107th-111th Day 31.12.18 - 04.01.2019 New Year's Eve and New Year in Sydney

Monday 31.12. - New Year's Eve

Wow, this bed is cozy. In the morning, Carina and I went to a cafe, treated ourselves to a delicious cappuccino, and returned to the apartment after shopping. 

That's when Irina arrived, who celebrated New Year's Eve with us. We chilled by the pool on the rooftop and took some photos. 

Carina's friends told her that they had been on the lawn since 8 am, waiting to secure a good spot for the evening. But the three of us found that silly, so we spent a cozy afternoon with some beers and wine. We then went back to the pool and then headed towards the Harbour Bridge. 

We had a little picnic there and made our way through the crowd. We managed to get a good spot and stayed there for a while. 

There was a heavy rain shower in between, and everyone pulled out their umbrellas. 

I just took off my shirt because it was pleasantly warm, just wet. 

At 9 pm, there was a children's fireworks display, which was even bigger than any other fireworks I had ever seen. After the fireworks, we decided to go back to the apartment. We enjoyed a warm shower, changed clothes, and had a few more beers. We arrived back at the same spot just in time for the grand fireworks display and celebrated the new year. Sober, with a breathtaking fireworks show and a great atmosphere. 

With Carina and Irina, dear people around me, and the fact that I am in Sydney and 10 hours ahead, I enjoyed the start of a new year. We went to sleep in the apartment at 3:30 am.

Tuesday 01.01.2019 - New Year's Day

It is the first day of January in the year 2019. Everything is quiet, everyone is sleeping, but something feels different compared to previous years. Is it the weather? NO! Is it perhaps the apartment? ALSO NO! Ah, now I know: It's the absence of a hangover! Fit as a fiddle, the three of us woke up, made a delicious fried egg breakfast, and then decided to chill by the pool. And that was such a good decision. Over 30 degrees, pure sunshine, and a view over the green Sydney. 

In the pool, the three of us felt like kids again and played "I spy with my little eye". In the afternoon, Irina packed her backpack and we walked into the city. After a leisurely stroll, we discovered a restaurant that looked like an Italian beer garden with vines on the outside. However, we were surprised by their food concept. For $21, there was a salad buffet and fried vegetables with potatoes, and the three of us couldn't say no. In addition, you could choose various types of steaks from an almost exquisite butcher's counter and prepare them yourself outside. It was the first time I had seen such a restaurant concept, but it was very, very tasty. When Carina and I said goodbye to Irina, we walked back and crossed the Harbour Bridge on foot. With an 18-minute walk and a truly fantastic view, this bridge and this city have a special flair. In the evening, we watched a movie and then went to sleep.

Wednesday 02.01.

In the morning, we took it easy because we had a hard time getting out of the cozy bed. But after a late breakfast, we walked to the ferry and went to Manly Beach, one of the landmarks in Sydney. Once there, we went shopping in some op shops first. At the beach, we only saw a lot of people and a beach with a road behind it. Neither of us was really convinced by this place, but we had a nice picnic and enjoyed the sun for a while. On the way back, we decided to buy a Domino's Pizza because we were both really craving pizza. Back at the apartment, we watched a movie on Netflix before going to bed.

Thursday 03.01.

We wanted to get up early in the morning, and thanks to several alarms, we managed to escape the cozy bed. So after a good breakfast, we made our way to the train to go to Otford, about 1.5 hours south of Sydney. 

Once we got off, we followed a beautiful hiking trail, and after another 2 hours, we reached a tourist attraction called Figure 8 Pools. Why is it called that, you ask? Hmm, I would say because of the 8! It's a wonderful spot with many small naturally formed pools, but also very dangerous because when the tide rises, the waves crash over the rocks and can sweep people away. 

We spent about an hour there and enjoyed this place, but overall there were far too many tourists. On the way back, we saw several dolphins playing and frolicking in the waves along the coast from above, even though they were very far away. This was the first encounter with wild dolphins for both of us. Back in Sydney, we continued to Bondi Beach, a Sydney icon and the most famous beach. And I must say, yes, this beach has something magical, a great view, great waves, and all that despite many bathers. 

There is also a swimming facility right next to the beach. We wandered around a bit, and when our stomachs growled, we went to a Thai restaurant and each had a large portion. 
Then we returned to the apartment. I wanted to lie by the pool on the 21st floor one last time, but it was too windy. So I made myself comfortable on the couch with a few beers.

Friday 04.01.

It was the last time we woke up in the sooo cozy bed in North Sydney. And we almost didn't want to get up, but we both managed to overcome that feeling. So we got to work, cleaned and tidied up the apartment, then went shopping for more beer and wrote a thank-you card and included photos as a little farewell gift. 

Then we made our way to the train, but there were railway works. So we had to take the rail replacement service (SEV) and continue by bus. We changed buses and went all the way to the Central Coast. We briefly considered taking the approx. 1-hour walk, but Carina didn't hesitate to hitchhike. I was actually a bit uneasy about it, but it turned out to be the opposite. Not even 5 minutes passed and an Australian picked us up, who lived on the street next to ours. That was a really big experience for me, and I was glad to be with Carina. When we arrived at Daniel and Matt's place and their families, we were warmly welcomed, had a few beers, and even had a typical Brazilian barbecue in the evening, which was really tasty, entertaining, but above all relaxed and cozy, with salted meat, sausages, and beer. Many friends of Daniel and Matt were there, and there was simply a pleasant atmosphere. At 1 am, Carina and I went to sleep in our tent, which we had set up in the front yard.