Day 5

• What I did today

From the bright early hours of the day, until the late hours chilling at the hotel, this "travel day", as we all call it, has been relaxing and free of chaos...!

After a great, final night in New Zealand, we spent the rest of the night packing our bags. And first thing in the morning after we woke up and had breakfast, we headed to the airport for our 3rd flight of the trip... Here we come Sydney!!!

This flight wasn't as long as others, thank goodness, but it was still relaxing, just as I expected it to be... Talking with my friends, I got so lost in time that I didn't even notice that we were not too far off from Sydney! To be honest, ever since I was little, I've always wanted to see the Sydney Bridge and Sydney Opera House in person! Looking through the window of the airplane, here I was, staring at the two most famous Australian landmarks with amazement in my eyes! I couldn't believe it!

When we landed, and got through the airport, we took a coach bus to our hotel, where we were going to be staying for the next couple of days... We got settled in and once we got into our little groups, we left the hotel for a mini tour walk around the city. I have to say, the city of Sydney is definitely SOMETHING! It's not like any other city you might have seen in your lifetime... Even though it has some similarities in appearance to Chicago, the atmosphere of it is nothing close in comparison! The parks are so clean and green, well-kept in mind of nature, and the city side walks are full of friendly people, not trying to mess around with others, if you know what I mean... In other words, Sydney is a work of art! We walked pretty far from where we started, making it pretty much all the way to the other city. Or at least that's what it seemed like... We saw many monument-like sculptures, climbed/rode to the top of the Sydney Tower, and made it to the Sydney Harbor, where I saw some pretty sweeeeeet views of the Opera House and Bridge...

The view from the top of the Sydney Tower were simply magnificent! I've never seen anything like it, or maybe it was because I was in Sydney for he first time... It was kind of like looking through the windows on the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago, but here, you got a glimpse of the ENTIRE city! No words to describe it all... Completely breathless. I got some great mental snapshots of it all, as well as some postcards, of course... Did you know that the highest post box in the southern hemisphere is just up in the Sydney Tower! Pretty cool! We also went to the Rocks, which is a small part of the city near the Harbor where there are several markets and cafes where you can stop, rest, and buy some really cool things. I got a returning boomerang, which my friends and I bargained for a cheaper price (it was really hard, since they were kind of getting mad about it... But what could you do? I mean, the less the better, right?) and several original Aboriginal works of art... A couple necklaces and earrings here and there, too. And all for really cheap! It definitely was worth it. The Rocks was very relaxing and beautiful, which has a lot of history to it, too!

The day was so relaxing and full of leisure, and if it weren't for Alec, our tour guide, we probably wouldn't have a rest from our previous days of travel! The only bad part about today, was that it was raining, rather pouring, all throughout the day... That did not end well. Going back to the hotel, it was super cold outside, and half the group decided to take the train back to the hotel, while the other part of the group would walk back, sightseeing the city in brief moments. I, being a traveler and not taking the easy-way-out of problems, like rain, went with the walking group... Everything was fine, while quickly walking (we were trying to beat the others just for fun). Until, the whole group stopped. I was confused, I didn't know what we were doing, because as far as I knew, we were almost there... But I was wrong, oopsie. Apparently, Mr. Ewen, Mr. Schagrin, and Ms. Tomasello led us in the wrong direction, or took a wrong turn... More like the guy with the map (Mr. Ewen, ehmm... As much as I like him!). It was pretty funny! We had to ask some people which way to go, and once we figured everything out and we got back to the hotel, we were all soaked wet and cold. And guess what? We definitely didn't beat the other group... We took like an hour trying to get back! But an adventure is an adventure, only true travelers take risks like these! That's how I like to look at it. The rest of the night was laid-back... My friends and I ordered pizza to the hotel, played games, and watched Australian "Dancing with the Stars" (which was quite interesting, wink wink)... The day went by smoothly. And by the time it was lights out, we were all out of breath, tired, and ready for the upcoming day and what it had in store for us! Or at least I was!

• Journal of the Day

When we arrived in Sydney for the first time, I was actually quite surprised of how similar, yet, different, it was from Chicago! Sydney is a big city... Full of skyscrapers, both tall and small buildings, in which everything is outlined with many, many, many bright lights! It's also a very populated city, with people everywhere you look (very diverse), walking and driving down the streets, this way and that. However, it's not too busy or crowded, like Chicago is... And you may think of Sydney as a very big city, but you're wrong. Sydney is actually a really small city, a "cute little BIG town", nothing compared to what I thought it was like before coming here... It has cute little shops and cafes lining the streets from every side, reminding me of the one-way towns of New Zealand, but a bit bigger, as well as open areas in which people can have fun in and socialise! It also has street markets and outdoor malls, both of which we spent time in today! Both Chicago and Sydney are placed on water fronts, Sydney having the Ocean and Chicago having the Lake. Both cities look similar in some aspects of the appearance of it all. But for some reason, Chicago is bigger, packed, and windier, more than Sydney, and in the end, it seems more, simply, bland... Sydney is just a beautiful city, no matter what side you look at it from!

Yes, it has its "perks" and bad sides of town, just like any other city in the world, but it just seems like a friendlier and warmer sort of city...

Just like Chicago, Sydney has many tourist attractions, including aquariums, zoos, landmarks, and something that characterizes it for what it is, if you know what I mean. For example, Chicago is greatly known for the Sears Tower. On the other hand, Sydney can be characterized by either the Bridge or the Opera House. Whichever city, both can be recognized just by these famous attractions! Even tough Chicago and Sydney are on opposite ends of the world, the people in these two cities seem to have very similar cultures and lifestyles. Aside from being on the opposite sides of streets and roads, transportation in Sydney is the same, varying from buses, subways, cars, and trains. People walk around freely as well!

Seeing Sydney for the first time in my life was amazing!!! Not only was I excited, but also relieved, since I have finally made it here and everything is easy to comprehend and is self-explainable. Spending a little time in the city gave me a little insight on the city itself. The parks are much bigger and more clean and more green, which was one thing I was actually surprised about! Compared to Chicago, or any other cities I've been to, Sydney was probably one of the most clean-kept cities. There was no trash, not a lot of people, and the environment was quite relaxing and friendly... This city is completely beautiful and astonishing, and the atmosphere of it is completely unbelievable...

I fell in love with Sydney ever since the first second that I saw it 

and always will be!