#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!

#LastHurrah

 [ To add to the nostalgia factor of this post,  play "Good Riddance" or "Friends Forever". Don't be shy, I know you all have them in your iTunes. ]

My days of checking in gleeful tourists for their "full-day sea caves adventure" and nights of drinking local microbrews to Lake Superior's stunning sunsets has officially come to an end. 

The last week was spent having our last hurrahs, packing-up and saying our goodbyes. It was a bittersweet moment as we definitely made the most of our experience, but by the end a lot of us, mostly the guides, were getting worn out with working so much and dealing with our less than ideal living quarters. Don't let my balcony photo fool you, while outside was gorgeous, there is a reason why you've never seen photos from the inside. I think there'd be a unanimous vote that it was probably breaking soooo many codes.

Nonetheless, getting to experience Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands made it all worth it. 

Here's to the trips made, skills learned, goodies consumed, the people watching, wildlife spotting, meteor showers, birthday celebrating, dinners shared, street fights witnessed, spontaneous dips in the lake, games in the park, gin and tonics, weather watching, lightning storms, jamming on the deck, girl talks, live music, surviving captian dave's, star gazing and best of all

....

 getting to know all these cool cats. 

It was a summer of some great and interesting experiences that I will always remember. 

Cheers!

#LongIsland #FullMoon #Cruise

  

...

There are nights you remember the summer by.

They typically revolve around the most gorgeous sunsets you'd swear you've ever seen, with some of the most amazing humans you know and a fire so large you can focus your eyes on anything else other than it's glow while shenanigans are happening in the distance.

...

The week stated out with a sign on the kitchen screen door advertising a full-moon cruise to one of the islands with eats and spirits-a-plenty. 

More than enough to reason to go.

The day arrived and a larger than expect crowd gathered outside the corner of the Bayfield Inn while we waited anxiously for “our captain” to arrive. After waiting for awhile, about three full drinks worth (not that I was counting), numbers started to slowly dwindle. The rest of us just gathered on the rooftop bar overlooking superior for drinks and a dip into the snacks, basically preparing for the worst and making ourselves comfortable.

Eventually we were given word that everything was ready at the pier to load ourselves and our belongings, which consisted mostly of beer, food and musical instruments. On arrival to the pier, all of our illusions of the cruise were shattered as we thought there'd be this big huge yacht like thing waiting for us outside.

Instead we were given three little fishing boats.

The numbers dwindled yet again.

The rest of us, already buzzing, were still stoked to be going on a boat so we loaded and set off for long island*. The sun was starting to set over the lake, the islands with Bayfield disappearing in the distance. While loading, it may have seemed sketchy at first, but I think we all knew we were making the right decision. Or at least there are worse ways to go down than with boats filled with beer and good company. 

As our boat approached the shore of Long Island we watched as the others arrived, unloading and starting a ferocious fire in what seemed like a snap of a finger. We rolled up our pants and waded to shore. It didn't take long before everyone had a beer in hand and music started being played.

We had landed just in time to watch the most spectacular sunset, where the full moon was already shinning bright, rising over the horizon. During the last rays of sunlight, a group of us followed the beach towards the bright glow of the moon. We went as far as the beach went, sitting next to the breakwater. Contemplating life, or whatever, I'm sure. 

We hung out in our quiet corner for a while. As we headed back we joined the others and all sat around the fire. It didn't seem like long before we were staring to gather everything up to head back to Bayfield. 

As we approached the bright lights of Bayfield, the party didn't end. With the most prime location in town, and a balcony overlooking the bay, our place was the natural choice to continue the night's festivities. 

 I'm not totally sure what time we started winding down, but whatever few hours of sleep I was able to log I still woke up with the sun at 6 AM, escaping a hangover and with enough energy to last at least half of the day at work. 

*Long island is not technically an island anymore since it has connected the mainland 30 years ago, now making it a peninsula.