Perth & Sydney
One of the main philosophies I live by when I travel is that there are two things I will spend money on. The good airline and a good hotel. Now it doesn’t have to be 5 star or business class but it will be comfortable and it will be safe, especially if I am travelling alone. The hotel will be in a nice area, near enough to public transport but also not right smack bang in the city so there isn’t too much foot traffic and noise. I found this hotel the last time I was in Perth and decided to stay at it again since I was going to be there for a longer amount of time this time around. To me this hotel is kind of perfect. Tucked away slightly away from the Main Street, near a bunch of delightful food places and walking distance from the train station. Chef’s kiss. Perfection. Also it’s cozy and has a cute little cafe right there in the lobby. What more could a girl ask for.
Another big thing for me when I travel is that I like being able to walk everywhere as much as I can. If I can get to where I am going by walking then I will do it. I will walk 30 minutes to a restaurant if need be. I think it is one of the best ways to see a city. When I was in Paris a few years ago, I walked everywhere. I only took the train once and that was to get to the Eiffel Tower but then I decided to walk all the way back to my hotel stopping at different cafes and parks along the way. Obviously it’s walking within reason, but the more I can walk everywhere, the better.
Another thing I do when I travel, whether it is by myself or with friends and family, is I plan my day around food. I look for restaurants and cafes I want to go to, see if there are any parks, museums or monuments nearby and plan my day around that one area. This way I know where I am going for breakfast and lunch, where I am going to be walking around and how to make the most of the area I am going to be in. But dinner, dinner will always be somewhere near my hotel, for safety. It does not matter where I am, Perth, France, London. If I am alone, I don’t wander into the city at night on my own. I am not silly. Besides, sometimes you don’t need to go where everyone says you should go and you find little gems around the area you are staying in. Makes me feel like I am going where the locals are going.
I will say that for this trip, I tried to challenge myself to only shoot film and I was having a grand ole time doing it until I went to send in my film to my local lab. They told me two of my rolls were blank and I have truly never felt such devastation. So I only have the photos from my phone for this post which will have to do. But I think they have a different kind of charm. It has been about a year and half since I decided to stop editing the photos I take on my phone. It is another kind of challenge I set myself when it comes to photography and I have been loving the photos I have been taking. No editing. Raw photos. training the eye to see different compositions since I won’t be able to edit it. There is also something kind of chic about these kinds of photos and I love it.
Anywho…
I was in Perth for a friend’s wedding and I decided to make a vacation out of it and head over to Sydney to see my people after. I finally felt brave enough to go back to Sydney, knowing that leaving this time would mean saying bye to everyone all over again. But I felt brave enough to do it this time. It didn’t feel like a goodbye, it felt more like a see you later anyway. Flying back to Sydney felt like flying home. Baring a few weird encounters I had on the plane but human beings really do keep life interesting. Anyway, being back in Sydney meant hitting all my favourite spots but not without having some family time first and foremost.
Sydney means bookstores by day, wine and catching up with friends by night. It means feeling like it hasn’t been a year and a half since I’ve been there. It meant feeling like no time has passed and you just slot right back into the places you left behind. If anyone asked “would you go back to Sydney tomorrow” my bags would be packed and ready to go within the hour.
Sydney will always have half of my heart, not just because my people are there but because so much of who I am today was forged there. Put together piece by piece from the sunshine and sand of summer days and from laughter and Lebanese food in friend’s houses. Sometimes I worry about the life I missing out on not being there. Not being able to watch my friend’s kids grow up, not being able to meet the new additions to our ever growing family. Missing out on engagements, break ups, career changes and their little mundane moments of life. But if this trip has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes it’s okay to go away for a while, because it means that when you come back, you bring more back with you to share with those you love.
