Adventures in Parramatta: a very Parramatta weekend.

I work in Parramatta so I have to be there 5 out of 7 days. Some weekends I do wander in for breakfast but it has been awhile since I spent most, if not all, of my weekend in Parramatta.

It started with the a frantic purchase of tickets to the sudden death semi-final of the A-League at Parramatta Stadium, and ended with a Sydney Bloggers Chicks Meet in Parramatta Park.

Friday.

After being lucky and quick enough to secure tickets to the semi between our team the Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar; we headed to the Woolpack Hotel (cnr George and Marsden Streets Parramatta) to soak up the atmosphere pre-game. The Woolpack Hotel is the unofficial home of the WSW most staunchest supporters - the RBB (Red and Black Bloc). They start every home game with a few LOUD bevvies before marching as a bloc towards Parramatta Stadium (cnr Victoria Road and O'Connell Street Parramatta). And loud it was. Chanting. Singing. Cheering. All pre-game. The pub was packed to the brim with all things black and red. And then all of a sudden it was empty.

The RBB were now out on Marsden Street; lining up behind the drummers and the NSW Police, getting ready to march. There was a bit of trouble at the last home game - so police numbers were increased and the route to the stadium changed. We ventured outside for a look and the atmosphere was amazing.

We watched as the RBB walked past the Parramatta Courthouse and then thought, what the hell, we joined in. We sang and marched and tripped in a few potholes as we were moved along with the sea of WSW fans.  Eventually, it got a little warm inside the throng and we had other people to meet and seats to get to so we diverted off the march and walked to the stadium.

What we got was a thrilling match in which WSW beat Brisbane 2-0 to proceed to the grand final next Sunday.

After the excitement of the win and seeing the team being presented with the Premiers Plate for being minor premiers, we headed to Parramatta Leagues for a celebratory drink. What the stadium had in atmosphere, the leagues club seemed to suck the life out of it. I know that it is a leagues club - and I am a Parramatta Eels fan - but a little bit of atmosphere or decoration wouldn't have gone astray...

Saturday.

Back to Parramatta after some household chores for breakfast at Sweet Street Bakery (Church Street Mall), followed by the end of summer sale at Prospectors Store (Darcy Street Parramatta). I have been a regular visitor to Prospectors since I first went in and I love the way Geraldine collates her finds. I generally walk away with something fab - and most times original. And today was no different.

Whilst I can fit into any of the awesome vintage threads that she finds (hello Marc Jacobs Dark Green Velvet Suit), I manage to fill my time and empty my wallet. Here is a selection of what I picked up today:

And for those of you in and around Parramatta, she will be opening every second Saturday (starting next weekend) for your weekend vintage finds.

After heading home for some more household chores, I soon found myself back at Parramatta, but this time at Parramatta Park for Parramatta City Council's Batwalk.

Basically it was an event in which we watched the 8,000 bats that inhabit Parramatta Park and the adjoining Cumberland Hospital. There were activities to keep the kids interested - face painting, temporary tattoos, bat masks and egg carton bats. There were people on hand from Ku-Rin-Gai Flying Foxes to educate and entertain.

The bat fly out was pretty special. First they are asleep, then half an hour later they are awake and away into the night, in search of nectar. 

Sunday.

Another day, another trip to Parramatta Park. The Sydney Blog Chicks April meet was scheduled for Sunday at Parramatta Park Cafe at noon; and by chance I was having brunch with a friend in Parramatta at a  place of my choosing. So, to kill two birds, I choose Parramatta Park Cafe.

I arrived at 10am, on what was a pretty beautiful Sunday in Parramatta. The cafe seems to be very popular, with tables at a premium; but turnover seemed pretty quick. We both ordered the vegetarian breakfast with poached eggs. It was okay - nothing special; and the avocado was pretty poor looking but the eggs were cooked to my liking.

After a lazy chat with an old friend, I left the inside of the cafe; and walked outside to meet new friends. 

I have only recently started meeting up with blogger friends - people I know from the "interweb". I had met a few of them in real life before; but it was great to catch up with people who blog and discuss other bloggers, trends, sponsored/gifted posts and life in general. 

I felt a lot more at ease at these types of events after attending Pro Blogger (very intimidating) last year and then Aussie Curves (very relaxed) earlier this month. I've already RSVP'd to next months catch up.

So this was my Parramatta Intensive Weekend........... What did you get up to?