My flight from Brisbane was at 5 am in the morning, meaning I had to leave for the airport at about 3:15.. well thought out that! I barely got any sleep that night and not much chance of a nap on the flight that only last around an hour; By the time I finally arrived at the hostel in Glebe I literally felt like death warmed up.
I figured that I just put my baggage in the luggage store room (as it was still too early to check-in) grab a quick shower and head out for some food until I was able to get in to my room, only to be greeted by the most stupid girl on reception. When I'd asked if I could put my things there she asked me just to take a seat and she'd be with me in a minute, so I did thinking maybe she had something to do and waited patiently on the sofa in the reception. Delirius from the lack of sleep it didn't occur to me for quite some time that I was still sat there until an hour and a half later when I finally asked her if it I could put my things in and asked what time check-in was, when she said it wasn't until 11am... so apparently she was just going to leave me there for like four hours on that chair! How ridiculous!.. but maybe i'm just as stupid sitting there for an hour and a half!
After putting my things in the luggage room I came back to pay and she said that I could check-in after all. I like how she waited to tell me that after I'd lugged by rucksack down a flight of stairs and on to the top shelf of the storage room before she told me that.
In a huff, I went out to get some food and found a nice little cafe where I had a lovely berry smoothie that vastly improved my day!
I spent the rest of the morning wandering around the city centre trying to familarise myself with my new home.
A university friend of mine, Edwin, was also coming to Sydney that day which I was so excited for as I hadn't seen him for about six months. Absolutely shattered and ready to head back to the hostel I gave him a text to see where he was and happened to have just arrived at his hotel which was conincidentally across the road from where I was. Within ten minutes I met up with him and it felt the most natural thing in the world to see him even though here we were literally on the other side of the world.
He was travelling with a friend of his, and although she was very nice, she obviously preferred the finer things in life and wasn't a stranger to wanting to get her own way.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Habour seeing the Opera house and Habour Bridge before looking for somewhere to get some food. Having been to Sydney before, Edwin said there was a 'really good pub' somewhere near the bridge but just as we gave up hope of ever finding it, there it was on a hill right under the bridge. It wasn't bad but I think 'really good' may have been a slight overstatement!
Me and Edwin had already pre-planned that we were going to go on the cheesy sight-seeing bus tour of the city (like we had done previously together in Dublin,) so the three of us met up in Starbucks the next morning for a pre-bus coffee and cake.
Charlotte not impressed by the bus at all. In a bad mood as soon as we got on it, about 20 minutes in she asked Edwin, "what have you learnt?" to which i just pretended I was looking out the window, "Er, well... The Cathedral was built in 18** " and some other facts thats I'd clearly not taken in although remember that the Habour bridge was built by the Japanese who asked nothing for the cost of the bridge but collect tolls for 30 years for the cost of the bridge. We were just enjoying the view and remininsing about out bus tour in Ireland where we learnt that there was a statue of a women who "got shot in 'er left booob."
After a couple of hours on the bus we decided to go to get some food before going on the second tour that took us to Bondi, but just before we went on the bus Charlotte decided she didn't want to go anymore after we'd bought loads of things to take to the beach with us, and wanted to head back to the hotel instead so I joined then for a little while before I headed back to my hostel.
We had made plans for the next day (New Years) but after I left Charlotte had decided she didn't like the plans and so after a bit of too'ing and fro'ing decided that our ideas were just different and it was best just to do what each of wanted to do and so I would go to Balmain as planned but with a girl from my dorm and her friends instead and they would do whatever made Charlotte not complain.
Thinking that it was it pretty much for the day I went to Coles supermarket to get some supplies for the next day when I had a pleasant suprise- a missed call and a message from Felix saying that he'd found himself in Glebe (where I was staying) and inviting me out for a quite drink with two Australian guys he was staying with- Nick and Rob.
I rang him back immediately and within about an hour went and met them at the Abercrombie on Broadway. It was so nice to see him again so soon, and Nick and Rob were great too. One drink turned into two, which turned into five and a walk home via an amazing rooftop view from an abandoned hotel of the city skyline and a conversation with Felix that changed everything.
We'd gotten on so well back in Noosa it wasn't really a suprise when we met up again that we'd decided that we liked each other a lot more than just friends. We must have sat on a bench in the rain talking for at least two hours about Noosa and how each of us would have changed our plans in a second if only the other one had said something. But as fate would have it, here we both were in Sydney for the next few months at least.
Getting in at 5 am wasn't the early night plan I'd hoped for but I'd also not planned to see Felix but definetly I am happy I did even if it meant the scheduled 6:30 wake up wasn't possible anymore!
I met Sarah, the girl from my dorm and some friends of hers in Balmain East, at a park on the waters edge over looking Habour bridge at around 12:30. There was probablyt around 20 of us altogether and we spent the day just chilling out eating, drinking playing cards and sunbathing waiting for the New Years celebrations. We were in a perfect spot to see the Harbour bridge and the fireworks. There were also two Swedish girls there which were also staying at our hostel which I had got talking to. Malin was telling me about their trip to Ikea the day before and how they'd gone a bit crazy and bought loads of things as it reminded her of home!
Marlin: My whole bedroom was there! My couch, my duvet, everything!
Me: If it was me I would have got in the bed!
Marlin: I DID!
Later in the afternoon a plane flew above the habour and began writing something in the sky. Beginning with "R U..." It had everyone guessing what it was going to say. Eventually it read, 'R U going 2 heaven? How? Trust Christ'- unfortunetly not the 'R U going 2 party?' everyone had expected.
At midnight Sarah tried to call her mum but typically enough she didn't answer but we all left her a voicemail saying happy new year- to which Sarah added, "Happy New Year! Its New Year here, not with you! I'm an Alien!" Obviously a bit worse for wear after a good twelve hours of drinking!
The fireworks were amazing. There were displays all over Sydney all going off in sequence at the same time filling the whole sky with sparkle and colours. It gave the city a truely magical feel and made me truely happy to be in the number one place in the world to spend New Years.. even if I did wish all my friends were there with me.
And that was it the end of a spectacular year that had led me all the way across the world to Australia and who knows whats in store in 2012. If its in any way as good as 2011 I'm sure I will have the time of my life.
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