What a marvellous road trip we had to Sydney over the weekend. It's a blogging experience I'm having for Australian Women Online thanks to Renault and its beautiful new award-winning car - the Koleos.
We left for Sydney on Saturday and I was nervous as all proverbials going on our first holiday weekend road trip in decades. These kinds of road trips just spook me too much - what with the traffic jams and death tolls and all that.
It didn't help in the least that the roads were consistently slick with rain - so it was with much relief that I prised open the 'mummy bloggers' Koleos info booklet to find out the car was Renault's 11th car to be awarded a 5 star NCAP safety rating.
I'm not sure how much extra protection a certain type of car can give over others, but it honestly eased my worries knowing there are 6 airbags in this car, ABS brakes and ESP - a traction stystem that controls the grip on each wheel. There are also special crumple zones on the car, so in case of accident, occupants have a higher survival opportunity.
Always a great way to start a weekend away, I say.
So, some fave bits of the journey to Sydney - on our sweet-seeking mission. Firstly, I just love the keyless ignition in the Koleos. You slide the credit card card-sized door opener into the dash and press the start button like one of those shopping centre rides for the kids. It's fun!
As for car cons, you can check out more details in my posts for AWO.
But onto some sweet treats. Our first sweet treat on our It's A Sweet Life road trip was the choc iced donut we collected for free with our awful, burnt lattes at a Shell service station on the road. Yes, there is a reason the donut was free.
We joined the Great Barrier Reef line-up, and after moving three steps in 11 minutes (and suffering two queue-jumpers - the cheek!), we disbanded and instead sploshed over to Darling Harbour which was sodden to the rafters with rain...
...so it was quickly into the shops where we came upon our first sugar haze mirage - The British Lolly Shop.
Next stop was the The Fudge Shop, 480 calories down the concourse, where clever people rolled and sliced massive logs of creamy fudge in a multiplicity of flavours. We grabbed a handy sample bag of several types (mint, cookies and cream, chocolate nut, coffee, coconut ice, classic caramel) because it was simply impossible to decide – and two classic toffee apples for good measure.
Then it was Baskin Robbins for an ice cream (mango and rainbow sherbet, respectively)...
...then a monorail ride (kids love this! and the ticket seller let Riley on for free) into George Street to the Cupcake Bakery below Myer. Like stepping inside a dollhouse, this musk-stick coloured, dolly-like treatfest had us boggled over flavour choice. After much umming and drooling, we toted away a box containing choc mint, strawberry vanilla (resplendent with a dollop of strawberry jam on the inside), lemon poppy seed (my favourite) and of course, during grand final weekend – an NRL cupcake. NRL flavour.
Back to the Medina, we shed a considerable amount of self-imposed calories with a lollop in the heated pool, and a brisk walk in search of dinner (in the rain). It was Sakura Japanese Kitchen on Pitt Street that sucked us in – gyoza, aki bento, teriyaki chicken, lotus root chips, edamame (fresh soy beans) and warm miso soup – followed by a stroll to Chinatown. In the rain.
Why Chinatown? Well, I was on the hunt for one more sweet treat to round out our day – a traditional Chinese mooncake served in China during the mid-Autumn moon festival in August. Did I find them? Yes, I did. But after being spoiled with four years of traditional mooncakes during our time in Beijing, I couldn’t bring myself to purchase one. It didn’t help that they were priced at $10 a pop... and have a lesser circumference than a tennis ball.
So, after retreating to our hotel room (in the rain), I had to settle for a soda, lime and bitters (I’m currently ‘competing’ in Ocsober) and some Bassett’s oldy worldy English jelly babies. And kisses and cuddles from our kids over such a fun, albeit soggy day.
Now, that’s sweet.
You can read more on our family's It's A Sweet Life Family Roadtrip at AWO. You can also learn more on my thoughts on the Koleos.
Also, don't miss the fab competition we've got running on AWO - you could win a $500 gift voucher to Coles Myer, a $300 voucher to Little Living and a $200 to Dymocks, thanks to Renault.
So, after retreating to our hotel room (in the rain), I had to settle for a soda, lime and bitters (I’m currently ‘competing’ in Ocsober) and some Bassett’s oldy worldy English jelly babies. And kisses and cuddles from our kids over such a fun, albeit soggy day.
Now, that’s sweet.
You can read more on our family's It's A Sweet Life Family Roadtrip at AWO. You can also learn more on my thoughts on the Koleos.
Also, don't miss the fab competition we've got running on AWO - you could win a $500 gift voucher to Coles Myer, a $300 voucher to Little Living and a $200 to Dymocks, thanks to Renault.
For heaps on Sydney-specifics - head to http://www.sydney.com.au/, where items are broken down into effective headers such as Sydney Sights, Getting Around and Day Trips, as well as helpful info on things like weather (no one told US about all the rain!) and trip planning.
For a kid-friendly Sydney trip, don't miss:
The Sydney Children's Festival is now on and is SUPER cool - check out more info here - http://www.sydneychildrensfestival.com/.
4 comments:
My goodness, you've got Sydney covered, don't you?
Yes - and there's much more coming soon! Another two days of fun in Sydney with kids. :)
My mouth is watering - i am definately taking the kids to Sydney soon!
Wish the weather could've been better for you, not a good show for Sydney unfortunately. There is a great cupcake shop on Pitt St - in case the sugar in take isn't over yet and still in Sydney! I think I read in the Tele that Crave Sydney (food festival) is featuring some lovely chocolate shops :)
Post a Comment