Distillery, The Rocks Markets, Circular Quay and Newtown

Sunday 31st

Can't believe it's the last day of August today and we are leaving for Brisbane tomorrow!!!

It's a beautiful day today and we so happy to be walking around without the hint of rain!!

We head off to Erskineville train station and travel to the Museum stop where we arrive at the ANZAC memorial in Hyde Park. We had a quick look round and it is absolutely stunning!! The park is lined with trees from the pool of reflections and the memorial itself is a beautiful place. 

After having a look around we headed to The Distillery which is a letterpress studio that showcases it's Heidelberg machines in the window and had a design studio located at the back. It looks like a nice set up, it was sunday so it was closed but it was a good opportunity to have a proper look at the setup and see how it might operate. I would like to go back at some point during the week but im not sure if it's 100% for me.

After our stop we got back on the train to Circular Quay and had a look round the markets at The Rocks which we heard were great, it was a good atmosphere and busy although we didn't find anything to buy it was good to have a look round and be in amongst it all!

Th market stopped under the Harbour Bridge so we carried on and walked around the peninsula since it was such a nice day and took loads of pictures of the bridge and the Opera House!

There were loads of Chinese couples getting married and having their pictures taken with the sights in the background!

At around 3 we were starving and definitely ready for lunch, we hadn't seen anything we fancied so we headed back to Newtown on the train and went to Moo Burgers on Kings Road. We had milkshakes, got o stop this!! And i had a grilled haloumi burger with sweet potato fries and Thomas had a classic burger with chips. It was really nice but the size of it!! I took half home cos it was just way too much but wasn't a patch on the Adelaide burger!!!

We carried on along Kings Road and went in some shops we didn't visit yesterday, including Gould's Book Arcade which has an amazing selection of secondhand books, CD's, DVD's, vinyls etc! Its massive but dusty!! I waited outside after a while cos I couldn't take the dust but its a great place to find weird and wonderful books, including playboy and gay porn- interesting!

We planned on going to the Technology Park which isn't far away but it was getting so dark that in the end we decided to go when we return to Sydney after Brisbane.

We wandered around and eventually came across the cinema again, we thought why not since we weren't in much of a hurry to go back to the house so we went and saw Felony. Wasn't as good as Locke but still a good movie and we were entertained!

We had a bit of a chill this evening, Im still ill so we are recovering and then its off again the morning, I'm hoping the trains are running ok, might check that now!! 

Looking forward to our return to Sydney, way too much still left to do!!

Newtown, best lunch in Sydney and Locke

Saturday 30th

Today we moved to Newtown!! Just a short two trips by train, should have taken an hour turned into 3!! We ended up hiking our bags up the hill to Edgecliff train station, wasn't as sweaty as I thought, but tiring non the less, especially with a cold- wasn't fun!!

Only to find out upon arrival that the trains weren't running from that line due to essential rail works!! No notice had been put out in advance anywhere- we would have seen it!!!

So we had to carry our bags to the bus interchange, no lift!! Up a big flight of stairs to the replacement buses that were all packed. We let one go cos it was so full and squeezed onto the next with our massive bags!! Got off at Town Hall and caught the train out to Erskineville where we eventually arrived at the house.

Our host LeighAnna was waiting to meet us, she's from South Carolina and does an amazing South American accent but has lived in Sydney for the past 4 years!! We ditched our stuff and then headed straight out cos she was having a house inspection!

We wandered up onto Kings Road that is the high street of the area and immediately knew there was way more for us here than in Double Bay. It's way more relaxed, younger, grungier, cheaper!! There's a real mix of people and it just seems like theres loads happening, also it is a saturday so that helps!! We walked along Kings Road and then headed to West Juliett a cafe I had found on Broadsheet that was suppose to be really good!! I was STARVING!!! So we managed to get there at 3.30, it closes at 4!! 

We ordered milkshakes, Thomas had a burger and I had the avocado and poached eggs on toast!

This was the most amazing meal I have had in Sydney!!! Was amazing!! Thomas enjoyed his burger but mine was the show-stopper!! Smashed avocado with crumbled feta, 2 free range poached eggs, dukkah, watercress, parsley and amazing sourdough toast!! Even the plates were amazing!!! It was the best!!!!!!!!

On our way out I also bought 2 pink salt and chocolate cookies cos Timeout said they had road tested a whole load of cookies and these were the best- they will be had again-lush!!

We headed back up to Enmore road and came across loads of cool vintage shops, cafes, Cow and Moon ice cream that looks amazing and is suppose to be really good and loads of other cool places we will definitely come back and visit! Kings Road was really busy and we stumpled upon Black Star Pastry which had a massive queue but is suppose to be a great place with great pastries and a bakery! I was  stuffed however and we just had a leisurely stroll past. Kings Road has lots on it and is a good place to mooch around, we visited loads of bookshops, hunting for cards and by the time we hit the end of the strip it was dark. We decided we didn't fancy going back to the house quite yet so went to the cinema instead.

Dendy cinemas is on Kings Road and we went to see Locke which had just been released! Great film, best I'd seen in Australia yet, loved it was a good good movie!! 

The walk back was nice, the weather was still quite mild but we were both so tired that when we got back we just watched an episode on the laptop then went to sleep. Im still sniffing and coughing but hopefully I'll get better soon and will feel a bit more alive! Great day though, really enjoying being in Newtown so far!!

Double Bay

Friday 29th

Today I felt worse!

We stayed in!

The weather was minging!!

But at about 4 we decided we should get some air so we got the umbrellas out and wandered down to Double Bay, was about time we actually saw it since we had been staying there for the past 4 days!! The rain stopped for a bit when we got to the bay and we had a wander along the jetty where people use the ferry to get to Circular Quay. It was really pretty and it will be lovely in the summer, probably a lot busier too!!

We had a look in AboutLife supermarket next to Woolworths where they do lots of nice salads and soups, make your pizzas, sandwiches etc but we were't that taken with any of it so hopped on the train for a wander round Bondi Junction, would be dryer inside!!

We had something to eat at Guzman Y Gomez, a mexican burrito/nachos joint! I had nachos to try and attack my throat and Thomas had a burrito! Was nice and kept us going, also meant we didn't have to venture into the changeable weather outside!!

We grabbed another watermelon drink from Boost to soothe my throat and had a wander before once again heading back before we had to leave the next day for Newtown!!

Life Interrupted Exhibition at Sydney Library and Circular Quay at Night

Thursday 28th

Today we had a really relaxed lazy day at the house, the sun was shining but with the usual on off Sydney showers but we were shattered and decided to relax before heading out in the evening.

Just before 5 we left the flat and got the train to town arriving just along from the library, as we were heading out I started to feel a bit rough and run down which is steadily getting worse, definitely getting a cold! We had already planned to see the Life Interrupted Exhibition that was being held at the Sydney Library but on thursdays it's open till 8 so we thought it would be quieter too.

The exhibition was really good, it was gathered from a collection of personal diaries that had been brought together from WW1. The exhibition was fascinating and we spent 2 hours looking through all the information, listening to diary extracts and looking at artwork and photographs that had been sourced from the time and from the actual diaries of the soldiers who had fought on the front. It was interesting to see the war from the Australian perspective and to learn about the ANZAC troops, which I later learnt to be Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. There are a lot of references to ANZAC throughout the city and across the cities we have visited so it was interesting to gain a better understanding of the history and what happened and how they are remembered.

After the museum closed at 8 we decided to head back down to Circular Quay so that Thomas could take some pictures of the harbour on his camera, which he hadn't brought last time. Again the harbour was beautiful and the weather was nice so it was a nice wander and Thomas got some great shots!

At this point I was starting to get illy so we headed back so I could die quietly in a bed with the electric blanket! Was nice to have an electric blanket!