And here we are in May again! I’m starting to freak out a little bit if the truth be known. I was expecting to have had so much more done before now. It’s really taken a long time for this year to get up on its toes.
Still, this month is looking good!
We’ve got travel plans, Mrs Romance has just released a brand new ebook, I’ve got my first proper speaking gig coming up at Vivid… and of course it’s my birthday this month too. So yes, May’s looking much more like the year I was hoping for!
Anyway, on to our latest Instagram Diary. Once again full of lovely views, delicious food and our travel recap at the end.
Enjoy!
Tonight we’re exploring a part of town we don’t usually think of as a romantic dinner option. We’re usually just hopping off the ferry and heading through Circular Quay, which is a bit silly really, when you’ve got views of the Harbour Bridge and – a little further round – the Opera House.
We’ve come to Eastbank Cafe to check out their new menu – and the amazing views too of course! It’s a beautifully clear night – perfect for a romantic evening in the city.
We’ve got a killer table right at the front of the restaurant. It’s not too busy tonight, and the staff have got time to stay and chat with us for a little bit, which is excellent.
Our cocktails are going down well as we eye up the menu. I’m thinking some of their tender calamari fritti, a woodfired pizza and perhaps one of the salads they do here.
We’ve just come from the Dendy cinema next door (we’ve made the most of the tight-arse Tuesday prices!) so it’s taking us ages to get through the menu. We’re also just stunned at how good it is having dinner here. For years, we’ve been under the impression that this whole area was just an over-priced tourist trap.
What we’re finding tonight is quite the opposite. Yes, the prices here are a bit higher than normal – but then you’ve got this view. The service is friendly and attentive, the food is absolutely delicious and the crowd is surprisingly local. In fact I think there are perhaps three tables of tourists in the place. Everyone else is either out on a date like us, out with family or having a business dinner. The atmosphere is actually quite lovely.
Well done, Eastbank!
Don’t be fooled by the photo. Yes, I’m up early enough to take this sunrise photo, but I’ve now gone back to bed and – now that I’ve edited this lovely view – I’m going back to sleep.
It’s no secret that Mrs Romance and I love cheese. It’s the best. We have cheese dinners every now and then, and the cheese plate at the end of a dinner party is always my favourite thing to bring out.
There’s a knack to creating a really good cheese board though, so as we’ve had so much practice, we thought we’d share our pearls of cheesy wisdom with you.
Here’s our secret weapon for making the ultimate cheese board.
So this is very exciting indeed: Mrs Romance has just launched her latest ebook! Coming from her incarnation as The Hair behind Hair Romance, Mrs R’s published what I believe is her best book yet – and I should know; I’ve proofed and edited them all!
This one – 30 Days of Curly Hair – is a guide to helping ladies (and long-haired lads!) with curly locks. There are tips on how to care for your curls and over 35 different ways to style your hair so your curls are getting the attention they deserve.
Check out the info on Mrs R’s latest post about the book here.
Today is our mate Paul’s 40th birthday party. I can’t believe so many of my friends are hitting the big 4 0. Not that it means anything of course. As an old family friend used to say: ‘you’re only as old as the woman you feel.’ He’s in prison now, of course, but I kind of get his sentiment. None of my friends who are 40 or over say they feel any different to when they were 30.
Anyway, one thing’s for sure, it’s a great excuse for celebration.
We’re out in Newtown tonight in the Continental Deli Bar and Bistro. The pre-packed cocktails they do here all come in the old-style Continental soup tins, which is quite novel.
The food is excellent though and, if you’re looking for somewhere that’s doing everything a little different, this is your place.
They even do cool things with your dessert!
This week’s travel recap
Each week we go back in time over some of our favourite travel destinations using never-before-seen photos of our travels. Here’s where we’ve been looking back on this week.
There’s something about the feta cheese in the salads in Greece. You can’t find it anywhere else – it’s just not quite the same. I used to go to Greece quite a lot with my folks when I was a kid but this was the first time Mrs Romance and I ever explored this beautiful country.
Here’s more on where went, what we did and what happened when we did it!
Mrs Romance loves showing me shots like this one. It was when she went to the spectacular One and Only Hayman Island Resort in Queensland. Without me!
Of course I’m not jealous. I’m… very please that she was… able to experience such luxury and natural beauty… and was able to come and tell me all about. Again and again. And again.
Here’s more of what Mrs R got up to on Hayman Island. Without me.
Tuscany is one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. And at its heart is this amazing ancient walled city San Gimignano (pronounced ‘jim-in-yano’). The towers you can see are central to this city’s identity. There used to be 200 of them but over the centuries they’ve all been destroyed. All but the few you still see.
Fore more info on San Gimignano – and the rest of Tuscany – check out our guide to visiting this enchanting Italian province here.
Paris at sunset can be the most remarkable place on earth. The colours and light through this most romantic city, the river, the buildings… it’s incredible. If you like this shot, you’ll love Mrs Romance’s post on Paris – a Story through Stills, where she shares some of her favourite photos.
I wasn’t as sold on Paris to begin with however. But then Mrs Romance showed me the error of my ways and made me love it almost as much as she does. Here’s how ‘my wife made me love Paris’.
London’s – and in fact Western Europe’s – tallest building is currently The Shard. It’s a magnificent monolith that towers high above the city. From the top you can see way past the city limits out across the countryside. We were lucky to have one of the few clear days (that blue stuff is what the sky looks like on the other side of the grey you’re probably used to, London!) and the views were superb.
We also explored some of the other ways you can see London from on high. Here’s what we found.
Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a gothic shopping precinct directly opposite Milan’s Duomo. The duomo is one of Europe’s most important gothic buildings – and the Galleria doesn’t look out of place next to it. Such a beautiful piece of architecture.
And that’s not all you can do in Milan, of course. Here are our top 10 things to do in one of the fashion capitals of the world.
And now it’s over to you. How’s your week been? Has 2016 disappeared as quickly as mine so far? Have you had any good meals this week just gone? Tell us in the comments!
