Best GD Toast Ever!

I like to keep lists.  Especially lists about best evers.  I can tell you the best meal I ever had (French Laundry), the best ice cream I ever had (Amy's Ice Cream, Austin, Texas), the best cheese cake I ever had (Ben Benson's New York Steakhouse).  I can even tell you the best glass of milk I ever had (Mustard Seed, Solvang, California. ) Frosty glass, rich, creamy, ice cold, whole, aka full-fat, milk.  It was so good I had to have two.

And now I can add to the list the best toast I've ever had.  Thick cut Quinoa seed toast at the Quantas lounge, Sydney Airport.  Did you know they have a full service restaurant in the Quantas lounge?  It's amazing. They take your order and bring it out piping hot before you can finish perusing the front page of USA Today.  It's awesome!

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  The toast was my last delicious token of our trip to Australia.

I still had a few days to go.  After Barossa we returned to Sydney.  Russell had to fly to Melbourne for a meeting.  He left me to fend for myself at the Shangri-la Hotel.  It wasn't hard.  Our room had a great view of Sydney Harbor and a couple good restaurants, not to mention room service, so I was set.

View from our room at the Shangri-la.

The first afternoon back we went to one of Russell's business associate's house for a BBQ.  His name is Charles.  He's from New Zealand and he is fabulously disheveled and funny in a oh-so-charming way.  His lovely wife, Sara, was still at her Bondi Beach life guarding job for the first part of the evening, so Charles was hosting dinner by himself.  They have three tow-headed, adorably chimerical kids and it was heartwarming to watch Charles juggle filling wine glasses, cooking the lamb, and ensuring the kid's movie didn't run out before dinner was served.  We had a great time thanks to his and Sara's warm hospitality.

Charles' tenant - Mr. Lizard.

This guy was huge!

After our lovely supper, Charles walked us down to Bondi Beach to catch a cab. We saw this wanted sign for a Punk Singer and were tempted.

Russell would look great in a mohawk!

The next day Russell left for Melbourne.  I had the day to myself.  So I ran to the Sydney Opera House and around the Botanical Gardens.  It reminded me of the first time we came to Australia for the 2000 Olympics.  That time we were guests of NBC and stayed on a cruise ship docked in Darling Harbor.  The area wasn't quite as built up as it is now.  Every morning I would get up and run to the Opera House and through the Botanical Gardens.  Running to iconic locations is one of my hobbies.  Like running to the Eiffel Tower while in Paris.

The Botanical Gardens were as awesome as I remember - the cockatoos, the bats, the surrealistic views of the Opera House and bridge.  Makes you feel like you're in a dream.  The only thing missing were the giant toads.  Instead, I discovered the slimy, nefarious eels.  There were lots of them in the Botanical Garden ponds.  Lurking in the shallows trying to eat the ducklings.  Ewww. Scary.  

I love this place and it's free!

Menage a' cockatoo

Odd looking bird.

Hopefully he eats eels.

Surrealistic view of the Opera House.

These are not seed pods.

They're bats.

So cool.

After the Botanical Garden, I went to the New South Wales Museum of Art.  They were having a wildly advertised Picasso exhibit.  Call me CRAZY, but I don't care for Picasso.  So I went to the pre-1900s art section instead.  I like that better anyway, especially the realistic or romantic paintings from olden times.  I love the exquisite details: the blush in the seemingly translucent cheeks of the portraits, the folds of silk in the curtains, table cloths and costumes.  Some are so real you can practically feel the luxurious silk between your fingers.  

I spent about an hour admiring each of the old pieces and then I came across an especially arresting work.  It literally brought tears to my eyes.  It was a painting of a deceased knight, in full armor, laid out on a table with an elaborate cloth.  But the part that took my breath away, was the loyal dog, forlornly leaning against the table, mourning his master.  It's amazing.  I even went online afterwards to look up more works by the painter Briton Riviere.  The painting is called Requiescat (1888).

I love the realistic way the dog is sitting.

Russell and I spent our last night in Sydney the way it began, eating and drinking.  We had dinner at the Shangri-la's gourmet restaurant called Altitude.  As you can imagine from the name it has an awesome view and the food is good too.

Altitude Restaurant overlooking Sydney Harbor

The view from the bar doesn't suck either.

After dinner we walked along the quay.  The weather was perfect.  We snuck into the Opera House and admired the architecture.  Interestingly, it's much nicer on the outside than the inside.

Walking along the quay.

Amazing architecture.

Cindy told us to make sure we got to the airport early the next day for our flight back to Tokyo.  But not because she was concerned we would miss our flight, the Sydney airport is quite efficient.  No, she wanted to make sure we took advantage of the Quantas lounge.  It was the best advice we got all trip.  Hence, the best toast of my life.

It was a fitting end to a great vacation in Australia.  

The architecture in the lounge is pretty cool too.

Now that's nice.

Russell's egg benedict.

I get half.

Thee toast.  No sharing this.

I'm salivating just looking at it.

How Does A Girl Get a Cup of Coffee Down Here?

I stood at the counter stuttering under the pressure.  After listening to the other patrons in line before me, I realized I had no idea how to order a cup of coffee here.  I was at a charming neighborhood cafe in Sydney, Australia, trying to get my morning medication, that is coffee fix.

Do I say long black, half black, short white?  This is worse than ordering an upside down Carmel Macchiato, extra hot, sugar free, no whip, at Starbucks.  Help me!  I looked at my friend John in desperation.  People in line behind me pressed impatiently.

I stepped up to the cash register and said rather timidly, "um, I'd like a coffee with cream."  I pointed to the cup size I wanted.  The guy looked at me like I was retarded.  "What?" he said, rather irritably.  I repeated my order, added a "please".  He conferred with the barista, who is also the owner.  The owner snapped back at him, "I know what she wants."  At least I think that's what he said.  It was hard to tell with the thick Aussie accent.  They were probably thinking the same thing about me, albeit my thick, ignorant American accent.   I handed him the cash and sheepishly got out of the way.

The owner yelled out something indecipherable to his mom, who was working the opposite counter. A few moments later his mom walked across the store and handed him a jar of clotted cream, the kind you serve with scones and honey.  "Noooo," the guy mumbled exasperated, "bring me some *&(%*%^."  She came back a few minutes later with a little glass of white stuff which I assume was cream.

I took my coffee, which was quite good, and ran outside.

After the Hunter Valley, Russell and I went to Sydney to celebrate New Year's Eve with our friends John and Cindy.  And what a celebration it was.  We had an amazing time.

They have an apartment on Darling Point overlooking Sydney Harbor  and they have exquisite taste in wine.

This is the view from their apartment.

Seriously.

With zoom

Yeah, that's the Opera house.

The day we arrived they graciously took us on a walking tour of their neighborhood, Darling Point, and treated us to a drink at the yacht club they belong to.  They're both accomplished sailors.  John and Cindy are the reason we own a boat and live in Long Beach.  Twelve years ago they took us on a tour of their neighborhood in their Boston Whaler.  They patiently explained the benefits of Belmont Shores and Naples, explicating that residents don't drive to the grocery store, they boat there.  We were in!   And now, ironically, both our houses in Long Beach are rented while we live abroad.  They in Sydney and us in Tokyo.

Now, besides friendly Aussies with boats, their neighbors include boisterous cockatoos and bossy magpies.  

A couple of their noisy neighbors.

That would be Mrs Cockatoo and Mr. Magpie to you.

That night they took us to one of their favorite restaurants in Sydney, the Rockpool Grill.  The chef is the renown Neil Perry.  "Hey", Russell and I both exclaimed excitedly, "that's the guy who designed the menu on the Quantas flight we were on." It was sublime, much better than on the airplane, which was great BTW.

New Year's Eve day we had the bright idea to walk around Sydney Harbor and the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Apparently about a million other people had the same idea.  Crowds were everywhere.  New Year's Eve is a very big deal in Sydney.  The entire country seems to rally behind it.   The area around the Opera house becomes one giant party all day and all night.  There was a line a mile long to get into the Botanical Gardens so people could get a space to view the fireworks later that evening.  The excitement and anticipation of the New Years fireworks was palatable as we meandered through the throngs of people along the harbor.  

John, Cindy and Russell feeling the excitement

and the sun.  It was a glorious day.

I didn't know Russell had a bar?

Those banners say NYE (New Years Eve) 2011.

Oh yeah, it's a very big deal

On the ferry back to Darling Point you see the crowds gathering for the pending celebration.

There were millions of people there.

The steps of the opera house clamored with party goers

reserving their space for the fireworks.

Because the view of the fireworks from Cindy and John's neighborhood is so spectacular, they close off all the streets in the area.  So we cooked at home and drank lots of really fantastic wine while we waited for the sun to set.

At dusk the bats come out.  Yes bats.  They are so cool.  There are literally thousands of them.  They nap all day, upside down, in the Botanical gardens.  At twilight they venture out to feast on insects in neighborhoods nearby.  We spent a good part of the evening watching them fly right by Cindy and John's apartment window.  They are gigantic!  The size of a small dog.  They call them "flying foxes" and they're really quite cute when you get close enough to see their puppy-like faces.  I want one.

The bats flying out to feast at dusk.

The anticipation of the celebration to come.

Believe it or not Sydney shoots off two sets of fireworks on New Years Eve.  The first set is called the "kiddie fireworks" and they go off at 9pm.  The second set goes off at midnight and I have never seen anything like them.  I don't know what they call them but I call them AMAZING!  And I thought the Sumida Fireworks in Asakusa were good.  In Asakusa, I was impressed with the fact they shoot off fireworks from two different locations at the same time.   That's child play compared to Sydney.

In Sydney, they set off fireworks from six, count em, six locations, simultaneously, in addition to what they launch from the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  From our vantage point we could see four of the six locations, plus the bridge.

John took pictures with a real camera perched on a pedestal, while Russell and I gazed in wonder and struggled to capture the magnificence of the display with our iPhones.  I think I said "oh my god" two hundred times.   Cindy has the audio on her iPhone to prove it.   

The next five photos were taken with my iPhone camera if you can believe that....

The "kiddie" fireworks.

The beginning of the adult show.

"Oh my God!"

"Oh my God!"

"Oh my God this is amazing!"

The next two photos were taken by John...

Wow!

"Oh my God"

We toasted in the New Year with great friends and a bottle of Rockford Sparkling Shiraz. What a way to start the new year.

The next day, Cindy and John took us on a power walk through Bondi Beach and along the coast on this amazing seaside trail built into the cliffs. 

Cindy, John and I power-walking.

Russell power lollygagging.

Oh yeah, that's nice.

Interesting rock formations.

It was another beautiful day and apparently everyone who had been at Sydney Harbor the day before decided to go to Bondi Beach, like us, the day after.

In Australia they actually build protected pools into the coastal beaches.  John told us it's to protect the swimmers from the ever present sharks.  Funny, they never mention that in the travel brochures.  John pointed out the zodiac boat with shark look-outs continuously patrolling the beach.  In spite of the threat, hundreds of happy, sunburned people, some of them topless, were swimming in the unprotected waters.  Not me.  Not swimming.  Not topless.

Protective pool built into the shoreline.

Gorgeous view from the seaside walk.

This photo has NOT been color enhanced.

Apparently this guy had too much to drink New Year's Eve

For dinner that night we went to Aria which is in Sydney Harbor overlooking the bay and opera house.  Unlike most "view" restaurants in America, the food here was outstanding.

The next day we had to get up at 5:00 am to catch a flight to Adelaide.  I told Russell to leave the shades open so the natural light would wake us up the next morning.  Uh yeah, there is no light at 5:00 am.  But apparently there are people.  As we waited for the cab to pick us up from the dark street, we watched a guy pace back and forth on his dimly lit balcony, smoking, and listening to rock music.  Even the birds would be irritated.