G'day!

I finally had an Australian greet me that way for the first time in 3.5 months and it made me smile like an idiot and I was so happy when he said it that I actually had no response back....

I was fortunate enough to travel to Sydney this past weekend with a few friends of mine and it was an experience I will never forget.

The trip started out pretty rocky because we were running late trying to gather all of our things and when we finally left, one girl forgot her passport (We didn't end up needing them but it was good to have it just in case!) There was so much traffic on the way to the airport that we were afraid we wouldn't be able to check in (closes 1 hour before the flight takes off). We arrived in time to check in, but the next issue was with the weight of our bags. Mahriena and I had to upgrade the size of our bags, and the kind attendant let us split the cost of upgrading one bag. Once we were through security, got randomly screened, and arrived at our gate, there was an announcement that our flight was delayed. I was relieved more than anything to hear that because it meant I could get some dinner!

We arrived and had a chill night so we could wake up early the next day and do as much as possible! To our dismay, the next day it was pouring. We had trouble catching a cab since they were all taken, but once we caught one, we decided to hang out in the mall until the rain let up. After it stopped raining, they wanted to keep shopping, but I wanted to do something I don't have the option to do in any other city, see the Harbour! I split off from the group and walked through the city to Darling Harbour and Circular Quay! It was a straight shot from where we were, so it wasn't difficult to find.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't speechless when I saw the famous Opera House. I had to stop and take it in for a second because of how beautiful it was. It is something that everyone needs to see if they have the chance to travel to Australia. I love Melbourne, but the Opera House is a must see. I walked around the Botanical Gardens next to the Opera House to get some different views of the Harbour.

I ate at the Opera Kitchen downstairs and went inside as far as I was allowed to go. The inside is just as beautiful as the outside and I definitely wish I did a tour while I was there! After seeing everything I wanted to around there, I caught a cab home to meet my friends to get ready for the night. We all relaxed for a bit and then got ready to go out to dinner then to the Soda Factory. We found a delicious pizza place and we got two pizzas to share.

Afterwards, we went to Soda Factory, a live music bar in town! It's my favourite place I've been to in Australia because the band played songs that had the whole bar singing and dancing. They performed "Valerie" "Everyday people" and "Shout" to name a few! Once the band was done, the DJ didn't stray from the great music and played "Afternoon Delight" and various Beyoncé songs! We danced for a while then went home around 12 so we could wake up early and head to the beach!

I officially decided that I wanted to live in a small beach town when I'm older thanks to Bondi! There were shops and cafés everywhere, friendly people, and a beautiful beach! I loved every single bit of Bondi and I will definitely be returning! One of my favourite parts was the graffiti everywhere! Street art isn't treated the same here as it is in the states. It's seen as an art here and you can find whole alleyways with different street art! On Bondi, we ate at café with a view of the beach then spent the whole afternoon walking around and taking in the beautiful view and the shops.

After Bondi, we went back to our flat to prepare for the night of Vivid Sydney! I remember finding out about Vivid and telling everyone I was planning to go, but it was pure coincidence that the weekend we were there was one of the weekends it was going on! Before going to the harbour, we ate at a Mexican restaurant in the city. It was authentic Mexican in all aspects except for the portion sizes! It was pretty expensive too, so it wasn't the best place we could've chosen to eat! The food was good, but that didn't make up for the price and the amount of food we got! We walked to the harbour after dinner to the most spectacular light show on almost every building! The different patterned lights lit up the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and surrounding buildings and there was musical accompaniment playing through the speakers around the harbour. It was beautiful and mesmerising and I could've stayed there forever!

We walked across the Harbour Bridge to the other side to visit the famous Luna Park (in a Mary Kate and Ashley Movie) and it was worth the long walk for sure. It wasn't only a beautiful night, but we could see the Opera House the entire walk and the entire bridge around us was lit as well! After Luna Park, we caught a cab home so we could get up early and catch our flight in the morning. We were all exhausted, so we all passed out when our heads hit the pillows!

It was an all around great weekend and I definitely plan on returning in the future!

Cheers!

Tay