E: THE harbour and a capital
Straight from the flies, Alice Springs had loads, the two explorers, Belle and I, flew to Sydney on Tuesday. To do a city packed with sites, views and 4 million people in 3,5 days is far too little, but we still profited tons from it. Our hostel in the suburb Kings Cross was named “The Funk House” and really lived up to its name. The majority of our time was dedicated to consume Sydney through sight, hearing and taste. A three-day Sydney Pass gave us access to all local subways, trains, ferries and busses. During the day the Sydney explorer and the Bondi explorer covered much of the central mainland with commentary and frequent stops at the different sites. Crossing the bridge by foot, visiting the Museum of contemporary art, strolling Hyde Park, have a glance at Bondi beach, shopping downtown and visit the Chinese Gardens were also on our itinerary. The night was spent viewing the Sydney harbour, Darling Harbour, the Rocks and other parts of the city in night-light. The ferries and their harbour cruises were pursued day and night, providing great views of the city. A trip to Manly and its beach took a few hours too.Friday’s visit to the Blue Mountains was a bit of a down. The weather was pretty lousy throughout the time in Sydney, but we still headed off for the 2-hour train ride early in the morning. That day we learned that when it’s cloudy and overcast in Sydney it is foggy like mash potatoes with the Blue Mountains. We saw very few meters ahead of us and missed out on all the sites. To top the experience, we insisted to go on the one hour guided trolley tour around the area where the driver asked us to use our imagination as we went along.
We still had a super time, and later that night we took the night cruise in Sydney before going out with Daniel, Flavia, James and Ahdhu – ending up at the Stars Bar.
Saturday morning provided a rush to the central station for the Canberra bus. Three hours later the capital of Australia was in sight. Canberra is nice, pretty and tidy. The city can be observed in a tightly packed day. We had six-seven hours. A sensational flower exhibition, the well-known parliament building and the National Museum of Australia were the attraction we gave a go within our visiting hours.
Helen Bell, an acquaintance through church, was so lovely to bring us safely home from Melbourne’s airport. A good hour after arrival I met Belle again in the laundry room. It’s funny how a travel change - or strengthen - relations.
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