First Impressions (September 14th, 2006)

Sitting in the back of an airport shuttle, haphazardly wandering toward my hostel, I realized that Sydney is, in fact, a very large city. It's a bit of a shock to the system after six weeks in a town of 8000 permanent residents. I was tempted to write Sydney off as yet another big city, but after just one night in the city I can already tell I'm going to like it here. Some things I've discovered:

Darling Harbor is a great place to spend an evening. As odd as it sounds, they have really cool water fountains. I took two complete loops around the harbor and found myself staring blankly at the water displays both times.

I found out that Australia does have a great beer, Victoria Bitter (and no, I haven't seen any Fosters yet).

And I just realized that this is my first time alone in a hostel. The place I'm staying is massive and is absolutely packed with people like me. I'm a little torn because they've got a really nice bar here where you can hang out with travelers from all over the world. But I'd also like to find some local spots and, you know, maybe meet an Australian. :) I've got a few nights though, I guess I can have both.

The hostel is offering a free walking tour of Sydney today, it should be a good way to meet the city properly. And I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in nearly two months, so I'm already happy this morning.