The last time we were in Sydney, we did all the tourist things. We saw the Opera House every day from every angle. We strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens and around The Rocks. We shopped Paddington Market and took the ferry to Manley.

We also had dinner with our friends Sam and Lexi (who we met in Fiji!) at the most delish little place on Victoria Street called Sel et Poivre. So the second time we were in Sydney, we stayed with our new friends (and their amazing kitty!) at their charming place in Coogee Beach. It’s all of 5 minutes to walk to the ocean and the neighborhood had such great vibes.

We had coffee and wifi every morning at at the Coogee Pavilion, which is the hippest cafeteria I’ve ever been to. Then we’d walk the Coogee to Bondi Cliff Walk, which is an absolute must do in Sydney.

We had dinner at Wild Pony, and geeked out over their fried zucchini flowers (stuffed with cream cheese!) and shaved brussel sprout salad.They took us over to Watson’s Bay, where we sampled the local fish and chippery and watched puppies play in the sunshine.

But the best night was Game Night. We went over to Lexi’s friend’s house and played two board games I had never heard of. Jer being competitive of course was over the moon that his team won! The room was full of different types of people, people from all over the world who had made Sydney home. Everyone had their own exciting life story and laughed at how us Americans needed a tutorial on Aussie slang. That night we stayed up until 3:00 am eating, playing games, laughing, and talking. It was truly one of the best days I’ve had on the road yet.

xx katie