Saturday was the longest day of my life - that is, the Saturday I arrived here in Sydney. Extremely sleep deprived, I was whisked away from the airport through the streets and tunnels of the City, to warm showers and a fresh meal for breakfast.
My room is incredible. It's on top of the garage at the house I'm currently staying at, has a nice double bed and en-suite, and is probably the best I'm going to get all holiday (but we'll see). I was greeted by a puppy and baby on arrival, and they've been consistent at waking me at 6:00am every morning so far. Happily, my body clock has aligned itself nicely so that this isn't a problem.
I saw the Harbour on my first day. I went into the City by train, got lost looking for a map, and found myself walking up to Circular Quay, home to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. What sights! The bridge is a majestic arch that fills your view down by the water, and the Opera House's sail-like architecture is mental. It was so overwhelming being there again; very surreal. Like I've said before, I never saw myself returning to Sydney, so this whole experience has blown my expectations and perceptions of everything out of the water.
Sunday was the start of exploration by foot. A return ticket to the City costs $4.40 (about £2.15), but some places can only be reached by walking...or buses too, but I'm opposed to them. Sunday was also the start of the rain. I went for a walk in the morning to see the local neighbourhood and surrounding areas (I'm currently staying in
Edgecliff, for perspective), and it rained so hard. They have Westfield here! And Bondi beach is a stunner. Gorgeous white sand and deep blue waves. There's a lot of surfing down here too. Every kid had a board and could glide out of the smallest wave.
Lunch was a neat restaurant in the City called
Golden Century, or
Yum Cha, or both. It was similar to
Yo Sushi, except it used people and trollies instead of conveyor belts. They wheeled food between the tables, and you took what you want. The problem in liking all food is that I kept wanting to take everything! Mmm...
Monday I walked around a bit before writing the last post, and also saw the local park. It was probably most similar to Gunnersbury. And then Tuesday came totally out of left-field. I spent most of the morning throwing up and lying in bed. I guess I wouldn't have minded so much if I knew what had caused such temporary illness. Tuesday was also the day that Vic arrived in Sydney! So we met up for the evening, and I took her up to Circular Quay where we sat under the Opera House while it rained some more. The harbour at night is nice for all of the lights that decorate everything; I guess you could say it was romantic...
Since then I've done a lot of sight-seeing. I went to the beach and got thrown about by the waves (some a lot worse than others). They don't seem all that big from the water until they're forcing you down to swallow sand. I also did a massive walk to see all of the local docks and bays. The Royal Botanic Gardens next to the Opera House were good for a quiet while away from the humdrum of City life. All sorts of trees and different plants, and fruit bats (or some species of flying squirrel) hanging everywhere! Darling Harbour is fairly commercial, but vibrant, with boats coming and going, and street performers all over the place guilting you into giving away your money. I spent one evening at the top of one of the pylons of the Harbour Bridge as the sun was setting, which perhaps emphasised how it's not as fun not being able to share my experiences with other people.
It's the little things in Sydney that really get me. The way that cars are allowed to turn into pedestrian crossings even when it's green to walk, or how you have to stand left on escalators instead of right. There is so much Britishness here too, what with Australia being part of the Commonwealth. There's Queen Victoria Building (the original Westfield, with it's pretentious designer stores and quaint cafés), and statues of Kings everywhere. The $5 note is the only one with the Queen on too.
Friday I spent the day with Vic. I showed her around Darling Harbour and the Botanic Gardens. We also went to the top of the Centre Point Tower for a great panoramic view of the City, which I think she would have appreciated more if she weren't so tired from hostel activities the night before. Despite that it was pleasant walking around and talking, enjoying a piece of home so far away from it. We ended the evening with cheap Chinese food (instead of
Hungry Jacks, the Aussie equivalent of
Burger King), before she had to leave on a bus for Byron Bay.
Yesterday (Saturday again) was ANZAC day. I woke up insanely early to see the dawn service (which was two hours before dawn, and I missed), and procession of pretty much all surviving Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women. The marching bands were decent, and bagpipes aren't that bad either. I also got photos of those who decided to turn up from my Grandfather's bomber squadron (643 Squadron); he was the navigator on a Lancaster called "Nick the Nazi Neutraliser" - nice name - and I spent the rest of the day enjoying the sunshine and some street music.
One more thing I've got to say about Sydney (and I guess Australia as a whole too): the food here is amazing. Beyond that, it's exceptional. The fast food restaurants seem to source all of their food from the continent, and they doesn't taste like a pile of crap thanks to it. And there are these food courts, filled with the freshest fruits and juices, meat and bread, and it's all just fantastic. I love it. If only I were rich so I could eat all food everyday.
Anyway, it's been a good week. Not a rollercoaster ride of activites, but I've loved it here. At times it gets a big lonely, and maybe I'll appreciate it a bit more once I move to hostels, or before that, to families with people I know who are my age. At any rate, I'll be seeing Anna and Lucia soon too (Lucia lives just around the corner from me), which should be fun.
But now I'm going to the beach where I'll catch some serious sun. I also just booked flights to New Zealand which is exciting...
