Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Happy Christmas from Sydney

I spent my last evening in Melbourne with Tal exploring the night market in the city. The Victoria Market has a night market once a week around Christmas, where you can wonder around, grab a bite to eat, shop for Christmas presents, have a drink and listen to live music. After the most delicious chicken teriyake and blood orange and granidilla sorbet, Tal and I went exploring the bars of Melbourne. There are literally hundreds of bars tucked into every lane way. We went to Madame Brussels which is on the third floor of a building in the middle of the city and feels like you have walked onto the set of an Outcast music video. The whole bar is done up like a garden, with Astro Turf, a garden path, pergola's and waiters walking around in bow ties. Needless to say that it was a late night and an early start as I headed to Sydney the next morning.


My first day in Sydney was spent exploring around Circular Quays (where the Opera House and the Bridge are, the Rocks as well as the Sydney Museum and the Contemporary Art Gallery. Sydney is very different from Melbourne, and feels more like a city and is very spread out. It is very beautiful though and you are constantly surrounded by amazing views over the water and the bay. After wondering around I headed back to the University, where Greg was running the reactor (poof that he is actually doing a PhD) and learnt a bit about palladium catalysts... we then headed off to the Petrie's house near Manley where we have spent the last few days, relaxing by the pool, walking on the beach and having an amazing holiday.

Tal arrived in Sydney in time to spend Christmas Day with Greg and I, and we were also joined by Greg's flat mate Kurt. After a Jew-friendly Christmas dinner, things started to get very festive with lots of singing and dancing around the house. Boxing Day was spent watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on the cliffs of the Sydney Harbour National Park and then we went for a beautiful walk along Manley to Cabbage Tree Bay in the evening, followed by the most delicious Indian food at one of Greg's favorite restaurants in the city.

More exploring followed today, when we went down to Bondi for lunch and to hang out with Tal and her niece and nephew, who are very sweet and I then took the ferry back to Manley this evening which was beautiful. I can see why people love ferries...
I have decided to head back to Melbourne in the new year as even though Sydney is beautiful, Melbourne will be easier for me to settle into at this point in time and it will be very easy to base myself from there. We are off to the zoo tomorrow and will keep you posted, when I am able to steal Greg's laptop away from him, in between him writing up his thesis!

1 comment:

Craigasaurus said...

I personally think you should have blonde hair in sydney.

Please make appropriate changes.