SOS Day 1 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Posted: October 15, 2018 in Travel

And so our short Sydney October Soujourn begins under cloudy skies. Not for the first time there is a significant weather event leading into holiday . The Dome in Maryhole lays scattered on the ground , a shambling wreck of its once great stature. No doubt they will quickly rebuild for the sweltering summer ahead

As mentioned previously decided to fly to Sydney directly from Maroochydore rather than Brisvegas. Miss out on Qantas Club partaking but is only a 30 min drive to and from. It’s an early start for an 0630 flight before we land in the harbour city in the world of daylight saving at a time later than the actual time in air would indicate . The Blues win one bloody Origin series and now think they can set world time . Just hope the curtains in our hotel room are not faded.

We made it through the rain ok and arrived an hour before departure so time for a quick coffee. The SC airport seems fine although some covered walkways from car park would be useful! No last minute upgrades but do have exit row seats so get to jump first . The bar isn’t open 😰 I know I am dynamite in the sack but why do I always get singled out for the explosive residue wand over the nether regions ?

Of course we found some months ago that the Royal visit coincided with our week in Sydney but too late by then . I refer to them as Harkle so that will be the theme this week # harklewatch. Thought they were arriving Tuesday but seems like it is today. However I doubt they will be arriving at Domestic Terminal or catching train to city! Previous experience tells us the domestic and international terminals are a cut lunch and a chopper ride apart so see no likelihood of paparazzi interference apart from my usual followers

Good run down and arrived on time but because we had a Sheila pilot took her 20 mins to park it 😏 Rainy here as well but at least had a sky bridge this time. Quick baggage pick up and the rather excellent Airlink train had us ringing the reception bell at 10 am at The Grace Hotel. We had enquired about early check in – for $45 – and told won’t know until day .

“ Not sure if we have room Sir. Let me check, could take a while “
“ We will pay the $45 “
“ Ah yes Sir we do have room just come available “ Room 416
“ Look Ling Lee we booked corner premium king which is supposed to be on high floor “
“ Ah ok u can have 816”

Charm , and facts, work all time . Great room , very quiet . Windows are double glazed which makes the handles on outside window simply a tease

Quickly unpacked my 3 pairs of trakkies and one singlet and headed out in light rain for a beer and a feed. On plane trip down had read article about beef degustation at Rockpool so thought why not. But I digress. Is that a Bavarian Bierhaus across the road ?? And it’s Oktober!

The pretzel was not only hard to reach but not very filling so time to get my rocks off in the Pool. It’s an amazing establishment but reception lady was a bit non plussed when I mentioned Beef Degustation but she did ask for my number . Anyhoo, when in Rome… Simply superb lunch and the service level is excellent at the Rockpool Bar and Grill. Yes it’s not cheap but then not really extravagantly priced either. It’s the little extras you notice and we were able to share each course even the steak. Hell, they had 6 different mustards to choose from ! There and then we decided that we would go with some fancy lunches this week and some crackers and cheese for dinners. Flash Tip #1 When at a posh restaurant always mention u r celebrating a birthday . Works every time

The Grace does have a small gym and lap pool and before we left we planned on visiting every day. Seriously . At present that is still the plan but do need for lunch to digest a while. Couple of hours back home to relax and then maybe head out for a beer and a visit to Night Noodle Market for light dinner

It’s been a great first day and even though weather is dusty think we may survive . We are pretty loose with plans while trying to avoid Harkle and Rain . We have a Night at the Opera tomorrow night and tickets for Taronga Park to be used one day this week.

So went up to the gym , rode the bike for a while and did a few laps. May even try out the pool tomorrow…..

Then once that momentary nonsense had passed it was back to solid ground. First up a Guinness at the requisite Irish Pub on every block including ours. Then a leisurely dry stroll to Hyde Park for the Night Noodle Markets. Great crowd considering the weather. A light dinner was perfect before the short stroll back and wait until the sun goes down at about 11 pm apparently