This blog entry will be my last one for Sydney ever because as I write this we are currently back in Newcastle for a few days before we head on up the east coast and get back to proper travelling again. This should cover our last couple of weeks there. Following on from my last entry I worked a few more days that week mainly in Darling Harbour where I did another wedding and also a breakfast conference which meant I had to be up at 5.30 in the morning to be there in time to start at 7. Luckily that was the only morning shift that I had to do. I also had to work at a private school called Cranbrook School in Double Bay. I had to workon my own in the headmasters house which was a bit weird but it ws fine. I got a lift home and didn't finish too late so we still had time to go out afterwards to the Coogee Palace bar. It turned out to be a good night as they had free drinks for the first hour. It probably wasn't a good night for them as we all managed to get about 10 free drinks each!

That Sunday was really hot so Justin and I went to Manly for the day. I hadn't been there yet but had heard really good things about it. We had to catch the bus to circular key and then the ferry across to Manly. Unfortunately the bus stopped early becasue of the St. Patricks day parade and we had to walk up most of Eizabeth Street which is quite a long way. The ferry took about half and hour but there were some really good views from the boat. When we arrived we walked down towards the beach and stopped for lunch at a nice outdoors restaurant. Manly seemed like a really nice and pretty place but it was very busy, probably for that same reason. After lunch we went down to the beach for a couple of hours. It was packed but much bigger than what I had gotten used to at Coogee and the weather was great so I added to my tan a bit. After that we went around the shops for a while and also went to the market that was up because of the weekend.

I had the monday off work too and just used that to chill out and relax. It was St. Patricks Day too so we went out for some drinks in the evening but it was quite quiet considering, probably because it was a week day. Even the flats were quiet which was weird considering the majority of people living there are Irish and unemployed! I only worked once that week, and it turned out to be my last shift as it happened although I didn't realise it until afterwards, which was a shame as I couldn't appreciate it as much as I would have done. They didn't have any work over the weekend as it was the bank holiday and the only thing on was work at the Easter Show. It was good money and everyone wanted to work it so they only gave it to people who had worked there the longest, which was fair enough. That night at work turned out to be the worst shift I had worked because it was a very boring cocktail party and I was in constant pain all night from carrying a heavy tray full of drinks around. They gave me work for the following week which I took just in case but I as it was going to be my last week in Sydney I knew I didnt want to work then. I called up on the following Saturday to quit but they were shut so I had to call up very early on the Tuesday as I was suppossed to be working in a few hours! They were fine about it though. Also I realised I had been underpayed, and apparantly I was supposed to get it directly from the university so I was chasing that up for quite a few days which was a big pain but I refused to have worked a shift for free!

On my first day of freedom Claire and I went to the area of Newtown shopping with another girl that we knew. It was a really nice place even though it has got a bit of a scruffy appearance, and it has some great vintage shops and boutiques. Unfortunately most of them were quite expensive so I had to stick to window shopping. We stopped for lunch at a nice cafe and then got back to shopping. It was a really hot day so we got a bit fed up in the end and had to go back but I'd had a good, chilled out day and it was nice to leave Coogee for something other than work. The next day was really hot again and I decided to go down to the Botanic Gardens rather than the beach. It was nice to have some time on my own and I was there for quite a few hours. I took my book and grabbed some food and an ice cream. I walked all through the gardens and into the Domain, and to Macquaries Point and Mrs Macquaries chair. After that I walked around down by the water all the way to the Opera House and around there before heading back. I got some good pictures and it was nice to do someting touristy. On Friday I had to go back to Newtown again, this time so Justin could get a tattoo! He had decided that he wanted to get one a long time ago and that he wanted to get it done in Sydney because that's where he had lived and worked. We were supposed to be going down just to drop off the design so he could make an appointment for the next day. When we got to the tattoo parlour they said that they could fit him in later in the afternoon, so I spent another day going round the shops. It was a bit miserable though so we holed up in an Irish pub most of the time to get some comfort food. We went back at 4 and I think he was slightly nervous but he went ahead with it and it only took about 20minutes to do. They put a stencil on first then went over with the needle, but it was so small I couldn't see it going in. It only bled once it was done but he got some cream to put on it. As it was on his wrist he was told he wouldn't be able to wash up until it had healed in 9 days time, which put an even bigger smile on his face!

On Saturday we all went out for Claires birthday. It was on the following Wednesday but because Justin and I would have left by then we went out earlier. We went out in King's Cross which is a really lively area with loads of bars. We went somewhere called Bourboun first which was great and then to another random bar I didn't know. After that we went to an indie club on Oxford Street which was really cool and the first place I'd been to in Australia that let you get properly drunk. In hindsight this wasn't such a good thing as it all became very messy and everyone got 100% drunk We did meet one of the guys we had met in Thailand there though which was good. We spent the rest of the Easter weekend in the flat recovering, and Kirsty made us an Easter Sunday roast dinner which was great. We had done a sort of 'secret santa' easter egg buy so I got some chocolate, and we also had an egg decorating competition!

The next day was one I had been looking forward too forever - the day I did the bridge climb! This was one of the things I had wanted to do since before I came away but some people who had done it made out it wasn't that great, so I wasn't sure. In the end though I decided to do it and give it a go although I didn't expect anything too great. I was wrong though because it was really amazing. Justin didn't want to do it so I went with Claire. We decided to the climb at night so we could see the city all lit up. The sunset climb would have been good but it cost $70 more so it wasn't really worth it. The whole thing took about 3 and a half hours but the first and last 45 minutes involved getting kitted up. We had to put on some very unflattering jumpsuits, belts, things to keep us attached to the wire running around the bridge, fleeces, raincoats and headsets. We were given head torches too! Once we had been shown how to climb on a mock set bridge we were off. The first part was the most scary as we had to climb up 4 ladders that went right up between two lanes of traffic on the bridge. That's when you started to feel very high up and close to the edge. Once we got onto the main part of the bridge it was fine and very easy to walk. The views were amazing and you could see all of Sydney in the distance. I was really glad I had picked to do the night climb because seeing all the lights was great and the city look gorgeous. It had supposed to thunderstorm that night but the weather turned out fine and it was nice when we got higher up because the suits were very warm. We had a guide talking us through the history of the bridge and taking pictures for us. We got a group picture and certificate included, and then we bought one too. When we got to the top we let out a big shout and Claire got Happy Birthday sung to her which is something really good to remember. At the top we saw the flags and walked across the middle to walk back down the other side. We were up there for two hours all together. There is a flashing red light right int the middle of the bridge that you have to make a wish when you walk under. I can't say what I wished for as it might not come true! When we walked back down we could see the fireworks from the easter show in the distance which was great timing. We had to walk down another 4 ladders that this time went right next to the train track and typically just as I was climbing down the last one a train came right past my face and scared the life out of me! We walked back to the centre and had to go through all the rigmarole of taking off the gear. As soon as we left the building it started to hammer it down with rain and thunder and lighting - hows that for timing!

The next day was Claire's birthday and we had gotten her a voucher for Tony and Guy to get her hair done so I went with her during the day. She had it all dyed and cut and it looked great so I was very jealous. That night we all went out for a meal at a Tapas restaurant called Tapenade in Paddington. The area was where a couple of the girls, Alex and Fiona, worked and it was really nice so I was gutted I hadn't discovered it earlier. We went for a drink first and then off to eat. The restaurant was lovely and we sat outside in the courtyard. The menu was so good we ordered 15 dishes. As there were only five of us because Alex was working the waitress said she would only recommend 10, but she underestimated us because we ate it all even though it was a struggle. The food was reall, really good though and I enjoyed all of it. The garlic bread was the best I had ever tasted though! We had a great time and it was good to go out for a proper meal again, not something with chips that cost $5. It was treat for all of us not just Claire. We had the biggest chocolate birthday cake for dessert and loads od sangria!

The next day was my last full day left in Sydney and I must admit I was a bit sad even though I am really looking forward to getting back in the swing of travelling again and seeing the coast. I went for lunch at one of the cafes in Coogee because I felt I should go to one of them after living there for a month and just relaxed and tried to start my packing. We all went out again that night for farewell drinks at World Bar in King's Cross and it was another great night. I had some free drinks vouchers which made it even better! We had loads of fun and the bar was really good and played good music; mostly English of course. We left after someone we were with got kicked out for being drunk. Justin was just as bad after drinking bottles and bottles of red wine! The next morning wasn't as much fun as we had to try to pack and clean up all our mess with a bad hangover. We had to get up way too early so we could say goodbye to everyone before they left for work. We had to leave ourselves in the early afternoon and it was very emotional and sad! We caught the first of our Greyhound buses with our bus pass and off we went!