Easter Break, Part 1: Sydney

backpacker 4 life

  After a few grueling weeks of having to produce the most work I’ve done in months (which equates to one paper…pathetic) I started on a journey that ended up being some of the best ten days of my life. Three other girls from BC and I traveled up the east coast of Australia. First stop? SYDNEY! No, not the capital of Australia like some people have sorely mistaken it for (that would be Canberra..although I hear it can be pretty dull) but it is definitely an impressive city. Our 5pm flight got us into Sydney after dark so no birds eye views of the harbor, sadly, but we did step into our hostel which was pretty impressive. It’s set in this old building and is the most popular (and party friendly) hostel in Sydney. After dropping our backpacks and a quick change of clothes we headed to SideBar located right underneath our hostel where we had some free drink vouchers. It was a good time but Eileen and I were exhausted so we rested up for the next day of touring. We stayed in a mixed dorm of 8 and met some lovely girls from England, guys from Canada, and a very drunk Norwegian who woke us up at 3 in the morning because he was too obliterated to find his bunk and fell very loudly on to the floor.

Meg in front of our hostel

  The next morning Eileen and I met up with Meg (Hilary was staying with her parents who were visiting) and the three of us started the day right with a big brekkie of delicious fried eggs, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, and toast and of course lots and lots of coffee (My addiction’s going strong..the expresso is just too good here!) We spent the day exploring the city, walking through Hyde Park and the Sandringham Gardens which were so beautiful. We stopped in to see St. Mary’s Cathedral which was abuzz the day before Easter and like I’ve done in so many European churches I felt obliged to light a candle for someone special. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect – I think we all felt a complete sense of serenity as we headed towards the Royal Botanical Gardens. They were amazing! Such well kept and beautiful gardens – we walked around a wishing tree and made a wish (fingers crossed!) and just admired everything, always looking up to be reminded of the beautiful city skyline surrounding us. We also saw thousands of bats sleeping in the trees. At sunset they all wake up and there’s a migration of them throughout the whole city every day. Amazing!

Bubble man at Hyde Park!

Bats in the botanical gardens

 

We then walked and saw the famous Opera House and Harbor Bridge – what a beautiful site but what an expensive part of town. Lunch for $25 a plate? No thanks. To get some cheaper coffee we took a ferry to Manly Beach which was beautiful but very similar to a lot of other Australian beaches I’ve seen. The ferry ride back we witnessed the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. Of course my camera was dying but it was an awe inspiring blend and swirls of pinks, purples, and orange and we had the best view of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House as we pulled back into city. That night we went to a friend’s house where his mom cooked a delicious dinner of roast lamb and we spent the night swimming in his indoor pool and just enjoying good company.

Manly Beach

Best sunset of life

  Our last day in Sydney and we were stricken with rain – Nooooo! Huddling under one umbrella, Eileen and I attempted to explore Darling Harbor but eventually gave up and Meg met us to go see a show at the Opera House. We saw Much Ado About Nothing (front row seats!) and it was a great show. For dinner we went to Pancakes on the Rocks, which is located in – you guessed it – the Rocks. It’s where the first convicts arrived in Australia so the whole area has a lot of history and very quaint architecture. We ate some delicious pancakes then went out to Home Bar, one of Sydney’s biggest clubs. It was a great time but so expensive…this city is sooo expensive. $25 cover and $13 for my mixed drink...ridiculous. I did have the chance to meet up with my friend Jay who I knew in Belgium – it’s been about 7 years since I’ve seen him and he happened to be in Sydney with family so it was so great to get together. It’s such a small world, after all. Sydney was awesome, definitely a city full of life and so much to do, but I’m definitely glad I came to Melbourne for the semester. It feels more centrally located and I like the fact that there aren’t as many tourists. We ended our last moments in Sydney with some late night kebabs (delicious) and got about 2 hours of sleep before our early morning flight to Cairns.

Me, Eileen, Jay, and Meg at Homebar (it was Easter eve, obviously)