Today will forever be known now to me as ivenevereatensomuchinmylifelikever day. It started off with probably the best ever guest house breakfast which consisted of 1 and a half slices of thick fruit and cinnamon toast with peanut butter, one bowl of muesli, two bowls of yoghurt and honey, tinned peaches and three coffees. Holy mother.
I tried to work it off with a spot of retail therapy in Byron and a very satisfactory walk along the bay up to just before The Pass, Byron's surfers' paradise. Again, it's a case of desperately wanting to stay longer but we have Brisbane waiting for us.
On our way up the coast we stop for lunch (obviously) at a peaceful riverside town called Chinderah. It reminded me a bit of a lake we have been to as a family in Portugal with its deep navy waters, lush green surroundings and people eating lunch on pristine picnic benches and BBQ patches lined up the riverside.
Really there should be a law passed which says every city should only be first seen in sunshine. It makes even the ugliest skyscraper look elegant. Brisbane is no exception to the rule but its got plenty else going for it too. Its a subtropical city for starters, and has that great mix of old and new architecture that I love so much about London.
In fact, it's scary how like London Brisbane feels. We started on Brisbane's Southbank and it couldn't be more similar. Modern art gallery, theatre, music hall, market stalls, a giant Ferris wheel, public art, restaurants... The list goes on but there a few telling differences. It's so peaceful and quiet, it's lined with trees and flowers everywhere with a central pergola brimming with purple flowers, it has a mini rainforest walk with tropical plants and, amazingly, an actual man made beach where people can swim with the city skyline just across the river. Alright for some...
For dinner we worked up an appetite by walking to the West End. The area does not adhere to London's expensive and theatrical connotations with the name but more resembles Hoxton or soho. It's a quirky, student town with fun but inexpensive food and a buzzy nightlife without going into the main city complex. We opted for Asian and weren't diappointed. The only error was turning up and having the manager say we can have a drink but can't order food until 5.30. We look at him like he's stupid and insist it is nearly 6.30 only to find out that, now being in Queensland, we are an hour behind... Embarrassing.
By night, we walk along the southbank one more time to take in the skyline lit up before returning to the craft and food markets we saw earlier in the day. At this point I've never been so full but somehow I found room for a chocolate fondu at Max Brenners chocolate cafe, where the queue never ever dies. There's a reason for that, this chocolate is mouth wateringly amazing. And we had fruit, banana bread and marshmallows to dip. Ahhhh still drooling at the thought.
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