Absinthe Salon, Sydney

Note:  The Australia trip happened a looooong time ago. Thankfully, though, this is the last post about it -- now I can start with the Euro ones soon! Yeah, I'm not a very effective real-time travel blogger. Things will always be ultra-retrospective here. 


In this last installment, I'm going to tell you about absinthe.  Before coming to Sydney, all I ever knew about it is that it's a kind of alcohol and that a club (now closed) in Makati was named after it.  All my previous knowledge of absinthe came from this scene from the Jude Law version of the movie Alfie--



 I've learned considerably more about the drink when I visited Absinthe Salon.  Watch out, I'm going on lecture mode in a bit!  




Absinthe Salon is a quirky little place tucked away on Albion St in Surry Hills and quite easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for (happens to me all the time).  It serves all kinds of absinthe and only absinthe.




Absinthe is a highly alcoholic spirit that became popular in Europe during the late 1800's.  Unfortunately, it became so popular that it was claimed that drinking too much of it will lead to hallucinations and general madness.  They say it will make you do unspeakable things, i.e. murder and other violent crimes.  That's why absinthe is also known as The Green Fairy.  It was, therefore, banned in many countries such as France and The Netherlands in the late 19th century.

Absinthe regained its popularity during the 1990's and the bans on the drink have been reviewed.  Although still restricted, the policies regarding production and sale of absinthe are now more lenient.



There is definitely a quaint and gothic feel to Absinthe Salon and is run by a nice couple named Joop Van Heusden & Gaye Valttila (yes, I've done my research).



I want to wear a corset to work someday, too.  So jealous!



Sitting in the salon is like being in a time warp.  Was this how people like Aleister Crowley, Oscar Wilde & Vincent Van Gogh drank absinthe?  I feel sophisticated and creative already!

In the clip above, Susan Sarandon's character poured absinthe into glasses and burned sugar for it.  Gaye said that's not the right way to do it and that the absinthe is probably Czech, which is not authentic absinthe.


So how do you drink absinthe?



You will need a fountain or carafe of iced water, a small glass and a slotted spoon for the sugar cubes.



A dose of absinthe is poured into the glass.  The liquid starts out clear or green depending on the kind of absinthe.



As the water drips onto the sugar and on towards the absinthe, some kind of reaction happens between the herbs and the water.  The liquid turns cloudy and this process is called louching.  When there is enough water in the glass (about 3-5 parts), the absinthe is ready to drink... slowly.  No burning sugar here.




There are now various kinds of absinthes from all over the world to choose from.  Absinthes contain between 42-74% alcohol -- that higher end of the bracket is a LOT of alcohol.  It is widely considered that you're only allowed to drink between 2-3 doses of absinthe each time.  It is not proven that drinking too much causes hallucinations, but of course, too much of anything is bad for you and absinthe is still alcohol.  So just assume you'll get the same effects as binge-drinking.

Absinthe Salon promotes the 2-3 dose advice and they actually close at 10pm (this shocked me).  I don't recommend going there for a night cap.  Rather, pay a visit when you want to get in the mood to hit the town.



I already started to get that fuzzy feeling after the first dose.  After one more, I was definitely drunk  Apparently, you should start drinking low alcohol absinthe first, then work your way up.  There's method to the madness, after all!

Interestingly, the effect absinthe gave me is that I'm drunk, but more aware of my surroundings.  It's strange, when I'm used to alcohol clouding my head and I usually can't see straight.  I haven't decided yet if lucid drunkennes is for me, but I'm definitely going to buy myself the whole fountain-glasses-spoons set one day and maybe do my own absinthe salon at home!

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Darling Harbour, Sydney

Note: The Australia trip happened several months ago.  This is the second to the last post in this series.


You know how some people attach stories to a particular place?  That's what I try to do now that I've started to get around so much.  I have realised that if I don't have any photos or anything to remind of where I've been, I seem to forget them.  I usually use happy stories, but I've given Darling Harbour a sad one.

If you know Paulo Coelho's book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept , my story reminded me of that.  I'm not going to go into details, because it's too personal.  However, the lessons are  universal.



By Darling Harbour, I sat down and wept... after I took noisy nightscape photos that I didn't know how to shoot in the first place.



Life is like a river.  No matter how hard you try to keep things from changing, they will.  And life will change you -- in little ways that you'd hardly notice or in such a big way that you'd hardly recognise yourself.  Darling Harbour is definitely not a river, but any body of water is ever-changing, and this reminds me of that.




Hold on to your insecurities and wallow in your miseries, but only for a short while.  There is always something to be thankful for, no matter how small.  Cherish them and let them inspire you.




If you're lonely, you can find love anywhere -- you just have know where to look.  <3




Nothing is certain in life.  Know that what you have now may be taken away from you at any given time.  Make the most of them.



Have dreams -- at least one.  That is the beacon of light that you will need to guide you through this crazy world.

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Circular Quay and Sydney Harbour

Note:  The Australia trip happened several months ago.


If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I'd say that I really had no idea why I decided to go on a trip to Sydney.  It seemed like a very expensive spur-of-the-moment decision (although wanting to see U2 so badly convinced me to make that foolish decision).  A friend asked if I wanted to see the place and I said yes after a U2 concert was dangled in front of my face, like a carrot to a horse.  Sheesh. 

If there ever was an award for Lost Soul of 2010, I would have won it hands down.  

Does one ever need a better reason for traveling other than just simply wanting to be in that particular place?  I say, yes and no.  If it involves visas and a large chunk of one's savings, then I guess the answer should be "yes."

For most of the year, I was all over the place -- literally!  If someone asked me if I wanted to go anywhere, I was already there loooong before they'd even finished the sentence.  I felt as if I was flailing about, not knowing where exactly I wanted to be, like some kind of homeless person.







Walking towards the Sydney Opera House along Circular Quay   









Walking towards the sea-facing end of the opera house



You can see the Botanic Gardens from this side



Harbour Bridge






I'd taken moody photos, haven't I? hahahaha


When night has fallen...





 






Looking at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House photos now, they seem very sad to me...






And when I noticed that all three of us were facing the sea, it's given me a profound revelation.  The sea symbolises an unknown future, which is a predicament I had suddenly found myself in.  The thought was overwhelmingly daunting and scary.  I had been traveling to literally escape thinking about it... 

... Or maybe I was simply heartbroken.

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Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Sydney

Note: The Australia trip happened several months ago.


Unlike my recent UK trip, I have no relatives in Sydney who have homes I could crash into while doing my touristy things.  Therefore, I had to book myself into a hotel for a few days.

Travel sites are ideal for doing these kinds of things because they usually cut a good deal.  When I'd decided to stay 4 nights in Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, I shelled out less than P18,000.  I checked the rates again just before I wrote this post and found that it's over P5,000 /night to book now, but you may get it cheaper if you stay longer than 3 nights.  That's an excellent bargain, when you know that Hyde Park is just one block away and that it'll only take you 2 minutes to walk to the nearest train station.  You can't get any central than that, unless you want the Opera House just outside your hotel.



Castlereagh is in the same building as the New South Wales Masonic Club.  Incidentally, it is a listed heritage building -- a fact about it that I absolutely love.  Expect it to be somewhat traditional.






I nearly missed the lobby door when walking down Castlereagh St!  It was just a small door from the pavement, so it pays to watch out for the signs above when looking for your hotel, shops, etc.



When I said to expect something traditional, it means you need to insert your hotel room key into the elevator to get to your room floor.  I was beside myself the first time I had to do it!




My flight landed at about 7am and was dreading that I would have to wait until 10am for an early check-in.  Thank God a room was immediately available, so I had been able to freshen up after flying in a plane overnight (incidentally, there was nobody sitting next to me in that flight also -- am I on a streak here?)



I booked a single room with a double bed and an en-suite bathroom.  I had experienced staying in a hotel in London before where I had to share a bathroom with other residents on my floor and I absolutely hated it.  So I didn't mind paying extra for the privacy.

The room is really clean (very, very important).  The only issues I have about it is that really old-fashioned bedspread (reminds me of lola/grandma) and that frosted window.  I love being able to see the world from my room, but here, I don't even know if it's morning or afternoon.  What a pity.




The bathroom is modern and spotless!!!  Considering that it's a very old building and I expected some kind of medieval plumbing system with the price I got the room in, I was very pleased! 

Would I stay there again?Absolutely!!  It's clean, the staff are friendly and most of all -- it's a really good bargain! 

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Manly Beach, Sydney (Are you man enough for it?)

When I thought of Sydney before my trip, I've always thought that there was only one beach there. How wrong was I??? Very!

With the limited amount of time I have, however, I can only manage to go to one. I dunno if it has anything to do with me looking for males, but I ended up going to Manly Beach. The name alone puts a huge smile on my face. Hehe!

You catch a ferry to go to Manly Beach and the ferry drops you off at Manly Wharf.

You just follow everybody on the way out of the ferry, as you're all probably going the same way anyway. Follow the 'gulls, I suppose, if you don't wanna be a lemming.

For someone who loves the beach so much, I can't swim and have ALWAYS been afraid to learn.

But I'm more than happy to just sit on the steps, sand and just breathe the whole atmosphere in and stare at the naked bodies out onto the sea.

Interesting, the things you see at the beach.

Tried dipping my feet onto the water eventually, though. It was freezinggggg!

I'll leave the surfing to the experts, then.

Hyde Park (the Sydney one, not the London one)

One could really get confused, huh? Wonder what'd happen if there is a Hyde Park in every capital city in the world? That's a question for you, Mr Stephen Hawking! Hah!

I really picked a darn good hotel this time... those sleepless nights trawling the internetz weren't for naught(I'd been reading Pride & Prejudice -- ridiculously difficult to read)! I booked myself for four nights at the Castlereagh Hotel, which is a few steps away from Park St, which leads you to (you guessed it) Sydney Hyde Park. With the park just a couple of blocks away from me, I couldn't have been happier!

You can see people just lounge around on the grassy knolls all over the grounds. It's so relaxing to see people making the most of this place. Unfortunately, I only realised just now, looking at my photos, that I hadn't taken a photo of the grounds -- I mostly did portraits! I can be such an idiot sometimes.

It's time to test my framing skillz.

I absolutely love placing the sun behind structures! The halo effect it makes just makes me smile from ear to ear.

Park entrance from Elizabeth Street.

Going into this avenue of trees from Park St can feel magical. I've sat on benches a couple of times, just watching people pass by (can be good for ogling hot guys). Hehe!

This same walkway will lead you to a majestic fountain.

Called the Archimedes Fountain.

It's cool to hang around it when the sun isn't too hot.

Having studied at UST, the fountain kind of reminds of the Benavidez statue ("doon ka sa Recto").

Folks, THIS is how you subdue a darn minotaur!!! Rawrrrrrrr!

Elizabeth St & Sydney Tower view from Hyde Park.

Err... some kind of monument (TLDR -- too long, didn't read).

Feels European.

Errrmmm... birdie.

Park St runs through the middle of Hyde Park, so crossing the street will give you more park grounds and the "Pool of Reflection." I didn't have time to make any reflections during this shot, though.

Plus, you also see the ANZAC War Memorial.

Slice of life. After a whole afternoon's walk around the park, I had coffee at a Starbucks (sooo typical) and just watched how people in Sydney behave during the afternoon rush hour. It feels like any other city, but having the park across the street is rather cooooool.