Sydney

As cool is KL was, I was so excited for the next leg....we were heading to Australia for the sole purpose to see our great friends Nick and Kath. I know you have heard me mention their names a million times, what you may not know is they inspired us to do this trip as they did it 4 years ago...they ended up stopping in Sydney (Nicks hometown) and just stayed, (now that I have been here I can totally see why!). We miss them desperately and were so happy they welcomed us into their home where we hunkered down and had a blast.

our first morning, Nick and Kath had to work so Jack and Sadietook us on a tour of Rose Bay

They live in the stunning Eastern Suburbs, and as Kath explained to me "this is not real Sydney" everything is so beautiful, meticulously maintained and the homes are incredible. After a tearful reunion (OK I think it was just me who cried), it felt like they have never left and the camaraderie and jokes started immediately. They took us to Bondi Beach to catch the evening sun, it was amazing, I can see why it is one of the post popular beaches in the world.

First stop- Bondi!

That evening we did not want to go to sleep, it  felt like we had so much catching up to do, but we had an early morning with a full day of activities planned. Kath had to work...but Nick took the day off and we all headed to the water where he took us through Sydney Harbour. Truly the only way to really see Sydney. Looking at a map its crazy how many inlets and beautiful beaches there are. We were so lucky he was able to show us many, hoping I remembered them all...Coogee Beach,  the Harbour Bridge, Watson's Bay, Darling Harbour and of course the Opera House. We also stopped at a cool little beach next to the zoo and just anchored and had lunch. What a life!

One incredible house after another-price tag? oh about 20 million

the beach we stopped at to have lunch...

not sure the name it was right next to the zoo

Livy was so happy to reconnect with Sadie- her Australian Bestie- she wishes so bad they lived in Toronto again, (me too)

That evening we took the boat to Watson's Bay where Kathy came and met us. We also connected with new friends- Sil and Don and their kids Max, Carla and Juliette. We had a great time went to a very hip, outdoor pub for dinner and watched an amazing sunset. Perfect end to a perfect day.

The next day we took a ferry (what an amazing transport system) to downtown, we toured around the Opera house, (which is so much more amazing then I ever thought) and went to the oldest part of Austrailia The Rocks (similar to Toronto's distillery district) 

The Rocks is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Locals and tourists mingle at the open-air Rocks Markets, purchasing street food and handmade fashions. The area has some of Sydney’s oldest pubs and many of the upscale restaurants have harbour views. Very trendy but also quite lovely. 

Sydney is such an amazing place, one of the prettiest cities I have ever been too, the perfect blend of beaches, culture, and amazing weather, what more could you ask for?

It was incredibly sad to leave, saying good bye to the Adairs was not fun for any of us...originally we were just going to stay in Sydney and then fly to Indonesia from there, but a new plan was hatched and driving to Brisbane was our next adventure.