Sydney, Australia, the Land Down Under
“Australia is a paradoxical land. It is a modern, industrialized, and technologically advanced nation on a continent that is largely unpopulated.” – Francis Gordon Clarke
Sydney is home to iconic attractions like the famous Opera House and Harbor Bridge. It is also home to my cousins @SatinderSingh and @RoopamPinkySingh who welcomed me to their home with love and friendship and then proceeded to show me Australia. This visit to their home and to Sydney was the highlight of my time in Australia.
Of course, as it turned out Sydney is home to a lot more than the two iconic attractions and family and I proceeded to wander and explore all that the city has to offer but alas! four days is barely enough to scratch the surface. Watch out down under I am already planning a return.
The Sydney city skyline as the sail boats dipped and swayed with the wind was breathtaking from the harbor cruise that I took. At a glance without the unmistakable harbor bridge and opera house in the view it might look like any other large city by the water.
The Sydney Opera House is an architectural marvel. While I did not have time for a tour inside, a lady I met along the way raved about it. I did however thanks to my cousins in Sydney have an opportunity to attend a performance inside one of the smaller theaters inside.
It was an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience with superb performers, a bit of an adult show. What I really liked is how the country recognizes and pays homage to its first nations people before kicking off the performance.
And yes, we did adjourn to the Opera Bar after the performance and enjoy the beautiful nighttime ambiance of the circular quay. This was after we enjoyed dinner on the water before the show as well. All in all, one of the best evenings during my time here in Australia.
Bondi Beach, one has to definitely pay a visit to another well known icon though as my cousin said there are better beaches all along the Sydney coastline and we did actually get to visit some of them and even have lunch at Clovelly Beach which happens to be a particular favorite with my cousins.
Darling Harbor, so many neighborhoods full of fabulous restaurants with beautiful settings along the waterfront including the famous Harry’s Pies that has served meat pies to the likes of Prince Harry, Frank Sinatra and Chris Hemsworth.
Another interesting inlet along the way as I toured the harbor via a harbor cruise.
Let’s not forget that Sydney was once the like the wild west and home to many of the convicts who had been sent away for various crimes. In an attempt to tame and bring some law and order the Hyde Park Barracks were set up to house the prisoners in Sydney.
Neighborhoods that once might have had a humble start have been revamped and are now some of the most expensive real estate in Australia as well as some of the most eclectic and interesting dining destinations.
So many names from books that I’ve read, Rose Bay, Double Bay, Manly. I heard quite the discussion with family who currently live in Sydney about their favorite beaches even as they voiced their disdain for Bondi.
Street art has become such an artistic expression in most major cities of the world and Sydney is no exception.
Standing here watching the fishermen fish in the ocean, I am reminded that if I were to sail far enough, I might actually wash up on the shores of the Americas. So near and yet so far.
It’s astonishing that most scientists and seamen predicted that there had to be a large landmass in the Southern Hemisphere to balance all the landmass in the Northern Hemisphere and yet it took western explorers a long time to actually make their way here.
Despite the weather that threatened rain almost daily and remained somewhat overcast during my time in Sydney, I actually managed to do everything I planned included making my way into the blue mountains to pay a visit to the three sisters.
Street cafes like this abound all over the city.
When I was sitting at home in Los Angeles planning my trip I thought that I had allowed enough time to explore Australia. Today as I contemplate on my last evening in Australia, I realize I have but scratched the surface and whetted my appetite.
Perth, Adelaid, Darwin and the Kimberly, I did not even make my way close to that part of Australia. Of course, I did crazy things like ride a coach for 5 hours to go from Ayers Rock to Alice Springs because I read “A Town Like Alice” when I was a teenager, then I visited the office of the Flying Doctor Service there and worried all my friends who thought I had sought medical attention and not visited as a tourist attraction.
I have enjoyed the time that I have spent and if God is kind and my body is willing, I’ll make it make for round two.