Australia – Page 5

Pancakes on the Rocks, Swimming and Macquarie Uni

January 11, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Monday we had a packed day. We started around 8am and headed to Pancakes on the Rocks. I had heard great reviews on this place when I was last here and again never got there. I think the best part was we went on Monday morning when everyone was at work so the restaurant wasn’t too busy. I got pancakes with sausage, an egg and grilled tomato and an iced green tea. It is amazing when I find iced tea here as the first few days when I wanted it, everyone who had it on their menu was out somehow.

This was the perfect breakfast fuel for my swim. We walked from The Rocks and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and then to the North Sydney Olympic Pool. It’s only $7.80 to go for a swim and for Brian who was just observing, it was $2.50.

The pool is Olympic size at 50m and outdoor of course because we are in Australia. I remember the last time I was here and spoiled by the gym pool at Macquarie Uni that was 50m but sometimes they would put in a plastic barrier to cut it into 25m and have people swimming on each side of the lane. The first time I swam in the 50m length, it was sooo hard. I got to the midpoint and was wondering how much farther before a wall. I have been trying to keep up with swimming and other exercises since and I was pleasantly surprised to find that 50m was not so hard this time. I thought I might only last 30 minutes but ended up going for an hour and 20 minutes or so. I made it 70 laps of 50m which puts me at just over 2 miles. Brian kept himself busy with calling family and friends. I was glad he didn’t mind watching as this was something I wanted to do.

After I was done, I drank a couple bottles of water. The pool is salty and chlorine so my mouth got pretty dry and it was hot out.

We caught the ferry after to go by Darling Harbour and then catch the train to the Fish market. Brian loves all the fresh fish here. I honestly wasn’t that hungry, but I knew I should eat something and something of substance. Well I pieced together a random lunch of popcorn and almonds and juice.

After that we took the train then ferry over by the pool again. We quickly walked through Luna Park (their amusement park) and then caught the train to Macquarie University.

I wanted to show Brian where I lived and the campus. We also took a quick walk through the shopping mall as well.

macquarie uni — they haven’t changed the year to 2017 yet. Can’t believe It was 6 years ago I was here for school

Then it was back on the train to Town Hall. We still had tickets for the Sydney tower eye to use so we quickly headed over there. It was a beautiful day to look out, but I do feel that once you see a couple towers and views, they are pretty much the same. I might be biased but I think the Sears/Willis tower in Chicago wins with the glass floor.

By the time we finished at the tower, it was time to get home. Just 20,000 steps later after my swim, it was time to put together a quick salad for dinner at home and relax for the evening.

Also, love the Opal card that Sydney has for their transportation as it maxes out at $15 for the day, so with the trains and ferry rides we took today we maxed out and a few of them were $0 towards the end of the day. The more you use it, the better it is.

Tuesday was a much lower key day, as was Wednesday with the heat wave bringing temps to 100 degrees. Hopefully a couple more beach days and then we will be off to New Zealand. The heat wave has allowed us to slow down and do some planning at least.

Sydney Taronga Zoo and Bondi MIMM #101

January 8, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey there everyone. What a great weekend we had here in Sydney visiting the Taronga Zoo and Bondi Beach.

Friday was actually quite rainy for the entire morning and we had plans to head to Bondi but we actually didn’t get out of the apartment until the evening when we finally went for a walk. Got to get those 10,000 steps daily right?! It was a great rest day at the apartment, getting time to follow a 1 hour yoga video on youtube was quite the treat and just not spending money on lunch, because we ate food that we had leftover. In the evening we walked down Potts Point and to the start of the botanic gardens. That was pretty much it for our Friday.

Saturday the weather was much better and perfect for a day at the zoo. One of my friends I met in a math class here when I studied abroad now works at the Taronga Zoo some days. I actually never got around to going to the Taronga zoo the last time as I had to limit the amount of pricey activities I did. My friend was kind enough to get us some day passes and we picked a day she was working so that we could get time with the giraffes. We took a quick ferry across the harbour and then took the sky walk to the top entrance of the zoo.

The koalas were first and it was amazing to see the koala actually climbing the trees. Usually they are sleeping as they sleep 20 hours of the day. It is hard to catch them during the 4 hours they are awake.

We met up with my friend a couple hours in. The giraffes were so friendly and it was fun to feed them and take some selfies. You can tell I was having a blast from the photos.

The Taronga Zoo is a pretty decent size and we ended up spending a good 6 hours there to cover everything. Considering how fast we walk through some museums and zoos (usually in 2 hours), it was impressive that we were able to spend 6 hours there. We took our time as we weren’t in a hurry and enjoyed each of the exhibits. We also got to watch the Seal Show and Bird Show, both which I recommend if you ever find yourself in Sydney.

Sunday was finally beach day. We got a late start. I still don’t know how I slept until 8am. I slept almost 10 hours Saturday night. I guess the zoo and sun wore me out.

I never made it to Bondi in warm weather to swim back in 2011 so it was nice to enjoy the beach (along with everyone else that was there because it was crowded of course).

Since we arrived at Bondi shortly after 11, we decided to find some food first. I reached out to a person I follow on Instagram (@carolinehgroth) who lives in Bondi and asked for some recommendations for healthy eating. One of her suggestions was Cali Press and it was very close to the beach so we went there. I got “the naked salad” and Brian got the spicy tuna sandwich. We were both very pleased with our choices from there and I highly recommend it. If we make it back to Bondi one more time, I hope to try their acai bowl or a smoothie.

I got a new swim top while we were at Manly beach last week as I needed one that would be good for all the waves in the ocean. I love this halter top as it is much more secure.

We enjoyed laying on the sand and hopping in the water a few times. After the first time, it was much easier to fully submerge yourself in the coldish water. It was breezy which felt nice when laying down so you didn’t get super hot.

After 3 hours and the beach becoming more crowded, we decided to walk to the North side to take in the view.

Then we searched for food. There are plenty of places to eat, though some close early on Sunday and we are totally indecisive. Eventually we came to a sushi place. I knew Brian wanted that and they had some non fish sushi for me, cucumber and avocado roll and chicken avocado roll for me. Brian went all out on salmon rolls.

Then it was back on the bus to the train and back home to de-sand ourselves. Since we ate mid afternoon, we weren’t hungry for a while. Finally we got moving to the grocery store around the corner and I just wanted fruit and snacky stuff for dinner. I decided on brinner with a muffin, apple and an egg.

Now Monday hoping for another swim and some more walking in Sydney.

Thanks for the MIMM link up Katie.

Sydney So Far: Week 1

January 5, 2017 by Alicia 1 Comment

Today (being Friday morning) officially marks 1 week since we landed in Sydney. It’s crazy to think we are already almost a week into the New Year. Other than the first day where we mostly slept after lugging our bags across town, we have been pretty much non stop.

Today we were planning to head to Bondi beach for a relaxed day, but it’s currently pouring rain so I’m not sure if we will get there. The rain should clear out around noon so maybe in the afternoon we will head out, otherwise I will be using the day to catch up on writing and doing some yoga, which doesn’t sound too bad either.

I really feel like I have been successfully living in the present through this journey of traveling. Our days are planned out maybe 48 hours ahead of time. I still have no idea what we are doing most of next week other than I want to get some outdoor lap swimming somewhere. While normally not having a plan would stress me out, I am really trying to do this whole “fly by the seat of my pants” thing. I don’t think it is always the best. I am hoping with this rain and downtime today that we get some flights and places booked for New Zealand in a week, but otherwise, things haven’t been too bad. I think it has helped that I haven’t set many expectations other than to enjoy the time. It is also nice to not feel rushed. With 2 full weeks in Sydney, we have been able to just enjoy the time.

In just the first few days in Sydney, we covered many places I didn’t even go to 5-6 years ago. It has been nice to have a balance of touristy things and just trail walking and exploring towns. One day we took a bus to Hermitage trail and walked along the trail passing by many beaches (I wish I had had my swimsuit with me) and then walking all the way to Watson’s bay and the Gap Bluff cliff area.

We had no idea we would walk that far during the day. We even waited at a bus stop for a bit to hop on a bus part of the way, but then it would have been a 20 minute wait, so we decided to walk and see how far we would get. We took our time and took breaks. The nice part about passing popular beaches along the way meant there were plenty of public bathrooms and places to fill our water. The views were gorgeous and the water was so blue and clear!!

After that long day, the next day we took it easy and went on an Opera House tour (another thing I didn’t get to the first time I was in Sydney) and then headed to Manly beach. I didn’t take many pictures as I simply was enjoying laying on the beach and hopping waves. We realized jumping waves quickly worked up an appetite and I got a chicken kebab to share before we made our way home for dinner.

Then yesterday, we were up early, at about 6am to catch a 6:30 train to the Blue Mountains. It’s a 2 hour train ride up, but the cost of the train is less than $6! I took a nap on the way up as I was still tired. It was misty which then turned to a light rain for most of the morning unfortunately, but it didn’t stop us. We went through the scenic sites that were not very scenic during the morning and then we ate mid morning to make up for a lack of breakfast.

By the time we finished eating, it was raining a bit harder. We took the skyway and walked a path to Katoomba falls. Little did we know how long this path would be. We just kept walking and walking through the rain. I stuck to taking pictures on my phone as that was easier to pull out and put away in my rain jacket pocket.

About halfway through the hike the sun was really trying to come out and the clouds were clearing in the distance. We came to Katoomba falls and had the most gorgeous view.

katoomba falls blue mountains — katoomba falls

Luckily we ended up on the path going down, as we eventually passed some people making the trek up and there are a TON of stairs. By the end of the day, my fitbit told me I climbed about 100 flights of stairs.

As we went farther and farther down and reached look out points, it was amazing to look up and realized how high up we had started. We made our way back to the scenic railway and took the steepest train going up which was fun and definitely an easier way out than walking back up all those stairs.

During this hike I was so thankful to have worn my new hiking boots. They are waterproof up to the ankle and they certainly were put to the test. They kept my feet warm and dry and it would have been an entirely different experience without them (as in I would have been cranky with wet soaked feet). I have learned it is best to invest in the right gear and things will go a lot smoother.

We ended our day at the Blue Mountains by taking the skyway across again when we could actually see and then stopping by the famous Three Sisters. I originally took a bridge photo there in 2011, but it was crowded so I took one right by there on Echo Point.

We then walked up the road (more uphill!!) and stopped by the chocolate shop for some dark chocolate for the road. This was consumed within 5 minutes though as we hopped on a bus back to the train station and headed back into Sydney.

It was our longest day yet as we were gone for 14 hours. We had to stop at the grocery store for a few items and then we made our way back to the apartment finally and we cooked up a late but delicious dinner of beef burritos.

I love having a kitchen and making breakfast and dinner each day as it saves us money. So that’s a few of the things we have been up to in the past few days here in Sydney. We have also been to the aquarium and wild life zoo. We are heading to another zoo tomorrow and then Sunday will hopefully be a nice beach day especially if we don’t make it to the beach today.

New Year’s 2017 in Sydney Australia

January 1, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey there it’s my first post for the year 2017 and I’m coming at you from Sydney, Australia.

I first visited Sydney when I studied abroad in 2011. Since then and hearing about the amazing New Year celebration, I knew I wanted to return. Firstly I didn’t get to see as much as I would like because tight budget + school. So far we have been here for almost 3 full days and already have walked through a lot of places I had not seen as well as some familiar to me.

I am definitely still feeling the jet lag, especially after waking up at 4am New Year’s Eve and having to stay awake until midnight. That was hard. I then slept until 9:30am this morning (New Year’s Day). Even with the late start and sleeping in, I was just so tired today. Hopefully soon I will get some energy back. Maybe this cupcake I just ate will help…

Back to New Year’s Eve, our first real day of exploring. We mainly slept the first day…by accident. When nap time turns into almost 5 hours of sleep…woops.

We began early New Year’s Eve (I mentioned I was up at 4am, but Brian didn’t get moving until maybe 6am). After making breakfast in our hotel room (we have a little kitchenette which is perfect), we took the train and walked around Darling Harbour. We don’t really have an itinerary, just a list of things we want to see. We ended up hoping on a ferry to Sydney Olympic Park. I had no idea a ferry ran there. I didn’t get the chance to see it last time I was there but really wanted to swim in the olympic pool at some point. Obviously we weren’t prepared for swimming, but the day was gorgeous and the 40 minute ferry ride passed by quickly.

As we got off the ferry, it was 11am and we were getting hungry from all the walking we had already done. I had already hit 10k steps in the first few hours of the day. Buses picked up by the ferry but we looked at the map and thought we could walk. Well…it was a looong walk. It was also New Year’s Eve and by the time we reached the restaurant point it was 11:30 and we wanted food, but there was only 1 place open in the little mall area we reached. So that was the place to go. I got a delicious pesto chicken sandwich. I thought a sandwich would be cold as it was warm out and I wanted cold food, but it was a hot sandwich. Still very delicious. We also drank nearly 2 liters of water between the two of us. We were mostly thirsty I think.

After that we felt much better and energized. We continued walking looking for the tour spot. Well we finally reached the stadium and everywhere just felt so deserted. I don’t think they were giving tours on New Year’s Eve. We were pretty tired after all the walking we did. We really did cover a lot of ground and it was only a small fraction of the park. I was amazed at all the residential area and thinking about how cool it would be to live in an olympic park with all the bike paths, walking and just this feeling of a tiny city.

We decided to take the bus back to the ferry, which was a very good decision. The bus ride was only about $2 and so much faster. Plus it went around parts of the park we didn’t get to and I saw a school and another couple shopping centers. Really everything you needed was in that area and it was cool to see. We definitely plan to go back as we passed the aquatic center where you can pay a fee and lap swim. I love swimming in olympic size pools as it adds a challenge. Swimming 50m doesn’t seem so bad when I can swim for 2 miles, but when you don’t have a wall at the 25m point, it is harder and better practice for an open water swim for sure (hopefully one day).

Ferries were getting crowded as we returned around 3pm to the city. They started to run extra ones to accommodate for new years. We got off at Circular Quay, essentially the center of Sydney downtown, and made our way through the crowds back to our hotel. The point where we planned to watch the fireworks didn’t open until 6pm and yet there was already a line at 4pm. Luckily it was a short line and we went back to the hotel to eat some dinner and headed over around 6:30.

I finally had a chance to read The Magnolia Story while we waited and got over half way through the book before it got dark shortly after 8. Then the first fireworks show was at 9pm, perfect for families and kids. It was a short 5-10 min and then a lot of the families headed home.

The next 3 hours was the longest. I think I took a half hour nap somewhere in there and then was using the flashlight on my phone to read some more, though I could barely keep my eyes open. Finally midnight approached and the crowd grew. Everyone was basically standing to take pictures of the fireworks. There wasn’t really a countdown but we knew when it was close and then the bridge lit up with fireworks. Happy New Year!!

I think the fireworks went on for 10 minutes or so. I loved watching the fireworks and lights on the bridge and seeing the fireworks from Darling Harbour color coordinate. They must have a lot of thought behind these. My new camera captured beautiful clear pictures of the fireworks.

I think the odd thing was that our spot was so quiet. A lot of people simply took pictures and enjoyed the fireworks. A couple people were screaming Happy New Year, but for the most part, the crowd was silent. I was happy with our place. Of course we could have had a better view if we staked out a spot earlier in the day, but we could walk back to our hotel and we were home by 12:30am.

I’m so happy that I was able to make it to Sydney for New Year’s and even better, to have Brian by my side. This is just the start of our adventures traveling and a great way to kick off the new year. Happy New Year 2017!!

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