Sometimes all the excitement of visiting new places is exhausting. You’re always on the go, always trying to check off those ‘must-see’ tourists spots in your lonely planet guidebook, trying things outside your comfort zone, and telling new people your story. Usually this is what I crave, and what I love about travel. It can be absolutely invigorating, and rewarding. But…there are those few instances (few and far between) where you grow tired of snapping a hundred photos at different angles, and telling someone why you quit your job and where you’re heading next, and you want to recharge. You just want to be with someone who knows you, and live for a bit like you’re home. For us, Sydney was just that.
Two of my old friends live in Sydney so after finding Nemo up in the Great Barrier Reef, we were excited to head south and spend some time catching up with them.
We spent time with Karen and her husband Mike first, and they were gracious enough to let us stay with them for a few nights. I knew Karen from MSU study abroad, but we haven’t spent much time together since graduation because I’d been living all over the States, far from MI. Her and her husband both work for the same company Josh and I used to work for, but recently transferred to the Sydney office. It was so nice getting to hangout with them and catch-up on life.
Australia is not a cheap country, and Sydney is definitely not a cheap city. And like most cities, everywhere you look there seems to be hundreds of tourist
attractions smacking you in the face that are begging you to spend every last dime you have on something that 
can’t be missed. Climb the Sydney Bridge, go up the Sydney tower, tour the Opera house, go to the Aquarium. All things that are pretty cool when you go to a new place, but can add up quick. Fortunately I’d been to Sydney before, and did some of the touristy things then. Neither of us felt the need to do these things now. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on the ‘must sees’, we went running on the trails, we cooked and had a BBQ on the patio in the awesome sunny weather. We watched some classic Will Ferrell movies, and ate ice cream. Karen and Mike have two adorable dogs we got to play with. It may sound silly, but we loved this. Sometimes it’s the simple things. It was such a great few days, and so nice seeing our friends.
When I first visited Sydney six years ago, my friend Gaby had just moved there and was starting a new life with her boyfriend Josh. I flew from Arizona and we had such a great time exploring Sydney, the beaches, and even went north to Cairns for a quick trip. Coming back this time was so cool. Her and Josh are now married, and they just had a new addition to their family, a little baby girl, who was about a month old when we arrived! We had a great time catching up with them too, and meeting their little girl.
We also spent some time at the beaches near Sydney, and one of our favorite things we did was the coastal walk along the beaches, from Bondi Beach to Coogie Beach. It was quite hilly, but absolutely beautiful. We started the day hanging out at Bondi beach, then headed down the walk to each of the different beach inlets.
Bondi Beach
It reminded both of us a lot of Northern California, and the Big Sur area. The coast was incredibly rugged but picturesque, and the pathway was really well done.
Josh near Bronte Beach cemetary
We loved it!
Delicious seafood salad
When I came to Sydney before, I didn’t know if I would ever make it back. I’m so glad that we were able to return as part of our trip. Even though we were only there for a short time, it was extremely refreshing to catch up with old friends. It was nice to relax and just enjoy our time there without the need to rush. Sydney is a wonderful city that has a lot to offer for tourists and locals just living their life. We enjoyed feeling like a local!
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