Its the little things (like good food)

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So we are still enjoying our free stay in Sydney. The weather has been great and the tan is finally coming along (thank god).

Although we have been here for about 2 weeks, it feels like we have packed everything in to the last 4 days. On Sunday Erinn and I went for a hike from the ‘Spit Bridge’ to Manly beach. It was about 10 kilometers, and im pretty sure that we started out on the wrong end because it seemed like 10 kilometers up hill, but we just kept telling ourselves it was a good workout. The walk was totally beautiful though, great views of the city and the ocean the whole way, but I think that Erinn and I were most impressed with this amazing bathroom along the trail. It was totally automatic and when the door locks music automatically starts to play, then to top it off the toilet only flushes when you wash your hands. We were so fascinated that we took a short video that I will happily show back at home, im pretty sure the other people around thought we were crazy Americans for the video but oh well, it was on this long hike and fascinating. The hike was toped off with a delicious beer and burger afterwards on the beach in Manly.

On Monday the weather was beyond perfect and we headed to Bondi beach, which is seriously one of the reasons that I came to Australia. It was a little bit of a trek to get there (bus, train, bus) but about 2 hours later we came down a hill and saw an amazing beach! It was everything I thought it would be and more. I put on sunscreen (a rarity for me) and thus I got a great tan without the initial pain of a burn. We also had a great lunch and some great beer afterwards as well as a ride home from our friend Rob which made the day great. Oh and I know your all wondering if we went topless….we didn’t (not brave enough or tan enough) but there were LOTS of people topless, which only added to the experience, sorry but I was kind and didn’t take any photos.

Yesterday was our last full day in the city. We walked to place we hadn’t seen like kings cross, the botanical gardens, and hyde park. But the real excitement of the day was in the evening when Caroline and I climbed the bridge. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and im always hearing that it’s the best thing to do in the city. I was really really nervous though, especially since im not big on heights or coordination, but we paid for it (it’s a little bit pricey to say the least) so I had no choice but to go. It was also getting more and more windy as the day went on, and I was very nervous about being up so high but it was ok. You have to wear a special suit (which really cut down on the wind) and you are strapped to a cable the entire way. The climb goes up the inner arch and then you pop out on the very very top of the bridge at the end. It was truly amazing and great views, I would definitely recommend it. There were people from America, Denmark and Sydney in our group and Caroline and I were the youngest in the group, actually the couple from Sydney were celebrating the mans 70th bday and it was there second climb so they calmed my nerves a little bit. All in all it was great, but as you now know we had to get some great food at the end, and we had our best meal yet! On the way to the bridge climb we saw a place across the street advertising $10 steaks on Tuesdays, so of course we were there. We sat on top of this building with great views of the city, and of course we were not expecting much from our $10 steaks but they ended up being like the best steaks we had ever had, it was amazing! Once again it was a great end to a great day.

Tomorrow we leave our great accommodations at 5:30am and head to Byron Bay for 2 days and then continue up the coast. Im ready to get out of the Sydney area and experience some great beaches up the coast.

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