This past weekend I took a much needed trip to Sydney. I really needed to get away for a bit. My friend Erika came with me. We were supposed to leave on Thursday afternoon. But our flight was canceled after it was delayed- Good job Tiger Airways. So instead of walking away with refunds and frowns on our faces, we decided to reschedule the flight for Friday. We arrived in Sydney early Friday afternoon- The excitement hit as soon as we saw sun (Melbourne is really cloudy during the winter). Erika's friend Elise picked us up from the airport. I must say it was amazing driving to her apartment, over the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and catching a great view of the Opera House. Experiencing two of the world's great landmarks in one shot. We had lunch at a nice gourmet sandwich place and then dropped our stuff at Elise's place and set out to experience Sydney. The bus ride to the heart of city is a modest 25 minutes. The first thing we did was buy ferry tickets to Manly beach- and while waiting to depart took about 25 pictures of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge both. Manly Beach is a 30 minute ride on the ferry. It is an adorable beach town in Sydney; heaps of shops and restaurants by the board walk. By the time we got there and had our fix of window shopping, things were closing. But that didn't stop us from finding a nice place to sit on the sand and just relax and listen to the water. A 30 minute return trip on the ferry brought us back to the harbor where we met up with two of Erika's friends for dinner. They were going off about a place they heard about that is by the water, the Opera House in view, and that serves croc and roo. Their friends forgot to mention that the restaurant is quite pricey. We decided to eat there anyway. For such a pricey meal the portions were a bit disappointing but it was DELICIOUS. The croc had a texture similar to chicken breast. The roo was my favorite. I even made Erika taste it- she's a vegetarian. So tender, so much flavor. MMMMMMM. We walked over to 'Pancakes on the Rocks' for dessert. But apparently someone told every tourist in Sydney they should eat there because the line was literally around the building. After a long unsuccessful walk with the guys trying to find dessert, we (they) gave up and took the bus back to Uni. Me and Erika decided we still had enough time to get dessert. Found the only place that was open and that was not a chain cafe. It was a small really busy cafe with amazing deserts- bad service though (there is no tipping in Aus). Erika and I had some coffee and shared a slice of cheesecake and chocolate cake. When back at Elise's place it was clear a full day of excitement got the best of us. Within a few minutes, it was lights out. The next morning Erika and I set out for Bondi Beach. (pronounced BOND- EYE) We were told countless times that we should go there. Two buses - an hour trip total, took us to white sand and blue water. It is winter here but not so cold that a walk or lay on the sand is odd. The wind made it a bit chilly but the sun on our backs was nice. Not warm enough for a bikini but warm enough to enjoy. We walked along the coast which allowed the best views of the beach. And I mean breath taking views- especially when reaching the highest point on the beach. The walk leads to another beach- forgot what its called. On our way back to the bus we decided to walk through the residential beach town. We stopped by a candy shop and picked up some Turkish delights for Elise. We also stopped by a shopping area where Erika lucked out and found a super hot dress for a discounted price- rare in Australia. As we made our way back to the city the sun was going down and it was cold !! Waiting for the bus was well....... COLD. We had to make our way back and freshen up for dinner with Elise and her boyfriend Patrick. Elise drove about 15 minutes over the bridge to a harbor area which gave a picturesque view of the city. This harbor area is different from the one we had dinner at the night prior. There we met Patrick who had just came off work. We were excited to have chosen seats out doors at the restaurant because it gave a perfect view of the fireworks. Seemed we picked the perfect night to eat on the harbor. Of course we discussed politics and exchanged the oddities of our countries over our seafood dinners- always fun. A nice walk, a gelato desert, and some laughs later, we find ours elves once again exhausted back at Elise's- but that good kind of exhausted. We would have stayed up later but we had to wake up at 630 the next morning to make it to a 700 bus to the city where we would be picked up for a tour of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are ... well Mountains or rather platues in Sydney. BEAUTIFUL. Just think gorgeous sights of forests as far as the eye can see. Waterfalls that make you want to just .... I don't know .....undress ......and jump or something- that might be a bit much but you get the point. Most of these tours are lead by some formal tour guide driving a bus, wearing a croc dundee hat speaking in a recorded monotone kind of voice. Apparently they were short on tour guides. Sounds like a loss on our part but turned out to be a win. 'Rocket Rad' is what I will refer to our guide as; a blunt, easy going man, slightly over weight man with very messy hair and wardrobe. A natural comedian. The bus was filled with about 16 people from all over. All with a different story as to why they were in Sydney - "just traveling", "always wanted to go", "work", "needed to run away". On most of these set ups the tourists stick to themselves, take pictures 'oooh and ahhh' and keep it moving. This one was a bit different- and I think credit should be given to Rocket Rad. His humor loosened us up and it was not long before we all chatted up and exchanged stories and great laughs. Rad took us to all the best sights and told us as much as he knew about the mountains. The Blue mountains are mostly dry areas with no economic use- which is why they are still standing, the Europeans found no good use for them. I can't tell enough how amazing these views were. Some of the most gorgeous sights I have ever seen. (Only the pics can do justice) We also saw the "three sisters"- A major tourist attraction in the mountains. The three sisters are three huge rocks that peak out of the side of the cliffs. There are a number of what Rad referred to as bullshit stories to tell about the Three Sisters. These stories are supposed to tell what the Blue Mountain Aboriginals told. All involve a magic doctor who turns his three daughters into huge rocks to protect them but then dies so does not get the chance to turn them back. Rad considered them bullshit because there are no more Aboriginals from the Blue mountains around to tell these stories themselves. And there is no way these stories could have been passed from the Aboriginals who did not speak english to the Europeans who were more interested in exploiting the natives than hearing their stories- and apparently there is no such thing as magic doctors in Aboriginal culture. So his theory is they are just stories made up by tourist companies. The intense workout/ hike through the rain forest- lasted us a good 6- 8 hours. Rad added an extra stop on our trip- which is most definitely not on the usual itinerary. He stopped by a liquor store- everyone hopped out and got six packs and bottles of cheap wine and some snacks. And he drove to a hidden location- a cliff overlooking the mountains. It was a gorgeous location. We all sat on the cliff, which made me a bit nervous. People drinking beer... by a cliff ??? Nothing went wrong, thank goodness. But it was great. It was great listening to everyone's traveling stories. The one Irish man told about how he was roofied in Queens. His accent alone was fun. A few beers later we were on our way back to the city. It was a little over an hour ride back with a stop at a gas station and at the Olympic Stadium- the Olympics was held in Aus in 2000; in case you didn't know.... I didn't. By the time we made it to the city, Erika and I had been up for over 12 hours. I was exhausted. And excited to get back to the apartment- I needed a shower and Elise was making dinner. She's a great host. We had planned to go out to see her work- she works for Sky News, but an 8 hour hike in the Blue Mountains and the slight case of food coma from dinner changed our minds. We stayed in and watched "Muriel's Wedding"- an Australian 90's comedy. Of which I found pretty entertaining. And now we make our way back. As I sit at the airport, it is a bitter sweet feeling going back to Melbourne. I assume this feeling comes with traveling and may be something I will feel a lot in the next few months. Going back to Melbourne means going back to "life" and is a reminder that there is no real escape to all that "life" brings. Going away for holiday, whether it is for a weekend or a week makes things freeze for a bit. (Maybe its just me) No worries during that time- no homework, no class, no chores, no family, no budgeting, no drama. Just great sightseeing and great food, and a euphoric feeling. I'm so glad I did this.
P.S PICTURES COMING SOON.
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