End of May

One of the few signs of Autumn in Sydney. The trees don't really change colors over here, which is something I realized I really miss.

I just realized that nearly a whole month has gone by since I last posted on here. Yikes. I could chalk it up to lots of things, but really, life has just been busy. Plus, how is it already the end of May?!?!

Early May was filled with my friend Rebecca visiting. So much to say about that so a separate post or two will be coming for sure. Mid-May was just the usual busyness of life. It’s funny: when I imagined what my life would look like in Sydney before I left Seattle, I imagined having more free time than I could handle. I even made a list of things I could do to fill my time if need be. Turns out I don’t really need that list. Life has a way of being busy or at least seeming busy wherever you are.

The end of May was filled with the stomach flu and getting ready for Vietnam. I leave on Saturday! So excited and a little nervous. I don’t totally know what to expect and it’s my first completely solo trip. In all my years of traveling, I’ve always either known someone at the destination or gone with someone. While I am meeting up with a tour group (so I won’t be completely on my own), it’s still something so much different than I’ve ever done.

Expect a whole lot of blog catching up in June! Though it just dawned on me that I might be able to post while I’m in Vietnam. I don’t expect a lot of down time (but what do I know, really?) other than maybe on my 13-hour overnight train ride. Yup. 13 hours. The longest of three on the trip. Oh and two, 10-hour flights. I certainly will have time to kill! We’ll see when I catch wifi though.

Anyways, happy Monday everyone! It’s Memorial day back home (well, actually it’s Sunday back home, but if it were Monday it would be Memorial day...not sure if that makes sense. You catch my drift, right?), but a regular Monday here. Even though I’m not in America at the moment, I’m still thankful for all the men and women who have served our country.

Friday Adventure: Vietnam

Photo: Riding Vietnam's Reunification Train

How is it nearly May? My lack of blog posts the past week+ is proof that time is flying and I can’t keep up! Again, I do believe that time flies when you’re having fun so it’s all good.

Last Friday, our weekly adventure was more of an errand than an adventure, though one could argue that any activity could be called an adventure. Wow - I think I hit the record for the amount of times the word ‘adventure’ can be used in a sentence! Anyways, we made a trip to the Vietnam Consulate in the city so I could apply for my visa for my trip to Vietnam. Yup. You read that right: I’M GOING TO VIETNAM. Ah. So excited.

I’m leaving the end of May for a 11 day trek through the country with a tour group. I knew I was going to travel some while I was over here, but I was thinking more along the lines of Fiji or Bali (a week of lying on the beach? yes, please). Ash convinced me that Vietnam is the place to go though. She did the same exact tour 9 years ago and said it was the best trip of her life. That is convincing enough!

This adventure was sort of a two-part one since I had to go pick up my passport + visa from the consulate this week. My friend Rebecca is visiting (lots more on that to come!) so yesterday we ventured into the city with Anderson to pick it up. We took the bus into the city, met Ash for coffee, took the train to Edgecliff (where the consulate is), and then went back into the city to celebrate at the Max Brenner chocolate cafe (of course!) and then home again. Good day!

Tres amigos in the city

Buggy was chatting up a storm to random strangers on the bus!

Chocolate covered strawberries at Max Brenner

Much, much more on Vietnam to come!

Friday Adventure: Sydney Fish Market

Ash, Anderson, and I have decided that we are going to spend our free Fridays doing something different and exciting every week. Hello, Friday Adventures! Being the end of the week, we felt like we could easily fall into a patten of lounging around the house doing much of nothing (which believe me, there is nothing wrong with that!). There is so much to see and do in Sydney though so we might as well take advantage. I feel like my time here is flying - I've been here a month and a half already (!!!) - so I need to use my time wisely. 

Today, we went to the Sydney Fish Market. This trip was partly for our weekly adventure and partly because Ash wanted to stock up on some salmon. Honestly, it wasn't high on my list of places to see in Sydney. Those who know me well know that I am not a seafood person. At all. I am learning though and can finally add salmon to the list of foods I like. That is progress, my friends. 

First stop was coffee, of course. Isn't this menu cool?! It shows what is in each type of drink. The picture doesn't show it very well, but the white parts of the cups say 'milk'. Pretty clever. 

The smells were overwhelming. Ugh. It grosses me out just thinking about it now! And the seafood on display was not helping convince me that seafood is in fact worth eating. Ewwww. 

While we waited for them to make our fish no longer look like a fish (no skin or bones and in fillets, thank you very much), we went outside. The smell was better and the view is prettier - the market sits on the water. It was overcast and dizzily, but again, this Seattle girl wasn't bothered. And Anderson spent most of his time looking up at the birds. Oh to be that easily entertained. ;) 

It was a good morning! While I can't say it's my favorite place in Sydney, it was worth the visit. Plus, we got some good salmon, which surprisingly, I'm excited to eat. Ash is a very good cook, which definitely helps! 

Easter Show

I'm a little late to the party with this post as Easter was a while ago (or so it seems). Anyways, Easter in Australia is a big deal. It’s a four day holiday weekend complete with the Sydney Royal Easter Show and hot cross buns. Those are the big differences I noticed compared to the states at least.

While the Easter show sounds like it could be an actual show or performance, it’s actually more like a county fair with a fancy name. And in the city.

Pete, Ash, Anderson, and I went to the Easter show the Friday before Easter. Despite the rain and crowds, we had a great day exploring and eating our way through the show.

We ate lots of food: crumpets with nutella, coffee, dagwood dogs (corndogs) and cheese on a stick, lemonade, pork buns, nachos, and ice cream. Oh boy, that list makes me sick just thinking about it!

Nice try, Pete!  

We saw lots of fun sights:

A map where people places stickers to mark where they are from.
Ash & I proudly put our sticker in Washington. We were only two of four! 

The 'American' food at the show

But the most of fun of all was getting our showbags. What are showbags you ask? Only the best things ever! U.S. fairs take note. There is a shed full of stands with showbags. You buy a showbag for a small price and it’s full of things of a certain theme. For example, Ash and I both got a Style bag that had a purse, hat, scarf, sunglasses, hair thing, and many other random samples and things. They have lots of bags for kids, bags full of chocolate, and many other random things. So cool!

The showbag shed craziness 

Happy with our showbags!

Anderson got George from Peppa Pig for his showbag

Oh, and hot cross buns. Maybe I’m just uneducated, but I only knew they existed because of the nursery rhyme. Have you ever had hot cross buns? They're pretty good!

Not just a tourist anymore

Photo credit: These Foreign Lands

This morning, a lady stopped me on the street and asked me if I knew where the closest supermarket was. I was able to point her in the right direction with confidence and even discuss whether the store carries what she was looking for or not. HOORAY! It’s official, I’m no longer just a tourist.

Nothing like a little confirmation that I might actually look like I know what I’m doing and that I have quite possibly lived here for more than a month (even if I have really only lived here a little over a month). She didn't even seem to notice my American accent. Oh, hello! That, my friends, is a great way to start the day.

Happy Thursday/Wednesday/whatever day is it wherever you are!

Balmoral Beach

 

Have I mentioned the beaches here? ‘Cause they are amazing. Sometimes it doesn’t seem possible that there are beaches as beautiful as this one only 10 minutes away. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Pete, Ash, and Anderson often go to the beach in the morning shortly after Anderson wakes up (read: as early as 6am sometimes). Usually I am still sound asleep...not much will get me out of bed before I absolutely have to be up. I’m not a morning person by a long shot! They come back with so many stories of how great the coffee was or how beautiful the view is or how lovely it is to be there when hardly anyone is around, etc. You get the point: they have a great time and I always miss out.

The Boathouse at Balmoral Beach

This time, I decided that it was worth checking out what the big fuss was about. Or maybe it was the fact that they promised me coffee and banana bread. Either way, I went and loved it.

coffee that's almost to pretty to drink. almost.

banana bread with honey, butter, and cheese

We munched on banana bread and enjoyed our cappuccinos with an awesome view at the Boathouse. Pete went for a swim and Anderson took a nap while we went for a walk and then we hung out for a bit: a good morning had by all.

brekky with a view

love this little munchkin so much

the sweet Malone family

all the excitement wore buggy out!

This time we didn’t go quite as early as they usually go, but I’m hooked now and will totally be joining them any time of morning that they go. Er, well maybe not before 7am. ;)

The Laneway

It didn’t take me long to find a favorite cafe and conveniently, it happens to be just a few short blocks from the apartment. Not only does this place have the best coffee, but they also have the most incredible muffins. As in so incredible I have to stop myself from going by the cafe more than once a day. The struggle is very real.

See! These muffins even look delish. Plus, some of them have chocolate mixed in with the berries. I mean, I have to keep going back just to increase my odds of getting a chocolate one. Or so I keep telling myself.

The cafes here have been a really nice change from my Starbucks routine back home. Don't get me wrong, I'm still all about Starbucks, but there's just something about the cafes over here. Sydney does cafe breakfasts + coffee really well in general. As the barista from The Laneway put it: "Seattle does coffee really well and breakfast really well, but there aren't many places that do coffee and breakfast together very well." Turns out she was confused and had actually visited Portland instead of Seattle. Either way, I feel like it applies to Seattle as well. While I have many favorite coffee shops (outside of Starbucks) and restaurants in Seattle, Sydney cafes just feel different. It's hard to describe so just come and visit to see what I mean. ;)