#Travel // Easter Weekend in the Blue Mountains

I hope everyone had a nice Easter Weekend. This year I didn't get up to much, so instead I've decided to share the first trip Torsten and I took together back in 2012. We had only been together for a little over a month when he suggested we take advantage of the long holiday weekend by taking a train a couple hours away to the Blue Mountains. He didn't have a hard time convincing me to say yes! 

Select photos from this post can be bought in my Society6 shop, click here to get yous! 

For anyone who doesn't know, Torsten and I met at a University in Sydney. He had just started his classes and was still actually being as studious as he was in Germany (he later would discover how unnecessary that was in Australia), so during the two hours there I napped while he tentatively highlighted things. 

Upon arriving at Katoomba Station, he sifted through the piles of papers for our reservation at the hostel. We checked-in and got cozy in our dorm room. Yes, dorm room. Our first getaway and we were sharing a room with 8 other people. One who threw my things off my bed while we were out and kept me up half the night with his sleep-shouting, threatening whoever he was dreaming about that he would be shoving a pipe through their throat. It clearly was a very romantic first night away together. 

After checking-in, we had taken a looooong nap before waking up and realizing we probably shouldn't waste the whole first day lounging alone in our room, though it was nice to have it to ourselves for at least a few hours! As the sun was setting as we headed out for dinner where we shared a large plate of nachos and burned it off with a walk down to the legendary Three Sisters. 

To get from Katoomba down to the Three Sisters is a pretty long walk, as I'd discover. It was dark, and I was skeptical as I followed Torsten. This was before I knew better, and was constantly doubting most of his ideas. But about 30-45 minutes later, we were there.

 When we arrived, the Three Sisters were illuminated and we were their only spectators. Being a holiday weekend, we were sure this would be the only time we had the space to ourselves. We played with our camera settings, teetering our cameras on ledges of railing with long, dark drops on the other side. We ventured around the platforms before heading back to our single beds. 

The few hours of sleep I had the night before were made up with delicious coffee and morning treats. Both mornings had begun with caffeine and buttery, chocolate overloads. The sun was shining and people were lazily strolling the town center. It was a refreshing change from busy Sydney and were beautiful beginnings to our adventures into the mountains! 

We stared our first hike somewhere random, where I was constantly doubting Torsten (as usual). We ventured for ages down a random side road to the trail, I'm sure I was constantly complaining while he was pretending not to understand me. To this day I don't always know how Torsten finds some of the routes he does, he insists he just looks at maps, but the results always prove to be amazing. This first trail had refreshing waterfalls we couldn't resist not taking our shoes off for. 

A few hours into our hike we found a nice spot to sit and enjoy the view of a passing cable car going over the mountains. We were shortly joined by a few colorful parrots. It was a perfect  time to hydrate with our discount beers we had found in the liquor store neighboring our hostel. We know how to hike. With warm beers. (Don'worry, we took our rubbish with us.)

Our trail was surprisingly quiet, passing only a few other people along the way. We thought the area would be much busier being a holiday weekend. We quickly learned where the crowds of people were; Scenic World. The one and only attracting with a fee. We were suckered in with the promise of amazing views and various rides to enjoy them in. 

We went all-out, getting the multiple cable rides, the railway drop and the boardwalk. It was neat, but kind of anticlimactic. Then again, I was probably annoyed with having to share everything with the large crowds of rambunctious families. 

On our way back to have a few beers back the hostel, we swung past the sun setting amongst the sisters. The view of them never gets old. 

The next day we kept busy with a longer hike, with even more waterfalls and sketchy stairs. We kept the beer at the hostel this time and headed out at least a little more prepared for a full day of hiking. 

This trail was amazing. We totally had the wrong footwear and clothing, but somehow survived all the mud and splash of the falls. At one point I had even underestimated a slippery rock and nearly fallen into the rushing falls. I left only with a wet foot, but to this day I still get overly cautious about climbing rocks near falls!

The last  leg of our hike was to be rewarded with the views of echo point and back to the Three Sisters. But before we got there, we climbed a never-ending series of stairs back up the Mountain from the valley we'd been hiking in. The stairs kicked our butts, making us sore for days. But the views were worth it, especially as we made the climb during golden hour. 

We enjoyed one last view of the sisters and the mountains before heading back into town, where we gathered our bags from the hostel and waited for the train to bring us back to Sydney. The train-ride back we were exhausted. We even went straight back to our own flats, passing up drinks with the gang at "our" bar. It was an amazing weekend even with unfavorable accommodation. 

It wasn't a traditional way to spend Easter, but then again, next year I probably will be with Torsten, in Germany, joining the crowds gathering around a large fire. As strange as it sounds, you'll have to wait until next year to see what that's all about! 

In case you have been wondering why there hasn't been a single photo of me in this post, here's why...

Remember Torsten and I had only been together for a month at this point. I'm pretty sure this was the first time he'd touched my fully manual camera with fixed lens. I gave the guy a break on this trip, but fortunately he's gotten better. And not only with my camera, but also with giving in to my demand of always having our own room on all our trips from then on!

Have a happy Easter!
Cheers!

#Travel Tasmania // Maria Island

It's the small island off the island state of the island country/continent, but I guess it prefers to go by the name, Maria Island. The Australian island state of Tasmania is so overlooked that I'm sure nobody knows this secluded, national park exists. While my travel partner, Vivi, and I only had a day to explore it, we were envious of all the campers unloading from the ferry to experience this natural wonder overnight! 

I knew while reading up on Tasmania in my Lonely Plant guide that Maria Island was a must-do for our trip, though we really didn't know too much the before heading there. I was sold enough knowing there was plenty of wildlife and natural wonders easy to spot on a day-trip. So we arrived in the tiny town of Triabunna, only minutes before a ferry would be leaving. Of course I insisted on not waiting an hour for the next, meaning more crimes against fashion and being severely under packed for a day of walking around in the hot, summer sun. 

Like I mentioned above, Maria island is now a National Park, meaning people are only allowed to camp or day-trip here. Once upon a time though, there was a settlement on the island where the old buildings that remain are either taken over by nature, or have been turned into cabins for overnight-ers. The miles of trails in the park range from large, old roads, perfecting for biking along, to narrow paths lined with foliage. 

We set out on foot to our first destination, the painted cliffs. I only knew them by mention in my guide and on the signs along the way, not really knowing what painted cliffs signified. Walking down the path to the beach I could already see the forms of the cliffs and was excited to climb out to to the end. The whole time my eyes were torn between looking that cliffs or the crystal clear water below full of aquatic life! Fortunately we arrived early enough to the caves where we didn't have to share the experience with too many other folks! 

Of all things, I remembered to at least pack my snorkel mask and tube. Fortunately I did, because the  water looked so inviting! As I stepped a foot in to get an idea of it's temperature, I was discouraged by how extremely cold the water was. It was cocococooooollld! Instead of taking a dip, Vivi and I set out for another hike to the other side of the island! The water visibility was clear enough where we were getting a satisfying enough show even from the surface!

Along the way to the other side of the island, we ran across my most anticipated sight of all; a wombat! The product of what looks like a cat bred with a koala, these slow moving marsupials are usually only active in the wild around dusk. I think this guy was only out briefly before heading back to his humble little wombat hole, but at one point he waddled right past me! I just wanted to scoop him up and bring him back home with me!

There was a long walk through a very sun exposed, open field to our next destination; the abandoned quarry, now known as the fossilized cliffs, that attracted the original settlement. What looks like a large, gravel field with random chunks of rock actually proved to be more interesting upon closer look. If you look carefully in this last photo you'll see some fossilized imprints in the chunks of rock!

As we started making our way back to Darlington, where our ferry would be departing, the sun was strongest and hottest as we walked through the longest trail. It was a gorgeous hike back, but the sun was beating down hard on us at this point. Eventually, we arrived back in Darlington, donning shirts on our head (not pictured for obvious reasons) and about ready just to relax and enjoy the shade.

I sneaked in a quick snorkel sesh during the lazy last hour before our ferry came to carry us away back to the "mainland" of the island state of Tasmania. I have a few photos from my chilling dip in the water, but I'm going to tease you with those a later day!

Until then,

Cheers!