Saturday 30/12
By Florence:
This morning we woke up without an alarm and we started doing our luggage. That is truly one of the worst parts about traveling. When we were done we took everything downstairs and put them in lockers. Then we went to eat and we ate toast and cereal. When we were just about to eat, dad and Madeleine, a friend, came and they ate with us. When we were done, we left and dad, Ludivine, Madeleine and I got a Uber to go to the Titanic exhibition. It was amazing. Dad left right before we entered and left to go and see markets. The exhibition was amazing, they recreated the grand stair case, the first class hallway and even a gate that was closed!! It was beautiful. We stayed there for about 45-60 minutes. When we were done, we took a taxi and went to the restaurant where we had an appointment with dad. We went there but I was closed so we went to another on called ‘About life’. It was really cool because you could either choose what you put in your salad or you could already take a pre-made salad. I took a pre-made one with pasta and a basil sauce and sun dried tomatoes. It was really good. When we were done, we went back to the hotel and kind of chilled with Madeleine and everyone. Mom and dad went to a museum. It was really nice but then Madeleine had to go. It was really sad. After that we went to a new Airbnb. It was amazing. It was really nice. We then got settled. Mom and dad went to get some food. They got dumplings and rice from the China town. It wasn’t really good. I mostly ate rice. When we were done we went to bed and slept. Good night.
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By me:
Day D-1 for New Year Eve and the famous Sydney fireworks. So exciting!. In the last few days, we could feed the excitement mounting up in the city.
The weather is a bit rainy this morning. Alexis comes and picks me up to go to the Carriageworks Farmers Market. It’s unfortunately closed.
We go and take a breakfast at ‘About Life’, where we can find “the full range of groceries under one natural, ethical, sustainable roof”. It’s a nice place. Alexis and Madeleine take a light breakfast and I take a juice.
I go back with Madeleine to the hostel where Isabelle and the kids are having their breakfast (after having done the checkout and putting all the luggage in the lockers).
Isabelle goes with Jules to visit the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. The World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks is one of the most significant convict sites in the world. A crossroads for tens of thousands of people, it played a central role in the world’s largest and longest-running system of convict transportation.
I go and drop the 3 girls at the Titanic exhibition and I then go for a walk in Surry hills; inspiring walk. I stopped at ‘Bondi Wholefoods’, organic café and organic store. I walk the whole Crown street. I like this street very much; there’s a good vibe. I also see ‘Cali Press’, a health café offering juices, smoothies and a great range of organic wholefoods and snacks.
We had an appointment at 1:30pm to eat at ‘Sashimi Fishbowl’ but it’s unfortunately closed. I find the girls and inform Isabelle to go instead to ‘About Life’, where I went this morning, on Crown Street. We eat there. You can fill your bowls with healthy things. We then go and take an ice cream for the 4 kids at Messina, one of the best ice creams in Sydney.
The kids go back to the hostel to play while Isabelle and I go to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where there’s an exhibition of Pipilotti Rist (a visual artist who works with video, film, and moving images which are often displayed as projections). We are the last visitors allowed in today. We have only one hour before the closing at 5pm. The visit is disappointing.
I put Madeleine into a bus to Coogee, to go back home.
We have to change accommodation today (the hostel was full for the 3 last nights when Isabelle booked it). We take a Uber and a taxi (you cannot order 2 Ubers in fact; you have to wait for the first trip to be over – I didn’t know that). The new apartment is not very far away. It’s in Haymarket, in Chinatown. It’s not very big (one bedroom only…) but it’s well located and we only stay for 3 nights.
Isabelle and I go to buy food for dinner. We come back with dumplings from a Chinese restaurant. They looked good but it turned out to be one of the worst dinners since a long time.
