Sydney - Part 3

On our final day in Sydney we decided to go our own ways for the morning then meet back up later to go to Bondi Beach. Leah and I decided to head back to the harbor bridge and climb up in one of the pylons (we had received the ticket to do so as part of our bridge climb deal). After climbing so much the night before we were a bit skeptical about climbing another 200 steps but it wasn't as far as it sounded and, with stops on the landings in between, we soon found ourselves outside again, a bit higher than before. The view was great!

Once we climbed down from the lookout point we headed across the bridge on the walking path. 

Once on the north side of the city/harbor, near where I had launched from for kayaking, we headed toward our last stop for this excursion: Luna Park. We had been seeing it across the harbor since we got to Sydney - just a small amusement park, and we wanted to explore while we were over there. It was free to walk around in, you just paid per ride. Walking around was very cool, it was set up like an old fashioned carnival with small rides and various stands with snacks and games and clowns on stilts walking around! 

Neither of us were very interested in actually going on any of the rides so after we took some pictures and looked around we headed back toward the bridge to catch the train across and back to Town Hall. We were reuniting with Eric and Jillian to grab lunch and finalize timing and plans for the evening.

We found what bus to catch, picked a time, and off we were to Bondi Beach! On our way we were questioning what stop to get off and a kind Sydney native pointed us in the right direction, also giving us directions to the best gelato in town. We followed her instructions (and the other people getting off the bus with beach towels - should have thought of that) and found our way easily! We hung out on the beach for a couple hours and picked up a couple souvenirs for people back home. As the sun was setting we headed up to the park area behind the sand and watched the sun set.

We decided that we wanted to go somewhere nicer for dinner as we had been eating fast food the whole trip (cheap and easy to find, we had had Subway three days in a row). We found a nice place with a view of the beach and enjoyed a filling, peaceful dinner.

On our way back to the bus stop we grabbed some of the gelato that had been recommended to us earlier, it was delightful. With our stomachs full and knowing we had to start the next day very early, we headed back to our hostel and curled up in bed, chatting about the trip and what was to come next. Although we were excited to head to the Great Barrier Reef we were not too thrilled that our alarms were set for 3:30am for our 6am flight up to Cairns.

That time came around way too quickly for our liking but soon we were all packed up in a taxi and en route to Sydney airport to continue on to the next leg of our journey.

Sydney - Part 2

After I got off the phone with my parents and checked with the guy behind the desk one more time to confirm my directions I set off for the train station. I caught a 6am train across the Harbor Bridge and over to the North side of Sydney and after a short walk found myself at Lavender Bay where I was launching from for kayaking. The sun was just rising over the harbor and I was early so I was able to snap a few pictures of the bridge before Patrick (the kayaking tour guide) arrived.

Kayaking in Sydney Harbor was absolutely amazing, one of my favorite experiences since I've been in Australia. We covered over 16 km and were on the water for around 3 hours. Patrick was incredibly knowledgeable about the bridge and the Opera House, but also about the various historical buildings along the water and numerous yachts we paddled past.  

After such an early and exciting morning I was quite tired out but by the time I made it back to the hostel it was time to grab lunch and get ready for our next adventure: climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge! We were scheduled for the "Twilight" climb which would have had us starting toward the end of the sunset but through some confusion of scheduling we ended up going a bit later and it was already dark when we began. At first I was a bit bummed, I had been hoping to see the sun setting from that point of view, but I quickly cheered up. One from the adrenaline that hit me as we started climbing the first series of ladders, and two from seeing the city completely lit up as we started. It was beautiful. 

I had been nervous about the climb seeing as I am afraid of heights but had no trouble. You are very secure (there's railings and they literally attach you to a line attached to the bridge) and there is a lot of structure around where you are climbing, you're not looking down, you're looking out. Out across the water to the Opera House and to the main part of the city. The Bridge Climb was quickly added to the list of my favorite things I've done abroad as well. 

Leah, Me, Eric & Jillian about halfway up

Group Photo at the top of the bridge

One of the coolest parts about the bridge climb, beyond the amazing views, was getting to the top and standing under the Australian flag and seeing the Southern Cross in the sky. If you're unfamiliar with the Australian flag it has the constellation displayed on it, making it extremely cool to me that we were standing at the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, underneath a large Australian flag, while looking up at the constellation. 

So to conclude, that day was both exhausted and absolutely amazing. I'll wrap up the rest of our Sydney trip in the next blog post then add one about Port Douglas/The Great Barrier Reef to wrap up the telling of my adventures from Easter break! 

Sydney - Part 1

Sydney, where to begin....

I've never been in such a big, or beautiful, city. Our five days there we were constantly moving and had some absolutely incredible experiences that I am still in complete awe of.

When we got in on the night of Good Friday we took a train to our hostel where we greeted our two English roommates and dropped our stuff before setting off to explore a bit. We were right in the middle of the city, near Town Hall, and the are around us was full of shops and restaurants and heaps and heaps of people. We were hungry and wanted to grab something to eat and tried to wait until after midnight so it would be a bit easier to find cheap, meat free, food (since it was Good Friday) but ended up just grabbing some cheese pizza on our way back to the hostel because we were tired and didn't want to wander too far at night without knowing the area at all.




The next morning we continued to explore the area around where we were staying and did a bit of shopping. We covered quite a bit of distance; finding some stores we had seen in other places (though not many we're used to at home), some very unique stores, and quite a few tourist-geared souvenir shops. Once we took our new acquisitions back to our room we mapped out our route and set off for Sydney Harbor (a little over a mile away). The sun was starting to set and when we got to the harbor is was gorgeous.

 We grabbed a drink at the Opera Bar which is literally underneath the Opera House and watched the sun finish setting over the water and got to see everything lit up as well.

After relaxing at the harbor for a bit we headed back toward our hostel and on to Darling Harbor which was about two blocks away from us. We had heard there would be a free fireworks display that night and wanted to check it out. The harbor was much smaller than Sydney Harbor, but very cool and different. One whole side was lined with restaurants and a shopping mall while the other was set up with grand stands as the fireworks are put on every Saturday along with other scheduled shows that take place.

We explored the mall a bit and picked up some souvenirs then headed back in to plan for the next day - Easter! We pulled together our plans, mapped out where we would need to walk and slept well after an amazing day full of a lot of walking.

There was a Cathedral about half a block from where we were staying and three of us planned to go to the mass there at 8:30 on Easter, agreeing to get up and be there early knowing it would fill up quickly being Easter. We arrived and were surprised because they wouldn't let us in, informing us that the royal family would be attended mass and no one was allowed inside until after they had arrived and were already inside. Now we knew that William and Kate were in Sydney the same time as we were but had heard that they were going to a different cathedral for Easter Mass. Apparently they had changed their plans, seemingly late in the game, as there was no early service and mass was rescheduled for 10:30 and you could only get in with a special pass (which we guessed were given to regular members of the congregation).

Since we were so early there was only one line of people in front of us at the barriers and after waiting for about three hours we not only got to see William and Kate, but also Tony Abbot - the Prime Minister of Australia.

Tony Abbott 

William & Kate greeting the Archbishop

William & Kate

Later that day we went on our Sydney Opera House Tour which was really informative and offered us a new view of the harbor. The tour started outside at a spot we had already visited, but then took us inside into the various theaters and around to the front up on the balcony of one of the fins, offering a unique view of the harbor. The architecture both inside and outside was amazing and learning about why it was built how it was and how long it took to construct just added to the awe of seeing one of the most recognizable buildings/structure in the world. 

The Studio Theater

In the Largest Fin

In the Largest Fin

Concert Hall - largest theater

After the tour we grabbed dinner and ventured out for one more adventure with the goal of finding me a cheap pair of sunglasses (of course I had forgotten mine at my apartment) and picking up some granola bar/other groceries for breakfasts/snacks. We were able to accomplish both at Woolworths and  settled in to plan for the next day. I was going kayaking early in the morning and all four of us were climbing the bridge in the evening.

The day started out a bit unexpectedly with the fire alarm going off around 4am. After filing out with the numerous other travelers were waited outside for close to an hour while the fire fighters and police ensured it was safe to return to the building (someone had pulled the fire alarm as a joke - not a funny one).

 By the time we got back to our room it was close to 5, meaning it was too late for it to be worth me going back to sleep. I changed and got my stuff together and headed downstairs to the lobby of the hostel. I was able to get a hold of my parents and chatted with them for a while, going on speaker to say hi to the rest of the family at Easter dinner as well! It was really great to talk to them and it woke me up a bit as I prepared to head off to the North Side of the Harbor for kayaking.

Mojo Surf Photos

I'm currently working on my first blog entry from my trip this past week, but have some other exciting pictures to share - I got my photos from the surf camp I attended last month! There are quite a few of me falling, but there are a few good ones as well :)

What a Week!

I am back! This past week a group of 4 of us spent 5 days in Sydney and 3 days in Port Douglas at the Great Barrier Reef.

Over the course of the trip I took over 800 photos and am currently working on sorting through all of them! We did so much and I have some great stories to share so the entire trip will most likely be separated into a few different blog posts that I'll have up across the next few days.

Until then, G'Day!

A Day In The City

Spent the day in Brisbane yesterday! We started off at the train station in the morning then ventured into the city to explore a bit.

After walked around a bit and exploring some of the shops we headed over the river to the South Bank to find someplace to go to lunch and look around at the outdoor market that is set up on weekends. 

After weaving through the tents walking down by the river and the lagoon we settled on going to a place called Nandos for lunch. It was small place that is popular for their chicken so we decided to give it a try. It was a good choice, the food was amazing. 

 After lunch we headed back toward the center of the city where we were catching a bus to go to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We took a slightly different route, walking down closer to the water, and seeing a beautiful Pagoda right on the river's edge.

 We found the correct bus stop (there's a ton - it's a huge city!) we were on our way to see the koalas! It was a small park, but it was awesome. We saw koalas (obviously), dingoes, platypus, emus, kangaroos, parrots, and even a ram!

It was all really cool, but I have to say the highlight of my day was getting to hold a koala! His name is Eeyore and he's so cuddly and soft and adorable!

Once we had gotten to see all the animals we caught a bus back to the city again to catch a train home. After grabbing a few souvenirs, and only one wrong turn, we found the station we were leaving from and boarded our train home. 

The weather stayed beautiful all day and it didn't start raining until we were getting off the train and meeting up with our friend who was picking us up from the station. We're getting rain from the outer bands of the cyclone that is hitting up North, nothing severe at all, just some showers.

Yesterday was adventure filled and so fun! We're planning on having another trip into the city to explore a bit more - there's so much to do and see!