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13.02.2020 Sydney sightseeing. It was around midnight and after a six-hour journey that our intercity coach entered an urban area and eventually crossed a steel bridge. When, down below, we suddenly caught sight of the world-famous sails of the illuminated Opera House, we knew we had reached Sydney, and were just travelling across equally iconic Harbour Bridge. Of course we were quite eager to go and explore the city the next day – however, all those plans were upset by the weather. It had been raining again and again since Friday, but on Sunday, it was coming down in sheets all day, supposedly unlike anything Sydney had seen in 30 years. We stayed in our hostel for most of the day and only ventured out in the evening for some groceries, still in the pouring rain, wading through ankle-high puddles and past overflowing drains. Thankfully, the sky had cleared up the next day and so we could set out for three days of sightseeing. It was great to see the Opera House and other monuments from close up and stroll through the parks and different quarters, some historic, some very modern. Our personal highlights were the large model of the city displayed at Customs House, the refreshing water park in Darling Quarter, a guided tour through the indigenous art section in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a shipwreck walk, as well as a visit to the area that hosted and still commemorates the Olympic Summer Games in 2000. It was fun to look for famous names at the medallist memorial; and we also had our little moment of triumph as part of the winning team at our hostel's quiz night – cheers to our three teammates from England! Going places in Sydney is very easy as there is a dense network of tram, train, bus and ferry lines, and instead of buying tickets, passengers can simply tap on and off with their credit cards. Also, transport will never cost more than about ten euros a day, and on Sundays the cap is as low as two euros. One more reason why this afternoon, we are going to embark on a little side trip and travel to the Blue Mountains by train. #scoutbound #austalia #sydney #harbourbridge #opera #sydneyoperahouse #sydneyolympicpark #artgallerynsw #shipwreck #brickpit

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