August 6: We met at 6:45am for our 3 hour bus ride to Sydney. All 60 of us exchange students on the trip got free T-shirts along with maps of Sydney and the itinerary. We watched an Australian movie called Red Dog on the way there. We also played trivia where they asked us questions about Aussie lingo and different Australian facts. Our first stop was the Sydney Tower. We took an elevator to the top where we could look out the windows all the way around and see most of Sydney. The view was great, but it was kind of scary looking straight down at the ground because we were so high up. We went back down to the mall and ate some lunch. We got some gelato to go before we left. I got peanut butter fudge and creamy caramel. It was quite tasty. We walked to a Cathedral close by even though it was sprinkling slightly. The Cathedral was beautiful inside and out. There were tall arches throughout the ceiling, stained glass windows, and a beautiful set of the Stations of the Cross. We went from there to the Royal Botanic Gardens. We walked around for a while and saw plenty of neat plants and different birds. The trail lead us along the harbor where we had a great view of the Sydney Opera House and the bridge together. It was so cool to see such famous attractions. I had flashbacks to Finding Nemo, and that one Mary-Kate and Ashley movie in Australia. The view was awesome. After getting some typical tourist pictures, we kept walking along the water until we reached the Opera House for a group picture. After that, we left for Paddy’s Markets where there were plenty of vendors to get cheap souvenirs. Kiley and I got some $12AUD sweatshirts and some other little things. Then, we went to the Sydney Aquarium to see all the cool fish and sea creatures. We saw Nemo and Dori, plenty of starfish, some turtles, all kinds of different fish, and even some sharks. We got to walk through one of those cool archway tunnels where the fish can swim all around and over top of you, and that was pretty cool. Everyone met up at the Pontoon Bar in Darling Harbor right near the water for dinner. There was a great view of the dark blue sky, the lights of the city, and the water as the sun was about to disappear. After we all ate, we boarded the bus for our hostel in the Blue Mountains. We sat by the fireplace before going to sleep because we were cold and very tired from the long day. August 7: We had an included breakfast at 8am and drove to Echo Point so we could see the Three Sisters and start our 1.5 hour hike down the mountain. The hike through the forest was super pretty and unique. There’s a reason they call them the Blue Mountains. Our hike started down a wide path but soon turned into a steep, narrow staircase. There were railings on both sides of us most of the way. By the end of the stairs, my calves were shaking involuntarily even though they didn’t hurt or ache. It was really odd. We walked along the trail for a while until we reached the bottom of the railway. The railway took us straight up back to the top of the mountain. We faced down, so we went up backwards. It was steeper than I expected, but it was pretty cool and had a great view. Once at the top, we explored the gift shop a little and had some snacks while we waited for everyone. Then, we went to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We saw SO MANY Australian animals. There were wombats, emus, dingoes, snakes, crocodiles, koalas, kangaroos (and Joeys), wallabies, and tons of birds. The Joeys could hop right under the fences and roam about, so we got to pet several of them; they’re super fluffy. We also got to pet a koala while it was chilling in a tree sleeping. It was awesome. I wanted to just cuddle up with it and take a wittle nap. After seeing everything, we got some food and then left for the drive back to Canberra. It was a fun trip with lots of cool experiences, and we got to make some awesome friendships.
1 Comment
Stacey Sporrer
8/15/2016 09:03:09 am
Sounds like a blast! I love all of the pictures!
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