Advertisement
Published: February 2nd 2011
Edit Blog Post
There are few skylines as iconic as that which greeted us through our plane window on the 17th of January. As the flight finally bumped its way out of thick cloud, that was actually the tail end of the cyclones that had wreaked havoc in Queensland, we glimpsed the majestic arch of the Harbour Bridge. Beyond it, caught in a single shaft of summer sun, sat the famous Opera House.
Kasia, for whom Sydney had been home for a while 10 years ago, was beyond excited to be revisiting her old stomping ground and for me this view, so quintessentially Australian, brought home to me how far we had come since leaving the UK in November. We really were on the other side of the world.
Hostel rooms, even the quietest, cleanest ones can be a tad tiresome after a while. We had stayed in a fair mixture in WA - some good, some not so good - but what with spider bites, smelly feet and a good bit of snoring (both other peoples I hasten to add) we felt ready for a rest. There was only one thing for it, we needed a doctor! Enter Doctor Mike, an
18 month resident of Sydney and our university friend from our time in Newcastle. Mike happened to have a rather swish apartment in Parramatta, a suburb of the city and very kindly offered to let us stay for a while. As he was away for a few days we had the place to ourselves and soon settled right in; we also ate his lamb chops.
From our luxury base camp we ventured out into the city. Day One began with a ferry ride out of Paramatta all the way to the harbour. For just a few dollars we felt like we were on a luxury cruise as we passed under the bridge and moored by the Opera house! How’s that for public transport?
We left the pier and climbed up through the historical area of the Rocks before walking across the bridge to get the best views of the city’s harbour and business district. Later we wandered around the Opera House, where I made some architectural comments about textural contrast and detailing and Kasia bought an ice cream. In the evening we walked through the Botanical Gardens (and nearly jumped out of our skins when we noticed the
massive bats above our heads) up to the National Art Gallery before heading back to Parramatta in the evening.
The next day we caught the train to Kasia’s old neighbourhood of Newtown and wandered the trendy shops and bustling cafes (and pubs of course). On Thursday we took a train in the opposite direction, heading west to the Blue Mountains and had a wonderful time walking the cliff top paths and climbing the steep trails down to the waterfalls. The mountains were indeed blue; caused, we understand, by a haze of oil excreted by the millions of eucalyptus trees which carpet the slopes as far as the eye can see.
When we got home we met up with Mike and Feliz. It was great to catch up again after all this time and we spent the evening in a great Thai restaurant in Newtown talking over Mike's time in Sydney and our travels so far. Kasia has always said the best Thai food she's ever tasted was in Newtown. I have no reason to disagree!
Thursday was our last evening in Paramatta and on Friday we moved into the city’s YHA so as to be in the
heart of the action for our last two nights in OZ. What a hostel it was too, with its rooftop terrace offering panoramic views across the iconic harbour.
Friday was spent at the museums and galleries in the city centre including a superb exhibition by photographer Annie Liebowitz (famous for the Demi Moore pregnant shots). We also visited the Sydney Aquarium to scare me a bit more about sharks. I think its fair to say that if I ever see one now, ven a fairly little one, it won’t have to attack me as I’ll probably just die of fright anyway and save it the trouble. In the evening we walked back towards the harbour and wandered the night markets at the Rocks.
Saturday was another market day. This time at the famous arts and crafts sales at Paddington to which Kasia, for years, has longed to return and in fact she had dictated our flights based on catching this market! Neither a bear nor even a marmalade sandwich to be seen I was disappointed to note.
On Sunday we left Sydney for New Zealand. I really liked the city with its relaxed attitude, healthy lifestyle and
beautiful buildings; a few too many markets to shop at for my taste however!
So off we flew to New Zealand for floods, a Welshman and a campervan called Albert. More next time!
Love and best wishes,
Tom & Kasia
Advertisement
Tot: 0.137s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 12; qc: 50; dbt: 0.069s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Kate
non-member comment
...wow
...that Paddington market looks amazing Kasia!!!!!! And I love the dress you were wearing that day too!!! :-) xxx Eve is smiling now and recognises mum & dad, she has changed sooo much since birth it makes my head spin how much she has yet to change.