OFF TO SYDNEY! John and I caught a cab to the Airport at 5:30am and due to the rain and heavy traffic, almost missed our flight! The flight was only 2 hours, and I managed to keep John in conversation rather than sleep the whole way there. We played trivia on the plane and I taught John how to play sudoku. Too bad you don't have any more long trips to Australia to utilize this new knowledge. How about 3 times dear? We read the JetStar magazine and I read about a great cupcake bakery downtown that is owned by a sweet older couple that specializes in red velvet cupcakes. The magazine even had a slight description of the cupcake's origin and story about the south! 
I decided that we must find this special spot and have one! Upon arriving in Sydney, we decided to figure out the transport system and how to take the train from the airport into the city. We made our way to the train station where we got not only a train ticket to the city, but a city pass which allowed for unlimited train, ferry, and bus travel throughout the city! 
It was such a great deal and really worked out great for the week. Fortunately, John wrote down the address of our hostel and on a hunch we got off at Central Station. As we made our way out of the station, I spotted our hostel. It was only a few feet from the train station! It was so convenient and we were delighted to know that we were so close to a train that could take us all around Sydney.
The hostel that we chose to stay at, Wake Up!, was so fascinating and a truly remarkable spot. They have so many activities coordinated for the young traveler and great deals on food and tours. They also have their own personal travel station in the lobby that is stocked with information about Sydney and things to do for the ultimate tourist, a.k.a. Magen Fowler and John Gabriel. After checking into the hostel room, we both decided that it would be a good idea to go for a walk to get further acquainted with the city. 
I found that Sydney was a much busier city than Melbourne, in that the streets are filled with an abundance of people and seemingly many more tourists. As we made our way down George St. we noticed lots of little shops and bakeries, and would'nt you know it our first purchase in Sydney was a red
velvet cupcake, which of course I insisted we both split. It was the Cupcake Bakery that I read about in the magazine. What a coincidence! It was soooo GOOD and I am determined to master their recipe. The buildings that lined the streets were magnificent and true testaments to the art of Australian architecture. Many were historical and the intricacy of the design was amazing. As we continued down the busy streets of Sydney we noticed a
certain smell in the air, that of salt water. We had finally found Sydney harbour, and had our first view of the famous Sydney Opera House! The harbour was replete with ferry wharfs, gelato stands, digeredoo performers, cruise tour boats, and so much more! After a GREAT lunch and exploration of the harbour, we decided to make our way back to the hostel to rest up and get ready for our first dinner in Sydney.
Our first dinner was most definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. John and I, thanks to his parents (THANKS SO MUCH!!!), were able to dine at quite
possibly Sydney's nicest restaurant, the 360 room. You may be curious as to where it gets its name. Well, as you are enjoying a fine meal, the room in which you are sitting is slowly revolving 360 degrees and you are afforded the opportunity to see Sydney in its entirety in the splendor of the evening lights. We took an elevator up 80 floors to the 5 star restaurant
and saw breath-taking views of Sydney! I had no idea that the city was so large and we got to see the bridge and opera house in all their glory lit up! John and I both had a great 3 course meal (in which I got a man steak... Dad you raised me well) and it truly made for a great romantic evening!
On Wednesday, John and I decided to take advantage of our hostel's opportunities and decided to participate in the beach walk
tour. We took buses to our first beach and then walked the rest of the way all along the coastline of Sydney. We had perfect weather and made some great new friends. Our tour guide was absolutely hilarious and truly kept us on our toes and things very interesting. On the tour we learned about many of
Sydney’s beaches including, Coogee, Cloverly, Bronte, and eventually Bondi Beach, Sydney's most famous beach. The tour lasted approximately 3 hours as we walked around the cliffs that connected each of the beaches. The views were great and we managed to get some terrific pictures!
At Bondi beach, after we learned about sharks and then were invited to go for a swim (very enticing right?), we were given free time to walk around and get lunch. John picked quite likely the creepiest spot along the beach, the lobby of a hotel that also contained a casino. I forgave him because he really didn't know. Once we got out of there, we shopped around at some of the surf shops and got some candy (my favorite) :) We met back up with the group and grabbed a bus back to the city. Once the beach tour concluded we went back to the hostel to get ready for one our biggest nights out in Sydney, the Ballet at the Sydney Opera House!
The ballet that we saw was Coppélia. It is a story that has a little bit of everything: a touch of magic, a dash of romance, and masses of sumptuous costumes. The ballet was absolutely
enchanting and I could only think of the talent required to dance a role in this production. The set was of that of a fairy tale and the costumes were so striking and detailed! Our seats were great and it was remarkable to not only be inside such a beautiful and renowned building, but to be fortunate enough to watch a ballet on its stage. John and I both thoroughly enjoyed this experience and will remember it for years to come.
Thursday John and I woke up and had a great breakfast at our hostel. After I got my routine coffee (yes Mom I agree it is good for you haha), we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take the ferry to a few bays surrounding Sydney. Each ferry has its separate wharf, or pick up dock, and a particular destination and makes multiple stops along the way.
It was so fascinating to see business people and other individuals that take this each and every day to get to and from work. 
What a great start to the morning- a beautiful boat ride to get to the office! The ferries provide a convenient, beautiful, and even fun, I would venture to say, mode of transportation to those commuting to the city.
We decided to take our first ferry to Mosman Bay. We made stops around small boating towns and docks and had a great time looking and talking about each of the boats (in other words, John educating me about the boats). We even saw the prime minister, Kevin Rudd's, house!
It was lovely and had its own separate island. Our next ferry adventure was to Watson's Bay; and as we approached one of the stops, we realized that our whole boat was unloading so we decided to follow suite. We soon found ourselves on the famous Watson’s Bay. Upon arrival we decided to take a nature walk around the island, which proved to be very beneficial because we were able to learn some interesting history and facts about the bay.
We arrived at multiple look out spots and got to see amazing cliffs and the ocean. We even ventured to an old military base called Gap Bluff and learned about Australia's strategic warfare and homeland defense system. What an educational bay!
After our ferry rides, we headed back to the city where we searched FOREVER for a Thai restaurant. We finally found the perfect spot and split a great meal. After "dunch," we headed back to the hostel where we waited for Jill to arrive!
took us to a few of Sydney’s cool little dance spots. At each spot, the hostel announcer coordinated games and gave away free things! The bus was sooo much fun and they played great music and everyone danced and sang.
We created a new definition for the fist pump; and got our new friend, Michael Moses, to come along with us and had a grand night. I don't think Sydney knew what it had coming when the four of us stepped on the dance floor! Didn't know John had two left feet. hahahaha
On Friday, everyone rose early and enjoyed a great breakfast at a very local friendly spot in Sydney. After brekkie, we walked back to the hostel to make it in time for the free guided city walk. Although we had been in the city for a few days already, we figured that getting a guided tour would still be beneficial and that we would probably learn even more about the things that we had seen. The city walk was very helpful and great and we discovered China Town. Such a neat spot! After the city walk, we stopped at the harbour for lunch and then decided to show Jill the ferry system. We hopped on a ferry to Darling Harbour and Jill was amazed! The weather was beautiful and we all sat at the back of the boat and leaned over the edge taking in the sights. The most remarkable thing about this ride was that on the way back, we ran into heavy water traffic and learned that Jessica Watson, a young Australian sailor, was just arriving back in Sydney after she sailed across the world! She was all over the news and a really big thing in Australia and we were lucky enough to see her come into the harbour! HOW awesome!
After we made it back to the wharf, we headed in to get ready for our dinner tall ship harbour cruise. Earlier in the week, we booked a dinner cruise on one of Sydney's oldest ships, the Southern Swan and the day finally arrived for us to step aboard. We were so excited that John and I decided to leave the hostel early and explore the harbour more beforehand and arranged for Jill and Michael to meet us there at 5 right before the ship took off. John and I headed to the train station around 4 and continued in our normal routine UNTIL we got to Circular Quay station (our destination) and I suggested we remain on the train and finish the city circle (that particular train's route) and see each stop and more of Sydney. John agreed seeing as we had so much time to spare, and we were off! Little did we know that the route changes after the completion of the last stop within the city circle and does not continue around the circle but instead heads for another route! We ended up on an express train (NO STOPPING UNTIL IT REACHED ITS DESTINATION) all the way into a suburb of Sydney. By the time we finally reached the stop, it was 4:45 and we were supposed to be at Campbell's Cove at 5:15 to board the ship.
Needless to say we were freaking out! We got off at that station and found the quickest train back to Circular Quay station. Turns out we could not find an express train but instead had to take one that stops at EVERY single stop along the way. Oh, the stress! The entire train back was miserable because we were hoping and praying that we would make it back in time because our tickets were non refundable. With each stop, I grew more and more anxious; and finally we reached Circular Quay and I called Jill and the captain said that we had 5 minutes to make it. We SPRINTED there. I am talking sprinted not ran. As fast as I could possibly go. I took off my shoes and everything. Almost had a heart attack. BUT WE MADE IT! Just in the knick of time!
We gloriously got on board and had a fabulous evening under the stars. It was such a different experience to cruise the Sydney waters at night and the city skyline was so pretty! The food on the ship was interesting and the highlights were the sausages and chicken skewers. After we had dinner and learned about the ship, we headed back for the Cove. It was such a great experience!!! After the cruise, we decided to go pioneer this place called the "Rocks" that we had heard was great fun. We found it and the atmosphere was really fun and unique. We got chocolate gelato and a mouth watering cookie at a dessert bar. Truly the best cookie that I have ever put in my mouth. Didn't even want to share it with John, even though he was the one who got it! ha We sure do know how to end a night!
OUR LAST DAY! John and I woke up early and went to Darling Harbour for a final breakfast together. I was really craving waffles (to satisfy my sweet tooth I guess)and we tried our hardest to find somewhere with them, but unfortunately there were none to be found! All was not lost though, seeing as I settled on French toast with a delicious syrup and even ice cream on the side! YUM, it's okay though, right John? “We are on vacation.” At the table John and I worked on some much needed post cards for our families. I wish with all my being that I could say be on the look out for those guys!, but you will soon find out the outcome of those! Breakfast was great and it was truly splendind to eat at the harbour and watch the ships and boats come in.
After our breakfast, we met up with Jill and headed to the Maritime Museum, a must see for John of course and a newfound interest of my own. It turned out to be quite informative and all three of us really enjoyed learning about Australia’s naval, racing, and trade history on the water. The exhibitions were great and there was even a portion of the museum that the United States gifted Australia with! It was interesting learning about our relationship with Australia via the waterways and about international trade. As we were exiting the museum, I discovered a weird creature in the lobby outside of the gift shop. Even though I know things like that are not REALLY real, it looked so REAL! After we perused the gift shop, I built up the courage to go speak to it and possibly get a picture. The results are below...
And the learning continues... Our next stop for the day was the Power House Museum, which I had been DYING to see. The Power House Museum is Sydney’s Museum of Science and Design; and has 4 different levels, each having a different and distinct theme. Of course Jill and I loved the FASHION FLOOR, which was focused on Australian fashion innovation and technique, and it was even complete with a red carpet runway where we "encouraged" John to pretend to be our personal photographer (John... I know you loved it).
One of the coolest attractions at the museum was a 3D simulator, in which you control the outcome of the experiment! The hands-on stations were really fun and we learned lots of things about age old inventinos and also modern technology. I felt like I was on a high school field trip again haha. Unfortunately, in this area of the museum is where I think the post cards disappeared. I believe they fell out of my pocket, but I'm not too sure because I called the museum and turns out that no one turned them in nor were they found anywhere... what a BUMMER.
After the Power House feeling all mentally powerful with our new knowledge (did I really just say that?), we thought we might get one more ferry ride in...
So we headed down to the wharf where we caught a ferry to the much talked about Manly Beach. The ferry ride there was 20 minutes through some pretty intense waves! We had to go inside the cabin of the ferry because the waves were so high and rough.
The people seated at the front of the boat got soaked! Good thing we headed inside. While inside, Jill and I discovered that the boat had a café on it and got a doughnut and a small spinach/cheese cheese pocket (quite the combination if you ask me). After we enjoyed our treats, we reached the beach. Instead of getting out, we all decided to remain on the ferry and enjoy another rough ride back to the harbour. 
At this point, I noticed John not looking so well and asked him if he was feeling alright. He confirmed my suspicions and answered that he was not feeling so well.
I offered to head back to the hostel early so he could lie down before dinner but he insisted that Jill and I stick to the plan and go to the market to pick up souvenirs. After a lenghthy conversation, he convinced me to go ahead but I promised to make it a quick trip! At the market, we discovered so many neat things and the prices were so reasonable! I got my parents a few little suprises and a few other things :) Jill and I had a great time and even got matching touristy Australian sweatshirts. Can't wait to rock that at home!
After the market, we headed back to the hostel to check on John and to my HUGE SUPRISE, when I entered our room, there were flowers and a card and my favorite candy on the bed!! I freaked out and gave John a huge hug. The flowers were pink roses and they were so beautiful and the card was very heartfelt. What a sweetheart John is :)
After this great suprise, John and I went out for a great last dinner to a very neat restaurant in the city and talked of our trip and all the fun that we had. After dinner and a quick stroll through the city, we headed back to the hostel to meet up with some fellow South Carolinians that we had met earlier in the week. We socialized with them and had a fun night. Who can ask for more than flowers, delicious food, and great Southern fellowship on their last night in Sydney?
Sadly, the following morning at 5:30 a.m. we wished Sydney farewell. I miss it every day and hope to visit again someday. Thanks so much to my parents for allowing me the opportunity to go and for all that you have done for me. Thanks also to John's parents for your sweet gifts and for allowing John to spend this amazing trip with me. You guys are the best. My only wish is that you could have experienced it with us.
