The blogger's notes about Sydney.

Before starting to tell you about our month-long trip to Australia, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude towards Korean Air. They are part of the same alliance as Aeroflot, and we whole family were able to fly to Australia and back for free, using the miles I had accumulated with Aeroflot over the years. You see, my eldest child’s birthday fell on December 19th, so we spent the entire day – from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. – in the air, traveling from Seoul to Sydney. Korean Air even prepared a special cake for my child and champagne for us parents as a celebration. In short, my child was absolutely delighted by this experience:

Before New Year’s Day, many people were returning home from Seoul, so the flights were half-empty, and we had the entire cabin to ourselves – it felt like being at home:

Now let’s talk about Sydney. The city’s central skyscrapers stand along the shores of Sydney Cove, with the Sydney Opera House on one side and the Harbour Bridge on the other:

A six-lane road leads to the bridge:

The Sydney Opera House is Sydney’s most iconic landmark and one of the most easily recognizable buildings in the world:

Usually, all tourists take photos in front of it, but there are also some exceptions...

And this is the view of Sydney Cove from the Opera House:

But Sydney Cove isn’t the only bay in Sydney...

Tom Cruise tried to climb this skyscraper in “Mission: Impossible 2” in search of the Bellerophon. By the time we were on our cruise, the fourth installment of the series had already come out. I really wish I had seen it… I love those movies!

In Sydney, old colonial buildings coexist surprisingly well with modern skyscrapers:

Old port warehouses have been transformed into luxurious restaurants:

Every aspect of Sydney reflects the influence of Great Britain – even the names of its streets and neighborhoods:

Some streets in Sydney are even wider than those in Amsterdam...

Before Christmas, the central streets were especially crowded. Everyone was shopping for gifts for friends and loved ones:

Notice those slippers… Crocs are extremely popular in Australia. I’ve seen whole stores dedicated to selling them – some even come in fur!

After Crocs, the next most popular footwear are Uggies:

Before Christmas, all kinds of charity events become very active:

It’s strange to see a Christmas tree without snow...

A huge number of cars were decorated with Christmas lights. Even though there was no snow, Sydneysiders did their best to create a festive atmosphere in the city:

There are several pedestrian-only streets in the city center:

I often hear people say that “Russians are always looking for free things.” But that’s not a national trait of ours – it’s a common human weakness. Coca-Cola held a competition and distributed free bottles of their drink on one of these pedestrian streets. As a result, a huge crowd gathered there, eager to get a free bottle of cola...

Environmentally friendly bike taxis:

There are many parks in Sydney:

Sydneysiders are very athletic. You can see many people running along the waterfront early in the morning, during the day, and late at night:

In Sydney, white parrots play the role that black crows usually do in other cities...

All the birds in the city parks are numbered:

Garbage in Sydney is collected separately. What do you think we should do to start doing the same? How can we encourage our society to adopt this practice?

Stay tuned!