First trip to Sydney

You cannot stay put very long in science; there is always a travelling excuse around the corner (meetings, conferences, experiments) waiting for you to leave the bench and hit the road. My first Australian job-related journey took me to Sydney, to visit collaborators.
I don’t enjoy so much traveling for work anymore, or at least not as much as I used to. If it’s not an official vacation, I’d rather work in the comfort of my lab and office, then go back to my family at night. For this reason, I decided to jam my Sydney sightseeing into one full day (Sunday), while I’d be working on Monday, Tuesday, and be back in Brisbane Tuesday night, on time for the Easter weekend.
 
Sydney is a big city, but it CAN be done in one day if you really want or have to- although I’d suggest spending 2-3 days in Sydney itself, and some (a lot) more time to visit the beautiful NSW surroundings. So here is the plan, or how I did it.

8 AM: Departing Brisbane. Note that I went through security check with food, water, and shampoo in my carry on, and that nobody asked to see my ID before I checked into my hotel 10 hours later. It was as easy as catching a flight in the 80s.

9:30 AM: Landing in Sydney is very similar to landing in La Guardia for the 1st time, when you think that this damn pilot missed the turn and now you have to keep flying above the ocean for 20 minutes and no good reason.

10:30 AM: The airport train took me to Central Quay, after 30 minutes of waiting, one train change due to station remodeling and for AU$16. I chose Central Quay where I wandered on the piers, and from there I walked my way to the opera. Where I did take some lovely cliché- pictures, as expected of any good tourist in Sydney.

getting ready for a british wedding

11:30 AM: Entering the Royal Botanical Garden. This place is an ode to the British art of gardening. Luxurious, gigantic, peaceful: perfect.

Government house

The large areas of grass where you are invited by official signs to step and lie on, although you have to share it with birds; the hidden thematic gardens (the Asiatic one is so quiet and precious); the little kiosks and the garden's shop. From there, you also get a nice view on the harbor and the bridge. The garden is the nest of the government house, which you can visit for free (if you arrive on time; I didn’t). On the front porch, you can see the steps that helped the governor wives get in and out their carriage without effort. Now, how cool is that?

I also spent a good 15 minutes looking at the amazing bats flying around in the daylight.

1PM: stop for lunch in one of the numerous cafes of the garden, to enjoy a delicious shepherd pie and a diet coke (very hot day).

1:30PM: Heading toward the NSW art gallery. It’s free, except for the temporary exhibits, and I got to leave my heavy backpack at the coat rack (thanks god!!!). The collection is eclectic to say the least, and covers a broad range of French and British 18th-20th century classics, some interesting Aboriginal art, and some more recent acquisitions such as a Gilbert and George... I got lucky enough to see the art of 12th graders. I know exactly what you’re thinking now, so I dig up the website where you can read about the concept and about this year's winners.
I couldn’t take any picture since I had only my cell phone, flashlight of which I cannot deactivate, but go see for yourself: walkthrough the exhibit and let me know if they're good or what. The creativity and the talent of these 17 years-old kids totally deserve a spot in National Museum. 

From up there you see all Sydney

3PM: Taking detours through the city, I walked my way through crowded streets full of performers (from the gipsy/spanish guitar player to the acrobats) to the Observation tower. The view is nice from up there, but I was disappointed not to be able to go outside on the roof.

3:30PM: Walking my way back to Darling harbor through the city, and across the shopping strip. Darling harbor deserve its name, it's cute as can be and did remind me of SF or Montreal piers to a certain extend. Maybe because of the big war vessel, or is it the aquarium and the shops? Anyway, touristy, crowded, and yet cute. I did look for the Chinese garden that is supposed to be close-by but could not locate it.

5:50 PM: It started to get dark and I decided to head toward Darlinghurst before the rain would start. I arrived to a sweet little hotel (l'otel, very original name?!), where I got upgraded to a bigger room with a nice-size deck and free Internet; you have to appreciate a good surprise when you see one. 

7PM: applying lotion on my sunburns while writing my grants and my new blog entry.

7:30PM: out for early diner. I ended up in a small Japanese restaurant. Tiny and packed, it looked like a canteen, and I was the only non-Japanese face here, but for another girl with her Japanese boyfriend and a older guy with his Japanese family. The food there was cheap and delicious, and I regretted to be alone because I would have loved to share some rolls and sashimis. You know this memory of taste and smell, when you eat a candy that tastes like childhood? Well, this place tasted exactly like London 15 years ago, when I discovered Udons with Nico and Alex.

I’ve heard that you can dance your ass off all night in King's Cross, but I also read online that it can be very dangerous to do so. My danger tolerance considerably decreased about 20 years ago or so and has plateaued around -5% since then, so I decided against verifying myself whether the Internet reviewers are cowards or wise people. I have to say, I did hear from my opened windows the cops driving through the lively night till morning hours, and some people seemed to be having a good time out there. That being said, the Cross is quieter on a week night, and on Monday it looked more like Brooklyn than Harlem already.

follow up

First of all, I'd like to thank you all who are reading the blog. As it was brought to my attention very recently, not only my close friends are reading me. Yes I do post my blog on Facebook, but I never thought it would extend beyond the friends and family group. So thank for those who've spread the word and for taking the time to read my mood and thoughts... Of course it means even less pics of the kids in the future if possible, since I have no idea who's reading and I'm a paranoid mom ;)
Other than that, no change, it's cool.

Last time I've blogged about food, it did generate all kind of comments, reactions, and a general interest. I should have expected that, since everyone in my life appreciates good food. But it got me thinking, and in the interest of sharing, I've paid even closer attention to what we brought back home from grocery shopping and what we made with it.
First, I said I was eager to try some of the Australian treats that everyone told us about. So I went on a mission to select 2 flavors of Tim Tam (out of an entire supermarket aisle full of them!) and ended up picking chewy caramel (Tiare's special order) and mint dark chocolate. 

Both are close to the best thing that could possibly happen to a cookie biscuit. It is chewy, crispy, sweet but not overwhelmingly sugary, and the mint chocolate is so good that Antoine learned how to say Tim Tam in 5 seconds ("more Tim Tam, mommy?")

Totally worth the calories intake (count 100/piece, oh yeah!) and probably one of the best commercially available cookies.



During the same grocery shopping trip, I grabbed a pack of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army something... Corp maybe?). Literally the war soldier biscuits, OMG! Excellent surprise I must say. It's like a coconut version of the ginger snap. And you have to love the packaging.

I also took my camera out of it's case for some Lamington pics. After trying the bar version, we had it's cube counterpart today. Pros: an even fluffier sponge cake, light as a cloud (!) Cons: obviously less chocolate-coconut per serving... Really delicious. There are some good and easy recipes for Lamington bars out there on the net, if you feel like trying something new, it may be your chance. I can see Kathy turning it into a Lamington cupcake (Kathy, please?).

And FYI, Australia makes the biggest packs of Weet Bix ever seen on earth. Tiare and I are not complaining about it, but it's still funny to meet one of these gigantic boxes.

And according to the package, being a Weet-Bix kid makes you an Aussie kid. Now that was easy :)

Note: 1- the look on Nic's face
2- our typically queenslandish kitchen...

This Saturday, we went to West End on our weekly market trip, spent some time listening to Irish music (St Patrick's day here too, obviously) while eating fresh cheese bread sticks and drinking good and freshly brewed coffee. For some reason, the Australian coffee always ranges between ok and good in a tasting scale, depending on where you get it, but is always, whatever the quality, more expensive than what you would pay for in Paris or even Manhattan. And everyone seems ok with that, go figure... Well, at least it's good.

We came back with loads of fresh veggies and fruits, including the delicious (and so pretty in pink, right?!) dragon fruit.

Next on the to-do list: prepare some jello-shots using the local flavors. Stay tuned!

A little bit of praise

I don't pretend to be a fashion icon or even remotely a fashion victim. Come on, I'm the kind of girl who uses a gene accession number for my gmail password. I never thought I would ever write a piece about anything as futile as fashion or accessories, but fact is I got enamored with a new brand. And even though I've talked about it to my friends, I don't think I've made them justice yet. So here it is: Missiessy.

An entirely French boutique, that makes traditional pocketbooks, purses, wallets, suitcases, bracelets, you name it. If it's leather-based, they can do it. While still in the US, I ordered an baby-blue Ostrich and black leather purse (Coureur collection), and even though I usually don't spend money on bags of any kind, I don't regret my expenses. This is the first leather bag I ever bought for myself. In my entire 34 years on this planet. My mom started offering me handbags as birthday presents when I was 16. Then my mother in law brought me a very cute one from the US, that I carried for years. My friends and colleagues gifted me a very precious Italian one when I finally graduated after 3+ years as a PhD student.

I never bought a single handbag until 2012. Amazing and not a very feminine attitude if you think about it. I swear, it was worth the wait. 

France-based and French-owned, Missiessy follows the pure and old-fashion (understand: by hand) tradition of the master artisans. The nice idea behind the branding is that because it's a small boutique, the entire team is listening to your envies then prepares the a-la-carte dream piece. You get to choose the materials, the cut, the size, the color.
Python, crocodile, lamb skin, ostrich, goat, or Galuchat, in black, cherry red, bright pink, red, orange, neon blue, navy blue, purple, grey, mint, baby pink, burgundy,.... Well I cannot remember them all. Just go check for yourself! The wallets are exquisite, the evening purse are precious, the bracelets are rock n' roll, the handbags are so handy and spacious. And because you design it, it is signed with your name... 

If you get a chance, just stop by the boutique while in Paris. (187 Rue Saint-Denis  75002 Paris, France 01 83 64 57 58). It's the cutest small shop ever, and you'll see and touch tons of precious skins. It doesn't matter if you're a biologist or not: there is really something powerful about these skins. Organic, from strange creatures, it's just beautiful in a weird way...

Told you: there is a serious bias in this report, I fell in love with the brand... 

Here are 2 of the 3 pieces I own (I also have an AMAZING burgundy Galuchat evening clutch like the one above but even prettier, haha; maybe I'll update with a pic).  I love them each and all.

Can be stuffed with a laptop, legos and cars,
juice bottles, and so much more

And I really admire the fact that the owner (Hubert) took the chance of making this a reality, and stood up for quality even if it means the final product may be expensive and thus a little more difficult to sell than their cheap counterpart. I think it was a clever move when I hear my mom and my aunts and their entire generation of Parisian-raised females complaining about Lancel or others having their purses made oversea the cheap way...

Parisian ladies will always venerate their local treasures (sorbets at Bertillon and lingerie au Bon Marche!) so let's wish long life to Missiessy and may they become a part of Paris' lifestyle.

Yuuummm, new food...

Anyone who've known me for more than 5 minutes can tell I'm a foodie. From shopping at the local fresh market or the local bakery to cooking (not so much baking) and enjoying a simple dish or an elaborate meal, with my family or bigger parties, I just love the whole process. I have my gourmet moments and my cookie-dough ones. I like to pick the cocktail or wine that would marry well with the food, I enjoy choosing a special ramequin for a special treat, there is only a small chance that we can talk over 30 minutes and avoid the topic, well I am a foodie... Chances are, you're one too, since it has often been playing a big part in the selection of my close friends. Not really a conscientious choice, more of a natural selection. Obviously, those who enjoy dinner parties are naturally more prone to receiving the next invite (!) and common interests often bring on good lasting friendship...

For this reason, I think it's now time to dedicate a whole post to food and introduce you to some of the typical Australian treats. We haven't had a chance to try them all, but we're working on it. Sadly, I'm usually the one making fun of people posting their restaurant plates photos on FB :) (ooops, confession), so I had to retrieve pics from the internet to illustrate even what we've tried.

doesn't it look yummy: see the look on
T's face, waiting for her cheese?

First of all, and completely unrelated (well, it's food too): I told my American friends about Raclette cheese and the concept that goes with it, and swore I'd send pictures next time I'm having one. My wonderful mother-in-law did set up one for us on our 1st day in Paris: here are the promised photos the prove it :)

Back to Australian order of business. I'm thankful for my colleagues, who introduced me to most of the treats we may never have tried otherwise. The first one of the list is the infamous Pavlova, delicious fruity summer cake. And supposedly low-fat (but not sugar-free, let me tell you that). It's a kind of a mousse, extremely light and not without reminding me of an ile-flottante. But there is also a layer of cream, in which passion fruits, golden kiwis and all kind of berries are embedded, and the entire cake is fully encrusted in light meringue. I know how it sounds, a bit of a nut-job-kinda-cake, but trust me: it's out of this world. You could easily trade the tea that is served with it for a Pimm's :)

The next treat I got to try was a Lamingtons bar. A typical Queenslander recipe, it's easy as a krispy treat and tastes better I think, although you have to like coconut. Basically: very aerial sponge cake, cut in slices (=>bars) or cubes, dipped into dark chocolate then covered in dry coconut. Another example of an easy idea going far!

Lamington bar

Fundraising season did bring on the caramello koalas, the Freddo chocolate frog, the Freddo twins (peppermint, pineapple, strawberry, white choc) all kind of cadbury chocolate animals. Although I haven't tried any, they seem to bring out Tiare's sweet tooth, which is a serous indication of goodness since she would always pick potato chips over chocolate when offered both. No need to say that Antoine is having joy-seizures just by looking at the paper wrap.

One of my favorite food here so far is the pumpkin salad. For some reason, it's a very common side-dish, and I have to admit that it marries well with any kind of burgers or meat. A must-add to your BBQ side-dish list. I found a recipe online that sticks to the ones I've tried and liked pumpkin salad. I've tried this version and the same with cucumber slices and feta, both delicious. And so simple. 

As far as take-out and fast food are concerned, Australian have 2 serious assets: First, being a big island make them a great place for seafood, and the fish and chips are no joke. Second, the proximity with Asia gives the insurance to find good and relatively cheap sushis, more seafood, tropical exotic fruits, and as good as diverse asiatic food in general. I'm off to the west end market to go buy our fresh stash of veggies and fruits for the week, so that's it for today.

West end green flea market. Not my pic, though

Come in all kind of flavor, and I've
heard you can somehow use them as a
straw for your tea... (??)

Doesn't mean that I'm not craving a meat pie or that the infamous Tim Tam biscuits (Australians don't eat cookies, they have biscuits instead for their morning tea...) are not on top of my next things to try. But there are too many foods to be described in one page, so I guess I'll have to stop here and post again when I've actually tried more!

FYI: no plan to try the Vegemite. EVER. Stop asking.

What’s in my bucket?

We spent 5 happy years in the US, still when I think about it I have mixed feelings. By moving overseas I made friends for life, I turned my kids into bilingual, hopefully open-minded, little people.

I discovered new places, new food, new life-style, I had fun, and I sharpened my MTV-English skills. But if I really think about it, I’ve mostly (slaved) worked for the past 5 years. Which brings me loads or regrets. All the things I wanted to see and do in the US, some difficult to achieve on our budget and with our ridiculous time-off allowance, others that we should have done. Don’t exactly remember what my excuse could have been at the time, beside “cannot go, I have to write this paper”  (Yes, that exact same one that prevented me from doing something else 6 months ago) or “I can’t: have to split my cells this weekend”. Lame.

What we’ve done and I’m thankful for: meet extraordinary individuals, their families and friends.  Learned about monkey bread, jello shots, gravy, and how to mix a Martini; tasted deep-fried turkey and loved it. Stopped by 10 different states: Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, California, and Rhodes Island. But I still have to go to New Orleans, Florida, to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, then go south to the Caribbean’s, Mexico, and anywhere Central/South America. Been to the Big E, neither to 6 Flags nor Disney World, been to PBR (thanks, Kat!) but not to a NY Yankees game, to Jersey Shore but not to Miami, and I could go on and on like that for hours.

So, if I’ve learned anything in these American years, it is that time is flying and making plans is not good enough. Otherwise your girl weekends and your paddleboard gateway and the family trip or the cruise with friends, it all goes up in smoke… That being said, I’m in the new world here. I mean the New-New one, the newest than the US, where (every?)things should be possible (?). So here it is, my Australian bucket list, and I’ll try my best to cross as many lines as doable off this list. I’ll give you my top 10, in random order, excluding petting a koala bear and a kangaroo, which we’ve done already (SEE? Right on track!!).

you want to go too, right?!!

1. Go to the great barrier reef (and dive, and sail, and enjoy)
2. Go to New Zealand and meet my family
3. Visit Tasmania
4. Take a cruise to some of the 74 QLD islands
5. Camp in the bush and teach the kids silly campfire songs
6. Visit Angela in Melbourne, Catherine in Perth, and Pierre in NZ (to redeem myself for not visiting Julia in Boston, Carly, Drew and Meredith in Philadelphia)
7. Make friends and organize Halloween Party, BBQs and camping trips
8. Buy a house and have tropical furniture on the deck, a mango tree in the garden and a pool in the yard.
9. Go to Asia: Bali, Thailand, Japan, anywhere we can think of and all want to go
10. Tour the Kakadu National Park and go to Alice Springs

I also have plans for updating this blog and keep you posted as we cross things off the list. Please feel free to pick your favorite # and tag along :)