Welcome to Sydney! 

We touched down in Sydney on Tuesday, October 1, 2014 after spending a week in Melbourne. The train ride from the airport to our apartment in Bondi Junction was very quick and easy. After locating and meeting the hosts of our Airbnb apartment we went for an evening walk to get some exercise for the day. As September is a spring month in Australia, it was only 60 degrees (in Freedom units) as we headed towards the famous Bondi Beach. Bondi looked beautiful even in the dark, with powerful waves crashing on the shore. The beauty of this beach can be a bit deceiving as it is quite a dangerous one due to its strong rip currents.  Even though it was already dark there were many people running, exercising, and walking dogs on the shore. The first impression we got of Sydney was that it's a one fit city. 

On our way back, we noticed some ethnic stores and restaurants including Russian and Jewish delis. We later found out that the Bondi Beach area was where many European immigrants settled after World War II. From my earlier research I know that in the 1940s, Australia welcomed about 170,000 immigrants, of which 50,000 were Poles (displaced persons and soldiers). This is the largest number of refuges from one ethnic group that arrived in Australia to date. About 20,000 more Poles arrived in the 80s under a Special Humanitarian Program due to the political and economic unrest in Poland. Who would have thought they would travel so far!  (You can read more about it here and here.) And since we are on the subject of my peeps, one guy that's worth mentioning is Sir Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, a famous explorer and cartographer who arrived in Sydney in 1839 and surveyed the vast, and unfamiliar at the time, country of Australia. He explored the Snowy Mountains and named Australia's highest point Mount Kosciuszko, after Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish national military hero. There are also about 20 geographical sites named after Strzelecki such as the Strzelecki Desert. But i digress... 

The next day we woke up early and did some research for the next week of our trip to the northern part of Australia. Planning and logistics actually take a lot of our time. We always have to be at least two steps ahead of ourselves. But there's worse things we could be dealing with right now :-). After a very late breakfast we ventured out to explore Sydney's main attractions. We started with a walk in the Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden (free entrance as it's pretty much a public park). The grass was so green and smooth that we gave in to our temptation and laid down on it for about half hour. Looking at the sky we noticed there were no clouds at all and that all we saw was the blue of the sky and the green of the trees. 

From there we made a short walk towards the Sydney Opera House. This icon is a functioning multi-venue performance center. It is interesting to note that the construction of it started in 1959 and finished 20 years later. The budgeted cost was set for $7 million but it ended up costing $102 million. In those times, it was very serious money. The design was that of Danish architect Jorn Utzon who won an international contest put forth by Sydney. Plans for the roof kept changing in order to make erecting of the shell roof possible. John Utzon resigned in 1966 and the whole production seemed to be a mess, but it eventually produced a widely acclaimed and admired building that adorns the skyline of Sydney today. 

Until we walked up the the building we did not realize how huge it was. We were also quite surprised to see that the roof is covered with tiles, similar to those you can find in many bathrooms. No wonder they were worried about this structure collapsing! It must be super heavy. Strolling around this famous venue we also admired the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance. This well known bridge was built in 1932 and if it looks familiar you might have seen its miniature inspiration in New York! It turns out the design was inspired by the NYC Hell Gate Bridge which connects Queens, Randall Island, and the Bronx on the East River. Small world, isn't it? We later made our way towards the bridge and the Rocks neighborhood before returning home. 

On Friday we decided to return to Bondi Beach and take a few hour stroll down the shore. There is a 5km coastal walk starting from Bondi all the way to Coogee beach. Before we headed for the walk we had a small picnic on the green lawn overlooking Bondi Beach. We then made our way down south taking in beautiful views and breathing fresh air. This walk should definitely be on a to-do list for anyone visiting Sydney. In the evening, feeling a bit homesick, we had Subway sandwiches for dinner and went to see a movie in a local theater. Choices were limited but we ended up selecting a flick that we both liked (even thought it ended in a very unsettling way) - Girl Gone with Ben Affleck and directed by David Fincher. Creepy but good. 

Saturday we explored nearby Centennial Park on rented bikes. Centennial is a large public park with lots of green fields, ponds, dog fields, gardens and even horseback riding. It was quite empty so biking through it was very pleasant. We ended the day with a trip to the mall and supermarket. I have to say I really enjoy browsing Australian stores because they have lots of beautiful and colorful clothes, many of very good quality. Unfortunately, nowadays I don't buy much because my backpack space is limited, so I only splurge on a few new things to replace the old ones that I throw out. Or I buy tiny things like jewelry. Still, it is often fun for me to browse the racks and try on some things. It reminds me a bit of home.  

On Sunday we rented a car and drove to the beautiful Blue Mountains - we wrote a separate post on that so stay tuned. Monday, our last day in Sydney, we spent relaxing, reading and researching. In the evening we headed out to Darling Harbour for dinner and a walk along the promenade. This was our fancier dinner so we opted to try local favorites. I had barramundi fish while Vlad tried kangaroo. At first it seemed weird to order kangaroo because they are so cute, but we felt better about it after we found out that kangaroo meat comes from wild free roaming (or rather free jumping) animals and is a byproduct of the population control program. 

Many of you have been asking how we're liking Australia and if it's very different. We like it a lot but it's not so different. At least not yet, maybe it will get more different in the north. To us Sydney seemed like a mixture of British and North American living. At times it felt a bit like California with a British twist. After all it's was colonized by the British a little over 200 years ago. Melbourne was more of a shock because of their unique Victorian architecture. Overall our visit to Sydney was very fun and we were happy to explore the city that's so far away from home. 

As always, here are some basic facts about the place we visited:

Population:  Only 20 million in Australia; 4.6 million in Sydney making it the most populous city in the country. 

Demographics: Of the 4.6 million people in Sydney, 1.5 million were born overseas and represent mainly the United Kingdom, China, New Zealand, Vietnam, Lebanon, India, Italy and the Philippines. Walking through Sydney, it is not uncommon to hear foreign languages. Also, the presence of many nationalities is well represented by restaurants of various cuisines. 

Best Known for:  Architectural attractions Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge; Bondi Beach; host of the summer Olympics in 2000; despite its size and popularity, Sydney is not the capital of Australia, that title goes to Canberra which is a city situated half way between Melbourne and Sydney. 

What We Noticed: multicultural city; friendly people; active people (running, working out); charcoal chicken (rotisserie chicken) fast food; few dollar surcharge per person at restaurants on Sundays and holidays; not only driving but also walking and escalator standing on the left; great shopping centers; unusual size and shape of coins; lack of souvenir shops.

For more photos, visit our Sydney Gallery Page

The Virgin Australia flight was quick and easy.  On our first night we went for a walk to Bondi Beach; it looked really pretty even at night.  Every time we are in a place for few days we pick up some grocieries to make our own food.  Here are the groceries we got. The total cost was $48. Some things are very expensive in Australia; for instance a can of soda can cost $3-4 while a bag of delicious carrots only $1.50. Since we are not very picky eaters we buy certain fruits or vegetables based on prices to keep the cost reasonable.  For dinner on our first night we went to one of the local "fast food" places which locals refer to as "charcoal chicken". They serve rottisserie chicken and various salads.  My bowl of 3 salad items was about $7.  Our Airbnb bedroom in Sydney. Yet again, because OZ is more expensive than some of the previous destinations, we rented "shared acommodiations" meaning that we were renting a room from a couple that lives in this house. It was a great experience as our hosts were super fun and friendly and we ended up chatting with them on many occasions. We used to rent entire apartments fearing that we would feel uncomfortable with other people around, but it turned out to be completely not true. Staying with locals is great because you get to learn heaps about the local culture and also meet interesting people. Thanks for the the awesome stay Rick and Lauren!  This is the shared living space. There was an outdoor area behind that french doors. We also enjoyed having a TV for a change as it gave us a chance to watch some Australian TV.  Surprisingly many programs are American.  In the shopping center near our house we came across a store that sold lots of Polish items.  The size of Australian coins blew my mind. A 50 cent coin is huge and heavy while a 2 dollar piece is light and small and can be easily lost in your pocket or purse. I feel like it should be the other way around. But then again, I feel like we should have fallen off the Earth being so down under but we didn't! Hehe.  On our first day of sightseeing we started with a walk (and a bit of rest) at the Royal Botanic Garden where we saw various birds and flowers. The entry was free and was just a short walk away from the Opera House. This garden was originally the first farm in Australia, set up in 1788.   Relaxing on the green grass is always a fun activity. I usually cary a big rectangular shawl with me which I not only use when I get cold but also for laying in parks or on beaches. As a backpacker, you learn that many things can serve multiple purses.  Looks like birds get thirsty too!  This bird was proudly strutting in the park. I believe it's an Australian White Ibis.  View from the park of Sydney's skyline.  Just around the corner is the well known Sydney Opera House.  The building takes on very different looks from various angles. We were a bit surprised by its size.   The roof of the Opera House is covered with tiles.  From the Opera House you get a very nice view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. One of the tourist attractions is climbing the bridge, properly strapped in and wearing funky suits. It was not on the top of our list so we skipped this $250 per person adventure.  Sydney Opera House with the Harbour Bridge in the distance.  Walking around we stumbled upon this humongous tree. Can you even see Vlad? He blended in like a chameleon.  Next day we went for a walk along the beach. This is the famous Bondi Beach. You can see some surfers in the water. It was still a bit cold and they all wore wet suits. Interesting thing about Bondi Beach, and actually other Australian beaches, is that there are nets in the water that are supposed to make the likelihood of shark attacks lower. Well isn't that comforting? Here we are discussing the meaning of life, or maybe the surfers, or maybe our sandwiches? Actually I think we were talking about the latest FATK podcast.  This beach is gorgeous. Must be nice to live so close to it.  Do you see how tiny these two girls are? One of the best inventions ever - a saltwater pool right on the ocean called Bondi Icebergs. Waves were splashing into the pool while people were swimming. The most surprising thing about the pool? It was built in 1929! People enjoying the pool - keep in mind it was only about 70 degrees that day.  Sometimes I find a nice rock or railing to rest my camera on and take a photo of the two of us. It's a nice change to our typical selfie. 

There were many "gym stations" along the walk. This one had step up blocks.  The waves were huge but it did not stop some people from getting in the water.  A few minutes after I took this shot, this guy took off his trunks and went for a skinny dip. Good on ya dude!  Waves were big and strong. Here is another salt water pool where mostly kids played. 

They loved playing in the waves.  Towards the end of the walk we came across a cemetary; what a nice resting place.  Lawn bowling tournament. Vlad really enjoys watching this past time.  Resting at the end of the walk. Houses in Sydney looked much different than in Melbourne; they actually looked more North American.  Biking in Centennial Park.  Sydney Subway Subways in Sydney are double deckers.  Sydney Subways Vlad on the top level of the train. Our stop was the first one on the line hence no people in the carriage (Aussie for subway car). However, it does get crowded during rush hour. 

Sydney at night. Fountain in Hyde Park.

On our last night in Sydney we spotted a bunch of post-its on a building wall.

It turned out to be Honk Kong House and the post-its were in support of the current Hong Kong democracy protests.  Darling Harbour at night. 

Vlad and his kangaroo steak.

 Our dishes.  Vlad really liked the Sydney Harbour Bridge and spent a great deal of time admiring it. Perhaps because it reminded him of NYC?