Last Australia Post-Blue Mountains

(the train station at Katoomba)

(the Blue Mountains are actually blue!)
So on our last full day in Australia we went North of sydney to Katoomba. Home to the Blue Mountains, this tourist area was worth the train ride. We were in a car with some very loud people so we didn't sleep too much on the way there. The Blue Mountains are blue because of the off-gassing from the gum trees that grow below them. There is also a rock formation that looks like three small mountains called the three sisters, which is pretty neat. We took a cable car ride between 2 lookout points which allowed us to get a really great view of the mountains.

(the Three Sisters)

(white birds (maybe cockatoos) that were flying in the canyon)
We paid for a bus ticket and took a bus from stop to stop, getting on and off to see various featured points. We went to a set of falls. The bus driver, before we got off told us to touch the water and report to him on the temperature and what the water felt like. I felt it and it was cold, soft and felt a bit oily. When we got back to the bus, he asked me (in front of the bus full of people) what it was like. He explained that the water was cold because it came from an underground spring, which regulated the temperature of the water (like geothermal works). The water is soft because as it rises to the surface and passes over several types of rocks as it falls down the springs, it softens the water. It's oily because it has kerosene in it (I forget why though)

(these are the beautiful waterfalls where I felt the water)

(the view from a hiking trail, where we got lost)
We went to a great little cafe called the Red Door Cafe. I had a rosemary, sweet potato and lamb pie. It was so Asutralian and so yummy. It had homemade chutney on the side, which reminds me of my Grandma Billing. Chutney seems so old fashioned, but delicious and under used.

(red door cafe)
At the end of the day we finished with a few cupcakes from Cupid Cupcakes. My favorite was the pound cake with passionfruit frosting. Mmmm...

(cupid cupcakes)