Sydney

Sydney was jam packed, exhausting and fun. Living on the North coast of Tasmania means that we are not exposed to all that a capital city has to offer, the good, the bad and the ugly. The ugliest for me being shopping malls - I hate them with a passion. I get lulled into buying things that I don’t really need or want, I wonder around confused about where I am feeling crapper and crapper about myself because my life isn’t filled with new shiny super cool things. Maggie starts looking a little bored so Kim decides to put her in a little car thingy and we stick coins into a slot to watch her go around in circles for a while only then to deal with a tanty because she was only allowed one go. I drink disgusting coffee because I just need to relax for a while, but to ‘relax’ means entering the hell hole that is the food court where children all pumped up on fast food scream at parents experiencing consumerism overload…….GET ME OUTTA THERE QUICK! You can keep your new shiny super cool. I’d rather have my refashioned, recycled, happy independently occupied chilled child and life anyday.

So instead I enjoy a little mooch in alternative shopping areas such as Balmain or Newtown (I’m sure there are others but these are my favourites). Full of small streets with crazy old ramshackled Victorian terraces housing little boutique shops, friendly cafes and little neighbourhoods where Maggie can enjoy some time with other children in a park and I can have a chat with a local mum who can recommend somewhere nice to go for lunch. The clothes are cheap, the food is healthy, the sights are more real. Unfortunately this trip I didn’t make it to Glebe, my favourite part of Sydney.

Tarrango Park Zoo was also well worth the visit for Maggie to see all the animals she reads about in books in real life; monkeys, giraffes, elephants, lions, tigers, zebras, meerkats, seals etc etc. I would really recommend a trip to this zoo, the views of the city are amazing. Maggie thought the ferry ride from Circular Quay was just as much fun.

Whilst at Circular Quay I like to have a little lookie around the Rocks.....any excuse to have morning or afternoon tea at La Renaissance, the proper French patisserie! With cakes like these, could you not?

On Sunday I had a day all to myself so that I could go to Bondi market. The last time I went which was nearly four years ago, I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of girls selling their own creations and this time I was not disappointed. Lots of independent designers of clothes, jewellery, paintings and other bits and bobs as well as a whole heap of vintage and refashioned clothes and pretty stuff for the home. My favourite was Stonemen - a couple of Bondi guys selling super hot mens undies. Also in Bondi in Gould Street is the super cool vintage clothes shop Grandma Takes a Trip which I had also discovered on my last trip. Then after a coffee and the biggest vanilla slice you’ve ever seen I headed back towards the city and got off the bus at Paddington for a little mooch down Oxford Street to another vintage clothes store Shag and then to William Street to enjoy abit of window shopping in the old whalers cottages which are now occupied by very high end specialist retailers. I then jumped back on the bus to take me back into the city where I finished my day with my favorite meal which I can never enjoy with anyone else because I take so damm long to eat it, a proper seafood Laksa. At least that’s one thing I love about cities, the food choices. I caught the bus back to North Narrabeen at 8pm and my legs could barely take me the last little walk to the caravan park but I left Sydney feeling I was ready to move on.

Apologies once again lovely readers for the lack of good photo's but I hope this little travel journal I'm doing on this trip will provide some ideas for any forthcoming trips you might have planned, in which case it's so much better seeing, hearing, smelling and experiencing it all for yourself anyway.