’s developed in Colorado/New Mexico. For example, the delicious ‘wet’ burrito. You can find a great version of the latter at family-run El Taco De Mexico, which has been serving locals since 1985.

Denver is a multicultural city, and beyond Mexican food, you can also enjoy top quality cuisine from across the globe. For example, Armenian khachapuri at House of Bread, stuffed frybread at American Indian spot Tocabe, and food from the Levant at Safta. If you want a good cross section of what the local food scene is all about, a stop by Denver Central Market is a must.

Immerse Yourself In The City’s Architecture

Denver grew from a collection of cabins when founded at the start of the gold rush era, into one of the grandest cities of the region. Its architecture reflects its history, with majestic buildings like the recently renovated Denver Union Station, which dates back to 1881, and the Colorado State Capitol, built in 1984.

There’s also plenty of more modern architectural marvels, like the Wells Fargo Center, aka the “Cash Register Building”, built in 1983, 2002’s Millennium Bridge, and Denver Art Museum’s postmodern Frederic C. Hamilton Building, which was built in 2006.

It’s not just the large-scale projects that impress, either. Walk through downtown Denver, and its historic inner-city neighbourhoods, and you’ll come across a multitude of eye-catching, smaller scale residential, commercial, and retail buildings.

Have A Unique Live Music Experience

Located just 16km Southwest of Denver, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is one of the most visually striking live music venues in the US. It’s an open-air amphitheatre, flanked by two massive monoliths – “Ship Rock” and “Creation Rock”, as well as the smaller “Stage Rock”.

The venue has hosted, and continues to host, many well-known international acts, as well as smaller, lesser known local bands. It’s where U2, relatively unknown at the time, performed their first recorded concert in 1983 (which you can see in the music video for ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’). Seeing a gig at Red Rocks Amphitheatre is highly recommended.

Learn About The City’s Rich African-American History

RiNo is such a vibe. It’s full of great food and drink, amazing street art, and vibrancy. I loved being based in the neighbourhood while in town.

What’s not obvious, walking around RiNo, is that the neighbourhood is actually called Five Points. At one time, it was the historic centre of Denver’s black community, the “Harlem of the West”. Traces of this past exist, but are becoming increasingly hard to find. If you didn’t do your own research, you’d never know.

RiNo is a term coined by some artists who moved to the area in the mid 90s, attracted by cheap rent in unused warehouses, in a part of the city that had seen better days. Property developers got in on the action after a while, and now the area is one of the fastest gentrifying places in the United States.

Gentrification of neighbourhoods like this, all over the world, is perhaps inevitable. There’s no perfect answer to the question of we balance the positives that it can bring to an area while negating the negatives. As visitors, the least we can do is to make ourselves aware of a neighbourhood’s history, and support some of the older, independent businesses that risk being priced out of the neighbourhood they helped create.

A few places to check out are the Stiles African American Heritage Center, Five Points’ Welton Street Historic District and Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, and the Black American West Museum.

Sample Some Of The World’s Best Craft Beer

With over 400 breweries, Colorado has a reputation as one of the best states in the US to visit for craft beer. Unsurprisingly, the are plenty of good ones in Denver. From well known, large names like Blue Moon, to smaller, independent breweries, there’s no shortage to beer to enjoy in the city.

Personally, I like to keep things independent and local, focusing on the breweries that have a sense of community and are doing interesting things. I was lucky enough to meet up with a friend of mine, Nick, who worked in the Colorado beer industry for many years, and was able to lead me in the right direction. Places that I visited, that you should too, include.

Bierstadt Lagerhaus. These guys are known for their pursuit of perfecting German-style lagers. Their slow pour pilsner is a must try.
Our Mutual Friend Brewing. Visit what’s probably my favourite Denver brewery for some of the city’s most exciting and experimental beers. The team love to use new hops, yeasts, and malts to create some truly exceptional beers. Pit Fiend BBQ, next door, serve up some of Denver’s best BBQ, which you can order and eat in at OMF.
TRVE Brewing Company. TRVE is the place to visit if you like your beer in a dark space with loud metal music playing in the background. Their beers are exceptional, a mixture of classic styles, and creative twists and ingredients. You’ll also find the excellent Music City Hot Chicken inside here if you need a feed.

See Some Sports

Denver is lucky enough to have teams in all of the major US professional sport leagues. There’s the Colorado Rapids (MLS), the Colorado Rockies (MLB), the Denver Nuggets (NBA), and Denver Broncos (NFL). If you get the chance, nab yourself a ticket to a game and soak in the atmosphere.

I visited Coors Field when the Rockies were playing and was able to get a ticket on the day. The atmosphere inside was amazing and it was a super enjoyable experience, even as a non-baseball fan.

View The Neon Of Broadway

This is a bit of an obscure one, but I’m a big fan of old school neon signage. Seeing them lit up at night just has a certain character that’s not the same as modern-day electronic signage. Broadway, a popular street lined with historic buildings, theatres, bars, and restaurants, has a lot of these old signs in good condition. Walk down the street at night, and the signs transport you to another era.

Visit A Museum

Denver is home to a wide array of museums. There’s something for everyone, no matter your interests. If you’re a fan of art, the multi-storey, multi-wing Denver Art Museum is a must. Also be sure to check out the compact but worthwhile Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. There is no permanent collection at MCA Denver. Rather, exhibitions rotate multiple times a year.

History buffs should pay a visit to the History Colorado Center, Center for Colorado Women’s History, and the Molly Brown House Museum. The latter is a fascinating journey through the life of Molly Brown, the best known survivor of the Titanic. If you’re into sport, the National Ballpark Museum and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame are great options. If history is your thing, then you can’t go past the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.