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| Sydney Harbour |
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| A glimpse of St Mary’s Cathedral from Hyde Park |
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| State Library of New South Wales |
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| State Library of New South Wales |
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| Sydney Harbour |
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| Art Gallery of New South Wales |
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| Aboriginal Art at the Gallery of New South Wales |
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| Aboriginal Art at the Gallery of New South Wales |
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| Bondi Beach |
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| Bondi Beach |
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| Aboriginal rock engraving- male kangaroo |
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| “Eeeeek it’s cold up here! “ |
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| Blue Mountains National Park |
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| Wentworth Falls and a very brave bride |
Hello there or should I say G’day mates! We here at otc have returned from the great Down Under and it was an epic trip. I try to go to at least one new place a year. I thought this was going to be the year I went to Morocco but the universe had other plans so Oz it was. Sydney to be exact.
First thing you should know about the island continent is that its seasons are the opposite of all of the countries in the Northern Hemisphere. So, my trip coincided with the end of their winter and early spring. The temperature in Fahrenheit ranged from the middle 50s to the high 60s which was downright frigid for me. I was wearing at least two layers every time I ventured out.
The second thing you should know is that most travelers will cross the International Date Line on the way to Australia. That meant I lost an entire day while traveling. For example if I left my neck of the woods for a trip to Australia on the 8th of the month I would arrive on the 10th. The 9th… poof gone. I was about a day and a half ahead of all my friends and family back home while I was there.
The third thing you should know is that an Australian Travel visa is required to visit Australia. Interested readers can determine which type of travel visa they would need here.
The fourth thing I think you should know is that Australia is a fairly expensive destination. See this interesting article here about the cities with the most expensive taxi fare in the world. Australia makes the list three times. I found another interesting but long article here about the price of food in Australia compared to the rest of the world.
So enough of the things you should know. I had a great time in Sydney! The opera house was a sight to behold up close. I would recommend checking it out in the day and then coming back at night for a totally different experience. I was able to make it to the mountains and to the beach. I saw some great exhibits at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and got my entire life at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
I found the Aussies to be friendly. They are an extremely fit bunch. I tell you every where I went I saw them running, jumping, strength training or engaging in some type of sweat inducing activity. Every where. Those buggers are in shape. They really inspired me to step my fitness game up. I figured if they can have what seemed to be lunch time rugby meetings I should really drive to the gym after work.
I think this post is long enough so if you are interested in anything I didn’t mention let me know in the comments. I hope you have all been well.
Stardate:160031.10
I missed your posts while you were "down and under…"Lol I stopped by here a couple of times to see if you were back and boom!! You are back with a bang!!..LolI love, love, love your travel adventures. Beautiful Pics.
Hello Beauty! Thank you very much. I have some more travel posts coming 🙂
Looks cool, I thought Australia would be hot and the time travel difference is a bit alarming – a whole day gone lol. Your trip looks amazing – props to the bride – how was the food? 🙂
Hi Mango and Fudge. That bride meant she was going to get the shot by any means necessary:). Traditional Aussie foods were generally meat based and I am a vegetarian. They are known for their meat pies and their restaurants serve kangaroo burgers. I had like I usually do when I travel a lot of Indian and Chinese(there a lot of Chinese in Sydney) meals that were very good. I did try a vegetarian version of their meat pie which I liked. They also had great baked goods- croissants, buns etc. At some point in the trip I found a Nando's and I would stop in there whenever I needed something quick. I think they have them in your neck of woods but we don't have them here unfortunately 🙂 Have a great week!