First, we carbed up with a gigantic serve of noodles from a nearby Super Bowl, followed by a brisk march down to the Queen Victoria Building and the Galleries Victoria. The QVB provided a little disappointment when Alison realised that the little Japanese-inspired boutique shop she discovered on our last trip had sadly closed down. She did manage to eventually console herself by picking up a cute pair of red shoes from another favourite shop.
I too had my share of commercial let downs as none of the stores I scoured stocked the XBOX 360 Arcade Stick I'd planned on using with Street Fighter 4. My sour mood vanished after a quick visit to Kinokuniya, which has never failed to deliver, and a whirlwind purchase of some manga, another copy of Watchmen to prepare for the movie and a surprise find of Warren Ellis' first book, "Crooked Little Vein". I raced through it on the weekend and thought it was a great read, though it certainly shows that it's his first novel and doesn't stand up to his efforts on Transmetropolitan.
The rest of the day was filled with casual browsing and aggressive eating. Between major meals we had to pick up a few snacks from Barby's to get our sweet bread fix. Our last trip to Sydney marked my introduction to the "Perfect Roll" though now it seems like Barby intends to out do itself with the "Ultimate Roll"; a larger and improved cousin with the addition of peanuts to the mix. Dinner was an absolute treat at a unassuming tapas bar in the Spanish Quarter called Miro. Alison and I were thoroughly impressed by our selection of sublime sardines, chorizo with caramelised apple slices, juicy deep fried eggplant and washed it down with a couple of refreshing glasses of sangria. Our distended stomachs weren't enough to stop us from dragging ourselves out of the room for supper at Mamak, where I scoffed down the first honestly edible plate of roti I've had in Australia. They made up a passable glass of teh tarik and recognisable cendol too for that matter.
Saturday morning was a predictable return to the Pyrmont Fish Markets for my annual gorging of uni. I was chagrinned to hear that what little roe was available had sold out on Friday, and the sea urchins were not fat enough for harvesting due to the recent stormy weather. Three large fillets worth of sashimi was just enough to satiate my appetite for fresh seafood. Getting to the fish and a quick look around Paddy's Market was all we managed before having to return to our rooms to prepare for the main event of the weekend.
Don and Corrin had a organised for a small gathering of friends and family to join them at the Sydney Botanical Gardens on their special day. I was honoured to be asked a few months ago to take photos along with Don's sister, though I stressed at the time that I'd be making it up as I went along. I ran around and tried to take the best shots I could, with the odd attempt at compositional direction, though I've now come to understand what a hard job it is. This of course was purely due to my lack of practice behind the lens and nothing to do with the subjects who looked gorgeous. I do hope that they like the photos, especially after the bride and groom thanked us with an overly generous digital photo frame for our efforts. My original plan was to copy all the photos off the memory card at dinner to photoshop in Brisbane before passing it back to Don but the lethargic speed of my PDA shot that plan in the foot. Got a few at least before the end of the night but I did have to exercise some discretion.
My insecurities aside however, Alison and I had a fantastic time through the day and got to catch up with old friends from college. The food was delicious, toasts were tasteful and the ceremony itself was full of character and warmth. It's beautiful to see two close friends suit each other so completely, and we look forward to the many happy moments they'll share in their life together.
The journey back from the gardens to our hotel turned out to be more challenging than expected on account of the large throng of drunk and gay people on the street from Mardi Gras, ironically two distinctly separate groups. The costumes were certainly interesting enough though the heavy police presence on the roads and rowdy crowds suggested that a hasty return to the safe confines of our ill disguised brothel was advisable. Pushing our way through the river of people soon left our legs weary and our eyes stinging; the former from a long day of crouching with a camera and the latter from an ocular assault of cigarette smoke and the sight of scantily clad obese lesbians. We eventually stumbled back to our rooms without incident and promptly collapsed in exhaustion.
Sunday was a quiet wrap up of shopping and a last big breakfast. We sauntered down to Darling Harbour in search of something big and deep fried and found a charming Italian cafe advertising just that. Alison was feeling a mite guilty about our diet over the past few days and opted for the healthier option, which in the end turned out to be pretty darn yummy.
One last trip to the bakery for sweet bread for the road and we headed off to the airport for our flight home. I summoned the courage to pick up an "Ultimate Roll" and consumed it less than an hour ago while watching a movie with the wife at home. Wouldn't consider it to be the ultimate bread combination, but it was tasty enough, and served as a sweet cap to finish a nice weekend.
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