The Sydney Spectatcular
Days 261-265 (April 14-18):
After departing Brisbane, we flew to Australia’s bustling capital, Sydney. We were again going to be staying with friends, this time in the form of Katie’s former teammate Kristin (who will now be referred to as Barr) and her husband Dean. She picked us up from the airport and took us to her apartment in Dee Why. On our first day in Sydney, Barr took us out into Sydney Harbor. We took a ferry to the famous Sydney Opera House and had a beer while admiring the sight. We then walked around into town, and Barr showed us a bunch of different neighborhoods and cool places in the downtown area. We really enjoyed the urban vibe of Sydney. We walked along the water finding new places to check out. We stumbled upon a random art exhibit that paid tribute to the aboriginal tribes of the country through the use of sound. We attempted to go to a bar in a high tower to get a better view of the city, but were turned away for being underdressed. We also visited a really cool mall, enclosed in the Queen Victoria Building, that included stain glass windows and a glass dome. That night we made dinner and had a few drinks before hitting the hay.
The next day, we decided to do a bit of a hike. There is a long path that goes along the water from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach. We walked past Gordon’s Bay, Waverly Cemetery, Bronte Park, Tamarama Beach, and Mackenzie’s Point, admiring the great views of the Pacific Ocean and the coast. We finally made it to Bondi Beach and spent time wandering around, looking at the amazing murals and taking pics of the ocean-side pools. We stopped for lunch, stuffing our faces with greasy cheeseburgers and fries before walking back.
Our last full-day with them, we decided to indulge in one of Sydney’s favorite pass-times and went to a rugby match. We went and saw the Parramatta Eels play the West Tigers. The stadium was not that crowded, so we got good seats behind the goal line. We actually saw a really good match. The Tigers were dominating for most of the match, but the Eels came back with three scores in the final minutes to win it all. Quite an introduction to the sport.
The next morning, Barr had to leave town for work, so we spent our time hanging out with Dean. We were a bit tired, so we actually did not much more than watch movies on Netflix and lounge around the apartment. That evening we got into a case of beer and had a couple other drinks whilst Face-Timing Barr and playing Kings. Dancing ensued……
Pictures