Australia: Melbourne

Bell's Beach

A city and suburb that knows how to do culture. If I had to compare it to the truly "great" cities out there, I'd say Melbourne is the Philadelphia of Australia. Hah, guess I'm biased though. ^_~ This was my longest stop throughout the entire trip. I scheduled four nights, five days here, and for good reason. My first desire: drive the Great Ocean Road. Night one and two were spent in the suburbs staying with another colleague who works at the Consulate General there. In order to facilitate the logistics, I rented a car and fulfilled my desire. Day two was spent along the southern coast of Australia, admiring the natural beaches, rock formations, and waterfalls. I love driving, so it was a great pleasure for me to get back out behind the wheel. My Holden Commodore suited me well and we enjoyed the coastal towns of Apollo's Bay, Lorne, Airesley Inlet, and of course Bell's Beach (of Keanu Reeves fame). 

My ride!

Melbourne - Australia's Philadelphia

 The next two nights were spent downtown, at the luxe and environmentally friendly Vibe Savoy, where I was conveniently upgraded to a corner room king suite because I'm awesome (dudes, fill out their surveys!). Lets see, the city had so much to offer, I couldn't choose what to do first. But I managed to fulfill all my other desires: the Shrine of Remembrance, the Botanical Gardens, the Exhibition Hall, Queen Victoria Market, Flinders Street & alleyways, Federation Square, the Museum of Moving Art, and ::gasp:: Hosier Lane. Oh! So fabulous. I could have spent another week in Melbourne but sadly I had to head home. 

Hosier Lane Street Art

The Exhibition Hall

Australia: Sydney

Iconic.

Breathtaking.

Memorable.

When you ask someone what they think of when you think of the city of Sydney, 9 times out of 10 they're going to mention the Opera House. There's no doubt why: its the focal point of the city and harbour. Understandably so, it's absolutely gorgeous. I met up with M, a colleague from The Embassy, and we explored every facet of the Opera House on a behind the scenes tour. Highly encouraged; also, we had the luck to tour it while the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra was rehearsing Camille Saint-Saëns' "Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)" One of my favorites. My ears were in bliss. The natural acoustics of the amphitheater require no artificial projection. It's truly a masterpiece and showcases the music in all it's glory. Another highlight of my (too-short) time in Sydney was the bridge-climb. M looked this one up and so glad she did. The three-hour tour included us donning jumpsuits sans accessories (no watches, bracelets, cameras, or anything that could fall off) and climbing through the inner structure of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, all the way to the top. The panoramic views of the skyline, harbour, and opera house were breathtaking. It's moments like the one we had on the top of the bridge when I realize how lucky I am to be in the Foreign Service. I'd never get this experience otherwise. Certainly such a realization required celebration, so we headed to The Rocks area for a bite to eat and some liquid nourishment. My only wish for Sydney was that I had longer to spend there.