SYDNEY, NSW
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - a place where the "No shoes, no shirt, no service" rule is out the window. I don't think they've ever heard the saying. Everyone's barefoot all the time, everywhere. And if you are fully clothed, you're the outlier.
In early December, I booked an overpriced cab for a 15 minute ride to the airport. In about an hour and a half plane ride, I finally landed in a new place after getting a little cabin fever in Melbourne for the past couple months. Sydney became the first place I travelled to since arriving in Australia besides in and around the state of Victoria. And the best part was reuniting with my dad in the Sydney airport at 7:00 in the morning. It was weird seeing him in the flesh rather than through a screen on FaceTime. My dad is my BFF and within a few hours, he already had to tell me to be quiet or slow down because there was SO much to tell him and TOO much to catch up on. Plus the fact he was travelling for the past 24 hours and just wanted to lie down.
We were in Sydney for about 5 days total. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the beach meat heads were out and about. Bondi was bumping! Bondi Rescue is arguably the best show on Australian television so I was a little starstruck watching the lifeguards lifeguard. Although it was nice to see the world renown beach, my favourite part was exploring the smaller, secluded beaches and bays around Sydney and its suburbs. The East coast is known for their beaches and there's no doubt why. We were also lucky enough to meet up with my dad's parent's (my grandparents) cousins. Both of us have never met them before, so of course we had to pay a visit while we were in town! They showed us around by car and gave us all the secret tips and tricks to navigating the city. They argue and banter back and forth exactly like my grandparents - so cute.
My dad and I walked, explored, hiked, admired and walked some more. We went all over town and packed our schedules - trying to see everything humanly possible within a few days. I dragged him along, racking up an average of 10-12km a day.. but he never complained! He did his old-man physio when we got home every night and ready to go again the next morning. Writing this almost 3 months later, I don't remember exactly everything that happened but thank goodness for cameras, right?!
If you ever make it to Sydney, here's my top 6 must sees and do's. If you don't, it's okay - but really try to because I said so.
6. Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk - only a 6km walk all along the foreshore of some of Australia's best beaches. At the beginning, I kept stopping every 5 steps to take a photo and then realized there's still 5.9km ahead and I couldn't possibly capture everything. I wish I did though, it was amazing. Must do: swim in Gordon's Bay along the way - the clearest blue water I ever did see.
6. AHW Studio - 81 George Street, The Rocks. A family owned hole-in-the-wall jewellery store for one of a kind souvenirs. There's paintings, watches, earrings, bracelets, so much more and everything is hand crafted, making each piece completely different to the next. I picked up a ring that was once a woman's wrist watch from the Russian Soviet Union somewhere between 1940 and 1970. Pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself.
6. Take the ferry to Manly for the day. I think it was only $20-ish return.. you get amazing views of the city from the boat. Plus spending the day at Manly wasn't so bad either - a cute little beach town.
6. Walk the streets of Newtown. Like Fitzroy in Melbourne or Le Plateau in Montreal. If you haven't been to either, just take my word for it: it's the place to be. All the coolest shops, restaurants and cafes you can think of!
6. Health Nuts - 82-94 Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point
6. Stroll through the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden. I'm not a flower person and the last gal you should ask about botanical information. On the first day we arrived in Sydney, we wanted to go see the iconic Opera House so we walked over that evening and got lost. We found ourselves walking through this crazy park and then realized it was Sydney's Botanic Garden. That's why there were labels everywhere! I've seen a few gardens in my day, and I'd have to give this one the top spot. We couldn't get over was how massive the trees were. The greens were so green. There were fountains and statues in hidden spots and the art history nerd in me had a photoshoot with a venus pudica. Anyway, a must see.