Sending you a Postcard: Sydney and Blue Mountains

When arriving to Sydney I woke up perfectly just on time to see the Harbour Bridge when our nightbus drove through it. Also Opera House greeted us by looking majestic in the fresh morning light. We were to spend four days in Sydney, Ville, Roope and I, and Sari was to stay with us for the first day before going to Canberra for her exchange. In Central Station we stepped out of the Greyhound bus for the last time – final stop of our East Coast Trip together.

During the first (and Sari’s last :/ ) day we spent time by getting to know the city, we took a Hop on Hop off –bus to see Sydney. We walked around the city, visited shopping center Queen Victoria Building (very fancy), passed by Hyde Park and UTS (University of Technology) and of course went to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Surroundings of the Opera House were very posh, but my favorite place was The Rocks neighbourhood near Harbour Bridge with all the little cafés, bars and restaurants. During the next days we checked out other parts and places around and near Sydney.

Bondi Beach
At Bondi we tried some surfing again. Waves were definately rougher than in Byron, and in addition after 10 minutes in the water me and Ville got stung by a bluebottle jellyfish – ouch! – Ville still has some red marks on his leg… I decided to give up on surfing (and my surfboard hired for one hour) and safely just lie on the beach and "warm up" my jellyfish burns under hot water as advised by the lifeguards.

Bondi Beach and few lifeguards

Circular Quay
Same night we headed back to the city, once again to the Opera House. And not just to admire it, but actually to see an opera called "Barber of Seville" - definitely worth going, a fun piece and the best way to experience the Opera House.

Manly Beach
I found Manly more charming than Bondi thanks to its cozy boulevards and restaurants and bigger beach. Also surfing seemed to be easier and actually doable there (for some reason though Roope was the only one who dared to go), and during the ferry trip (15AUD) you’ll see the skyline of Sydney pretty well.

Blue Mountains
These mountains two hours away from Sydney pretty much blew my mind. Best waterfalls so far without doubt! Three Sisters turned out to be an easy attraction full of tourists, but other tracks offer so much to see and in addition climbing back and forth the steep mountain stairs gave an intense workout for gluteins… We went up and down both the grand staircase and the giant staircase. However one should book enough time for Blue Mountains, most of the hiking tracks take 2-5 hours, spending a night or two there wouldn’t be a bad idea!