I made it to Sydney for Christmas and New Years celebrations. My first impressions were that it was good to be back in a proper big city. I had a hostel right in the heart of it all in the CBD. My first day there I just walked my feet off! First stop was Circular Quay where all the ferry boats leave and arrive. This areas got a great atmosphere with lots of street performers and people bustling about. From here you can see both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. But before seeing those I decided to head up into The Rocks. This is an old area of Sydney where the sailors used to stay. It has lots of old stone houses, random alleys and stairways crisscrossing it. At the top of the hill is the Sydney Observatory which I reckon has the best view of the harbour Bridge. After strolling around for an hour or so I headed back to the Quay and across the other side to the Opera House. The closer and closer you get to it the less and less it looks like the Opera House we all know. For a start it's not the gleaming white that it appears on photos, it's actually more of a creamy yellow. And it's not all one flowing structure but actually lots of smaller buildings. And it's not even just an opera house but a performing arts centre with several theatres and concert halls inside. But it's still damn cool to look at! Just across to the side of the Opera House are the botanic gardens which run along the harbour front. If you walk all the way along you get to a point called Mrs Maquaries Chair which sticks out into the harbour level with the opera house. From here you can get a really good view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge rising up behind it.

Despite it being nearly Christmas I can't say that Sydney had much of a Christmas spirit. I actually had to hunt out shops playing christmas carols where as at home I'm sure they play alnost non-stop from late October onwards. Or maybe it was all due to warm weather that made me think there was a lack of Christmassyness. I've decided that xmas in the sun is just weird! To make up for it I went to a Christmas Eve backpacker party in a hostel full of Brits wearing Santa hats. Much more like it!

Then it was CHRISTMAS DAY! But the sun had decided to go into hiding. Not knowing what else to do me and my room mates John and Barry decided to stick to our original plan and got to Bondi Beach. Sorry to say I think this was a bad idea and it's a Christmas Day I wouldn't repeat. We sat on the beach front huddled in our jumpers drinking over priced beers and trying to decided whether McDonalds or KFC would be more appropriate as Christmas Dinner. Never again will I be giving up my roast goose Christmas lunch (well, not for a while at least)!

Luckily, Boxing Day was an improvement. Admittedly we were too disorganised to make it to the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and arrived way too late to get a ferry out to see it. To make up for it we found out that there was boxing day racing on, and it was free for anyone with an international passport, and the sun had reappeared. I spent a very fun afternoon people watching and losing a whole dollar on a horse called Raspberry Liquorice, but with a name like that I just coulen't resist! That night I met up with a friend from the west coast who in turn introduced me to all her Irish friends. The rest of the night is a black hole in my memory but I learnt a valuable lesson. Never try to keep pace with the Irish when drinking. Ever.

Late afternoon the next day Laura and I thought we should get up so we decided to go to the aquarium. Maybe it was the massive hangovers we had, or the swarms of kids everywhere, but I really wasn't all that impressed. I think the London Aquarium is way better, even if it doesn't have giant sea turtles and a crocodile.

The next day I went to Paddys markets, a big undercover permanent market. Bought myself some black ballet pumps in the hope of finally not being turned away from bars for wearing inappropriate footwear. Then I decided to spend the afternoon on Manly beach. Manly is reached by a ferry from Circular Quay and I think it has to be the best thing I did in Sydney! Yup, just getting the ferry to and from Manly. You get am amazing view of the harbour.

Next event of note was New Years Eve! It felt like every backpacker on earth had descended on Sydney for this. The key to a good time is choosing a spot ahead of the day and getting there early. Midday in our case. We chose a park on the north shore looking back towards the opera house and bridge. The psrk was packed but it had a great beach party kind of atmosphere going on as everyone was so hot that most people were wearing only their swimming stuff. I think I can safely say it's the nest New Years I've had. The fireworks were incredible, and you get to see them twice! Once at about 8 or 9 for the family show, and then of course the main event at midnight. Of course no one knew the words to Auld Lang Syne, but we sang it anyways. On the way back to the hostel in ended up getting seperated from everyone as there were so mnay people. But it didn't matter, everyone was so happy and drunk that I had some great converstaions with a load of random people.

The 2st was aminly spent recovering. I went to Coogee back for the afternoon, which I think is a far nicer place than Bondi. Not half so many posers! Then the next day I flew out to Melbourne which is where I am now, and I'll let you know what I think about Melbourne in my next blog!