We spent one week enjoying the beauty of Sydney, including from the balcony of our little apartment. I didn’t have high hopes for our place because it was the cheapest one I could find in the area we wanted (and it wasn’t cheap!) but it turned out to be good. A bit run-down and small but the location was perfect and it felt very safe. It was a great jumping off point for exploring.

a look at the neighbourhood; our apartment was on the fourth floor of the circled apartment complex

The first day we walked out of our apartment on to the Harbour Bridge! The weather was perfect and the views were fabulous! We couldn’t stop taking photos as we walked into the city.

Once we got to the other side, we just walked around for a while. We ate lunch, we marvelled at the huge cruise ship and we got a feel for the city.

The next day we had something exciting planned: a tour of the Sydney Opera House! It was very well done. Interesting, inspiriting and informative, and by the end, we all wanted to see a concert there. So we spoke to someone at the box office who was very helpful and we secured tickets for Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony with Anna Lapwood playing the organ for later in the week. (More on the later.)

After lunch, Steffen headed to a cafe to work and the girls and I went to the Royal Botanical Garden, but by then it had gotten very hot and humid. The girls decided to sit in the shade while I walked around a bit, but by the end, I was dripping in sweat. I did not know that Sydney was humid!

So we decided to hop on one of the many ferries that run through the Sydney area. We went to Manly beach, mostly because it was the longest ferry ride and we needed to feel the wind on our faces! 🙂 But we also liked walking around the shopping area and sat at the beach for a little while.

Then we were back in the city and ready to meet up with Steffen and our friend from Melbourne (who was coincidentally in town for work) for dinner. A nice end to a day of exploring.

The next day it was time for the big event–the symphony at the Opera House! It was magical! We got last minute seats so had “no view” seats but that actually meant that while we could not see the organist, we were right behind the orchestra. Like *right* behind them! In the seats that are usually used for the choir. The first piece had a fabulous violinist that we had a great view of and throughout the concert we could watch the individual musicians. It was amazing! And at the end we got to meet the organist, Anna Lapwood, and she kindly took a photo with us.

The next day we went on a field trip to the Taronga Zoo which was very enjoyable. We saw all the usual favourites–gorillas and lions and giraffes and tigers plus some Australian favorites. I will never get enough time staring at the koalas! Their faces!! 🙂

Our final day in Sydney (and Australia) we spent at Bondi Beach. We took the long way there because we wanted to take the ferry. So we went from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay on the ferry and then took the bus from Watsons Bay to the south end of Bondi Beach.

The weather wasn’t perfect, but we spent some time on the beach and walked around a bit, then walked south along the water to Tamarama Beach, a small portion of the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, where we hopped on the bus back to the apartment.

Then the next morning it was time to pack up and head to country #11. Our flight left in the late afternoon, so we had some time to kill in the city. We opted for an early movie, and then it was time to head to the airport. We were all sad to leave Australia because it is such a special place. Hopefully we’ll be back again one day!

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As we explored Sydney, it was fun to reminisce about our trip with Hannah 16.5 years ago (September 2009). We tried to recreate a few photos. My, how the time passes!