Half heart in Sydney, the other half is still in Bali

Because there is also a kind of 'winter vacation' at my organization in Bali, I decided to take advantage of this time to fly to Australia. When else will you ever have the luxury of being on the other side of the world within 5 hours?! Besides, I have many friends in Australia at the moment. So I took the opportunity and flew to Australia for 3 weeks.

My journey started in Sydney with my dear cousin (through three corners) Marie. She lovingly welcomed me into her apartment, so here's a HUGE THANK YOU again!

I arrived in the morning but because I had flown overnight, I was quite awake and the 3-hour time difference didn't bother me at all.

So I was ready for Sydney. The weather was perfect, so we decided to go for a Costal Walk from Cogee to Bondi Beach. We stopped at the most beautiful and famous beaches, sunbathed, ate and drank coffee.

The next day, we slept in and then took the ferry to Manly Beach from the Oprah House. There, we hiked around in one of the national parks and found a beautiful secluded bay overlooking Sydney.

Due to the almost perfect location of the apartment, we decided to take a little sightseeing tour on foot the next day. We saw Surry Hills (the most beautiful district of Sydney), walked through Hyde Park, saw the National Museum of Art, St. Mary's Cathedral, Botanic Gardens, not to mention the famous Oprah House and the Harbour Bridge. In the afternoon, we went to Sydney's shopping streets and to one of the many small cafes that Sydney has to offer.

I also met up with my other friend Michelle to plan our upcoming road trip from Sydney to Melbourne, of course we met in a cafe.

And then Christmas was just around the corner. In the morning, I went to a kind of second-hand market with Marie, her flatmate, and her two friends from Norway. It was paradise for all fashion fans. After shopping, we once again made ourselves comfortable in one of the many cafes.

Afterwards, we started our Christmas shopping. Since Christmas is celebrated in Australia on December 25th, all shops were still open on the 24th. We tried to keep our dinner/night as European as possible, so we bought roast, made mashed potatoes and so on. But we also wanted to celebrate a bit like the Australians, so we sat outside and enjoyed the good weather in the evening on the balcony after we had been to church.

We went to the Hilsong Church in Sydney - I will never forget this church service! The nativity play was actually performed with real animals. Mary came in on a real donkey, the Three Wise Men brought their camels, and there were also shepherds with their sheep - unbelievable!

After we had finished unwrapping the presents, it was already late at night.. We made the most of our Christmas celebration in hot Australia and managed to do it so well that we didn't feel homesick at all! One reason for this could also be the weather and the resulting lack of Christmas atmosphere. Nevertheless, it was a successful evening.

That was my first week in Sydney, and I must say that this city has quickly become one of my favorite cities. The diversity of beaches and nature, but also the city itself with its special flair, is unique. And let's not forget the friendliness, openness, and relaxed attitude of the Australians! It's very easy to live here, and now I can also understand anyone who wants to stay in Australia rather than going back home.

Nevertheless, my thoughts are constantly with Bali, with the people and children, and with the island itself. I don't even know how it's going to be when I'm back in Germany...

In my next blog post, I will write about our road trip to Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road, as well as about New Year's Eve in Sydney.