The Wonderful World of Sydney

Sydney is so enchanting, I love it! I felt like I was flying home during our trip from Cairns to Sydney. Maybe its because this is a city familiar to me now, but whatever it is, I am loving it. We plan to spend the 21st and 22nd in Sydney hanging out with Hanna and Nina (who we met on our Ayer's Rock tour) before Kearse leaves to go back to the States on the 23rd.

Kearse and I spent the 21st wandering around Darling Harbor, which is right around the corner from Circular Quay (which is where the Opera House ad Harbor Bridge are located). Darling Harbor was... how do I say it?... Well, it was darling! It was so cute, and quaint, and beautiful. Lovely shops and restaurants along the water front, wide pedestrian boardwalks, a footbridge decorated with flowers and flags, and gorgeous yachts parked at the docks with the glistening buildings of Sydney's city center in the background. It was just lovely :)

Darling Harbor is also the home of the Sydney IMAX, the largest cinema screen in the world! So of course this meant that I had to go see an IMAX film, and I chose a documentary about the Hubble Telescope in 3D! I was in awe! Loved it!

Some random things that I also love:

1. Aussies do not say "How are you doing?" or "How is it going?". Instead, they say "How are you going?". Fascinating!

2. I have loved the nicknames that Kearse and I have received on this trip from fellow travelers. We became Team America on the Ayer's Rock Tour (this was a fun one that we carried with us for the rest of our trip). The Egyptain/Aussie girls on the Moreton Island day trip called us Georgia. And then Hanna enjoyed calling me Big Guns. Good times.

3. Most of the solo backpackers I have met during my trip have been women, which is so surprising! When Ag and I backpacked through Europe, all we met were dudes. But in AUS, all of the hostels are just loaded with girls. It's quite strange actually, but it is giving me confidence to set out on my own when Kearse leaves for the States.