Sydney, Australia, Australia

My first full day in Sydney was a great success! I woke up to barely better weather than I feel asleep to, so at least it wasn’t raining. I took a walk from the hostel down to Darling Harbor and walked around there and Cockles Bay until about 12pm. At that point I went up to Pyrmont Bridge where I met my friend Erin for lunch. We grabbed a couple of kebabs and ate by the wharf while we caught up on what’s been happening since the last time we saw each other in Cairo. It was great to catch up on the last 4 months, but it was also strange seeing her here when the last time we were in the same place it was 9,000 miles from here!

I left Erin and went to run a few errands. I finally got my watch battery replaced which had been bothering me for the last two months! I also dropped off my disposable underwater camera to get developed onto a cd, but I won’t be able to get those pictures on my computer until I get back to Melbourne.

After getting some stuff done I went to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and took the Pylon Tour. I really would have liked to do the Bridge Climb, but the prices have shot up over the last few years and it is now $200 just to walk up, and you can’t bring your camera. They then charge you up to $30 a picture when you get back down. I wasn’t up for being ripped off that badly, so I chose to walk up the pylon attached to bridge for $10 and take as many pictures as I wanted! It was a great view of the Opera House and the rest of the harbor, so I’m very glad I did it.

I walked down to Circular Quay and found the bus stop that I needed to wait at for the L39 bus. This was going to bring me to Leichardt where I would be meeting Inez for dinner. Inez is another friend I met on the same Egypt trip, and she decided that going a little further out of town would be nice for dinner. Leichardt is Sydney’s Little Italy, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I had the best Gnocchi Bolognese I’ve ever had! Granted, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever had it, but it was excellent! We caught up on our most recent trips, where I got some great tips for when I make it to Bali. Also, Inez gave me a huge list of things to see in Sydney, so that was very helpful. It did, however, change my mind about leaving on Sunday. There is no way I’ll be able to see everything I want in so little time, so I think I’ll extend my stay till Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. At least that way I can see more of Sydney before heading back to Melbourne.

After dinner I caught the bus back into town and I’m now back at my hostel sitting on the terrace with an unbelievable view and in the most comfortable weather I’ve been in for weeks. I’m going to have a pretty busy day tomorrow with all the sites that Erin and Inez have suggested, but I’m so excited about it! I’m off to do some research now to make sure I don’t miss out on anything!