Decor at a bar we tried
Overall Sydney seems to be similar to many large cities in the States; most people speak English, there are businesses, shops, restaurants in the city. People dress similar and for the most part eat the same food, lots of variety. A lot of the roads and places in the CBD clearly show that it is a common wealth nation, there are streets named George, Elizabeth, King, Kent, Liverpool and so on. They also drive on the left side of the road like the UK. Yet there are also strong American and various Asian influences as well.
Windy by the bridge
Vending machine for flip-flops
Last week there was the ‘State of Origin’ game with NSW (New South Whales) vs Queensland. We went out to a sports bar and watched it on every single TV in the place, and NSW won for the first time in nine years! It was so great watching the game, learning more the sport (still couldn’t tell you all the rules) and cheering with everyone during those final 10 minutes when they got in the lead.
Watching the State of Origin Game
There are some words that mean different things to an Australian, and besides the obvious British spelling of words (primarily adding a U), there are also other spelling/vocabulary differences. Rocky road here has chocolate, marshmallow, nuts and jellies. If you ask for bacon, you receive ham or Canadian bacon. There is a flat white, which to everyone tastes the same as a latte, yet is listed as something separate. Snags are slang for hotdogs or sausages, and feta is spelled ‘fetta’. Capsicum is pepper, and rocket is arugula.
A not so great photo of some rocky road
Opera house view from a ferry
As much as we try to merge with ‘the locals’ there are many touristy places and bars that we have or want to see. One we went to even had a pool and patio, one you could get drinks out of a teapot. Although some are over-the-top and full of foreigners, that aspect in a way is a given, since so many people that live in Sydney are not actually from here. Sydney is great and I’m so sad to say that the trip is already more than halfway over!
Pool at the bar
Montana Landegger
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">I'm Montana, and was born in New York (no, not in Montana), then some years later moved to Canada. I like trying new foods, helping others, dancing around, playing with kids, and meeting people. Above everything I absolutely love traveling, hence the IES summer abroad and studying foreign relations. Currently I'm at Georgetown University, studying development and diversity in the Pacific and African regions.</span></p>
