Can I Go Back to Sydney Now?

Ah, Sydney. I love this city - the feel of the city, the unique suburbs, and, of course the beaches. It's easy to get around, plus the people are happy, the sun is nearly always shining, and you never seem to get over the view of the bridge and the opera house. If it weren't so damn far away from the United States, I would move here tomorrow.. In fact, after this weekend, if TT had a Sydney office I'd move here tomorrow. (Can someone please start working on this??)

My love affair with Sydney started three years ago when I studied abroad here. I mentioned this briefly in my first post, but to review, I came to Australia for 4 months in early 2011 to study at Sydney Uni. I made great friends with a few American girls, my Australian civil engineering friends, and a few of my sister's friends who hadn't gotten enough of Sydney on their study abroad, two years prior, and were back for a little more. I was so happy with my little group of friends, but near the end of my stay, while Skye, Steph, and I were skipping our program's farewell dinner and hanging out at the Uni bar, we met Charlie, a horse riding Aussie in an Elmo shirt. Of all my Aussie friends, Charlie ended up being the one I kept in touch with the most. 

I saw Charlie last year when he came to NYC, but wasn't sure if I would see him again for a long time. When I first got to New Zealand I sent him a message to see if he wanted to come visit. He didn't have any free weekends for the entire time that I would be in Christchurch, but said he could probably free up some time if I wanted to come to Sydney. Come to Sydney?! I hadn't thought I would do that in my time in NZ, but now that the offer was on the table, I couldn't possibly turn it down. So I decided to do it. Picked a weekend when Charlie could miss a horse show, and booked a ticket to Australia. I was a little nervous that maybe I had built the idea of Sydney up in my head over the last few years, but sitting in the airport, on my way back to Christchurch, I can honestly say I had not. This weekend was amazing, everything I remembered and more. Charlie and I were crazy busy - I think (know) we could both go for a nap right now, but when you only have three days in the best city in the world there's no time to rest. 

Friday morning, I woke up SUPER early and flew to Sydney, landing at 8 am. Charlie had to work until mid day so I spent the morning on the beach in Manly (not a bad way to spend a morning). I got hooked on that Serial podcast (anyone else addicted!?) on the plane over, so I know that I was only laying down for 23 minutes and 55 seconds, finishing an episode, before I realized I was probably getting sunburnt. I was right- I looked in the mirror and found that I had already gotten a pretty bad sunburn on my face, my chest, my legs... basically all over. I informed Charlie of my lobster status, and hopped on a train to meet my long lost Aussie friend. 

Manly Beach

Just South of Manly Beach

We spent the rest of the afternoon adventuring around Sydney and ended the day with some Jamaican food in Surry Hills. I was so excited to go back to Surry Hills, where two of my friends had lived during study abroad. I used to love that neighborhood so much. We got Charlie's favorite gelato after dinner, and then drove about an hour west of Sydney to Charlie's farm. 

Little Collins Street!

I hadn't been out to the farm during study abroad, so I was so excited to see it. After showing me the house, Charlie told me he doesn't actually live there. He moved to his own shed behind the house when his little brother was born, so he has his own little unheated area. After the unheated hut on the route burn track, I was skeptical, but, hey, when in Australia...

Charlie's Room

It wasn't nearly as cold as the Routeburn Track, so I survived just fine. In the morning, Charlie made us some eggs on toast with eggs fresh from the chickens running around outside and a mango smoothie with fresh mangoes. Delicious! He drove me around the farm - definitely necessary since it's a few hundred acres - and introduced me to his 3 week old foal. I think I got the full service farm experience :). 

Morning on Charlie's Balcony

Spike!

Feeling full, we drove down to a student of Charlie's, who lives on the south coast. She asked us if we were up for a hike, to which we said yes, and we all headed on much more of a hike than any of us expected, along a trail that was barely visible at some points.

Burning Palms from the Top of the Hill

After spending five weeks in a country without a single animal that can kill you, I had my guard up about the deadly animals in Australia. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about snakes and drop bears (just for you, Charlie). Just as I was thinking that the difference between Australia and New Zealand is that the kiwis prepare for hikes with hiking boots and packs and well maintained tracks, and the Aussies just grab their surf board and flip flops and go in search of a good wave, Charlie asked me "So Erin, is this what you thought you'd be doing in Sydney this weekend?" Nope, but I loved it. When we made it to the beach there were almost no other people around, so we stayed there for a bit and tried to surf, before making the difficult trek back up the hill. 

Made it to the Beach

Afterwards we went to see a couple more hidden gems of the south coast. Jared, Charlie's student's friend, had grown up in the area and knew of an old train tunnel where, when it was pitch black, the tunnel was lit up by glow worms, giving the allusion of the Milky Way in the night sky. We took our torches (Aussie/kiwi for flashlight) and walked in to the tunnel far enough that the glow worms seemed to go on forever in each direction. It was absolutely amazing, and one of the best parts was that we were the only people there. 

To get my engineering fix of the day, and to kill some time until it was dark enough to see the glow worms, we went to see Sea Cliff Bridge. Despite all the cliffs in Australia, this is the only bridge that runs along them and spans over the open ocean. It curves along with the shape of the cliffs and looks really cool. During the day you can even see the sting rays below it. Charlie said he had seen the bridge in photos but never knew where it was, so I'm glad we went to it.

It's hard to see but the bridge runs along the cliffs out there...

Sunday morning, we drove back in to the city, to Rose Bay, where they do kayak rentals. We were able to get a couple and kayak through the harbor with views of the CBD, the bridge, and the Opera House. The view really doesn't get old.

Stopped for a rest on the beach

After returning to Rose Bay, we drove in to the city to see Ruthie, a Hopkins friend here on study abroad, and MY MOM, who had just flown in to Sydney on her way to see me in New Zealand. It was the perfect way to end my weekend in Sydney, surrounded by family and friends, kangaroo pizza, and some wedges. After lunch, I made my way back to the airport, and finally back to Christchurch. 

Im so sad that my weekend in Sydney is over and that I really don't know when I'll be able to come back, or when I'll see my Aussie friend again. But I can assure you, I hadn't overhyped Sydney in my mind, and sincerely hope I will be seeing both Charlie and Sydney again soon. Thanks for such a great weekend, Charlie. You were seriously the best host!

Til next time, Sydney!