• Culture,  Food,  Nature,  Shopping,  Travel

    185 empty white chairs

    All too soon my last day in New Zealand had arrived. The previous day’s drive from Queenstown to Fairlea had seemed to take forever and I wasn’t even the one driving. Jeff was such a good sport throughout my trip and was incredibly accommodating with my many, many stops for photos. Damn you South Island for being so gorgeous! We started our day with breakfast at the Fairlea Bakery which is well known in the region for its delicious pastries and in particular, its cronuts. For those who haven’t tasted one, the cronut is a cross between a doughnut and a croissant and the Fairlea Bakery version is absolutely enormous.…

  • Culture,  Food,  Nature,  Shopping,  Travel

    A long weekend in the Southern Highlands

    I love a good last minute getaway and the Southern Highlands did not disappoint. Somehow the stars aligned and I managed to find accommodation only a matter of days before the Labour Day long weekend. I took a leisurely drive down to Bowral via the Mittagong tourist information office to collect some brochures on the various hikes I could do in the area. I checked in to my Stayz accommodation, a cute room with a separate entrance attached to a lovely home in Bowral owned by some ex-Sydneysiders, then mapped out my plans for the next couple of days while enjoying a nice pot of tea. I decided to walk…

  • Bars,  Culture,  Food,  Shopping,  Travel

    The Big Day out in Copenhagen

    The late night out listening to jazz at La Fontaine in Kompagnistræde with Jen meant for a delayed start to the day. I had felt sad it was my last proper night in Copenhagen and decided to walk home afterwards rather than catch a cab, so that I could soak in every last moment and detail. We had had a really fun time at the club but we were blown away when we realised that people were smoking in the bar. It has been so many years since smoking in venues was allowed in Australia that I had forgotten what it was like to come out of a bar smelling…

  • Culture,  Food,  Shopping,  Travel

    Hygge, Happiness and Copenhagen Design

    I started my day by attending a Hygge and Happiness tour booked via AirBnb. The tour was run by a group called Mie & Friends which was a great way to meet locals who show you around, take you to off the beaten track places and who give you loads of personal recommendations. Our guide Jam was a full-time musician and composer, who takes tours on the side to show people ‘his’ Copenhagen. He was clearly the best person for me to ask about where to go to see live music and he gave me a number of recommendations. His picks for jazz bars were La Fontaine and Jazzhus Montmartre…