Sydney Sightseeing Day 1

On Thursday, December 22nd, we went to downtown Sydney for some sightseeing. We wanted to take a train at 9:00 am, but it was delayed so much that we had to take the next train 15 minutes later. It takes almost 1 hour from Cronulla (the final station of the T4 train line) to the city, so we didn't arrive until around 10:15 am. Patrick joined us at Wolli Creek station, and we got off at Town Hall. Then he showed us around the city.

First, we saw the Sydney Tower from below and the large Westfield Shopping Centre, from which the tower emerges. Then we walked to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), an old building where markets used to be held and has now been converted into a glamorous shopping centre. The interior was beautiful, with everything well restored and decorated with sparkling Christmas decorations. The highlight was a huge Christmas tree with a Swarovski trunk and ornaments, which extended over 3 floors of the QVB and sparkled wonderfully. In addition to the Christmas tree on the top floor, there was a great flower pavilion where Santa sat and you could take photos with him. There are also two large clocks hanging from the ceiling in the QVB, which are very intricately crafted. Something special happens there every hour, but unfortunately, we arrived at half past 10, so we would have had to wait a long time for the 'show'.

After the QVB, we continued to Town Hall, but we had some bad luck here too. There was some kind of evacuation going on, so we couldn't get a glimpse inside the building. But it was nice to look at from the outside. Except for the hideous Christmas tree on the balcony! Next to Town Hall is St. Andrew's Cathedral, a church that is considered the oldest in all of Australia.

Next, we walked to Darling Harbour. According to the travel guide, it used to be an industrial area, but in the 80s, it was revitalized as an entertainment and shopping district as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations. Side note: Australia's history is (excluding the Aboriginal people) so short!! The harbor with Cockle Bay, which is separated from the rest of the water by a pedestrian bridge, was really beautiful and a good place for a leisurely walk. The various ships anchored there were interesting, and because the Maritime Museum with an old Navy ship is also located at Darling Harbour, Patrick could explain a few things about the ship to us.

From Darling Harbour, we took a ferry to Circular Quay, passing under the Harbour Bridge. It was soooo amazing! Seeing the Harbour Bridge for the first time and right behind it, the famous Opera House! It really makes you realize: you're in Sydney, in Australia! So cool. Another cool thing was that there is a dock for cruise ships at Circular Quay because the natural Sydney Harbour at Parramatta River is so deep, and thus, there is a giant ship right in the middle of the city. It looks so out of place and funny :D It also dawned on me there: it's really creepy that we drove so deep underwater through a tunnel!

When we arrived at Circular Quay, we quickly went to McDonald's and got Frozen Cokes or Frozen Fantas for $1 each, and then we continued on our way. Patrick wanted to show us Customs House because there is a miniature view of Sydney on the ground floor under a glass plate. And it was really cool! Funny idea to do something like that. Customs House itself was built in 1845 and is therefore one of the oldest buildings in the city. It used to be a place of trade and a reception for visitors to Sydney, but now it houses a library and a restaurant on the roof. Unfortunately, there is an equally hideous Christmas tree in the square in front of it, just like at Town Hall!

From Customs House, we strolled to the Opera House and took some photos. The Opera House is really impressive up close and a great architectural feat, even though the roof is not as white as you might think based on many pictures on television. In the Opera House Café, which is located right on the water next to the Opera House, we met Sue and Steve, had some water, beer, and sparkling wine, and then walked to the area called The Rocks, which is right next to or under the Harbour Bridge. Unfortunately, Patrick had to say goodbye at Circular Quay, but he had already shown us around so kindly that we continued without him. The Rocks, like Darling Harbour, used to be a place where no one wanted to be because many poor people lived there, and it was quite run-down. The area was then revitalized, and today it is a popular destination for tourists, and it is very lively in the evenings due to the many original and old pubs. After a short walk and a milkshake, we decided to go to the Pylon Lookout on the Harbour Bridge to get a nice panoramic view of the city. Unfortunately, Sue couldn't go because she has knee problems and can't walk up stairs well, but Steve went with us. With a $13 entry fee per person, the lookout on one of the stone bridge piers was so expensive that Steve didn't go up with us but waited downstairs. We only had to pay the student price, which was $8.50 per person. And it was definitely worth it! We first received a lot of information about the creation and construction of the bridge, and then we had the super, mega, amazing view from above. And it was really awesome! We could look in all directions and we spotted the buildings in the skyline that we had already walked past, we saw Darling Harbour, and we could even see all the way to the zoo on the other side of the river! The Harbour Bridge also looked totally different and amazing from that perspective, and we even saw some bridge climbers on the bridge. That would also be a cool experience, but at $400 per person, it's probably too expensive :D

After what felt like an eternity, we had to tear ourselves away from the great view, and we felt really bad because Steve had been waiting for us downstairs. Then we found out that Sue had gone home, but the three of us went to the Observatory because it is right next to the Harbour Bridge, opposite The Rocks, and there is a free museum there. That was also really interesting, there were various exhibits about telescopes and the beginnings of southern hemisphere astronomy. After about half an hour, Sue called Andi's phone (Steve didn't have a phone) to say that she didn't have a house key and couldn't get in. Well. Since we didn't want to keep her waiting and we were actually done pretty well, we immediately started heading back to unlock the front door. Unfortunately, she still had to wait 1.5 hours until we walked to the train, waited for it, drove home, and walked from the train station to the apartment. But in the meantime, she went for a drink, so she was able to pass the time.

I think we were back around 8 pm, and dinner was quite late, but after that, we baked our gingerbread cookies and prepared the dough for the vanilla crescent cookies. Unfortunately, something went wrong because Sue doesn't have a kitchen scale, and we had to measure the ingredients using cups and ounces on a measuring cup. Unfortunately, we didn't know what the cup was calibrated to, so in the end, the ratio of butter (measured directly from the package by eye) to the dry ingredients was off. The dough was much too soft. We still put it in the refrigerator and hoped that it would cool down enough to be processed further and still taste good.

After this exhausting and successful day, we went to bed. Christmas is just around the corner!!