Our first stop in Australia was naturally its largest and most vibrant city, Sydney. The population of Sydney is about 4.5 million, or to put that in perspective, almost a quarter of the entire population of Australia. As big as it is, Sydney is a top-notch city - pristine beaches, daily sunshine, and a great transport system, including ferries that take you anywhere along the harbor to enjoy spectacular views of the city skyline. And lots of bats.
I arrived in the Sydney airport and met Isaac, an old friend from San Diego who now lives here. We headed down to the train platform, where to my surprise, four others were waiting - Nathan and Courtney (also SD friends), Isaac's roommate Dave, and Allie, who had been on an earlier flight that day. There's nothing better than arriving in a new country to familiar faces, a place to stay and someone who knows the city inside and out to show us around.
Our Sydney days were filled with lots of ferry rides, beautiful walks, candid photos in front of the opera house, beers in rooftop bars, and sampling the local cuisine, including savory pies, kangaroo and emu pizza.
Another culinary highlight was Isaac and Dave's favorite restaurant, Fratelli Fresh - a must-visit for anyone who goes to Sydney. It's an Italian market that takes whatever is fresh that day and creates a unique menu every night. Safe to say the best risotto I've ever had, followed by banoffee pie - a heavenly combination of a biscuit cookie-ish crust, toffee filling, fresh bananas, fresh cream. Top it off with a few carafes of wine and good friends, and life is good.
Isaac had also set up a gig for us at the Excelsior hotel, a pub in Surrey Hills. As soon as we got on stage, I felt like we'd been transported back to San Diego, where Isaac and I have spent many an evening doing shows together. Allie also made a guest appearance onstage to round out what the other band from Tasmania called "Yankee Night". I consider it the one and only show on Laura's World Tour, 2010.
After almost a week in Sydney, we are about to part ways for a road trip down the coast - to Melbourne via wherever we feel like stopping. We've gotten our city fix, and nature beckons!
