The Blue Mountains are quite blue

The Blue Mountains is a place just a little over an hours drive from Sydney. It's a great place, with lots to see and do.

It's a part of Australia that I've visited many times. Seeing friends or just a stop over point on my way through.

There has been many years where my wife and I have both suggested we travel to the Blue Mountains to stay there. Maybe like a weekend retreat from town.

What a brilliant idea! So a nice little cottage was booked and we were on our way to Leura in fact. A place known for its gardens. Hours later, thanks to peak hour on a Friday afternoon, we finally made it.

The reviews on this place said it was nice to arrive to a lit fire. Hmm, we did say we're expecting to be there at 4-5 pm. About the time the sun goes over the hills and a fire would be lit. Sadly, I had to do that myself. And I'd expect a little more f0r $200 a night.

Little did I know I also used all the kindling for starting the fire too. And there was no block splitter to cut up a large piece of hardwood into smaller pieces so I could actually get a fire going enough for the massive pieces of timber to light up. And the pieces of timber were so big that they barely fit into the fireplace. If only I brought my axe.... oh wait.... this should all have been done for me since I was paying so much for the room.

The following day my wife and I did all the tourist things, like take the cable car and the worlds steepest railway around the mountains. That was a fun day.

We then picked up a magazine that tells us what else is on in the area. Handy, since it explained that everything in the area was too expensive. They weren't wrong.

Each time we ate food it cost us nearly $100.00

Some times nearly $200.00

On most, if not all occasions the food was probably worth about $35 at the most. On some occasions I would have demanded my money back if I weren't so hungry.

On our last night, which ended prematurely, we couldn't even find a decent place to eat, so I figured you can't go too wrong with pizza. How wrong was I?

We walked into a place that had the most amount of people, thinking if it's popular then it must be good. We were given menus and told when we're ready to order, go up to the counter. Odd, but when in Rome.

I waited a good 10 minutes before I was served, when I started with what my wife wanted. Soup of the day and a piz...... The girl interrupted, "Soup of the day?"

I repeated, "Yes, the soup of the day, on your menu"

"Soup?"

"Yes, the one on your blackboard over there"

"Of the day?"

I had to stop and think for a minute, was I speaking the correct language?

I told her to never mind and I rounded up the missus, out the door we went. Settling on a not so brilliantly presented curryhouse.

Admittedly, our entree was microwaved, but the dipping sauce made up for it. The curries we ordered were half decent too. So we left satisfied, wondering how the locals eat when we just paid $60 for 2 curries and some rice.

And, technically I shouldn't be writing this yet. I'm still suppose to be up there in the mountains, attending to my fire. Celebrating my wife and my 1st year wedding anniversary/10 years together-versary. Well, the $200 a night cottage was built in the 1930's, and despite still standing strong, the bed....more specifically the matress has seen better days. For the price I paid, I expect a matress as good as, if not better than mine.

What we got was a saggy spong with some springs in it. Were we both happen to roll into each other right in the middle of the thing. While this made it cosy, it was also annoying having to roll uphill just to turn over. Both of us are sore, tired from lack of sleep and ended up wasting $200 by not sleeping there right now and driving home instead. Which reminds me, it's bed time and I miss my level, well cusioned matress that doesn't sag or cost me $200 a night to put my back out of whack, cause me to roll up hill all night and cut a romantic weekend romp away short.

Yep, the Blue Mountains are quite blue if that's the best it has to offer. I'll stick to driving through the place on the way to something more luxurious, less expensive and much more fun... camping at Sofala.