ediblegarnish: officially in love

In love with Sydney.

I didn't want to go back.

I feel like this is a preview for things to come.

I now know I'm going to be bawling on the flight back to the States.

Really, really don't want to think about that.

Not with the way I feel about leaving Sydney after a short four-ish days.

I would call this a successful trip though. Knocking out some touristy and some uni...ee (I supposed I have to use "collegey" for this one).

The weather is gorgeous minus the early morning and late afternoon chill, but definitely manageable compared to the always overhanging clouds and unannounced showers of Melbourne.

[Although Melbourne is being happy and sunny today. Good signs, good signs.]

And definitely not complaining about Coogee beach being just a five second trek down the hill.

First night spent classing it up for some classical music at the Sydney Opera House.

Followed by getting trashed at Ivy.

Let's call it a very balanced night.

But to be fair, Ivy was super classy... like girls in 7 inch stilettos classy... like rooftop pool classy.

Minus the "change rooms"//toilets//showers with the sketchy symbols that could only be welcoming users to have sex. The rooms were decorated in a classy fashion with disco ball and colored walls and everything, at least.

Happy we had Gracie who really wanted to actually see a show, since I was just trying to take a tourist picture of it from the outside and be done with it, but now I can say I saw a performance at the opera house. Also gave me an excuse to finally pull out my new mint dress, always a win.

(As a side note, I was constantly terribly aware of how short I am this weekend.)

Sunday is deemed the most perfect day of this semester thus far.

Did a three to four hour walk from Coogee to Bondi beach and climbed on every rock formation we could find. Short legs do not do wonders for this activity, if you were wondering. I had to be both awkwardly hoisted and dragged up onto one of the ledges.

I couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was. The blue water. The colors of the sandstone. The houses along the coast. The beaches. I am a fan.

Why don’t I live here again?

Monday was ambitious wake-up-at-6am-for-the-sunrise-on-the-beach day. And it was totally worth it (though Bernard would argue otherwise).

The air was cold, the sand was freezing, but there were still large groups of people scattered along the beach working out in various intense ways. Some men were in speedos doing laps in the ocean. And the three of us stayed true to the lazy American stereotype and sat on the beach watching the sun through the clouds – hey at least we got up. Absolutely perfect.

I still need to camp out on the beach one of these days. I really can’t believe I haven’t done that yet.

Monday afternoon was all about touring the city, taking scenic pictures of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and Botanical Gardens. Admiring the seemless blend of new and old. The best thing about Sydney (and Melbourne, too) is that when you walk through the heart of the city, you feel like you are floating through a number of different places. And it’s all so pristine.

Finished with an hour of napping on the beach Tuesday morning.

Time has never gone by so quickly. I kept hoping when I looked at my phone that it would just be 10am forever.

In love with access to a real kitchen.

[to be revisited in post solely about food]

Almost in love with kids.

Adorable children, adorable children everywhere.

Starting with the girl who idolized Kyle - she was watching him do handstands and cartwheels and proceeded to cartwheel around the beach herself after he was done.

Ending with the little boy who was just passed out on a rock sculpture at the Botanical Gardens – I climbed up and casually creeped from above.

And all the darling blue-eyed-blonde-haired children of Sydney running rampant in the sand. They are just what you imagine little Aussies to look like.

Absolutely heart breaking. Melting all over the place.

I think I am nearly (nearly) caving to the idea of children...on the condition that I raise them here.

Definitely in love with these kids.

I knew I would miss my Dukies.

But I didn’t think I’d miss them this much.

While in Melbourne, I had days when I just wandered the city alone, completely in awe of the fact that I am all the way across the world, finally in the country I had dreamed of visiting since third grade when we did a research project and “published” a book on Australia.

In Sydney, I absolutely couldn’t believe I was not only abroad but abroad with friends. It’s funny because I had the best time with a group of people who are not my usual “friend group” at home (we’ve never gone out together, what?)...plus a girl I had never previously met (and you know I have an irrational fear of girls sometimes). Such a good weekend.

There’s definitely a formula to traveling – and as of now it’s decisive person + adventurous, down for anything, outdoorsy people.

Miss it like crazy.

Finally, in love with Kyle's camera.

I gave up pulling mine out after I realized I could just steal his memory card.

So here's a compilation of photos.

Just to reemphasize what a perfect weekend this was.