K & T adventure to SYDNEY!

Over the course of our adventure down under, we've seen MUCH of Western Australia and we've loved every bit of it. Unfortunately, once you leave Perth, most of WA is simply outback. So we decided it was finally time to get on a plane and see what we've been missing on the Eastern coast of Oz. And what better place to start than SYDNEY!

Day 1 & 2
We caught a very early flight out of Perth, and 4 hours later we landed in Sydney. A train ride from the airport to Circular Quay (the main ferry harbor and public transport hub) and a short walk and we arrived at our hotel. We immediately walked back to Circular Quay because that's where all of the action and main sights are. The Sydney Harbor is absolutely stunning - the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House quickly became favorites of ours to look at and take pictures of! (You'll notice that the majority of our pictures are of these two monuments - they just never get old!) We did some walking around the harbor and ended up at "The Rocks" which is a historical spot right next to the harbor where Sydney was first settled. Luckily it was a Saturday because they have an awesome outdoor market with all kinds of fun stalls to wander around and look at. Tman might not have enjoyed the shopping as much as I did, but we both still had fun. We were tired from the early morning trip, so we rested up at the hotel and then went out for a yummy Italian dinner...and an even BETTER dessert! (For those who don't know, I had been on a crazy strict diet for medical reasons, and this was my first taste of ANYTHING sweet in 3 weeks!!! Needless to say, you'll see plenty of pictures of me with yummy food that I had been craving!)
Day 2 in Sydney started with a trip to STARBUCKS (they don't have these in Perth, and so the last time I had Starbucks was literally 5 months ago -- it felt like home!) and then a bike tour of the city! Tyson and I were the only ones booked on the morning tour, so we basically had our own private bike tour. It was awesome! (Minus one flat tire for Karis, and one blown-out flip-flop for Tyson - he did half of the tour with bare feet!) We rode all over the city, including over the bridge to see the northern part of the city. After the 4 hour bike ride through Sydney, we had some lunch and then headed over to the Opera House. You can't go to the Sydney Opera House without seeing the inside, and the only way to do that (without buying way expensive tickets for a show!) is to take a guided tour. So of course, we took it. Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures of several of the rooms, so we don't have many to share. Still though, we feel pretty lucky to say that we've not only seen, but been in the Sydney Opera House. The day ended with a gorgeous sunset on the harbor and looking at the bridge/opera house all lit up a night. Just beautiful!



Day 3
I love pancakes. They remind me of my family, they're delicious, and everything about them makes me happy. Since I had been craving pancakes for 3 weeks, and I have the sweetest husband in the world, Tyson made SURE that while we were in Sydney we had a yummy pancake breakfast. The best way to start Day 3 in Sydney, for sure! :) With full tummies and happy hearts, we headed off to the Sydney Harbor Bridge and climbed up to the top of one of the pylons. They've turned the inside of the pylon into a small "museum", telling the history behind the building of the bridge. We learned a lot! And of course, had amazing views of the harbor when we reached the top. After our fun at the bridge, we decided it was time to see one of Sydney's popular beaches. We took a 30 minute ferry ride out to Manly Beach - a hot spot for surfers and sun bathers. We wandered around Manly and found a 7-11 (they don't have them in Perth!!), got a slurpee, and sat and watched the surfers. Once back on the mainland, we headed out to see Darling Harbor - yet another gorgeous harbor filled with boats, shops and restaurants. Another fantastic dinner, a 30 cent McDonald's ice cream cone (yes, that's right, only 30 cents!!!) for dessert, and bed time for 2 very tired adventurers!



Day 4
Our last day in Sydney was actually spent exploring The Blue Mountains. We were on our way to pick up our rental car, and randomly stumbled across the filming of one of the main morning news shows in Australia that we watch every morning! There was hardly anyone standing outside watching, which shocked us since it's nearly impossible to get anywhere close to the filming of 'The Today Show" in NYC! After that excitement, we rented a car (but not just any car, a black convertible!!) and drove about an hour and a half away from the city to the gorgeous surrounds of The Blue Mountains. We hiked around and soaked in the beauty of the mountains & hills, and then we took a train ride (on the steepest train in the world) to the very bottom of the mountain where there used to be a mine. We wandered around the bottom of the mountain through the trees and then rode back up to the top on a sky cable. We made a stop at a local cafe for lunch - designed to look like we were eating inside of a forest (a very "natural" kind of place) and then we HAD to stop at the chocolate factory (super yum!) before heading back to the city. We certainly enjoyed pretending to be Richie Rich in our convertible for the day. We ended our trip to Sydney with the most delicious dinner of all! Maybe the food tasted so good because the views were amazing...or maybe the food was amazing too! Either way, the combination of the food and the view made for an outstandingly romantic evening and the perfect ending to yet another awesome adventure!