Playing at Luna Park

A couple of weekends ago S & I decided to revisit our childhoods & head to Luna Park for the day. I only remember going to the Sydney one once when I was very young (although I have been to the Melbourne Luna Park a few times as an adult).

It's perfect weather and views like these that are making my decision on whether to live in Sydney or Melbourne very very difficult.

Our first glimpse of the slightly-creepy smiling entrance.

As soon as we walked through the gates I quickly regressed to childhood, skipping along & practically bursting with impatience to try all the rides!

I adored the clowns when I was young, but at $5 a go, decided to give them a miss.

The carousel is a beautifully-restored 1900 original, still with its 1904 organ.

The first ride we tried was quite sedate - the Ferris Wheel.

It's quite pretty with the harbour & bridge as a backdrop.

The views were amazing - this is looking over the park to Lavender Bay.

One thing the day brought home to me was just how old I'm getting - I actually got scared going down the slippery dip at Coney Island, the relatively sedate Wild Mouse rollercoaster had me gripping the carriage in terror and to top it off, the 'Ranger' pirate ship left me feeling ill for the rest of the day.

I had wanted to go on the Flying Saucer, but after watching it do it's spinning thing up into the air I gave it a miss & happily waved S off to some stomach-churning fun.

After we had squeezed as much out of our unlimited rides pass that my stomach would allow, we settled down for a beer at The Deck. It's got one of the best views in Sydney, and the prices aren't that bad, considering.

We couldn't sit around drinking beer all day, so soon it was time to say goodbye.

But not before one last shot of Australia's 2 most famous icons.

We decided to walk back over the bridge since I've never done it. Walking underneath the barbed wire feels a bit intimidating, but I guess that's what our world has come to these days.

At least there are views like these to distract you.

I had a great day at Luna Park - it's not cheap, but definitely worth the cash for your next Sydney adventure. If I eventually decide to live in Sydney, I'll definitely be getting an annual pass so I can enjoy unlimited fun all year round!

Coogee-Bondi Coastal Walk

The Bondi-Coogee Coastal Walk is pretty well known to Sydney-siders. When S & I had a Friday off recently we decided to give it a go, but in the opposite direction, because I had my eye on a vegan pie for lunch at Funky Pies in Bondi.

So, we got up early & got the bus to Coogee. It's my favourite Sydney beach, even under a grey sky.

After seeing so many Italian beaches that consisted of nothing more than a thin strip of pebbles, this sweep of white sand was quite beautiful to look at.

The walk is very easy - hugging the sandstone cliffs along the coast pretty much the whole way.

Sydney is so built up, it's easy to forget there are still places you can appreciate what it was like hundreds of years ago. Well, at least you could if you squinted & ignored the buildings along the rough coastline.

Shortly after leaving Coogee we reached Gordon's Bay - a pretty spot that seems to attract lots of fisherman.

Look - I captured another flying bird!

The next beach is Clovelly. It's quite small, but does have a lovely, free, ocean pool.

The Clovelly Bowling Club surely has the best view of any club in Australia.

And of course the Waverley Cemetary offers an eternal ocean view to a select few.

It really is a beautiful coastline, I can't believe I have never walked the whole thing.

Next beach on the list is Bronte.

Quickly followed by Tamarama.

And of course, finishing off with the (in)famous Bondi - probably my least favourite Sydney beach, despite (or perhaps, because of) the hype.

This walk was fantastic - I recommend you try it on a weekday outside of summer to avoid the crowds. It's not only a favourite spot for tourists, but for locals as well.

The Stats
Distance: 6km
Time: About 1.5hrs (but you could easily make it 1/2 a day if you wanted to wander off the track for a coffee in each suburb, or for a swim in warmer weather)
Difficulty: Easy-Medium - just for some of the steeper sections of steps towards the Bondi end of the walk.

Exploring the Blue Mountains

Sadly, I'm back in Australia after an amazing 4 and a bit weeks in Italy... but happily I'm still out exploring.

I've been to the Blue Mountains quite a few times over the years, but this was the first time I've actually been up with the intention of bushwalking. After dropping our bags at the hotel, S & I headed out to explore some local spots. We started with a short walk to the Sublime Point Lookout, with its stunning views over the Jamison Valley.

The weekend we visited was the end of the Leura Gardens Festival. Sadly, we didn't have time to visit any of the open gardens, but this hedge creature caught our attention. I was thinking dinosaur, S went with whale.

After a short break for lunch & checking into the hotel, we headed out again later in the afternoon. This time we were heading for Gordon Falls & the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. There are steep metal stairs on most of the walks around this area.

The valley doing a really good impersonation of a smoke machine.

The dense fog gave the valley a really eerie feeling.

The Cliff Walk had been closed as recently as a few days before we got there due to a bushfire.

A couple of magpies singing on the edge of the cliff.

Just after this the skies opened & we spent the next hour or so getting progressively wetter as we made our way back to the next track up to the road and back to the hotel. I had a rain jacket, but no rain pants, so I was pretty cold & miserable until I was able to have a hot shower & change into some warm, dry clothes.

That evening, we headed into Katoomba for dinner and afterwards, stopped off at The Carrington for a drink.

Next morning, we headed out for a wander around Leura. It's such an atmospheric village, but I think this street wins the prize for being impossibly pretty.

Under much clearer skies we tackled another section of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, this time heading to Leura Cascades. One of my favourite things is seeing the shadows that clouds cast on the bush below.

Bridal Veil Falls from the Bridal View Lookout.

S doing his photographer thing at the bottom of Leura Cascades.

After the Cascades we decided to head down the valley further to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls. My walking downhill sensor was on high alert, but there wasn't much I could do about it - I wanted to see the falls.

They were so beautiful, even the climb back up didn't phase me.

There was so much we didn't get to explore of the Mountains because of bad weather and not having a car. I can't wait to get back up there to do some longer walks.

Italia Day 31 & 32 - Milano Take 2

Here we are at the end of my 2011 Italian adventure. I spent the last 2 days of my holiday back in Milano, hanging out with my friend C. I didn't do much in those 2 days - just some of this - enjoying birre at Capetown Cafe.

And a fair bit of wandering around the shops, taking photos of monuments where I saw them - like the Porta Sempione.

I kept coming across elephant sculptures all across the city. Turns out they are part of an art project raising awareness of the Asian Elephant.

Finally I came full circle and ended up back at the Duomo.

I got so into the swing of the city of those last 2 days I even bought some ridiculously oversized sunglasses.

Grazie, bella Italia, for a wonderful, at times chaotic, sometimes magical, but always unique, vacanza. You got under my skin in a way I never expected and I will see you again soon, that's a promise.