A Night At The Opera & Clean Up Australia Day

My boss at my internship was nice enough to reward me with tickets to the Sydney Opera House for my work the past couple of months. On Friday night, my friends and I got dressed up and headed to Circular Quay. It was a rainy night, unfortunately, but the harbour was stunning as usual. 

                                  

Now, i've seen Pirates of the Caribbean what seems like a hundred times (can you believe it came out 10 years ago?), but experiencing it on a big screen...with a live orchestra...in one of the most iconic buildings of the world...was a lot to take in. I sat alone because I snagged a ticket later than the others, but i'm glad that I did. I was able to fully take it all in and it was a somewhat majestic experience. It was truly unforgettable and i'm so glad to have seen a show there. 

Sunday, small group from our program headed over to Bondi Beach to clean up the area for Clean Up Australia Day. As it turns out, Australia is pretty freaking clean already. We spent about 45 minutes surveying the beach area and surrounding streets, picked up a few cigarette butts, and called it a day. Lucky for us, we got to spend the rest of the day at the Bondi Markets. 

Life's A Beach

On Sunday morning, Cara, Nina, Jeanine and I took the bus over to Coogee Beach where we completed a cliff-top coastal walk that extends 6 km through Sydney's hilly eastern suburbs. We traveled up the coast where we encountered the most beautiful, serene views of the ocean and beaches, as well as happy little dogs trotting along the pathway with their owners.

The walk took around three hours to complete and was definitely on my top favorite activities thus far. We grabbed lunch on the boardwalk and napped on the beach for a while. The weather was perfect and breezy. I think I enjoy Sydney autumn even more than Sydney summer. 

Easter Weekend Extravaganza

Since we're too broke to go on an Easter Weekend getaway, my friends and I decided to pretend we were on vacation here in Sydney. It ended up being one of the best weekends yet.

Friday, March 29th
Palm Beach: 
- This is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, about two hours away from me by bus. It took several windy, cliff-side roads to reach the beach peninsula, but it was worth it for the gorgeous views.

 


Saturday, March 30th
Blue Mountains
- This is a gorgeous mountainous region outside of Sydney consisting of several hilly trails and breathtaking scenery.
- The most famous attraction of the Blue Mountains is (for some reason) the Three Sisters, which is essentially three big rock formations lined up next to each other. I didn't really get what was so exciting about it, but the view of the mountains was pretty spectacular.
- We had perfect weather all day and hiked around a bit, then headed home.

Kings Cross
- That night, we ventured into Sydney's red-light district known for its bars, nightclubs, and...strip clubs. Everyone i've spoken to says to go to Kings Cross if I "feel like having a ridiculous night." I'd say that was pretty accurate.
- We went to a club called No Vacancy and had a fantastic time dancing.
- After a guy tried to pick a fight with one of my friends, we left and walked home through a sea of mini-skirt-clad trannies and inebriated high schoolers and made it back to civilization.

 


Sunday, March 31st
Darling Harbour Hoopla Festival
- This was a weekend-long event on the Harbour featuring acrobats performing in circus acts. We check out a few that were pretty impressive!
- We grabbed dinner on the water and caught the sunset.

Monday, April 1st
- We unfortunately all had essays to write which kept us tied up for most of the day, but I did squeeze in a nice long run through Alexandria, a pretty neighborhood past Chippendale.
- We rounded out Easter Weekend with a nice big family dinner. Here's an overview of the menu:
Bruschetta, Apple Bacon and Cashew Salad, Homemade meatballs with rigatoni, and Tim Tams Brownies.
- A great ending to a fabulous weekend!