Just arrived from a business trip in Sydney, Australia and had the opportunity to stay the weekend and do some sightseeing in one of the few cities that has hosted Olympic games. Before going to Sydney if you ask me the first things to come in my mind would be Kangaroos (Just learned the aboriginal meaning and is… I don’t know!!!), Foster Beer (Not that common in Australia), and Crocodile Dundee (Set in the Outback and New York City not in Sydney!!!), but after a couple of days I found that Sydney and Australia is a lot more than that with great people with lots of diversity, a great fauna that they protect and a huge beer culture with really good micro brews for you to enjoy.
Sydney is the biggest city of Australia with more than 5 million people living there, 43% of the people were born overseas and this was one of the great things I like of Sydney the huge diversity of the people. It is a city of immigrants with huge Asian population but also you found a great number of Europeans and also found Latin Americans (talk with a group of Argentinians in the light rail) important also to share that there is an important Aboriginals population that have live in Australia for more than 30,000 years.
One of the most expensive cities in the world, but also ranks as one of the most livable cities in the world, you can clearly see the great quality of life by walking in one of the many suburbs. When you look at the most visited places for tourist you will find Sydney with offerings to different budgets, it was hit very hard during Covid and still today as they open for tourist the industry is not at 100% with not enough people in the airports, hotels, restaurants; but what I can tell you is that the people that are working will try to provide you with the right service.
I just had a couple of days in Sydney so the schedule was limited but at least got a glimpse of the many things this place has to offer and why it is such a great destination. The Harbour is a place to get lost, it is vibrant with lots of things happening: Sydney Opera house (one of the most distinctive building in the world), Go in a Ferry and select one off the multiple places they go, walk around the Rocks and have a great locally brewed beer with some tasty food, or simply sit in one of the many parks and enjoy time admiring the landscape of the city. For sure you could do 3-4 full days in the harbour to know this Iconic place.
If you go with limited time I recommend you do the Hop On Hop Off bus, a great way to know highlights of the city and also help you plan what things you would like to dedicate more time the next couple of days. You can do both routes in one day (red and Blue) so you can acclimatize. If you want to go down I would suggest Bondi beach or The Rocks as a great stops to go down and explore. Look for big bus tours, for me it is good value for the money you pay.
I come from Puerto Rico, so beer is one important thing for me and in Australia you can go to many places and have great beer. During my stay I went to 3 places that would like to share as they are great alternatives to enjoy locally brewed beer with very nice ambiance: The Noble Hops in Redfern / 4 Pines in Manly / Lord Nelson Brewery. In all of this places the food and the drinks were exceptional so from my point of view you will not miss.
One last thing I recommend in Sydney is to use public transportation is a good way to see and learn from talking with others and just getting out in a station and walk a little bit. During my stay I use not only the Ferry to Manly but also the train and light rail, excellent alternatives and very to use if your card has can top off in a machine.
Now I am back in Dubai where we are in the middle of the summer, just closing one year of living in this part of the world and with great stories to share and take as part of my journey. Just finished a list of counties visited and the number is 36, blessed to have the opportunity of meeting great culture and people from all over the world. If you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….
BoricuasLivingAbroad 
Very interesting!
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