Things to do in Sydney by Merita

Hello everyone! This post will be a bit different from my previous posts, it is a guide for those who are visiting or plan to visit Sydney. Living in Sydney for a long time, has allowed me to visit many places and travel within the city. Bellow are some of my suggestions for those who are visiting Sydney. Although, this post does not cover every place you should visit it concentrates on tourist attractions which are located in or near the CBD.

Photo of the city that I took from an airplane

Darling Harbour

The Darling Harbour has different attractions for both children and adults. These include the

Chinese Gardens of Friendship, the National Marinetime Museum, the Star City Casino 

and much more.

The Chinese Gardens of Friendship

Filled with ancient Chinese architecture, water features and colourful fish, the Chinese 

Gardens is the perfect place to relax within a vibrant city. This place provides different 

activities and tours, including lantern decorating activities for kids, the opportunity to 

dress in traditional clothes and they provide food and beverages in a cafe within the 

gardens.

The building on the left-hand side shows the architecture inside the garden

Some of the things to see in the Chinese Gardens of Friendship

For more information on prices and activities offered, visit their official website linked 

bellow:

http://www.darlingharbour.com/things-to-do/chinese-garden-of-friendship/

Sydney Opera House

This white building is by far my favourite attraction within the city and its one of the 

most recognised attraction in Australia. Opera House as some describe it as the white 

'shell' building, is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney.

Sydney Opera House

This iconic building is a must see if you are in Sydney and they also have bars and 

restaurants inside and around the building. If you are interested in watching any performances 

or taking a tour of the inside of the building visit the link bellow for more information:

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Harbour Bridge

Close to the Sydney Opera House is yet another iconic structure, the Harbour Bridge. The

best way to see the bridge is while you are visiting the Opera House.

However, if you are not scared of heights the Harbour Bridge Climb is a must do activity 

while in the city. This allows you to not only see the bridge but also observe the city. For 

others, there is a precedent footpath to walk across the bridge.

Harbour Bridge and you can see Luna Park in the background

For more information about climbing the Bridge click on the link bellow:

http://www.bridgeclimb.com

Other attractions to visiting within the city include the following:

1. Centre Point Tower

2. The Botanic Gardens

3. Luna Park

4. Museum of Contemporary Arts

5. Hyde Park

6. Queen Victoria Building

Hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for another blog post about places in Sydney 

that are not close to the CBD but definitely worthwhile visiting if you are in Sydney.

Cappadocia, Turkey by Merita

Hi everyone! This post will be on my trip to Turkey a few years ago.

Cappadocia was one of the most interesting places that I visited during my trip to Turkey. These unique geographical features, have been created over a long period of time and have been used been used in the past as dwellings.

This is a photo that I took of some of the caves in Cappadocia

Souvenirs in the shape of the caves

Today, Cappadocia is one of the most popular tourist attractions and some of the caves have been used as hotels for tourists. They even have entertaining performances for those planning to stay for longer than a day.

People performing inside the caves for visitors

While in Cappadocia the two must-visit places are the Goreme Open-Air Museum and Rose Vally.

Goreme Open Air Museum

Hot Air Balloons over Cappadocia

As I spend most of my time walking though looking at all the caves in Goreme, I missed out on visiting other attractions such as Rose Vally. This is why if you plan to visit Cappadocia make sure that you plan your time and don't miss out in all the interesting you can see and experience while you are there.

So if you happen to be in Istanbul or Ankara it is definitely worth while to go and visit Cappadocia.

Thanks for your time everyone! And let me know if any of you visited Cappadocia.

Sources:

Goreme Open Air Museum Photo Sourced from: 
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g297983-d298413-i25284561-Goreme_Open_Air_Museum-Goreme_Cappadocia.html

Hot Air Balloons over Cappadocia Photo Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/best-pod-september-2011/balloons-cappadocia-turkey/

Toronto by Nick

Hello! In this entry I, Nick, will be recounting my trip to Toronto, Canada, in December 2013.
Toronto is one of the larger, the most populated, and one of the most well-known cities in Canada. To me, Toronto is very similar to Sydney, with the same kind of diversity Sydney has and the same urban prescence throughout the streets, as well as the same quiteness and calm as you move away from the very centre of the city.

Toronto has all the attractions you'd expect from a city, so while it does have some lovely views of the water, if you want to get in touch with nature, you need to venture out.
That being said, one of the best views of the city can be seen from the CN Tower, the tallest building in Toronto.

 

View of the CN Tower from Toronto

View of Toronto from the CN Tower

 

 

 Walking through the city while in winter was a truly wonderful experience and a great change of pace compared to the heat of Sydney, even if it was very cold (for my family and I. Canadians are probably used to it).

Other urban attractions that Toronto has to offer are the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery Of Ontario, which are located in different areas within the city. I personally very much enjoy museums and galleries, so both of these places were very fun to visit.

 

 

Outside the Art Gallery Of Ontario with my sister

 

One of the many artworks inside the gallery (unfortunately I do not remember the name)

 

  The Art Gallery of Ontario has a great range of artworks, from more modern and post-modern pieces, to more classical, romantic and renaissance works. (the artwork above is a modern piece, by the look of it.)

 

 

The Royal Ontario Museum was a very fun experience with many interactive displays, and stunning architecture. Despite the fact that many of the displays were geared towards educating small children, I still managed to goof around.

 

"Before and After" (according to my sister) with old Chinese bust

 

Trapped moose!

If you want a breather from all the ruckuss of the city, however, venturing down town to a more quiet area of Toronto can lead you to the incredible Casa Loma, a small, gothic castle that can be rented out for weddings and other events. The Casa Loma has many preserved rooms with old furniture and interior, a large garden (although we couldn't really see it in all its glory due to the snow), and undeground tunnels, giving it an impressive yet haunting atmosphere.

 

'Casa Loma' is Spanish for 'Hill House'.

 

 

Hawaii by Austine

Hello once again!
In today's post, I will be sharing my experiences in Waikiki, Hawaii when I visited this year in February.
I had never been there before so it was such an exciting time for me. This was mainly because I love water sports and we had the opportunity to go parasailing in such beautiful Hawaii weather.
The exhilarating feeling could not be replicated anywhere else. It felt like flying very high whilst wearing uncomfortable underwear. (Only because the harness was an awkward thing to wear around our torso, lol)

On our way to parasail! - Austine and mother

Parasailing was only a 45 minute activity and then afterwards, we had a try at the jet-skis. Because the lake was far away from where our hotel was, we had to wait 2 hours for the next shuttle to drive us back! Longest wait of my life. I'm so impatient as a person, wow.

Later on, we made our way to the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. This is such a stunning location where a lot of coral was still in tact and is protected. We could go snorkelling in the clear water and the snorkel hire was pretty cheap too! We spent about 3 hours at this place, eating lunch and enjoying the view. There were also various fish in the water which are hardly seen in Australian waters too - which made snorkelling a little scary (since some fish were poisonous) but it was awesome nonetheless!

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve     

Last but not least, I want to share with you guys what our accommodation was like in Waikiki. We stayed in a very lovely hotel called Ohana East and it was so central and really close to the beach! With stunning views and a rooftop swimming pool - what's not to love?

Sunsets were absolutely beautiful to look at every night in Hawaii.
That's all from me! Hopefully when the mid-semester break is over my blog posts will be a bit more recent!
Thanks for your time.

Melbourne by Austine

In 2014, I travelled to Melbourne with my mother.
As a whole, Melbourne was a very aesthetically pleasing city. Unlike Sydney, there are many lanes in which you can explore with lots of small cafes and lovely restaurants to cater anyone's mood. Personally, I enjoy hot chocolates and good sandwiches from the various cafes Melbourne had to offer. One specifically being Phamish cafe in St. Kilda.
What I ordered was a delicious Turkish pide sandwich which had grilled halloumi, caramelised onion, hummus and avocado. It is a great vegetarian and healthy alternative to fast food!
They also served the best hot chocolate at Phamish cafe.

Moreover, the graffiti scene in Melbourne was also a sight to be seen. Specifically in Hosier Lane. I believe local artists came together to spray paint the entire street from top to bottom. Even the floor was covered in what seemed to be a tapestry of unique colours. Monsters Ink has to be one of my favourite movies as a child and they displayed an artwork of Mike Wasowski and Sully Sulivan. 

As well as some modern graffiti, there are some historical sites in Melbourne, just like in most cities. The one that stood out the most to me was Flinders St station. From the following photo you could see the history behind it all. 

Welcome!

Welcome to Travel Bodies Blog!

We would like to share our past, present and future travels within and outside of Australia and provide a review of the places we visit. A blog written by Merita Cela, Nick Major and Austine Lie for our ISYS100 assignment, welcome to our blog! Information of the Authors:


Merita Cela: I am 19 years old and I am studying B Law and Commerce at Macquaire University. My blog posts will be about places I have have enjoyed visiting and places that I want to visit as part of student exchange programs. My posts will be based on places in Europe as well as some places within Australia. The content of the blog posts will be about travelling and it will be based on my personal interests which includes trying food in new places that I visit.

This is a photo of me travelling in Sydney.

Nick Major: I'm Nick and I am 19 years old, 1st year at Macquarie University studying B Science. I intend to post about various places within Sydney. My main interests are art and music.

Nick at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Austine Lie: I'm currently studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biomolecular Sciences. My interests include discovering fancy cocktails and taking long walks on the beach. My blog posts will mostly be about food reviews from different events I will be attending around Sydney and internationally as well.

This is a photo of Austine Lie drinking Butterbeer (non-alcoholic) at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios, Orlando.