looked forward to this as it is a road trip to the Blue Mountains with my cousin Danny who we haven't seen since he came up for his high school reunion in July. Dan picked us up at seven so that we could have breakfast enroute . It was a fresh morning so Erica lovingly rugged us up. Dan picked us up in his huge work van and off we went.
Rumali and I were amazed by the stunning vistas, we soon reached the apple orchards in Bilpin. The trees were starting to bud and the air was very crisp. We stopped in Bilpin at a roadside diner called Pie in The Sky ( I used to love that tv show on abc). We could smell delicious aromas wafting from beneath the old timber door, inside the cafe the baker was taking his wares out of the oven. After a few short moments we chose our pies ( they also do breakfast like bacon and eggs etc) ; Danny - chicken , Mali - beef and mushroom and I just chose a plain steak pie. I have to say it was the best pie I have ever eaten. The crust was golden, perfect and flaky and the stew inside was so flavoursome and tender . I can not recommend it more highly!!
Danny ordered the local apple cider which was lovely. Mali chose a latte with a side order of fudge which she declared great and I had predictable English Breakfast Tea.
Danny took us on the freeway, past Blacktown (where he lives) and on to Kurrajong Heights where he used to live . The sights at the base of the Blue Mountains were incredible.
And then we were off again . I don't know the names of all the places we stopped at or drove through. I can remember Lithgow ( due to the actor) and Medlow Bath where Rumali was desperate to stop at the lolly shop ( supposedly to make her own fairy floss). The valley the lolly shop was situated in was gorgeous we were greeted by bubbles floating outside the shop. Inside was a vast array of sweets with many childhood favourites . I ended up being the only one to buy any sweets - it was aniseed rings for me! Rumali ended up getting things you throw at the ground which explode. Danny patiently waited until we were finished and we headed for Mt Toomah - Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens .
Mt Toomah was spectacular it is so large that people can take a driving tour through it for only Five dollars which I didn't know about ( I would have taken it as I don't love walking) until we were on our way out. First stop was the ladies room - which was unfortunately not operational because the water tanks had to be filled. So I had to walk with the park ranger for a kilometer to use the one at the council depot!
The different botanical sections of the gardens were awe inspiring . Rumali loved the fields of lilies which she could lay in. Danny was occupied with taking arty nature shots of cicadas and I was just a general type of tourist admiring all of natures gifts. I must say though the wisteria covered restaurant was the perfect place for one of my daughters to get married. The view from the balcony of the restaurant looking at the panoramic Blue Mountain ranges was incredible.
I loved how the sugar bowl was a slice of a branch and the drinks were served in olden day aluminum camping mugs. Rumali and I had a lemonade each and Dan had a freshly squeezed lemonade.
And then we were off on our way towards Katoomba . The last time I was in Katoomba was nine years ago with Erica , Nick and Riz. It was very difficult to orientate myself as I had only ever been by train . Dan parked in the Coles car park and we trudged up the steep hill to the lunch destination he had chosen which was ' The Carrington Hotel' . I was very pleased as this WAS one of the places I had visited with Riz.
The Carrington is a charming hotel with original furnishings and creaky floors. The Duke and Duchess of York stayed there in 1927. We had lunch in the foyer as there is no designated eating area and you just choose where you want to dine. I had BLT on focaccia which actually came out as a club sandwich. Mali had a pumpkin and pesto fettuccine which although moderately tasty had 1/2 cup of olive oil puddled on the bottom. Danny played it safe with an antipasti platter and a cider . 
Next we drove to the Three Sisters Lookout , I was very excited about going here as the previous visit with Riz had been extremely cloudy and I recall waiting at the lookout for what seemed like hours in the cold wet mist. Today however the view was so clear and the viewing area had almost a hundred tourists snapping away !
We had intended to go to Leura to see the famous sweet shop but alas we were running out of time because we still had two more iitems on our agenda; visiting my childhood friend Carla Teixeira and dinner at Paschas. Dan raced down the mountain range and we reached Blaxland in record time. He easily located Carla's house by using his trusty TomTom.
When we arrived, Carla was at the video store and her eldest son Sol welcomed us, he towered over me at 6ft 4, the last time I had seen him he was about six years old. We also met Gabriel who was the spitting image of Carla at age ten. It was wonderful to see my old friend and the years dropped away instantaneously . I reminded her of us singing James Taylor's ' You've Got a Friend' to each other in our teens on the dam wall at Tinaroo many moons ago ( she couldn't remember, she also couldn't remember the invitation that she hand drew for her tenth birthday ). Carla had prepared a lovely afternoon tea for us , resplendent with a selection of European biscuits . She invited us for dinner but we had to decline because we were dining with Erica, Will and Nick at Paschas. After a quick look at the new dividing fence and room that Carla and her mother Maria had built we were off . ( during this time Rumali entertained herself on the back steps throwing the little poppers around).
Danny got us to Newtown very quickly and then the fun began - the time consuming quest of trying to locate a parking spot. We kept on going past Erica first she was standing outside and then she was seated. We got a park two blocks away, Dan quickly changed his shirt ( he is very organized) I felt very underdressed and boganistic in my sand shoes and trekking gear.
The restaurant was Turkish and had incredible decor. The tables were all mozaiced and the walls were adorned with glass plates , brass and silver vases and other cultural items. They had suspended gorgeous lights from the ceiling , it was hard to concentrate on the menu so I left that up to Erica ( since she has been coming here for 30 years). The food was delectable, Erica chose lamb skewers, meatballs, chicken and an appetizer plate with a red cabbage, orange and hazelnut salad . I know it sounds very undescriptive and I recognize I should have made a note of the Turkish names for the food. Although Erica insisted we order more as this was smaller than her usual order I assured her that this was sufficient food , luckily I did because we ended up not finishing everything ( although she also ordered a dessert platter ). It was a perfect ending to a splendid day !
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