The Victoria Room

Mix high tea with the British Raj era, add a dash of opulence and a touch of class and you will find yourself at the Victoria Rooms in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Take yourself back in time and allow yourself to be waited on in style as you dine on mini morsels of cake goodness, tea that takes you to a place of yester-year.

Their high tea is served from 12-5 and there are three different levels.

Classic - $45 per head
Emerald - $55 per head
Sapphire - $60 per head
Diamond  - $65 per head

Each different High tea has a different alcohol served with it, pick which one you fancy!

All the waiters/ress' are very professional, attentive and dressed to impress.

Its such a lovely atmosphere, you will never want to leave!

The Great Wall

We were warned by several travelers we had met along our way through China to avoid going anywhere near Badaling. We were told it is that crowded you can’t even move on the wall. So naturally we were expecting the swarms of crowds with pushing and shoving.

In order to get to Badaling we had to catch an overnight train from Xi’an. The train ride was great. Overnight trains, to me, always scream adventure – This is why we opted to train-it rather than fly this leg. The hard sleeper (which is 6 bunk-beds in a cabin, 3 stacked on each side – no door, with bedding) set us back about 280RMB (about $44AUD). The train ride takes about 12hrs (all depending on which train you get.)

You will get off at Beijing West, the station is a little confusing at first, as it is a ‘country’ train station. You will need to catch a bus to get to the metro or just jump in a cab. This was the first experience we had where we found it hard to communicate. We couldn’t find anyone to speak English and the directions we had were not written in Chinese characters. We managed to find a kind man who was able to write the area we needed to go in Chinese characters for us. We sucked it up and just gave the directions to a cab driver – hoping we would get to where we needed to be.

Two hours later and 300RMB on the metre (about $47AUD) we arrived in Badaling. It was pretty much empty. Where were all the swarms of people?

We stayed for 2 nights at the Great Wall Courtyard Hostel. It was cheap clean and the hostess was amazing. The food was brilliant and they knew the area well and were more than happy to give ideas and tips on things to do. We headed up to check out the The Great Wall at about 3:30pm There were a few tourist walking about but no more than 100 – And that’s pretty much nothing when you consider the size of the wall and how scarcely people are spread out.

I hit the North side first – It’s a hard walk – Straight up with lots of stairs. Its do-able but by no means ‘a walk in the park’ so you can imagine how surprised I was to see some female tourist walking the wall in ridiculously high heels.

By the time I got to the 3 garrison tower the wall was empty. I continued onto the sixth tower and just sat there, on top of the world – alone – overlooking Badaling, on the Great wall of China. Did I mention I was ALONE. Not a single soul past me for at least an hour. 

I watched the sun begin to set and then descended down the wall to the third tower on the south side.

Apparently it is very rare for the wall to be lit up. Our host from the hostel came and chased us down the following afternoon to tell us that a VIP was in town the the Wall would be lit for about and hour. We were lucky to see this - It was extremely pretty and again - Not a soul in sight!

Just a side note - We were here on a Thursday and Friday - So I assume this is why it was so quiet - I imagine the weekends is when it becomes unbearably over-crowded.

 

 

You have to have tea in China

Its true, the tea in China is pretty good. In search of a tea experience, we ventured into the heart of the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.

The Muslim Quarter is located behind the massive Drum tower - Just make sure you're on the right side of the road - The pedestrian underpasses can be a little confusing at first.

Rani had a business card with the address of a tea house on it - this was our mission for the afternoon! Find the tea house.  We snaked our way through the Muslim Quarter markets (if you love shopping, you will love this market - It is full with everything- although there is a lot of counterfeit items - so be careful what you buy.)

Down a small alley way we found our tea house. The walls were lined with Jars of herbs and dried teas, the smell of jasmine hung in the air. Our host was amazing - She gave us a lesson on how to correctly brew different types tea. We sat down to a green tea and a black lychee tea with home made 'rusks', they weren't actually rusks but its the closes I can think to describe what they are.

The Muslim Quarter is full of street food, dried fruits and nuts - if you have time, stop by the puppet show for a traditional display of beautiful craftsmanship and storytelling.

No need to catch a cab here (well not from our hostel) The underpass pedestrian walkways make navigating the city easy - again - as long as you exit at the right turn off!

Tianzifang

The French concession area of Shanghai gives you a little taste of french-chic style. Tianzfang actually reminds me move of Melbourne Degraves street and small arty alley ways than Parisian streets. Regardless, it has flavour and the buzz and I LOVE it!

Fairy lights hang flippantly from the roof of the entrance dazzling you with the sense of stepping into a new world. A world full of cafes, art spaces and boutique shopping. You really do forget that you are in Shanghai.

We spent the afternoon here getting lost in the alleys and window shopping looking at all the trinkets and art (it is an expensive area to shop in, so if you're on a budget - put the wallet away and just look. If your here to splurge...then indulge!) I recommend coming towards the end of the day - only because I found the atmosphere to be buzzing.

This area of Shanghai is home to some amazing restaurants. Normally, when traveling, I like to stick with the local food, but...we couldn't help it. We had to experience some French dining (we did have one french citizen and two ex-residents of Paris in the group...). Our friend Emma, took us to a French bistro called Le Saleya.  The food was amazing! The wine - beautiful. The service - spot on! It you are every here make sure you order the Chocolate Fondant for dessert - TRUST ME!

Ripples on the water

Milsons Point, holds a soft place in my heart. I use to live in the neighboring suburb, McMahons Point and spent every afternoon running around Milsons Point and every morning in the Olympic Pool. There is an atmosphere here that is hard to explain, but its a nice place to be.

I don't think Milsons Point gets enough attention. It has one of the best views of the Harbour and the famous Sydney icons. It is the home of Sydney's Luna Park. You have amazing views of Balmain to the west, and the harbour to the east. Really, what more could you ask for?

There aren't lot of restaurants, but the few that are here are top quality. Ripples Cafe in particular is great. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or in my case I met with my friend Peter for a mid morning brunch session.

Luna Park is now as iconic as the Harbour Bridge for most Sydney-siders. The big smiling face watches over the harbour and welcomes you in to an art deco world (it opened in the 1930's) of childhood fun and excitement. Not into rides? Not a problem, you can enter Luna Park for free! Yep - pop your walking shoes on, take a stroll through the amusement park and people watch, its a lot of fun!

If you do want to go on the rides and have some fun at Coney Island then this is what you will be looking at - price wise

How do you get to Milsons Point? Coming from the city there are 4 ways.

1. Ferry - You can catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Milsons Point, this is fun because you get to be out on the harbour and its not that expensive
2. Train/bus - Its kind of cool, you get a good view as you go over the bridge... but its a train.
3. WALK - always my favourite! Its free, its fun and you get to walk across the bridge! You need to start at The Rocks and it will take you right over to Milsons Point. Great to do at dusk.
4. Drive - There is parking it's all metered

Places to stay? I can only advise on one place - as this is the only place I have stayed at to vouch for. The Vibe Hotel at Milsons Point is easy to get to, nice rooms, good price (but not super cheap) and great service.

It smells as sweet as a... Rozelle

Looking for a trendy place to idle away your Sunday, with some good coffee, food and shopping? Rozelle is the place you will want to head to.

Classed as the inner western suburbs of Sydney, it is a short (depending on traffic) 15min bus ride from the city, most of the '500' buses will get you there, or close to it. You can also walk there...yes, its actually not that far. If you're around the Pyrmont/ Darling Harbour area and have some good walking shoes on...take a stroll over there. Its a good 60min walk, but you get to walk over the ANZAC Bridge and take in the sites while preparing your body for all the amazing food you will eat!

Rozelle is famous for its 'high street' - Darling Street, which is very long and stretches over several suburbs. It doesn't really matter which direction you head in - both ends of Darling Street have something to offer. But, I suggest you start by heading towards Balmain.

On the weekend the Rozelle Public School plays host to the ultra trendy and always popular Rozelle Markets. You can find ANYTHING here, and I dare say it is one of the best bric-a-brac markets I have been to in Australia. Every store is overflowing with past loved items, treasures that hold amazing stories and eclectic gift ware.

You will not be led astray with an abundant choice of cafes and coffee houses, some of my favorites include:

• Piccolo Padre (this is where Vic and I ate on this visit to Rozelle)
• Iku - amazing vegan food (nom nom nom)
• C'est Bon - It is good! trust me. Amazing french pastries and coffee! You cannot walk past the window without your mouth watering!
• About Life Cafe - This is also a massive organic supermarket that I love. They stock a great range of organic, vegan, and gluten free foods as well as everyday products.

You can easily spend a whole day wondering around this area, but to get the most out of it, I would go there in the morning and spend a good half day!

If you're feeling like getting in touch with your zen side. There is an awesome yoga studio here also. Its hot yoga, so you will sweat. The teachers are amazing and the classes are always fun -
Body Mind Soul

Fernwood High Tea

Personally, if I had to choose between pretty dresses and sparkling diamonds for a day or, bungee jumping off a bridge into water and then dirt bike riding around sand dunes... I'd pick the later. But there is just something with me and 'high tea' that I just can’t pass on - Its super girly, incredibly dainty and somewhat sophisticate, all of which, I am not.

One Saturday, we strolled along to Fernwood High Tea at The Junction, Newcastle NSW. When I say it’s hidden... it is, nuzzled in a main street in suburbia, you may just well drive past it if you're not careful. The two story cottage oozes character and offers guests a 'shabby chic' decor welcoming. Everything is trimmed and draped with lace and vintage materials. Teacup sets poke out from gardens, pot plants and side tables. Attention to detail is the key to any high tea and Fernwood High Tea is very hard to fault.

The layout of the high tea is brilliant. There were four of us there, and we had our own private room, beautifully dressed and full of character. There were two other groups of people there also, each with their own private dining section - One outside in the romantic garden, the other inside in a separate room next to ours.

For me, what separated this high tea experience from others was the food and the order in which is came out. There were more savoury than sweet, which is perfect as we were there around lunch time (and I tend to be sugar free, so I prefer savoury) Each time a course came out I couldn't help but let out a little giggle - everything came in little tea cups or vintage glasses, brilliant!

The courses were managed really well - Allowing enough time to eat and chat. The service was prompt and friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing.

Fernwood High Tea also have a Bed and breakfast attached, I look forward to staying there one day.

They were able to cater to my veggie-head Gluten free diet; everything was amazingly tasty and surprisingly filling.

What does it cost? At $38 a head it’s pretty good, I think it is spot on the money! The attention to detail, the quality of the food and the amount was all perfect.

How do you get there? The Junction is located in Newcastle, we drove - It’s about 2.5 hrs north of Sydney. You could catch the train to Newcastle and then bus into the junction, but I recommend a taxi or driving.

Thank you for having us Maria, at Fernwood High Tea.