AspiringNomad

This will, without doubt be something I remember for the rest of my life.

I’m currently laying in the sun in the botanical gardens. The Sydney opera house is so close I could touch it, the huge structure of the Harbour Bridge is the backdrop and most importantly, I have Mum and Dad laying next to me.
Falling victims to jet lag, they’re absolutely exhausted. They’ve both laid their heads down and fallen straight to sleep.

After a hectic couple of days moving into my new accomodation. Having the comfort of Mum and Dad being nearby is exactly what I needed. After 6months of getting used to them being on the other side of the world I can now simply look to my right and although they are fast asleep, they are here and I couldn’t be happier to welcome them to Sydney.

It was an easy start to the day. After waking up with excitement, I took a quick photo of the view from my balcony as standard (the novelty of the harbour bridge as my view, hasnt worn off) and got ready to head to the airport.
I arrived with a little too much time to spare but enjoyed watching all the other travellers arriving in and being greeted by their loved ones! Some emotional reunions and some, I must admit, that didn’t seem like they were that bothered to see each other! Either way, I was fixated on two VIPs arriving through the doorway!
After about 1hr, I had a text from Mum saying that they had got their luggage and just needed to go to the toilet before coming through. 30mins later, I started to wonder if I was at the right arrivals hall! After pacing the area in a panic I decided to trust my instinct and stay put. Luckily I did, because out of the corner of my eye Mum and Dad appeared (classically and in true Martindale fashion they exited out of the obscure side exit that no one else was using!)
I don’t want to make this too emotional but seeing your Mum and Dad for a long while, when so much has happened, events that you wish they could have been there for, difficulties where you wish they could have been there to help you through, or just days when you crave a hug from your parents. At last, I was able to be held by them both and I will never take that feeling for granted.

Moving swiftly on. Mum and Dad were clearly not very engaged after a hefty 12hr flight, 5hr stop over and another 9hr flight to get here.
We hopped on the train to Central and walked to Nesuto in Chippendale to their first residence in Australia. Comfortable with all the amenities, we were all relieved that it was going to be suitable for them to stay in for the next few nights.
After a cup of tea, Dad insisted on having a shower. The sun was shining and after a few rainy days is Sydney my feet were itching to get out into the fresh air! I pretty much dragged Mum and Dad out of the apartment and back on the train to Wynyard. A stop not too far to Circular Quay. Perhaps quite a lot to do when they only arrived a couple of hours previous but little did they know, we were just taking the scenic route to my new studio apartment. We turned the corner at the end of Elizabeth Street and onto the promenade of the infamous Sydney Harbour.
Dazed and with a huge lack of sleep, Mum and Dad seemed a bit disorientated. Determined to get them to my place to make them a cuppa with a view, we bundled onto the ferry and hauled up the streets of Kirribilli and finally to my place!
After recuperating at mine for a little while. We thought it would be nice to sit down outside and enjoy the weather.
On the other side of the Harbour is the Botanical gardens, a perfect place to chill in the sun and a great place to start this blog entry.

Over the next couple of days, I had to head into work (A first for the Aspiring Nomad Blog- Yes, I have a job. No, I can’t just travel the world 24/7)
Mum and Dad spent their time exploring the East Coast and got a taste of Bondi Beach, which I was very interested to hear about what they had to think. As I mentioned previously, I’m not the biggest fan. They learnt more about Sydney in one day than I have in 4/5months and it was fascinating to hear about the history from them! They met me for lunch when I was at work and we had pizza at my place on the Friday evening. On the Saturday I met them in Chippendale to go out for dinner at what was one of my favourite restaurants. From memory, I thought the walk was fairly straight forward. In hindsight, the last time I did that walk I was pretty drunk and my judgement may have been a little scewed.
My poor memory sent Mum and Dad on a 45min trek across Sydney via huge holiday weekend crowds, including those who were on their way to the Barangaroo bars! I may have made a bit of an error, but we were more than ready for some food when we arrived at Anason Restaurant. Unfortunately, bread with hummus and one broccoli floret each was not enough for me, let alone Dad! Washed down with a bottle of red, we laughed about the lack of food and silly price tag that came with it and made our way back to Chippendale! The restaurant has swiftly made its way off of my ‘favourites’ list!

The following morning, I met Mum and Dad at Zenius. My local coffee shop which is all of 10 meters from my place in Chippendale to the front door of the cafe. Many a morning had been spent there and it was nice to have Mum and Dad sit outside, along Abercrombie Street, just as I have been doing since being here.
I didn’t want to miss my chance at an extra set of hands and so I kindly asked for their help to carry my electric heater across to Kirribilli. I would like to point out here that I initially suggested getting an UBER, but they were adamant that it wasn’t too much to carry. 15 minutes to Redfern station, 10 minutes on the train and a 5 minutes walk to my new place seemed too far to me, but I gave in, and we started walking. Two suitcases, an electric heater and a mop in tow! A sight to behold and one that would have made me smile if I was spectating from the outside!

My helpers and I made it and enjoyed a short rest at mine before gathering the suitcases to head back off to Kingsford Airport.

Mum and Dad were off to see an amazing country that they had never been to before, and I was going to see them again in just over two weeks back in Sydney! Despite being a bit jealous that they were off to explore the country that I have moved to, I was looking forward to live vicariously through them as they tell their tails of their trip in the camper (if you can call it that) down the East coast!

I’m currently sitting on a bay side cafe called the Flying Bear in Kirribilli (my new suburb). The weather is warm, and I’ve just indulged in a bite to eat and a coffee.
Mum and Dad are now in town and should have arrived at their new residence in Mosman. For those of you who don’t know, Mosman is a very nice area in North Sydney and I think that Mum and Dad will be pleased with their choice.

I will be meeting them later to catch up on all things Australia and I can’t wait! It makes my heart so full to know that they are in the same city as me, even though we are on the other side of the world! Just a few days of work left and then I can enjoy a whole week in their company. Wine tasting and hiking awaits!