Sydney and what it's like to come home after 3 weeks

By the time we got out of Launceston and into our room in Sydney (don't ask, it was really annoying, in fact the hotel we stayed at in Sydney which shall remain nameless  but which was a total waste of money), it was too late to go to Bondi Beach, and the weather was kinda crappy anyway.

We wandered over to the rocks and to the observatory. It was kinda neat.

You can take the tree-hugger out of Portland, but...

For dinner, we wandered down to Chinatown again, but this time over toward the Haymarket area, where we found an izakaya. This wasn't the best food we'd ever had, but the ordering system fucking rocked. It was all touch-screen. No waiter required. Of course this led to us ordering too much food, but who cared? It was SO FUN. And so, so efficient! It was amazing. I WANT ONE ALWAYS.

Don't believe me? Here:

I want one of these everywhere I go.

Thought about having this for dessert, but opted for bubble tea instead:

Weird bird!

The next morning, I was able to get in a run (on the dreadmill. a subterranean one, non-ventilated area. ugh.), and off to the airport we went for our 13 hour flight to San Francisco. We had the luxury of a 6 hour layover, and got to see a friend of ours who picked us up and whisked us downtown to the Ferry Building. It was a delightful mini break within a big break--and made me realize we're due a propoer visit all too soon.

All in all? It was a great trip. We had a great time. Was it life-changing? No. Do I want to move to Australia? Probably not. Do I want to retire there? Not if I want to eat people food into my old age. Was it needed? Yes. Do I feel refreshed? Sure. I also feel really fucking broke. The next trip we go on will be on sale. The last vacation we took that was this long was in 2000, when we went to Brazil. (That was also a lot cheaper. Of course it was 13 years ago!)

But the luxury of taking three weeks off? We're lucky. It feels a little bit like we time traveled. And I guess we kind of did. Wednesday, Feb. 13 was the longest day ever.

It was worth it, though. But it was also worth it to come home and sleep in our own bed. And to also see these guys (who fucked up my favorite chair while I was gone but let's not digress any more than we already have:

So, that's Australia. This recap won't win any awards, but it's done and that's all that matters. It's more for my own posterity purposes, but it's always fun to look at pretty and silly pics!

Sydney: Surry Hills and Newtown

The next day, it rained. It wasn't like one of those Portland misty half-assed rain. This was tropical rain. This was warm, straight up-and-down, drenching rain, the kind of rain that requires an umbrella. So, like any proper ex-New Yorker, you buy the cheapest ones possible. We each got a crappy umbrella and decided to explore some other neighborhoods. Like Surry Hills, which seems to be like a cross between Brooklyn Heights and the Upper East Side.

We walked everywhere in Sydney. I loved it. Justin got sick of walking. I kind of didn't care. Here's a shot on the way to Surry Hills:

Gorgeous old school:

 If you're going to get a cheap-ass umbrella, at least get a colorful one!

That night, the rain had stopped, and we decided to take the commuter train to Newtown for dinner. The train, however, seems to have an interesting take on strap-hanging (or do we just have dirty minds?). If this reminds you, too, of something else, then, well, there you go. 

I grew up in a town called Newtown (not the one in CT), and it thankfully bears no resemblance to the cool neighborhood that this is.  Lots of cheap(er) eats and nightlife. 

The next day, we were off to Melbourne. 

Sydney: Australia Day

So, Australia Day. We didn't intend to be there on Australia Day, but it's when the tickets happened to work out. It commemorates the first fleet's arrival in Australia. It's like July 4th in the states but with a lot more guilt. It's sort of like July 4 meets Thanksgiving, with the attendant horror of atrocities done to the people who were there first. And yet: There are fireworks and drunkenness.

Pick your poison and your POV.

We went to Darling Harbor to see the fireworks but would have rather had an activity planned, as this was sort of an aimless evening for us and things were so expensive!

But at least we got to see fireworks. 

Sydney: Day whatever

Oh, we also wandered down to Darling Harbor  (I think it was the day before Australia Day, which I'll get to shortly) for some self-portraits:

Then the nest day we decided to go to Manly Beach. We didn't make it to Bondi--we wanted to, but time ran out.

We took the ferry from Circular Quay ("key") which was a madhouse, but well-worth it when we got seats like this:

Ferry self-portraits!

Circular Quay ferry terminal as seen from ferry. 

Aussie cruise ship as seen from ferry. 

Opera house as--you guessed it--seen from ferry.

Onto the beach!

Manly is more local-oriented, less touristy than Bondi (at least from what I heard). But every time we said "Manly Beach," we said it in a very low, gravely, manly voice.

Or at least I tried to. It wasn't that much of a stretch for Justin.

We wandered around for a while looking for somewhere to eat that was not 6 million dollars, and were rewarded at a take-out (or as they say, take-away) with ENORMOUS pieces of fish for lunch. To wit:

Justin's fish & chips--each piece was like the size of a laptop screen:

 My ocean trout--enormous and excellent (that's what she said). I couldn't finish it all (sad face).

One of the best values in Sydney, where you can easily drop $50 for a sandwich and a drink for lunch for 2 people. (Had I realized Oz was so pricey I might have rethought our vaca plans--but at least we used miles to get here!)

I liked Manly. We wandered the beach and then did a walk into the hills of Manly. It was hot, though. The thing about hot in Australia is that if the sun goes behind a cloud, it's actually cold. But when when it comes out, you're seriously ON FIRE. You feel yourself cooking. I didn't even feel like that in Brazil. Well, maybe in Brazil.

What, you think you were going to get a classless bikini shot? Jesus. No. What do you take me for? 

Not sure you want the bikini shot of this guy either:

Hangin' with the local photobombers.

Coastal walkway along Manly Beach:

We decided to go for a walk and spotted this:

The walk takes you into the hills surrounding Manly. (I could call it the bush, but I would start laughing. As I am now, writing this.)

Photos really don't do it justice -- it's beautiful:

Panorama shot from Justin's iPhone:

There's a tunnel/bush joke to be made here. Just don't tell my PT about my turned-out right foot.

After the walk, we explored the town of Manly. And we saw our first random cat of the vacation!

And a one-legged bird!

I am STILL KICKING MYSELF (with my turned-out right foot) for not getting the sequined multi-colored miniskirt at this store. I mean, come on: The fact that it was named for how tall I am was a sign, right?! And: It wasn't unreasonable, but I didn't want to have to deal with it for three weeks in my suitcase. Yet shipping is prohibitively expensive. SIGH. 

This sign reminded me of something you might see in Portland.

Onto Australia Day celebration in Sydney...