SYDNEY! And, no, I did not find Nemo.

I have finally conquered the tourist feat of all tourist feats here in Oz: I have seen the iconic Opera House. From Thursday until Monday, I, along with Abbey, Stephanie and Chris, flew to Sydney to spend a weekend touring the city and surrounding area. Our first night was quite eventful, for after getting off our flight, in which we saw a spectacular lightning storm in air, we found ourselves in McDonald's where we met Rhyse. One word to describe this creature: drunk. I was innocently standing in line to buy an ice cream sundae when Rhyse approached me, obviously enthralled by my Americanness. This for sure was a good experience, for not only did he buy me my sundae (with extra sundae.. that's how he ordered it, anyways), but he also took us all out for a drink. Interesting fellow, nevertheless.

The next day we spent hiking the Blue Mountains. After a 2 hour train ride, we stepped into the mountain town in our shorts and t-shirts only to find everyone else bundled like eskimos. Opps. We quickly learned that if we kept a good pace, the cool weather wouldn't bother us too much, even though we are greatly spoiled by the warm weather in the Gold Coast. Despite the misty and foggy weather, the sites were gorgeous and we even had a go at climbing a waterfall (not the one pictured below, but you can pretend that is the one). Success, minus Chris slipping and falling down about 10 feet. I may or may not have found great enjoyment out of that.

That evening we ate at a Japanese restaurant. Chris ordered eel. I tried it. I wanted to die until I had breakfast the next morning.

Saturday was perhaps the longest day of my life, but in a good way. The entire day was spent walking around Sydney, trying to see as much as we possibly could. The day began with the best eating experience of my entire life: Tip Jar. Waffles. Let me describe in detail: waffle topped with PB, roasted nuts, whipped cream, and PB ice cream on the side. Enough said. We then went to the markets where I proceeded to spend way too much money. Anywho, highlights of our sightseeing adventure were the Anzac Memorial, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Opera House, Luna Park and Sydney Harbour Bridge. I wanted to be pushed in a stroller by the end of the day.

Our last full day was spent at the famous Bondi Beach, which unfortunately had poor weather. But that did not deter us from spending the entire day looking through the shops and markets and the display of sculptures by the sea. The rest of the evening was spent back in the central part of Sydney until we finally collapsed in bed, only to get up at 3:30 AM to catch the plane back. Get this: the flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast was shorter than the time spent on the bus traveling from the Gold Coast Airport to my house here in Robina. I hope that brief story clearly sums up my feelings about public transportation here in Surfers.

On a more positive note about the Gold Coast, it was comforting to know that after spending 4 days away, I had a sigh of relief once getting off the plane knowing that I was back home, so to speak. I truly am falling in love with this place and I cannot fathom that I have exactly 1 month and 11 days left.