Thursday, April 12, 2018

Apr 12: A Good Way to Say Goodbye to Sydney

The time has come for me to depart Sydney. I think I managed to fit quite a bit into my 3 full days here! None of this would have been possible without my fantastic hosts, Patrick and Mikaela (note correct spelling). Their kindness and generosity made my stay here so much fun. I can’t thank them enough! And a special thanks to my friend Katie. Patch is Katie’s cousin. When Katie heard I was going to Australia, she immediately told me she had a cousin there. She put us in contact with each other, and that put the wheels in motion for my amazing stay in Sydney. So, thank you Katie, thank you Patch and Mikaela! Love to you all!


Patch, Mikaela and me


After goodbyes and hugs all around, I hopped the bus and train into the city for my last adventure. I wanted one more awesome view of Sydney. The weather was perfect for a trip up the Sydney Tower Eye. But first I wanted to, on Mikaela’s recommendation, visit Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar and Cafe. Conveniently, it was located in the Westfield building where the Tower is also located. I made my way to Level 6. Strangely, while it was open, there were hardly any customers. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that it was only 9:30. I, of course, never think it is too early for chocolate! They have an amazing selection of hot chocolate drinks. I opted for the Waffle Balls Hot Chocolate and a praline cigar because, well, who doesn’t like hot chocolate with little crunchy balls in it? The praline cigar was a mousse like chocolate rolled in crushed pralines. Yeah, it was all quite good!






After fortifying myself with chocolate, I headed to the Tower. The Tower Eye is similar to the Space Needle in Seattle, which is similar to the CN Tower in Toronto (I seem to be doing a fair job of checking off towers around the world). For this Tower, I had a 10% off coupon that I found in a city guide. 


Going up there!


My Tower ticket included a 4 minute 4D movie of a parrot flying all over Sydney. I went to many of the places the bird flew over. 


On the Observation Deck of the Tower, it was a nice 360 degree view of the city. The nice clear day allowed me to see all the places I had been during my time here. It was a nice way to say goodbye to the city.






I left the Tower and proceeded to head to Circular Quay to catch the train to the airport. As I stepped out of the building, I realized I had left my hat at Max Brenner’s. Back up to Level 6 I went. Claimed my hat and THEN headed to the train.


As I tapped out my Opal card for the last time, I noticed there was a balance of $4.55. That was just about perfect. I was a little concerned that I might run out of money on the card. So, with the exception of the taxi when I arrived, and the Blue Mountains tour, I spent about $45.50 on the various busses, trains, and ferries to get myself around Sydney. Not bad for all the moving around I did! 


Made it to the gate, and on to the flight. Max, Ian’s dad picked me up at the airport. The traffic was horrible, but it meant we had a good time to chat since I hadn’t seen him since before Tassie. 


Now I’m back home (okay, it’s not home, but it is beginning to feel like it since it’s my third time here). I’ve got some things to do here, and I’ll probably head out for good on Monday (school holiday will be over).

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