I left the house at 8am and it was cold. I mean really cold and not just for Brisbane. The temp gauge on the car read 14C but it was raining and windy so it was actually much colder. Mr Ollie slept in and so didn’t wave me off at the door and there were nearly tears from mummy not getting to say goodbye before leaving for my first ever overnight away from him.
I was off to Sydney to celebrate Miss Sydney’s engagement. It felt really strange wondering the newsagent at the airport with no sense of purpose or a baby on my hip but I soon settled in. As soon as I opened my book on the plane I was lost in a whole hour of reading… what a treat.
Sydney weather was far from the Brisbane dreariness and even put on a bit of sunshine for us at one stage. I wasn’t the only one heading down to celebrate and a group of us caught up for lunch on the Saturday at the Glenmore Hotel. I’m not sure if Sydney is really high-tech compared to Brisbane but I thought it was odd when they asked for my email address when making the booking.
A few minutes later my inbox pinged with a confirmation email with a reservation code. A code! For a restaurant booking! There were some T&Cs in there too including ‘if you’re more than 15 minutes late your table is gone (in better wording).’ They also rang on Saturday morning to confirm.
The Glenmore Hotel downstairs is just like a regular old pub but make your way up the rickety old steps (don’t trip!) and you’ll find a pretty amazing view. It’s a great spot for a big group to gather for a casual lunch. Especially good for a big group because you order and pay at the counter so there’s no hassle of splitting the bill.
The food was all really delicious and just a tiny bit fancier than regular pub grub. I had the pulled pork sandwich and it was full of flavour with a little chili kick on a nice, soft Turkish bun.
I did think that a spot of shopping on my own would be a good idea after lunch. I lasted all of 40 minutes before heading back to my hotel room for a nap in the king-sized bed. FYI the Radisson Blu is a great, central spot to stay and the staff are very helpful (unlike the Jetstar staff but I’ll get to that).
That night we celebrated with fancy drinks and canapés at The Victoria Room which are a bit like stepping back in time to a period where people were glamorous and things were done with fine china and the best silverware. It’s a must-visit if you like that sort of thing. I want to go back for high tea one day.
It’s also conveniently located above Gelato Messina so of course I had to get a gelato on the way home at the respectable hour of 11.30pm. It’s seriously tasty but I have to say, Milany in Brisbane is on-par but without the fancy flavours.
The next morning Sydney really put on quite a show with brilliant blue skies and a comfortable almost-spring temperature.
It’s a good thing because Miss Sydney had a breakfast planned outside at her favourite local cafe Two Ants in Elizabeth Bay. Frank the super friendly owner (one of their friends now) set up a long table on the footpath in the open air and lined the table with beautiful blue orchids.
I went for my standard breakfast of smashed avo on toast with a side of mushrooms which was yummy but the highlight was the cinnamon bun which Miss Sydney raves about nearly every time I speak with her (and we talk a lot). Frank gets them from a pastry chef in Haberfield. He used to make savouries and they weren’t selling well so his wife suggested sweet and after a fair bit of hesitation he started making cinnamon buns and they’re now his best seller.
After brunch I was getting a bit anxious to get home to my boys and we headed to the airport.
A couple of hours later I arrived home to my little crazy crawler. He and Will had a wonderful weekend together and they both had a Sunday sleep in until 8.45am. Lucky ducks!
Clearly I left my brain in Sydney or was a bit worn out from the trip because I put this whole mat together and realised it was far from a rectangle. Should have counted the squares first. There may have been a few bad words muttered when I realised I had to take the whole thing apart and start again.
What about you? Do you read on the plane? Magazines? Books? Or is music more your thing?
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