For the first time, in a long time, since we began writing this blog, we will feature another post in double language. Because its the very least we could do. Without any further delays…here is how we spend a GREAT time in Sydney.
An early rise and a hefty fee got us to Hobart airport where we took our flight to Sydney on Xmas Eve 2013. After landing, we proceeded to recover our luggage, not before a quick restroom stop. As we leave we are immediately surprised by two strangers trying to grab our bags… and awkwardly inviting us into their apartment in downtown Sydney…noooooooo, no joke here, it was these two =) :
After the formal introductions, cab to city center where we were at Kent Street (we can’t divulge the number, since one of them is a local celebrity and could cause distress to his/her daily life).
As we settled they took us around for a quick walk around Sydney, for us to check out a few green sites and the city’s Opera House! After years of seeing it on TV, so far away, there it was!
We did some final shopping for our Xmas Eve dinner and returned to the house for preparations! We were joined for dinner by Vibha and Jules, two of their friends who we quickly became very fond of too. We had a wonderful salted codfish that João and Joan were able to get from the fish market, which we ate with “all” aka “todos” aka, everything you can expect to find in a portuguese house around this time of the year. Also some delicious salads and some very delicious “rabanadas” and “mexidos” prepared by the Ace of Xmas portuguese desserts…Matos-mate! After dinner, a few games of Jenga and then Xmas present exchange :)
Note: this couch was our amazing and cheap bed for our 15 days at Sydney and also the place where Gonçalo Cadilhe slept when he was in Sydney. A true honor to follow the footsteps of our portuguese travel guru!
Next day, they had another special day planned, with lunch, well basically full day of eating at another portuguese couple’s house were we met the very nice house owners Sofia and Pedro and a few other friends! It was a day of “belly bursting” with another bunch of portuguese delicacies. Fortunately we had MAtos-mate who helped us by finishing the last 3 Kg of the meat dish leaving us enough room to enjoy the desserts :)
We can’t publish any more pictures due to privacy protection! :) This is afterall the number 2 blog on the portuguese web, after the Casa dos Segredos’ blog. We can however add that it was a great “fatality” that we all met and spent a “mind-blowing” (or was it “spine-ripping”) day! ;)
Next day, we had a nice walk around the city to recover from the excessive caloric intake during Xmas:
They have a lot more variety when it comes to chocolate in this country!
Note: Free-kick shot!
Some Kangaroo and Aligator pizza for dinner, along with nice ales and ciders :) A delicious end to the day!
On the 27th, João took us on a day-trip to the amazing Bondi Beach! Great weather, great water and cool waves!
For lunch, the traditional and delicious Fish & Chips eaten in a picnic style:
On the 28th we took a trip to the very cool Sydney Zoo (our Xmas present from Joan and João!), an amazing zoo, with an amazing view over the city:
Note: please excuse the childish pictures.
For the 29th, another amazing day planned! Seriously we cannot stress enough how cool our hosts were, they basically planned a bunch of stuff for us to do…we are going to have to pay back someday so…a trip to Portugal is required for sure, can you hear me guys? So on this day, we drove to the Three Sisters Park, a few miles out of Sydney for some amazing landscapes and nice walks:
Note: “The Move”
Note: no comments please.
On the 30th we were joined by Vibha for a wonderful feast of a dinner, filled with desserts that surely took some years off our lives… :)
Note: all dessert pictures were censored. If any of the members of the dinner party want them please contact our support staff.
Finally New Year’s Eve! After so many years of watching the fireworks on Sydney Harbour and Bridge, we finally get to celebrate it with these guys! :)
Our initial plan was to secure a good spot in one of the free lawns around Sydney (yes they actually close public parks and the best spots to watch the fireworks are paid for those who can afford them!). We chose the budget option thank God! We packed a bunch of food and in the morning around 8 am (yes, New Year in Sydney starts at this time!) Diogo and João set off for the lines that would open around 9am. When we got there, even after taking a shortcut João knew which put us ahead of 50 others arriving at the same time we were in a big line with a heavy sun on our heads…we waited a bit but then we concluded it would be much better to do the picnic relaxing in a lawn without a view and heading out around midnight to view the fireworks from another spot! The best choice possible!
A lot of Card Monopoly (amazing fun game) and Uno! Snacking, playing, sleeping, a bit of drinking ok…a blast! Then later, we had dinner at home and went out to find a spot to watch the very anticipated fireworks! It was not an easy task!
On New Year’s day, a promise was kept:
Come on it’s not that bad!
For the 2nd of January, another special treat! These guys have a very cool outdoor cinema that plays some reruns…and we happened to catch a crowd favourite while we were there…HUNGRY EYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS….
A big cheer from the crowd at the end of the movie. We got a feeling that all the women present were expecting to see Patrick Swayze jump out of the screen! A good performer that has left a lot of fans!
On the 3rd of January we went to Manly Beach! This was another fun one, we had to take a ferry that dropped us right on the spot! And on this day there was an added incentive…besides just enjoying a good sunny day on the beach in January (not common for portuguese)…Moo Burgers!
The ferry ride above and the mouthwatering Moo Burger below…tastes as good as it looks!
Manly beach above and some Uno below…with lots of provocations between players!
Good thing money wasn’t involved, otherwise João would have cut our trip short!
On the 4th of January we had another belly-bursting day! We took a walk to the fish market of Sydney and dear God it was crowded! It was a Saturday afterall! We saw some familiar delicacies and then we chose one of their food stands to get an amazing lunch:
This was a plate for 3…and we can guarantee…it was more than enough for 4! We had trouble finishing the whole thing! We ate on a small lawn outside with a view to a marina and we had to protect our food from the seagulls hovering! This is one of those foods we will definitely miss! Simple and so good!
After lunch we headed back to downtown with a few stops along the way. On one of them we had the Viking challenge. Please vote for who you think should win:
Memorable!
On January 5th, a Sunday, it was the last vacation day for our hosts, so we treated them to a special lunch: the very typical Porto dish Francesinha. It wasn’t the real thing, but still a decent attempt, we hope! :)
After lunch another walk to digest the heavy calories dish!
Below another glorious jumping picture :) :
On the 6th and 7th we just relaxed at João’s apartment while they’re were both working and on the night of the 7th, we were joined by Vibha and Jules again who treated us to a frozen yogurt, which was also our goodbye get together. There was a bit of a heavy feeling for sure, since we were departing the next day and we knew that it would be a long time before we get our eyes on these four! But anyways, guys you know you will always have a place to stay in Porto with us and we look forward to giving you as good a time as you gave us!
A big thank you to all those we met in Sydney and especially to these four friends! Come visit us soon! We have great food and desserts in Portugal too! We promise!
And finally, for our two hosts: guys we left a couple of posts-its on that special box you have for Xmas. You’ll get a reward if you find which they are! But only on Xmas, no peeking before that! ;) Thanks for everything!
Next day, January 8th, departure to a dream location for several years now…the Middle Earth…New Zealand.
Stay tuned!
Hehe awesome blog post! Thanks Diogo & Sara for visiting us! We definitely noticed you added some post-it notes… we are keeping all of them for the end of the year! Can’t wait to read them :) Thanks for writing in English for me! :D And we totally need to get your francesinha recipe, it was sooooo tasty!