Gold Coast!

Yikes! I guess I haven't been on here for awhile! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by in the last couple of months. So to catch up, first from all the way back in June was my self-assigned long weekend to the Gold Coast. Kurtis was there over 2 weeks on business, and I was stuck in Sydney (dead of winter: coldish and dreary), so I decided to pop up for the weekend!

I don't have photos to prove it, but I rented a car at the airport, all by myself, and drove for the very first time since coming to Australia!!! On the other side of the road, and the other side of the car was weird, but I got the hang of it right away... Not to the comfort of my driving at home (I wasn't talking on the phone, doing my make-up and drinking a coffee all at the same time), though I was able to simultaneously listen to the radio and the GPS (which I taught myself to use!), despite the GPS lady's weird Australian-accented computerized voice. The car was a small, yellow, stick-shift: an Australian car brand called the Holden - perfect for driving with the windows down in the hot, sunny Gold Coast!

Even though people in the Gold Coast were bundled up (who swims with a toque on?!) because of the winter "chill",  I was more than happy to strap on a bikini and catch some rays in the 23 degrees! Coming from a damp and chilly 10 degrees in Sydney, 23 degrees felt like an amazing tropical vacation! And the best part of being a cold-immune Canadian gal: I had the pool all to myself.

The weekend consisted of a stay at the perfect Sheraton Mirage, with a room overlooking a gorgeous manicured garden and the crystal clear ocean. We did a bit of sightseeing, but mainly I just sat by the poolside relaxing and sunning, took long beach walks (beaches further than you can even see), did a little bit of shopping, and ate arguably the best food I've had since coming to Australia (i.e. oyster caesar shots and the best vegetarian breakfast I've ever had). Oh how I miss Canadian cuisine! Sooo, pretty much my idea of the ideal weekend.

It was the perfect mid-term, mid-winter getaway. I left refreshed and full of some much needed vitamin D!

Hunter Valley Happiness

Australia takes a day off for the Queen's birthday, and we celebrated by taking the opportunity to head out of town at the last minute. I went to a travel agent in Coogee looking for the best deal... and found none! The travel agent had a few destinations up her sleeve, and offered me the usual local tours: Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. We had just gone to the Blue Mountains, so Hunter Valley it was! I thought it would be fun (and really inexpensive!) to do the backpacker thing, and luckily there were 2 spots available on the tour leaving Sunday!

Bright and early on Sunday morning we caught the bus and off we went with the most talkative bus driver I have ever encountered! It would be a huge understatement to say that he loved the sound of his own voice. We managed to get a few minutes of sleep though, despite his talk, which ranged from the history of the area along our drive, to detailed insights into the mailboxes and garbage bins along the roadside. Kurtis and I couldn't help but laugh: his banter was just too much.

We met up with our tour group at Lindeman's Vineyard and had our first tasting. We travelled to 3 other vineyards in our tour guide's purple van - a suitable colour for grape country, I thought. Along the way we met some people in our group, and became fast friends with a woman and her mother that were on the tour. They were really fun, and had travelled all over the world, including to some places that we've been. 

We learned a lot about the vineyards and wineries on our tour, including why the vines all have rose bushes at the end of the row: a rose bush likes, and dislikes the same things that grapes do, so if your rose bushes are doing well, so are your grapes, and if your roses are not doing well, then neither are the grapes! And I thought it was just because it's so pretty! The final vineyard we went to was our absolute favourite. It is called "Hanging Tree Vines" because apparently a large tree on the property was once used to hang a criminal in the 1800's! The land was perfectly groomed, the vineyard and gardens exquisite. The sunset was unbelievably perfect across the pond outside of the cellar. The perfect ending to a wonderful day. When we were finished our tours we headed to our hostel for a bar-bq with our group. Luckily we had a 4-share room with the mother and daughter that we had met and not strangers! It's been awhile since I've been on a bunk bed, and it reminded me of camp! :) 

The second day was an open day for us to choose our own adventure. We rented 2 bicycles and off we went on what we thought was going to be an easy, nice little jaunt around the vineyards... It was beautiful, but it was anything but easy! Ha! We had a few bike glitches along the way, but nothing Kurtis couldn't fix, and nothing so serious that I couldn't laugh my head off as he got covered in grease trying to get the chain back on. He was my hero.

Our destination turned out to be much further than we expected, but the scenic ride was well worth it. As we were heading along the highway I saw a horse that looked incredibly lonely: I had to stop! He came right over to the fence to say hello. The poor thing was filthy dirty and I tried to give him a brush with my fingers, though what he truly needed was a good bath. I noticed some clovers growing on my side of the fence and picked a few handfuls to feed him for a little treat. He looked so forlorn I felt badly to leave him, but after a few photos it was time to move on.

We went to the Hunter Valley Gardens and spent a few hours wandering through the exquisite gardens. There was an English garden, a rose garden, a Chinese garden, a story book garden, and many more! Some of the shrubs were trimmed into birds, elephants, even a stampede of horses! And lucky us, we had a gorgeous day to boot! On the way back to the hostel we stopped at a few wineries on the back roads to taste and buy their wares, and of course admire the area.

Our weekend ended with a peaceful bus ride home: thankfully with a driver who must have had a long, full weekend just like us. It was a perfect weekend getaway, and certainly not the last time we will enjoy the Hunter Valley!

Vivid Sydney

Sydney is full of fun and exciting events - one of the perks of being in such a massive city. On a Friday night we bundled up and headed out after sunset to check out Vivid Sydney's "Smart Light," "A festival of music, light & ideas." We joined hundreds of spectators who were out that night at the outdoor event, which focuses on alternative energy and light conservation. Artists from Australia as well as a few other places such as Germany, Denmark, UK and Portugal, created fabulous massive art displays made of lights or projected on some Sydney's famous monuments. 

The whole route took us a leisurely hour, winding through the old buildings in "The Rocks", heading up the pier to the Opera House, and exploring the Sydney Observatory where some of the displays were. Of course I had to stop in at Starbucks in Circular Quay (pronounced "key" by locals for whatever reason), as it is a rare treat here in Sydney. This may be the only major city in the world that Starbucks has not infiltrated... and surprisingly I actually don't mind! If there is one thing Australia does really well, it's coffee...mmmmm... But I digress...

Our camera captured some of the beautiful displays, but does not do justice to the larger light artwork on the Sydney Modern Museum ("Facade") or the Opera House ("Lighting the Sails"). 

I loved the light and music show, "Hammerhaus" put on by a German artists, and thought that the "Cycle!" exhibit was particularly neat. This piece was powered by a set of stationary bicycles, so in order to see the hoola-hoop-like blue lights shine around the trees, viewers had to do some work! The faster the people rode the bikes, the more the lights shone! The bats were cool to see - both the real ones, and the fake ones.

It was a lovely (free!) evening out and about in Sydney, and certainly not something you get to see every day! I am so impressed at the culture in this city. It is refreshing to be in a city that places so much value on the arts... and I intend to take advantage of it as much as possible while I am here!