Palm Beach: Good Food, Good Wine, Good People

Note: The title of the blog post was not selected in any particular order. 

To quote PalmBeachSydney.net, "Palm Beach, the jewel of the Northern Beaches, is the northernmost suburb of Sydney, less than an hour drive from the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the CBD. Nestled on a landmark peninsula, it is blessed with a unique contrast of lush evergreen bushland and beaches of golden sand, enveloped by the pristine blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and the calm sailing paradise of Pittwater. A unique environmental awareness blending breathtaking views with quaint cottages and palatial homes, ensures that Palm Beach will forever enjoy a lifestyle of relaxed and casual affluence."

I can attest to the fact that the views are as the paragraph describes and the waters are just as blue. Before a quite busy week at work, I spent last weekend at house in Palm Beach. I've very fortuitously met a group of lovely girls who invited me up to spend the weekend with them and a group of high school and 'uni' (aka. college) friends. Having allowed myself several free weekends & not planning multitudes of trips, I very happily agreed and was on my way. At the time I had no idea what Palm Beach was (this was of course prior to finding the syrupy paragraph above), but figured that any place whose name contains the words 'palm' and 'beach' was probably not a bad decision. 

After a drinks at Opera Bar & a Friday movie with Aimee & Ryan (go see the Social Network!), Saturday morning I packed up my things and headed  across Darling Harbour and Hyde Park into the King's Cross area to meet up with Steph, Anya and their friend Alice, who was visiting from the States. Tummies full of homemade breakfast burrito (salsa,tomato, avocado, eggs, cheese...Carly & Sara you'd have loved it!), we were picked up by Chris with a full on Movember 'stache & Steven and all of us drove to Chris's parents house in Palm Beach. It is amazing and the result of meticulous design & interior planning. Every bedroom had a subtle theme noticed only after spending a few moments lying on the bed or invading the wardrobes with your own un-belonging belongings, and all living spaces could be arranged to accommodate an intimate gathering of friends or a larger, more elegant soiree. The view...well, I'll let you look at the pictures. 

Altogether, there were about 15 of us there, strangers at the beginning, but definitely all became friends at the end of the weekend. There were also about 5 cameras, including my own, which led to a lot of fun photo taking. I have no doubt some will eventually make an appearance on the Facebook.

 The bunkhouse, where the 4 of us girls slept

 The views from and of Chris's parents house. We also went for a brief ride on that boat before a storm rolled in. It has just enough horsepower not to be able to tow. Yes, Chris's parents also did this on purpose

 Duckies! After the storm at low tide

 Tender friend moments

 Alice at low tide

 The lovely Anya contemplating life

 An empty wine glass at sunset

Dinner Saturday: After an entire day of sunbathing, laughing, a drink here or there, and hiding from a storm, little did we know Chris had a delicious meal in the works for us. As he explained to me on the ride back on Sunday, he used to work in the hospitality business covering in his multi-year career a London pub, Notting Hill Clubs, and Sydney hotel before quite literally throwing in the towel for an Accounting education & job. He prepared multiple salads, potatoes, marinated & grilled meats, cheeses & after dinner champagne. (The cheeses we'd been snacking on all day, and was so notable, warrants mentioning as an accompaniment to all meals we had that day. The dinner evolved into late night drawing, dancing & singing very much like many of the long meals with friends I'd had in Italy, where time just stops.

 Sunday: This is the view that we all woke up to on Sunday and went down lovely with our fresh orange juice, succulent mangoes, cappuccinos & tea. After the first few hours of digestion, we headed to one of the many beaches, soaked up the sun and had a few heart to hearts while walking along the surf. I took some time away from the group to do some soul searching on the beach as the waves crashed up against the shore; now, I'm tempted to add 'long walks on the beach' as a genuine interest of mine, all cliched pickup lines notwithstanding. The rhythms of the waves naturally calm and permit me the utmost clarity of thought. The waves mesmerize and confound playfully choosing a different moment to break upon each arrival to shore, never forsaking the infinite enormity to which they belong. I find it to be a beautiful, beautiful thing. Don't think I'll ever quite get enough of it.

The sun setting over the cove at Chris's house

The natural conclusion to the weekend was fish & chips, a sun-kissed crew watching the newest version of Sabrina with Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond & Greg Kinnear;  cleaning up the house that had generously & patiently tolerated our shenanigans of the day prior; crossword puzzles; a chicken dance (which I'll not delve into details, but trust me it was hilarious); and transport back to our respective houses. 

Thanks to Chris for hosting truly lovely weekend away from the city & bringing together such warm-souled individuals. Thank you to everyone else for your pleasant & jovial company. Leaving the house, I realized I had a sore abdomen muscles from the sheer quantity of collective moments, sum total probably hours, I had laughed.  Speaking very much from previous experience, for someone newly arrived in a country or city the most difficult thing is weave yourself into the natural life threads of an established friend circle, and its precisely the people you meet that create the rose colored glasses through which you interpret your new surroundings. I am beyond thankful that both outside and inside work, I've found myself amidst such beautiful people. You know you are, so thanks again!

A blog post would not be complete without:

Random Factoid: “Cellar door” according to thesaurus.com is the most beautiful word or phrase in the English language for its harmonious sounds and general pleasing effect to the ear. In terms of phonaesthetics, cellar door is often held up as an example of the most euphonic sound combination.

Quote of the week: "You just gotta believe." -An American colleague.  

PS. Aimee, I miss you!