Wow!! Yes, yes, yes, I apologize for not updating this sooner!- School has been a little crazy (they actually expect us to turn in assignments between all of our traveling and laying by the beach, haha!!) Anyways, some updates on SYDNEY :)
...The trip was absolutely amazing!! It was go, go, go the entire time, but there was so much to see in five days. We had a little bit of a snag getting there (Ben and I were supposed to take the train to Sydney on a Wednesday, but with all of the rain that the East Coast has been getting, the tracks were flooded. No worries, though! We were lucky enough to get a flight for early Thursday morning and arrived in Sydney only an hour later than we would have if we took the train!) Now on to our itinerary...the first day, we brought our luggage to the hostel and then got out on the town; we explored the streets of Sydney and made our way to Darling Harbour where the Sydney Aquarium is. We ended up seeing manatees, HUGE sharks, and even finding Nemo in the Aquarium. Afterward, we did a little shopping as we made our way back to the hostel. That night, we hit up Chinatown for dinner (delicious!).
The next day...*drumroll please*... we did the famous Sydney bridge climb. It took about three hours, including preparation and the climb, which was about 1.6 miles! Our guide was really good and gave us a lot of background stories as we climbed (we had ear-phones on so that we could hear him give us directions and info. when we climbed). The entire experience was exhilarating and definitely something I will never forget!! We had lunch at a local pub (aligator pizza?!) and then explored The Rocks and saw the Sydney Opera House.
On Saturday, we took the train with some other friends of ours to Katoomba, where the Blue Mountain trolley tours are. I guess we should have checked the weather near the Blue Mountains though; it was so foggy that we couldn't even see any of the beauty that is the Blue Mountains. Don't worry though- Ben and I spent the rest of our day exploring the grand town of Katoomba...we learned quickly that in a town of a few pharmacies, a dollar store, and antique shops there isn't much to explore, haha! However, the day was saved when we visited the Blue Mountains Chocolate Company, where they make their own chocolate. Ben even made homemade hot chocolate (by melting chocolate chips and cream together...a little too sweet for my tastebuds though!) We took the train home and then went out to Kings Cross with some of our friends from Southern Cross Uni that were also visiting Sydney.
On Sunday, we explored The Rocks and the open-air markets that were there. We then hopped a ferry (with amazing views of the Bridge and Opera House!) to Manly Beach. The beach was a little cold, but walking along it was nice. That night, we went to a great Italian restaurant and then cruised around Darling Harbour, taking in the city at night. By Monday we were headed back to Lismore (this time by train). My trip had been absolutely amazing and was a "holiday" I'll never forget.
The past couple of weeks, schoolwork has definitely been having me kick it into high gear. A lot of assignments were due before and after Easter, so I have been working hard! Everything has been going well and I can't believe that I will be going home in a month. I'm having HEAPS of fun here (as the Aussies would say) and it's difficult to think that I will be flying back to the States so soon...
More exciting news is that I will be visiting my parent's friend, Dave Hepper and family, in Adelaide tomorrow!! It will be nice to do some more traveling and be with a family for a couple of days- I am really looking forward to it! I'll update more after my trip (I swear, it will be soon, haha!) Hope all is well with everyone else; thanks for reading!!
