And to wit:
It's Weather
Sydney in late August has a spring flavoured vibe. The weather is sunny and cool (don't mind the couple from Brunei wearing jumpers during the day and even winter outerwear at night), Sydneysiders spend most of the weekend we were there in various states of undress - Summery dresses, skimpy shorts, tank tops, at Bondi - swimwear & surfwear, and notably everywhere, jogging attire.
It's Food
Food in Sydney, especially its seafood, is super fresh, fun, and tasty. The husband and I had freshly shucked oysters everyday. Often 3 times a day. Moist, soft, plump oyster flesh dipped in a lemony thai-style chilli sauce and a vinegary sauce, I was in debauchery heaven.
On Friday evening we had more seafood, including the famous Snapper Pie, at The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay. For Saturday lunch we had oysters yum cha or dim sum at the East Ocean Restaurant, a huge chinese restaurant, in Chinatown.
Tetsuya's was not a let down, and I will let the husband do the write-up on the food. I knew from the moment we stepped inside, dressed-up to the nines, we were not fine-dining in Singapore. Whilst Tetsuya's has similar aspirations to the fine-dining restaurants in Singapore, being in Sydney made it feel perhaps less chic but more alive and vibrant. Its patrons - a mixture of locals, expats, foodies, created a cafeteria-like sound to its dining experience. A young australian couple gave the husband and I a little taste of young "hollywood" (She - Paris Hilton Wannabe; He - the boyfriend who waits on her hand and foot). And no one believed in a formal dress code.
It's Harbour
The Sydney Opera House is not the only memorable sight around Sydney Harbour. Take a cruise boat from Circular Quay and take in the sights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the lovely homes and apartments, historical landmarks, celeb homes, emerald blue clean water and dolphins, nudist beach, and yachts/boats/ships/ferries in all shapes and sizes. Whales have been known to stray into the Harbour and on the day that they do, the Harbour is left for the whales and the water-traffic comes to an absolute, and respectful, still.
Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Zoom-out and zoom-in the bare-ass at the nudist beach.
Yachts, Boats, Ships and Ferries Oh My!
No whales but we saw dolphins!
It's Stylo-Mylo
Boudoir, flirty, quirky and befitting a BeneFit packaging, Alannah Hill I adored. You can find her swell boutique at the Strand Arcade. Bondi Market shows off the cool creative talent of Sydneysiders. And the husband and I quickly learnt that mostly, its casual in Sydney.
It's Beaches
The husband brought me to Bondi Beach after we trawled around its market (every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm) held at the Public School grounds just a stone throw away from the beach.
Bondi lived up to my expectation. And then some. It was expansive, with caffe-latte coloured sand teaming with happy people, its waters booming and blue and surfers abound. The sidewalk that starts from Bondi Beach links to the beaches of Mckenzies, Tamaramma and Bronte. The walk was bracing and its views breathtaking.
Fearing frostbite on my toes, I chose to have the most overdressed feet on Bondi.
Bondi and McKenzies Beach.
There is a strange fondness for swimming very close to the sea.
Surfers Paradise.
A quaint deli called Jenny's just off Bronte Beach.
Favourite anecdote on Sydney:
At the very top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, our enthusiastic guide for the Bridge Climb - Doug Snider, pointed out to us folks holding onto the railings for our dear lives, Russell Crow's glorious looking apartment block on Finger Wharf on Woolloomooloo Bay. He tells us that there is a famous Sydney cafe called Harry's Cafe De Wheels, which serves the famous Harry's Pies that Sydneysiders come to eat during the early hours of the morning. They sit and eat the pies and watch the big rats scuttle along the Wharf. Russell buys an apartment on Finger Wharf for the ludicrous sum of AUD$14 million. 5 months down the road, Mr. Crow starts complaining about the rats. Sydneysiders find this story extremely amusing, as do the husband and I.
Royal Brunei Airlines flies to Sydney 3 times weekly every Thursday, Monday and Wednesday. I miss the oysters already...and to the husband, thank you for Sydney.
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