2 birthdays and a trip to the mountains

This has been a great week for us. Birthdays, parties, feasts, roadtrips, hanging out with amazing friends… you can’t really ask for much more than that, can you?

Here’s how it all unfolded…

Today’s my birthday! That’s right, I can now legally buy alcohol in the USA. Hey! I heard that snort!

I personally think Mrs Romance is more excited about it than I am, but that’s ok. It usually works out well for me!

Mrs R has come into town to have lunch with me on my birthday. We only have time for a quick laksa and Hainanese chicken rice at my favourite little city laksa house – the Malay Chinese Laksa House to be exact. It’s on Hunter Street and is definitely worth a visit if you’re nearby and hungry.

Tonight, Mrs Romance has organised a little party for me. She’s invited a few friends to come and spend my birthday with us in my favourite pub, the Royal Albert Hotel. Mrs R knows me well, a fact which this ‘cake’ sums up perfectly! Their burgers are absolutely sensational as you’ll see from our list of the top 10 burgers from around the world.

It’s great to be able to spend the evening with so many lovely people. It’s been one of the best birthdays for quite a while.

This morning, we’ve woken up right on Sydney Harbour in the uber-glam Pier One Hotel. We’re staying here for two reasons: our agent The Remarkables Group is holding their AGM here this year and it’s also their 3-year birthday. It’s going to be an education and a lot of fun besides.

Mrs Romance is up early this morning to take advantage of the view. It’s pretty special, isn’t it?

It’s party time! We’ve been working hard at this year’s AGM, so it’s time to let our hair down… or for Mrs Woog, to put her hair up! Mrs Romance has put on her Hair Romance shoes getting some of the Remarkables’ bloggers hair looking remarkable!

Our big night is here at last: The Remarkables Group 3rd birthday party.

We’re in Li’l Darling – a great little bar in Surry Hills – tonight. It’s so good to catch up with some friends we haven’t seen for ages and also meet new friends too. It’s a private party in Li’l Darling tonight, but ordinarily this place is open to all and serves delicious food and epic cocktails – like this espresso martini!

It’s great to be out with our other Remarkable blogger friends too tonight. In particular, Sonia from SoniaStyling.com is a lot of fun to hang out with. There’s only so much resistance we can put up before we’re messing around with the balloons at tonight’s party. We’re convinced that they look like giant gold boobs.

I’d apologise, but I wouldn’t mean it.

This morning I’ve pretended not to notice the pastry section of Pier One’s breakfast buffet for as long as I can. Now I wish it hadn’t taken me so long. These pain au chocolat are unbelievable!

After an incredible foodie day at Kitchen by Mike, Black Star Bakery and Archie Rose Distillery, we’ve arrived in the Blue Mountains for a weekend away with our amazing friends Carly aka Smaggle.com and her partner Ben.

We’ve checked into our hotel – the incredibly relaxing Parklands Lodges and Spa in Blackheath – we’ve come down the road to eat at Vesta. The ribs I’ve ordered are so delicious it almost makes me want to move to Blackheath!

Today we’re exploring the Blue Mountains with Carly and Ben. In between the surprisingly fun rides at Scenic World, we find this beautiful waterfall.

If you’re after a great day out in and amongst nature but you don’t fancy the risk of getting very muddy or horribly lost, check out Scenic World. It’s brilliantly put together and so well staffed too.

We’re living it up at lunch this afternoon. The Hydro Majestic hotel and dining has recently been renovated. It’s only been open a couple of months after being closed for what seems a lifetime.

They’ve done an incredible job here and the view out over the Jamison and Megalong Valleys is unbelievable. The only thing that could possibly distract me is the delicious food in what’s turned out to be my first ever high tea!

It’s almost time to go home, but we get one last look out over the blue mountains before we hit the highway. It’s been too long since Mrs Romance and I visited the Blue Mountains. We’ve forgotten how beautiful it is here and how much there is to do – not to mention the food!

We’ll definitely be back soon.

What was your week like? Did your weekend prove to be a relaxing one? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance, @Christina.Butcher – Mrs R’s Insta account and @AngryBastard of course!