Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns (Part 1)

Byron Bay

 I thought I would have more time to update but it was actually the opposite.  We would wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, and be out the door at around 9.  We would tour around town and wouldn't be back until 5 or 6 that night.  By then I was so beat.  Not to mention we would take a break, but by 8pm, we'd be out the door again for dinner.  But here's a little snippet of my trip.

Sydney- Brisbane   

We only spent one night in Brisbane, so we didn't see very much.  It's a beautiful city, close to the water with lots of restaurants.  It was raining when we arrived, and really humid.  It felt weird carrying an umbrella wearing a t- shirt.

Day Trip to Manly

I thought not working would allow me to have more time to write more posts, but it was really the opposite.  Jeremie's dad finally arrived into town and it was five solid days of showing him around Sydney, and restaurant tours.  We had a rough idea of the area we wanted to show him and had a restaurant (lunch and dinner) in mind.  We ate everywhere from Rockpool, Tetsuya, Cafe Sopra, Pilu, Billy Kwong, and Flying Fish.  There were two dinners I had to sit out because of all the dining out and wine, it became too much.  I missed out a dinner at Marque and Quay. 

Ringing In The New Year From Down Under

New Years 2012 would have to go down as one of the most memorable moments of my life.  I had to work, but just being able to celebrate it in Sydney, Australia is just exciting as it is. 

I wasn't with family, friends, or Jeremie. He also ended up working.  I was with my second family.  The chefs at Flying Fish I see so much at times have now become my family. 

Flying Fish is located in Pyrmont, across the water from Circular Quay and over looks the Harbour Bridge.  It is situated in the perfect spot to watch the fireworks.

Blueberry Rhubarb Olive Oil Cake With Oat Crumble

 When Jeremie and I are lucky to have a day off together, we like to walk around Circular Quay, a big tourist area.  I've been there many times and whether it was a weekend or not, there's always lots of people walking around.  There are so many restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to choose from it can make your head spin.  The world renowned restaurant Quay, Rockpool, and Aria are all in the neighborhood.  Our usual spot is this place called Opera Bar.  Named so because it's so close to the Sydney Opera House.  The Opera Bar is busy all the time, and there's always live music. Once the sun goes down, the view is spectacular.  Being right on the edge of the water, the view of the Harbour Bridge on one side and the infamous silhouette of the Opera House on the other, it's a hard view to beat.

Right ahead is the Opera Bar.  It's right across the water from Quay Restaurant.

After a big day of walking around, we usually stop by a cafe to unwind.  One afternoon, I ordered a banana muffin thinking I haven't had one in a long time.  Bad choice.  It was dry and had no traces of mashed bananas in it.  To top it off, it had a strong banana extract flavour and a few banana chips.  My hopes of eating a banana muffin were crushed... or mashed. 

Bondi Beach

I finally went to visit Sydney's famous Bondi Beach yesterday. It's really not far from where I live. Two train stations and a short bus ride later, we got off and the streets where busy with locals and tourists. There is a main street with all the shops, restaurants, and cafes where everyone hangs out. And just a five minute walk across the street, is the beautiful beach. We went on a Sunday and the beach was just buzzing with energy.

Speaking Australian

Since arriving in Sydney, I've picked up some common words used regularly. Sometimes I find myself caught between using Canadian language or Australian language. (Plastic wrap? Or cling film?) Yes I know it sounds weird, since both countries are English speaking, but each place really has it's own distict lingo.

Sailing the Rough Waters

It's been a rough couple of weeks in Sydney. I never imagined our journey would be this rough. Apartments are hard to find and most furnished and somewhat affordable one bedroom units close to the city are run down and dirty. Nicer, modern apartments need to be leased through an agency, but require a lot of paper work and documents to support our employment/ financial stability that it makes it nearly impossible for people from overseas to find a decent place. Shared apartments are a hit and miss. Some cram as many as four people in a bedroom and even rent out their living room. And when you find a comfortable room in a shared modern apartment, the existing tenants don't necesarily pick you. They pick roomates that can move in immediately. Don't even get me started on the whole couple situation! A majority of shared apartments don't want to share with couples for whatever reason.

Japanese Sweets

Brownies, cheesecake, mile high lemon meringue pie, chocolate fudge cake... all these sweets conjure up images of classic American desserts. Chewy, crispy, creamy, fluffy, sticky, and all very sweet. Nothing wrong with sweet, but sometimes my teeth ache from eating something so sweet I feel the need to have to brush my teeth after. We are so accustomed to such sweet things we forget that all we need is something that just doesn't taste savoury to finish our meal.

This is when I discovered the art of Japanese sweets. I honestly didn't know much about Japanese sweets until I went to Japan. It opened my eyes as to what is considered a dessert.

Home Sweet Home For Now

The past ten days after arriving in Sydney has been to say the least, stressful. We arrived at 9 am and pretty jetlagged. We made reservations at a hostel and ended up staying there for 8 days before we could move into our temporary apartment. It was my first time staying at a hostel and it wasn't as bad as I thought. We made sure to book a private room (which didn't have an ensuite bathroom). The bathrooms and kitchens were shared and everyone buys their own groceries and cooks their own meals. This kind of accomodation encourages people to be more social, although the downside is that there are some rowdy people that just want to party.

Changes

Nightlife on the streets of Kyoto

I can't believe it's been one year since my last entry. Alot happens in one year. I've started and finished my first pastry chef position, moved out of my apartment, travelled through Southeast Asia, and now living in Sydney for a year. Phew! Yes it's been a whirlwind of events as I'm still trying to wrap my head around all that's happened. The biggest thing for me so far has been my travels.

Tapas Style

Spain has been on my mind a lot lately. Mainly Barcelona. My boyfriend wants to move there, and a friend of mine was travelling around Europe recently and was there. Their food culture is apparently very advanced. The weather seems great. And what could be better than packing your bags and starting a new life in a new country? Even if only for a year.

So I've been on a bit of a Barcelona bender lately. There was a new tapas place that opened up in downtown called Cafe Barcelona. They do traditional tapas along with a small wine list that features some Canadian and Spanish wines. So my boyfriend and I had to go.