One of the first things I do when I arrive in a new city is buy a map and explore the streets often going round in circles or heading the wrong way. This was until I found 'I'm free tours'. A walking tour which is run by a guy and his girlfriend and you only pay what it's worth. For travellers this is a dream come true as often tours can be between 30-60$. Rachel and Amelia (friends via Charlotte from home) highly recommended it so that I thought I'd give it a go. The instructions were simple...turn up outside the Town Hall and look for someone in a bright green tshirts. It truly was as simple as that! At first there were only about 10 of us. By the end, there were 2 groups each containing 30 or so people ranging from kids to backpackers to over 60's.
What I enjoyed about the tour was how much of the city I saw and from a local's perspective too. My tour guide (Justine) was fabulous, answering any questions which came her way.
We covered:
1. Town Hall
2. Queen Victoria Building (beautiful architecture now containing expensive shops)
3. Pitt Street underground Shopping mall (hidden gem for shopaholics like me)
4. Westfield Tower
5. Hyde Park
6. St Mary's Cathedral
7. Hyde Park barracks
8. Martin Place (where Superman and Spider-Man were filmed)
9. Australia Square
10. Macquarie Place
11. Golden hand of friendship
12. Customs House
13. Circular Quay
15. Cadman's Cottage (oldest house in Sydney)
16. The Rocks
17. Dawes Point
The tour lasted 3.5 hours and as you can see we covered a lot of ground. The map they give you is also really useful as it lists bus routes, trains, cheap places to eat, cheap museums and lots of free activities to do.
I cannot recommend this tour highly enough and I can't wait to do it all over again in Melbourne!
3 January
Even after all that walking yesterday, I couldn't wait to explore more of of this amazing city. There's just something about it that makes you want to go again and again!
I spent the morning wandering around the Queen Victoria Building looking at the Swarovski Christmas Tree which is decorated in thousands of crystals and heading to the top floor to see the famous clock which at the top of every hour reinacts the beheading of Charles I.
In the afternoon, I finally found an Internet cafe where I could upload my photos. 3.5 hours later and it was all done, well, up to Sydney that is! I've even had to begrudgingly pay for more space on my Dropbox account! Having spent the day inside, I opted to head for a beer garden and watch The Ashes. Wish I hadn't bothered (if you know the score then you'll soon work out why!) I'm not usually an England supporter on any grounds but The Ashes are special.
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