It’s amazing what you fit into a weekend when there’s no dedicated party night or hangover day so what’s usually a Sydney on Sunday turned into a full blown Sydney Weekender!

I’ve had a really busy time at work over the past couple of weeks, combined with some busy weekends so I was really in need of a low key weekend free of a hangover and full of sleep!  I was happy to be in Sydney but was concerned that a quiet weekend wouldn’t be on the cards if I made too many plans early.

In the end, my weekend was exactly what I wanted it to be; time with family, friends and me.

I spent Friday night at my sister’s house for her 30^th birthday which was just what I was in the mood for and it was actually really nice spending time with my family.  It always takes me a while to relax there but once I do, I really enjoy it.  A few texts from my best girls reveals they’re out on the town and after a glimpse of jealously initially, I’m secretly high-fiving myself for avoiding a night out.

Saturday morning Mum & I decide to beat the crowds at the Archibald at head into town at 9:15am for our version of Mother’s Day. It seems like the rest of Sydney have the same idea and we’re shocked that several people are already waiting at the steps of the NSW Gallery.

Not to be deterred, we join the queue and when they open the doors to the gallery, we strategically head to the end of the exhibit and work our way back, against the crowd.  Once we’ve seen all the best portraits the Archibald has to offer we head to (Boy) Charlton Pool for some brekkie which is lovely on such a perfect Autumn day.

Later in the afternoon when Dad’s at Rugby and Mum’s at a baby shower, I find myself with some alone time and decide to head to Rozelle for their weekend markets. They’re enjoyable and a good way to spend an afternoon but in terms of hidden gems, they’re few and far between and I wouldn’t hurry back.  For old time’s sake, I head to where Hunters Hill Rugby is playing at Ryde Park where Dad has refereed earlier.  A visit from my bestie rounds off a great Sydney day!

Saturday night I’m loving life – opting to stay home with my parents with leftovers from the family roast and Dexter.

Sunday is just as good and the girls and I venture to the new ‘place to be’, The Grounds of Alexandria which is a seemingly random space in the middle of warehouses boasting some of the best breakfast in Sydney.  It’s a beautiful space and it’s immediately clear what the hype is all about. We debate (for a while) whether we can endure the minimum hour wait for a table for breakfast and are all happy we do when we eventually receive our meals, which are all healthy and delicious.  Although it was a better brekkie than most, I definitely wouldn’t be rushing back to wait for that amount of time every Sunday but definitely a great option for a special day.  Also a shame that you essentially have to make a decision whether you want to sit amongst the gorgeous herbs and next to the chicken coup and pig pen and order just a coffee and take away roll, or have brekkie inside the café. Although you get the best of both worlds given you have to wait, but it would be such a great thing to combine them!

I’ve been missing the coast so we head to Coogee and lay on the grass opposite the beach after finding a surprisingly easy park.  That must have been my favourite moment of the day, just lying in the sun with the girls; chatting and laughing – I could have stayed there forever!

Homebound – It’s weird to say because I’m talking about Melbourne, not Sydney.  Currently at the airport waiting for my flight south, I’m quite happy to be heady back down. Not to say I didn’t love my time in old Sydneytown, quite the contrary.

Let me explain.

Flying up to Sydney on Wednesday night and I’m only in contact with one friend and the immediate family members who are all instructed not to tell anyone about my arrival. My intention is to surprise my best friend on her birthday and the secret is harder to keep than I expected!  First of all, I chat to this person on a daily basis and it’s unusual for me not to disclose to her my every daily move (tragic, yes) – so limiting the information I tell her about my day is difficult.  To keep the secret even more under wraps I’ve decided to also keep it from my other best friends who I’m also in constant contact with – I remind myself the ‘stories’ I tell everyone are white lies and nothing more sinister but I do flat out lie several times over just a couple of days.

“What am I doing this weekend? Oh I’m heading out for drinks with work people on Friday night and then heading to St Kilda to go Paddleboarding”

“how’s the weather here? Oh it’s great, a balmy 28 degrees” (thank god for the  internet).

My mission proves successful and I have an absolutely amazing time celebrating my besty’s birthday with a cruel hangover on Saturday to prove it. We have dinner at China Lane which is modern Asian and beautiful. We go for the banquet to make things easy and including wine it’s about $100 a head and we’re more than satisfied by the end. Since we’re close, we decide to try Franky’s Pizza, a slightly hip underground restaurant/bar one of the girls has come to regularly enjoy. The vibe is really cool and we all immediately settle in and have a ball, excited to find a place in the city we actually enjoy.

I’m staying with my sister during my 5 days in Sydney and come Saturday I feel extremely out of place and strangely confused. Blame it on the hangover, sure, but I’m almost not conscious that I no longer live in Sydney and I have to actively picture my new apartment in Melbourne to bring me back to earth!

A fresh mind on Sunday sees me not a whole lot clearer if I’m honest but at least I’m able to get out of the house with  my best friends and do an old fashion Sydney on Sunday.

Sydney on Sunday – Watsons Bay

It’s an absolutely beautiful day despite the bad reports on the news and it also happens to be the actual birthday of my best friend.  We know we want to do something but like many decisions we girlfriends face, just can’t decide what that happens to be. After a considerable road trip headed in no particular direction, we find ourselves heading East, essentially chasing the sun after seeing some dubious looking clouds over the west. Watson’s Bay is mentioned and we have our destination.

The journey around the headland of Rose Bay and on to Watsons is out of this world. Brief flickers of the city through tree lined streets has us all ‘oooing’ and ‘ahhhing’ up to the lighthouse at The Gap.  Itss fun to see how the other half live and as we come down the hill we see a bunch of people who had the same idea as us. It’s a brief struggle to find a park but venturing a little further away from the shops we easily find one and head up to the notorious Gap lookout.

It’s an unfortunate sight to look over the cliffs and out to the horizon beyond the heads to what should be a marvel, but is now surrounded by “Don’t give up hope” messaging.  Still, thank fully you can turn around and see one of the best views of the city and harbour in Sydney and we snaps photos like the tourists we appear.

On we walk to the wharf and join the dozens of people ordering their seafood at the famous Doyles. We often buy fish and chips from Balmoral Beach on these sorts of days and we’re surprised that the prices here are a lot more reasonable even with the exclusive postcode. After a token celebrity spotting of Jacky O we’re delighted that the fish and chips are not only cheaper but 100 times better, Doyles more than living up to its reputation (if only Watsons Bay was as convenient a place as Balmoral).

We sit in the park under a tree eating and chatting in front of the ridiculous backdrop and I wonder why I ever left this place. A friend happens to be the skipper of a fast ferry to manly so we hop aboard for a quick trip (that is open to anyone for a ticket) and it tops off the best display of Sydney I’ve seen in a while.

So here I am now at the airport after having one of the best weekends I’ve had this year.

Somehow though, I’m actually looking forward to heading back to my new city, with its less than beautiful Yarra river.  Relief is probably the right word. I’m relieved about a few things – One, that I can return to Sydney and feel just as comfortable as I ever did.  That my gorgeous friends missed me enough to be excited when I surprise them at dinner even after only a couple of weeks!  But even more than that, I’m relieved that I could come up and have such an amazing time – as if Sydney was mocking me for leaving – and still have an urge to return to my new Melbourne home.  Life’s good.