A SHORT TRIP TO BRISBANE

Hi everyone, hope you are all well.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to give my mind and body a short break that involved not going to the gym, stopping running, bloging and answering most of my e-mails.  Instead I spent a lot of time reading, gentle walking or just relaxing.

It was emotional roller that my younger daughter put us through during her final school exams, combined with the lack of sleep due to the constant noise coming from the neighbours who love to party until the wee hours and other bits and pieces that made me feel physically and emotionally overwhelmed and were affecting my state of mind and general well-being.  It is during this mini break that we took a weekend away and flew to Brisbane primarily because my husband, knowing my love for ballet, and as a part of my birthday celebrations, bought us tickets to the La Scala Ballet Company that was there on tour with performances of Don Quixote and Giselle.

I don't particularly care for this city and would never consider it to be my choice of a holiday destination and this trip only further confirmed my view.  The only one part of it that we really liked was the area called South Bank, one of the city's main draw cards due to its close proximity to the major museums and performing centres and where you can take a long walk along the rive bank with looking the city skyline on your left while enjoying  beautiful display of blossoming trees on your right.

So on the morning of our second day there, we decided to try our luck elsewhere and decided to do a day trip to explore the outside of Brisbane.  After a quick Google search a small place called Montville based on a Sunshine Coast seemed to be what we were looking for.  Apart from sprawling green hills and wineries  this area is also a home to the award winning Spicer Retreat that hosts a highly ranked French restaurant called The Long Apron which my husband immediately booked for lunch.

It took us slightly more then an hour to get there but the scenery around us was very lovely and we enjoyed the drive.  It happens that the restaurant is part of a retreat set amongst beautifully maintained grounds overlooking the hills and is the winner of multiple awards for excellence.

Soon after we took out seats at the table, the waiter placed in front of us a plate with a small ceramic vase with dry sticks placed in it's centre.  Turned out, it was an amuse bouche - the sticks were made of bread covered in finely chopped herbs, it was very tasty.  It was a three course degustation lunch with each dish cooked very well and beautifully presented.

My original outfit for the day was a distressed denim skirt, a singlet and a pair of slides but once my husband informed me that we were having lunch at a French restaurant, I changed my mind and instead wore a polka dot skirt that you saw me wearing it here, seen here, with a sleeveless blouse with a lacy trim and a pair of sandals.  I was in the country side, after all.

After lunch, we took a nice leisurely stroll around the estate enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings and the touch of the warm sun on my skin, making me feel relaxed and content.  We returned to Brisbane just in time to change for the theatre.   The ballet, as we hoped, was absolutely sublime and we enjoyed it immensely.

I couldn't be more grateful to my husband for giving me such a lovely gift.

Love
xoxo
Anna