Well everyone, this is sure to be one of the last posts I have before returning home to MN. It’s taken me a bit to get it done because I’ve been swamped studying for finals. Luckily, 2 are done and 1 to go! I can’t believe I only have 7 more days here! Time has flown by so fast! Here’s the scoop on Sydney!
On Saturday the 4th, Jess, Nikki and I hopped on a flight from the Sunny Coast to Sydney, and were there and ready to explore by 1pm! It was a sunny, but chilly day, so we pulled out our map and headed towards Darling Harbor. Our first stop on the way was the Paddy’s Markets. Basically, vendors with souveniers, jewelry, shoes, and everything in between, for cheap prices. We only had a couple hours, so we were walking everywhere and finding lots of fun stuff. Had to resist on some of it though, it was overwhelming. After all that fun, we started walking towards the harbor, and decided walking through the park would be nice. There were sculptures, a ferris wheel, abstract fountains etc, and a very nice Mackas as well. Go figure. Soon enough, we reached the harbor by sundown. It was beautiful! There was a soccer game going on on a floating field, and action all around us. We decided to have dinner on the harbor and the check out the Sydney Aquarium! There were lego constructions everywhere and so many exotic fish and sharks. It was a very cool aquarium! We were pretty much the only people in it at the time because it was almost 8pm. Then we had some gelato in the rain, and headed back to our hostel. We had 5 roomies, Calum from Scotland, Ali from LA (supposedly he was some big time screenwriter…ya right), Stu from England and two girls who spoke a lot of some random language. They were all very nice, but Ali was creepy, 35-40 years old and a BIG time snorer. He kept me up all night for 2 nights… pleasant.
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| Paddy's Markets! |
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| Me and Jess being tourists and finding our way to Darling Harbor |
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| Alas, the Harbor |
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| At the Sydney Aquarium |
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| A type of jelly fish |
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| the soccer game on the Harbor |
Sunday we all got up and headed to the Blue Mountains to do some sight-seeing. First we got to drive through the Sydney Olympic Park which was very exciting. We didn’t get to stop unfortunately, but it was smaller than I anticipated. Then we were off to the Mountains. They’re called the Blue Mountains because the oils from all the Eucalyptus trees leave a blue haze over them. They’re also technically plateaus, not mountains! Our first look out was ‘Flat Rock’ appropriately titled, and we got to see the mountains for the first time. So pretty! It was so windy though, so it made the day chilly. We drove on to multiple lookouts, got to see orphan rock and balls rock (because it looks like a dragon head from one angle and a pig head from another). We had lunch in a cute small town called Leura, and then drove up to Echo Point. There, we got to hear a couple Indigenous Australians playing the diggeridoo and see the Three Sisters Rock formation. We took a long walk down the mountain and got to see Katoomba Falls. Gorgeous! It was quite the hike though. Then we got to take the Worlds Steepest Railway up the mountain and back to our tour group. It was awesome! On the way home, we stopped to see some kangaroos in the wild, it’s weird how it didn’t phase us much because we’re so used to seeing them on campus. Later, I had fish and chips for dinner in the city.
J
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| Me and Nikki at Flat Rock Lookout |
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| The main Stadium at Olympic Park |
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| Aborigines playing the Diggeridoo |
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| The 3 Sisters |
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| The Witch face in the rock on the Forest Walk |
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| Katoomba Falls |
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| The Blue Mountains |
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| Getting Ready for the Railway Up |
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| View From Inside the Railway Cart |
Monday was our major day of exploration! We were off to the Circular Quay (pronounced Key) to see all the sights of Sydney. As soon as we saw the Sydney Harbor Bridge, we officially felt like we were in Sydney. We walked around the Quay, got to see all the boats going in and out of the wharf, and had breakfast at a Belgian chocolate café. Gourmet hot chocolate and pancakes! Sooo yummy. Then we took photos by the bridge, of course, and walked up to the Opera house!!! The stupid sun was in the wrong place and ruined some of our photos, but oh well. We took more photos, looked through the windows to see if we could peak inside, and then walked to the opposite side of the bay to get a better angle. Later, we walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens off the Sydney Harbor.. So peaceful and pretty. The government house was in the gardens, so we got to take a look around there too. After the gardens, we walked down to the Sydney Barracks Museum, where the convicts were held once upon a time. It was very interesting and cool to look around at everything. Then we passed the Music Conservatory, and headed to St. Mary’s Cathedral. It was breathtaking! The inside was very big, peaceful, dimly lit, and there were elegant tapestries and statues everywhere with stained glass. Absolutely gorgeous. It was a very long day of walking everywhere, but we walked more around the heart of the city, had some dinner, and walked back to the Quay. We happened to be in Sydney for the short period of time when they had the new Vivid Sydney exhibit. It was all around the Quay, bright lights, laser light shows, and exhibits all around. It was so pretty! Some were even interactive. We stood outside one building and got to see a very cool light show on it. Then we were off to the wharf to see the light show on the sails of the Opera house. So so cool! I was very glad we were able to be in Sydney for it. Then we took the hour long walk home to our hostel. It was cool to walk everywhere though.
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| Circular Quay |
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| Gourmet Hot Chocolate! |
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| Finally Made it!! |
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| and inside view |
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| Looked like a good resting spot in the Botanical Gardens... Til I fell off |
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| Nikki and the Government House |
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| on the grounds |
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| I had an Obsession with Hibiscus Flowers in OZ |
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| The Barracks Convict Museum |
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| St. Mary's Cathedral |
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| Part of the Light Show |
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| Circular Quay at Night |
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| One of many pics from Vivid Sydney |
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| Yes, Lit up Jelly Fish! |
Tuesday, our last full day, we hopped the metro to Bondi! It was Nikki and Mine’s first experience with that, so it was enjoyable and efficient! We then took a bus to the famous Bondi Beach. It was beautiful, but smaller than we anticipated. It was also winter and the coldest day in Sydney yet, so we were basically the only people on the beach. There were tons of surfers braving the cold though. We hung out at the pavilion and on the beach for a few hours, I took a walk, and then we found a small café for some lunch. I had sticky date pudding. So yummy!!! The sun was setting and we decided it was time to catch the metro home. We finally rested a bit and hung out in the common area of our hostel, watched part of a movie and then hit the town again. We had dinner at Pie Face, finally a real meat pie! I had steak and cheese. Very good! Then we froze while walking around and checked out the night life a bit while it was our last night in Sydney.
Here I am, only 7 days to go, and I’m trying to enjoy the time I have left with the wonderful friends I’ve made. It’s getting chillier out now, and even though I love Australia, I’m ready to come home to the Summers of MN. I’ll write again soon, for one last update!
Cheers!
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