Catching Up, Part 1: Sydney

Sydney is a gorgeous city with a lot of character. The neighborhood we're in right now, Newtown, has more than it's fair share of character, as any Sydneysider will attest. There are activities of every kind and enough space that the background will always be picturesque.

There are SO many beaches here that many are completely overlooked. It's simply amazing to me that any beach as beautiful as the ones here could be overlooked, but it's true. And that's not to say that Sydneysiders don't go to the beach, they are in fact the most beach-going people I've ever seen. It's no wonder that Australia consistently does so well in swimming at the Olympics.

So in our first weeks here Kat and I spent a LOT of time looking for a place to live. We spent little time sight-seeing but we did manage to make it to Bondi Beach. Many Aussies have told me that Bondi is the tourist beach and it's too overcrowded. Only an Australian could be so lucky to say something like that. While there were a lot of people there, I found it to be a very enjoyable beach that had a great show-off feel that only a beach can provide.

We also managed to get down to the harbor to see the famous opera house and the Sydney harbor bridge. They both really live up to the hype, but no necessarily for the reasons that I thought they would. I thought they would be amazing as standalone sights but it's the entirety of the area that makes it a superb sight. The opera house is seated on a small peninsula a short walk from the CBD (central business district) and is attached to the Royal Botanical Gardens. When you walk around the opera house you are not only overwhelmed by the architecture, but also by the views of the harbor bridge, the tall CBD buildings, the botanical gardens, the passing sailboats, and of course flocks of Cockatoos.

That's all I'll say for now because there's a lot to say about Sydney and I'll be here for another year! Hopefully the pictures will help fill in the gaps. Click here to go straight to the online album.