The next day we headed out early for a 2 hour train ride to the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters - a beautiful formation that we were only able to catch for about three seconds due to the amount of fog that day. However, we saw some gorgeous views during our walk through the forest including a giant waterfall and a plethroa of cockatoos. We spent a good part of the day walking through the cute little mountain town and walking through the mountains. After making it back to the city we spent forever and a half looking for a place to eat in the rain (finally settling on Japanese where I tried some eel for the first time) and meeting up with some friends who were also in the city for the weekend.
On our second day we had much nicer weather and I felt like I was able to get a taste of fall from back home as it was much cooler in that area of the country than here on the Gold Coast. And with the amount of walking we did that day, I felt like I had walked all the way back home anyway. My feet still hurt four days later! All the walking was worth it though. We started the day at the Tip Jar where after a bit of a wait we had the best waffles ever...for me - strawberries, strawberry sauce, strawberry cream, and strawberry ice cream along with a cup of chai tea. So good. Then we were off to Paddy's Market where the four of us loaded up on touristy things for back home. The amount of tables selling anything and everything was truly overwhelming for me and I had to stop and take a moment to map out my morning so as not to get lost and make sure I saw everything. We then continued on to Hyde Park, the ANZAC memorial, and for me a stop into the Australian Museum. It was mostly your typical Natural History museum but my favorite was the exhibit on all the dangerous things in Australia that could kill you or at the very least make you incredibly sick...including a tiny tiny jellyfish that you would never notice. Now of course I'm scared. On my way to meet back up with the rest of the group I stopped inside the amazing St. Mary's Cathedral where I saw a bride walk down the aisle to meet her fiance...definitely a good place for a wedding. Finally I made it to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. That bridge is gigantic! So of course there were many photos taken with both. I didn't feel like I was truly there though until I walked up the stairs and placed my hand on the Opera House. I thought it would sound more legitimate and amazing when instead of saying "I saw the Opera House" I can say "I touched the Opera House." We then decided to walk across the bridge where I took about a zillion and one more photos of the Opera House and the city, resulting in enough photos to make a flip-book of the attraction from every angle seen from the bridge. We then took a stroll through Luna Park where shortly afterwards we found ourselves entertained by the public restroom. To get in you had to walk through an automatic door where as it was closed you were given oral instructions on how to use the completely automatic room. There was the typical automatic flush and sink water but also soap, doors, and toilet paper But the best part - the elevator music. Needless to say, we were entertained. After that moment we walked through residential areas so we could find the perfect place to watch the sunset over the city. It was a relief to sit down and rest at this point. 10 hours of straight walking! Finally, we began the trek home and to find some dinner where we again took photos of the Opera House and city every 10 feet but this time all lit up at night. This was definitely my favorite moment of the trip.
Sunday we woke up to an on-and-off-again misty rain as we made our way to Bondi Beach. After perusing the markets there and taking a stroll through the shops to escape the rain (including an adorable second-hand bookstore) we went on to the beach where I photographed some surfers before having a small accident involving my camera and a bottle of water. No worries though...after my heart leapt out of my chest, the camera still worked as if nothing had happened...thank goodness! We then walked along the ocean for the annual Sculpture by the Sea. There were some amazing sculptures and the views of Bondi were amazing. Finally, we ventured back to the city where we happened upon a neat place for dinner where you could buy any drink and get a free meal - no catch at all. So of course, being cheap backpackers like a lot of others wandering the city, we took the deal and had a filling dinner. After a stop at a hole-in-the-wall bar recommended by Rhys earlier that weekend and making friends with a hilariously entertaining Aussie duo of friends we went to bed before catching our 4:45am cab back to the airport on Monday morning to make it home in time for that morning's classes.
Overall, Sydney was amazing despite the not-so-amazing weather and I would love to go back there again.
I had completely forgotten about the high-tech toilets. I want one of those to take back with me to the states.
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