My hostel in Sydney was a huge YHA (again!) in the Rocks neighborhood. This hostel was built directly over an archaeological site called the Big Dig where over 1 million artifacts were found from the time when this area was first settled by the British. The hostel is elevated so you can see the ruins underneath it! On my first day in Sydney I went for a walk around the Rocks neighborhood, which was the first area settled when Europeans first arrived here. I learned a lot at The Rocks Discovery Museum, which covers the history of the Rocks area from pre-European times until the present. Of course the British took the land from aboriginal people. It is so upsetting to me how ubiquitous colonization was. I appreciate that in New Zealand and Australia the history I have seen presented in museums is very direct in acknowledging the damage done to indigenous peoples by the white settlers. That seems to me to be one of many important components in moving toward equality.

There was a sweet little craft market that rambled around the neighborhood, and I walked under the harbor bridge. From there I wandered down to Circular Quay and the waterfront (tourist central!). I saw the harbor bridge and the Sydney Opera House, which really was stunning. In the evening, I went to an opera at the Opera House! It was a performance of The Eighth Wonder, an opera about the building of the Sydney Opera House, which has quite the history. Turns out the design was selected in an international competition in 1956, but the building wasn’t completed until 1973. The opera was performed on the steps of the opera house, and it was a silent opera, meaning everyone in the audience wore headphones to hear the sound. The music was so beautiful! I think I prefer the standard, headphone-free way of listening though.

The next day I went to Bondi beach. It was a beautiful day for the beach and there were tons of surfers out. There was a special event happening called Sculpture by the Sea where there is an art exhibit along a 6 km hiking path by the coast. Unfortunately I went on the last day and it was PACKED. I liked seeing the art, but gave up after a bit because of the crowd. I went to Icebergs, a pool right next to the sea. Because the ocean was so rough the day I was there, the waves were crashing up over the wall and into the pool. I tried to swim for a bit but it was so cold!  In the evening I went with some girls I met in my hostel to the Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House and we had a great night together.