greetings all. i am currently in singapore and will regale you all of the tales of this place once our stay is through but i wanted to be up to date and give you a taste of our time in sydney.
first of all, i would like to announce that this blog is becoming more and more popular each day. i was officially reunited after what seems like years with my loverly cousin, lauren and she made my blog follower list go up to 7 whole people! i suggest all who read it daily (LRH) while at work or surfing the net, should become one as well. you get updates when i update and honestly, it just makes me feel much cooler than i already am.
after a very long overnight bus with one nice and one grumpy bus driver, we arrived in sydney mid morning to find dark clouds and very grey sky. we unloaded our stuff at our hostel, wake up! (exclamation point included, obviously) and then headed to what seemed like the perfect rainy day activity, the sydney aquarium, australias number 1 tourist attraction.
im not sure i agree with the number 1 status, but it was very very cool. you can walk through underwater tunnels and watch as massive sharks of all shapes, sizes and species swim over your head along with sting rays, and various other aquatic life. we also saw two dugongs, which i believe to look like manatees, which are very rare apparently. people often refer to them as the "original mermaids," im not sure why but thought it was an interesting factoid to mention.
we headed home and got ready for a lovely dinner in the spanish quarter which of course led us to some good wine and delicious tapas. a bit of dancing later (without cyclone) it was off to bed with our wonderful roommates, one of whom snored like his life depended on it.
the next day we were greeted by a bit of a gloomy sky so we decided to check out yet another indoor activity, the powerhouse museum. i could have spent 3 days in this place. they had an incredible exhibit about design and how its changed over the years full with architecture, textiles, furniture, etc. while that part was amazing, the best was the ecology exhibit. of course australia would have one of these in their museum, because they are so green! neither sarah nor i could save sydney from a huge trash dump being placed on their land, and we learned that our carbon footprints are not up to snuff either (sarahs was 5 and mine 8 ONLY because i misread a question so the game thought that i rode a subway for 2 hours a day in addition to driving a car two hours a day. had i been smart, i would have answered correctly and therefore lowered my carbon footprint. so if sarah wrote that i am an energy waster in her blog at least you have the reason why).
upon leaving the musuem we were greeted by glorious sunshine which was perfect because we were headed to tropfest, the worlds smallest film festival which we had read about and lucked out by being in sydney at the perfect time! we headed to the botanic gardens and set up shop full in tow with our picnic, blankets, etc. australians know how to picnic. some people even had stands for their wine glasses to ensure zero spillage. we were joined by 30,000 aussies who also came to enjoy the sun, films, bands and overall merriment of the day. the films were incredible and it really made me feel like a local. i like that sarah and i do more than just touristy stuff, it pays off to research what is actually going on.
the next day the sun was shining just as bright so we got our tourist fix and needed pictures in the perfect setting. we gazed adoringly at the bridge but nixed walking across it, our imaginations are so good that we didnt need to do it for real. we saw the opera house in perfect conditions and seriously, it is incredible. the way the light reflects off of the roof is just amazing. then we headed over to the rocks which is a cute "london-esque" town with cute shops and cafes in and out of little alleyways. i bought a wonderful aboriginal painting with the apartment i dont have in the city i dont yet live in in mind (liz, im becoming you).
we headed home just in time to change and head to the sydney tower, sydneys version of the empire state building. you get incredible views of the city (we were lucky to see it in daylight then go down for the oz trek and then headed back up to see the city lights in all their glory which was breathtaking). an interesting fact from the oz trek, 80% of australias population lives on only 1% of its land!! as bill bryson told me, there is a whole lot of nothing in this country. we headed back home for dinner and had do it yourself korean bbq which was loads of fun.
another day and the sun was still shining. we decided to get our obligatory beach fix in and head to the not so secretly famous, bondi. sarah and i stayed on sand while thousands of people splashed in the surf against the lifeguards warnings (that day, actually within the 3 hours we were there, 150 people were stung by blue bottle jellyfish! as i continue to say, the ocean is a scary place). as the sun started to go down we did the hour and a half coastal walk from bondi to coogee beach. the walk was incredible and gave you the most gorgeous views of the coast line and blue green waters. we ended in the beach town of coogee, had dinner and headed back home.
upon rachels australian suggestions, we decided to take scruffy murphys on. this bar was amazing. no matter who you are, what mood youre in, its there - locals, backpackers and kids abroad alike will find what theyre looking for. upstairs is just chill bar scene, downstairs is a live cover band, and in the basement is a dj full of fun dance songs. we had a blast, i taught some more people the jess fridstein dance, and then we headed to the famed 5 star kebab from which our mouths are still burnt!
the following day we decided to get some sydney shopping in. we headed to the famed paddington neighborhood, home to oxford street. there were tons of nice shops - i had to be pulled away from sass and bide and zimmerman, and we just walked around and tried on things and had genuine fun. our day sadly ended with nothing in hand and we decided what better way to end our time in sydney than how we began it. we had so much fun at the moonlight cinema in melbourne we did it again this time seeing breakfast at tiffanys which was lovely.
our last day in sydney was spent researching the next leg of our trip and enjoying the last bit of cuisine that does not include rice, dumplings or noodles. we headed to sydney airport and were off to singapore.
a little sneak peak into the singapore files - i did not sleep one wink on this flight. (shock falls upon the crowd, my dad especially) what you say? i, ruthie kasnett, am famously known to sleep on every moving vehicle i step foot in. well, the entertainment on this flight was just too good. qantas kept giving us things to stay awake for: meals, drinks, tea, popsicles, etc. and the movie selection was wonderful. i couldnt resist watching 2.5 movies (dont ruin HSM3, ill just have to finish it when we get home). 7 hours later we were in singapore and trust me, you could feel the humidity from the plane. more to come...
apologies again dear followers. i am trying to work on pictures from life after melbourne and the computer is not cooperating. hopefully i can get them up soon, youre in for a treat!
first of all, i would like to announce that this blog is becoming more and more popular each day. i was officially reunited after what seems like years with my loverly cousin, lauren and she made my blog follower list go up to 7 whole people! i suggest all who read it daily (LRH) while at work or surfing the net, should become one as well. you get updates when i update and honestly, it just makes me feel much cooler than i already am.
after a very long overnight bus with one nice and one grumpy bus driver, we arrived in sydney mid morning to find dark clouds and very grey sky. we unloaded our stuff at our hostel, wake up! (exclamation point included, obviously) and then headed to what seemed like the perfect rainy day activity, the sydney aquarium, australias number 1 tourist attraction.
im not sure i agree with the number 1 status, but it was very very cool. you can walk through underwater tunnels and watch as massive sharks of all shapes, sizes and species swim over your head along with sting rays, and various other aquatic life. we also saw two dugongs, which i believe to look like manatees, which are very rare apparently. people often refer to them as the "original mermaids," im not sure why but thought it was an interesting factoid to mention.
we headed home and got ready for a lovely dinner in the spanish quarter which of course led us to some good wine and delicious tapas. a bit of dancing later (without cyclone) it was off to bed with our wonderful roommates, one of whom snored like his life depended on it.
the next day we were greeted by a bit of a gloomy sky so we decided to check out yet another indoor activity, the powerhouse museum. i could have spent 3 days in this place. they had an incredible exhibit about design and how its changed over the years full with architecture, textiles, furniture, etc. while that part was amazing, the best was the ecology exhibit. of course australia would have one of these in their museum, because they are so green! neither sarah nor i could save sydney from a huge trash dump being placed on their land, and we learned that our carbon footprints are not up to snuff either (sarahs was 5 and mine 8 ONLY because i misread a question so the game thought that i rode a subway for 2 hours a day in addition to driving a car two hours a day. had i been smart, i would have answered correctly and therefore lowered my carbon footprint. so if sarah wrote that i am an energy waster in her blog at least you have the reason why).
upon leaving the musuem we were greeted by glorious sunshine which was perfect because we were headed to tropfest, the worlds smallest film festival which we had read about and lucked out by being in sydney at the perfect time! we headed to the botanic gardens and set up shop full in tow with our picnic, blankets, etc. australians know how to picnic. some people even had stands for their wine glasses to ensure zero spillage. we were joined by 30,000 aussies who also came to enjoy the sun, films, bands and overall merriment of the day. the films were incredible and it really made me feel like a local. i like that sarah and i do more than just touristy stuff, it pays off to research what is actually going on.
the next day the sun was shining just as bright so we got our tourist fix and needed pictures in the perfect setting. we gazed adoringly at the bridge but nixed walking across it, our imaginations are so good that we didnt need to do it for real. we saw the opera house in perfect conditions and seriously, it is incredible. the way the light reflects off of the roof is just amazing. then we headed over to the rocks which is a cute "london-esque" town with cute shops and cafes in and out of little alleyways. i bought a wonderful aboriginal painting with the apartment i dont have in the city i dont yet live in in mind (liz, im becoming you).
we headed home just in time to change and head to the sydney tower, sydneys version of the empire state building. you get incredible views of the city (we were lucky to see it in daylight then go down for the oz trek and then headed back up to see the city lights in all their glory which was breathtaking). an interesting fact from the oz trek, 80% of australias population lives on only 1% of its land!! as bill bryson told me, there is a whole lot of nothing in this country. we headed back home for dinner and had do it yourself korean bbq which was loads of fun.
another day and the sun was still shining. we decided to get our obligatory beach fix in and head to the not so secretly famous, bondi. sarah and i stayed on sand while thousands of people splashed in the surf against the lifeguards warnings (that day, actually within the 3 hours we were there, 150 people were stung by blue bottle jellyfish! as i continue to say, the ocean is a scary place). as the sun started to go down we did the hour and a half coastal walk from bondi to coogee beach. the walk was incredible and gave you the most gorgeous views of the coast line and blue green waters. we ended in the beach town of coogee, had dinner and headed back home.
upon rachels australian suggestions, we decided to take scruffy murphys on. this bar was amazing. no matter who you are, what mood youre in, its there - locals, backpackers and kids abroad alike will find what theyre looking for. upstairs is just chill bar scene, downstairs is a live cover band, and in the basement is a dj full of fun dance songs. we had a blast, i taught some more people the jess fridstein dance, and then we headed to the famed 5 star kebab from which our mouths are still burnt!
the following day we decided to get some sydney shopping in. we headed to the famed paddington neighborhood, home to oxford street. there were tons of nice shops - i had to be pulled away from sass and bide and zimmerman, and we just walked around and tried on things and had genuine fun. our day sadly ended with nothing in hand and we decided what better way to end our time in sydney than how we began it. we had so much fun at the moonlight cinema in melbourne we did it again this time seeing breakfast at tiffanys which was lovely.
our last day in sydney was spent researching the next leg of our trip and enjoying the last bit of cuisine that does not include rice, dumplings or noodles. we headed to sydney airport and were off to singapore.
a little sneak peak into the singapore files - i did not sleep one wink on this flight. (shock falls upon the crowd, my dad especially) what you say? i, ruthie kasnett, am famously known to sleep on every moving vehicle i step foot in. well, the entertainment on this flight was just too good. qantas kept giving us things to stay awake for: meals, drinks, tea, popsicles, etc. and the movie selection was wonderful. i couldnt resist watching 2.5 movies (dont ruin HSM3, ill just have to finish it when we get home). 7 hours later we were in singapore and trust me, you could feel the humidity from the plane. more to come...
apologies again dear followers. i am trying to work on pictures from life after melbourne and the computer is not cooperating. hopefully i can get them up soon, youre in for a treat!
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