Because of the holidays, accommodations in Sydney were difficult to find. Erin worked hard to book a place for us to stay in Sydney before we even left Michigan. She had to split our time into two different places in order to try to avoid the holiday price mark-up. Our first hotel was in Crow's Nest, the section of Sydney north of Sydney's Harbour Bridge.
When our surfcamp ended, we were dropped off at Sydney Central train station around 7pm. We decided to use the public transportation system to make our way up to Crow's Nest as it looked like the walk would be about an hour long, and we both had big backpacks on, making it undesirable. We were fortunate to figure out the bus system and to have had a bus driver who was friendly enough to help us get on the right bus and get off at the right stop. We arrived in Crow's Nest and checked into our hotel just before it began to rain. Unfortunately, Erin had ventured out to get us some food when the rain started to fall and she didn't have an umbrella. However, it was a pleasantly warm rain, so it didn't bother her one bit.Our first night in Sydney, we watched a movie together on the television, which was fantastic because there were plenty of English-speaking channels – something we hadn't seen in quite a while. James had noticed a tickle in his throat earlier in the day, so we decided to go to bed right after our movie ended.
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| Erin takes on Sydney's public transporation in full gear. |
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| James tests out the internet connection in our Crow's Nest hotel. |
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| The view from our Crow's Nest hotel window. |
The next day, James had full-blown cold symptoms: stuffy nose, cough, and an achy body. The surfcamp in Crescent Head was a fantastic time, but it left both of us feeling a bit run down. James rested most of the day while Erin went out exploring. Erin wandered through Crow's Nest, exploring the area thoroughly, and then she decided to walk across the Harbour Bridge heading into Sydney. She decided to map out a plan for the next day, when James would hopefully be feeling well enough to venture out with her. On her way back to the hotel, she grabbed some medicine for James, some dinner options for both of us, and some desserts to add to another relaxing evening in the hotel.
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| Our first view of the Sydney Opera House from the Harbour Bridge. |
The sun was shining the next day, and James was feeling better, so after enjoying the continental breakfast in our hotel, we started our joint exploration of Sydney. We left Crow's Nest, walking through North Sydney, and stopped in Milson's Point for a few pictures of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. From there, we walked across the bridge. The views from the bridge are amazing as you can see the beautiful opera house, the large rocks, and the Sydney skyline. Once across the bridge, we walked down George Street, a walk that was lined with shopping centers and dining options. The day before, Erin had come across Market City, also known as Paddy's Markets, and she decided it would be a fun place for James to explore as well. The market was filled with Australian souvenirs, discount clothing and luggage, and carnival-style food options. After spending about an hour wandering through and purchasing a small kangaroo stuffed animal we named Joey, we left and headed into a mall to enjoy some air conditioning.
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| Harbour Bridge as seen from Milson's Point. |
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| Erin and James share a moment in front of the Sydney Opera House. |
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| Tabitha pops up for her moment in the sun in front of the Sydney Opera House. |
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| The hectic interior of Paddy's Markets. |
We walked through the Darling Harbour area and watched all of the people walking along the pier. The Darling Harbour area was a little bit reminiscent of Chelsea Pier in Chicago. We walked past China Town, the ferris wheel, the Maritime Museum, and the shops and restaurants along the way. We stopped at the tourist information center and got some maps as well as some information about the nearby Blue Mountains and about the events taking place on New Year's Eve. We talked about our plans for the rest of the week and decided to book a day trip to the Blue Mountains. Despite the high cost, we figured it was a “must-see” place as all of our guide books (and several people we had talked to) had suggested.
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| Darling Harbour's Ferris Wheel. |
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| One of Darling Harbour's fountains. |
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| The lighthouse and ships near Sydney's Maritime Museum. |
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| A close-up of one of the schooners. |
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| A LEGO Neptune outside the Sydney Aquarium. |
As the day wore on, the heat began to take its toll, and we were ready to head back to our hotel. We stopped at the Coles grocery store and picked up some food to bring back with us. We enjoyed the views on our way home as we, again, crossed the Harbour Bridge and returned to our hotel for our final night in Crows Nest. We were exhausted and went to bed relatively early, but not before finishing up the rest of the desserts we had from the night before.
