Oh, Sydney!

“Sydney’s waiting for you!” said my friend in her last e-mail before my plane from Auckland departed. I was flying to Sydney to spend a few days with an old high school friend. We had not seen each other for over 5 years and were about to have our small reunion thousands of kilometers away and across the globe from Poland. I was very excited and looking forward to my first-in-ages solo trip, catching up with an old girlfriend, and soaking up Sydney’s vibes.

Eric and I had traveled to Australia before. In 2006 BE (Before Ephraim) we spent amazing two weeks travelling from Sydney to Tasmania and back through Canberra and Melbourne. We have fantastic memories of that whole trip; however, our visit in Sydney seemed to have generated the greatest reminiscences of all. For me, Sydney is synonymous with “vibrant, fun-loving, sunny, relaxed, cosmopolitan, a place when ‘carpe diem’ comes easily... even to me.”

Sydney is the largest Australian city and the state capital of New South Wales. It’s called “the Harbour City” and was established in 1788 as the first site of British colony in Australia. Sydney is an international centre for arts, fashion, culture, commerce, education, industry, sports and tourism. It’s one of the world's premier fashion destinations, and is regarded as a major international fashion capital (no wonder my colleagues were convinced I was going to Sydney to do some major shopping). Sadly, Sydney is also Australia’s most expensive city; hence, my shopping spree was limited to a purchase of a toy koala bear for E.

My friend, Aska, and I spent the four days of my visit catching up (5.5 years worth of catch-up) and walking - at the end of every day, my feet felt extremely sore from the multitude of steps they took carrying me through the city’s major squares, streets, sites and domains and along the cliff-tops paths.

There is a coastal walk that stretches from Maroubra Beach in the southern part of the city all the way past the famous Bondi Beach in the north in the eastern Suburbs Region. Aska and I did that walk a couple times starting a little bit north of Maroubra, on Coogee Beach. The name Coogee is said to be taken from a local Aboriginal word “koojah” which means "smelly place" or "stinking seaweed", a reference to the smell of decaying kelp washed up on the beach. As we were taking in these amazing views, Aska and I pondered upon the human condition.







A little further north along the cliff-tops path, we stumbled upon Gordons Bay – a little inlet with a tiny beach which presumably was used mostly to launch private boats.





Past Gordons Bay, we walked along Clovelly Bay sporting not only picturesque cliff-crashing waves but also a bit puzzling (to us) “concrete beach.”











As we continued our walk, we came to the Waverley Cemetery, established in 1877. Apparently the cemetery contains the graves of many people who shaped Australia. I truly enjoyed walking amongst the graves imagining the times past and people passed.





Bronte Beach was next on our route. Bronte, beachside suburb, has been apparently declared the best of 641 Sydney suburbs.











Tamarama Beach came after Bronte. The beach did not strike me as spectacular; it is a small beach nestled between two prominent headlands, with a sand filled valley to the back, surrounded by pleasant parkland and picnic areas. Thus, I was surprised to find out later that Tamarama is affectionately nicknamed Glamarama (or Glamourama) by the locals, as it is a beach where the seriously beautiful or trend-setters come to sunbathe and swim or to be seen.













Finally, after a few hours in 30-degree heat and glorious sunshine we arrived at the famous Bondi Beach. "Bondi" or "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word meaning “water breaking over rocks” or “noise of water breaking over rocks.” It must be the most popular beach in Sydney and it draws hundreds of locals and tourists every day.









The second time we walked to Bondi Beach, they were holding The Festival of Winds there. Hundreds of people showed up to observe or partake in kite-flying.







And this is but a mere sample of the Bondi Art.







One of the other days, Aska and I left the Eastern Suburbs and hit the CBD. We got off the subway near the Town Hall



and the Saint Andrew’s Cathedral.



We then meandered through the city streets,





through the Hyde Park,







past the Saint Mary’s Cathedral,



by the Art Gallery of New South Wales,



and into the heart of Royal Botanical Gardens.







From here, we had a first-rate view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.











After a nice R&R, we strolled lazily past the Opera House,



along the Circular Quay,





through the Darling Harbour,







and into the Chinatown, where we had a late lunch.



Refreshed, we wandered into the nearby Market City where I purchased a promised koala bear for E.



I had a great time in Sydney: the weather was exceptionally good, the city welcoming and my friend made a fantastic hostess. On Monday morning, I caught a flight back to Auckland where (sadly, NOT to my surprise) I was greeted by the dreary and wet afternoon.