Sydney Day 1

We decided to spend a few days in Sydney this week, for multiple reasons, but mainly because we’re meeting up with a friend of Theo’s that he hasn’t seen in awhile. It was the perfect excuse for an excursion, since we haven’t really been anywhere since we arrived in Australia. We found really cheap tickets with Virgin Blue Airlines, which seems like a good airline, except for maybe their questionable airplane art.



So we hit the skies today and this was the first time I’ve seen the Gold Coast Airport since I got here. Thanks to Theo’s foresight, we packed everything in backpacks instead of suitcases, that way we could actually walk to the airport since we live so close. It only takes about 15 minutes. It’s a cute little airport, the sort where the waiting area is at ground level. There are floor-to-ceiling windows, giving a nice view of the adjacent tropical-tree covered hills, which is relaxing in between the fleeting thoughts of the planes possibly forgetting to brake, coming straight through the glass. But I’m sure that never happens. ☺

It was a short one-hour flight to Sydney. Even though I had looked at the public transportation maps ahead of time on the internet, it was still pretty confusing figuring out the Airport Train, versus the regular trains, then there’s monorail and trams. But we finally found our hotel, with the help of a nice stranger who recognized our lost tourist look. We can see the downtown Sydney skyline from our hotel room, as well as Darling Harbour.

My first impression of Sydney is that I’m really going to like it. It has lots of old brick buildings, which is almost enough to satisfy me alone (I don’t know what it is, but brick buildings are like a big warm hug to me)… and just that big city funkiness that is just in the air. With my super-sleuth travel planning skills, I had found an awesome hotel deal near Darling Harbour. The hotel is fantastic, much more so than I expected. It looks like it was warehouse in its former life and has a floor plan similar to some loft apartments I’ve seen in Kansas City. I had booked a “studio” which was supposed to have a “kitchenette” (so we could save a little on breakfasts) and when we arrived, we found out it’s an actual one-bedroom apartment with the bedroom separate, a full bathroom with tub AND washer and dryer, and a kitchen/living room combo with couch and kitchen table. The kitchen has pretty much everything you’d need: cooking supplies, dishes, a full size refrigerator, microwave, stove/oven, even a dishwasher. My sweet internet deal was even sweeter than I imagined!



So we ran up the street to the supermarket, bought a bunch of supplies, and Theo cooked dinner for us, his friend and his wife. It was really nice to have a relaxing dinner at “home” with them. It was much cozier (and cheaper!) than if we went out to a restaurant.

Tomorrow, off to see the sights!