Even though I am back in the US now, there is so much I crammed in my last week in Sydney that I can’t forget to write about! I tried to see all of the notables my last weekend in Sydney like the Sydney Tower, Bondi Beach, Royal Botanical Gardens and some of the outdoor markets that Sydney is known for. The Sydney Tower is one of the trademarks of Sydney’s skyline and offers the most amazing view of the entire city from above. From the top, you can see Sydney’s eastern shores, the harbor and some suburbs. The highest working mailbox in the Southern Hempisphere is also at the top of the tower which I thought was a cool fact. That same day, we wandered over to Darling Harbor, souvenir shopped and took some more pictures of the Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge during daylight. The Royal Botanical Gardens is a huge park adjacent to the Opera House and overlooks Sydney Harbor. I think it offers the best photo opportunities of the city’s skyline and harbor. After living there for two months, I am convinced Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There is never a dull moment there either. We continued to check out the Rocks outdoor market to get some creative and handpainted, authentic gifts for our family and friends. I picked up a few kangaroo-leather golf gloves for the golfers in my family, even though I did feel a little bit guilty about it being kangaroo. The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney with stone and brick buildings and a colonial feel to it. It’s right on the harbor (hence the name) and the outdoor market is known as one of the best in Sydney. To top off our day we ate at the famous 24-hour Pancakes on the Rocks, sort of an upscale IHOP with award-winning pancakes.

Bondi Beach is Sydney’s and probably one of Australia’s most famous beaches. Surfers from all over the world come to surf Bondi’s waves. Even in the winter, the water temperature is still warm there, actually warmer than the air. The beach is pretty much the perfect beach, nestled in the perfect natural cove. The waves were what got my attention first: they were SO big and seemed to rush up to the shore forever. After being an expert surfer now after riding already broken waves up to the shore for a weekend, I couldn’t even imagine surfing those waves, not to mention with the undertoe, jellyfish and sharks in the summertime. Bondi had your typical beach shops and tourist spots, but the beach itself was far from typical. I just couldn’t take enough pictures of it, and it was winter! Bondi was the perfect way to say goodbye to Sydney! More about my last days to come!