I woke at 2am really hot, clammy and slightly confused. I took out my ear plugs and orientated myself. I felt a little claustrophobic in our tiny van so I decided to get up for a wee and to get some fresh air. I opened the door to the camper gently so as to not wake Ju. I stepped out into the inky dark night carefully watching where I placed my feet. The night was warm as I stood listening to cricket and frog noises which filled the air. Overhead the sky was awash with thousands of stars. I stood briefly taking it all in before returning to bed. I am not sure why I had awoken in such confusion. It may have been a dream I was having or it could just be a combination of sleeping with ear plugs in in a different location every night?

Ju poked me at 7.30am. We had to get on the road early to avoid the Christmas Eve traffic rush. It took me a while to wake up. Given last nights episode I was rather cranky. Ju wisely kept her distance as I jumped behind the wheel for our 3 hour journey. The weather was warm with the occasional shower. We dropped the van off in good time and made our way across town to the hotel. After checking in we ventured out to get supplies. The experience in the supermarket was one to remember, especially at the check out. There was a strange little Asian women screeching at customers pointing them in the direction of the empty tills. The whole scene was quite comical. Ju and myself just laughed. I am not a massive fan of large crowds, so we hastily made our way back to the hotel. We weren't feeling very Christmassy but at least we had each other.

Later in the evening we decided to go for a walk in the Botanical Gardens. It was a short stroll from where we were staying. Ju was excited at the prospect of seeing the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, as was I. As we walked the garden I noticed Flying Foxes (bats), probably the same variety we had seen the night before; although this time it was still quite light and they seemed to be closer. We watched as they flew around the park. In the distance we could see the Sydney skyline hid behind the trees which stood in the park as bats weaved overhead. It was a surreal sight. As we moved through the park heads tilted back watching the bats we slowly reached the bay. It was at this point we caught our first glimpse of the Opera House - probably one of the most iconic scenes in the World. We walked at a slightly faster pace. It was hard to believe we were in Sydney for Christmas Eve. At times I felt like pinching myself.

At the steps to the Opera House we looked up and took in the sight before us. The iconic domes looked as impressive in reality as the did in all those picture postcard photos we've all seen. Slightly obscured in the background we could see the second main attraction - Sydney Harbour Bridge. These two architectural marvels gelled together like strawberries and cream. We walked around to the other side of the Harbour were we could see the business district as well. The sun had now set and the city began to light up in full glory. I could only imagine what it would be like to stand here on any given New Years Eve to watch the World famous firework displays.

We sat and enjoyed a very expensive beer whilst chatting to a lovely American couple. As the evening rolled by we soaked up every minute of it. Walking around Circular Quay towards the Rocks we found a little pavilion overlooking the harbour bridge. Ju tried to have a romantic moment but I got the giggles and started messing around. Maybe it was the thought that we had spent ages prior to this moment trying to orchestrate shot after shot for the Christmas email; Ju making a concerted effort to look her best - not sure why she thinks she needs to try so hard!

Feeling spent we headed back to the hotel taking a different route through town. The skyscrapers looked pretty impressive under the nights sky. Back at the hotel we quickly got ready for bed. Today had been a good day - again I felt lucky in life.