I was surprised that no one was stopping to look at these quotations; the sidewalk memorialized famous writers, some Australian-born and some who mention Australia in their writings. I read about 30 of them and didn't notice a single person at the very crowded Circular Quay who stopped to read. The quotations were very life-affirming to me, and they gave me solace when I was alone, lonely, and homesick.
No visit to Sydney is complete without a visit to the opera house.
Bondi Beach was the other must-see place, but the ocean looked too dangerous to take a dip in. The only ones braving the surf were surfers. Nearby was a pool which for $5 allowed you to swim in a pool alongside the ocean. I loved swimming laps while waves crashed over me. Certainly, yes, it was warmer to swim in the oceans of Palm Cove or Mission Beach, but here in Bondi I enjoyed the novelty of the ocean trapped in concrete. After swimming laps, I had a lovely sauna and then a shower. For $5 it was all plenty worth not getting caught in an undertow.
That night I went out for drinks with two guys from Cork, Ireland, Joe and Tommy, and one guy from England named Neil. They shared the hostel room with me, and we hit it off very well. Now I regret not getting their last names or e-mail addresses. The next morning I left our hostel room while they were asleep and flew to New Zealand.
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