I had a realisation earlier today I haven’t really been home much lately. I was home in Lismore for Christmas. I was in Newcastle for a week with my work, and my work will take me to Brisbane for a few days later in the month. And last weekend, a friend and I travelled to the Sunshine Coast for a few days.
We stayed in an apartment at Maroochydore which was nice: spacious and close to the beach. Maroochydore itself was quieter than I remembered, though noting it’s a few years since I last visited there. We relaxed, ate well, and enjoyed our time there very much. Memorably, Maroochydore must have the world’s largest adult store which, amusingly, has a large sign at the front saying they have parking and you should “enter via rear”. We both laughed.
Mooloolaba was a little more exciting, and a little more visually appealing with a lovely beach, and a lovely bush walk. The surf club was an excellent place for lunch: they’ve done a nice job making it appealing to both tourists and the many older, retired people who can still afford to eat out at what’s essentially a tourist town. My friend was after a pedicure and was told the basic pedicure would cost $90 “because we’re a tourist town”. Yikes. An unexpected highlight of the town was the Steve Irwin statue just off the beach. Yes, really.
On the subject of travel, my mid-year plans are coming along nicely. In essence, a week in Japan, a week in New York, and three weeks in Europe (Sweden, of course) which now includes 5 days in Rome. I’ve never been there before, but am looking forward to it very much, having found good central accommodation (without breaking the bank), and with plans for sight-seeing both in Rome and beyond (Venice for a day-trip surely?). Any travel tips would be most appreciated.
Every time I have visited the Mooloolaba Surf Club the restaurant has done a roaring trade. It must be one the most profitable clubs of its type in the country.
I heart Rome and am very envious! (I’ll email you a link to our Italy flickr pix)
I would recommend getting up very early to visit the Forum,Palatine (my favourites) & Colosseum to avoid the insane crowds.
Not immediately obvious, but fabulous places to visit:
centrale montemartini: broken statues amidst the achinery of a disused power station. Just as amazing as it sounds
galleria nazionale d’arte moderna: gallery of modern art. In such an ancient city, great to see some more contemporary stuff
terme di caracalla: Ruins of Giant Baths – really, really beautiful grounds.
But really, even just wandering about the city and soaking up the atmosphere is positively excellent.
ARGH! wordpress ate my comment (though if it didn’t – apologies for the dupe)
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I heart Rome and am very envious! (I’ll email you a link to our Italy flickr pix)
I would recommend getting up very early to visit the Forum,Palatine (my favourites) & Colosseum to avoid the insane crowds.
Not immediately obvious, but fabulous places to visit:
centrale montemartini: broken statues amidst the machinery of a disused power station. Just as amazing as it sounds
galleria nazionale d’arte moderna: gallery of modern art. In such an ancient city, great to see some more contemporary stuff
terme di caracalla: Ruins of Giant Baths – really, really beautiful grounds.
But really, even just wandering about the city and soaking up the atmosphere is positively excellent.
I also received this further comment about Rome which I’m sharing anonymously