I stumbled across Gertrude & Alice while having a walk around Bondi and it quickly became my favorite place in Sydney. 

It's a quirky bookshop café near Bondi Beach. They have a small but delicious food and drink menu. They also cater to the Vegan diet and have a tasty, raw vegan brownie which I would highly recommend! 

My favorite thing about this place is that it is a little bookshop/reading room. It has a huge selection of books and I find it reminds me of my grandparents. 

It's quite old school. They have creaky old wooden floors, small real wood seating areas and stools, floral armchairs in the corners, it gives the space such a vintage feel. 

The atmosphere in there is lovely. The low hum of people chatting and catching up over a coffee, but the peacefulness which allows you to read in quiet. 

They also have a great playlist of old music gently playing in the background which fits the place perfectly. 

I would highly recommend visiting this place and sampling their delicious menu and take some time out from your phone and read some books. 

Avocado on Sourdough with tomato, basil and olive oil. 

 Banana and coconut water smoothie with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

A Day in Pictures #3 - Botanical Gardens

I spent my afternoon walking around the Sydney Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day so it was perfect day to enjoy the charm of the gardens. 

I love that the garden is in the CBD. When your inside it's an area of tranquillity compared to the busy concrete jungle that is the city. However from inside you can still see the city skyline around you. 

The stunning, well kept gardens are a great place to come for a picnic or a break from the busy city to sit and relax like I did. I bought my book with me and setteled under the shade of a tree that overlooked the harbour. 

It was lovely being able to take that time away from the city rush and put my phone down and just enjoy the outside while reading. It's definatly something I need to do more and I would reccommend that to you too! 

-Nikki

A Day in Pictures #2 - Sydney

Yesterday was a day of running errands and going back and forth across the City.

The sun was shining and I took the opportunity to walk around the city by foot. 

St Mary's Cathedral 

CBD Skyline 

Hyde Park Flowers

Hyde Park Fountains

ANZ Stadium Views

Free Outdoor Cinema Under the Stars 

I love being able to spend my days off walking around the city and having an explore. I prefer to go off and walk, even if I don't know where I'm going. I find that's the best way to come across areas you may not have had a chance to see before. 

- Nikki

Vegan Lunch Prep

I have had tri-colour Quinoa sitting un used in my pantry so I thought I'd put it to use! So I made a Quinoa salad with Thai Cakes. 

Quinoa is a gluten free whole grain that is packed with protein, fibre and various vitamins and minerals. So it's a great substitute from rice with much more benefits.  

Use 1 cup of Quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water on the stove and bring to the boil. Add in a crumpled vegetable sock cube for flavour. Leave to simmer with lid on until Quinoa has absorbed all the water and is fluffy. Leave to stand with lid on and heat off for 5 mins. 

While quinoa is cooking, chop up ingredients you want to add to the salad. I used a green pepper, fresh rocket and baby tomatoes. I also stir fried half a chopped white onion and mixed that in. 

Transfer quinoa to a bowl and mix in the other ingredients, add a pinch of salt and good amount of freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

While this was cooking I put 2 Veggie Delights Thai Chilli & Lime Cakes in the oven ready to be added on top of the Quinoa. 

I also prepped some watermelon by chopping it into cubes. This is a tasty and easy fruit to snack on through the day, along side a banana too and of course staying hydrated all day by drinking a lot of water! 

I hope you enjoy this super easy and tasty lunch! 

Let me know what you think. :) 

-Nikki