Up Under: Four Days in Sydney

I have been promising some friends that I would go up to Sydney to visit. Three years later, I am finally able to fulfil that promise. I went up to Sydney to say my goodbyes to B and P and little M, but I had the pleasant surprise of meeting up with old friends along the way.

Sydney - how shall I describe her?

She is the tempestuous sister of Melbourne, full of character and vibrance, with a short temper, messy on the inside but often so beautiful you can't look away.

The glorious Sydney Harbour Bridge.

I must say, three minutes into my returning to Melbourne, I noticed a stark difference already - people would look you in the eye and smile, waving you on - after you, mate - and the roads were spacious and everybody was happy to share.

day 1

The Airport

There is something distinctively alluring about airports. In Love Actually, the narrator describes how you very rarely see people arguing at airports. It is the place where hugs are exchanged, joyful welcomes occur side by side with tearful farewells, and people are often excited about leaving to a foreign place, or simply, coming home.

This was going to be my first ever interstate flight in a long time. I chose to fly on Richard Branson's Virgin Blue airline, only so that I could make the joke 'I flew to Sydney a Virgin and I came back a Virgin.' Ah, Richard Branson had pretty smart marketing ideas, that man.

I was elated to be leaving for Sydney and accentuated my buzz with a quick hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant.

The first thing I saw after sitting down in the airplane was the news that the Pope was in Sydney. The morning sun streamed in through the tiny window to my right, and I couldn't stop smiling.