Fun in Sydney!

So, think San Francisco minus all the steep hills. Sydney is an amazing city- clean, lots to do, beautiful architecture and the hustle bustle of a metropolis paired with the warm charm of a small suburb. Unlike New York, everyone was helpful and friendly, always willing to point us in the right direction. (Of course, that has nothing to do with the fact that we were twelve adorable American girls.)

So, after the hour plane ride and checking into our hostel, we slipped into our dresses and headed to the harbor for our sunset dinner cruise, which offered gourmet food, stunning views of the opera house and unlimited champagne and chardonnay. A winning combination! The next day, we hit the city for some serious sightseeing. We started out at the Olympic Park where the 2000 Olympics were held. The energy of the games is still in the air. I stood under the cauldron where the torch was lit, walked through the aquatic center and albeit the competition track was closed, Kira and I snuck onto the warm-up track to snap a couple quick pics. Then it was off to marvel at the 360 degree view of the city from Sydney Tower, where I took a Ferris Beuller picture- forehead against the glass looking down over all the buildings. We then hit the Sydney Aquarium, which has an incredible sharks and rays exhibit, complete with underwater glass tunnels! From there, we headed over to the kick-off of Chinese New year where I ate an array of Chinese appetizers, including dim sum, satay chicken and skewered octopus. The next morning after breakfast at Darling Harbor, all twelve girls met up at the opera house for "The Wedding of Figaro." However, due to a mix up in booking, we had tickets for March 12th instead of February 8th. After pleading with the ticket office to no avail, we headed our separate ways to make the most of the day before catching our evening flight back to Brisbane. A half mile away from the opera house we got a call informing us that not only were we able to get in, we had premium seats in the second row for no extra charge, tickets worth $250- quite a step-up from our $55, partial view original booking! Dress shoes in hand and feet burning, we sprinted through the harbor market place back to the opera house for our show that started in ten minutes. We were twelve ecstatic (sweaty) girls. To be honest, I thought of going to the opera as more a duty than anything else. You're in Sydney... Go! But, to my surprise I enjoyed it thoroughly. Without the subtitles however, I may have been singing a different tune. (No pun intended.) The 3 1/2 hours flew by! The sets incredible, the singing phenomenal, and the orchestra breath-taking. Yet another "once in a lifetime."

And, that's Sydney. If you have the chance to go, I would highly recommend it! But, call me first, so I can tag along.