being tourists

Today was a busy day exploring the city.  It was our first weekend in a long time that we didn't have any real plans or know of anything specific going on.  Bret did some research on Friday of a few activities going on in ChCh and we set out to spend the day near the city centre.  After a long and lazy morning eating French toast and catching up on internet things, we caught a bus towards cathedral square in the early afternoon.

It was somewhat refreshing being back in the city centre after spending time out in the suburbs for as long as we had.  The square was bustling once again with weekend vendors and food stalls.  And for the first time since we've been here, we noticed the cathedral was open to the public.  So we ducked in and took in the surrounding scenery in the small Christian cathedral.  A band (middle school maybe?) was assembling for a performance, however, upon beginning, they sounded like they were each trying to play their instrument as loudly as possible, interrupting the peacefulness of the quiet church, which was enough to get us to leave.  The weather was sunny, but faded between absolute warmth and cold wind.  We walked through the downtown area, taking in the sights and exploring alley ways and areas that we hadn't previously seen.

Despite our failed attempt at Oktoberfest here in ChCh, we were willing to give them another chance.  Bret had read about a beer festival featuring 20 NZ beers, so we checked it out.  The place was packed with people gathering across the sunny porch, and in warm booths on both floors of the restaurant.  The best part...no admission fee!  We were able to taste different sizes of beer at our own leisure and the hot french fries with sauce and aioli (which we've fallen in love with!) were a delicious accompaniment.  It was so refreshing to relax after what felt like weeks of working!

To complete our visit of downtown, we dined at a Lonely Planet recommendation, Dux de Lux.  We shared a lite dinner on the warm patio of New Zealand green-lipped mussels and a smoked salmon Caesar salad.  The restaurant prides itself on being vegequarian (vegetarian and seafood only).  We basked in the sunshine, watching little birds flit about chirping for crumbs, checked the clock and realized the bus would be a the stop several blocks away in ten minutes (it only arrives once an hour).  We finished up quick, caught the bus right on time and headed home for the evening for movie night!  It was a lovely and inspiring day, exploring the city of our new home!

 

The mussels and Bret's muscles!