SYDNEY SYMPHONY

   

Happy New Year to all the lovely people out there :)  Hope you guys had fun and have your resolutions ready for the year :) My new year was very very special. We had been on a holiday to Sydney this new year. This post is all about my experience. Hope you guys enjoy reading.

December 27th 2013, the day we guys were waiting for, a much awaited holiday to Sydney. We were four people, me, my husband Naveen and our friends Nandan and Smruthi. Start of our holiday was supposed to be super exciting because we had booked an SUV as we were driving to Sydney. But when the boys went to pick the car some problems interfered. The AC of the car which we booked was not working and so we were forced to choose another car which we didn't want to go for. But then we had no option because we had to leave that night at any cost otherwise entire plan should have been changed. Finally after all the drama with the car hire people, we left home at 11.55pm with a loud Ganapati Bappa Mourya. We took the Hume highway which is a 814km single stretch. The midnight drive with loud music was just amazing.

 

The next day morning we stopped near Hungry Jacks for some good breakfast. And that good breakfast was coffee, burger and hash brown :) What a healthy breakfast!!! 

 After breakfast, we started our journey again. We had booked an apartment in Parramatta. Parramatta is a suburb in Sydney. Our Check-in was at 2pm and we reached there by 10.45am. The apartment people agreed to give us the keys after 12.30pm. Now the big question, what are we supposed to do till then? We decided to go shopping. But not the normal shopping we girls love, it was the grocery shopping. We went to the nearby Westfield shopping centre and struggled for almost half an hour to find a proper parking space. Finally we went to Woolworths for some grocery shopping and again things messed up a bit when the store person spilled an entire bottle of cream over Nandan. It wasn't done intentionally but he had a tough time cleaning himself. Then we went in search of a good restaurant for lunch as we were craving so badly for food. There were so many restaurants in a line but the one which caught our attention was a South Indian restaurant called Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant. We were so happy thinking we can get some good food here but again things messed up when the taste of the food didn't match our expectations. Day one of our trip had so many things messed up but then we finally went to our flat and it was such a cute two bedroom flat. (No wonder, we all forgot to click the pictures of the place where we stayed for five nights and six days). It was rest time now and we all had a nice afternoon nap. 

In the evening we decided to go to the city suburbs of Sydney. The city is full of vehicles, too many one way roads, too many speed cameras and the worst thing, no U-turns. We hardly saw the U-turn signboards during our stay. Finding a good parking spot was a challenge. We went in search of parking and finally managed to get one. While searching for parking we got a chance to go on the Harbour Bridge and  it was just spectacular. We were so happy thinking about the next day. We saw people climbing the bridge and we were just few hours away from experiencing one of the best moments. We even saw the Anzac Bridge which is otherwise called as Madonna's bra :) Ha ha sounds funny but that's what we heard from people in Sydney. 

Anzac Bridge

Harbour Bridge

We finally got some parking near Darling Harbour and we had to walk for almost 1km to get there. The Darling Harbour is a beauty in its own way. It is so lively and happening. There was a small demo of fireworks as well. Because of the season, the entire place was flooded with people. We went to an Indian restaurant called Zaffran. The food was lip smacking.

After a heavy dinner and a lovely romantic walk, we guys left Darling Harbour and went to our apartment. We were just waiting to hit the bed. But the boys had some other plans. They wanted to play Monopoly. It was almost 12am and next day we had the Harbour Bridge Climb but still they were keen on playing. We girls had no choice because there was nothing else to do, so we had to sit next to them and watch them play. And the best thing is we don't even know when we dozed off. After their game, the boys had to wake us up and we went to our rooms to sleep. FINALLY!!!!! :) 

The next morning will be beautiful and we will have so much fun is what we were thinking but when we got up we realized the weather is going to be bad and it was too windy. We were a little disappointed but excitement of climbing the bridge was so much that we didn't care about this. We had a nice scrumptious breakfast. Thinking what we had? Well we had tomato and egg sandwich, watermelon and chocolate milk :) And at last we left our apartment around 10.40am. Our climb was at 11.35am. We reached the spot and were finding hard to find a spot for parking. We girls went to the bridge climb office while the boys went hunting for a parking spot.

They finally managed to get a spot somewhere far and then we were all geared up for our bridge climb. We were taken inside for a brief explanation of what the climb is all about. We had to sign a form which said they are not responsible if something happens to us or we lose our lives. Then we all got our climbing suits and we were ready. 

 

We then met our guide Jon who guided us throughout the climb.We had to wear belts that would be attached to a rail so that even if we fall we are left hanging there. We got headsets so that our guide could brief us during the climb. We had fleece attached to our belts which we could use if we are cold. We had caps attached to our suit and special rubber wires for our sunglasses so that it doesn't fall. And we also had hankies tied up to our hands. No cameras and phones were allowed. The guide would take our pictures and we could later collect it. After gearing up completely for the fully protected bridge climb, it was time to go. We were 14 members in our team. The bridge climb took almost 1.5 hours and we climbed 1332 steps. The view from the bridge was mesmerizing. I have never had a beautiful experience than this in my life. And the story behind building this 82 year old bridge will just make u say "WOW" again and again. Hats off to the people who built this bridge and also who lost their lives while building such an amazing thing.

We are half the way.... Yay!!!

We can see the summit

And we reached the summit :)

Climbing down :) U can see how well we were geared up for the climb :)

After the marvelous experience, we got our bridge climb certificate and a group photo. We even bought the videos and photos which were taken during the climb. Before leaving we made sure we had a look at their store which included bridge climb souvenirs and merchandise. This also included photos of celebrities who have done the bridge climb.

We were starving when we came out and just wanted something to eat. Finally we went to a restaurant named The Ship Inn and ordered some nice Italian food. After a nice lunch, it was time for us to visit the Opera House which was just few minutes away from the restaurant. But unfortunately it was closed by the time we went there. We just took a few pictures in front of it. 

 

Then we decided to go to the Sydney Tower Eye. Me and Naveen didn't go to the deck whereas Smruthi and Nandan had been there. We both had a yummy dinner at Jones The Grocer and I can't forget the yummy sticky date pudding with caramel sauce which we had for dessert :)

 

Finally we went home and crashed. We had to get up early the next day as we were going to Blue Mountains. 

 Next day the weather was very good and we left home around 10am after our breakfast. What did we have for breakfast? Well we had bread and omelette. Blue Mountains is nearly 1.5 hours from Parramatta. It was a nice drive but as we neared Blue Mountains, we were shocked to see the traffic but Naveen took a different route and we reached quicker than expected. But when we went there we were shocked again to see the mad crowd. We had no option but to wait.

Blue mountain has three main attractions- The Cable Skyway, Cable car and the Katoomba railway which is the world's steepest incline railway. All of them were spectacular. We had to wait for almost 2.5 hours just to ride the 5min cable car. The place was flooded with people. But it was definitely worth the wait.

 

 

Other things to look out for are, The Three Sisters, Prince Henry Cliff Walk and Echo Point. They were good as well, though we couldn't go too near to The Three Sisters and Echo Point. While heading back we went to one of the ice cream shops inside the cafeteria where they give you an extra scoop free of cost if you beat them in a rock, paper and scissors game. That was fun. Me and Smruthi tried our luck but we couldn't win. Then while coming back we met a cute little friend Zena and she was too adorable. Everyone had a good cuddle with her and finally left Blue Mountains after a long tiring day.

By the time we came to Parramatta it was dinner time and we went to a nearby restaurant called Hyderabadi House. What a waste of money!!! But we convinced ourselves saying something is better than nothing. Finally it was bedtime :)

Day 4 was the best day of the trip. Morning we had some nice pasta and fruits and then left to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. We spent almost half a day there. Morning was a bit messy because we took a taxi from Parramatta to Darling Harbour (that's where the museum is). The taxi driver realized we are new there and he took us through a long route and dropped us somewhere far saying no taxis are allowed near the museum. But it wasn't true. He didn't know the proper route or may be he wanted more money so he dropped us somewhere far and left. We had to walk for almost 25min just to get there to the Museum. It was frustrating. Finally we reached there and had a good time posing with all the wax celebrities.

 

 

It was a lovely experience. And now we were ready for the biggest event which was the main attraction of our trip- The world famous Sydney New Year Fireworks. Sydney fireworks is said to be the second best new year fireworks, London being the first. We went to the Macquaries Point at Royal Botanical Gardens around 2pm and we were shocked to see the crowd. People were standing in the queue from the previous night itself. It was madness everywhere. Everyone gathered there had their own food, blankets, chairs and other stuff. We were standing in the line for almost 3 hours before entering the botanical gardens. The maximum capacity of the botanical garden was 17,000 people. We were lucky enough to be one among those 17,000 because many people were sent back as there was no space left.

 

Finally we were let in and people were running like crazy inside the Botanical Gardens just to grab the right place for themselves to witness the fireworks. We were sitting somewhere behind and it was freezing cold over there. The view was partially fine but not satisfying. We were very hungry because we didn't have proper food since morning. Then we had some junk food just to fill our stomachs. We had taken with us few eateries but they were of no use. We found it very hard to eat food because there were no much vegetarian options and the ones which were vegetarian had absolutely no taste. But we had to eat something to fill our stomach so we had some spring rolls and potato twists.

After a while, our friends found another place from where we could see both the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. So we slowly shifted there with our luggage. But in this place we had to squeeze in completely as there was no proper place to sit. After a while it became too clumsy and it was not at all comfortable. But we had absolutely no option because if we get up from there then that place is gone completely. It was still 6pm and we were struggling so much. Then we saw that there was a VIP entry just in front of us which had   waterfront and a complete view and it included dinner and dance as well. We were so shattered, only if we knew about this before we wouldn't have had the trouble of waiting for hours to get the best views. But no regrets now.

Imagine sitting like this for almost 7-8 hours

The view from where we were sitting

We witnessed the first fireworks at 9pm. It was beautiful. Then there was one more at 10pm and finally the New Year fireworks at 12 am. What a dazzling sight it was. We couldn't capture it in our cameras because we were more excited to watch it and it was breathtaking.

These are the Google images of the Sydney Fireworks. This is what we saw but couldn't capture it in our cameras.

After witnessing the fireworks, it was time for us to head back home. When we were leaving the Botanical Garden we were shocked to see the number of people on streets. There were people everywhere. We had plans to take the taxi while going back but after seeing the crowd we changed our minds and took the train. The train was flooded too. We traveled for more than an hour and finally reached Parramatta around 2.15am and by the time we walked back home it was almost 3am. We were so tired that we just wanted to sleep but couldn't do so as we were so dirty. Finally after a good hot water shower we could say "good morning" and sleep.

Jan 1st 2014, what a fresh morning it was. But it wasn't a good morning for Naveen because he had a very bad headache as we didn't eat anything properly the previous day, we slept so late, we were strained so badly. But he didn't wanna waste the day as we had a last attraction to visit and it was Jenolan Caves. So we left home around 1pm and had brunch at Hungry Jacks. We then drove to Jenolan Caves and reached there around 4.45pm. We had plans to go to the Lucas Cave but unfortunately the last Lucas Cave tour was scheduled at 4.30pm. So we chose to do the Chifley Cave tour at 5.30pm. We were just taking pictures till then and finally our guide came and took us to explore the Chifley Cave. How beautiful are these caves. They are very eye catching and it surprises us to see how beautifully the government has maintained it and made it as one of the biggest attractions of Sydney. Its such a remarkable thing. Inside the Chifley cave we saw the Margaret Cave, wall of noses and few others, the names of which I can't remember :)

 

                 

After a nice walk in the caves, Naveen was back on his toes. We had a lovely drive back home. We went to a restaurant called Spice Of Life for dinner. This was a good restaurant. After coming back home, we packed our luggage and were ready to check out the next  morning.

Last day of our trip, Jan 2nd 2014. I met my school teacher, Usha maa'm for breakfast. Her house was very near to the apartment where we stayed. I met her after 8-9 years almost. We had a nice chat. After spending some quality time with her, I left and finally we checked out.

On our way back to Melbourne, we went to the famous Bondi beach. It took us almost 30 min to search for the parking. Before going to the beach, we went to the nearby Pompers restaurant for lunch. After a yummy lunch, Nandan and Smruthi went to the beach and we both took a walk through the streets of Sydney. After a while we went to the beach and had a very small romantic walk.

 

Finally we left Sydney at around 4pm. We were very sure of reaching Melbourne during the early hours. We had an amazing drive back home and finally reached Melbourne at 2.30am. None of us were worried about getting up the next day because we didn't have work except Naveen. He slept at 3.30am and woke up at 7.30am as he had work. Tough day for him. 

Our Sydney trip was over and now we are eager on planning more and more holidays. This trip was a lot of fun and the best best best part of the trip was, we girls finally got a chance to drive :) We enjoyed every bit of it. 

Writing this post was so much fun because every time I write something, the memories are running fresh in my mind. I hope you guys enjoyed the post too. 

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