Sydney

After my escapades in Melbourne I caught the one and a half hour international flight to Sydney (don't ask why it was international...) on Wednesday. I was staying with my friend Lucy and her family and she was there at the airport to pick me up. We spent Wednesday seeing the main harbor. I saw the "old" part of the city, the Rocks, walked across the Harbor Bridge, saw the Opera House, you know, saw the sights. The city is absolutely gorgeous sprawled out over a harbor in the shape of a large flowering plant rooted in the ocean and branching off into tens of hundreds of inlets and bays eventually stemming northward along the Hawkesbury River. Every vantage point is breathtaking. Here is a "Best of Sydney" list (not in any particular order):

1. Seeing Avatar in the world's largest IMAX theater. Spectacular is an understatement.
2. The hour(ish) long hike from Covelley to Bondi Beach along cliff tops and hidden beaches covered in white sand.
3. Learning about "Surviving in Australia" at the National Australian Museum. The exhibit had everything from poisonous animals to Aboriginal lifestyle and culture to dinosaurs. My kind of thing.
4. Climbing the Harbor Bridge! 437ft above the harbor and I could see from the ocean all the way west to the Blue Mountains (close to a two hour drive!). The climb took about three hours all together but was one of the best things I have ever done. Sydney is a beautiful city but it is even more beautiful when you can literally stand on top of it and look down on it. Clear blue skies and a light breeze made it the perfect day to do this.
5. Watching the sunset behind the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House from the Royal Botanical Gardens.
6. Getting my class on and going to the Opera House for a performance of the Silver Rose. It was my first ballet and I loved it. I actually saw a show in arguably the most famous performance space in the world and oh yeah, I got a "student rush" ticket. Thirty bucks for a seat on the balcony, dead-center. Clutch.