Today was probably the best day I've had in a very long time, in Australia or otherwise. I had forgotten how easy it is for me to become a beach bum. Today was the first sunny day we've had, so we got outselves to the beach as fast as possible. We took a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Wharf, which provided a gorgeous view of the harbour (Aussie-spelling, it's already happening). Sydney in the sunlight is easily one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The water is so blue and the hills and surrounding areas to downtown Sydney are so green!
So upon arriving at Manly Wharf (the name makes me giggle every single time), we headed straight for the beach. However, there were several lifeguards hammering signs into the sand saying the beach was closed? That didn't exactly stop the tens of surfers who were still out regardless, nor did it stop me from playing in the Tasman Sea! The water felt so nice and warm, and I finally felt like I was having a summer vacation. It was such a ridiculously great moment to be playing at the beach in the middle of February while the rest of the world is stuck in winter. I felt like I had my own private playground. I was shocked at how few people were actually there, given how nice the beach/weather was. OH, and apparently all the pedestrian crosswalk signs in Sydney are Michael Jackson crossing signs, since it's just a pair of legs wearing high-waters....
We played in the water and wandered to another beach where we just relaxed for most of the day. I got a tan too! Finally I won't be AS pasty and white....*doh* Then we headed back to the ferry as the rain was approaching, sadly. That was definitely the best shower ever though. As much as I love the beach, I love rinsing off the beach grime more.
Then we headed out to get dinner as the rain was rolling back into Darling Harbour, hitting up our usual cheap foodcourt, since we're starving college students, no matter what continent we're on. I don't think we've had a non-foodcourt meal since we've been here, which is genuinely terrible, but we get SO excited when we find one. It's tragic, really.
To top off the night, we headed out to the Sydney Aquarium, which was AMAZING. We wandered through looking at all the exhibits, though were seriously bummed out that we couldn't find the platypus. I think they were lying about actually having one, and just put up signs saying that it hides a lot to make it seem like they're cooler. I got totally stared down by a saltwater crocodile. It crept up to the edge of the tank underwater towards me, and I officially would never want to fight one of those things. As much as I love sparring, I love keeping my limbs more...
I'm super-wiped from the beach (I forgot how much being in the sun takes out of you), but was SO excited to finally have a day outside where I could actually see color in the sky. The opera house looks so much nicer in the sunlight :)
I think tomorrow Mallory and I are going to climb the harbour bridge, which should be super-cool, and then head over to Luna Park, which is this crazy amusement park on the other side of Sydney Harbour. I WOULD go to an amusement park. *sigh* OH OH and tomorrow is the wildlife park, and I swear to god if I don't hold a koala....so HELP me...
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