Sydney

I can't believe I have already been here for six days! Time has literally flown by so quickly. Tomorrow, I am taking the long train journey up to Brisbane for my final stop before returning to Europe.

I have really enjoyed my time in Sydney! My host couple are absolutely lovely, so warm and welcoming, couldn't have wished for nicer people to stay with. They have really looked after me and spoiled me during my stay. Also, the weather has been absolutely brilliant. Around 22-25°, sunny, slightly breezy. Just as I like it.

There is so much to see and do in and around Sydney. I was here already in 1999, but my memory of what we did then is rather hazy. I know we saw the Opera House - of course - and went for a day trip to the Blue Mountains. I have seen so much more this time around. I especially enjoy taking the ferries around the harbour. I always love being on the water, especially if the weather is as nice as it has been here.

And we're back in plastic card country... The Opal card is free, and you load it with even 10's. The public transport offices only accept cards, but convenience stores take cash too. The fares are a bit complex to figure out, as they are based on distance. So no zones, which makes it tricky to plan ahead. As an example, a bus ride from Kensington to Circular Quay is $3.50, and the ferry from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour is $5.74 (quite steep!). There is a cap of $15 per day and $60 per week. This includes travelling out to the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley (wine country). Funny quirk: if you make 8 paid trips in one week (Monday-Sunday), all travel for the rest of the week is free! So just hop from one station to another 8 times (leaving 60 minutes in between, as transfers are not charged in that window) during the first part of the week, and save the longer, more expensive journeys for later when they will be free!

Tonight I had a really nice ferry trip through Sydney Harbour, from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour and back. Seeing the city lit up, and certainly when passing under the bridge on the way back with the Opera House in the background, I thought to myself: "This is really something". What a great ending to my stay in Sydney!

I have not done many touristy things since arriving in Australia, other than make maximum use of public transport to see the cities I have visited. Thus, I have not spent nearly as much as I did in NZ, which makes me very proud of myself. I think the cash I initially withdrew in Melbourne will last until I leave Australia on Tuesday.

My hosts are real foodies, so I really felt the pressure when preparing a Swedish meal today! But all went well, I made Janssons frestelse with långkål, and it went down very well. I also went out to IKEA and bought some dammsugare, which they hadn't tried before.

I have decided to spoil myself a bit in Brisbane and stay in a hotel with private bathroom. As much as I have enjoyed staying with my AirBnB-hosts, at the moment I can only agree with Greta Garbo... I want to be alone.