Merry Sydney Christmas!

a Christmas deejay at the airport!

Sydney has been wonderful. I have been staying with Fran's brother the past couple days. he and his daughter Georgia have been so great. they invited a perfect stranger to stay in their house and I couldn't be more grateful.

Christmas champagne at Pete's

the night I arrived, Georgia invited me out with her straight away. so we dropped my luggage and went to her friend's house for drinks and nibbles before going out. since it was Christmas Eve, the bars were PACKED. literally sardines. right after we got to the bar, Fran called me and she, Pete and I went to meet up with Carlee on her last night in Sydney. Georgia didn't come, but she recommended this bar that was impossible to find. we must have looked lost, because a nicely-dressed man standing in a creepy alley asked us if we were looking for the bar. when we said yes, he pointed to a blank white door in the middle of the alley. probably prompted by our confused expressions, he opened the door, and there was a bar inside! sensational. a well-kept Sydney secret, and so much fun.

Pete's daughter Courtney and her
puppy Pumba - cutest ever!

an amazing Christmas feast

Christmas the following day was great. we turned on Christmas music, and hung out, chatting and having champagne. Pete cooked dinner and Georgia decorated a gingerbread house. before we knew it, lots of people were arriving, including Pete's other daughter Courtney and her adorable little pug puppy, Pumba! I was in love. he is such a cutie (though he bites pretty hard).

I was EXHAUSTED after dinner. Fran had to leave, but Pete and Georgia an I turned on Christmas Vacation before going to bed :)

yachts getting ready to race to Tasmania

the next day was my last day in Sydney. I thought I would spend it lounging around and getting ready to go, but after breakfast, Pete surprised me by inviting me into town to walk across the Harbour Bridge (something I didn't get to do my first go around in Sydney). it was so good! the Sydney to Hobart yacht race was launching at 1pm, and even though I had to be at the airport by then, but we still saw lots of boats in the harbour.

best name ever

once across the bridge, we tried hunting down a coffee shop in the city but they were all closed for Boxing Day. we wandered a bit before going to the Rocks market, and then headed back to their apartment for a quick Christmas-leftover-sandwich for lunch before I was Dallas-bound.

the Rocks market

while I was unbelievably sad to be leaving Australia, after this hectic week, I was happy to be going someplace stable. my someplace stable was with the Cowleys' home for so long, and when I left, I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions. however, I have had so many nice people help me out during my travels, which is so amazing.

I have fallen in love with every bit of this country. the land, the culture, but especially the people. I will miss Australia more than anything. I hope I will be back again.

a few days in Sydney, and Melbourne-bound!

lots of street performers on the Quay

street style was stellar

so I made it in and out of Sydney with only a little fuss. due to a bit of a miscommunication, I arrived in Sydney with no accommodation, so I found a hostel to crash at for the night. people in Sydney are very nice and gave me directions without so much as an eyeroll. however the hostel was less than glamorous, and I was beginning to doubt my decision to come alone.

opera house modeling!

all the motorbikes reminded me of Bali

at the first sign of trauma, I fell apart into teeny, tiny pieces. the problem was figuring out how to put myself back together again. it happened when I left Darwin, throughout my flight (the only time I wasn't crying was when I was sleeping), and snowballed when I arrived in Sydney. needless to say, with a little help from Kaye and Fran, and a lot of help from Jordan, I think most of the pieces are back in place and I'm breathing easier.

Jordan decided to get me an early birthday present, and buy me a night's stay at the Hilton in the city. as Kaye would say, it was very flash. once I was there, it was wonderfully easy to get around. it was only a few blocks walk to the opera house and bridge, and I had a great time sightseeing.

later, I went to a bar called Three Wise Monkeys and had the best fish and chips in the world, and a pint of Boag's for $15. bargain! live music as well - Kings of Leon and Gin Blossoms made for some good mood music.

tv in the shower, holy crap!

Sydney is full of beautiful, fashionable people, and the hustle-bustle of any big city. while I love the people-watching, and how easy it is to walk around, it made me miss the laid-back nature of Darwin quite a bit. I'll have to thank one of those lovely Darwin people for humoring me and talking to me at all hours of the night :) it was definitely uplifting, and it's wonderful to have contact from people "back home." :)

GJ loves me!

harbour bridge w/climbers!

I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying Sydney for the beautiful city it is, and finally thinking positive. I find that I'm much happier when I'm out walking around. sitting in a hotel or a shitty hostel is depressing. at least when I'm alone. I have to be out experiencing things, and let's face it, that's what this whole trip has been about.

I'm off on a little birthday trip to Melbourne today, and I'm glad I decided to be back in Sydney for Christmas. I did a bit more walking around before catching a shuttle to the airport. the city is wonderful, but I'm sure it won't take me long to fall in love with Melbourne as well. I'm excited to meet another member of the Cowley family, and to have memories of another Aussie city to take back with me to the States!

in the words of Andrew McMahon, I've got tunnel vision, but I'm doing fine. cheers to overcoming hardship, and to whirlwind adventures.