Scotland Island: 670-odd inhabitants of the human kind, gazillions of the mossie kind and a whole heap of birds, possums and other 'wildlife'. No shop. No Sunday newspapers. No fresh pint of milk in the morning if you forgot to buy some on the mainland. My Irish friend moved there recently after years in Sydney. With husband and bub, she found sheer domestic bliss. I felt trapped and was going slightly nuts already after two days. Yes, the quietness is nice, but the crickets never shut up and make more noice than down town Syndey traffic. Having to plan your shopping, not having access to newspapers, and not being able to just meet a friend at a caf for a latte....it's not my scene. But I saw kookaburras. So for a holiday weekend it wasn't too bad.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Sydney!
I've been in Sydney for about 24 hours and it feels home like never before. After a day of browsing through Paddington and doing some modest shopping and getting a pedi/mani, I went back to the hotel. My hotel is absolutely amazing in the most old fashioned way. Plus it has a rooftop pool. After pool and bath, I sat on the grandfather's chair, made some King Island brie and crackers (according to Em this Tasmanian brie was to die for and I wasn't disappointed), had a glass of Moorilla merlot cab and read my book on the Widow Cliquot. Just when I thought life couldn't get any better, the bird (parakeet of some sort?) in the pic decided to keep me company.
The last days in Tassie were fab by the way. An incredibly relaxing holiday on an incredibly beautiful island. Will have to come back and see the parts we've missed.
The last days in Tassie were fab by the way. An incredibly relaxing holiday on an incredibly beautiful island. Will have to come back and see the parts we've missed.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Wineglass Bay
Tassie, day four. We're back in Hobart, before heading to Cradle Mountain. The east coast was stunning. Freycinet NP, where the photo was taken, is just this magical place. The smells, the sounds, the views.... Loved it. Oh, and the seafood. I od'd on mussels and other stuff. Outside Hobart we've found virtually no internet, had no phone reception on other providers than Telstra, and saw few people on any of the beaches we went to. Loving it.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Brighton Beach
Jetlags suck but on the upside: thanks to the jetlag I was out and about at 7.30am this morning. Off to Brighton Beach, to see the cute beach huts. Not surprisingly, I had the beach to myself bar a few locals walking their dogs.
After Brighton, I managed to fit in South Yarra and Prahrad, the botanical gardens, little Vietnam (yummmm pho) and the city. I am now properly sunburnt and my feet properly hurt.
On the way to little Vietnam, an old dude by a tram stop looked at me and said 'You're sunburnt, you're a pom?'. When I told him I was Dutch, the first association was not drugs, cheese or tulips, but airplane bombers for a change. He made up for calling me a pom, by calling me a 'youngy' later. and for telling me the cricket score.
After Brighton, I managed to fit in South Yarra and Prahrad, the botanical gardens, little Vietnam (yummmm pho) and the city. I am now properly sunburnt and my feet properly hurt.
On the way to little Vietnam, an old dude by a tram stop looked at me and said 'You're sunburnt, you're a pom?'. When I told him I was Dutch, the first association was not drugs, cheese or tulips, but airplane bombers for a change. He made up for calling me a pom, by calling me a 'youngy' later. and for telling me the cricket score.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Melbourne!!!!!
Bloody hell what a journey. A broken plane engine meant my Wednesday noon flight was delayed til Friday midnight. So rather than arriving in Oz on crimbo eve, I arrived this morning. Having missed the first day of the boxing day test at the G. In good old Emily style, she was still intoxiacted from last night's party and had to ask a friend to drive her to the airport to pick me up. On the upside, I managed to catch up with my bro who was in the Dam for a few days as well as with friends from NY who were in town.
But all's well that ends well. I am sitting on the couch in Carlton North, along with Em and her flatmate, each with our laptop on our laps, watching the cricket on a ridiculously big television. Just went out for brunch and hell it is good to drink a fantastic latte in the sun.
Oh, and Em's mum got me a christmas present, how sweet is that?! Three bodybutters that I am sure I will need after days in the sun. Life is good. Sas is happy!
But all's well that ends well. I am sitting on the couch in Carlton North, along with Em and her flatmate, each with our laptop on our laps, watching the cricket on a ridiculously big television. Just went out for brunch and hell it is good to drink a fantastic latte in the sun.
Oh, and Em's mum got me a christmas present, how sweet is that?! Three bodybutters that I am sure I will need after days in the sun. Life is good. Sas is happy!
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Breath in, beath out
My word, my to do list just doesn't seem to get any shorter. Two weeks at home seems a lot, but if you reduce for days spent sleeping and working, there is not much time left. However, I am getting there. My birthday dinner yesterday was brill, and I got loads of great pressies. Managed to go to the gym twice this weekend (discovered cardio machines are not too bad if you can read or watch cricket while exercising), and my backpack is more or less packed. It better be good weather in Tassie as I brought very few warm clothes. Few clothes at all really. With the camera, lenses, and tripod there is not too much space left. Christmas cards have been posted, house is cleanish, to call list is slowly coming down. Admin is more or less done. One more day tomorrow at the Scottish bank, a day at the office on Tuesday and then.....Melbourne here I come!
Sunday, 6 December 2009
I heart road trips
My writing these days is about little more than food and booze. And although the title of this entry suggests otherwise....it was a wine and food road trip.
What is said to be the best resto in Africa, is in Franschhoek. Ages ago, some of my colleagues and I decided to go here once during our stint in Cape Town. We had decided on the 5th of December. I made the booking, found a guesthouse and off we went.
More wine tasting on the way in first. Simonsig this time, a lovely winery in Stellenbosch. We had lunch, drove to the Guesthouse and sobered up. Deckchairs by the pool, surrounded by roses and vegetable patches. An amazing place, run by a well travelled Dutch couple. We polished off a bottle of Simonsig Viognier when it was that time of the day, and off we went to Le Quartier Francais.
And wow. A nice non snobbish atmosphere. Friendly and incredibly accomodating staff, and all four of us ordering the seven course tasting menu. With wine (apart from the size 4 Vietnamese Aussie chick who would kill herself drinking that much). We swapped the foie gras for scallops or duck, and two of us the orange buttermilk desert for amarula panna cotta. No problem what soever, we could make all the changes we liked. Amazing flavours, very nice wines to go with it. The most expensive meal I have ever had in my life, but man, was it worth it. The dickhead at the table next to us would not agree though: he hadn't liked his dessert and told the waitress it was revolting, in the rudest, unfriendliest way. Heated argument between him and the GF followed. I almost turned around and informed him of the existence of the phrase 'not to my liking' but thought the better of it. We paid and walked back to the guesthouse. With happy tummies.
What is said to be the best resto in Africa, is in Franschhoek. Ages ago, some of my colleagues and I decided to go here once during our stint in Cape Town. We had decided on the 5th of December. I made the booking, found a guesthouse and off we went.
More wine tasting on the way in first. Simonsig this time, a lovely winery in Stellenbosch. We had lunch, drove to the Guesthouse and sobered up. Deckchairs by the pool, surrounded by roses and vegetable patches. An amazing place, run by a well travelled Dutch couple. We polished off a bottle of Simonsig Viognier when it was that time of the day, and off we went to Le Quartier Francais.
And wow. A nice non snobbish atmosphere. Friendly and incredibly accomodating staff, and all four of us ordering the seven course tasting menu. With wine (apart from the size 4 Vietnamese Aussie chick who would kill herself drinking that much). We swapped the foie gras for scallops or duck, and two of us the orange buttermilk desert for amarula panna cotta. No problem what soever, we could make all the changes we liked. Amazing flavours, very nice wines to go with it. The most expensive meal I have ever had in my life, but man, was it worth it. The dickhead at the table next to us would not agree though: he hadn't liked his dessert and told the waitress it was revolting, in the rudest, unfriendliest way. Heated argument between him and the GF followed. I almost turned around and informed him of the existence of the phrase 'not to my liking' but thought the better of it. We paid and walked back to the guesthouse. With happy tummies.
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