March Slice of Life Story Challenge: Day 29 of 31 / Sydney

Sydney

Perhaps because of yesterday's encounter, Sydney is so strongly in my thoughts today. Living there feels so fresh, so vivid. Though Sydney is on the other side of the world from where I am now, there are places in New York, my own city, that feel more remote. I can't quite believe that I can't just hop on the subway and end up in Elizabeth Bay, our Sydney home.

Join me as I go for a walk in our neighborhood.

I take a look outside our kitchen window at the bay beyond. Sailboats dot the harbor and birds zip this way and that through tropical trees. A few puffy clouds float through a warm, blue sky.

I walk out of our building and past the cluster of bird of paradise growing outside. I walk past a lush city park with a koi pond and a view of the ocean and up a tall set of stairs to a bustling street. I stop by a cafe for a flat white and sip it luxuriously as I stroll.

I descend down another set of tall stairs to a wharf neighborhood. I keep an eye out for Russell Crowe, one of the tenants of the ritzy condos on the docks. I walk across a pier and I watch the water swirling over the sand and rocks below.

I walk up a hill and into a side entrance to the Sydney Botanic Gardens, where I'm greeted by screeching Macaws and swooping lorikeets; prickly, Dr. Seuss trees and clusters of fruit bats, resting for the night's excursion around the city.

I continue through the gardens, and at the end of the path, I am greeted by a wide open bay and the white sails of the Opera House floating in the distance.

I walk around the bay and up the steps of the Opera House. I take it all in - the gardens sprawling before me, the ferries shuttling into Circular Quay, the perfect arc of the Harbour Bridge spanning it all.

I walk down the steps and get ready to head home. Yes, just another stroll in the neighborhood.

Sometimes I miss Sydney so much my heart aches. Funny, considering I spent the first half of my time there desperately homesick for New York. But Sydney will always be a part of me, a part of my family. It's where my husband and I first set up our home. One day, I hope to live there again with our son. For now, I carry it with me all the time, hoping to find the kind of beauty we had there again. Thank you Sydney, for being our paradise for a little while.