Chrissy's Trip to Australia -- Part One

My best friend from growing up, Chrissy, came to visit me in Australia! Except… well, she arrived 6 weeks ago. That is how far behind in my blog I am.

When I first started my Australia blog, I couldn’t wait to write in it and tell everyone all about what I have been doing, but after I grew to become so comfortable here, I almost forgot about keeping everyone updated. First it was last minute assignments before Chrissy came, then finals, and now I have been focusing on enjoying my time here, as I leave in three weeks. All but two other Americans are left in the building, so I have spent all of my time hanging out with all of my friends before they have headed back to their home states.

So, Mikey and I picked Chrissy up from the airport on May 19. The first day she was here, we wandered around the city where Chrissy ate her first sushi roll, and then went to Uni, where I turned in my final assignment of the semester! We went on a walk through the Botanic Gardens next to campus. Once back to the apts, we took a nap and chilled the rest of the day and got ready to leave for Sydney!

Trip to Sydney:
Geoff, Jen, Chrissy and I were off to Sydney! We stayed in Haymarket, which is right near China Town, and 10 minutes from Darling Harbour. After arriving at our hotel, we went off to explore Darling Harbour. Jessica Watson, the 16 year old Australian girl who sailed solo around the world, had her boat docked in the Harbour, so we were able to see that. The boat was so much smaller than I expected, and painted bright pink! We walked across the Pymont Bridge to the other side of Cockle Bar, where the aquarium is located. We hopped on the ferry and took it over to the Sydney Opera House, passing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We took lots of pictures of the Opera House, and somehow got into the Opera House and explored a little. After the Opera House, we walked over to the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful, so we chilled out for a while. We started walking back through the Gardens, and then walked through Hyde Park, stopping at an ANZAC memorial near the Pool of Reflection. Nothing too exciting the rest of the day, except it was my first experience with How I Met Your Mother. After a few episodes of Season 1 that Geoff had, Jen, Chrissy and I were hooked! We sat in our beds and watched SO many episodes of HIMYM! Chrissy and I got ready to go out, but by midnight, we were still sitting in the apt talking with Jen, so we just stepped out for like half an hour (only because we had gotten ready) and then went to sleep!

Chrissy and I in Darling Harbour with the city in the background


The Sydney Opera House

Sitting on the steps of the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The next morning Geoff left before we all had woken up because he wanted to do the Harbour Bridge Climb. It was a little pricey, so the rest of us opted out. Jen, Chrissy and I decided to go to ‘The Rocks’, which is a really old part of Sydney with old, Italian looking buildings and cobbled streets. We went to Circular Quay, and then went to The Rocks markets. After deciding we wanted to walk across the pedestrian part of the bridge (not the ‘Bridge Climb’ over the arch), we ended up getting incredibly lost trying to find the entrance and ended up on the side of a random highway, where it ended up pouring rain on us. We ducked for cover on a set of stairs and ate some lunch, and then left to meet up with Geoff who had finished his bridge climb. We met up with him at the Observatory and then walked over to the Opera House. We all really wanted to see a show in the Opera House, so we looked into tickets and decided to go see the Sydney Symphony perform Mahler 5. We all went back to the hotel to get ready, and then took the train to the Opera House, where we watched the most amazing Symphony. The Opera House was gorgeous inside, and even though they didn’t allow photography, I snuck a few shots! After the show was done, it was freezing and raining, so we decided to just go out for a bit. We had drinks at Three Monkeys, a bar near our hotel, and then headed back to the apartments.

'The Rocks'- a historic part of Sydney

The City

Inside the Sydney Opera House

The third day in Sydney was definitely the best day. Geoff and Jen woke up extra early to go pick up a rental car, and we headed towards the Blue Mountains, which is a mountainous region just outside of the Sydney metropolitan area. It consists mainly of sandstone plateaus, and was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Words cannot possibly describe how incredible the sites were. Before we made it to the Blue Mountains, we stopped at the Sydney Olympic Park to look around. It was so cool to be surrounded by these incredible stadiums where some of the world's best athletes have been! After leaving there, we spent the whole day driving the Blue Mountain roads, and after an amazing day, headed back to the hotel.

ANZ Stadium- The Largest Stadium Sydney Olympic Park

The Blue Mountains region- 'Three Sisters'

My Homies

The next morning we drove to the airport. Jen and Geoff were heading back to Brisbane, and Chrissy and I were heading north to the Whitsunday Islands. Our flight was a bit after there’s, so after saying our goodbyes to them, we waited at our gate and then took off to the Whitsundays!

Part Two coming soon!