Sydney so far

Alright so here is the much anticipate, long past overdue blog update.   Yes there is a big chunk of my life that has not appeared up here and that was my awesome month long trip with my mom touring New Zealand for the month of February.  To be honest, we were just having too much fun and quality time together for me to bother to blog.  In the meantime I have come over to Sydney and here is what I have been up to so far!!! 

Sydney Wed March 2nd, 2011

Auckland to Sydney Flight Air New Zealand NZ709 17:30-1900

After a little delay due to a quick turn around plane I settled into my window seat of 24F. Boy, not watching TV or movies for the last 9ish months comes in handy……… it seemed like a plethora of options for my 3 ½ hour flight.

Must say leaving New Zealand was hard. I think I summed it up best when talking with Sabrina & Tim…… I am excited and happy to be moving on to travels in Sydney and Australia but will miss New Zealand and all is ‘green rolling hills, amazing panoramic views, rugged coastlines, clean air and adventure BUT will not miss Auckland! I will miss the people I have grown to love, depended on and share great memories with. The timing is right to go, see and do in Australia. I look forward to figuring out where to go and what to see. In a way I wish it was smaller so I could cover more ground. I have not yet but I will prioritize where I want to go and what I want to do ……. Trying to minimize my city time and maximize my walking/scenic/beach/waterfront time.

Another thing I have learned is that sometimes things happen in life in a certain order or sequence for a reason. One can often not see it at the time. Others may even help to point it out but life supplies a real top notch pair of blinders (picture racehorse at the Kentucky Derby!). These experiences shape us and may coincide with the paths of others without either party knowing or anticipating it!!

For now, I am embarking on my Australian journey…… starting point Sydney airport. With one of the quickest arrivals, baggage claim, & customs clearance (which I must point out the officer I dealt with has her granddaughter heading to Syd Children’s next week for hear monitoring and therefore led to great discussion…………so far Aussies are great helpful, smiling people…. Hope it keeps up!!) I headed to the airport link. Yep, that’s right the trains go all the way to the airport, both international and domestic terminals and downtown to circular quay. Could not have been easier, simpler, quicker (20 mintues) or cheaper ($15) (could learn a lesson or 2 Pearson International!). Once off at Circular Quay the nighttime Sydney skyline jumped out at me and might have even twinkled for me . Then it was a 200m walk around to George Street to the Russell Hotel, an old Victoria building housing the hotel, a winebar (which serves free breakfast for the hotel guests in the morning SCORE!). With high ceilings, old crown mouldings, antique chairs, but with all new bathrooms it was such a great place to land & enjoy my time here in the Rocks. I then headed out for a walk through the neighbourhood, taking in the old buildings converted into shops, cafes, pubs/bars. The area is a happening but classy area with the huge Harbour bridge down the street which seems colossal with its nighttime lighting it seems to engulf the harbor and north shore. Of course the wharfs at circular quay were embedded with the latest cruise ship to follow me on my travels. This time it is the Aurora from the P&O cruiseline. With a walk around Circular quay I took in all the different ferries with most boats in for the night but some routes like those going to Manly (which I will do on Friday evening) still busily at work. I scanned the many souvenir shops and cute restaurants and cafes along the Eastern Circular Quay scouting out my potential meal tomorrow night. I walked over to the Opera House which is such an architectural wonder even up close  After a clearing the air discovery walk & a review of the potential walking and touring ideas for tomorrow it is off to bed having lost 2 hours in time difference, I am now 16 hours ahead of my Canadian friends. So looking forward to a great day in Sydney!

Thurs March 3rd 2011

After abit of a restless sleep (likely as I am soooo excited to be here!) it was a hearty full (free) breakfast. It was only a short walk down from my hotel in the Rocks to take in Sydney Cove, rediscovering the Harbour bridge bustling with traffic in the early morning and the shimmer on the Opera house as the sun continues to rise. The many ferries (fast large powerboats) were so much fun to watch as they barely slowed down to drop off passengers and pick up more, then a quick 180 turn and back out into the Harbour. Along with this came the fun game of commuter watching………. One of my favourite versions of people watching  Then it was on to do my errands of Vodafone (cellphone service) and bank setup. A big thank you to Zane at Vodafone and Stephanie at Commonwealth bank who are top notch on the customer service, accomplishing all of my tasks in less than an hour. Which meant more time to play in Sydney for me. I continued my walk along the main section of town, George Street and Martin Place and cannot get over how well the old heritage buildings of the late 1800s/early 1900s have been maintained and blended with the massive skyrise buildings. The city has a very New York City vibe to it (minus the heckling and wack load of taxis!!). Walking through Hyde Park, also reminded me of Central Park. Oh and in the park there are these strange white birds with black long beaks that seem like they might be kind of annoying like pukekos but in a more endearing way.

On along streets of Liverpool, Goulburn, Elizabeth and over to the Chinese Gardens and Tumbalong Park which leads over to Darling Harbour. This area is simply gorgeous and with so much to see and do, a little souvenir shopping at Harbourside, checking out the boats that belong to the National Maritime Museum, including postwar destroyer and submarine along with old ships. So many things to do but I watched the monorail across Pyrmont bridge and then took a trip into the underwater world at the Sydney Aquaruim.

This aquarium is unlike any other…….. I cannot even begin to explain the different species of fish, sharks, coral, stingrays, dugongs, tortoises, jellyfish, crayfish and even little penguins. Very well displayed in massive tanks and some that allowed us visitors to walk under them to get the whole panoramic. Somehow it was all so very calming to watch these fish swim together, or have a stingray or shark swim overhead. Pretty amazing stuff (don’t think my pictures hold up to the experience). It made me definitely want to watch ‘Finding Nemo’ again!!

After finding the perfect Sydney sweater and not being able to walk away from a black opal ring, it was a great relaxing time to sit and take in the view of the Opera House and take in the tourists as sunset on Sydney.

Oh and everything here in Sydney is being built….. cranes everywhere, fixing old buildings and renovating parks. Sydney must certainly be on the up and up.

 

Friday March 4th, 2011

Sydney, New South Wales Australia



After a fantastic night of sleep, it was an early great start to the day checking out which new cruise ship is down at the wharf and the construction on the museum of contemporary art. My favourite morning routine seems to be checking out the Harbour Bridge and Opera House whilst taking in the frantic, yet organized ferry activity. Then it was on to the Wildlife World back at Darling Harbour. I was blown away by all the great creatures. From invertebrates, caterpillars, butterflies, cockroaches, venomous spiders, mantis, and other incredibly unique insects to crazy cobras, skinks, crocodiles and other reptiles. On to possum, kilby, desert mice and wombats, which really look more like big dogs than I thought they would! The wallabies also surprised me at how small they were but boy can they hop high and fast. The kangaroo, on the other hand, were sleeping and trying to find the shade in the 30 degree hot, sunny day. They look like their skin was painted on them, and I expected more hair/fur. But by far my favourite was the koala. Most of them were sleeping so soundly in their trees, with arms and legs wrapped around branches. But one of them was clearly hungry and just devouring the eucalyptus tree leaves around him. Must have been yummy, he made those disappear quickly!



Then after another quick tour of Darling Harbour along Cockle Bay Wharf and taking in the harbor cruise boats (one aptly named Jillian!!) it was off to Centrepoint Tower. Through an inadvertent detour through the ritzy shopping area called the Strand Arcade, super designer stuff and no I did not buy anything haha I found the tower. Now I am not really sure but some places it is referred to as Centrepoint Tower and other Sydney Tower, in either case it is a gold plated barrel structure standing 309m high and giving a pretty cool 360 panorama of Sydney. This included the entire metropolis, spotting the airport to the south, sports stadium and beachfront neighbourhoods out to the Tasman Sea. Spinning to the north is the great Sydney harbor busy with ferry and sailboat activity, with the Royal Botanic Gardens looping the southside shoreline. Tucked in is the Opera House, Harbour bridge and Anzac bridge. Amongst the houses, skyscrapers and busy traffic is great to still be able to see so many trees and green spaces.

After checking out the Australian Museum and Museum of Sydney and realizing that they require at least a half day dedication to really get the most out of it (no worries, I have more time to do so  ) it was on to explore the vastness of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Such sprawling acres of green, kept lawns, massive native trees, dedicated garden areas like the rose garden, the succulent garden, the rare and endangered gardens and sculptures and memorials dotted it all. What really caught my eye where the large number of flying foxes (Australian bats) engulfing several of the trees and I saw them all flying out into and around the harbor at dusk going for their night hunt. It is such a relaxing place giving the feeling that the hustle and bustle of the city is miles away, & even though it is full of tourists like myself stopping to take photos ever 2 minutes, it is also chucker with runners. It would make for a very scenic run and nice and flat. I took in the scenic views from a liedown on the grass of MacQuire’s point and from the overhang of a rock outcropping along one of the paths. From there I could see the people climbing the Harbour Bridge, those crazy kids!! After continuing on my journey, I just cannot get over the marvel of the Opera House, not only does it look like whitecaps in the ocean but up close it is fully lined with tiles in intricate patterns. I also witnessed a woman enquiring with her wedding planner on arranging to have her wedding and reception there, $$$$$$$$$ is all I could think of

After grabbing my backpacks (life in 2 bags can get a little heavy) I got the 7:25 Manly ferry aboard the Narrabeen taking about 30 minutes to get there. During this time, the sunset casting a wonderful pink hue over the city and all its wonders. I am quite certain I would love to commute by ferry, it is somehow so calming and relaxing being on the waves. I then got myself to the Manly Beach House where I will be for the next 3 nights, discovering Manly Beach 