Take Me To Where The Mountains Are Blue

For my birthday this year I decided to go travel alone, not too far though, just to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains got its name from the blueish tint as you look over the valleys and mountains. It was June and boy was it cold. While I was not fortunate enough to catch the snow, I did get to experience the beauty of foggy mountain view. I always stay at Leura, which is this very charming village with a lot of character. 

Apart from Leura I didn't go anywhere else this time as I only had 1 and a half day but I still did most of the things I wanted to do. Leura village centre/Leura Mall is basically a main strip of road filled with restaurants and shops. There's also a Woolworths so it is very convenient if you want to cook your own dinner. There are a lot of really nice and quirky shops here selling stationary and homewares. There are also shops that sell things made by local artists and a really nice chocolate place called Josophan's fine chocolates, I love the waffles balls they sell here, goes perfect with hot chocolates. Next to Josophan's is a art gallery showcasing some really cool wooden sculptures and artworks. You can spend half a day shopping and browsing here easily. But most importantly of course, let's get into the food. Leura has some of the best food I've ever eaten. 

Le Gobelet French Restaurant

I had the best french food ever here, too bad it's up for sale now so I couldn't have the pleasure of tasting their food one last time. From memory, the crab crepes was the most outstanding dish. The duck with cherry sauce was also devine, I very much regret not been able to fit desserts in after all that food. The place is actually a house with the living room tranformed into a dining hall. The owners are one crazy pair, the last time I was here, I could hear the chef banging and swearing from the kitchen. We had to wait 2 hours for our food to arrive but man was it worth it! It's such a shame to see this place go, I am truly saddened. 

Red Door Cafe

You have to try their coffees, best in Leura I'd say. The food here is also awesome, simple but tasty with local ingredients. Most of the time I get breakfast or brunch here, their sausages are excellent and so is everything else. 

Bon Ton

First time trying this one, located at the end of the street I've always walked past it but never actually went in. But after seeing Le Gobelet closed I really wanted french food and so in I went. It was the first time I've eaten at a proper restaurant by myself, the thought of it always weirded me out but actually sitting and eating by myself wasn't that bad at all.  I got the Escargot cooked with parsley, garlic, eschallot butter and freekah crust. A fricasse of chicken, leek and mushroom pie, served with roasted eschallots and spinach. I really like escargot especially with a lot of parsley and butter, if it comes with bread for dipping then even better. These escargot were a bit too dry for me, while the snails themselves were very tender and juicy, I found the crust to be a bit lacking in taste and dry. The pie however was marvellous! The crust is cooked to perfection, encasing the chicken, leek and mushroom inside. Full of flavour and texture, I also really liked the accompanying spinach and roasted eschallots. It was a very satisfying meal to say the least, well worth a visit in the future.

Bygone Beautys

Technically a teapot and antiques museum but I came at a wrong time because they're currently expanding so all the showcasing teapots were moved. But the other antiques and teapots are still on display which you can also buy if you want to. The place is a bit cramped but I came here for the Devonshire tea. Served with 2 homemade scones, it is the perfect way to spend your afternoon by the fireplace. I love my scones smothered in cream and jam. The scone melts in your mouth along with the sweet strawberry jam and cream, yum!

Another place I visited during my stay was the Toy and Railway museum. From the look of their website it seemed quite a awesome place to visit but from my experience it was far from that. It is inside a 100 year old house which looked quite nice from the outside, once you go in, the entrance fee is $14, that's pretty steep for just a look around the house and the garden outside. You are also not allowed to take photos inside the house, a bit weird but ok whatever. The house is pretty old with creaky floorboards, there are several rooms, some you are allowed in and some not. Toys from all ages are showcased here, mostly creepy dolls and toy trains. 

After wondering around the first floor I went upstairs and I felt so uneasy up there I had to come down again. Maybe it was just my imagination but the air upstairs was so dense and uncomfortable I just didn't want to stay another second. Outside in the garden is the train displays. Some of the old railway station signs and etc are on display, that's about all that's interesting here. I probably wouldn't recommend you coming here, maybe if you're truly bored and have nothing else to do.

I used to think travelling alone would be boring and lonesome but now that I've actually experienced it I would definitely do it again. Just because I'm alone doesn't mean I'm lonely, I think everyone should try it at least once in their lives. 

Well then, till next time, bon voyage! 

:)