One of my favorite things to do in a new city is simply to walk around and see what it looks like, both in the famous touristy sections, but also in the ordinary neighborhoods. What does real life look like there? Here are some photos I collected during the week we stayed in the Surry […]
The Gallery of New South Wales sits just a short walk from the Royal Botanic Garden, so it was a convenient (and gloriously air conditioned!) next stop in our explorations. The gallery’s collection was impressive — two rooms, in particular stood out: The first was a room of 19th Century landscape paintings in the European […]
After that glorious day at the beach, we decided we needed a day off to let out little sunburns subside, and to let our crevices remember what it felt like not to have sand everywhere. We set out for the Royal Botanic Garden, which Ananda had not yet seen, and which I was eager to […]
Beach day today! Because let’s be honest, that’s the whole point of being here: sun, surf, and hot lifeguards reminding you of all the ways you might die. We skipped beachy scene at Bondi and instead headed out to Manly Beach (so named because the British colonisers were so impressed by the manliness of the […]
Shortly after our arrival in Sydney, Amanda’s parents sent a photo of a mixed-media artwork that had been “created lovingly by nephews” and consisted of Sydney landmarks and a cut-out of our own smiling faces. Delighted and ever eager to encourage travel (and display our talents for tableaux vivants), we recreated the exact scene in […]
The most iconic building in Australia is Sydney’s beautiful opera house. Jutting out into the harbour on a spit of land that had been used for centuries by aboriginal people for song and dance, the opera house is massive, unmissable, and mesmerising — and we had tickets for a guided tour first thing the day […]
After visiting the zoo on Christmas Day we walked up through the neighbourhood known as The Rocks (the site of Sydney’s oldest settlement) and discovered a beautiful scenic lookout with an observatory on top. With the hilltop bathed in the golden light, we settled down with tourists and locals alike to watch the setting sun. […]
Christmas morning dawned warm and sunny. Amanda arrived from the States mid-morning and, after a quick settle-in at the Airbnb flat and a call to Justin (for whom it was still Christmas Eve), we decided we’d spend the afternoon at the zoo! Because anything that involves koalas is always the right answer. And also the […]
Have I ever enjoyed the weather on Christmas Eve so much? I doubt it. Sunny and clear, in the high 70s and with a light breeze — it could not have been more perfect. I started the day with a visit to the Royal Botanic Garden. The lush expanse of green lawns and colourful flower […]
As we touched down in Sydney, the flight attendant gave instructions on where to collect our bags (claim 2) and how not to get eaten by sharks (stay between the buoys). How welcoming!! I had rather dreaded that last stretch from Perth to Sydney. After 15+ hours in a brand new Dreamliner, the idea of […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 