Sydney: 17-19 November 2015

Tuesday

A few tearful goodbyes and two flights later, we were in Sydney! It was HOT. We caught the train into Green Square Station, and just as I boarded the escalator up to the exit I hear this familiar “helloooo” behind me. AIMEE! Yay! Reunited!! We then trecked the 30 minute walk to Aimee’s flat in the Australian heat of the day, uphill, lugging our suitcases. Aimee talked non-stop the entire way, she was so excited to have us there. Past Amelia Street (where the cool people live, obviously) and into her nice apartment for a sit down and a massive glass of water. I took off my supposedly comfortable shoes to find 8 new blisters. Ow. Aimee quickly cooked herself some dinner; Mal and I were still full from the plane. 

Then we set off on another walk, this time to Hillsong’s Heart and Soul night at their Doody St campus. We reached Hillsong just as worship was starting, and slipped into seats near the back of the Bondi section. The music was just phenomenal! I kept thinking of all the people at home who would love to have been here. We connected to the city campus with Brian speaking. It was really cool to see how the church connects over such a widespread number of campuses. It was a chilled sermon about opinions. Really on point. At one stage he was talking about how Americans think of hell as a swear word, and how they mumble it when singing worship songs that we sing normally. Then he said “but bugger and bloody, you wouldn’t hear them here would you?”, causing a burst of laughter in the auditorium. Afterwards we talked to the German pastor, and somehow Ralph came up. There were 5 of us from Life in Palmy and the pastor couldn’t believe it. So we all took a photo together for him to send to Ralph. I was fading fast by this point, the jetlag was starting to catch up with me and it was about 11pm at home. Thankfully Hannah gave us a ride back to the flat. I gratefully crawled into my bed (a mattress on the floor in the lounge). Sleeeeeeeep! 

Wednesday

Where the cool people live, obviously.

Aimee was working today, so Mallory and I took the chance to have a chilled morning, then headed out to tick off the tourist sites. It wound up being 36 degrees with glaring sunshine. Sydney is having a heatwave this week. It's going to be 41 on Friday, so I'm glad we leave in the morning!

Around 11am we headed to the train station, and it was already super hot. The intercom kept repeating “doors closing, please stand clear” over and over, to the point we thought it was broken. Then the train conductor came over the intercom and said in a very sassy Australian accent: “Because it seems to be rather confusing, when the message says ‘Doors closing, please stand clear’, it means the doors are closing, please stand clear”. Aussie hospitality at its finest... The train we were on broke down at the next station so we had a bit of a mission to find another one, but eventually made it into Circular Quay. That has to be one of the best views from a train station!! Absolutely stunning panorama of the MCA, Harbour Bridge and Opera House. 

The view from the Circular Quay train station. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House.

We headed to the Opera house first and got some great photos and views. 

Then around to the MCA where we were greeted by a very welcome gust of air conditioning as we entered the door. We stumbled upon a free guided tour which was great. I’m not a big fan of modern art, but at least this way I could understand it a bit more. We then headed up to the café on the top floor which was supposed to be the best view of the Opera House. Unfortunately, a giant cruise ship also knew this tip, and had parked right in the way. We still had a nice view of the bridge, but the food was expensive and average, so pretty disappointing.

At the MCA café: Lunch with a view

We then did a bit of shopping around the central city, but I was aware that this was only the beginning of a month-long trip and baggage allowances are limited. Back to Aimee's flat, we cooked a stir fry for dinner and sat around the table chatting until Mal and I almost fell asleep. Another early night, broken by some Kiwis trying to make us feel at home by doing a haka at the pub down the road at 10.30pm. Ah, New Zealand, I miss you.

Thursday

Thankfully it was cooler, so we decided on a walk around Surry Hills, a beautiful little suburb near Aimee’s flat with gorgeous Victorian terraces and quirky boutiques. We got a little lost, but ended up seeing some beautiful buildings, so who cares! We drifted into a not so nice area, and almost immediately a man approached us and said "Have a good weekend ladies, you look like you're dressed for it". But the two and a half hour walk was pleasant as there were lots of trees and a nice breeze. Running into Aimee's friend, the compliment "you all look lovely, so chic", was much more appreciated and less creepy than the earlier one from the stranger. We stopped at Devon on Danks café across from Hillsong's Danks Street campus for a drink and rest, before heading back to the flat for lunch and to get out of the heat for a bit.

Later on we headed out to Bondi Junction so Aimee could buy some summer clothes. We caught the bus, so it was great to see some more of Sydney through the windows. The aircon in the mall was very welcome, and we were there so long I actually got a little cold! Bliss!! Then home via the train and a walk through Red Fern – a bit run down and apparently a dodgy area but it was okay in the daylight. Back to the flat for some watermelon, sitting on the balcony in the breeze, and then repacking for the flight tomorrow morning. Singapore, here we come!!