I wish to travel. There is this growing need in me to see more of the World than my own backyard. I love Brisbane, but my friends and family are always telling me about the other wonderful cities of the world. A colleague is currently in New York, a friend has recently moved to Melbourne, and a cousin lives in Florida. With this in mind (but knowing I can't currently afford to go anywhere) I think this weekend in Brisbane is made for me. In fact it is made for anyone who is even remotely thinking of doing any travel sometime in the future. Why?



Yes, it's the FREE Travel Expo time. Held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre everyone should go along to check out all the deals and travel companies on offer. There are even prizes to be won.

So what am I up to this weekend. Well, after my gym session I am thinking of visiting the Travel Expo of Course!!! And maybe catching a movie at Cineplex Southbank. And maybe having a coffee somewhere in South Brisbane.

What's on in the rest of Brisbane? Well everything from Tai Chi and Zumba at New Farm Park, to Beach Photography at the Wynnum Wading Pool. To find out everything that is on this weekend have a look at the Brisbane City Council Website. If you try out any of the events please let me know how it was.

Yes, today I was booked, in a good way. It is that time of year again. Lifeline Bookfest. The time for all bibliophiliacs to rejoice and join as one to converge on the Brisbane Convention Centre. With everything from kids books to science fiction, and cooking to humour, the Bookfest has something for all book lovers.

 Separated into the 3 sections the Bookfest has something for every budget, even some PS2, Xbox and PC games, DVDs and CDs. The three areas are the unpriced section, where you normally pay by the book size, the Priced Section, where books are all $2.50 this year, and the Quality Section. Today was a bit more of a browsing expedition for me, and I intend to return again later in the week, and as Bookfest is open from this last weekend to Sunday 22 January, there is plenty of time for everyone to stop in. Today I managed to pick up the first Manga in the "Return to the Labyrinth" story. This is something I have been wanting to read for ages.

Browsing through the titles there were yet again plenty of copies of Dan Brown's Davinci Code, and this year there was nearly half a table covered in the Twilight series. I love looking through all the cookbooks to try and find something a little different. Last year I picked up a great Moroccan cookbook. I look forward to returning later in the week to search through the rows and rows of books to find further treasures.

So I turned the big 33 recently. As it was the middle of the week I had the day off from work to spend it with my Mister. The morning began with a nice walk through Spring Hill to ostensibly pick up cream for the pancakes I was making for Breakfast. Yes, I cooked breakfast on my birthday, but for a good reason... that being the banana syrup I was making to go on them. Now that the price of  bananas has gone down they are re-entering my diet. Yay!!!

After the yummy breakfast we relaxed playing PS3 and computer games before heading out to our first movie of the day. We were off to Cineplex at Southbank. Cineplex is great for movies and snacks. With tickets from $6.50 (before 3:30pm) to $8.50 for normal 2D movies, and a large drink and popcorn for $7.90 it is possible to go to the movies for under $20.

Anonymous was good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I've since been informed that it is factually incorrect, with the timings of the plays and historic events completely out from reality. Still it was enjoyable.

After the movie we went to Max Brenner for chocolate what else. As always the wait was long but the food was yum. I think part of the charm of waiting at Max Brenner is using the time to change your mind about what you are going to order... over and over again. I had the Sundae and Mister the Waffles. My favourite part was eating the little pot of melted chocolate :)

We then walked back into Brisbane to enjoy a late lunch/early dinner at Aroma Garden. This suited me and my Mister perfectly as they have a broad range of food. He had the Chicken Parmegarna and I had the Chicken Tikka Masala. I love the flavour of my food. I could tell it was homemade and although not technically perfect it was tasty and came with really nice papadams. The meal was probably a bit over priced for what it was (over $20 each for the mains, even though they were a good size). It was nice and the service was decent but I've had better meals for less at other restaurants.

After dinner it was to a free movie care of @reviewbrisbane. We were lucky enough to win tickets to see a preview session of Immortals. Visually pretty fantastic, the movie was good but seemed to lack a little in the way of script. The actors were decent and the cinematography nice, it was just that feeling of missing something.

All in all it was a great birthday, made even greater by spending it with my Mister.

I've been on a bit photo binge the last few months, my favourite subject the architecture and sites in Brisbane. From South Bank to the Fortitude Valley I have snapped shots of buildings I used to take for granted.

South Bank/South Brisbane

Brisbane

Fortitude Valley/The Valley/Tenneriffe

I have a new camera! 

It's a nice little (ok, not so little) Nikon Coolpix L120. Very happy. Having a lot of fun trying out all the settings and learning what does what.

This weekend was perfect for trying out the new camera. Saturday was spent at West End Markets (photos care of my man - camera had not been purchased at this stage). West End markets (aka Davies Park Markets) are a great place to pick up fresh fruit and veges, meat, seafood and other food items. It is also a great place to go to try out yummy food, pick up little nick-nacks, and meet friendly people.


The markets are on every Saturday morning at Davies Park, Montague Road, West End. Free Entry.

<fresh seafood.. umm yeah, one mum was scaring her daughter silly showing her all the fish. The look on her face was priceless when she got a look at this little guy


We followed up our visit to the markets with yummy fun at Delta Continental on Vulture Street. If you love fine foods or have been looking for that elusive meditteranean ingredient, Delta is the place to go.  You enter a typical deli set up with olives, cheese, antipasti, sweets and other treats. In the opposite corner is a little doorway and a small set of stairs leading to a small supermarket set-up with three aisles of delicacies. Orange blossom water, preserved lemons, pasta flour, dried lentils, coffee, feta, parmesan, salami, chorizo, nuts, jams, pastas, canned goods, and olive oil. This place is an Aladdin's cave of wonderful foods.


Time for a coffee... yes! And it was off to BlackStar Coffee in West End (44 Thomas St). I have to admit to being a big fan of Blackstar. From their relaxed atmosphere, to their yummy drinks, this cafe is the perfect place to relax on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning.  I even picked up some freshly roasted and ground coffee for home. :) (my love for coffee will become obvious in coming blogs) The food smelt fantastic and we will be returning to try their poached eggs. mmmmm...

Saturday afternoon was spent at South Bank, followed by a trip to Cineplex South Bank to see The Hangover Part 2. After the movie we walked back in to Brisbane. I was a lovely clear night, if a tad chilly, but I managed to get some nice shots of our lovely city. There are a few shots I am quite proud of, and I'm sure I'll just get better the more I learn about my camera. 

 Treasury and Expressway

 South Bank

 Gotham at night

 The expressway lights

 Hotel Carlton (aka The Myer Centre)

Brisbane City Hall

To be continued in part 2... Dolphins and Polar Bears and Penguins, oh my!