05.27.10

Len has had the past two days off of work, so Jen took off work, and they took us for a night in Bright, Australia. Its about 3 hours away from Epping, and right in the middle of all the mountains. We were right by Mt. Hotham, which is a big ski and snowboarding resort.
The first day, the weather was beautiful. A little more then half way through, we stopped at the Ettamogah Pub, which is far from the ordinary! I guess there was a comic strip based on this place some time ago, and it looked just like thata comic strip! It was still really early when we got there, so it was dead, but it was neat to see, none the less.
It had a pub, and a restaurant, and in the back it had some small shops for lollies, and a little museum with all the comics in it. It also had an old garage with some beat up vintage cars in it too. It was your classic, old town, country hang out, perfect for the kids during the day, and the adults during the night.
After lunch, I ran into a tiny little puppy! Cute little thing named piglet. She was still just a puppy and as friendly as can be. Even though it made me miss my puppies so much more then I already do, It was also really nice to have a puppy in my arms again. I posted the picture of us in the gallery ; )
When we got to Bright, we got all our things situated in the little cabins, and then took a drive up Mt. Buffalo. It was winding and sharpand right at the cliffs edge. It just kept going up, and up, and up. It took us at least 35 minutes to get to the top. We stopped at the gorge to grab a good view, and man, was it breath taking! We were so high up that when I went to the lookouts edge, I almost passed out from vertigo. My eyes wouldnt adjust spatially so I just felt like I was spinning. (I will admit that though scary, vertigo is kind of fun.) Jenny felt the same way, so we jumped off the rock and took a small walk to see the waterfall.
The waterfall was in the crevice of two jutting mountain sides, so again, vertigo set in. I cant help it, it just happens! I let John snap all these pictures! It was kind of hard to see the waterfall well without feeling like I would fall over the edge, so we went back to the car and headed further up the mountain.
This time, we really did drive to the top. The mountains themselves were just covered in these giant rocks. They looked unreal though. Most of the rocks were just massive, and their surface was so smooth looking, like it had spent a few years in a tumbler. They were also placed so oddly, like someone had moved them specifically to that spot or just placed them there by hand.
At the top of the mountain, it was called The Horn, and was actually another mountain of rocks. It was getting late so we neglected to walk to the top, but did manage to grab some awesome pictures of the view. We could see miles and miles of nothing but mountains. The sun was starting to set, so it just casted these beautiful colors and shadows on the mountain sides. We didnt stay long, but it was an incredible view.
After the slow and long ride back down the mountain, we went back to the cabin to wash up and then headed off for dinner.
Now, Bright is a very small, quaint little town. A cute little countryside. The homes have more land, and you past quite a few farms on your way in or out of town. The shops are all little boutiques and have this nostalgic feel to them. Right in the center of town is a restaurant called Simones. Owned by a local lady and her husband, the restaurant itself is made inside a home! This is where we went for dinner
When you walked in, you felt like you were walking into a good friends home. There were two or three tables in what looked like it use to be a living room, a dining room and a lounge. There was a fireplace in each room, which made it so cozy and warm. There was art work from all different parts of Italy and in the main hallway, the walls were decorated with all the awards the restaurant has won since it opened.
It was all so perfect except for one thing.how do I even begin to choose from this tasty menu? Pheasant, quail, filletsthe menu was just full of so many items that seemed so delicious!
I finally settled on the black truffle gnocchi and blood plum quail.
This is bold, and at often times abused in most peoples statements, but it was by far, the most amazing, most delicious, most incredible meal I have ever had in my entire life!!! The gnocchi was a perfect size, and in this delicious cream and black truffle sauce. I dont even have the right words to explain it, and all the good words I need to save for explaining the quail. Yes, the quail. It was my first time indulging in this bird so I was a little scared that I may not like it. It had a crispy skin that was rubbed with what tasted like some cheese and herbs. It was filled with a chestnut stuffing, that just made the bird that much more moist. The plate was drizzled with this blood plum reduction and had a few chestnuts that were boiled soft around the plate. The bird itself was small, but the meat was just soo savory! The savory taste of the bird and chestnuts with the sweet and rich flavor of the blood plum was to die for. You got the nutty flavor of the chestnuts with the whole combination that just made it perfect. What I would do for this meal again
We all topped off dinner with a desert. I got an assorted desert plate, with nougat and almond bars, cookies, biscotti sticks and a desert wine. John got the tiramisu, and Len got a homemade raisin and rum ice cream topped with Baileys Irish Cream and rum. It was all so delicious!
That night, we curled up with our heated mattress pad, and I finished watching the final season of Sex and the City.
The next day, we stopped at the local brewery and tried out a few of their beers. I also got my first taste of chicken and honey potato chips! (savory chips are popular out here, like honey baked ham, etc.) The smell of the barley cooking in the brewery was amazing! They need to sell barley scented oils or something I loved it!
We also stopped at a local farm where this family had pretty much made a 24/7 garage sale. They had big barns all put together to make up 27 different shops. Well, they were really just themed rooms. Some of the stuff seemed like real antiques. Others, just plain old junk. They had a tobacco and gold museum, but we opted not to pay the 4 dollars to go inside.
At the other side of the parking lot was another giant barn, just full of old things. Old machinery, appliances, furniture, bric-a-brac and what not. There was a small barn where they sold coffee and had arranged for you to sit and read some magazines from the 80s. Everything you saw was for sale, and most of it looked like it had been there since the 18 hundreds! Jenny grabbed some random pieces of wire and chains for Justines installation project and we headed off.
We quickly stopped at a berry farm. Though out of season, we grabbed some raspberry syrup for waffleswhich we were all hooked on since mothers day.
Our final stop was at a cheese factory. We taste tested a bunch of homemade cheeses and jams, grabbed some for the road and headed home right before the rain came.
It was so nice to be in the country, even for just a night. You see, I am not crazy about the city. I like cities the same way people like hangovers. My problems is that I cant help but get totally intoxicated by the aurora of a city. The shops and fashion, the upbeat, chic lifestyle, the clubs and entertainment but still, my heart always goes back to the country. We have been spending so much time in the city, that my hangover was getting to become a little unbearable. The country was exactly what I needed to start feeling better.
The next day I woke up, and I was excited again. In only a few more days, we will be shipping off to Brisbane, and our back packing adventure will really begin!