Galentine’s Day
Since Valentine’s Day was on Friday, my roommates and I decided to celebrate together. We went out for a hibachi dinner, which was a lot of fun and a super interactive experience. My favorite part was when our chef had us catch our own bowls of fried rice. First, he threw two empty bowls, which I caught one in the other. Then the third bowl was filled with fried rice. After hibachi, we finished up the night back at the apartment with chocolate-covered strawberries and cards. Alexa and Sienna taught us all how to play Knock.
Coastal Walk from Rose Bay to Camp Cove
On Saturday, Stella and I woke up early to do a coastal walk from Rose Bay to Camp Cove Beach. We started at Rose Bay Beach, which had a beautiful view of the harbor filled with boats. We sat on the beach, watching as people’s dogs ran, swam, and played, while I drank my coffee. Then we began following the trail. It was nicely shaded, really immersing us in nature. Every so often, there would be a clearing that provided a spectacular view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. Our next stop was Hermit Beach, which was filled with all sorts of shells and sea glass. Stella and I stayed there for a while—her searching for shells and me for sea glass. Then we moved on to Milk Beach. It was one of my favorite beaches so far. Milk Beach was small, with a beautiful view of the harbor and the city. We laid there for a while and tanned before continuing on to Shark Beach. Ironically, Shark Beach is the only beach we swam at. The lake-like beach’s cool water was refreshing after hiking 3 miles. We then took the wrong trail and ended up a little lost; however, we found ourselves at Glass Sea Point, where we climbed down to a small beach revealed by the retreating tides. There, we saw tide pools filled with sea life and even found a few starfish. I also found more sea glass to add to my collection. Feeling a bit tired, we continued our walk in the right direction this time. We briefly passed a few more beaches before arriving at Camp Cove, where we rewarded ourselves for walking 7 miles with some fresh homemade juices.
Opera House Tour and Rocks Market
On Sunday, we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. We were able to see different theaters and concert halls while learning about the history and architecture of the building. After our tour, we took a short walk to The Rocks Market. There, we walked around looking at the different vendors selling food, clothes, jewelry, art, and more. I ended up buying a hand-printed seashell to hold my jewelry.
As the end of my time in Sydney is quickly approaching , I feel grateful for all the incredible memories I’ve made. Every day has been an adventure, and I’m going to miss this city even more than I expected.
– Maddie