Sydney (20.02.- 06.03.2019)

Now we have finally reached our last stop in Australia. Every now and then we hoped to finally arrive in Sydney, but when we finally arrived, it felt strange. As we drove the last meters with the Greyhound bus, we crossed the Harbour Bridge. We could already see the famous Opera House from there. The feeling: indescribable. We were excited like little children. When we arrived at our accommodation (we live here in Canterbury, a little outside the city), we washed laundry first. And just like that, the day was over. We had a lot of laundry...
It takes two hours on foot to get to the city, but everyone says how central we live when we mention that we live in Canterbury.

The first full day in Sydney showed us how big Sydney is. We walked to the center. Ben had to print his concert ticket and we wanted to find out about a performance at the Opera House. Once a performance was booked, we headed back. It took us a whole four hours to get back. It felt long and we decided to take the tram for the remaining distances. Something we always wanted to do in Sydney: treat ourselves to a mudcake. At every supermarket on our trip through Australia, we stood in front of the shelf and looked at the mudcake. When we went shopping in the evening, Ben immediately grabbed one. The mudcake: highly recommended.

The next day we slept in. The accommodation is really good and above all we never slept in such a comfortable bed during the whole trip. After getting up, we washed the last laundry and Ben went to his concert. In Melbourne, he had already bought a ticket for the Eminem concert. While Ben was at the concert, I started working on a photo album.

On February 21st, Ben in particular had to sleep in again. The concert lasted quite a long time, but it was probably very nice. After we were all awake, we drove to the city. Better to the Sydney Fish Market. It is the largest in the southern hemisphere. It was really interesting to see what kind of fish there are and what you can eat. Impressive. Afterwards, we went to the Queen Victoria Building and met a friend of Ben's. We spent a few hours at the Opera House and then drove back home.

On Sunday, Ben, his friend, and his friend's girlfriend went to the Blue Mountains. The view in the Blue Mountains was fantastic. So much untouched nature. It reminded us a little of the Grampians. We also visited the famous "Three Sisters". Since there is a special ticket offer on Sundays in Sydney (the whole day for $2.70), Ben and I went to the city and took a boat trip to Mosman. Mosman is considered the richest suburb in Australia. We walked around a bit and looked at the villas. Then we got back on the ship and took a long harbor cruise. It was already about 9 pm and a light show at the Opera House began. It takes place every day at 9 pm and lasts a whole 7 minutes. But it was very beautiful and it fit our schedule anyway. Afterwards, we went home exhausted.

On Monday we were still exhausted from Sunday and rested. Ben got ice cream and we had a cozy day. I was able to continue working on my photo book and Ben could take care of organizational things.

On Tuesday, we went back to the city and took care of our tax returns. We paid taxes and retirement during our working days in Melbourne and have to submit them upon departure or during the tax year. We did this in the morning. In the afternoon, we visited a church, the oldest in Sydney, and took a city tour. It was very informative and we learned even more about the history of Sydney. Then we went to the 360 degree bar. A bar in the Skytower of Sydney. The Skytower is the tallest building in Sydney at around 309 meters. For the first time, we were able to see how big and expansive Sydney is. However, we were sure: the Skytower is in the wrong place. You can't see the Opera House or the Harbour Bridge. You actually only see high-rise buildings the whole time, which is a shame. But that's complaining on a high level, it was still very nice up there.

The next day, we explored our neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods. It's not so nice here. It's very deserted and rundown even. There are no small shops, like in the neighborhoods of Melbourne. At least not in our surrounding neighborhoods, in Mosman there was of course. I suppose it's just our area. In Melbourne there are probably also such areas, but maybe we didn't get to know them.

The next day, Ben and I had different days. Ben met another friend and they spent a few hours at the beach. I used the time to go shopping. In the evening, we both went home together again.

We made our Friday very special. We went back to the city and took a tour of Government House. It was very interesting to see the furnishings and learn a bit about the Governor of New South Wales. Then we walked through the Royal Botanic Garden and enjoyed the view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. In the evening, it was time: Ben and I watched "Casino Royale" at the Opera House. The Opera House consists of several halls. We made sure to be in the largest hall. The movie was shown on a screen while the Sydney Symphony Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment. It was impressive. Also, the conductor's performance. Amazing! The hall was almost sold out, which created a special atmosphere. At first, it was strange to watch a movie with orchestra music, but we quickly liked it. Every now and then, it even felt like the music belonged to the film music. It was perfectly coordinated and the orchestra underscored the mood of the film flawlessly. I could have watched and listened for a few more hours. But after about three hours (including intermission), it came to an end. We enjoyed the view from the Opera House (even before the performance) and then happily drove home.

Since the next day all streets in Sydney are closed (due to a parade), Ben and I had another cozy day. We finished the photo book, tidied up, washed and planned the next few days in peace.

Now it was Sunday again and Sunday means for us to experience as much as possible. We set an alarm for the first time in a long time. Getting up didn't go smoothly, but we left earlier than usual. First, we went to Bondi to the famous Bondi Beach. The beach was crowded with people, but really beautiful. There are beautiful rock formations, nice shops to stroll around, nice restaurants, and many interesting corners to look around. The whole beach promenade is full of street art, there is a skate park, and also a public pool that protects people from the wild surf. Since the weather was really good, there were many surfers. We walked along the beach and since it was Sunday, there was also a market. This market had really nice things too. After looking around a bit here and there, we continued to the city. There we took a ferry and went to Manly. The ferry was very crowded and we could only partially see the skyline and the Opera House. When we arrived in Manly, we were overwhelmed by the crowds of people again. Manly is really popular and rightly so. Very well-kept, view of the Sydney skyline, beautiful beach, and much more. Ben and I made our way to North Head. To be precise, that's the northern part of the narrow sea passage that leads to Sydney. So you either look towards the South Pacific or towards Sydney. When we arrived at North Head, we took a walk through the national park there. For the first time, we felt a "Queensland atmosphere" again. It was deserted and very quiet. Wonderful. Every now and then, there were a few huge spider webs with large spiders above the pedestrian path. We quickly moved on. Here you can't really tell which ones are dangerous and which ones are not. At least we can't. Then we arrived at a toilet building. In the women's toilet, I saw an animal sitting under the roof. Gray, quite large. It really looked like a small koala. When I mentioned it to the people in charge, they called the rangers. However, they said it was more likely an opossum. We then continued to the Fairfax Lookout. The view was really beautiful again. Blue sky, sun, the vastness of the ocean on one side, a megacity on the other, and the national park all around. After trying to "save" the image in our minds, we went to check on the women's toilet again. Situation unchanged. Then we visited the bus station and took the bus back to Manly and the ferry back to the city of Sydney. Then we did some souvenir shopping and grocery shopping and before we knew it, the day was over.

On Monday and Tuesday, we had another day of organization. We took care of our paid retirement again, packed our bags, and enjoyed the last days in Australia calmly.

Now we are already sitting with packed suitcases: our next stop is Bangkok (Thailand). We will fly nonstop for about nine and a half hours at around 8 pm (Australian time) on March 6th. We have experienced and seen a lot in Australia. We will remember the time forever and are grateful to everyone who has supported and followed us so far...and of course those who have accompanied us on our trip to Australia.