Sculptures by the sea – Bondi Beach

We were looking forward to the event as we love this coastal walk. Unfortunately, we could not avoid the crowds as our only available days were the weekend. We decided to go late in the day, hoping that most people would have left by then.

The weather was beautiful and it was quite warm. When we got to Bondi, the beach was packed. However, we had a look at the sky and realised that the weather was due to change quickly.

We tried to ignore it but soon realised that we would better turn back or would we get caught in the storm. So we didn’t get a chance to see many of the sculptures.

Also, the walk was quite congested by so many people that we could not move swiftly through it.

About 4 kms from home it started pouring heavily. Given that we were on our motorbike, we had to stop rather quickly and managed to find a spot where we safely waited for the rain to subside.

We had been to the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition in Perth, back in March, and some of the artists were the same so we felt better about not missing so much.

Here are some snapshots:

Here is a before and after picture. The first one was taken when we arrived and the other when we left (40 minutes later).

Seven Bridges Walk

Every year the Cancer Council organises the 7 Bridges Walk around Sydney. This is a great way not only to support a great cause, raise awareness, and fundraise, but also to discover some beautiful areas of the city.

You can start from any point and if you complete the whole course you will cross all 7 bridges, a total of 27 kms. Should you feel tired, or only want to do some sections, there are special buses, clock and anti-clockwise, stopping at all village points, that can drop you at your starting point.

We felt brave and departed from Rozelle bright and early with the goal to complete the whole circuit. And mission accomplished 🙂

The day was beautiful, the sky was blue, it was warm but there was a light breeze which made it just perfect!

We walked through lots of areas that we would generally not do and that was pretty amazing. The views were lovely and it was awesome to cross some of the bridges, that we generally just drive through, on foot, such as the Harbour Bridge.

There were lots of participants but I felt that most people faced the whole experience as a race as opposed to a relaxing walk of discovery, which was a bit disappointing. We did not get the opportunity to speak much to other participants, which I felt was a shame as we were all sharing a pretty amazing experience.

The last 5 kms were hard and the following day walking took some effort… but it was definitely worth it 🙂

Iron Cove Bridge

Grove Creek Reserve

Grove Creek Reserve

Millsons Point – View of the Harbour Bridge

View of the Opera House from the Harbour Bridge

Pyrmont Bridge

View of the Anzac Bridge from Johnstons Bay

Anzac Bridge

Anzac Bridge

 

Opera House – Open Day

Every now and again the Opera House has an open day. On the last occasion, and given that the day was bit grey and wet, we did not miss the opportunity!

The queue was quite long but it moved along swiftly. We were expecting a bit of a wait and did not mind it,  after all we were saving $37 a head.

The Opera House is definitely one of the most recognisable buildings in the world due to its peculiar design, and I was therefore pretty curious to see, and feel, it from the inside.

The same flow of the outside design carries on inside. You move along the various show rooms, as if in a maze. There are many steps and you do have a strange feeling of being inside a ship, with piano keys all over the walls. There are amazing views of the bay, the Harbour Bridge, and Circular Quay from the many windows.

We were able to go backstage and even got to see a small exhibition of costumes used in the most popular shows.

The highlight for me was to be able to stand on the stage of the Concert Hall!

I loved it and highly recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney 🙂

Northern Foyer

Concert Hall

Concert Hall

Drama Theatre

Costumes from La Boheme

Studio

Vivid Sydney 2015

Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of lights, music and more. All through the city light displays could be seen, some were truly amazing (my favourite was the story like display on the facade of the Customs House) and some were interactive fun little gadgets (like the drums that simulated fireworks display on trees near The Star). You could definitely spend a couple of hours walking along the city, following the lights and photographing: from Circular Quay and Opera House, to The Rocks, Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont and even the University of Sydney.

We found it lots of fun, especially as this was our first year! Here are some pictures of the event:

Circular Quay

Customs House

Customs House

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour

The Rocks

Opera House

Opera House

Opera House

Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art

Martin Place

The Rocks

Town Hall

Opera House

Opera House

From Rosebay to Nielsen Park

We love walking, hiking, and trekking, so when we get to combine that with amazing views of the city we feel pleased as punch 🙂

From our previous trips to Sydney, we had already visited Nielsen Park, and both Shark and Milk beaches, on a couple of occasions and we really liked it. So when I was looking for a nice trail to do with some friends the choice was easy.

The path is easy to follow and for the most part there is a man-made walkway. Sydney´s Harbour National Park is definitely a gem in the middle of the city, where you can breathe fresh air, and leave your busy schedules behind.

The weather was lovely and we had a great time. When we got home a couple of hours later there was a massive hail storm which definitely took us by surprise. Luckily, we were pulling into the garage when it started to pour.

Milk Beach

Shark Beach, Nielsen Park

Twilight Parade – Chinese New Year

Last Sunday, it was the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Sydney. We didn´t have the opportunity to attend many of the celebrations, or even checkout the lights and sculptures that were around the city, but we certainly did not want to miss the Twilight Parade.

After our disappointment with the celebrations in Brisbane, and having watched Sydney celebrations on TV the previous years, we were excited to see it live.

We were not disappointed 🙂 It was fun, lively and it featured many aspects of the Chinese cultural in a Western country. Here are some pictures:

On my way to the train station

In Brisbane’s inner suburbs we are always running into the typical Queenslander houses raise on stilts with their all around balconies.
In Sydney they have the Federation houses,  mostly semi-detached with beautifully ornamented porches.
I love both of these house types and find that they give each city their own character.
Having just moved to Sydney,  I can’t help but look around my new neighbourhood with wonder. 

Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. We had loved Moreton and Straddie so Fraser had to be next on our list. We decided that it would be best to take a tour to see the island at first as we could always return on our own if we enjoyed it.

It was a good choice as you must have some experience driving in treacherous sand roads as there are no are other roads types on the island.

On the first day, we started with a walk in the rainforest, which is quite impressive since all the plants grow on sand. Remember the plants from Jurassic Park?! They can be found here!

Then we stopped for a dip in Lake McKenzie. This lake is only composed of raindrops. The water is filtered by the sand and takes 100 years to come to surface. The water is pure and crystal clear 🙂

Driving through 75 Mile Beach is breathtaking. The beach is endless and for the most part you see no one else around. It is quite an experience in itself. The next morning, we were lucky to spot some dingoes though 🙂

The Pinnacles is one of the main attractions on the island as they have been formed naturally by sand. They might look like rock but they are nothing but sand!

Another attraction is the ship wreck which sunk in Fraser for over 60 years.

Further ahead, you can find Eli Creek where you can literally let yourself float down the creek. Again, the water is so pure that you can drink it! The water is cold but after the first round, you will be sure to come back for more.

Getting to Lake Wabby can be an adventure in itself, especially if it is sunny and hot. There is no way to hide and you have to go down a sand dune. My advice, take closed shoes because the sand will really burn your foot soles!!! But the lake itself is quite amazing!

The island is a pretty special place but there are too many tour operators in 4×4 or even buses around. It feels a bit commercial but we were very lucky with the group that we were in. Everyone was really nice and we had a some good laughs. We even had roasted marshmallows by the campfire at night so all the boxes were ticked.

If you are in the Brisbane area it is definitely a place to visit 🙂

Chinese Garden of Friendship – Sydney

Sydney is a big city, and so life is busy, chaotic at times, traffic can be a pain and there are people everywhere you go. Now imagine being able to escape the noisy city and enter a world of tranquillity as fast as you can think it!

The Chinese Gardens are exactly that! An Eden in the heart of the city! Here you feel you have been transported to a Chinese Mountain and you can enjoy the peace and quiet. This is a perfect place to read a good book, drink some tea and put your feet up after a long day of sightseeing.

As it is near Darling Harbour it is really well located for tourists’ visits and for young business professionals on the go. I found it magical and well worth a visit 🙂

Home

 

I have been neglecting this blog and feel terrible about it 😦

The truth is that at first I was consumed by my upcoming trip to Lisbon. There was a lot of anxiety in the preparations, so many things I wanted to do, places to visit, people to see… A part of me was also very apprehensive as I had never been away for so long and I was worried what I would find…

While there, time just flew! I did not manage to do all the things I wanted, visit all the places I had planned or see everyone… I never do! It was awesome to be back but I must confess that I did not feel like I was home, not really…. I mean, Lisbon will always be HOME in my heart, and it will always be MY city, however I cannot imagine being there permanently and living there again. My routines, my house, and work are elsewhere and that makes me a foreigner, watching the city´s commotion from afar.

When I came back, it took me about 2 weeks to get over the jetlag and sometime to process all the thoughts, emotions, and experiences lived in those short 3 weeks…

Here are some pictures of my beautiful Lisbon 🙂

It is wonderful to be able to see my city through the eyes of a tourist, in a way that I was never able to see it when I lived there!

It is wonderful to be able to feel at home in different places!

It is amazing to have the opportunity to have lived, and live, abroad!