Sydney and farewell Pippa :(

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Saturday 11th April

We arrived in Sydney late and got a taxi from the airport to our hostel which was next to central station. It was a huge hostel with a very noisy bar underneath. We checked in, found our room, dumped our bags and headed out for a drink in the city. After our first Sydney beer we realised how tired we were and made our way back to bed.


Sunday 12th April

This morning we stayed in bed until 9am!! I think this is the longest sleep in i've had in nearly two months! I came back from the shower and Pippa wished me a Happy Easter and told me i had 10 chocolate eggs to find which she had hidden around the room! How quickly a 24 year old can turn into a bouncy 5 year old on a choccy hunt!

Very energised and excited about seeing Sydney in the daylight, we headed out and up George Street towards Sydney Harbour as this morning we were climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge. When we got to Circular Quay we asked for directions of how to actually get to the bridge which is almost a ridiculous question when you've already been able to see the giant structure for six blocks! The bridge climb was so much fun, we got kitted out in our bridge climb jump suits and belts that would attached us to the actual bridge. You're not allowed to take cameras up, the only thing you are allowed to take are your sunglasses and even then have to be attached to your jump suit. They were about 14 of us on our 11am climb and Pippa and i headed up the group at the front. As we climbed higher and higher over the bridge the view back on the city was amazing. This was Pippa's and my first view of Sydney and we had the best seats in the house! Our climb leader said she'd never had anyone up the bridge before who had never seen Sydney. You can see for miles and miles, and it was absolutely worth every cent and such a great way to spend Easter Sunday. We wandered around the Rocks Sunday markets and grabbed some corn for a quick lunch and then we walked around Sydney Harbour and the Opera House taking lots of photos and browsing the market stalls. Out for dinner in Chinatown and then for drinks and a few games of pool with Steve from Fraser Island.


Monday 13th April

The weather wasn't forecast to be very nice today so Pippa and i went to the Sydney Aquarium. We had forgotten that it was Easter Monday and that all the kids were off school so battling our way around the aquarium didn't make for the greatest experience although we did get to see some nemos! From the aquarium we wandered around Darling Harbour and watched some street entertainment before stopping to have some lunch. We got caught in the rain for a while and Darling Harbour seemed to be completely deserted as everyone ducked inside the nearest cafe, bar or shop to escape getting soaked. We managed to find a couple of shopping centres this afternoon and did what girls do best.


Tuesday 14th April

We walked up to Sydney Harbour this morning to get a ferry over to Manly Beach and the weather was beautiful. We walked through the main street to the beach where we sat and watched the surfers for a while before having lunch on the promenade. We caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and jumped straight on a bus to Bondi Beach. When we arrived there we had a coffee with a friend of mine from London who i worked at The Botanist with as he's now running a cafe on beach. We were so lucky the weather was beautiful as we then started our beach walk to Coogee. It took us about 2 hours but the views were stunning all the way along the coastal walk and we were strolling and chatting as girls do. Coogee Beach is alot smaller than Bondi which is definitely my favourite and a place i could really get used to! We caught the bus back to the city to find the 360tower which stands as the tallest building in Sydney with an observation deck. By this time it was dark and the city looked amazing all lit up with the city lights. We could see a huge lightning storm in the distant too which we figured was coming our way as the lightning grew nearer and nearer. We didn't make it back to the hostel in time to avoid the rain so unfortunately we had to stop in a couple of bars to have a drink...well we had to keep dry! In the second bar we went to apparently it was 'Rock, Paper, Scissors Day' which meant that i could challenge the barman and if i won my drinks were half price! Well i won and we got 2 glasses of wine for $6 which wasn't bad at all!


Wednesday 15th April

We had our tour to the Blue Mountains today for Pippa's last day in Australia, and it was a final early start for us to catch our bus which would take us out of the city. We were greeted with spectacular views from the secret lookout points that our tour guide took us to, the Blue Mountains really are very very blue! We walked down to a lookout point from which we had a great view of the famous Three Sisters and a couple of big waterfalls and then we had a wander through the rainforests to have a look at some mines and trees before climbing in the world's steepest railway for a lift back up the mountains, and it really was very steep! Our tour finished at the Olympic park and we caught the ferry back to Circular Quay as night fell over the city and it was great to see Sydney all lit up as we cruised in under the Harbour Bridge. We headed into King's Cross this evening for some farewell drinks with our good old friend Fraser Steve and then back to our hostel to bust out some outrageous dance moves in the club downstairs before eventually passing out, i mean, going to bed...


Thursday 16th April

Pippa had a very early flight back to London via Hong Kong so we set off to the airport, slightly hungover and very tired. It was really sad to say farewell to Pip as i have just enjoyed her company so much, we have packed so much into 3 weeks and we have both made memories together that i will cherish forever. I was very lucky to have one of my best friends join me on the other side of the globe for an action packed adventure...(incase you hadn't noticed this is also a hint for anyone who's reading and thinking about booking a holiday...!).

After dropping Pippa off at the airport and reluctantly saying goodbye, i got the train back to the hostel and did nothing, ALL day. It was great!


Friday 17th April

Feeling recharged with energy after my relaxing day yesterday and waking up to blue skies, i wasted no time this morning leaving the hostel and strolling down George Street towards the harbour. It felt very strange to be on my own and i was glad that all the streets had become familiar over the last week. I had a wander through the Botanical Gardens which were beautiful and very peaceful before heading back over to Bondi Junction. The bus seemed to take forever and had me wondering for a moment whether i was on my way to Brisbane instead of Bondi! Eventually arriving in Bondi the wind had really picked up and instead of laying on the beach i opted for the shops and a beer with Fraser Steve instead. This evening i was meeting up with my babysitter...(from when i was younger...!) Rachel. We met at Circular Quay and wandered around to a beautiful restaurant overlooking to harbour and the Opera House. We didn't pick up our menus for nearly 2 hours, we think our poor waiter gave up on us! We had a beautiful meal and a stunning bottle of red wine and as if the evening hadn't been lovely enough, Andy, Rachel's boyfriend came and joined us for a bottle of desert wine. Spoiled rotten i was, and it was lovely to catch up with Rachel again even though she was mortified when i told people i was having dinner with my babysitter...!


Saturday 18th April

Today the Sydney Swans were playing Carlton at the Sydney Cricket ground and myself along with about a hundred other people from my hostel were heading out there for the AFL game. Aussie Rules Football is a very strange game, it took me a while to understand it but the atmosphere in the stadium was great and the sun shone for the whole day. We all got given red Swans caps, and it was such a funny sight to see us all walking through Sydney to catch the bus to the ground. The Swans won and we all celebrated back at the hostel. I grabbed a sneaky Burger King tonight so as i could get an early night as tomorrow i catch the train from Sydney to Newcastle where i will be greeted by Lucas, an Australian friend who i lived and worked with in London.

And so to find a job...


Lots of love from Sydney, NSW

Danielle xx

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Comments

[Emma]

I'm missing Pippa too!
Wow what an action packed few weeks with Pippa - you seem as though you've had a ball. You were in Sydney at the same time of year jeremy and I were there doing all the same things, the three sisters, steepest railway, manly beach. It bought back so many memories. Its a great city isn't it. I love your blogs and photos and you look absolutely beautiful - the trip is obviously serving you well despite the lack of sleep and considerable consumption of alcohol! What will the next stage involve....Love you POP. ps Annabel has completed her Padi open water exam she got 98%! just needs to do the referal dives and then she can join you.....