That’s right dear readers I am back. My last post was way back in February! You have my deepest apologies, but the past month I have been quite busy on a dream holiday in Australia with my long distance relationship boyfriend! 😍
travel essentials.
First things first, I had to make it through three flights totaling over 20 hours in the air alone! But knowing my guy was on the other side got me through the commute. PHL>IAH>LAX>SYD✈️
Touchdown, sweet sweet reunion.
Reunited with this sweet face.
Right away (well after a much needed shower), we were off into Sydney so I could start seeing the sights.
Alleyway murals in Chinatown.
The gate in Sydney’s Chinatown.
We were staying in the suburb of Summer Hill the first two days, so on day two we took the train to another suburb, Newtown, that was known for it’s hip coffeeshops. We drank long blacks and strolled in and out of used bookshops all day.
Day three we moved into our apartment we rented located centrally in the city. The perfect location, and a really hip and modern building. After settling in we walked through the botanic gardens and I got my first look at the Opera House and Harbor Bridge.
Inside the gardens.
The first glimpse.
Happy by the bridge and harbor.
After our big day of moving in and sightseeing we made dinner in our new home☺️
and wine too!
The next day we went to the Aquarium by day and saw a performance at the opera house by night. It was a cabaret style show with aerialists, pole dance, acrobatics, singing, comedy, and tap dancing called Club Swizzle.
Nemo and Dory.
The theater for Club Swizzle.
Next up, a trip up in the Sydney tower with views of the entire city. Wonderful. Would have been even better if I hadn’t been sick. That’s right, I got sick. I developed a case of laryngitis that left me fatigued and in pain. I saw a clinic doctor who prescribed me some antibiotics that did the trick to make me better.
The busy days continued, here are some shots of Hyde Park and the views from up in the Sydney Tower:
The ANZAC memorial
Fountain in Hyde Park
I spy the Harbor Bridge and Opera House…
I spy that same fountain and part of the botanical gardens…
The next day was extremely eventful! I experienced Yum Cha for the first time that morning and after we strolled through the Chinese Friendship Garden.
Posing by the big scary koi.
Moongate
Across the pond pano.
The entrance to the garden
Then we headed to the Wildlife center to see lots of Aussie animal friends☺️🐨
Echidna!
Roo
Sleepy koala
That night was the annual Mardi Gras parade, which is the largest LGBT pride parade in the world, so naturally we had to go! We didn’t stay for the whole thing, but there were some great floats.
Got rhinestones?
Magic Mike eat your heart out.
The next day we walked across the Harbor Bridge to the other shore. The bridge has a small museum/look out point located in one of its pylons. We paid the small fee and went up to see the killer views. After crossing over we paid a visit to Luna Park. Luna Park is similar in its feel to Coney Island in New York.
Sydney Harbor
Happy couple
The bridge is huge people
Luna Park: just for fun!
Have you noticed a lack of beach pictures? That’s because I hadn’t been to the beach yet! I was there for a week before we finally made the trip to Bondi Beach outside of Sydney. GORGEOUS! After lounging on the sand and swimming in the crystal waters for a bit, we did the coastal walk along the shoreline. Simply stunning.
Bondi in all its glory
Coastal walk
The we went to the zoo! Taronga zoo has been open in Sydney since 1916! A really wonderful zoo with some beautiful views in the background.
Australia’s most cuddly.
Chillaxing
Bow down to the great platypus.
Baby wallaby
Love this shot
Zoo entrance
My first two weeks flew by, and then it was time to head up north to Newcastle where I would be staying with his family. My days in Newcastle were filled with meatpies, beaches, and even more wildlife! There seems to be no end to Australia’s natural beauty.
My first tiger pie! Meat pie topped with mashed potatoes, mashed peas, and gravy!
Meriwether beach
Caves beach
Caves beach
Fingle Bay
One mile beach
Wallaby at Blackbutt Nature Reserve
Koala we got to pat at Blackbutt!
The gorgeous honeysuckle waterfront at sunset
Newcastle city beach
For my last two days we drove back down to Sydney. I was able to take a tour of the Opera House which was pretty cool. I was only allowed to get pictures on one of the theaters even though the building has six! It is for way more than just opera!
Fairy floss skies
The concert hall
Inside the opera house
Classic
Every year a giant fair (or show) comes to Sydney at Easter. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Royal Easter Show on my final day in Australia. It was like a state fair on crack! It was huge! It was home to not only fried foods and ice cream, but gourmet aussie treats and prize winning cakes. To not only carnival rides, but also every kind of farm animal imaginable. Exploring the grounds took all day, and culminated with a fireworks show that felt like it was just for us. It was the perfect last day.
The Royal Easter Show is held at the Olympic Park.
It was raining but we were all smiles!
A truly aussie cake!
Bright colors against a gray sky (love this one too).
BIG COW
Feeding some goats
Huge corndogs (dagwood dogs) are a show necessity.
I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect and amazing first trip to Australia. My holiday truly felt like a dream. Spending an entire month with the man I love filled me with so much joy that I am going to use to push me through my next few months filled with more auditions and figuring out my move into NYC. Even though I already miss my boyfriend terribly, I am carrying the extraordinary love I feel from my trip in my heart. It gives heat to my flames. He inspires me to work even harder to accomplish my dreams. Even though long distance is extremely hard, this trip proved exactly why it’s worth it to put in the tremendous effort. I couldn’t imagine spending days with any other guy, he makes the distance worth it.
I promise my next post will be coming much sooner than this last one. I was away enjoying life and then when I got back my laptop broke! I had it repaired and now I am back in business.
Lot’s of love to all you readers.
xo. Mara
A SHOWGIRL'S LIFE 