This past weekend we didn’t have any scheduled group excursion. However, I didn’t let it go to waste and with small group of friends we continued exploring and crossing things off our wish lists. We had everything scheduled by time blocks which definitely helped keep us on track with all the activities we wanted to do.

Saturday

5:00 am – 9:00am – Sunrise @ Manly Beach

I don’t necessarily consider myself a morning person because I hate waking up early. But for a trip to the beach, I will always make an exception. My day started at 5am as two friends and I made the early trip to Manly to watch the sunrise. Since we went before the ships started their routes, we had to take a longer trip to the Manly. When we finally got to the beach, we found a small space and prepared ourselves to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, that very same day turned out to start off cloudy, so we didn’t watch the sunrise, we only saw the sky get lighter. After realizing we weren’t going to be able to watch the sunrise, we started walking the trial to the smaller beach I went to on my last trip to Manly. We didn’t stay for too long since we had to rush to get the cruise back to Sydney and stay on schedule.

10 am – 12:30 pm – Brunch @ The Grounds Coffee Factory

For brunch we decided to explore this famous cafe restaurant. It is decorated as an old locomotive workshop and many pipes used to transport the coffee to the roasting stage cover the top. It definitely made the experience really fun to see the coffee passing above me. We didn’t take a tour at the restaurant but from our seats, we were still able to watch the curating process of The Grounds’ coffee. Bianca ordered a coffee, so it was nice to see how the coffee she drank was made step by step.

2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – D&D show @ Opera House

By this point, we were rushing to get out of the brutal sun as it was at its all-time high. As someone who comes from a sunny place, even I would admit it was really hot. It was nice to get out of the sun and watch a show in the Sydney Opera House. before entering the theater room for the show, we were asked to pick 1 of the 3 stickers in a basket. I didn’t think anything of it and picked the blue one (character is best at magic and manipulation). Once they started explaining the rules of the game and how the show would go, I realized we essentially chose the character that would represent us during the show. This show was very interactive and fun especially since I watched the show without any previous knowledge of how to play the game. It was really entertaining to be a part of the show in my own way through choosing between different choices, solving riddles, giving character suggestions, etc. Overall, it was a great experience that I’m glad I took the chance to do.

6:30 pm – 8 pm – Mardi Gras Parade

After our show, we met up with a couple of other friends to go watch the Mardi Gras Parade. At the beginning it felt like a small event, but as we went closer to the event, we saw how big of an event it was. I was definitely very impressed with how huge the turnout was because it definitely demonstrated Australia’s image of being open minded and accepting. Many different groups walked from so many different occupations, support groups, global corporations, each with their own extravagant float playing music. It felt like I was watching a moving concert. As an ally with friends apart of the LGBTQ+ community, it is always nice to see there being countries and companies supporting their identities.

Sunday

All Day @ Blue Mountains

We started our trip a bit late because we had a long day on Saturday and this wasn’t any shorter. I’ve traveled in a car for 3 hours before and it has never felt like traveling this long by train. That was the perfect time to do a lot of work, but I decided to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. It was very relaxing to watch how the topography changed as we went further away from the city. Once we got there, we got onto the bus that would take us to the start of the trail called Echo Point. From there, we were able to see the 3 sisters which as legend has it, were turned to stone to be kept safe from the men who wanted to take them from their village. The men were from a rival village and were in love with the 3 sisters, but their love was forbidden so they wanted to take them by force. We walked a bit further down and explored the different trails connected to the main Echo Point trail. After some time exploring and pushing through our physical limits, we decided to head back to the city. Thankfully, my roommate was also going back after spending a weekend at the Blue Mountains. She offered us a ride back with her and it definitely saved us a lot of time going back which was definitely appreciated.

This weekend was the most I’ve ever walked this whole time, but it led me to many wonderful places, so it was definitely worth feeling drained at the end. As I enter this new week, I am expecting I will have so much more last-minute adventures before my friends head off to our own separate spring break locations.