Here we are, on our much anticipated ‘Yay year 11 is over’ trip. Master 16 and the Travel Bee (OG) are on a special mum and son trip. One on which I was hoping we could enjoy each others company minus all the usual nagging associated with teen boys, school and the multitude of distractions lying in their path.
Well, Day 1 started with the teenager refusing to exit his bed. Yes, we had arrived late the night before and yes we had eaten very late but at 10am I’d had enough and despite my best intentions……. the nagging mother took over.
However, she wasn’t needed for long. I discovered the cafe beneath our hotel had a high Tripadvisor rating and boasted the best Eggs Benedict around. This was enough, he managed to drag himself downstairs.
The eggs were indeed worth being torn from bed, but so in fact was the atmosphere. Never have I ever been to a breakfast venue with mirror balls on the ceiling and good old fashioned dance music playing at volume (I’m talking my era dance music).
Located on the edge of Surrey Hills, Joe Black cafe offered the perfect place to continue partying on (if you’d been out all night), while somehow still managing to feel chilled and welcoming to groups of Sunday morning brunch fans. You were greeted at the door and treated like a long lost friend, the host having a cheeky joke with each patron.
From here, we made our way slowly on foot to Circular Quay stopping in various shops along the way. It turns out Black Friday is a good (or bad depending on who is paying) time to shop in Sydney. With our bags full and wallets empty, it was time to join our Bonza cycle tour.
This was an idea I had a few weeks back. I knew dragging the teenager around the city to see the Botanical Gardens, historic buildings, harbour lookouts and wharfs might be hard work and this seemed like a fun way to do it. And I was right! Apart from the helmets, Master 16 had little to complain about. In fact, he was at the front of the group for much of the tour and joined in with the tour guide in explaining some Australianisms to the Canadian and Dutch travellers in our group (hang a uie, bin chickens, cooee).
With all the main city sights seen, we are now suitably exhausted. Tomorrow, we climb this….
And we are both afraid of heights……. should be a fun day!
TTB
The Travel Bee 