Being a tourist

Today I woke up and right outside of my window I saw that it was by far one of the most beautiful days that I have seen here in Sydney since we arrived a few weeks ago. I decided to take full advantage of the beautiful day and go out on an adventure and be a complete and total tourist for the day. I grabbed my backpack, some water, my trusty camera, and of course my sunglasses, and I headed out. Started my journey by going to the cleaners (this way I can look fresh and handsome for nightly activities) and then made my way down to the train station here at Bondi Junction. Jumped on the train and headed into Town Hall which is pretty much one of the major railway interchanges in the Central Business District. Jumped off the train there and began my journey. Walked down into to China Town and checked out some cool gift shops and was harassed by some locals who where trying to get me to try some sort of Squid. Another man (who didn't speak a word of English nor did he know how to open his eyes) grabbed my arm and tried pulling me into his little Vietnamese restaurant. Thanks, but no thanks sir, I am on a mission! So I decided to make my way down to Darling Harbor which is pretty close to China Town. I could have taken the train all the way to the Royal Botanical Gardens (my final destination) but I figured that would be cheating and I would brave the city and walk it. Darling Harbor was pretty quiet today but still beautiful with the boats sailing in and out of the harbor and the kids running around playing on the grass. It was fun doing the journey by myself this way I could really enjoy the trip and didn't have to answer to anyone or feel rushed. After taking a peek into the Sydney Aquarium and walking around the areas that are amazing for great restaurants and even better night life, I started my trek to Circular Quay (pronounced Circular Key by anyone and everyone in Sydney and they know immediately that you are a tourist if you say Quay as in kway) I had no idea how far of a walk it would be but I knew it would be far enough. I didn't have a map or a GPS or any clue where I was going. I just knew the general direction and followed the coast all the way there. FINALLY, I reached the Sydney harbor bridge which told me I was close to Circular Quay. Right before the bridge, I passed some awesome harbor side apartments which has been home to Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Russel Crowe, and many other famous celebrities. After traveling underneath the bridge and through the historical district of Sydney called The Rocks, I made my way through the infamous Sydney Opera House and into the gorgeous Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. This place just might be the most majestic, beautiful, breathtaking, spectacular place that I have ever seen. These gardens are more or less Sydney's version of Central Park but with one major difference. Instead of being at the heart of the city, it is right on the harbor and is completely natural. Nothing is man made besides the walk ways and the city does an amazing job keeping it up. The gardens are full of grass fields, beautiful trees, wild animals, and places to just relax and take in the view. Since the gardens lay right on the harbor, you can see pretty much anything and everything you'd like from where you are. You can see the Opera House, the bridge, or the city skyline. I walked along the path, through some beautiful flowery gardens and trees and made my way up to the opposite end of the park which is called, Miss Macquarie's Point. This is by far my most loved place to go in all of Sydney thus far. As you will see in some of the picture I will post on here, the view will literally stop you in your tracks. I never ever could have pictured something so amazing being right in front of me and my only regret is that I cannot even come close to explaining how spectacular it was. Pictures do not even come remotely close to doing this place justice. After taking it all in and relaxing for a moment, I made my way back through the gardens and up into the city. I then found my way to Martins Place (the fortune 500 area) and jumped on the train to head home. Although it seems pretty short and easy when talking about it on here, the trip took me about 5 hours to complete and I estimated that I walked around 20-25 miles total. Quite the hike, but was worth every step. This city is fantastic and I could not have picked a better day to check it all out. Hope you all enjoy the pictures! More fun journeys are sure to come. Cheers!