Well, that’s September done and dusted. Didn’t take long, did it? It does mean that we’re only 12 weeks away from Christmas, which is… interesting. But the best news for us here in Sydney is that Summertime is finally here.
We’ve made the most of it by spending as much time as we can out by the water this week. In fact, the only time we’ve been away from the harbour is to go to find food!
To make things even better, this week is a short week, thanks to a public holiday for most of the country today (sorry, Victoria, Northern Territory and Tasmania!). So here’s to a four-day week, long nights and warmer weather on its way.
Hope you’ve had a good weekend and that you enjoy this week’s IG Edition!
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It’s a beautiful start to the week here in Sydney. And even better, we start it with a bit of a ferry ride into the city. This is definitely the best way to get around Sydney whether you live here or are just visiting. It’s a bit more expensive than the other public transport methods, but worth the cost.
We’ve ventured out to the pub for dinner tonight. The East Village in Balmain does a burger deal every Tuesday after 6pm. The $10 burgers are great (you have to buy a drink to get the deal) but the special they change every week is always worth a go.
This week is a slow-cooked brisket burger and is absolutely unbelievable. We were just going to go for the regular cheeseburger, but the head barman has sold it up telling us to get it while there’s still some brisket left. The dwindling supply is mostly his fault by his own admission: he keeps stealing bits whenever he’s back in the kitchen!
A bit of a behind-the-scenes shot for you: we’ll be telling you more about this incredible little Aussie brewery we’ve recently discovered later this week – their beer is good enough to make me cry. Mrs Romance is busy taking a few styled shots of their range while I try to help by not getting in the way!
Sunset over the biggest natural harbour in the world! Not bad, ay? We’re heading north of the city this evening to enjoy a night with some friends. We wish they lived a bit closer, but on the other hand we get to take another trip on the ferry to get to them, so it’s not all bad!
This afternoon we’ve decided to take a couple of beers down to the water’s edge to finish off the working week outside. As you might notice, the laptop’s closed and not doing much. Plus I’ve taken the rare opportunity to fire up a Cuban.
The beer’s from Tumut River Brewing Company – their alcoholic ginger beer called Ginger Ninja! It’s way too easy to drink to be safe, but if you’re in town for Sydney Craft Beer Week this month (goes from 21st – 30th October), you might be able to try some. Careful though, it’s got a real ninja kick!
Very much enjoying this afternoon’s wind-down! Should be working, but this is much more fun.
By the way, for those interested this is Montecristo’s newest vitola – the Petit Edmundo. It’s a beautiful cigar that gives you all the fun of an Edmundo cigar without requiring the time it takes to smoke a full-size one.
If you’re not sure what to look for in a cigar, here are my tips on choosing one!
This morning, Mrs Romance and I have hiked out to Lilyfield in Sydney’s Inner West. Why? Well, Orange Grove Market, which runs every Saturday without fail, is home of what’s widely recognised as the best bacon and egg roll in Sydney. Bowens’, which has been here for years, dishes up a real treat for hungry shoppers.
But don’t come here too hungry; the perma-queue is always at least 10-deep. But what you get – especially for $7 – is absolutely worth the wait.
The Orange Grove Markets are part of our Sydney market round-up: 9 Sydney markets you have to visit.
We’re out by the water once again today. Even though we live right by the harbour, it still catches us out how beautiful this part of Sydney is.
Do you see the weird tower thing in front of the Harbour Bridge? This is the old harbour authority’s observation tower, and they’re demolishing it at last. It means taking photos of the Bridge from now on will be much better – I just wish they’d made it into a bar. Imagine the views from up there.
The water around the harbour foreshore is so clear at the moment. It’s amazing. Now I think about it though, all I can think of is the sharks in the harbour all saying ‘all the better to see you, my dear,’ a la the big bad wolf!
Foolishly, I reminded Mrs Romance that we still had some haloumi in the fridge. This is the result – plus me having to get out of bed on a Sunday long weekend. That’s ok though. Happy wife, happy life!
And this proves my point! Look how happy Mrs R is now – though this beautiful day might have something to do with it too!
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.
September always represents a lot of love for us. It’s the month we met all those years ago – you can read about how we met here – so we always find some way to celebrate. When we first met, I had to go back to the UK when my visa finally ran out, so we made sure we celebrated being together each month. We still do that today, so every 15th, we wish each other a happy ‘miniversary’. 😉
The colours of the Saguaro Palm Springs are amazing. This renovated mid-century motel in the middle of the California desert is one of our top recommendations of where to stay in Hollywood’s Playground.
Palm Springs was developed in the early 1900s as a place to come for health reasons thanks to its dry climate. It wasn’t long before the glitterati of the day moved in, discovering it was just within Hollywood’s 2 hour rule. The 2 hour rule was where everyone including the big stars – had to remain within a 2-hour travelling distance from the studio when filming. The rule still stands, but thanks to traffic, Palm Springs is only just 2 hours away from LA when traffic’s good. Which is never!
Still, the legacy of the golden ’50s still lives on in Palm Springs. It’s great town to visit and here are our top 3 places to stay while you’re here – our latest post.
Our pool – our private pool – in the Sala in Phuket, Thailand was absolutely incredible. This has to be one of the most luxurious hotels we’ve ever stayed in. It was a hard decision to make here: pool? Or bath? The bath’s almost as big as the pool!
Check out our full review and video walk-through of the Sala here!
How’s this beautiful chair?! This is in the entrance to the kind of hotel we were not expecting to find in Bangkok. The Hua Chang Heritage Hotel – right in the heart of Bangkok’s busy retail district – is a real oasis of peace in this crazy city.
We’ve written a full review of our time here in the Hua Chang, which means literally ‘elephant’s head’ in Thai after the old bridge the hotel’s situated next to.
This beautiful scene is in the northern New South Wales beach town of Cabarita. This is the pool at Halcyon House, a converted surfers’ motel from the ’60s. The renovations have not only brought this hotel back to life, they’ve given it an entirely new one.
There’s also an award-winning restaurant here called Paper Daisy. Here’s our review of the restaurant.
If you’re looking for the ultimate in mid-century modern style, you have to come here. This is the Parker Palm Springs. As I mentioned earlier with the Saguaro, Palm Springs’ heyday was the ’50s when the likes of Monroe and the Rat Pack called this desert oasis home.
Now, places like the Parker bring visitors from all over the world. Absolutely worth it. And for our other recommendations for where to stay here, check out our post on Palm Springs here!
And that’s the end to September’s last IG Edition! We hope you’ve enjoyed it. Here’s to a great October!
How has your September been? How did you spend this long weekend – if you had one of course 😉 ? Do you have any idea how to pronounce Moet & Chandon?! Tell us in the comments!
