again, i start with high aspirations of blogging while traveling, and then it just all falls apart. funny how that happens.

i am on a 10 day work trip and spent the first part of the week in the UK, Brighton to be exact. we (my colleague and i) lucked out with the weather, warm and sunny the entire time.  it was obvious who ditched the event for some beach time, i just hope their sunburn fades before they go back to the office Friday!

since we were there for a conference there wasn’t time to see a whole lot, but there was a walk through a lovely garden and a few dinners out. for a seaside town in the UK there were plenty of really good vegetarian choices. on our first evening we wandered through the streets of Brighton and made our way to a place a friend recommended, Terre a Terre. super tasty and my favorite meal. we had a big group dinner at Jamie’s Italian (Jamie Oliver’s restaurant) which i heard can be hit or miss. thankfully we were there on a hit night, i thought it was really good.  another great place was the Chilli Pickle, an Indian restaurant not too far from the hotel.

we stayed at the Hilton, which was the conference hotel and conveniently located, but not the best Hilton i’ve been to by any means.  rumor has it the one in Santa Cruz , CA is worse;  this is according to a colleague at the conference who has stayed at many a Hilton.

the conference was good; i saw some old friends and made some new ones as well.  plus it was in Brighton, and i hadn’t ever been here before. i love seeing new places.  by the way, the beach, not sandy at all.  all pebbles.

tomorrow we make our way to Finland where we will be for the weekend.  there is some sightseeing in my future, but what i will see is yet to be determined. stay tuned for highlights from Helsinki!

it’s my last night in Sydney, tomorrow i’m off to Hawaii, Oahu to be exact. before i leave i wanted to capture a few misc. items of interest.

on my first night we went to see the Black Keys play at a local venue. so much smaller and cooler than seeing them at the Oracle Arena.

we made our way to the Hunter Valley wine country one day for a little lunch and wine tasting. wine tasting is free here, how nice is that?!

Sculpture by the Sea is a great exhibit that runs along the coast from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach. i lucked out getting to see it, as it finishes on Nov. 4.

thanks Sydney, it’s been fun!

funny, typing in the title of the blog, it kept wanting to change it to zoo gastric, which really makes no sense at all. not that zootastic is even a word, but still…….

yesterday (and part of today) was spent at the Taronga Zoo. the zoo opened in 1916, and it sits on 75 acres of land. the zoo opened before the bridge was built so it was actually affordable; now it’s one of the most expensive places in Sydney.
we arrived at 6:15 PM and went to our tents to settle in. then we had a happy hour and met some creatures including a python, tree frog, little turtle, and a bearded dragon. we then made our way to the food market where dinner was being served. after dinner we went on a night zoo walk and saw lions, sun bears, tigers, and dholes (wild dog). we made our way back to camp for a little tea and dessert.

nature is not quiet, therefore sleep wasn’t great, but waking up to the roar of lions was pretty cool.

breakfast was served at 6:15 AM and shortly after we started the “behind the scenes” tours. we fed giraffes, snuggled with koalas, and got to pet a seal.

our tour ended at 9:15 AM and we had 15 minutes in the zoo before it opened to the public. we stayed for about 2 more hours and saw other animals like the wallaby, kangaroo, and a fishing cat. sadly no penguins on this trip, but the wombat is pretty cute.

now it’s time for a nap. although spending the night in a tent at the zoo is pretty awesome, there is something to be said for the quiet comforts of home.

i arrived in Sydney on Tuesday morning and it’s been go go go ever since. i had hoped to get a post or two in before this, but it just didn’t happen, sorry.

that’s one of the biggest differences between traveling solo and with friends. when i travel by myself i often have evening time to write a post and go through pictures; but when i’m with friends we’re usually out and about.

it’s been great weather since i’ve arrived, so there’s been lots of walking around. i’ve enjoyed a ferry trip to Watson’s Bay for fish n’ chips at Doyle’s, a tour of the Sydney Opera House, a walk across the Harbor Bridge and some super tasty gelato at Messina’s.

yesterday ended with dinner at Hurricane’s, bowling at Kingpin, and the Zumbo dessert train. the dessert bar was fun, it worked like one of those sushi bars where the items go past on a little conveyor belt and you choose the ones you want. the concept was better than the actual dessert, but it was still fun.

today starts with breakfast at Bill’s, getting some shopping in for a party on Sunday, and then some time spent at the pool. it’s going to be hot today, so being poolside will be a good thing. this evening we head over to the Taronga Zoo for the Roar and Snore Overnight Experience. yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, we’re spending the night at the zoo! stay tuned for more on that adventure.

Zumbo photo courtesy of weekend notes.com