Another month has passed, and I've now been traveling for two whole months. My goodness, how time flies! Since Australia is quite a bit more expensive than planned and I already had a wonderful vacation in New Zealand in October, I decided to take things a little easier in November. Nevertheless, I've already seen and experienced a lot here in Sydney. Today, I'd like to share some of these experiences with you.

Attractions in Small Doses

As I've already mentioned in my previous posts, I spent the first few weeks staying in three different hostels while searching for a job and an apartment. In the remaining time, I've already managed to see parts of some of Sydney's major attractions.

Among other things, I've of course already seen the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. However, I haven't walked across the truly enormous bridge yet. I also haven't made it all the way around the Opera House. This is simply because I decided to see the attractions bit by bit, and during my first attempts, something unexpected came up or it got dark. Fortunately, these attractions aren't very far from my current home. I still have plenty of time to visit everything at a leisurely pace.

Merlin Annual Pass

I also purchased an annual ticket (Merlin Annual Pass) for 11 attractions in Sydney and around Australia, as this is more economical if you visit at least four attractions. So now I have more than enough opportunities to see interesting places. For example, on one particularly hot afternoon, I was strolling leisurely along the truly impressive Darling Harbour. I passed by Wildlife Sydney Zoo, where admission is free for me with my pass. Since I was grateful for a bit of variety and also happy to escape the sun for a while, I decided to go in.

You need to imagine this wildlife center as a kind of reverse zoo. You're in a sort of air-conditioned glass tube, and the animals are outside. Only native animals are on display, which is really impressive. They even have a huge saltwater crocodile and cassowaries. Of course, the more well-known species such as kangaroos, wombats, and all kinds of snakes are also represented. But again, I didn't try to see everything during my first visit—just a portion—and then went back out into the sun to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. On my next visit, I'll need to marvel at the butterfly farm, the koalas, and many other species. So it's definitely worth going back again.

Old Acquaintances

As I already hinted in my last post, I'd meet the two German guys, Jan and Fabian, whom I met at the hostel, again. Here's the reveal: I had told you that the large double room in my shared apartment became available. You probably suspect it already. Yes, exactly! One day, Jan and Fabian appeared at the apartment door and moved in. You can imagine our astonishment. In a city with more than 4.5 million inhabitants, we ended up living in the same apartment completely by chance, without ever having discussed it beforehand. I'm happy about it because the guys cook something delicious almost every day, and I can join in here and there. So I don't have to eat the typical pasta with ketchup quite so often anymore.

More Excursions

In addition to the activities mentioned above, I've experienced many smaller things. I've been swimming several times, though not in the ocean yet, just in indoor and outdoor pools. Something that just occurred to me: I've actually been to the seaside once or twice, but I haven't yet come into contact with seawater. It's time I remedy that!

I also spend several evenings a week just wandering through Sydney's streets, exploring the area.

During these walks, I discovered Chinatown.

During these walks, I discovered Chinatown, where I went out to eat with some people from the hostel a few days later. Since none of us could really read Mandarin, most of us decided to play it safe and order fried rice with chicken, which was really delicious. Melinda, however, due to her lack of appetite, only ordered some chicken skewers. She simply chose the first items listed at the top, as nothing except the word "chicken" was translated into English. That turned out to be a culinary disaster. The skewers were so incredibly spicy that she needed several glasses of water to wash them down.

A week earlier, we had all gone together to the other side of the harbor, under the Harbour Bridge, and enjoyed the sunset with our fingers on the triggers of our cameras. We were lucky and experienced a truly fantastic golden hour that transitioned beautifully into the blue hour. Absolutely perfect for photography. Unfortunately, a fairly strong wind came up later, so I had to postpone taking really good night shots of Sydney's skyline for another day.

We also took a trip with some people to Manly to visit the SEA LIFE Aquarium, and I watched a couple of fireworks displays and the official start of the Christmas season. You'll receive more detailed reports about these experiences in the coming days.