A couple of weeks ago I was treated to simply the most daahhling weekend. One of the best I've had in what seems like forever! The sun was shining, I didn't have work or uni and best of all I had amazing company (wink!) Nick and I went to this beautiful tapas restaurant in Kings Cross, an area of Sydney known for its "ladies of the evening" as well as the vast array of restaurants and nightlife. We ordered a selection of yummy tapas... a spicy egg and chorizo dish, a tangy anchovy and crusty bread number (I was an anchovy-virgin but I actually liked it!), a delectable lamb skewer and some yummy prawns. Of course it wasn't all meat... we had some veggies too (which I haven't managed to imitate just yet but I'll keep trying; who knew broccoli could taste so good?) In fact the whole meal was delicious and I loved how each time we'd finish the waiter would materialize with the next divine morsel. I also liked how each dish was just the right size to get a satisfactory taste of each thing while leaving room for the next plate!
The next day Nick and I took full advantage of the first glorious sunny day in two weeks and hiked around Royal National Park. Just half an hour south of Sydney, it's the world's second oldest national park, next to Yellowstone in the USA and was established in 1879.
The foliage was beautiful, even in the "winter" but true to Aussie- form, a bit dangerous! I was reminded of this as I attempted to employ a branch to regain my balance after sidestepping a muddy puddle and was given a painful stab in the fingers; the soft looking leaves were anything but! I'm sure those sharp prickles served an ancient evolutionary purpose but at the time it was a reminder of the fact that everything still in existence in Australia has had to overcome a such a harsh climate and myriad of predators that it's either poisonous, sharp, or hungry (or all three).
At one stage we decided to pause and look out into the ocean. To our delight and my utter and complete surprise we saw whales!! There was a pod not too far away breaching and swimming around and we got to watch the whole thing. It was soooo cool. I loved when they blew the water out of their blowholes- the noise was so loud!
It was heaps funny trying to get just the right happy snap. How did we do?
We bumped into a man who was out for his post-hip replacement hike. I tell ya- Aussies have the best attitude to life... "she'll be right" they say and off they go.
One of my favourite parts of the hike was crossing this beautiful little creek.
... and then walking along the rocks at the ocean's edge to go back to our starting point. The fossils and rock erosion are so interesting to look at. At the end we mountaineered up the rock face (with the help of a strap attached to the rock)...
and next, headed to a tiny nearby town for a bite to eat.
The sun was setting as we devoured our fish n chips from a cardboard box sitting on a wharf, watching boats sail past.
Ahhhh..... blissful peace.
Not to out do you but at about the same time I WAS touring in the oldest national park in the world, Yellowstone. Nya nyah hahah! And I saw whales on the ferry from Victoria. And I ate fish and chips on the Oregon coast. But I haven't slept in my own bed in over 2 weeks...
ReplyDeleteOh wow- what a coincidence! Sounds lovely. Ok you win but I bet your fish n chips had more hormones or antibiotics or something....
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