Showing Off Sydney

Aaaaand another week has gone by in Sydney, just as fast as all the other weeks before it.

This week seemed to go by especially fast, as I got to spend the time with my family [hence why I have been slightly behind on blogging, such a busy week]! I loved reverting back into slightly-touristy mode in order to show them all the things I think are wonderful about Sydney, as well as exploring a few things I hadn't yet experienced during my time here.

A brief rundown of our week:

• We went to Pancakes on the Rocks on four separate occasions - when there's a place we love, we stick with it! It is one of my favorites places to eat in Sydney, and I don't really get the chance to go there, so I'm not complaining about a week of ice cream covered pancakes.
• We took a tour of the Opera House, a place I hadn't yet gotten the chance to visit. It was decided that we couldn't spend time in Sydney without visiting its most famous building, and I'm so glad we went. There was a lot to learn about the building [such as: It was originally supposed to take 3 years and $7 million to build, and took over 16 years and $100+ million instead...ooooor, they started construction on the Opera House before determining whether or not it was even physically possible to build the structure]. I would love to go and see a show there, unfortunately, tickets are pretty expensive and I'm realizing how fast my time is running out.
• We walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge! I had been waiting to do this since I got here, even though I get to see the view from the train every morning. It was a chance to take many, many pictures and see everything just a little bit closer. I would still like to walk it again and have a chance to explore the other side, but it was very cool to see the bridge so close.
• On Friday, we visited the home of some relatives of ours who live just outside of Sydney. It was a great opportunity to see the inside of an actual Australian home, and spend time with people who know the country well. I also ate lamb for the first time ever, and learned some new things about Australia [It's very legal to drive barefoot, something that makes me kind of nervous].
• The fam got the chance to experience the markets that I've been telling them about for so long, and they definitely took advantage of the shopping opportunity. They came away with bags of souvenirs, all for incredibly cheap. It was so fun to wander around the stalls with them and help them pick things out, and it also gave me lots of souvenir ideas for all of you back home!
• I brought everyone back over to my neighborhood in Surry Hills so they could see where I've been spending my time. They got an apartment tour and met Bekah, before getting to see the surrounding area and of course, eating at a couple of my favorite places. I love knowing that I will be able to talk about places and things when I get home and there will be at least a few people who can completely understand what I'm talking about!

Overall, it was a great week of exploring with the fam, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was tough to say goodbye to them yesterday, but I know that these last 5 weeks in Sydney are going to fly by so fast. We have so many things left to accomplish, and I hope we can fit them all in!

[One last thing: one of our bucket list items was "Get hooked on an Australian TV show". Mission accomplished - shout out to Rhys for winning Masterchef: The Professionals!]