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Published: April 9th 2006
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So the 12 hour bus ride went surprisingly quickly, but it was hard getting any sleep. From the bus we got our first views of the harbour, then got a taxi to the hostel in Kings Cross - the Jolly Swagman. Nice place, full of info and tips on what to see and do. Had a tactical nap then re-convened and walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was so beautiful, not as spacious as those at Melbourne, but with equally gorgeous vistas. There were plants galore, plenty I didnt recognise, and some that had existed before dinosaurs had existed (only in Oz!) Weird looking birds pecked and flew around us (including a funny long beaked bird called an Ibis, id never heard or seen it before!) There was a particularly weird looking flock hanging upside down and screeching a lot - oh no wait, they were flying foxes, or giant fruit bats (or as Indy would say "giant Vampire bats!!") They were indeed MASSIVE. And everywhere. We walked on along the shore, turned a corner and then suddenly there it was - the iconic Sydney Opera house. My whole life ive yearned to come here and see it, and suddenly
here it was in front of me. Its just as impressive as you would imagine, it was incredible, the famous 'sails' really do mirror and complement the numerous white sails in the harbour (although that was never the architect's intention, the building is meant to just mirror segments of a sphere) We went in and asked about performances - we debated between the Importance of being Ernest or Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and plumped for the latter; though Phil decided not to join us.
We carried on around Circular Quay, where all the ferries across the massive harbour coem and go, and caught one round the bend to Darling harbour and the aquarium. It was great seeing all the fish and for the first time in my life, to actually be able to identify a lot. We walked through glass tunnels looking at sharks and Rays and seals, platypus and all sorts of aquatic life, i even got to stroke a baby Port Jackson shark. It was pretty damn cool. We wandered in the sunshine around Darling harbour and up into Chinatown to Paddys Market, where Phil picked up some new shoes, Al some shorts, and me and Al bought
some nice aboriginal design prints. After the market we walked through town, past St Andrews cathedral, the oldest in Australia, and through Hyde Park to home. We had some drinks and crisps at the hostel before heading out to a few bars, ending up at 'empire' where we danced and the boys played some pool. Phil wanted to stay on, but me and Al went home in the early hours for some well earned sleep. Saturday we got up early and went and queued for tickets for the opera, managing to get a box seat for just 14 quid. Made the most of the early start and headed for Bondi beach, texting Phil but he had apparantly ended up there the previous night, and declined to come. As soon as we got there the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up and the rain threatened. I was forced to make an emergency jumper purchase, and, judging by the amount of people walking round with the same jumper on, so were many others.
The beach was still full of people and surfers, but the water was freezing and we had a little walk along the promenade before rain stopped play
and we jumped back on a bus to the centre - ironically the sun came back out when we got there 😞 We headed round to a neighbourhood caleld the Rocks, where the first 18th century convicts set up camp - it used to be a really seedy dodgy area, full of prostitutes and down and outs (now that area is our own delightful Kings Cross) but now its is a lovely little area full of cobbled streets, a nice market, and lots of old buildings and cafes. We had lunch, then walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge - a bit windy, but great views of the harbour and the opera house. We made our way back home through the Botanic gardens, where a couple of weddings were being held in the sun by the waters edge - it looked idyllic. We had a final photo session at Mrs Macquaries chair, a viewpoint that takes in both the Opera House and the bridge, then finally made it back to the hostel for a quick dinner. I put on my new dress, and felt like a proper grown up walking down to the Opera in a Carrie Bradshaw stylee. I had some
sparkling wine and we took our seats. It was my first opera, and what a perfect place - THE Sydney Opera House. The music was wonderful, and the singing powerful and genuinely moving. It was a great performance, and after, we had a bottle of wine at a posh bar overlooking the harbour and the Sydney skyline at night - lights twinkled in the glass skyscrapers and on the Harbour bridge, boats still filled the water, and the Opera House was lit up - it was perfect.
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