Home Sweet Sydney

Ahh, home for the holidays. Except, not so much "home" as "favorite new Australian city," and not so much "holidays" as ... well, ok it was the holidays, but certainly not looking the way they usually do. Whoever heard of an 80 degree New Years, or a Christmas Day BBQ? Aussies, that's who. I arrived back in sunny Sydney a few days before Christmas, happy to be back in a familiar city and happy to see a familiar face -- Mark, who I decided to stay an extra three weeks with in Sydney before heading on to New Zealand.

My three weeks in Sydney were a whirlwind of holiday celebrations, sightseeing and exploring the city, spending time with Mark and friends, and generally falling in love with Sydney. As Australia's oldest, largest and most diverse city, Sydney has the sort of irresistible mix of wholesome charm and cosmopolitan edge that only a little-Big City can, offering beautiful parks and beaches for outdoor recreation and plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs for an indulgent nightlife. From the crowded beaches and sprawling parks to bustling street cafés and the harbour dotted with sails, Sydney is the active person's playground.

I spent my days taking in all that Sydney has to offer, which is (to state the obvious) quite a lot. The beautiful Sydney Harbour -- with its stunning view of the iconic Sydney Opera House and the towering Sydney Harbour Bridge -- is one of the city's main attractions. From here it is an easy walk to The Rocks (and the best pancake joint EVER) or a short ferry ride to the amazing Taronga Zoo. We even took the lift up to the top of the Sydney Tower for a magnificent panoramic view of the city.

But not all of Sydney’s attractions lie in the Harbour. The city is also famous for its beaches, and I made frequent visits to the most famous one of all – Bondi Beach. Inbetween trips to the seashore with Anya (my friend from Fraser Island) to touch up my tan, I immersed myself in the Sydney experience: Christmas shopping along George Street and the Queen Victoria Building downtown, strolling along the fig-lined avenue in Hyde Park, picnicking in the Royal Botanic Gardens, discovering quaint new cafés and shops in Surrey Hills, visiting Mark at work in Darling Harbour, nagivating the city by the wonderfully efficient underground lightrail system, and of course a spectacular viewing of the world-famous Sydney New Years Eve fireworks! And for icing on the cake, a road trip down the south coast to Jervis Bay, Wollongong, and Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

Sadly my all-too-short stay in Sydney was drawing to a close, and it was time to begin my next adventure. With some tearful goodbyes and one last wave to Sydney, I boarded a plane bound for New Zealand, and the last leg of my journey.