Sydney - I'm such a city kid!

 Sydney is great, it lifted my spirits. The city is huge, cosmopolitan and diverse in every respect. I absolutely loved it even though the weather was bad. However, in retrospect I should call myself lucky. Being in Alice Springs now with an average daily temperature of 38°C, I'm grateful of the moderate 22°C and the permanent drizzle of rain Sydney had to offer on all but 2 days.

I strolled around the city, I took one of the many ferries to catch sight of the harbor and the skyline and I went on a walk along the coastline passing some of Sydney's most popular beaches where the waves can get incredibly high and strong. A surfers' paradise.

Everywhere in town the city council tries to conserve (or restore) old buildings which, in my view, blend in beautifully beetween the skyscrapers and glass towers. I really like this architectural composition of colonial past and globalised business hub.

Other than that, the GLBTQ community started their celebration of Mardi Gras, the equivalent of Christopher Street Day. Most public institutions, shops and restaurants displayed a rainbow flag in support of the movement (even though for some the motivation may have been to raise turnover more than making a political statement). I went to a couple of bars and never stayed alone for too long despite my inability (and reluctance) of doing small talk :-p 

One day I went on a day trip to the Blue Mountains, a mountain range west of Sydney, which in colonial times defined the border of the area available for settlement until in 1815 some pioneers finally managed to cut a road through this rugged region full of steep cliffs and impassable forests. The area offers some spectacular views and grand scenery, which was well worth the 2 hour train ride (one way!).

Last but not least I would like to thank you, Jenny, once again for your inspiring ideas and tips on what to do in and around Sydney. As you can see, I did most (or even all?) of it and I really enjoyed it ;-)