Sydney

A suitcase ready for Tokyo when suddenly some message beep on my mobile phone: For operational reasons my flight has been changed for Sydney. Although I haven’t been to Australia’s largest city yet, unlike Tokyo, I still start cursing. Now I have to operate a much longer and more difficult flight that I was not mentally prepared for. And especially I have to repack my suitcase! There on the other side of the Hemisphere, there is a winter time now…

Although I know that winters in Australia are not as tough as those in our country, I’m still surprised how pleasant and sunny day will land to. So this weather they call winter in Australia? Outside is pleasant 16 degrees, but when the sun shows up on the sky, temperatures rise to 23. At least, I can wear the same summer clothes that I had prepared for Japan and I was too lazy to remove them from the suitcase. Just throw a leather jacket over shoulders and I’m ready for the city…

Bondi beach

I go out with my colleagues for dinner and some beer straight after our arrival. We end up in a Thai bistro with Thai cuisine and cheap beer from the supermarket, which we drink just on the pavement in front of the hotel. I hope beer prepares me for sleep, but that wouldn’t be Australia if I didn’t suffer from a common jet-leg. So I am up early in the morning and together with two Serbian colleagues we take a cab to Bondi beach, a surfing paradise. Around the coast there is a street with colorful surf shops and original boho fashion (if you are looking for a stylish bikini, this is the best place!), as well as several bistros and cafes that serve a healthy breakfast for early sportsmen. We do not have the waves or kilometers covered, but the sausage eggs taste just as good. After breakfast we go for a short walk along the coast towards the Iceberg Sports Club. The club is known for its swimming pool, which leads into the sea. It is a pleasant weather outside, but the water still looks cold. Nevertheless, a few daredevils in the pool are swimming. I promise that if I fly to Sydney in the summer, I will come here to swim.

Sydney Opera

Around lunch I say goodbye to the Serbs. While they are going to catch up some sleep, I go for another walk through the beautiful park and The Royal Botanic Garden. Then I continue to one of the world’s most iconic buildings. How could I say that I was in Sydney without a picture in front of the Opera House?! I have to say that although Australia has never been my favorite, Sydney is a really beautiful city. Very clean, neat and especially green. I swap the bed at the hotel for a soft green lawn and enjoy the afternoon in the sunshine in the park, where I lie down on the grass like many other Australians…