Sydney: Last stop in down under!

Sydney....

Ahhh..finally...a comfy bed and some home comforts. It was with very mixed feelings we drove across Sydney Harbour bridge for the second time and into Darling Harbour, where Kuin & Simon live. We were pretty sad to finally have to part with the Spaceship - our home for the last month. We were just about to get used to the feeling of being 'hermit crabs' in our cosy Spaceship.

The last time we were in Sydney (July '08), it was cold,...no..freezing(!) wet and grey. We thought we were in London! So we were pretty happy that there was plenty of sunshine predicted for the next few days we were in Sydney. :)

After returning the Spaceship, we took a walk around the city - from Darlinghurst (where we discovered a cute, little Laotian/Vietnamese street-side eatery. Check out: www.misschu.com.) to Darling Harbour.

Dinner was the obligatory Pizza (Surry Hills). We love Australia as there's a huge culture of food sharing here. They even share pizzas!

Best friends brushing teeth together.....awwwww....../ Beste Freunde putzen die Zähne zusammenn....awwww......

Friday night, poor Simon had to stay in as he was not well. Kuin took us out for dinner (at Chinta - Malaysian restaurant at Darling Harbour :))...the queue was long, but luckily the Maitre 'D recognised Kuin - who is obviously a Sydney VIP - and got us a table right away. Connections. ;-)

Afterwards, we wanted to go up the Sydney Tower for a drink but it was already closed (at 10pm - how lousy). So we took a walk around Darling Harbour instead.

Sydney, Darling Harbour by night / Sydney, Darling Harbour in der Nacht



Some big cruise liner on the dock / Ein grosses Kreuzfahrtschiff am Dock

There are a strip of bars and clubs along the waterfront...very cool! / Es hat einige Bars und Clubs entlang dem Wasser...sehr cool!

The weekend passed by way too quickly. We had brunch (naturally what all Sydney-ians do) and then went to the Sydney Fish Market to get some fresh seafood for dinner (Mishell cooked).

We were curious to compare the infamous Tokyo fish market to the very civilised and commercialised Sydney fish market. After some cookbook shopping (Mishell had to get some Australian cookbooks, obviously!), Mishell cooked up a feast and we enjoyed good wine (the last bottles that we carried with us from the Barossa Valley & McLaren Vale), food and conversation over dinner on a Saturday night - which was something we missed about being 'home'....

Simon & Kuin took us to some nice brunch places on saturday and sunday! / Simon und Kuin haben uns zu schönen Brunch Restaurants gebracht am Samstag und Sonntag

Sydney fish market....so much fresh fish! Awesome! :) / Sydney Fisch Markt....so viel frischer Fisch! Grossartig!

The fish cemetery....? Or has anyone use for some head and tails? :) / Der Fisch Friedhof...? Oder hat jemand verwendung für Fischköpfe und -schwänze? :)

Some giant 'Yellowtail Tuna' for Sashimi / Ein riesen 'Yellowtail Tuna' für Sashimi

We decided to go for a local 'red snapper' / Wir haben einen lokalen 'Red Snapper' gekauft

The feast is prepared......come to the table, guys!!! / Das Festessen ist bereit.....kommt zu Tisch!!!

Seared calimari marinated in chilli, garlic and lemon with asian-tomato-salsa / Sautiert Calimari mariniert in Chilli, Knoblauch und Zitrone mit asiatischer Tomaten-Salsa

Lobster with roasted garlic aioli / Hummer mit gerösteter Knoblauch Aioli

Cheers! Thank you, Mishell!

Main course: Red snapper baked in Banana leaf with asian inspired herbs / Hauptgang: Red Snapper gebacken in Bananen-Blatt mit asiatisch inspirierten Gewürzen

.........and we ate it ALL!!! / ........und wir haben ALLES gegessen!!!

Happy posing with full stomach! / Lustiges posieren mit vollem Magen!

Sunday was more brunch (at Double Bay), packing and then drinks on the Sydney Tower watching the sun set over Sydney Harbour....very cool and what a great view!

Pasci felt like something healthy...so he ordered Muesli with Yoghurt and fruits! / Pasci wollte etwas gesundes....also hat er Müsli mit Yoghurt und Früchten bestellt!

The beach at Double bay could not really impress us though! / Der Strand bei Double Bay konnte uns nicht wirklich beeindrucken!

Awwww......so cute! Married for 5 years and still so cuddly :) / Awwww....so süss! Seit 5 Jahren verheiratet und immernoch so verschmust :)

......and the newlyweds! / .....und die frisch verheirateten!

To the JPS GUYS: THANK YOU for your great gift (for us to go to the Sydney Tower)!! What a perfect way for us to end our trip here in Down Under! We truly enjoyed the view of the sunset above the roofs of Sydney.

Yep....that where we're going! Up there! :) / Ja...dahin gehen wir! Da hinauf! :)

Pasci should have brought his FCB shirt....hmmmm.... / Pasci hätte sein FCB Tshirt bringen sollen....hmmmm....

Sunset atmosphere in the bar&restaurant / Sonnenuntergangs-Stimmung in der Bar und im Restaurant

Amazing colours during the sunset.....perfect view from the Sydney Tower! / Wunderschöne Farben während dem Sonnenuntergang.....der Sydney Tower ist der perfkte Ort um den Sonnenuntergang zu sehen!

We enjoyed our beers & drinks / Wir haben unser Bier und Drinks genossen

The last Sydney Supper ..... / Letztes gemeinsames Abendessen....

THANK YOU, Simon & Kuin for your generosity and great hospitality! We really felt re-energised and pampered at your place...thank you for letting us wash our endless load of laundry. ;-)