I Heart Sydney

For the first week in August, my roommates and I decided to go to the famous city of Sydney Australia! Sydney is a must-see city when traveling in Australia, and any amount of time spent there is filled with great memories. We went for 4 days (2 of the days were for travel), which is a good amount of time for a small weekend trip. I do wish I was there for longer, but we packed a lot of sight-seeing into the weekend, and I mean a lot!

We arrived  in Sydney at 12pm and had 2 hours until we could check into the hostel, so we spent the first part of the afternoon in Sydney's Chinatown. For lunch we ate at Hsin Shih Tang where I ordered braised beef noodle soup -which was delicious! We walked through Chinatown and the Chinese Friendship Garden where there were small pavilions, a koi pond and many flowers to cover the landscape. After spending some time at the garden, there was also a big souvenir vendor flea market called Paddy's Market nearby that we wandered around for a little bit. We checked into our hostel at 6pm and it started to rain. I walked around the area where the hostel was for a couple of minutes, though the rain picked up and I didn't want my camera to get wet. I headed back to my room and got some rest for the next day to come.

 

 

On Friday we started our day with brunch at Marcelle's, a cute little hipster dive. I ordered an avocado toast with tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and arugula, a perfect breakfast for a big day ahead. After breakfast, we walked to the docks and the botanic gardens, where we took pictures of the flowers, statues and the cityscape. In the Botanic Gardens, there were small little greenhouses and a small indoor exhibit of paintings made from beeswax! We walked on a small path around the bay, looking for more cool photo-ops and lo and behold we were in the presence of the Sydney harbor bridge and the Sydney opera house! It was a truly stunning sight. I mean, I've seen pictures of the Sydney Opera House throughout my life (in Finding Nemo, for example), but to see it in person was kinda crazy. I was in awe the whole time I was in the presence of this spectacular building.

 

 

After taking as many pictures as we could, we decided to walk through the downtown area. The city had a mix of old historic buildings and new modern skyscrapers, which reminded me a little bit of the water tower area of Chicago. We explored The Rocks, where local vendors sold food or their craft, so I bought a crocodile kebab for a mid afternoon snack and a small map print of Australia/New Zealand. We wondered around the park next to the bridge and the opera house, taking pictures as time passed quickly. After sunset, we hung out by Cockle Bay where a lot of small yachts were docked. The night sky lit up with the from the colorful lights bouncing off the boats and from the beautiful skyscrapers in the background. For dinner we ate steaks at Stacks restaurant, a well deserved dinner since we walked 11 miles!

 

Saturday, our plan was to go to the beach! After eating breakfast at Froth (the French toast was amazing), we took a train and a bus to the famous Bondi Beach. When I stepped off the bus, I saw many people carrying their surf boards headed toward the beach to catch some waves. It was 65°F out and not a cloud in the sky. I got a little bit of a tan and no sunburn (for once), since it is still winter, by the way. A little later we decided to go on the coastal walk, which is a path that takes you to lots of beaches down the coast.

 

 

I really enjoyed the scenic path, walking slowly to take in my surroundings while taking these beautiful pictures. I want to remember how blue and clear the ocean was, what it smelled like and how it felt to be in this amazing part of town. We stopped at every beach that was apart of the walk: Taramara, Bronte, and Coogee Beach. 

 

I had a blast spending the whole day walking from beach to beach. It was the perfect way to relax on a mini vacation (and to relax my feet too, my goodness they hurt from non stop walking/exploring).

And Sunday, we walked to the local bakery right by our hostel to buy a small morning snack and headed off to the airport to catch our return flight to Brisbane. I had an amazing time exploring this great city. I hope to come back here again some day in the future, to see even more of what the city has to offer. Well, now I gotta study for my classes this week. You might haven't noticed but: I HEART SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.