Grand Budapest Hotel doppelgänger or what?! These pictures were taken on a detour when visiting The Blue Mountains in late July 2014. I spotted the candy pink exterior out my passenger window on the road trip and demanded a u-turn be made to explore the landmark. It is as if the fictional Wes Anderson set came alive before my very eyes.

Inside the absolutely gorgeous Hotel Grand View disclosed interior just sweet and delightful as The Grand Budapest; ruby red tapestry carpets, navy patterned chairs, burgundy stained wooden staircase, cream coloured walls the very likes features on Mendel pastries. Hotel Grand View happens to have vacancy to stay over night, operational restaurant & a function room to host your soirées. I practically weeped out of happiness when I entered the building, here a a few photos taken on our visit.

Currently // Summer

Summer has got me feeling how much I wish to be child again. Okay to eat ice blocks for dinner, okay to have an afternoon nap, okay to be scarred at the arrival of loud storms, okay to unemployed and the luxury of zero responsibilities. The photo above shows my much loved childhood porcelain figurines, a collection that has grown with my current twenty-something-year-old-adult/nana hobby.

For those new to this spectator sport where I pretend to be a blogger, and you sometimes observe my attempts; I usually upload regular 'Just A Minute' monthly posts describing personal life events, recent reads, music I'm listening too and screen time highlights (films or tv series). These posts have been a constant but not recently, and this is a representation on how little time I have had this half of the year. However I always make time for music, so I created my first season mixtape for spring '14  and here is another for summer 14/15. I pinky promise each of you that regular posts will start happening after the christmas mayhem.

summer 14/15 from paperdollchronicles on 8tracks Radio

Tracklist  1. Bon Iver Re-stacks 2. James Vincent West Coast  3. Conor O'Brien Mysteries of Love 4. #1 Dads So Soldier (feat. Ainslie Wills) 5. The Paper Kites Featherstone 6. Glass Animals Gooey 7. Airling Wasted Pilots  8. Zero 7 In The Waiting Line 9. Sarah Blasko God Fearing  10. Seabear I Sing I Swim

Special Mention Marc Ronson and Kevin Spacey - Daffodils 
Click here to listen because the internet has only provided a single shoddy phone camera footage of the band playing a live (early version) and I really really wanted to add it into the mix but due to quality restrictions yadda-yadda. I am totally loving this groovy Motown meets funk Tame Impala hybrid. 

Blue Mountains pt.1

Okay, so Christmas in July was happening way back when we took a road trip to The Blue Mountains now it is only a few weeks away! Basically, I'm am a shocking excuse for a 'blogger'. I don't think you could call this visit to Katoomba a road trip or not but we were travelling from The Illawarra on the South Coast it was about three hours in the car. But there is something about an open window and the blurring of colours on a long drive that makes me recall Kerouac and youthful bliss.

We drove through heavy rain most of the journey to far Western Sydney and the mist blanketed the region's vast tablelands and valleys it formed droplets on my outstretched arm and made the scenery more beautiful. After a couple of quick pitstops by the time we reached the windy observation platform at National Park the clouds were moving low and fast above us, almost creating a mirror of the rolling landscape. I 'grammed a picture of a polaroid my sister and I on that platform and I was so petrified my hat would fly off.

Katoomba area is so lovely with it's cobblestone roads and old buildings but after spending so long in the car we were all feeling a bit feverish and conveniently we stumbled across a lady with two fluffy dogs she recommended  Station Bar pizza  Obviously, pizza cures travel sickness and we were feeling so much better and ready to continue our day. P.S I'm convinced the manager and I are musical soulmate because the playlist he was playing was awesome. We then explored the nearby streets and did a bit of retail shopping in the charity shops and used bookstores.

Lincoln's Rock is this magical place where the sky blends into the land and I could of lived the rest of my days here. I will let the photo's articulate the beauty of this phenomenal place. After spending a good hour at Lincoln's Rock we followed the chilly winds that swept off the mountains home. Part two of this Blue Mountain series will have photos from Grand Budapest Hotel themed shoot when we gate crashed an retirees Christmas in July function.

 

Currently // springtime

Music has this magical ability to ground me in a place and time. For instance, I can listen to Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago and instantly I am back in Vietnam on my 2012 trip because that album was on repeat on my ipod for the six weeks I spent overseas. I hope I'm not the only person to experience this time traveling ability because it is gift to vividly recall memories simply by pressing play.

So here is a compilation of all of the songs that have helped me transition into springtime these past few weeks. Not all of the tracks included below are bands I've seen live but I have included them in this mixtape for the seasonal vibes that resonate in their lyrical and compositional qualities. I hope the future picture I envision better memories of spring 2014 and not as woeful as my current over stressed uni & work schedule.
 

Tracklist  1. Alt- J The Gospel of John Hurt 2. Youth Lagoon Cannons 3. Lemaitre Cut To Black 4. The Weeknd Wicked Games 5. Slow Dancer Took The Floor Out  6. Lisa Mitchell Wah Ha 7. Zeds Dead Remix Holding On For Life 8. #1 Dads Feat. Tom Snowdon Return To 9. Chet Faker 1998

Special Mention 

BANKS - Goddess 
I want to describe her music if Beyonce and Lorde had a musical baby, Banks would be it. Goddess is the album of the season. This album is a choreographer in moving my body on the 4km runs I've been doing lately. Give it a listen and see if you too, need motivation to do tasks you hate doing. I don't think I'm imagining the metta-narrative of feminism that is distinctive in this album (?) whatever this girls agenda is, I'm supportive of it. Bank's is visiting Australian shores in January for Laneway festivals and I think I might attend to hear the Goddess herself, in person.

Hill 60 War Tunnels

Local legend says that these bunkers are haunted; so during daylight we went to judge for ourselves. Spoiler: they were not in fact haunted. Like any third year history major I researched the history of the tunnels whilst procrastinating on what to wear.  The Hill 60 bunkers were once built to protect the nearby ports in World War Two, although these bunkers were never actively used in wartime events, the foundations for large guns are visible overlooking the ocean. The bunkers comprise of two tunnels, equipped with a series of rooms that branch off from the main walkway. Now abandoned, the two tunnels are used by locals to graffiti the walls and to party as quite obvious by the debris. The bunkers are not the most hygienic place to be spending time in so I don't plan on returning anytime soon.  On the day we visited the tunnels it was quite overcast weather and it had a prominent winter chill to the air. I chose a preppy-Wednesday Adams themed outfit paired with my new Mui Mui glasses and black statement bag by Cambridge Satchel Company. I'm wearing an old button down black dress with white collar, underneath a Peter Alexander daywear Mickey Mouse sweater. My lipstick is Limecrime's Poisonberry.

Dallas Green at Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a venue reserved only for the most exclusive events and on Thursday 24th July the city of Sydney heard Dallas Green (of City and Colour) as he sang his way into our hearts. Walking into the Opera House Concert Hall I notice how the layers of the building as seen from the exterior are mirrored accordingly. The room is arranged around a stage that seems to squeeze out of a condensed space of mezzanine levels, with balconies that hold seats filled by shadowy figures. My first impression of this space is of a blanket fort made from layered quilts and sheets. This theme of intimacy is heavily drawn upon as Dallas Green invite us all for an evening simply with Dallas, his guitar, and a harmonica.

Inside The Concert Hall, Dallas shared vivid stories of love, loss and spirituality in the form of his signature soulful vocals. Strange to describe but at moments during the night I could almost feel the entire auditorium breathe as one in these unison sighs. I imagined I could feel all the patrons express an inaudible feeling, triggered by the flow of effervescent sounds within the music that we all shared. Highlights of the evening were "Coming Home" and "Body In A Box" but it's difficult to choose favourites as the set was beautifully arranged with a variety of songs taken from Dallas Green's discography. "What Makes a Man" saw Green conduct the audience in a special Opera Concert Hall choir, which was very fun to be apart of. Another memorable part of the evening was Dallas honesty in describing the background of "The Grand Optimist" a lovely song with a powerful family message.

The set was finished like the majority of City and Colour sets with "Coming Home". I think the connection to blanket forts was made because in a special way I participated in a sacred ritual of blanket fort story telling that evening. It was inside these private spaces where secrets were whispered into the ears of invited friends, and lasting memories were made after the fort was demolished.

{ image taken on iPhone 5 by Shenay Spinelli }