Saturday, February 12, 2011

Day #10. Wellington.

Love.. love.. LOVE Wellington.  I'm not a big city girl, but Wellington absolutely knocked my socks off.  It is the polar opposite of Auckland (if you love Auckland, please don't take offense).  Wellington and Auckland are both coastal cities, but Wellington is just so much more beautiful!  It is less crowded, cleaner, the restaurants and pubs are nicer, the buildings more artistically built, and the people are prettier :)  In addition to all of this, most of the attractions, parks, gardens, and museums are either free or very cheap.  Like < $10 cheap.  This is SUCH a breath of fresh air!!!  Just what I needed when I was starting to feel run down, tired, and homesick.  I so could have spent a few more days here!  

We arrived in Wellington around 2:30 this afternoon.  By the time I got my room sorted and everything, it was 3:30.  I heard the Te Papa Museum was not to be missed.  But I just couldn't do it.  This pace I've been going at the past 10 days had caught up to me and I was plum wore out.  So I drank a glass of EmergenC and took a nap.  Felt sooooo good.  Then I got to skype my love and IM my bff Tan Tan! ;)  By the time I got out of my hostel room I was famished.  The plan was to go out in the town to one of the 4 restaurants I had circled in my travel book.  But I was so hungry I went in to the Nomad Hostel's bar next door and got my free mac n cheese first.  Then I wasn't even hungry anymore.  Ran into Alistair, the bus driver from days past.  He was flustered and rushing about cuz his key broke and he couldn't lock the bus.  But I got his e-mail and promised to be in touch on Facebook.  I'm in trouble if he gets ahold of my blog, eh? :)

I spent some time walking along the harbor, around Civic Square.  Just absolutely gorgeous!!!  The sky was crystal clear, the water a deep, dark blue, and the all the buildings as far as the eye could see were glistening in the late afternoon sun.  I loved how the walkway was made of brick.  I passed a park where there was a working sculpture exhibit, as in the artists were actually chiseling their masterpieces right in front of you.  Took a look at the Te Papa museum but unfortunately it was already closed.  There was a really neat playground on the water's edge.  It included a mini lighthouse that kids could climb up and then go down a very long slide.  How neat is that?!  A kid-sized lighthouse!

After a while I started getting hungry again.  So I started heading for this place called "Matterhorn" that I had settled on.  Supposedly it served delicacies such as snapper with artichoke, fennel, confit tomatoes, olives, and a preserved lemon-fennel-cream sauce.  When I got to the restaurant, however, it was stuffy and dark, and the snapper was not on the menu.  I kept walking.  Forget the book and it's suggestions… it was more fun to explore for myself.  I happened to be on Cuba Street which is a cute, funky area of Wellington known for it's alternative culture, unique shops, and exquisite cuisine.  There were so many interesting people walking about!  I had to sit on a bench for awhile and just observe.  There was an Asian girl sitting on the bench across from me who was wearing an interesting outfit to say the least -- red shirt, orange cardigan, rainbow colored skirt, and combat boots.  Most people were very dressed up since it's a Friday night.  But the styles here are definitely different than what I'm used to seeing in California.  The girls seem to like to pair really nice sundresses with either sneakers, boots, or ridiculously high heels.  Saw a lot of punk outfits too.  One girl had on a shredded black top, fishnet tights, shorts, and boots that were more platformed than anything I've ever seen Elton John wear.

Anyways, it was so much fun just to sit and people watch.  After walking up and down Cuba St. a few times (just to make sure I didn't miss anything!), I settled on a very artsy, posh French Bistro.  They stuck me in a corner on a little stool at a bar table next to a girl folding napkins (it's so awkward going into a nicer restaurant and asking for "a table for one").  The menu made my mouth water!  I didn't know what to get… the boeuf bourguignon, goat cheese parfait, fresh fish… it all looked amazing.  I decided to go on the light side and ordered a green salad with French vinaigrette, French onion soup, and a glass of white wine swirled with blackcurrant liqeur.  The salad was perfect.  Tangy, salty, tender, and fresh.  The soup was absolutely phenomenal.  I've had French onion before, but never one so delicate and with just the right amount of Gruyere cheese melted on top.  Then came dessert.  Again I had a really hard time deciding!!! Creme brulee?  Meringue, berries, and ice cream?  Or chocolate fondant.  I chose the fondant.  Oh……. my…… goodness….. can you say, heaven on a plate??!!  The chocolate fondant was a warm, gooey cake that came with a tart cherry compote and a dollop of creme fraiche.  I savored every single bite.  I left the bistro in a state of bliss.

This weekend marks the end of the Chinese New Year or "Year of the Rabbit".  I heard there were going to be fireworks tonight on the harbor.  So I slowly made my way down there (still can barely walk, plus my stomach was about to explode).  I got sandwiched on a bench between two couples which was a little depressing as it only made me long even more for my own love to be with me.  Sorry for getting so sentimental… but I was really missing the boo :(  The fireworks were awesome though.  Whoever was in charge of the explosives tonight put on a good show.  It was very special to be here on this Chinese holiday!

The shuttle leaves at 7 am tomorrow, so I'm gonna hit the sack.  Everything but a mixed room was booked here at Nomad's so I had to go co-ed tonight.  Was a little weird to see some guys walk in earlier.  Of course one of them just HAD to tell me of his harrowing experience at the Base Hostel in Taupo (where I just came from).  He got eaten alive by bed bugs!  Now I am so freaking paranoid… more than ever.  Hope I can actually fall asleep tonight.  I'm already scratching like crazy.  The pub next door is going off too.  Where's that xanax???

Plan:  Ferry over to Picton, catch the bus to Nelson, explore that area

Budget:  $26 hostel, $46 lovely French dinner, $10 internet card, $6 produce

2 comments:

  1. Aw yay! That city sounds perfect:) And each meal you describe is just plain not fair...we're all sitting here drooling. :)

    SO wonderful IM'ing with you. Hope you actually got some rest. I bet you never thought you'd use the saying "sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite," huh?! Eeeeeeee......makes me itch just thinking about it.

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  2. You should be a food critic. You're descriptions are fantastic.

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