Spring Break 2019: Adelaide and Sydney

For the next 2 weeks, I have my mid-semester break.

9/21: Today I walked to the botanic garden to see the wisteria flowers in bloom. I noticed some in bloom on the way to school but haven’t had a chance to return to the garden to see them until now. I know wisteria don’t last a long time in bloom since I missed them in bloom while in Florence so I was eager to see them this time. Luckily, most of the wisteria were in bloom which made me happy. Later that afternoon it started raining and cooled off.

9/22: The cold and rain continued again today but I still managed to walk around Rundle Mall and got some fresh air. We have a viticulture group project due after the break so I had to work on it now. My friends and I got together and worked on our sensory studies Riesling presentation. Since our topic is Dry and Sweet Riesling, we visited some bottle shops and picked out some wines to taste and submit for our professors to pick up at a later time.

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9/23: The weather was a lot nicer than it has been so I took a walk along the river then went the beach. It was such a gorgeous day. I worked so more on the project and started organizing my lecture notes. I decided to start this now so I don’t feel overwhelmed as the semester ends, many projects are due, and finals grow closer. Yes I’m a nerd.

9/24: Today I organized my Sydney itinerary. I have a strict day-to-day schedule that I expect to follow. I based a lot of my activities on the weather but it’s annoying how the weather keeps changing for some of the days. The activities I do will remain the same but the days I do them, may change. I walked to Chinatown and worked out at the gym.

9/25: Today I started packing for Sydney!!!!!!!!!! I started packing the day before since the weather kept changing and I wasn’t sure what to wear on certain days when I do certain activities. Since it’s now the day before, I can finally pick out my outfits.

9/26: Today I fly to Sydney!!!!!!!!!! I chose an early afternoon flight so I have a few hours to walk around before sunset. After hotel check-in, I immediately walked to circular quay to see the opera house. Since it is a Thursday, most stores on Pitt street stay open later so I was able to walk around the mall for a bit. Afterwards, I walked back to my hotel and visited the roof terrace. Since it was dark, I couldn’t see a whole lot but I knew it was a really good view and couldn’t wait until the morning.

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9/27: Today is my first full day in Sydney and I woke up early to do the most within the day. When I travel I make the most of my time and daylight (which also happens to be my secret to 25,000+ steps each day). I woke up at 8am and was out of my room by 8:30am. I took the elevator to the roof terrace and the view was incredible. I had a view of the Sydney eye since I was only a block away, a partial view of the bridge and OH, a view of the royal garden and the tall buildings. The hotel was around the corner from the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and a block from Pitt street (location of the Syd eye). For breakfast, I stopped at starbucks at the QVB because why not??? and there aren’t any locations in Adelaide so I took advantage. I was so excited to walk around the city and it was a beautiful clear sky day. The walk to circular quay was very easy as I took Pitt street the whole way there. There was a massive cruise ship docked in the harbor. I walked to the Opera house and the steps were empty but it was also 9:30am. I walked around the OH and took multiple pictures and selfies with the house and the bridge. Then, I walked to the garden to the point called Macquarie’s chair where I can view the OH and the bridge. This area is very popular for New Years since the view of the bridge is perfect. I stopped here for a bit and took more pictures and some polaroids. Then I decided to walk to Darling Harbour. So, I walked back to circular quay to The Rocks and was able to view the OH from the other end of the ship. I walked under the bridge, passed some piers and construction sites for new buildings, and finally made it to Darling Harbour (DH). I misjudged the distance so it took me at least 45 min to walk there when I could’ve taken the train or boat and been there it about 10 min. This is how I got so many steps today. And of course, once I got to DH, the clouds arrived. I walked around for a bit since I walked all the way here then walked to Pitt street which was a short walk from DH. But my day wasn’t over yet! Crazy me! I walked to the train station and took the train across the bridge to north Sydney to visit Luna Park. It was free to enter but the rides and games cost money. I walked around for a bit then took the ferry to circular quay. The ferry ride was very short but it was neat to ride under the bridge and view the opera house from the water. By this time, it was nearing sunset time so I got some ice cream (much deserved) and chilled on the OH steps to watch the sunset. Yes ice cream before dinner was necessary :)))). It was a gorgeous sunset from the clouds with bright yellow, orange and pink colors. I could see some bridge climbers from the OH and they were lucky to view such a cool sunset. Back in 2015, we did the sunset climb but I don’t remember much of the sunset. I grabbed a quick dinner at a pizza place then walked back to the OH to see a light show on the roof of the small wing of the OH, the restaurant. I walked to the cruise ship terminal, now that the ship left, and took some pictures of the OH and bridge at night. This was my jam-packed day and 38,000+ steps and 18 miles proved that and it’s only day one!!!!

9/28: Today I did the coastal walk from Coogee beach to Bondi Beach. It was the perfect day for the walk. I took the bus to Coogee beach mid-morning since I expected the walk would take me about 2 hours. Back in 2015, my family and I did the coastal walk but started at Bronte beach which is halfway between Coogee and Bondi. There were many baths or pools built into the rocks with the waves crashing against the edge. There were also many surfers out since the waves were nice and big. I arrived to the famous picturesque pool at the Bondi Icebergs Club and of course had to take iconic pictures. I brought my swimsuit with me so I could do a few laps in the olympic-sized pool. The swim was quite refreshing after the walk. I walked to the Bondi boardwalk to look at the graffiti art displayed then walked to the beach. Since it was around lunch time, I went to famous pizza place and ate the pizza on the beach then put my feet in the water. Afterwards, I took the bus back to the city centre near Pitt street and walked around the mall for a bit. Then I made my way to the harbor, grabbed ice cream and sat on the Opera House steps to watch the sunset. I grabbed dinner near the mall then walked to Darling Harbor to watch fireworks. Each Saturday (I think) Darling Harbor puts on a firework show around 8pm. Today I took 27,300 steps and walked 12.7 miles.

9/29: Today I had breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks!! We went here in 2015 so I was eager to go back for some delicious pancakes. These pancakes fill you up and keep you full until dinner and each of there popular stacks comes with a scoop of ice cream YUM! I walked around the Sunday market that was going on in The Rocks before walking across the Harbor Bridge again. I walked to the observatory hill then up one of the pylons of the bridge. The view was spectacular from up there and it was worth the climb up which wasn’t that bad. I wanted to spend the whole day admiring the view but since I had a lot planned, I couldn’t stay for long. There’s also a neat little museum at the top which tells you specifics on the materials used to make the bridge, how many bolts there are, and how many traffic lanes there were and are now. The walk across the bridge was very neat. I stopped many times along the way to take pictures and look back at the skyscrapers and the Opera House. One side of the bridge, facing the Opera House, is the pedestrian-only walkway and the other side is the bike-only path. I walked to North Sydney again to check out Wendy’s Secret Garden which is located on the other side of Luna Park and has a neat view of the harbor from a different angle. Then, I took the bus to Reef Beach which is a short hour walk to Manly. This beach had neat views of the harbor from the peninsula and at the hill lookout. I walked down the main pedestrian mall to the beach but didn’t stay for long. I took some pictures, watched the surfers and people watching volleyball then walked to the ferry. There really isn’t much to do since the beach is quite touristy and was getting cooler since it was later in the day. I took the ferry back to Circular quay and sat outside at the front of the boat to get a great view of the Opera House and Bridge. It was perfect timing since the sun was about to set and I had time to grab some ice cream and walked to the Opera House. The sunset was great since I got to experience golden hour with the Opera House and my ice cream. Today I took 25,000 steps and walked 11.5 miles.

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9/30: Today was rainy and cloudy so I dedicated the day to museums and the mall. The museums are free so thats amazing. I first walked to Darling Harbour to the maritime museum. I walked around the exhibits inside then went on a large ship and submarine. The ship was interesting to walk on and inside to see the sleeping quarters and the control rooms. But, the submarine was very interesting and was the first time being in a submarine. (Finding Nemo Disney ride does not count) Everything was so small and compact. I had to duck many times and crawl through some areas since I was too tall. The submarine was cool to visit temporarily and I definetly could’t do any longer than the time I spent there. I wouldn’t be able to handle being thousands of feed submerged underwater since I can sometimes barely handle flying. After that interesting experience in a submarine, I decided it was time to look at art. Much more calming and satisfying. I walked to the Museum of Contemporary Art which is located in Circular Quay. This museum was very nice to visit and perfect for a cold/cool and/or rainy day. There’s also a cafe at the museum with a balcony and a view of the harbor. I went up to take a look at the view but the large cruise ship docked blocked my view of the Opera House. Then I walked to the Art Gallery of New South Wales which is located i the botanic gardens. I really enjoyed this museum and variety of art displays. I didn’t have time today to explore every floor so I decided to finish the rest tomorrow morning since I had some time before heading to the airport. After the gallery, I walked to the Opera House to watch the sunset. Since it was quite cloudy, there wasn’t much of a sunset. But, since it was my last night, I still got ice cream and sat on the Opera House steps. Afterwards, I walked to the mall, grabbed dinner and went back to my hotel to start packing. Today I took 23,000 steps and walked 10 miles.

10/1: I had a few hours in the morning to do some last minute visits around Sydney. I woke up early at 8am, grabbed Starbucks and walked to the Art Gallery. I really enjoyed the gallery and hope to return to see the new exhibits. I walked through the garden on the way back to the Opera House. I took some selfies with the Opera House and some more pictures of the building with the bridge. As I was taking pictures, I met some people who moved to Sydney from Austin, TX so I talked to them for a little bit. I walked back to the mall, visited the QVB again, then grabbed my bags and headed to the airport. I really enjoyed my jam-packed days in Sydney and can’t wait to return which will be with Siena in December. Today I took 22,200 steps and walked 9.6 miles.

10/2, 10/3, 10/4, 10/5, 10/6, 10/7: The next few days I met up with a group of friends to work on some projects since these are due a few days after the break. I didn’t do much else besides these reports. On Friday I also worked on homework but also attended the Royal Adelaide Wine Show with some friends. The wine show judging had been going on for the past week so the wines I tasted tonight were the ones that won awards in various categories. I thought some wines that won awards deserved the award while others didn’t. I was very excited for the rosé table. I am sorta picky when it comes to rosé and prefer the deep pink colored wines with luscious red fruit and floral aromas and similar flavors on the palate but well-rounded. Of course I also really enjoyed the sparkling and sparkling rosé wines. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (holiday) were also spent working on reports and catching up on notes. On Sunday, Glenelg beach was hosting a street party so I went to check it out for part of the day. The street was closed off to street performers, food trucks, and a fashion show runway showing clothes for the summer season.

After a nice 2-week break, we have only 4 more weeks of the semester then a few weeks of exams. This semester has flown by and I’m so close to completing my first semester of graduate school in Adelaide!!

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***fast forward a year later: I realize I am now a year behind on my blog posts but now that I am on spring break 2020 (Sept), I plan to update blogs from the past year. So please stay tuned and thank you for your patience***